gluten free recipe – Lollipopsicle

January 22, 2014January 22, 2014

Gluten free, creamy polenta with rotisserie chicken cacciatore

[pinny url=”http://74.48.178.175/2014/01/22/gluten-free-cr…ken-cacciatore/” media=”http://74.48.178.175/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/WP_20140122_003-e1390428752581.jpg” width=”1446″ height=”1632″ description=”Gluten-Free Chicken Cacciatore with creamy polenta -lollipopsicle”]

Do you have those days where you fully intend on making a full meal for the family, but then once dinnertime hits you find that your plan was never put into action? Between school, soccer, and basic “Mom” functions in general I have really been trying to stretch my pantry staples into hearty, fresh, meals that can be cooked in less than 30 minutes (Oh geez, that was a corny line circa 1956, I need to read “The Feminine Mystique” apparently). I have a two and a half year old, and if you or someone you know has one you could understand why even trying to shop at the grocery store is totally impossible on most days. I think that there are a few pre-made items that are totally acceptable to use and actually make delicious homemade meals quick and easy. One of my “go-to” items is rotisserie chicken, depending on where you shop, some are better than others, but most times they are good, as is or as I like to do, removed from bones, skin removed, shredded and used as the protein in your dish. Another thing to have on hand that is a never a bad idea, is a good, high quality, no sugar added, jarred marinara. I’m kinda picky with what I will use, but there are some really good ones, buy your favorite. I also like to have dried mushrooms in my pantry and grains of all sorts. Right now I love polenta, its rich, filling, easy, and just happens to be gluten-free for those of you who try to avoid gluten. So here is a quick weeknight meal that your family will love, easy to be vegan as well, skip the animal products all together and it is still yum.

You will need:

1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded

1 big jar of your favorite marinara, or use 4 cups of homemade

½ green bell pepper diced small

1 palmful dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in ½ cup hot water, I love these because they add instant flavor and can are cabinet safe, if you prefer you can use 1 cup diced mushrooms of choice.

For polenta:

4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
1-3 tablespoons butter (optional)

Bring stock to a boil, add salt, reduce heat to medium-high, add polenta, whisk vigorously and often for about 12 minutes, turn down to medium and whisk every few minutes while you make your sauce.

Place sauce ingredients in a saucepan, heat over medium until simmering, cook 15 minutes or so until green peppers are tender.

Add butter to polenta if you are using it, stir until melted. Top a scoop of creamy polenta with Cacciatore sauce and top with parmesan and fresh parsley.

July 17, 2013December 26, 2014

Faki (Greek Lentil Soup), also known as don’t “faki” with the old man’s soup!

Yep another install of lentil soup, but this is no run of mill “something I think up” soup. This is the real deal Greek style lentil soup that is simple yet outrageously good. You need nothing particularly special for this, more important it is the process that deems the desired result. I have a little story for you… about this soup, my dad, Nick, he loves the stuff….we didn’t eat it that often growing up but when we would have it or eat it at a restaurant and it was done to pop’s specifications it was always a work of art, and seemed to bring him more joy than the most expensive steak house meal. Lentils, aren’t art you say? Well try this then decide that. One brazen afternoon after I had finished my tenure at culinary tech college I decided I would whip up a “new” and “improved” version that I was sure would please my dad and he would never want to go back to the “old” way again. Knowing his longstanding love affair with Campbell soup’s bean with bacon, I added BACON! Bacon makes everything better right? WRONG, dead wrong….he ate a bite and his face fell, “did you add bacon?” “Yep, I did”. “It doesn’t have bacon, it never has meat in it.” He turned his Grecian nose up at it and never asked me to make it again…I have since gone back to the original and even made a few batches for him to try and I finally came up to with right formula. This experience taught me a valuable lesson, not everything is better with bacon, in fact the really good stuff needs nothing superfluous at all. Some things are about tradition, culture, nostalgia, there are some things my friends that we just can’t improve on. So today is my faki style lentil soup redemption, and if you’ve never had them this way, you are in for a treat.

My dad on the right, with his uncles and my grandfather (middle in the plaid). Never mess with tradition

1 lb bag of dried brown lentils, yep old run o’ mill $1 a bag kind
1 large onion, diced
5 yes 5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
10 cups of stock or water or both, I used 5 cups chicken stock and 5 cups of water
1 6oz can tomato paste
6 whole cloves
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp red pepper flake
¼ cup olive oil, extra for drizzling
4tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic till translucent, add carrots, celery, red pepper flakes and tomato paste, cook 2 minutes, add all of your liquid, rinsed and inspected lentils (you don’t want tiny rocks in your soup), bring to a boil, then simmer 1 ½ hours. Add salt (adjust to taste, depending on how salty your cooking liquid is), pepper, and oregano, add vinegar. Drizzle with a bit more oil and serve, you can add chopped parsley to beautify it, but not if you are serving it to my dad…maybe just a bit more dried oregano and maybe a drizzle of hot sauce (go with personal preference). This is great with a rustic bread or even your pantry staple saltines.

