Monday Meals: BLT Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

*1 package GF bacon (most varieties ARE GF, but an occasional variety is not)

*1 large tomato

*1 head lettuce

* mayonnaise or Miracle-Whip (not a fan of the "zip" personally)

Directions:

Fry bacon in skillet OR cook in microwave. Slice tomato. Remove leaves of lettuce gently so they do not rip. Place mayo or Miracle-Whip on a piece of lettuce. Add tomatoes slices and bacon. Wrap and devour. Nice and simple.

*If you prefer the more "normal" way to eat a BLT, toast a couple slices of your favorite GF bread. I enjoy my BLTs sans bread, but if you have a GF bread you love, use it!

Let's Do Lunch: Barro's Pizza

I decided to make a surprise visit at the mr.'s work yesterday. Conveniently, it was late enough in the morning that we could take an early lunch together. Also conveniently, he works a mile away from a Barro's Pizza (coincidence, I think not). Have you heard? Barro's now offers a gluten-free line of pizzas at most of their chains. The pizza was delicious. It cost $20 for two pizzas (we were each able to eat an entire pizza, though I felt a little stuffed when finished). If you haven't partaken of their gluten-free goodness, check it out!

Monday Meals: Ham Bean Soup

Ingredients:

*ham bone (optional; not necessary)

*2 cups ham, cubed (still have leftovers from Easter?)

*3-4 cups pre-soaked beans

*4 cups chicken broth

*1/2 cup diced onion

*1/2 cup diced carrot

*1/2 cup diced celery

*salt, pepper, & herbs to taste (I usually use parsley or thyme)

Directions:

Place ham bone in crock pot (if using one). Add broth, beans, vegetables, and seasonings to crock pot. Set on low for 6 hours. Add cubed ham. Turn heat to high for additional 2 hours or until beans and vegetables are tender. Serve.

*I use a blend of six different dry beans (my blend varies each time, but black, great northern, kidney, navy, pink, and pinto beans are a great place to start. Don't forget dried peas, too). I soak 2/3 cup of each bean type at once. 2/3 cups for six different dry bean types equates to 4 cups of dry beans. 4 cups dry beans will yield 10-12 cups soaked beans (depending on type of bean used). I use 3-4 cups for my soup and store the remainder in gallon sized ziploc bags. 4 cups soaked beans (rinsed and drained) per 1 bag. Add a teaspoon of oil, shake until well coated, remove excess air, and store in freezer until ready to use.
**Storage space saver = when removing air from ziploc bag, lay bag on flat surface. Store on bottom of freezer shelf, so beans are flat and take up less space.

Let's Do Lunch: Leftover Ham Sandwich

Ingredients:

*3 slices of your favorite GF bread (I like tapioca flour based bread)

*4 slices meltable sandwich cheese

*2 giant slices of leftover Easter ham

*mustard and mayo (if desired)

Directions: Slather the mayo and mustard on your bread. Add 2 slices of cheese and one slice of ham between each layer. Sprinkle a little water on the top of the bread. Pop in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Devour.

*I usually don't have time to make anything for lunch; I am a "grab it on the go" girl. This was super easy, super quick, and super delicious. I was also able to use some of that leftover ham from Easter (that is STILL taking up room in the fridge).

Monday Meals: Ham Fried Rice

Ingredients:
*3 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
*1 1/2 cup ham, diced
*2 Tablsepoons vegetable oil
*4 eggs
*1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed
*3-4 Tablespoon La Choy teriyaki sauce (one of the ONLY GF teriyaki sauces I've seen)

Directions:
Fry ham in oil in large skillet. Once ham begins to brown, add eggs to skillet. Scramble. Once eggs have reached desired consistency, add peas and carrots. Cook until thoroughly warm. Add cooked rice and teriyake sauce. Mix until rice is well coated. Serve.

Delish Desserts: Hostess Cupcakes

Ingredients:
*1 box Betty Crocker GF Devil's Food cake mix (and ingredients mix calls for)
*1 can Reddi-Whip
*1 can of frosting (flavor of choice)
*sprinkles (optional, but a must-have for me)

Directions:
Make cupcakes according to directions on box. Allow to FULLY cool. Using butter knife (or similar SKINNY utensil), carve a hole from the top down to the center of the cupcake. Remove enough cake to leave cupcake hallowed out in the center. Stick nozzle of Reddi-Whip straight down into hole and fill until hole is completely full. Frost with frosting of choice. Garnish with sprinkles. Serve IMMEDIATELY.

*If you do not serve immediately after filling with Reddi-Whip, the whipped cream will go flat and add extra moisture to the cake. They will still taste delicious, but they will lack the cream-filled center that makes these similar to Hostess Cupcakes.
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Monday Meals: Corned Beef & Cabbage

Ingredients:

*3-4 lbs point tip or flat tip beef brisket

*1 can chicken broth (or chicken bouillon equivalent)

*1/2 lb peeled baby carrots

*6-8 medium red potatoes, quartered (or smaller)

*1 small head of cabbage, quartered

Directions:

Place meat in crock-pot. Add chicken broth (or bouillon) until it comes half way up the sides of the meat. Place seasoning on top of the meat (generally provided with the meat. If not, lightly sprinkle with coriander, mustard seeds, oregano, black pepper corns, and garlic salt). Set crock-pot to low. Leave alone for 4 hours. Flip. Leave alone for another 4 hours. During last hour in crock-pot, begin vegetables. Place red potatoes in pot. Add water until potatoes are covered. Cover with lid and broil until tender. Put carrots and cabbage in another pot with a couple cups of water. Cover with lid and steam until tender. Once vegetables are done, add to crock-pot with meat. Turn crock-pot to warm for 30 minutes to an hour. Cut meat and serve.

I did not have any photos of the end-product. My apologies.
*Delicious with a large slice of Irish soda bread.
**Now that St. Paddy's Day is through, my "Irish" cuisine is now over. Thanks for having patience with me.