potato soup, sans dairy

Can you believe that I haven't made potato soup since cutting out dairy?

Well, it's possible. P.S. use up any sad veggies in your fridge by cutting them very small and tossing them into the pot.

Potato Soup

4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks

2 T olive oil

1 stalk of celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/4 sweet onion, chopped

2 mushrooms, chopped

1/4 zucchini, shredded

3 thick slices of ham, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, removed from the stem

1 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1 T. nutritional yeast

1/2 c. almond milk

optional to thicken: 2 T. cold almond milk + 1 t. gf flour mix

salt and pepper to taste

Put the potatoes in a medium sized pot and fill with water. The water should be about an inch above the potatoes. Boil until a fork can be inserted easily into a chunk of potato. DO NOT DRAIN.

In the meantime, put the veggies, oil, and ham into a large pot and sautee until the veggies are soft. Add the potatoes + water. This step is important because the starchy potato water will help the soup thicken. Mash some of the potatoes with the back of the spoon and stir frequently while the soup comes to a rapid boil. Add in the fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, and almond milk.

As the soup boils, keep stirring. It will thicken. If it needs to be thicker, mix 2 T. cold almond milk with 1 t. gf flour into a small bowl and mix that slowly into to the boiling soup. Let it boil for a minute while stirring, then remove from heat.

Top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and a dash of smoked paprika.

Loaded potato slices

Loaded baked potato... in an appetizer setting.

These were made on somewhat of a whim, so I was out of sour cream (drat!), but they really need it. Put sour cream on these babies.

Loaded potato slices

1 potato, washed
bacon
shredded cheddar cheese
chives, chopped (scissors work best)
sour cream
salt and pepper

Slice the potato into rounds. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, turning halfway.

In the meantime, fry up the bacon. I like to cut it with scissors. Save the bacon grease in the skillet for refried beans, since you're already halfway there.

Let the bacon bits drain on paper towels.

Once the potato rounds are done, top with shredded cheese, chives, and bacon. Return to oven to broil until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream (and maybe some refried beans...)

Nom. Because these are delicious.

Ham and potato soup

Why is it that there are ALWAYS ham leftovers? It's impossible to cook a ham, even a small one, without having weeks worth of leftovers. I always package them up in the freezer for quick sandwiches or an addition to soups.

The rest of this week was brought to you by sad vegetables. This is no exception. Three sad potatoes in the pantry got made into soup and I'm happy to say nothing got thrown out.

I will forever wonder how people take pictures of soup that don't turn out yucky-looking. That being said, SOUP:

Ham and potato soup

leftover cooked ham, chopped
3 potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
milk
shredded cheese
1/2 tsp mustard powder
salt and pepper, to taste
frozen peas, because I jam vegetables in everything now

Place the potatoes in a pot with some water-- just so they're halfway covered. Cover the pot and boil until the potatoes are fork-tender. Remove the lid to let some of the water burn off. Smash some of the potatoes with a fork, leaving it kind of chunky. Pour in enough milk to get the consistency you want, and stir in the ham and mustard powder. Bring to a boil and stir in the peas to warm up.

Serve with cheese on top.

Quick Potato Soup

We got a bag of Simply Potatoes free with bacon at the grocery store.

We also have the last few cool days before it gets to be a million degrees. Rather than cook these up for breakfast, I threw them into a pot and made some potato soup-- really quick.

Quick Potato Soup

Throw in a medium pot:

1 bag of Simply Potatoes (I used Steakhouse seasoned diced potatoes)
crumbled cooked bacon
chopped green onions
enough milk to just barely cover the potatoes

Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Mash them up a little bit with a pastry blender or potato masher. Top with shredded cheese.

The idea was that because the potatoes are already seasoned, I wouldn't have to add any seasoning.
I was right, but it was also pretty salty. I suppose that's what you get for something that is supposed to be "Simple" but ends up tasting pretty processed.

This is actually the second time (and second flavor) of these potatoes that I don't particularly like. There's something in there that tastes bitter to me. Hubs seems to like it, though. Am I crazy?

Either way, they were free and it was quick.

Really good smashed red potatoes

We ate these two nights ago at my father-in-law's house.
They were so good, we made them again tonight.

Smashed Red Potatoes:

Place 6 red potatoes, skins on, in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil until they are fork-tender.
Drain the water, and place the potatoes on a cookie sheet. Smash them with a potato masher (or a fork).
Drizzle with olive oil and several cloves of minced garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. You may need more than you think.
Broil until the tops begin to brown. They'll get a delicious salty garlicy crust on them.

