Gluten Free Chili Cheese Tortilla with Fresh Tomato Salsa

There isn't an ingredient in this recipe that I couldn't eat every day in something:)  You can use Double Gloucester or Monterey Jack cheese, or any other kind of firm cheese, but I decided to try some Go Veggie Mozzarella Flavored Lactose Free  Rice Shreds.  It was actually a lot tastier than I thought it was going to be. In fact, it tasted a lot like the mozzarella cheese sticks you can buy at your local grocery, but a bit less salty. 

Regardless of the cheese you choose to use in this recipe, it's going to be good.  I'm going to give you a good fresh salsa recipe, but to be honest, I picked up some fresh salsa from the local Whole Food Market.  The salsa is used as a topping for the slices of cheesy potato goodness that you will soon be serving up.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 tblsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
• 2-3 fresh green jalapeno chiles (seeded and sliced)
• 1/2 ounces cold cooked potato (thinly sliced)
• 1 1/2 cup of grated firm cheese (like cheddar or Monterey Jack)
• 6 eggs (beaten)
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• your choice of fresh herbs (to garnish)

Salsa Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pound fresh tomatoes (peeled, seeded and finely chopped)
• 1 fresh, mild green chili (seeded and finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 3 tblsp fresh shopped cilantro
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• (or you can just pick up a container of fresh salsa from the nearest store)

Cooking Directions

1.  If you decide you want to make the salsa, put the tomatoes in a bowl and add the chopped chile, garlic cilantro, lime juice and salt. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tblsp of the oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and and jalapenos and fry gently. Stir it occasionally for 5 minutes until softened. Add the cooked potato and fry over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until lightly browned, taking care to keep the slices whole.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a warm plate. Wipe the pan with paper towels, then add the remaining oil and heat until really hot. Return the vegetables to the pan. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
4. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan, making sure that they seep under the vegetable and cover the bottom. Cook the tortilla over low heat without stirring, until it is nice and set. Once it's cooked, slide it out of the pan onto a dish and serve hot or cold. Cut it up into wedges, garnish with fresh herbs and top it off with some spicy salsa.

Blue Cheese Polenta with Sauteed Vegetables

To me, this dish is very dangerous. I love Polenta!  I also love cheese... even the stinky stuff... and especially the bluing with fungus stuff.  Part of me is disgusted by it, but the taste, although not even that great, keeps me coming back for more.  It's like that with that really stinky, soft cheese.  It smells horrible, so why do so many people, including me, keep putting it into their mouth when it's available? This meal, on the other hand, smells delicious and tastes amazing!  I think you'll agree.

Ingredients

• 2 tblsp olive oil 
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta (make sure it's gluten free)
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (your choice)
• 1 1/2 cups sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

 Cooking Directions

1. Heat 1 tblsp olive oil in heavy skillet
2. Add mushrooms and thyme. Saute until mushrooms are tender (around 5 minutes). 
3. Add remaining 1 tblsp olive oil, onion, bell pepper, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Saute until vegetables are tender (around 8 minutes).
4. Combine milk, 1/2 cup water, and the remaining salt and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in the polenta and cook for 5 minutes (stirring frequently). Remove from heat.
5. Stir in the Gorgonzola cheese until fully incorporated.
6. Serve on plates, sided with the sauteed vegetables and enjoy!

Two Birds and a Pig Gluten Free Chili

I don't think I'll ever get bored of experimenting with chili.  It's always so good, makes lots of leftovers, and can be made so many different ways.  I just went with what I had on hand, hoped for the best, and was pleasantly surprised when it ended up exceeding my expectations.  Next time though, I think I'll make it a bit spicier.  I mean, it did make my nose run a bit, but I know I can handle a lot more heat:)

