Asian Lettuce Wraps-Gluten Free

The first time I had lettuce wraps was in Hawaii and I fell in love..yup..me and the lettuce wraps in Hawaii. Well since then I've had them at a couple of other places and they are just so good. I was looking for a gluten free recipe for a work get together and came across this one and I'm in love all over again! My family loved this one so much..my husband especially, because this one is on the spicier side and he basically wanted me to shovel it into his mouth.  Ya, it's that good! Recipe adapted from Gluten Free Zen. 

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey or chicken

1 Green bell pepper, finely chopped 

4 Garlic cloves, minced. 

2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (I used the paste)

1 Jalapeno, seeds removed and diced

4 Green onions, thinly sliced

1 8oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

8 Tbsp sweet chili sauce (I had the spicy sweet chili sauce so only put in 4 Tbsp)

3 Tbsp Sesame oil

7 Tbsp Soy Sauce ( I used gluten-free kikkoman) 

3 Tbsp Sriracha Sauce (cuz it goes good with about everything!)

4 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped (optional-I didn't use it)

Olive oil

Iceberg Lettuce (or any type of lettuce you like)

Directions

I used my mini chopper for all the chopping, except the green onion. 

Place the ground meat in a bowl and add the bell pepper, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and green onions. Mix to combine. 

Drizzle the olive oil in a large skillet and heat on medium-high. Add the chicken mixture and cook until meat is done. It will turn a pale colour, don't cook it until it is browned, the garlic with burn and the meat will be tough. Once the meat is done, add the chili sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha, water chestnuts, and cilantro. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 mins. 

Place filling on individual crisp lettuce and enjoy! 

Zuppa Toscana (the Olive Garden soup)

This soup was soooo good. My family loves spicy foods so this was great! Every time I go to the Olive Garden I get this soup...which isn't very often since we unfortunately don't have one in the neighborhood, so it's GREAT having the recipe. You can put REAL bacon pieces in it if you want but I thought it was perfect just as is. I'm not one for throwing bacon in everything...gasp..I know. But I'm sure it's very good with it too.  We made more than the recipe called for so we could have some leftovers for the next day...love leftovers :) There are so many variations of this soup, I'm not sure where this one came from. 

Hope you enjoy! 

Ingredients

1 lb Hot Italian sausages (use spicy to get he signature Olive Garden flavor)

4-6 russet potatoes, chopped in sliced pieces. 

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 c REAL bacon pieces (optional)

2 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves)

32 oz (4 cups) chicken broth

1 C. Kale or Swiss chard, chopped

1 C. heavy cream (I used half&half)

2 Tbsp flour (or other thickener for gluten free)

Directions

1. Brown sausage links in a frying pan. 

2. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut slices. 

3. Place sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker. If you think it needs some water you can add a bit here. I didn't need to do this. 

4. Cook on high for 3-4 hours (low 5-6) until potatoes are soft. 

30 mins before serving: 

5. Whisk flour into cream removing lumps. 

6. Add cream and kale to the crock pot, stir. 

7. Cook on high 30 mins or until broth thickens slightly. 

8. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. 

Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is a recipe I have used for years that I got from my sister Karen. I started doing mini muffins when my kids were younger for their lunches and we just just kept doing them that way even though they are older.. because ..well.. I guess they are just more fun that way. 

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 choc chips (you can use mini or reg size)

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup milk

1 cup mashed banana (about 3)

In a medium sized bowl add all of the dry ingredients and mix together. In another medium bowl add all wet ingredients and blend together. Add wet ingredients to dry ingreds and just stir until all moistened. 

Use cooking spray to grease muffin tins. I use a cookie scoop to measure out each mini muffin but it's approx. 1 tbsp. You can use muffin liners and make the bigger muffins if you wish. 

Makes approx 44 mini muffins.