Jodi's Simple Vegetarian Antipasto Salad

photos by Jodi Hargreaves, used with permission.

Jodi decided to save the day here at Gingerlemongirl.com... I told her that my poor blog had been neglected the past few months and I needed some new recipes. SO she went home, made her current favorite lunch salad and took pictures. Sent them to me and said, "Here you go, I fixed it."

So here's Jodi's salad! We couldn't really figure out what to name it, but it's sort of an antipasto salad sans any meat... so it's vegetarian right? ;-)

Whatever it is... it's good!

I actually made my own version of the salad this week and used mini cucumbers and heirloom cherry tomatoes and that worked great too! However, I love the half-moon cucumbers in Jodi's salad!

And you really can't beat fresh mozzarella! Especially when it soaks up all the tomato, cucumber, and red wine vinegar goodness!

Jodi's salad is quite simply:

• a chopped tomato (or halved cherry tomatoes)
• black, seeded calamata olives
• green olives with or without the stuffed pimento
• half a cucumber, sliced (or 2 sliced mini cucumbers)
• half a ball of fresh mozzarella, cubed 
• sliced banana peppers (optional... I left these out! You can haz them Jodi!)
• whole salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar 

That's it! Just mix it up, refrigerate and have for lunch! 

I used a fancy-schmancy smoked balsamic vinegar from The Olive Wagon in Raleigh, NC.  Use whatever your favorite red wine or balsamic vinegar is, use your favorite cheese, make up your own salad for a quick and easy weekday lunch! :-) Thanks for saving the day Jodes! :-)

DIY - Instant Quinoa Meal Mixes with Victoria's Gourmet Seasonings

When I first started using the different spice mixes of Victoria's Gourmet I truly had no idea how versatile they could be.

When my Dad was sick a few months ago, we had many meals with my step-mom Betty and one night she made an "instant" quinoa mix. I had no idea they made instant quinoa meals... and what a great idea! It's such a healthy "carb" with tons of protein and fiber and it cooks so quickly, it's perfect for weeknight meals. I looked for some of the instant meals when I got back home and couldn't find any at our local grocery store.

Then it dawned on me last night... I could make my own! With all of the different seasoning mixes that Victoria's Gourmet offers, it would be super easy to make my own quinoa mixes. Quinoa cooks in about 15 minutes, so all I would have to do is mix up 1 cup of dry (pre-rinsed variety) quinoa with 1-2 tablespoons of my favorite Victoria's Gourmet seasonings. Add quinoa and seasoning to a baggie or glass jar, seal and voila... an instant side dish or starter for a meal! How cute would that be as a Christmas gift? And so darn easy!

Here are just a few of the seasoning mixes from Victoria's Gourmet that I think would make a really delicious instant quinoa meal mix.

• Want a French inspired meal? Use 1-2 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence with a unique blend of 7 different herbs including lemon, lavender, and rosemary. 
• Use 1-2 tablespoons of the Holiday seasoning mix if you want a traditional "stuffing" flavor! 
• For a quick kid-friendly side dish try adding 1 tablespoons Pizza seasoning blend + 2-3 tablespoons parmesan cheese.  
• For a quick instant breakfast use 1 tablespoon of Pie Spices seasoning blend along with 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar per 1 cup of quinoa! 
• Enjoy middle eastern dishes? Try 1-2 tablespoons of the Moroccan seasoning blend with 1 cup of quinoa. 
• For an Asian flair try the Ginger Citrus seasoning blend. Still need more ideas? Check out all 22 seasoning blend varieties from Victoria's Gourmet. 

Last night I served a deli roast chicken with a side dish of green beans with almonds, baked sweet potatoes, and this instant quinoa with 1 tablespoon of Victoria's Gourmet Tuscan seasoning blend. It was delicious. Not overly powerful with just a hint of Italian flavors.

How to cook quinoa (pronounced keen-wah): 
Shared by Carrie of Gingerlemongirl.com
(This is the brand of quinoa I have been using, I love how easy it is to use since it is already pre-rinsed.) 

1. Add 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix of choice + 1 cup of dry pre-rinsed quinoa to a medium-sized pot. If desired, add 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil. 
2. Add 2 cups of water to the quinoa & seasoning. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Turn down to medium heat and simmer, covered for 15-18 minutes until the small spirals of the grain separate from the germ (little squiggles) and the grain is fluffy and light. 
3. Allow to cool for several minutes and serve. 
4. (You could also totally (yep... totally! lol) MAKE quinoa in a rice cooker! Easy Peasy! Just follow the instructions for rice!) 

