Gluten Free Goodness

Mint was the food of the week for Menu Plan Monday, and so I figured it was a good excuse to make this.  This dish is in our standard rotation, sometimes done with chicken pieces and sometimes with chicken breast, and it’s always delicious and easy.  I use chocolate mint from my garden, which doesn’t even taste remotely like chocolate.  False advertising!  The stevia leaves give a subtle sweetness, but don’t worry, they’re not super sweet like powdered stevia.

Mint tends to be a potent tummy soother, and is a good source of fiber. It’s even got a neat story from Greek mythology about its origins. And, of course, if you grow it, you know that it’s very plentiful and a perennial, so I’m always looking for ways to keep up with my plant.

I enjoy this dish because it’s low carb, quick, easy, and using mint is a nice way to add a little variety. The chicken is yummy on a bed of lettuce with cucumbers and tomatoes, and I also like it with apple. We grilled a few ears of corn to go with it as well. And, of course, what I like most is that DH grills it and I can be lazy. For winter months, we just bake it in the oven.

1.5 cups of mint leaves, loosely packed
6 large stevia leaves
several good squeezes of lemon, or a pinch of unbuffered vitamin C powder
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram leaves
1/4 cup oil
2-3 tablespoons water

Either put everything in the blender or chop the mint leaves and combine. Marinate chicken for 2-3 hours (I tend to do all day for chicken pieces). Drain marinade, grill and enjoy!

This is my weekly “Weekend Herb Blogging” submission, founded by Kalyn’s Kitchen. Our host this week is Divya of Dil Se, a yummy blog chock full of East Indian dishes. I’ve bookmarked it and plan to try some!

My hardneck garlics had scapes a few weeks ago, and now the soft necks are doing their thing. So it’s the perfect time for garden pesto. The scapes and tops are much milder but still have the garlicky zing that I love.

I’ve used both hazelnuts and brazil nuts depending on my mood, and I must say they’re both yummy. I leave the nuts a little chunky, but you can blend, depending on taste. I like it thick. Not A thick sauce does it give flavor, but it keeps the fish from drying out. You use the pesto on pasta, on quinoa, on veggies, or pesto any thick fish. We used halibut, and the leftover sauce went on broccoli, carrots, and (in the interests of honesty) straight into my mouth.

And, of course, you can eliminate the water and do more oil for a more traditional pesto.  But with water it has a fresher taste about it, you’re not missing out at all on the flavor, and of course, it’s a bit kinder to your waistline, too.

1 cup garlic scapes or tops, pushed down
1 3/4 cups fresh parsley, packed down
2/3 cup brazil nuts or hazelnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
squeeze of lemon (optional)
handful of chopped Kalamatas (optional)
sea salt and pepper

Using a food processor, grind nuts very coarsely. Toast at 300 until starting to brown, about 10-15 minutes. Blend parsley, garlic scapes and olive oil, scraping down the sides as needed. Add water (or broth) and other seasonings if desired. Add in nuts and pulse until it is the desired consistency.

Marvelous on veggies, fish, or anything that needs a little jazzing..

This is my submission for weekend herb blogging, which is hosted by none other than the lovely Kalyn herself from Kayln’s Kitchen!  She is also the originator of WHB, and I’m quite grateful, because it encourages me to post about by garden babies.

Everyone has that go-to meal for long days and times when there’s just no time.  This is one of my favorite last minute standbys.  It is ready in less than 20 minutes, and it’s a healthy, tasty, simple meal. I really enjoy it, there’s something that’s very ‘comfort food’ about its simplicity for me.  And it’s easy enough that my husband has made it, too.

I tend to be a very “cook it from scratch” kind of gal, but there’s a time and place for canned and frozen foods, too.  Especially when paired with herbs from my garden, you never know the difference.  For the protein, I have used ground chicken, turkey, or beef, though I’m sure soy crumbles would work too.  When DH is out of town, I half the amount of protein, the same amount of veggies and cut back a bit on the herbs.

In the summer months, the peppers are usually from my garden, and it’s a good way to use up those green peppers that are too harshly flavored to eat on their own.  One of the peppers for this one was this summer’s first (sorry, I forgot to take his picture).

We serve this with steamed broccoli, brown rice (thawed from frozen) or avocado, which is my personal fave. Also, for variety, sometimes we add black olives, sometimes garlic powder, sometimes a little parsley, etc. It mostly depends on my mood.

