Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread Recipe

One of the recipes I love to teach in my gluten-free baking classes is focaccia. An Italian flat bread thats made with gluten-free flours, yeast, eggs, olive oil, and herbs. The taste and texture of a thick focaccia bread is different than any other bread you will try. It's chewy, yet crunchy, and incredibly full of flavor.

Rich olives and sundried tomatoes, dried oregano and basil, fresh garlic... personally I'd rather eat a thick slice of toasty focaccia with a hearty homemade soup, than a piece of pizza! This recipes make two round 8" loaves or "cakes" of focaccia. You can easily freeze one loaf for later if it's too much. For those of you who need a lower carbohydrate/ "paleo-ish" version of focaccia, I plan on posting one next week, so stay tuned!

This gluten-free recipe makes a very thick, sturdy dough that can be a bit hard to handle when just stirring by hand. So if you have a heavy-duty stand mixer, it's the perfect appliance to mix this dough. Whether you're using a little elbow grease, or you'd using the stand mixer, try out this recipe and have it simply with a fresh salad and a homemade soup. It makes a delicious and fun gluten-free meal to share with your family!

I learned how to make this fantastic gluten-free dough while visiting the Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse in Morrisville, NC. Lee Tobin, the bakehouse team leader and head baker, shared his techniques and his recipe with our local gluten-free support group while we toured the facility. This incredibly chewy and crunchy bread would also make an outstanding deep dish pizza crust!

Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread  free of gluten, dairy, and soy recipe adapted by carrie forbes of gingerlemongirl.com printer-friendly recipe Yields: 12-16 slices of focaccia  Dry Ingredients  1 ½ cups brown rice flour 1/2 cup sorghum flour 2 cups arrowroot starch or tapioca starch 2/3 cup blanched almond flour or non-fat dry milk powder (if you can tolerate dairy - we use the blanched almond flour 1 tablespoon xanthan gum 2 teaspoons Saf Instant-Yeast, Red Star Rapid Rise or “Bread Machine” Yeast, or Fleischmann’s “Bread Machine” Yeast 1 teaspoon salt Wet Ingredients: 1 ½ cups water heated to 110 degrees 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 egg whites, brought to room temperature 1 clove garlic, finely minced Fresh herbs, finely chopped (such as rosemary, oregano, or thyme) Olive oil for spreading dough Optional toppings: chopped and seeded kalamata olives and roma tomatoes Directions:  Line a 9x14” baking dish with parchment paper and grease parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil.  In a large bowl whisk together brown rice flour, sorghum flour, arrowroot starch or tapioca starch, almond flour or non-fat dry milk powder, xanthan gum, and salt.   In another bowl whisk together heated water, olive oil, egg whites. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together thoroughly into a stiff dough. Continue to mix as much as you can (it is a VERY stiff dough!) for an additional 3-4 minutes.  Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Drizzle the dough with a little olive oil and then evenly spread dough over the entire baking dish. Cover the dough lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 35 minutes.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Gently poke the dough all over with your fingers so small wells appear over the dough. Drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle on the minced garlic and any of the additional toppings you would like.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until focaccia is golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then slice into squares and serve.

Easy Gluten Free Bolognese (Meat) Sauce Recipe

Spaghetti is a comfort food at our house. I really like a a hearty meat and tomato sauce. This is the type of sauce we generally had over spaghetti when I was growing up. Michael's mom makes a similar sauce, although she basically just serves a simple meat chili over spaghetti.

Mark Bittman's "How to cook everything" is one of my favorite cookbooks. The techniques are simple and encouraging for home cooks. Who cares how you cut your onion, just make sure it's diced somewhat evenly and it will turn out fine... especially in this delicious sauce.

I love sauces and soups that really have to simmer. The prep work takes about 30 minutes, but then you leave the sauce alone. The flavors will simmer and dance in the pot while you get the chance to catch up on that book you've ignored for a week...or maybe the laundry. (Personally I'd pick the book! :-P)

Prepare all of your ingredients before you start to cook. It makes life easier. Trust me.
 Chop your veggies and the bacon. Open the crushed tomatoes.... then enjoy the process of cooking!

Some recipes take time and this is one of them. A slow cooker would be perfect for this if you need to leave the house... but there's something innately comforting and homey about having a pot of stick-to-your-ribs spaghetti sauce simmering on the back burner.

