Egg and Sausage Casserole

This year I thought I would try to come up with some fun foods to eat for breakfast on Christmas morning.  Since most of us can eat eggs, I decided to work on a dairy-free egg casserole.  (My sister-in-law also put in a request for something sweet with cinnamon, but I'm still working on that recipe.)  I think the breakfast sausage gives the egg casserole lots of flavor, even without the usual cheese sprinkled on top.  To make the casserole wheat-free and dairy-free, I used gluten-free bread and almond milk.  We'll see what the rest of our family thinks, but Michael and I found it quite yummy.

One important thing to note is that you need to start this casserole about 24 hours ahead of time.  The bread needs to soak in the egg mixture overnight for it to turn out as egg casserole perfection.  If you don't have 12 eggs, you could try using 10 eggs and 1 cup of almond milk, or 8 eggs and 1 1/2 cups of almond milk. 

Egg and Sausage Casserole
serves 10 to 12 people

Ingredients:

• 12 to 16 oz. breakfast sausage.  Jones All Natural original pork sausage and Jimmy Dean All-Natural regular pork sausage are the two brands I have found that are free of wheat, corn, dairy, and soy.
• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain almond milk.  (Not vanilla-flavor!)  I prefer Blue Diamond Almond Breeze original.
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. ground mustard
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 6 slices of Ener-G tapioca loaf.  Or if you cannot find the tapioca loaf, use 5 or 6 slices of Ener-G brown rice or white rice loaf, depending on how many are needed to cover the bottom of the pan.  (The tapioca loaf slices are cut thinner.)

Instructions:  

The morning before you want to serve the casserole, take the tube of breakfast sausage out of the freezer to let it defrost in the refrigerator.  Then the evening before, cook the sausage over medium-heat in a large frying pan for about 10 minutes, breaking the sausage up into small pieces and stirring frequently, until the sausage is cooked and has begun to brown.  

Whisk together the eggs, almond milk, oregano, basil, ground mustard, sea salt, onion powder, and black pepper.  Cut the slices of bread into 1/2-inch cubes.  Liberally grease a 9x13 Pyrex pan with canola oil or olive oil.  Sprinkle the bread cubes in a single layer on the bottom of the pan.  Pour the egg mixture over top of the bread cubes.  If any of the cubes remain dry-looking, press them into the egg mixture to coat.  Then sprinkle the cooked sausage in an even layer on top.  Cover the baking dish and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, take the dish out of the refrigerator.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  When the oven is hot, bake the casserole uncovered for 30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle of the casserole comes out clean.  Let the casserole cool for a few minutes before serving.

 

Overnight Steel-cut Oatmeal

I'm back!  I finished my first semester of graduate school and now can think again about things like posting new recipes.  This fall I've been trying out a few, but I just didn't have the time or energy to post them.  It didn't help that I couldn't find the battery charger for my camera for a while.  But now that I'm not writing papers or looking for my charger, I can resume my recipe posting.  This recipe is one that I've been making a lot this fall.  I can start it the night before, and then it just takes 15 minutes in the morning to finish making breakfast.  Since sleep is a precious commodity, I've been trying to get up as late as I can and still get the girls fed before Sabrina has to catch the bus at 7:20 am.

I have three variations of our steel-cut oatmeal:  blueberry with maple syrup, raspberry with brown sugar, and chocolate raspberry.  The picture above is of the chocolate raspberry version, which is the girls' favorite.  Big surprise, eh?

Overnight Steel-cut Oatmeal
serves 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gluten-free steel-cut oats.  I use Bob's Red Mill brand.
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• for the blueberry version:  1 cup frozen wild blueberries, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• for the raspberry version:  1 cup frozen raspberries, 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon,  2 to 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• for the chocolate raspberry version:  1 cup frozen raspberries, 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I like Trader Joe's semi-sweet or Ghirardelli semi-sweet brands), and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 

Instructions:

The night before, add the the steel-cut oats, water, and salt to a small pot and stir.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Immediately remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid.  Leave the pot on the stove top overnight.

The next morning add the berries to the pot, stir, and bring the oatmeal to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium, or so the liquid is simmering gently.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (If you are using raspberries, occasionally mash them with the back of your spoon so that they dissolve into the oatmeal.)  Then remove the pot from the heat, stir in the other ingredients, and serve.

Asheville, North Carolina

This year for our wedding anniversary, Michael and I went to Asheville, North Carolina.  Since my parents moved to North Carolina last September, Asheville is a lot closer than Charlottesville, the town we visited to celebrate our anniversary the past couple of years.

