Foodfan

Herbed Pork Roast

2011-10-26T09:54:00.003-04:00

I never, ever thought I'd like pork. I will eat bacon, but actual pork? Nope! Too dry, too tough, etc. This recipe totally changed my mind. I threw it in the crock pot for about 6 hours. The meat was at 145 when I pulled it. The au jus it makes is outstanding. I can see making this one again.

Herbed Pork Roast

•4 large garlic cloves, quartered
•1 pork loin roast, boneless, about 4 to 5 pounds
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 scant teaspoon dried leaf thyme
•1/2 teaspoon dried leaf sage, crumbled
•1/4 teaspoon dried leaf rosemary, crumbled
•1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled, optional
•dash ground cloves or allspice (I actually used ginger instead)
•1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, optional
•1/3 cup water ( I had chicken broth so that went in instead)
•3 tablespoons cornstarch, optional
•3 tablespoons water, optional
Preparation:
Cut 16 small pockets into roast and insert garlic slices. In a small bowl combine salt, herbs, and lemon peel. Rub seasoning mixture into the roast. Pour 1/2 cup water into slow cooker; add the roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or until pork roast should read at least 145° on an instant-read thermometer.
Serves 8.

The Great Paleo Experiment - Day 3

2011-10-26T09:43:00.000-04:00

I'm definitely noticing some differences already. My pain levels are down, and the inflammation seems to have gone down some. It is definitely taking some getting used to, not eating as much fruit. I do need to tweak my veggie intake a little more, but so far it's going. The headaches are going down some as well. Now here's hoping the sugar jones will go away.

I'm already starting to think about Thanksgiving and what I'll be doing for that.We get a fresh farm raised turkey every year, and I'll be throttled if roasted potatoes don't make it to the table. But beyond that... I might make up some of the stuffing I used to make when I first went GF. That stuff was excellent. I'll try to post the recipe for that on here. I'm also thinking of making some of the Everyday Paleo Roasted Root veg ahead of time for me, then make some roasted carrots for everyone else. (I'm the only one that likes parsnips and beets). Green beans I can take or leave, it was never that big of a deal for me. I also saw a recipe on Everyday Paleo for brussel sprouts with bacon. That may need to be tested out to see if it's worthy of Thanksgiving. Dessert? I was never a pie person, even pre GF days, so it will probably be a GF trifle for the guests and then a nice chocolate coconut avocado mousse for me. :D

The Great Paleo Experiment. Day 1

2011-10-24T09:37:00.002-04:00

I've finally decided to break down and try the Paleo diet for 30 days. I've been gluten free for ages, and that helped my health for the longest time, but in the last year or so something else is going on. I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia because they can't find anything wrong with me. It's been an ongoing pain battle, but here lately the pain and inflammation are out of control. I decided I needed to try *something* at this point. So starting out here's the list of issues:
- insomnia
- exhaustion
- high levels of pain (6 or above)
- severe depression
- constant sweet craving (to try to counter the above.)
- mental exhaustion

I've tried being vegan for a while and it made things worse. I ended up anemic which I am still battling. I added dairy back in and it seemed to have increased the inflammation. So... here we are. :) Technically I started paleo yesterday but slipped up and feel even worse today so I'm counting today as the start.

This week's menu

roast chicken (broke out the rotisserie)
herbed pork loin in au jus (crockpot meal - I've been having a love affair with it lately)
pot roast with sweet potatoes and carrots (also from the crock pot)
grilled salmon with cauliflower "rice" and steamed veggies (asparagus or broccoli)
grilled tilapia with the "rice" and veggies
chicken stew (to use up some of the roast chicken)

Breakfast will probably be things like I had this morning 4oz roast chicken and a 1/4 avocado. Not sure about snacks yet, that's probably when the fruit will make an appearance.

I'll post in here recipes that I find/try, but also will have posts that talk about how the experiment is going. I'll label the recipe ones so you can just skip to them.

Watermelon Strawberry Soup

2010-05-28T21:06:00.002-04:00

Ah spring!! The weather is getting warm, the days are getting longer. I love this time of the year. I came up with this because I had some fruit left over and needed to do something with it.

Watermelon Strawberry Soup
4 cups seed watermelon
2 ripe banansa, peeled
1 cup apple cider or juice
1 cup potato milk, thickened (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 ice cubes
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
¼ cup cold mint tea
fresh mint sprigs
In blender, puree melon, bananas, cider, yoghurt, cinnamon and ice cubes
til smooth. Pour into a pitcher or a bowl, add sliced berries and mint tea.
Chill 1 hour. serve with mint sprigs.

Been a while

2010-05-12T13:03:00.000-04:00

I've been so busy I've all but forgotten about this blog. :)

I will be posting some new stuff here shortly. I'm trying a new food system where I make up a menu style list and pick my weekly meals from it. I found the idea here http://thelittlebig.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/life-list-create-a-working-menu/ and thought it was an awesome idea. I'll post it up once I get something going.

New home

2010-03-17T10:22:00.000-04:00

If you're reading this, chances are high you just got a ton of old entries in your RSS reader!

We just moved homes from a hosted account into a Blogspot account - but the domain name still works just fine.

Welcome - we plan on posting more awesome recipes soon!

Gluten Free (Vegan) Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2009-10-11T16:47:00.000-04:00

Gluten Free (Vegan) Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

6 Tbsp water

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Vermont Sugar Free Maple Flavored Syrup (can use brown rice syrup, treacle, corn syrup or regular maple syrup)

1/4 cup Canola Oil

1/4 cup Applesauce, unsweetened

1- 15 oz can Pumpkin Puree

2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Allspice, ground

1/2 tsp Cloves, ground

1/4 tsp Ginger, ground

1/4 cup powdered sugar + 1 Tbsp water (optional)

3/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)

1/2 cup Walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease or line muffin cups with paper liners and spray with cooking spray. Set aside. Beat Eggs, vanilla, honey, oil, applesauce and pumpkin together until well combined. Set aside. Mix all dry ingredients together. Then, stir in egg mixture; add raisins and nuts. Mix just until blended. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Combine the powdered sugar and water to glaze if desired.

These can be slimmed down even more by increasing the applesauce by 2 Tbsp and reducing the oil by 2 Tbsp.

Makes 12 muffins.

If fruit or nuts are added, recipe will make 24 muffins.

Number of Servings: 12

Nutritional Info

* Servings Per Recipe: 12

* Amount Per Serving

* Calories: 143.2

* Total Fat: 5.7 g

* Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

* Sodium: 170.6 mg

* Total Carbs: 22.9 g

* Dietary Fiber: 3.7 g

* Protein: 2.6 g

3pts for those of you who do WW.

Pizza

2009-01-30T17:20:00.000-05:00

Pizza has been the long-standing wish for me. Because of the dairy allergy, it makes it much tougher. However, I have managed to find ways around it. I can’t eat soy cheese, but I did find that I tolerate sheep cheese and pure goat cheese reasonably well. So that sorted the cheese, but how to get a decent crust. I think I found a good one. Let’s just say I really don’t miss Pizza Hut anymore.

Gluten Free All Purpose Pizza Crust

1-½ cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

2 teaspoons Xanthan Gum

½ teaspoon Sea Salt

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

¾ cup Warm Water

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 egg*

2 tablespoons warm water

2 teaspoons Yeast, Active Dry

1 tablespoon thyme, fresh**

1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped**

Combine yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl and let stand about 5 minutes. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add egg and oil to wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients. Mix with a blender for a minute, adding a teaspoon of water if dough moves up beaters. Scoop onto greased pizza sheet. Wet your hands with water and spread dough over sheet and smooth. Cover with favorite sauce and toppings. Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes.

*Eggless Option: Combine 1 Tb Flaxseed Meal + 3 Tb Water. Let stand for 2 minutes, then use as egg.

** I also use dried herbs for this, mostly due to laziness. My usual blend is oregano, thyme, basil and garlic powder.

Pancakes

2009-01-28T17:30:00.000-05:00

So I realize I’ve been woefully neglecting this food blog. It’s not that I haven’t been cooking or experimenting. In fact, recently I’ve worked out all sorts of great gluten free/allergen free stuff - pizza, pastys and pancakes. The pancakes are fabulous!! Very light and fluffy. Now we tend to eat with lemon juice and sugar (British way), but feel free to pour on the maple syrup or fruit sauces.

Beth’s Pancakes

¾ cup Gluten Free Flour blend

¼ cup Potato Starch

2 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Tbsp. Baking powder

1 tsp Guar gum

1 Tbsp. Flax seed

3 Tbsp. Warm water

1 cup Dari-free Milk (or whatever milk/milk replacement you prefer)

2 Tbsp. oil

2 lemons

sugar

Mix flax seed and 3 Tbsp warm water in a bowl. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, starch, guar gum, baking powder, and sugar into a bowl. Add milk, oil and the flax seed to the dry ingredients.

Heat a non stick pan up. Pour scoops of batter into the pan. Depending on the size of pancake you wish, use a 1/4 cup to a large scoop. Cook til large bubbles form in the dough, then flip. Cook for about a minute more.

Serve with lemon juice and sugar.

I rock!

2007-07-06T18:35:00.000-04:00

I have to brag on this one.. I made egg free, dairy free, gluten free, (vegan), sugar free Gingerbread cookies. This was really a great boon. I have a friend that is hypoglycemic and allergic to chocolate. I wanted to make a dessert for us, as I’m cooking a Thai night up at their place. I did good on this one I think. They are tasty as anything too. :D

I found out you can make a killer sugar free “brown sugar” with Splenda and sugar free maple syrup. It’s really tasty!! Take a cup of splenda and a 1/4 cup of the sugar free maple syrup and blend.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thanksgiving part 2

2006-11-25T16:39:00.000-05:00

Today was the “Rejects Thanksgiving” for those of us who didn’t have family close by. I rolled out a feast previously unknown in my kitchen (sheer size). I brined my turkey for about 12 hours and roasted that, made some apple cranberry stuffing, where the dried cranberries and apples were soaked in port for a couple of hours then added to a breadless mix, made roasted potatoes, smashed potatoes with olive oil and rosemary, cranberry-orange sauce, roasted carrots, roasted brussel sprouts, sauted green beans with onions and lemon, gravy and bread rolls. Dessert consisted of the gluten free apple pie and caramel sauce with homemade non-dairy (vegan) whipped cream, English Trifle with glutenfree dairyfree sponge cake, gluten free dairy free custard, and fruit. I used the vegan whipped cream for myself, and had the regular whip for everyone else. My boss’s wife, brought an Edible Arrngement (chocolate dipped fruit artisically arranged. If you aren’t familiar, look them up!! They are worth every penny.)

Everyone seemed to enjoy immensely. My boss, who is British, took the leftover trifle home. That’s pretty high praise I would say. So we’re all cleaned up, leftovers put away, and puggies in the lap. I have to say, I’m pretty happy with the job I did.

A Gluten Free Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

We had the most awesome meal today. It was all gluten free and allergen free for me, but seriously tasty.

Thanksgiving has always been a food holiday for me. My mom loved to cook. She would make this monster turkey and have all the trimmings. There were only four of us in the family, but family and friends always came by. People loved her cooking at the holidays. Can you tell I miss that?

I decided this year was the year to try to make my own holiday memories. I decided to do a romantic meal for Thanksgiving for me and Paul. All glutenfree, all really tasty.

The menu for tonight was supposed to be this:

Appetiser

Frisee Salad with Warn Bacon Vinaigrette (never got to it sadly, but it is wonderful)

Wine - Pinot Grigio

Main

Roast Duck

Port Wine Demi-glace

Herb roasted potatoes

Apple-Cranberry stuffing (done with cauliflower and sausage)

Homemade bread (glutenfree)

Roasted veggies (didn’t do)

Wine - Zinfendel

Dessert

Apple tart with homemade caramel sauce (glutenfree crust)

Wine - Muscadet

I can’t believe how good it was. I was really happy with it. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a “normal” meal. It was fantastic. Especially the bread and the tart. They were as good as the gluten counterparts. The tart, even better. I need to play with the crust a bit more to get a rollable crust (i patted the crust into shape), but man… YUMMY!!! The homemade caramel was made with dairyfree milk, so it made a nice creamy sauce. That was as good as anything I could get out of a jar.

Public Service Announcement

2006-09-01T10:14:00.000-04:00

Bard’s Beer, the gluten-free beer, is now available in Massachusetts!!!

That is all

Five course meal

2006-08-27T18:15:00.000-04:00

We just moved to the new house and I really wanted to make a special meal for me and my DH. But what to make? Here’s what we ended up with (minus the salad - it was on the menu, but we were too full to eat it)

Amuse Bouche: Frisee with crab. Frisee and celery leaves mixed with olive oil and salt topped with crab meat.

Appetiser: Prosciutto rolls with Aurgula and Figs. Dried figs, goat cheese and arugula with marinade rolled in prosciutto. How can this be a bad thing?

Main Course: Herb crusted Lamb with sauted baby veggies. I also did a Mushroom Gravy, made from a homemade veal stock.

Salad: Frisee salad with Warm Bacon Viniagrette

Dessert: Cava gelatin with raspberries and semi-sweet chocolate chips

It was an ambitious menu, but I pulled it off and if I may, pulled it off well. :D Go me!! Some days I think I could do this for real.

Strawberry, Cucumber, and Basil Salad

2006-07-08T06:19:00.000-04:00

4 cups hulled strawberries, quartered (1 pound)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Combine cucumbers and juice; toss to coat. Add cucumber mixture, salt, and pepper to strawberry mixture; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

From Cookling Light magazine

NUTRITION PER SERVING

CALORIES 49(9% from fat); FAT 0.5g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 1.1g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 26mg; SODIUM 150mg; FIBER 3.1g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.6g

Parmesan Chicken

2006-05-28T05:43:00.000-04:00

Serves 6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

4 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

2 eggs

4 Tbsp butter, or 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil

Pound chicken breasts until they are 1/4 inch (5mm) thick and cut into 6 portions. Set aside.

Combine cheese with oregano, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, pepper on a plate. On another plate or in a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. dip the chicken into the eggs, then into the cheese mixture, coating both sides evenly.

