Sunday, March 29, 2009

Karina's Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

From Karina, the Gluten Free Goddess:

Ingredients:


Quickie Green Chile Sauce:

1 cup light vegetable broth (or chicken broth, if you're an omnivore)
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
(you may also use cornstarch as the thickener if you don't have arrowroot)
1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles- hot or mild
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

Make your Quickie Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, dissolved arrowroot or cornstarch, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until thickened. Taste test. Set aside.

Filling:

1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime
2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, smashed a bit, but still chunky
1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or curry, mild or spicy, as you prefer
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Also necessary:

2-4 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed
8 corn tortillas (make sure they are gluten free!)
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Choose a baking dish that will hold 8 enchiladas.

In the meantime, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the lightly smashed sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the Quickie Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them - one at a time - as you stuff each one.

Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce. Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center. Top with 1/8 of the black beans. Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce and with a sprinkle of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.


Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Crockpot Chile Verde

This is a very flavorful dish from Stephanie, the Crockpot Lady. We've eaten the leftovers served over mashed potatoes, in burritos, over rice....it tastes wonderful any way you eat it.

Ingredients:


4 pound chuck roast, or pork shoulder/butt

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 (4 ounce) can diced chilis, mild
3 medium tomatoes, diced
10 tomatillos, diced (peel off the outer wrapper, if they have one)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sage
1 Tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:

Trim any visible fat from the meat, and place in the Crockpot. Add diced bell pepper and onion. If tomatillos have the leafy-outer skin left on them, take the skin and stem off, and dice finely. Pour in the diced chilis and diced tomatoes. Add spices. Stir a bit to get the spices down the sides of the meat. Add chopped cilantro to the top.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 6, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Serve with rice, corn tortillas, refried beans, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. Yum!!

Creamy Salmon Rotini

Ingredients

1/2 lb boneless, skinless cooked salmon, diced
1 C cooked peas
1 C mushrooms, sauteed until just wilted
2 T butter
2 T sweet rice flour (superfine)
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 T onion flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 C grated Jarlsberg or swiss
3/4 C grated Parmesan
1 lb cooked gluten free rotini (or any gf pasta you prefer)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a large casserole dish.

Make the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the sweet rice flour. Cook, stirring (best to use a wire whisk), for about 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in the cream a little at a time to keep mixture smooth, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Continue cooking, and add the chicken broth a little at time while whisking constantly, until the mixture has the thickness and consistency of paint. You don't want it to be too thick, because it will thicken when you add the cheese. Add more or less chicken broth until you achieve the right consistency.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, most of the Parmesan and all of the Swiss/Jarlsberg; set the sauce aside.

Put the cooked pasta into a large bowl; add the salmon cubes, peas, mushrooms and cheese sauce to the pasta; mix well but gently.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top. Bake until heated through and top is starting to turn golden brown in spots, about 20 - 25 minutes.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Cheesy Chicken and Rice with Broccoli

Ingredients

2 C cooked chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 C steamed broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 C mushrooms, sauteed (optional)
2 T butter
2 T white rice flour (superfine)
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground dry mustard
freshly ground black pepper
2 T onion flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 C grated sharp white cheddar cheese
1 C grated medium cheddar
1/2 C grated monterey jack
1/2 C grated Jarlsberg or swiss
1/2 C grated Parmesan
5 - 6 C cooked brown or white rice

NOTE: use whatever cheese you have or like....I just like this particular combo.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a large casserole dish.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the rice flour. Cook, stirring (best to use a wire whisk), for about 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in the cream a little at a time to keep mixture smooth, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Continue cooking, and add the chicken broth a little at time while whisking constantly, until the mixture has the thickness and consistency of paint. You don't want it to be too thick, because it will thicken when you add the cheese. Add more or less chicken broth until you achieve the right consistency.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, dry mustard, black pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, all of the Parmesan and MOST of the other cheeses (reserve a little of the grated cheddars and Jarlsberg to sprinkle on top); set the cheese sauce aside.

Put the cooked rice into a large bowl; add the chicken, broccoli, mushrooms and cheese sauce to the rice; mix well but gently.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheddar cheese over the top. Bake until top is starting to turn golden brown in spots, about 20 - 25 minutes.

Oven "Fries"

Recipe from Sandra (Full Bellies, Happy Kids), who got it originally from Rachel Ray:

Ingredients:

5 russet potatoes, cut into thin wedges
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 T steak seasoning, such as montreal steak seasoning or salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to high. Cut potatoes and spread out on a cookie sheet. Toss potatoes to coat with extra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkle on dried herbs and steak seasoning or salt and pepper.

