Mom's Pot Roast and Vegetables with gravy

1 Roast, beef or pork
olive oil
salt and pepper
Rosemary (or any other herb, such as thyme, sage, or garlic)
3 c. beef broth, chicken broth if using a pork roast
potatoes, peeled, cut into big chunks
carrots, peeled, cut into big chunks
onions, peeled, cut into big chunks
1 c. milk
4 T. corn starch
opt Kitchen Bouquet

In an oven-safe pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Pat the roast dry and cover in salt and pepper and rosemary. Brown the roast on all sides. Transfer the roast to a crockpot. Pour beef broth over the roast. Heat on low for four hours or until tender. Pre heat oven to 400. In the pot, place potatoes, carrots and onions. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and rosemary. Toss to coat. Cook one hour or until tender.
When roast is finished, remove from crockpot and let rest covered with foil on a plate. Remove vegetables from the pot. Transfer the liquid from the crockpot to the pot. Place pot on the stove. Add one cup of milk and 4 T of corn starch, whisking vigoriously releasing all the bits from the bottom of the pot, bring to a simmer. Simmer until desired thickness. Add a drizzle of Kitchen Bouquet, and season to taste. The gravy will have bits of vegetables and meat in it, but you can sieve the gravy if you prefer. Serve over meat and vegetables.

Mexi-Feast

This recipe makes me laugh. My good friend Rob used to make this in college. It was his "impress a girl" recipe. Ha ha ha! It looked like crap, but it was actually really good!

1 can kidney beans with juice
1 cup boiled rice
1/2 lb. or more of pre-cooked and seasoned ground beef
1/2 diced bell pepper
1/2 diced onion
1/2 diced garlic (I assume he means a couple pieces of garlic)
salsa to taste
jalapeno peppers if you like it hot
Tortillas flour or corn depending on if you want it gluten free and other toppings

Mix all the above stuff together in a big pot on med-low heat. After cooking about 5-10 minutes, mash the contents together with a potato masher. Add whatever spices you have in the cupboard that you think would be good. Keep adding until it tastes good. Cook for 5 more minutes. Put the stuff on a tortilla, and add additional condiments such as fresh diced tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, or hot sauce. Roll up and enjoy!

Yucatan Chicken

This was a recipe my cute friends, the Nelson sisters used to make in college. I just came across this recipe, and it brought back a whole lot of memories! I'm gonna have to make it soon!

2 Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, and cut in cubes
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. Mexican seasoning-- make sure it's gluten free
1 can (16 oz) Mexican Stewed tomatoes
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. corn starch
1/4 t. garlic powder

Any combination of corn chips, flour tortillas (not if you're making it gluten free), sour cream, olives, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, or whatever else you like on taco salads

In a microwave safe bowl*, mix chicken, lemon juice, and Mexican seasoning. Cover with lid or vented plastic wrap. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked, stirring several times. In a blender, place stewed tomatoes, sugar, cornstarch, and garlic. Blend until tomatoes are finely chopped. Pour over chicken mixture. Cook, uncovered, on high for 4-5 minutes or unitl hot. Serve over tortilla chips with lettuce, cheese, and sour cream.

*I remember making this before, and instead of cooking the chicken in the microwave, I sauteed it on the stovetop with lemon juice, seasoning, and olive oil until it was browned. I prefer it this way, but either way is fine.

Di's Low-Calorie Broccoli Cheese Soup

Using Mom's Gravy Recipe, I make this low-calorie soup. It can also be gluten-free as long as gluten-free broth is used.

Ingredients
Sliced carrot
1/2 diced red bell pepper
diced onion
olive oil
1 head of broccoli cut into small pieces and steamed
1/2 head of cauliflower cut into small pieces and steamed
3 cans chicken broth, or six cups broth (six cups water with 10-12 boullion cubes)
2 cups milk (If I can afford the calories, I like to use evaporated milk)
1/2 c. corn starch
salt and pepper
cayenne
nutmeg
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese, any variation of cheddar, colby jack, swiss, parmesan, whatever you like.


Saute sliced carrot, 1/2 diced red bell pepper, and diced onion together in olive oil until just soft in sauce pan. In a bowl, whisk together broth, milk, and cornstarch. Pour over sauteed carrot, bell pepper and onion, whisking, bring to a simmer. When thickened, add steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of Cayenne
Dash of nutmeg
Remove from heat
Stir in 1 1/2 c. shredded cheese
Eat plain or pour over baked potatoes.

BBQ Spareribs

This is my mom's recipe. It can also be made gluten-free

Spare ribs (at least 2 per person)
salt and pepper
bottle bbq sauce (For gluten-free use Original Kraft, Sweet Baby Rays, but always check the label)

Place ribs in a greased 9X13 baking dish. Season well with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for an hour.
Most the fat will be melted off them and they will have formed a nice crust. Place in crockpot and pour a bottle of bbq sauce on top. Heat on LOW for four hours. Serve over rice.

Di's Butternut Squash Soup or Sauce

This is very low-calorie as I don't add any cream to it, but I do like to add a small dollop of low-fat sour cream to my bowl when I'm eating it. This is also gluten free as long as gluten free broth or boullion is used.

1 roasted butternut squash (cut the squash in half, remove seeds, place cut-side down in a 9 X13 with a couple inches of water. Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until a fork can pierce through it easily)

2 cans chicken broth or four cups water boiled with six boullion cubes*

one small onion, sautee'd in olive oil

Scoop out the flesh from the squash removing skin, add to blender or food processor. Add broth and sauteed onion. Blend until pureed. Add to pot. Simmer about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. If it's too runny, boil it down for a few minutes being sure to stir frequently.

*Use less broth to make it thicker, and it can be a yummy sauce for whole wheat cheese tortellini or other pasta

Mom's Gravy

This is the best recipe for gravy ever; it never fails! I use this recipe as a base for creamy soups and sauces as well. It is extremely low-calorie unless you add cream to it, which is certainly not necessary. It can also be made gluten free as long as you use gluten free boullion cubes or broth.

Mom's Gravy

3 c. cold water and 6 chicken-flavored boullion cubes or just 3 c. chicken broth
1 c. milk
4 T. corn starch
Salt

opt. drizzle Kitchen Bouquet (It's a liquid in a bottle, it's "browning flavoring")

Whisk the first three ingredients together in a saucepan, slowly turning the heat up to a simmer. Keep whisking until thickened. Add salt to taste. Add a drizzle of Kitchen bouquet, not too much. Makes one quart.

You can also used Beef-flavored boullion or beef broth for a brown gravy.

You can add any meat drippings, cream, or any other combination of seasonings.