I was out feeding the Kalahari goats yesterday when I noticed that one of the mamas was a whole lot skinnier than she had been that morning. Sure enough, over by the shed, was this pretty little girl newly born.
My buddy Tony was SO excited to pet her. 🙂
She is a bit shy when humans get too close, but if you hold her snuggly so she feels safe and warm, she calms right down.
She is a gorgeous little thing with interesting markings on her face and hooves that set her apart from all the others.
She is doing so well, already nursing and standing up without falling over too often.
This afternoon she met her older sister…and was promptly head-butted for her troubles.
Thankfully she had some much kinder visitors, namely the other Kalahari kids who now look positively enormous next to her tiny self.
After all that socializing it was time for a rest and some nuzzling from mom.
I know just how she feels. 🙂
Last week was one of the busiest we’ve had in recent memory, culminating in Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner with dear friends on Friday night.
It was the first time I’ve cooked Thanksgiving dinner all by myself, and definitely the first time I needed to make it gluten-free. At first I felt quite overwhelmed, but I tackled one recipe at a time, figuring out good substitutions, and finally everything was ready.
We had such a great time. 🙂 I couldn’t find a turkey so we celebrated with crispy roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, dilled carrots and peas, and my very favorite Thanksgiving staple: gluten-free green bean casserole.
This dish ranks right near the top of comfort foods, but the original is made with canned mushroom soup (gluten) and crispy fried onions (gluten) and I can’t eat it without getting very sick. So I made mine with a double garlic cream sauce thickened with cornstarch (you can also thicken it with chia seeds if you can’t have corn). I topped it with a combination of gluten-free crispy fried onions and gluten-free crispy fried garlic from an Asian market.
It was absolutely fantastic.
In fact, I’d say that it is far and away better than the original. That thrills me no end. 🙂 Eating healthy is hard enough around the holidays. I’m so thrilled that with a bit of creativity I was able to make one of my holiday favorites gluten-free.
Next time I’ll tell you about my gluten-free Apple Raisin Pie with Walnut Streusel.
What is your favorite holiday comfort food?
Gluten-Free Triple Garlic Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
4 cans green beans, drained
2 cups milk (or nut milk)
3-4 Tbsp cornstarch (if you can’t have corn, replace with chia seeds. Stir into milk and let it thicken 20-30 minutes before stirring in remaining ingredients.)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp crispy fried garlic (look at Asian specialty shops for ones made without flour)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup crispy fried onions (look at Asian specialty shops for ones made without flour)
1/2 cup crispy fried garlic (look at Asian specialty shops for ones made without flour)
Directions:
- Dump beans into large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Pour milk into saucepan and whisk in cornstarch, 2 Tbsp crispy fried garlic, sea salt, and minced garlic until cornstarch is incorporated.
- Place over medium high heat and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Let boil 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat and pour over green beans.
- Pour into 9” by 13” casserole and smooth top.
- Sprinkle evenly with crispy fried onions and garlic.
- Bake at 375 F/200 C for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
- Serve warm.