Wise Words

Hot and Sweet Pepper Curry

I love curry!  It is so easy to make gluten and dairy free without anyone being the wiser.  It is also flavorful and delicious. 

And thanks to Racheal Ray, I have another great Curry recipe to share.

It was so very good and we ate it so fast that I forgot to take a picture.  So instead, you get the leftovers picture.

Hot and Sweet Pepper Curry Sauce- Serves 4
adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin or cumin seed
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 cardamom pods, split, or 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped
• 2 sweet red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1/3-1/2 red hot chile pepper (more if you like it spicy- 1/3 added flavor but no spice)
• One 1-inch piece ginger root, grated
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup mango chutney- I made my own
• 1 large bay lea, dried
• 1 tsp of cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick)
• One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1-2 chicken breasts, cubed into bite-size pieces
• 1-2 limes, juiced
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Directions

1. Marinate the meat sprinkled with salt, pepper and paprika in the lime juice for 1 hour.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot, then add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and cardamom and stir until very fragrant, 1 minute. Next add the garlic, sweet and hot peppers, ginger, onions and some salt and pepper. Soften for 5 minutes partially covered, and then add the tomato sauce, stock, chutney, bay leaf, cinnamon (stick) and diced tomatoes. Simmer over low heat, about 1 hour. Remove the bay and cinnamon.
3. Add the marinated meat to the sauce and simmer to tender. Serve, or cool and store in the refrigerator or freezer for a make-ahead meal.
4. Serve the curry with naan bread and/or over jasmine rice with a dollop of yogurt for mixing in. Garnish with cilantro and scallion slices.

Got the Munchies?

Over spring break I went to the library and took out a dozen cookbooks. I finally had a chance to look through them and am happy to report that I found a few recipes that look great.

I tried this one and it proved to be a great snack!

Spiced-Cherry Crunch Mix from Cooking Light Gluten Free Cookbook

I changed it up a bit and am pretty happy about it.  In fact, I am eating the rest of the batch as I type this.  Both sweet and salty; it hits the spot.

I have adapted the recipe and will share with you what I did:

Snack Mix
Adapted from Cooking Light Gluten Free Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 cup sugar *
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cups gluten free rice krispies**
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds***
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (toasted)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp grated orange rind****

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
2. Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and coat with cooking spray
3. In a medium bowl, beat egg white with a mixer until foamy
4. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, in a separate bowl.  Add sugar mixture to beaten egg white, 1 tbsp at a time beating until stiff peaks form
5. Fold in cereal as well as next 3 ingredients.  
6. Spread mixture on cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
7. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack and store in a airtight container.

Notes:
* Next time I am going to try 1/8th cup of sugar or try to omit completely
** Don't want it to be gluten free? just use regular rice krispies or be adventurous and use your favorite cereal.
*** I might try to toast the almonds next time too, I love that taste
**** I learned that I really don't enjoy orange flavor, so I will omit the orange rind.

What will go in your Megalunch? Part 2

So I must confess, I expected to do a lot more blogging during my spring break.  I cooked lots even took a number of pictures, but time just flew!  It's time to get disciplined again.

Last week, I introduced you to the megalunch.  This thing makes a weekly appearance in our house, in fact I made another one last night.  If I didn't pre-make food, I am certain Dan would either live on peanut butter sandwiches and chips or he would be eating out every day.  Neither are good options for us, so instead, I schedule in soup making sprees when I can.

The Megalunch.

Another confession, I don't have that many soup recipes.  Dan has been happy to eat the same few over and over.  And while I have tried new ones, they don't always work out , so I don't experiment with soups very often.

If you have a favorite soup recipe, please pass it on, even it if has wheat and dairy in it (Dan can still eat it).
You can comment or email me  I'd love hear from you!

Because I had some free time I tried something new. Actually two new things and a usual.
1. I put Kale in our Quinoa Minestrone.  Not bad, but neither Dan or I enjoy greens in our soup, so while we will finish the batch I don't think Kale will ever make it in a soup again.

2. I tried a new vegetable soup with Quinoa Pasta.  The Quinoa pasta was good immediately after cooking it.  However, after having one from the freezer I have decided to not put quinoa pasta in soup again.  I find that it gets too gritty.  I LOVE quinoa pasta, but I love it in pasta form, not in soups.  

