Gluten Free Recipes

Last weekend, I bought The G.I. Diet Menopause Clinic, by Canadian author, Rick Gallop. It’s similar to others in his G.I. Diet series, with easy to follow meal plans and recipes.

The chef made several of the recipes from Week 1, and we’ve enjoyed them (some a bit more than others). He adapted a few of the recipes, to include ingredients that we prefer, and followed the instructions exactly for others.

Thursday he made braised halibut on spinach. I’m not a fish lover, but this meal was so good that I ate the leftovers today in a tossed salad.

Here’s the chef’s version of the recipe, with a picture of his finished dish.

Braised Halibut on Spinach

• 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
• 1 lb Pacific halibut
• 1 tbsp grainy mustard
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. In medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to boil. Add frozen spinach, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until thawed.
3. Drain spinach in colander, and squeeze out as much water as possible.
4. Rinse and pat fish dry with paper towel.
5. In small bowl, mix mustards, lemon zest and pepper. Coat fish on all sides with this mixture, and set aside.
6. In large ovenproof frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add garlic and onion and cook for 8 minutes, or until softened.
8. Reduce heat to medium and stir in spinach and salt.
9. Pour in water, and place fish on top of spinach mixture.
10. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until fish just flakes with a fork.

Serves 4.

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The chef made a fabulous pasta this week, which was absolutely delicious. We both rated it as one of the best things he’s ever cooked, and plan to have it again! Here’s the recipe, which the chef concocted from a mixture of other recipes. There’s a picture of the finished dish at the bottom of the recipe. Yummy!

Pasta Carbonara

• 6 slices Prosciutto
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup cream
• Pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese (grated)
• Fresh curly parsley a few sprigs
• Fresh Italian parsley a few sprigs
• Fresh garlic chives
• 6 oz pkg gluten free Linguine or spaghetti

1. Slice mushrooms, dice prosciutto, dice parsleys and chives and set aside.
2. Place pasta in pot with enough water, a dash of salt and a bit of olive oil bring to boil and cook until el dente.
3. In large mixing bowl beat egg with the cream and add pepper and set aside
4. Next while the pasta is cooking sauté the mushrooms in olive oil and a bit of butter as the pasta is almost ready add the prosciutto and herbs to the mushrooms.
5. When pasta is ready drain and toss in the egg and cream and add  parmesan and mix in the sautéed mushrooms mixture.

Serves 2.

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Last week the chef made a lovely grilled rack of lamb, and he finally scribbled down the recipe so I could post it here.

And when he says to watch carefully, please take his advice! The chef turned his back on our dinner for about 5 minutes, and we almost lost it! Suddenly, it was engulfed in flames, but the chef managed to retrieve it, without too much harm done.

So, it was a little crispy on the outside, but moist and flavourful, and done to perfection inside. The rosemary was from our garden, and added a nice touch to the meal.

Grilled Rack of Lamb

• 1 rack of lamb (we used Australian from Costco)
• 1 heaping tbsp Dijon
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• One stem of Rosemary (Cut in thirds)

1. Mix all ingredients in a bag with the rack of lamb
2. Place in fridge until ready to BBQ (1-2 hours)
3. Set BBQ on medium and place rack on
4. Spread remainder of marinade on rack
5. Watch carefully turning occasionally for approx. 5 minutes a side for medium rare

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Tossed salad is good, but it’s nice to have something different occasionally. We enjoy this salad, and use a bag of cole slaw mix, so it’s easy to make.

If you’d rather not use the mix, you could use 2 cups of thinly sliced cabbage and 1 cup of carrot strips.

Cabbage and Carrot Slaw

• 3 cups cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. In a large salad bowl, toss the cole slaw mix, vinegar and oil.
2. Season with sale and pepper to taste.
3. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

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Here’s a quick and easy ground beef recipe. You could throw in a handful of shredded carrots or shredded zucchini too, or serve with a salad on the side, to round out the meal.

Skillet Beef and Macaroni

• 8 oz uncooked macaroni or other gluten free pasta
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp oregano
• 1-1/2 tsp dried basil
• 10 oz can mushrooms
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (gluten free)
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, and set aside.
2. Place beef, onion, garlic, herbs and mushrooms in a skillet.
3. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until beef is fully cooked.
4. Add tomato paste, water, Worcestershire sauce, cheese and parsley.
5. Stir to combine with meat mixture.
6. Stir in pasta, and heat thoroughly.