Fantastic. A new staple at our house.

dinner, but really potatoes

So last night I came home, went for a run (that lasted 15 minutes before I seriously thought I would die), and made dinner.

Standard fish- pepper, paprika, parsley, and lemon juice.
Standard peas- butter & salt.

The real star of the meal was the potatoes. My mom made them and sent me home with a sample.
So simple, and so delicious.

She boiled regular potatoes, plus 1 sweet potato, then mashed them up like regular mashed potatoes.
She then took raw spinach and carrots and gave them a whirl in the food processor, and mixed them into the potatoes with some butter & salt.

That's it. The orange color actually tricks you into thinking they're cheesy, and the hidden extra veggies aren't even noticeable.

Ore Ida tator tots are gluten free

Again, I may be the last one to find this out, but Ore Ida Tator Tots (and many other of their products) are gluten free. Says it right on the bag. LOVE.

I went many years without a tator tot. Then one day I was at my sister's house and feeling peckish, so she busted them out of the freezer and heated some up in the oven. She even pointed out the gluten free-ness. Amazing.

Idahoan instant potatoes

I know, the title of of this blog is "learning how to cook..." and I haven't actually posted anything that I've cooked recently. File this under "other kitchen adventures."

I've always been a mashed potato purist. Instant mashed potatoes were the devil at my house. They did not reside in my family's pantry, ever. I've had the instant kind of potatoes in school lunches, and I remember them being sticky, yet with a gritty mouth feel. Compared to the only other kind of mashed potatoes I've had, my mom's, they were nothing I'd ever consider bringing into my kitchen.

Then, I had an persistent cranky wisdom tooth get infected and eating became even more challenging. Soft foods were the only thing on the menu for a while. Soup and yogurt got real old, real quick. I needed comfort food that was going to make me feel full. The solution? Mashed potatoes.

I don't know if you've ever had an infected wisdom tooth, but they are darn painful. The only worse pain I've been in was tonsillitis, and this was pretty up there on the pain scale. There was no way, in my misery, that I was going to chop and peel potatoes, boil them, then mash them. I wanted to sit on my butt and zonk out on pain meds, which ironically, I was too scared to take. I'm such a weenie.

Anyway, desperate times call for desperate measures. I reluctantly picked up a package of instant mashed potatoes. The only ones in the store that said "gluten free" on the package were Idahoan potatoes.

I took them, home, grumbled at my own traitor-ism, and in about 5 minutes I sat down with a bowl. To my great surprise, they were really good! Maybe because I hadn't eaten anything substantial in a few days, but they were delicious. Some of the flavors are a little on the salty side, but honestly I expect that in a processed, instant type of dish. I don't plan on making them a regular thing, but in a pinch, they do just fine. I just had to post, because I was so surprised that they were tasty.

tator tots, eggs, and cheese

leftover tator tots, crumbled into pieces

+

4 eggs beaten, salt & pepper

+

shredded cheese sprinkled on top

350 degrees for 15-20 minutes= NOM

P.S. Would have added spinach or ham or peppers, but I need to go grocery shopping real bad.

KROGER 3 cheese potatoes

So I'm feeling kinda cruddy with allergies or a cold or whatever, looking for comfort food.

The ever-awesome mom of mine found some GLUTEN FREE Kroger brand potatoes au gratin. It said it right on the box- go Kroger!

She originally bought them for Easter dinner but we agreed that we should try it out first, in case they suck.

They SO don't.

This is serious comfort food. I ate about half the pan.


I don't know what happens- every once in a while blogger uploads photos sideways and I can't figure out how to fix it. Just tilt your head.

These potatoes taste just like the potatoes that my mom has made for for years. I can never seem to recreate the taste and texture using ingredients from scratch; the only thing that tastes like "mom's" potatoes is the boxed stuff- and now, it's gluten free and I can eat it!! I'm so excited and satisfied that I want to make it every day.

Sigh, happiness.

Cozy Potato Soup

We have had some beautiful weather here lately. I'm digging the hoodie weather in the morning, and the AC in my car hasn't been run in a while. Windows down, baby. This week schoolwork is not piled up, so I get to cook and eat real food!

In anticipation of the cool air coming tonight, I decided to make something cozy. A quick trip to the pantry revealed some garlic cloves and a lonely potato. 30 minutes later, potato soup was simmering on the stove and smelling very, very good. And cozy.

It's quick, cheap, and it's a one-pot meal so that means less dishes for me. Yay!

Potato Soup

1 potato, cut into cubes. Peeled or not is your choice. I go 50/50.

