Embracing Autumn and Pumpkin Soup

Yes, it is that time of year again. I had quite an abundance of tomatoes this season, and have loved them all. Unfortunately I couldn't let them all grow up to be as plump and red as these ones. These are my German Queens, and I am enamored by this heirloom. I gutted a few of the late bloomers, and have dried the seeds to use again next year. If that doesn't pan out, I suppose I can find them again at Lowe's.

This is the most amazing mulligatawny soup! I've been meaning to try a recipe I have marked in one of my books for ages, but never got around to it, as I was hesitant of the combination of flavors. Mulligatawny is a soup most commonly comprised of apples, curry, coconut milk, and chicken. When I saw this dish at Fresh Thyme Soup Co in Beaverton, OR, my new favorite restaurant out there (as they have a great GF menu), I knew I had to try it. Even though it does have coconut milk, which I don't agree with so well. It rocked my world! I had it for lunch at the Cafe w/ some GF cornbread, and again for dinner w/ my own GF bread (see picture). I love it! I'm so excited to try my hand at this recipe, so stay tuned :)

I have been branching out in my cooking lately, and discovered I have quite a fondness for lemongrass. I also have a great fondness for photographing things, which has been magnified by my brand new rockin' camera! I wanted to capture the great purple color of the rings as I was chopping the stalks. I will post our new favorite lemongrass-infused recipe soon as well (just don't pay any attention to my posting track record of late...).

I am finally accepting the fact that summer is gone. I hate to see summer go, as it is my favorite season. However, I always seem to forget how much I enjoy autumn, until it is upon me. This year fall has been rather sporadic, with lots of early snow on the mountains and eerily-Oregon-like rain storms. We've taken a couple trips up the canyons, and I have had my breath stolen by the beauty of this great season. After one such trip, I decided to celebrate the arrival of fall by making this recipe. I dug around for a can of pumpkin, and whipped it up in no time. It was quite good, although next time I will use chicken broth rather than the turkey broth I had in the freezer (it tasted a little too much like turkey gravy, lol).
This recipe comes from the great ladies at Eating Gluten Free, and as usual, is amazing! Very much a fall favorite!
P.S. For the pumpkin-leery readers, seriously, you can hardly taste the pumpkin. This is like a creamy chicken soup. Try it! For real!

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Pumpkin Soup

2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 Tbs. oil
½ sweet onion, chopped (I used onion powder, and a dash of garlic powder as well)
4 c. chicken broth (I used turkey stock b/c it's what I had in the freezer, but would recommend chicken in the future)
2 c. pureed pumpkin
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups milk (almond milk worked fine for me)

In a large pot, heat the oil.
Sauté the chicken w/ the onion and garlic powder until chicken is cooked.
Add chicken broth, pumpkin, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat, add milk and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Watch it so it doesn't boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve.

I thought the soup was great by itself, very creamy, but the recipe calls for swiss cheese as a garnish. It's been so long, I can't even remember what swiss tastes like (just the smell...).

I also added some cooked white rice to the leftovers, and really enjoyed it. There wasn't enough soup for me to compare whether I liked it more w/ or without the rice. Give it a try.

Grilled Salmon with Strawberry Salsa

This meal was amazing! The salsa stole the show though! I've never had anything like it. Mango salsas and peach salsas are great, but I was not expecting this. Sweet, sour, tangy, spicy. I loved it! I got the recipe from the back of the salmon package, and doh, I threw it away on the eve of garbage day. I did a search on allrecipes.com, and pieced this recipe together to the best of my memory.

Strawberry Salsa

About 1 lb strawberries, finely chopped
1/4 c finely chopped red onion (I don't eat onions, so I used onion powder)
1/8 c chopped cilantro
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced or grated
1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Let sit for half an hour, then serve.

Great with salmon (I just grilled mine on my George Foreman grill) and some rice and GF bread, or corn tortilla chips (that's how I ate all the leftovers).

