Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger: Celiacs in the House

I don’t know why I’ve missed the “Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger” events for the past few months. I’m regretting that I haven’t participated. It’s fun, and it’s an excellent opportunity to try out gluten-free recipes from my gluten-free blogger friends that I have been meaning to make for what seems like forever. I think somehow, it’s just slipped from my mind for a while. This month, I decided that I’d change all that.

Sea at Book of Yum was the original creator of this event. It continues to be a wonderful opportunity for those of us that blog gluten-free. Shirley at Gluten-Free Easily is hosting the Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event this month, and she will have a roundup of all of the recipes in early September. Be sure to check it out!

I adopted a new-to-me blog this month – Celiacs in the House. Wendy, the author, writes about everything gluten-free, from new packaged goods to recipes to everything in between. She and her two teens have celiac disease, and so they follow a gluten-free diet. Wendy recently took a new look at her eating and lifestyle habits and blogged about a journey she took to become healthier as she approached the big 5-0. (Read more about her journey here.) I’ve only recently begun reading Wendy’s blog, but I’m hooked – Celiacs in the House is a delight to read.

As I was reading through numerous posts, I came across one recipe that stood out to me – a chickpea, zucchini and quinoa salad recipe. It’d been a while since I prepared quinoa, and so I opted to try Wendy’s salad. I decided to substitute pecans for the chickpeas, as chickpeas and I just don’t get along. Otherwise, I followed the rest of the recipe exactly – even adding some shredded carrot along with the zucchini as Wendy suggested. It was a delicious salad. The dressing was sweet, but had a bit of bite from the ground chipotle chile powder. I enjoyed more than my fair share for dinner last night, and then had a generous helping for lunch today. I think I could definitely incorporate this salad into my lunches on a routine basis. Can’t wait to see what else comes out of Wendy’s kitchen.

Visit Celiacs in the House to check out the recipe for this quinoa salad, and while you’re there, be sure to browse around and get to know Wendy a bit. You might just find a few more ideas for delicious gluten-free munching!

Butternut, Black Bean and Smoked Pork Stew

It’s not really time for stew. It’s late August, so for a Texan like me, that still means at least 3-4 weeks of hot temperatures to go. The stars were aligned for us last night, however, and a cold front blew in. The high temp yesterday? 80 degrees. It was 107 on Monday. That makes 80 degrees practically feel like sweater weather in comparison! Nearly every day in August has been over 100 degrees here, so we were a touch giddy.

Armed with fresh butternut squash from a local farm, and a desire to make a frugal, simple meal, I set off to make a stew. I cooked beans in the slow cooker while I was away at work, and when I came home, I was able to assemble this dish and have dinner in under 45 minutes. Not bad. If one was in a real hurry and bought frozen, cubed butternut squash, I imagine you could cut that time down to 15 minutes. For me, I prefer fresh – especially when it’s in season!

This stew is a lovely, spicy-sweet blend of flavors and textures. I forced myself to stop after a huge bowlful, but I could have easily had seconds or thirds, in spite of how filling it was. I brought a sample to a coworker for a taste; she loved it. Sounds like a win to me! 

I measured amounts in this recipe, but you can certainly alter as you see fit. Feel free to use canned beans if that’s your desire. Increase or decrease the jalapenos or chipotle chili powder to suit your heat tolerance. It was relatively spicy when I made it, so if you can’t handle a lot of heat, you might want to only use 1 jalapeno. If you don’t have smoked meat, a bit of cooked, crumbled bacon or salt pork might do nicely, or you could simply omit the meat altogether, and add a touch of smoked paprika. That’s what I love about stews – there really isn’t a “wrong” way to go!

