Thanksgiving part 2

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!

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

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

That is all

Five course meal

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

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

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

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.