Garlicky Green Gratin / the case for kale

Cooking Light featured this recipe in their cheap eats section in October's magazine.  Here is how to make it gluten free and ramp up the flavor with bitter greens and prevent the watery results many testers got from making this recipe per their original directions. 


I like Kale any ol' time, but it is harvested in the fall (through LATE fall) since it is super hearty and can survive frost, making it cost effective since it can be locally grown and is perfectly in season right now, when many veggies go up in price. It doesn't cook down as much as spinach and has a bitter, peppery taste that is a real stand out among typical savory.


This right here is a great QUICK cook ahead meal.  Perfect for making after dinner on Sunday and enjoying during the week as a lunch on its own or for dinner with a side of brown basmati rice, oven roasted potatoes or blanched lemony asparagus. Serves 4.  


I actually made this last Sunday and we didn't touch it until Wednesday.  I think refrigerating this after baking sets the mixture a bit more, making for a firmer casserole. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 6 ounces pork or turkey sausage, removed from casing
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or less per your taste - I LOVE nutmeg! allspice or even cinnamon can be substituted)
• 2 tablespoons gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill white rice flour)
• 2 cups skim or 1% milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 8 ounces fresh kale
• 4 ounces fresh arugula
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I am still using toasted and processed gluten free waffles)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

• 2. Heat a Dutch oven or large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sausage, salt, and pepper; sauté 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. 
• 3.  Stir in flour; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Combine milk and eggs, stirring well. Reduce heat to medium. Stir milk mixture into sausage mixture; bring to a boil, stir in kale and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; fold in arugula. Spoon mixture into a glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. The greater the surface area, the firmer the mixture will set while baking.
• 4. Add 1/2 cup of gluten free bread crumbs to the top of mixture.  Top with parmesan cheese.  Bake for 12 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top.

MORE SQUASH

I am legit obsessed.  I warned you. MORE SQUASH.  I have one more squash recipe that I'm going to throw at you all and then I'll lay off. I swear.

Squash Risotto

1 squash skinned and diced (acorn or butternut, 1 prepped package from the supermarket is a-okay)
1 cup arborio rice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine (though I used red the first time I made this and it tasted amazing)
1/2 cup grated parm + more for serving/garnish
4 - 6 cups of GF vegetable or chicken stock, room temperature or slightly warmed if possible
kosher salt
pepper
ground sage
thyme
nutmeg

Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium/high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO and 1 tablespoon of butter.  When butter melts, sautee onion and squash for a few minutes, until onions are transluscent and squash are almost tender, poked easily with a fork.  Add rice and stir to coat in butter/oil.  Add a teaspoon of ground sage and wine and stir frequently until all liquid has evaporated (about 2 or 3 minutes). Reduce heat and add in stock, no more than a cup at a time.  As you begin to add stock, add a large pinch of nutmeg, another teaspoon of ground sage, a tablespoon of dried thyme and pepper per your taste. A pinch of salt is often needed to bring everything together. Stir frequently.  Add more stock once the rice has absorbed it all. After  about 25 minutes of this (aka when the rice is almost cooked), stir in parmesan.  All total, it should take the risotto 30 - 35 minutes of cooking.  Be sure to have extra stock on hand (water is fine if you run out), as arborio is some thirsty rice.

Serves 4.

Awesome winter meal alert

My name is Lauren, and I am addicted to squash from October - February every year.  And then I promptly forget about it, until I see it featured in a seasonal veggie display and get far too excited while meal planning in my head.

There are so many great uses for spaghetti squash, my fave of the gourdy bunch.  I love it tender and tossed with fresh mint, cilantro, lemon juice and EVOO.  I also love the recipe I am about to share with you.  For spaghetti squash bolognese.  Its as if it was designed for gluten free italians like myself.  It has this great SNAP to it, like a super al dente noodle, that I can't get enough of.  It's really nature's gluten free pasta.

I don't eat alot of meat.  I've been going back to it more now, just to give myself the illusion of more food options, but this is amazing with eggplant in the sauce instead of a meat. 

To use eggplant, dice it into small squares, discarding the ends.  Toss eggplant with 2 tbls of kosher salt and place in a strainer with a plate and a 28oz can of tomatoes on top to weight it.  After 30 minutes, the bitter juices of the eggplant will have mostly drained out.  Preheat your oven to 375. Wipe off as much salt as you can and wring out the eggplant in a kitchen towel or paper towel. You'll be surprised by how much liquid comes out.  Then, put it on a greased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.  The eggplant should be browned.  Add it to the sauce when nearing completion to infuse it with the herbs and flavors of the sauce.

Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

1 lb ground turkey
28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 - 4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup red wine
oregano
basil
parsley
thyme
black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  Try not to slice off a finger while doing this.  I came close multiple times, because my knives are le suck.  Remove the seeds.  Place both halves of spaghetti squash cut side down in ~ a cup of water in a pyrex/baking dish.  Poke holes in the sides now facing up.  Bake for about 35 minutes.  You can test if its done by poking it with a knife or fork.  If it punctures easily, you are good to go.

While the squash bakes, get your sauce going.  Add about a tbsp of EVOO to heated, medium sized sauce pan heated on medium-high heat. Add diced onions.  After 2 - 3 minutes, add garlic, chopped as finely as you prefer.  I have a garlic press that I adore.  Sautee garlic and onion for 1 minute.  If you are going to use eggplant, skip to the next paragraph. Add turkey, breaking up with a non wooden spoon.  Start stirring in your italian seasonings.  Turkey usually needs a pinch of salt and a liberal sprinkle of black pepper at minimum, but I like it tossed with thyme, oregano, basil and parsley.  A few shakes of each. Let the turkey begin to brown.

Add tomatoes, red wine and more herbs - tsp of each plus more thyme.  Lower heat to medium low and simmer, stirring regularly.  Taste frequently and add herbs as you see fit.  I also like a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of salt.  If the sauce is too bitter, add a pinch of sugar or a whole carrot that you can remove later to sweeten it up a bit.

When the squash is done, the sauce should be too. (Once the squash is cool enough to handle...) With the cut side facing up, use a large fork and comb through the squash, making "spaghetti."  Scoop it directly into the sauce, stirring to evenly distribute the sauce.  A dash of parmesan, or even some goat cheese goes great on top too.

One of the many reasons why Autumn is my favorite season.  Tasty.