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.
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
15 Minute, Not Really At All Homemade Meal
As a tribute to the semi-homemade new first lady of New York, Sandra Lee, I present to you a fifteen minute not really at all homemade meal. I made this up in the aisles of the supermarket at 9:30pm while visualizing what was in my freezer/fridge. Kind of pisses me off that Madam First Lady has an entire show (and a magazine, I think) dedicated to her creations of recipes like these, but whatever.
I'm not doing so great with the tribute aspect of this post, but my intent to do so was clear, right?
Sausage, Peppers and Polenta
1 package pre cooked sausage (I used Aidell's Roasted Garlic and Gruyere Chicken Sausage)
1 cooking spoon scoop of tomato paste
1 freezer bag of mixed peppers
1/2 onion
1 pre cooked tube of polenta (should all be gluten free, but check to be sure, as always)
4 - 6oz red wine
EVOO
italian seasonings (I used rosemary, thyme, basil and red pepper flakes)
Grab a large skillet, preferably one with high sides. Heat it on high. Add EVOO after 30 seconds. Let EVOO heat for 30 seconds and add sliced onions and frozen peppers. Pour wine and seasonings over peppers and onions and allow to bubble and reduce a bit. Stir to evenly distribute spices and wine.
While the veggies simmer, cut the polenta into 1/2 inch thick slices. Slice the sausage.
When these preparations are done, use whatever spoon you had been stirring with to scoop a slightly heaping spoonful of tomato paste and stir well. This will thicken up nicely to form a sauce. A pinch of sugar could be necessary to cut the bitterness of the tomato paste/wine. When peppers are cooked (about 5-7 minutes more), add sausage. Pop the polenta in the microwave for 90 seconds. When the microwave beeps, kill the heat and cover the pan.
Place the polenta circles in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with sausage, pepper and onion mixture. Sprinkle some parm for good measure. I shit you not, This went from being stuff on the counter to on the table in 15 minutes flat. Makes 3 servings too!
Welcome to politics, Sandy.
I'm not doing so great with the tribute aspect of this post, but my intent to do so was clear, right?
Sausage, Peppers and Polenta
1 package pre cooked sausage (I used Aidell's Roasted Garlic and Gruyere Chicken Sausage)
1 cooking spoon scoop of tomato paste
1 freezer bag of mixed peppers
1/2 onion
1 pre cooked tube of polenta (should all be gluten free, but check to be sure, as always)
4 - 6oz red wine
EVOO
italian seasonings (I used rosemary, thyme, basil and red pepper flakes)
Grab a large skillet, preferably one with high sides. Heat it on high. Add EVOO after 30 seconds. Let EVOO heat for 30 seconds and add sliced onions and frozen peppers. Pour wine and seasonings over peppers and onions and allow to bubble and reduce a bit. Stir to evenly distribute spices and wine.
While the veggies simmer, cut the polenta into 1/2 inch thick slices. Slice the sausage.
When these preparations are done, use whatever spoon you had been stirring with to scoop a slightly heaping spoonful of tomato paste and stir well. This will thicken up nicely to form a sauce. A pinch of sugar could be necessary to cut the bitterness of the tomato paste/wine. When peppers are cooked (about 5-7 minutes more), add sausage. Pop the polenta in the microwave for 90 seconds. When the microwave beeps, kill the heat and cover the pan.
Place the polenta circles in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with sausage, pepper and onion mixture. Sprinkle some parm for good measure. I shit you not, This went from being stuff on the counter to on the table in 15 minutes flat. Makes 3 servings too!
Welcome to politics, Sandy.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
MexiCAN
Subtle Barack Obama reference in the title. Booyah midterm elections. The title also refers to how awesome Mexican food is for those of us with gluten allergies. Most sauces aren't thickened with anything artificial. Corn tortillas are in abundance in awesome dishes like nachos and enchiladas. Win - Win.
I like making enchiladas but am supremely lazy and get annoyed rolling them out and getting them to stay put. The below is my favorite weeknight Mexican. I whip this whole thing up in around 30 minutes, baked for 15 while I clean up the kitchen and voila, 6 servings of yum.
Mexican Lasagna
6 small corn tortillas
16 oz crushed or diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
10 oz mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 lb ground chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
EVOO
pinch of kosher salt
cilantro (optional, if you are genetically mutated and don't like it. if you do, get these)
cumin
brown sugar
chili powder (more if you like spicy/smoky less if you are a pussy)
garlic powder
Get a large skillet HOT. Add in some EVOO. After it heats for 30 sec, add half of your chopped ion and 2 cilantro cubes (or 2 tsp fresh cilantro). Once onions are transluscent, add mushrooms. As mushrooms release water, add chicken, breaking up with a non wooden spoon so you don't die of a bacterial infection. Add a tsp of cumin, tsp or two of chili powder and a teeny pinch of kosher salt.
