Baked Penne in Three Steps {Gluten Free}

Dinner.  Simplified.  Three steps.

1. Boil 1 package of gluten free penne pasta until al dente.

2. Saute 1 pound of sausage or ground meat with Italian seasonings, onion and garlic. Then, add a jar of pasta sauce.

3. When both are done, mix together in a bowl, spoon into a baking dish and sprinkle with your favorite shredded Italian cheeses and bake for 15 minutes.

This dish is seriously soul warming and so easy!

Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers {Gluten Free} {Low Carb}

I was stumped on what to name this rich concoction. It is not simply a stuffed bell pepper. It has spice. It has kick. It has the inside of a taco as its stuffing. And, as it turns out, they were more open-faced than "stuffed" per se.  You'll catch my drift as we go along. 

Simply put: these are easy, delicious, and you can actually switch up the spices and toppings to create any style meal. 

Taco Stuffed Bell Pepper

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 chopped onion 

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 pound ground beef, turkey, or chicken

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3 bell peppers (remove stem, membrane and seeds and cut in half)

7 sliced white mushrooms

1 quartered and sliced zucchini

(add any other vegetables that you may have on hand that will fit the style of stuffed pepper you're making)

1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, jack or pepper jack work great)

avocado

salsa

sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute olive oil, garlic, and onions on low to medium heat for a few minutes (until someone in the house says it smells soooo good in the kitchen!). Add meat and spices and cook until meat is almost thoroughly cooked. Add vegetables (except bells!) and cook until slightly soft but not soggy.

Place bell pepper halves on their backs on a baking sheet. Scoop meat mixture with a slotted spoon into heaping mounds into bells. Place in preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and add generous amounts of shredded cheese to the top and cook for 3-5 more minutes (until cheese is melted).

Remove from oven and place on serving dish.  Add additional cold toppings (avo, salsa, sour cream to preference).  

I added a green salad to the side with a little balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.  After we cut into the bells and the ingredients co-mingled it was divine.

Note: I sliced the bells in half for easier filling AND more square-inchage for shredded cheese!

Variations:  

Add rice and/or black beans for a heartier meal.

Change up the seasonings and veggies for a different flare.

Sausage Kale Soup: Quick and Easy {Gluten Free}

I have eaten it. I have loved it. I needed to make it!

I googled the above recipe name, perused the various recipes, and came up with this winner.

My mom stopped by in rush hour traffic to try it, DaveBee wants it to enter our weekly rotation, and there is ONE small bowl left over.  This is a MUST make this week! Check it out:

Sausage Kale Soup

Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion chopped
10 Small Potatoes chopped to about 1/2 inch pieces
2 - 32 oz. Boxes of Broth (chicken or vegetable, gluten free)
5-6 Italian Sausages (uncooked and gluten free)
1 Head of Kale chopped (or 3/4 bag of Trader Joe's organic cleaned and cut kale)
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt to taste

Directions
Saute 2/3 of chopped onion in olive oil at bottom of a dutch oven (can use a soup pot too!) on low-medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add broth and potatoes.  Bring to boil then turn down to simmer.

Add red pepper flakes to pot.  Start light and you can always add more later if you want more of a kick.

While dutch oven simmers and soften potatoes, saute the rest of the onions and cook sausage in a separate frying pan.  When sausage is cooked, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Add sausage and contents of frying pan (optional) to the pot.

Add chopped kale.  Add salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

Stir it up and simmer until dinner time!!

So, go and make it.  Tell me your variations. And impress your loved ones.