Ingredients

• 6 tblsp oil
• 1 pound chicken (GF chicken sausage, chopped chicken, etc.)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 pound spicy pork sausage (makes sure it's gluten free)
• 2 1/2 tblsp hot chili powder
• 3 medium onion (chopped)
• 3 large jalapeno peppers (seeded and minced)
• 1 tblsp garlic (minced)
• 1 tblsp dried oregano
• 1 tblsp red wine vinegar
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tblsp brown sugar
• 1 (6 oz.) can diced black olives
• 1 can of dark kidney beans (drained)
• Shredded Cheddar cheese for garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pot and brown the chicken, ground turkey and pork sausage. Once browned, stir in the chili powder and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet and saute the onions until golden.
3. Add the minced jalapenos and saute for a few minutes; add the garlic and saute for a minute.
4. Add the onion mixture to the meat along with the oregano, vinegar, tomatoes, water, bay leaves, cumin, brown sugar, salt, and olives.  Reduce the heat to a low simmer.
5. Cover and cook for 1 hour, making sure it remains simmering throughout (not boiling). Stir occasionally and adjust seasoning to your taste.
6. Add drained can of dark kidney beans and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
7. Remove bay leaves and serve topped with shredded Cheddar.
8. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Cheesy Broiled Polenta with Mushrooms

With half of my family living in the deep south, grits and polenta have always been among my favorite side dishes.  In this recipe corn meal takes the main stage in a delicious meal that can be served hot or cold, although bubbling hot is the best!  You can use any kind of mushroom you wish; experimentation is best when tasty.  When using the broiler, make sure to keep a close eye on your polenta, since it can quickly go from a beautiful golden brown to a charred black in a matter of seconds.  Try not to like this one:)

Total Prep Time = 30 minutes
Serves = 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Corn Meal)
• 3 tblsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms (diced)
• 1 large garlic clove (minced or pressed)
• 1 tblsp. dry white wine (or water, but wine is better)
•  1/8 tsp. salt (in addition to the salt needed for the boiling water above)
• 1/2 cup smoked cheddar or provolone cheese (shredded)
• ground black pepper (to taste)
• dash of marjoram, basil, or tarragon (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Bring 3 cups of water and 1/2 tsp. of salt to a boil. When the water is rapidly boiling, add the cornmeal slowly while stirring constantly to avoid creating lumps.
2. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, making sure to stir often to avoid sticking, until the polenta is nice an thick.
3. While the polenta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until the oil is absorbed.
4. Stir in the wine (or water), and 1/8 tsp. salt. Simmer gently for a couple minutes.
5. Preheat the broiler.
6. Spread the polenta evenly in a buttered or oiled flameproof casserole dish.  Sprinkle the shredded cheese on the polenta. Spoon the sauteed mushrooms over the cheese, and top off with another layer of shredded cheese.  Add ground pepper according to your taste.
7. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown. 
8. Remove from broiler and top with a sprinkling of marjoram, basil or tarragon if you wish.
9. Serve bubbling hot and pull up the blanket of comfort food you're about to enjoy!

Gluten Free Spicy Potatoes and Cauliflower

Besides holiday meals, I still plan on keeping things vegetarian and gluten free for the foreseeable future.  I was once a vegetarian... back in the day.  My vegetarian diet lasted for 5 of my adolescent years; until I went away to college, had to rely on a meal plan, and would've starved for lack of vegetarian options.  Now, at 36, I'm getting back into it.  Back then it was all about living a kill-free, chill lifestyle, and now it's more about staying healthy (not that a kill-free diet isn't still a nice rationale for being vegetarian).

This cauliflower and potato dish recipe is enough to feed 4 as a main meal, or 8 as an appetizer.  There's a bit more prep than I like, but the finished product is just too good to cut corners and miss out.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb potatoes
• 10 tblsp. peanut or coconut oil
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 fresh green chilli (the hot ones), seeded and finely chopped (WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER)
• 1 large cauliflower, broken into small florets 
• 2 tsp. ground cumin (or cumin seeds)
• 4 garlic cloves, diced or cut into shreds
• 4 tblsp. fresh coriander (or parsley), finely chopped
• salt

Cooking Directions

1. Cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling salted water for about 20 minutes, or until just tender (which means you can put a fork in them easily, but the potato won't fall off the fork). Drain and let cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat 6 tblsp. of the oil in a frying pan or wok. When hot, add the ground cumin, coriander, tumeric, cayenne pepper and chilli. Let the spices sizzle for a few seconds.
3. Add the cauliflower bits and about 8 tblsp. water. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, for 6-8 minutes.  
4. Add the potatoes and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and remove from heat.
5. Heat the remaining 4 tblsp. of oil in a small frying pan. When hot, add the cumin and garlic and cook until lightly browned.  Pour the mixture over the vegetables. 
6. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander or parsley and serve immediately.

