Review: Franz 7 Grains Gluten Free Bread

 

If you've had to go Gluten Free, chances are you've sampled many different sub-par gluten free breads.  Let's face it: most of them are just not all that great.  Yes, if you toast them they taste fine, but they're too dry to make a sandwich that won't turn your mouth as dry as a desert.

 

But that has changed.  My friend clued me in to this new bread from Franz.  It's fresh, not frozen.  It's soft, not hard.  It doesn't crumble apart if you look at it wrong.  What we have here, is BREAD.

 

Notice this little bit on the side of the package.  "Gluten Free Facility".  I like this very much.  It means a lot to know that Franz understands cross contamination and has taken the time to dedicate a facility to making their gluten free bread.

 

 

Here are two slices of bread out of the package.  I wish you could reach through your screen to touch these pieces of bread.  They're moist.  They're springy.  They act like "real bread".  They smell like "real bread".  They even taste like "real bread".  Oh my!  So now, let's put this bread to the test.  I feel like having a grilled cheese sandwich!

 

 

Add the butter.  Yum!

 

 

Add the cheese between the bread, and throw it on a hot griddle.  Look at how nicely it cooked.  Look at that golden brown goodness.  Mmmm!

 

 

And here is the final sandwich.  I guarantee that it tastes as good as it looks.  This IS real bread.  My friend who turned me on to this bread says it makes great french toast as well.  I wonder if it makes a good Apple Pan Betty?  I'll have to try that next.  :)

 

 

Chicken & Sausage Stew

Now that the weather is turning colder, I've been wanting to make good stick-to-your-bones food.  The kind that fills you up with good flavor and nutrition, and warms you from the inside.

As I was browsing on Pinterest, I came across this recipe for Hunger Games Hob Stew:
http://www.mamalovesfood.com/2012/03/hunger-games-hob-stew-chicken-sausage.html

I will admit, I'm behind the times and have neither read the book nor watched the movie.  But my oldest daughter has done both.  She was really keen to try the recipe that was inspired by the movie, so it's what's for dinner tonight.

Here are my ingredients.  One change that I made right from the start was to not use quite so much broth.  The original recipe calls for 12 cups of chicken broth... that's three quarts!  I used only two quarts (8 cups) and that seemed to be sufficient.  Also, I would have run out of room in my pot had I used all 12 cups!

I poured my broth into my Dutch Oven and brought it to a boil.  Once the broth was boiling, I added the Italian sausages.

And then the veggies, which have been chopped, are added.  The recipe called for two green bell peppers, however green bell peppers are not a favorite in this house.  I used one red bell pepper instead.  Now I let that cook for about 30 minutes, or until the sausages are cooked through.  When the sausages are cooked, I removed them from the pot and added the package of beans. Return to a simmer and let cook for 2 hours, or until the beans are tender.

Now that the beans are in the pot, I transfered the sausages to a pan to brown them up a bit.  Once they're browned, I removed the sausages to cool a bit and cooked my chicken breasts.  Of course, you can use leftover chicken if you have some to use up.

Once the sausages and chicken breasts are cooled, I cut them into bite sized pieces.  I left the sausages in round pieces, I liked the shape.  Place the cut sausages and chicken in a bowl and refrigerate until later.

After 2 hours of simmering, the beans should be nice and soft, so I added the cooked chicken and sausage to the Dutch Oven.  At this point, I added half a cup of water to get the consistency that I wanted; the stew had cooked down a bit more than I had wanted.  Let this simmer for 15-20 more minutes, or until warmed through.

Yum!  This is so tasty and hearty, and healthy too.  And best of all, my daughters ate it up.  Sweet!

However, I would make a couple of additional changes to the recipe.  As written, this recipe makes a LOT of food!  Next time I think I'll halve the recipe and it will still make plenty for dinner and leave leftovers for the next day's lunch.  Maybe even a few lunches!  :)

Also, I would not put the carrots in at the beginning of the cooking process.  They end up being cooked for 3 hours, and by the time I served up dinner the carrots were mush.  Next time, I will wait to add the carrots until later, 30-45 minutes before serving.  Either that, or I'll soak the beans before cooking so the dish won't have to cook for so long.