April 22, 2013June 14, 2015

Greek Potato Salad

Let me begin today with why I like Costco, as far as corporations go, they ain’t bad. Costco pays a living wage to employees, provide health insurance, they work with local distributors, you can get certain products for quarters on the dollar, carries loads of organic products, Wal-mart could learn a thing or two from them, that is for sure. So about once a month or so I make the trek to Costco, it’s a total hassle…but occasionally I drink a few espressos and get ready to fight the crowds to hunt bargains. Well I got this 20lbs bag of Washington #1 Russets for $6, which is a heck of deal! Problem is, I’ve been trying to use them all up before they go to tater heaven (aka: become rotten and smell of decomp). So with that intro…let me introduce today’s recipe…..drum roll please TATER SALAD! Not that mayo extravaganza that you can play “guess that mess” with….meaning you never know what is in that stuff. I’ve mentioned in other post my dislike of mayo in general….spoilage…etc. This recipe I am sharing today is one of all time fav’s , as a kid I loved it! My Dad even made like 35lbs of it for my wedding reception! This is my version, I demo’d it on a televised fundraiser for public T.V. back in Utah, I was after Tony Caputo, he made gnocchi…tough act to follow but I think I held my own, even got an article in the paper! Sad part was the recipe was wrong…..instead of two teaspoons of garlic salt….it said two tablespoons, so really whoever made it from that recipe, probably didn’t enjoy it. HAHA! There are limitless variations of potato salad and this is mine…depending on what is available, you can use different potatoes, onions, fresh garlic or garlic salt, and use fresh herbs or dried, depending on the season. This is the salad in it most accessible and easiest version. Vegan and gluten free before it was trending, this salad should be one every home -cook has in their arsenal.
• 5lbs of potatoes of choice (I’m using russets, but I’ve also use a mix of Yukons, reds, and even blue potatoes when I can find them.)
• ½ red onion, small dice
• 1 cup celery, small dice
• 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill or 1 teas dried dill
• 2 cloves fresh garlic pulverized or you can use garlic salt 1 to 2 teas depending on how much salt your potatoes suck up, if you using garlic salt don’t add extra salt
• Juice of 1 lemon if it’s a juicy bugger….more if he ain’t got the flow
• ½ cup Olive oil (preferably Greek, but any extra virgin will work)
• Salt and pepper to taste (note no extra salt if using garlic salt)
Boil your potatoes with skin on till they can be easily pierced by a fork. Cool. Once cooled, peel, medium dice potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the rest of ingredients and stir. Garnish with some lemon zest. Make it the day before and its extra tasty! Can be served at room temp and won’t spoil at your summer BBQ. Try this variation, I think you will like the bright, fresh, flavors!

Doing a demo for "P is for Potato" cooking show for PBS. At Orson Gygi in SLC. — Doing a demo for “P is for Potato” cooking show for PBS. At Orson Gygi in SLC.

April 16, 2013

Super easy Asian slaw with homemade Tahini Dressing (Vegan and Gluten Free)

With summer just around the corner, I want to post some recipes that won’t interfere with our quest to look in swimming suits…of course they have to be delicious too! So here is my latest obsession. If there is one thing I have always hated it is store bought mayo. I don’t understand the appeal, it tastes like bland goo, it fattening, and it spoils at room temperature. Unless I am making my own fresh with olive oil I don’t use mayonnaise at all. So in lieu of mayo I usually always use a vinaigrette, but sometimes folks will complain that they miss the “creaminess” that mayo adds. The thing I’ve been obsessed with is tahini, it is often used in hummus, but lately I have been experimenting with it in other applications. Tahini is a paste made of sesame seeds it is strong, nutty, and rich, almost like peanut butter, but is more easily blended with other flavors. It’s vegan and won’t spoil if you are serving it at room temperature. By itself tahini can be way too heavy and rich, but I was inspired by the Tahini garlic dressing at Whole foods and I bought a bottle….but at $3.99 for 8oz I wanted to find a way to make my own. Whole foods uses liquid aminos in theirs and nutritional yeast. I didn’t have either on hand so I subbed in soy sauce and used some siracha to spice it up. This recipe makes a ton and it is good in the fridge for a week or longer. I make my dressing in a big mason jar and use a hand held blender. Super easy, you can of course use blender.
1/2 cup Tahini
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic more or less to suit your taste
2 tbsp vinegar, cider is good, I had red wine and it worked great
3 tbsp soy
2 scallions chopped
Juice of one lime
1 tbsp sciracha
blend together until smooth, that is it! WARNING: This stuff is super addictive!
To make the slaw, I got a bag of slaw mix at the store and grated 1 cup of jicama mixed in 1/3 cup of the dressing. I added sesame seeds, cashews, cilantro, and some scallions. As delicious as this recipe is, it also just happens to be vegan, and depending on the soy you use can easily be gluten free! Try this recipe at your next pot luck! Summer is just around the corner and I hope you try this slaw in place of the usual mayo based variety!