Pesto Penne with Kale, Bacon and Mushrooms

I have been reading lately about Kale being a new "superfood". I found a recipe to try it and bought some.

I have to say that raw....(in my opinion) Kale is bitter and horrid.

I tried a recipe with it anyway.

In this recipe, I was astounded that it didn't distract from the taste or texture of the dish.

This is another blog I highly recommend. /http://glutenfreemommy.com/

I tried the: http://Pesto Penne with Kale, Bacon and Mushrooms

It was really good. Similar in taste to the fabulous pesto pasta on the Princess Cruise ships. I added cooked, diced, small chunks of red potato (about a 1/2 cup), and used Butoni light pesto from the market. Then it really tasted like the cruise ship recipe.

Another day I tried the same cooking method for the Kale but added it to Spaghetti Sauce with meat instead. Very nice. It was not the least bit distracting in the sauce.
Next up: "Kale Chips"

Recipe: Homemade Tortilla Chips and Chili (GlutenFree, DairyFree, EggFree)

I have many friends who swear by their homemade tortilla chips. Yes, they are good, but I didn't want to deep fry them, I wanted to make baked ones that were a bit more healthy.

I'm actually a little surprised that no one I knew baked their chips. Everyone got that sheepish look and said, "well, I really shouldn't deep fry them...." when they told me about it. Could these be the same folks who sneak the uber popular deep fried twinkie once in a while at the county fair. Who knows? maybe a deep fried twinkie (photo), stick o' butter, or candy bar is worth it...?

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

• corn tortillas

• olive oil

Directions:

Spray or brush olive oil onto both sides of corn tortillas.

Stack, cut into triangles and then arrange on a cookie sheet so that none are overlapping. Use your fingers to sprinkle with fine or regular salt (I don't recommend Kosher salt, the grains are too big)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, flip them over with a spatula and continue baking for a few more minutes to desired crispness. Every oven is different...watch them carefully or they will burn.

In case you were wondering...the chili was terrific!

"Emeril Lagasse's Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili"

4 slices thick cut bacon

1 onion, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 T chili powder

1 T Smoked Paprika powder (if not available, use 1 additional T chili powder

2 t ground cumin

1 T chopped garlic

2 t dried oregano

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 can (14.5oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 cans 15.5oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 T finely chopped cilantro -optional

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Add onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. Add turkey, and spices and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked through and lightly browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Add tomatoes and juice, beans, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionallyk, until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. (Note: mine did not thicken, so I added 1/4 cup water mixed with 2T cornstarch to help)

To store, refrigerate cooled chili in an airtight container, up to 3 days. Serve topped with cilantro.

Yield: 8 servings (per serving: 331 cal, 13 g fat (3g saturated fat) 30g protien, 25g carb, 7g fiber)

Recipe: Zucchini Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins (GlutenFree, DairyFree)

I found a great blog not too long ago called Elanas Pantry - http://www.elanaspantry.com/

She is a gluten free guru to say the least. She has one book on cupcakes and another on cooking with almond flour.

(photo courtesy of elanaspantry.com)

What I really like about her blog is the information she shares. In the pull down menu across the top with a catagory just for ingredients where she shares the expertise she has in her decades of cooking gluten free. I tried her recipe for Zucchini Chocolate chip Mini Muffins. Wow, what a find. Not only are they so incredibly light and tasty, they also ave NO processed sugar in them. I have tried them a few times and found that "egg replacer" does not yield a great finished product.

(Sorry to those allergic to eggs, maybe I'll try flax as an egg replacer and see what happens).

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Mini-Muffins (recipe courtesy of elanaspantry.com)

Ingredients:

 ¼ cup coconut flour

¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

¼ cup grapeseed oil

¼ cup agave nectar

1 ½ cups grated zucchini (do not pack down when measuring)

½ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon
2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, agave and zucchini
3. Mix dry ingredients into wet thoroughly
4. Stir in chocolate chips
5. Grease a mini muffin tin with grapeseed oil and lightly dust with coconut flour
6. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin tin
7. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes
8. Cool and serve

Do yourself a favor and check out this and other great recipes at Elana's blog!

