Spring is a wonderful time of the year, isn’t it?  I love the fresh seasonal ingredients that start to show up in the grocery stores and of course the farmers markets.  I’m always looking to cook those up just as soon as possible and pair them with ingredients that are timeless.  This recipe includes Lindsay Olives, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and cannelloni beans all of which you can pick up today no matter where you live.

When making this dish you have a couple of options for the variety of Lindsay Olive you choose.  I really like their Taste Profile chart which can help you make your choice.  I would think Sicilian or Spanish Whole would be other good options besides the Greek Kalamata Olive.

You can also either keep the egg on top or not.  If you do make sure the yolk is soft and runny.  This will help create a creamy sauce in your pasta.  You can cook the egg in the oven like I did or in a skillet or poached in which you would add it at the end when serving.  I would suggest 1 egg for every two people you are serving.

This gluten free meal can be prepared in the time it takes to cook the pasta plus 10 minutes for the oven or most likely a total of 16 minutes.  Not bad for a filling and tasty lunch or dinner.

This recipe is part of a Kitchen Progressive Party event that will have five courses created by five different bloggers: amuse bouche, bread, salad, appetizer and entree, all posted today and all featuring Lindsay Olives.

Now if you are a blogger you can submit a post featuring a Lindsay Olives recipe that you think would “complete” the menu or Progressive Party (cocktail? soup? dessert? sky’s the limit!). To help, you can go to the EventBrite page and request either product or coupons for Lindsay Olives. Once you’e created your dish (along with post/recipe/photo), submit a link to that post on the Kitchen PLAY .  Your post needs to include links to both Kitchen PLAY and Lindsay Olives. Winner will be drawn from all the eligible entries received. The prize for the winner is $200.   Good luck to all!

“I was compensated by Kitchen PLAY and Lindsay Olives for creating this post and recipe. All opinions are mine.”

I just ate the best gluten free Mac and Cheese out at a restaurant that I’ve ever had.

Yesterday was one of the worst days I’ve had in some time.  You know one of those days where nothing goes as planned, nothing works out, things go haywire, technology is not your friend and it’s just a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  I ran to The Misfit and ordered their amazing French fries to go and my day got better immediately.

My family thought I still needed a good meal out a day later.  So my son and I went off to The Misfit in Santa Monica for dinner.  I’ve been eyeing tables in the restaurant who order the Baked Mac & Cheese.  I’ve even gone up to people and asked what they thought.  I’m kind of brazen that way.

Everyone always rolls their eyes in total lust and tells me just how amazing it is and that I must give it a try.  Then they add, don’t forget to order it with chorizo.  Now if you’re a vegetarian skip the chorizo and double check if it’s vegetarian as I didn’t even ask. I went straight for the chorizo.

So after a crazy day which was preceded by a couple of busy and exhausting weeks, I decided tonight was the night to give it a try.

I double checked of course that the Baked Mac & Cheese with green chile and brown rice pasta-gluten free, was indeed a completely gluten free meal.  Oh and that the chorizo was too.  They said yes so I said yes.

I also ordered their Roasted Brussels Sprouts with garlic confit, mustard cream and chives.  I had not tried that dish either so I thought why not.  Brussels sprouts is a vegetable I’ve only been eating for a few years and usually with bacon so I was curious to give it a try prepared another way.  I have to say it was amazing and I will definately be ordering that again.  The combination of flavors danced on my tongue.  I could have made an entire meal of just that.

But then I would have missed out on the best gluten free mac and cheese I’ve ever eaten.   I don’t think I’ll ever make it again myself.  I’m lucky enough that The Misfit is less than 3 blocks away from my home.  Yes you can hate me now.

Chef Jordan Lynn has created an amazing combination of flavors.  The creaminess of the cheese and sauce with the tender pasta and the slightly spicy bite here and there of green chile makes for a party in your mouth.  Top it off with the chorizo and there’s just no going back.  If you are not a fan of the chorizo they also offer it with pancetta which I’m excited to try the next time I order this dish.  It’s my duty to check it out for you.

The baked mac & cheese is a very generous portion that comes in it’s own square baker.  The serving size is plenty for two but I was lucky enough to not be sharing so I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

For those who are wondering this is not dairy free, so if that is what you need you’ll have to pass on this but you can make my Truffled Mac & Cheese or Curried Mac & Cheese which both are gluten free, dairy free, and soy free.  Or start with the basics of those two recipes and add in some green chiles and chorizo.

However if you find yourself in Santa Monica, California and you eat gluten free, stop by The Misfit for some great gluten free options.  Tell Chef Jordan I sent you and don’t forget to order the Baked Mac & Cheese.

The Baked Mac & Cheese just moved to the top of my list of their menu items.

If you’re like me and you had heard about cauliflower pizza crusts you probably thought, yeah right. But sometimes necessity creates a situation where you will try new and different things.  I needed a yeast and sugar free pizza crust for my son Brad, who is on a Candida diet.  I also liked the fact that this is grain free.  That means it will work for a Paleo and Primal diet.

I found Carlalyn’s recipe for Cauliflower Pizza on Gluten Free Happy Tummy.  So I thought I would give it a try and at the same time participate in the Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger event.  Kate from Eat Recycle Repeat is hosting this event this month.

So I started with Carlalyn’s recipe but I changed it up to suit our families tastes.

Here is what I changed:

I added in a large whole egg, bumped up the almond flour to 1/3 cup, added in 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of toasted onion powder and 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasonings.

It’s really important that you squeeze all of the water out of the cauliflower.  This will make a big difference.

I pre-baked the crust and then for the toppings we had a little tomato sauce, shredded spinach and some chicken and turkey roasted red pepper sausage that had no sugar.  Also no cheese of any kind.  Not even Daiya since that is not part of the candida diet.

When the crust was brown, I pulled the pizza out of the oven and cut it up into slices.  I didn’t tell Brad anything, just asked him to give it a try since it didn’t have any cheese.  I didn’t say a word about the cauliflower.

He loved it!  He ate the entire pizza, well minus the slice I ate.  He said it tasted like there was cheese on it.  I think adding in the almond flour does that.

I can’t tell you how excited I am.  I’m not sure we’ll go back to pizza any other way.  It tastes great.  What a great way to eat pizza and have an easy, healthy, gluten-free life!

I hope you will not wait for necessity to give it a try.  I challenge you to make this pizza with your favorite toppings and report back to let me know what you thought.  But for me if something passes the Brad test, well then anyone will eat it.  He’s a very picky teenager.  So if you have one of those in your house, I’ve got you covered.

This is one of those foods that once you make it, it will become a highly requested regular on your menu.  If you take it or make it for your Super Bowl party it will be all they talk about.   It’s hard to describe but the garlic is not overpowering and it totally lures you in and then makes you keep eating.

The secret ingredient for this pizza is the Majestic Garlic.  I found this at the farmers market in California in October when hanging out with some amazing gals.  I was cooking that night so I made a version of this pizza but instead of chicken we had fresh shrimp.  I cooked them up in a little of the leftover bacon grease.  Just a little adds so much flavor to the shrimp.

This pizza was destined for chicken since that is what I had on hand.  It was already cooked so I just warmed it up with some cooked bacon.  If you are cooking the chicken or shrimp for the pizza and you have a little bacon, pancetta, pepperoni or salami around toss it in together.  Oh and just a dab of the bacon grease if you have that.

As for the Majestic Garlic paste you will want to get your hands on some of this.  As you know garlic has been found to have many healthful properties.  It is said to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity and to help prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer.  Oh and rumor has it that it keeps away vampires.

The garlic pastes they sell come in many different flavors.  For this pizza I used the Sun-dried Tomato - Jalapeño.  For the Sausage and Bean Bake I shared in my newsletter, The WHOLE-istic Life, I used the Basil.  There is also Cilantro, Cayenne, Curry, Cucumber – Mint, Dill, Jalapeño and Original.  I’ve had almost every one and I’ve loved them all.  You can view their presentation to learn more about their products.  Once you taste it you’ll know why they are a 6 time winner of America’s Best Food Award.

I must admit when I first tried these and brought them home with me from California I tried for days to recreate the taste.  Well after tons of garlic and no success I called them and begged them to ship me some.  That was when I learned they were just about to start doing just that.  It took a couple of months to set up their system and my first order just arrived.

If you are a fan of hummus they make that also and it is amazing.  I’m thinking they must use some of their original paste in the hummus.  For those interested the products are raw and vegan so if you wanted to build a raw pizza this would be an ideal ingredient.

I hope you will give this recipe a try and please remember if you are not using this garlic paste it will in no way whatsoever taste anything like this recipe.  If you go online and order please tell them I sent you.  I do not receive any money from them and they have not given me any product for free or asked me to endorse them.  I just am in total love with this product.

Majestic Garlic Chicken and Vegetable Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

Pizza crust (I use Udi’s)

2 TB Majestic Garlic Sun Dried Tomato & Jalapeño flavor

1 small organic onion chopped

1 organic bell pepper chopped

1 organic zucchini rough chopped

2 portobello mushrooms sliced (can use your favorite mushroom)

1 organic chicken breast cooked (if uncooked cook it up in a little coconut oil and a dab of bacon grease)

2 slices organic uncured bacon cooked

Directions:

First you’ll want to prep all of your toppings.  I like to cook up the vegetables so they start to soften and caramelize.  I only cook one ingredient at a time so there is room in the pan to brown.  Also I keep my vegetables separate so my vegetarian son can eat too.  Once that is done you can create your pizza.

Spread the garlic paste onto the pizza shell.  Then I topped it with all of the vegetables.

Lastly the  meats if you are having any.  I like to warm up the bacon with the chicken prior to putting it onto the pizza.

Bake at a preheated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes and serve.

If you want to keep it totally vegetarian leave off any meats or seafood.  If you want to keep it vegan you’ll need to find a base that has no eggs or honey in it either which can be done.

Gluten-Free comfort food is one of my specialties and I think Mac & Cheese has to be one of my favorite comfort food meals.  Truffled Macaroni and Cheese is the ultimate in comfort and taste.  I also eat dairy free so all my recipes that would typically have cheese in them, have been created without it while keeping the traditional focus of a cheesy meal.  I’ve done this with my Mac & Cheese while also keeping it soy free.

When I was making my Curried Macaroni and Cheese, I also made this Truffle Macaroni and Cheese just in case the first one didn’t work out. Well both turned out great so we had a Mac & Cheese Party.  Of course we couldn’t eat it all so let me say they make great leftovers. Just make sure to heat thoroughly. However the Curried Mac & Cheese did not freeze then reheat well over time.

While shopping for the ingredients to make the macaroni and cheese I came across white truffle oil and black truffle oil. I’ve really wanted to experiment with these for some time so I thought, why not add mushrooms to a mac and cheese with a touch of this oil. How would that taste? Well it tastes amazing. The flavor of the truffle oil fills your mouth and navel cavities with an intense but subtitle flavor. Now if you are fascinated with truffles too, you’ll want to read David Lebovitz’s posts on Truffle Hunting and Black Truffle Extravaganza.

As I was wandering the market for mushrooms, they really didn’t have many to choose from that day so I choose cremini and oyster. I was hoping to find some shiitake mushrooms (great for your immune system, cardiovascular system, source of iron, B vitamins and fiber) but the two I used worked great. Now if they only had some truffles, then I would have been in hog heaven.

Making macaroni and cheese is a basic recipe with a bechamel sauce, cheese, macaroni and for me an assortment of flavors to combine to take it from plain mac & cheese to a wonderful meal.

This is one of my favorite fall recipes for a gluten and dairy free comfort food meal.  It’s easy to make since I use the crockpot.  It’s also a meal that is not expensive since leg quarters are usually a better deal.  You can always use a whole chicken cut into pieces if you prefer.

Ever since I saw the movie Julie and Julia I’ve been reading through Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There are so many wonderful classic master recipes that are delicious but, many contain gluten and dairy. Julia loves butter. There are also many recipes that are time and labor intensive and they taste amazing. So many of us are driving all around to sports games for our kids and mettings here and there and we’re just always on the go.  I however still want to eat a delicious meal that tastes like I spent hours making it, but it has to fit into my schedule and I’m guessing you do to.

In cooking these dishes I had time earlier in the day to prepare. I knew we would want to eat almost as soon as we got home from my hectic day.   I also knew that it would be late and I’d be tired. With this schedule I prepared the chicken and cooked it in my crockpot during the day. I also cooked the Noodles with Mushrooms right then, covered it and placed it into the refrigerator. All I would need to do when it was time to eat was reheat in the microwave.

