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 Cheesy Shrimp & Grits

After seeing a shrimp and grits dish whipped up on one of my favorite Food Network shows, I just had to see what the fuss was all about.  The recipe is easy, relatively quick to put together, and sooooo good! Feel free to double the amount of shrimp I used. The more shrimp the merrier!  I decided to mix everything up together, but you can opt to top the cheesy grits with the shrimp mixture and eat it that way. Either way I'm sure you won't be disappointed:)  You can use any GF corn grits you want, but I used Bob's Red Mill GF Grits.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water (+ more to keep grits moist)
• 1 cup grits (aka polenta)
• 3 tblsp butter
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 6 slices bacon - pork or turkey (chopped)
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 2 tblsp parsley (chopped)
• 1 cup scallions (thinly sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil. Add some salt and pepper and the grits. Cook for 20-25 minutes.  If grits start to look dry, keep adding splashes of water to keep it moist and creamy. 
2. Meanwhile...  Rinse shrimp and pat dry. 
3. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well and chop up. 
4. In the bacon grease, cook the shrimp on medium heat until pink.  Add the lemon juice, chopped bacon, chopped parsley, scallions and garlic.  Saute for another 3 minutes.
5. Remove grits from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese.  YUM!
6. Either mix up everything together, or spoon grits into bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately and chow down!
7. Enjoy!

Aunt Betty's Gluten Free Broccoli Salad

I'm about to share with you the best raw broccoli salad I have ever eaten!  Actually, it's the only raw broccoli salad I have ever eaten, but that's besides the point. This recipe comes from my good friend Cheryl Vermilya. Cheryl and her husband David have been the co-directors of the Town Shop Youth Center for over 35 years!  I attended the center throughout my teen years, and my experiences there were instrumental in shaping who I've become as an adult.  Additionally, the cooking classes that Cheryl organized monthly, truly instilled within me, a love for culinary experimentation.

During our annual New Year's trek to Syracuse to stay with Dave and Cheryl, this dish was prepared as part of a huge, delicious parade of food creations prepared by Cheryl in commemoration of our visit.  Cheryl's aunt, Betty, is the originator of this recipe, so THANKS AUNT BETTY:)  This side dish is simple, fast and yummilicious!  Try not to like it! I dare you:)

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of broccoli flowerets (chopped)
• 1 small onion (minced)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 4 slices crisp bacon,or facon if you're vegetarian (crumbled)
• 1/2 cup Miraclewhip mayo
• 3 tbslp sugar
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or regular vinegar)

Directions

1. Mix together the mayo, sugar and vinegar.
2. Combine all the ingredients (except for the bacon) and mix in a large bowl.
3. Add the bacon and gently mix.
4. Serve. That's it! Simple huh?
5. Enjoy:)

Gluten Free Arabian Spinach & Chick-Peas

The month before my wedding, I ate horribly.  Most of my meals consisted of burgers, hotdogs, sausage, and whatever else could be thrown onto the grill and cooked quickly.  While in Jamaica I had a chance to eat anything I wanted, and what I ended up enjoying the most, were simple, healthy foods.  Before I left I decided to do my best to make more vegetarian dishes, and try and limit my red meat intake.  Since being back I've begun to experiment and am loving it.  This is the first out-of-the-ordinary meal I made.  It's extremely simple, fast and delicious!  Most people would likely use this as a side dish for fish or meat, but I had it as the main course with basmati rice. I'll be making this again:)

Ingredients

• 15 oz. can chick-peas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 14 oz. fresh spinach, washed and shredded
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tblsp. butter
• 2 tblsp. olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Cooking Instructions

1. Using a large frying pan or wok, fry the onion in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Ad the cumin and garlic and fry for another minute.
2. Add the shredded spinach in small batches, stirring until the leaves begin to wilt.  It may not seem like it can all fit, but the spinach shrinks down a lot!
3. Stir in the chick-peas, butter, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Reheat it until just bubbling and then serve.  
4. That's it! Enjoy!