Gluten Free Peruvian Quinoa Stew

I've cooked up a few nice dishes using quinoa in the past.  Once for a cold and fruity salad, and another as an accompaniment for baked fish.  This vegetarian gluten free meal calls for a bit of prep and chopping, but in the end it's all worth it:) 

It's the day after x-mas and New Years 2013 is right around the corner.  Make sure to add this to your New Year's Resolution healthy eating meal list; it's a keeper!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 tblsp. oil (vegetable or coconut)
• 2 cups onions (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 celery stalk (chopped)
• 1 carrot (cut diagonally into 1/4 inch slices)
• 1 bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 cup zucchini (cubed)
• 2 cups undrained canned diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water or GF vegetable stock
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 tsp. fresh or 1 tsp. dried oregano
• pinch of cayenne (or more if it's what you like)
• salt
• fresh cilantro (optional)
• grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Using a fine strainer, rinse your quinoa well.  Place it in a pot with the water (1 cup) and cook, covered, on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until soft. Set aside.
2. Take out a covered pot. As the quinoa is cooking, saute the onions and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
3. Add the celery and carrots to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and water or GF stock. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne, and oregano, and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes (until the vegetables are tender).
5. Stir the cooked quinoa into the stew and add salt to taste. Top with cilantro and grated cheese if you like.
6. Serve up and enjoy!

Gluten Free Red Fried Rice

It's the end of the academic semester, I have about a week and a half left of grading papers and tests, going to meetings, and organizing the mess in my office that has accumulated over the past 4 months.  And then my winter break begins!  I'm seriously looking forward to having some free time to fill.  I plan to get on the mountains to hike and snowboard as much as the weather allows, finish up a few lingering home projects, and spend some time visiting friends I've neglected during the school semester.  I also plan on learning how to create some memorable vegetarian meals and a few new desserts to add to my culinary repertoire; something I've already begun.

This healthy vegetarian dish is very easy to prepare and cook.  It's quite tasty and can be eaten for any meal of the day.  Although I made this a main meal, this is a great side dish as well.  Feel free to add some diced hot pepper and experiment with the amounts of salt and pepper you add.  Although the directions call on you to add the salt and pepper at the end of the process, you may want to season throughout. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 4 tblsp coconut oil
• 1 large red onion (chopped)
• 2 red peppers (seeded & chopped)
• 1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes (halved)
• 4 eggs (beaten)
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Cooking Directions

• Either combine 3 cups of water and the rice in a rice cooker and press the "on" button, or... wash the rice under cold water. Drain. Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add rice and cook for 10-12 minutes.
• While your rice is cooking, heat the coconut oil in a wok (or deep pan/pot) until very hot (medium/high heat). Add the chopped onions and red pepper and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.  
• Add the halved cherry or grape tomatoes and continue to stir fry for another 3 minutes.
• Pour the beaten eggs in all at once and let cook on top for 30 seconds before you stir it all together. 
• Drain the cooked rice (if not using a rice cooker) and add to the wok.  Toss the rice over the heat with the vegetable/egg mixture for another 3 minutes.
• Season generously with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Gluten Free Chicken Fiorentina

Nothing exemplifies comfort food more than an aromatic herbed chicken dish like the one I'm about to share with you.  This recipe takes a little more than an hour from start to finish, but is worth every second of your time.  When you rub the salt and pepper into the chicken skin and flesh, make sure to cover every bit of chicken. Don't be lazy during this step, for your attention to detail in spicing it up will pay happy dividends when the fork finally meets your mouth:) 

Feel free to boil up your own potatoes and mash them up as you see fit.  I, on the other hand, went the easy route by using Idahoan Four Cheese Instant Mashed Potatoes.  They state "gluten free" and are super easy and fast to make, and actually taste pretty good.  Also, cook using the same white wine that you'll enjoy drinking with your meal. In other words, pick a tasty white wine that's made for drinking, not cooking. 