Butternut, Black Bean and Smoked Pork Stew

2 T grapeseed oil

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 c butternut squash, diced in half-inch cubes

3 c cooked black beans (about 2 15-oz cans)

2 c shredded, smoked pork or chicken

1 ½ T ground cumin

½ t ground chipotle chile powder

1 t sweet paprika

3 c chicken stock

Salt to taste

Optional accompaniments:

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped cilantro

In a large, heavy pot, heat grapeseed oil to medium heat. Add onion and jalapenos and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add butternut squash and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add beans, pork, cumin, chipotle chili powder, and stock and stir. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Season with salt. Allow to simmer until butternut squash is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve  topped with tomatoes and cilantro.

Serves 4.

Peach and Lemon Thyme Freezer Jam and a Giveaway!

It’s peach season in Texas. Well, it’s been peach season for a while now, truthfully. I love it. Peaches are one of my favorite fruits. I won’t settle for those cold storage, flavorless specimens at the grocery though – it’s local or nothing for me. Texas peaches simply are juicier and more flavorful. Because of my devotion to this favorite fruit of mine, I recently bought a huge quantity of peaches, just so I could freeze some and enjoy them in the colder months of the year.

I did set some aside for jam, however. I found some low-sugar pectin, so I wouldn’t have to add cup after cup of the stuff. Of course, I was lazy and didn’t want to can the jam, so I simply stuck it in the freezer. Easy peasy. And since my lemon thyme has been flourishing, I decided to throw some in the mix, just for fun.

What resulted was a lovely, fresh, flavorful jam. Not too sweet, as I only used a half-cup of honey for the entire batch, but plenty delicious for sure. Other than the “taste tests” I performed on the jam as I was making it, it was first enjoyed on these lovely coconut flour biscuits, courtesy of Diet, Dessert and Dogs. With a cup of coffee, this was a lovely breakfast. I also plan on glazing roasted chicken with the jam in the near future.

Speaking of coconut flour, I’ve been baking with it quite a bit lately. It’s a great gluten-free, grain-free flour. It’s very high in fiber and protein. It doesn’t mess with my digestive system (a big win for me!). And it lasts a while, since coconut flour is quite absorbent, and you don’t need as much in a baked good recipe.

I’d love to share in my coconut flour baking experiences, so when Tropical Traditions gave me another opportunity to give away one of their products, I opted for their coconut flour. I’ve been loving it – using it in pancakes, brownies, and biscuits.

I’d love for you to bake with it too! This giveaway is for one 2.2 pound bag of coconut flour, courtesy of Tropical Traditions.

How do you win? Lots of ways! Leave me a comment for each of these activities:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you’d like to bake with coconut flour.

2. Become a fan of Tasty Eats At Home on Facebook and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

3. Post an update on Facebook about this giveaway and leave me a coment telling me you did so.

4. Follow Tasty Eats At Home on Twitter and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

5. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

6. Blog about this giveaway and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

7. Subscribe to Tasty Eats At Home via RSS or email and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

That’s it! This means you can enter up to 7 times for this giveaway. The giveaway will end on August 31, 2010, and a winner will be randomly chosen and announced on the following day.

And now, on to the jam recipe!

Peach and Lemon Thyme Freezer Jam, adapted from Pomona Pectin

4 c peeled, chopped, and/or mashed peaches

1/4 c lemon juice

1/2 c honey

1 t lemon thyme leaves, minced

4 1/2 t pectin powder plus 3 t calcium water (from a Pomona low-sugar pectin box)

To easily peel peaches: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slice an “X” just through the skin on the bottom of each peach. Using a slotted spoon, lower the peaches into the water. Boil for 1-2 minutes, remove with the slotted spoon, and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. The peels should slip off easily.

Add the calcium water to a medium saucepan. Pour honey into a separate bowl. Mix the pectin powder into the honey.

Add the peaches, lemon juice, and thyme to the calcium water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add pectin-honey mixture and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes. Return to a boil and remove from heat.

Fill jars or containers to 1/4 inch from top. Allow to cool to room temperature. Place jars in freezer without lids and freeze overnight or until firm. Place lids on jars.

