15 posts tagged “recipes”
okay, it is now officially Cold in this part of the world, which means it is the perfect season for soups, stews, and those root veggies i so love.
this week i'm going with my old stand-by of cheap yet yummy eats of toor dal. (recipe to be posted this weekend) i serve with basmati rice, of course, but i did find a GF recipe for naan which excites me to no end. i'm going to give it a go this weekend.
whilst poking about yesterday, i found this link, and i think i've died and gone to heaven! not just food stuffs, but movies, too! this could be very dangerous. yet handy!
you know, i was wondering why my email box lately was so quiet -- my pop setting for gmail were wacky, thus i though no one loved me or was reading this. d'oh!
besides, i'm still way behind in posting the latest in food adventures. at the moment, i am fighting the creeping crud that has been ravaging the office. silly me thought going gluten free and feelnig better meanty i could instantly stop taking my super-duper auto-immune support vitamins. uh uh. not with this crud! i trippled up last night, and am feeling much more human today than i was yesterday.
so a briff look at what last weeks culinary adventures for al-desko dining.
sometimes the amount of cooking that needs to be done for this whole gluten free thing is just daunting. and then sometimes you don't care about the volume or mess because damn, it's tasty!
this is what the lunches will look like this week. on the left: lemon and mustard marinated chicken, and lemon scented quinoa salad with garbanzo beans. on the right: balsamic-honey roasted root veggies.
i spotted the root veggie recipe first this week. seeing as i have a couple (yes a couple) bottles of aged balsamic vinegar in the cupboard i am never remembering to use, it was a go. no rutabaga in my version, as the three turnips i had were huge (Baldrick would have been jealous), but i even used beets. something new for me (my mom hates beets, so never experienced them other than those day-glow things from a can they served as hot-lunch in junior high). of course, my delight at scoring all the veggies at WF at bargain prices meant i forgot to pick up the rosemary. and i had not dried in the cabinet. so, i just started puling out jars and sniffing and tossing them in. ended up with cardamon, marjoram and a little bit of thyme. it works.
the lemon scented quinoa salad had my mouth watering as well. i already figured i would make up some quinoa this week (two weeks is far too long for me to go without quinoa). but this was perfect to go with the veggies. and even though it already had garbanzo beans in it, i knew i would need a little more of a protein kick to pass the combo off as lunch.
so i marinated up a chicken breast to go with the salad. toss some extra virgin olive oil in a zipper bag (about 2 to 3 Tbs i think), then pour in some lemon juice (1/4 c?). add a healthy couple squirts of mustard (i chose a german mustard), and a more than generous sprinkle of lemon-pepper. add a dash of salt, and give it a quick fondle from the outside to get it mixed, drop in the chicken, massage it around a bit more and pop in the fridge for few hours.
being lazy, i didn't break out the grill. i decided i'd just cook it up in a fry pan on the stove. but decided to add a healthy bit, probably a 1/2 c. of the marinade to the pan, so i could pop a lid on and let it steam in as well. most flavorful, juicy chicken ever.
yes, i'm still here, still cooking, and still on a tight budget. last week, the challenge was to dig through the pantry and freezer and see what i could create. easiest option for lunches that week was certainly chili. i didn't feel like following any of the couple dozen recipe's i've tried, so instead, i stood at the stove and winged it.
best. chili. ever.
kelly's pantry chili
heat up about 2 T of olive oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven. turn off heat and drop in 2 jalapenos (i did seeds and all for a real kick) and 4 cloves of garlic finely diced to infuse the oil while you finely chop 1 very large red onion.
turn the heat back on to high so that the chiles and garlic start to sizzle and drop in the onion. give it a quick saute until the onions start to become translucent. add 1 pound ground beef and break up with a wooden fork. add salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and a healthy splash of worcestershire sauce. continue to stir and break up beef until pink is few and far between.
add:
1 can tomato paste
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomato
1 can each black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans, all undrained (or drained if you want a really thick chili)
about 1/2 a can of refried beans. i used amy's refried pintos with chile and lime.
get fun with the flavors by grating in a healthy dose of cinnamon. chop up some extra bitter (82% pure cocoa) chocolate. have no idea how much i added -- enough to darken the red tomato base and give just the faintest hint of sweetness before the heat starts to warm around the tongue.
bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. check seasons and adjust to taste let simmer as long as you can stand before grabbing a quick bowl and getting all warm and cozy with some corn chips and the leftover refried beans.
last week i had limited veggies, but needed to make up some quinoa for lunches. this is what happened:
cook up one cup dry quinoa with 2 cups chicken stock.
