Gluten Free Jersey Girl: Grass-Fed Beef Chili with GF Corn Bread (and Kale Chips)

For most people new to the gluten-free diet, there are many challenges in the beginning. Besides mourning the loss of most of their favorite, all-American comfort foods (pizza, bread, cookies, cake, etc), they are often shell-shocked by the exorbitant cost of gluten-free foods. When people bemoan their ridiculous grocery bills, I tell them that it doesn't have to be this way. Yes, you will pay more for quality, organic, whole food than for processed garbage. Absolutely. That being said, there are many to go gluten-free on a budget.

The first way to cut costs is by shopping locally and hitting up your neighborhood farms and farmer's markets. Today, the kids and I took $30 to the farmer's market in Manasquan and came home with more fruits and veggies than we could carry. To buy this same, organic produce in a grocery store, it would easily cost twice as much. The second key to managing the gluten-free diet on a budget is to do your own baking. Yes, it IS painful to pay $7 for a loaf of gluten-free bread. And at the bakery, you can literally pay $5 for ONE gluten-free cupcake! It's definitely not cheap to buy gluten-free mixes and baked goods. But the way to avoid this is to get your hands a little dirty in the kitchen and bake your own food. Even better than cutting costs, is the fact that when you cook from scratch, you know exactly what's going into your food.

With our bounty today from the farmer's market, the kids and I made some kale chips (two big batches), a loaf of gluten-free corn bread, and a big pot of delicious grass-fed beef chili. It was a delicious, nutritious, gluten-free meal that everyone loved!

I encourage you to experiment with some gluten-free recipes (you will have some major fails in the beginning, trust me!). And maybe even invite your children to join you and make it a fun activity for everyone. In my experience, kids love being able to enjoy the "fruits of their labor" by sitting down to a meal that they helped prepare. Enjoy!

In health,
GFJG

Kale Chips
-one bunch of organic kale
-olive oil
-sea salt
-parmesan cheese (optional)

Cut or rip the kale off of the stems. Wash thoroughly and let dry. Break kale into small pieces and lay them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil on the kale. Sprinkle with sea salt and/or parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until edges are brown.

Let cool and pour into a bowl to enjoy!

Grass-fed Beef Chili
(Note: My chili varies depending on what I have in the house. Today I used the veggies that I had gotten from the farmer's market)

-1 lb organic, grass-fed ground beef
-1 medium onion (chopped)
-2 tbsp olive oil
-4-5 cloves garlic (minced)
-1 can organic tomatoes 14.5oz (petite-diced)
-1 green bell pepper (chopped)
-1 cup green beans (chopped)
-1 cup frozen organic corn
-1 can organic black beans
-3-4 tbsp chile powder (depending on how you like the heat :)
-1-2 tsp ground cumin
-salt and pepper

Add olive oil to a pan on medium heat. Brown ground beef with chopped onion and minced garlic. Add veggies, chile powder, cumin, and salt. Then simmer the mixture for 20 mins or so. Salt and pepper to taste.

My favorite toppings for chili are raw, cheddar cheese and Fage Greek yogurt. Delish!!

Gluten-Free Corn Bread
(Note: this recipe is adapted from one I found in the book, Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking by Kelli and Peter Bronski)

-1 cup GF all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
-1 tbsp GF baking powder
-1 cup cornmeal
-1 tbsp honey or stevia
-1 tsp sea salt
-2 eggs
-1 cup milk of your choice (I use coconut milk)
-4 tbsp butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 425. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, cornmeal, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, and honey, and mix. Stir in the melted butter and mix until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm with chili. Yum!!

Today's bounty from the Manasquan Farmer's Market (note the empty carton on the bottom left- that would be what's left of the organic blackberries we purchased. Kids devoured them on the way home.)