While your sauce is cooking you'll have time to mix up a few loaves of gluten free french bread. Let them rise and on the counter and by the time your loaves have baked and cooled... it will be time for dinner!

Ragu Meat Sauce, Bolognese-Style
adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
free of gluten, soy, and options for dairy-free
printer-friendly recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1/4 cup minced bacon
1/2 pound lean ground pork (or use all beef)
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 cup dry white wine (or reserved juice from the canned tomatoes)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, drained (reserve juice, if needed instead of wine)
1 cup beef or chicken stock, preferably homemade
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup cream, half-and-half, or milk (We just left this out altogether and added an additional cup of tomato juice to the sauce)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Dust off your favorite cast iron dutch oven. Add the olive oil to the pan and allow it to get hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Add the minced bacon, onions, carrots, celery (and garlic if you live in my family). Saute for about 5-8 minutes or until the bacon has rendered fat in the pan and the onions are beginning to brown. Add the ground beef and ground pork (we used all beef) and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the meat has browned through and there is no pink showing. While the beef is cooking, using a wooden spatula break up the meat so it is in very small pieces. Once the meat has browned add the crushed tomatoes and white wine or reserved tomato juice and the beef stock. Turn the heat to very low and allow the sauce to simmer for at least 2 hours and if you have time... let that sauce simmer for 4-5 hours. The sauce will have a much deeper flavor if it's allowed to simmer for 3-4 hours. If you're using cream, milk, or half and half, swirl it into the sauce right before serving and allow it to heat through. Serve it over gluten free pasta, rice, raw zucchini noodles, lightly sauteed spinach, or even on top of french bread for "manwiches" etc... just eat this stuff up and enjoy every bit of it! :-) Serve with shaved parmesan on top if you’d like, or if you’re dairy free sprinkle on some blanched almond flour! You’ll be amazed as how much it tastes like finely grated parmesan!

Enjoy!

30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals: Day 22 - April's Chicken Ravelli

Welcome to 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals!

Today's post is written by April Marlow, a fellow North Carolinian (yay April!) and author of the blog, Gluten Hates Me.

Day 22 - April's Chicken Ravelli

I am a born and raised Southerner, and most of my recipes over at Gluten Hates Me reflect my roots. But in September, I’m marrying the man of my dreams and his roots are Italian. He has been amazing since my Celiac diagnosis, and is always game for a trying out new recipes. So since he’s such a sweetie, I’ve been trying to expand my cooking into Italian…without expanding my waist line!

Chicken Ravelli was a quick and easy gluten free meal born out of my experimentation with Italian flavors. Enjoy!



April's Chicken Ravelli with a side of Balsamic Roasted Broccoli
Originally posted at Gluten Hates Me

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
One can diced tomatoes with Italian Herbs (I used Del Monte)
¼ cup chopped red onion
One small container feta cheese
½ tbsp. 0live oil
1 bunch fresh broccoli
Lite balsamic viniagrette

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, feta, chopped red onion, and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. You’ll want to make the “salsa” ahead of time, so that the flavors have time to meld. You could even make it the day before!

After cleaning your chicken, lightly season with salt and pepper. Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat to medium. Add chicken and cook through. Set aside.

Set your oven to broil. Clean your broccoli, and cut in to florets. Toss the florets in a light balsamic vinaigrette and spread on a cookie sheet. Cook the broccoli in the oven until it begins to darken, about 10 minutes.

To plate, spoon the Italian salsa over the chicken and serve with the broccoli on the side! Quick, easy, and delicious!

About Marlow

I'm April (Soon to Be) Ravelli, but in the blog world I'm known by my maiden name: Marlow. In June of 2008, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. After a final meal with an entire baguette, I went gluten free and never looked back! I started glutenhatesme.com at first to cope with the stress of my new lifestyle, but once I discovered the amazing online community of readers and bloggers I was hooked! I live in Durham, NC with my fiancé Parrish and my fur-baby Max. When not experimenting in the kitchen, I can be found working for a local non-profit that is working to eradicate poverty by supporting artisans in developing countries.

***********

Stay tuned tomorrow, Day 23 of 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals as Shirley from Gluten Free Easily shares an amazingly simple & delicious gluten free dinner!