To use, thaw jam in refrigerator overnight. Should be used within 2 weeks once opened.

Kids in the Kitchen: Braised Sea Cucumber

Yep, you read that right. Braised sea cucumber. As in, the big worm-looking echinoderm. We have a house full of picky eaters, for sure, except Brandan. Brandan is always ready to try a strange food. Specifically, a strange protein. (While he will try new vegetables, his focus is generally on meat, seafood, and the like.) He’s talked about sea cucumber multiple times in the past, and my response has always been “Honey, I have no idea where to buy such a thing.” So each time it was Brandan’s turn to cook, we turned to other options.

Until now.

A few weeks ago, the new 99 Ranch Market opened near our home. I visited during the grand opening. We already have many other Asian markets in the area that are exceptional, and I love that each is unique. 99 Ranch Market was no exception. They sold things I’d only read about – durians, jackfruit…and sea cucumber.

I was giddy when I found it. They sold it several ways – frozen, frozen and pre-sliced, and fresh. When I next saw Brandan, I told him about it. Needless to say, he was excited. I cautioned him that I’d never eaten it, and while I researched a bit on how to cook it (I explained the recipe, and what I read about the general flavor and texture), there was no guarantee we’d get it right, because I was unfamiliar. He was up for the challenge, and so we made plans to make it this weekend.

Once we got down to it, it wasn’t hard to make. The big “hassle” was that it needed to be cleaned and blanched prior to cooking. No biggie. It only took us about 45 minutes from start to finish. (That’s probably about 30 minutes in regular cooking time)

The verdict? Not bad. Sea cucumber really has no flavor on its own, so it adopts the flavor of the sauce. The texture is what is most interesting. It’s gelatinous. Which in my mind isn’t a bad thing – I love texture. Slippery, slimy, crunchy, chewy – all good for me. Brandan ate it and thought it was interesting. As for everyone else? Well, as I said before, we have a house of picky eaters. And Brandan and I had as much sea cucumber as we liked.

Braised Sea Cucumber, adapted from healthy-chinese-recipes.com

1 lb fresh or reconstituted sea cucumbers

5 T grapeseed oil

2 carrots, sliced thin

1 medium onion, sliced thin

5 T grapeseed oil

1/2 t ginger, grated

1/2 t garlic, grated

1 t rice wine

1 T gluten-free soy sauce

4 fl oz chicken stock

1 t agave nectar

1 T arrowroot powder

1/4 t sesame oil

Slice the sea cucumbers at the stomach and rinse clean. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch sea cucumbers for 1 minute. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and drain. Set aside.

Heat grapeseed oil in a large wok or skillet to medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onion and stir-fry until tender, 2 minutes or so. Add the sea cucumber and stir-fry for another minute.

In a medium bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, rice wine, gluten-free soy sauce, chicken stock, agave nectar, and arrowroot and whisk together. Pour sauce into wok and stir. When sauce comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until thickened. Drizzle sesame oil over and serve over steamed jasmine rice.

Serves 4.

Daring Cooks: The World of Pierogi

This is another great example of why I love the Daring Cooks’ and Bakers’ Challenges. It’s all about taking yourself out of your box – making something you wouldn’t ordinarily make. Maybe this “something” seems too difficult. Maybe it seems as though it will take too long, or maybe it’s been on your list of “things to do”, but you haven’t gotten around to making it yet.

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

I never tried to make pierogies before this challenge. Not because of the reasons mentioned above. Honestly, I never even tried eating them before either. They didn’t sound unappetizing, of course, but they weren’t on the top of my list of things to try. I didn’t know what to expect with this challenge because of my lack of experience with pierogies, so I was a bit nervous. But after brainstorming on fillings (I chose to make sweet potato and rosemary, as I had a bunch of rosemary in my garden, and smoked pork shoulder and mashed potato, as I smoked a bunch of meat a few days prior), I figured I’d give them a try.