Our major excursion for this trip to Asheville was the town's biggest attraction:  the Biltmore Estate.  We assumed that Michael wouldn't be able to eat there, but we were happily surprised that he was able to have the iced tea and Cobb salad.  Hooray for Southern freshly-brewed iced tea!  For lunch the second day we were going to go to Standard Pizza Company, but unfortunately they were out of their gluten-free pizza dough.  We were disappointed, but since we were quite hungry, we decided to try out plan B:  Posana Cafe.  I'm so glad the pizza restaurant was closed because this place was excellent.  They even had a dairy-free chocolate dessert!  I'd like to go back to Asheville just so that I can go to the Posana Cafe again to check out their dinner options.

I took the above picture when we went out to dinner at the Fig Bistro.  It's hard for me to pass up a restaurant that has duck breast.  This one came with raspberry sauce, wilted greens, and farro.  Wow.  Maybe someday I'll learn how to cook seared duck breast, but in the mean time I can think about going back to this restaurant and having it there again.

Tacos and Quesadillas

Michael and I both like Mexican food, but our bodies can't handle traditional Mexican food found at a restaurant.  (He can't eat the wheat and corn, and I can't eat the cheese.)  So if we want to eat Mexican, we have to do it at home.  Fortunately, about a year or so ago Trader Joe's came out with brown rice tortillas.  Now we can have soft tacos or quesadillas whenever we want.  I usually make tacos first and then freeze the leftover tortillas so that I can make quesadillas on a different night.

The other issue with making tacos or quesadillas is that most all taco seasoning packets contain wheat, corn, or dairy.  After some tweaking, I've come up with a homemade taco seasoning mix that we think tastes just as good as the packets in the store.  I also have included below my recipe for making refried beans from scratch (well, sort of from scratch since I start with a can of pinto beans).  There are a couple of brands of organic refried beans that are gluten-free and corn-free, but it's a lot cheaper to buy a can of organic pinto beans and make the refried beans myself.  And it only takes a few minutes.  Believe it or not, tacos and quesadillas are among my easy meals, the ones I make when I don't feel like cooking but still have to make something to feed my family.  And since they are two of Michael's favorites, he doesn't mind at all.

Tacos and Quesadillas

makes 4 tacos or 2 large quesadillas (to serve 4 adults)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 3 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 4 large brown rice tortillas (I get ours at Trader Joe's)
• iceberg lettuce
• Green Mountain Gringo salsa, medium (or another salsa that contains cider vinegar and no distilled white vinegar or corn products).
• Lindsay Naturals sliced black olives
• extra-sharp aged Cheddar cheese, grated at home (not pre-grated in a bag)
• sour cream.  Do not use low fat sour cream.  I recommend Daisy sour cream or another brand that does not contain dextrose or other corn products.
• 15-ounce can of organic pinto beans.  Or if you want to use a can of refried beans, buy a brand like Amy's Organic traditional refried beans or Eden Organic refried beans that does not contain corn products and is labeled gluten-free.  

Instructions for Ground Taco Meat:
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add a little canola oil so that the ground beef won't stick to the pan as much.  Add the ground beef, break it up into pieces using the side of a spatula or spoon, and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the meat is browned. Drain off any excess grease. Then stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, oregano, black pepper, garlic pepper, cayenne pepper, and sea salt.  Stir for about 1 minute to coat the meat with the spices.  Add 1/4 cup of water, cover the pan, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

Ingredients for Refried Beans:

• 1 15 oz. can of organic pinto beans (pinto beans, water, and salt)
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil (or bacon grease if you happen to have that on hand)
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt 
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika 
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions for Refried Beans:

Heat the canola oil in a medium pan.  Rinse the beans thoroughly under cold water.  Then add the beans to the pan and stir until hot.  Add the spices and stir.  Add the water, remove from heat, and mash the beans with a potato masher until they are the desired consistency.

Instructions for Tacos:

Serve the taco meat on brown rice tortillas.  To warm the tortillas, place a damp paper towel on a dinner plate.  Place one tortilla on the paper towel. Then place another damp paper towel on top of the tortilla.  Repeat this process for as many tortillas as you need, making sure that a damp paper towel is on the very top.  Microwave the tortillas on the plate for about 30 seconds, or until they are quite warm.  Then place a tortilla on each person's plate so that they can fill them with the taco meat, refried beans, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, sliced olives, and grated Cheddar cheese.