1 lb ground turkey, chicken, beef, etc.
1 14 oz can of Eden or other diced tomatoes (if you are using tomatoes with chilis, leave out the cayenne)
2 medium sized green peppers, torn coarsely
1/3 cup fresh herbs–combo of thyme, oregano and a little marjoram, rosemary, and basil
OR
2 Tablespoons of mixed dried spices
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, to taste
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1 can sliced black olives (optional)
Parm cheese or almond slivers (optional)

This is my entry for this month’s “Go Ahead Honey It’s Gluten Free” blogging event, started by Naomi at Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried. This month’s host is Carrie over at Ginger Lemon Girl, and the theme is one pot meals.

It was one of those moments. We were already hungry, and I was hoping to toss some sauce with veggies or pasta and call it dinner…then, the moment of panic creativity.  What do you mean we’re out of tomato sauce?  So it was about getting a full flavored sauce in a short amount of time.

I have more oregano that I know what to do with, and it’s taking over my herb bed, as you can see. Oregano is something I tend to use as one of the supporting players rather than a main flavor. Generally my sauces are heavy on basil, so this was a deviation from standard operating procedure.

I’d like to use oregano more, because it’s quite good for you! It’s antinflammatory, antibacterial, a good source of antioxidants, and has a lot of fiber, too.

And the result? A bold, chunky, satisfying sauce that came together in maybe 20 minutes. DH had the sauce on pasta, we had turkey cutlets poached in the sauce, I had some with steamed broccoli and handful of pine nuts, which was a perfect lunch.  Not bad for minimal effort.

I love Eden brand tomatoes because the ingredients are…organic tomatoes. I didn’t even miss the citric acid, additives and other fillers. Works for me! I used crushed and diced because I wanted a hearty, chunky sauce. If you don’t, adjust accordingly!

You could also use any mild onion or shallots in place of the spring onions, but I currently have an overabundance of spring onions and need ways to use them up.

2 spring onions, (green parts discarded) chopped
1 small garlic bulb, minced (or 3/4 a big bulb)
1 sprig rosemary
1/2 cup of broth or white wine
28 oz of crushed tomatoes
14 oz of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of loosely packed oregano
1/2 cup of Kalamata* olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1-2 Tablespoons agave nectar or sugar, or a pinch of stevia
Basil to sprinkle on top
Salt and pepper to taste
Parm cheese and/or pinenuts, optional but tasty

* for my vinegar avoiding comrades, Trader Joe’s sells vinegar free Kalamatas, or use a brine cured olive for a different, but yummy, flavor.

Brown the spring onions with a pinch of salt and a little oil over med-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, stirring for a minute until golden. Add rosemary leaves from stem. Add broth and deglaze. Allow to reduce for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes to let flavors meld.

Enjoy!

This is my entry to this week’s edition of Weekend Herb Blogging. WHB is brainchild of Kalyn’s Kitchen. Our kind host this week is Maninas of Maninas: Food Matters. This is my first time visiting her site, and she has some lovely looking East Indian dishes.

This is just squeaking in under the wire. I was on Wheat Free, Meat Free’s site, and saw her entry for Food Blogga’s “Beautiful Bones” Osteoporosis Food event, featuring calcium rich recipes. Since finding out in my twenties that I have osteopenia, this has become much more important to me personally, and it meant a lot to me to participate. Osteoporosis and osteopenia are incredibly common among Celiacs especially, and it’s very important to get a DEXA scan. Nag your doctor if you need to, it’s better to know because then you can support your health!

So…I had a big container of shredded veggies leftover from spring rolls that I needed to use up, and I decided on brazil nut butter because it’s high in calcium. It’s a simple curry sauce that takes just a few minutes to whip up. If, like me, you have to avoid soy, sesame and vinegar, most commercially prepared dipping sauces are off limits, so this is a quick and easy substitute. If you wanted, you could add a splash of rice vinegar or soy sauce, or sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Pretty much anything would work for the veggie mix. I would definitely recommend adding the mint, cilantro and basil because it gives a nice dimension to the dish. The sauce also works well over steamed broccoli.

I have directions for making brazil nut butter here, although almond butter or peanut butter will work just as well.

Brazil nut sauce:
3 Tablespoon ground fennel seeds
1 Tablespoon ground coriander seeds
1 Tablespoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne, to taste
1/2 cup brazil nut butter
pinch of salt
2 Tablespoon oil
1 cup water
2 apricots, blended, or 1 small jar of pureed apricots

Veg mix
1.5 cups shredded carrots
about 1/4 napa cabbage, sliced very thinly
1/2 yellow, red or orange pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup cilantro or basil

Toast ground spices in a dry pan over medium heat until aromatic, 2-3 minutes. Add oil and make a paste. Add nut butter and mix well to combine. Add warm water and apricot, heat and stir until everything is well combined. Simmer a little for a thicker sauce. Serve over a bed of shredded veggies and enjoy!

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008. Please do not replicate without crediting/permission.

