Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos, p300 of BHG Prizewinning recipes cookbook.

I would make this again. The kids aren't good at eating tacos out of shells yet, but I really like shells.

Cranberry cornbread

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/cranberry-cornbread/296d4dd2-6027-44f4-b9c0-23b8a262037b
Cranberry cornbread

I had some frozen cranberries and used 1.5 cups in this recipe. I cut them all in half, but I don't think that is necessary. I also adjusted the flours to be gluten free, weighing out 140 grams for a cup. I used all purpose aldi flour, millet, and buckwheat. And put in 1 cup of cornmeal and 1 cup other flour.

David really loved this. I think the cranberries made it a lot more flavorful and he enjoyed it a lot more than regular cornbread. Plus he likes sour flavors.

Pressure Cooker Collard Greens

http://dadcooksdinner.com/2016/03/pressure-cooker-collard-greens-with-bacon.html/
Pressure Cooker Collard Greens

This turned out ok. I used chicken broth instead of water. I thought the collards were cooked adequately, but I'd like to try a recipe where they are cooked softer next time. David liked them and they had a nice flavor, if a bit salty. I served with ham and cornbread.

Small batch chocolate cupcakes

http://celebratingsweets.com/small-batch-chocolate-cupcakes/
Small batch chocolate cupcakes

This recipe was perfect for our family of four. It made 6 cupcakes, but they needed 20 minutes to bake since they got so big. I did heaping 1/4 cup of cocoa, so much it was probably a 1/3 cup. Also I made this gluten free by measuring 70 grams of gf flour--about 1/2 millet and 1/2 all purpose aldi mix (which is a lighter mix). I added 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum also. (140 grams of flour per cup as was my basis for conversion to gf).

I did not try the frosting recipe as I had some leftover cream cheese frosting in the freezer that I used. I love how there is not an enormous cake leftover, only 2 cupcakes that we can split for dessert the next night.

Easy Chicken Nuggets

http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/recipe-for-chicken-nuggets-easy-chicken-recipe/

Easy Chicken Nuggets

I made this with a pound of chicken and it was enough for us along with some mashed potatoes and vegetables. The breading was not too spicy for the kids, but I may try and coat in egg first next time to see if that makes a thicker coat. I sprayed the breaded chicken with coconut oil spray and then it coated a bit more with the rest of the flour.

Even Clyde ate this, which was my goal. It was his birthday dinner.

Gluten Free German Pancakes

http://www.eco-novice.com/2016/02/gluten-free-german-pancakes.html

These were great! I doubled it and we still had some left. Whip in the blender.

Notes: The second time I used millet flour (130 grams) and whisked it into the other ingredients. It did not puff up at all and the consistency was not uniform. I believe I made this in the blender the first time (in order to turn oats to flour), so I think that should be done in the blender no matter the type of flour in order to whip the eggs better.

Also, we did not have any left this time, and we all had bacon on the side too. So it is not enough on its own for 2 adults and 2 kids.

More Notes 1/16/17:
This really should be tripled for us now. Use 195 grams oats and blend to flour in the blender, then add 9 eggs, 1.5 cups milk, 3/4 tsp salt and blend. Bake in the 5 quart glass casserole dish (biggest size, the size bigger than 9x13)
Note: Tripled it was too thick for the 5 qt casserole, so leave some out and put in a loaf pan or square pan and bake separately.

Quick Easy Drop Biscuits

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/06/quick-easy-drop-biscuits-recipe.html
Quick Easy Drop Biscuits

This was easy and quick. If using salted butter cut salt to 1/2 tsp. I mixed it up with a pastry cutter and only used 6 T butter instead of 8 T. It would have been fine with even less also.

Note: I made this with 5T butter and it was still great. I also tried 4T and prefer it with 5T. This works with gf flours also.

Add-ins: I have made a cheddar/dill version of this with 1 tsp dill weed blended in with the flour, and 1/2-3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar folded in with the milk. It turned out great, I served it with ham and potato soup.

I like to serve these with soup.

Chicken Wings

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/187822/baked-chicken-wings/
Chicken Wings

The wings were not crispy in the hour specified. I had 12 wings in the pan, and there should have been enough circulation around them but I guess not. Also the seasoning here left much to be desired. I would not do it that way again. Also, the wings need at least 10 minutes to cool before eating.

Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki sauce

This recipe is from Libby with my modifications. I have served this with pitas and flatbread. Flatbread works fine, just put meat on top with tzatziki sauce on top of that.

A very delicious meal, if a little time consuming. This takes about an hour. I served with tomatoes and tzatziki sauce, and the chicken/pepper mixture, and feta (but feta not really necessary).  I served with a feta and tomato green salad. It was very complimentary.