Chicken Salad Over Avocado

This is a really simple meal, a good gluten free alternative to your average sandwich. My aunt made this for us at a family reunion campout this summer. I loved it!
I've tried to recreate it without a real recipe, so these are all just approximations. Sorry, I'm usually a recipe follower, and I hate improvising, but I was hungry, and wanted to have this. Couldn't get a hold of my aunt for the recipe...I still thought it was great :)

Chicken Salad Over Avocado

Cooked chicken meat, chopped/shredded (a breast works great here, as does canned chicken)
Grapes, halved
Celery, chopped
Walnuts, chopped
Mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Avocado, peeled, halved, pit removed

Mix all ingredients except avocado. Taste. Add anything that may be lacking. Serve over avocado. Corn tortilla chips work great as a side.
In the picture, I chopped up the avocado and ate it like a salad. But it also works great to use the avocado as a "shell" for the salad. Yum!

Catching Up

Wow! I realized I haven't posted anything since MAY! What a slacker! We've had a pretty busy summer, and I have just neglected the blog. Been making lots of yummy recipes, so I have plenty of ammo. Just no time to post. But I'll bump it up on my priority list. I'm so excited to share my new favorite recipes with everyone! #1 these days - Gluten Free ZUCCHINI Brownies!

Be back soon :)

Pizza!!!

Yes, I've done it! I've created a *good* gluten- and dairy-free pizza! Well, not really created, since I didn't come up with the recipe. But I masterfully copied the recipe, and it actually turned out amazingly. Which is more than I can say to prior attempts at pizza. This is right up there with my memories of Pizza Hut pizza from my childhood, and definitely tied for #1 GF pizza with the one I had in Disney World!
It is my newly-GF cousin's b-day this weekend, and I'm thinking she deserves a pizza party! The boys can have their lame-o glutenous pizza, but we girls will be enjoying something much better :)



Pizza
Gluten/dairy/egg free
Recipe from "1000 Gluten Free Recipes" by Carol Fenster

1 tbsp dry yeast
2 1/2 tsp sugar
2/3 c warm milk (I used soy)
2/3 c potato starch (I used cornstarch)
1/2 c Carol's sorghum blend**
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
Shortening for greasing pan (I used Spectrum. Carol recommends against using pan spray for this recipe)
White rice flour for dusting

Proof yeast by mixing with sugar and adding milk to a small bowl. Allow to foam for about 5 minutes.
In food processor/mixer, add all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ones, and mix until the dough forms a ball.
Place a rack in the bottom shelf of the oven, and one in the middle. Preheat to 425 degrees F.
Grease a 12 inch nonstick pizza pan (I don't have one, so I just used a baking sheet) w/ shortening.
Place dough on pan and dust with rice flour. Press dough into pan with your hands, using more flour as needed. Try to make the dough as smooth and thin as possible. You can make the edges a little thicker to provide a good crust.
Bake pizza on the bottom rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Add toppings of your choice, then bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes until nicely browned. Remove from oven, and brush olive oil on the rim of the crust. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve!
The recipe says it serves 6, but I ate half of it and could have kept going....I'm not sure it will survive the night...
The toppings I used were pizza sauce, canadian bacon, Italian olives, and Tofutti American cheese slices (you know, the individually wrapped ones that are reminiscent of Kraft slices...) I had a few sitting in the bottom of the fridge, and I hadn't found anything I liked them on...but they worked great on the pizza (while it was hot anyway. The cheese took on a different texture/flavor when it was cold).
This recipe is definitely a new staple in my book!

**Carol's Sorghum Blend Flour
1 1/2 c sorghum flour
1 1/2 c potato starch/cornstarch (I can't eat potatoes, so cornstarch is what I use)
1 c tapioca flour

Mix all flours together and store.

Coconut Love!!!

Shhh, don't tell Luke! I swear I went to the gym that day :)

So, the lovely Coconut Gal is giving away my FAVORITE ice cream! Here's the link to her blog - check it out!


Yeah, I'm a noob, I don't know how to make a link...anyone wanna teach me?

GF Bread. Anyone know what I did RIGHT?

So, since I tried this recipe, I've made about a loaf a week. I love it! It's the best gluten free bread ever!
Typically, the ending result looks similar to this:



However, this weekend, my loaf sprang to life, and almost doubled in size! This is nearly comparable to "real" white bread size. I thought about laying it next to a piece of Luke's gluten-bread, but didn't want to risk having to waste a perfectly delicous piece of bread!

