Living Gluten and Dairy Free

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 sweet pepper, chopped (optional)
3 tbsp garlic, minced
1 lb. lean ground meat (any will do)
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 cup or more picante sauce
1/2 can kernal corn, drained (or more, DH is not fond of corn)
1/2 cup or more black beans
1 cup milk of choice (buttermilk would work well if tolerated)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp hot chili powder
1/2 cup cheese, shredded (optional, leave off for dairy free)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit 
2. In a large skillet, sauté onion, pepper, and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
3. Add meat to skillet and cook until browned. Drain excess fat from the pan.
4. Pour tomato ketchup, picante sauce, corn, black beans, and milk into the skillet. Heat through, stirring often.
5. Stir in cornmeal and chili powder.
6. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole dish and cover with foil or lid.
7. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more.

Serve with side dish of choice. Cheese may be used as topping if tolerated. Great over corn chips.

This month marks the four year anniversary of Samantha being gluten free. I can’t believe it. I still feel like I am learning so much. She has gone from being a chubby breastfed toddler to a happy independent kid. It was easier to keep her gluten free when she was a toddler. She didn’t know what she was missing. She just loved to eat anything I gave her. Now, she sees friends with Oreos and grilled cheese sandwiches. She notices all the bright cereal packages in the store.

 One thing that helps is we are cooking together, all us girls. Both Beth and Samantha love baking and cooking. Measuring and chopping are favorites for both of them. Initially, finding out what went into a recipe was a little disconcerting for them. Neither one likes coconut milk but they love the way it makes some recipes taste. Now, they are happy to find new ways of putting things together. Samantha likes liberal uses of sugar.

 Overall, I am glad they are healthy.