Cast Iron Shepherds Pie

Cast Iron Recipes are classics. This easy to prepare Shepherds pie provides good old fashioned flavor and comfort food. This recipe has been adapted to be IC friendly so enjoy! From grandmotherskitchen.org.

Cast Iron Shepherds Pie


Ingredients:

4 potatoes (need 4 cups mashed)
1 Tablespoon butter
salt & pepper to taste (if tolerated)

1 Tablespoon butter
1 small onion, finely chopped (if tolerated or omit)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (substitute with Coconut Aminos or this soy sauce substitute recipe)
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken or beef broth (without problem ingredients)
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
salt and pepper (if tolerated), to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese


Directions:

1. You may need more or less than 4 potatoes. You want to end up with 4 cups mashed.

2. Peel the potatoes, rinse and cut into quarters. Put into a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, salt the water with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes until soft. Drain water. Add the butter and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven for 400 F.

4. Melt the butter in the cast iron skillet.

5. Add the onions and cook a few minutes until soft and transparent. Add the minced garlic and cook one minute.

6. Add the beef and cook, stirring and crumbling the meat. Cook until no longer pink. Shut off. If there is fat from the meat, drain off, otherwise, continue. If you use a lean ground beef there should not really be any fat.

7. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce substitution, flour, salt, pepper and peas.

8. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Do a taste test and add salt and pepper to your taste.

9. Evenly spread the mashed potatoes on top of the beef mixture.

10. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the potatoes.

11. Place into the preheated oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the inside is nice and hot.

12. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Apples

Use fresh, crisp apples for this yummy treat that you can make in the oven or crock pot. I adapted this recipe from 2 sources to make it IC friendly. From Mable Hoffman’s Crockery Cookery and freerecipenetwork.com.

Baked Apple
Makes 5 or 6 servings


For Crock Pot

Ingredients:

5 to 6 GALA or FUJI apples
½ cup raisins or chopped dates
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (if tolerated)
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (if tolerated)


Directions:

Core apples and peel each about one quarter of the way down. Arrange in a slow cooker. Fill centers with raisins or dates. In a small bowl, combine sugar, water, margarine or butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over apples. Cover and cook on LOW 2 to 4 hours (depending on size and variety of apples) or until apples are tender. Serve warm or cool.



For Oven

Ingredients:

5 to 6 GALA or FUJI apples
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon (if tolerated)
½ cup pear juice


Directions:

If you don’t have a crock pot, you can use a 7x11 casserole dish or stock pot. Preheat the oven to 350 F and cover the pan with aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, margarine or butter, and cinnamon. If you don’t want to use walnuts, you could use pecans (if tolerated) or go nut-free by substituting with ¼ cup chopped raisins, prunes (if tolerated), or granola (without problem ingredients)! Another great substitution is ¼ cup of rolled quick oats moistened with a tablespoon of water before stuffing the apples.

Use a grapefruit spoon that has the sharp edges (or a melon baller or small pairing knife) and core most of the way through, I leave about ½ inch apple left at the bottom. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in pan. Pour pear juice around apples. They’ll take about 45 minutes to one hour. A glass baking dish is also an option, just be sure to lower the heat slightly 5-10 degrees since glass can cause food to burn.

If you’re making this recipe for a large crowd, you could do these in the oven in a large disposable roasting pan and just double the recipe.

*You can refrigerate these for up to 3 days, but store them in an air-tight container so they don’t pick up odors from the fridge.

The Best Crockpot Applesauce EVER

Break out your trusty crockpot and make the BEST applesauce ever! The brown sugar gives it the most decadent flavor that reminds you of apple crisp. It’s also delicious topped with crushed graham crackers or a little granola (both without problem ingredients).

Note: This applesauce will be slightly chunky. You can put it through a food processor or blender for a smoother texture if needed. From sweettoothsweetlife.com.

The Best Crockpot Applesauce EVER

8 to 9 medium GALA or FUJI apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin, (cut slices in half as well)
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (if tolerated)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (if tolerated)


Directions:

Peel/slice/core all of the apples and place them in a crockpot. Add water, then sprinkle apples with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (or low for 8 - 9 hours) or until apples are softened. Stir and enjoy!