30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals: Day 12 - Jean's Soft Polenta

Welcome to 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals!

Today's post is written by Dr. Jean Layton ,author of the blog, "Gluten Free Doctor Recipes."

Day 12- Jean's Soft Polenta with Sausages, spinach and peppers seasoned with Kalamata olives and Fennel seed/

"Slam of the car door, the whoosh as the child collapses into the seat. Famished, ready to eat the cat if it stands still long enough. Or maybe even if it doesn't. Sudden Death time. Food better be on the table quickly."

Haven't we all had days like this. When your body is so in want of food that the idea of taking even an hour to make dinner is just too long.

What is your go-to food for these times? Do you have a repertoire of 7 or so meals that can be on the table in 20 minutes or less?

I do, simply because this isn't an anomaly, this need for food quickly is the norm 'round our house.

With two working parents and two typical pre-teens, our evenings are packed with music lessons, sports events, late patients and such.

So when we finally pull in the driveway, we want food, fast.

Thank goodness my mother impressed upon me the benefits of a well stocked pantry. Maybe it was her Depression era upbringing that made her always keep enough food around the house. Maybe it was because with a family of 8, shopping was truly a chore. So if you did it in large quantities, you could shop once a week instead of daily.

Or maybe my mom wanted to be able to put a good meal on the table anytime she wanted.

I've got to admit that my pantry is vastly different than my mom’s. Gone are the canned vegetables, soups and fruits, replaced with glass jars of tomatoes for sauce. Did anyone else grow up on Spatini sauce?

Gone are the packaged foods, the instant potato flakes, the Mapleine to make syrup. Do they still make Mapeline? (yup, they do!)

My pantry more closely resembles what I image my grandmother's pantry would have looked like.

Large bags of flours and grains, homemade jams and jellies, bags of nuts and frozen vegetables in the freezer with a smattering of canned foods. Sardines, tuna, and beans are the predominant ones.

And then there are the foods that neither my mother nor my grandmother would have stocked like kalamata olives, gluten free pastas, capers, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and polenta.

These all form the basis of my fast, healthy weeknight meals.

Here is how I do it.


Jean's Soft Polenta with Sausages, spinach and peppers seasoned with Kalamata olives and Fennel seed/
Article originally published at Dr. Jean's blog, "Gluten Free Doctor Recipes."
Reprinted with permission from Dr. Jean Layton.

Printable Recipe

Gather:

• 1 package of Italian sausage links- I use either Hempler’s or Isnerio’s. (When these brands are cooked, there is very little fat in the pan. They are both brands that treat the pig well. No nitrates!)
• 1-2 green or red sweet peppers - organic! (This is important, check here. if you aren’t sure why.)
• 1 large onion

Slice the peppers and onions into ¼ slices.

• 1 bunch organic spinach or one bag of organic frozen chopped spinach.
• ¼ cup of pitted Kalamata olives (optional)
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
  

Soft Polenta

• 1 cup polenta
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups boiling water
• Parmesan Cheese- optional
  

Sauteed Sausage, peppers and onions with Kalamata olives

In a large heavy frying pan put one sausage per person or heck the whole package. If frozen ( I always buy multiple packages on sale and freeze them), cover half way with boiling water. So while that is cooking away, I start the:

Soft Polenta - the easy low stir way
For 4 large servings

Directions:

• Put on 3 cups of water to boil. I use my electric kettle since it boils in about a minute.
• Take a large heavy weight pot and get it hot on the stove. On my electric range, I set it at about a 6.
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of butter or extra virgin olive oil.
• Let that get hot, I even let the butter brown occasionally. Just don’t get it to the smoking point, cause that will make it bitter.
• Add one cup of polenta and stir to coat well.
• Let it cook for a minute to adsorb all the fat, this will keep it from sticking together later.
• Pour in the boiling water and salt, stir well.
• Turn the heat down to just barely on. Since I have an electric range, the cooktop retains lots of heat and will continue to cook easily. If you have gas stove, just turn it down to the same flame you would use for scrambled eggs.
• Put a lid on it, this will keep your stove clean.
• Turn the sausage so the other side gets a bit browned too. The water should have cooked off by now.
• Using kitchen shears cut the sausages into bite sized chunks.
• Let them continue to cook.
• Give your polenta a stir. Even if it has clumped up a bit, the stirring will loosen it right back up.
• Prep your veggies.
• Wash and slice into ¼ inch slices your peppers and onions. I always stock organic sweet peppers in my fridge.
• If you are using fresh spinach, wash it too and cut it into slices. Otherwise just open the bag.
• The sausage should be nicely browned by now, and the bottom of the pot looks very dark. That is ok! It makes the sauce so much nicer in flavor.
• Toss in those vegetables starting with the onions and peppers. Let them get nice and hot. Then add the spinach, olives and fennel seeds. Feel free to add some ground pepper if you like. Hold off on the salt till you taste it at the table. Those Kalamata olives can be quite salty.
• Cover the pan and turn it to low.
• Give the polenta another stir.
• Check the veggies to see that the spinach has wilted. If the pan has few juices, add a bit of water or red wine to enhance it.
• Serve by scooping a healthy portion of the polenta into a bowl and topping with the sausage and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with the parmesan if desired.
  

Enjoy!

*********



About Jean:
From her website: "Dr. Jean is a Washington state licensed naturopathic physician who has been practicing in Bellingham since 2004. Her varied background and education includes training at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon as well as time spent as a New York City chef. Dr. Jean specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of gluten intolerance and celiac disease. To better involve this population, she proudly serves on the board of the Bellingham Gluten Intolerance Group and facilitates the Healthy Gluten-Free Kids Support Group." Dr. Jean also blogs at "Gluten Free Doctor Recipes."

**********

Stay tuned for Day 13 of 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals. Tomorrow Kat from Kat's SCD Food Blog, will share one of her favorite slow cooker meals! Yes! Quick & easy with your slow cooker!

I Blog Real Food with Diane from The W.H.O.L.E. Gang

I have the privilege of sharing a recipe today on Diane Eblin's wonderful blog, "The W.H.O.L.E. Gang." Diane's blog is an incredible resource of healthy, organic, naturally gluten free recipes. I love Diane's simple approach to good, healthy eating.

Diane has spent the entire month of May sharing recipes from over 20 thoughtful food bloggers who believe in eating REAL food. Driven to action by Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Diane decided to share her own Food Revolution on The WHOLE Gang. Since Diane began her 30 day campaign at the beginning of May 20+ bloggers have jumped in and shared their best recipes and tips for healthy eating.

My recipe today is simple, basic, and one of my husband's favorite. A very easy fresh marinara sauce with homemade meatballs made from local, grass-fed ground beef.



Fresh Marinara Sauce
Created by Carrie @ Gingerlemongirl.com
Free of Gluten, Soy, Corn, & Casein.

4-5 fresh medium sized organic tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 sweet onion, roughly chopped
6-8 leaves fresh sweet basil
4-5 leaves fresh oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon honey (optional)

Directions:

In your high-powered blender add tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, and oregano. Blend until very smooth (the sauce will look very pink at this point! No worries!). Heat olive oil in a medium sized saucepan. Carefully add pureed marinara sauce to olive oil. Cook on med-high heat for 15-20 minutes until the sauce cooks down slightly and turns red. Ideally you could cook this sauce for several hours on low heat if you wanted a full flavored sauce and had the time to cook it. But for a quick meal simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes. Right before serving stir in freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Add a teaspoon of honey if you like your sauce to have a tiny bit of sweetness. Serve sauce immediately over cooked gluten free pasta, rice, potatoes, etc…


Quick & Easy Homemade Meatballs
Created by Carrie Forbes of Gingerlemongirl.com
Free of Gluten, Soy, Corn, & Casein.

1 pound local, grass-fed ground beef -or- ground sirloin
3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats, pulverized in your blender
3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 egg
1 teaspoon garlic granules or a minced garlic clove
1 dash Greek seasoning (or your favorite gluten free seasoning mix)
pinch sea salt & ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

In a large bowl mix ground beef with pulverized gluten free oats and ground flax seeds. Mix in egg and the remaining seasonings. Rolls ground beef into small meat balls about 1″ in diameter. We usually get about 18-20 meatballs out of this recipe. Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed (or non-stick) skillet. Add meatballs to hot skillet. Cook meatballs for several minutes on each side to let them brown evenly and cook through. Serve meatballs over gluten free pasta, rice, or potatoes and cover them with freshly made marinara sauce! Enjoy!