I love grilling for two reasons. First, grilling pretty much means we’re having marinated peppers, which are my favorite. Second, it means that my hubby is doing most of the work. I love to cook, but I love a break, too!

Our standard grilled fare is salmon, but we decided to do turkey burgers for a change. They’re full of a bunch of herbs from my garden, since parsley, spring onions and thyme are in season. Since I can’t have egg, I’ve had problems with them falling apart on the grill in the past. However, I started using chia seeds and it worked perfectly.

Chia are fabulous little seeds that form a gel. You can get them at your local Latino market, online, or you can order Salba seeds, which share many of the nutritional benefits. Not only are they wonderful binders, but they also are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids.

Spring onions are among my new favorite things. I love onions in any way, shape or form, but DH isn’t a big fan, so I tend to opt for milder options for dishes we share. I planted them last fall, and was amazed at how big my “garlic” was growing…until I poked around, and couldn’t find a bulb. I assumed I’d accidentally gotten leeks, but when I dug them up I was pleasantly surprised with spring onions, and am working on finding new uses for them.

I didn’t include a recipe for the peppers because I do them differently each time, but I’ll do my best to write it down next time!

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, as started by Kalyn’s Kitchen. This week’s kind host is Cate of Sweetnicks

Turkey garden burgers

1.3 lbs low fat ground turkey (90-95% lean)*
1 cup parsley, packed
1/2 cup spring onions, shallots, or mild/sweet onions
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

chia gel:
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chia seeds

First, make chia gel by combining the water and seeds and allowing it to sit for 20 min.

Mince onion, chop parsley coarsely. Wash hands and combine everything together (you can mix with a instead, but it’s easier with your hands!). Make into patties.

Grill until done.

Serve topped with tomato, pickles, avocado, lettuce, etc. on a gluten free hamburger bun, or by itself. Or, of course, with a side of roasted peppers.

*note: It sounds strange, but most the turkey sold here is 1.3 lbs. I’m sure you can adjust to whatever you find at the market.
~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008

Gluten Free By the Bay was one of the trailblazers in the GF blogosphere. It was one of the first blogs I found, and it automatically appealed to me. The pictures, the variety, the traditional Jewish foods adapted to be gluten free…it’s a great resource. I also love the fact that she posts such a great variety of dishes, from yummy desserts to gorgeous veggie dishes. Her posts are all GF, of course, but she also caters to the multi-allergic set and has many dairy/egg/soy/sugar free recipes that are labeled as such, which is always such a help. She also periodically does “recipe roundups” which are fabulous for those of us who want our GF yummies to come right to us without even websurfing!

I finally got around to trying some of her recipes for Passover, and the mock matza was really quite tasty. It probably tasted too good to be matza, actually, and once my relatives discovered this, everyone wanted a taste.

For this month’s adoption, I made the Toasted Quinoa Pilaf with Garlic, Kale and Pine Nuts because it sounded wonderful, and I had an abundance of kale and was looking for a way to enjoy it. I also had a secondary mission: I’ve been working on reducing the amount of meat in meals without my husband noticing and/or complaining. Quinoa is perfect for that, since it’s the only vegetarian food that’s a complete protein.

I made the recipe as written, and we enjoyed it thoroughly. It was very filling and delicious. Thank you, Isaiah, for your recipes and inspiration.

For more quinoa fun, here are my two other favorite ways to have quinoa:
Southwestern Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Quinoa Italiana

Here’s an intriguing looking recipe for a quinoa cake at Diet, Dessert and Dogs that I haven’t gotten to try yet, but it’s high on my to-taste list.  I’ll obviously have to modify it to make it GF, but it shouldn’t be hard.

I was out getting my garden ready, when I spied this little guy coming out of a crack in our patio. Isn’t he cute? I was surprised for a few reasons. First, he seeded himself; second, we just had a frost, and generally basil aren’t frost tolerant, and third, my husband often holds small martial arts classes on the patio, making him quite a target. Since DH had a class that night, I decided to pick him rather than tempt the fates.

I figured that considering what he’d been through, he deserved a starring role in Weekend Herb Blogger. I’ll be submitting him for next week’s edition, which is hosted by Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska.

I used the basil as a garnish for a simple and easy Thai style curry. I used home made red curry paste, but I’m sure commercial would work just as well. I also used bok choy because I couldn’t resist it at the Farmer’s Market, but I’m sure serving it with steamed broccoli would work just as well.

There are many kinds of basil, this basil was originally a gift from a friend from Vietnam, from his mom’s garden. It tastes a bit like Thai holy basil, but there’s a different twist to it.

2 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons red curry paste (a little more or less according to taste)
1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised
1 can coconut milk
3 baby bok choy, sliced
4 carrots, sliced thinly
1 lb chicken breast in cubes (you could pretty much use any protein here: shrimp, tofu, etc.)

