Flavorful Friday- Roasted Bell Peppers Recipe!

John 6:35 ESV
"Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.""

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It's been awhile since I shared an easy side dish for dinner, so here's one of my and my husband's favorites.  Not such a hit with our kiddo, he is not a fan of Bell Peppers, this is one dish that I usually let him skip and I give him some raw green beans and grape tomatoes instead.  I like this dish because it is quick and easy to prepare, and is versatile as well.  You can serve these Roasted Bell Peppers and Red Onions aside fish or chicken, or even beef or pork if you like.  You could also serve them atop rice or pasta or salad.  The possibilities are endless.  I would love to hear how you pair these up for lunch or dinner, or even breakfast!

As always, 

Happy Crunching!

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Roasted Bell Peppers Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Red Bell Pepper, washed, seeded and quartered

1 Green Bell Pepper, washed, seeded and quartered

1 Red Onion, peeled and quartered

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper Medley, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add all ingredients to a large, lidded container.  Place lid firmly on top and gently shake, holding lid in place with your hands, until vegetables are well-covered with oil and seasonings.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and pour vegetables out onto it.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until desired consistency is attained.

Optional:

Vegetables could be placed, alternating, on a skewer before baking.

Flavorful Friday: Gluten Free Polynesian Pork Dinner Recipe

Proverbs 13:3 ESV
"Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."

Holidays are an interesting time.  Filled with joy and hope, yet often also filled with anxiety, anger, frustration.  If you're looking for a little joy and peace in your days, perhaps we could all use the reminder from Proverbs above.  Think wisely before opening our mouths to say what's on our minds, and ask ourselves, are these words useful?  Do they help or hurt?  Are they loving and kind?  Is there a better way to say what I am thinking and feeling that truly honors my commitment and the heart of another?  Let us think on these things, and see where it takes us.

Here's to loving one another well, and showing a little extra patience and kindness this Christmas season.

My recipe today for Flavorful Friday feels a little like a cheat.  I didn't slave in the kitchen for hours, and there is nothing particularly unique here.  In fact, this probably won't even go in my cookbook so consider it a Blog Extra!  I realize sometimes we just want dinner to be easy.  But, we still want it to be healthy, interesting, maybe even festive.  Tonight's dinner felt like that for me when I made it for the first time last night.  I just threw it together and called it done.  And it was good.  And my son liked it.  Total win.

So here ya go, short and simple, easy to do for anyone, and maybe a little different.  Gluten Free Polynesian Pork Dinner Recipe.  Don't let the name fool you, it's not all that fancy.  In fact, I just marinated the pork in San-J's Sweet & Tangy Polynesian Glazing and Dipping Sauce for a couple hours.  Tasted a little like barbeque sauce in my opinion.  I enjoyed having a totally different taste experience, though, and perhaps you will, too.  Read on for the recipe, and let me know what you think!

Happy eating!

Yours truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Gluten Free Polynesian Pork Dinner Recipe

Rice:
Cook rice according to package instructions, using half water and half bone broth for your liquid.  I used short grain brown rice here, which took 45 minutes to cook.

Pork:
Put boneless pork chops in a plastic zippy bag and add San-J's Sweet & Tangy Polynesian Glazing and Dipping Sauce to cover.  Seal bag and let sit 2-4 hours in refrigerator.  Heat medium skillet on medium-low heat.  Add just pork chops with no extra sauce to well-oiled pan and cover.  Cook for 5 minutes and flip meat over.  Cook for 5 minutes and flip meat over again.  Cut meat in pan into bite size chunks, continue cooking and stirring in 3-5 minute increments until pork is no longer pink in the middle.  Serve with a small bowl of the San-J sauce and sprinkle the meat with toasted sesame seeds.

Broccoli:
Heat medium skillet on medium heat.  Add frozen broccoli florets, 1/2 C bone broth, a sprinkle of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serving note: I also added some diced pineapple to our plates after I took the picture.  It was a nice compliment to the meal and I highly suggest it!

Bon appetit!

Flavorful Friday- Gluten Free Sausage Potato Cabbage Dish Recipe

Ephesians 6:18 NIV
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."

When do you pray?  Do you pray when things aren't going your way and want them to change, or when you are scared and want to be saved?  Do you pray when things are good, or only when they are bad?  Do you thank God regularly for all of the gifts He gives, or is that reserved for Thanksgiving Day?  Do you thank God for the difficult circumstances in your life that challenge you and grow you into more of who He wants you to be, or are your thanks reserved for the miracles and answered prayers?  Do you pray for others, or only for yourself?  Do you pray goodness for your enemies, or only for those you love?  Think about these things and consider, what does God want for you in your prayer life?  When could you add a prayer to your day?  What might happen if you did?

