Tomato & Beef Polenta Casserole

My husband went and bought ground beef in bulk, so I went on the search for a new recipe to use some of it. I came across a southern style recipe that used cornmeal to create a polenta crust - gluten free!  I was very excited to make it and it turned out really well! And it tastes even better warmed up the next day for lunch!

Ingredients:
1 tsp salt
1 cup plain yellow cornmeal
1 tsp Montreal steak spice
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 portobello mushroom caps, chopped  **these veggies are optional and can be changed up 
1 medium zucchini, sliced                                 with whatever you have in the fridge.**
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, strained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Bring 3 cups water and 1 tsp salt to a boil in a (2 qt) saucepan over medium-high heat.  Whisk in cornmeal; reduce heat to low, and simmer, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat, and stir in steak seasoning and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.  Spread the cornmeal mixture into a lightly greased large baking dish.

2. Brown ground beef in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and transfer to a bowl.

3. Sauté onion for a few minutes in hot oil over medium heat until softened.  Add the other vegetables and sauté for another 5 minutes.  Stir in beef, tomatoes and tomato paste; simmer, stirring often for about 10 minutes.  Pour beef mixture over cornmeal crust.  Cover with remaining cheese.

4. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Polenta crust

Sautéed beef with veggies 

The final product

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

I love apple crisp - it is one of those easy comfort foods you can bake up in a matter of minutes.  I even have my little cheats - using oatmeal cookie mix mixed with cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar as my topping drizzled with maple syrup and corn syrup.

But my easy quick go to dessert is no longer possible on my gluten free diet.  So I went on a search for a gluten free version.  I mostly found recipes that used "gluten free oats" but this was not going to be an option.  I thought about the quinoa flakes I had sitting in my cupboard with all the other "gluten free" flours I bought and thought I'd be able to mimic the oats by using them.  So I narrowed down my search some more - and here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

6 apples (I used Gala), peeled, cored and sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice (to prevent browning)
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp tapioca or arrowroot starch
1 cup quinoa flakes
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup coconut oil (if you don't need to be dairy free, you can use butter - I find that it adds extra flavour.  For this recipe I used half butter and half coconut oil.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x11" baking dish.  Set aside.

2. Toss the sliced apples in a bowl with lemon juice.  Add the maple syrup and stir.  (At this point I like to sprinkle the apples with some brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to add some extra flavour.)  Dust with tapioca starch to coat the slices.  Pour the slices into the baking dish.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the quinoa flakes, sorghum flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and whisk to blend.  Add the coconut oil in pieces and cut it into the flour using a pastry cutter.  It should resemble a sandy mixture.

4. Spoon the mixture over top.  Drizzle with some maple syrup and dab with butter or coconut oil.

5. Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes.  Cover loosely with foil paper and bake for another 20 minutes.  (Depending on the size of your slices, this could take longer.)  The apples should feel tender and the sides should be bubbling.

6. Allow to cool a bit before serving, but it is served best warm.

The results were pretty good. My husband and I definitely missed the bigger clumps/chunks that happen in the crisp when you use oats.  Maybe next time I would use more butter/coconut oil to make it a bit clumpier, but I think the size of the quinoa flakes are the main reason for this.  But for a gluten free version of apple crisp, you really can't go wrong.

The apples

The crumble part

The prepared crumble prior to baking.

The final product (well half of it!)

Haddock in a Creamy Sauce with Balsamic Grilled Veggies

As a Catholic you are supposed to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent.  So this being the first Friday in Lent, I was looking for a new recipe to try out.  My husband had picked up some haddock and large portobello mushrooms so that was my inspiration for tonight's dinner.  He suggested I grill the mushrooms - which I was also thinking of - and I wanted to try something new with the haddock.  Both things turned out really great.  My husband scarfed down his food so fast I wish I had made more so we'd have leftovers.  Even my LO liked it all (except the red pepers - which I sort of expected), but surprised me by eating the mushrooms.  Of course, we had to put ketchup on the side to dip the fish in near the end.

So here is what I came up with!  Both of my recipes are inspired from some recipes found on the Canadian Living website.

