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.

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.

Shepherd's Pie

This is Michael's new favorite dinner. He says that the leftovers are even better than when it's right out of the oven. What I like about this dish is that it uses vegetables that I usually have on hand. I also like the fact that you can make it two ways: you can simmer the meat and vegetables either in chicken broth or in red wine. Michael and I can't decide which version we like better, so I'm including the amounts for both in the ingredient list.

As you can see from my delay in posting, this has been a busy month. The girls kept us busy with a piano recital, school choral concert, and ballet recital. In addition, I had to write an 8-page paper for the class I took this fall, and of course there was the Christmas shopping that needed to get done. The one thing that didn't happen was a Christmas card and picture. We'll see if I'm able to get it done in the new year. If not, I'm taking this as my opportunity to wish you a very merry Christmas!

Shepherd's Pie
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 to 3 stalks of celery (about 1 cup when chopped)
• 1 large onion
• 2 to 3 carrots (about 1 cup when chopped)
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 lb. ground beef. I recommend using either 80% or 85% meat.
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (if using chicken broth) OR 1 tsp. sea salt (if using wine and water)
• 1 cup of Imagine organic chicken broth OR 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup water. (I use an inexpensive jug of Carlo Rossi Burgundy.)
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste. Try to find one that does not contain citric acid.
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt (for the water)
• 1 1/2 lb. Russet potatoes
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chicken broth OR potato water

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Chop the celery, onion, and carrots. Add the vegetables to the pan and saute until softened.

While the vegetables are sauteing, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes. Place the potato cubes in a medium pot and fill the pot with water until it covers the potatoes by about an inch. Stir the kosher salt into the water, and place the pot over high heat. (Then add the minced garlic to the olive oil to let the olive absorb the garlic flavor.) Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are tender and offer no resistance to a knife. When the potatoes are done cooking, transfer them to a colander to drain for 2 minutes. If you are using the wine and water, reserve 2 Tbsp. of the potato water before pouring the rest away. Pour the potatoes back into the empty pot. Add the olive oil and minced garlic to the pot and mash with a potato masher. Add the pepper, sea salt, and the chicken broth or potato water. Stir to combine.

Returning to the vegetables, when they have become soft, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Then transfer the vegetables to a plate. Increase the heat to medium-high. And the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat has browned. Drain the fat from the pan. Then add to the pan the sauteed vegetables, rosemary, parsley, thyme, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine. Whisk together the chicken broth (OR wine and water) and the tomato paste. Pour the liquid into the pan with the beef and vegetables. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the peas and pour the entire beef mixture into an 8x8 Pyrex pan (or other 2-quart baking dish) that has been lightly greased with olive oil. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the beef mixture. Make sure that the potatoes cover the entire top, all the way to the edges. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the ground beef mixture is bubbling and the potatoes are golden brown. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

As you can tell by my lack of posts this past month, September was a busy time for us. The girls and I were all getting used to their new school schedule, especially getting up at six in the morning! Needless to say, by the time each evening rolled around, I was too tired to work on the blog. However, now that October is here, I think I'm starting to get into the swing of things. And I really want to share some of the recipes I've been trying out over the past month.

I was inspired to come up with this recipe because I had some extra cilantro lying around that I didn't want to go to waste. Back before we had kids, I used to make a recipe for grilled cilantro lime chicken. However, most of the flavor for that dish came from the cilantro lime butter that was spread all over it. Since we're trying to avoid consuming as much dairy now, I wanted to increase the flavor of the chicken itself so that I wouldn't need to spread butter all over it to make it taste good. On a hunch, I started with my recipe for rosemary lemon chicken and modified it to use cilantro and lime instead. Voila! The chicken tastes great all by itself, without the help of any butter. But for those of you who love butter and can still eat it happily, I've included the recipe for the cilantro lime butter at the bottom.

Cilantro Lime Chicken
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts that are either kosher or organic
• juice of 1 lime (2 to 2 1/2 Tbsp.)
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
  
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

Rinse the chicken breasts thoroughly under cold water and place in a quart-size Zip-lock bag. Mince the cilantro and transfer to a small bowl. Add the lime juice, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Pour the marinade into the bag with the chicken breasts. Seal the bag and massage the marinade onto the chicken. Place the bag with the chicken in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but preferably two.