3. I made an old fashioned Chicken Soup for Dan.  This is pretty basic and I know there are a million ways to make it...let me tell you what I did:

Chicken Soup Recipe* 

In a large pot, combine:

• 2 cartons of Knorr Chicken Broth
• 3 or so celery sticks, chopped
• 3 or so carrot sticks, chopped
• all purpose spice such as Mrs. Dash or Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning, to taste
• 1 cooked chicken breast, sliced and cooked in all purpose spice
• salt & Pepper to taste 
• 1/3 cup rice or two handfuls of spaghetti noodles, broken into small pieces

Bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables and rice/pasta is soft.

Note:
* I don't follow a recipe, I eye my ingredients and taste as I go along.  So do the same, because I can't promise my measurements are the same.
 
 

Free Chicken Nuggets

My favorite meal of all time is chicken nuggets. 

I grew up eating the ones you buy from the grocery store and occasionally enjoyed the fast food version.  Then I got married.  It didn't work for us to go to the drive thru every time I had a craving and I was determined to not buy processed food- so I learned to make my own.   

I have tried a number of recipes, all which disappointed and then I found it.  I found a chicken nugget recipe that inspired me to make my own version.  

I am confident that I will be feeding my version to my grandchildren one day.  

It is fast and easy and in fact, my husband is usually the one to make it!

If you haven't tried this recipe already, give it a try.  I promise you won't be disappointed...unless you use vanilla flavored Rice Krispies.  
 
Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets*, feeds 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup olive oil (+ extra on hand if you run out)
• 3-4 cups gluten free Rice Krispies, crushed**
• 3 tbsp of gluten free flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
3. Crush rice krispies (by hand or with food processor) and add flour.  Put in bowl and set aside.
4. Cut defrosted chicken into chunks/strips and put on plate.
5. Pour olive oil in a bowl
6. Begin an assembly line until all of the chicken has been used   

• dip chicken in olive oil
• dip chicken in Rice Krispie mixture
• put on pan  

    7. Sprinkle/drizzle any leftover krispies/oil over top.
    8. Bake in the oven until the meat is white in  the center (about 30 minutes).  Flip half way
      through.

Easy Peasy!

Notes: 
*Don't be fooled by the Gluten Free aspect.  A) they are still delicious...like actually and B) use regular Rice Krispies and white flour and you are able to have gluten.

** I keep a jar of crushed Rice Krispies on hand.  When it is low, I use my blender and make some more
  

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

  This week I made Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup. It is a recipe I found on The Food Network Website, so you know it has to be good.  I have eaten it almost every day and am in love with the flavors.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Source

You can find the recipe here.

Tips/Adaptations:
- I didn't want to wait, so I made my batch in a pot instead of the slow-cooker.  It took about an hour and turned out great.
- I really like coconut milk, so I added a can of light coconut milk.  It added a really nice flavor.
- Instead of butter, I used coconut oil, for the flavor and health benefits
- I originally didn't use very much ginger and the taste was dull.  I added ginger and extra curry powder until the soup tasted just right.  This was a good choice.
- For some reason I thought I had to puree the soup, so I did.  Now I realize that I didn't have to, but I don't regret it.  I would puree it again.
- I didn't have cilantro and it was still good.
- I bought cilantro and it made the soup taste even better!!!

Just like the Fort

I love Dragon Fort.  But now I don't have to go there because I know how to make a sweet and sour sauce that rivals theirs.

Last week I shared my recipe for Meatballs.  There are multiple ways to serve meatballs, but one of my favourite is with sweet & sour sauce.  I have tried a few different recipes but this recipe is amazing...it is seriously the same thing you get in a Chinese Food Restaurant...but you know what's in it. 

Let me brag about my brother again, he is very talented. I wanted a sauce for my meatballs and asked him what he does.  About 15 texts later I had a recipe and a ton of helpful tips to set me up for a delicious meal. 

And with his permission I share his sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (gluten free)
• 1 cup liquid (1/2 water + 1/2 orange juice)*
• 3 tbsp cornstarch**
• Peppers & onions cut in chunks, if desired

Directions:
1. In sauce pan, mix sugars, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce & 3/4 cup liquid.
2. Bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, mix together remaining 1/4 liquid and cornstarch in small bowl.
3. When contents in the pot are boiling, stir in cornstarch liquid and stir until thick. Add peppers & onions.

