Ode to the Clove – Garlic Breadsticks

 

Ode to the Clove

Your fragrent smell

Is known far and wide

My stinky breath

Is hard to hide

I cannot give up

My beloved clove

For garlic, you had me at “hello”

Okay, enough poetry.  I’m here to share a recipe for garlic breadsticks that I tried recently.  The dough has a slight eggy flavor to it, but the breadsticks puff up and are pretty soft and yummy.  My picky eight year old son asked for seconds!

Ingredients:

1 c water

1/2 c olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 c gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose)

2 tsp xanthan gum

4 large eggs

2 T chopped parsley and thyme (or you can use basil, rosemary, etc.)

2 cloves of garlic finely minced

2 T grated parmesan or asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 425F.  Lightly grease two baking sheets.  Mix flour blend with xanthan gum and set aside.  In a medium saucepan combine water, oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg over medium heat until liquid begins to simmer.  Add flour blend to saucepan stirring until dough forms.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes over low heat stirring constantly.  Pour the hot mixture into a food processor and add eggs, herbs and garlic.  Pulse until combined and dough is elastic and smooth.  Spoon mixture into a pastry bag or ziploc bag with one corner cut off.  Squeeze out 7-8 inch long dough lines about 1/2 inch wide onto baking sheets.  Dampen fingers with water to press down ends if necessary.  Sprinkle tops with cheese and bake for 15-18 minutes turning over halfway through cooking process.

Apple Crisp

I decided to make a quick gluten-free apple crisp dessert this weekend and it was super yummy.  I made a homemade caramel sauce to drizzle over the top. Okay, who am I kidding?  I poured a bunch over the top, but you could also serve this topped with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

8 granny smith apples peeled, cored and sliced into 1″ pieces

3/4 c gluten-free all purpose flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

3/4 c granluated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1 stick of butter cold, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 375F.  Place apples in individual ramekins or a glass baking dish.  In medium bowl combine flour blend, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add butter pieces to flour mixture and mix with pastry until mixture resembles small peas.  Cover apples with topping and bake 25-30 minutes for small ramekins or 1 hour if using a large baking dish.

Fish and Chips

I hope you all had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day.  Mine was filled with lots of shamrocks and green appletinis.  I also made sure to make some gluten-free Fish and Chips courtesy of Tyler Florence’s recipe.  They were puffy, crispy and delicious.  I did some research on malt vinegar and found out that it is believed that malt vinegar is gluten-free or contains only trace amounts of gluten because of the process it goes through when they are making it.  I did have a little bit of malt vinegar on my fish, but if you want to be absolutely, positively safe just dunk your fish in some homemade tarter sauce instead.

Ingredients:

2c all-purpose gluten-free flour

1 T baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 large egg lightly beaten

1/2 c white rice flour for dredging

16 oz cod fillets cut into 2-3 inch pieces at an angle

12 oz club soda

canola or vegetable oil for frying

4 russet potatoes scrubbed clean and cut into potato wedges

1/4 c chopped parsley

1 T fresh thyme chopped

1 T fresh rosemary chopped

2 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

For the chips, preheat oven to 400F.  Coat your potatoes in oil and then spinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and parsley.  Spread evenly onto a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes turning over halfway through cooking.

For the fish, heat about 3 inches of oil over medium-high heat.  In a large mixing bowl combine 2 c all-purpose flour, baking powder, egg, 1/4 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of salt.  Pour in club soda and whisk to combine.  Batter should be smooth.  Dust each cod fillet with rice flour and then dip in the batter.  Drain off excess and place fish in hot oil.  Fry for 5 minutes until golden brown.  Drain fish on papertowels and sprinkle lightly with salt.

When Life Doesn’t Give You Lasagna Noodles You Make Lasagna Casserole

This weekend I wanted to make gluten-free lasagna for my Mom’s birthday dinner.  We travelled to two different stores in search of gluten-free lasagna noodles, but could not find any on the shelves.  I decided to go with Plan B…..lasagna casserole.  This casserole would have all the lasagna flavors, but I would layer the sauce and cheeses with penne pasta in a baking dish.  The result was a casserole that even Garfield the cat would enjoy.