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Please see my first review of Victoria's Gourmet seasoning sharing how I often make quick & easy weeknight meals using different VG seasoning blends! For my final review next week there will be a Victoria's Gourmet seasoning giveaway to one lucky winner! I'll share those details later, so stay tuned for how you can win a trio of spice/seasoning mixes from VG!

GLG Disclosure:  Victoria Gourmet provided me with free samples of all their seasoning blends, in order to do an online review if I chose to do so. This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive compensation. The opinions in this post are completely my own. 

Cumin Honey Salad Dressing Recipe

My favorite shredded cabbage

Last night was grocery night, on grocery nights in addition to getting a week's worth of food, it's also the night I try to buy something super quick for dinner. Because after grocery shopping who wants to spend hours making dinner? (Well, I don't... lol) I bought some of our favorite chicken salad from a local barbecue chain and some sweet potato patties (you southerners will know what those are... lol.... my husband loves them!)

And to round out the meal I decided to use up a package of angel hair coleslaw I had at home. Why do I buy pre-cut cabbage? Because it's easy, that's why... :-) And it makes awesome low carb gluten-free "noodles"... no, it really does! Try the 'angel hair coleslaw' in your chicken soup!

But I wasn't feeling it for a mayo-based coleslaw. So I decided to play with the recipe they had on the package which was for a basic vinegar & oil type dressing.

I made a bunch of substitutions since I didn't have everything the recipe called for. We tried it and it was good, but it needed something. I asked Michael to taste it and tell me what was missing. He tried it and thought for a minute and then said, "Vinegar. It needs some bite... and maybe a little more honey." 

He's getting better at this than I am. 

Because he was absolutely right. That's exactly what it needed. A little bit more bite. A little bit more sweetness. Voila... a brand new, no-mayo coleslaw! 

And the fresh parley throughout the mix.. seriously awesome! If you're a fan of cilantro, use that instead, it will really enhance the flavor of the cumin.

Cumin Honey Dressing for Salads
free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and eggs
adapted by Carrie & Michael Forbes, from a recipe on the Dole Angel Hair Coleslaw package
printer-friendly recipe

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons white balsamic raspberry vinegar (I used this kind, but use any kind of balsamic vinegar!)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions: 
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together all ingredients. If using immediately add 1 (10 oz.) package of salad mix or shredded cabbage for coleslaw. If saving for a future use simply pour into a glass jar with an airtight lid. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

PS... we also added sliced almonds and toasted sesame seeds to each serving! Really good.

Make It Gluten Free Tuesdays: Quick Broccoli Casserole Recipe

I don't know about you... but what you see above? That's my favorite kinda recipe. That's Michael's Aunt Terri's Quick Broccoli Casserole. It's FAMOUS at our holiday meals and family reunions. I love hand-written recipes shared with friends and family. It's kind of rare now-a-days. A lost art of sorts. I love this recipe because it's very similar to one my great-grandmother used to make as well. She loved Cheez Whiz (which believe it or not IS gluten free!) and cream of chicken soup. I mean really... whose mom DIDN'T love "already-prepared-casserole-super-star", cream of chicken soup?

Admittedly, I enjoy just having recipes like this... reading them... treasuring the love which went into sharing them more than I do actually making these recipes (which use super processed products)... AND I think they are still super fun to share. And for the food nazis (just to be clear)... I am NOT suggesting you go out and fill your pantries with processed franken-food -- I'm just sharing with you how to change those favorite recipes IF you would like to do so! See how easy that is? No need to rant and rave. 

And I can't tell you how often I get an email asking something along the lines of... "So my grandmother used to make this recipe with so-and-so, and so-and-so... how in the WORLD can I re-create that gluten free?" So I thought it would be a fun series on this blog to share hand-written recipes I have from my grandmother, my great-grandma P., and various friends and neighbors and tell you how I would make them gluten free. Sound like a plan?

Would you like to join me? I'd like to make this a weekly link up series. You can share how you would make a recipe healthier, how to make it gluten free, dairy free, egg free, allergen free... etc... I love seeing these old recipes and I love figuring out how to make them new again!

So here's how I would make this recipe gluten free:

Aunt Terri's Quick Broccoli Casserole
revised to be gluten free (with dairy-free options)
printer-friendly version

Ingredients:
1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup green pepper, finely diced
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil for dairy free)
1 recipe gluten free cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup COOKED rice
1 small (8 oz.) jar Cheez Whiz (if you're dairy free, check out this homemade dairy-free cheeze sauce instead)
1 small (5 oz.) can evaporated milk (if you're dairy free, try using full-fat coconut milk)
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped broccoli

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Saute onion & green pepper in butter in a hot skillet. Stir in cooked rice, Cheez Whiz, milk, and soup. Stir continuously until cheez whiz is melted. Thaw broccoli and drain any liquid. Add drained broccoli to a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Pour sauce evenly over the broccoli. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes until hot & bubbly. Yields 6 servings.