You're going to love the way this dish fills your house with the warming scent of rosemary and chicken. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1-2 pounds of Chicken; enough chicken pieces to individually cover the bottom of the big pot you'll be cooking with
• 4-5 thick sliced spring (green) onions
• 1 cup white wine
• enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your cooking pot
• 1 tblsp. fresh chopped rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 1/2 cup gluten free vegetable, chicken or beef broth
• salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Cut off any loose, hanging fat from chicken.  Rub chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Really get the salt and pepper all over the skin, flesh, and into every crevice. 
2. Heat the olive oil in your cooking pot (medium-high heat). Once hot, add the chicken and arrange so that each piece has one side completely cooking in the oil.  Saute the chicken until golden brown and turn over.
3. Add the chopped spring onions and rosemary, and saute for another 4 minutes.
4. Pour in your white wine, let it cook and reduce for 3 or so minutes.  Add the broth, reduce the flame to medium-low, cover and gently cook for about 35 minutes.
5. Add the grated lemon rind, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Serve it up hot with some mashed potatoes and get down to business!

Gluten Free Spicy Shredded Chicken and Plantains

This is one of those typical weeknight creations I can easily throw together to enjoy a meal with my partner, or solo. It's not fancy, not expensive, and not a lot of work.  The only real work is shredding up the chicken (which is kind of cathartic to be honest) and cutting up some veggies.  The hot sauce you use is totally up to you.  There are tons of hot sauces out there to choose from. Some state that they are gluten free, some do not.  But in general, hot sauces are naturally gluten free products.  When in doubt, read the ingredients and if you're super sensitive to gluten, contact the company and ask them about cross-contamination issues.

This was the first time I've ever cooked plantains.  I was first introduced to the versatile plantain via a Mofongo dish in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Since then I've wanted to cook with them, so I looked up some youtube videos of people cooking all sorts of plantains, and I figured I'd start with the absolute easiest way to do it. 

Feel free to change up the meat, or even fry up some tofu strips if you like.  The amount of hot-ness really depends on what you're into.  Add more, make things saucier, but also more deadly for tomorrow.  Choose wisely.

Ingredients
1 pound chicken
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onions
4 or 5 chopped garlic cloves
butter
oil (olive, vegetable, whatever...)
2 or 3 yellow plantains
Salt & Pepper
cooked rice (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a pot (big enough to fit your plantains) of salty water to a boil
2. Bring a smaller pot (big enough to fit your chicken breasts) of salty, water to a boil. Add a small pat of butter
3. If cooking rice, throw 1 cup rice and 2 cups water in a rice cooker and turn on.  If you don't have a rice cooker, just do the same in a small covered pot. You'll want to bring the water to boil, add the rice and a little salt, cover, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes
4. Cut off the ends of the plantains and throw them in the boiling water
5. Throw the chicken breasts in the boiling water
6. Set the timer for 20 minutes
7. Chop up a 1/2 to 1 cup of mushrooms and onions
8. Chop up 4 or 5 large garlic cloves
9. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil up (Medium/High) in a small pan and then throw in the onions, mushrooms and garlic.  Stir frequently while cooking until the onions are translucent, then cover, turn off and set aside
10. Around 15 minutes, your chicken should be cooked thoroughly.  Turn off heat and remove chicken with tongs and place on a cutting board.  Using two forks, shred up the chicken.  If the chicken cools down enough you can rip the chicken to shreds with your fingers (my preference)
11. Throw the shredded chicken in a bowl and add your hot sauce.  Keep going until you either 1) feel that it's hot enough! or 2) it's the creamy texture you need for optimum eating pleasure
12. Add the spicy shredded chicken to the pan of cooked onions, garlic and mushrooms and mix well over low heat
13. Remove the plantains when the timer goes off. Split down the middle and peal.  Serve sliced, buttered and dusted with salt.
14. Throw everything together on a plate (rice or no rice), grab a drink and get ready to enjoy yourself:)

When first dealing with a gluten free diet, keep things simple and delicious!