Let me tell you the depth of flavor in this dish was amazing. I never missed all of the butter the original recipe called for or the gluten filled flour. I did change a few other things around for this dish too. The original recipe had onions and mushrooms with the chicken and a suggestion of rice or buttered noodles as the side. I just moved the mushrooms to hang out with the noodles. Julia also suggests for an additional vegetable try buttered peas or asparagus tips. Both sound good to me.

This recipe made 5-6 servings so you know what I did. I put the leftovers immediately into the freezer. This time however I placed it into containers as a meal with both the Chicken Fricassee and Noodles with Mushrooms together, topped with the sauce. Now all I have to do is pull it out, reheat and I’ll have an amazing dinner in 6 minutes. How cool is that!

Oh and by the way, this meal was super cheap to make. Chicken leg quarters are usually below $1 per pound and go on sale a lot. Next time they do, grab a large package and put it into the freezer until you’re ready to use them. Or better yet try this recipe right away and freezer the leftovers. You can also make this dish with a roasting chicken but Julia suggests never using a younger chicken such as a broiler. The flesh is so soft and tender that it will dry out and get stringy. I love her tips!

Chicken Fricassee with Noodles and Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients:

5-6 organic Chicken Leg Quarters

2 organic onions, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

4 cups gluten free chicken stock, heated

1 cup white wine

1-2 tsp thyme

1-2 tsp parsley

1-2 bay leaves

Sea Salt & Pepper

Sorghum Flour

Corn Starch

Arrowroot Slurry – large tsp of arrowroot mixed with cold water, 2-1 ratio

Gluten-Free Noodles with Mushrooms

8.8 ounce bag of Tagliatelle Noodles by Glutano or your favorite

12 Cremini Mushrooms

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread- Soy Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Chicken Fricassee awaiting stock

Directions:

Start off by prepping your vegetables. Slice your onions, peel and slice the carrots and wipe off the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice them. Before you can put everything into the crockpot you need to brown the meat and saute the vegetables. My crockpot insert is a non-stick pan but if yours is enamel you need to use another pan. You also should make your flour mixture on a plate to have ready for your chicken. I used a ratio of 4 to 1 of sorghum flour to corn starch. Mix in your salt and pepper too.

Heat your pan and oil on medium high, add in the onions. When they start to brown take 1/3 out and reserve for the chicken dish. Add in the mushrooms to the pan and let them brown. These mushrooms and onions will be paired with the noodles. After the mushrooms brown salt and pepper to taste and add 1/2 tsp each of parsley and thyme. If you salt your mushrooms when you first put them into the pan they will release their liquid and not brown.

Remove the onions and mushrooms to the reheating/serving dish for your noodles. Next saute your carrots, then remove and add to the onions that will go into the crockpot with your chicken.

Now it’s time to brown the skin of the chicken. Make sure you have oil in your pan and that your chicken is dry. If it’s wet you will steam it instead of browning it. Brown the chicken on all sides. I did mine in batches. As each piece was done, and this took approximately 3-5 minutes per side, I pulled them out and placed them on a plate of the flour mixture. You will want to dust each side of the chicken with this mixture.

After you have done that with each piece of chicken you need to put the chicken back into that pan and cook the flour on the chicken for just a few minutes. At this point you can place your chicken into the crockpot. Add in the reserved onion, carrots and the wine.

Pour some of your heated chicken stock into the pan where you were browning the chicken and cooking the vegetables. You will want to get all of that flavor off of the pan to go into the crockpot with your chicken. Now pour that chicken stock into the crockpot along with the remaining stock. You want the liquid to cover 3/4 of the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 tsp each thyme and parsley and add a bay leaf to the stock.

Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

After that was set I quickly boiled the noodles in filtered water, drained them, tossed them with a little Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread and the mushroom and onions. Since I was not eating this until dinner it went right into the refrigerator.

When your chicken is done, the hardest part I found was getting it out of the crockpot with the leg still attached to the thigh. It was so tender and juicy that some separated. I put the chicken onto a platter and covered it with foil until I was done with the sauce.

Left behind in your crockpot is the most amazing sauce. All you need to do is strain it over a sauce pot, bring it up to a boil and add in your arrowroot slurry. You can thicken it as much or as little as you like. With coating the chicken with flour and cornstarch to begin with, the stock that you strain out with not be thin, but have a little body to it. It can also have clumps of flour that probably won’t taste as good, so straining it does make a difference.

I heated the Noodles with Mushrooms in the microwave and served both that, and the Chicken Fricassee, with sauce on top. It was a wonderful meal.

This recipe was originally posted in 2009 but I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss this one so I’m sharing it again.

Chicken Fricasse with Noodles and Mushrooms

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

This is one of those old fashion cook all day sauces that is totally worth it and really easy to make.  It’s easily adaptable to ingredients you like or just the ones you have on hand.

If you don’t have pancetta use uncured bacon or make this vegetarian and leave it and the chicken out.  If you don’t have cooked chicken and you want meat, you can add in cooked shredded pork loin or butt, maybe Sweet Italian Sausage, ground beef or cooked shredded beef brisket, shrimp, scallops or even lobster would work.  Come to think of it so would left over turkey from Thanksgiving!  It’s really one of those dishes that is extremely adaptable.

If you want to keep this recipe totally vegetarian or vegan add in mushrooms and some sun dried tomatoes or how about some kalamata olives and roasted sweet red peppers.  What are your favorite vegetables?  Cauliflower, broccoli, or summer squash would be nice additions to a pasta dish.

You should also use whatever pasta you want.  This recipe works with penne, elbows, shells, spaghetti, tagliatelle, fusilli, pagodas or curls.  Yes those are all available in a gluten free version and many from Schar made in Italy.

The key is letting this sauce simmer during the day so you end up with deep rich flavor of past sauces you may remember as a kid.  Well at least that was my childhood.  My mom always cooked from whole ingredients.  How lucky was I getting to grow up with great food and then being taught how to cook them.  Thanks mom!

One more adaptation for this recipe.  I happened to plant a San Marzano tomato plant this year and it has been producing tons of tomatoes.  I’m not a good gardener and once I plant something I rarely do anything else.  I kind of gave it a stake but it basically growing all over the garden.  It took over most of the basil and rosemary but as long as I don’t have to spend lots of time out there and it grows, I really don’t care.  I’m excited that I even got one tomato.  If you don’t have one of these great plants growing at your home and you can’t find any in the grocery store, then you can use canned tomatoes.  You just have to make sure they are San Marzano tomatoes.  That is what makes a really favorable sauce.

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I love gnocchi but I have not had any since I started living gluten free.  Everyone told me making gluten-free pasta was easy and after I finally tried making it, I realized they were right.  I’ve also heard that making gluten free gnocchi was easy, but you know I’m a show me kind of gal.  So I picked up 4 large russet potatoes at the market and challenged myself to go for it.  I only needed 3 potatoes but I wanted an extra just in case I opened one up and it was black.

If you can bake potatoes, boil water and roll dough out like a snake then you can make gnocchi.  Oh, and you need to like to play with your food with a fork but not necessary.

I served this with thin pork cutlets that were inspired by Roger Mooking.  He made Panko Schnitzel.  Well Panko is great to use because it’s very light and holds the crisp, but if you are living gluten free it is off limits.  It’s Japanese Bread Crumbs so pass on that.  But I loved how he took the center cut of a boneless pork loin, sliced it and pounded it thin.  You’ll want to do the triple dip (gf flour, egg, gf bread crumbs) and fry them.  This makes your meat go a long way and that means saving money.  Love that.  I’m freezing my leftover to use for sandwiches with peppers, onions and red sauce, a Mexican Stack, and maybe even Eggs Benedict.  There are a ton of ways to use these little gems.

If after eating this you decide that making gluten-free pasta is as easy as I said, take the next step and make your own Lasagna!

Now, let’s get busy making those gnocchi.  It was so easy, that I went so fast I forgot to take very many photos.  You’ll just have to read most of this one.

One more note of importance.  According to Jacqueline Mallorca, author of Gluten-Free Italian: Over 150 Irresistible Recipes without Wheat–from Crostini to Tiramisu, the type of potato used is key to avoiding gummy gnocchi.  Stick with the russets which are floury bakers and stay away from waxy Yukon golds.

Don’t you just love those dishes that you take one bite and your mouth is filled with amazing taste that filters out to all of your senses.  Well that is what we have here.  It’s not one of those pasta dishes where the pasta is swimming in the sauce, instead the sauce just wraps itself around the pasta and shrimp ensuring that every bite is amazing.

This flavor combination is so wonderful I can see changing out the shrimp for broccoli and chicken.  I’ll work on that next week.

This recipe makes 4 servings so why not invite a few people to dine with you.  This makes a great presentation and all you really need is a dark leafy green salad and you are good to go.  Oh and don’t forget the white wine.

School is back in session and family meals can get pushed off for busy schedules.  I know how busy it can get but instead of grabbing a boxed meal like a Hamburger Helper with ingredients that can’t even be pronounced, how about making your own.

I promise this recipe takes the same amount of time as listed on those boxes, COSTS LESS and it tastes a heck of a lot better hands down.   Oh, and you can pronounce every ingredient.  For families that live gluten and dairy free you can also control those ingredients and many others like the amount of salt you add or if you want to keep it vegetarian or vegan.

Keep this recipe in mind when you want to cook up a quick meal with pasta and you don’t want to cook the pasta separately in a big pot of water.  You could easily use spaghetti and break it up into pieces. I recommend doing that in a plastic bag to avoid pasta flying throughout your kitchen.  You could also use broken pieces of lasagna noodles and add in some cheese and you have a quick lasagna.  This is what we’re having for dinner tonight.

I shared this recipe in the past in my newsletter and here but wanted to update it.  The next newsletter is coming out on Thursday so make sure you sign up for The WHOLE-istic Life.

Before we jump into this recipe don’t forget that the auction for A Fund For Jennie ends at 11pm EST this Friday.  Bid Now!

I made this easy recipe for gluten free Roasted Squash and Mushroom Penne Pasta for  Thanksgiving last year.  This version had dairy but you can make it dairy free too or even add in some sausage if you don’t want it to be vegetarian.  It’s all about options and easy Thanksgiving meals.  One option I like with this dish is you can make it ahead of time and finish the cooking when you are ready to serve, even the next day.

Recently Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen posted a recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms with Thyme and Parsley.  You could also start with that recipe and add pasta.  I think that is exactly what I’ll be doing this year for our vegetarian main dish.

As you see below I started with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.  I love the flavor of a caramelized onion in a dish and Scott said he’ll eat anything that I tell him has caramelized onions.   That’s how I got him to taste this dish last year.

I like having Tinkyada Organic Brown Rice Penne, 12-Ounce Packages (Pack of 12)
in my pantry.  It can be made into so many different dishes because it holds up pretty well when cooked.

Shirley's Cushaw Peacon Pie

I will be sharing this dish over at Shirley’s gluten free easily website for this week’s edition of A Gluten-Free Holiday.  You’ll want to visit her site to share your favorite Thanksgiving recipes and enter to win one of the cookbooks being given away.  This week it’s Make It Fast Cook It Slow which I have and love  and The Spunky Coconut from the blog with the same name!  I wonder who are the lucky winners from week 1!  Check out the entire schedule for this event. Don’t forget you want to visit Shirley’s blog and leave a comment and find out all of the ways to be entered for those great cookbooks.  Don’t forget the cool #GFHoliday if you are tweeting!

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash cut into cubes

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 tsp olive oil

2 portobello mushrooms sliced

8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced

8 oz shitake mushrooms sliced

1 cup Soup, Creamy Portobello Mushroom, 32 oz.- this contains soy but not dairy

2 fresh sage leaves sliced

1/2 tsp fresh parsley chopped

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Parmesan cheese

1 box gluten free penne pasta

Directions:

Coat the squash, garlic and onion in olive oil and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30-45 min or until the squash has softened.

Slice mushrooms and saute in pan with a little oil.  While those are cooking, cook your pasta and drain.

You can prepare this dish up til this point and finish cooking it later in the day or even the next day.

Mix pasta, mushrooms, squash, garlic, onions, seasonings and mushroom soup.  I added the squash around the edges but you can mix it all the way through.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes covered, sprinkle with cheese, keep uncovered and bake 10-15 min more.