Carrie's Notes:

- These meatballs & the marinara sauce freeze beautifully. If you have time to make several batches of each recipe, you’d have a really quick, easy, & healthy meal stored away in your freezer.

- If you use ground sirloin for the meatballs (as we do) they will be extremely lean and may stick to the pan unless you add additional oil or use a non-stick or very well seasoned cast-iron skillet.

**********

To read more about my tips & hints on eating more REAL food, please visit The W.H.O.L.E. Gang!

Jennifer's Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce (Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

My co-worker and friend Jennifer won't claim to be a "chef" or a "cook"... but I think she's quite good as both! She's made many accomplishments over the past year including losing over 60 lbs. by changing her diet and exercising. I am very, very proud of her!

One thing she has learned in the past year is how to cook more things from scratch. I think now she secretly enjoys spending time in the kitchen!

She recently shared this super easy and delicious recipe with me and I had to brag on her. It's too delicious and simple to keep all to myself. Jennifer's family is 100% pure Italian. She grew up eating Italian for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Pasta, pasta, pasta, and a huge vat of spaghetti/tomato sauce were always in the kitchen.

Since Jennifer has followed Weight Watchers to learn about portion control, healthy foods, and how to eat for good health, she's learned new ways to make recipes. Her recipe for an easy marinara sauce is simple, delicious, and packed with real Italian flavor. Jennifer said that the best tomatoes to use for this sauce are imported from Italy and have a natural sweetness that really makes the sauce special.

Jennifer's Easy Marinara Sauce
(Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

1 (28 oz) can cooked whole peeled roma tomatoes with basil
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely minced

In a medium sized saucepan heat oil to sizzling. Add garlic and onions and saute until golden. Pour in can of tomatoes with liquid. As tomatoes heat through, take a potato masher and crush tomotoes until they are the consistancy you desire for a sauce. I prefer them chunky and thick. If you want your sauce more smooth you could certainly use an immersion blender or add the sauce to your counter blender and blend until smooth. Simmer sauce for 30 minutes or more before serving. This is also great in the crock pot for an all day simmer.

*******************

Just in case you were wondering about those meatballs in the picture above... here is my go-to recipe for gluten free meatballs!! I generally use Tinkyada pasta or spaghetti squash for my "spaghetti and meatballs" base.

Enjoy!

Carrie's Emeril-Inspired Baked Meatballs
(Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, very finely minced
1 egg
1/4 cup almond meal
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dried sweet basil
1 1/2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, and roll into shape with hands into about 15-20 medium sized meatballs.
Place in a greased glass baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Add baked meatballs to heated sauce of your choice and serve over glutenfree pasta or spaghetti squash.

**********************

My husband and I are in Florida for the week, so forgive me for not adding printer-friendly PDF's of these recipes! I will add them as soon as we return home! Pray for good weather, as we will hopefullly be watching the the launching of the Space Shuttle Endeavour at 5:40am Wednesday morning!!

Spaghetti Squash (Naturally Gluten Free)

I have found a new reason to love spaghetti. Not that I really needed another reason, I've always loved spaghetti... but following a low carb diet means no noodles, not even gluten free ones. Just sauce.

And who wants just sauce? Even good sauce?

Enter spaghetti squash. I really thought it would be awful. I tried it once before a few years ago, and it didn't go over well. Michael wouldn't eat it. I ate it, but not joyfully.

And you need to enjoy it if you're going to eat it on a regular basis.

I truly misjudged spaghetti squash. It really needed a 2nd chance. I wish I had given it a second chance sooner!

One forkful of truly well-roasted, tender, al dente spaghetti squash, and I am a convert. It is simply that good. Very good indeed. As a matter of fact, I love it so much now, I'll eat it plain with a splash of olive oil and just a touch of freshly grated nutmeg. Oh my. It's seriously mouth-watering my friends!

Don't believe me? Try it once (unless you're my husband)... and I can almost bet that you'll be adding spaghetti squash to your weekly grocery list.

Here's how to make it:

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

1 2-3 lb. spaghetti squash
Good quality olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Sea Salt
1/2 cup water

That's it.. that's all you need folks...