When first switching to a gluten free diet, it can be tough to see your new world through "cup half full" lenses.  Most people initially obsess over all the things they will now miss out on, especially things like beer, pizza and baked goods.  So they try to replace all they lost by baking a lot of GF breads and pastries, searching in vain for local distributors of gluten free beer, and researching all the local restaurants with GF menus.  All of which are great things to do to make one's new dietary reality more tolerable, but what people often overlook is the ease of making and eating great food that is naturally gluten free.

Having a range of quick and easy-to-make meals is a must for everyone suffering from gluten sensitivity issues.  I've accumulated quite a few over the years, but this is one of my frequent flyers.  There are so many ways to use 100% corn tortilla, and this is absolutely my favorite! I can whip this meal up in 5 minutes flat!  Try it you'll love it:)

Ingredients:

• Corn Tortillas
• Eggs
• Diced Tomatoes
• Spray-Oil (canola or olive)
• Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Dried Basil
• Cheese (your choice)
• Hot sauce (most brands are naturally gluten free)

Directions:

1. Have one large and one small frying pan over medium high heat.  
2. Spray the small frying pan with olive oil or any other spray-on oil (making sure that it's GF).
3. Dice up some tomato and dust with dried basil
4. Once hot, crack two or three eggs onto the small frying pan.  Add some salt, pepper and garlic powder.
5. Spray each side of your corn tortillas and throw onto large frying pan.  Once the tortilla begins to look a bit bubbly, turn over and throw some cheese on them. Turn the heat down to low.
6. Once the eggs are cooked (whole or scrambled, it doesn't matter), remove the tortilla from the pan and place on a large plate.  
7. Add some tomato, hot sauce, and then your eggs.
8. Eat and love it!

Lamb or Pork Pilaf with Apricots and Raisins

When I first thought of putting this dish together, I wondered how well the flavor of the apricots, raisins and pork would complement (or not) each other.  I went with the pork instead of the lamb, not because I preferred using pork, but because Acme was completely out of lamb:(  This dish came out delicious, so no loss at all, but next time I'm definitely going for the lamb.

I decided to use dried apricot halves.  You might want to cut up the dried apricot into small bits, but if you're cool with big bite-fulls of sweet and plump apricot throughout your Pilaf (like I am), don't change anything.  Although golden raisins would be ideal, dark raisins work just as nicely.  This dish is a unique amalgamation of flavors, but they're all yummy!  Prepare to surprise your palate with something very different:)

Enjoy!

Prep Time = 20 minutes
Cooking Time = 50 minutes
Servings = 4+

Ingredients

• 2 tblsp butter or margarine
• 1 cup long or short-grain brown rice
• 1 large yellow onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tblsp fresh ginger (minced) 
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 cups gluten free beef or vegetable stock
• 3 tblsp vegetable or olive oil
• 1 pound pork loin or boneless leg of lamb, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 small zucchini (diced)
• 4 oz small mushrooms (halved)
• 1/2 cup dried apricots (chopped or whole)
• 1/2 cup dark or golden raisins
• 1/2 cup minced parsley 

Directions

1.  Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over moderate heat. Add the rice, onion, 1 tblsp of the ginger, and the garlic.  Saute until the rice is pale gold... about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover it, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
3. Meanwhile... heat 1 tblsp of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Sprinkle the pork or lamb with salt and pepper, and then add to the skillet... brown the meat on all sides (about 10 minutes).
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
5. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, reduce the heat to moderate and heat for 1 minute. Add the zucchini and the remaining ginger and saute until the zucchini is softened (about 3 minutes).  Add the mushrooms and saute until tender (3 to 4 minutes more). Set aside.
6. Add the apricots and raisins to the rice, cover and continue cooking until all the liquid is absorbed (about 10 minutes more).
7. Return the meat to the skillet, add the rice mixture, toss well to mix, and heat just to serving temperature (uncovered), over medium heat.  
8. Stir in the minced parsley.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Gluten Free Ginger Curried Cabbage

