Audrey was loving the small green ones this year...

and Ella wasn't too sure about the whole thing... ;)

She definitely didn't want to be left alone with one...

Animals, not pumpkins, scare this one...

But...from distance they're not as bad. ;)

Last stop...Children in the Corn... It's a Cornbox...(like a sandbox but with corn instead.) Clever. 

It's Summer time and I usually don't make a lot of soups but the baby in my belly was craving me some Chili! The only trouble is my husband is not too keen on the kidney bean (which is classic in the dish normally). 

So, I subbed in his other 2 favorite beans, added my own touches, and then found out I was out of tomato juice so I improvised a little more... The result: AWESOMENESS. Such a great tasting chili and super easy to make. You can do it all in one pot and it cooks up pretty quick. It's also freezable so you can have it quick another time. Perfect. 

Hope you enjoy it!

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free,
Created by jalene

Ingredients:

• 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste + enough water to make 32 oz total
• 1 lb raw ground beef
• 1 onion, diced small
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, diced small
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 can (or 1 & 1/2 cups) black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 can (or 1 & 1/2 cups) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can or (14 oz fresh) diced tomatoes with their juices
• 3/4 cup frozen corn (optional) (We recommend using organic, non-gmo corn!)

Directions:

1. In a blender add the tomato paste and water to equal 32 oz total. Blend until well combined. Set aside.
   
2. In a large pot over medium high heat add the beef, onion, and green pepper. Cook until meat is browned. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Saute for 1 minute. 
3. Pour in the tomato paste & water mixture. Add beans and heat the soup until nice and hot. Stir in the corn (if using). 

Also goes great with corn chips, avocado, or cheese (if able to have). 

To freeze, cool the soup completely and place into ziplock freezer bags. Then simply consume within 3 months. If you're keeping this in the fridge instead, consume within 3 days.

PSSST...Of course, you can sub out any of the beans for ones of your choice but the black beans and great northern beans go really well in this combination.

Yum! I LOVE this soup so much. It's almost addictive. Right now as I type my tummy is so full! I should have stopped at 1 bowl. Ha ha. Even Audrey reacted the same way! Usually she says "No" when I ask her if she'd like more but today she surprised me with a resounding "YES!" 

Success! And it's completely Gluten and Dairy Free! :)

I love this recipe because the base is made from my new Gluten Free Cream of Celery Soup recipe (which is amazing just by itself). I've been craving a broccoli cheese soup lately but wanted a good Vegan recipe that was SOY free as well because Audrey has been reacting to Soy-based Vegan Cheese lately. 

So, believe it or not, this yummy, cheesy soup DOES NOT HAVE CHEESE in it! Crazy I know. Let me introduce you to a Dairy Free Cheese Substitute that we use a lot: Nutritional Flakes. (That's the secret ingredient in the Chreese packet.)

My husband calls this a "restaurant worthy" recipe. He's so nice. I'm glad I have 1 fan. ;) Wait, 2. Audrey likes my food too. ;) Hope you LOVE it as much as we do! 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Soy Free, Nut Free)
Created by jalene

Makes 3 cups
Ingredients: 

• 2 cups water, divided
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
  
• 1 can equivalent (10.75 oz or 1 & 1/4 cup) GF Cream of Celery Soup (or if you don't mind a little meat use  Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Soup 
• 1 packet of Road's End Gluten Free Cheddar Chreese Mix
• 1/4 tsp Wright's Gluten Free Hickory Seasoning Liquid Smoke
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 
  

Directions: 

1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat add 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup broccoli, and 1/2 tsp onion powder. Cover and simmer for about 6 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and tender. 
2. Add the Cream of Celery Soup and 1 cup of water. Stir occasionally as it warms. 
3. While the Cream of Celery mixture is heating, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then whisk in the Road's End Cheddar Chreese Mix. Stir until it thickens. Remove the chreese sauce from the heat and add to the Cream of Chicken mixture. 
4. Add the 1/4 tsp liquid smoke and heat the soup until nice and hot. 

Serve warm and store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

You might cry after you try this next recipe. I know I almost did! But I have an excuse, I'm pregnant... and I LOVE FOOD! I owe this amazing recipe to my part Asian husband. ;)

Last month I was sick in bed with the 24-hour flu and the only stinking thing that sounded good was Ramen Noodles. Mind you, we stopped eating Ramen Noodles LONG ago back when we found it had MSG, no nutritional value and full of gluten. There was no hope for this glorious comfort food to ever be seen in our house again.