Gluten Free Shrimptastic Potato Salad

Sorry! No pic for this one. I did take a pic before I left for China, but must have accidently erased it:(

My plan was to spend my time in Chongqing, China, documenting my experiences trying to eat gluten-free while avoiding "Western" food.  However, things don't always go according to plan. After arriving at the dormitory and setting up my internet connection, I tried to visit my blog...  DENIED!  I tried accessing it through various search engine with no luck.  Apparently, China isn't too keen on people blogging.  So I spent the entire month wishing I could update this blog:(  Oh well, what can you do.

Now I have a lot to say about my experience, but I want to share this potato salad recipe before I get into my trip.  Before leaving I attended a pot-luck and brought this salad.  I loved it, and so did everyone else.  Since its the season for outdoor picnics and pot-lucks, this one's a must-have for the recipe box!  I like the amount of shrimp in the following recipe, but could see adding more than is called for. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 10-ish large baking potatoes (scrubbed)
• 12 eggs
• 3 green onion bunches (chopped)
• 6 dill pickles (chopped)
• 8 oz. small shrimp (frozen or canned)
• 2 cups low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tblsp. celery salt
• 1 tblsp. paprika
• 2 cloves garlic (diced)
• salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Put potatoes in a large pot of water, cover and bring to boil.  Boil until soft. Remove potatoes from water and set aside to cool.  Peel them and then chop them up into bite-size pieces (if you like skins like I do, feel free to leave a few in).
2. Place the eggs in a pot and completely cover with cold water. Bring the water to boil for one minute. Cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 12 minutes. Remove from water and cool. Peel and chop em up.
3. In a large bowl, mix up the potatoes, eggs, green onions, dill pickles and shrimp. Add the mayonnaise, celery salt and paprika and mix. Season with S&P.  
4. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours to let the tastes settle in.
5. Chow down and love it!

Gluten Free Six-Bean Barbecue Bake

It's Sunday night, the last day of spring-break, and I'm sitting in the front of the television watching Mark and Olly: Machigenga.  I love that show!  Overall, it was a nice break, and a very nice weekend. The weather was abnormaly warm and dry, so I spent as much time as possible outside . I was also able to get a much-needed dose of friend-time:)  Always a good thing!!

I also ate a LOT of  good food.  For some reason it ended up being a feast-weekend.  Today, we checked out the Philadelphia Flower Show.  We sniffed enough flowers to make our boogers yellow.  The arrangements were beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoyed the many forms of bloom-oriented artwork on display.  A friend we ate dinner with Saturday night gave us two free tickets to go. Talk about a sweet score! Thank you Melanie!  At a price-tag over $25, I don't think I would have gone otherwise.  Flowers in a building are great, but I prefer them in their natural surroundings:)

Afterwards we went to Reading Terminal Market, to a little place called Delila's, and ordered chopped barbeque chicken, collard greens and sweet potatoes. It was awesome!  The only thing missing was a huge pile of baked beans. I dig baked beans, almost as much as yams:) In general, I like them on the sweet side. And maybe even some bacon thrown in for good measure. The following recipe doesn't require bacon, but is definitely designed for those with a serious sweet-tooth (i.e., people like me). You'll love em'  but those around you might not love you so much; especially with all that fiber going through your system.  For real, you might want stay outdoors after eating a big bowl of these beans, otherwise you might gas people out!  But who cares, it's a small price to pay for indulging in some seriously good barbecued beans:)

This recipe calls for a slow cooker 

• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 can butter beans, drained
• 1 can great northern beans, drained
• 1 can navy beans, drained
• 1 can pork and beans, not drained (or any other can of beans if you're veg)
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce (makes sure it's GF)
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses

Cooking Directions

1. Mix everything together in your slow cooker.
2. Cook on low to medium for 4-6 hours.
3. That's it, couldn't be easier! Enjoy!