Spread potatoes to the corners of the cookie sheet. Cook potatoes in very hot oven 25 minutes. Turn potatoes once, half way in the cooking process. Serve fries hot from the oven.

Linda's Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

A recipe for gluten free hamburger buns from Linda; please visit her blog, The Gluten-Free Homemaker:

Ingredients:

Dry:

  • 1 1/3 c. brown rice flour
  • 2/3 c. sweet rice flour
  • 1 c. tapioca starch
  • 1 T yeast
  • 2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
  • 1 Tb. xanthan gum
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder (optional)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. sugar or honey

Wet:

  • 1 – 1 1/4 c. warm water
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. vinegar

Directions:

Mix the wet ingredients together in the bowl of your mixer using 1 cup of the water. Combine the dry ingredients thoroughly in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes. Add more water if it is too dry. The dough should be very soft and sticky.

Spoon the dough into greased or oiled English muffin rings (or make your own rings out of strips of foil taped in a circle) on a greased cookie sheet (or line the cookie sheet with parchment paper). Let the buns rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Easy Gluten Free Burritos

You can make these vegetarian with beans only if you wish. If you're an omnivore, make them with meat only, or make combo burritos with both meat and beans:

Ingredients:


gluten-free flour tortillas (Trader Joe's Brown Rice Tortillas are good or you can try this recipe)
3 - 4 C cheese, grated (sharp or mild cheddars, monterey jack, or mozzerella usually work best)
1 - 2 C meat (cooked shredded or thinly sliced chicken, beef, pork or whole cooked shrimp)
cooked beans
4-oz can diced green chilis
1 diced onion
gluten free salsa (NOTE: Pace is NOT gluten free; many fresh salsas are)
sour cream (optional)
guacamole (optional)
diced tomato (optional)
shredded lettuce (optional)

Directions:

Saute the diced onion; add cooked meat and/or beans and saute just long enough to heat the mixture up. Add diced green chilis and/or salsa if you wish and cook about 1 minute longer. You can also experiment by adding small amounts of cumin or other traditional Mexican spices if you feel so inclined. What you add may depend on your choice of meat.

Place a tortilla in a pre-heated skillet on medium high heat. Heat briefly, just until warm and flexible. Place on serving plate, place 1/3 - 1/2 C meat and/or bean mixture on tortilla in a vertical strip and top with grated cheese.

Add other toppings at this point if you wish (salsa, sour cream, guacamole, diced tomato, shredded lettuce, etc.) then fold the bottom of the tortilla up over about half the filling, then fold the top down, fold the left side over, then the right to completely wrap the filling in the tortilla.

Enjoy!

Easy Gluten Free Quesadillas

Ingredients:

gluten-free flour tortillas (Trader Joe's Brown Rice Tortillas are good or you can try this recipe)
3 - 4 C cheese, grated (sharp or mild cheddars, monterey jack, or mozzerella usually work best)
1 - 2 C meat (optional: we've used cooked shredded or thinly sliced chicken, beef, pork or even shrimp)
4-oz can diced green chilis
2 diced green onions

Directions:

Mix the shredded cheese with the green chilis and green onions.

If you'll be using any meat, pre-warm it in the microwave so that it's quite warm to the touch (you don't want it at refrigerator temperature).

Place a tortilla in a pre-heated skillet on medium high heat. You can use a little butter or olive oil in the pan to prevent sticking and give a nice crunch to the tortilla.

Depending on the size of your tortillas, use a good handful of the cheese-veggie mixture (or maybe a bit more) to cover half of the tortilla. Add meat of your choice and sprinkle with a little more cheese.

Fold tortilla in half to cover filling. The cheese should be partially melted and the tortilla should be well-browned (but don't over-do it!) before you try to flip it over. The quesadilla is done when both sides are browned and cheese is melted. We like them served cut in quarters with a dab of sour cream and salsa in the middle.

Crockpot Black Beans

How to cook dried black beans in the Crockpot (or any type of dried beans, except kidney beans) from Stephanie, the Crockpot Lady:

Ingredients:


1 bag of black beans

Water

Directions:


Pour the bag of beans into a colander and rinse under cold water. Pick over beans to get rid of broken or shriveled beans, then pour rinsed beans into a 3 qt or larger Crockpot. Add enough water to cover the beans plus an additional 2 inches.