Now if you'd like a healthier version of gluten free broccoli casserole? 
Here are great options:

• Tasty Eats At Home - Alta's Dairy Free Broccoli Souffle
• Gluten Free Mommy's Broccoli Casserole
• Spunky Coconut's Broccoli Casserole

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Now it's your turn!
Do you have a favorite family recipe that you re-created to be gluten free? It can be a new post, an old post, a post you've edited! Just link back to my page to be included! That's it!

Easy Gluten Free Boston Baked Beans Recipe

Does anything scream of a summer barbecue more than homemade baked beans? I LOVE baked beans. This obsession happened later in my life... apparently after becoming gluten free -- baked beans became a favorite food. They are incredibly easy to make. You really can't mess them up... and I think just about everybody likes them!

What's not to like? A sweet & sour combo of healthy northern and/or white beans with the additional of bacon (mmm Bacon!), onions, molasses, and spices. Super easy and naturally gluten free.

I love this recipe because it starts with plain 'ol cooked white beans. If you use a can of "already-seasoned" baked beans you cannot control exactly how they they are flavored. I also like the simplicity of just using a can of northern beans from the pantry and turning them into a beautiful dish.

Easy Gluten Free Boston Baked Beans
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and eggs
Adapted from an assortment of baked bean recipes found in old church cookbooks & at allrecipes.com
Printer-friendly recipe 

This makes a large batch of beans which freeze beautifully if you happen to have any leftovers!

Bean Ingredients:
3 (15 oz.) cans white beans -or- northern beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 pound bacon
1 onion, finely diced

Sauce Ingredients:
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup gluten free ketchup
1 tablespoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
These beans can be made in an oven or in a slow cooker. I've made them both ways basically following the same instructions: If using an oven set to 250 degrees. In a large casserole dish (or your slow cooker) layer beans with the onions and uncooked bacon. In a small saucepan whisk together the sauce ingredients over low heat until they are warmed through and mixed together. Pour the sauce over the baked beans. Add just enough water to cover the beans -- don't overdo the water! Cover the casserole dish with foil or a lid. If using the oven: cook beans for 3-4 hours at 250 degrees. Check periodically to see if you need add a little water if the beans get too dry. If using the slow cooker, cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. Again check it periodically to make sure the beans are not getting too dry. (They shouldn't in the slow cooker.) Makes a heck of a whole lot! We often make this recipe and freeze in portion sizes for lunches during the week! Baked beans are also delicious served hot or cold!

Other Gluten Free Summer Side Dishes From Gingerlemongirl.com:

Sweet & Sassy Red Potato Salad

Apple Mint Salad

Strata Salad

Sarah's Bruchetta Pasta Toss

Claire's Asparagus Salad with Strawberries

Sweet Tomato & Feta Tart

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Grilled Garlicky-Lemon Asparagus by Rella

Today's guest author is Rella of the blog Penny Pinching Epicure, a wonderful allergen-friendly food blog. Be sure to check out Rella's recipe for Quick & Easy Barbecued chicken with a homemade gluten free BBQ sauce, which was shared yesterday here on Gingerlemongirl.com! 

Garlickly-Lemony Asparagus

I think perhaps the best way to enjoy asparagus is grilled--just enough so that the asparagus is soft, but not so much that it loses its delectable crunch and beautiful green color. I don't have a grill handy normally, and the best way I can replicate the delight of grilled asparagus is popping it under the broiler for just a few minutes. You can use a stove-top grill pan too, but I find I don't like that as much. The garlic, lemon, and cracked black pepper work perfectly with the sweet asparagus.

You may or may not know this trick, but trimming asparagus is super easy--pick up a piece of asparagus, and bend it until the bottom snaps off. It will break at just the right place to ensure you don't get to woody, stringy bottom (for a video, just google "trimming asparagus,” lots of great tutorials).

Garlickly-Lemony Asparagus

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (~2 Tbsp)
1 garlic clove, minced fine
1/2 tsp sea salt
2-3 grinds of pepper
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed

Directions:
1. Combine oil, garlic, lemon, sea salt, and pepper. Toss asparagus until well coated.
2. Lay asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil for 3-4 minutes until asparagus is soft but still very green.