The only thing I can think of that I *thought* I'd done wrong, was that I think my water was a little cold, so my yeast didn't proof. At all. I almost threw it out. Could that have been the key? Anyone? Oh, I suppose I also used a real egg, rather than just egg white product. Hm, can't think of any other differences. Also, I've started proofing my yeast separately (so that I can mix it better), but I've done it a few times.

I'll post the recipe again, maybe you can help me figure it out.


Delicious Gluten Free Bread
(Original recipe found here )

2 1/2 cups sorghum flour blend*
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp acacia fiber (I add this to all my baked goods, b/c it helps with an irritable bowel)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
1 1/4 - 1 1/3 c warm water
2 tbsp honey or agave nectar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1-3 tsp sesame/hemp/flax seeds

Whisk together flour, xanthan, acacia, and salt. Pour yeast, warm water and agave in a medium bowl, and mix gently. Let sit for about 5 minutes to let the yeast rise. Add wet ingredients to dry ones, then mix everything on medium speed for about 3 minutes. It will be really sticky and cake-batter-like. Not very bread-doughish.

Scoop dough into a 1.5 lb loaf pan. Smooth dough out using wet fingers (frequently re-wetting them). Sprinkle seeds over the top. Cover pan with a towel and allow to rise for 20 minutes in a warm spot.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 35-60 minutes (depending on altitude. Mine only took 35 minutes). Remove bread from pan, and transfer to a wire rack. Place the rack in the oven, and bake for an additional 10 minutes (you could just put it straight on the oven rack, but mine is super dirty :P). Bread should sound hollow when tapped. It should also be lightly golden on top.

Remove from oven, and cool completely on wire rack.

Energy Bars Success!!

So, that's what they're SUPPOSED to look like! When you have all the ingredients, the bars stick together pretty well :)

Again, here is the recipe:


Melissa's Mile High Energy Bars (w/ my variations)

1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1 cup quinoa
3/4 cup finely shredded coconut
1/4 cup slightly ground flax seeds
1 cup Erewhon Organic GF Crispy Brown Rice Cereal (I used the twice rice version)
1 cup Erewhon Corn Flakes, crushed
1/3 cup raisins
2 tbsp Enjoy Life chocolate chips
1/4 cup agave
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup almond butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with oil. Spread nuts, quinoa, coconut, and flax seeds out on a cookie sheet (I covered mine with foil for easy cleanup). Bake in the heated oven for 3-4 minutes, checking occasionally, that things don't get too dark. Take the pan out, stir everything, and bake for 3 minutes more. Supposedly everything is to be a golden toasted color, but I didn't notice any change.
Remove from oven and cool. In a large bowl, mix with cereals, raisins and chocolate. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine honey, syrup, almond butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Bring to an easy boil over med-low heat. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. You don't want it to be too thick to work with though.
Pour over cereal mixture, and stir well to coat.
Spread cereal into prepared 9x13 pan, and (I used the piece of foil that I had baked the nuts on) press the mixture into the pan. Cover, and cool in the fridge. Cut into bars. Store in the fridge.

Awesome!!! I'm so stocking my freezer for the summer's adventures!

Energy Bars (sorta)

So, you might have noticed the change in the blog. I decided it was time for a new look! It's spring, and my blog needed a little spring. My favorite time of year is actually summer. I'm getting so excited for some sun, swimming and outdoor time! Especially hiking and biking and all those things that are so hard to pack gluten/dairy free snacks for...until now!
This recipe is my first attempt (but there will be more) at a gluten and dairy free energy bar. It tastes incredible! But...it didn't really work out as a bar. It ended up being more like a really great "granola." That's okay. I've been eating it with a spoon right out of the container. I tried it on some soy yogurt, and added extra to help the taste of the yogurt...definitely not as good as the real stuff. At least the "granola" was good! I imagine it would be great on some ice cream/substitute. I took a small baggie-full to work, and scarfed it down way too quickly.
Part of the reason I think mine didn't hold form was the preparation method I changed. The original recipe calls for some almond butter. I had none. So I used a little Earth Balance w/ some ground almonds. Yeah, it tasted GREAT...but I don't think it was a very accurate substitution. When I was able to get to the store, I grabbed some peanut butter. I melted some, and mixed it into the finished "granola," hoping I could rectify my mistake. No luck. So, I will try again once I'm out of my first batch. I really liked the flavor of it without the peanut butter. It was very interesting. I might make two batches next time, to see if the almond butter adds a different flavor than the peanut butter.
Anyway, enough from me. Here's the recipe already!