Lately I’ve started watching the Cooking Channel to keep me company while I cook.  There are a few shows on there that keep my attention and sometimes I have to be careful not to burn my dinner when I get too engrossed.  I like David Rocco’s Dolce Vita and Roger Mooking Everyday Exotic. Today I’m sharing my version of Roger’s Curried Macaroni and Cheese, but mine is completely gluten, dairy and soy free.

My vegetarian son Andy who loves Indian food and I, were watching this episode together and he looked and me and said I had to make that for him.  Well what’s a mom to do.  So every trip to the grocery store I would look for the long green hot chile peppers.  When I found it I knew we were in business.  I also had to make sure I was stocked up on Daiya Cheese, Earth Balance Butter Substitute, gluten free pasta elbows and the gluten free flour.

This recipe is like most traditional macaroni and cheese dishes.  It starts with a bechamel sauce, add in the cheese and then the pasta.  When making a bechamel one typically uses equal measures of butter to flour.  This will make a rich thick sauce.  I love what Roger did with this sauce.  When melting the butter, he added in red onion and a green hot chile split lengthwise.  The flavors from those ingredients have a chance to combine before adding the flour.  It’s a great idea that I’m going to use as I continue on with my list of variations on Mac & Cheese.

I made this over the weekend and Andy had some leftover tonight.  He said it still tasted great and had held up well.  The only thing he would change would be to add in one more green chile for a little more heat.  I’m freezing the rest so we’ll see how that turns out on reheating.

I totally forgot to share this recipe so finally,  here’s my Crabby Veg pizza recipe.  It takes 6.5 min. to prepare, 25 min. to cook and somewhere in between to eat it.

Again, start with the Chebe All Purpose Mix and build your pizza from there.

I was really excited to get to use my new Breville Smart Toaster Oven.

Ingredients:

Chebe All Purpose Mix (2 eggs, 2TB Oil, 5TB milk or water)

2 organic tomatoes sliced

1 large handful of fresh organic spinach, cleaned and chopped

2-5 TBS Tofutti cream cheese

1 large roasted sweet red pepper diced

2 TBS crab meat or more if you have it

1-2 tsp Pasta Sprinkle Penzeys (California basil, Turkish oregano, minced garlic and thyme)

1/4 tsp granulated garlic

1/4 tsp toasted granulated onion

cornmeal

Directions:

Make the dough according to the package directions.  Roll out the dough using the cornmeal to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin or surface.

Place the dough onto the pizza pan.  Spread with cream cheese.  Sprinkle with garlic and onion all the way out to the very edge of the pizza.  Place sliced tomatoes around and sprinkle with Pasta seasoning.  Toss on the spinach, sweet red pepper and crab.

Bake according to package directions.  20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

If you want to keep it soy free, use the Daiya Mozzarella Cheese.

There is nothing our family likes more than pizza.  Living gluten and dairy free has not slowed us down.  It has however made me a lot more creative and we are eating amazing pizzas now, not just cheese and pepperoni.

So far I have made:

Za’atar Pizza

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza

Crab Veggie

Old Bay Farmers Market Vegetarian

Of course there has been the typical pepperoni, ham and pineapple and BBQ chicken.  But anytime I can clean out the refrigerator with great leftovers and put them on a pizza, I’m saving time and money.

Today I’m sharing my Mexican Pizza on Carrie’s Ginger Lemon Girl blog.  She has started 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals.

Yep, that means the recipe is on her blog today.  Diane’s Mexican Pizza.

I used a combination of great farmers market finds and what was in my refrigerator.  I used both tomatoes and tomatillos, cheddar and mozzarella Daiya cheeses, jalapenos and mushrooms plus some key Mexican spices.  I hope you will give it a try and let me know what you included and what you changed.

Another way to build a great pizza is to use leftovers from the grill like kebobs.  They have that great flavor that are wonderful on a pizza.  A pizza is also a great meal to make when you don’t have enough of a particular ingredient, especially a protein.  You can really stretch out your budget.

Lasagna is something I have really missed since I now live gluten, dairy, soy, and rice free.  Most of the dairy substitutes are either soy or rice, and so far the gluten free lasagna noodles I’ve found are made with rice.  So what’s a girl to do!  Make it myself with the ingredients that I know I can eat.

I made these one day on the fly, that’s where I just cook and don’t pay any attention to what and how much I cook with, after watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  I don’t remember the show or the restaurant that served their regular version, but I knew I wanted to figure out a version I could eat.

They were so amazing that when I asked Scott what he wanted for his Father’s Day dinner, he requested lasagna.  This was great.  Now I could keep track of what I did and the ingredients I used.  Now I just have to read my chicken scratch on this over crowded piece of paper with oil and tomato sauce on it.   So if it doesn’t come out perfect, just let me know what you did and I’ll make the adjustments.  That’s the fun of cooking.

I will say that this recipe is not for the faint of heart.  I did make the meat ragu sauce, fire roasted tomato bechamel sauce, and the pasta that went into the building of this lasagna.  The good thing is that you can make some of this ahead of time and freeze it.  You can also do what I did which was make lots and freeze the leftovers.  Now before you quickly click away from here let me just share a little something.  There is nothing that I have found that equals the feeling of making something to eat with your hands from real food and then serving it where everyone is raving and moaning how amazing it is.  It does the heart and body good.

So if you are ready I’m going to give you all of the recipes and the steps.  I don’t have as many photos as I would like but sometimes I get so caught up in the cooking I forget to take the photos.

I hope you will take the time to make this meal and share with me your results.

Lasagna is a wonderful layered dish that you can make vegetarian very easily.  Instead of a meat ragu just use your favorite tomato sauce.  Either way I use grilled vegetables as part of the layers.  You can choose your favorite vegetables to grill.  I grilled vidalia onions, eggplant, zucchini, yellow summer squash, cremini and oyster mushrooms, spinach and garlic.  I used a grill pan but you can always grill these outside, well not the spinach.  I will say that grilled spinach with garlic tastes wonderful.  Just be careful not to use too much oil or it will cook out into the lasagna.

You will also need to gather some Daiya Mozzarella Cheese, gluten free bread crumbs and butter (dairy and soy free- Earth Balance).

You will either want to make your Meat Ragu early in the day and let it simmer, or make it ahead of time.  I make a large batch and freeze it for this lasagna, pastas, pizzas, calzones and recipes like that.

Mix up your pasta and roll it out as thin as you can get it between the parchment paper.  Take the ramekin that you will use for the lasagna and press it into the pasta.  If it does not cut out the shape you may need to use a knife to cut around the outer edges.  Place the cut out pasta onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet until you are ready to use it.  You could of course freeze these circles now and thaw them out when you are ready to use them.

The bechamel sauce is something you will want to make right before you need it.  So with a warm Roasted Tomato Bechamel sauce, warm Meat Ragu, the fresh pasta, bread crumbs, butter and Daiya Cheese, we are now ready to assemble your Individual Lasagnas.

Assembling the lasagna is building layers of amazing flavors until there is no more room in your dish.  This method is the same no matter if you’re making an individual lasagna or a large pan.

1. lightly grease the sides and bottom of your dish.  I have a wonderful oil mister where I can pump air into the bottle of olive oil and it will lightly spray.  If you don’t have one I highly recommend you get one.

2. spoon a little bechamel sauce on the bottom

3. place a circle of fresh pasta and spoon a little more bechamel sauce on top

4. add in grilled vegetables

5. sprinkle some cheese on top

6. add another layer of pasta and bechamel sauce

7. if you are keeping this vegetarian add in more vegetables, plain red sauce

8. spoon in the Meat Ragu

9. spoon a little bechamel sauce

10. add some cheese on top

11. sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and dot with butter

Place your individual lasagnas on a cookie sheet and bake  in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 8-20 minutes depending on how warm the ingredients were when you assembled them.  You will know it’s done when the cheese bubbles.

Meat Ragu

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds of meatloaf mix- ground pork, veal and beef

1/2 red onion diced

1-2 celery stalks diced

2 carrots diced

1 bay leaf

handful of fresh thyme

handful of Italian flat leaf parsley chopped

3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary chopped

8 leaves of fresh basil chopped

chopped tomatoes or 1 large can of crushed or diced tomatoes

Saute your onions, celery and carrots until they start to soften.  Next brown the meats.  Combine everything else and let the ragu simmer for 1-3 hours.  The longer it cooks the more the flavors combine.  It can be ready in as fast as 30 minutes.

Pasta- I used double the recipe found in Gluten-Free Italian cookbook written by Jacqueline Mallorca which can also be found on my blog, Great Gluten Free Pasta Challenge.  I also use sorghum flour instead of rice flour.   I find that if I roll the pasta between two sheets of parchment paper with sorghum flour on both, that I don’t have a problem with the pasta sticking like I did with plastic wrap like Jacqueline uses.

Fire Roasted Tomato Bechamel Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sorghum flour

pinch tapioca flour

3 cups very warm milk (I use almond milk, unsweetened)

1/4 cup fire roasted tomatoes

pinch nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

In a very sturdy sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat.  Make sure the butter is warm before adding in the flours. Add the flour in slowly while whisking.  You will want this mixture to cook so you don’t have any raw flour taste.  This is your roux.  Now add in your warm milk with a whisk and keep stirring until the mixture thickens.  This will happens the closer it gets to the boiling point.  When it adheres to the sides, add in the tomatoes.  You can take it off of the burner to use as you build your lasagna.

This recipe shared on Nourishing Gourmet- Pennywise Platter Thursday.   You can make these lasagnas for very little cost because it doesn’t require much of any one ingredient and if you use leftover grilled kabobs, well you’re just getting that for free!

In my world of too much and not enough, that is too much to do and not enough time to do it, I need some fast, go to meals that have real ingredients.

I started looking at what the commercials were pushing at us that was unhealthy, but promised fast, easy and inexpensive.  My thought is always, I can make that taste better, without chemicals and preservatives and I know it will be gluten and dairy free.  I know, I have a lot of moxie.

The first to be conquered was Hamburger Helper.  There is a lot of talk of a new gluten free version coming out.  Don’t be fooled.   Just because it’s gluten free doesn’t mean it has good ingredients.  But it gives us that promise of a fast meal for the family, so I took on this “type” of meal.

The results, mine was a hands down winner. (no commercial pun intended)  Well, we didn’t actually taste theirs, but mine is a new family favorite.  And what happens to those favorites, they get tweaked, modified, and adapted to what is on hand.  It’s the process that becomes the important part of these fast meals.

Homemade Hamburger Helper with Daiya cheese-glulten, dairy, soy free

When I first made this dish I thought it would be fun to find out what others put into their homemade version of this fast meal.  So, we’re having a contest. I want you to make your own version, take a picture and send it to me over the next two weeks.  You can give a list of ingredients and even the recipe if you want.  I’ll post them by the end of June for everyone to see and you can vote via a comment for your favorite.  The more they vote for you the better your chances are to win!  I will set a time limit and after that is up I’ll print out the comments and we’ll draw a winner.   I have bought a $25 gift card, that someone who shares their version of Homemade Hamburger Helper, will win to purchase their favorite ingredients.  Are you that someone?

So just to recap so we’re clear.  You create  your own Homemade Hamburger Helper, take a photo and email it to me.  I post the photos, people vote, and someone wins a $25 gift card.  Why? Well if you have not figured it out after the 30 Days to a Food Revolution event, I want you in the kitchen cooking real food and I’m willing to pay you to do it.

If you have a food blog of your own, please give this a shout out.  Maybe one of your lucky readers will win.  And, if you have a blog feel free to submit your entry too.  Email the photos to diane at glutenfreefoodcoach dot com.  If you forget it’s listed on the right side of this blog.

Ingredients:

1 pound grass fed organic ground beef

1 1/2 cup quinoa pasta shells or elbows-gluten free

2 cups hot beef stock- homemade is the best

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes or 1-2 dozen fresh chopped roma tomatoes (food processor)

1 TB tomato paste

2 tsp minced toasted onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano or 1 TBS fresh chopped oregano

1 tsp dried basil or 4-5 fresh leaves chopped

1 tsp dried parsley or handful of fresh chopped

Directions:

Brown the beef and drain the fat.  Add in the tomato paste and combine.

Add in everything else except the parsley.  Combine and bring to a boil.  Cover and turn down to simmer for 14 minutes.  When the time is up mix in the parsley and serve.

Our Options:

Fresh chopped onion and garlic work great.  Cook them with the ground beef.

A package of mushrooms is wonderful.  I like cremini and sliced cost the same as whole.