Little did I know how well they’d turn out. My husband raved about them. Raved. He exclaimed that he could imagine these could be served at all sorts of parties and could see them being a big hit with a crowd. I didn’t disagree – and the ones I made were gobbled up by the two of us that evening. I can see endless variations of fillings for these things, both sweet and savory. Needless to say, I underestimated pierogies. Now, I’m sold.

 

Sweet Potato-Rosemary Pierogi Filling (makes enough for 30+ pierogies)

2 c mashed, cooked sweet potato (I simply microwaved whole sweet potatoes until cooked, scooped out the insides, and mashed)

1/2 t fresh rosemary needles, chopped

1 T Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together mashed sweet potatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste. Fill pierogies with this filling. (Leftover filling makes a great side dish for another meal.)

 

Pork and Potato Pierogi Filling (makes enough for 30+ pierogies)

1 c mashed, cooked potato (I simply microwaved potatoes until cooked, scooped out the insides and mashed)

2 c finely chopped smoked pork shoulder (ham can be substituted)

1/2 t fresh sage leaves, chopped

1/2 t dry mustard

2 T Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread

1 T nutritional yeast flakes (optional, but create a somewhat “cheesy” flavor)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together all ingredients and season to taste. Fill pierogies with filling.

 

Gluten-Free Pierogies, adapted from What I Eat (makes about 18 small pierogies or 12 larger ones)

1/3 c tapioca starch

1/3 c sweet white rice flour

2 T potato starch

1/2 t sea salt

1 T xanthan gum

2 eggs

1 T grapeseed oil

Combine flours, salt, and xanthan gum in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl, and then whisk in oil. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until combined. You can then knead this into a ball.

Grab small portions of the dough at a time and roll out on parchment paper (I rolled it out on a Silpat) to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3 or 4 inch circle biscuit or cookie cutter, cut rounds from the dough. Repeat until all of the dough has been rolled out and cut. Place a bit of water in a small bowl, wet your fingertips, and run them around the outside of each circle. This is to help the dough seal. Place a bit less than a teaspoonful of filling in the center of each circle, and then fold in half and carefully seal the edges, either using the tines of a fork, a pierogi form, or your fingers. (I found my fingers to be the easiest.)

To cook pierogies, bring a pot full of salted water to a boil. Lower the pierogies into the boiling water with a slotted spoon and allow to boil for 10-15 minutes or until al dente. Remove with a slotted spoon. Serve with desired sauce or melted butter, or allow to cool to room temperature for frying.

To fry: Bring 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil (or other frying oil) to medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. Pat the pierogies dry and place in the oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned. Remove and place on paper towels to drain. Serve with melted butter. (I melted Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread and infused fresh sage leaves in the “butter”. While I don’t use that stuff every day, it tasted lovely and was dairy and soy-free!)

Perfect Lamb Chops

I’ve kept you waiting far too long for this post. I apologize for that – because  these lamb chops are delicious. So delicious, in fact, that the reason for the delay is that it just seems as though when these are prepared, rarely do they sit around long enough for the camera to have a moment with them. The food blogger part of me just gives in, allowing the food lover part of me to say “Go ahead, just dig in.” And so we do. And we relish every last bite.

But I promised you before that I’d share, because I can’t keep good things like this to myself. That would be really mean. I don’t like being mean.

So here it is – a simple way to prepare lamb chops perfectly every time. It doesn’t take long, and it takes very few ingredients. Just my kind of perfect.

These chops pair well with a wide variety of things. I’m partial to sweet potatoes, both baked and mashed (with a bit of fresh rosemary folded in). I also love a good risotto. This time around, I made a lighter, fresher risotto recipe I found at What’s For Lunch, Honey that bursts with lemon and fresh herbs (I used parsley, rosemary, lemon thyme, and sage), simply omitting the dairy and substituting olive oil. Divine – and a wonderful way to relax and escape from the busyness of life, even if only for a moment.

