Showing posts with label Gluten-free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gluten-free. Show all posts

April 18, 2014

I've got the rainy day stews...

What else do you do on rainy days than come back to your long-lost blog? I've exhausted every other to-do list, and so I'm here.

And, in light of how unseasonably cold it has been, I made a couple of stews (and cornbread, of course!). So, with tummy full and nothing else to do, I'm jotting down what I came up with today:

Stew #1: Pork Curry Stew

You'll need:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 Tablespoon ground bitter pepper
1/2 Tablespoon ground sweet red pepper
8 oz. (250 g) pork, cut into 1/2-in. (1.5-cm) cubes
32 oz. (1 L) water* + chicken bouillon cubes**
3 med. potatoes, cut into 1/2-in. (1.5-cm) cubes
salt + pepper to taste

FRY: Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, stir, and fry for another minute. Add crushed red pepper, curry powder, ground bitter pepper, and ground sweet red pepper, and stir until onion and garlic are covered in spices. Fry and stir for 3-4 minutes, scraping the drippings off the bottom of the pot. Add the pork cubes, stir to combine, and fry until they are cooked through.

STEW: Add the water, bouillon cubes, potatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low, covered for at least 30 minutes. The longer it sits, the better it gets!

SERVE: Ladle and serve. This goes perfectly with cornbread muffins.

YIELD: 4-5 servings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stew #2: Beef + Red Wine Stew

You'll need:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
salt + pepper to taste
8 oz. (250 g) beef steak, cut into 1/2-in. (1.5-cm) cubes
2 cups red wine
2 medium carrots, quartered and chopped
10 oz. can sliced mushrooms + liquid
1 medium potato, cut into 1/2-in. (1.5-cm) cubes
16 oz. (500 ml) water* + bouillon cubes**
1/4 teaspoon thyme

FRY: Heat butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, salt + pepper, stir, and fry for another minute. Add beef and fry until cooked through, stirring and scraping the drippings off the pot periodically.

STEW: Add the red wine, carrots, mushrooms + liquid, potato, water + bouillon, and thyme. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for at least an hour, covered.

SERVE: Ladle and serve.  This ALSO goes great with cornbread.

YIELD: 5-6 servings

*you can use leftover broth, whey, etc.
**my bouillon cubes are for 16 oz. (500 ml) of water

We had both of these today - had to keep warm somehow!  Hope you enjoy them just as much as we did.

Ciao for now!


Classic Cornbread Muffins

I discovered this recipe in my More-with-less cookbook a few years ago and found out that it can easily also be gluten-free! We tried gluten-free for a while and this was a major go-to. Now, we still use it because it's just so darn tasty.

You'll need:
1 cup white flour (or any gluten-free flour)
1 cup cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (this is for gluten-free recipe only)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk

PREP: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12-muffin tin (or 2 6-muffin tins) and set aside.

DRY: Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar, and xanthan gum (if necessary) in a medium mixing bowl. Create a well and set aside.

WET: In a small mixing bowl, combine he oil, eggs, and milk. Stir well.

COMBINE: Pour the wet ingredients in the dry ingredient well, and stir to combine. Pour evenly into the greased muffin tin(s). Bake for 20-25 minutes (gluten-free version usually only needs 20 minutes) or until lightly golden brown on top.

YIELD: 12 muffins

These are tasty with butter, honey, peanut butter, or just by themselves.

Enjoy!


February 24, 2012

Fresh Salsa

Coming from two very Mexican-food-permeated regions in the US, salsa has always taken up a large section of our refrigerator.  And, in Bulgaria, it's no different.  However, I didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for the store-bought kind (I'm still amazed that Bulgaria has it!).  So, as soon as we got settled in Plovdiv this past summer, I went searching.

That's when my Peace Corps buddy gave me the best, simplest salsa recipe.  It's chunky.  It's fresh.  It's so flavorful, you won't even need chips!  Just a spoon.

You'll need:
2 med. tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced (optional)
2 large green bell peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 sprig of cilantro, finely chopped
1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt

Basically, throw all the veggies in a large bowl, sprinkle the salt over it, squeeze the lemon over that, and mix well!  My picture doesn't have cilantro included, as I still have to work on getting my herb garden going.  My mother-in-law brought us seeds when they came for Christmas, and I can't wait!

Anyway, this particular recipe makes one Gladware Deep Dish full of salsa (I'll have to measure it next time I make it!).  You can easily halve it.  I use a lot of it for preparing Mexican dishes, so this amount is perfect for us!  Be sure to store in the fridge.  It keeps for about a week.

Ok, my mouth is watering and it's too late to do anything about it.  I better stop writing!

You guys have a great weekend!


February 20, 2012

Zucchini Lasagna

Melts in your mouth.

Crispy.

Rich.

Cheesy.

Healthy?

Yep, all of those words have one dish in common: Zucchini Lasagna.  Ok, stay with me.

Lately, we've been trying to add healthier foods (a.k.a. veggies) into our diet.  So, I found and modified a lasagna recipe that uses zucchini instead of noodles.  Worth a try, right?  Amazing, it turns out.  It serves 6 and, is approximately 362 calories per serving.

You up for it?

You'll need:
28 oz. (800 g) tomato sauce
2 small zucchini, sliced length-wise (1/4-in.)
8 oz. (230 g) ricotta cheese
1/4 cup (55 g) Parmesan cheese, crumbled or grated
1 egg
4 oz. (115 g) Edam cheese, shredded
1/4 cup (55 g) Parmesan cheese, crumbled or grated (to sprinkle on top of lasagna)

PREP: Heat oven to 350 F (176 C).  Grease a 9x9 baking dish (I used a round casserole dish).  If you haven't already pre-made the tomato sauce, go ahead and make it (it can be simmering while you prepare the remaining ingredients).

Slice zucchini into 1/4-inch slices, length-wise.  I found this easier if I sliced a little off of one side of each zucchini, laid it down on that flat side, and then started slicing.

In a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup (55 g) Parmesan cheese, and egg.  Shred the Edam cheese.

LAYERS: Spread 1/3 of tomato sauce in bottom of dish.  Then, cover sauce with 1/2 of the zucchini slices, 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, and 1/2 of the Edam, in that order.

Repeat with another 1/3 of tomato sauce and the rest of the zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and the Edam.  Top with the last 1/3 of tomato sauce and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup (55 g) Parmesan cheese on top of that.

Tip: If you end up with more zucchini than you need, you can cut them up into chip-sized pieces for dipping or just by themselves for an appetizer.

BAKE: Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and Parmesan is slightly brown.


Believe it or not, this recipe is gluten-free and, if you make the meatless version of my tomato sauce, it can be vegetarian, too.

I'm betting you can sneak veggies into your kids' (and spouse's) diet with this recipe!

Bon appétit!