Gluten Free Tuna Salad With Black-Eyed Beans and Apples

Mindy and I just returned from a walk through Swarthmore Forest after a nice breakfast at the Coffee Corner in Morton.  This morning we both woke up early, but felt completely rested.  Sleep deprivation has been the norm lately, so having a couple nights of good sleep over the weekend are necessary for survival.  Last night I locked our cat Loki in the basement (along with his food and water) so that he wouldn't wake us up throughout the night with constant reports on who knows what?!  I felt a little bad, but our basement is fully carpeted and has everything he needs.  I'm glad I did though, since I feel more rested today than I have in weeks.

In just a few hours we are going to our much anticipated, deep-tissue massage appointment.  We both love going to the massage therapist.  I just wish it wasn't so expensive.  When we lived in China, massage was so cheap that you could go twice a week and think nothing of it. Things are a bit different here in the US. Although massage has tons of health benefits, it's considered a luxury. In China, it's viewed as an important path to being healthy.  I can't wait for my trip to Chongqing, I'll be getting foot rubs every other day!:)

So.... completely switching gears.  This tuna salad was the first dish I served to my friends, Joy and Jason, when they came to visit last Friday evening.  When I found this recipe in the book: PORTUGUESE FOOD & COOKING, I thought the mix of ingredients were a bit bizarre.  I never thought of mixing apples with beans and tuna before.  In fact, I was a bit hesitant to make it since I couldn't imagine such an eclectic mix of flavors working well.  Boy was I wrong!  This salad was a big hit!  We all loved it.  It tasted fresh, earthy, and completely healthy.  The best thing about this recipe is how easy it was to make.  I guarantee you'll be surprised at how good this is:)

Ingredients

• 1 apple (cored and thinly sliced)
• 8 1/2 oz. of tuna, drained
• 1 can of black-eyed beans (peas), drained and rinsed well
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley (chopped)
• 6 tbsp. quality olive oil
• 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Preparation

1. Mix the sliced apple, tuna, beans, onion and parsley in a salad bowl and mix gently.
2. Whisk together the olive oil and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, then pour over the salad. Toss and serve.
3. I told you it was easy! Get ready for some good eating!

Gluten Free Edamame-Lentil Stew

Now that things are getting busier, I'm so glad we decided on making Sunday our "meal-prep-for-the-week" day.  This time it took less than two hours! I like not worrying about food when I'm busy.  Plus, the meals we make tend to be pretty healthy; at least a lot more healthy than Wendy's burgers, minus the buns, or mayonnaise-laden chicken salad from the corner deli.

This side dish can actually be eaten as a main entree. I loved it! The flavors explode in your mouth. And it's super-healthy. You actually feel a little bit healthier after every bite. Not kidding.  Just take a little bean-o, since this is chock full of legumes! Did you know that beans are the magic fruit?

Cooking Ingredients

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 3/4 cup frozen shelled soybeans (edamame)
• 1 1/2 cups minced red onions
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• 1 14-16 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 6 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tblsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tblsp fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Cooking Instructions

• Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with about 2 inches of water. Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes (or until tender). Drain and set aside.
• Place the soy beans in a small saucepan, cover with 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
• Heat the olive oil in a large lidded pot on medium-high heat.  Throw in the onion, the garlic and tomatoes. Stirring often, cook for about 6 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Stir in lentils, edamame, juice and the rest of the ingredients. Cook and stir for about 3 more minutes.
• Serve it up hot and enjoy!

Gluten Free Tomato and Zucchini Gratin

Well, I'm back in the swing of things.  The transition is always rough for a couple of days, then it just wears off and your back in the grind:)  One of the things I always tell people who've just found out they can no longer ingest gluten, is that keeping things simple is the best way to go. Mindy and I decided that we were going to eat healthier and cheaper for our joint New Year's resolution. We are both super-busy over-achievers, who often end up eating out, either because we don't have the time to cook, or because we are just too darned tired after work.  So, we agreed to make Sunday our "cooking day," where we would make all of our meals for the upcoming work-week.  Well, at least all of our lunches and dinners.  Breakfast is just too easy to warrant eating  defrosted omelets!