Instructions for Quesadillas:
(These instructions are for making 1 quesadilla, which will serve 2 adults.  If you want to make 2 quesadillas, there will still be plenty of room for both quesadillas on the same baking sheet.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a tortilla with canola oil and place the tortilla greased-side down onto a baking sheet.  Spread half of the warm refried beans onto the tortilla.  Sprinkle half of the cooked ground beef mixture (1/2 lb.) on top of the refried beans.  Sprinkle on sliced olives and grated Cheddar cheese, if you prefer.  Place the second tortilla on top.  Lightly grease the top of the second tortilla with canola oil.  Place the baking sheet on the lower-middle oven rack and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly browned.  Serve with shredded iceberg lettuce, salsa, and sour cream. 

Best Marinated Flank Steak (or flat iron steak)

This recipe is so simple that it's hard to believe how good it is, but it's my new favorite way to prepare beef before grilling it.  I found the recipe here, but I modified it to use fish sauce instead of oyster sauce, to which I may be allergic.  You might be worried that the beef will end up tasting fishy, but it really doesn't.  Somehow the fish sauce, combined with the other ingredients, just gives it a great depth of "umami" flavor.  And in addition to loving the taste, I love the word "umami," don't you?

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. flank steak or flat iron steak
• 1/4 cup fish sauce.  Buy one that is labeled gluten-free, like the Thai Kitchen brand.
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. grainy mustard or Dijon mustard
• black pepper -- to sprinkle on before grillin

Instructions:

Cut any excess fat or silver skin off of the steak.  Whisk together the fish sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and mustard in a small bowl.  Place the steak in a gallon-size Zip-loc bag and pour the marinate into the bag.  Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the steak.  Place the steak in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 4 hours, but up to overnight.  Remove the steak from the bag and sprinkle it with black pepper.  Grill until medium done.  Let the steak rest 10 minutes before slicing it thinly against the grain.

Egg-free Pizza with Homemade Sauce

I already have a recipe for pizza on this blog.  However, I posted that recipe before Sabrina's egg allergy was diagnosed, and before I realized that the citric acid in store-bought tomato sauce comes from corn.  Since then I've started making pizza using the same Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza mix, but without egg.  I've also developed my own homemade pizza sauce using a can of tomato paste, since tomato paste is one of the few canned tomato products that usually does not contain citric acid.  The great thing is that my family likes the homemade sauce even better!  An additional bonus is that, for the cost of one small can of tomato paste, I can make enough sauce for two pizzas.  One bag of the Bob's Red Mill pizza mix makes enough dough for two pizzas, so the whole meal ends up being pretty economical.  In the summer when I grow basil outside, I can even throw on some fresh basil for practically free.  :)

One last note is that so far I have only made pizza on a metal pizza pan, so my instructions are for that kind of pan.  The main thing I've learned is that the pan has to be on the bottom oven rack for the crust to bake completely and get crispy.  Maybe someday I'll get a pizza stone and then work on instructions for baking a pizza on that.

Egg-free Pizza with Homemade Sauce
(1 pizza feeds 2 adults, or 2 adults and a couple small children, if the adults are willing to share)

Ingredients:

• half the bag (8 oz.) of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza mix
• 1 tsp. of yeast from the enclosed yeast packet
• 3/4 cup water, warmed in the microwave to 105 degrees
• instead of an egg:  1 1/2 Tbsp. flax seed meal mixed with 3 Tbsp. hot water
• 1/2 tsp. white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 can Lindsay Naturals sliced black olives.  (I just discovered that some of the cans of sliced olives at Whole Foods are also safe since they contain just olives, water, and salt.)
• Hormel Natural Choice original uncured pepperoni
• 2 oz. aged extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated by hand (not pre-grated)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, grated by hand (not pre-grated)

Ingredients for the sauce:
(This makes enough for 2 pizzas.  On one pizza I use half, which is 6 oz. or 3/4 cup, and I freeze the rest for another time.)

• 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper 

Instructions:

Heat 3/4 cup water in the microwave until it reaches 105 degrees.  (This takes about 45 seconds in my microwave.  The water is hot enough to help activate the yeast but isn't so hot as to kill it.)  Mix the yeast into the water and let it sit.  In a separate small bowl heat 3 Tbsp. of water and 1 1/2 Tbsp. flax seed meal, and stir.  After letting the yeast water and flax seed water sit for a couple of minutes, transfer them to a mixing bowl.  Add the white sugar and olive oil and mix on low until combined.  Then add the flour and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.  Cover the bowl with saran wrap and set aside for 30 minutes for the dough to rise.

