Thursday, August 19, 2010

A Delightfully Eclectic Dinner... or... We had A LOT of produce that needed to be eaten


Whenever we get ready to go out of town (even for just a weekend) I like to go through the fridge and use up any produce before we leave.  We've recently joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), so we get fresh veggies every week from Sauvie Island Organics.  This is nice because we get fresh, local, seasonal, organic produce every week... however, when we travel we end up with LOADS of produce that needs to be eaten.  This meal is a reflection of that!  Clockwise from the parsley, we have sausage, baked grape tomatoes, roasted potatoes, and green beans.

Sausage:
Spicy Italian Sausage from Trader Joe's (I believe all of their sausages are GF... so double check the label and take your pick)
2 Tbs. Oil

Slice the sausages lengthwise.  Heat the oil in a skillet.  Once oil is hot place the sausages in the skillet and brown. * If you have a BBQ, you should use that instead!


Baked Grape Tomatoes with Basil and Cornbread Crumbs 
(I found this at www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com)
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
30-40 yellow and red grape or cherry tomatoes (depending on size)
1 slice of cornbread or a corn muffin (to make 1/3 to 1/2 cup crumbs)* I used Glutino Brand Gluten Free bread crumbs... not as tasty, but MUCH easier!
2 teaspoons dried organic basil
Fine sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Fresh basil leaves garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice a garlic clove in half and rub the cut sides on the bottom of a 9-inch glass pie plate. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom.

Cut the tomatoes in half. I sliced the tomatoes both ways- lengthwise and widthwise- for variation.

In a food processor, process all the garlic till minced. Dump out onto a plate. Process the cornbread (or corn muffin) until you achieve an even crumb. Add in the dried basil, sea salt. Pulse to combine. Add in the minced garlic. Pulse. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into the crumbs and pulse briefly to distribute. *If you use crushed garlic from a jar and the Glutino bread crumbs you can skip the food processor.  Also, I added Parmesan cheese.  I bet it would be good with Mozzarella too!

Place half of the grape tomato halves into the pie plate, split side up. Snuggle them in.

Sprinkle with the seasoned cornbread crumbs. Top with the remaining tomato halves, cut sides down, rounded side up. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the tomatoes.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/03/baked-grape-tomatoes-with-basil-and.html#ixzz0x7S4gsZM

Oven Roasted Potatoes
1/5 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F 
  2. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, rosemary, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.
  3. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.
  
Green Beans
I make this recipe different every time and it's always good.  The measurements aren't exact and don't need to be, so I won't include them.  Do it to your taste!

1/2 lb Green Beans (or more)
1 Tbs. Olive oil
1/5 cup Water
Butter (just a tiny bit)
2 Cloves Garlic (or more)
Salt
Crushed Black Pepper
Paprika
Old Bay seasoning if you can find it (if not... seasoned salt should be fine) 

Chop the ends off the beans.  Heat oil in a skillet.  Add beans and garlic. Add salt, pepper, paprika, and old bay.  Stir for approx 4 minutes.  Add water and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, bring down to a simmer and add a hint of butter.  Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Water will cook down and beans will be tender and delicious!  *These beans actually keep very well in Tupperware in the fridge and taste great cold!



Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Strawberry Black Bottom Pie


After a day of strawberry picking we realized we had WAY more strawberries than we knew what to do with.  This is one of the delicious creations that came from our strawberry picking extravaganza!
NOTE:  This in NOT entirely gluten free!  It is WHEAT FREE, but the cookies have barley in them.  In the comments section you can find the ingredients.


Crust
Newman's Own Organics Wheat Free Newman O's (about 20)
4 Tbs melted butter

Crush the cookies in a plastic bag using a mallet or rolling pin.  Combine the melted butter and and crushed cookies into a pie pan and let cool (about 30 minutes).

Filling*
5oz Cream cheese (room temperature)
3 Tbs Sour Cream
1.5 Tbs Brown Sugar
1 Tbs powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Chopped up fresh strawberries (or any berries that are in season)
 *These ingredients DO NOT need to be exact, change the recipe to suit your tastes! 


Combine cream cheese and sour cream into a large bowl and mix well.  Add brown sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, and berries.  Mix well.