Here is an example of one of those great dishes that is simple, and naturally gluten free. I made this along with my meals for the week.  I loved it! You can use eggplant instead of zucchini (also known as courgettes) if you'd like.  There's a couple stages to this one, but it's still easy, and the finished product is healthy and delicious.  Enjoy!

Gratin Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchinis, sliced
• 1 pound of roma tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 to 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese 
• 6 tblsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Gratin Directions

1. Preheat the broiler (or grill).
2. Place the sliced zucchinis in a single layer on a foil-lined grill rack.  Brush the zucchini slices with olive oil and broil for 15-20 minutes, turning once about half way (until golden on both sides).  If you overlap your slices a bit, don't worry about it. Not a big deal:)
3. Remove from broiler and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
   
5. Toss together the browned zucchini, sliced tomatoes, a little more olive oil, and some salt and pepper in a bowl.  Then pile the mixture into a shallow, baking dish. 
6. Drizzle the zucchini and tomato slices with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and the vegetables are piping hot.
8. Chow down immediately!

Two Kinds of Easy Gluten Free Party Salsa

I've been traveling all over the place lately. Just yesterday I arrived home after a week-long stay with family outside Marietta, GA. Tomorrow I'll be heading north to Baldwinsville, NY to spend New Year's Eve with our good friends, David and Cheryl Vermillya.  Spending New Year's Eve with Dave and Cheryl, eating great food and drinking fine wine has been our ritual for the last three years. On New Year's Day we all get up, drink some strong coffee, eat breakfast, and head off to Beaver Lake for cross-country skiing or a hike.  It's a great way to start the year:)

These two salsa recipes are crazy easy.  If you have the time, there are a ton of salsas that call for hours of slow cooking and lots of work. Not these. These are the kinds of salsa you make when time is short. There's a mild corn salsa, and a simple salsa verde (green salsa). I'll be mixing up a batch of the corn salsa for our trip north. It can be made with frozen corn, or cut fresh off the cob. It's good either way.

Corn Salsa Ingredients

• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 tbsp. red onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. cilantro or parsley, minced
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour to blend flavors (more time it sits, the better it tastes!)
2. That's it! I told you it was easy.

Simple Salsa Verde Ingredients

• 4 (4oz) cans of La Preferida Mild Green Chiles - roasted, peeled, and diced
• 1 1/2 cups drained canned tomatillos, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 cup GF chicken broth ( I used Kitchen Basics vegetable stock)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped

Preparation Directions 

1. Mix it all together in a bowl, cover and chill for as long as you can. 
2. Eat with pure corn tortillas and enjoy!

Happy New Year!!!

Two Kinds of Easy Breakfast Potatoes

I'm a big fan of breakfast potatoes. Which is partly why breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. One of the first food venues I felt semi-safe eating at were diners. Although I know that cross-contamination can happen (when it's super busy, and foods a'flying), for the most part, egg and meat-based breakfasts are naturally gluten free. Having worked in a diner called Pano's during my time as an undergraduate student at Buffalo State, I know that in general the grill will be divided up into food groups. There's a square for the potatoes, a square for the eggs and meats, and one for the pancakes/waffles.

When you first get diagnosed with having gluten sensitivity issues, you become afraid of going out to eat. You're paranoid that you'll eat the wrong thing, or someone will make a mistake when telling you it's gluten free, or it will get contaminated by another food in the kitchen, and you end up staying home a lot.  Diners were my initial window back into the social phenomenon of communal eating.  Although we all have our own tables and plates, what we really seem to be satisfying is our need of the company and energy of fellow human beings. 

