I am not sure what people look forward to more, the turkey dinner or the leftovers.

If you are like me you have plenty of turkey and trimmings in the fridge the weekend after Thanksgiving. And I don’t even cook a massive bird. There are infinite ways to use up your leftovers, but one of my favorites is Leftover Turkey Pie.

The name of the dish pretty much says it all. It’s a bit of all the leftovers from Turkey Day mixed together and baked into a savory pie. I’ve been making it for years, since I read about a similar pie in an old Taste of Home magazine. I’ve made a few changes, improving on what was a great idea!

Since going gluten-free, I haven’t prepared the “traditional” bread cube stuffing, but rather wild rice spoonbread. In our gluten-eating days, I used regular stuffing/dressing, but cornbread dressing, spoonbread or whatever variation you make should work just fine in this pie.

I know a turkey pie is going to require a pie crust, my favorite gluten-free version so far is Butter Pie Crust. It’s flaky, easy to handle, and tastes just like a pie crust should! If you’ve been missing pie, you should really give this recipe a try. Since it’s not sweet, it works for both savory and dessert pies.

Leftover Turkey Pie

The ingredient measurements are a little flexible, a little more or less of one ingredient won’t ruin the dish. And all these ingredients are cold when mixed together

• 1 recipe gluten-free pie crust (for a double crust)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked turkey
• 1 cup leftover spoonbread (or stuffing/dressing)
• 1 cup gravy
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• salt & pepper, optional (I don’t actually season it, as my ingredients are already seasoned)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Roll out bottom crust and place into bottom of pie pan.
2. In a large bowl combine turkey, spoonbread, gravy, celery, potatoes and seasoning if using; stir to combine thoroughly. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell.
3. Roll out top crust and place on top of filling. Cut around the edges and crimp/flute or use a fork to press shut. Using a fork or a sharp knife, make several incisions to vent steam.
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Slice into 8 pieces and serve warm.

Holidays & Special Occasions, Main Dishes gluten-free turkey pie, leftover turkey pie

Flank steak grills up very quickly, making it the perfect choice for a weeknight dinner or easy entertaining. It’s a favorite at my house for a quick dinner any day of the week.

This recipe is based on a dish from Paula Deen’s The Deen Family Cookbook. It’s much more my style than the typical Paula dishes, which tend to be too heavy on the cream and butter (making them not so friendly on my waist or cholesterol).

This isn’t a recipe truly from Paula Deen, it’s from her husband Michael. If this dish is any indication of his cooking, I am thinking maybe he should write a cookbook, because it is delicious.

I did significantly reduce the oil in this recipe, but other than that it was great as written. I served it with rice and it was a hit with the whole family.

I used bell peppers, onions, and zucchini as the vegetables, but you could exchange them for your family’s favorites. Anything that grills well could work here (eggplant, mushrooms, asparagus, etc).

Grilled Flank Steak and Vegetables

The meat and veggies take almost the same amount of time to grill. So by the time you are slicing the steak the veggies should be ready too, making this a really quick and easy dinner.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce (I use San-J’s gf one)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• about 2 pounds flank steak or flat iron steak
• 1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 sweet onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1. If using wooden skewers for the vegetables, soak in water for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a 9×13 pan, whisk together the soy sauce, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Slowly add the oil, and whisk to combine. Remove a few tablespoons of the marinade to a separate container (to use to brush the veggies). Add the steak to the dish and turn over to cover both sides with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour (it can be marinated over night).
3. Thread the vegetables onto skewers. Brush with the reserved marinade.
4. Preheat grill. Remove steak from marinade and grill for about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare (I typically cook mine about 7 minutes per side, as we like it more medium). Remove from heat and allow to rest 5 minutes on a platter or cutting board before slicing against the grain.
5. Place the vegetables on the grill and cook about 5 minutes per side, or until they are the desired tenderness. Remove from heat and carefully remove the vegetables from the skewers. Serve with the sliced steak.

BBQ, Main Dishes, quick and easy

Like most other families, my family loves pasta with a creamy cheese sauce. However, with all the fat and calories, it’s a real treat for dinner.

I came across a slimmed down recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo in a Food Network Magazine and it looked so tasty I decided to adapt it to be gluten-free. It was an instant hit at my house!