Remove the chicken from the bag and grill until the chicken is done.


Cilantro Lime Butter

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Let the butter soften on the counter top. In a small bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Then stir in the butter until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated into the butter. Form the butter into a log or spoon it into an attractive bowl. Place the butter in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let it firm up before serving.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Chicken and sausage jambalaya doesn't make for the greatest picture, but the flavor of the dish more than makes up for its less than stellar appearance. This is great-tasting comfort food. I was inspired to make this when I came across a package of gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free, and dairy-free Andouille smoked sausage at our local Shaw's grocery store. The sausage makes the dish, so if you can't find Andouille sausage, wait until you can before making the jambalaya. I hunted around on the internet until I found this recipe off of which to base my version. Both of the girls really like the jambalaya and don't find it too spicy, even though Michael says it makes his head sweat a bit. And Naomi does ask for extra water to drink with the meal.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
serves 2 adults and 2 children for 2 meals; OR serves 4 to 6 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 medium stalks of celery
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are organic or kosher.
• 2 cups Imagine Organic chicken broth OR Trader Joe's Organic free-range chicken broth
• 1 1/2 liquid cups (which is about 13.5 oz.) pureed tomatoes. Try to use tomatoes without citric acid, such as Pomi strained tomatoes.
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
• 6 oz. (half the package) of Aidells Cajun Style Andouille smoked pork sausage
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Instructions:

Place a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Finely chop the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Add the canola oil to the pot and let it heat up until it starts shimmering. Then add the vegetables and saute until softened.

While the vegetables are sauteing, measure out the paprika, black pepper, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper into a small bowl. Thoroughly rinse the chicken breasts and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. When the vegetables are soft, add the minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add the spices and stir for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium-heat, add the chicken and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the outside of the chicken cubes has cooked and is no longer pink. Then add the chicken broth, tomato puree, dried thyme, dried oregano, and brown sugar to the pot and stir.

While the liquid is coming to a simmer, cut the sausages in half length-wise and then cut them into 1/4-inch pieces width-wise. Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water. When the liquid in the pot has come to a simmer, stir in the rice, sausage pieces, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer again. Then reduce the heat to medium-low or low, cover the pot, and let gently simmer for 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Stir the contents of the pot once every 10 minutes to make sure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom. After about 30 minutes, take the pot off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and add salt to taste, about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange Rub

I don't know why it took me so long to start grilling pork tenderloin. It's so good, and it's less expensive than a similar cut of beef or the all-natural chicken breast we have to buy. I asked my friend Jenn for her pork tenderloin recipe because Michael and I liked it so much when she made it for us. It's originally a Cooks' Illustrated recipe, but I tweaked it a little, based on what I usually have on hand in the kitchen. The tricky thing is, now that we have one pork tenderloin recipe that we really like, will we be able to find another recipe that we like just as well?

The recipe below is for two adults and two small children. If you want to feed four adults, buy a tenderloin that is at least 1 1/2 lb., and double the brine and the wet rub. For four adults and 2 or more children, buy 2 1-lb. tenderloins and double the recipe.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange Rub
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup cold water
• zest of 1 large naval orange
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt

Instructions:

Two hours before you want to serve the tenderloin, rinse it thoroughly under cold water and remove all silver skin. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the hot water, sugar, and sea salt until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Then stir in the cold water. Submerge the tenderloin in the brine, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a small bowl make the rub by mixing together the orange zest, minced garlic, olive oil, honey, pepper, and salt. Remove the pork from the brine, rinse it well, and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Rub the tenderloin all over with the orange rub.

Cook the pork on the grill over medium-high heat with the lid closed for 3 to 4 minutes per side for the first 3 sides, until each side is nicely browned. Cook the fourth side over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees and the meat is slightly pink in the center. Place the pork on a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil for 5 minutes. Then cut the pork into 1-inch wide pieces and serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles with Chicken

