Baked Chicken With Herbs

This chicken dish is quick and easy to prepare, and while it’s in the oven you can get the rest of the meal ready. We like it with Basmati rice and broccoli, but you can serve it with your favourite side dishes.

Baked Chicken With Herbs

  1. In a baking dish, combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
  2. Place chicken on top of herb mixture.
  3. Bake, covered, at 375°F for 20 minutes.
  4. Turn chicken and bake for another 30 minutes, uncovered, basting it twice.

Serves 2.

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Oven Baked Mushroom Rice

The kids never really liked mushrooms, but now that they’ve moved out, we can add them to all kinds of dishes. This recipe is from The 250 Best 4-Ingredient Recipes, by Margaret Howard, and it’s really tasty, and easy to make.

This was the first oven baked rice recipe that we tried, about 5 years ago. We’ve tried other recipes since, but keep coming back to this one.

 

Oven Baked Mushroom Rice

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F
  2. In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
  3. Add mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in rice in and stock
  5. Transfer to greased, 6-cup casserole.
  6. Cover and bake in preheated 400°F oven for 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
  7. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
  8. Season with pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

4IngredRec

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For more Gluten Free links and cookbooks list, please visit No Gluten Recipes and Information.

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Spicy Pork Chops and Cabbage

I found this recipe in the November 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine, and talked The Chef into making it last night. He has bad memories of boiled cabbage, from sometime in his childhood, but agreed to try it anyway.

The recipe was easy to make, and The Chef added a couple of touches of his own. He cut the ingredients in half, so we didn’t have leftovers.

We both really enjoyed it, and will have it again. It’s a flavour combination that we hadn’t tried before, and it had a bit of a kick, but no cabbage taste. And according to The Chef, that’s a good thing!

Spicy Pork Chops With Red Cabbage

  1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Season pork with cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
  3. Cook until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side.
  4. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in second large skillet over medium-high heat.
  5. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
  6. Add cabbage, raisins, vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
  7. Cook, covered, tossing occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
  8. Stir in the dill, and serve with the pork.

Serves 4.

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Greek Lamb With Orzo

I adapted this recipe from a Betty Crocker Casseroles and One Dish Meals booklet. It’s nice and easy, and something a little different than the standard beef casserole.

If you don’t like lamb, you could substitute ground beef.

Greek Lamb and Orzo

  1. Cook lamb in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.
  2. Drain fat from the skillet.
  3. Stir in tomatoes, celery, pasta, salt and red pepper.
  4. Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
  5. Cover and simmer about 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until tomato liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender.
  6. Serve with yoghurt.

Makes 4 servings.

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Fusilli With Tomato Bean Sauce

We haven’t had this meat-free pasta for a long time, but it’s delicious, and perfect for supper on a cool fall night.

The recipe is adapted from Quickies 2, which is packed with easy, tasty meal ideas.

Serve a nice tossed salad on the side, and it’s a great supper.

Fusilli With Tomato and Beans

  1. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
  3. Stir in kidney beans.
  4. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, stirring frequently.
  5. Toss with fusilli and Parmesan.

Serves 6 to 8.

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Acorn Squash With Ginger

Acorn squash isn’t my favourite vegetable, but we’ve got a few in the garden this year, and it looks like they’re almost ready to eat. The Chef likes them, so maybe he’ll try this recipe — it looks pretty good, as far as acorn squash recipes go. ;-)

The recipe is from the Canadian cookbook, Quickies: Ten Quick Ways with Everyday Foods. The instructions don’t say to pierce the squash, but I usually poke it with a fork once or twice before microwaving.

Acorn Squash With Ginger

  1. Microwave the acorn squash on high, for 3 minutes.
  2. Peel the squash, and thinly slice it, discarding the seeds.
  3. Cut the squash into bite sized pieces, and sauté in butter, with garlic and ginger.
  4. Sprinkle with pinches of salt and pepper.

Serves 2.

acornsquashslice

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Potato Salad With Bacon

We’re going to a pot luck dinner next weekend, and we’ll take this tasty potato salad. It’s delicious, even if it’s a little high in fat, thanks to the bacon.

I like to make this with red potatoes, for a nice touch of colour.

Potato Salad With Bacon

  1. In large pot, cover potatoes with water.
  2. Add 1 tsp salt, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes
  3. Drain, and run under cold water until cool.
  4. Cut potatoes into quarters.
  5. Meanwhile, cook bacon in skillet over medium high heat, until crispy, about 6 minutes.
  6. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
  7. When cooled, crumble bacon.
  8. In large bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
  9. Toss dressing with potatoes, bacon and dill.

Note: Salad can be prepared 1 day ahead, then add the bacon just before serving.

potatoes

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Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

I found this recipe in Canadian Living magazine several years ago, and adapted it slightly. The cookies are easy to make and give you a bit of chocolaty sweetness – we can all use that occasionally! ge9snqt43c

Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

  1. In bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, cornstarch and cinnamon, then set aside.
  2. In large bowl, beat oil with sugar, until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in vanilla
  4. Stir in flour mixture in 3 additions, gently using hands if necessary, to incorporate.
  5. Roll by tablespoonfuls into 1-inch balls.
  6. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets
  7. Dip tines of fork into sugar, then press crisscross pattern onto cookies, flattening to 1/4 inch thick.
  8. Bake in centre of 325°F oven for 18-20 minutes, until firm to touch.
  9. Let cool completely on pans on rack.

Makes about 45 cookies.

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Braised Halibut With Spinach

GIDiet

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. 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.

DSC_0044

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Pasta Cabonara With Mushrooms

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

  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.

Carbonara

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