Corn Pasta vs. Rice Pasta.

NO PASTA!!??!?! What was I going to eat when the family ate Italian food? Going through the gluten free section of Jewel was no easy task. There are multiple types of pastas. I tried a few rice pastas but did not like any of them. A friend at work told me to try a corn pasta in a yellow bag. That corn pasta in the yellow bag is called Mrs. Leepers, and it is fantastic! Corn pasta vs. rice pasta? Corn pasta wins every time!

Check out the Mrs. Leepers website for products and recipe ideas! http://mrsleepers.com/index.html

                                                   
                                                         QUICK SPAGHETTI DINNER

Ingredients:

1. Mrs. Leepers Corn Pasta (There are multiple types of pasta. A personal favorite is the rotelli but I used spaghetti tonight)
2. Jar of spaghetti sauce (My favorite is Prego flavored with meat)
3. 1/2 lb of ground beef
4. 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
5. 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
6. 1/4 of a whole onion
7. 1 garlic clove
8. Mozzarella and/or Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

You will notice in the picture of my ingredients there is also a non gluten free spaghetti and another jar of spaghetti sauce. This is because we have someone in the house who does not eat gluten free as well as someone who likes  a spicier sauce.



Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to directions on the package. Hint: I tend to cook the corn pasta a little longer because I do not think it is soft enough if I only cook it for the amount of time on the directions.

2. While the water is boiling and your pasta is cooking, get started on browning your meat. Cut up the onion and garlic. Mix with the meat while you brown it. The meat should look similar to this when it is browned.

3. Warm the spaghetti sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder in a pot. Add the meat to the sauce once it is brown.

4. Combine sauce with pasta. Sprinkle your favorite cheese on top and you have yourself a quick spaghetti dinner!

Serve it with some gluten free garlic bread. This recipe looks great! I will definitely be trying it the next time I make spaghetti! Pull Aparts


Happy  Cooking!

Finger Lickin' Good Pork Chops

My mom was not the best of cooks while I was growing up. However, one of my FAVORITE recipes she made was her pork chops. She used flour to help brown them and then simmered them in chicken and rice soup...both of which I can no longer eat. The other night we tried a gluten free version of her pork chops and they were delish!

Most of the ingredients you will use

Picture of the instant brown rice we use

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cups gluten free flour blend-This depends on how many pork chops you are making-
 (we used Betty Crocker's all purpose flour)
chicken broth
 2 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
vegetable oil
pork chops (we used the thinly sliced pork chops)
Instant brown rice

Directions:
1. Make minute rice according to box directions. Prepare serving size according to family size.
2. Clean and trim the meat.
3. In a shallow dish combine eggs and milk.  In a second shallow dish combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, and salt and pepper.
4.  Heat vegetable oil in pan. Dredge chops in egg mixture, then flour mixture. Brown chops on each side (approximately 10 minutes or until brown).

This is what the browned chops look like.

5. Drain excess oil from the pan. Add chicken broth (enough to cover chops).
6. Add cooked rice to the broth and chops. Cover and simmer for approximately 1 1/2 hours for the thin chops. If you use thicker chops, you will need to cook them longer.

7. Serve with additional rice on the side or your favorite side dish.



Some people ask why use brown rice over white? Check out this site to find out!
 Brown rice instead of white


Happy cooking!