Cabbage Goulash

We have a bit of cabbage...and by a bit, I really mean a LOT!  So, I needed something to use it up.  This recipe takes care of that and tastes pretty darn good.  It's like cabbage rolls with out the rolling part.

Cabbage Goulash

1 lb ground pork or pork sausage

1 lb ground beef

1 T Italian seasoning

1 tsp fennel seed, ground up a bit in mortar and pestle

1 T chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 14.5 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes

1  6 oz. can tomato paste

10-16 cups diced cabbage (I had one LARGE head that ended up being around 16 cups!, can do smaller ones too)

salt and pepper to taste

In large soup pot (and I mean large), brown the meats.  Add the spices and tomato products.  Stir around a bit.  Add the cabbage and cook on medium-low until the cabbage is cooked through.  

Be prepared to feed an army or freeze some for another meal!

Quick Sugar-Free Pan-Fried Carrots

There are a lot of recipes that I make that are made on the fly and thus I don't share them here; mostly because I don't measure anything.  This is a bit like that but I feel it's flexible enough that you (or I) can reasonably recreate it with the following "notes."  Also, this is truly sugar-free...it doesn't have a fake sugar or a white sugar substitute like honey or such.  I have a hard time when folks call something sugar-free and then use honey or splenda, etc.  I know, that's my personal beef, but still.

I cooked down some really ripe apricots we got this summer so I'm calling it apricot butter.  I've had a few store bought things that are basically just fruit without any sugar and they would work great in this recipe as well!

Quick Sugar-free Pan-fried Carrots

one bunch small carrots or about 1lb carrots cut up
coconut oil
cumin
salt
apricot butter (or possibly another mild flavored fruit butter)

Cook the carrots in a covered-dish until almost soft in the microwave.  Heat coconut oil in a pan until pretty hot.  Toss in carrots.  Sprinkle with salt and a few pinches of cumin.  Stir frequently and make sure the carrots are coated with oil and spices.  Add a few spoonfuls of the fruit butter, stir around and let caramelize.  Enjoy!

Gluten-free Spicy Carrot Cake with Cheesy Layer

Today was a very good friend's 55th birthday (love you Babbitt).  I know he likes carrot cake so I thought I'd try and be a little creative.  I think the result was pretty good. 


 It's basically a spice cake with carrots in it along with a yummy cream cheese layer and of course cream cheese frosting!  And, it has none of the yucky stuff like raisins or pineapple :)  Of course, if you can't do the cream cheese it would be great without it and a powder sugar glaze instead of the frosting...but where's the fun in that :)


 Be sure you have a large bundt pan or it will overflow! And, no one at work realized it was gluten-free.  Seems like a winner to me.


Gluten-free Spicy Carrot Cake with Cheesy Layer


Cake Part:
1 3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 c vegetable oil (I used olive)
4 eggs
1 T vanilla
2 c or to be more accurate 10 oz. gluten-free flour mix
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
3 c peeled, grated carrots


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil and flour a large bundt pan (I have to admit I used PAM with flour because Mom left it here after this weekend and it worked great).  


Beat sugar and oil until combined.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add the vanilla.  Sift all of the dry ingredients together and mix well.  Add to the liquid mixture and mix well.  Stir in carrots.
Pour into the prepared pan.


Cheesy Part:
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 egg
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt


Use the same bowl and mixer...It won't hurt anything.  Mix all of the cheesy ingredients until well combined.  Drop into the cake batter in the center.


Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes until it starts to pull away from the edges and a toothpick or something sharp like that comes out clean.


Let cool in the pan at least 10 minutes if not a little longer.  Turn out onto a plate.  A little will likely stick in the pan.  Scoop it out and pat it back into place.  You're just going to cover it with frosting anyway and no one will know but you!


Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting or use the recipe below as a starting point...sometimes you need to add more sugar!


Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 c butter (at room temperature)
8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
2 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Mix well.

Zucchini and Corn Fritters

As I've said before, it's that time of year...the time of year when there are lots of zucchini!  And, I have a weakness for free food.  I'm growing some yellow zucchini but do I say no when others want to give me some...yeah, not so much.  Therefore, we are eating a lot of zucchini.  Beyond chocolate cake, Dylan and I made fritters tonight that were inspired by this recipe.  I had some leftover frozen corn so I thought I'd add it.  All in all, pretty darn good.  Dylan thought so too!


Zucchini and Corn Fritters


2-3 zucchini shredded, didn't measure but it was probably around 3-4 c.
2 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp dried dill
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 to 1/2 c frozen or fresh corn kernels
2/3 c gluten-free flour blend


For pan frying:
2 T olive oil


Shred the zucchini and put into a colander.  Sprinkle salt on top and let set in the sink or over a bowl for approx. 10 min.  After the 10 min. squeeze as much of the excess liquid out as possible.  Combine with the remaining ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Drop by spoonfuls in a pan heated with the olive oil.  Flatten slightly and cook approximately 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown (I did ours on a nonstick electric griddle at around 300 degrees).  Enjoy!

Classic White Gluten-Free Cupcakes

We had Dylan's birthday party today.  While Mom made a beautiful teddy bear cake for Dylan, it had wheat in it, so I made a few gluten-free cupcakes for the rest of us.  And, they turned out pretty darn well.  I used a half batch of the Chocolate Honey Beet Cake recipe (with 2 eggs) for one set (made 10 cupcakes) and this recipe for the other.  I was going to make cream cheese frosting but there was enough chocolate butter cream frosting leftover from the teddy bear that I just used that.  It also worked pretty well to cool the cupcakes, freeze them in a Ziploc without the frosting and then defrost them the day before and frost the day of.

Classic White Gluten-Free Cupcakes


1/2 c butter, at room temperature
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c (or more accurately 7.5 oz) gluten-free flour blend
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pan with paper liners.  Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla.  Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture one third at a time, alternating with the milk.  Pour into the prepared cupcake pan (approx. 1/4 c batter per cupcake).  Bake for 18-24 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Makes 12 cupcakes.