Melt butter or butter/oil mix in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat (any higher will burn the cheese) and saute for 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Cook’s note:

This is a higher fat dish due to the cheese. the one cup is 457 calories, with 257 calories from fat, or 28.6 grams of fat. But bear in mind that this is used over 6 pieces of chicken, so per piece it’d be about 76 calories or about 42 from fat, or about 4.8 grams of fat, at most. You can do this with cooking spray or minimal oil to lower the calorie/fat counts even more. The eggs can be replaced with egg replacer for an egg-less version, and if tolerated, you can try a dairyfree version using soy parmesan cheese. That will also substantially lower fat and calories.

This is from the 15 Minute Low-Carb cookbook by Dana Carpender. It’s an awesome cookbook, with lots of quick ideas.

Another Tom Yum variation

2006-05-27T16:59:00.000-04:00

4 cups of water

2 stalks fresh lemon grass, trim off the very end of the root and smash with the side of a cleaver of chef’s knife; cut into 1 inch pieces; or 2 pc dried

3 slices fresh galangal root(smashed) or 2 pc dried

3 fresh kaffir lime leave or 4 pc dried

1 Tbsp. tamarind paste, with or without seeds

1 Tbsp. fish sauce, Golden Boy preferred

3/4 lb shrimps, medium to large size, shelled and de-veined; butterfly if desired

12 fresh Thai chili peppers, whole or 2 medium sized jalepenos, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips.

1/2 small white onion, cut 1/4 inch slices

2 Tbsp. roasted chili paste (nam prik pao)

1 (16 oz.) can straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed

1 small ripe tomato, cut into wedges 1/4 inch thick (optional)

1 small lime, squeezed

2 sprigs fresh cilantro

Bring water to boil over high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the lemon grass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, fish sauce and tamarind paste (break apart the tamarind paste with your fingers as you add it). Add the shrimp, bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Add the onion, nam prik pao and straw mushrooms. Boil for another 7 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through. Add the chile peppers and tomatoes. Turn off the heat. Add the lime juice. Taste to adjust the seasoning, adding fish sauce to taste. Garnish with cilatantro if desired and serve. Serves 3 to 4.

Evil Jungle Prince with Chicken (or Veggies)

2006-05-27T16:57:00.000-04:00

1/2 lb boneless chicken breast (or 1/2 lb mixed vegetables, see note below)

2 to 6 small red chile peppers

1/2 stalk fresh lemon grass

2 kaffir lime leaves

2 T oil

1/2 c coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

fish sauce to taste (soy sauce for veggie version)

10 to 15 basil leaves

1 c chopped cabbage

Thinly cut chicken into 2-inch strips. (If doing veggie version, cut vegetables into thin strips.) Grind together red chili peppers, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves in a food processor or pound in a mortar. Heat oil to medium-high and saute pepper mixture for 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken (or vegetables) and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked (same time for veggies). Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in fish sauce (if using), salt, and basil. Serve on a bed of chopped cabbage.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Note: For mixed vegetables, choose from among bell peppers, string beans, water chestnuts, tomatoes (small cherry tomatoes are best), bamboo shoots, miniature corn, asparagus, cucumbers, zucchini, Japanese eggplant, and mushrooms. I particularly like string beans or asparagus, a few cherry tomatoes, shredded (rather than sliced) bamboo shoots, miniature corn, and some straw mushrooms or slender (Japanese) eggplant.

Osso Buco

2006-05-21T09:59:00.000-04:00

Serves: 4

Cook time: 3 hours (roughly)

Prep time: 30 minutes (roughly)

8 lg veal shanks, patted dry

salt, pepper to taste

1/2 cup gluten-free flour

7 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup carrots, finely chopped

3/4 cup celery, finely chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

4 cup gluten-free beef broth

1 1/2 cup plum tomatoes, chopped

1 bouquet garni (bouquet of fresh herbs tied together and chucked in the dish. See below for quantities)

6 sprigs parsley

4 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp salt

1 gremolata (Minced parsley, lemon peel and garlic. See below for quantities)

1/2 cup fresh parlsey, minced

2 Tbsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off excess. In a heavy skillet, heat 3 Tbsp butter and 3 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Brown the veal shanks, adding additional butter and oil if necessary. Transfer the shanks as they are browned to a platter.

Add wine to the skillet, boil the mixture, deglazing the pan, until the liquid is reduced to about a half cup. Reserve in a small bowl.

In a flameproof casserole just large enough to hold the veal shanks in one layer, cook the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the remaining 4 Tbsp butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened. Add the shanks and any accumulated juices to the casserole. Add the wine mixture, and enough broth to almost cover the shanks. Spread the tomatoes over the shanks, add the bouquet garni and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to

a simmer over moderately high heat. Braise the mixture, covered, in the middle of a preheated 325f oven for 2 hours, or until the veal is tender. Transfer the veal to an ovenproof serving dish with a slotted spoon. Discard the strings and keep the shanks warm.

Strain pan juices into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids. Skim off the fat. Boil for about 15 minutes or until reduced to about 3 cups.

Baste the shanks in some of the reduced juices, and bake them, basting 3-4 more times, for 10 minutes or until the shanks are glazed. In a bowl, stir together the parsley, zest, and garlic. Sprinkle the shanks with the gremolata and pour some juice around and over them. Serve the remaining juices alongside in a boat.

Cilantro Marinated Chicken

2006-05-15T15:53:00.000-04:00

Serves: 4

Prep time: 2 hours, 5 minutes (2 hours for marinating)

Cook time: 20 minutes skillet/broiler/grill

2 garlic cloves

walnut sized chunk of fresh ginger root

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (coriander), plus more for garnish if desired

1-2 Tbsp red pepper flakes (optional - add up to 1/4 cup)

4 boneless, skinless breasts or thighs

Place the first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse until it forms a chunky paste. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and add the cilantro mixture. Place in the refrigerator for at least two hours or as long as overnight.

Remove as much of the marinade as possible (or it does fine cooking it on the chicken if you are pressed for time) and place chicken on grill or broiler, r in a heated skillet. Cook until the juices run clear, roughly 10 minutes per side. Serve immediately, with the additional cilantro if using.

Devil’s Chicken

2006-05-15T15:41:00.000-04:00

Serves 4

Prep time: 2 hours 10 minutes (2 hours for marinating time)

Cook time: 15-20 minutes grill/broiler/skillet.

This is one of my first ever recipes I tried. This thing is ancient! But it’s good. Add more tabasco if you want more heat. The original incarnation of this called for a whole chicken, roughly 3-4lbs in weight, either whole or cut up. Now I just use 1-2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.

1-2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

2-3 Tbsp Olive oil (or vegetable oil is fine)

Juice of 2 lemons (I’ve also juiced up a couple of limes for more intense flavor and added 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest)

1Tbsp fresh cracked pepper

1tsp salt

Mix marinade ingredients together in a large ziplock bag. Place chicken in bag. Marinate for at least two hours to overnight. Cook chicken in broiler, on the grill or in a skillet for about 15-20 minutes or until done.

Curried Lamb

2006-05-15T04:08:00.000-04:00

1/3 c onion

3 T vegetable oil

2 T ground coriander

1 1/2 t ground cumin

1 T ground cardamom

1 t ground ginger

1 t turmeric

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t pepper

1/8 t ground red pepper

2 lb 1” cubes lamb stew meat

2 c beef stock

salt

1/4 c plain yogurt

1 t fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until golden about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low add spices and stir 1 minute. Add lamb to skillet. Increase heat to medium high and cook stirring frequently until meat is evenly browned 10 to 15 minutes. Add stock and salt.

Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until meat is tender about 20 minutes. Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens about 20 minutes. Stir in yogurt and lemon juice. Serve immediately over cooked rice.

*Cook’s note. I make my own curry powder, so I just substitute a couple of teaspoons of it for al of the spices, save the pepper and red pepper.

Thanks!!!

2006-05-12T18:28:00.000-04:00

Super huge THANK YOU to Liz to sending me all those recipes. I’m sure most of those will be put to good use.

ROASTED POTATOES WITH LIME AND BASIL

2006-05-12T18:27:00.000-04:00

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

3/4 pound small potatoes (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter), halved

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, washed well, spun dry, and chopped fine

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 450° F. In a baking dish large enough to hold potatoes in one layer toss them with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast potatoes in middle of oven until tender, about 15 minutes. In a bowl toss potatoes with basil and lime juice.

Serves 2.

MUSTARD AND SPRING ONION MASH

2006-05-12T18:26:00.000-04:00

Baking the potatoes first gives them a nice creamy texture. The potency of the mustard will diminish as the potatoes are being stirred over the burner; so if you really want to feel the burn, add an extra teaspoon or so of mustard just before serving.

4 8-ounce russet potatoes

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

3 tablespoons prepared hot English mustard (such as Colman’s but Dijon works well too)

1 cup whole milk

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place potatoes on oven rack. Bake until tender when pierced with fork, about 50 minutes. Scoop out pulp from potatoes into heavy large saucepan; discard skins. Add 3 tablespoons butter to potatoes and mash well. Mix in mustard. Gradually add milk and mash until smooth. Stir potatoes over medium-low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Mix in green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Top with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and serve.

Serves 4.

GOAT CHEESE MASHED POTATOES

2006-05-12T18:24:00.001-04:00

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

3/4 pound small red potatoes

2 1/2 ounces soft mild goat cheese (about 1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1/3 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (optional)

In a saucepan cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch and simmer, covered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid and drain potatoes. Return potatoes to pan and with a fork mash together with reserved liquid, remaining ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2.

THYME-ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

2006-05-12T18:24:00.000-04:00

This slightly spicy, moist side dish is both deeply satisfying and nutritious. Sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber, giving them a low glycemic index (this means that they slow the body’s absorption of sugar and help regulate blood-sugar levels). A bonus for weight watchers: All those complex carbs will make you feel fuller longer than white potatoes do.

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup fresh thyme leaves, plus 6 thyme sprigs for garnish

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450°F. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss. Arrange potato slices in single layer on heavyweight rimmed baking sheet or in 13x9-inch baking dish. Place on top rack of oven and roast until tender and slightly browned, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with thyme sprigs.

Spicy Rice

2006-05-12T18:23:00.000-04:00

1 tablespoon oil

1 small onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

1 28 ounce can of tomatoes, crushed

1 cup rice

In a sauce pan combine oil, onion and green pepper. Saute over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle in cayenne pepper. Add heated chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add rice and stir. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering over low heat until all liquid is absorbed. Serve hot.

*Could be made with vegetable stock to make this vegetarian.

Lemon Asparagus Rice

2006-05-12T18:22:00.000-04:00

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup diced yellow onion (1/2-inch dice)

1 1/2 cups long-grained white rice

3 cups water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lemon slice (1 inch thick)

1 teaspoon minced lemon zest

1 pound fresh asparagus

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion, and cook until the onion softens, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and toast the grains, stirring occasionally, until the rice begins to look opaque (bright white), about 4 minutes. Add the water, butter, lemon slice, and lemon zest, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice off the tough ends of the asparagus stalks and discard them. Cut the spears on a diagonal into 1-inch lengths. Fill a large non-reactive pot with a steamer rack with 1/2 inch water, place the pot over medium heat, and bring the water to a simmer. Add the asparagus, cover, and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked rice to a serving bowl and toss in the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Coconut Rice

2006-05-12T18:20:00.001-04:00

1 1/2 cups well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup long-grain white rice

In a small saucepan bring coconut milk, water, and salt to a boil and stir in rice. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer rice, covered, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let rice stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Ginger Rice

2006-05-12T18:20:00.000-04:00

1 cup basmati rice

2 cups water

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, halved, and smashed

6 green cardamom pods

Pinch kosher salt

Rinse the rice to get rid of excess starch. Put it into a heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid. Add the water, ginger, cardamom, and salt and give it a good stir. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook gently for about 15 minutes. You will see holes poking through the rice and most of the water should be absorbed. Let the rice stand off the heat, covered, for about 5 minutes. Remove the ginger and discard, fluff the rice and serve.

Tea Rice

2006-05-12T18:19:00.000-04:00

1 cup Japanese rice

3 teaspoons Earl Grey tea, ground in a blender or spice grinder until it is a powder

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper

Rinse the rice under running water until the water runs clear. Then put it in a small pot with one cup of water and let it soak for thirty minutes. Stir the rice well and turn on the flame to high. let the rice come to a boil and then stir well again turn flame down to the lowest flame possible cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and let cook for 11 minutes. Then move the rice off the heat and let sit, still covered, for five more minutes. Let the rice cool for 10 minutes then stir in the Earl Grey tea, and the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

SPANISH RICE WITH ZUCCHINI

2006-05-12T18:17:00.001-04:00

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This variation on Spanish rice is wonderful with spicy Southwestern dishes.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup basmati or other long-grain rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a 2-quart flameproof casserole or saucepan heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and add onion and garlic. Reduce heat to moderately low and cook onion mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes, or until softened. Increase heat to moderate and add rice. Cook rice, stirring, 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil, covered.

Bake rice, covered, in middle of oven about 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in zucchini and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6.

ROSEMARY RICE

2006-05-12T18:17:00.000-04:00

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups basmati-style long grain rice

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Melt the butter with the shallot in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Season with the salt and pepper and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated with the butter. Increase the heat to medium-high. Let the rice cook until toasted, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes more.

Stir in the broth, bay leaf, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook until all the broth has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and let set for 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary and bay leaf. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

MUSHROOM RICE

2006-05-12T18:16:00.000-04:00

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1/2 cup long-grain rice

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound mushrooms

2 scallions

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup dry white wine

In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan bring rice and water with salt to a boil. Stir rice once and cook, covered, over moderately low heat 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let rice stand, covered, 5 minutes.

While rice is cooking, cut mushrooms into 1/4-inch-thick slices and chop scallions. In a skillet heat butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté mushrooms with salt to taste until golden and any liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add wine and simmer, stirring occasionally, until wine is evaporated.

Fluff rice with a fork and stir in mushrooms and scallions.

Serves 2.