If you don’t have broth, water will work.

You can substitute ground chicken or turkey for the beef but still use the beef stock.

To make it vegetarian you can use the soy crumbles or 4 large portobello mushrooms diced works great with vegetarian or mushroom stock.

Toss in whatever vegetables you grab from the garden or farmer’s market.

To see more gluten free meals, check out Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Wow, it seems so strange to be back to a “normal” blogging routine.  In case you totally missed it, from April 26th through June 4th there was a really special event going on.  30 Days to a Food Revolution.  There was so much amazing information shared.  I’m still sifting through it all and making sure you have all of the links on our dedicated page up at the top here, 30 Days.

It’s taking me days to sift through all of the tweets, comments and newsletter sign ups to draw winners for the cookbooks being given away.  I’ll be announcing those winners later so keep watch on Twitter, Facebook and here!

Tomorrow I have a treat for you.  Just in case you are already missing the 30 Days to a Food Revolution, not to worry.  Every Tuesday, for as long as I can, will be a guest blogger sharing their recipe and tip as we continue our 30 Days to a Food Revolution!

Make sure you check in on Friday to learn what the Secret Ingredient will be for Jun 18th when we start back with that weekly event.  If you have never participated in that event, well now is the time.  Check out our dedicated page to Friday Foodie Fix at the top of this blog for all of the details and past Secret Ingredients.

mushroom, spring onion, spinach, yellow squash, red onion, tomato, Old Bay seasoning, Daiya Cheese-mozzarella & cheddar (gf,df,sf)

Monday- Garlic Scapes Stir-fry with Salmon and Quinoa

Tuesday- Pork Tacos with stewed pickled  jalapenos, tomatillos, onions, and mushrooms, side of beans

Wednesday- Homemade Hamburger Helper

Thursday- Chicken Chow Mein

Friday- Farmer’s Market Veggie Pizza

Saturday- Leftovers

Sunday- Individual Lasagnas with homemade pasta

For more menus visit OrgJunkie.

Friday Foodie Fix

Today’s Secret Ingredient for Friday Foodie Fix is pasta!  You may recall a couple of weeks ago I issued the Great Gluten Free Pasta Challenge.  Many of you have risen to the challenge and shared great stories of your experiences.  I hope after you see today’s list of dishes using pasta you will give it a go yourself.

My first gluten free fresh pasta!

This week was my turn to try Jacqueline Mallorca’s Fresh Rice Flour Pasta from her cookbook Gluten-Free Italian.  For that recipe go back to the Gluten Free Pasta Challenge where you can print it and also watch a video on how to make it.

We had company over during the week and I thought it would be great to try this recipe out on someone who normally eats gluten.  This way I could tell how good it really was to those gluten going guests.  Now since I can’t eat rice I swapped out the rice flour for sorghum flour.  The recipe was very easy to mix, roll out, cut and cook.  Now I’m not great at rolling out the dough into a complete rectangle but really if you’re cutting up the pasta, who will notice.

I served the pasta as a side to my Pork Stuffed Zucchini (recipe coming soon).  It was a huge hit.  The pasta tasted great.  I love that it cooks in 3 minutes.  You can literally start plating everything else, toss it into the water and by the time you get to that part of the plated meal, the pasta is done.  I tossed it with a little olive oil and when I served it on the plate added a little marinara sauce from the pan I had cooked the Pork Stuffed Zucchini in.

I plan on making this again over the weekend and making two double batches.  This way I can freeze a few sheets of the pasta so I can have fresh pasta whenever I want.  Talk about a fast meal.  This will make 15 minute meals a snap!

Pasta comes in many shapes, sizes and colors, well unless you’re trying to buy gluten free pasta.  Then there are not as many choices.  But now that I can make it you’ll be seeing pastas colored with tomato paste, spinach, beet juice and maybe even squid ink.  I’ll even be making my own ravioli!

With the boxed quinoa pasta, I’ve made many recipes and here are just a few:  Turkey-roni, Beef and Noodles, Pasta Surprise (with cauliflower), and Spaghetti and Meatballs, plus many more.  You can always use my ingredient finder in the side bar to search out more recipes.

Now it’s your turn to share your pasta recipes.  Use Mr. Linky for blog posts and the comments for those without a blog to share your master pieces.  If you have photos you can always send them in and I’ll share them at the bottom of the post.  Remember to check the Friday Foodie Fix page for all the rules that include adding a link back to this post from your post you are linking here.  That is much appreciated.  Link love rules!

Next week’s Secret Ingredient is ………Rhubarb!

Pork Stuffed Zucchini with Gluten Free Fresh Pasta

Jacqueline has given her permission to share her recipe right her in this post so you can find it at the bottom.  If you want to see more of her recipes you can click on the book below and purchase it through Amazon.com.   Also make sure you check out her video showing you exactly how to make this pasta.  Thank you Jacqueline!

As I look to my pantry at the few items I buy that are processed, I have many boxes of pasta.  It’s easy to grab a box and not think about it.  But the taste of fresh made pasta is one that cannot be beat.

So I’m going to use the recipe found in Gluten-Free Italian cookbook written by Jacqueline Mallorca.  Her recipe requires a food processor and a rolling pin plus plastic wrap.  If you have those items and are interested in doing a little experimenting with me well then lets get started.

You’ll need brown rice flour, tapicoa starch, xanthan gum, salt, eggs, extra virgin olive oil and water.  This recipe will make 1/2 pound of fresh pasta and serves 2.  After the pasta is made and cut it only takes 2-3 minutes to cook and the good thing is you can make the pasta ahead of time and freeze it or keep it in the refrigerator.  How impressive would that be for a dinner party to toss up a nice garlic and lemon sauce with maybe some seafood in it, toss your pasta into the water for 2-3 minutes and have an amazing meal.  Hmm sounds like a good idea to me.  Who wants to come for dinner?

I’d like for you to take a photo of your pasta with a note about your results and send it to me. Please let me know if I can share it in the follow up post to this one.

You know it’s always more fun to try something new with friends than on our own.  So I hope you will join me over the next two weeks in creating your pasta.  I think I’ll top my first batch with a traditional red sauce.  How about you?

Oh, if you’re looking for the recipe I don’t post someone else’s recipe without their permission.  Still waiting on Jacqueline’s so in the mean time if you email me, diane at glutenfreefoodcoach dot com, I’ll share the recipe with you for our test kitchen purposes. Also, please leave a comment here letting us know you’re going to give it a try so we can encourage each other along.

Mangia

Diane

I really miss having pizza.  I have to say I ate it way too much and with just about anything I could think of.  My favorite combinations are ones that people would never think to put on a pizza.  For instance my Spinach Artichoke Dip Pizza.

Recently I’ve been playing with Chebe All Purpose Mix.  I’ve made a few different pizzas.  The last two being a Za’atar pizza and a Crabby Veg pizza.  I love to toss a pizza in the oven, mix up a salad and there you have it, a cheap and fast meal.  I bet you can do all of this in a shorter time than it takes to phone in your order and wait for the delivery.  Well that’s if you’re lucky enough to have gluten free pizza delivery near you, able to eat cheese and rice which in their dough.  We have delivery here but the dough has rice so if I want pizza, I’m making it.

First, let me share the Za’atar pizza because it is so fast and simple that if you skip a line you’ll miss the recipe.  Next week I’ll share my Crabby Veg Pizza.

I’m sharing this recipe with Gluten Free Wednesdays?

Ingredients:

I bag of Chebe All Purpose Mix following directions (2 eggs, 2 TB oil, 5TB milk or water)

1+ TBS Za’atar seasoning-sumac, thyme leaves, white sesame seeds, salt (Penzeys Zatar)

1-2 TBS Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Corn Meal

Directions:

Follow the directions on the bag of the Chebe mix.  I use almond milk, organic extra virgin olive oil and organic eggs.

Roll out your dough on a flat surface.  I use the corn meal to keep the dough from sticking to my rolling pin.

Put the dough onto your pizza pan.  Spread the olive oil and sprinkle with the seasoning mix.  Use as much as you want to eat.  Bake according to the package directions, 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Kayln’s Kitchen had a great blog post about Flatbread with Olive Oil and Za’atar.  She uses whole wheat but the process is the same, I just use gluten free dough.

One thing you’ll find is many different ways to spell the seasoning mix. They are basically the same.  She used a mix from The Spice House which she tells me is related to the owner of Penzeys.  That’s one spicy family!

So now you have the basics to make a great gluten free pizza.  What do want on your gluten free pizza?

This recipe was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

For years I used to make a hot spinach and artichoke dip and served it in a bread bowl.  We would inhale it at parties and people would beg for it at my Super Bowl Party.  It’s been some time since I made it last and to eat it now it would need to be gluten and dairy free.   For some reason I decided it would be best served as a pizza instead of a dip.  Scott thought I was crazy, Brad scrunched up his nose and the dog sat and listened attentively.  Good dog.

So tonight I finally made this creation.  Brad wanted no part of it which was just as well.  He had a plain Pulled Pork Pizza, no sauce or cheese.  But Scott and I dined on an amazing creamy delicious and very filling Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza.  Yes, it was gluten and dairy free but you can make it however you want.

This will most likely make an appearance at my Super Bowl Party.  I use the dip recipe to make 2 pizzas with a thinner topping on a rectangle pizza and cut into squares.  One can’t be worrying about if your food will fall apart when you’re watching the big game.  Around here it’s pick it up and stuff it in and don’t miss a play!

Now if the whole thing on a pizza causes you frown wrinkles, you can just keep this a dip!

Ingredients:

1 box frozen chopped spinach

1/2 red onion diced

3-4 cloves of garlic diced

1/2 can of artichoke hearts, rough chopped

1 large roasted red pepper, diced

1 tsp thyme

4 oz cream cheese – I used Tofutti made from soy

2-4 TBS sour cream- I used Tofutti made from soy

1 cup white wine 1/2 cup chicken stock- can substitute vegetable stock

2 tsp arrowroot

Celtic Sea Salt Course

ground black pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Butter – I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread Soy Free

Pizza Crust- I use Chébé All Purpose Mix (found at grocery store & in my shop)

Red pepper flakes- optional topping

Directions:

First thing to do is thaw your box of spinach and then get every last drop of liquid out.  To do this I put it into a kitchen towel and squeeze it until no more liquid comes out.  The towel really helps with the torque of twisting.

Heat the oil and butter on medium high until the oil ripples.  Add in the onions and cook until they start to become tender.  Add in half of your garlic and cook for another minute. Now add in your red pepper and thyme to heat for one more minute.  Pour in the wine and stock.  Reduce to 1/2 to 1/3.  

Now add in your artichoke hearts and heat through.  Add in your spinach and combine.  At this point you can either sprinkle with the arrowroot or create an arrowroot slurry. Turn off the heat and add in the cream cheese and sour cream.  Combine well.  Add salt and pepper and taste.   Adjust to your liking.

Mix together your pizza dough and roll is out.  I like to use cornmeal to keep it from sticking to my rolling pin and pan.  As far as pizza dough mix goes I can’t tell you about very many of them.  I cannot eat rice and so many use rice flour that I’ve not tried them.  I can however tell you about Chébé.  I love it.  It mixes together fast and easy.  I’ve used it to make calzones, Stromboli, bread sticks, and countless types of pizza.  It’s next performance will be buns for my sliders.  Have the cute little cutter and all.  Back to pizza!  For this pizza I used the All-Purpose Mix because it’s free of spices.

To really make this pizza pop I made a garlic paste to coat the edges or crust part your hold.  Let me say this took my Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza from good to amazing.  Don’t skip this step.  If you’re afraid to make a garlic paste don’t be.  You really can’t mess it up.  But let’s say you’re out of fresh garlic by all means use minced or granulated garlic.  Don’t skip this step!

To do this take your chopped garlic and add a generous pinch of salt to cover.  Take the side of your chef knife and place it at an angle on the mix.  Pull it towards you and press the garlic into the board.  Also use  a circular motion while pressing.  You are trying to flatten it with your knife.  Keep pushing the mix back together into a pile and then spreading it out with your knife.  This is how you break down the garlic and create a paste.

With your dough rolled out, brush the edges with olive oil.  Now distribute the garlic paste around the edges.  Add your spinach and artichoke dip into the center of the pie and bring it out to the crust that you’ve created with the garlic but don’t cover it.  Bake according to the dough directions. (mine took 25 minutes)  I like to eat my slices with a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  This is a very filling pizza that is piled high with the dip.