I won’t keep you waiting any longer for the chops.

Perfect Lamb Chops

1 – 1 1/2 lb lamb chops, bone-in (any variety)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 t chopped fresh herbs (I used lemon thyme, but rosemary and sage also work well)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large, oven-proof heavy skillet (I use my Lodge cast iron skillet – probably the most useful tool in my kitchen.) to medium-high heat. You can add a touch of oil of you feel it needs it – my skillet doesn’t. Pat the chops dry with paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and chopped herbs, pressing into the meat. When the skillet is hot, add the chops. Allow to sear, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes, or until browned. Flip to the other side, and sear for a minute, and then place skillet with the chops into the oven. Bake for 5-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chops for medium rare. (Mine were nearly an inch thick) Remove from oven and remove chops from pan. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes. Serve.

Kids In The Kitchen: Vanilla and Chocolate Cupcakes

We were late in our planning for Kids in the Kitchen this weekend. Usually, we know in advance what we’re going to make. However, Brittany was unsure the last time we spoke – she wanted to think about it. So when I picked her up yesterday afternoon, I asked her. “No idea,” she said. But after a minute, she’d already decided on dessert – cake, specifically. What kind of cake? Chocolate? Vanilla? (She’s not much for complicated flavors.) Cupcakes? “Cupcakes!” she said. And almost simultaneously, we knew exactly which cupcakes to make.

You see, these cupcakes have made their appearance in our kitchen several times before. Back in May, I hosted a baby shower for my sister (She had identical twin girls, Zoe and Charlotte, on July 6). We needed gluten-free cupcakes that would be baby shower worthy, so I performed a few trial runs before the big day. Brittany was a taste tester during those runs, and had her fair share the day of the baby shower. I don’t blame her – these cupcakes were tasty. Tasty enough to fool even gluten-lovers. They don’t taste gluten-free.

Today, we went one step further. We made them dairy-free as well. Even the buttercream frosting. Of course, this isn’t to say that they’ve become health food – they’re still sugary and made with starchier, whiter flours. So they’re still a treat. Just a treat that won’t make those of us with gluten and dairy issues sick!

Of course, all of this doesn’t matter so much to Brittany. What she is most concerned with is how they taste. And they taste like cupcakes – sweet, simple, and loved by kids and adults alike.

Vanilla and Chocolate Cupcakes, adapted from The Baking Beauties

Makes 1 dozen cupcakes, half vanilla, half chocolate

2 eggs

1/3 c coconut milk

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t almond extract

6 T virgin coconut oil

1/2 c sweet white rice flour

1/3 c plus 1 T tapioca starch

1/3 c potato starch

1/4 t xanthan gum

3/4 c granulated sugar

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 t baking powder

 1 1/2 T cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, extracts, and coconut oil. (warm the coconut oil slightly, if it’s solid, by microwaving for 10 seconds in the microwave.) In a large bowl, combine the sweet white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix together the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Spoon batter into 6 of the cupcake papers, filling half-full. Mix in the cocoa powder into the remaining batter, and spoon remaining batter into remaining 6 cupcake papers.

Bake for 16-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and then remove cupcakes from pan and allow to come to room temperature on a wire rack.

When cool, frost as desired.

Vanilla and Chocolate “Buttercream” Frosting

1/2 c Earth Balance buttery spread (soy-free)

4 c powdered sugar

1/4 c coconut milk

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t almond extract

1 T cocoa powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, add the buttery spread, 2 cups of the powdered sugar, the coconut milk, and the extracts. Turn the mixer on medium speed and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides, until well-blended. Add the rest of the powdered sugar in batches, whisking in each addition, until the frosting is stiff enough to hold its shape.

Frost some of the cupcakes with the vanilla frosting as desired (we frosted the chocolate cupcakes with the vanilla frosting). Add the cocoa powder to the remaining frosting, and whisk in until well-blended. Frost remaining cupcakes with chocolate frosting.