While the chicken browns, start your sauce. Add EVOO to medium sized, heated sauce pan. Add the remainder of your onions. Once those become transluscent, add tomatoes and seasonings. I like to do a T of cumin, 3 T of chili powder, a T of garlic and 1 T of brown sugar. Sometimes I will add 4 - 6 ounces of water to thin it out a bit, especially if I am using crushed tomatoes. Let this simmer and keep tasting to get the flavor you want, adding a pinch of salt if desired. Usually by the time the chicken cooks, the sauce only needs a few minutes to gel. I usually add dried cilantro toward the end too, because I am obsessed.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab a 13 x 9 pyrex/baking dish.
When chicken is browned, add your rinsed black beans and allow the veggie and chicken mixture to come together. After a minute or two on the heat, kill it.
Add a few tablespoons of sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Place two corn tortillas at the bottom of your dish on top of the sauce. Add 1/3 of your chicken and veggie mixture. Ladle on a generous amount of sauce. Sprinkle some cheese. Place two more corn tortillas down, this time adding sauce on top of them. Add meat/veggie mixture, cheese and repeat until done, reserving some extra cheese and sauce for the top. End with corn tortillas on top, with sauce and cheese layered on top of that.
Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Serves 6
I like making enchiladas but am supremely lazy and get annoyed rolling them out and getting them to stay put. The below is my favorite weeknight Mexican. I whip this whole thing up in around 30 minutes, baked for 15 while I clean up the kitchen and voila, 6 servings of yum.
Mexican Lasagna
6 small corn tortillas
16 oz crushed or diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
10 oz mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 lb ground chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
EVOO
pinch of kosher salt
cilantro (optional, if you are genetically mutated and don't like it. if you do, get these)
cumin
brown sugar
chili powder (more if you like spicy/smoky less if you are a pussy)
garlic powder
Get a large skillet HOT. Add in some EVOO. After it heats for 30 sec, add half of your chopped ion and 2 cilantro cubes (or 2 tsp fresh cilantro). Once onions are transluscent, add mushrooms. As mushrooms release water, add chicken, breaking up with a non wooden spoon so you don't die of a bacterial infection. Add a tsp of cumin, tsp or two of chili powder and a teeny pinch of kosher salt.
While the chicken browns, start your sauce. Add EVOO to medium sized, heated sauce pan. Add the remainder of your onions. Once those become transluscent, add tomatoes and seasonings. I like to do a T of cumin, 3 T of chili powder, a T of garlic and 1 T of brown sugar. Sometimes I will add 4 - 6 ounces of water to thin it out a bit, especially if I am using crushed tomatoes. Let this simmer and keep tasting to get the flavor you want, adding a pinch of salt if desired. Usually by the time the chicken cooks, the sauce only needs a few minutes to gel. I usually add dried cilantro toward the end too, because I am obsessed.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab a 13 x 9 pyrex/baking dish.
When chicken is browned, add your rinsed black beans and allow the veggie and chicken mixture to come together. After a minute or two on the heat, kill it.
Add a few tablespoons of sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Place two corn tortillas at the bottom of your dish on top of the sauce. Add 1/3 of your chicken and veggie mixture. Ladle on a generous amount of sauce. Sprinkle some cheese. Place two more corn tortillas down, this time adding sauce on top of them. Add meat/veggie mixture, cheese and repeat until done, reserving some extra cheese and sauce for the top. End with corn tortillas on top, with sauce and cheese layered on top of that.
Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Serves 6
Nutritional Info: 372 calories, 17g of fat, 103mg cholesterol, 600mg sodium, 29g carbs, 6.4g fiber, 8g sugar, 26g protein.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
An easy midweek recipe makes for a very easy midweek post.
I. love. to. cook. What? I really do.
Except when I get home from work/therapy/class at 9pm or its 95 degrees outside. Or I am just flat out feeling lazy. And that is when having recipes like this one on hand bails me out. The below is about enough for you and leftovers or you and a lucky second person. Check out both links for shirataki noodles in the post to be introduced to these wonders.
Lemon, Tarragon, Goat Cheese and Chive pasta
Ingredients:
6oz dry gluten free pasta or 2 bag of shirataki noodles
1/4 - 1/2 cup reserved pasta water or hot water
1 teaspoon EVOO
~ 2 oz soft goat cheese
zest and juice of one large lemon
~ 1 tablespoon of dried tarragon (I like a little more. Go by your taste.)
~ 1/3 cup tablespoons of chopped chives
2 tablespoons gluten free grated parmesan cheese
black pepper
If using gluten free pasta (I LOVE bionaturae!) throw on some water to boil with a pinch of salt. No need to waste the oil that most gluten free chefs will tell you is necessary, just stir it frequently to avoid sticking. If using shirataki, rinse very very very thoroughly under cold water and squeeze out excess.
Directions:
While water is boiling for the pasta, do all your chopping. Combine all ingredients (except for goat cheese) in a large bowl. Crumble goat cheese over ingredients, not combining.
After pasta is done, pour it on top of sauce components and let sit for 30 seconds. Add a little bit of reserved pasta/hot water at a time to help combine and evenly distribute sauce components. Mix well, adding additional grated parm if desired.
