Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf, Tilapia and Grilled Veggies

Well we are finally settled into our new home and getting more settled into our new normal in Murfreesboro. I have to admit it has not come nearly as easily as I wished it would. It has felt like vacation for a couple of weeks and that we will be leaving this place and coming home any day. However, this is home. I say that not with sadness but with much excitement as Trevor and I talk about life in this "new" place. Even though Trev and I have both lived here previously, we come back as changed people with changed hearts for this great city we love. Continue to pray for us as we love and live with our neighbors, friends and City Church.

Let's talk food...Making my way around a new, much bigger kitchen has been fun but also intimidating. We ate lots of grilled meats and veggies (right out of Grandpa's garden) for the first week. It was nice not to dirty a kitchen and just toss it all on the grill. This week I have cooked and baked in my new kitchen. I'm learning my way around it much better and feeling more comfortable.

Grilled Tilapia, Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf and Veggies

Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets

EVOO for coating

Salt and Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

4 slices of lemon or lime

Coat the tilapia in EVOO. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Place it in a casserole dish. Put one slice of lemon or lime on each piece. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf (click for recipe)

I got this recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess. It is so easy and so yummy. Since I found it, I have made it 4 times. Its a must have.

Grilled Veggies

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 zucchini

Asparagus

EVOO

Salt and Pepper

I realize this is pretty self explanatory, but just in case you have never grilled veggies...it is this easy. Slice up your veggies, coat them in EVOO and salt and pepper. Put them in a grill pan and cook until tender, yet still slightly crunchy about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Settling In

Oh how I long to be back. Packing, moving to another state and unpacking has all together consumed my life. I do long to be back in the kitchen creating and blogging about it. Please be patient...do not give up on me...I will be back.

XOXO

Red Beans and Rice

With summer right on my heals a couple weeks back, I began looking for some easy gluten free and dairy free slow cooker meals. They are super easy for summer days when you don't want to cook but just be outside all day or the rushed Sunday after church meal. Never underestimate what you can get done in a slow cooker. Trevor loves Red Beans and Rice, and lets face it...its cheap to make. That's a definite win in this family, where the grocery bill is often the most expensive thing outside of rent. YIKES!! However, it is a sacrifice we make in our family and it is worth every penny.

Red Beans and Rice

serves 4-6 prep time 20 minutes cook time 4-6hrs

2 1/2 cups Organic Gluten free chicken broth

2 14oz cans Organic fire roasted tomatoes

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and diced

2 15oz cans Organic red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 15oz cans Organic pinto beans or black beans

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne powder

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp Gluten free Worcestershire sauce

1 lb smoked sausage or turkey

1 tsp brown sugar

4-6 servings of brown rice

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low or high according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve over rice.

Virtual Cookbook

{Isaac photographed by A. Shore Photography}

This is a dream come true. I love the Gluten Free Goddess' blog already for her beautiful food photography and the yummy food she makes, but she takes looking for recipes to a whole new level. If your looking for a quick easy way to find your weekly meals...check this out.

You can thank me later!! Happy hunting and cooking.

Fritters.Potato Salad.Baby Herb Salad

On Wednesday May 4th, a group of people in the Gluten-Free community gathered together in DC to bring publicity to the neglect of the FDA to put stricter regulations on Gluten Free food labeling. It was a grass root effort led strongly by Jules Shepard and so many others. Please take a look at what they did at the Gluten Free Food Labeling Summit 2011. Its a very important cause for those who struggle with Celiac or Gluten Intolerance/Sensitivities.

Corn Shrimp Fritters by Silvana Nardone

Makes 15 Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 12 min

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup chopped shrimp

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 eggs

1/2 cup Silvana's All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp salt

Baby Herb Salad With Roasted Edamame

Organic Baby Herb Salad

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

grape tomatoes

1/2 small zucchini, sliced and quartered

Sundried Tomato & Garlic Organic Vinaigrette

Roasted Edamame, for topping

Toss and top with Edamame.

Potato Salad With Pickles and Mustard Vinaigrette by Silvana Nardone

Serves 4 Prep Time 15 minutes (plus chilling) Cook Time 15 minutes

2 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped sweet pickles

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup EVOO

Salt & Pepper

Creamy Zucchini Bake

I made this yummy meal the other night. I found it on Gluten Free Goddess' website a while back and have been looking forward to making it. Check it out here.

Chicken Tacos With Black Beans

What a great Saturday we had this weekend. It was beautiful outside and full of activity. We started the day with baseball, then the boys went to Frankie's and played putt putt, then a good light dinner and after the kiddos went to bed Trevor and I watched a movie...Fair Game, with Sean Penn and Naomi Watts. If you haven't seen it don't watch it...it was incredibly boring.

We had Chicken Taco's with Black Beans for dinner. It was delicious and light. Which I love. Oh and it was very easy to make.

The picture above I ripped off the Internet...Why you ask? Because when it was picture time at my house, my camera was dead!! UGH! I do hate when that happens. This was the closest I could find to my tacos.

Chicken Tacos

Serves 4 Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 3 hours

2 chicken breast

1 bell pepper slices

1 onion sliced

1 Organic taco seasoning

10 Corn tortillas

Garnishing:

1 can Organic refried beans

Guacamole

Salsa

Place the chicken, bell peppers and onions into a slow cooker, in that order. Pour the taco seasoning on top. Cover and cook for three hours. Once the chicken is done, shred it and toss back in with the seasoned bell pepper and onions. Mix well.

Black Beans

Serves 4 Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 1 hour

1 can Organic black beans

1/2 onion chopped finely

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

dash of Tabasco sauce

In a saucepan add all the ingredients above. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 1 hour.