I didn’t really want to refer to this as Light Alfredo Sauce, since it still is rather indulgent; however, this version uses a moderate amount of butter and cheese and no cream, so I like to think of it as a Lighter Alfredo Sauce. And although it still has plenty of fat and calories, it’s way better for you than traditional recipes, and tastes just as good.

This is a really nice and creamy sauce, with plenty of flavor. I used a three cheese blend, but you could use all Parmesan if you preferred. But, please, not the stuff that comes in the green can. You want the real cheese. I think you could stir in some roasted veggies or maybe some small, cooked shrimp right before serving if you wanted a more filling main course.

Although I am sure someone makes it, I didn’t have gluten-free fettuccine noodles, so I just used spaghetti noodles. We thought it worked fine.

Lighter Alfredo Sauce

You might notice in the pictures that I sprinkled chopped fresh parsley on ours; but honestly, I think it was better without it, so I left it out of the recipe.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 3 tablespoons Neufchatel or low-fat cream cheese
• 3/4 cup grated cheese (I used a blend of Asiago, Romano, and Parmesan)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 ounces pasta, cooked according to package directions

1. Cook the sauce according to package directions. Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter in a skillet over medium heat (a nonstick pans works great). Add the garlic and cook until slightly soft, but not burned, about 1 minute. Add the cornstarch and stir until dissolved.  Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened, about three minutes. Lower heat and add the cream cheese and grated cheeses and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and taste; and add salt and pepper if desired.
2. Pour cooked and drained pasta into the skillet, and gently toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. (Although we did reheat leftovers the next day, the texture was off. No one complained, but it’s definitely best the day it is made)

Main Dishes, Meatless Monday, quick and easy, Sauces & Dressings gluten-free alfredo

It’s the fifth of May, so Happy Cinco de Mayo! There seems to be a common misconception that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day, but that is September 16. Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the Mexican victory over the French army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

It is my understanding that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated only regionally in Mexico, however, it is a big holiday in America and an opportunity to celebrate Mexican culture, especially the food and music.

So I thought it would be fitting to mention a few of our favorite Mexican-inspired recipes.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Tomatillo Salsa

homemade corn tortillas

Tequila Chicken & Wild Rice

Even if we can’t be on a beautiful Mexican beach today, sipping some fruity drink watching the waves, we can at least make ourselves some great chips and salsa. Hope you have a fun and flavorful Cinco de Mayo!

Holidays & Special Occasions, Main Dishes gluten-free cinco de mayo meals

We are really enjoying The Kids Cook campaign. Although my kids are not strangers to the kitchen, having them prepare most of a meal on their own is a relatively new concept at my house. Lucky for me it’s been a huge hit!

This week I thought we’d combine Meatless Monday & Kids Cook all together for one great meatless meal that is so simple, even the kids can make it.

Today’s recipe is a simple, but delicious, tomato soup. And unlike so many tomato soups, this one doesn’t require heavy cream, making it dairy-free as well as healthier. I used diced tomatoes and opted to puree, but you could leave it chunky (or use crushed tomatoes). I think adding more veggies or maybe even some pasta would be fun.

We ate our soup for dinner with some grilled cheese sandwiches, but this soup would also be great with a green salad. It’s easy, healthy, and a great choice for quick meal.

On a side note, after several blender/food processor leaks and explosions, I finally made the small investment and purchased an immersion blender. I don’t have one of those fancy schmancy ones; I think it cost me under $30. It really is convenient to puree soups right in the pot and cleanup is so much simpler.

Although, not entirely necessary, if you make a lot of soups I would suggest an handheld immersion blender. I blended it myself, so no pics of this step.

A lovely, pureed soup, minus burns and stains on the ceiling, to quote Martha, “It’s a good thing.”

Hailey stirring the veggies.

Our soup actually required 3 carrots, one was stolen!

Adding cans of tomatoes.

All done simmering, don't forget to remove the bay leaf.

All purreed & ready to eat.

Tomato Soup

Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf. And if you are going to puree this, make sure an adult helps.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium, peeled onion)
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can white beans (we use cannellini)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced or crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• salt and pepper to taste
• sour cream or Greek yogurt for garnish, optional

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Be sure to stir often, so you don’t burn the garlic.
2. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, parsley, and red pepper flakes if using. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. The soup can be served now, or pureed using an immersion blender. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream if desired.

Cooking With Kids, Kids Cook Monday, Main Dishes, Meatless Monday, soups