Crockpot Beans and Rice with Kale

Ingredients:
1 cup black beans (or whatever kind you have)
1 cup uncooked rice
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 small tin of diced green chilies (optional)
4 pieces of bacon, cut into small pieces (optional - leave out if you're feeding vegetarians!)
4 cups chicken or veggie broth (again, don't use chicken broth for vegetarians)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-3 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 large bunch kale, ripped into approximately 1-inch pieces

Put everything in the crockpot except for the kale. Cook on high for 1 hour, then turn to low and simmer all day until the liquid is absorbed, adding water or more broth if it's looking dry before the beans and rice are cooked. Stir in kale 20-30 minutes before serving and let it until it wilts a bit. Makes kind of a lot, but it freezes well.

Kale and Mushroom Omelet

This is what I've been eating for breakfast lately.

Ingredients:

Raw kale, ripped into about 1-2 inch pieces

Chopped mushrooms

Diced onion

4 egg whites or two whole eggs, beaten

1 oz cream cheese cut into small cubes

Cook the kale, mushrooms, and onion in a little bit of oil or cooking spray until the kale is wilted and the onions are starting to look clear. Spread the vegetables evenly over the bottom of the frying pan and pour in the eggs. Sprinkle the cream cheese pieces over top. Cook until the eggs are set or nearly set, then fold one half of the omelet over the other. Cook for a couple more minutes, flattening the top with the spatula so that any remaining raw egg squeezes out and cooks. Slide onto a plate and enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese

I actually don't make this very often because I've always thought macaroni and cheese was kind of boring, but I know some people really miss it after they have to stop eating gluten, so I thought I would post my recipe. When I do make it, it's usually because I'm going out of town and I have milk and cheese to use up, so I mix it up and freeze it in small portions (and I usually also add any random vegetables that are hanging out in the fridge - the last batch had kale, red bell peppers, celery, mushrooms, and onions in it).

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon (plus extra in case it doesn't thicken right away) sweet rice flour (also called sticky rice flour or glutinous rice flour - don't be alarmed by the word "glutinous", it just means sticky. It's made from the same rice they make sushi out of and it's really good for thickening)

2 cups milk

2-4 cups grated cheese (I use cheddar usually, but use whatever you like or a mixture)

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional, leave it out if you hate blue cheese, but it tastes really good if you're a fan)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 16 oz package gluten free macaroni

Feel free to add random vegetables if you want to be a freak like me. If you're feeling really adventurous, bake up a spaghetti squash and use that instead of pasta.

Directions:

While you're making the sauce, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

To make the sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the sweet rice flour. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Heat the mixture almost to boiling, stirring almost constantly. Make sure you don't burn it. It should start to bubble and thicken. If it looks like it's not going to thicken, whisk in a tablespoon or so of more sweet rice flour. When it starts to get thick, add the cheese and stir until the cheese has melted uniformly into the sauce. Mix the sauce with the pasta and serve. You can also put it in a casserole dish and top with more cheese and broil it if you want to be fancy like that.