Chicken Souvlaki

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe Chicken and vegetables

6 whole wheat pitas, warmed (or flatbread and serve chicken and sauce on top)

Roma tomato, thinly sliced

red onion, thinly sliced

cucumber, thinly sliced (optional)

feta, crumbled (optional)

Tzatziki sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare chicken and vegetables according to recipe directions. (see below)

2. Prepare tzatziki sauce according to recipe directions. (see below). Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Fill warmed pitas with grilled chicken, cucumber, tomato, onion, feta, and tzatziki and serve.

chicken and vegetables

Serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces (works fine with more chicken, I've done with 3 lb)

3-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1-2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 red onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, coat chicken in 2 Tbsp. olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Marinate 30 minutes.

2. Sauteed onion and peppers in remaining 1-2 Tbsp oil. Remove from skillet when soft and put in marinated chicken and cook. Let the pieces sit in the same spot for a few minutes to get a nice crust, then flip the pieces. After chicken is done, put vegetables back in along with 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Cook a little more if needed, if dry add more olive oil if needed.

Tzatziki - (from about.com)

Cool and creamy, this tangy cucumber dip flavored with garlic is the perfect compliment to grilled meats and vegetables. It's served on the side with warm pita bread triangles for dipping, and is also used as a condiment for souvlaki.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely (or 2 t minced garlic from the jar) (if cloves are very large just use one)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 1 cup sour cream (or 1/2 cup sour cream and 1.5 c yogurt)
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced (no need to peel if using persian cucumbers
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill (i used dried)

Preparation:

Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil/vinegar mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Cajun Style navy beans with sausage

The recipe for this was on the back of the cajun style navy beans package I got from Aldi. It said to use 2 cans, but I only used 1 and cooked it with 7-8 oz of sliced polish sausage. There was none leftover, so 2 cans and a whole package of sausage would be better.

This was a nice alternative to beanie weenie, as the seasonings were different and was less sugary. Cajun style beans are only an occasional thing at aldi though, so you could use regular canned navy beans (if they exist?) and just add paprika plus the spices in the recipe.

2 cans Cajun Style Navy beans
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion
2 celery stalks
1 green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (i used a pinch)
1 tsp thyme
[paprika]
[pound of polish sausage or andouille sausage]

Chop the veggies (except garlic) and saute in oil for 5-7 minutes. Then add chopped garlic and saute for 2 more minutes,. Then add beans, sausage, and seasonings.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Chocolate Chips
Magnolia Bakery cookbook p75

I made this for David's birthday. It was a nice cake, but it seemed like something you would be served with tea at Miss Bates house. I would bring it to a party but probably not make for a birthday again. It could be easily eaten without a fork, was very breadlike.

Ratatouille

https://vermontvalleyfarm.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/ratatouille3.pdf
Ratatouille

This was delicious. It took about an hour total. I will make this again. I served it with hot homemade bread, which was terrific since the ratatouille has some liquid that comes out toward the end that is full of flavor!

I did not have tomato juice but I just mixed some sauce with water and it was fine. I don't think the juice is that essential, just the liquid.

Whole Wheat Einkorn Bread

https://jovialfoods.com/recipes/easy-100-whole-wheat-bread/
Whole Wheat Einkorn Bread

This was an easy recipe and took 2 hours from start to finish (excluding grinding and cooling). It may be too small for sandwiches, but could probably be scaled up to a 9x5 loaf pan. I will make this again. I served it with Ratatouille and everyone liked it.

Honey Whole Grain Einkorn Banana Bread

http://freecoconutrecipes.com/honey-whole-grain-einkorn-banana-bread/

I made this with 4 frozen bananas, butter, and no honey. It is far too moist. I think the extra moisture from frozen bananas was too much. Maybe 1 frozen banana but not 4. This recipe isn't well adjusted for einkorn flour. I won't use this recipe again as written. When it was baking, it seemed to be boiling in grease. I think it was too much oil in the recipe for this kind of flour.

Caprese Panini Sandwich

http://www.trailingrachel.com/cheap-weekday-aldi-meals/
Caprese Panini Sandwich

Ciabatta bread, (Aldi sells these in packs of 6)
bacon (1 lb, regular)
garden tomatoes, sliced
fresh mozzarella, sliced
pesto
mayo
basil leaves

This was so delicious. I toasted Ciabatta bread in the toaster since David wanted his that way, but for mine, I used gluten free bread and cooked it in the skillet (same used to cook bacon, grease was poured off) to get the mozzarella a little warm/melty, but not near as melty as in the picture.

I didn't have any basil leaves but I'm sure it would have been even better with it.