in the bottom of a large bowl, mix together a few generous splashes of red wine vinegar, a half palm-full of cumin, and a couple shakes of chili powder, salt and pepper. whisk in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
finely dice:
1 tomato
1 green bell pepper
1/2 an onion (if you have one -- i didn't)
toss in bowl.
cook 1/2 a bag of corn halfway (i.e. bag said to microwave for 5 minutes, i only did 2 1/2)
rinse a can of black beans (pinto would work as well).
toss corn and bean in with veggies and dressing. quinoa should be cool now. add to bowl and mix well. adjust seasonings to taste,and dress with more olive oil if needed.
eat and praise what is a well stocked pantry for the rest of the week.
ah, i meant to do this last week. last week's cooking adventures including the zucchini bread recipes i posted, and grilled chicken breast, quinoa pasta and a ginger-tamari sauce.
the zucchini bread is not quite enough for a loaf pan, and doesn't rise too high. but despite the short stature of the slices, they were incredibly filling. the change of flour is nice - it doesn't have a raw taste to it, which i have always noticed with wheat flour cooking. and there was this hint of a crispiness to each bite, that i can always assume is the rice flour. it was as if there were crushed rice krispies in there somewhere, giving a very subtle hint to taste and texture.
this week, lunch will be homemade baked beans*, and a quinoa salad:
1 c. quinoa
2 c. chicken stock
rinse and cook per directions.
i then chunked and sauted the remaining zuchini i had in some olive oil. in a large bowl i mixed up oile oil and red vinegar, adding 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and salt, papper, cumin, and herbs de provence. to this i added chopped up green onions, a green pepper, and two tomatoes. added the now colled zuchini, tossed, and added the cooled quinoa. i dressed it with a bit more olive oil, salt, pepper and the juice of whole lemon. toss well and chill
it. is. scrumtous!
i have my next bring-to-a-party dish.
~~~~~~~~~~~
* and upon meeting up with Bob again friday night at Whole Foods, i decided to do them with a mix of navy beans and adzuki beans, which he suggested as they are known as a "healing food" for those with celiac. he also assured me that my local WF bulk food area was safe for me to peruse for beans and rice.
from Bob's Red Mill (home of all my new flowers and mixes!)
1/3 cup Canola Oil
2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
2 large Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1-3/4 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1-1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp. Salt
1-1/2 cups Banana, mashed
1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup Raisins (Unsulfured)
Serves 10.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
(per serving)
Calories 310, Calories from Fat 120, Total Fat 13g, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Cholesterol 40mg, Sodium 230mg, Total Carbohydrate 46g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 19g, Protein 5g.
this is one of my all time favorite comfort food (and i have no money for groceries!) foods. i serve it over basmati rice.
1 c. yellow split peas (toor dal)
3 c water
1 tsp sea salt
1 chopped yellow onion (small to medium)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained*
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil**
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp Garam Masala
wash peas and soak in water for 10 minutes. drain, rinse and place in a medium saucepan with salt and 1/2 of the onion. bring to a boil and reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the peas are tender (about 45 minutes).
while the peas are cooking, heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the remaining onion with garlic and Garam Masala over medium hear, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden and add the diced tomatoes to heat through (10-15 minutes).
add the onion mixture t the peas, stirring to combine. simmer 10 minutes r so to blend flavors
*"flavored" tomatoes with garlic or spices added work fine
**you can use ghee is you have access
from Arrowhead Mills
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c organic brown rice flour
1/4 c. potato flour2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 c raisins
from Arrowhead Mills
1 can green chiles, diced
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 c. Organic Brown Rice Flour
1/2 c. potato starch flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 c. milk
2 eggs, separated
Preheat over to 350. Mix green chiles and onions with cheese. Layer mixture on bottom of an 8x8x2 casserole dish. Mix dry ingredients together well. Add the milk and egg yolks, mixing only until moistened. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour mixture over green chiles mixture. Swirls a knife through mixtures to mix lightly. Bake for 40 minutes. serves 6-8
(found in an old [i.e. 1994!] message index while searching for quinoa recipes)
1 c quinoa
1 tsp butter
8 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed),diced
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic,minced
2c water
pinch of cayenne pepper ,
2Tbsp chopped fresh parsley ,
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Place quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve and rinse under warm running water for
1 min. Set aside.
Heat butter in a heavy, med. saucepan over med. heat. Add tomatoes,
shallots and garlic and saute for 3-5 mins, or till shallots are softened.
Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Stir quinoa and cayenne, return
to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30 mins,
or until liquid is absorbed. Let sit for 5 mins, and fluff grains with a
fork to separate. Stir in fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Serves : 4
