Thanksgiving doesn't have to be scary for those who are gluten free. (Unless you're one of the herd of wild turkeys that roams through my front yard.)
My menu plan last week was a 'greatest hits' week with all the family favorites that are quick and easy. I've been in the midst of a big project and needed to feed these kids fast, filling meals that had leftovers for snacks and, of course, breakfast. Making good breakfasts seems to be one of the defining characteristics of recipes around our house. 
One of the favorites is a slow cooker Mama's Mad Cow Chili with ground turkey, black beans, and white beans, a few cans of spicy Rotel tomatoes and whatever I feel like throwing in there. This week we topped it off with crispy corn tortillas strips.
These are quick and easy and very satisfying. Cut a stack of corn tortillas into thin strips with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter and then fry in a little oil until golden brown. We also topped the chili with shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos and a blend of low fat sour cream and plain greek yogurt.
This week I dip into some new gluten-free cookbooks for more fast food. Now that I've made them happy with all the old favorites, it's time to find some new ones.
About 4:00 the scent of garlic and roasting meat started filling the house. So the combination of ingredients was a bit odd, but the smell was delicious. When all the teens were finally home from their afterschool workouts we served up Stephanie's recipe for Flank Steak Stuffed with Apple, Feta, and, Apples. It fell apart and didn't slice into a typical stuffed roll-type dish. I put it on top of rice and steamed veggies and then drizzled more of the cooking juices from the bottom of the slow cooker.
I visited Stephanie O'Dea's blog A Year of Slow Cooking for gluten-free dinner ideas a lot last year. I loved the way she photographed her assembled ingredients so I could check out the gluten free products she was using. When I heard she had a new cookbook out, I ordered one and have been leafing through it trying to decide on a recipe for my review. There are so many good ideas with lots of the foods and flavors we love in our house. 
The youngest had to make a Mexican dish to share with her Spanish class and she chose a Mexican potato cake recipe the Spanish teacher had copied from a Mexican cookbook. Of course, she had to change it a bit to make it gluten free, but a little rice flour instead of wheat flour was all it took. After using most of the utensils and mixing bowls, as well as all the dish towels, she had a lovely batch of gluten free potato cakes to take to school.
I was allowed a sample and they were so good I thought I'd share the recipe. If the idea of jalapenos and cilantro fried up in a potato cake and served with salsa is your idea of delicious, read on.
The nice PR people at Stonyfield sent me some coupons to try their Oikos Greek Yogurt. I had to confess to them that I already not only tried it and loved it, but there was some in my refrigerator. I was going to try some of the recipes on their web site, but every time I try to, the stuff is gone. Last week as I was passing through the youngest's bedroom, I spied another empty Oikos container and knew my plans were foiled once again.
She likes it in smoothies and straight up. I like to layer it with slivered almonds and honey like my favorite Greek restaurant serves it on their dessert menu. 