Here is a fun recipe that uses Thai-style rice stick noodles. I bought a bag of them at Trader Joe's and wanted to find a recipe in which to use them. They're thick, not thin, rice noodles that take about 8 to 10 minutes to cook. I like this recipe because as the noodles cook, they absorb the flavors of the chicken broth, coconut milk, and spices. At first I followed the original recipe and cooked the noodles with broccoli slaw. That was fine, but broccoli slaw can be expensive if you buy it in a bag, and I'm too lazy to make my own. Plus, the broccoli slaw sometimes was still a bit too crunchy when the noodles were done cooking. Then I tried substituting the slaw with carrots, peas, and water chestnuts. This vegetable combination was colorful and tasted great, so I think I'm going to make it this way from now on.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles with Chicken
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 Tbsp. red curry paste. I use Thai Kitchen brand because it's labeled gluten-free.
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric (optional)
• 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are kosher or organic (about 1 to 2 breasts, depending on their size)
  
• 1 1/2 cups Imagine organic chicken broth OR Trader Joe's organic free-range chicken broth
  
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk. Try to get one that contains just coconut milk, water, and guar gum.
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
• about 6.5 ounces (half a package) of traditional Thai-style rice sticks
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 8-ounce can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
  
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice

Instructions:

Place a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Chop the onion. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin coins. Add the canola oil to the pot and heat the oil until shimmery. Then add the onion and carrots and saute until the onion is tender. While the vegetables are sauteing, thoroughly rinse the chicken breasts, cut them in half length-wise, and then cut them into thin strips width-wise. When the onion is softened, add the red curry paste, ginger, coriander, and turmeric to the pot. Stir for about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the chicken to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the outside of the chicken has cooked.

Pour the chicken broth and coconut milk into the pot. Stir in the brown sugar, sea salt, and fish sauce. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Then rinse the rice noodles in cold water. (If I don't do this, Michael sometimes has an allergic reaction to something coating the noodles.) Break the noodles in half, put them in the pot, and set the timer for 10 minutes. Stir constantly for about a minute so that the noodles don't stick to each other or to the bottom of the pot. Lower the heat to medium or medium-low so that the liquid simmers but doesn't boil vigorously. Stir frequently while the noodles cook. After the noodles are done cooking, turn the heat off and stir in the peas, drained water chestnuts, and lime juice.

Tomato Curry Chicken

I've been wanting to learn how to make more Indian dishes, but the difficulty with a lot of Indian food is that it contains significant amounts of either cream or yogurt, which doesn't work so well for us. In my search for dairy-free Indian food I stumbled across the following recipe for Indian Tomato Chicken. It got great reviews and didn't look too difficult to make, so I thought I would give it a try. Let me tell you, this recipe is really easy and it tastes great! The hardest thing about the recipe is making sure that you have all of the spices. I modified the spices a little bit in my version to suit our taste, and I added some peas for color. I'm so excited that now I'm going to try to find some more Indian recipes that are dairy-free.

Tomato Curry Chicken
serves 3 adults, maybe 4?

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts that are organic or kosher
• 14 oz. crushed or pureed tomatoes. Try to use tomatoes without citric acid, such as Pomi strained tomatoes.
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice (or use more rice if you prefer)
  

Instructions:

Place a medium-size pot over medium heat and add the canola oil. Finely chop the onion and add it to the pot. Saute the onion until tender. While the onion is sauteing, measure the cumin, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and salt into a small bowl. Thoroughly rinse the chicken and cut each chicken breast into about 8 cubes.

When the onion is soft, add the minced garlic and spices to the pot and stir for about 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to the pot and stir so that the onion mixture coats the chicken. Saute the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the outside of the chicken has cooked. Then pour the tomatoes and bay leaves into the pot, stir, and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to low so that, once the tomatoes heat up, the liquid will be barely simmering. Cook for 1 to 2 hours, until the chicken is done and the flavors have melded. A couple of minutes before serving, remove the bay leaves and stir in the frozen peas.

To make the rice, bring 5 cups of water to boil in a medium pot. Thoroughly rinse the uncooked rice using a sieve or strainer. Add the rice to the pot and stir briefly. When the water returns to a boil, turn the heat down to medium so that the water simmers vigorously. Partially cover the pot with a lid and cook the rice for 10 minutes. Drain the water from the rice and then return the rice to the pot. Let the rice sit in the covered pot until ready to serve.

Lemon Roast Chicken with Vegetables

I used to make a whole roast chicken with vegetables. It was a great one-dish meal . . . when it turned out. The problem was that if the chicken was a little too big or a little too cold when I put it into the oven, then it took longer for the chicken to cook than for the vegetables. Since we didn't want to eat under-cooked chicken, we sometimes ended up with over-cooked vegetables. The other problem was that as Michael has become more sensitive to corn in the food he eats, he has begun to react to whole roast chicken. At first I thought that buying an organic or kosher chicken would help, but it doesn't always. So, since I really like roast chicken and vegetables, and especially as a one-dish meal, I needed to come up with an alternative.

