Category: Recipe

I’m of two sides of the coin when it comes to how to prepare the perfect pizza.  While I think nothing is better than a fresh pizza dough, made from scratch and perfectly seasoned and cooked on a pizza stone…I’m a gluten-free girl.  And sometimes the gluten-free crusts made from scratch are a lot more hassle than they are worth.  The different flours and techniques used to make the perfect pizza dough is just something I don’t have time for…at the moment.

So, if you have a fail-proof gluten-free pizza dough recipe…please…feel free to use it in this recipe.  I am not there yet.  However…I do know where to get some pretty fantastic gluten-free pizza shells to use…and for this pizza I turned to Rustic Crust Gluten-Free Napoli Herb Pizza Shell.  It was the perfect choice for this pizza.

I mean, what says summer pizza more than summer squash and goat cheese?  Very little.  That’s right.  So, when Food & Wine Magazine shared this recipe, I immediately knew I had to make it.  As luck would have it, my CSA was delivering local summer squash in the bin to my door that week too.  It was perfect.  And this pizza…was one of the best I have ever tasted.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Summer Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese

Servings: 4-12 (depending on size of pizza crust)
Time: Prep 15 minutes; Cook 5-15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• All-purpose flour, for dusting (if making own dough)
• 6 ounces pizza dough or 1 store-bought pizza crust/shell (I used a store-bought gluten-free crust)
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim-milk mozzarella (I used non-dairy cheese shreds for my half of the pizza)
• 1 teaspoon chopped summer savory (I used or 1/2 teaspoon thyme and 1/2 teaspoon oregano)
• 1/4 pound summer squash, thinly sliced on a mandoline
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the minced garlic and let stand.

If making your own dough:  Preheat the oven to 500°.  Preheat a pizza stone. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to form a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the round to a lightly floured pizza peel.

Once your dough is ready or if you are using a store-bought crust/shell:

Leaving a 1/2-inch border of dough, brush the round with the garlic oil and sprinkle with crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper.

Scatter the onion slices over the round; top with the mozzarella and savory.

Arrange the squash slices on top in a single layer, overlapping them slightly.

Dot with the crumbled goat cheese.

Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for about 5 minutes, until the bottom is crisp and the squash is slightly browned.  Transfer the pizza to a work surface.  Sprinkle with the walnuts, if using, and drizzle with olive oil.

Cut into wedges and serve.

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I didn’t use the walnuts on my pizza because I didn’t think they were necessary to the recipe.  Granted, I may try this again using the walnuts to see if it adds anything to it.  I know walnuts seem like an odd topping for a pizza, but I use them all the time on my Meditenuttian Pizza and it is amazing what they can add to the dish.  I simply…forgot this last time, working this recipe from memory.

Again, feel free to make your own dough.  I wish I had a good recipe that I could use to make my own pizza dough.  Sometimes that perfect flour mixture is just an experiment away.  Maybe in the coming weeks I’ll play around with what I have in my pantry and see if I can make something work.  But for people like me…or if you simply don’t have time, something straight out of the store (shelf or frozen) will work just as well.

The flavors of the squash, the onion, the garlic, the red pepper…they all work so well in combination with the salty tang of goat cheese and mozzarella.  This pizza is perfect for the summer.  Light.  Crispy.  Delicious.

You know you’re craving pizza now.  So use what’s in season and do it proud.

 

You know what one of my favorite products to keep in my pantry at all times is?  Pumpkin.  Yes.  Pumpkin.  In the fall, I covet it.  Not that you can’t get canned pumpkin year-round, it’s just that sometimes it can be a little hard to come by.  I have learned to use it as a substitute for butter and eggs in recipes.  It doesn’t change the flavor at all…just makes it healthier.

The same applies to using pumpkin in something like…macaroni and cheese.  No need to clean your glasses, you read that right.  Pumpkin in pasta.  Seems…strange, yes?  Well, I’m here to tell you that by using pumpkin you can cut at least 1/2 the fat and calories out of your homemade macaroni and cheese.  Sounds too good to be true?

