Spicy Potato Casserole

I cannot take credit for this amazing dish, but the modifications I will take credit for! I'm trying to cut my dairy intake as much as possible. My substitutions are in parentheses. 

Spicy Potato Casserole

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup (I used Pacific Brand Organic Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup in a box)
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 stick Butter - melted (Earth Balance soy and dairy free is what I used)
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t white pepper (I just used black since I didn't have white)
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t Red pepper flakes or to taste
16 oz Sour Cream (I used the tofu sour cream for this one)
8 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded (Daiya Cheddar is what I used)
8 oz Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (Daiya Mozzarella is what I used)
1 - 28 oz pkg O'Brien Potatoes (If you don't have this in your store, just chop some tatters up into small squares)

Topping

2 cups Corn Flakes - coarsely crushed
3 t Butter - melted (Earth Balance)
Garlic Powder
White Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Red Pepper flakes
Parmesan Cheese (optional) 


Combine Cream of Chicken soup, Onion soup, melted butter, garlic powder, white pepper, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. Add Sour Cream, when combined, add Cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese. Stir until completely incorporated into mixture. Add Potatoes and mix completely. Spray a casserole pan, pour potato mixture into pan and press into a level surface.

In a small bowl, combine Corn Flakes and spices, then add melted butter and stir until combined. Sprinkle evenly over potato mixture. Sprinkle top of casserole with Parmesan Cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour, or until top is bubbly and brown.

Enjoy! As always, The Classic Chef :) 

Gluten Free Lemon Zest Peach Muffins

So I've had a request for my recipe for my Gluten Free Lemon Zest Peach Muffins. All I ask when you use my recipes is that you give me feedback of how it turned out for you and how you liked them. Here is my recipe that I invented yesterday:

Gluten Free Lemon Zest Peach Muffins



2 cups of Pamela's baking flour
1 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2-3/4 cup of Xylitol 
1/2 cup of nuts (optional)
_______________________

3 eggs
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 tsp of Bethany's homemade Vanilla (any vanilla works fine)
1 cup of fruit puree (recipe below)
1 fresh peach chopped very small 

Directions
Mix all the dry into one bowl. Once mixed, add all the liquid ingredients (except the chopped peach) and mix for 2 min on medium speed. Chop your peach in half and take the pit out and then chop it like you would an onion if you were to slice it into small pieces. Then after it has been chopped, add it to the mixture and stir with a spatula. Bake on 375 for 15 min or until golden brown around the edges and top. 

Fruit Puree
3 peaches
Juice from 2 lemons
Zest from one lemon
2 tsp of Bethany's Vanilla (or your own)
1 cup of xylitol

Directions
Take the peaches and slice them small enough to go into a food processor. Puree it until it is smooth then pour into a bowl. Before extracting the juice from the lemons, zest both lemons into the peach puree. Once you have your zest, take a lemon reamer and extract the juice. Heat the lemon juice, vanilla and xylitol in a pan until the xylitol is melted. Once melted, pour into puree and mix. 

Optional Lemon Glaze
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp of Corn Starch
1/2-1 cup of xylitol depending on how tart or sweet you want the glaze

Directions
Put all ingredients into a sauce pan and heat and stir until mixture thickens. Strain into a bowl when finished and pour onto muffins or dip into sauce. 

Enjoy! Don't forget to come back and give me your review after trying my recipe! Thanks :)

Taco Seasoning Recipe

Taco Seasoning Recipe

I don't know about you, but I hate buying the stuff in the stores because you never know EXACTLY what they put in their spices. MSG most likely makes its way in the majority of the spice mixtures out there. So, here is my Taco Seasoning recipe that tastes better than the store bought one with no hidden "spices"!

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika 
1 tsp of chili powder
1/4 tsp of oregano
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes

I lightly ground the oregano flakes and red pepper flakes in the mortar and pestle we have. Mix it all together and season your meat! I had a pound of ground beef and I used a little over half of the taco seasoning mixture. 

Don't forget to come back and give me your review after trying my recipe! Thanks and enjoy!

Real Vanilla for sale!

You read right! The Classic Chef Real Vanilla is here! I am selling them in 2oz bottles at $6 a piece plus shipping and handling. The picture below is of the bottles of vanilla that I have. They smell amazing! They also are lovely in baked goods. If you are interested, please comment below with your email address and I will contact you for more information. 

Thanks!

The Classic Chef

I'm back!

Looks like I'm just shy of a year since my last post. Well, I have a few updates to make so hold tight!!

Rice Krispie Treats With a Twist

So I wanted to make a gluten free treat today, so I thought I would take the recipe for original Rice Krispies Treats, but change the recipe to my liking.

A few years back I was making these delightful treats, but wanted to try something a little different by adding freshly grated lemon peel and vanilla. Once I did that, it gave it a "Fruit Loop" kind of flavor. I was hooked!

What my version of the recipe calls for is as follows:

3 TBSP of Coconut Oil
1 13 oz Marshmallow Fluff container (found in baking isles of grocery stores)
1 tsp of Vanilla
Freshly grated zest from 2 whole organic lemons
1 box of EnviroKidz Organic Koala Crisp Cereal

On medium heat, melt the coconut oil and marshmallow fluff and mix until combined.

Add the vanilla and lemon zest and mix well.

Once that is done, add the whole box of cereal and mix until all the cereal is covered in the marshmallow mixture.

Once mixed, dump onto a 9X15 in pan and spread evenly. Put in the freezer to cool. 

Cut and enjoy!

The Classic Chef

Tomato Mac & Cheese

It has been forever since I've posted, but I wanted to share with you a recipe from the very first post I did on my page. It has been my favorite way to eat it ever since I had it this way, thanks to the food network and Paula Dean. It is not a recipe for those of you watching your calorie intake because it is FULL of grease, but it is very delicious! It is the dish that has inspired my profile picture since I began and now I share the recipe with you. Here it is, Tomato Mac & Cheese! And the crowd goes wild!!

Tomato Mac and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

55 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dish
• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 3/4 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups shredded Cheddar, divided
• 2 ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

Bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring constantly, until tender. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, and paprika; mix well. Stir in the milk and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Toss in the macaroni and pour into the prepared dish. Cover the macaroni with tomato slices and season salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The last few minutes, top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

The Classic Chef