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Split the spaghetti squash in half with a very sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff (i'm sure there is a better term for this, but I can't think of one at the moment). Place the two sides skin down in a large baking dish. Drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of good olive oil over the two peices of squash. Sprinkle several teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt over the squash. Finally drizzle about 1/4 cup of water over the two pieces of squash and add the remaining 1/4 cup of water to the baking dish (this will help to steam the squash.) Roast in a 350 oven for 35-50 minutes until the edges of the squash are just turning slightly golden and caramelizing. Remove from oven and allow to cool in baking dish for several minutes. Using a folk, scrape out strands of spaghetti squash. I usually make my squash first, and then place the roasted strands in a covered, insulated dish to stay warm while I make my sauce.

Serve hot! This makes 3-4 cups of spaghetti "strands." Serve with your favorite pasta sauce. Roasted spaghetti squash reheats well and freezes well!


Oh... what?... You wanted to know how to make the incredible looking sauce in the picture above? Well, you'll have to go visit Pioneer Woman for that amazing recipe! Just use spaghetti squash as your base instead of linguini.

Sweet Tomato and Feta Tart (Gluten Free)

Last Saturday Michael and I attended a family reunion. I had very little time to prepare a dish and I needed to use what was on hand.

After opening the fridge, I found a huge tomato from the farmer's market, leftover feta cheese, and cream cheese.

The cream cheese inspired me to make the easy gluten free pie crust I posted yesterday, and the tomato reminded me of a tomato tart I saw online. I couldn't find a recipe for that particular tart... but I did remember my friend Betty telling me about a tomato pie she made for church social a few months ago.

Using those ideas I created this tomato tart. I am very pleased with the results!

It was so good I had to sneak two pieces just for myself at the family reunion. Afterwards, I had to go back to the road side farmer's market to buy 2 more fresh tomatoes so I could make this tart again for our Sunday evening meal. It is divine. It is so simple. It's also incredibly photogenic.

I hope you will enjoy this tart as much as I have! I'll only be able to make the tart summer through mid-fall until the local tomatoes stop producing.Which is actually quite a blessing. Seasonal meals are often more enjoyable and something to look forward too!

And for you folks keeping track... Michael really liked this tomato tart. He even had a second helping.


Sweet Tomato and Feta Tart

1 large (10") easy gluten free pie crust, pre-baked for 10 minutes
1 large fresh tomato, sliced
1/3 cup real mayonnaise (like Duke's, which is tart and has NO sugar)
1/2 cup feta or freshly grated parmesan cheese, reserve half
1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese, reserve half
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning , reserve 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon SPIKE garlic granules, or other garlic seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs


Directions:

Pre-bake pie crust as directed in a tart pan. If you would like, you can also brush pre-baked pie crust with an egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon of water and return to oven for 5 minutes to brown (This will make the pie look more like a regular "gluten" pie crust). Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl mix together mayonnaise, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup feta or parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon italian seasoning, garlic seasoning, salt and pepper.

Spread mayonnaise mixture on cooled, prebaked pie crust. Layer tomato slices over mayonnaise mixture.

In another small bowl mix together remaining cheeses, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and gluten free bread crumbs. Sprinkle mixture evenly over sliced tomatoes.

Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until cheeses have melted and tomatoes have heated through and roasted slightly.

Serve tart hot or cold. I actually preferred this tart on the cool side. Can be used as an appetizer or a light main dish with a green leaf salad!

Enjoy!!

(Printer-friendly version)

An Unconventional Cacciatore

This post is dedicated to my friend Jodi. You remember Jodi's sweet husband Eric don't you? He prepared that marvelous Lemon Butter Chicken (which I keep meaning to make again!)

Jodi recently sent me on a mission. She wanted an old recipe that she had once tried for chicken cacciatore which included carrots and broccoli. I know... I know... most cacciatore recipes don't call for these ingredients. But she had made it once before and she really wanted to make it again. So I went though several popular recipe sites and found around 6 variations of the recipe that looked promising.

I read reader comments on how their grandmothers made it (better than anyone else of course!), whether or not you should coat the chicken with flour before sauteeing it, whether the sauce should be thick or thin, whether you should use white wine or red, whether or not you should include mushrooms, whether or not it should be served over pasta, rice or nothing at all, whether potatoes should go in it... you get the picture!