I decided to try buying a whole chicken that was already cut into pieces. If I buy kosher or organic chicken and wash the chicken pieces really well in cold water, Michael doesn't react. I think the combination of the kosher/organic chicken, the washing, and the high roasting temperature makes the cooked chicken corn-free. Hooray!

Lemon Roast Chicken with Vegetables
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 whole kosher or organic chicken, bought already cut into 8 pieces that still have the bones in and skin on
• 1 1/2 lb. potatoes. Any kind of potato works except for Russet, which fall apart.
• 1 lb. baby carrots
• 1 medium onion
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 lemons

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Immediately take the carrots out of the refrigerator so that they can come to room temperature. Pour the carrots into a large bowl.

Lightly grease a 9"x13" Pyrex pan with olive oil. Thoroughly rinse the chicken pieces in cold water. Dry them with paper towels and then place them in the pan in a single layer. Sprinkle the chicken with kosher salt and pepper.

Rinse and dry the potatoes, and then cut them into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the carrots. Chop the onion and add it to the bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and toss to coat. Then sprinkle the 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, garlic, and thyme over the vegetables and toss the vegetables again so that they are evenly covered with the herbs and spices.

Place the vegetables on top of the chicken pieces so that they cover the chicken. Put the pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and take the chicken pieces out of the pan. Toss the vegetables in the juices and then spread the vegetables so that they lay evenly in the pan. Place the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables. Return the pan to the oven and roast for 20 more minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven and check to make sure that the chicken is cooked fully. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a serving plate. Drizzle the juice of 1/2 lemon over the top of the chicken pieces. Drizzle the juice from the other 1 1/2 lemons onto the vegetables and then toss the vegetables in the roasting pan. Transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl.

Since I never remember who likes white meat versus dark meat, I let people serve themselves from the plate of chicken pieces and the bowl of vegetables. If you have more than two people who like white meat, either cut the breasts in half or draw straws to decide who gets them.

Chicken Cacciatore

I was too hungry tonight to take a picture of the chicken cacciatore before I dove in. Do you ever have nights like that? I meant to have dinner ready by 6 pm, but by the time I finished giving the girls a bath, it was almost 6 pm already, and I still had to make the salad and salad dressing. We sat down to eat by 6:15, but by then the girls and I were famished. There aren't very many times when I've seen Sabrina eat as quickly as she did tonight. It also helped that she really liked the chicken cacciatore. "This is really yummy!" she told me, and then she asked for more. Michael, who isn't the biggest fan of chicken thighs, also liked this dish a lot, so I think it now has to go into our regular dinner rotation.

Cacciatore means "hunter" or "hunter style." My particular rendition of this recipe didn't involve much in the way of hunting, except perhaps hunting down the crock pot in the very back of my cupboard. And it did take me a while to hunt down a jar of marinara sauce that didn't contain any soy or corn products. To my relief, I eventually did manage to track down and capture a jar that was just right.

Chicken Cacciatore
serves 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 children

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of brown rice spaghetti noodles (if serving 2 adults and 2 children), or 8 ounces of rice spaghetti noodles (if serving 3 adults). I use Trader Joe's brand because it's inexpensive, but I'm sure there are other brands available.
  
• 1 large yellow onion
  
• 1 package containing 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs that are all-natural, kosher, or organic
• 1 24-ounce jar of Bertolli Vineyard Premium Collections marinara with Burgundy wine (This is one of the only marinara sauces I have found that does not contain any corn syrup, soybean oil, or citric acid.)
• 2 Tbsp. dry red wine. I used Burgundy.

Instructions:

A little more than 7 hours before you want to serve the dinner, begin the recipe. Peel the onion, cut it in half, and then slice it into half-moon shapes. Lay the onion half-moons onto the bottom of the crock pot so that they cover the bottom. Thoroughly rinse the chicken thighs and place them on top of the onions. Then pour the jar of marinara sauce over the top of the chicken thighs so that the sauce completely covers the chicken.

