delicious veggie filled meat sauce

         Gluten Free Pasta with delicious home-made meat sauce


        My mom always made her own pasta sauce. I honestly didn't know pasta sauce came in a jar until I was an adult. Our meat sauce was made with ground beef and was usually served with macaroni noodles or spaghetti. It was always delicious. When I started cooking, I wanted to add vegetables to everything, simply because I love my veggies.
It started with bell peppers and it escalated to grated carrots and diced tomatoes as well. I've also added frozen peas or corn at the last few minutes, it all depends on what you like and what you have on hand.This is perfect for those who want to add more veggies to their diets. If you're not a big fan of vegetables, this is still perfect for you because the vegetables get great flavor from the sauce.

Ingredients:
Ground beef
half of a green bell pepper
two cans of tomato sauce*
two tomatoes diced
one grated carrot
salt
pepper
garlic powder
red pepper flakes
Italian seasoning


Start by seasoning and browning the meat, add diced bell peppers when meat is almost finished. When meat is cooked, add tomato sauce and veggies. Season again to taste. Add cooked gluten-free corn pasta or brown rice pasta to sauce. Mix well & serve.


I served it with a side of steamed Zucchini & tossed in some  shredded Almond Mozzarella.

*Be sure to use a natural tomato sauce, some are pre-seasoned and it gives it a different flavor

gluten-free pasta

        Lemon Chicken Pasta with Zucchini & "Mozzarella"

       I never thought much about pasta, until I knew I couldn't have it. I was very relieved to know that there are alternatives for people who must live gluten-free. Obviously eating a lot of pasta, even if it is gluten-free, will not help you lose weight..if you're trying out gluten-free living as an actual diet.

        So far, I've tried brown rice pasta, corn pasta, and quinoa pasta. Brown rice cooks the fastest, but the corn pasta is more accessible to me, and is available in more variations at my grocery store.

        Last night I browned some boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces. Seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Once the chicken is no longer pink, (I prefer it lightly browned), I add chicken stock and two large zucchini cut into crescent shapes. I usually season again with more garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Let the stock reduce down then add the cooked pasta once zucchini is tender. Squeeze the juice of one lemon and top with shredded "mozzarella".

Ingredients:

boneless skinless chicken breast

garlic powder

salt

pepper

Italian seasoning

red pepper flakes

rigatoni corn pasta

zucchini

juice of one lemon

almond cheese alternative mozzarella style