CURRIED RICE WITH CAULIFLOWER, BELL PEPPER, AND GREEN ONIONS

2006-05-12T18:15:00.000-04:00

“My grandmother was a reporter in New York before she got married and moved to Montana to start a new life on a ranch,” writes Joyce Litz of Albuquerque, New Mexico. “At the time she didn’t know how to cook, and learning wasn’t easy — the place didn’t even have running water. Still, she appreciated good food, so she persevered and became a great cook. Later my grandmother taught me ranch-style cooking, a lot of which involved getting simple but flavorful, hearty meals ready in a hurry.”

Serve with diced cucumber mixed into yogurt.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 cups small cauliflower florets

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice

2 cups water

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger, curry powder, and lemon peel; stir 30 seconds. Mix in cauliflower, bell pepper, and onions, then rice. Add 2 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in peas; season with pepper. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Coriander Rice

2006-05-12T18:06:00.000-04:00

This adaptation of a Persian dish is a perfect party recipe because it is so seductive — and it can be done ahead.

1 1/2 cups basmati rice

3 qt water

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, coarsely crushed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 (4- by 1-inch) strips fresh lemon zest

Rinse rice in several changes of cold water in a large bowl until water runs clear. Drain in a large sieve.

Bring 3 quarts water and salt to a boil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot, then add rice and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes from time water returns to boil. Drain parboiled rice in a sieve. Clean and dry pot.

Melt butter with coriander seeds and pepper in pot over low heat, stirring to combine, then sprinkle rice into pot, mounding it in center. Make 5 or 6 holes in rice to bottom of pot with round handle of a wooden spoon and sprinkle rice with zest. Cover pot with a kitchen towel and a heavy lid. Fold edges of towel up over lid (to keep towel from burning) and cook rice over low heat, undisturbed, until tender and a crust forms on bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice stand, tightly covered and undisturbed, 30 minutes.

Discard zest (or save for garnish) and spoon loose rice onto a platter. Season rice with salt, then break crust into pieces and scatter over rice.

Cooks’ note:

Rice can be parboiled and drained 4 hours ahead and transferred to a bowl. Keep, covered with a dampened paper towel, at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings.

Peanut Butter and Carob Doggie Cookies

2006-05-07T13:58:00.000-04:00

1/4 cup peanut butter (unsweetened)

1 egg

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

1 Tbsp fruit juice (apple, pear, orange, peach, etc.)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup brown rice flour or gluten-free flour mix (in place of the flour/arrowroot)

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup arrowroot powder

1 Tbps wheat-free baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup unsweetened carob chips (Never chocolate!)

Combine the dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and blend thoroughly. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet very slowly. The batter should look similar to regular chocolate chip cookie batter.

Expert Tip: Place the bowl of batter in the freezer for 10 minutes. It will make the spooning of the cookies on to the cookie sheet much easier.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Take about 1 tsp size drops and place them on a well-oiled cookie sheet. You can try rolling these in a ball in your hand and placing the ball of dough on the cookie sheet, gently pressing your thumb to slightly flatten the cookie.

Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes. These cookies should be moist and bite-sized, perfect for training or an after dinner treat. Store in an air-tight container.

YES!!!

2006-05-02T15:07:00.000-04:00

This made me *extremely* happy today! I’ve been a huge fan of Tabasco sauce for years. I have some fabulous recipes that I used to do with Tabasco from many moons ago that I would like to make again. However, I wasn’t sure if Tabasco was gluten-free. So I wrote the company to ask and here was the reply I received today.

Thank you for your interest in our TABASCO® and McIlhenny Farms® products. All of our products that contain vinegar as an ingredient, use high quality distilled vinegar. Distilled vinegar is produced by fermenting a grain based alcohol. The principal grains used to produce the alcohol are wheat and milo. Gluten and other proteins are completely removed during the alcohol fermentation and distillation process.

According to the definitions set forth by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint standards program of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States (FAO), the following TABASCO® Brand products are considered “Gluten Free”:

TABASCO® Brand Pepper Sauce

TABASCO® Brand Chipotle Pepper Sauce

TABASCO® Brand Habanero Pepper Sauce

TABASCO® Brand Garlic Pepper Sauce

TABASCO® Brand Green Pepper Sauce

TABASCO® Brand Garlic Basting Sauce

TABASCO® Brand New Orleans Style Sauce

TABASCO® Brand Caribbean Style Steak Sauce

These products were analyzed for Gluten by the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) at the University of Nebraska –Lincoln. FARRP was not able to find any detectable amounts of gluten in these products. If the McIlhenny Company can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to ask.

Red Curry Shrimp

2006-04-29T10:40:00.000-04:00

Feel free to make your own curry paste. It’s really easy and willl be worth the effort. Recipe to follow.

1 (14 oz.) can Coconut Milk (Regular or Lite), (divided)

1 1⁄2 Tbs. Red Curry Paste (see recipe below)

1 Tbs. brown sugar

2 kaffir lime leaves, minced (Or zest and juice of 1/2 lime)

1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 Tbs. fish sauce

1/4 cup basil, chopped

1/2 head cauliflower for rice

In a wok or heavy skillet heat half a can of the coconut milk. Stir in red curry paste and cook until well blended. Add the remaining coconut milk, brown sugar and kaffir lime leaves (or zest and juice) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp are orange-pink in color, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in fish sauce and chopped basil.

Meanwhile, shred the cauliflower and place in a microwave safe bowl. Add a few tabespoons of water and microwave covered for about 6 minutes. Serve shrimp over the “rice”

Red Curry Paste

6-8 dried red chilis

1 stalk Fresh lemon grass OR 1 ts Dried lemon grass

5 Garlic cloves, peeled

3 md Shallots, peeled or about 1/2 medium onion

1 ts Kaffir lime zest OR Lemon zest

1 ts Galanga, fresh or dried* (or use ginger if you can’t find galanga)

Directions

Cut the chili peppers into small pieces & soak them in a cup of cold water for 15 minutes. Separate the seeds & discard them.

Place the prepared chilies into a mortar or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients & blend well until a thick paste, like peanut butter is formed. If the ingredients are too dry, add a few drops of cold water. Put the curry paste in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

* If using dried galanga, soak in cold water for 15 minutes.

Makes 1/2 cup

Baked Cod in Orange Sauce

2006-04-29T10:34:00.000-04:00

4 (6 ounce) cod fish fillets

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tablespoon orange zest

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Arrange cod fillets on sheets of foil or heavy parchment papper

Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

Pour over cod, wrap the foil or paper edges tightly to form a seal and bake for 12-15 minutes until fish is opaque throughout.

Spoon orange sauce over fish and serve with vegetables or rice. Garnish with sprigs of thyme and orange slices, if desired.

Calculated for 1 serving (203g)

Recipe makes 4 servings

Calories 156

Calories from Fat 11

Total Fat 1.3g

Saturated Fat 0.3g

Polyunsat. Fat 0.4g

Monounsat. Fat 0.2g

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 73mg

Sodium 93mg

Potassium 775mg

Total Carbohydrate 3.8g

Dietary Fiber 0.3g

Sugars 2.6g

Protein 30.8g

Meatless Tacos

2006-04-28T17:22:00.000-04:00

1/4 cup lentils

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 8oz can tomato sauce (or 11oz gf salsa)

taco seasoning (GF)

8 oz tofu (firm) drained and finely chopped

8 100% corn taco shells, warmed

1/2 cup shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

RInse lentils, drain. In a medium sauce pan combine lentils, onion and a 1/2 cup water. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 30 or unti ltender and liquid is absorbed.

Stir in tomato sauce (or 8oz of the salsa) and seasoning mix into lentils. Simmer, uncoveredfor 5 minutes. Stir in tofu, heat through. Spoon into taco shells. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, more salsa and cheese if desired.

This could also be made with rice or cauliflower rice for those with soy allergies.

Spicy Basil Chicken

2006-04-27T03:24:00.000-04:00

This was one of the dishes from IAmGlutenFree‘s party this weekend that I still owe an entry about. This was superb. I’m changing the recipe up a little bit, but here’s the main rendition of it.

Spicy Basil Chicken

(Gai Pad Gra Pow)

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh Thai holy basil* (bai gra pow), or Thai sweet basil (bai horapa) leaves

1/2 to 1 cup fresh Thai sweet basil* (bai horapa)

2 to 3 Tbsp. oil

4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced

2 to 3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion)

1 lb. boneless chicken, chopped or cut into small bite-sized pieces

2 to 3 fresh jalapeno, cut into large slivers; or 4 to 8 Thai chilies (prik kee noo), minced or chopped

2 small kaffir lime leaves, very finely slivered (optional)

1 to 2 tsp. sweet black soy sauce

1 to 2 Tbsp. Thai Kitchen Premium Fish sauce (to taste)

1 Tbsp. Sugar

ground white pepper (a few dashes to taste)

Directions:

Clean and wash basil leaves. Fresh basil leaves should be left whole; the flowers may also be used. Pull off leaves and flowers and discard the stems.

In a wok add oil and heat until the surface is smoking hot. Add garlic and shallots. Sautee until fragrant. Add chicken. Stir-fry until browned.

Add chilies, kaffir lime leaves (optional) and dried holy basil leaves. Add black soy sauce and stir-fry for an additional 30 seconds. Season to taste with fish sauce and sugar. Stir-in fresh basil. Toss well. Stir-fry another half a minute or until the basil is wilted and the chicken cooked through. Sprinkle with white pepper. Stir and transfer to a serving dish or spoon over individual plates of cooked Thai Kitchen Select Harvest Jasmine Rice.

* Note: You can substitute you favorite basil if specified basil is difficult to find.

New link

2006-04-26T14:36:00.000-04:00

You’ll notice a new link in the Health section. It’s for the Pancreatitis Supporters’ Network in the UK. My good friend (and mother-in-law) Margaret suffers from this condition. Anyone with it can’t eat fat. So I’m hoping that by linking to them, people will submit some wonderful low-fat and no fat recipes for not just my wonderful mother-in-law, but for everyone who has this condition. C’mon folks… start submitting!! :D

So much food, so little time

2006-04-25T04:35:00.000-04:00

I’ve been BUSY this week!! I have so much to post about, recipes, wine, the party for IamGlutenFree that I helped out with on Saturday. There is so much going on. But the point of this particular entry is how I’ve been spending my mornings.

We have two pugs who now have gotten the idea that daylight=walks. That means I’m awake no later than 7:30. I work 11am to 7pm. How do I fill the time? I cook! I’ve started making our meals up in the morning, either by cooking them outright or like this morning - cooking and prepping another. Today I had 4lbs of chicken that I was going to use up. I was using part of it for Sweet and Sour Chicken, the rest was destined to be marinated later on for Lemon Mustard Chicken. I usually just throw the chicken in a ziplock bag to marinate later, but today I fugured, “You are already going to the effort of bagging it, do something with it!”. So I went ahead and got the marinade whipped up, and the veggies for the side dish prepped and stored. Then I shredded all the cauliflower so it’s all ready for the sweet and sour, as well as the Thai Beef and possibly the Spicy Basil Chicken later in the week. While that was cooking in the microwave, I got the chicken all ready and cooking. Now I’m just waiting for the chicken to cool so it can be packed away for lunch and dinner.

Not a bad use of my morning if you ask me. It got me up out of bed, something that is a feat even with coffee.

Grilled Shrimp in Lettuce Leaves with Serrano-Mint Sauce

2006-04-17T14:50:00.000-04:00

Big shout out to Rita for finding this recipe for me. I searched everywhere for it. She did this for our friend Liz’s baby shower and it totally rocked!

Grilled Shrimp in Lettuce Leaves with Serrano-Mint Sauce

1 pound large shrimp (about 36), peeled and deveined

3 tablespoons canola oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

12 leaves green curly leaf lettuce

Serrano-Mint Sauce, recipe follows

Chili oil, for drizzling, optional

Fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the grill to medium-high. In a large bowl, toss shrimp in oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp, or they will be tough and rubbery. Remove from the grill.

Place about 3 shrimp in each lettuce leaf. Drizzle with the Serrano-Mint Sauce and with a little chili oil, if desired. Sprinkle with a few cilantro leaves. Roll up the lettuce leaves, and eat immediately.

Serrano-Mint Sauce:

1 cup tightly packed mint leaves, plus more for garnish

2 serrano chiles, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

Salt

Place all ingredients, except for salt, in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Season, to taste.

Lemon Chicken Stirfry

2006-04-14T04:17:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine sent me this the other day. Now I’m not huge on stirfries. Especially chicken. I can cook all sorts of meals and use all sorts of techniques to cook, yet the hubmle stirfry eludes me. I’ve never been able to master the art of keeping the chicken moist. Mine always used to end up as these little grey lumps in the midst of the veggies. However, I’ve not tried a stir fry in a very long time, probably a good 8 or 9 years.

This recipe will hopefully change that.

I will be giving this a whirl tonight. Wish me luck.

Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry

Makes 4 servings

Lemon chicken most often appears as pieces of chicken battered,

deep-fried and topped with a thick, lemony sauce. While tasty, it’s

tricky for the home cook to get just right, plus the dish is laden

with calories.

By stir-frying strips of chicken and adding asparagus, then adding the

lemon sauce toward the end of cooking, this recipe becomes a true

one-pot—or one-wok—dish

* 1/4 cup lemon juice

* 2 tablespoons honey

* 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

* 1/2 teaspoon plus 2 teaspoons minced garlic

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger, plus 2 teaspoons minced ginger

* 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

* 2 teaspoons cornstarch

* 3 tablespoons canola oil

* Three 6- to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,

cut in 1/4-inch strips

* 1/2 pound thin asparagus spears, trimmed and cut in 2-inch

lengths

* 2 large carrots, peeled and cut in 2 x 1/4-inch strips

* 1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/4-inch slices

1. Stir the lemon juice and honey together in a small bowl to dissolve

the honey; stir in the lemon zest. Mash the 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

with the salt using the back of the tines of a fork to form a paste;

stir the paste into the lemon mixture along with the grated ginger.