Cover the Crockpot. Do not turn on. Let the beans soak for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

In the morning, dump the water, and rinse the beans again. Put the beans back into the Crockpot and cover with enough fresh water to completely cover the beans with an extra 2-3 inches.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

The beans are done when they are bite-tender. Don't worry if the water hasn't all absorbed. You're going to dump it, anyway.

Drain the beans.

When cool, separate the beans into storage containers or freezer bags in increments of 1 2/3 cups of beans per container, which is the amount in the typical can of beans. One pound of dried beans should make the equivalent of 3 cans of beans. The beans will store nicely in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for 6 months.

Use as you would canned beans in your favorite recipes.

NOTE: I like to add salt and pepper, a couple of tablespoons of salsa, and some cumin and serve over rice as a side dish to a Mexican meal. Also great in burritos!

Julie's Gluten Free Flour Tortillas


This recipe comes from Julie, please visit Mennonite Girls Can Cook to see other wonderful recipes (including several that are gluten-free):

Ingredients:

2 C tapioca flour

1 cup of gluten-free bread/bun mix - (Julie uses Kinnikinnick - you can also use gluten-free biscuit mix flour)

2 rounded tsp of xanthum gum

1 T shortening

1 T butter

1 1/3 cups whole milk

1/2 cup of sweet rice flour for rolling dough - (if you don't have sweet rice flour you can use tapioca flour)

Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients well, cut in the shortening and then add the milk and mix until it forms a ball.

2. Turn ball onto floured surface and knead until dough is smooth.

3. Cover completely with plasic wrap and let rest for an hour.

4. Form dough into a long cylinder and cut into 12 equal pieces.

5. Place the pieces on a plate and cover with a damp paper tower. (The dough will dry out too quickly if you don't)

6. Piece by piece roll out on floured surface, using as little of the sweet rice flour as possible. Use a 9" plate to cut into round circles.

7. As you roll out each ball, stack the circles between layers of wax paper.

8. Heat up a flat bottomed frying pan ... medium high....and in a little olive oil or coconut oil (healthy oil) fry each tortilla about 30 seconds on each side.

9. Let them cool... then store them in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge until you want to use them.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Gluten Free Chicken with Mushrooms in Sherry-Garlic Butter Sauce

This recipe is very loosely based on Chicken Marsala but goes off on a tangent to incorporate flavors from a fabulous sherry-garlic butter sauce that comes with a seafood combo dinner in one of my favorite Mexican restaurants:

Ingredients:


1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken tenders or fillets
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup white rice flour
2 cups gluten free breadcrumbs
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced and sautéed

Directions:

Rinse and dry chicken tenders. Coat chicken with rice flour by putting flour and chicken into a plastic bag and shaking until chicken is coated on all sides. Next dip chicken in beaten egg, then in gluten free breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry in olive oil/butter mixture until golden brown. Place in a large baking dish, top chicken pieces with sautéed mushrooms. Pour sherry-garlic butter sauce (recipe below) over the chicken and bake 15 - 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over your favorite gluten free pasta or rice.

Sherry-garlic butter sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 C sherry or white wine
1 C chicken broth
1 T lemon juice
1/4 C butter
1 T olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Saute garlic in 1 T of butter plus 1 T olive oil very briefly over medium high heat, then add remaining butter, chicken broth, lemon juice and sherry. Simmer on low heat for five minutes. Add parsley at the very end, just before pouring the sauce over the chicken.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Classic Pot Roast

Based on a recipe from Elise:

Ingredients:


4-5 lb beef roast (typically tougher cuts like chuck or shoulder)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp basil
Bay leaf
1 large onion, diced
4 or 5 large carrots, peeled and cut in large chunks
(or you can use several baby carrots)
Several large mushrooms cut in thick slices
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 - 3/4 C of red wine

Directions:

In a large dutch oven or other covered pot, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Sprinkle the seasonings on all sides of the roast and rub in. Brown the roast in the hot oil in pot on all sides, several minutes on each side. Never move the roast around while a side is browning, or it won't brown well. When the roast is thoroughly browned, take it out of the pan temporarily and put garlic and chopped onion to the bottom of the pan. Let the roast sit on top of the onions.

Add the red wine and bay leaf. Cover. Bring to simmer and then adjust the heat down to the lowest heat possible to maintain a very gentle simmer if you're cooking it on the stovetop. Or you can cook the pot roast in a 225°F oven, once you have browned it, and brought the liquid to a simmer (make sure to use an oven proof pot such a dutch oven).

Cook for 4 - 4 1/2 hours, until meat is tender. Near the end of the cooking, add the carrots; add the mushrooms 10 minutes later and cook about 5 - 10 more minutes.