This weekend was all fun in the sun:)  It was bright, cool, and the sun illuminated the foliage beautifully.  Looking across the colorful autumn landscape I immediately imagined all the leaves gone, snow on the ground and flakes lazily meandering down from their places of birth high over my head.  But not yet.  Now is the time to enjoy the colors, smells and foods of the Fall.
 
This dish is the perfect thing for a crisp autumn night. I went a little overboard on this one by adding a cup of chopped bacon to my version the first time, but rest assured, bacon or no bacon, this is an excellent dish!  It has just the right level of spiciness, is super easy to make, and is actually quite healthy (that is if you use olive oil and not butter, and of course no bacon!:).  The ginger gives this dish its defining flavor, so feel free to increase its amount to taste.  Remember when slicing and dicing hot peppers to wash your hands thoroughly after, or even better, wear disposable latex gloves.  Nothing is worse than rubbing your eyes or nose with jalapeno juice all over your hands!

Ingredients

• 1/2 large head of cabbage (chopped)
• 3/4 cups peas (or carrots, or corn)
• 1 to 1 1/2 inch ginger (pealed and diced)
• 1/2 green chili (finely diced)
• 1/4 cup butter, olive oil, or ghee 
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• (1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon = optional)

 Cooking Directions

1. Heat up your oil, butter or ghee over medium high heat.
2. Add the diced ginger and stir frequently for 30 seconds.
3. Add the diced chili pepper and stir frequently for 30 seconds.
4. Add cumin and stir to incorporate.
5. Add coriander, turmeric and chili powder. Mix well.
6. Add the chopped cabbage, the peas, (bacon = optional), and the salt.  Mix together everything, keep the heat on medium-high, put a lid on the pot and set the timer for 10 minutes.
7. When the 10 minute timer goes off, take the lid off the pot and stir everything up thoroughly.
8. Lower heat to low and cook longer if you feel the cabbage is still too hard.  Otherwise, serve it up an enjoy!

Gluten Free Tuscan Bean Soup

Not that I'm a big fan of slush and sleet, recently shoveled parking spots blocked off with lawn chairs or milk crates, or those frigid winter days where it hurts to be outside, but I am happy things are cooling off.  Being a northern-blooded human, I'm most comfortable in temperatures between 45 and 75 d. F., so when the heat is 80s and up I feel like I'm made of soft molasses; I have no energy and I travel from one air-conditioned bubble to the next, silently wishing a cold front would move in so that I could pull my hoodies out of the "winter clothes" box, slap on a beanie cap and go tromping through multi-colored drifts of fallen leaves.  Well, the fall seems upon us:)  This whole week is in the 60s and 70s.  I love it.  I could even see my breath the other morning.  Weather like this gets me into a soup and stew mood for sure.  A little colder and I'll be experimenting with chili again:)~

This bean soup can easily be made vegetarian by switching the chicken stock with vegetable stock and leaving out the diced ham.  Meat in or meat out, you're going to enjoy every single steaming spoon of this dish.  I guarantee it!

Ingredients

• 2x 14 ounce cans of chopped tomatoes with herbs
• 2 cups roughly chopped savoy cabbage (or Cavolo Nero Leaves if you can find them)
• 2x 14 ounce cans of cannelloni beans
• 2 cups diced ham (pre-cooked)
• 2 cups GF chicken broth (or GF vegetable broth) or plain ol' water
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper (to your taste)
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Cooking Directions

1. Pour the chopped tomatoes into a large pan and add the chicken broth. Season with the garlic salt, sea salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil.
2. Add the cabbage to the pan, stir in, and then partially cover the pan.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender.
3. Drain and rinse the cannelloni beans and add them to the pan along with the diced ham. Stir together and heat for another 5 minutes.
4. Check to see if the soup is seasoned right, if not, add more salt and pepper.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.
6. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Ceasar Salad