Stir the chicken broth and cornstarch together in a separate small

bowl.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a wok over high heat; swirl

to coat the sides. Add 1 teaspoon of the remaining garlic and 1

teaspoon of the minced ginger to the wok and stir quickly. Add the

chicken; stir-fry until the chicken is no longer pink in the center

when cut with a knife, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the wok; swirl to coat

the sides. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and the remaining 1

teaspoon minced ginger; stir quickly. Add the asparagus, carrots, and

onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the lemon mixture and bring to a

boil. Boil, stirring often, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 2

to 3 minutes.

4. Add the reserved chicken. Stir the cornstarch mixture to blend;

pour into the wok. Bring to a boil; boil until thickened and clear,

about 1 minute. Serve with rice to soak up the lemon sauce.

Make Ahead: Have everything prepped and assembled in advance.

Recipe from The One-Dish Chicken Cookbook

http://mail.publicradio.org/site/R?i=-ZQcFZcaWB_NMNpCs7arxQ..

by Mary Ellen Evans. Published in 2006 by Broadway Books, a division

of Random House, Inc. © 2006 by Mary Ellen Evans.

Personal Chef

2006-04-12T13:39:00.000-04:00

I’m thinking seriously of doing some work as a personal chef on the side. I really do love to cook and enjoy the challenge of making foods gluten-free, plus I would love to help others that have been diagnosed to realise that they *can* eat real food. I remember the trials of first going gluten-free (as well as dairy-free, soy free, rice free and for a while sugar free) so I really can sympathise with people going through it. Here’s the ad I posted on Craigslist:

Gluten free personal chef available!

Got a party to cater? Looking for gluten free alternatives to your old favorites? Recently diagnosed with celiacs disease, and looking for a way to eat real food?

I am an experienced home cook and caterer. I have been gluten free, rice free, soy free, dairy free and egg white free for over a year, and still cook every night for my family and host parties for friends. I know the pain of celiacs disease and accidental gluten poisoning.

I can cook you fantastic tasting real meals. I can cater your dinner parties for you and your friends.

I can create you a meal plan and a grocery planner so you can eat healthily every night of the week with no guess work.

Kitchen cleansing also available ... I can make your kitchen a gluten free and safe environment. Avoid accidental gluten poisoning from cross contamination!

Example dishes:

Gluten free sweet and sour chicken!

Gluten free soy sauce!

Gluten free tomato ketchup!

Gluten free Firehouse chicken!

Gluten free lamb stew provincial!

Gluten free Thai beef lettuce wraps!

Gluten free spiced steak and chips . Great for the coming summer!

Gluten free chocolate chip brownies!

Murghi Badami

2006-04-09T08:28:00.000-04:00

MURGHI BADAMI

Murghi Badami is a richer version of Chicken Korma, where the chicken is cooked entirely in natural yogurt and single cream. No water is added to the chicken and the result is a thick and silky gravy with delightful taste.

SERVES 4-6 people

2.2LBS CHICKEN BREAST SKINNED

1 TSP SALT

1” ROOT GINGER CHOPPED & PEELED

3-4 CLOVES GARLIC CHOPPED & PEELED

1 TSP FRESH GROUD BLACK PEPPER

1TBS LEMON JUICE

275g/10 OZ THICK SET YOGURT

50grms / 2oz GHEE OR UN SALTED BUTTER

2 MED SIZED ONIONS FINELY SLICED

6 GREEN CARDOMON PODS SPLIT ON TOP

1 TBS GROUND CORIANDER

1 TSP GROUND TURMERIC

150/5FL.OZ SINGLE CREAM

¼-1/2 TSP. CHILLI POWDER

1 HEAPED TBSP GROUND ALMONDS

1 Cut chicken breast in half. Wash and dry. Make small incisions on both sides of chicken with sharp knife

2 Add salt to ginger and garlic and mash to a pulp. Mix with the pepper and lemon juice. Rub this mixture into the chiken, cover and keep aside for 1 hour.

3 Beat the yogurt until smooth and set aside.

4 Melt the ghee or butter over medium heat and fry the onions until well browned [ 10 to 12 mins]. Remove pan from heat and drain off excess fat by pressing onions on side of pan. Transfer the onions to a plate.

5 Return pan to the heat, add cardamom pods and coriander, stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the chicken until it changes colour [5 to 6 mins] stirring continuously.

6 Stir in the turmeric and yogurt and simmer,cover the pan and cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally

7 Reserve 2 tbs of the fried onions and add the rest to the chicken along with the cream and chilli pdr mix well. Cover and simmer for a further 15 to 20 mins. Stirring occasionally

8 Sprinkle the ground almonds and mix well, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 mins. Remove from heat

9 Put the chicken in a serving dish and garnish with the remaining fried onions

Serve with any Inian bread, Saffron or Pilau Rice

Taken from Complete Indian Cookbook by Mridula Baljekar.

Another lamb night

2006-04-09T08:17:00.000-04:00

Lately, I’ve been trying to do some stuff with lamb. I’ve never been a huge fan of it, but I know the DH loves it. It all boils down to being bored with chicken and beef. We eat a lot of both, as it’s the easiest to do stuff with. You can grill it, fry it, bake it, broil it and usually it’s all good. He’s not a big fish fan, and while I love fish like salmon and tuna, I’m not as keen on cod or other mild white fish so we tend not to eat a lot of fish. For me, shrimp belongs in a shrimp cocktail and little else. So finding new meats and new tastes are right now key to keeping me interested in cooking and not getting too down about having CD.

Which brings me to lamb.

I’ve been playing around with it a bit, starting with that French Provence lamb slow cooker dish I did a few weeks ago. It was really good, but I wanted to try something else. I found this minted lamb recipe and wanted to try it. Thursday night I pull the meat down from the freezer to have it ready for Friday. Friday night I’m all ready to cook it and guess what? It needs to marinate for at least four hours!! Now what? I look closely at the list of ingredients for the marinade. I could do a dry rub with part of it then the liquids could be made into a sauce and reduced a bit. Cool, let’s get started. Hmm. The 8 bits of lamb I thought I had? Try 4 big pieces. Oops. Ok, no biggie, two skillets should do the trick and just split the sauce between both. Except one of my skillets is steel and the other is hard anodized aluminum. It was a bit tense trying to watch both, as they were wanting to cook at different rates, and one was smoking (First time I set off the heat/smoke detector in a while.) and while all this is going on, I’m trying to roast up some carrots to go with it. As frantic as it all looked, it came together well. I can definitely see doing this again, and I’d probably do it the same way, except I’d get a chunk of bobneless lamb and cut it up.

Minted Lamb Chops

8 lamb rib chops with bone, cut 1” thick

1/4 cup snipped fresh mint

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons worth)

2 Tbsp cooking oil

2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 to 1 tsp bottled mince garlic or 1-2 cloves fresh

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1-2 Tbsp finely shreddded mint

Trim fat from chops. Place chops in resealable plastic bag or in a shallow dish. For the marinade place all the ingredients except the finely shredded mint into a bowl and mix. Pour over chops. Seal the bag, if using. Turn the chops to coat. Cover if in a dish. marinate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain chops, discarding the marinade. Place chops on a grill or in broiler 3-4 inches from the heat. Grill or broil til desired doneness, turning once halfway through cooking. Aloow 12 minutes or so for medium-rare and 15 or so for medium.

If using the skillet method, heat pan over medium high heat. Add a bit of oil. When the oils starts showing the first wisps of smoke, add the chops. Wait for several minutes, oil the side facing upwards, then flip, letting them sear. Cook until desired doneness.

Transfer chops to a serving platter and sprinkle with shredded mint.

italian bake chicken

2006-04-09T08:15:00.000-04:00

Tender Italian Baked Chicken

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“Flavorful and moist baked chicken.”

Original recipe yield: 4 servings.

Prep Time:

10 Minutes

Cook Time:

20 Minutes

Ready In:

30 Minutes

Servings:

4

INGREDIENTS:

* 3/4 cup mayonnaise

* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

* 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

* 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Dip chicken into the mayonnaise mixture, then into the bread crumbs to coat. Arrange coated chicken on a baking sheet.

3. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken juices run clear and coating is golden brown.

Iron Chef Pantry

2006-04-09T07:40:00.000-04:00

The other day we came home from work and needed to make some dinner. Now I hadn’t planned *anything* and most of the meat I had was still up in the freezer. The only thing down was mince (hamburger). I was going to use that for the Thai Beef, but we just did that for friends the night before, so I didn’t want to make it again. What should I do with it? I could’ve made hamburger patties out of it, but that had no appeal. I don’t have the makings for a meat loaf, and I really couldn’t think of much to do with it.

So what do you do?

I decided to just see what I had lying around the pantry. I found taco shells, so tacos was a thought The problem is, I *loved* tacos with lots of cheese and sour cream. I’ve never really been able to enjoy tacos since losing the ability to eat dairy. Just the meat and lettuce was never appealing. As a kid I used to scrape all the letuce and tomato off so there was more room for cheese and sour cream. I never cared much for guacamole in tacos either - just meat, cheese, sour cream and taco sauce. Having said all that, I decided to see if I could make tacos my own again, without the dairy. It would have to e something that really added to the flavour of the mince.

So I rummaged around in the pantry some more. I found some tomato sauce. Ok, that’s a start. A tin of kidney beans - cool. Hey, where did that jar of salsa come from?? Onions? Garlic? Wait - I have green onions in the fridge and a whole head of roasted garlic, let’s use them up instead. Spices - let’s see, cumin, chili powder, cardamom (just a pinch), a bit of cayenne, salt and pepper. That should work.

I started browning the beef, just like the old days of taco making. Turn on the oven to 350 for the shells to warm up. Now usually at this point I’d just open the packet of taco seasoning and finish up. Today though. I started adding the scallions and the whole head of roast garlic, then the jar of salsa and about half the tomato sauce. Inspriation struck and I pulled out some cilantro (coriander) and a lime. I juiced the lime and diced up some cilantro. Into the skillet with you. Ok, it’s getting close - pop the shells in the oven to warm up.

I have to say it turned out gorgeous. No dairy was needed at all. There was a lot of flavours and smells. I wanted to get some corn in there, but didn’t have any on hand. This was seriously one of those Iron Chef moments where you just go with what you have on hand and go for it. If I hadn’t had the salsa, no biggie - it just would’ve taken more tomato sauce, more onion and some red chili flakes to make up the difference. I can finally eat tacos again and enjoy it. The DH loved it and requested it be put in the food rota. To me, tat was the best complement of all.

Dinner plans

2006-04-04T20:01:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I’m “hosting” a dinner for seven. Our friend Liz just had her baby and we thought it’d be fun to get together and have some food. She wanted to try the Thai Beef in Lettuce, so I’m making a Thai night out of it. I’ve got the beef all ready and most of the stuff prepped. I still need to prep the “rice” and get a cucumber. The starter will be a Tom Yum (Hot and Sour ) soup. It should be really good. The base is sitting in the fridge now with the lemongrass and limes marinating away. I don’t have any chili paste, but opted to make my own. (Chilis, oil, salt. How can you go wrong? ) For dessert, I’m thinking something basic, like oranges in a simple syrup. There’s a great baked pineapple recipe I found, but that takes an hour!! Another time though, definitely.

At any rate, here’s the Tom Yum soup recipe. It’s from Thai Kitchen, but I’ve definitely strayed from this. It needed much more in the way of veggies and stuff like the “normal” soup I’m used to.

Tom Yum Hot & Sour Soup

12 oz. chicken, or cleaned shrimp, shelled and

deveined, or firm tofu, strained and cubed

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

3 pieces fresh lemongrass (tender bottom 2/3 inch of stalk only)

2-3 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

1” piece fresh galangal (Thai ginger) or Chinese ginger,

sliced and bruised

2 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili Paste

1 (15 oz.) can straw mushrooms, drained

Optional garnish: sprigs of fresh cilantro

Bone and skin the chicken; cut into large pieces. In a large pot, combine the stock, lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add roasted red chili paste and stir well to incorporate. Add the mushrooms and the chicken and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until chicken is cooked. (If using shrimp or tofu, simmer for an additional 10 minutes then add into soup. Cook until shrimp turns orange-pink in color or tofu is tender, about 1 to 2 minutes.) Remove lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal from soup before serving. Garnish with cilantro. Serves 4.

Egg Replacer

2006-03-31T06:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, after a long hiatus, I brought out my EnerG Egg Replacer to add to the Chebe rolls I was making. The box was not labeled that clearly on what you needed for 1 egg. It has egg whites and yolks but no egg. So here are the directions/equivalents for the egg replacer:

One Egg = 1 1/2 tsp Egg Replacer to 2 tbsp of water. To replace egg whites use the same amount as replacing the entire egg, so One Egg White=1 1/2 tsp Egg Replacer to 2 tbsp of water. To replace the egg yolk stir 1-1/2 tsp Egg Replacer into 1 tbsp of water.

I also found this, which I thought was hugely interesting:

What is a good substitute for eggs?

Ener-G Egg Replacer - follow directions on box.

2 tbsp corn starch = 1 egg

2 tbsp arrowroot flour = 1 egg

2 tbsp potato starch = 1 egg

1 heaping tbsp soy powder + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg

1 tbsp soy milk powder + 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg.

1 banana = 1 egg in cakes.

Btw, the Chebe rolls were fine in taste, but were white instead of the usual yellow colour it gets from the eggs.

Dinner with friends

2006-03-30T05:17:00.000-05:00

The rather blurry photos in the moblog entry below were from dinner last weekend where some friends cme over. These were friends I either haven’t cooked fo at all or have only done so on occasion, and I wanted to serve something really nice. I debated for most of the week, until Saturday when I decided I wanted to do my friend Dave’s Firehouse Chicken recipe. It’s chiken that’s been flattened and rolled with mushrooms, spinach and feta cheese, breaded, quick fried to brown it and then baked to melt the cheese. That is then topped with a port wine sauce. I knew someone was bringing a salad and another the veggies, so I didn’t need to do anything with those really, so we needed a dessert. I decided on the GF brownies that you see below. They were a hit, considering that plate was full and they were gone by the end of the night.

So here is the recipe for Dave’s Firehouse Chicken. Quantities can vary, so there isn’t much in the way of measurements, and that’s the beauty of this one. You can just play with it and and get creative. The port wine sauce can be done in several ways. You can do it a bit more savory and ad onions and mushrooms or like I did, which was a bit sweeter and add some sugar to it.