So, why the sudden craving? Who knows. Luckily, my sweet husband grew up eating Ramen Noodles! (He claims before most of America was eating them because they had special hook-ups with his mom being from Hawaii and all...)

So if anyone were to try recreate it, he'd be the man.

When he brought up the soup for me to eat in bed, it was almost enough to start the ol' water works. This soup not only hit the spot but I started thinking...You realize what this means?! Gluten Free College students have been liberated! They can now eat the same as gluten-infested eaters... you're welcome college students. 

Go ahead and feel free to dim-sung this up! Add peas, chicken, corn, whatever! It all tastes good. 

And thank you to my wonderful husband for taking care of me! I love you! I'm so thankful we get to be together forever! ;)

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Sugar Free, MSG Free, etc.)
Created by jalene's husband Brandon

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp curry powder
• 4 oz. gluten free rice noodles (see note)

Directions: 

1. In a medium saucepan, add everything except for the noodles. Stir and bring to a boil. 
2. Add the rice noodles and cook according to package directions. (Mine took about 7-9 minutes.) Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container. 

NOTE: If you want more liquid and less noodles decrease the noodles to about 3.5 oz instead. If you refrigerate this, the rice noodles tend to soak up a lot of liquid as well. 

Food for thought: A day after posting this great recipe Yahoo published a crazy article on a teen's strange Ramen noodle addiction! Apparently she's been eating mainly Ramen for the past 13 years! (YIKES!) According to her doctors she is malnourished and has the health of an 80 year old! Sad. So the lesson here, eat a well balanced diet and parents, don't allow your kids to make poor eating choices. You're the boss. You can say no. :)

Want to liven up your traditional chili recipe?! Well, do I have an amazing yummy soup to share with you! I saw it on Pinterest and loved the idea! I've adapted it a bit to fit our allergies. The original recipe contains cheese instead of cream cheese but Audrey has a difficult even with Vegan Cheese lately! Cream Cheese has been safe so far so I subbed that it. It makes an amazing addition to the dish especially against the tomatoes. Yum. ;)

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Land O Lakes

Ingredients: 

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can rotel tomatoes
• 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
• 4 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 2 cans (15 oz) Great Northern Beans, drained (or 3 cups)
• 1 cup frozen corn (we use organic)
• 8 oz cream cheese (we used Vegan to make it Dairy Free)
• Cilantro & Lime for garnish  

Directions: 

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove from the pan and set aside. 
2. Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook until the onions are softened to your desire. Return chicken to pan. Stir in the broth, beans, corn, and tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and turn heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Stir in the cream cheese and remove from the heat. Serve warm, garnish with cilantro and lime. 

Can I just vent for a moment? Some restaurants have NO idea what Gluten Free really means. It's scary when they even try to guess because you wonder if your food is actually going to be safe. I have a great list of restaurants to choose from on my Gluten Free Restaurant Page but what if you can't find one of those??! You're at the mercy of people's knowledge of Gluten Free. Which I'm finding, is minimal in some places. 

One guy, when I told him we were Gluten Free, replied with "Oh, I've heard of that diet...what happened is you've got a bunch of doctors on a kick right now telling people they should stay off wheat. I'm sure it will be out just as quickly as it's been in." Can you believe that?! I was floored. I tried not to get upset but just realize he has NO IDEA what he's talking about! Gluten allergies are for REAL! Despite some beliefs, people don't do it because it's the "in diet" right now but it really affects us! 

Hopefully one day Gluten Intolerance will be taken a little more seriously. You don't see people telling those with peanut allergies that their allergy is just a fad or they're just doing it to loose weight. Why in the world would they tell a Celiac or a person with Gluten Sensitives that then? It's beyond me. 

On the trip, a nice lady wanted to share some snacks with my daughter and I said "Oh, she has some severe allergies to wheat, gluten, and dairy so there's not many normal snacks she can eat." The lady pulled out some crackers (made from wheat) and the orange goldfish crackers (made from wheat and dairy) and said, "So are these safe?" YIKES. That tells me some people have no idea what they are even eating themselves. 

If you have some great ideas on how to eat SAFE while on vacation I would LOVE to hear them. I'll share them with everyone in a post so we can all benefit. I'll also be sharing a couple of our tricks in the next week or so, so be sure to watch for that. 