Move the oven rack to the bottom position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Pour 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil onto a metal pizza pan and spread around using a paper towel, OR spray the pan with an olive oil spray.   Place the dough onto the pan and use a spatula to spread it until it is a 12-inch diameter circle.  Bake the crust for 10 minutes on the lowest oven rack.  Add the sauce, cheese, and toppings.  Then return the pan to the lowest oven rack for about 10 more minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven when the cheese is melted and golden.  (If you add more cheese, you might need to cook the pizza longer once the toppings have been added.  You might need to place the pizza on the lower-middle rack so that the crust doesn't burn before the cheese is melted.)  Let the pizza cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Zucchini Apple Muffins

Here is my latest muffin recipe!  Since it's now summer and zucchini is inexpensive and plentiful, I thought I would come up with another way to use it in muffins.  The grated zucchini and apple keep these muffins nice and moist.     

Recently I have discovered another method that helps cut down on preparation time when making baked goods:  weighing flour using a kitchen scale.  I had read that one cup of white flour is 125 grams.  After measuring and weighing the Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour, I confirmed that one cup of it also is equal to 125 grams.  So if you have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend weighing the flour instead of trying to scoop it out of the bag.  Weighing the flour is more accurate and takes less time, too!  (One caveat is that other gluten-free flours do not weigh the same amount, so be sure to measure other flours using measuring cups or according to the recipe.) 

Zucchini Apple Muffins
makes 6 muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. rice milk
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed meal
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 small apple
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar 
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.  Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease the muffin tin with canola oil.  Mix the rice milk and flax seed meal in a cup, heat it in the microwave until hot, and stir.

Peel the skin off the zucchini and apple.  Grate the zucchini, pack it firmly into a 1/2 cup measuring cup, and pour the grated zucchini into a small bowl.  Then grate the apple, pack it firmly into the 1/2 cup measuring cup, and transfer it to the bowl with the zucchini.  Be sure to firmly pack as much zucchini and apple into the measuring cup as you can.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  In a different bowl, mix the flax and milk mixture, white sugar, canola oil, cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.  Stir the grated zucchini and apple into the liquid ingredients.  Then pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients.  Stir until completely combined.

Pour the batter into the muffin tin using a level 1/3 cup of batter per muffin.  Bake for about 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Loosen the sides of the muffins with a knife or thin spatula to help the muffins come out of the tin.

Pink and Orange Smoothies

We've gotten on quite the smoothie kick here.  On most days I make a smoothie for Sabrina and myself when she gets home from school.  For a while Naomi didn't prefer smoothies because they're cold; however, I think she's coming around and is starting to like them after all.  I decided recently to try my hand at smoothies with an orange juice base.  Sabrina wanted me to make smoothies of different colors, so the two varieties below are for our "pink" smoothie and our "orange" smoothie.  Both flavors are great, so take your pick depending on which you're in the mood for.

Pink and Orange Smoothies
serves 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 medium to large ripe banana
• for a pink smoothie:  1 cup frozen strawberries and 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• for an orange smoothie:  1 cup frozen mango pieces and 3 ice cubes  

Instructions:

Add the orange juice, water, and honey to a blender.  Blend until the honey is combined.  Cut the banana into pieces.  Then add the banana pieces, frozen fruit, and ice cubes (if making the orange smoothie) to the blender.  Blend until smooth.  Serve immediately.   

Pastitsio

Well, I meant to post this recipe back in May, but somehow the time got away from me.  Here it is, better late than never.  I hope you enjoy!

I had never heard of Pastitsio until seeing a recipe for it on a blog.  Apparently it's a common Greek dish.  It looked intriguing, so I decided to try to make it gluten-free, egg-free, and mostly dairy-free.  Once I also adjusted the spices to our liking, the whole family thought it was great.  (We needed to tone down the cinnamon quite a bit so that we tasted something other than cinnamon when we ate it.)  I highly recommend it if you're in the mood for pasta and meat sauce but want to try something different from the typical Italian varieties.  The version below is for an 8"x8"  Pyrex pan, but you could easily double the recipe and bake it in a 9"x13" pan.  Just be sure to use larger pots for cooking the pasta and meat sauce (instead of almost overflowing the meat sauce pan like I did).