Notes:  To make this dip go a little further it really is enough for 2 pizzas with a thinner layer of dip.  I would definitely do that if I was serving it at a party.  Make a large rectangle pizza and cut it up into squares.

If you eat dairy feel free to mix in a 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese to the dip.  You can also used regular cream cheese and sour cream.

To keep this vegetarian and vegan, use vegetable stock instead of chicken.

For a twist you can add in crab to your dip before spreading on the pizza.

If you’re looking for gluten free casseroles, check out the Gluten Free Homemaker.

Welcome to the fourth stop of our Gluten Free Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner Party! I will be serving my Pancetta and  Sage Sausage Stuffing.

Oh how I love sausage stuffing with my turkey on Thanksgiving.  It’s taken me three Novembers but I finally created a gluten free and dairy free stuffing that rivals my old stuffing.  Actually, we think it tastes better.

The trick for me was making my own sausage and bread.  I really like the Herb Bread mix from Breads from Anna.  I’m still working on getting the loaf to hold it’s shape, but when using it to make bread cubes it doesn’t matter what it looks like, just that it tastes great.  I’m going to use this mix to make rolls for Thanksgiving too.  The directions are on their website.

There are a few more stops today on your Gluten Free Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner Party.  Shauna at Gluten Free Girl has made Wild Rice Salad,  Stephanie has made a Slow Cooker Cornbread Stuffing at A Year of Slow Cooking and Ali has made a Pear Pomegranate Salad with Orange Vinaigrette at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen are serving up a few more side dishes.

Tomorrow Karen, Jean and Ali be serving DESSERT on Friday, Nov. 20 at Cook4Seasons, The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen and Gluten Free Organics.  I hope you will stop by and gather up some more great recipes.

Just in case you missed any previous meals for this Gluten Free Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner Party,  here is the entire list:

• Ali and Jean served DRINKS on Monday, Nov. 16 at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen -Sugar-Free Cranberry Orange  Punch and Gluten Free Organics- Hot Ginger Lemon Cider

• Karen, Jean and Seamaiden served APPETIZERS on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at Cook4Seasons -Goat Cheese with Cumin and Mint,  Gluten Free Organics – Lemon Chili Olives and Spiced Honey Almond Nibbles and Book of Yum- Allergen Free Casein Free Pumpkin Kabocha Soup

• Ali and Shirley served the MAIN COURSE on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen - Orange Pepper Salmon with Cranberry Sauce and gfe-glutenfreeeasily - Special Turkey Breast.
  

• Diane, Stephanie, Ali and Shauna will be serving the SIDE DISH/SALAD on Thursday, Nov. 19 at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang, A Year of Slow Cooking, The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, and Gluten Free Girl
  

• Karen, Jean and Ali be serving DESSERT on Friday, Nov. 20 at Cook4Seasons, The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen and Gluten Free Organics

We hope to make this a monthly event so I hope you will join us for another Gluten Free Progressive Dinner Party in December.

Now, on to that stuffing recipe.

Gluten Free Stuffing with Pancetta Sage Sausage Recipe

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Herb Bread Cubed and toasted – used Breads From Anna Herb Bread Mix (baked the bread according to directions for bread machine, cut into cubes then baked at 250 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours)

1 organic onion diced

2 stalks of organic celery, leaves included, diced

1 serving of Pancetta Sage Sausage

1 loaf Herb Bread cubed and toasted

32 oz organic chicken stock – make your own or use Kitchen Basics Don’t substitute broth.

Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

1-2  tsp ground Sage

2-3 tsp Poultry Seasoning

1 tsp Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread Soy Free

Directions:

Cook the sausage until brown.  Remove from pan and save.

Dice the celery and onions.

Saute the celery and onion in a mixture of olive oil and buttery spread in the pan until transparent.  Now add in the poultry seasoning.

Next add in the cooked pancetta sage sausage and let the flavors combine.

Next add in the bread cubes.

Now add in the chicken stock.  If you made really hard croutons, you’ll want to let it sit on simmer for 15 minutes or so to start to absorb the liquid.  Make sure you taste it to see if you like the balance of spices.  If you like a stronger flavor you may want to add more poultry seasoning.

Transfer the stuffing into a casserole dish.  Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until the bread cubes are soft and the liquid has been absorbed.  Uncover and put back into the oven for 20 minutes or until crispy on top.  You can increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees to speed this up.   But if you have other items in the oven for a large Thanksgiving meal you can keep it at 350 degrees.

When you take the casserole out of the oven don’t be tempted to taste it until it cools a little.  You’ll get a bad burn, trust me.

So yesterday I was reading about Shirley’s Special Turkey Breast she served for our Gluten Free Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner Party.  She was talking about standing at the crockpot with a fork eating the turkey and not letting others have any.  Well, when I tested out this recipe the first time that was exactly what I did.  Of course I should have waited until it cooled more.  It took a while for me to serve anyone else.  I promise this Thanksgiving, I will share my stuffing.  Maybe I should make two.

Substitutions:

If you don’t want to make your own sausage, buy your favorite gluten free sausage.  If it’s not seasoned with sage, just add a little more into the mix.

If you don’t want to make  your own bread cubes there are gluten free ones on the market.  Whole Foods sells a bag that I hear is good.   You can also use your own gluten free bread.  I will warn you that some gluten free breads will not work well for a stuffing so choose carefully.
Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

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When I was traveling to San Francisco I had an amazing meal of Lemongrass Chicken at The Slanted Door.  I’ve wanted to try and recreate it ever since.  Well one night I just couldn’t wait any longer and created this dish with what I had on hand.  The ingredients are a little different but it worked.

I did not have any green onions or fresh jalapeño peppers.  I did have a jar of pickled jalapeño peppers that I drained and rinsed.  Not as good but will do in a pinch.  I also added soy noodles and a red bell pepper just to add more volume and fresh taste and texture after using the jarred jalapeños.

The nice thing about this meal was it was cooked in one pan and ready in under 30 minutes.  To speed up the process you can cut your red onion and start cooking with that while you are cutting up the rest of the vegetables.  If you are using the fresh jalapeño  peppers, work with those first so you can get those hot oils off your hands.  If you are not use to preparing your shrimp, this will take a little time the first time you try it.  You will get very fast at this skill in no time.

Don’t forget to read all the way to the end for your notes and substitution ideas.

Ingredients:

1-2 TB Sate Paste

2-3 tsp fish sauce – I used Thai Kitchen that states it’s gluten free

1 stalk lemongrass or 1-2 tsp dried lemongrass

6-8  jalapeño peppers sliced on angle with seeds removed

4 red hot chili peppers left whole

2 green onions sliced

1/2 -1 red onion sliced

1 red bell pepper sliced thin

1 pound 26-30 shrimp or whatever size you have, butterflied

handful of peanuts, rough chop

Celtic Sea Salt & pepper to taste

2-3 tsp Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 tsp Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

1 package of soy noodles- these are already cooked and heat up fast

See bottom of post for substitution ideas.

Directions:

First prepare your ingredients.  I also prep the shrimp and then put them back into the refrigerator to stay cold until I’m ready to put them into the pan.

To butterfly your shrimp, run your knife along the back of the shrimp almost all the way through the shrimp but not.

Butterflying your shrimp

This should allow the shrimp to open flat.

If you butterfly your shrimp, it will make your shrimp look twice as big when it cooks up and will give it more area to absorb the seasonings.  Great when you are using a smaller shrimp and a full flavor seasoning recipe.

First you want to saute the red onions, jalapeno and red peppers, not the chili peppers,  in a medium high pan with a little combination of oil.  Remove them from the pan before they are soft.  You want some crunch to your vegetables.  I add them to the bowl I’ll be serving from.

Save cooking your shrimp until last.

Keep your pan on medium high.  Once hot add the oil and then the shrimp.  Make sure your shrimp are dry or you will be steaming your shrimp.

As the shrimp cooks you can see them opening up.

Before the shrimp are over cooked, add in the Sate Paste and fish sauce to coat the shrimp.  This should take only a minute to get them all coated. Add back the vegetables and combine.   I used both the fresh lemongrass and dried.  Make sure you taste it to see if you want to add more Sate Paste.  Now add in your green onions, red chili peppers and chopped peanuts. If you are using dried lemongrass add that too.  Taste again and adjust the salt and pepper.

For the soy noodles that came in a pouch with liquid, I drained them in my fine mesh colander and ran them under hot water.  Toss into pan to combine and put all back into the serving bowl.

Note:  If you use fresh lemongrass you will want to cut it into long pieces that you can pull out before you serve.  When making this dish I only had 1/4 of a red onion.  It will work best with the 1/2 – 1 whole onion unless you have a monster red onion.

If you don’t like spicy hot do not bite into the hot peppers.  If you leave them whole they will only flavor the dish and not make it hot.  Make sure you take all of the seeds and membranes out of the jalapeño peppers and again, you will have more flavor than heat.  If you leave any of the white membrane you will have heat.

Substitutions:

You can make this dish with chicken instead.  I would use a combination of both breast and thigh for the most flavor.

As far as noodles, feel free to use your favorite type.

Also, using fresh jalapeño peppers is recommended.

If using shrimp you can use a larger size or smaller size.  I would still keep it to one pound.  You can also remove the tails if you don’t want to use your fingers when eating.

If you did not make your Sate Paste ahead of time you can use the Thai Kitchen Chili Paste and add in more peanuts.

Pork and Vegetable Spaghetti Arrabiata with Herb Breads From Anna

This Pork and Vegetable Spaghetti Arrabiata meal was a big hit.  The taste and texture was so good we kept eating even though we were full.  There was just enough heat to make it flavorful but not overpowering.  I used a quinoa pasta to keep it gluten free and no cheese to keep it dairy free.  I served the Herb bread I made from a mix by Breads From Anna.  I’m working on making the best looking bread in addition to the good taste Anna provides.  More about that on another day.

This meal was inexpensive and fast to make.  Two things that make my life easier and I’ll take that any day I can get it.  It was so good we had it for lunch the next day.  The smell of this dish is so intoxicating that it draws you in.  Arrabiata means angry in Italian which is why there are hot peppers.  I think it should be called Diablo with it’s devilish hold over us.  Serving this did not make Scott angry but very happy.  This will be on our menu again for sure!

Now for your opinion.  I’ve started adding two new things to my recipes and I’d like to know your opinion.  I’m trying to take more photos to show the process of the recipe and offer up substitutions to ingredients that you might not have on hand or able to get at your store.  I’d love for you to take a minute to answer this little survey.

If you would like to make this vegetarian or vegan, just leave out the pork and you’re good to go.  If you consume dairy, you might like a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top of your dish.  This recipe was submitted to What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free.

Thank you for sharing your opinions and your comments.

Ingredients:

1 small zucchini, cut into long strips

1 medium yellow squash, diced

1 large cippolini onion, sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

2-3 cups cooked pork loin

1 tsp Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 box pasta

1 jar Arrabiata Sauce

Ingredients-red pepper, zucchini, squash, cippolini onion, pasta & sauce

Directions:

Prepare all of your vegetables.  Slice the red peppers thin.  Cut the cippolini onion in half and then into slices.

Cippolini onions sliced

I decided to cut the zucchini into long strips because I wanted more texture to the dish.  I diced the squash because I wanted it to disappear into the dish.  If you want to cut all of your vegetable the same, feel free.

Zucchini, red bell pepper, yellow squash, cippolini onions

Heat your pan to medium high, add in the oil and the onions.  I like to saute until they start to brown and start to caramelize.

Cippolini Onions Cooking

Next add in the squash and cook for a few minutes.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Next add in the red bell peppers.  Saute a few more minutes.  Next I cleared the bottom of the pan and added the zucchini so it could brown on both sides.  Once all the vegetables are cooked, add in your cooked pork loin.  Whenever I see pork loins on sale I pick one up and cook it in my crockpot.  Then I freeze it for dishes like this.

Pork loin with vegetables

Next I mixed in a jar of Mario Batali’s Arrabiata Pasta Sauce.  It was on sale this week and I’m always looking for a really good sauce to have on hand in case I’m out of supplies to make my own.  If you want to make your own just use the same ingredients as he does.  San Marzano Imported Italian Plum Tomatoes, fresh onions, fresh carrots, extra virgin olive oil, capers, fresh garlic, sea salt, and crushed red peppers.  The type of tomato you use is key when making a sauce.