Note:
*You could use also use pineapple juice, or all juice or all water. 
** If you cannot have corn, you can also use arrowroot flour. 
*** If using with meatballs, arrange meatballs, peppers, and onions in baking dish and heat in oven before you make the sauce.  When sauce is finished, pour over meatballs and cook another 15 minutes.

My Brown Bananas finally have a use!

Banana Bread is a family favorite.  I still make my grandma's recipe for my husband, but for some reason I can't bring myself to adapt it...I think it is too sentimental or something.

Thankfully, after searching and having many 'uhh, this isn't the same as my grandma's' moments I have found one that was good.  

 source

This recipe originally came from the Babycakes Cookbook, then shared by the foodie at the Whipped blog.  Both great resources!

 You can find the recipe HERE

Notes:
- This recipe is vegan, dairy free, and gluten free.
- I made mine into muffins.  The recipe made 12 regular sized and about 8 mini muffins, perfect for breakfasts and snacks

Ice Cream without the Bloating

A long time ago I realized that I may never be able to enjoy a cold bowl of delicious ice cream again.  Yeah, sure there is coconut ice cream and soy ice cream, which aren't too bad, but let's face it, they just aren't the same.

However I have been pleasantly surprised lately and I have eaten a fair amount of ice cream.  Specifically, ice cream that was really good, and not made of coconut or soy!

One of these surprises came when someone bought me some gluten and lactose free ice cream:

I think they have a couple of flavors in most grocery stores

I am usually pretty hesitant to buy items like this just in case it turns out to be gross.  But let me tell you, the Butter Pecan flavor I had was quite good.  It is full of cream, but whatever Chapman's did to take the lactose out, it worked for me - I didn't even bloat!  So as long as you are only lactose intolerant, and not allergic to (or avoiding) dairy, this may be an option for you.

There is also another way I have enjoyed ice cream.  Have you ever been to Menchie's?

I heard about Menchie's from a co-worker, so I brought my ice cream loving husband there for a date. 

source

I went with some tea to drink, vowing not to 'cheat' and planning to just enjoy watching Dan eat his ice cream.  This all changed when I learned that they have two gluten free and dairy free sorbets, along with a number of gluten free options (for those that can have dairy but not gluten).  I believe they have vegan options too.  So if you can't have eggs, this may be for you too!

I tried my hardest not to fill my whole cup with Strawberry Sorbet swirled with Triple Berry Sorbet. I then chose from the numerous toppings, trying my best to stick to the ones that I could eat (though I think I may have cheated a little). It turned out pretty good!

I don't know where you live, but Menchie's seems to be all over the world, so check out their website for the one closest to you.  And perhaps you can once again share some ice cream with a loved one.

Snow Days & Comfort Meals: Butter Chicken

Today I got an early morning phone call telling me to go back to sleep- it was a snow day!  This was a welcomed surprise.  It meant that I could sleep in, stay in my PJ’s for way too long, and work on Christmas presents.  This year I am making about 90% of my gifts.  I am really proud of what I have been making and will share them with you after Christmas...I don’t want to give anything away!  

It also meant that I could share with you one of my family’s favorite meals Slow Cooker Butter Chicken.  It is dairy, wheat, egg & gluten free, but does contain nuts. The best part is that my very taste specific husband considers this his favourite meal, next to Chicken Nuggets of course.  

If you are thinking “I don’t like Indian food or curry”, I still suggest you give it a try.  The flavor is very subtle and doesn’t taste very curryish.  Rather it is just a warm, easy, comforting meal- especially for a Snow Day like today.

The original recipe can be found at the Canadian Living website.  Instead of typing it up, I will direct you to the RECIPE itself.

   

NOTES:

• I have substituted the butter for Earth Balance and sour cream for coconut milk to make it dairy free.  
• We serve it over Quinoa, but I bet it is good over rice too. 
• For sides we enjoy peas or green beans
• I usually only use 3 chicken thighs.  They shred in the Slow Cooker and are a nice accent.
• I add the chicken from the beginning, we like how it shreds.  This means we don't puree it, and it is still quite good.  If you prefer it pureed, remove the cooked chicken, shred on a plate, puree the sauce, then add all together again. 
• This meal freezes beautifully.  It usually feeds my husband and I and leaves enough leftovers for 4 more servings. 