Cook the chicken in the crock pot for 6 to 7 hours on low. Or if you prefer to start out with frozen chicken thighs, cook them for 1 hour on high and then 6 hours on low.

30 minutes before the chicken will be done, put a large pot of salted water on the stove over high heat to bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, add the spaghetti noodles and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. When the noodles are done, pour them into a colander and thoroughly rinse them in hot water. This will prevent the noodles from sticking together and becoming one large spaghetti blob that is virtually impossible to break apart.

When the chicken is done, remove the chicken thighs from the crock pot and place them on a plate. Add 2 tablespoons of red wine to the marinara sauce and stir. Serve the chicken cacciatore by placing some spaghetti on each adult's plate, adding 2 chicken thighs, and ladling sauce over the noodles and chicken.

Thai Red Chili Beef

This recipe is adapted from a Cook's Illustrated recipe. I like this recipe because you can marinate the meat for just 15 minutes if you're in a hurry, or you can marinate it for up to 2 hours if you have more time. I recommend using blade steak or flank steak because they are less fatty than some cuts and turn out really well when stir-fried.

I like using snow peas, green beans, or broccoli as the vegetable in this dish for some nice green color. If you use green beans or broccoli, I recommend blanching them so that they don't take long to cook when you stir-fry them right before serving. The snow peas don't need to be blanched because they are thin enough to cook quite quickly when stir-fried. If you don't have a green vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or snow peas to add to the stir fry, you can just sprinkle chopped green onions and cilantro on the top and then serve Asian-style coleslaw on the side.

Thai Red Chili Beef
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• jasmine rice or another long-grain rice
• 1 lb. blade steak or flank steak
• a green vegetable: either 1 lb. green beans, 1/2 to 1 lb. snow peas, or 5 to 6 cups broccoli florets (about 2 brown crowns, depending on their size)
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. gluten-free fish sauce. I use Thai Kitchen premium fish sauce.
  
• 1/4 tsp. and 1/8 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. light brown sugar

• 2 Tbsp. gluten-free fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. gluten-free Asian red chili paste. I used Thai Kitchen brand.
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tsp.)
• optional: chopped green onions and cilantro
  

Instructions:

If you want to serve the meal within 45 minutes of starting to prepare it, then start by putting the rice in the rice cooker and a large pot of water on the stove over high heat.

Between 15 minutes and 2 hours before cooking, slice the beef into thin strips. In a medium bowl combine the 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce, ground coriander, ground white pepper, and 1/2 tsp. brown sugar. Add the beef to the bowl and stir so that all of the beef gets covered with the marinade. Place the bowl in the refrigerator if you want to marinate the beef longer than 15 minutes.

If you would like to have snow peas, rinse them and cut the ends off. If you would like to have blanched green beans or broccoli florets, put a large pot of water on the stove (if you haven't already) and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Rinse the green beans or broccoli, and cut the ends off of the green beans or cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces. When the water has come to a boil, add the vegetables and let them blanch in the water for exactly 2 minutes. Then transfer them to a colander and rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. You can put the blanched vegetables in a bowl in the refrigerator while the meat is marinating.

To make the sauce, stir together the 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, rice vinegar, water, brown sugar, red chili paste, and minced garlic.

About 5 to 10 minutes before you want to stir-fry the beef, take it out of the refrigerator. Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and let the pan heat up for several minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the pan. Then add the beef to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the beef to a new bowl.

If using snow peas, add 1 more tablespoon of canola oil to the pan and then add the snow peas. Cook them for 1 to 2 minutes, until they have gotten hot and turned a darker green. Then add the sauce and the beef to the pan and let everything simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce had gotten hot and thickened slightly.

If using green beans or broccoli, after you have removed the beef from the pan, add the green beans or broccoli and the sauce. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce and vegetables have gotten hot and the sauce has thickened slightly. Then return the beef to the pan and let everything simmer for a minute to reheat the beef.

Serve the Thai red chili beef and vegetables over rice with a garnish of chopped cilantro and green onions, if you have them available.

Mexican Chicken Stew

I have my friend Jenn and my mother-in-law Cathy to thank for this recipe. I first was introduced to it by Jenn when she and her husband invited Michael and me over to their house for dinner. We liked the stew so much that I wrote down the recipe. But somehow I didn't get around to trying it myself. That is, until Cathy gave me a surprise present of the very cookbook containing the recipe. Then I knew that I really had to make this Mexican chicken stew.