Dave’s Firehouse Chicken

4 bonesless skinless breasts of chicken, pounded to about 1/2” (1 cm) or so.

1 package of sliced baby bella mushrooms, or whatever your favorite mushrooms are

1 10 oz bag d pre-washed spinach

1 block goat/sheep Feta cheese (soy or rice cheese would probably work here, just bump up the spices used)

GF cornflake crumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper and whatever else you’d like

about 1/4 cup GF flour

enough oil to fill the bottom of a skillet for frying

1 egg or the equivalent egg substitute for 2 eggs

toothpicks (just in case)

smoked paprika (or just regular paprika)

salt

pepper

garlic powder (or onion, or whatever strikes your fancy at that moment)

Saute the mushrooms in a bit of oil until soft, add the spinach and wilt. While this is happening, grate the feta cheese into a bowl or a small plate. Once the spinach is wilted, place the mixture into a strainer to get rid of any water that may have been produced from the mushrooms or the spinach. Let sit until cool enough to handle.

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, paprik and whatever other seasoning you are using, and then place the cheese and the spinach mushroom mixture on the chicken. Roll the chicken tightly and secure with toothpicks if necessary. Roll up the others in the same fashion. Put them on a plate and refrigerate for about an hour. This will help firm them up so they don’t fall apart during the breading and the frying.

Start heating the oil for frying the chicken. Preheat the oven to 375. Dredge the chicken in the GF flour. Then dip the chicken in the egg wash, making sure to cover all sides. Roll in the seasoned cornflakes until coated, then place in heated oil and fry on all sides just til they look golden brown. Place on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melted and the chicken is cooked through.

Port Wine Sauce

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup port

salt

pepper

up to 1/4 cup of brown sugar (for the sweet version)

a couple Tablespoons chopped onions and mushrooms (for the savory version)

Heat up the chicken stock in a small saucepan. Add the port, salt, pepper and whatever remaining ingredients you are using. Bring to a boil and let reduce to about half. Serve over the chicken.

Vege-Sal

2006-03-29T02:56:00.000-05:00

I take back anything good I’ve ever said about this seasoning salt. I just realised I’ve been glutening myself fairly constantly for a while by using it. I never *once* noticed it had soy sauce in it. What on earth do you need SOY SAUCE for in a seasoning salt?! Anyway, I’ll make sure that it is vanquished from all recipes, but make a note - it’s NOT gluten free. I’ll be making my own for certain.

Moblog Entry

2006-03-25T13:19:00.001-05:00

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More gluten free goodness.

Moblog Entry

2006-03-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

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Do these look gluten free? There was a full plate.

Ole Mexico!! Last stop

2006-03-24T16:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, one last stop around the world. Mexico!! I love Mexican food. I miss Fajitas N Ritas. I love cheap margaritas and decent food to soak up the alcohol. So it was an amazing experience to be able to do this again.

Tonight was Chicken with Lime dressing, avocado mash, and a blackbean and corn salsa. All Gluten Free, all dairy, soy and other evil nasty for me free. Again I prepped most of this last night, so I could enjoy hanging out with my friend who came up with his cute little puggie. The lime dressing came together pretty easily with only one war wound. My DH stabbed himself on the ip of his pinkie with my Global knife. OW!! He was in charge of juicing the limes. I was a bit disappointed as these particular limes were not really giving up the juice. They were thick skinned as well. After 4 limes I got enough to juice to work with. I decided to marinate the chicken in most of the dressing overnight and leave just a bit for the avocado mash. The salsa was also done last night so the flavors had a chance to mix all together.

I made several modifications to the recipe. The first was the marinating. This called for 10 minutes. No way. Meat needs longer than that. The second was I actually forgot about the peppers and the lemon juice. The funny thing was, no one missed it in the least, including me. The avocado mash needed serious help. The avocados were at the perfect point of ripeness. They scooped right out of the shells and were pretty easy to mash all up. I put the rest of the dressing in, thinking we were all set. Nope - the recipe as it stood was bland. It was really missing something. I played around with it, adding salt, pepper and more lime juice (sweetened lime juice). In the end I got it, but I think a bit more cilantro would make it dazzle.

Oh yes, and the margaritas. :D Cocktails can be a bit of a challenge. Some people are fine with grain-based alcohol, others, despite the distillation, cant tolerate them at all. I do better with the potato vodkas than I do the grain based, for example. But then there’s tequila. White 100% blue agave tequila. Mix that with some Cointrea and Rosa’s lime juice. I’m a purist at heart so to me, that’s a margarita (unless you dd some awesome bitters or sour mix), but feel free to use Mr & Mrs T’s. It’s gluten free.

The dinner was really fabulous. The salsa was well blended in flavour, so that was no issue. Chicken was juicy and tender and the avocado really set everything off. I konw this sounds complicated, but honestly, it was a snap to throw together.

The chicken recipe came from the SBD cookbook and the salsa came from my WW’s Cook it Quick cookbook. Enjoy!

Chicken with Lime Dressing

For the dressing/marinade:

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (That took about 4 limes for me. YMMV)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp chopped scallions (green onion)

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you can use other oil)

1 tsp sugar substitute

1/2 tsp salt

For the chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2” thickness (I honestly didn’t bother - this just helps make it cook quicker)

2 medium avocados, peeled and pitted (I used 3 of the smaller black ones)

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp picante sauce

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

2 Tbsp gluten free flour (optional)

To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl.

If you are marinating for a while, put the chicken in a ziplock bag with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Let marinade for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours. Otherwise, place the chicken in a large glass dish with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocados with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Stir in the lemon juice and the picante sauce. Reserve the remaining dressing.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove to a large bowl and add the almonds, if using.

Remove the chicken from the dressing and if desired, pat dry and sprinkle both sides of the chicken with flour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes each side or until done. Place chicken on 4 serving plates and equally divide the pepper mixture, sprinkling over the chicken. Drizzle the reserved dressing over each serving. Serve with the mashed avocado.

Blackbean and Corn Salsa

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (or the equivalent of dried beans that have been soaked and cooked til tender)

1 (10 oz) box frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 tomato, coarsely chopped

1 red onion, thinly sliced (I personally caramelized the onion - I don’t like raw onion)

1 (11 oz) jar GF salsa (any of your favorites that are gluten free)

1/3 cup red wine vinegar (I would throttle back on this - it’s really a bit much. I ended up adding some Splenda to cut the tang)

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Combine everything and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Serve.

Recipe station

2006-03-24T16:01:00.001-05:00

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A high tech kitchen

Tonights dinner

2006-03-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

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Tonights bird

Awesome news

2006-03-24T04:04:00.000-05:00

This is such good news for celiacs who love their beer. Bard’s Tale is BACK!!!

I read about it on another site, and followed the link to a local news article about it.

Sorry, I should probably explain why I am so happy about this and what Bard’s Beer is. After I was diagnosed, one of the biggest adjustments for me wasn’t not eating bread, pastas, pastries or the like. It was BEER! I *love* beer. The worst was knowing I was going to the UK for a month and not being able to have a single pint while I was over there. (I’ve since learned several brands of GF beer over in the UK). But when I got back, I started to search in earnest for GF beer. It had to be out there, right? Well, yes and no. There was several, just not close. There’s a big production facility in Australia. A small brewer in New York somewhere. Then I found Bard’s Beer. This looked like a large production facility. I started doing some research. They only brewed with the 4 tenets of beer, grain (in this case sorghum), water, hops, and yeast (no barley - that has gluten in it). I managed to get a bottle from the local GF store. Someone gave her a couple of bottles to pass out to other people or to keep for herself. She opted to give them to other people. I was one of the lucky recipients. It was amazing. A little foamier than I was used to but the taste reminded me of an IPA. It’s definitely a lager, not an ale, but certainly drinkable and enjoyable.

The quest was on.

I searched for *months* and tried to get any of my local off-licenses to ask their distributor to start supplying this. No luck. I was starting to get discouraged, when again the woman in the gluten free shop came through. Someone was going to NY for a beer run and she told the person she knew someone who would be interested. I told her to give the person my number and I would happily pay them to bring me a couple of cases. And that’s exactl what happened. I received two cases. (It felt like some weird black market thing, I’m telling you.)

I was a bit disappointed this turn. The beer was *extremely* foamy and te person warned me they had several bottles explode in the basement. EEEK! The beer still tasted ok, but not quite the same as before. Probably because it was warm by the time I was able to pour a pint. Drinking out of the bottle was impossible. Too foamy and would overflow the bottle every time you tried. I still have a bunch of it left, but I don’t really drink it simply due to the foaming issue.

This catches us up. After looking at the news article, I looked at the brewery’s website. they explained, they pulled the beer shortly after I got my batch due to the quality issues (the excessive foaming). They stopped using the brewery faciliy they were contracted with because they were having sanitation issues that was causing the foaming/exploding issues. Ew. But they have since contracted with a HUGE brewery in California that can handle the production for all of the US. That means, starting in May, Bard’s Beer may just be available in every state, including here!! The link to the news article is here. Hurray for gluten free beer again!!

grumble

2006-03-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had it happen? You try to be so careful. You read he labels, research stuff to death, burn up your mobile minutes calling companies asking if they are gluten free and still something slides through? I have. It just happened it me.

I grew a bit complacent reading labels and didn’t read one as closely as I should have. The chili garlic paste I grabbed for the Nuoc Cham I thought was safe - I read the label - yet I’ve been showing all the signs of being glutened. I read the label *VERY* closely this time. There was rice vinegar in it and it contains wheat. How did I not see rice and wheat on the label??? It just goes to show you even a veteren slips from time to time.

I figure I’ll just wash the jar really well and then I’ll just make my own. But in the meantime I get to look forward to a couple of days ill.

Poo.

ooooo - major find!!

2006-03-22T18:22:00.000-05:00

I know this isn’t with the theme of the week, but I had to post this. It looks so deliciously evil and decandent I can’t resist.

VELVET CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH DORIS

Makes 1 eight-inch cake; serves 10 to 12

Created by New York City baker Doris Schecter, Owner, My Most Favorite Dessert Company, 120 West 45th Street ,New York, this flourless chocolate has a deep, rich flavor and a texture resembling that of cheesecake. For a taller cake, Doris suggests making 1 1/2 times this recipe.

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted margarine, cut into chunks, plus more for pan

1 pound semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon instant espresso or instant coffee

5 extra-large eggs, separated

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat an 8-by-3-inch round cake pan with margarine, and line bottom with a round of parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate with the margarine and instant espresso, stirring until smooth and glossy. Remove bowl from pan of water, and let mixture cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed to soft peaks. With machine running, slowly add granulated sugar, beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Stir about one-quarter of the whites into chocolate base to lighten it. Gently but thoroughly fold in remaining whites until thoroughly combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Place in a roasting pan, and pour hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Carefully transfer to oven, and bake until top of the cake is just set in the center, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then transfer to refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

5. Run a paring knife around edges of cake to release from pan, and unmold (if the cake doesn’t come out of pan, briefly dip bottom of cake pan in warm water; do not leave in water too long, or cake will melt). Invert cake onto serving platter, and dust top with confectioners’ sugar. Serve in very thin slices.

Next stop - Vietnam

2006-03-22T16:21:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was ready for a light meal. I knew we were doing the Lemon Chicken tonight. I had the chicken marinating last night and the nuoc cham made, all I had to do tonight was prep the salad and cook the chicken. The chicken was gorgeous! It was definitely high ranking in my favorites. There was such a play of flavors with the chicken, the lemon, and garlic with the sugar, the cilantro, lettuce and green onion, the spice and heat of the dipping sauce and the cleansing of the cucumber. YUM!! All of it practically danced in your mouth. The only thing I wasn’t keen on was the pea shoots. They tasted like grass to me. Maybe if they were blanched or something but in their straight out of the garden taste, they were not that nice for me. I’ll admit - I’m picky when it comes to stuff like sprouts or shoots. I really don’t like most of them because they taste of grass (at least raw). So next salad, those will definitely be omitted. The chicken recipe came from the 15 Minute low Carb Recipe book I have. They only marinate for a few minutes, but I just can’t do that. I love the intensity of the flavor (not to mention the tenderness) of meat that marinates for hours, even days. But if you don’t mind that, feel free to marinate on the spot. The salad recipe I found online somewhere (lost the bookmark to it unfortunately.) I made some variations. I diced the chicken up as it was better over the salad that way. Plus I added several dashes of red pepper to the nuoc cham. I wanted it to be spicy and have some bite to it. Feel free to leave that out if it’s too hot or too spicy.

Vietnamese Lemon Chicken

1 1/2 lbs (750g) boneless skinless chicken (your choice of white or dark - I used breasts as they were on sale)

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp lemon juice (I just used the juice of a whole lemon and the zest)

2 tsp garlic

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Slenda (or sugar if you prefer the carbed up version)

2 tsp fish sauce (nuoc mam) (i’ll admit - I used more)

1/2 tsp pepper

Oil

Nuoc Cham (see below)

If time permits, combine the everything save the oil and the nuoc cham and let marinate overnight. Also, if you can, make the nuoc cham the night before just to get the flavors blended together. If you are pressed for time, pound each piece of chicken until it is 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Put them on a plate.

Mix together the lemon, garlic, splenda, fish sauce and pepper aand pour the mixture evenly over the chicken. Turn the chicken so that all sides are coated. Heat 1 or 2 Tbsp oil in a heavy skillet and add the chicken. Saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, or until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, toss together the nuoc cham - see below, but this takes no time at all to put together.

In the last minute or so of cooking, pour the lemon juice mixture remaining on the plate into the skillet, turning the chicken once again to make sure it’s all coated. After a minute or so, remove from heat. Serve with a little pool or a bowl of the nuoc cham to dip the chicken in.

Nuoc Cham (Spicy dipping sauce)

2 Tbsp fish sauce (I was a bit liberal with this)

2 Tbsp lime juice (I just used a whole lime)

1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar and again, I was a bit generous with the pour)

3 Tbsp Splenda

1/2 tsp minced garlic or 1 clove, crushed

1 tsp chili garlic paste

several dashes red pepper (optional)

Simply mix everything in a small dish.