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For today's edition of Flavorful Friday, I bring you this German-inspired version of a Gluten Free Sausage Potato Cabbage Dish Recipe.  This dish takes a bit of effort, but is well worth it in the end!  You can use one pan, cooking in rounds, or 3 pans cooking all at once.  Alternately, you can cook everything all in one pan at the same time, but the end result doesn't taste quite as good and you lose something in flavor and consistency.  Feel free to use your favorite Gluten Free Sausage, or the flavor listed in the recipe, which we get from the meat market at Sprouts.  It is not labeled "gluten free", but I have read the ingredients and feel comfortable with it for my own gluten-intolerant family.  For true Celiac's or a strong gluten intolerance, please be sure you know your source and understand the ingredients, as sausage is a common place to hide wheat and gluten.

I'd love to hear from you!  What is your favorite Gluten Free Link Sausage and how do you use it?  Email me or comment below with your feedback.

I hope you are able to get out and enjoy some nice weather wherever you are.

Yours Truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Gluten Free Sausage/Potato/Cabbage Dish Recipe

Ingredients:

For Sausage:

Filtered Water

3-4 Links, about 1 ½ pounds, Gluten Free Chicken Feta Spinach Sausage

For Potato:

1 Large Russet Potato, about 2 C diced

1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

Filtered Water to cover

1 Tbsp Unrefined Coconut Oil

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

6-8 Cloves Garlic

For Cabbage:

1 Tbsp Unrefined Coconut Oil

1 Small Green Cabbage, about 8-10 C chopped

1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

¼ tsp Fresh Ground Pepper Medley

½ tsp Garlic Powder

½ tsp Onion Powder

1 Small Yellow Onion

Fresh Ground Pepper Medley, to taste

Celtic Sea Salt, to taste

Instructions:

This is a 3-pan dinner, ideally you’ll have all 3 pans going at once.  Alternately, you could use just one pan and cook one part at a time, keeping the previous parts warm in a toaster oven on “warm” setting.

Add Filtered Water to a medium skillet to about ¼” deep and add Sausage Links to pan.  Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove lid, flip Links over, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and carefully drain water from pan, using the lid or tongs to keep Links in the pan.  Return pan to heat and cook for 3 minutes, uncovered.  Flip Links and cook an additional 3 minutes.  Remove Links to a plastic cutting board, allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then slice about ¼” thick.

Finely dice the Russet Potato.  Put Potatoes in a lidded microwave dish; add 1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt and enough Filtered Water to cover Potatoes.  Cover dish with lid and microwave for 2 minutes on high.  Carefully remove lid from Potatoes and allow steam to dissipate, then drain water off Potatoes.  Pour Potatoes onto a clean dishtowel to dry.  In a medium skillet heat 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil and 2 Tbsp Olive Oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Carefully add Potatoes to hot oil, I use a slotted spoon to keep my hands away from the popping oil.  Cook on medium high heat, stirring regularly to prevent burning.  Peel and finely slice Garlic Cloves.  Add Garlic to oil and Potatoes after about 5-6 minutes of cooking, then cook for another 5-6 minutes.  Remove from heat and move Potatoes and Garlic to paper towels to drain.  Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Heat Large Skillet over medium heat about 3-5 minutes.  Chop Cabbage to about 1” square pieces.  Add 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil and chopped Cabbage to skillet and stir.  Add Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder to pan and stir.  Dice Onion, add to pan and stir.  Cook for a total of about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Layer food in a large bowl with Cabbage first, then Potatoes, then Sausage.

Serve piping hot and enjoy!

Serving note:

This dish goes great with Gluten-Free Beer or Cider for a special treat.

Flavorful Friday: Bok Choy Recipe!

Luke 10:27 NIV

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind"

It's been a busy week catching up and reviewing products from the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Dallas last week.  I feel so blessed to have been gifted all this free food!  And yesterday our chiropractor, Dr. Grant Fulcher at Prime Life Chiropractic, was giving away free turkeys to all of his patients who came in today!  Incredible!  Our whole family goes to see him, so we got one turkey for our family, one to cook and give away, and we left one with him to give away to a local organization.  So much abundance is all around us, it feels good to be able to share.

Speaking of sharing, I have put together a fabulous gift bag from my freebies at the Expo.  I'll be announcing the contest for that prize next week so stay on the lookout!