Pastitsio
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste.  Get a can that contains just tomatoes and no citric acid.
• 1 1/2 cups (about 13 or 14 oz.) tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Burgundy wine
• 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) brown rice penne pasta
• 1/2 cup plain almond milk
• 1 cup chicken broth.  Use Imagine organic chicken broth or Kitchen Basics original chicken stock.
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan.  Buy a block of aged Parmesan, not pre-grated, which usually contains corn products to prevent clumping.  Use a zester or the small holes on a grater to grate the cheese.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place a large 12-inch pan over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Chop the onion and saute in the pan until softened.  While the onion is sauteing, place a 4-quart pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.

When the onion is softened, increase the heat to medium-high, add the ground beef, and cook until browned.  Drain off the excess fat.  Add the minced garlic, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, black pepper, and sea salt, and stir for one minute.  Add tomato paste, tomato puree, and wine; stir.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer covered.

When the pot of water has come to a boil, add the dry pasta and a teaspoon of sea salt to the water.  Stir and let boil for 6 minutes.  Then rinse the pasta in a colander with cold water.  Transfer the pasta back to the pot.  Stir 1/2 cup of the meat sauce into the pasta.  Cover the bottom of an 8"x8" Pyrex pan with 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil.  Spread 2 level cups of pasta in the bottom of the pan.

To make the bechamel sauce, heat the almond milk and chicken broth in the microwave until they are very hot.  Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour to make a paste.  Then pour in the almond milk and chicken broth mixture, whisking constantly.  Whisk frequently until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the nutmeg, black pepper, sea salt, and grated Parmesan. 

Now return to the Pyrex pan.  Pour the meat sauce over the pasta that is in the bottom of the pan.  Transfer the remaining 2 cups of pasta to the Pyrex pan and spread evening on top of the meat sauce.  Pour the bechamel sauce on top of the second layer of pasta.

Cover the pan with foil and place in the oven.  Bake for about 20 minutes (or 30 minutes if doubling the recipe), until the center is hot.  Then remove the foil from the pan and turn on the broiler.  Broil until the top of the pastitsio is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Applesauce Spice Muffins

These muffins are great to make in the winter when fresh fruit isn't as available or affordable.  They are also great when you haven't been to the store in a while and the only fruit in the house is applesauce.  And finally, they are great because the spices and applesauce make them taste like apple pie in muffin form.

Ingredients:
makes 5 or 6 muffins

• 3 Tbsp. hot water
• 1 Tbsp. flax seed meal
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease the muffin tin with canola oil.  In a small bowl mix the hot water and flax seed meal, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.  In the small bowl containing the flax mixture, add the white sugar, brown sugar, canola oil, and cider vinegar.  If the applesauce has been refrigerated, warm it in the microwave and then add to the small bowl.  Stir the liquid ingredients together and then pour them into the bowl with the dry ingredients.  Stir until completely combined. 

Pour the batter into the muffin tin.  Use a level 1/4 cup of batter per muffin for 6 muffins or a level 1/3 cup of batter for 5 muffins.  Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Lentil Ragu with Pasta

 
I like this recipe because I usually have all of the ingredients I need, even when I haven't been to the grocery store in quite a while.  So if I'm running out of food in the house, or if I've forgotten to take the meat out of the freezer, this recipe comes in handy.  This is also a nice recipe for those nights when I don't want to cook, but I still have to feed my family something for dinner.  Even though the recipe requires chopping vegetables and getting several pots dirty, making this dinner feels easier to me because I get to use jarred marinara sauce.  Feel free to use whatever brand of marinara sauce you prefer.  I use Bertolli Vineyard marinara sauce because it's the only one I've found so far that doesn't contain corn or soy and doesn't have large tomato chucks, which aren't preferred by all members of my family.  I especially like the sauce with Burgundy wine because the Burgundy flavor pairs well with the lentils.  In fact, I like the flavor combination so much that I even add some extra Burgundy.  Isn't it great being the cook and getting to do things like that?

Lentil Ragu with Pasta
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried brown lentils
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 medium-size carrots
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup Burgundy wine
• 24-ounce jar of Bertolli Vineyard marinara sauce with Burgundy wine
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 can of Lindsay Naturals sliced black olives (optional)
• 8 to 12 oz. brown rice spiral pasta

Instructions:

Place the lentils in a small bowl and fill with water until the lentils are covered with water by at least one inch.  Place a small pot with 2 cups of water on the stove and bring the water to a boil over high heat.  When the water has come to a boil, rinse the lentils in a sieve and add them to the pot.  Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a 4-quart pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Dice the onion, celery, and carrots.  Add the vegetables to the pan and saute until softened.  Add the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute.  When the lentils are tender, add them to the pan as well.  Then pour in the wine, marinara sauce, and salt.  Simmer, covered, for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.