Feeling confident in the relative safety of breakfast foods,  made traveling around the USA a lot more enjoyable as well, since I could always count on a diner being close by.  Sometimes I'd eat at diners for multiple meals in a day, especially on long road trips. Lots of grits, omelets, scrambled eggs, frittatas, roasted tomatoes, bacon, ham, steak, coffee and of course BREAKFAST POTATOES. With a hefty side of ketchup, I typically take care of the potatoes first thing.  

I've cooked a lot of stuff in my life, and it occurred to me about a week ago,  I've never made my own breakfast potatoes! I've probably eaten breakfast potatoes thousands of times in my life, and have never learned to make my own. How pathetic is that!? Well, that had to change. I decided to use the same bag of red potatoes and make two different kinds.  I cooked them at the same time, ended up with a LOT of leftovers, and absolutely loved both styles. Even so, I don't see myself cutting back on my diner visits:) Eating alone sucks!

Easy Roasted Potatoes  

Ingredients 

• 3 medium (1 pound) red or white potatoes, or 12 tiny  (1 pound) new potatoes
• 2 tblsp. extra virgin olive oil (or butter - melted)
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. paprika 

Cooking Directions 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
• Cut up the medium potatoes into fourths, or the new potatoes into halves
• Toss the potatoes in a cooking-sprayed 9x9x2-inch baking pan
• Mix up the oil, onion powder, garlic salt, black pepper, and paprika; drizzle over the taters, and using some tongs, toss them up. 
• Bake for 45 minutes, then take them out and stir them up. Throw them back in for another 20 minutes, or until the edges are browned.
• Chow down! And be careful not to burn your tongue, or the roof of your mouth. These babies can be dangerous-hot!

Home Fried Potatoes

Ingredients 

• 4 medium (1 1/3 pound) red potatoes
• 3 tblsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tblsp. dried)

Cooking Directions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling. Gently drop in the potatoes and cook until tender but firm (about 15 minutes). Drain, cool and then cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
• Heat 1 tblsp. olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the onion and green pepper and cook until soft; stirring often (about 5 minutes).  Transfer to a plate for later.
• Heat another 2 tblsp. of olive oil in the skillet over med-high heat. Toss in the potato cubes, paprika, salt and black peper. Cook, stirring from time to time, until browned (about 10 minutes). 
• Add the waiting onions, green peppers and parsley, and cook for another minute or so. Serve hot.
• It's breakfast potato time! Enjoy!

Anybody want some yam fries?

I love yams. They're absolutely yamtastic. To be honest, I'm a bit of a yamaholic myself, for real, I truly yam. But seriously, I've loved yams ever since I moved to China, to a little city called Dalian (little by Chinese standards, at a little over 5 million people). Around the medical university at which I lived, there were people who sold baked yams off of carts. The carts held one or two steel drums in which the yams would be cooked. Their heat source were piles of glowing hot charcoal bricks (that could be purchased from other fellow street vendors). The vendors themselves were often dressed in layers of dark clothing, darkened even more by soot. Their gloves were fingerless and they always greeted you with a smile.

There was nothing like walking down to the yam man (or yam woman) and being handed a piping hot, charcoal crusted root on a cold winter morning. The first quarter inch or so would be charred, but when you broke them open, you would see caramelized layers surrounding a deep orange core. And the smell was awesome! My hands would always get dark and sooty from handling the skin, but it was all part of the experience.

Back in Australia (a couple weeks ago) I schooled some Aussies on baking yams in beach fires. I bought a handful of yams, wrapped them in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and threw them into the blazing fire. Some of the people around the fire shot me inquisitive glances, beers in their hands, others asked me what I threw in. I told them they'd find out later, and when the time came, I pulled out the blackened yam coals with a stick and set them in the sand to cool. After about 40 minutes I handed out yams to those willing to dig in, and told them tales of charcoaled yams on Chinese street corners. Everybody in the yam feast remained quiet until they were finished eating. That's how into the yams they were.