Ingredients:

Bolognese sauce (I made a fresh batch of this sauce using Giada De Laurentis recipe here – except I added a mixture of ground sirloin and italian sausage and added a 1/4 c red wine to deglaze the pan)

16 oz ricotta cheese

2 c shredded italian cheese blend

16 oz package of baby bella mushrooms sauteed in olive oil

16 oz package of fresh spinach sauteed in olive oil

16 oz package gluten-free penne pasta

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 9X13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Ladle 1/2 c of bolognese sauce in bottom of dish.  Spread half the penne over the sauce.  Ladle half the remaining bolognese sauce over pasta, then add half the ricotta, half the mushrooms, half the spinach and half the shredded cheese.  Repeat the layers once more making sure top layer is shredded cheese.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes and then let cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

 

Cowboy Spaghetti

Growing up my brother and I had spaghetti for dinner probably once a week.  I felt like I had noodles and tomato sauce coming out of my ears.  I was sick, sick, sick of spaghetti and swore off it for many years.  I started making this Rachel Ray version a couple of years ago and now it is the only spaghetti I eat.  The cheddar cheese and sliced scallions on top give it a much different flavor and crumbled bacon makes anything taste better.  Try it out!

Ingredients:

1 lb gluten-free spaghetti noodles

1 T olive oil

4 slices bacon chopped

1 lb ground sirloin

1 medium onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank’s hot sauce)

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1/2 c gluten-free beer or beef stock

14 oz fire roasted or regular diced tomatoes

8 oz can tomato sauce

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

4 scallions sliced on the bias

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Brown bacon in a large skillet or dutch oven and drain.   Add olive oil to bacon fat and add sirloin.  Brown beef for 4-5 minutes and than add onions and garlic.   Season with salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  Deglaze pan with beer or stock.  Cook for about 5 minutes and then add tomato sauce and tomatoes.  Add spaghetti noodles to sauce and toss to combine.  Pour spaghetti in a shallow dish and then sprinkle with cheese, scallions and bacon.

Yes, that’s a baked potato

I decided to try something new from Jason’s Deli today.  I opted for the Pollo Mexicano spud.  I was not prepared for the gigantic potato that I would receive.  This thing was massive and covered in marinated chicken breast, cheddar cheese, sour cream and pico de gallo.  I ordered some blue corn tortilla chips with red pepper hummus as a side dish, but had I known the potato was going to be the size of a small infant I would have skipped the chips. 

The spud was quite filling and deliciously cheesy.  This potato was a great gluten-free meal for me.

My Pinterest Boycott

I refuse to look at Pinterest.  This is not because it has harmed or offended me in some way.  I avoid it because I know if I give in that I spend countless hours looking and pinning things with my time rather than focusing on writing my children’s books, spending time with my kids or cooking great gluten-free food.

Last week I got around to really going through my latest Rachel Ray Magazine issue and decided to cut out this recipe.  Yeah, I cut it out of the magazine….old school style.  This Tex-Mex recipe was featured as the burger of the month and it was delicious.  I used Udi’s gluten-free hamburger buns and toasted them lightly in a dry skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. 

Burger Ingredients:

12 slices of good quality bacon (4 slices finely chopped and 8 slices left whole)

1lb  – 1.25 lbs 80% lean ground beef

3-4 T grated onion

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 T pureed chipotle in adobo sauce

2 T worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

gluten-free hamburger buns or gluten-free rolls

Fritos corn chips

Additonal toppings (tomato, lettuce, pickled jalapenos or cilantro)

Queso Sauce Ingredients:

3 T unsalted butter

2 T gluten-free flour

1 c milk

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar

14 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles

Cook the 8 whole slices of bacon until crisp and set aside.  Preheat griddle pan or cast-iron skillet on stove over medium-high heat.  In a bowl mix ground beef, chopped raw bacon, onion, garlic, chipotle puree, worcestershire and salt and pepper.  Form into 4 patties thinner at the center.  Drizzle patties with olive oil and grill for about 5 minutes on each side.  Make your queso sauce by melting butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour for one minute and then whisk in milk.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Add tomatoes and stir to combine.  Place burger on toasted bun, top with queso, bacon strips, corn chips and any additional toppings you like.