While the ragu is simmering, bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.  Add about 1 tsp. of sea salt and the rice pasta.  Boil for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pasta is the desired texture.  Pour the pasta into a colander and then rinse thoroughly with water to wash off the excess rice starch.  (This prevents the pasta from sticking together in one big glob.)

Before serving, stir the olives into the ragu.  Serve the ragu on top of the pasta, or stir the pasta into the sauce and then serve.

Channa Saag (Indian Spinach with Chickpeas)

For the past few Easters we've been participating in an Indian food pot-luck dinner with friends from church. This year I decided to make channa saag, a dish with spinach and chickpeas. I used to make saag paneer, which is the same spinach sauce but with cheese cubes instead of chickpeas. But since soft cheeses don't work so well for us anymore, I thought I would try out the dish with chickpeas instead. Fortunately, the girls, Michael, and I all like it just as well. In addition, it's a whole lot easier to make since I just have to open up a can of chickpeas instead of making the paneer from scratch. And trust me, even though the ingredient list is long, this recipe is easy and really doesn't take all that long to make. If you like your food spicier, increase the amount of black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Channa Saag (Indian Spinach with Chickpeas)
serves about 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 10-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach
  
• 3 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
  
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric (optional -- this isn't critical if you don't have it)
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 14 or 15-ounce can of organic chickpeas. The can should contain just chickpeas, water, and salt.
• 13 ounces (1 1/2 liquid cups) pureed or crushed tomatoes. This is half of a box of Pomi strained tomatoes. If you don't use Pomi, try to find a brand that does not contain citric acid.
  
• 1 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup of water (to add with the tomato puree)
• 1 cup of water (to add into the blender)
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• serve with basmati rice (Make 1/4 cup of dry rice per person. I usually cook 3/4 cup of dry rice for Michael, the girls, and me.)
  

Instructions:

Place a 4-quart pot over medium heat and add the oil. Finely chop the onion and add to the pan. Saute the onion, stirring occasionally, until it has softened. While the onion is sauteing, place the spinach, one package at a time, on a plate in the microwave and defrost using the defrost or low heat setting. In addition, while you are waiting mix together in a small bowl the coriander, cumin, ginger, sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.

When the onion is soft, add the minced garlic and stir for a minute. Add the spices and stir for another minute. Drain and rinse the chickpeas; then add them to the pan and stir occasionally for a couple of minutes, until the chickpeas are hot and have become flavorful.

Remove the excess liquid from the defrosted spinach by pressing it in a colander or sieve, or placing it in a dish cloth and wringing the cloth to get the water out. Then add the spinach, tomato puree, 1 1/4 tsp. sea salt, and 1 cup of water to the pan. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and let cook for five minutes.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and 1 more cup of water to a blender. Wearing an oven mitt, hold down the lid of the blender while you blend the mixture until it is thoroughly pureed. Pour the puree back into the pot and stir. Let the channa saag simmer on medium-low heat for at least 10 minutes. After that you can leave it, covered, on low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Right before serving, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice to taste.

To Make the Basmati Rice:

About 30 minutes before dinner will be ready, measure 1 cup of rice and place it in a bowl. Fill the bowl with tap water to cover the rice. Pour five cups of water into a pot and place over high heat. When the water starts to simmer, take the bowl of rice and swish the rice around with you hand. Pour the water out into the sink and add more water to the bowl with the rice. Swish the water around and pour it out again. Do this several times until the water stays mostly clear after swishing around the rice. Then drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pot of boiling water. Stir the rice briefly so that it won't stick to the bottom of the pot. Let the water return to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-high, and cook for 12 minutes. Then pour off the extra water, return the rice to the pot, and cover and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Gluten-free Chocolate Cake from a Mix

Over the past few months I have been trying out various gluten-free chocolate cake mixes. Normally I like to make things from scratch, but I wanted to have an option for myself and others when we want something a little easier and less time-consuming. In addition, I wanted to find a way to make a gluten-free dessert without having to buy a lot of specialty ingredients. Of the ones I tried, these three cake mixes fit the bill: Betty Crocker Gluten Free devil's food cake mix, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free chocolate cake mix, and Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams chocolate cake mix. All three taste great and come together with just a few ingredients. I found them at local supermarkets, so you should be able to find at least one of these brands wherever you shop.