In order to avoid ingredients containing corn, I have modified the recipe. However, I think that the flavor is still true to the original. A tip from Jenn is that you can use frozen or semi-frozen chicken breasts; the chicken doesn't have to be defrosted before putting it into the crock pot.

Mexican Chicken Stew
serves 4 to 6 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 jar of medium salsa. Use either Green Mountain Gringo salsa, Amy's salsa, or another brand that contains apple cider vinegar and does not contain any distilled white vinegar or citric acid.
• 1 28-ounce can of Cento crushed tomatoes OR 1 26-ounce box of Pomi strained tomatoes OR another brand of tomato puree that does not contain citric acid, which usually comes from corn.
• 2 15-ounce cans of black beans, undrained. Use cans that contain only black beans, water, and salt.
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder. Or if all you have is hot Mexican chili powder, which happened to me once, then use just 1 tsp.
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.25 to 1.5 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are kosher, organic, or "all-natural" (about 3 to 4 half breasts depending on their size)
• 1 Tbsp. of lime juice
  
• fresh cilantro (optional)
• sour cream (optional)

Instructions:

Pour into the crock pot the salsa, crushed tomatoes, black beans with the liquid from their cans, chili powder, coriander, cumin, black pepper, oregano, chopped onion, and garlic. Stir these together. Thoroughly rinse the chicken breasts and then place them in the crock pot so that they are covered by the liquid. Put the cover on the crock pot and let the stew cook for 8 hours on low; or for 1 hour on high and then 6 hours on low.

After that time, remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred it using two forks. Return the chicken to the crock pot and stir it into the rest of the stew. Stir in the lime juice and then serve. You can sprinkle some chopped cilantro on the stew as a garnish, and you can also top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream.

Baked Pork Sausages

Ever since I was a kid, I have preferred hot dogs to hamburgers. And ever since living in Germany for a year, I have preferred sausages. There's something about a hot sausage dipped in spicy mustard that tastes so good. Recently when I was at BJ's, I thought I would take a look at their sausages. I wasn't expecting to find one without any corn products, but, amazingly enough, I did. The ingredient label had perhaps five things on it: pork, salt, spices, and a couple other easily identifiable foods. I decided to take a chance and see if Michael could eat them. And he could, without any ill effects! I was quite excited because I have tried and failed at several brands of chicken sausages, which are labeled gluten-free but still must be contaminated with corn. So the lesson I've learned, and need to remember, is to buy only pork sausages, not chicken sausages, and to buy ones that contain only ingredients that I can identify.

It's still summer, so we could have grilled the sausages outside. However, it's been raining all week so far -- our first rain in quite a while, so I'm not complaining. But I did need to come up with another way of cooking the sausages, and I decided to bake them in the oven. It's so much simpler and less messy than cooking them on the stove. Tonight I made rosemary roasted potatoes and cooked red cabbage to go with the sausages -- a rather German or Austrian-themed meal. The girls ate every bite! We're raising the next generation to like their sausages with mustard, too.

Baked Pork Sausages
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 4 wheat-free and corn-free pork sausages
• 2 yellow onions

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel 2 onions and slice them thickly into slices of even thickness. (I usually cut a medium onion into four slices, keeping all of the rings together in each slice.) Place them on the bottom of an 8"x8" Pyrex dish so that the onions cover the bottom of the dish. You might not use all of the onion slices. Then place the sausages on top of the onion slices so that the sausages are not touching one another. The purpose of the onion slices is to keep the sausages from burning on the bottom of the pan, and to provide a lovely side of onion to your sausage after it's cooked.

When the oven has preheated, bake the sausages for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the sausage, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into one of the sausages reads at least 160 degrees. Serve the sausages with the onion slices on the side.

Balsamic-Marinated Flank Steak with Salsa Verde

When we visited my parents at the beginning of the summer, they grilled flank steak for us. The steak was so good that I wanted to try it at home. Since I didn't have all of the ingredients for making my mom's recipe, I decided to try this one that uses balsamic vinegar. Wow. This recipe is definitely a keeper. The flank steak turned out so tender and flavorful, and the salsa verde made it taste even better. (In case you were wondering, the salsa verde is the funny looking green stuff in the picture.) The capers are essential to the flavor of the salsa verde, so be sure to get some at the supermarket.