Serve hot or cold. For a great summer salad, cut asparagus into bite-sized pieces and add 1 chopped tomato, a handful of chopped green onion, and some whole kernel sweet corn.

Rella of Penny Pinching Epicure has been dairy free for 4 years and gluten free for 1. Almost a year ago, she launched her blog as a way to show that you can make gourmet, delicious food and still maintain a pretty tight food budget, even with food allergies!

Quick Mashed Sweet Potatoes

This is one of the easiest side dishes I have ever made. One night a few weeks ago I needed something super quick for dinner. I picked up a roasted chicken from the Food Lion Deli (yep! They are gluten free!), but I wasn't sure what to make to go with it.

I finally decided on a spinach salad and mashed sweet potatoes. Ever since we had the 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals series I've been looking for fast and easy ways to make meals and side dishes. Shirley's microwave meatloaf reminded me that I don't use that appliance nearly often enough. Especially in the summer.

I know there is some debate on how safe it is to use a microwave. Opponents say that the radio waves (microwaves) used to cook the food changes the molecular structure of the food itself and therefore makes it unhealthy for our bodies to process. There are also many arguments stating that nutrients in natural foods are lost/destroyed by the microwave cooking process. (However, keep in mind that heating any food will kill some of the nutrients regardless.)

I'm not a scientist or a nutritionist so I can't really give an opinion one way or the other on the safety of microwave cooking. But during these hot summer months I will admit that I find the microwave a useful cooking tool both in energy efficiency and saving my kitchen from the heat generated from our regular electric oven. 

At any rate, I made these super easy mashed sweet potatoes in the microwave. It was quick and made a delicious side dish for our roasted chicken. No matter how you choose to cook your sweet potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkins, etc... enjoy them as a wonderful & healthy side dish!

Quick Mashed Sweet Potatoes
a simple side dish technique
free of gluten, dairy, and soy
for 2 servings

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place cubed sweet potatoes into a glass bowl. Fill bowl with enough water to cover sweet potatoes by 1". Cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until cubed sweet potatoes are fork tender. Pour through a colander to drain water. Pour sweet potatoes back into your glass bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Stir in coconut oil, cinnamon, honey, and salt. Serve immediately.

Carries Notes:

• If you are in the anti-microwaving camp simply cook the cubed sweet potatoes in simmering water until they are fork tender.
• You can use ghee or butter if you do not have coconut oil available.
• Agave, molasses, or regular ol' brown sugar would also be delicious on these sweet potatoes if you don't want to use honey.
• Our favorite addition to the mashed sweet potatoes is adding toasted chopped pecans to the top just before serving! 

* This post is also shared with "A Gluten Free Holiday" hosted by Diane of The WHOLE Gang on 12/2/2010. 

Sautéed Kale & Mushrooms

Kale is one of my very favorite vegetables/greens. It's simple to prepare. You can use the leaves raw in fruit smoothies (make sure there is fruit or you will definitely taste the kale! lol) or salads. You can quickly sauté the greens and use them as a base for your meal instead of pasta or rice.

Elana calls it "McKale" and her boys eat these wonderful greens often in the summer. Meghan, Shauna, Amy, and many other food bloggers have been making "kale chips"... Lauren even found a company who makes kale chips and reviewed them for us.

Last week I had some leftover nitrate-free, organic bacon from Applegate Farms and we needed a fast meal for dinner. I also had tons of kale that I meant to use for smoothies... but I love sautéed greens so why not use them.

I came up with this simple & quick meal for dinner. The idea actually came from our recent series of 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals. Anna had made a bacon & egg baked chard dish and that looks so delicious, but I didn't want to turn on my oven. Since I had kale instead of swiss chard I just made a variation of her recipe. As Lauren of Celiac Teen put it so elegantly yesterday... it's time to play with our food. Don't be afraid to make changes, do your own thing, use the ingredients you have on hand. Have fun!

Simple Sautéed Kale & Mushrooms
an easy side dish technique

• 3-4 cups kale, torn into bite size pieces
• 1-2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil -or- if you used bacon like we did, just use a little of the bacon grease... a little!
• salt & pepper, to taste (go easy... enjoy the flavor of those marvelous veggies!)

Directions:
In a heavy cast iron pan, or your favorite heavy skillet heat your oil until a drop of water will sizzle. Add the mushrooms & onions and sauté for several minutes until they are just slightly tender, but still have some "bite" to them. Add your kale and gently saute for about 3-4 minutes (5-10 minutes) until the kale is bright beautiful green. Serve immediately with your meal. I love using this as a base for our meals. It was excellent with eggs & bacon!