With all that's been going on, I'm going to keep this week's Flavorful Friday simple with an easy, healthy and affordable side dish.  This could even make an appearance on your Thanksgiving table if you're looking for some new alternatives to the old traditionals.  My husband and I both love this recipe for Bok Choy, and my son, well, he can't seem to make up his mind, one day he loves it, the next day not so much.  But hey, he's young and I'm sure his taste buds are changing all the time to there you have it.  Let me know how this goes over with your own little ones!

Yours truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic
aka Brandi Schunk
bouncybrandi@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic
http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Bok choy, butternut squash, bbq pork country ribs

Sautéed Bok Choy Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Head Bok Choy

½ Yellow Onion, sliced

1 Tbsp Unrefined Coconut Oil

2-3 Tbsp Bone Broth

½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

¼ tsp Garlic Powder

1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper Medley

Cut off the root end of the Bok Choy head.  Wash each piece under running water, rubbing with your fingers or a vegetable brush to remove dirt.  Cut the whites into ¼” slices.  Cut the greens into approximately 1” squares.

Heat 10” skillet over medium heat to warm pan.  Add coconut oil, Bok Choy, and Yellow Onion to pan and stir to coat.  Add Bone Broth, Celtic Sea Salt, Garlic Powder, and Fresh Ground Pepper Medley to vegetables and stir to coat.  Allow to sauté about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

This is a great side for most pork, chicken, or turkey dishes.

Flavorful Friday: Beef or Chicken Tacos or Taco Salad Recipe

John 1:12 New International Version

^"12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."

Who doesn't love tacos?  Today I have a sure to please and easy to customize taco recipe for your eating enjoyment!  With variations for chicken tacos or beef tacos, children's tacos, taco salad, or mondo big daddy tacos, this simple recipe can easily accommodate the whole family or dinner party, all from one basic recipe!  Enjoy!

What's your favorite way to eat a taco?

Yours truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic

AKA Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

 Simple Tacos for a Child's plate

Taco Salad for Mom's plate

Mondo Open Face Tacos for Dad's plate

Beef or Chicken Tacos

Ingredients: 

·      1 Pound Ground Beef or Chicken (Ground, Cubed, or Shredded)

·      ½ Yellow Onion, diced

·      ½ Green Bell Pepper, diced (optional)

·      ½ Red Bell Pepper, diced (optional)

·      4 Cloves Garlic, minced

·      ½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

·      ¼ tsp Chili Powder

·      ¼ tsp Onion Powder

·      ¼ tsp Garlic Powder

·      ¼ tsp Garlic Salt

·      1/8 tsp Paprika

·      1/8 tsp Cumin

·      1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper Medley

·      Cayenne (just a tiny dash or leave off altogether if cooking for young ones)

·      ¼ C Filtered Water

·      12-14 Corn Tortillas

·      1-2 C Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

·      ½ Head of Lettuce, shredded (Red Leaf, Green Leaf, Romaine or Iceberg)

·      3-4 Avocados, diced

·      2-3 Tomatoes, diced (Roma, Grape, Heirloom, or any variety)

·      Salsa to taste

·      Sour Cream to taste

Instructions:

Pre-heat 8-10” cast iron skillet over medium heat.  When pan is warmed add ground beef or chicken.  Cook meat until done, stirring regularly. 

While meat cooks, mix together Celtic Sea Salt, Chili Powder, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Garlic Salt, Paprika, Cumin, Fresh Ground Pepper Medley and Cayenne in a cup with about ¼ cup Filtered Water and then set aside. 

When meat is nearly all cooked, add diced Onion, diced Bell Pepper, and minced Garlic.  Continue cooking and stirring frequently until all meat is cooked thoroughly.  Remove from heat and drain fat off meat if there is any.  Return to heat and stir seasoning and water mix into meat.  Cook on low to medium heat for another 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly, until all moisture has been absorbed.  Set aside with a lid to keep it warm.

In separate skillet (while meat is still cooking), heat tortillas on low to medium heat, 1-2 minutes each side, and set them aside in a tortilla warmer.

Set up your taco station setting out all prepped ingredients in small bowls in one area for ease of access.  Assemble tacos just before serving.  Alternatively, you could place all prepped ingredients on the table and allow everyone to build their own tacos as they go.

Taco fillers can include seasoned taco meat, Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, Lettuce, Avocados, Tomatoes, Salsa, Sour Cream or anything else you like to add to tacos.

Additional options:

·      Serve as a salad instead, piling all taco fillers atop a bed of your favorite fresh lettuce or spinach.

·      Top with Shredded cabbage

·      Top with Shredded Brussels sprouts (uncooked)

·      Top with Jalapeños, or sauté them with the meat

·      Top with Hot Sauce, or add to the meat when sautéing

·      Use Sprouted Corn Tortillas for extra crispness and nutritional punch!