Not too long ago I was sitting in Hobbs Coffee Shop in Swarthmore, PA, working on dissertation revisions and feeling hungry and over-caffeinated.  There wasn't much on the menu that was naturally gluten free, but they were having a lunch special on Chicken Caesar Salad that looked good.  I told them about my gluten-issues and they assured me that their dressing was home-made and gluten free, and that they'd simply omit the croutons.  The Romaine was served whole, but cut in half.  I loved it!  I had never eaten a salad like that before and found it fun to cut into it like a big piece of meat:)

As I was munching away I thought to myself, "I bet I can make it even better at home."  And so I did.  This version gets an extra kick from sun-dried tomatoes and a healthy dose of Parmesan cheese and grated black peppercorns.  To add some smokey undertones, I used my gas-burning stove top to slightly char the halved Romaine.  You can seriously come up with a hundred alternate versions of this one.  Just think about all the different meats, seafood, cheeses, and vegetarian combinations:) 

Make sure you completely rinse out your Romaine to get any bits of soil out (or bugs for that matter).  You'll also want to shake the heads out a bit before you halve them.  You don't want your salad being too wet and runny.

I made my croutons from the two end pieces of an Udi's gluten free bread loaf I had.  All I did was toast them up and cut them into small squares.

Ingredients

• As many halved heads of Romaine lettuce as you need (1 half per person)
• 1 small jar of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (any brand = whatever is on sale)
• Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1-2 pounds of skinless/boneless chicken (chopped)
• Gluten Free Caesar dressing (I used Ken's Light Options Caesar Dressing - because it said "Gluten Free" on the back )
• Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions

1. Rinse out your heads of lettuce.  Shake the water out of them and cut them in half; so that both halves are held together by the root.
2. Chop up your chicken.
3. Toast and then dice up some gluten free bread.
4. Drain the olive oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes into a deep pan.
5. Chop up the sun-dried tomatoes.
6. Heat your oil over med-high heat and add the chicken when the oil is hot.  Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains.
7. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and reduce to medium heat.  Stir often, and cook until the chicken is slightly browned.
8. Using either a skillet or an open gas-stove top flame, and a pair of tongs, slightly char the inside of each halved Romaine head.
9. Place each halved Romaine head on its own large plate.  First top with a generous portion of the chicken/sun-dried tomato mixture, then lightly cover the whole head with grated Parmesan cheese, grate some fresh-pepper over everything, throw on the GF croutons, and then drizzle your Caesar dressing over the top.
10. Chow down and thank me silently in your head:)

Gluten Free Herbed Garlic Chicken

I love using a slow cooker! If you don't already have one, it's a must-have for any kitchen. You simply throw all the ingredients inside, set the heat and leave it to do its work.  By the time you get back from work, study, hiking (whatever), your home is filled with the amazing smell of the delicious meal waiting for you:)

This recipe is super easy, and super yummy!  You can place any vegetable you want in the slow cooker along with the chicken and it's sure to come out fantastic.  I use Better Than Bouillon for the stock, but feel free to use vegetable stock, or any other stock (as long as it's gluten free!).

Remember to look for my Gluten Free Desserts! app for the iPhone, iPad, and on the Droid Store! 

Ingredients

• 1/8 cup butter or margarine (softened)
• 8 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 tblsp fresh rosemary leaves (chopped) or 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1-3 pounds chicken (legs, thighs, etc)
• 1 cup chicken broth (make sure it's gluten free!) 
• 3 tblsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, etc.)

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper until fully incorporated.
2. Rub the butter/herb mixture all over the skin and in the cavities of the chicken parts.
3. Place the chicken, chicken broth, lemon juice and vegetables in your slow cooker. Cover.
4. Set heat to low and cook for 8 to 10 hours (or on High for 3 1/2 to 5 hours).
5. Remove the chicken and potatoes with a slotted spoon and serve piping hot!
6. Enjoy!!!