Gingerbread Men...

Just in time for Christmas here is a gluten free recipe for gingerbread men.
This is super simple, and super delicious! These cookies are a delight, crisp-yet chewy...spicy and warm from the cinnamon and ginger. They just smell of Christmas. Roll the extra scraps out into thin rounds for a ginger-snaps. Or, use the same recipe, roll it thick and cut out shapes for houses...it makes great edible gingerbread houses.

Gingerbread Men

• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup water**
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups Gluten Free flour
• 1 tablespoon baking Powder
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger

**Sometimes you never know how much  liquid GF flour holds, plus it depends on your climate. If the dough is too dry, add more water 1 tbs at a time at the end of mixing. If too sticky add more flour (sometimes up to 1/2 cup) to make it not sticky and workable.       

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, combine molasses, honey, water, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and oil. Mix to combine. Then add GF flour and baking powder. Dough should mix until it begins to come together and pull from the sides of the bowl. Adjust extra flour or water as noted above.

 On a generously floured surface, knead and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick, then cut out shapes. Place shapes on a Parchment or a Silpat silicone baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until dough becomes crisp, but not dark brown. It will get crisper as it cools.

Re-roll extra dough and cut again. Leftover scraps can be rolled into snakes and cut into ¼ bits and baked for a snack for the kids, or thin crisps as gingersnaps.

Cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to finish cooling. When completely cool, decorate!

I personalized mine with initials, using small cutters in letter shapes. 

Winter Greens Fettucine

Are you looking for a way to put more dark greens into your diet? If you aren't, well--you should. I didn't grow up on these greens, because I grew up in Arizona, they just weren't part of our food culture in the 70s-and 80s. Big, leafy, dark greens were not something that came to the weeknight dinner table in our house growing up. To my mother's credit, I am sure we wouldn't have eaten them (but only because we didn't understand them.) The nutritional value of these greens (kale, collards, mizuna, spinach, Swiss chard) are astounding. Too much to write about here, but you can look it up when you have time. This dish feels super light, even though it is loaded with dark greens. the Sauce is barely there with just enough tang and richness to be very satisfying.
Don't fear the amount of greens this dish calls for--it cooks down to the 4-servings that this dish makes. Trust me.

Ingredients: (Makes 4 dinner servings)

• 16 cups loose packed winter greens** (any combination of kale, collards, mizuna, spinach, Swiss chard) Wash these and loosely tear or chop. Size and shape do not matter much. The water from the rinsing, helps them cook--so do not spin dry. (**Notes: this amount would be about 4 large bunches of these kinds of greens from the grocery or your farmshare. If using greens with tough stems--kale, Swiss chard--remove the spine and stems from the greens.) 
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 5 tbs good balsamic
• 1/4 tsp. red chile flake (use a pinch instead if you want less heat)
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1/4 cup grated or shaved parmesean cheese
• 1 package of GF fettuccine noodles (or use regular GF spaghetti noddles)

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Meanwhile, in a deep soup or stock pot, over medium-high heat, place the greens. Salt and pepper them to season. Cook the greens, turning them with a wooden spoon until they are all wilted down and cooked, about 6-8 minutes or so. There should be some liquid in the pot at the bottom, if not--add 1/4 cup of water to the pot. Once simmering, add the olive oil, butter, red chile flake and balsamic vinegar.

Drain the noodles and add to the greens in the pot. Turn the heat off and stir the noodles with the greens mixture until it is coated.

Serve in bowls and add 1-2 tbs of parmesean cheese on top.

Gluten Free Pie Crust

Its that time of year, time to be making your GF pie crusts for Thanksgiving Pies! Now, to go along with that--make a double batch of this pie crust, and with the extras, make GF Pastries from the Toaster (Pop Tarts!) That's right, Pop Tarts.
Not something I recommend to be eaten often, but that is what this season is about, right? The not-so-often indulgence of something unique and special and made once a year?


This pie crust recipe is tender and delicious...you won't be able to tell its GF. You really need to source a good GF flour for this though. I recommend Tom Sawyer. Or find a good rice flour blend that is flavor neutral (not tasting of beans or other flavors from the origin of the flour).


Recipe for GF Pie Crust

Makes enough for two 9-inch pie crusts

•  2 1/2 cups Gluten free flour
•  1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 stick plus another  2/3 of a stick chilled unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
• 6-8 tbs chilled ice water
• 1 egg

Directions

Place flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine.

Feed in butter, in chunks and process 10-12 short pulses.

After all butter is incorporated, add 6 tbs iced water and pulse again until it begins to come together. Add the egg, pulse again. If needed, Add more water, 1 tbs at a time until the dough pulls together into a course crumb.

Do not process for more than needed.