What are your favorite ways to make kale?

* This post is also shared with "A Gluten Free Holiday" hosted by Diane of The WHOLE Gang on 12/2/2010. 

CSA Week One: Lettuce, Radishes, Lots of Greens

It's the first week of our summer CSA (community supported agriculture). I love this time of year & getting our boxes of fresh produce each week. We started using a CSA last year.

This year we ordered from an organic farm that's closer to our home. They also deliver which is wonderful. Plus, we additionally will have fresh eggs delivered each week with our produce.

It's the next best thing to having my own garden & chickens!

This week we received:

• little white radishes
• some type of pink radishes
• a beautiful head of escarole lettuce
• a bag of colorful swiss chard
• a bag of a spinach variety
• several fresh leeks
• a pint of strawberries
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 dozen eggs

Now, here's where you come in...

Other than making a really good salad & green smoothies (which I love) I need some help figuring out how to use all these greens & radishes. What are some things you would do with them? Do you have any radish recipes? Any really good (dairy free) spinach recipes?
PLEASE share them with me in the comments below!!

Speaking of green smoothies...For lunch today I took a few leaves of escarole, spinach, and chard. I washed them thoroughly and added them to my blender.



Added in a banana, some frozen blueberries, lots of fresh water, a few superfoods (raw cacao, maca powder, spirulina, raw pumpkin seeds), ice, and some vanilla stevia for sweetness. Blended away...



...and had a really awesome green smoothie! It was so neat to know that all my fresh vegetables & greens were from a farm less than 10 miles away.

Each week this summer I'll post the items we receive in our CSA box and I hope you'll help me figure out what to do with all the farm fresh vegetables and fruits!

If you want to learn more about how to make green smoothies for your own health, please visit Meghan Telpner's amazing blog.

Also if you'd like more green smoothie recipes, please read my series of Green Smoothie blog posts from last year. A whole week's worth of fresh, healthy, green smoothie deliciousness!

Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger 2/10 Part 2: Tasty Eats at Home

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa, even though it would sound a lot prettier if it was pronounced as it's written imho! lol) is one of my very favorite grains.

I didn't discover quinoa until I went gluten free, and until very recently had never used it in baking.

But quinoa is aboslutely wonderful in salads and as a hot side dish with all sorts of meals!

When Thomas said he was hosting The Adopt a Gluten Free blogger event for February 2010, I knew it was time to make a quinoa recipe I had bookmarked at Tasty Eats at Home some time ago.

Tasty Eats at Home is a lovely food blog that is written by Alta Mantsch. The blog began as a "regular" food blog, until June 2009 when Alta decided to eliminate gluten from her diet due to a number of GI symptoms she was experiencing. She & her blog have been gluten free ever since.

Tasty Eats at Home has a wonderful mix of American foods and international fare. One of my favorite features on her blog are the "Kids in the Kitchen" posts, in which her children help her with dinner and different recipes. You will find fantastic recipes for Gluten Free Churros, Pan-Fried Trout and Baked Potatoes, and Beef Nachos.




The recipe I tried was Alta's "Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Raisins, and Walnuts." I really loved the mix of flavors here. Quinoa can have a slightly bittersweet taste (even after being rinsed) and that paired with the sweetness of the raisins and the flavor of the walnuts was absolutely wonderful! I ate this salad with my lunches for a week and I always looked forward to it!!

Alta's salad turned out much prettier than mine did, I think in part because she used fresh spinach! The only spinach I had at the time was canned spinach and while it did the job, it made the whole salad green! So stick with fresh spinach to make a pretty salad! :-)

Many thanks to Alta for the wonderful quinoa salad recipe and to Thomas at The GFCF Experience for hosting this month's Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger Event!

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 Potato Apple Casserole (Gluten Free)

(Reprinted from November 4th, 2007. Another excellent Thanksgiving recipe!
Part of the fun with this recipe is it shares my experience of an afternoon cooking with Natalie of Gluten Free Mommy fame. We had a lovely time and came up with two gluten free sweet potato casseroles. I will probably serve this at Christmas this year!)

On Saturday, I had the distinct pleasure of doing something I have never done before. Something I never would have imagined doing, even 6 months ago! Something that I will definitely be doing again!

I spent an afternoon cooking with a fellow gluten-free blogger! None other than, Natalie, your Gluten-Free Mommy! Natalie graciously invited me to her home (since we both live relatively close by in the good ol' North State!) where we shared an afternoon creating and baking Thanksgiving Dinner casseroles! It was wonderful to share the time with another gluten-free cook, it's not something you get to do often!