Move over Pumpkin Pie. Here comes a Maple Pecan Pie that we all can enjoy!

I have two brothers.  My younger brother is a talented writer/editor and my older one is a gifted chef.  Every year the chef treats our family to an amazing dinner to celebrate the fall birthdays.

 

Not only was the gourmet food to die for, but so was the view

This past weekend he had us over to his Vancouver apartment and treated us to three memorable courses:

Root Vegetable Inspired Appetizers

Mediterranean Themed Main Course

Maple Flavoured Desserts

Is your mouth watering yet?  Trust me, it should be.  And the best part is that he made it all allergy friendly, so I could truly enjoy these masterpieces. 

Here is a breakdown for those of you curious of what each course entailed:

• Appetizers: Root Vegetable Soup; Yellow Beet Hummus with a variety of Root Vegetable Chips; and a Beet Panna Cotta with Pickled Carrots, Diakon and Turnips.

• Main Course:  Stuffed Chicken over top of Puttanesca; Lamb Meatballs with a Mint Yogurt; an Empanada stuffed with Ratatouille topped with some delicious yellow sauce; Rice Pilaf; Lemon Roasted Potatoes; and Maple Glazed Carrots

• Dessert: Unset Vegan Maple Fudge underneath a Maple Pecan Pie with a Gluten Free Crust topped with Maple Bacon Coconut Milk Ice Cream

I happened to arrive when he was preparing the Maple Pecan Pie...and it quickly became my favorite.  Made on a gluten free crust made it enjoyable for both me and the 'regular eating' guests.

So today, I share with you the recipe from Post Punk Kitchen and the little extra's he added to make it special (you will find those in a bolded green).  I will share the basics, for more details be sure to visit the link.


Chocolate Maple Pecan Pie/Tarts
 
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (goat butter) 
6 oz extra firm silken tofu (1/2 of a tetra pack)
1/4 cup cold unsweetened plain non-dairy milk (Quinoa Milk)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecan halves  
1/2 a bag of vegan chocolate chips

Note: Leftover filling can be used for ice cream topping, or if you are like me, you can eat it by the spoonful. 

Melt together sugars and maple syrup to make a caramel.  Add goat butter the take off heat.

In a blender mix tofu, cornstarch and non-dairy milk

Add tofu mixture, vanilla and pecans to caramel mixture

Optional: add chocolate chips and stir

Pour mixture into prepared pie crust and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

The finished product!

 
What a great night and a great menu! The good news is that he caters! and is a great teacher- I have learned so much and I am thankful that he taught me that just because you have limitations on your diet doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a delicious, gourmet meal.  Be adventurous, or else you may never find out that yellow beets make a great hummus!

The Perfect Allergy Friendly Christmas Cookie: Gingersnaps

I love to eat cookies, so I was pretty happy when I was able to use substitutions on a really good gingersnap recipe and create an even better one, one that I could enjoy.

  

These super easy cookies are a must for you to make if you have guests this Christmas Season with an allergy/intolerance to wheat, gluten, dairy or eggs.  I have gotten the approval from those that have allergies and even those that don't, so rest assured that your guests will enjoy them and be ever thankful that you made something they could enjoy with you.

Gingersnap cookies (Make 2 dozen large, or 3 dozen small cookies)
gluten, wheat, dairy, and egg free!                                                                                                                     

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

1.  In large bowl, combine:
-  1 cup canola oil*
-  2 cups white sugar
- ½ cup molasses
-  Flax gel (6 tbsp hot water + 2 tbsp ground  flaxseed)*
-  1 tsp vanilla
 


2. In a separate bowl, mix together:
- 4 cups Gluten Free Flour blend* (I used bob’s all purpose GF Flour)
- 1 tsp xanthan/guar gum*
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tsp cloves

3. Mix dry ingredients into wet. 

 

4. Roll cookies in sugar and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. 

5. Bake for 10 minutes at 350, then let cool for five minutes before removing to a wire rack.  They make about 3 dozen and freeze really well.

 ***If you want to swap ingredients for 'regular' ones, follow the guide below:
- Canola oil- use margarine or butter

- Flax Gel- use 2 eggs

- GF Flour Blend- use white flour and omit the xanthan/guar gum 

Yum!