It’s not.  And even better…this is a creamy, cheesy delight  of a dish.  And I have The BrokeAss Gourmet to thank for this amazing recipe.  Try it…and see how awesome it is for yourself.

Recipe: Gluten-Free Brown Butter-Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Servings: 4
Time: Prep 15 minutes; Cook 22 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. elbow macaroni, penne, shells or other small pasta shape (I used Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Penne)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter plus more for the pan (I used Smart Balance)
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)
• 3/4 cup milk (any kind…I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp shredded aged white cheddar cheese (I used Cabot Extra-Sharp White Cheddar)
• dash nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 2 qt. baking pan or 4 ramekins/oven-proof bowls

Cook macaroni in boiling water according to package directions.

While macaroni cooks, melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat.  As soon as it begins to brown, add the flour and whisk until you have a very sticky dough.

Slowly whisk in the milk to form a creamy white sauce.

Continue whisking as you add the pumpkin and 1/2 cup of the white cheddar.  You should have a very creamy orange sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and return it to its pot.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the sauce over the pasta and stir to coat the pasta evenly.

Scrape the sauced pasta into the prepared pan(s) and top with the reserved cheddar plus more salt and pepper.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the cheese is very bubbly and lightly browned on top.  Serve hot.

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What’s really amazing about this dish is it tastes like cheese, not pumpkin.  Honestly, you can’t even tell that pumpkin is a part of it.  But it is.  And it’s amazing.  I made some for my roomie’s aunt and she absolutely raved about it.  My roommate is insisting that I make up another batch on the double because she wants more of it.  So, I would call this recipe a win.

Go ahead…buy a can of pumpkin and give this pasta a shot.  I promise…you won’t just like it.  You’ll love it.  And your homemade mac & cheese may never be the same again.

Thank you to The BrokeAss Gourmet for this fantastic recipe (which I happily made gluten-free)!

Seeing as how I’ve been getting plenty of fruits and vegetables from my local CSA, I have been trying to work up meals that will use everything up in time for the next bin.  That’s not as much of a problem this week as since I am going out of town, I had to cancel my incoming bin.  And I know I will have some carryover produce for the beginning of next week.  That’s fine.

But it has introduced me to a lot of new dishes and new foods to prepare.  And, with the help of Delight Gluten-Free Magazine, I prepared one of their featured recipes – a Chilled Asian Noodle Salad.  I tweaked the recipe only slightly (I left out the apple), but the rest of it was all used.  And my vegetable crisper drawer saw a lot of use today as I readied the ingredients and mixed everything together.

Without further adieu…this gluten-free/vegan recipe…

Recipe: Asian Noodle Salad

Servings: 4-6
Time: Prep 15 minutes; Cook 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 package rice noodles (I used A Taste of Thai)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon hot chili oil
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons gluten-free Tamari soy sauce (I used San-J)
• 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter & Co.)
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned (thinly sliced)
• 1 carrot, peeled, and julienned
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup bok choy, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, rough chopped for garnish

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a large pot.

Cook rice noodles as directed on package.  Rinse noodles with cold water, drain well, and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, chili oil, rice wine vinegar, gluten-free Tamari soy sauce and peanut butter until well combined.

Add noodles, all vegetables, and cilantro to a large bowl.  Toss to combine.

Pour the dressing over the noodle salad, and toss gently with tongs to mix well. Garnish with the chopped peanuts and serve immediately, or after refrigeration if desired.

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The most difficult part of this was tossing it, to be honest.  I had all the noodles on the bottom, all the veggies on top, and then the sauce over it…and my largest bowl just wasn’t large enough.  But…I managed.  And in the end, I was left with a fantastic, flavorful noodle dish that was perfect for dinner!  All the flavors worked.  And, as I mentioned, the original recipe called for a Granny Smith Apple to be peeled and julienned as well, but I didn’t have one on hand and the salad didn’t lack anything minus the apple.