Rainbow Hash

I call this Rainbow Hash not because it makes you see rainbows after eating it, but because the ingredients are so colorful.  :)  You know, now that I think about it, aren't we encouraged to eat a rainbow of foods?  Apparently this is because the brightly colored foods have nutrients and vitamins that we need.  :)

You'll need:
* 1 pound Red Potatoes
* 1 pound Purple Potatoes
* ½ medium Orange Pepper
* ½ medium Yellow or Sweet Onion
* 1 pound Italian sausage
* 2 Eggs
* ½ cup milk
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 2 Tbsp olive oil

First, dice up your potatoes into ½" cubes, like so:

Note: If you can't find purple potatoes, you can substitute Russet potatoes instead.  Both the Purple and Russet potatoes have a different texture from the Red potatoes and it makes for a nice combination.

Toss the potatoes with 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and if you wish you can add some oregano or thyme.  Place the potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish that has been prepared with nonstick cooking spray, and roast them in the oven for 25 minutes at 425 degrees F.  Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking and to cook evenly.  They should be fork tender after 25 minutes; if not, put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until finished.

While the potatoes are roasting, dice your yellow onion and orange pepper like so:

Set the onion and pepper aside for the moment.  Prepare your eggs to be scrambled: Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk until mostly smooth.  Add the milk, and salt and pepper to taste, then whisk again until the milk is incorporated.

Now, get out your handy dandy cast 12" iron skillet (or any skillet really, I just love my cast iron skillet).  Cook your Italian sausage until all the pink is gone.

Remove the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.  Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the grease from the pan, and saute your onion and pepper until the onion is translucent and the peppers are fragrant.

Once the peppers and onions are done cooking, remove them to the same plate as the sausage and quickly scramble your eggs.  You may need to add a little bit of butter or oil to the pan to cook your eggs so they don't stick, but it won't take much.

Now it's time to toss all your cooked goodness together!  Once your potatoes are finished roasting, combine all the ingredients (potatoes, sausage, peppers and onions, and eggs) into a bowl and gently mix to combine.  Adjust salt and pepper as needed.  Serve and enjoy!

Potato Chowder with Bacon and Sausage

Potato Chowder with Bacon and Sausage

Serves 6-8

This is super tasty and is made in the microwave.  It takes about 30 minutes or so to make.  You'll need a deep covered microwave-safe 3 Qt dish.  I have a stoneware one from Pampered Chef (their Deep Covered Baker), but glass (Pyrex) works just as well.  The recipe is adapted from a Pampered Chef recipe.

Ingredients:

* 3 russet potatoes (about 2.5 lbs)

* 3.5 cups 2% milk, divided

* 4 oz cream cheese (regular or reduced fat, but not fat free)

* 2 Tbsp butter or margarine (I always use butter)

* 2 green onions, with tops

* 4 oz (1 cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

* 6 slices bacon, cooked and diced

* 0.5 pound mild italian sausage, cooked and drained

* 1.5 tsp salt

* 0.5 tsp pepper

Directions:

Set cream cheese on counter to come to room temperature.  Cook bacon, drain on paper towels, and dice when cool.  Set aside.  Cook sausage, drain, set aside.  Slice green onions thin and set aside.

Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and score skin with knife.  Place in a deep microwave-safe covered dish.  Pour 0.5 cup milk over potatoes, cover, and microwave on HIGH for 10 minutes.  Remove from microwave and rearrange potatoes so the outside ones move to the inside and vice versa.  Cover and return to microwave and cook on HIGH for 10 more minutes or until potatoes are soft.  Coarsely mash potatoes and skins (scoring the skins makes this easier).

While potatoes are cooking, whisk cream cheese until smooth.  Slowly add remaining 3 cups milk, whisking until smooth.  Add salt and pepper and whisk to combine.

After potatoes are mashed, add butter and milk/cream cheese mixture to the dish.  Cover and microwave on HIGH for 3-5 minutes or until hot.  Stir to combine.

Add grated cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, bacon, and sausage.  Stir to combine.  If the cheese has trouble melting, cover and return to the microwave and cook on HIGH for 1-2 minutes.

Note that there is broccoli in the chowder in the picture above.  You can add anything you want to the chowder after it's been cooked, this was leftover broccoli I had in the fridge from another meal and it was OK.  It's all up to you and your taste buds.  :)