It is hard to describe Natalie without smiling! In a word, Natalie is quite simply: "Joy!"

If you weren't impressed with Natalie's intelligence, kindness, sweet laughter, or amazing cooking abilities... her beautiful smile would knock your socks off!

The theme of our afternoon was to re-create some of our families traditional Thanksgiving casseroles. The casseroles had to be gluten-free (of course!) and we were aiming for less sugar and fat as well.

I wish all of you had the experience of watching Natalie create a signature dish. While my recipes were all typed out, all nice and neat... and as I changed ingredients, I scribbled them down.... Natalie, on the other hand, flew by the seat of her pants, just tasting and adding things as she felt necessary! Perfecting the recipe in her mind, and adding and subtracting all along the way. I could just see the ingredient wheels spinning under that long, flowing chestnut hair of hers! I was so impressed by Natalie's approach to cooking! I loved her confidence and her creativity! I can't wait for you to see her recipe. It was absolutely amazing!

My recipe is different than Natalie's, as it has a crumbly top and doesn't use oranges. I love sweet potato casseroles because they are so very versatile!




Sweet Potato-Apple Casserole

• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

• 1-2 small apples, peeled and chopped
  

• 1/2 cup brown sugar -or- agave nectar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp cardamom

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
  

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

Crumb Topping Ingredients

• 1/4 cup rice flour

• 1/4 cup corn flour -or- sorghum flour

• 1/2 pecans, chopped

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 3 Tbsp. butter, softened

Directions:

Mix mashed sweet potatoes, chopped apples, brown sugar, salt, and spices together. Add beaten egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix all together until smooth. Pour into greased casserole dish.
Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl until crumbly. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until casserole is set.


(Printer friendly version)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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!!

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Late Summer Scramble

We came home late last night from a wonderful weekend visiting with my sister and dad. We had not eaten dinner and I wanted something fast, but nourishing and filling.

One of my dad's favorite side dishes is sauteed zucchini. After all the times I've seen him make it, I had never made it myself.

But I wanted sauteed zucchini for dinner. I also wanted it to be a filling and full meal. I decided to make a skillet scramble.

This was a delicious and simple dinner. My dad is now on the South Beach diet and he could easily make this scramble by using cauliflower in place of the diced baked potato. I love the protein added by the eggs, and I think this would make a supremely healthy breakfast as well! Enjoy!


Late Summer Scramble

Seasoning:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt/pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

Scramble:
2 yellow zucchini, sliced
2 green zucchini, sliced
1 small white onion, sliced
1 baked potato, diced
-and/or, instead of baked potato-
1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
2 eggs


Directions:
In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter until sizzling. Add seasonings into butter and oil. Add sliced onions and zucchini. Add the diced baked potato and/or cauliflower. Saute10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are fork tender. Move all vegetables to one side of the hot pan. Break eggs and place into the bare side of the pan. Using a spatula, scramble eggs. Once the eggs are fully cooked, mix into the rest of the vegetables. Correct seasonings and serve.

A Southern Girl's Vegetable Curry

There you have it... I cooked real vegetables. Aren't you proud?

I don't know exactly the first time I had a curry, but I do remember that I loved it. Generally I make curries with leftover meats: such as lamb at Christmas or with a leftover roasted chicken.

One night last week I just wanted vegetables for dinner. I feel like we have not been getting enough fruits and veggies, and I just wanted a big plate of green, leafy goodness.

Yet, I'm a southern girl. I grew up eating unhealthy vegetables. With bacon fat. With lots of oil. To give due credit to my mom, she was a pioneer in healthy eating and changed a lot of her cooking styles when we were young. For example, she stopped using saturated fats in our vegetables. She started using chicken or beef bullion instead, and I still love using powdered bullion in our veggies to this day. I love the flavor and my husband does too.

But there are days when bullion just won't cut it. I want real vegetables. I want them tasty and filling. I want them as a meal. And normally my creativity runs completely dry when it comes to healthy, delicious vegetables.

Not today though. Creativity wins today. Karina, Sea.... you two should be proud.

Inspired by a recent post at Lentils and Rice (one of my favorite blogs, you MUST visit!), I decided to make a last minute curry.

I found the initial recipe here, which was for stuffed peppers and a tomato sauce. But I only had one pepper. So (of course!) I changed the ingredients to match what I had on hand and created a skillet vegetable curry. (Actually I used the rice cooker, but that's a story for another post!)

There are several things I really love about this simple and tasty dish.

