This Week's Menu - From challenge to challenge

So this week came quickly, almost in a blur. I've been tirelessly working on promoting the book along with my full-time job. I am incredibly proud of the book. I worked really hard to create a unique resource that contains both healthy, whole foods (naturally gluten-free) slow cooker recipes, along with plenty of quick family and kid-friendly recipes as well.

Last week I stepped out of my comfort zone by doing a podcast interview with Elizabeth Barbone (sweetest lady in the entire world!), speaking to a local Kiwanis Club about the gluten-free diet and slow cooking, and then traveling over the weekend to visit my grandmother and driving nearly 600 miles completely by myself in  a little over 24 hours. (I know... I'm a wuss!) So I felt extremely challenged this week with public speaking, doing an interview, and than traveling quite a distance by myself. While I did a lot of that stuff on my own when I was in college, I've been nearly attached to the hip to my husband over the past 8 years... which has been awesome... but it was a healthy change to get a little independence under my belt over the past week!

I've been so thankful for the all the positive feedback on the book. I truly cannot thank all of you enough for testing recipes, for reading the book and giving comments, etc... it's been a great experience! And don't forget, you can still enter to win a signed copy of the book AND a brand new slow cooker!

Our meals this week will continue to be from the pantry & freezer. I didn't have time today to make any meals ahead of time, so I think I'm going to use the slow cooker to create 2 fish dishes in the evenings when I get home, along with a few other super easy-to-make meals.

This Week's Menu:

• Sunday -- Had to work, ate a GoPicnic gluten-free meal.
• Monday -- Herbed Tilapia Stew (from the cookbook, page 39, will take an hour and a half on high in a slow cooker!) served over brown rice.
• Tuesday -- 8TH ANNIVERSARY!! Off work and we will be spending the day going to a local corn maize, picking out pumpkins, and enjoying a fancy lunch or dinner out! 
• Wednesday -- Breakfast for dinner: yellow grits, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and cooked apples with cinnamon.
• Thursday --  Barbecue Chicken (from the cookbook, pg. 170 -- halving the recipe and cutting the chicken in small pieces, so it will cook faster!) with steamed broccoli and carrots. 
• Friday -- Ground Beef Ragout (from the cookbook, pg. 195) 
• Saturday -- Cookbook Party at home!! Will be making Turkey Meatballs with Tangy Apricot Sauce (pg. 181), Hot Chicken Buffalo Bites (pg.72), Cinnamon & Sugar Pecans (pg. 76), Slow Cooker Snack Mix (pg.77), Gluten-Free Corn Bread (pg. 46), Ham & Cheese Slow Cooker Omelet (pg. 51), Grandma's Green Beans (pg.92), Honey-Ginger Carrots (pg.217), and Blueberry Cobbler (pg. 272) -- If you're in the Eastern NC area and you'd like to stop by and try out all the goodies, please email me (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com)! 

You can find a whole round up of gluten-free weekly menu plans at Celiac Family each week! 

For menus of all types, make sure to visit OrgJunkie.com! 

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Black Bean Salsa

This is great on grilled salmon and so much more.

Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 jar salsa

2 T brown sugar

Stir to combine. 

Make ahead to let the flavors mingle.

Serve as a garnish with grilled

meat, fish or chicken.

Or serve as a dip. 

 Just 3 ingredients!

  You probably have everything in your pantry.

It gave my leftover roast pork slices

a whole new flavor. You can heat the salsa too,

then spoon on leftover chicken and pork.

YUM!

Or just serve it as a dip, or wrap in a lettuce leaf

for munching. 

Enjoy!

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Bacon & Chive Coconut Flour Biscuits (Paleo, Nut/Gluten/Grain/DairyFree)

I'm not a woman of many words today, but that's OK because these tasty pumpkin drop biscuits pretty much speak for themselves! They are the perfect partner to some warm soup on a cold day and are brilliant for making breakfast sandwiches in the morning. The best thing about these little guys: they are super versatile, so don't be afraid to ditch the onions and bacon (blasphemy, I know!)

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The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook BIG GIVEAWAY!

Over the past two months I've shamelessly begged & pleaded for you, my dear readers, to help me spread the word about my new book, my blog, and my facebook page. And you did. You shared with friends & family, you left kind and uplifting comments on my facebook page and I'm incredibly grateful! We've reached over 3,000 likes on facebook and that was the magic number I was hoping for in time for the book release! The book (while still not officially released) has been flying off the virtual Amazon shelves and has received very positive reviews thus far! And now it's time to share with you!!

This week I'm giving away FIVE brand new, signed copies of my book and TWO of those winners will receive a brand new 4-quart Rival Crock Pot brand slow cooker (purchased by ME and sent to you!! The winner can choose black or red!)  This was the slow cooker that I used for MOST of the recipes in the cookbook and I think it's the perfect size for mid-range slow cooking!

Using the 4-quart slow cooker to make pumpkin bread! 

Want to win a copy of the book and a new slow cooker? Here's the nitty gritty:

THE CONTEST IS NOW OVER! Congrats to our winners:  

1. Sarah
2. Jill H. 
3. Abigail H. 
4. Anna
5. Denise W. 

The Giveaway

• I am giving away FIVE copies of my new book to FIVE of my lucky readers. TWO of these readers will also receive a brand new 4-quart slow cooker. 
• This giveaway is limited to residents of the 48 contiguous United States aged 18 and older.
• One entry per person.
• Enter by leaving a comment on this post AND please include a way for me to contact you -- Your email address preferably.
• The giveaway begins October 4, 2012 and ends on October 10, 2012  at 11:00 pm eastern time.
• No purchase is necessary.  Odds of winning are based on the number of entries.  
• The winners will be randomly chosen and will be contacted by email.  The winners will have 24 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be randomly chosen.