Melissa's Mile High Energy Bars (w/ my variations)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts/pecans
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1 cup quinoa (or, if you can handle them, GF oats)
3/4 cup finely shredded coconut
1/4 cup slightly ground flax seeds
1 cup Erewhon Organic GF Crispy Brown Rice Cereal (I used the twice rice version)
1 cup Erewhon Corn Flakes
1/3 cup raisins
2-3 tbsp Enjoy Life chocolate chips
1/4 cup honey or agave (I used honey since it's thicker, and I was lacking PB, but next time I'll try agave)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup almond/peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with oil. Spread nuts, quinoa, coconut, and flax seeds out on a cookie sheet (I covered mine with foil for easy cleanup). Bake in the heated oven for 3-4 minutes, checking occasionally, that things don't get too dark. Take the pan out, stir everything up, and bake for 3 minutes more. Supposedly everything is to be a golden toasted color, but I didn't notice any change.
Remove from oven and cool. In a large bowl, mix with cereals, raisins and chocolate. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine honey, syrup, nut butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Bring to an easy boil over med-low heat. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. You don't want it to be too thick to work with though.
Pour over cereal mixture, and stir well to coat.
Spread cereal into prepared 9x13 pan, and (I used the piece of foil that I had baked the nuts on) press the mixture into the pan. Cover, and cool in the fridge. Cut into bars. Store in the fridge.

I promise to post my second attempt at this recipe soon! Stay tuned :)

Original recipe here.

Really Good Noodles and Chicken

I am so excited about this recipe! It is REALLY good! I don't eat a lot of red meat, or pork, or eggs. Mostly I eat chicken, fish, and turkey. This is great, since it keeps my gut happier. But my taste buds aren't always as excited by this. I easily fall into a rut, where I get bored making the same things over and over again for meals. This happens especially with chicken. I get SO tired of chicken! This recipe is the cure for that! The noodles are good, but the chicken is amazing!!! Even Luke enjoyed it...and he's the dip-everything-in-ranch kind of guy. Granted, he ate his with plain, glutenous noodles and butter. I didn't think he would enjoy venturing this far from the normal, plain foods he enjoys. But seriously, he liked it! That makes it a double winner in my book!

I can't wait until lunch tomorrow so I can enjoy it again. I'm gonna make some more of the chicken next week, and try it on a salad!



Really Good Noodles and Chicken
Gluten/Dairy Free Version

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced as desired (I cut my breasts in half, then in half again)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tbsp honey
8 ounces spaghetti (I used Tinkyada GF fettuccine)
2 tbsp butter/substitute (I used Earth Balance spread)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup bacon/real bacon bits
1/2 cup cream/milk sub (I used soy milk, and it seemed okay)
3 roma tomatoes, seeds and core removed, diced
Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to directions, then drain and set aside.
Spray BBQ grill rack (or George Foreman Grill!!) with pan spray, and preheat. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp of the lemon juice and the honey together, then add the salt, pepper, and rosemary. Toss in the chicken pieces, and allow to marinate for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook chicken until no longer pink. Mine got a little burned, but I think that it was from using EVOO to oil the pan. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.
In a large skillet, melt butter, then add garlic. Saute and stir for 2-3 minutes, then add bacon and cook for another minute. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, and cream/substitute. Stir in the noodles. Add a little more milk if sauce is too thick. Stir in tomatoes and parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately with a portion of chicken on top of pasta.

*To be honest, I wasn't completely sold by the pasta. It was good enough, but was just a little weird. May have been the soy milk sauce, the lack of Parmesan cheese, the use of real bacon instead of bacon bits. I also felt it had too much lemon zest. I'm not a huge fan of lemon zest, unless I can't really sense it. I would recommend trying the sauce as close to the original recipe as possible. Or, maybe just serve the chicken on some pasta tossed with EVOO, tomatoes, and wilted spinach. That was what I wished I'd had after eating the pasta. Just my two cents :)

Original recipe here.