Serves 6.

Here’s a recipe that we enjoy, and it’s very quick and easy to make. Lots of flavour, with very little effort. Usually we have this with a tossed salad, and rice goes well as a side dish.

Southwestern Chicken

• 3 skinless bone-in chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup hot salsa
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1-1/2 tbsp olive oil

1. Place chicken in oven proof pan.
2. Stir together the salsa, wine and olive oil.
3. Pour the salsa mixture over the chicken.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 375°F, until chicken feels firm to the touch, about 45 minutes. Baste every 15 minutes to keep the chicken moist.

Serves 6.

Here’s a delicious ground beef recipe that we’ve enjoyed in the past, and would be a quick dinner on a busy day. We could use some of the herbs from our garden that the chef dried in the dehydrator this fall.

The recipe is adapted from Quickies: Ten Quick Ways with Everyday Foods,one of my favourite cookbooks.

Spanish Dinner

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups corn
• 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sliced stuffed green olives
• 1 cup instant rice
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. In large saucepan, cook onion in oil, over medium high heat, for 5 minutes.
2. Add ground beef and cook, stirring often, until meat is browned.
3. Add corn, tomatoes, olives, rice and seasonings.
4. Cover tightly. Simmer, stirring often for 10 minutes.

Serves 4.

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You can find more information on the gluten free section of my Excel tips website.

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During the summer and early fall, we use tomatoes from our garden to make this sauce. After the tomato season has ended, we use canned tomatoes instead.

The recipe is adapted from Low-Fat Express: Great Taste in 30 Minutes, by Jean Paré, and is part of the Company’s Coming series. The recipe is simple to make, and tastes delicious. The spinach pasta adds a bit of extra colour and eye appeal.

If you don’t have spinach pasta in the cupboard, you could substitute another type of gluten free pasta, and the result will taste just as good.

Pasta With Tomato Cream Cheese Sauce

• 6 oz gluten free Spinach Pasta
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (with juice)
• 1/2 cup gluten free chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 cup low fat cream cheese, cut up
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• dash of ground black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Drain pasta and return to the same pot. Cover to keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, combine tomato, broth, garlic and basil in medium saucepan.
4. Bring to a boil, and pour over pasta.
5. Add cheese, parsley and pepper.
6. Toss and serve immediately.

Makes 3 servings.

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You can find more information on the gluten free section of my Excel tips website.

Technorati Tags: cream cheese, spinach pasta, tomatoes

The chef first made this delicious meal a few weeks ago, and made it again today. We had our first snowfall of the season, so it was nice to come home to a hot, hearty meal.

In some areas, cottage roll is called cottage ham, but it should be a tasty and economical dinner, wherever you are. The chef saved the stock and will use it when he makes baked beans in a day or two.

Cottage Roll With Vegetables

• 1 (3 lb) cottage roll (cottage ham)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
• 1 cup chopped cabbage (optional)
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 shallots

Tip: You can add as many vegetables as will fit, and use any size cottage roll that will fit you pan.

1. Place cottage roll in roasting pan or slow cooker.
2. Surround it with chopped vegetables.
3. Sprinkle with pepper and cover roast with water.
4. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours or in slow cooker on high for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

After cooking, the cottage roll should fall apart like a pot roast.

Serve with mustard (Dijon is the chef’s favourite). The leftover stock can be thicken up as a gravy or makes a great base for beans or pea soup .

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You can find more information on the gluten free section of my Excel tips website.

We make this pasta in the summer when zucchini is plentiful in our garden, and we need ways to use it up. In the winter we use zucchini from the grocery store, or substitute grated carrot instead. Just cook the carrot a bit longer than you’d cook the zucchini. I’m sure any gluten free pasta could be substituted for the macaroni.

This recipe is adapted from Quickies: Ten Quick Ways with Everyday Foods.

Pronto Parmesan Pasta

• 1 shredded zucchini (or grated carrot)
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 3 cups cooked gluten free macaroni
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• pinch of nutmeg

1. Sauté zucchini in butter for 2 minutes
2. Add macaroni, Parmesan and nutmeg.
3. Stir until hot.

Great as a side dish. Serves 3.
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You can find more information on the gluten free section of my Excel tips website.

Technorati Tags: macaroni, zucchini