NOTE: check the amount of liquid remaining after about 3 1/2 hours, before adding the carrots. If the pot roast is too dry, add a bit more wine or even beef broth (perhaps a cup of liquid).

Remove the meat and vegetables to a serving plate; depending on how much liquid is left, add a little bit (couple of tablespoons) of cornstarch mixed with a small amount of water to the liquid in the pot and cook over medium heat until slightly thickened. Good over the roast and over mashed potatoes!

Salmon and Mushrooms with Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients:

1 lb salmon, skinless and boneless
1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil + more for sauteing
1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
white wine or sherry
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, diced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 T butter

Directions:

Pour 1/3 C olive oil and 1/2 C balsamic vinegar into a zip-lock plastic bag and add the salmon. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour...preferably 3 or 4 hours.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat; add a little olive oil to help prevent the butter from burning. Saute the green onions for a few minutes over medium heat, then add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 2 more minutes, stirring often. Remove the vegetables to a bowl; add the salmon to the same saute pan and cook over medium-high heat briefly to brown each side a bit. Add a couple of splashes of sherry or white wine and top with cooked mushroom mixture, cover and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Salmon is done when it flakes with a fork and the center has just turned opaque. Do not overcook!

Serve with the juices from the pan over rice or garlic mashed potatoes.

Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry

Wonderful recipe!! Stephanie, the Crockpot Lady, got this one from Rachel Ray when she appeared on her show:


Ingredients:

1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
1 T brown sugar
1 T soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free, and so is Tamari wheat-free)
1 T Thai red or green chili paste, or more to taste
1 tsp fish sauce
1 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large eggplant, chopped
1-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 sweet potato, diced (large chunks)
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs and/or breasts, boneless, skinless

Directions:

Combine the sauce ingredients: coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, and fish sauce in the bottom of your crockpot. Taste. If you think you need more chili paste, add some, carefully. It's hot stuff!

Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, flipping them over a few times so they get nice and saucy.

Wash and cut the vegetables, and add to the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. This is done when the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables have reached desired tenderness.

Serve over white or brown rice.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Scalloped Potatoes

This is a wonderful, homey, classic side dish (and it's gluten free!) from Elise:

Ingredients:


3 Tbsp butter
2 lbs (about 4 medium sized) Russet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 large yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives (optional)
2 thick slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 1/2 cups grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
2 1/2 cups to 3 cups of half-and-half (half milk, half cream)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a large casserole dish with 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter.

Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with 1/3 of the potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer on 1/2 of the sliced onions and 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese. Layer on 1/2 of the bacon, 1/2 of the parsley and chives. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

Repeat by layering on 1/3 of the potato slices, sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Layer on the remaining sliced onions, 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese, the remaining bacon, parsley and chives. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

Top the casserole with the remaining potato slices. Add the half and half. Dot the potatoes with the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter.

Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for one hour. After an hour, remove from the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle on the remaining Swiss and Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 30-40 minutes. When done, the potatoes should be tender, but not mushy, and the liquid should be mostly absorbed.

Serves 8.

NOTE: For a faster cooking time, you can parboil the sliced potatoes for 8 minutes first, patting them dry, before layering them in the casserole pan. In this case the total oven cooking time is about 35-45 minutes.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Gluten Free Pasta with Shrimp


This recipe is based on Sandra's Angel Hair Pasta with Crab:

Ingredients:

1/2 package (8 oz) gluten free pasta
2 T butter
olive oil
1/2 C diced green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 C dry white wine
1 T lemon juice
1/2 lb cooked shrimp
2 T dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook onion, garlic, tomatoes in butter in olive oil until soft. Add wine, parsley, salt and pepper, simmer 2 more minutes. Add lemon juice and shrimp, then remove pan from burner. Cover and keep warm while cooking pasta.

Cook gluten free pasta according to package directions, drain well, toss with shrimp sauce and serve.

Sandra's Orange Chicken

Another great recipe from Sandra; the original recipe is not gluten-free, but I've modified it:

Ingredients:


3 lbs. chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 C gluten free flour (white rice superfine is what I use)
1/2 C of cornstarch
4 beaten eggs with a little milk
oil

Sauce:
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of gluten free ketchup
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of gluten free soy sauce or tamari sauce

Beat 4 eggs together and add a little milk. Mix cornstarch, flour and garlic powder together. Dip chicken pieces in the flour then in the egg mixture. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Place chicken in casserole dish.

Make sauce by combining sugar, ketchup, water, and gluten free soy sauce and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are blended.