So basically... I decided that the only right way to make chicken cacciatore was possibly anybody's guess. I am not Italian and I don't claim to really know anything about true Italian cooking, but I think you can definitely play with this recipe and make it to your liking.

Here is my version. I simply had to make it after seeing all the different versions, and I stuck to my guns and just used ingredients we had on hand! I'm so glad I did!! I used beef instead of chicken (cooking from the pantry this week!) and I used both white and red wine (oh the shame!), added lots of veggies, I didn't coat the meat with flour, and I served it over thin gluten free pasta! Michael and I both LOVED this recipe! What a success! The sauce is thin, rich, and well flavored! I could eat this meal right out of the pan! I wouldn't want it any other way! What is your favorite cacciatore recipe?





Carrie's Fire-Roasted Beef Cacciatore

1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. beef roast, sliced into thin strips or small cubes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green bell pepper, julienned
1-2 cups small carrots, julienned
1 small head broccoli florets
1 (14.5 oz.) can fire-roasted petit-diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. each dried oregano, parsley, and basil
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup white or red wine
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

Directions:
1. Steam carrots and broccoli with 1/2 cup water for 5 minutes (or until fork tender) in the microwave or on the stove top. Set aside.
2. Saute beef in hot olive oil until cooked to your liking. Remove from skillet.
2. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper (I used both orange and green peppers) and saute until onions are transparent. Return the meat to the skillet.
3. Add white or red wine to deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and spices. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes on medium-low heat. Correct seasonings to taste.
4. Serve immediately over gluten free pasta or brown rice. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on just before serving if desired.


For a printer friendly version, click here.

Cannellini Beans to the rescue…

Yesterday was the first day I really didn’t like being gluten-free. Normally, I’m happy-go-lucky, I love the challenge, and I bask in the neatness of eating gluten-free. Not yesterday.

Just getting back from our trip to PA, I didn’t have anything readily available for lunch. Michael’s lunch meats and fake sandwich cheese lurked in the meat drawer… but they just weren’t appetizing (not to mention probably full of gluten)… So I ate a piece of GF bread from last week and guzzled an apple juice. Not so yummy. It was the first time in this GF journey that I just wanted to run out and get a pizza, or a bucket of KFC like we used too…*sigh*

While, I truly was in no mood to cook, I was determined to make something easy and delicious for dinner. I wanted something vegetable-y and homey. I hadn’t eaten an enormous amount of vegetables on this trip…and sometimes you just want good cooked veggies. At least I do.

Once back from the infamous weekly trip to Walmart, in which we always end up getting and spending way more than was necessary, it was time to cook dinner. I glanced over at the Taste of Home, Light and Tasty magazine I had picked up while in PA. Flipping through, I got to page 33… and I saw something incredibly vegetable-y and naturally gluten-free… oh what could better!

Just because this was the funniest picture I took yesterday...
this is my deaf cat Mitten...
apparently I caught him right before a yawn...

I’m not normally a big fan of beans. I like the occasional 3 bean salad, green beans of course (we eat them every week), sometimes red kidney beans in my chili, and garbanzo beans about twice a year when I’m craving homemade hummus. Other than that, beans aren’t normally on the grocery list.

But I happened to have a can of white kidney beans, also called cannellini beans, that the recipe called for. The recipe basically sautéed them with onions and green pepper and tomatoes. Sounded good to me… and easy. I could make that as a side to the boneless pork chops I was frying.

Even better, Linda Arnold, the contributor of the recipe, stated that she made it for lunch because it met her gluten-free diet needs. Well goodness, even the contributor was gluten-free, I had to make it now!

I served this up with pan-fried boneless pork chops and brown rice. It was delicious, frugal, super quick, and very easy! There was also plenty leftover for lunch today. Thanks for the great recipe Linda!

Warm Tuscan Bean Salad

Contributed to Light and Tasty Magazine, Nov. 2007

By: Linda Arnold

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced

• 1 small green pepper, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced (I think I used 3 actually…vampires away!)

• 3 tsp. Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 large tomato, coarsely chopped (I used a handful of grape tomatoes, chopped)

• 1 tsp. dried basil

• 1 tsp. dried oregano

• ¼ tsp. salt (I used kosher, to taste)

• ½ tsp. pepper (freshly ground was excellent in this!)

