My family loves Asian inspired food.  I say inspired, because I play a little loose with the recipes.  My sons are very, very fond of Pork Dumplings, but they take a long time to make, and, the wrap is not gluten free.   Of course, I could switch to spring roll wrappers, which are made of rice, but that would only solve one of the problems, right?

Back in March, I reworked the recipe for Pork Dumplings into a quick and easy recipe that we christened Pork Dumplings: Deconstructed.  Instead of wrapping the filling, it is quickly cooked and served over rice.   Seriously, it’s on the table in 30 minutes.

The recipe does contain eggs, but if you are allergic, omitting them doesn’t make that much of a difference.

As often as I make this, you’d think there would be a picture, but, to they boys’ good fortune there was not, so I had to make it to show you.  In the March post I mused about making the process faster, by using pre shredded coleslaw mix (it worked except for the fact that the boys didn’t like the way the purple cabbage looked) but then my sister-in-law gave me a manual food grinder…  To compensate, I’ve taken to putting everything directly into the pan:

Notice that I have not used the pre-shredded coleslaw.  I had cabbage, because it was $0.25/lb.  I rarely buy Napa because it’s expensive and doesn’t last as long as head cabbage .  At this point the rice is done and waiting – it get started with the prep work.  Once the heat releases the scents of the ginger and sesame oil, the boys are literally circling me until it’s time to eat – thank goodness this takes only about 10 minutes.  

This one is a winner for lunch or dinner.   Add it to your meal plan and enjoy!

Here is the nutritional info on the meal:

School has not started here, but I know it has in many other parts of the country.  This week I’m posting non-sandwich lunch ideas.   Eating school provided lunch is NOT an idea, even if the offering du jour is GFCF diet appropriate.  Have you seen that stuff?  I’ll spare you my rant.   Since many schools are enforcing a no peanut or tree-nut rule, I’ll keep them out of my plans this week as well.

Today for lunch is Mild Beef Chili over baked potatoes.  Chili is a great thermos meal; for school lunch I skip the potato and send corn chips for easier eating (and avoiding the long line for the microwave).  But, today I have leftover baked potatoes and some jarred peaches, so that’s what we’re having!   

These are not the beans called for in the recipe.  I use whatever I have in the pantry!

Here’s the nutrition for the whole lunch:

 

Having a go-to chili recipe is a meal saver.  If you think ahead and keep some in the freezer, you always have a meal.   By stirring in some cocoa and cinnamon, you can turn it into Cincinnati Chili (like Vegetarian Cincinnati-Style Chili over Spaghetti only, clearly, not vegetarian), roll it into omelets for a Sunday brunch, use it as a taco filling… 

Find a chili you like, add it to your meal plan, and make enough for later.  Wondering what’s for lunch is one less thing to worry about in the morning.

We’re about to have another one of those scary conversations, you and I.  You’re going to have to trust me.  You’re going to have to be open..  Today I’m eating cornmeal for breakfast.  Breathe…wait…  This stuff is also called cornmeal mush, grits, polenta, mamaliga, and who knows what else.  See?  All the other kids are eating it.

Here is what I had for breakfast this morning - cornmeal with scallions (I prefer savory over sweet) with a fried egg.   The egg was cooked in browned butter (an indulgence…)

Whatever you want to call it, Breakfast Cornmeal is easy to make.  The ratio is 4 parts of water to 1 part of cornmeal.  For one generous serving it’s 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of cornmeal.  I buy Quaker Corn Meal; it’s $1.72 in my area.  If I’m making a meal for company, I might buy the more expensive coarse grind, but quite honestly, I’m fine with the standard box.

How can you customize this to your tastes you ask?  Well…  If you like sweet,  stir in raisins or other dried fruit, and/or drizzle with maple syrup.  If you like it savory - cheese, bacon, scallions – it’s a blank slate! 

How can  you get over the fact that this is corn?  well, make up a portion and really give it a chance.  It needs a bit of salt and butter IMHO.  The taste isn’t any stronger than oatmeal.  Oatmeal has a tacky consistency that does not make me happy.  It’s about the same as Cream of Wheat in terms of texture.  If you really aren’t into this texture in the morning, make it a little stiffer by using less water, then shape it into cakes and fry it on both sides until golden.  It only takes a few minutes more.  Fried cornmeal cakes are awesome topped with applesauce – kind of like a potato pancake without the work!

It’s easy to cook cornmeal.  Boil the water, add the salt and cornmeal, stir until most of the water is absorbed, and try to avoid clumps.  The box says to mix some of the water with the cornmeal and stir it in to the boiling water, my great grandmother drizzled the cornmeal from her fist into the water, I use a whisk – do whatever works for you.  You don’t need to cook it until it’s stiff; it sets as it cools. 

What do do with leftovers?  Line a small container with plastic wrap and smooth the leftovers into a thin layer.  Later, fry the slab in butter or oil and top it with…anything!  Chili is good, so is a hearty pasta sauce.

Want more?  Add Shrimp and Cheddar Grits to your meal plan.  We loved it.  If dairy is not a problem for you, I heartily recommend cheese in the grits, but if it is…leave it out!

Both of these recipes are  GFCF  (just don’t add cheese) and friendly.