Love Asian flavors and food?  I highly recommend this dish!

 

I love eggplant!  Love it.  It’s nutritious.  Delicious.  And highly underrated.  Let’s face it…you say eggplant to someone who never really has tasted one and you get the wrinkled up nose and the comment that they don’t like eggplant.  Well, how do they know?  And have they ever had eggplant done right?

One of my favorite things to cook with eggplant is eggplant rollatini.  This recipe is fantastic and snagged from one of my favorite magazines to dive into every month – Prevention.

It’s healthy, easy , and delicious.  The eggplant is soft and tender, like a noodle…but healthier.  And the filling…yeah…it’s the star.  If you are unsure about eggplant, I recommend trying out this recipe and seeing if it changes your mind.  Trust me…you’ll fall in love with it.

Recipe: Eggplant Rollatini

Servings: 4
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 tsp dried basil
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 ounce (1/4 cup) shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the broiler.

Coat a large baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

Coat a 9″x 9″ baking dish with cooking spray and place 1/2 cup of marinara sauce on bottom of dish to coat.

Peel the eggplant, if desired.  (Personally, I left the skin on).

Cut lengthwise into 1/4″-thick slices.  Place on the prepared baking sheet and coat with olive oil cooking spray.

Broil 6″ from the heat for 10 minutes or until softened and lightly browned, turning once.  Reduce the oven to 350°F.

Combine the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, garlic and pepper in a medium bowl.

Divide evenly between the eggplant, spooning onto 1 end of each slice.

Roll the slices around the filling, starting from a short side.

Arrange seam sides down in the prepared baking dish.

Spoon 2 cups of the marinara sauce over the eggplant rolls and sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake for 25 minutes or until heated through.

Serve.

~*~*~

The most difficult part of this recipe was slicing the eggplant.  Originally the mandolin slicer was what I attempted, but that didn’t work out.  A run to the grocery store later and another eggplant and I was hand slicing these as thin as possible.  It worked.  And my eggplant browned up nicely under the broiler.

Even better, once I arranged the 8 rolls of eggplant, sauced it, cheesed it, and allowed it to bake, it came out perfectly.  I mean…what’s not to love about baked, tender eggplant rolled around a delicious blend of cheeses and topped off with sauce.  I even used my homemade marinara sauce from my previous post for this dish.  Perfect pairing.

Go on.  Go get an eggplant and try this one for yourself.  It’s not only nutritious…but it is guaranteed to satisfy even the pickiest palate.

Welcome to the point where I sit in the kitchen, staring at a bowl full of organic tomatoes on-the-vine, and think to myself it’s time to branch out a little and try to create and do something with them…because I had a lot of tomatoes and I didn’t want them to go to waste.  I also had an eggplant in the refrigerator from my weekly CSA and I had every intention of cooking up some eggplant rollatini with it.  So, what better way to use tomatoes up than to make your own marinara sauce.

And that’s exactly what I did.  In a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-chef-pants sort of way.  I went into the pantry, the spice cabinet, and the fridge and pulled out ingredients I felt would make a flavorful marinara sauce.

In the end…I wasn’t disappointed.

This…good friends…is my very own recipe!!!

Recipe: Homemade Marinara Sauce

Servings: 4
Time: Prep 15 minutes; Cook 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds organic on-the-vine tomatoes
  3 cloves garlic, minced
  1 small white onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
  1 tbsp tomato paste
  1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  1/2 cup red wine
  1 tsp dried basil (or 2 tbsp fresh)
  1/2 tsp dried oregano
  1/2 tsp dried parsley
  salt, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Prepare an ice bath and place near the stove.

Using a paring knife, cut a shallow x onto the bottom of each tomato and carefully add the tomatoes to the boiling water and cook until the skins split, 15 to 20 seconds.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes and place immediately into the ice bath.  When they have cooled completely, removed the skins and discard.

Quarter the tomatoes. Remove the seeds.  Chop the tomatoes and set aside.