Vietnamese Green Salad

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar or white rice vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

¼ teaspoon superfine (caster) sugar (I used Splenda for this)

4 cups oak leaf lettuce leaves—washed, dried and roughly torn (I ended up using escarole, as it’s what they had at the store)

1 oz (30g) snow pea sprouts

1 scallion—thinly sliced on the diagonal

15 thinly sliced rounds of cucumber—cut in half

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves (I was generous with this and I’m glad I was. It’s a great flavor enhancer in this)

MIX together the fish sauce, vinegar and sugar in a bowl until well combined (or shake together in a screw-top jar). PLACE all remaining ingredients, except the dressing, in a salad bowl. POUR the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine just before serving.

Stop 3 - France (Provence)

2006-03-21T18:32:00.000-05:00

In this culinary trip around the globe, i decided that one needed to be done via the slow cooker. There really something to having your dinner ready the second you walk in the door, isn’t there? Last summer my low cooker (crock pot) got a major workout along with the grill. The problem I found though is that boneless, skinless chicken breasts really didn’t work for us. The meat was rubbery and never really held the flavor of the ingredients in there. Now beef, I’ve never had issues with. It’s only been chicken. Chicken with bone in/skin on does ok, but I still wasn’t a big fan of it. But being adventurous as always, I decided to give it a new lease on life.

I wanted to add some lamb to the rota. We’ve been eating a fair amount of lamb recently and I’ve really grown to like it. I found the perfect trial recipe for the slow cooker attempt - Lamb Stew Provencal from my 200 Low Carb Slow Cooker recipe book. The only thing in there that I wasn’t sure of was the fennel. I’d never had fennel before so I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not, but why not give it a go. This morning was the “dump and go” maneuver.

It was extremely tasty! The lamb fell off the bones, the veggies were all done and the sauce was thick enough that I didn’t even bother trying t thicken it more. The one thing I will say is that this is one of those stick to your rib stews, so I wouldn’t want it if I was in the mood for a light dinner or during the hottest part of summer. This is the perfect cold, rainy night meal. One note - make sure you know how big your crock pot is!! I only had 2.5 lbs (including bones) of meat and it *barely* fit. Feel free to adjust the recipe to your slow cooker

Lamb Stew Provencal

3 lbs (1.5 kg) lamb stew meat (I did bone in shoulder, but go for the cubed, deboned meat)

3 Tbsp (45 milliliters) olive oil

1 whole fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise

1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise

4 cloves of garlic, crushed (I did 6 and sliced)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried rosemary, whole needles

15 oz (425 grams) canned black soybeans, drained (I used a cup dried black beans due to the soy allergy. You can use canned beans if you want.)

1 cup beef broth (Again, I substituted chicken both (that’s what I had on hand) with a gf “beef” vegan bouillon cube and some red wine)

1 tsp chicken bouillon concentrate (this got left out - didn’t see the point since I was already using chicken broth and added a large bouillon cube already)

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried majoram

1/2 tsp dried savory

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Guar or xantham (if needed)

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a heavy skillet, heat the oil and brown the lamb on all sides over medium-high heat.

Place the fennel, onion, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker, Add bay leaf and rosemary. Dump the beans (whichever you are using) on top of that. When the lamb is browned, put it on top of the veggies.

Add the one cup broth to the pan to get all those nice browned lamb bits off the bottom. Transfer that to a bowl and stir in the bouillon, and the herbs. Pour the mixture over the lamb. Cover, set to low and let it cook for 8-9 hours.

When it’s done, (if needed) thicken the liquid to the texture of heavy cream with the guar or xantham.

Tomorrow we are setting off to Vietnam. I’ve already got the chicken marinating and the dipping sauce is all prepared. All I have to do tomorrow is cook the chicken and prep the salad. Man, when did I get so organised?

Stop two - China

2006-03-20T15:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight was probably one of my best meals ever. Tonight was chinese sweet and sour chicken. Again, the craving for takeout comfort was intense, so sweet and sour chicken seemed to fit the bill. But it was so funny. I was all organised to the point that all I had to do was dump everything in. I found this one off of Recipezaar, with my own modifications. I made sure to season the chicken with plenty of salt and pepper. I also added a bit more vinegar than recommended, and made sure to use cider vinegar. Also I de-glutened this by using cauliflower “rice”.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe #141131

YUMMMMM!

1/2 head cauliflower

1 Tbsp oil

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes (about 3/4 lbs.)

1 small green bell peppers, cut into strips

1 small red bell peppers, cut into strips

3 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce substitute

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 (8 oz) can chunk pineapple in juice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. For the rice, put the shredded cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Add a few tablespoons of water and microwave for 6 minutes or so.

2. Meanwhile, cook and stir chicken in hot oil in large skillet until brown. Add peppers; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Stir cornstarch and soy sauce in small bowl. Add soy sauce mixture, pineapple in juice, vinegar, sugar, ginger and garlic powder to skillet; bring to boil. Enjoy.

Trip around the world

2006-03-20T03:42:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I honestly can’t go on a trip around the world, but here lately I’ve been craving ethnic food something fierce… Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, and especially Ethiopian. Before going gluten-free, I used to have all of these on a regular basis, especially the Ethiopian. There was an awesome place in BackBay called Addis Red Sea which had the most incredible food. Lots of wonderful chicken, beef, lamb and vegetarian dishes, all perfectly spiced. A great Mexican place I used to go was Fajitas N Ritas. The food was good, but it had the best margaritas anywhere. The sour ones were superb. There were several nice Thai and Vietnamese places I used to frequent. I’ve missed all of that.

Until now.

I’m getting more and more away from the bland steak and chicken that I first started out making and have really started coming into some prety good food. I know when I was first diagnosed, I thought all I’d be able to eat was meat and veggies. I’ve since learned that meat and veggies aren’t so bad, and can be very versatile with the aid of spices.

But I digress.

My Ethiopian adventure is on hold for the moment, pending a trip to the spice store. There’s this awesome spice place in Lexington that my friends have raved about but I’ve yet to go into. I could just go to Whole Foods, but there’s something about *fresh* spices that appeals to me, especially for something like this. But this new food rota is full of ethnic food. I’ve got Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai. Have you ever had those days where you just crave take-away? The easy food for life on the run? I have. So this rota is just for that.

Last night (see below for pics) was Thai Beef in Lettuce wraps. I made my own soy sauce substitute, which was really good! It’s not as dark as the real thing, but has all the flavor, and little of the fat (no oil in it). That recipe can be found here. The only things I’d change in this is I would spice the beef up more. Not so much with more heat, but with more spice. Cumin and or chili powder would’ve suited this nicely. I also didn’t add the whole amount of chili flakes, since the DH isn’t that keen on hot foods. i just took the shaker with me and added for myself. For the rice in this dish, I used half a head of cauliflower shredded in the Cuisinart and then microwave it in a covered bowl (Ok, I used Saran wrap and a glass bowl. ) and microwave for 6-7 minutes. It makes a darn good rice substiture. The DH, who hates rice, liked this.

This recipe, btw, comes from 500 More Low Carb Recipes. Low carb tends to marry well with gluten free.

Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps

1 lbs (455 g) ground beef (Use ground round or sirloin if you can)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup (80 ml) chopped onions

1 clove garlic

1 medium yellow pepper diced (or whatever colour you have on hand)

1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice

2 tsp chopped fresh mint

1 tsp gluten free beef bouillon granules (I actually use a vegan “beef” one that is wonderful)

1/2 head cauliflower, shredded

1 Tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla)

2 tsp soy sauce substitute

1/2 cup (60 g) chopped peanuts (OPTIONAL)

1/2 cucumber, diced small

16 lettuce leaves (I’d recommend either Romaine or Butter lettuce over iceberg)

In a big skillet, break up and brown the beek with the pepper flakes (I’d also recommend cumin and/or a pinch of chili powder, salt or seasoning salt and pepper. A pinch of coriander would work nicely too).

When the beef is browned, tilt the pan and spoon off any fat that’s accumulated (with round and sirloin, there’s barely any). Stir in the onion, garlic, pepper, lemon juice, mint and beef bouillon granules. Stir until bouillon dissolves. Turn burner on low and let the whole thing simmer.

Now you can start on the “rice”. Put the shredded cauliflower in a microwavable casserole dish with a lid (or do the “ghetto” method of a glass bowl and Saran Wrap or wax paper) add a couple of tablespoons of water, and microwave for 6-7 minutes on high.

By the time the “rice” is done, the peppers in onions should be tender. Drain the “rice” and stir into the beef mixture. Stir in fish sauce and soy sauce substitute too.

Put your peanuts if using and cucumber in small dishes. Arrange 4 good sized lettuce leaves on each of four plates and spoon a mound of the meat mixture next to them. To eat, spoon some of the meat mixture into a lettuce leaf and sprinkle with peanuts and cucumber. Wrap in the lettuce and eat as you would a burrito.

Moblog Entry

2006-03-19T14:26:00.001-05:00

This entry was posted via email.

Moblog Entry

2006-03-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

This entry was posted via email.

Moblog Entry

2006-02-25T12:03:00.000-05:00

This photo was posted from my cell phone.

Guess what these are?

If you guessed gluten-free doggie cookies, you guessed correctly.

Play time!

2006-02-24T20:26:00.000-05:00

The photo below was me playing “Iron Chef” tonight. The “secret” ingredient? Blood oranges! These were beautiful too. Gorgeous orange and red on the outside and almost red wine/burgandy on the inside. And suprisingly sweeter than usual.

I decided tonight was a play night. No recipe, no planning, just what’s in the fridge that I can do something with involving blood oranges and chicken (that’s what I had thawed). I decided to zest the orange, then slice it into thin slices. The chicken was salted and peppered, then had hte zest rubbed on it. From there, a couple of sprigs of rosemary and 2 cloves of garlic made it in. I wrapped the chicken in little foil pouches and stuck them in the oven at 375 for about a half hour or so.

Then I decided to make a simple Cointreau sauce. I started with some sugar and let it melt in a saucepan, followed by another blood orange with zest, salt, pepper, and cointreau with a bit of cornstarch dissolved in it.

For veg, as you can see I blanched the asparagus. I let it go a bit longer than I normally do, so it was tender crisp rather than really crisp.

I thought it turned out extremely well. The DH liked it, but the cointreau was a bit too much for him. I’m now thinking up a combination involving some apples for the next try.

Moblog Entry

2006-02-24T20:24:00.000-05:00

This photo was posted from my cell phone.

Pastry adventure

2006-02-20T16:59:00.000-05:00

Having gone gluten-free, there are several things that I occasionally miss: bread and roasted garlic as a meal, spaghetti and other pastas, Cornish pasties. The bread I’ve worked out and I can’t say I really miss pasta all that much but the Cornish pasty has been a big one. Those wonderful stuffed pastries with meat, potatoes, or cheese and onions, or veggies and mushrooms or whatever happens to strike your fancy. They used to be sent with miners and farmers in lunch boxes as a hearty, satisfying meal. And they are, believe me.

In the days BGF (before gluten free) I used to make them frequently. I would double the recipe and eat them for lunch most of the week. I loved steak and potato, but would occasionally try chicken or something else. I used to pack them as full as possible. Given that gluten in regular pastry dough makes it extremely springy, I could easily pack these things to bursting and they wouldn’t split. Since going GF I basically kissed these marvelous creations goodbye.

Until tonight.

I decided I would atempt a gluten free pastry dough. Now bear in mind, with my rice allergy, rice flour is out of the question. I’ve read several ideas for pastry on various sites, so I figured it wouldn’t be that difficult.

That was a bit of an error in judgement.

I tried making the pastry according to the various directions on the sites I’ve seen and in the actual recipe itself. I couldn’t get the dough to hold on a bet. I know there shouldn’t be a lot of water in pastry dough, but there was no way it was going to hold without it, even with refrigeration. Or would it? I decided to chuck all convention out the window and try it my own way. What can act as binders? Hmmm… Xantham gum, Guar gum… EGG!! That should do nicely. So I set to work after the first not-so-great attempt. I knew I was close, but just not yet there. This time the dough was great. It was a bit sticky, but was holding nicely. While I could’ve/should’ve refrigerated, I decided to delve right in and start rolling it out. I tried the one tip I found online to roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper, eliminating both the need for additional flour and the messy pastry roller. Then I cut them round using a bowl (my salad plates are too big for the job now, but if you have saucers that would do the job nicely) and tried stuffing them. The first one was over stuffed. I quickly learned that gluten free dough is extremely delicate. It takes some patience and a bit of a delicate touch to fill these rounds. And trying to patch the dough does work, but again it takes a very gentle touch to adhere the scraps and not break the dough any further. I had enough dough for 5 pasties.

The filling today was beef, potato, onion, fresh parsley, freshly grated horseradish, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, freshly made stock from the batch I made earlier today, and some red wine. These turned out perfect! I was amazed. My DH, the resident Brit, was extremely happy with them and said they tasted like he remembered them tasting, so that was high praise indeed.

So here’s the recipe I adapted from my English Cooking cookbook.. I hope you give it a try, as it’s definitely worth the extra bit of effort. (They are also awesome cold the next day for lunch)

Gluten Free Cornish Pasties

For the pastry:

2 1/2 cups GF flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF All-purpose flour as I’m about out of my homemade blend)

1 tsp ground mustard seeds (this is a must)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Guar gum

2 tsp Xantham gum

4 Tbsp crisco butter flavoured shortening

5 Tbsp dairy free margarine (or you could use all shortening so long as it equals 9 Tbsp or 120g)

1 egg

water

For the filling. This is a more traditional recipe, but feel free to use whatever you like:

250g (or about 8 oz) steak, finely chopped

3 small old potatoes peeled and finely chopped

1 medium (or 1/2 large) onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (minus the big stems)

1/4 cup beef or chicken stock (or a combo of stock and wine, which I prefer)

pepper and salt to taste

1 tsp English mustard (I prefer Dijon, but stone ground, brown or even yellow would work)

1 tsp grated horseradish (I used to use prepared horseradish but have yet to find it here. I just bought a root and grated it myself)

beaten egg for glazing/sealing

Preheat oven to 210 C/425 F (gas mark 6 or so). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

Place flour, xantham gum, guar gum, baking soda and mustard in food process or stand mixer (I prefer my mixer, but this can easily be done by hand mixer, pastry cutter or by hand) and add shortening and margarine. Process or mix til mixture is fine and crumbly. Add egg and mix until it starts coming together. Add lukewarm water until it starts to ball up. Take out of food processor or out of the mixing bowl and give it a few good kneads to make sure it’s a good consistency and isn’t too sticky. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour to an hour if possible.