1 T. butter
1 c. milk (cream works too if you like it extra rich)
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 t. ground pepper
1/4 t. salt
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 t. chicken bouillon (gluten free)
1 T. parsley
1/2 T. potato flour (not starch)

Boil the potato pieces in water until they're soft but not quite falling apart. Pour as much water off as you can. Place the pot back on the burner to boil the rest of the water off.

Turn the heat to low-med. Stir in the butter until it's melted, mashing the potatoes a little bit. Leave them as chunky as you like.

Stir in the milk, cheese, pepper, garlic, bouillon, and parsley. Once it's heated, stir in the potato flour bit-by-bit to thicken it up. Don't stir it in too fast or it will clump. Just sprinkle the top, stir it in, and repeat.

Serve it with cheese, parsley, chives, and sour cream.

Serves 2.

Oven-baked french fries

Someone came home with McDonald's and the smell of greasy french fried potato goodness was mouthwatering. I had to have french fries.

I personally love the thick-cut steak fries with the skins still on. Oh, yum.

Of course, they're easy to make. Just clean a potato, then cut it into strips. (If I'm in a hurry I like to stick them in the microwave for a minute so they'll cook quicker.)

Then, line a cookie sheet with tin foil for easy cleanup. Spray cooking spray liberally on the pan, place the fries on the sheet, and spray a little more. They will stick badly without some kind of lubrication.

Put them into a hot oven, about 400-450 degrees, for about 10-15 minutes or until they're... well, french fries. Sprinkle them with salt, let them cool, and don't feel bad for a minute that you don't get to eat McDonald's fries.

Potato Soup

Apologies for the crappy picture.

After peanut butter cookies for breakfast, I scrapped the waffle idea for today. I couldn't take that much sugar at one time.

My mom had boiled too many potatoes for potato salad, so I took them and this morning decided that potato soup would be the best use for them.

Potato Soup

4 T. butter
3 T. cornstarch
1 T. sweet rice flour
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese
3 c. milk
1 t. parsley
1 t. GF chicken bouillon (I used Orrington Farms)
leftover cut up boiled potatoes

Melt the butter, then add the flours to make a smooth paste. Stir in the milk, add the cheese, bouillon & parsley, then plop in the potatoes. Let it simmer for 30 minutes or so, until it's hot and creamy.

Top with crumbled bacon, sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, or whatever.

Nuggets

Comfort food. Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn and green beans.

When I first started cooking I found that every cookbook I found, even the most basic, neglected to add recipes such as simple baked chicken, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, even hard-boiled eggs. I mean, I had no idea how to cook any of that!

So even though it's simple, I'm putting these recipes up here.

Mashed Potatoes:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium-sized cubes. Put into a pan and add enough water to cover the tops of the potatoes with a little extra. Bring the pot to a boil and boil until a fork goes through the potato with little resistance. Drain the potatoes through a colander and put them back into the pan or a bowl and add butter. Some people add a little milk to make them creamier but I prefer to add just the butter. Mix using a hand mixer until they're mashed potato-ey.

Chicken Nuggets:
Prepare three bowls:
Bowl one should contain flour (rice flour works fine). Throw in seasonings (chicken blends are good!)
Bowl two should have an egg, beaten with a fork.
Bowl three should contain about 1 c. bread crumbs, or two slices of bread if using a food processor. Add chicken seasonings to taste. For a crunch, add in some crumbled Rice Chex.
Have a cookie sheet ready, greased slightly.

Cut up chicken (strips or breasts) into nugget sizes, keeping them uniform in size so they cook around the same time. Roll them around, one at a time, in the flour bowl, then in the egg bowl, then do the same in the bread crumb bowl. Place them on the sheet and stick them in the oven at 325 until the juices run clear when you cut into them.

Gravy:
This is something I'm still working on, because I can't quite get the gravy to have a strong flavor. I usually used the mixes, but haven't found any that are gluten free. Here's what I did, though.

Pour a can of chicken broth into a small saucepan. Heat up with some seasonings, then pour some (about 1/3 cup) into a bowl. Stir in about a tablespoon or so of corn starch, then stir that mixture back into the saucepan. Keep stirring until it thickens. Now, this would work as a gravy, but the way it looks grosses me out. I add a couple spoonfuls of sour cream to give it a little more taste and make it not look so funky but I'm still working on that.

Anyway, I have two more things to say: "nugget" is a funny word, and I have found a use for that gluten-free bread that's been in my freezer for a while. What else can I use bread crumbs for...?