Haddock with a Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
1 to 1-1/4 cup chicken stock
1 onion, minced
3-4 (about 500g) haddock fillets (we had frozen ones that I took out to thaw when I started my prep, and were not fully thawed when I started cooking them)
2 tsp dried dill
Pepper
1/2 (250g) pkg cream cheese, cubed

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, bring the chicken stock, 1/4 cup water, onion  and dill to a boil; let simmer for a few minutes.
2. Lower heat and arrange haddock fillets over the onion mixture.  Season with pepper.  Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until fish flakes easily.  During this time, baste the tops of the fillets with cooking liquid 1-2 times.
3. Transfer the fish to a plate with a slotted spoon (it will break apart very easily). Keep it warm.
4. Increase heat and boil the liquid for another couple of minutes.  Stir in cheese, whisking constantly until smooth and it starts to thicken, about 3-5 minutes.  Season with more dill if necessary.
5. Spoon over fish and serve wam.

Balsamic Grilled Veggies

Ingredients:
3-4 portobello mushrooms
1-2 red peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme
pinch of salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese (or Asiago)

Directions:
1. Cut off the thick stems, leaving about 1/2" attached to the cap.  Cut the peppers into quarters or sixths (depending on the size) so you have large pieces.
2. Place mushrooms smooth side up in a large shallow baking dish.  Place peppers around it.
3.  In a small bowl combine all the other ingredients except the cheese.  Pour over the veggies, turning and brushing to coat evenly.  Let it stand for at least 15 minutes.
4. Reserve the marinade.  Place the mushrooms and peppers, smooth side down on a greased grill over medium-high heat.  I used my Griddler, so I closed the lid and grilled them from both sides (it will cook faster).  Grill over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, opening occasionally to brush veggies with the reserved marinade.  If you are using a regular grill (or BBQ), close the lid and grill for about 5 minutes then turn over for another 5 minutes or so.
5.  Cook until the veggies are tender, and the mushrooms yield to the touch when pressed.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and let the cheese melt.
7. Serve warm.

Valentine's Day Cookies

My little one and I decided we wanted to bake heart cookies for daddy and for Valentine's Day.
Of course I love baking sugar cookies and they are pretty simple.  They also roll out nicely so we could roll them and cut them out into hearts. And then I remembered that I can't eat gluten so I would have to make something that I could also enjoy.  And thus started my internet / pinterest search for gluten free sugar cookies.

So we made two batches of cookies: the gluten ones that would chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and the gluten free (and dairy free) ones.  And we baked them and then we got the fondue pot going and dipped them in chocolate.  It was a wonderful afternoon and here are our recipes:



Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer on high speed, cream the butter until fluffy and pale.  Add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating on low speed for 2 minutes after each addition.
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended.
3, Sift the flour and salt together and add to the butter mixture in batches.  Mix on low speed just until blended.
4. Divide the dough into four parts.  Shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours.
5. Remove the disks from the fridge and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
6. Roll out the dough on floured wax paper to a thickness of about 1/4".  Cut into your shapes using cookie cutters.  Gather up the scraps and re-roll them.  If they become sticky, refrigerate them for 10 minutes before re-rolling.
7. Bake the cookies until they are lightly golden on the bottom, about 12-15 minutes.  Let the cookies cool briefly on the pans on wire racks before transferring them to the racks to cool completely.

Makes about 30 cookies


Gluten (and Dairy) Free "Sugar" Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds (I mixed about half and half with hazelnuts)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup honey

Directions:
1. Do not preheat your oven! Grind the nuts into a flour in a blender or food processor (I used my Vitamix).
2. Mix together the nut flour with coconut flour, salt, baking soda and tapioca flour until well combined.
3. Next add the coconut oil, vanilla, egg and honey.  Beat together until it forms a cookie dough.
4. Roll out the dough on floured wax paper and cut with cookie cutters.  Place them on a piece of parchment paper and place them in the oven.
5. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks to continue cooling.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Moroccan Themed Dinner

Based on the ingredients I had on hand and my cookbook Nourishing Meals, I worked with a couple of Moroccan-themed recipes to come up with tonight's yummy dinner!