If you're not making the cake or cupcakes for Michael, you can use store-bought frosting if it is gluten-free and does not contain milk or egg. Many of the Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker frostings have a gluten-free label on them. It's okay if the label says that the frosting "may contain milk ingredients" as a warning. It's also okay if the frosting contains soybean oil. If making the cake for Michael, use my chocolate frosting recipe.

I am including ingredients and instructions below because I had to modify them a bit to make the cakes egg-free and dairy-free. For two of the mixes I substitute banana for the egg, but don't worry that it makes the cupcakes taste like banana. Sabrina doesn't prefer a strong banana flavor and she thinks the cupcakes are great. When making a cake, grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan with canola oil. When making cupcakes, use cupcake liners or grease the muffin tin with canola oil. I find that even the non-stick pans need to be greased so that the cake and cupcakes don't stick.


Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake Mix
makes one 8" or 9" cake or 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cake mix
• 1 "flax egg" (3 Tbsp. hot water and 1 Tbsp. flax seed meal)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. canola oil (or you could try with just 1/4 cup canola oil)
• 1/2 cup pureed banana (about 1 large ripe banana)
• optional: 1 tsp. vanilla extract. (If making the cake for Michael, use a vanilla extract that does not contain any corn syrup or alcohol. However, the cake tastes great even without the vanilla.)
  

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the box. For the flax egg, heat the water, stir in the flax seed meal, let sit for several minutes, and then stir again before combining with the other ingredients. For the banana, I recommend pureeing it in a food chopper to make it a smooth consistency and to aerate it a bit. I used about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake. I used a nonstick muffin tin and baked the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free chocolate cake mix
makes two 8" round cakes or 15-18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cake mix
• 2 "flax eggs" (6 Tbsp. hot water and 2 Tbsp. flax seed meal) OR 1/2 cup pureed banana (about 1 large ripe banana)
  
• 1 cup vanilla rice milk or almond milk (either plain or vanilla)
  
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. canola oil (or you could try with just 1/4 cup canola oil)
• 1/3 cup hot water (110 degrees)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract. If you are making the cake for Michael, use a vanilla extract that does not contain any corn syrup or alcohol. If you use a vanilla-flavored rice milk or almond milk, you can omit the vanilla extract.
  

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the package, except use canola oil instead of butter. Instead of egg, I have used either 2 "flax eggs" or 1/2 cup pureed banana. Both ingredients work fine. We prefer using the banana, though, because this cake isn't as sweet as most chocolate cakes and the banana helps make it a little sweeter. For the flax egg, heat the water, stir in the flax seed meal, let sit for several minutes, and then stir again before combining with the other ingredients. For the banana, I recommend pureeing it in a food chopper to make it a smooth consistency and to aerate it a bit.

To make 18 cupcakes, use a scant 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake. To make 15 cupcakes, use 1/4 cup of batter. If you make just 15 cupcakes, they will take about 20-22 minutes to bake at 350 degrees. A toothpick poked into the middle of one of the cupcakes will come out with a few crumbs on it even when the cupcakes are done. They will firm up inside as they cool.

Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams chocolate cake mix
makes a 9" round cake or 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cake mix
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract. If making the cake for Michael, use a vanilla extract that does not have any corn syrup or alcohol.

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the package. Use 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake to make 12 cupcakes.

Spinach and Orange Salad

Isn't it great that oranges are ripe and available at grocery stores in the winter? Wanting to make use of this fruit, I decided to add it to spinach salad. Then I thought that maybe I could come up with a vinaigrette that would have some orange flavor in it, too. Voila--a new salad is born! If you want a bit more color in your salad, you could also add some raisins or craisins.

Spinach and Orange Salad
serves 2 to 4 adults, depending on portion sizes

Ingredients:

• 1 6-ounce bag of baby spinach
• 1 naval orange
• 1 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. honey
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• dash of ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

Cut the orange into slices and then into bite-size pieces, but reserve part of the orange for the vinaigrette. Squeeze that part of the orange so that you have 1 tablespoon of juice. To make the vinaigrette, add the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, sea salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Then whisk in the olive oil.

Place the baby spinach in a salad bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the spinach and toss to coat. Transfer the spinach to salad plates and place the orange pieces on top of the spinach.