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes.

Add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about a minute more.

Stir in tomatoes.  Cook until sauce reaches a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add the balsamic vinegar and tomato paste, and stir in.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.  Add the red wine and allow liquid to simmer and reduce.  Add salt, to taste.  Then stir in the basil, oregano, and parsley.

Pour the ingredients from the pan into a food processor and pulse until it is to the consistency that you like.

Serve over pasta, pizza, veggies…or whatever.  This marinara is so versatile.

~*~*~

I admit it…I was playing with fire when I went into the kitchen to cook this up.  I started off with a recipe, but before even getting started, I tossed it out, said “Screw it…I’m winging it.”  And that’s what I did.  The result…a flavorful, robust, delicious marinara that I ended up using over homemade eggplant rollatini.  Great flavor.  The tomatoes and the wine pair up perfectly and really bring the flavor to the sauce.  I surprised myself when I cooked this up.  Now I can’t wait to get in there and experiment some more.

Please…try my recipe and let me know what you think!

Bon Appétit!

There are just moments that occur while you are watching Food Network that you sit there, staring at the screen, drooling, and wishing you were BFFs with the chef because the dish they are making just looks and sounds so fantastic.  Sometimes, these recipes are completely out of the league of the everyday home chef.

But not in the case of the recipe for Confetti Corn, compliments of the Barefoot Contessa.  You know…she is an amazing chef and it’s not difficult to change up her higher-fat/calorie recipes to make them healthier.  Believe me…I have done it.  But there is no need for such things with this vegetable dish.

Trust me…no one I have made this for has disliked it at all.  It always receives rave reviews.  So…now it’s your turn to give this dish a try.  I promise…you won’t disappoint.  As Ina Garten says…you’ll be turning the flavor way up.

Recipe: Confetti Corn

Servings: 6
Time: Prep 15 minutes; Cook 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 small orange bell pepper, 1/2-inch diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used Earth Balance)
• Kernels cut from 5 ears yellow or white corn (4 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil

Directions:

When it comes to Mexican delicacies like guacamole and salsa, there is one chef who I would bet my life on to have a fantastic recipe.  That man is the amazing Rick Bayless.  And once again, he proved me right when I was determined to make my own salsa for the first time…ever.  This recipe is not only easy, but it has a nice slow burn to it.  It’s fantastic and it will definitely show you how brilliant this chef is when it comes to Mexican fare.

One important thing I did learn…while cutting the jalapeños…should one accidentally squirt you directly in the eye…it will burn…a lot.  And it will hurt…a lot.  Oh…and your eye might swell up.  Mine did.

Ah, the life lessons we learn in the kitchen.

But without further adieu…the recipe that won my salsa-loving heart.

Recipe: Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa

 

Servings: 12
Time: Prep 5 minutes; Cook 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 fresh jalapeño chiles
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, preferably fire roasted
• 1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Salt

Directions:

In a small ungreased skillet over medium heat, roast the chiles and garlic, turning regularly, until they are soft and blotchy brown, about 10 minutes for the chiles, 15 minutes for the garlic.  Cool until handleable, then pull the stem(s) off the chile(s) and roughly chop.  Peel the skin off the garlic.  Scoop into a food processor and pulse until quite finely chopped.

Add the tomatoes with their juice.  Re-cover and pulse until you have a coarse puree.  Scrape into a serving dish.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2  teaspoon.

Serve.

~*~*~

As I said, this salsa has a nice kick to it, and I even scraped out the seeds of the jalapeños.  But, it isn’t too spicy.  If you wanted less heat, I recommend using a milder chile or perhaps just using one as opposed to the two that I used.  But, this is a nice, medium-heat salsa that compliments a good handful of gluten-free tortilla chips.  And…yes…it really is that easy to prepare.  So get your your pan and your food processor.  This delicious and flavorful salsa can be yours to indulge in too.

Thank you again, master of Mexican cuisine.  One again, Rick Bayless…you rocked it out.