In the meantime, mix up all the ingredients for the filling. Make sure that the filling is well coated with the horseradish, mustard and the liquid.

Roll pastry between two pieces of waxpaper to about 3mm thickness (about an 1/4” or so). Make the dough circular by using a bowl or a saucer. It should be about 16 cm (or about 6”) in diameter. Place some of the filling int the middle of the circle. You end up leaving about 1 1/2” to the edge of the circle. Brush some of the beaten egg around the exposed edges of the circle. Gently bring the sides together to form a half circle with the seam facing up. Pich the edges to form little frills if desired. Otherwise, just make sure it’s sealed. Move to the baking sheet and brush with more of the egg wash. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Place in oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180 C/ 350 F (gas mark 4) and bake another 20 minutes or until golden brown and yummy.

In honour of Valentine’s Day

2006-02-11T10:19:00.000-05:00

I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of this holiday, but it is the perfect excuse to indulge in chocolate. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s a dear friend’s birthday today. So I’ve decided that he needs a cake. Of course, I can’t do regular cakes, but I found this wonderful chocolate flourless cake recipe. I’ve made it before, and it was *gorgeous*. The fresh raspberry sauce was a must and really set the cake off wonderfully. Though the first time I made it, I didn’t actually let it set up in the fridge, but instead served it warm. While it was good, it really does need the time to chill and set up. Because of the dairy issue, I use corn oil margarine in this, but if you can use butter, by all means, do!! I also don’t use the cream of tartar, but just plain old baking powder. Good chocolate is a must in this.

After the cake, I think I’ll make some chocolate dipped strawberries for the weekend. MMMMMMMMM!

Flourless chocolate cake with fresh raspberry sauce

For the cake:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (semi-sweet will work, but make sure it’s good quality chocolate)

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 large eggs (separated)

2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 tsp or so of baking powder)

1 tablespoon cooking oil or cooking spray, for greasing pan

2 tablespoons gluten free flour, for dusting pan

For the raspberry sauce:

1/2 pt. raspberries

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F. Oil and flour a 9” springform cake round. Cut a piece of wax paper or parchment to fit inside the bottom of the pan, place the paper in the bottom of the pan.

In a double-boiler on gentle heat, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a clean mixing bowl (make sure there is no oil residue on the bowl or mixer attachments) beat the egg whites until they become cloudy and frothy; about 30 seconds. Continue beating while adding the brown sugar and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peaks form- be careful not to overbeat- this is most important!

If the eggs curdle, throw them away and start over with new egg whites, seriously.

Whisk the egg yolks and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture in a large mixing bowl. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate (start by folding in about 1/3rd of the whites, then gently fold in the remaining whites), the mixture should end up fluffy and light. Pour into the prepared pan.

Wrap the bottom of the pan with foil and place the pan in a deep cooking sheet with about 1/2 to 1 inch of water in it. Bake the cake for about 60-70 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for about an hour.

Gently run a knife around the edge of the pan, and then carefully invert the cake onto a flat plate or other surface. Remove the paper from the bottom (now the top) of the cake. Invert again onto the final plate for displaying the cake. The cake can be eaten right away but it may fall slightly when it is cut- for best results, it should be refrigerated for at least 6 hours before serving.

Right before serving the cake, make the raspberry sauce by combining all ingredients and bringing them to a boil. Strain and cool the sauce. Garnish the cake with fresh raspberries and serve with the sauce.

GF/DF Chocolate Chip cookies

2006-01-15T17:01:00.000-05:00

I posted this on Celiac.com a bit ago, but just got around to posting this here. It’s actually a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, with a verification with Nestle’s Tollhouse cookies. They worked out really well. I might try refrigerating the dough for about an hour just to see if I get even better results. The first batch I did were just like I remember homemade chocolate chip cookies. The second batch were very flat and ran. They were almost crepe like, but I honestly think I forgot to add the rest of the flour in. But at any rate, here’s the recipe:

2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour (add more if the dough is a bit runny)

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened (I used dairy-free Fleischmanns, as it’s all corn oil)

3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs (or egg replacement) (room temperature)

2 cups (12-ounce package) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, or any dairy free morsels (I used Ghirardelli’s bittersweet and they were fantastic.)

1 cup chopped nuts (OPTIONAL!!)

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts if you are using them. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Stuffed on salad

2006-01-15T16:39:00.000-05:00

I managed to absolutely gorge myself on salad tonight. Not just any salad, you ssee. I’m not what you would call a “salad lover”. To me, salad is the stuff I feed my rabbits every night. While it’s great for them, not so much for humans. But I saw one on TV that totally changed my mind. I saw it on the Food Netowrk and totally had to try it, even with the Feta cheese. Being dairy-free is a challenge, since I *love* cheese. I adore most cheese, and Feta is no exception. The last dairy I had was the cup of milk in the pancakes (so about half a cup as the pancakes were split between me and the DH.) and it made me bloated and extremely ill for a couple of hours. Would 1/4 cup of Feta in a whole salad do the same thing?

Now the amusing part of all this is that it’s FREEZING outside. Normally this is the weather that just begs for soups, stews or other hearty comfort foods. But for some odd reason I had my heart set on making this salad tonight. So I started marinating the chicken and prepped most of the salad. The red onion I had was way too pungent, so I caramelized it. I thought about roasting some veggies, but didn’t really feel in the mood for it. What’s the best complement to a salad. Slices of crusty bread. Or, in my case, Chebe rolls with rosemary. I was a little worried, as I know how many strong flavors there would be in this salad. The chicken was marinating in an oregano marinade, there was a “greek” dressing I was making with more oregano and garlic, and of course the Feta cheese and kalamata olives. I kept some additional chicken on stand-by in case the DH didn’t like it.

I needn’t have worried.

He devoured it. Absolutely loved it. He was saying how when summer comes around he’d love to see this in our rotation, or when we have people over, make a huge bowl of this. He’s just as stuffed on the salad as I am.

Heres the recipe from Food Network. It’s from Good Deal with Dave Lieberman. If you can’t tolerate dairy, feel free to leave the cheese off entirely or try a dairy cheese substitute, if you desire.

Greek Salad with Oregano Marinated Chicken

For the chicken:

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

A couple good pinches salt

10 grinds black pepper

4 (6 to 7-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the dressing:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 lemon, juiced

2 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of your chef’s knife

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 pinches salt

10 to 15 grinds black pepper

For the salad:

2 to 3 hearts romaine lettuce

1 English cucumber, peeled, cut in 1/2 lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch chunks

3 vine-ripened tomatoes (about 3/4-pound), cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

To marinate the chicken: In a non-reactive dish, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix together. Add the chicken breasts to the dish and rub both sides in the mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

To make the dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a resealable container and shake vigorously. Refrigerate until ready to serve, and then bring to room temperature before tossing salad.

Assemble the salad: cut off any dark tips and the bitter white bottoms from the romaine leaves. Cut the lettuce into 1-inch strips and place in a bowl that is large enough to hold all the salad ingredients comfortably. Scatter cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and feta over the top. You can prepare the salad up to a few hours in advance. Cover it with a moist paper towel and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.

To cook the chicken: Heat a nonstick skillet or grill pan over high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning once, until well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Let the chicken rest on a cutting board for a few minutes before slicing it into thin strips.

Give the dressing a good shake and pour it into a nice little serving bowl, using the lid to strain out the garlic.

Toss salad just before serving and fan chicken out on top.

Lemon Mustard Chicken

2006-01-08T07:49:00.000-05:00

Except for the chicken, the rest of this isn’t really measured, so these are my best guesses. I just chuck a bunch of the stuff together until it “looks right”

2 1/2 to 3 lbs. boneless, skinless, meaty chicken pieces (I prefer thighs, but breasts work well)

2 Tbsp cooking oil or Olive oil

1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning

1 1/2 tsp oregano, basil or italian seasoning, crushed

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I go a bit easy on this)

For better results, marinade the chicken at least 10 minutes in the sauce. If you have the time, marinade longer, up to overnight. If you are REALLY short on time, follow the broiling instructions.

Preheat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Place chicken in skillet. Cover and cook about 5-7 minutes each side or until chicken pieces are done. Serve.

If you are broiling. place chicken in the broiler, about 4 inches from the heat. Broil for about 3 minutes then turn. Use the sauce as a glaze and brush ckicken with it. Broil for another couple minutes then turn and brush again. Give it a few more minutes then check for doneness. When done, serve, brushing chicken with any remaining marinade.

Garlicky steak

2006-01-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8-12 minutes for the beef, or until desired doneness and 5 minutes for the sauce.

2 boneless beef top sirloin steaks, or any preferred cut that about 3/4” thick and about 1.5 to 1.75 lbs

1 to 2 tsp bottled minced garlic (around 2-4 cloves)

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil (or garlic-infused olive oil if you have it)

1 cup beef broth (I use these vegan GF cubes thaat are awesome)

2 tbsp wine

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

These can be done either in a broiler or in a skillet. I usually use the skillet method

Preheat broiler or start heating a skillet with the oil on low-medium heat. Trim fat from steaks. For rub, in a small bowl combine garlic pepper and salt. Sprinkle mixture evenly over both sides of each steak. Rub in with your fingers.

For sauce, in a pan combine beef broth and wine. Cook over high heat for 4-5 minutes or until mixture is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Whisk in mustard. Cover sauce and keep on low heat to keep warm.

Place steaks n the unheated rack of a broiler pan Broil 3-4 inches from the heat until desired doneness, turning once halfway through broiling.

-OR-

Place steaks in heated skillet. After a minute or two, start raising the heat of the skillet. Allow 8-10 minues or so for medium rare, more time for more doneness.

Cut steaks into 4 roughly equal servings if needed. Spoon sauce onto 4 dnner plates. Top with steak

I tend to serve this with roasted, blanched or sauted asparagus. The flavor pairing is incredible.

Oven Roasted Beets with Garlic

2006-01-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

4 large, fresh beets (2 1/2” diameter, trimmed, peeled and quartered (canned will not work for this, they have to be fresh beets)

6-8 cloves of garlic, quartered

1 Tbsp minced thyme (or the equivalent dried)

2 teaspoons Olive oil

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp orange juice (fresh if you can)

2 Tbsp water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When you handle the beets, I would recommend using vinyl gloves or those disposable deli-type gloves so the beet juice doesn’t stain your hands. In a glass baking pan or casserole dish, combine the beets, garlic, hlf of the thyme and the oil.

In a small bowl, comine the orange juice and the water. Pour over the beets. Cover with foil and roast until tender 45-50 minutes. Remove the foil and roast 10 minutes longer. Serve, sprinkled with the remaining thyme.

Early Shrove Tuesday

2006-01-07T06:45:00.000-05:00

You ever have one of those mornings where you just want something different? For whatever reason, you just suddenly miss something? I had one of those mornings this morning. I got thinking about when Paul first moved to the US. He had a cute fully furnished place that was perfect for a bachelor. The kitchen was small but serviceable and whenever I would stay over on the weekends, we’d take turns cooking breakfast. He’d make bacon sandwiches and I would get up and make pancakes. They were on the smaller size, but always fluffy, golden and smothered in butter and syrup.

And this morning I wanted them!!

I decided I wanted a change from the usual brekfast and at first thought about a fritatta, but that just wasn’t doing it for me. Then I thought bout the pancakes. With that bit of reckless flair, off I went to the pantry to see if it could be done. I have gluten-free flour of course. I have baking powder, sugar eggs… did I have syrup? After a fair bit of rummaging I found it at the back of a shelf, a nearly a full bottle of that wonderfully brown sticky sweet stuff was there. It’s pure maple syrup, so I know there would be no gluten issues with it. So yes, in theory it could be done. Off I went to get my old recipe out. The way I saw it was if I couldn’t get this, I could always have the usual breakfast. My only concern was the milk that needed to go in. I’m always a bit leery of dairy since it usually makes be bloated and ill. But it was worth a try.

At first, using the recipe portions the batter was a bit runny,, very bubbly and had little structure to it. When I poured it into my skillet, you could see the bubbles bursting and see the bottom of the skillet. They didn’t rise and were honestly more like crepes than pancakes. But they tasted ok. So I tried adding more flour and some of the Bob’s Red Mill GF flour mix. It thickened the batter up quite nicely. Suddenly I was getting real pancakes. They weren’t as fluffy as they used to be, but they did fluff some. They also cooked *much* quicker. In very short order I had a big stack of golden pancakes.

They were wonderful. Airy and moist, with lots of corn oil butter and syrup - YUM!!! They disappeared very quickly. Paul had to finish mine, as they were also incredibly filling. And he best bit? No issue with the dairy.

I can’t tell you how happy it made me to make something I haven’t made in years. I just need to make sure that I add more flour or less liquid.

Fluffy Pancakes

1 to 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder (That’s not a typo - honest)
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp oil

In one bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and oil. Add the wet stuff to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Heat an oiled griddle (or a non-stick skillet if you have it) and pour in the batter, about a 1/4 cup (50 mL) at a time. Allow the pancake to cook on one side for a minute or two. When you can get a spatula under it and it’s nice and golden, flip it over. Let cook for another minute or two.

Makes roughly 10-12 pancakes.