Split Pea Soup

Well, I meant to post this around St. Patrick's Day, but the month of March kind of flew by. I had fun experimenting with soups this winter and am still making them since our spring has turned cold again. This soup brings back memories of my times in Germany, where I discovered how good a soup with peas in it could be. While experimenting with this recipe, I realized that the key to making a great split pea soup is to use lots of bacon. Lots. I know on the recipe it looks like quite a large amount of bacon, but please don't skimp on it and use less. The bacon is essential to the flavor, and if you need more help rationalizing the amount, it comes out to just two slices of bacon per serving of soup. So enjoy your bacon-filled split pea soup.

My sources of inspiration for this recipe are from the New York Times, One Frugal Foodie, and allrecipes.com.

Split Pea Soup
serves 6 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. dried green split peas. Check the bag to make sure it contains only peas. Some brands, like Goya, include added ingredients to give the peas a ham flavor, but these contain corn.
  
• 12 ounces of bacon (like the Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon at Trader Joe's) or, if your bacon comes in 8-ounce packages like Applegate Naturals Sunday Bacon, then feel free to use 16 ounces for the soup. Another corn-free bacon is Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural Original Uncured Bacon.
  
• 3 to 4 stalks of celery (about 1 cup diced)
• 2 medium onions (about 1 cup diced)
  
• 4 medium carrots (about 1 cup diced)
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 8 cups of chicken broth. That is 64 ounces or 2 cartons of Imagine Organic chicken broth or Kitchen Basics Original chicken cooking stock.
  
• 2 bay leaves
• optional: hot dogs. We eat Applegate Farms hot dogs because they are the only ones I've found that are free of corn and lactic acid starter culture (which could come from dairy and/or corn).
  

Instructions:

Place the peas in a bowl filled with water to soak. Cut the bacon into 1/4-inch-wide pieces. Place the bacon in a large 6-quart pot over medium heat and cook until browned. Remove the bacon from the pot and place on a paper towel.

While the bacon is browning, dice the celery, onions, and carrots. Add the vegetables to the pot containing the bacon drippings and saute over medium heat until softened. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Stir in the black pepper and thyme. Rinse the peas thoroughly and add to the pot. Finally, add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and half of the cooked bacon, and stir.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the peas are tender and beginning to fall apart. Transfer 6 cups of the soup to a blender and puree. (Because this is quite a bit of soup, it's best to do this in two batches and just put 3 cups of soup in the blender at a time. Wearing an oven mitt, hold the blender lid on tightly so that hot soup does not explode all over your kitchen. Just ask me how I know these things.) Then return the pureed soup to the pot. Add back to the pot the bacon that had been set aside, and stir.

If you would like, boil some hot dogs, cut them up into bite size pieces, and stir them into your soup. Or you could eat the soup without the hot dogs. It's good either way.

Gluten-free Bisquick Pancakes

During our Florida vacation I wanted to make cooking breakfast simpler than it is at home. Therefore, I decided to use some gluten-free mixes instead of making everything from scratch. One of the mixes was gluten-free Bisquick, which I used for making pancakes, albeit modifying the recipe on the Bisquick box because of Sabrina's egg allergy and our dairy intolerance. I also added some ground cinnamon to the batter because I like the way cinnamon in pancakes tastes. I think the resulting pancakes were quite good and worth making again. Even so, I'll reserve the Bisquick for vacations and other special occasions because it's more expensive that the Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour that I buy in bulk. In addition, the Bisquick isn't quite as healthy since the main ingredients are rice flour, sugar, and modified potato starch. But who thinks about what's healthy when they're on vacation, right? Speaking of not so healthy, one morning we topped our pancakes with chocolate syrup. Yum, yum.

Gluten-free Bisquick Pancakes
makes about 8 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten-free Bisquick
• 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium to large banana)
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. plain almond milk
  
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil

Instructions:

Add the Bisquick mix to a medium bowl. Microwave the milk until warm and pour into the bowl. Mash the banana on a plate or in a food chopper and add it to the bowl as well. Finally, add to the bowl the ground cinnamon and canola oil. Whisk until completely combined. Let the batter sit for ten minutes.

While the batter is resting, place a large non-stick pan over medium heat and let it heat up. When the pan is hot and the batter has rested for ten minutes, make a tester pancake using 1/4 cup of batter. Cook the pancake for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Then cook the rest of the pancakes, using 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.