Pork, vegetables, arrabiata sauce & quinoa pasta

Add your cooked pasta to the pot and 1/2 to 1 ladle of the pasta water.  Stir it all together and turn to medium low for 5 minutes or until ready to serve.

Substitutions:

Pasta:  You can use whatever pasta you like best.  I use quinoa but rice or corn pasta are good gluten free options.  If you eat gluten a good Italian regular pasta will work.

Cippolini Onions- If you don’t have this type of onion any sweet onion would be a good substitute and if not a yellow onion will work.

Vegetables- If you don’t have the vegetables used feel free to substitute what you have on hand.  Eggplant, mushrooms, or spinach would be nice substitutes.  Now a green bell pepper will give you a very different taste than the red bell pepper.  I wouldn’t interchange them but you could use a cubanelle pepper.  It’s a mild pepper that is a little sweet and can have a little heat but not very much at all.

Sauce-  You can always make your own or use another brand of a jar sauce.  Always read the label and make sure there is no added sugar or preservatives.  To make a plain marinara sauce an arrabiata add in crushed red pepper.  Start with 1/2 – 1 tsp.  Remember you can always add more but it’s really hard to take out the heat.

Mangia, mangia!!

Chicken Fricassee with Noodles and Mushrooms

Ever since I saw the movie Julie and Julia I’ve been reading through Julia Child’s cookbook,  Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  There are so many wonderful classic master recipes that are delicious but, many contain gluten and dairy.  Julia loves butter.  There are also many recipes that are time and labor intensive and they taste amazing.    These days I spend a lot of time driving and cheering on my son at soccer games.  I however still want to eat a delicious meal that tastes like I spent hours making it, but it has to fit into my schedule.

In cooking these dishes I had time earlier in the day to prepare.  I knew we would want to eat almost as soon as we got home.  I also knew that it would be late and I’d be tired.   With this schedule I prepared the chicken and cooked it in my crockpot during the day.  I also cooked the Noodles with Mushrooms right then, covered it and placed it into the refrigerator.  All I would need to do when it was time to eat was reheat in the microwave.

Let me tell you the depth of flavor in this dish was amazing.  I never missed all of the butter the original recipe called for or the gluten filled flour.  I did change a few other things around for this dish too.  The original recipe had onions and mushrooms with the chicken and a suggestion of rice or buttered noodles as the side.  I just moved the mushrooms to hang out with the noodles.  Julia also suggests for an additional vegetable try buttered peas or asparagus tips.   Both sound good to me.

This recipe made 5-6 servings so you know what I did.  I put the leftovers immediately into the freezer.  This time however I placed it into containers as a meal with both the Chicken Fricassee and Noodles with Mushrooms together, topped with the sauce.  Now all I have to do is pull it out, reheat and I’ll have an amazing dinner in 6 minutes.  How cool is that!

Oh and by the way, this meal was super cheap to make.  Chicken leg quarters are usually below $1 per pound and go on sale a lot.  Next time they do, grab a large package and put it into the freezer until you’re ready to use them.  Or better yet try this recipe right away and freezer the leftovers.   You can also make this dish with a roasting chicken but Julia suggests never using a younger chicken such as a broiler.  The flesh is so soft and tender that it will dry out and get stringy.   I love her tips!

UPDATE:  This was submitted to Slightly Indulgent Mondays at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

Ingredients:

5-6 Chicken Leg Quarters

2 organic onions, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

4 cups chicken stock, heated

1 cup white wine

1-2 tsp thyme

1-2 tsp parsley

1-2 bay leaves

Sea Salt & Pepper

Sorghum Flour

Corn Starch

Arrowroot Slurry – large tsp of arrowroot mixed with cold water, 2-1 ratio

For the Noodles with Mushrooms

8.8 ounce bag of  Tagliatelle Noodles by Glutano or your favorite

12 Cremini Mushrooms

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread- Soy Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Directions:

Start off by prepping your vegetables.  Slice your onions, peel and slice the carrots and wipe off the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice them.   Before you can put everything into the crockpot you need to brown the meat and saute the vegetables.  My crockpot insert is a non-stick pan but if yours is enamel you need to use another pan.  You also should make your flour mixture on a plate to have ready for your chicken.  I used a ratio of 4 to 1 of sorghum flour to corn starch.  Mix in your salt and pepper too.

Heat your pan and oil on medium high, add in the onions.  When they start to brown take 1/3 out and reserve for the chicken dish.  Add in the mushrooms to the pan and let them brown.  These mushrooms and onions will be paired with the noodles.  After the mushrooms brown salt and pepper to taste and add 1/2 tsp each of parsley and thyme.  If you salt your mushrooms when you first put them into the pan they will release their liquid and not brown.

Remove the onions and mushrooms to the reheating/serving dish for your noodles.  Next saute your carrots, then remove and add to the onions that will go into the crockpot with your chicken.

Now it’s time to brown the skin of the chicken.  Make sure you have oil in your pan and that your chicken is dry.  If it’s wet you will steam it instead of browning it.  Brown the chicken on all sides.  I did mine in batches.  As each piece was done, and this took approximately 3-5 minutes per side, I pulled them out and placed them on a plate of the flour mixture.  You will want to dust each side of the chicken with this mixture.

After you have done that with each piece of chicken you need to put the chicken back into that pan and cook the flour on the chicken for just a few minutes.  At this point you can place your chicken into the crockpot. Add in the reserved onion, carrots and the wine.

Pour some of your heated chicken stock into the pan where you were browning the chicken and cooking the vegetables.  You will want to get all of that flavor off of the pan to go into the crockpot with your chicken.  Now pour that chicken stock into the crockpot along with the remaining stock.  You want the liquid to cover 3/4 of the chicken.  Sprinkle the chicken with 1 tsp each thyme and parsley and add a bay leaf to the stock.

Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Chicken Fricassee awaiting stock

After that was set I quickly boiled the noodles in filtered water, drained them, tossed them with a little Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread and the mushroom and onions.  Since I was not eating this until dinner it went right into the refrigerator.

When your chicken is done, the hardest part I found was getting it out of the crockpot with the leg still attached to the thigh.  It was so tender and juicy that some separated.  I put the chicken onto a platter and covered it with foil until I was done with the sauce.

Left behind in your crockpot is the most amazing sauce.  All you need to do is strain it over a sauce pot, bring it up to a boil and add in your arrowroot slurry.  You can thicken it as much or as little as you like.  With coating the chicken with flour and cornstarch to begin with, the stock that you strain out with not be thin, but have a little body to it.  It can also have clumps of  flour that probably won’t taste as good, so straining it does make a difference.

I heated the Noodles with Mushrooms in the microwave and served both that, and the Chicken Fricassee, with sauce on top.  It was a wonderful meal.

For more ideas on What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free, check out The Gluten Free Homemaker.

Jerk Feast

Wow, that’s a mouthful!  I didn’t even add in the Dipped in Picka-peppa Sauce.

Picka-peppa sauce

We recently had friends over for dinner where I served this Jamaican Jerk Feast.   We were so hungry I almost forgot to take a photo.   I had filled my plate and had already dipped some wings into the Pica-peppa sauce.  I served this up with a tomato, onion and cucumber salad to balance out the spicy beans.  The meal was finger licking good.  I made so many wings that we couldn’t eat them all.  They of course are waiting in the freezer for a quick meal this week.

If you have never tried Jamaican foods, start with Jerk.  Jerk is typical seasonings that is used for chicken and pork.  I like it on fish and beef as a topping more than a marinade.  Rice is a typical side dish but the beans that accompany the rice are usually pigeon peas.  I only had red beans so that’s what we had.

Let me stop and expand on that last point.  If a recipe calls for something unique like pigeon peas and you have another bean that you’ve already paid for, use that.  Now it will taste different but it will taste good.  When you are out and about and find that ingredient then pick it up for the next time you make that recipe.  Using what you have on hand will save you time and money.

Back to the meal.  I cooked the rice in my rice cooker with water but you can use a stock to give it more flavor.  I wanted it very plain because I knew the beans would have a kick.  The Jerk could have been hot too but it was a medium heat.    Make sure you check things before you serve them so you can warn people.  The plantains are sweet and are a nice contrast to spicy beans too.  I hope you will give it a try.  To see the recipes, click at the bottom of the poll to continue.

Jerk Chicken Wings

Jerk Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

2 family sized packaged of chicken wings (cut buffalo wing style)

6 Scotch Bonet or Habanero  peppers

1 bunch of scallions, diced- white and green

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup vinegar

1 cup liquid from cooked hot peppers used for Spicy Mustard

Directions:

Mix everything except the chicken in a bowl.

Get two large plastic zip lock bags and put one inside the other.  Put the chicken wings into the inside bag and pour the marinade over top.  Close tight.  Work on getting as much of the air out as you can.  Now close the outside bag.  Give the bag a toss and mix all of the marinade around all of the wings.

Put into the refrigerator for 5 – 24 hours.  The longer they can hang out together the more the seasonings can penetrate the chicken.

If you don’t have the liquid from cooking hot peppers in vinegar you can always add vinegar to the marinade.  You can also add more peppers but 6 Scotch Bonet is a lot.

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.  Put the wings onto a baking sheet in a single layer.  Cook for 45 minutes.

Serve with Picka-peppa sauce.

Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans

Ingredients:

1 cup dried beans

water to cover

1-3 Scotch Bonet or Habanero Peppers

1 TBS bacon grease or 2 slices of bacon chopped and rendered

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Let your beans soak overnight.  Drain them and put into a pot with enough water to cover.  Add in the peppers with bacon grease and bring to a boil.   Turn down to low and cook for 2-3 hours until soft.  If you are using bacon, chop it and cook it to render the fat.  You can remove the bacon or leave it in when cooking the beans.

You can also use stock instead of water.  I find the bacon and peppers add enough flavor and the stock is not needed.

When you serve you can toss in chopped green onions.

Fried Platnains

Fried Plantains

Ingredients:

1-2 Ripe Plantains (yellow with a few brown spots)

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Directions:

Slice your plantains while your pan heats.  Add in the oil and when the oil is hot add in the plantains.  Cook until brown and turn over.  Cook until second side brown and remove from pan.

Have you ever eaten Sopes?  Sopes are a cousin to tortillas, but can be more versatile for fillings that have more liquid.  They are thicker than tortillas and have sides so they can hold fillings.  They don’t encase the fillings like a burrito or pupusas.  Usually you cook sopes by frying them on both sides in oil.  I didn’t want to make a mess and had really liked the way Carol Kicinski’s Sopes looked in her Simply Gluten Free blog post on Oven Baked Sopes. So I used the basic recipe I use for tortillas, pupusas and sopes but put them into a muffin pan to bake.

These were a big hit!  So much so that we’re still coming up with things to fill the leftover sopes.  Also the nutritional yeast gives it a nice cheesy taste but with no dairy.  Love it!

Nutritional Yeast mixed with Masa

Cheesy Sopes Ingredients:

3 cups Masa

2 1/4 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

Mix the masa, salt, nutritional yeast, and water.  You want a consistency that stays together but is not wet.  Make these into balls and place one in each cup of the greased muffin pan.  I have this fun little tool that I use to press a depression in the center of each ball.  I found that if I kept this wet it made the work easier.  Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes.  After 10 minutes brush with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Chicken filling ingredients:

1-2 chicken breasts

8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced

1 large onion sliced

2 small or 1 large zucchini diced

Shallot Pepper

Virgin Coconut Oil

1-2 cups chicken stock

arrowroot slurry

Direction:

Saute the onions until brown, add in the zucchini.  Next add in the mushrooms.  Now I used cooked chicken breasts but you can also use raw and cook it up in the pan.  Sprinkle in the Shallot Pepper once these are all cooked.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Once boils add in the arrowroot slurry.  Take off the heat and stir constantly.  The sauce will thicken fast.  Make sure you bring in all of the stock around the pan and other ingredients so it is combined.  You want a nice gravy or sauce.

To serve I put two of the sopes on the plate and spooned in the chicken mixture with some spilling over the sides.

You can also check out What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free on The Gluten Free Homemaker.

©Diane Eblin

This soup is called Have on Hand Soup because the ingredients list was created by what I had on hand.  It was so fast and easy to make because I used many  ingredients that were already cooked.  So think of this as a method more than a specific recipe.  Take the method and change the ingredients to be ones you have on hand.  Then you can make Have on Hand soup any day at a moments notice and it will have it’s own unique taste.

This method will also help save you money.  For more Pennywise Platters check out The Nourishing Gourmet.

Spring this recipe!