Turn dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten, and form two discs, then roll or press into pie pan. Or you can wrap, and refrigerate or freeze.

Ensure pie shells are well chilled before baking. Place in fridge if needed to chill for 30-minutes to an hour.

For Toaster Pastries:

• Roll out pie crust into a 4x5 (approx.) size square
• Fill with 3 tbs jam--whatever you love and have on hand
• Top with a 2nd rectangle of dough (if when working with the dough, it begins to tear and be too soft, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm it up. It will become easy to work with again.)
• Crimp edges with a fork, and poke a hole in the top.
• Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Check at 10-minutes, they are done when edges are golden.

Once completely cool, frost with a simple powdered sugar and vanilla icing. Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a few drops of vanilla until the right icing consistency. Sprinkle or don't sprinkle!
These are work, and effort, but so worth it!

Weeknight Cioppino...

My husband and I are not stew or soup people. I'm not sure why...but we just aren't. Its one of the things that we are in complete culinary agreement on. So, I don't make soups or stews. But, the other night, on a whim for no reason at all really, I decided to make cioppino. I had two fishes in the fridge that I accidentally defrosted together, and wanted something other to do with them then steam or pan sear. Oh, and I needed something interesting to do with eggplant...its in season here you know, and if you read my blog, you know I cook in season what comes from the farmshare each week.
I hear this dish comes from fisherman on the docks in Italy. A working man's food. It makes sense to me, in the old village ports of Italy, that one might take what was left in the bottom of the boat at the end of the day, carry it home to his wife who would brilliantly, yet effortlessly make this incredible stew from scraps.
Whatever its origins, cioppino is a dish that is not often seen on menus in the American Southwest. Back east more perhaps, but not really here. It seems like a dish that could intimidate, taking hours to stew on the stove. But no, not this time. I created this for a weeknight meal. Pick up some fish this weekend and put on a pot.
This stew has a rich and thick tomato-y broth, that is earthy with that mild sweetness that comes from tomato, and a hint of warmth from the red pepper. The vegetables and the thick, flaky chunks of fish really leave you satisfied.

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced or diced
• 1 small eggplant cut into small dice (about 2 cups)
• Fresh or frozen green beans or peas (about 1.5 cups)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbs. garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes (for medium, use less for less heat)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 4 cups stock or broth
• 3/4 pound fresh (or from frozen) salmon fillet cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound fresh (or from frozen) wahoo or cod fillet cut into 1-inch cubes (or any firm white fish, like halibut)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large, deep pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, and eggplant and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and sauté 2 more minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices and the stock. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the chunks of fish to the pot and cover and cook until the fish is cooked through, about another 5-7 minutes. Add the green beans or peas. Simmer for another minute Season generously with salt and pepper to taste..

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with GF crackers or toasted GF bread. I garnished with diced celery, a dollop of sour cream and cilantro.

Morning Banana Bran Muffins...

Just ask my husband, I am always trying out new recipe for a morning breakfast on the go. Something that packs a bigger nutritional punch than you might expect, in a small and healthy package, oh--and that tastes mighty good. Why? Probably because I am the ever-multi-tasker...never settling for doing one thing, when I can do three at the same time. That is why I like these. Nutrition (full of good stuff)+fast-food (my version anyway, I made them Saturday and they last me all week.)+yumminess (they taste really good)+convenience (it fits in my purse with my yogurt and plum!).
This muffin is my latest invention, and it's delicious! I pair it with a homemade yogurt and a piece of fruit and I have a morning breakfast that is about 400 calories (just right) full of nutritional goodies and goodness and--I dont even think about food till well into the lunch time hour (it keeps you satisfied for a long time.)

 

And the nutritional value--more goodness than usual for such a small, but mighty little muffin!
It gives you good fat, potassium, fiber, and protein! And about 192 calories per muffin.

 

These muffins are dense, yet super moist and chewey. The almonds give crunch, the coconut a satisfying chew, and the chocolate chips and 'just sweet-enough' edge to these. when you eat one, microwave for 15-seconds if right from the fridge, and they will taste right from the oven. Use raisins if you prefer not to have chocolate in your breakfast muffin.

Ingredients:

•  ¾ cup oat bran
• ¼ cup ground flax meal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1.5 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 2 small eggs
• 2 tbs olive or vegetable oil
• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 1 cup GF flour blend
• ¾ cup coconut (not sweetened)
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (at least 60%, more is better for more you) (or use raisins if you dont want to use chocolate)

Preheat oven to 425F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. Blend together until well mixed. Spoon mixture into muffin cups filling almost full. Bake 15-17 minutes.