Nutritional breakdown (using shirataki noodles):
Except when I get home from work/therapy/class at 9pm or its 95 degrees outside. Or I am just flat out feeling lazy. And that is when having recipes like this one on hand bails me out. The below is about enough for you and leftovers or you and a lucky second person. Check out both links for shirataki noodles in the post to be introduced to these wonders.
Lemon, Tarragon, Goat Cheese and Chive pasta
Ingredients:
6oz dry gluten free pasta or 2 bag of shirataki noodles
1/4 - 1/2 cup reserved pasta water or hot water
1 teaspoon EVOO
~ 2 oz soft goat cheese
zest and juice of one large lemon
~ 1 tablespoon of dried tarragon (I like a little more. Go by your taste.)
~ 1/3 cup tablespoons of chopped chives
2 tablespoons gluten free grated parmesan cheese
black pepper
If using gluten free pasta (I LOVE bionaturae!) throw on some water to boil with a pinch of salt. No need to waste the oil that most gluten free chefs will tell you is necessary, just stir it frequently to avoid sticking. If using shirataki, rinse very very very thoroughly under cold water and squeeze out excess.
Directions:
While water is boiling for the pasta, do all your chopping. Combine all ingredients (except for goat cheese) in a large bowl. Crumble goat cheese over ingredients, not combining.
After pasta is done, pour it on top of sauce components and let sit for 30 seconds. Add a little bit of reserved pasta/hot water at a time to help combine and evenly distribute sauce components. Mix well, adding additional grated parm if desired.
Nutritional breakdown (using shirataki noodles):
Monday, October 4, 2010
OMGPEANUTBUTTERCHOCOLATECHIPCOOKIES!
Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. And they are naturally gluten free, no substituting or involvement of 12 separate types of flour which do not fit into my Upper West Side kitchen. Golden brown. Chewy. Mmmmmm.
Straight from my Mom's kitchen to mine. Except I added chocolate. Which is kind of a no brainer, since I can't think of anything that isn't better with some chocolate. I think this would also be tasty with some toasted shredded coconut thrown in.
1 c peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 c chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Grease that cookie sheet. Or, preferably, get thee some parchment paper.
*Mix peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla and egg.
*Once you have that all combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
*Roll into small balls, flatten slightly (I like to press them with a fork and get the hash marks like my Mom always did though I clearly forgot that in the above picture, whoops), and put on greased cookie sheet. They don't spread much, so feel free to cram them in within reason.
*Bake 10 - 12 minutes.
This dough freezes really well too. All in all, the dough makes 24 small cookies. I like to bake half at once this way nobody in my house overdoes it and the next time I'm craving something sweet (read: cranky), I am 10 minutes away from cookies.
Per cookie, the nutritional info as follows:
Straight from my Mom's kitchen to mine. Except I added chocolate. Which is kind of a no brainer, since I can't think of anything that isn't better with some chocolate. I think this would also be tasty with some toasted shredded coconut thrown in.
1 c peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 c chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Grease that cookie sheet. Or, preferably, get thee some parchment paper.
*Mix peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla and egg.
*Once you have that all combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
*Roll into small balls, flatten slightly (I like to press them with a fork and get the hash marks like my Mom always did though I clearly forgot that in the above picture, whoops), and put on greased cookie sheet. They don't spread much, so feel free to cram them in within reason.
*Bake 10 - 12 minutes.
This dough freezes really well too. All in all, the dough makes 24 small cookies. I like to bake half at once this way nobody in my house overdoes it and the next time I'm craving something sweet (read: cranky), I am 10 minutes away from cookies.
Per cookie, the nutritional info as follows:
Monday, August 16, 2010
Gluten Free Banana Walnut Muffins
This is generally more calorically dense than what I would choose for breakfast, even with the substitutions, but these should freeze well and served me well on days like today where I was craving a hearty, chewy break from the usual breakfast routine.
I adapted this recipe from Bob's Red Mill.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: < 60 minutes
Serves: 10
Yield 11 muffins (love when this doesn't add up. thankfully sites like this do the calculations for me.)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/6 cup Canola Oil
1/6 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Bananas
1/2 cup walnuts
Nutritional information per muffin:
Calories 226
Calories from Fat 68.8
Total Fat 7.64g
Saturated Fat 0.57g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 163.93mg
Total Carbohydrate 34.71g
Dietary Fiber 3.6g
Sugars 16.82g
Protein 4.33g
I adapted this recipe from Bob's Red Mill.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: < 60 minutes
Serves: 10
Yield 11 muffins (love when this doesn't add up. thankfully sites like this do the calculations for me.)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/6 cup Canola Oil
1/6 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Bananas
1/2 cup walnuts
Nutritional information per muffin:
Calories 226
Calories from Fat 68.8
Total Fat 7.64g
Saturated Fat 0.57g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 163.93mg
Total Carbohydrate 34.71g
Dietary Fiber 3.6g
Sugars 16.82g
Protein 4.33g
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