Heat oil, saute ginger and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add curry paste and continue. Add sliced bok choy, then coconut milk, and bring almost to a boil. Simmer for 5 min, add carrots, and simmer 5 minutes more. Add chicken breast and poach until done.

Sprinkle with basil, serve with brown rice.

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008

A last hurrah for the season…
These are my lovely collards, which overwintered in my garden. They started to bolt with the heat, and so it was clear it was (past) time for them to go. I’m totally partial to everything I grow, foods just taste better when you grow them yourself. There’s something very rewarding about nurturing something from a seed and then enjoying the harvest. I just needed a to create recipe worthy of my collards. I think I did! It was a very filling and satisfying meal. It will definitely be in the rotation for the colder months.

I first had a peanut-chicken stew with tomato and basil years ago from an co-worker from Guinea where it’s a traditional dish, and I was hooked. Though PB isn’t an option for me anymore, but the idea stuck in my head, and I wanted something along the same lines, but with a different twist. Nut butters add an indulgent richness, creamy smoothness and a great depth of flavor. Try it! One bite and you’ll be a convert.

Collards are in the mustard family, related to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and other yummy veggies. I never tasted collards until I moved to VA, and now I am making up for lost time. Collards are a fabulous source of fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals, including calcium. Actually, there are several foods high in calcium here: collards, almond butter and teff. Maybe I should call this calcium stew instead!

1 large onion
2 Tablespoons oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A knob of fresh ginger, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup chopped)
1 bunch of collards–2/3 lbs after de-ribbing, so maybe 1 lb?
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1-14 oz can of diced tomatoes (I like Eden Foods)
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/3 cup frozen or canned pineapple
1/4-1/2 cup teff grain (optional)
A generous 1/3 cup of almond butter
1/4 cup toasted almonds for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions in a big pot/dutch oven with a pinch of sea salt over medium heat for 7-8 min, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, chop your garlic and ginger. Add garlic and ginger and cook for a minute, add curry powder and cook a minute more. Add in undrained tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Remove thick ribs from collards and add coarsely chopped collards, in 2 bunches (don’t overwhelm the pot!). Once boiling, add cayenne, pineapple and teff. Cook at a healthy boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add almond butter and mix, simmer an additional 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to meld. If you’d like a ’soupier’ stew, go for 1/4 cup of teff. If your collards are big or tough, you may want to cover the pot after adding the collards and uncover after the almond butter.

Adjust seasonings, if it’s not as thick as you’d like, just boil longer. It does thicken as it sits, though. If you don’t have teff, a) I’m sorry! b)no worries, it’ll just be moister or c) add in a few tablespoons of flour as a thickener
Sprinkle with almonds, serve with brown rice, teff, or GF ingera.

Enjoy!

I’m serving up this soup for this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, the brainchild of Kalyn’s Kitchen. I’m so delighted to have a venue to share recipes and my love of gardening, too! The host this week is Coffee and Vanilla. Here’s the roundup; there are a bunch of gorgeous looking dishes!

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008

You know how dogs and cats have this spot, and if you scratch it at just the right angle, they start to purr? Well, I have this thing about comfort foods…they’ve got just the right mix, and I’m purring away. Soup is usually a “winter food” but April is such a rainy month that it’s perfect now, too.

Cindalou’s Turkey Chili soup hit the spot for me. It had that simple but delicious comfort food kind of vibe going on. For one of the first times in my life, I followed the recipe almost to the letter. I did use fresh herbs instead of dried, mainly because I have an herb garden. And…mmmm. But yum with a kick! The jalepeno I used was over-the-top hot. Usually they are so bland, but this baby packed a punch! I’m not so much into super spice, so I did add some vitamin C crystals (they give a lemon flavor, for those of us who are citrus allergic) but that was totally a reflection of the pepper I used and my mellow tastes, not the recipe.

I didn’t try the optional BBQ sauce because of allergies/intolerances, but I bet it would be a nice touch. I think sauteed collards would pair well and I’ll have to make some next time.

I’ve been a long time fan of Cindalou’s blog. It’s clear that she is an intrepid explorer and totally willing to just play, which is the best way to come up with neat ideas! And I do plan to try her muffins that have cabbage, basically because for the life of me, I can’t picture cabbage in a muffin. I woudn’t have thought of that one by myself, and that’s why it’s so awesome to be able to peek into someone else’s kitchen for inspiration. I love that her diet is much like mine! For reasons beyond my choosing, I’m largely paleo, and it’s hard to find foods that are without gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, etc. AND low carb. And, of course, tasty.

For more fun in the gf adoptee universe, please see the Book of Yum site, which is coordinating the festivities this month.