Cheesy Zucchini Gratin

Wonderfully rich and creamy with the best crisp/crusty topping! Plus, it’s WAY HEALTHIER than the traditional potato gratin!! From damndelicious.net.

Cheesy Zucchini Gratin


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 sprig fresh thyme
Pinch of nutmeg (if tolerated)
2 pounds zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices*
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (if tolerated), to taste
9 tablespoons shredded Gruyere cheese, divided (if tolerated)
1/2 cup FRENCH’S® Crispy Fried Onions (if tolerated or omit)

*2 pounds is equivalent to about 4 medium-sized zucchini


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch pie plate or coat with nonstick spray.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, garlic, thyme and nutmeg over medium heat until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

3. Add a layer of zucchini to the prepared baking dish in an overlapping pattern; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour 1/3 cup cream mixture over zucchini; sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Gruyere. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices, cream mixture and Gruyere to create 2 more layers.

4. Place into oven and bake until bubbly and browned, about 20-25 minutes.

5. Top with FRENCH’S® Crispy Fried Onions. Place into oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until onions are golden.

6. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Frittata

Summertime means there is an abundance of fresh zucchini. This tasty frittata is a perfect way to use this ingredient. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner! From grandmotherskitchen.org.

Zucchini Frittata
(Serves 3-4)


Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium minced shallots (if tolerated or omit)
2 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced into pieces
6 Large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (if tolerated or omit)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup freshly grated Reggiano Parmigiano (if tolerated)
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs (without problem ingredients)


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Heat the 2 teaspoons of olive oil in the cast iron pot on the stovetop. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent.

3. Add the zucchini to the pan and cook over medium heat until most of the moisture has evaporated.

4. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and milk until well combined. Add the salt and pepper and mix in.

6. Add the grated cheese and bread crumbs and stir in.

7. Add the cooked zucchini mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

8. Transfer to the cast iron skillet and place into the preheated oven.

9. Cook for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

10. Remove from the oven and let sit on a cooling rack to set for 10 minutes before serving.

Pork Chop Abracadabra

When I bought my crock pot waaaaaaay back in 1982 it came with a small recipe book. Here is one of my favorites and it’s good and is so easy to make! I give it: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Pork Chop Abracadabra


Ingredients:

4 to 6 pork chops, fat trimmed
Cream of mushroom soup (without problem ingredients)
1 small can of mushrooms, drained
Garlic
Pepper (if tolerated)


Directions:

Season pork chops with garlic and pepper. In a large skillet, brown pork chops over medium high heat (you can do this the night before). Put pork chops in crock pot. Mix mushrooms and soup together in a bowl and pour over pork shops. Cook 7 to 8 hours on LOW.

Spinach Pie

This is a delicious Greek recipe and can be enjoyed as a snack food or a starter. From grandmotherskitchen.org.

Spinach Pie


Ingredients:

1 package pastry filo for pies (without problem ingredients)
1 lb. fresh spinach
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup olive oil in a bowl
2 1/2 cups Feta cheese
2 Tablespoons cream cheese
3 Tablespoons Parmesan or Pecorino (if tolerated)
Pepper (if tolerated)


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Have ready a 9x13 inch baking pan.

3. Wash the spinach and place into a pot. Cover with water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain well, squeezing out the moisture and place into a large mixing bowl. Break the eggs into the spinach and stir well to combine.

4. Cut the feta into small pieces in a bowl, or you can use your fingertips to break up. Add the Parmesan and stir together.

5. Add the spinach and stir together.

6. Open the pastry and cover it with a wet towel. The wet towel will keep the pastry from drying out while you prepare the spinach pie.

7. Stir the melted butter into the olive oil then brush then pastry in between, one by one with the
mixture of oil and butter and place into the pan.

8. When you have half of the pastry filo brushed, place the stuffing in. Now continue brushing the remaining pastry and layering until completed.

9. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes until golden brown.