I've recently learned that someone close to me shares my love affair with the mighty yam as well. My very good friend Dana loves yams (almost as much as me), as well as peanut butter, almonds and yogurt (all of which are in bulk supply at her place). Dana came over one day, with a big smile on her face, and with a sack of yams, proclaiming that she was going to make some yam fries, and that I'd better start getting excited. I did too! Not because she told me too, but because I'm yam-junky. And I had never made yam fries! The way Dana makes them is to cut them up into little wedges, place them on a baking sheet lined with heavy duty aluminum foil, brush them with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle them with garlic, salt and pepper. Then you just bake them at 400 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes. In that amount of time they come out cooked, but flexible. Another 10-15 minutes more and they become crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But all ovens are different, so keep an eye on them while they are cooking so as no to burn them.

You can make all kinds of yam fries. I experimented and used butter and cinnamon-sugar. YUM! You can also throw some cheese on them, oregano and oil, or any combination your imagination can muster. Alright, I think I'm done praising yams. I talked about the nutritional benefits of yams in a previous blog on making Sweet Potato Bake (aka yam-bake), in case you missed it.

Golden Sunshine Quinoa Salad

I spend a lot of time at Borders Bookstore.  Mostly because it's the closest place i can go to find a table with enough space to work on my never-ending graduate school assignments, but also because I can take breaks and browse through the magazines, books and music.  This recipe was adapted from a book I was flipping through named "Simply Delicioso" by Ingrid Hoffmann.  I had a few boxes of quinoa in my cupboard, so when I came across this recipe I had to try it out.

This is a perfect warm weather dish.  It's served cold, so it can be perfect company for picnics, barbecues or anytime there is a gathering of friends with food and drink involved.  Plus, it can be made completely vegan by substituting the chicken broth for organic vegetable broth.  I know you're going to like this one!

Ingredients 

• 2 cups quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups organic (gluten free) chicken broth
• 4 scallions, only the white and light green ends, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 3 tblsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tblsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Directions

• Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh (or sieve) with cold water until the water runs clear. Bring the chicken or vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes (until the quinoa has fully expanded).  Uncover, remove from heat, fluff with fork and set aside to cool.
• Once the quinoa has cooled, transfer to a large bowl.  Add the scallions, raisins, rice vinegar, orange zest and juice, olive oil, cumin, cinnamon, cucumber, and parsley and toss until mixed well.  Add some salt and pepper to taste, cover and refrigerate until cold.  Serve with a fresh sprig of parsley and enjoy!!!

GF Gratin Dauphinois

I just made this dish for an Easter get-together with some friends.  It's a recipe from a book I bought when I lived in Newcastle, Australia entitled the "Great Potato Cookbook."  It isn't listed in the United States, but if you ever find it be sure to pick it up.  Besides the slicing of the potatoes, this dish is pretty simple. I decided to alter the original recipe by adding layers of pre-sliced button mushrooms, and diced onions.  But either way you make it, this is delicious!

GF Gratin Dauphinois Ingredients

• butter for greasing
• 4-4 1/2 pounds potatoes
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese (or any cheese you please)
• 3-4 garlic gloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/4 cups cream (half & half is fine)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter a large baking/casserole dish
3. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly
4. Mix together two-thirds of the cheese, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper (to taste) well. Layer the potatoes in the prepared dish, sprinkling the cheese mixture over each layer except the top one.
5. Whisk the milk, cream and eggs together and then pour evenly over the layered potatoes, making sure that the liquid goes all the way to the base of the dish.
6. Layer the remaining cheese over the top of the layers and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Test the potatoes with a sharp knife or fork; they should be tender when done.
7. Eat and be merry!

With the recipe I just shared, I was able to make two containers full of food. You can feed a lot of people with this recipe, or have a ton of leftovers for yourself!  Enjoy!