• I love the idea of adding a cooked, diced potato to the other vegetables with the dinner. Normally I use potatoes as a side, or as a base to showcase the main part of dinner. Never have I used them as a major character. Potatoes deserve the spotlight sometimes!

• I love making a homemade curried tomato sauce to highlight the dish, instead of tomatoes actually IN the dish. I get tired of tomato-laden dishes. The sauce for this curry is delicious, perfectly seasoned, and complements the vegetables beautifully without being overpowering!
  

• I love being able to use the leftover curried vegetables in a dozen other dishes! The day after I made this, I made omelets using some of the leftover veggies as the filling! Even Michael loved them! Today I used the rest of the leftover veggies in a chicken casserole. And I am still not tired of these vegetables!
  

I definitely recommend using fresh vegetables if you have them handy. But, in my real life, frozen vegetables are more readily available than fresh. The frozen were still excellent in this dish!


Southern Vegetable Curry with Tomato Sauce

For the Curry:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green -or- red bell pepper
1 (16 oz) package of thawed California vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) -or- whatever veggies you prefer!
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup fresh vegetables of your choice, chopped to bite size pieces, and steamed until fork-tender (I used additional fresh broccoli)
1 russet potato, diced and boiled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Tomato Sauce:
1 (12 oz.) can tomato puree -or- sauce
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Saigon Cinnamon
2 tablespoons agave nectar -or- honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Garnish (optional)
1-2 boiled eggs, cooled, peeled, and diced
freshly grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper


Directions:

For the Vegetable Curry: In your rice cooker on the COOK setting, or on the stovetop in a heavy bottomed skillet (like cast iron) add olive oil and crushed garlic and diced green or red pepper. Cook several minutes until peppers have softened slightly. Add thawed California vegetables, cup of additional vegetables, and cooked, diced potato. Add seasonings for curry. Cover rice cooker or skillet and cook for 5-10 minutes until all vegetables are warmed through.

For the Tomato Sauce:
While vegetables are heating, in a small saucepan add tomato puree or sauce and all remaining sauce ingredients including grated parmesan cheese. Stir together thoroughly and simmer until heated through.

For Presentation:
Attractively plate vegetables. For each serving of vegetables, sprinkle on top, 1 diced boiled egg, 2-3 tablespoons curried tomato sauce, and a little freshly grated parmesan cheese and freshly grated black pepper.

Enjoy!


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Apple Mint Salad and a GF BBQ Party!

I was invited to a virtual Gluten Free BBQ Party and so are you! Visit Kate at Gluten Free Gobsmacked to find out how you can participate and "come along" to the Gluten Free BBQ!!





For this event, I signed up for the letter "A." This meant that I would bring a food or dish that started with "A." Originally I wanted to make something with avocados, and I tried several things (other than salsa) but they didn't turn out so great.

So I decided to stick with something I know well! Apples! I love apples. Apples are a staple crop where I grew up in the mountains of VA, so I thought I'd make an apple salad.

Recently, Rachel from The Crispy Cook (formerly Meat Free Wheat Free) had a book giveaway and I won! She sent me a copy of Tassajara Cooking by Edward Espe Brown. I am thrilled with this cookbook! It is a wonderful book that focuses on simple and fresh methods for cooking and serving fruits and vegetables! Rachel had no idea how much I needed this cookbook!

I chose a quick apple salad recipe out of the book and adapted it to include a very simple, healthy, and delicious dressing! ('cause this southern gal has to add a dressing to EVERY salad. Just accept it! ;-)

I love the fresh mint pared with the sweet apples and sour grapefruit! This is not a combination I would have thought of on my own, but it's lovely. Michael doesn't like grapefruit, and next time I make this I may substitute an orange so he can enjoy it too!

Many thanks to Kate for organizing this wonderful gluten free blogging event! Make sure to visit Gluten Free Gobsmacked soon for a roundup of the Gluten Free BBQ 2008 !!




Apple Mint Salad
Adapted from Tassajara Cooking by Edward Espe Brown

2 large gala or granny smith apples, diced
1 large ruby red grapefruit, pared and diced
3-5 leaves fresh mint
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons greek yogurt
1 tablespoons honey

Directions:

In a pretty glass serving dish mix chopped apples and diced grapefruit pieces.

"Chiffonade" your fresh mint by rolling the leaves together horizontally, like this. Then finely cut the roll into small slices, this will result in a chiffonade cut. Feelin' fancy now aren't you? Oh come on.. I know you do! (These pictures are courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks!!)

Toss the chiffonaded mint into the apple and grapefruit.

In a small measuring cup mix together the orange juice, honey, and greek yogurt. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or chill for several hours. This salad is delicious and refreshing either way!! Enjoy!