Moroccan Pilaf

Ingredients:
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 cup almonds, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp salt
4 cups chopped kale
4-5 cups cooked and cooled basmati rice (Cook about 2 cups of rice ahead of time and let cool.)
1 small lemon, juiced
black pepper

Directions:
1. Heat a 10" deep skillet or pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil and then chopped onions; sauté about 4-5 minutes.  Add sliced carrots and sauté another 10 minutes more.  Adjust the temperature to prevent the onions from browning too quickly if necessary.
2. Add almonds, raisins, apricots, spices and salt and sauté for another 5 minutes.  Add the kale and sauté about 5 more minutes or until kale is tender.  (It's okay if the kale is still wet from rinsing as the extra water will help it cook.)
3. Add the rice and stir together over low heat.  Add a few tablespoons of water if it seems dry, as well as another tablespoon of oil to prevent it from sticking.
4. Remove from heat and add the juice of the lemon.  Stir together and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Stuffed Moroccan Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 small onion, cut into large chunks
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1/2 - 1 cup dried apricots and raisins (about half of each)
1/4 cup (approx.) Asiago cheese, grated
a few kale leaves, chopped in thin pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch cayenne pepper
2-3 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Keep toothpicks handy to seal the chicken thighs once they are stuffed. Place a piece of kale, some cheese, a few pieces of raisins and apricots and another piece of kale on each piece of chicken.  Roll up the chicken and pinch together with a toothpick.  Place them in a greased casserole dish seam side down in a single layer. Place the onion chunks, lemon wedges, dried apricots and raisins around the chicken.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the salt and spices.  Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken.  Dot each piece of chicken with coconut oil.
5. Roast for 40 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of chicken, or until the juices run clear.  With about 10-15 minutes of cook time remaining, turn the chicken over to coat completely in spices and juices.
6. Serve with the onions, apricots, raisins and juices at the bottom of the roasting dish.  Serve over pilaf.

Serves 6-8

Mushroom Risotto & Grilled Chicken

Tonight's dinner came together in about an hour.  I have been wanting to make this for some time now and my nonna gave me chicken broth on Sunday, so it gave me the perfect opportunity.  You can use whatever broth/stock you have on hand.  First get the stock heating up, set up the chicken to marinate and then get on to the rest of the risotto recipe!

It turned out so delicious that we scarfed it down, almost forgetting to take a picture.  And we had to stop ourselves from eating it all up tonight so we'd have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:

1 pkg (227g) sliced mushrooms (put more if you like)
5-6 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1-3/4 cup arborio (risotto) rice
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or do a mix of Parmesan and Asiago)

Directions:

1. Bring the stock to a boil in a pan, then reduce the heat and keep simmering gently over low heat while you cook the risotto.
2. Chop the mushrooms into smaller pieces.   Heat 2-3 tbsp butter in a frying pan.  Add the mushrooms and fry for 1-2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat.
3.  Heat the olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter in a large, heavy-bottom pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, until softened.
4. Reduce the heat, add the rice, and mix to coat in oil and butter. (If it seems really dry or sticking a lot, add some more butter or oil.) Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, or until the grains are translucent.
5.  Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until reduced.
6. Gradually add the hot stock, a ladelful at a time.  Stir constantly and add more liquid as the rice absorbs each addition.  Increase the heat to medium so that the liquid bubbles.  Cook for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy. (You may find that the rice is cooked, but you still have some stock leftover; that is okay.)
7. Add the mushroom/garlic mixture when you have about one ladleful of stock left. Season with salt and pepper and add remaining stock if necessary.
8. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 tbsp butter and the Parmesan cheese.
9. Serve immediately and grate some Asiago cheese over top.

Grilled Greek-Style Chicken

Ingredients:

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
The juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp dried thyme **
1 tsp dried parsley **
1/2 tsp dried oregano **
1 tsp garlic powder **
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine lemon juice and spices in a medium bowl.  Place chicken breasts in bowl to marinate in the juice and seasoning.  Let it sit for at least 5 minutes, but longer is better. (Discard the juice when you cook the chicken.)
2. Meanwhile preheat your grill over medium-high heat.  (I like to use my Griddler indoors, but a BBQ is always great.)  Spray the grill with cooking spray or oil.
3. Cook on the prepared grill until the breasts are no longer pink inside and juices run clear, about 10-15 minutes per side.  If you are using a grill like the Griddler and closing the lid, you will probably only need about 10 minutes, but will cook the breasts in 2 batches.

For an extra burst of flavor, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over each breast.  For extra juiciness, place a dollop of butter on the breasts as you cook them.
**I never really measure my spices.  I just sprinkle them in until it looks like there's enough!**