Faster than take-out Shrimp in Mushroom Sauce

This is a dish that took me 28-minutes end to end. That is faster than takeout any day! Its delicious and hearty, without being laden with meat...shrimp is the protein here.
Don't be daunted by the ingredients list, its mostly items you have, and just a few you will need to add to your grocery list for the week to pick up so you can make this next Monday night.
We use shrimp in this, because it lends itself perfectly to the flavors. Since we only buy domestic, wild shrimp (when it is on sale), we don't get this treat often, so when we do—we want to do something really great with it. Tomatoes are an unexpected ingredient in this stir fry dish, but they add a delicious tangy-sweet component to the dish. The cool and crunchy, raw cucumber is a wonderful cooling contrast to the slightly sweet, and earthy-rich mushroom sauce.

Main dish:

• 1 lb. raw (or frozen) shrimp
• 1 oz. package dried shitake mushrooms (check your Asian food isle)
• 2 cups (or so) grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup edamame beans (not in the shell)
• 1 cup cucumber, chopped into large pieces
• 1/3 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
• About 4 oz of GF rice noodle (like Thai Kitchen brand)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Sauce:

• Water
• 1/4 GF Tamari (GF soy) sauce
• 1/4 cup GF Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 brown sugar
• 2 tbs corn starch
• 1 tbs vinegar (any kind)

Start a teapot with about 4 cups of water until it boils. Place rice noodles and dried shitakes in a large glass bowl. When the teapot boils, pour the liquid over the noodles and mushrooms. Using a wooden spoon, push the noodles and mushrooms underwater to submerge. Cover with a dishtowel and let sit. In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, add 1 tbs olive oil and saute the edamame, tomatoes, and red bell pepper until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Return to the noddles. The water will have taken on a brownish color and flavor of the mushroom, creating a mushroom broth. Using tongs, retrieve the mushrooms from the bowl of noodles and add to the saute pan. Cover the noodles again. Saute the vegetables another 2-3 minutes. Then, add the raw shrimp. Cook the shrimp until they are about 1/2 way cooked (you can still see some grayish part, and they are not all the way pink). Return again to the noddles, they should be soft by now in the water. To the noodle water and noodles add the brown sugar, Worcestershire, GF soy sauce and corn starch. Stir to mix. Add the noddle mixtrue to the pan of vegetables and mushrroms. and stir to combine. The liquid will begin to simmer and as soon as it does, it will thicken into a thick glossy sauce. Season generaously with salt and pepper (to taste.) When the sauce is as thick as you like it, dish it into bowls. Top the hot rice noddles and sauce with the raw cucumbers and cilantro. Serve.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I was raised in what I call the Betty Crocker kitchen. My mother, being an exceptional wife to my dad and and even better mother of young children in the '70s and '80s made dinner each and every night. ...And we sat around the table as a family and had dinner! (A lost art it seems.)

While not a gourmet cook, my mother was an excellent cook. And many of her dishes were the quintessential ‘Betty Crocker’ recipes. You know, the ones that came out of the red and white checked, wire spiral bound book? The ones that included two descriptive adjectives connected with an ‘and,’ or that often ended in a ‘bake.' Cheese and bacon get-togethers, chicken and broccoli casserole, Louisiana shrimp bake…and these gems—sweet and sour meatballs.

I loved these growing up. Coming home from school to meet the sour-sweet smell coming from the Crockpot, wafting through the door when I would walk in.

My mom made these with beef and served it over white rice. I use ground chicken or ground turkey or a mix—use what you like. While there are not a lot of ingredients, and some come from a can, as most of Betty's did in the day, you can choose to use fresh ingredients if you choose.

This is so easy, all the ingredients into the Crockpot and, come dinner time you have a sweet and sour and savory dish with a luscious sauce full of caramelized pineapple and juicy meatballs. Its childhood heaven in a bowl. I garnish with cilantro, something my mother didn't do, but it plays well off the Asian flavors of the dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground meat (lean beef, chicken, turkey or mix)
• 1/2 GF cracker crumb, or bread crumb (use GF crackers, or even GF pretzels-whatever you have to crush into crumb)
• 1 small egg
• 1 15-oz can crushed pineapple with its juice
• 3 tbs vinegar (any kind)
• 3 tbs GF soy sauce
• 1/3 cup (not packed) brown sugar (or use agave, but use 1/4 less)
• 3 tbs. corn starch 
• 1 medium bell pepper cut into large dice
• Salt and pepper

Blend ground meat, egg, bread crumb and salt and pepper (few pinches of each) until mixed. Form into meatballs the size of golf balls. Set aside.
Into the Crockpot add: the pineapple with juice, the GF soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and bell pepper. Stir until blended and the cornstarch is mixed in. Lay the meatballs on top of the sauce and lid the Crockpot. Cook on low for up to 8 hours. Cook on high shorter.
Serve over a brown rice or other grain, like millet or quinoa.