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The time for salads: Sweet and Sassy Red Potato Salad

It is officially summer today. The summer solstice is currently taking place as I write this post. It seems like a magical time of year. The next two days will be the longest days of the season and it is the time for potato salad.

For Father's Day this year we had a cook-out for Michael's Dad. It was my chance to make my favorite, long-awaited, red potato salad.

As you are fully aware by now, I am a true southern girl. I grew up with salads of all kinds prepared specifically with Duke's mayonnaise and Mt. Olive sweet pickles: macaroni salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, and most beloved of all, potato salad. Many people think these salads are rather old-fashioned and too heavy, but I still love them. I don't make or eat these salads often, so when I do, I enjoy them thoroughly!

Mom used skinned russet potatoes for her fantastic salad. I remember her making it most frequently for summer roadside picnics. Mom would get up really early and make a big batch of crispy, hot fried chicken along with her delicious potato salad, and we'd hit the road just waiting for the time we could stop for lunch!

My salad has been spunked up with honey dijon mustard, sweet onions, apple cider vinegar, and red potatoes fully dressed with their skins. I love the color of the potatoes and the kick of the honey dijon. I'll serve this salad again on July 4th and I can't wait! I hope you enjoy it!

Carrie's Sweet and Sassy Red Potato Salad

2 lbs. red bliss potatoes, boiled and cubed (NOT peeled)
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
1/2 cup Mt. Olive Sweet Pickles, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely
3-4 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
3/4 cup Duke's mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey dijon mustard
1 tablespoon juice from sweet pickles
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional Ingredients:
1/2 cup quartered grape tomatoes
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon

Directions:

In a large bowl: Mix together the boiled and cubed red potatoes, chopped sweet pickles, chopped hard-boiled eggs, chopped sweet onions, chopped celery, chopped fresh chives, and the additional ingredients (if you desire). Set aside.

To make the dressing: In a medium sized bowl whisk together mayonnaise, honey dijon mustard, sweet pickle juice, and apple cider vinegar. Add salt and pepper. Dressing should be the consistency of a pour-able salad dressing. If it is too thick add a little more sweet pickle juice, until it is pour-able. When dressing is ready, pour over red potato mixture. Toss together with a rubber spatula. Make sure the entire salad is coated but do not over-mix, so as not to "mash" the potatoes.

Potato salad is great warm, but refrigerate if not serving immediately. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

NOTE: Potatoes and eggs can be chopped, boiled, and cooled ahead of time. For instance: the night before the salad will be served. This makes preparation the following day a snap!

***More Great Gluten Free Summer Salads:

Natalie's Asparagus Salad with Raspberry Almond Vinaigrette


Sea's Peanut Thai Salad Dressing


Sea's Retro Macaroni Salad Recipe


Elise's Curry Rice Salad


Karina's Horseradish Spiked Red Potato Salad


Shauna's Ruby Red Rice Salad with Asparagus and Goat Cheese

Carol's Rice Noodle Salad



Ginger Lemon Girl's Simple Strata Salad

The time for salads!

Summer is absolutely the time for salads! You don't need to turn the oven on and your entire dinner can be fixed in minutes!! I have been craving salads nearly every night of the week in this already hot and humid weather.

Salads are light, cool, crisp, and refreshing on a warm summer evenings. They are also packed full of nutrition if you make sure to add lots of fresh vegetables! I made this particular layered salad several weeks ago for a picnic. Michael really enjoyed it, so it will be on our weekly menu rotation soon! My favorite part is the super easy homemade dressing. I was out of my standard packet of Hidden Valley ranch... so we had to make due! Simple and delicious! We'll be "making due" more often!!

What do you enjoy in your layered salads?




Carrie's Simple Strata Salad

4 cups -or- 1 small head green leaf lettuce, rinsed, patted dry and torn into pieces
1 package grape tomatoes, halved -or - 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced and cubed
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham -or- 1 package bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped red onion (optional -- very pretty!)

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (the real stuff folks!!)
1/2 cup low fat sour cream or unflavored yogurt
1 teaspoon dill weed (or more to taste -- I always opt for MORE!)
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
salt/pepper


Directions:
Place rinsed and dried salad greens in the bottom of a large glass serving bowl. Layer quartered grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese, peas, sliced eggs, sliced squash, ham, and lastly red onions, over the greens.

For the dressing: In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt, dill weed, ground mustard, garlic granules, salt, and pepper. Mix until well blended. Spread evenly over salad. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour (preferably overnight). Right before serving sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Enjoy!!


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