So here are the basics:

Ingredients:

Stock- enough to cover all ingredients plus a little more

Onions- any type will do, I like mine diced or rough chop

garlic minced or sliced

leafy green vegetable chopped

cooked protein- can be meat or vegetarian

pasta- already cooked works best

other vegetables that are just waiting to be cooked or are part of leftovers

herbs

oil

Directions:

The first thing you want to do is head to the refrigerator and freezer to see what leftovers you have hanging out just waiting to jump into the pool together.  You don’t want to look at these items as the dish they were, but the dish they will become.  Think of it as a challenge but just have fun.  Remember if you don’t like how it tastes, don’t eat it.  But you might just create a new favorite dish.  Keep notes just in case.

Saute onions in oil until translucent.  Toss in garlic to add to the depth of flavor, then add in chopped greens.  Let them cook just a little before adding in you other vegetables.  If the other vegetables are raw, cook them before adding the leafy greens.

Now you’re ready to add in your cooked protein, stock and herbs.  Bring it up to a boil for just a few minutes, then turn it down to simmer.  Add in the pasta last so it will not break apart when the soup is boiling.    If too much of the liquid cooks down, add more.

That’s all there is to it.  You can make this meal in 15 minutes from heating the pan to eating the soup.  Of course if you prefer just dump everything but the pasta into the crockpot, put it on low and eat later.  Add in the pasta a few minutes before serving.

Now here is the ingredients for my Turkey and Pork Noodle Soup with Spinach, Mushrooms and Ostrich.

Ingredients:

4-6 cups of chicken stock

1 organic yellow onion chopped

2 cloves garlic sliced

1 package of frozen chopped spinach (I was out of fresh but this works great in a soup)

1/2-1 cup of leftover Ostrich Steak Strips Stir-fry

7 leftover Mini California Cobb Salad Burgers,  cut into quarters

2 handfuls of cooked quinoa pasta

2 tsp Bouquet Garni from Penzeys (savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill weed, marjoram, sage, tarragon)

Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Follow the directions above and you’ll have soup!

I waited in the long line and bought two with a side of slaw for my husband.  I’m always hesitant to jump into something I don’t know all of the ingredients when I’m out, so he was the taste tester.  I am very sensitive to gluten and even one crumb will do me in for a week.  After my long wait in line, I returned to a very hungry husband and he was thrilled with the pupusas.  He gave me that look.  You know the one with the puppy dog eyes that melts me, and asked if I could make them.  Ok, the look was probably all in my head but he knows I’ll try to make just about anything.

Pupusas ©Diane Eblin

Pupusas were invented in Salvador and were brought to the US when many left their country to live here.  Pupusas are typically filled with cheese, beans, pork or all three.  I’ve also seen where people use shrimp, loroco (tasty green flower blossom), chicken, fish and even pumpkin or squash for vegan and vegetarian options. They are gluten free as the flour is made from corn treated with lime and can be made dairy free if you leave out the cheese.

I’ve been living gluten free since February 2007 and there are some things I miss.  I don’t really bake and don’t buy the processed breads and pastries, most contain rice which I can’t eat.  So I miss having a doughy tasty bundle in my hands like a burger on a brioche bun or a traditional calzone.  These pupusas have filled that gap for me.  They are warm, savory and doughy.  Of course, now I have to experiment with all types of fillings.  I’m going to try diced apples with a little cinnamon this weekend for dessert when we have friends over for dinner.  We’ll either have a tasty treat or strange looks.

I’ve had bags of the MASECA around to make tortillas.  One day while reading the bottom of the bag it listed all the different foods you can make with this corn.  Tortillas, Tamales, Empanadas, Atoles (hot beverage), Gorditas, Sopes and Pupusas.  I thought this was a sign and I should get busy cooking.  Since it is a stuffed tortilla, I basically used the same recipe for tortillas that is on the bag for the dough.  I had made a pork mixture that I used for the filling.

I will also be making some with beans so my vegetarian son can enjoy these.  I definitely need to make some big batches and freeze these to pop out and eat for lunches or when I don’t want to cook.  They are typically served with curtido, a colorful pickled vegetable mixture of cabbage, carrots, and onion, and spicy red sauce.  I made my own version of spicy slaw while the pupusas were cooking and served them with salsa and Tabasco.

If you live near a Shoppers grocery store, they are selling these 4.4 lb bags 2 for $5 or $2.50 each.  With the help of my extremely gifted in math son Brad, we calculated that each batch of 16 pupusas costs $0.38 to make plus the cost of the filling.  I only used a TB of meat in each one I made but I didn’t weigh that out so I can’t give you a total cost per batch of 16.   With the ground pork costing $2.25 per pound it’s not going to be very much.   I’m guessing around $0.10 each.  So you can stuff yourself for less than $2 and that includes the slaw!

Ingredients:

2 cups Instant Corn Masa Flour or Masa Harina like MASECA (DO NOT substitute plain corn flour or corn meal)
1 ¼ cups water (filtered is best for you)

Pork Filling:
½ – 1 pound ground pork
½ cup minced onion
1-2 TB Paprika
1 TB Smoked paprika
1 TB Cumin
1 TB Ancho chili powder
½ cup Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Virgin organic coconut oil

Directions:

Mix the flour and water together.  You want the dough to be soft.  If feels dry add more water, a little at a time.  Divide the dough into 16 equal ball portions and cover with either plastic wrap or a damp cloth so they retain their moisture.

While that waits sauté the onion until it is soft.  Add in the pork and cook through.  Add in the seasonings and vinegar.  Once this is combined, take it off the heat.  You can put it into a separate bowl to help it cool off a little.

Now it’s time to prepare the pupusas.  Heat your pan to medium high and add in a little oil.  Keep a bowl of water near by.  Keeping your hands wet makes all the difference in the world.  Take a portion of the dough and start to make a little cup with your thumb.  It works best if you keep the dough going in a circular motion.  The dough should end up ¼ thickness.  Put a tablespoon of meat into the center and then close up the dough.  Now here is where mine don’t always turn out looking just right so I’m going to practice more.  Your goal is to have the filling stay in the middle and not break out of the dough and to end up with a round piece of dough like a stuffed tortilla.  So far mine has ended up looking like a half moon.  The shape does not alter the taste so don’t let this deter you.  Once you taste one of these gems you won’t care what shape it takes.

Toss it into the pan and cook up on both sides until brown.  This doesn’t take long, about 3-5 minutes on the first side and 1-3 minutes on the second side.  You really want to make sure to serve the pupusas warm so have a cookie sheet in the oven on 250 degrees that you can toss yours onto.  That is if you don’t eat them as you make them.

Add a side of spicy slaw and red sauce and let your mouth do a little happy dance.

Turkey-Roni ©Diane Eblin

Here’s a piece of advice I need to follow in the future.  Don’t watch The Tudors while cooking or things will likely burn on top of the stove.   Well I was not paying attention to my skillet and my turkey-roni started to burn.  Still not paying attention, I added the liquid which then revealed liquid.  Now you need to be fast and get the unburned food out of the skillet before it infuses throughout the dish.  I quickly grabbed another skillet and a large slotted spoon.  Tossed everything into the new pan and sauced it up with red wine.  Well it worked and you could not tasted the burnt turkey and onion.  I hope you don’t have this same experience, but if you do act fast and you might get lucky too.

Ingredients:

1 pound organic ground turkey
1 onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic diced
1-2 pounds grape tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1-2 cups wine
1-2 cups water or stock
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Saute the onions in the hot oil until soft and translucent but not browned.  Add in your turkey meat along with the garlic and cook until no longer pink.  Mix in the seasonings, water or stock and add the tomatoes.  Put the lid on and cook over medium high heat and let the tomatoes cook and burst open.  This should take 10-20 minutes. Once they have burst open add in the wine and tomato paste.

Serve mixed with pasta.  I use quinoa elbow noodles from Ancient Harvest.  It’s gluten free and rice free.

For more gluten free dinners check out The Gluten Free Homemaker, What’s For Dinner Wednesday.

Polenta Fries ©Diane Eblin

These are a great treat especially when you are tired of potatoes or maybe you’re trying to avoid nightshade foods.  I like to make these when I have leftover polenta pieces but you can start from mixing the polenta from scratch and then cutting up the set polenta into your favorite fry shape.  I like De la Estancia Organic Polenta.

The other night when I made lemon scallops with polenta, I also pan fried some Dover Sole for my 9th grader who is not ready to try scallops.  I cut up the polenta in a French fried potato shape and cooked them in hot oil.  When you pull them out of the oil, salt them immediately.  That’s it.  They are crispy and salty.  What could be better with fried fish?

Brad eating fish & polenta fries ©Diane Eblin

This dish is quick and easy to make especially when you can pull the already cooked beef brisket from the freezer.  I know I must harp on this but it really does save you time and money.  Purchase those less expensive cuts of beef especially when they are on sale.  Cook them in the crockpot (uses less electricity, therefore $), separate into servings to cook with later and freeze.  Make sure you get freezer paper and the heavy duty foil where you can write on the outside what it is and the date it was cooked.  I like to wrap mine twice to insure no freezer burn.

Beef and Noodles ©Diane Eblin

This meal can be made in one pot but I like to cook my gluten free noodles separately in my homemade beef stock.  Again, making a large crockpot full of stocks and freeze them will save you money and help control ingredients.  In this recipe I used frozen peas but fresh will work too, just cook a little longer.  You can also use uncooked beef in whatever form you like, ground, and stew like cubes, sliced or even meatballs.  If you don’t eat meat, use your favorite substitute such as tofu, soy crumbles or portabella mushrooms with a vegetable or mushroom stock.

Ingredients:

1 onion diced
8 oz of mushrooms (cremini-baby bella or white button work best)
1-2 cups of peas
1-3 pounds of beef (judge by what looks good to you)
5 cups beef stock
1 tsp arrowroot for slurry (1-1 ratio cold water to arrowroot mixed)
1-2 tsp Bouquet Garni Penzeys-savory, rosemary, thyme, Turkish oregano, basil, dill weed, marjoram, sage, and tarragon
Celtic Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp virgin coconut oil
1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ package of noodles (I used Glutano Gluten-Free Pasta, Tagliatelle, 8.8-Ounce Bag)

Skillet with lid

Directions:

©Diane Eblin

Heat your skillet with oil as you cut up your onions.  Add them to the pan and cook until tender.  While they are cooking clean and cut up your mushrooms.  Remember not to wash your mushrooms under water, but wipe off with a damp cloth to keep them from getting tough.  Toss the sliced mushrooms (I keep the stems on) into the pan and add a little more oil if needed.  Wait for the mushrooms to brown before adding in a layer of salt and pepper.  Add in frozen peas and take advantage of the water released to scrape off the bits of flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Meanwhile in a separate pot, cook your noodles so they will be ready to add into the main skillet.  Now add in your thawed cooked beef brisket, seasonings, cooked noodles and beef stock.  Stir to combine and put the lid on, turn to simmer for 3-5 minutes.  This will allow the beef to warm through and stock to thicken a little.   When you remove the lid, check the thickness of the stock.  If it’s too thin, slowly add in your arrowroot slurry, stirring constantly.  Remember to taste this before serving to see if you need to add in any more salt and pepper or seasonings.

Check out What’s For Dinner Wednesday for more gluten free recipes.

Lemon Scallops & Black Beans ©Diane Eblin

Just a few ingredients and you can pull together an inexpensive meal that looks like it cost more.  Purchase your scallops when on sale and freeze.  I found a great deal at Trader Joes on a 16 oz bag of Wild Caught New England Jumbo Scallops for less than $10.  Polenta costs less than $3 a bag which makes like 100 servings (check your bag).  I only wanted 3 so I cut the recipe on the bag into 1/3.  Then we have the black beans.  Well they can cost more if you buy a can for less than $2 but to save more and have a meal without preservatives start with dried beans that you soak overnight.  Even if you forget you can follow the quick method.  For a great description of how to cook beans and a wealth of information everyone should know, check out The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre.  It’s the featured book on my blog.

So there you have it, quick, easy and affordable.

Ingredients:

16 oz Wild Sea Scallops
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon infused oil
Celtic Sea Salt & pepper to taste
½ tsp Lemon zest

Directions:

Make sure your scallops are thawed and completely dry.  Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium high.  Gently place the scallops into the pan.  When they are brown turn them over and drizzle half of the lemon infused oil over them as they cook on the other side, add the salt and pepper.  Right before they are done hit them with your lemon zest to really bring out that lemon flavor.