Pour sauce evenly over chicken in casserole dish, bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Homemade Chicken Soup

When I make soup, I don't work from a recipe, and the ingredients can vary quite a bit. But this is at least approximately the way I make chicken soup, which is a wonderful comforting meal on a chilly evening. I like to make it in two stages: the first day I make the stock, strain it and refrigerate it overnight. The second day I skim the fat off the stock, shred the chicken, and make the soup. I'd like to thank my friend Julee who shared her technique of not adding the pasta or rice until time to serve!

BTW, if you don't want to take 2 days to make soup, you can certainly skip the step of refrigerating the stock overnight, but it's harder to skim off the fat.

Ingredients for day 1:

One chicken, whole or cut up
water
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped (with leaves)
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Put the chicken into a large pan or stock pot and add enough water just to cover the chicken. Add other ingredients and simmer on low heat for 2 - 3 hours. The key is to cook it slowly. You can do this in the crockpot of course....on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Adjust seasonings if you need to, although you have another chance to do that later.

Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the stock for at least one hour. Remove chicken from stock and strain the stock through cheesecloth or a wire strainer into a large container. Refrigerate chicken and stock separately overnight.

Ingredients for day 2:

The stock and chicken from day 1
3-4 green onions, diced
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4-5 cups gluten free pasta or rice, cooked

Skim any fat off the top of the refrigerated stock, and pour into large pan or stock pot. Note: it may gel overnight, this is OK! Add all of the vegetables except for the frozen peas. Simmer on medium low until the vegetables are tender. While the veggies are cooking, take the chicken off the bone and shred or cut into bite size chunks. Add the peas and mushrooms and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes. Adjust your seasonings...add another pinch or two of the herbs or more salt or pepper if needed at this point. At the last moment add the chicken and simmer for a few more minutes...just until the chicken is heated through.

To serve, put cooked pasta or rice in the soup bowls and ladle the hot soup on top. This prevents the pasta from getting gummy by cooking too long in the broth.

Enjoy with crusty gluten free bread or rolls!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Stephanie's Crockpot Honey Lentils

This is a very tasty way to use lentils (which are very cost-effective!!) from Stephanie's blog:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups lentils
3 cups water
1/2 red onion, diced
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 T soy sauce (La Choy or Tamari Wheat Free are GF)
1/3 cup honey (and maybe another 1 T later to taste)
1 dried bay leaf or 2 fresh

Directions:

Rinse off the lentils and dump them in the crockpot. Add the water. Chop up the onion, and add along with the carrots. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and add. Stir in the dried mustard, salt, and ginger. Add the soy sauce and honey. Stir to combine. Float the bay leaf on top.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-5 hours. Taste. If desired, stir in an extra tablespoon of honey.

This works as a vegetarian main dish served over rice, or as side dish.

Julie's Gluten Free Pizza Crust

A WONDERFUL gluten free pizza crust recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook:



Ingredients:

2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca starch
3/4 white bean flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/3 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tbsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 eggs plus one egg white
1 3/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp active dry yeast

Directions:

Add sugar and honey to warm water... sprinkle yeast over top and let sit until foamy.

Beat eggs, oil, vinegar in heavy duty mixing bowl; add proofed yeast.

Mix all dry ingredients together well -- then add to liquid in mixing bowl. Mix until blended , then turn mixer on high and beat for 4 minutes - you will see the consisency of the dough change. The dough will be sticky, but using a spatula turn it out onto a clean surface sprinkled with sweet rice flour (or tapioca starch) Using as little flour as possible knead the dough gently until you can handle it . It will be a very soft dough.

Using your hands form it into a pizza shape, making the edges higher and thicker. You can make individual pizzas or one big one. Place crust(s) on pans and let rise in warm place for about 45 minutes. When pizzas have risen, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, spread with pizza sauce and desired toppings and bake at 400 degrees for another 20 minutes. Note that this crust is casein free as well as gluten free.

Crockpot Chicken Parmesan

Another wonderful (and EASY) recipe from Stephanie's blog:

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 t Italian Seasoning
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t kosher salt
1 T olive oil
1 beaten egg
sliced mozzarella cheese
favorite jarred marinara sauce (most of Newman's Own are gluten free!)

Directions:

Spread the olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert; whip the egg with a fork in a separate bowl. Mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the parmesan cheese in another separate dish. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings.

Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crockpot and layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top. Cover it all with the entire jar of marinara sauce. Close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer.

Serve with your favorite gluten free pasta.