A suprise party pleaser

2005-12-27T16:26:00.000-05:00

The Wednesday before Christmas, we decided to host dinner and a small gift exchange with some of our dearest friends. We opted for our place since I’ve got the GF kitchen. I appreciate when my friends try to cook for me, and I’m trying to show them that GF doesn’t have to mean boring. Especially now that I’ve worked this out that I can have a lot of fun with food. I’ve been discovering the joy of roast vegetables, including butternut squash, beets, onions and cauliflower. I decided to make Chicken Florentine with roasted butternut squash. Now, me being me, I have this perpetual fear of not having enough food. That’s how I ended up with an 18 lbs turkey for Thanksgiving when we were just having 3 people one day and a 6 the next. But I digress. I started looking at the two squashes I had peeled and chopped, and started thinking “Will this be enough food?” Bear in mind, I was already stressing as I discovered the chicken breasts weren’t thawed and I only had 11 thighs for 6 people. So I checked the fridge for what else I had. I put another tray in consisting of carrots and onions. That way I was sure we would have enough food. Hopefully.

The chicken was being stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, and bacon in a thyme sauce. The veggies were roasted with just olive oil, salt and pepper. And everyone loved it. The veggies were a huge hit as well as the chicken. My recipe for roasting veggies is simple. Heat oven 425F, put them in for at least 30 minutes, then turn the oven off and let them sit in the oven until serving. That makes them perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. But here’s the recipe for the Chicken Florentine. It’s from the Weight Watchers Cook it Quick, and it’s fast, GF, and extremely tasty. This is my take on it as I hardly ever have ham in the house as called for in the original recipe. I substitute it with portobella mushrooms, to get the same meaty texture. Today I added the bacon as well that I had leftover from a roast chicken. And while I suppose you could use frozen spinach, I’ve never tried. I always use the fresh stuff. It holds up well.

Chicken Breast Florentine

1 (10 oz) bag triple-washed spinach, rinsed (do not dry)

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced (or more if you like garlic)

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

8 oz portobella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 tsp thyme

4 tsp olive oil

4 (1/4 lbs) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)

salt to taste

lemon to taste

Heat a nonstick skillet with a bit of oil. Put the mushrooms in, salt them lightly, and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet. Add the spinach, garlic and pepper. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the spinach wilts. Let the mixture cool and squeeze out the excess moisture. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of thyme in and mix.

Cut a long thin pocket into the chicken breast. Stuff the spinach mixture into the pockets, then press the edges shut and seal closed with a toothpick. If using boneless skinless thighs, open the thigh up, spread the mixture out, roll it up and pin with two toothpicks.

Heat the oil in the skillet, then add the chicken breasts and brown, turning once or twice. Add the wine, salt and rest of thyme. Recude heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Top with any pan juices and serve.

Christmas in the kitchen

2005-12-27T16:16:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, my new in-laws got me the rotisserie I’ve been coveting for some time. I also got a glorious Global Santoku knife. The rotisserie goes wonderfully with my Kitchen Aid Mixer and Cuisinart 14 cup foood processor I got as other gifts. These are my much loved kitchen gadgets. I know this rotisserie will be a much loved addition in my kitchen. I know my knife has already.

Tis the season

2005-12-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

Here we are on Christmas Eve. In the past, Christmas meant baking. It just never seemed liked Christmas unless there was at the barest minimum a huge pile of chocolate chip cookies. I also remember doing my mom’s black-bottom cupcakes, ginger snaps, and such. Last year was my first stab at a Christmas cake which went over really well. Paul loved it, as did his parents.

This year, though, with the diagnosis of celiac’s, I hadn’t really been brave enough to start baking. I did the initial “grilled meat and carrots” and that was about it, but I’ve been trying to get more adventurous with food. Baking was just another one of those experiments. Basically I went into it with the reckless abandon of “Even if it all sucks, at least I tried.” I found a new gluten-free all;-purpose flour blend. It’s called Bette’s Gourmet Four Flour Blend and it’s corn starch, tapioca flour, garfava flour and sorghum flour. It’s not as “beany” as the Bob’s Red Mill. I decided to try gingerbread cookies (rounds, not the people. I don’t have cookie cutters) and chocolate chip cookies. I found some Ghiradeli’s dark chocolate chips, so I didn’t have to worry about dairy. My only concern was using the lactose free corn oil margarine. I know corn oil tends to make baked goods soft. But again, I just figured “Give it a stab and see what happens.” Would I be bragging to say that the cookies turned out fabulous?? The GF gingerbread cookies were spicy and soft. I did end up icing them with some royal icing. The chocolate chip cookies warm tasted a bit beany, but after they cooled a bit the taste really mellowed and were really lovely. It was so easy to forget they were gluten free. It definitely felt like Christmas after some baked good action.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread cookies with Royal Icing.

1 stick lactose-free, corn oil margarine (room temperature)

2 1/2 c GF flour of your choice

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c unsulphured molasses

1 egg (room temperature)

1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

Royal Icing (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F

In a mixing bowl (or with an electric mixer) beat the margarine until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in about half the flour and all the other ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add the remaining flour.

Drop in rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. (I personally used parchment so they wouldn’t stick). Bake for about 6-8 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. If you wish to ice, go on to the next step. If not, enjoy as is.

Royal Icing

1 c powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

milk, orange juice or milk substitute

Mix powdered sugar and the vanilla. Mix in liquid 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle icing onto cooled cookies.

Dancing Mushrooms

2005-11-14T19:47:00.000-05:00

2Tbsp olive oil or cooking oil

3 shallots, cut into thin wedges (chopped onion works well here. Think 1/4 cup or so)

1 1/2 t bottled minced garlic (or 3 cloves fresh)

8 cups fresh oyster, crimini or button mushrooms (I use portobella, but feel free to use your favorites)

1/4 cup snipped fresh mixed herbs (such as tarragon, rosemary, basil oregao, and/or parsley) or the equivalent dried herbs

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots/onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in herbs, salt and pepper.

This is a reat side dish to almost any beef recipe, but I tend to have it ith the Beef tenederloins in wine sauce, as with the potobellas, it’s an intense dish.

Beef Tenderloins with Wine Sauce

2005-11-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes for the meat, another 2-5 minutes for the sauce.

4 beef tenderloins, cut 1 inch thick (about a pound total)

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper (more if you like spicy)

1 Tbsp butter or margarine (or any oil)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup beef broth (I use GF vegan “beef” bouillion in this and it’s great)

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp dried majoram, crushed

Trim fat from steaks. Press pepper into both sides of each steak. In a large heavy skillet, melt butter/heat oil over medium-high heat. Add steaks, reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10-13 minutes for medium-rare (145F) to medium (160F) doneness, turning once. Transfer steaks to a serving platter, reserving drippings in skillet. Cover steaks, keep warm.

For sauce, stir onions into reserved drippings in skillet. Cook until onion is tender. Remove from heat. Carefully add beef broth, wine and majoram to onion in skillet, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Return to heat. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, about 2 minutes or until recuded to about 1/4 cup. Serve sauce over steks.

This is a very tasy, quick meal to make.

Bean Flour Blend

2005-07-30T09:38:00.000-04:00

Found this on gfutah.org. it sounds great!!

3 cups Garfava Bean Flour

1 cup Sorghum Flour

4 cups Tapioca Flour

4 cups Cornstarch

Or from the glutenfreeforums.com:

2 cups Garfava Flour (2/3 part)

1 cup Sorghum Flour (1/3 part)

3 cups Tapioca Flour (1 part)

3 cups Cornstarch (1 part)

Balsamic Chicken over greens

2005-07-30T08:41:00.000-04:00

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1.25lbs total)

1 cup balsamic vinegrette dressing

1 1/2 tsp bottled minced garlic (or 4 cloves, minced)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

8 cups cut up salad greens of your choice

Place chicken in a resealable bag. Mix up the next three ingredients into a bowl and our over chicken. Seal the bag, turn to coat chicken and let marinade for at least an hour.

Chicken can then be grilled or placed in a broiler for 12 to 15 minutes or until no longer pink. Divide up the salad greens among the dinner plates. Cut the chicken into strips and place over the greens. Serve with the remaining 1/2 cup balsamic vinegrette dressing.

Serves 4

Balsamic Vinegrette

2005-07-30T08:11:00.000-04:00

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dired thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 tsp dried basil (or rosemary)

1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)

1/4 tsp onion powder (optional)

1 tsp Splenda (or sweetener of choice)

Mix everything together. Store in an airtight container, or clean salad dressing jar.

Oven conversion table

2005-07-30T07:56:00.000-04:00

Converting Farenheit, Celsius and Gas marks

Electric °C °F

Very slow: 120°C / 250°F

Slow: 150°C / 300°F

Mod. slow: 160°C / 325°F

Moderate: 180°C / 350°F

Mod. hot: 210°C / 425°F

Hot: 240°C / 475°F

Very hot: 260°C / 525°F

Gas °C °F Gas Mark

Very slow 120 250 1/2

Slow 150 300 2

Mod. slow 160 325 3

Moderate 180 350 4

Mod. hot 190 375 5

Hot 200 400 6

Very hot 230 450 8

Roasted Broccoli

2005-07-30T07:27:00.000-04:00

1 bunch broccoli

Olive oil

salt

Preheat oven to 450F (240C for electric or gas mark 8). Cut the broccoli up into bite sized portions. Lay in single layer on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in oven for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally until tops are browned.

Steak Rub

2005-07-30T07:05:00.000-04:00

2 tsp flour (any kind will do, I use tapioca)

2 tsp salt (sea salt if you have it)

5 Tbsp course ground pepper

1/2 tsp oregano (or italian seasoning)

4 tsp garlic powder

4 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp beef stock base (granulated)

Mix all together and store in an airtight container.

This is an awesome steak rub. It can be a bit spicy, so feel free to throttle back on the pepper a bit.

Grilled New Potatoes with Lemon-Garlic Aioli and Parsley

2005-07-06T05:04:00.000-04:00

3 pounds small new potatoes

1 1/2 cups best-quality mayonnaise

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Place the potatoes in a stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, season the water with salt, and cook until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes, and when cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half.

Preheat the grill to medium. Add the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and zest to a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Brush the potatoes with oil on all sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, cut side down, until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove the potatoes to a platter. Drizzle the aioli over the potatoes and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Another huge thank you to Rita for this one. These were a hit at the fourth of July barbeque we had.

Watermelon Salad

2005-07-06T05:01:00.000-04:00

1 quart container cubed seedless watermelon

4-ounce log goat cheese

1/2 sliced red onion

Tub/jar pitted black olives

Few handfuls hand-torn fresh basil

Drizzle olive oil

Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and store in a covered container.

Thanks to Rita for sending this one. Not sure where she found it, but it’s suprisingly good. A perfect light summer savory dish.

Fresh Salsa

2005-07-06T04:58:00.000-04:00

2 ears fresh, sweet corn, cut off the cob

1/2 medium red onion, diced

2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

1 1/2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and chopped in chunks

1 jalapeno, sliced & deseeded (optional)

1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves chopped

1 lemon, juiced

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, tossing to coat.

Put the salsa in a sealable plastic container and take to a picnic, if desired.

Thanks to Rita for sending this one. I believe she said this one came from the FoodNetwork

Enchilada sauce

2005-07-04T09:04:00.000-04:00

Sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 cup chicken broth or water

1 teaspoon garlic salt or to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 can tomato sauce

Just heat this all up in the microwave or the stove

Mix the sauce with your favorite filling. I buy mexican frozen veggies and thaw them in the microwave and mix it with the sauce. This could also be frozen. Very yummy!

Thanks to Carriefaith from celiac.com for permission to post these.

Bean Flour Tortillas

2005-07-04T09:03:00.000-04:00

1/3 cup light bean flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons tapioca flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs or 3 egg whites

1 1/2 cups water

oil for brushing the pan or skillet

Mix everything together and let it sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Heat a skillet or pan at medium-high heat and cook them like pancakes, just keep turing them to avoid buring. Store in wax paper in a plastic bag in the freezer or fridge.

Thanks to Carriefaith on Celiac.com for these recipes.

Corn, Bean and Chickpea Salad

2005-07-04T08:06:00.000-04:00

1 (19 ounce) can red kidney beans

1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (12 ounce) can corn kernels (optional)

1/3 red pepper, diced

1 vidalia onions, chopped

1/2 cup diced celery

1 t basil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar works well too)

1/4 cup oil

1 T Dijon mustard

1 clove minced garlic

salt and pepper

1/2 t hot pepper (optional)

Combine chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, corn,onion,red pepper and celery. Set aside. Mix together basil, vinegar, oil, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over bean salad and toss. May add 1 12 tsp hot pepper if desired.

This came from Recipezaar.com. It’s really flavourful and colourful. I don’t really like raw onion, so I actually caramelised them and let them cool before adding to the salad. This one is really open to improv, so have fun with it.

Nutritiona information (per serving) - 324 calories, 8.2g fat (1.2g saturated), 51.6g carbs (13.1g fiber)

Soy Sauce Substitution

2005-07-04T07:08:00.000-04:00

2 cups low sodium beef broth

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon molasses

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 dash black pepper

1 dash garlic powder

1 dash onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and boil uncover until reduced to 1/2 cup. Store in refrigerator. Stir/Shake before using. (2-4 servings)

Found this on Recipezaar.com and thought it was a great replacement for soy sauce.

Nutritional info per serving - 11 calories, 0 Fat, 3g carb

Tangy Green Beans

2005-07-04T05:16:00.000-04:00

1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans (frozen works well too)

1/3 cup diced red pepper

4 1/2 t olive oil

4 1/2 t water

1 1/2 t white wine vinegar

1 1/2 t spicy brwon mustard

3/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/8t garlic powder

Place beans and red pepper in a steamer basket. Cover and steam for 7-8 minute sor until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Transfer bean mixture to a serving bowl; add vinegrette and stir to coat.

(ed) This recipe came out of Taste of Home’s Low-Carb recipe book. It’s a great one for people who aren’t really fond of green beans (me) or just as a way to jazz them up. Makes roughly 8 servings.

Nutritional info (per 1/2 cup serving) - 43 calories, 2g fat, 5g carbs (3g fiber)

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YES!!!

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New link

So much food, so little time

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Murghi Badami

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italian bake chicken

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Egg Replacer

Dinner with friends

Vege-Sal

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ooooo - major find!!

Next stop - Vietnam

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Stop two - China

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In honour of Valentine’s Day

GF/DF Chocolate Chip cookies

Stuffed on salad

Lemon Mustard Chicken

Garlicky steak

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