GOULASH & CINNAMON MUFFINS

Tuesday Dinner

this is another staple in our family and one of the 1st things i converted to allergy-friendly status. i cook this meal in a restaurant sized pot and try to make the leftovers stretch for days - it's better the longer it sits. the cinnamon muffins are a replacement for the cornbread i used to make w/ the goulash and tho they sound strange, it's a wonderful combo & the closest texture to breads/muffins we've been able to come to in 2 yrs!

2 lbs hamburger (optional if you want a *vegan* meal, it's also great w/ just the beans - also can sub veggie burger if wheat/corn are not concerns)

3 boxes gluten-free rice noodles (elbows/spirals or fusilli) available at regular grocery stores

6 cans 'full cirlce' brand organic kidney beans (available at grocery stores)

1 can 'full circle' brand crushed tomatoes (available at grocery stores and almost impossible to find other brands w/out citric/ascorbic acid)

1 sm can 'cento' brand tomato paste (available at grocery stores and almost impossible to find w/out citric/ascorbic acid)

3 lg bell peppers, chopped or diced

4 med onions, chopped or diced

1 bag frozen or fresh peas

1 sm bag fresh spinach leaves

3 TBLspns capers

2 tsp oregano

2tsp basil

2 TBLspn garlic, minced

2 tsp italian seasoning

real salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

put crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 4 cups of water and beans in giant stock pot and put on medium heat. brown burger in frying pan w/ grn peppers & onions, cover until soft & reduced. add peas, spinach and capers to stock pot and bring to a boil. add burger mixture to stock pot when soft and browned also. add garlic, capers and herbs and return to boil. allow to boile a few mins until spinach is dark & shriveled and add pasta. return to a low boil for 12 mins, then reduce to a simmer until dinner time. at this point, you can eat it right away or simmer for another hr or 2. the longer it simmers, the thicker it gets b/c you aren't draining and rinsing the rice pasta. it almost ends up w/ a creamy texture, like a baked mac & cheese. this is one of our most reliable kid favorites and is what we make whenever the kids are having friends over for dinner !

*note: as of 8/10, our allergy guy has become allergic to kidney, lima, pinto, white beans & lentils. we now use adzuki beans (and a handful of fava beans for more texture!) - both available canned or in bulk and corn-free at most health food stores -in this recipe and find them to be wonderful replacements that make this dish even more flavorful!*

CINNAMON MUFFINS

2 cups 'bob's red mills' all purpose gluten-free (bean based) baking flour (available at health food & many grocery stores)
1 tsp 'hain's' corn-free baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (this is made from grapes and contains none of the top 8 allergens or corn)
1/4 tsp real salt
1 tsp cinammon
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp corn- free vanilla or omit (www.roseandivy makes a corn-free vanilla)
1/2 cup 'tempt' original hemp milk -I use more like 3/4 cup...start with 1/2 cup and add if batter is too thick
1/2 cup 'just apples' corn-free applesauce or 'eden's organic' strawberry-applesauce from health food stores (or blend your own, it's very hard to find applesauce w/ out citric/ascorbic acid, vitamind c added from corn!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper baking cups. Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add applesauce, milk or water, vanilla, and oil into the well. Stir until just mixed. Pour into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 15 mins or until lightly browned.

Variations: Add 1/2 tsp of dalfour fruit spread to the center of the muffin. For banana muffins add 1/2 cup mashed bananas to basic recipe and omit cinammon. Chocolate chip, omit cinammon and add 1/2 cup safe chocolate chips. I use Enjoy Life.

and if you make an additional batch of the chocolate or jelly muffins, this can be dessert, too !