• 1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans or white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

In a large nonstick skillet heat oil until warm. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic and sauté until tender. Stir in tomato and seasonings; cook 3-4 minutes longer. Add beans; cook and stir until heated through.

***********

Check back tomorrow for a great apple and quince pie!

Stuff it!

Labor Day 2007.

Normally a day of buying every "food" item possible to grill to charred delight in 107 degree eastern North Carolina heat... not for me bud!

After reading last week's food column in our local paper, I was inspired to make an Italian meal for our family's Labor Day feast.

Usually I like to make my own tomato sauce for such dishes, but decided that I didn't want to spend all day in the kitchen and resorted to using two glass jars of Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti Sauce. Another reason for resorting to such measures: my husband's family (whom we were feeding) does not have a taste for anything gourmet... or any food that's not sold in the super fast dinner section of Food Lion or served at local barbecue joints... SO no need to get fancy for this crowd!

FRUGAL FOODIE or WATCH THE WALLET?
Well, this dish wasn't as frugal as most dishes I make. The ricotta cheese in a 2 lb. container cost well over $4 (YIKES!), the shells were inexpensive (less than $2 a box), the Hunts tomato sauce was a little around $1.20 per jar, I had all the spices needed on hand (no outright cost), I bought a bagged salad (around $2.50), and a "take and bake" loaf of fresh bread ($1.20) to serve with the meal. Altogether the meal cost around $15 which served 5 of us, with a WHOLE pan of leftovers (enough for about three additional meals for my husband and I). So since this dish has the possibility of serving nearly 10 people, I'd say this is a frugal foodie!

Here's the recipe with my changes:

STUFFED SHELLS

• 2 (12 oz.) packages jumbo pasta shells

• 4 cups Ricotta cheese

• 8 ozs. mozzarella cheese, shredded, with extra for sprinkling

• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 2 tsp. SPIKE garlic powder (more as needed... we always like MORE!)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (also more as needed!!)

• 2 (26 oz.) jars spaghetti sauce

Cook shells according to package instructions, adding a drop or two of extra virgin olive oil to the water to prevent the shells from sticking together. Place shells in cool water to stop cooking. Drain.

Mix together Ricotta cheese, 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder and oregano.

Stuff mixture into shells. (You will probably have some shells left over.) You can use a small spoon to fill shells. You can also fill a plastic zipper bag with part of the mixture and clip off one tip of the bag to pipe mixture into shells.

Cover bottom of two large baking pans with a layer of sauce. This will take about a third of your sauce. Place filled shells open side up, close together in pan. Cover with more sauce. Sprinkle with a extra mozzarella cheese and the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Fresh Garlic Bread:

• 1 "take and bake" french loaf

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Oregano

• SPIKE garlic seasoning

Place french loaf on large baking pan or aluminum foil. With silicone pastry brush, brush olive oil all over loaf. Generously sprinkle oregano and garlic seasoning over loaf. You can also sprinkle on parmesan cheese if you want a cheesy loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately!

As for dessert to this gloriously simple meal... again, my non-gourmet husband's family wants nothing to do with fancy pastry, creme brulee, or anything remotely fun and interesting... no they want a plain and simple chocolate cake... straight from the Duncan Hines box, with plain and simple chocolate frosting.. and don't get into any of that dark chocolate or fudge stuff... it has to be plain old milk chocolate icing! Just to satisfy my own inner foodie, I did add a box of chocolate pudding to the box mix to make it extra moist. And I have to say, it was a delicious cake.

Just a note on the frosting (which of course came straight from the can) If you want a quick short-cut on icing a bundt cake, nuke the frosting right in the can for about 15-20 seconds... but DON'T overdo it! Otherwise it will become a completely melted mess, and end up all over the bottom of that pretty dish you have your cake on, that you were so hoping to show off to your non-fancy family. Oh well, it wasn't pretty, but it sure tasted good! ;-)

Be patient with me until I can get a frugal find on a good digital camera, I borrowed the pic of the stuffed shells from visualrecipes.com but I promise mine looked JUST as good as this if not better! ;-)

Tonight I'm making a very frugal mushroom and feta quiche! Stay tuned!