Recipe: Breakfast Burritos (GlutenFree, DairyFree, Can be EggFree)

In the months since I have gone gluten-free there are only a few things I miss. One of those things is a warm breakfast burrito wrapped in a soft stretchy flour tortilla. I have tried Rice tortillas and Teff tortillas, but really, they are not soft and they seem to crumble away if you are wrapping it around anything. So today I tried my burrito filling with a corn tortilla. Steaming the tortilla left it vulnerable to cracking and splitting, so I warmed them in a small skillet with some olive oil spray mist.

I know that some people tend to shy away from egg dishes due to allergies or cholesterol concerns, so you should know these work great with or without the egg. If you eliminate the egg, please use some kind of cheese that melts to bind the filling.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Hash Brown Potatoes (fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon finely diced onion

3 Turkey Sausage links, crumbled

1 egg, beaten*

1 heaping Tablespoon Fire-roasted diced green chilies

2 slices american cheese (I used low-fat)**

3 corn tortillas

Olive Oil spray

2 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

Spray the corn tortillas and warm in a small saute pan until soft. When done cooking, layer your tortillas on napkins or paper towels to absorb any extra oil. In the same pan add the olive oil, onions and potatoes. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes until potatoes are soft and onions are translucent. Add sausage and cook for 2 more minutes. Add chilies and egg and mix well, stirring until egg is completely cooked. Remove from heat. Divide slices of cheese into thirds. Place two pieces on each tortilla on each side leaving the middle clear. Spoon one-third of filling down the center of the tortilla and roll. Place seam side down on a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 20 seconds to completely melt the cheese and bind the filling.

* Eggs are optional. Egg white products work well.

** Cheese substitute of your choice can be used.

Yummy Corn Muffins (GlutenFree, DairyFree)

One of our family favorites with dinner is corn muffins. My husband loves them warm and drizzled with honey. I was a Marie Callendar mix girl for many years. I like my corn muffins soft instead of the more coarse ones made with larger amounts of cornmeal. Unfortunately, I discovered that to get soft tender corn muffins the mix needs to include wheat flour. Darn that wheat flour...it's everywhere. I tried a few "Red Mill" products. They were coarse and grainy and not for me. Then I found Pamela's Gluten Free Product Line.  Delicious!

The great thing about this product is not only the gluten-free component, but the fact that it is easy to substitute other ingredients for allergies.

Ener-g egg replacer works like a charm in the recipe and Nucoa or Earth Balance dairy-free margarine sticks work great to replace the butter. I do recommend making muffins instead of the 8x8 pan if you replace the eggs. If you don't your 8x8 pan of cornbread isn't as light and fluffy.  

Most Gluten-free mixes I have found, add quite a bit of sugar. To me, they are too sweet. This mix, by Pamela's allows you to add your own sugar. This time I tried Agave instead of granulated sugar. Agave is often substituted for sugar or honey in recipes. It is sweeter and yet has a lower glycemic index than table sugar. Because it is liquid, I reduced the water from 1 cup to 3/4 cup and used 1/3 cup Agave instead of the 1/2 cup sugar called for on the package. The substitution options are listed on the package. They didn't recommend reducing the water, but I am glad I did. The muffins were perfect and we all enjoyed them.

The mix yields 12 regular size muffins.

My First Find - Gluten Free Bisquick

For the first few weeks without gluten I was fine, almost. Once I tried all the "Gluten Free" treats at Whole Foods Market, I realized the sugar content was going to kill me. The second thing I realized? That "Gluten Free" did not mean "calorie free". The gluten free foods were higher in calories and did not contain the fiber to make them as filling as regular flour foods. I needed to find a way to make everyday food work for me.

I really enjoy pizza and was looking for a way to make one I could eat. I tried a few frozen varieties and was convinced it was hopeless. Then I found Gluten Free Bisquick. I was skeptical after many disappointments, but decided to try it. I followed the recipe on the box and it made a decent crust. The only drawback was the overwhelming flavor of egg in it. The second time I made it I used "Ener-g Egg Replacer" instead of eggs and doubled the Italian Seasoning. Voila! It was a great, tasty crust that works with every topping I have tried. I make mine thin on a 9x13 rimmed baking sheet.

Since the pizza was great, I decided to try the waffle recipe. I was not disappointed. My family couldn't tell the difference. (shhh!)

Check out Bisquick's website.

There are many recipes and FAQ's for the product.

Note: My Whole Foods Market does not carry this, but my regular supermarket does in the baking section.