For your black beans season them with a mixture of herbs that suit your pallet.
When making polenta I like to spread it out onto my Silpat non-stick mat to about ½ inch thick.  Then I take something to cut it into a shape after it has cooled.  With my round scallops I like square polenta for the contrast.  Next I brown it in a pan over medium high heat with a little oil.  Don’t get rid of those scraps, they make great polenta fries -more on that later.

When serving drizzle a little of that lemon infused oil and sprinkle a little parsley or your black bean herb mix over the dish and serve with a nice glass of white wine.

©Diane Eblin

Pizza Soup by Diane Eblin

I’ve been making this for many, many years however this time it’s gluten free and dairy free.  The idea of pizza soup started with me trying to get my boys to eat tomato soup.  Well it worked for one, my college guy who is a great cook and loves food.  I’m still working on 9th grader.  The point is to put in what you like on your pizza into your pizza soup.  This is added to a tomato base along with the typical seasonings.  Now I used to add in cheese tortellini and I think you can find some that are gluten free but I’ve not seen any that are gluten and dairy free.  I also used to top it off with grated Parmesan cheese and served with a bread stick.  Now it’s cheese less and a gluten free bread stick.  When I served this last night I was told this version tasted much better.  Who knew!

What will you put into your Pizza Soup?

Ingredients:

2 – 28 oz cans of organic crushed fire roasted tomatoes (Muir Glen my favorite)
5 cups of organic vegetable stock (can sub beef or chicken)
1 onion cut in half and sliced
1 long sweet red pepper diced
1 package (8 oz) white mushrooms sliced (or your favorite)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 oz fresh spinach chopped or package of frozen thawed and drained
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 tsp virgin coconut oil
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
5-8 Italian sausage links or ground sausage (mild or hot)
1 box Quinoa Shell Pasta

Directions:

Heat a nice big stock or soup pot with half of the oil.  I love to use my LeCruset cast iron pot.  Add in your sliced onions and cook until translucent. Add in the sweet red pepper and cook until starting to soften.  Both of these should take 2-3 minutes.  Next add in your mushrooms, garlic and remaining oil and cook until they start to brown.  Pour in your stock and tomatoes and combine.  Sprinkle in the seasonings, add in your pasta and let simmer.  The pasta should cook the same amount of time as the box notes.

With a vegetarian at home I cook the sausage separately.  If you are cooking it all together, start off with your sausage before adding in the onions and go from there.

This recipe makes 12 -2 cup servings of soup.

Options to add into pizza soup:
Pepperoni
Pancetta
Chicken
Turkey
Ham
chorizo
anchovies
Diced eggplant
Olives
Artichoke hearts
Jalapenos
Sweet corn
Zucchini
arugula

Tropial Red Quinoa ©Diane Eblin

As you can see my menu can shift ingredients when needed.  I didn’t have the peppers needed for my intended side dish but I was very happy with what I came up with.  The great part about the lavender chicken is, it was already cooked.  I had made extra last month and stored them in the freezer.  The night before, I moved them to the refrigerator so they would thaw slowly.  Sometimes I forget and they thaw and reheat in the microwave all at once.  Cooking extra and freezing for later use is a great gift to give to yourself.  This is how you have inexpensive fast food where you also know all of the ingredients.

Lavender Chicken ©Diane Eblin

The lavender chicken breast was baked in a 350 degree oven using the Alii Kula Maui Lavender Gourmet Seasoning mix.  I like to use the bone in skin on chicken breasts for the most flavorful meat.  Remember, you don’t have to eat the bones and skin, that’s optional.  When you are shopping and they have a special price on the larger quantity, that is a great way to save the money right then and when you need a fast meal.  I think it’s easier to make the large quantities then trying to make small quantities.  If you keep doing this your freezer will be a wonderful restaurant full of dishes you’ve created.  You can take these for lunches if you work outside the home or a dinner to eat alone when your spouse is out of town.  So many possibilities of cook once, eat twice.

Tropical Red Quinoa

Ingredients:

¼- ½   cup diced mango and pineapple

1 cup pearl onions
1-2 cups sugar snap peas
½-1 cup orange juice
1 tsp Alii Kula Maui Lavender Gourmet Seasoning (just noticed on sale right now)
1 tsp arrowroot
1 tsp virgin coconut oil
1 cup cooked red quinoa (follow directions on box)

Directions:

I used the frozen pearl onions which I tossed into the pan with coconut oil.  Do this quickly and put a lid on it.  A hot pan with oil and frozen wet onions will create lots of spitting.  Keep an eye on the onions and keep them moving in the pan every once in a while by grabbing the handle and giving it a shake or toss.  After these have cooked down and started to brown add in the fruit.  I used frozen today but even with fresh fruit, be careful when adding.  Let that cook a little and add in the sugar snap peas, lavender seasoning and orange juice.  Bring this to a boil and add in your arrowroot slurry. This will thicken very quickly.  Once this is thick mix in the red quinoa and you’re ready to serve.

This side dish could accompany many main dishes such as seafood, pork and even tropical BBQ.

©Diane Eblin

When I started out to cook dinner I didn’t realize I had already eaten the vegetables I was going to sauté for this meal.  The only vegetable I had left was cauliflower, which my husband really does not like.  So what should I do, hide it of course.  When he was eating dinner he thought it was ground meat and did not notice until I listed the ingredients.  He was pleasantly surprised that he really did like the meal.

Ingredients:

1 sweet organic onion
½ head organic cauliflower
4 slices organic bacon (can omit to keep vegetarian)
½ cup vegetable stock
½ cup red wine (only what you would drink)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp rosemary salt
1 jar or large can of whole or crushed tomatoes (Lucini or Mur Glen are my fav)
2 tsp olive oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 box Quinoa Rotelle Pasta (contains protein)

Directions:

Start your pasta water and bring to a boil as you begin the sauce.  Before adding the pasta, remember to salt your water.
Slice the onion and sauté on medium high pre-heated pan with oil.  As that cooks take apart the cauliflower.  Break it into small florets, as small as you can get, and you may even slice off any stems so it gives the appearance of ground meat.  This will take some time so in the mean time, cut the bacon into small pieces and add to the onions.  After they both start to brown add in the cauliflower to absorb the flavors and brown.
Next add in the stock and wine and again allow the cauliflower to absorb the flavors, approximately 5-8 minutes.  Add in your tomatoes, if whole crush, and your spices.  Cover and simmer until pasta is ready.  Please taste your sauce before adding in the pasta so you can make any adjustments needed.

Once your pasta is ready, drain it and add to the sauce.

When serving you can top this off with a little more rosemary salt but keep in mind it is powerful salt, and add a few toasted pine nuts if you have them on hand.  Of course if you eat dairy Parmesan reggiano can’t be beat.

Ingredients:

1 pound organic ground beef
1 pound organic ground veal
1 onion, grated
2 organic eggs
1/3 cup your favorite bread crumbs, I used Tortilla Crumbs
1-2 tsp oregano
1-2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram
2 tsp rosemary salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp Organic Virgin coconut oil (or your favorite olive oil)
1-2 cloves of garlic minced

Directions:

Break your two eggs into a bowl and whip.  To that grate your onion.  This will keep the pieces small and allow the flavor to permeate the entire meatball.  Add in the spices and then the meats.  Start to combine gently.  Next add in the bread crumbs.  Mix until combined.  Keep in mind you don’t want to work the meat too long or it will make tough meatballs.

Heat your pan on medium and add oil.  Start making your meatballs using about a tablespoon of mixture.  Add them to the pan as you go.  If you can get them all the same size that’s great and it’s something I’ve never been able to do.  Brown the meatballs and then turn to brown on the other side.  This will help them stand up in the sauce.

Next add in your sauce either from a jar or homemade, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to two hours.  Tonight I did half and half on the sauce.  I only had one jar of the Lucini Tuscan Basil sauce and one jar of the Lucini diced tomatoes.  I added both with a little additional seasoning similar to the meatballs.  Not too many seasonings in the sauce with these meatballs, they are full of spices.

Cook the pasta according to the box.  One box of quinoa spaghetti serves 2 people.  Twist your pasta onto your plate in a pile and top with meatballs and sauce.

If you eat cheese add 1 cup of fresh finely grated parmesan cheese to your meatballs and some to top off the dish upon serving.

©Diane Eblin

Macadamia Nut Tilapia ©Diane Eblin

Opening the refrigerator 1 hour before dinner, I worked on using things I had leftover from previous meals.  The macadamia nut breading mixture and the quinoa were waiting in the refrigerator.  When I am putting together dinner I know what my protein will be, but sometimes not really how I will prepare it or what sides will accompany it.  It depends on what is in my refrigerator at any given time.  If you do this you will keep your refrigerator cleared out of those mystery containers. Please remember that my recipes are gluten free.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients:

1 pound tilapia
¼ -½ cup Coconut water
1 TBS Raw Organic Agave
Corn starch
Macadamia Nut Breading
2 tsp Virgin Coconut Oil
1 tsp Organic Canola Oil

Directions:

Set out your 3 containers for coating the fish.  The cornstarch in the first one, the blended coconut water and agave in the second and the macadamia nut breading in the third container.  With the liquid step if you want it to be thicker reverse the portions of agave to coconut water.

Dust the fish with corn starch; dip in liquid, press into nut mixture.  Carefully place into pan, heated on medium high with oil.  When brown on one side turn.  Tilapia is a thin fish so this will not take long.

Vegetable Medley

Ingredients:

1 extra large leaf of rainbow swiss chard
½ – 1 onion rough chop
2 carrots slice or cut small
1 bag of mung bean sprouts washed
2 tsp Sesame seeds
1 tsp lemon grass
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Raw Organic Agave
Virgin Coconut Oil

Directions:

Heat pan on medium high heat with oil.  Sauté onion, carrot until start to brown.  Add in swiss chard and cook down, then add bean sprouts.  Combine and add seasonings including agave.

This is a savory dish that fills your mouth with wonderful tastes and textures.  We served this with Robert Mondavi Winery 2005 Chardonnay.  This was the same wine I used when cooking.  Remember never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink.

©Diane Eblin

Mediterranean Tuna Pasta

Ingredients:

7.8 ounces Tuna in oil (Ortiz is an option)  Tuna in water will not taste as good.
4 Caper berries sliced
1 can or bag of frozen Artichoke hearts quartered
1-2 large Cippolini onions (shallots can be substituted)
1-3 cloves of garlic diced
1 lemon or can substitute lemon oil
1-2 cups of white wine (amount depends on how much sauce you want)
4-6 slices of pancetta diced (can substitute uncured bacon)
1 tsp arrowroot (mix with cold water to create slurry)
1 box Quinoa Spaghetti
1 tsp Parisien Bonnes Herbs from Penzeys
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ cup Pine Nuts toasted

Directions:

Heat pan (best not to use a non-stick) on medium heat and cook pancetta until it starts to crisp and render it’s fat.  Add onions until translucent and starts to brown.  Add garlic.
Add Artichoke hearts so they can absorb the flavors.  Add caper berries and tuna, cook to warm.  Add in spices.  Add wine and scrape up bits that have stuck to bottom of pan and heat until start to boil. These will give a lot of flavor to your dish.
Make your arrowroot slurry and add to sauce which will thicken very quickly.
At the same time you want to cook your pasta according to the directions.  When pasta is done add into sauce and combine.  Top with toasted pine nuts and serve.

1 can organic black beans, rinsed
Equivalent amount of frozen or fresh corn
1 red pepper chopped
1 pablano pepper chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper chopped (membrane and seeds removed, more you keep the hotter the spice)
½ red onion diced
2 green onions sliced (white and green parts)
1 cup cooked red quinoa
Handful fresh chopped cilantro
1 tsp Epazote
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 large lime
1/3 cup Organic unrefined and unfiltered extra virgin olive oil

Mix it all together and you have a wonderful tasting salad packed with protein.

Epazote is very popular for Mexican and South American cooking.  It is used the most in all types of bean dishes from chili to bean salad.  I found mine at Penzys Spices. It has been used in Mexican cuisine for thousands of years dating back to the Aztecs who used it for cooking as well as for medicinal purposes. Epazote has a distinct taste that cannot be replaced by other herbs. If you do not have access to it, you can leave it out. If you leave it out, use more of the other seasonings to balance out the loss of the epazote. It has been used in moderation to help relieve abdominal discomfort (gassiness) that can come from eating beans.