Gluten Free Green Soup with pork

This is a variation of the traditional caldo verde made gluten free by avoiding the sausage. Although I believe that there is now gluten free sausage available. I was cooking this & my husband raved how good it was so I figured, I better put it down in writing.

Cook in crockpot all day or overnight

• 3-4 country style pork ribs just covered with water

Once the ribs are cooked and nicely browned with a nice brown broth, you're ready to start the soup. I generally cook soups in a cast iron dutch pan, but I imagine any soup pot will do.

Saute till soft & starting to brown

• 4 large onions sliced

Add & saute

• about 5-6 small mild peppers, 1 small hot pepper or 1/2 a regular bell pepper (optional)
• 1 stalk of rhubarb sliced* (optional)
• sliced radishes** (optional)
• 4-6 garlic cloves

Then add and cook about 10-20 minutes till potatoes are soft

• cooked meat & broth
• 4 diced potatoes (traditionally they're grated)
• 1 can white navy beans (about 15.5 oz can
• about 1 teaspoon salt
• about 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• some chopped parsley (optional)

While all this is cooking, prepare

• about 1 pound of greens. Traditionally kale is used but I really like swiss chard. Mustard greens and spinach work too. I usually just buy the best looking greens.

When preparing greens it important to wash them well. Easiest way is to fill the sink with water to let the dirt settle off them. Then cut out the rib, roll them up and cut into very skinny strips. Put them in a bowl of water to make sure all the grit is off. There is nothing worse than gritty greens. Then drain.

Once the potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and add the greens. They will wilt. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Can add a little brown sugar if you like.

Notes:
*I have a lot of rhubarb right now & it tastes pretty good cooked in soup.
**Cooked radishes are good too.

Gluten Free Rhubarb Lemonade

This is very good and easy to make.

Put in about 1 gallon stock pot

• 4-5 big stalks of Rhubarb sliced
• about 1 cup sugar
• about 1 gallon of water

Bring to a boil, the rhubarb will break up. Cool down. Can drink warm or cold.

Easy Microwave Gluten Free White Fudge - 2 variations.

This is a very quick and easy dessert to make. It's based on regular chocolate fudge.

Mix together in large mixing bowl:

• one 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 cups of white chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts or 7 oz sweetened coconut*

Microwave for 2 minutes, then mix.

Microwave for about 1-2 minutes more, mix and pour into oiled, wax paper lined 8x8 pan. Then let sit in fridge till hard.

*If you buy coconut that says it's "moist" and contains propylene glycol, the fudge will be softer & stickier, rather than harder.

Gluten Free Leche Quemada Sin Trabajo (Easy Milk Candy)

This is a custard like dessert. Depending on how long you cook it, it's consistency ranges from that of pudding to that of flan. The longer you cook it, the darker in color and less sweet it gets.

8x8 pan, lined with oiled wax paper

Combine in very large straight sided glass mixing bowl

• Two 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk
• about 1/2 teaspooon cinnamon (optional)

Cook on high in microwave*

• 2 minutes, then scrape down sides & stir
• 2 minutes, then scrape down sides & stir
• 1-2 minutes - till starts to crawl up sides. Will noticeably thicken.

Pour into prepared 8x8 pan. Fridge until firm. Then peel off wax paper & cut into squares.

* Every microwave is different. Watch & turn off microwave if it looks like milk is going to overflow bowl. Do not walk away from micro while candy is cooking unless you like cleaning your microwave.

Modified from page 262 of Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz's The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking, Ballantine books, December 1985, isbn: 0-345-32559-1

Original recipe had a variation where you cook unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk covered by boiling water 1-1.5 hours. I actually tried this by cooking 2 cans covered by water in my crockpot overnight, about 12 hours. The cans did not explode, but 12 hours was a bit long. My dessert was dark brown. Actually tasted fine. Could do an experiment with 4 cans pulling them out every 2 hours till you get the consistency you like. Then scoop out of the cans and season with a little cinnamon or wine.

I think cooking the cans covered with water in a crockpot is even easier than using the microwave.