Balsamic-Marinated Flank Steak with Salsa Verde
serves 4 to 6 adults

Ingredients for the steak:

• 1 1/2 lb. to 2 lb. flank steak (A 1 1/2-lb. steak was enough for 4 adults. A 2-lb. steak would be enough for 6 adults.)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
  
• 5 sprigs of thyme or rosemary, chopped
  
• kosher salt and black pepper
  

Ingredients for the salsa verde:

• 2 small finely chopped shallots, or 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 6 cornichons, chopped, or 2 small pickles, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. capers, drained. Look for a jar that does not contain citric acid.
  
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup packed basil leaves
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cut any excess fat off of the flank steak. In a small bowl combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and chopped herbs. Place the flank steak in a gallon-size Zip-loc bag and pour the marinade into the bag as well. Seal the bag, rub the marinade into the steak, and then place the bag in the refrigerator to marinate for 4-5 hours, or up to 24 hours.

For the salsa verde, combine all of the salsa ingredients in a food chopper or processor and pulse until it is smooth or reaches your desired consistency. Serve by letting people spoon some of the salsa over their steak.

When you are ready to grill the steak, remove it from the bag. Sprinkle the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the steak for 4-6 minutes on one side and 3-4 minutes on the second side. Then let the steak rest on a plate tented with aluminum foil for 10 minutes before cutting it into thin strips against the grain.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

We tried a new chicken recipe tonight, and it turned out really well. Here is the link to the original recipe for rosemary lemon chicken. I didn't change anything about the recipe except for the kind of chicken I used. Michael has reacted multiple times to Perdue and other brands of regular chicken -- both whole chickens and boneless skinless chicken breasts. Therefore, we now are eating only kosher, organic, or "all natural" chicken, which Michael fortunately does not seem to react to. As a preventative measure, I still rinse the raw chicken really thoroughly in cold water before proceeding with the recipe.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken
serves 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 children

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 half breasts depending on their size) that are organic, kosher, or all natural
  
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Instructions:

See the original recipe for instructions on how to marinate and cook.

Home-made Pizza

As you can tell from the date that I started this post, it's been a busy past couple of weeks. But fortunately, even when life is busy, there is still time to make pizza. On the recommendation of a friend, I recently tried Bob's Red Mill's Gluten Free Pizza Crust mix. This mix makes a great crust, even better than the frozen gluten-free pizza dough I was buying, and a lot more convenient since you don't have to defrost it overnight before using it. The mix is pretty economical, too, as far as gluten-free mixes go. One Bob's Red Mill package makes two 12-inch pizzas. Since the girls are still little, one 12-inch pizza is enough for all of us, but I can see the day coming when I will need to make two pizzas for dinner. Michael and the girls like the pizza so much that I think it might need to go into my regular meal rotation.

Pizza
1 12-inch pizza, which serves 2 to 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of the package of Bob's Red Mill's Gluten Free Pizza Crust (and 1/2 of the yeast packet)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. Make sure that it doesn't contain soybean oil or corn syrup.
• dried or fresh basil
• dried or fresh oregano
• onion powder
• 1 3.8-ounce can of Lindsay Naturals slice black olives. Most canned olives contain ferrous gluconate, which could come from corn. The only canned olives I have found that do not have it are Lindsay Naturals olives, which contain only water, olives, and salt. You could also use whole olives found at the deli or salad bar of a supermarket, if you can check the ingredient list.
  
• mozzarella cheese for Michael's side of the pizza. Buy the cheese as a block, not pre-grated, and make sure to buy one that does not contain any vinegar, which probably comes from corn.
• feta cheese for Laura, Sabrina, and Naomi's side of the pizza. You can buy the feta as a block or crumbled, but make sure that it does not contain any cornstarch or other corn products, just in case any of it touches Michael's side of the pizza. Or you could buy a block of cheddar goat cheese and grate it.