Disclaimer:  The new cookbooks and slow cookers to be given away in this drawing were purchased solely by myself and not provided by the publishers or companies listed. 

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Egg & Nut Free Pumpkin Spice Coconut Macaroons (grain free)

For any of you who can't have pumpkin (or just don't like it) I apologize! There is no cure for my pumpkin obsession. And believe me, I have tried everything....EVERYTHING.....including trying to push "through" the obsession by eating an ungodly amount of pumpkin, only to find myself stuffed and craving more! But don't worry too much about me, it will pass....in a few months or so. For

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Creamy Haddock with Crunchy Gratin

Creamy Haddock with Crunchy Gratin

This is a delicious comforting dish which is quick and easy to make for a wonderful mid-week meal!

Serves 4

Prep time:  10 minutes

Cooking time:  12-15 minutes

Ingredients

For the gratin topping

25g/1oz fresh white breadcrumbs

15g/½ oz Gruyère, finely grated

½ tsp dried parsley

For the haddock filling

300ml/10fl oz whole milk

1 small onion, peeled, cut into 6 wedges lengthways

1 bay leaf

2 strips lemon peel

450g/1lb fresh haddock fillet (or any other white fish with skin)

40g/1½oz butter

25g/1oz plain flour

2 tbsp white wine (optional)

50g/1¾oz Gruyère, finely grated

½ tsp prepared English mustard

3 tbsp double cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Place 4 small, shallow flameproof dishes on a baking tray. 

2. For the filling, pour the milk into a large, deep frying pan or wok.  Add the onion, bay leaf and lemon peel and place the fish skin-side down in the pan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Baste the fish occasionally with the milk, and cook for 5–6 minutes. When cooked, leave to stand for 5 minutes. 

3. Drain the fish in a colander over a large jug, reserve the milk. 

4. Melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan and stir in the flour until thoroughly combined. Remove from the heat and slowly add the reserved warm milk, stirring constantly. Return to the heat, bring the sauce to a simmer and continue to stir until it is smooth and thick. Stir in the wine, Gruyère, mustard and cream. Cook over a low heat for a further 2–3 minutes, while stirring. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

5. Flake the fish into chunky pieces and discard the skin, onion, bay leaf and lemon peel. Add the fish to the pan with the sauce and heat very gently for 2 minutes to warm it through. 

6. While the fish is warming, preheat the grill to hot and place the baking tray with the shallow dishes under the heat to warm for a few seconds. Carefully remove them from the heat and divide the hot fish mixture between the warm dishes. 

7. For the gratin topping, mix the breadcrumbs, gruyere and parsley and set aside while you make the filling. 

8. Sprinkle with the gratin topping and return to the grill for 3–5 minutes or until nicely browned and filling bubbling underneath.  Serve with a crisp green salad, enjoy!

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This Week's Menu -- Learning to Cook Fish

Heather of Celiac Family chose 'Fish' as the theme for this week's gluten-free menu swap and the timing couldn't be better. Several weeks ago I went to a gluten-free potluck and the host of the meal made fish. It dawned on me that I very, very rarely ever made fish at home... and I wasn't sure why, because I love fish!

Michael isn't as big a fan as I am... but in the past few weeks I've been including more fish in our diet. I'm learning how to use it and cook it. Fish (in my experience) can be a tricky thing to cook. And I think that's why we haven't eaten it more often. I've made quite a few "bad" fish meals in my time...

So a few buying tips I've learned in the past few weeks... that at least work for us:

• If buying fresh fish, buy it the day you plan to use it -- don't let it sit in the fridge for days, it will become "fishy." 
• If the fish is fresh it doesn't smell like "fish" -- it will have a slightly salty scent and even smell like the ocean.
• If using frozen fish -- defrost in the refrigerator overnight and use immediately -- the longer it sits, the more "fishy" it will become. 
• So the basic key to using fish -- fresh, fresh, fresh!! Don't let fish wait in the fridge for days whether fresh or frozen. 

If you're new to eating fish (or feeding those "new" to eating fish), start with "white" fish varieties that don't have a strong flavor like cod, whiting, tilapia, or flounder. 

An Easy Fish Recipe: 

A good place to start with fish? Bake them. Place fresh fish fillets on a greased cookie sheet with edges (to catch liquids). Sprinkle fish with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a few sprigs of dill and lemon slices on each piece of fish. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-16 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately with steamed broccoli or a salad. 

This Week's Menu: 

• Monday -- Breakfast for dinner: yellow grits, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon
• Tuesday -- Turkey barbecue with homemade coleslaw and baked beans
• Wednesday -- Baked whiting fish with steamed broccoli and brown rice. 
• Thursday -- Leftovers or out to eat
• Friday -- Traveling
• Saturday -- Pan-grilled steaks with baked sweet potatoes and garlicky sauteed zucchini
• Sunday -- Slow cooker roast chicken with lemon green beans & steamed carrots

Check out more gluten-free menus at Celiac Family's Gluten-Free Menu Swap. 

Check out hundreds of menus of all sorts at OrgJunkie.com.

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