Topping
Fresh strawberries cut in half (mixed berries would be yummy too!  Just use what's in season)

Chill for a few hours before serving

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Pineapple Macadamia Nut Carrot Cake with Pineapple Butter Cream Frosting



This is far and away my favorite cake EVER.  If you know me, you know I'm not a fan of any cake, so this is saying a lot.  My great grandma used to make this cake and I always looked forward to it at holidays.  I found a FANTASTIC gluten free flour blend and was able to take parts from the GF cake mix and the original recipe and turn it into something delicious.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Prep
Heat oven to 350* F.  Lightly spray or grease pans (or paper liners for cupcakes)

Cake
Namaste Foods Gluten Free Spice Cake Mix
3 eggs
2/3 cup oil
3 cups shredded carrot 
1 14oz can of crushed pineapple (reserve 1/3 cup for frosting)
3/4 cup coconut
1 cup Macadamia Nuts (coarsely chopped)
splash of Vanilla extract

Combine 3 eggs and 2/3 cup oil.  Add cake mix and blend well.  Mix in carrots, pineapple, coconut, and nuts. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes in two 9" round pans; 35-40 minutes in a 9"x13" pan, or about 20-25 minutes for cupcakes.  Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool before frosting.  Sprinkle frosted cake with toasted coconut (as seen in pic) or finely ground macadamia nuts.

Frosting
8oz cream cheese room temp (1pkg)
1 stick butter room temp (1/4 lb)
1 lb. powdered sugar (I only use about a half cup, 1 lb. seems like A LOT)
1/3 cup reserved pineapple
1/2 cup Macadamia Nuts (finely chopped)
a sprinkle of coconut if desired

Blend cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth.  Add pineapple, nuts, and coconut and mix well.

Garnishes (optional)
Finely ground macadamia nuts
hint:  place nuts in a zip lock bag and hit them with a meat mallet or rolling pin
or
Toasted coconut
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Lay coconut flakes out flat in a baking tray.
  3. Stir in a small amount of cinnamon and/or sugar for flavor if desired.
  4. Heat the flakes for about 5 minutes, until they turn a rich brown color.
  5. Use as desired (make extra for later)

"Georgian Rice Salad with Eggplant and Tart Cherries" from Silk Road Cooking


Tonight's Dinner
Ingredients:
RICE
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
1 tablespoon veg oil or butter
4 Chinese eggplants (2 lbs) (you can use regular eggplants, but peel and de-seed them first)
4 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground paprika
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted, dried tart cherries (or a little more)

SALAD DRESSING
1/2 cup sour cherry syrup (I don't use this... I just add a hint more olive oil)
2 tbs lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (coarse salt is best)
dash of ground black pepper
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped scallions

GREENS
4 cups of shredded greens, arugula, or romaine (I use arugula and it's FANTASTIC)

GARNISH (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pistachios or toasted walnuts


DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse rice in lukewarm water.  Agitate gently with your hand, then pour off the water.  Repeat 5 times until rice is clean (water will run clear).
2. Combine rice with 3 cups of water, 1 tablespoon oil, & 2 tsp salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Gently stir once with a wooden spoon.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, until all the water has evaporated.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3. While the rice is cooking, wash the eggplants, dice into 1/2-inch cubes and blot dry
4. In a large bowl, mix the garlic, cayenne, cumin, paprika, and remaining salt.  Add the eggplant cubes and mix well so that the spices adhere to the raw eggplants.
5. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium heat until very hot & fry the eggplant cubes for 10 minutes until golden brown.  Add 1 cup of water, cover & cook over low heat for another 15 minutes until tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Combine the eggplant, cooked warm rice & tart cherries in a salad bowl and set aside
7. To make the dressing, thoroughly mix all the salad dressing ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.  Pour over the salad, toss well, served on a bed of greens and garnish with pistachios or walnuts.

My first blog ever!

I feel like I should write something really profound here... but I've got nothing.  I recently learned that I can't eat gluten (along with a myriad of other tasty things: black beans, bell peppers, dairy, pork, beef...), which is a super bummer!  But I LOVE to cook and bake, so I'm not going to let a few allergies and intolerances stop me!  I'm discovering that more and more people are unable to eat gluten and many are coming to me for recipes.  Instead of emailing each person when I find a really delicious recipe, I've decided to make a food blog.  I'd also love to hear of any tips or recipes you have to share, so join me on this foody journey and let's make some delicious delicacies!


As for something profound.... here you go: 

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. 
-Harriet van Horne