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the package for making the pizza crust and baking it. In my oven I needed to bake the crust for 8 minutes. Then spread the tomato sauce over the crust, leaving 1/2 inch around the edge free of sauce. Sprinkle the basil, oregano, and onion powder on top of the sauce, using as much as you would like. Drain the olives and then sprinkle them over the sauce. Grate the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle over Michael's side of the pizza. If you have a block of Parmesan cheese, you could grate some of that onto Michael's side as well. Sprinkle feta cheese (or grated hard goat cheese) over the side for me and the girls. Bake according to the instructions on the pizza mix, watching after 15 minutes to make sure that the cheese does not get too brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Hamburgers

Hamburgers feel to me like one of those quintessential summer foods. I know that a recipe for hamburgers seems pretty basic, but I am very excited to find the following recipe in the Cook's Illustrated Summer Grilling 2010 special issue. It has solved a dilemma: how do you cook a hamburger enough to kill all of the bacteria without turning it into a dry hockey puck? If you add the following ingredients to your ground beef before forming it into hamburger patties, the hamburgers stay amazingly moist and flavorful, even when they are cooked until well done. The other thing that makes a big difference is using ground beef that is 80 percent beef and 20 percent fat. For hamburgers, I think the extra bit of fat is really worth it. I've adapted the recipe as follows:

Hamburgers
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 slice of Ener-G tapioca bread
• 1 Tbsp. Lactaid milk
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 lb. (or the odd 1 .2 lb. that my supermarket puts in the package) 80% ground beef

Instructions:

Cut the slice of bread into 1/4-inch cubes. Put the bread in a medium-size bowl and mix with the milk until it forms a paste. Add the salt, pepper, minced garlic, and onion powder, and combine using a spoon. Break the ground beef into small pieces and add to the mixture. Combine gently with your hands until thoroughly mixed together. Shape into hamburger patties, making an indentation in the center of each so that the hamburgers do not puff up in the middle when cooked. Cook on a grill, or on a George Foreman grill if it's raining (like it was for us yesterday).

Thai Curry Chicken

Michael and I really like Thai food, but unfortunately we haven't found a Thai restaurant near us that we like going to. Finally I've decided to remedy the situation by trying to learn how to make a couple of Thai dishes. The other impetus for figuring out how to cook Thai food is that it doesn't contain soy sauce. Naomi still has an allergic reaction to soy, so if I want to cook something for dinner that she can eat, I can't make Teriyaki chicken, Nagasaki beef, or the other Asian main dishes that we like.

The first recipe that I've been working on and finally gotten so that Michael and I really like it is Thai curry chicken. It has a couple of ingredients that I didn't have on hand, but I found all of them at my local supermarket. It's definitely worth taking the time to buy the special ingredients because the Thai curry chicken turns out so well.

Thai Curry Chicken
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. red curry paste. I use Thai Kitchen brand because it's labeled gluten-free.
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce. I use Thai Kitchen brand because it's labeled gluten-free, and at least one other brand that I looked at had an ingredient that could have come from either corn or wheat.
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 14-ounce or 15-ounce can of coconut milk. Buy one that contains only coconut milk and water.
• 3 or 4 boneless, skinless half chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 package of snow peas, rinsed and ends cut off. If you don't have snow peas, use 1 cup frozen baby peas, defrosted.
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
  
• optional: several green onions, chopped, for a garnish
• optional: fresh cilantro, chopped, for a garnish

Instructions:

If you would like to serve the Thai curry chicken over rice, start the rice cooking in your rice cooker.

In a medium-size bowl whisk together the red curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice, salt, coriander, brown sugar, ginger, black pepper, and coconut milk. Rinse the chicken and cut width-wise into thin strips. Rinse the snow peas and cut off the ends.

Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and let it heat up. When the pan is hot, add 2 Tbsp. canola oil. Then add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is lightly browned. Pour the chicken and its juices into a large bowl. Pour 1 more Tbsp. canola oil to the pan and then add the snow peas. Cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes, until the snow peas turn a brighter green and are hot. Pour the snow peas into the bowl with the chicken.

Add the garlic to the frying pan and stir for about 30 seconds. Then pour the red curry and coconut milk mixture into the pan. Let the liquid come to a simmer and then let it continue to simmer over medium-high heat (or medium heat if it's simmering too vigorously) for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Return the chicken and snow peas to the pan. (If you would like to use regular peas instead of snow peas, add them now.) Let the chicken and snow peas simmer in the sauce for just a couple of minutes, until they are hot again and the chicken is fully cooked. Serve over rice with a garnish of green onions and cilantro, if desired.

Below is a picture of the Thai curry chicken with baby peas and cilantro instead the snow peas.