Until then, here's another great recipe for you! It's a great winter time soup with a super yummy taste. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free, Corn Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by Jenny Swim

Ingredients:

• about 1 & 1/2 cups cooked & diced Chicken (I often cut up day old rotisserie chicken)
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
  
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 4 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 1/3 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
  
• 1 (4oz) can of diced green chilies
• 1/2 tsp season salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper (or to taste)
• 3 cups of Great Northern Beans (with juices) or your can use 2 cans
• 3-5 drops of Tabasco Sauce (optional)

Directions: 

1. In a large saucepan add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the cumin, oregano and stir fry for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth, add the cilantro, diced chilies, season salt, salt, and pepper. (Add Tabasco sauce if using.)  Simmer for 20 minutes or until a good flavor is established. 
2. Add the chicken and beans and simmer on low until heated through. 

Goes great served with avocados and tortilla chips. Enjoy! Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Can be frozen as well. 

I've heard a rumor that our tastes buds die as we get older and that's why we're able to "like" more things... haha. True? I don't know but I do think perhaps we just get a little braver and try new things. This next soup is definitely one I did not start liking until just about a year ago. I took a European cooking class and this was on the menu one night. I remember thinking, I'll try a spoonful (because that's what I expect of my own daughter when I make new stuff). I ended up not only eating that entire bowl but going back for 2nds! Ever since then we have enjoyed this dish! 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Created by jalene

Ingredients: 

• 5 cups diced onions
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) 
  
• 2 Tbsp gluten free Worcestershire sauce
• 1 & 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 3 Tbsp gluten free beef broth base
• 6 cups water

Directions: 

1. Place the onions, butter, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper into the pressure cooker. Seal and cook for 25 minutes. Quick pressure release and add the beef broth base and water. Boil for about 15 minutes more and serve. 

We serve this over my Soft Gluten Free Rolls, sliced and toasted. If you're not dairy free this is really yummy with cheese too. 

You can still make this yummy soup. Simply cook your onions and butter for a LONG time on the stove.  You can cover them to speed up the process but watch them carefully so they don't burn. They need to be soft and transparent by the time you're done. Then add all the other ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes.  

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe off allrecipes.com

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb cubed stew meat
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 cups gluten free beef broth
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano (optional)
• 1/2 tsp majoram (optional)
• 2 & 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 & 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

(PS- you can add in celery too if you prefer or any other tasty veggie. Simply make sure they all equal to 5 cups. So for example I've done 2 cups carrots, 2 cups potatoes, and 2 cups celery before.) 

Directions: 

1. In your pressure cooker add the meat, onion, broth, salt, pepper, oregano & majoram (if using). Seal the lid and cook for 25 minutes on High Pressure, with a quick release at the end. If you're using frozen stew meat you will have to increase this time or thaw your meat before. 
2. Add your potatoes and carrots, seal the lid and cook for 11 minutes on High Pressure, with a quick release. Remove from heat and serve. 

Simply add the meat, onions, spices, and gluten free beef broth to your crockpot and cook on low for 7 hours. Add the carrots and potatoes and continue cooking for another 1-2 hours or until the veggies are tender to your liking. NOTE: You may or may not need to add more liquid as it cooks so adjust it accordingly. 

When you're feeling a little under the weather and nothing else sounds good this is one of those soups that just seems to make it all better. It's especially good on bitter cold days too! 

I love this recipe because it's one-pot and the gluten free noodles I used are fortified with carrot, tomato, and spinach. It's a super healthy meal that the entire family will love. Enjoy!

Just a reminder, we have another great Free Gluten Free class coming up in 8 days. Visit HERE for more information. 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe off allrecipes.com

Serves 6
Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp butter (or use extra virgin olive oil or Earth Balance to make it Dairy Free)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 9 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 2 chicken breasts, raw & diced into small pieces
• 1 & 1/2 cups gluten free noodles (I used Tinkyada's Brown Rice Pasta Vegetable Spirals- see below)
• 1 cup sliced carrots

Directions: 

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic, and celery and cook until just barely tender.  Add the basil, oregano, marjoram, salt, and pepper and stir fry for 1 minute. 
2. Pour in the chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil. Add the raw chicken, noodles, and carrots and cook for 20 minutes or until noodles are tender. 

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. This soup can be frozen as well! When reheating be sure to not over cook so your noodles don't turn mushy.