Gluten Free Recipes |

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.

_________________________________________

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

Technorati Tags: cream cheese, spinach pasta, tomatoes

If you can find some small new potatoes, this recipe is a delicious way to eat them. The chef has made them a few times, and they always turn out very well. The recipe is adapted from The Lighthearted Cookbook, by Anne Lindsay.

The cookbook was published with the Canadian Heart Foundation, so you can benefit from the recipes which are heart-healthy. They’re also easy to follow, and very tasty. The cookbook was published in 1988, so we’ve been using it for about 20 years, and several of our family favourites have come from it.

Herbed New Potatoes

• 1 lb tiny new potatoes
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 tbsp chopped dill
• 1/2 tbsp chopped chives
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a saucepan, boil the unpeeled potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes.
3. Add basil, dill, chives, lemon juice, oil and pepper to taste.
4. Mix lightly and serve.

Makes 4 servings.
_________________________________________

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

This is adapted from a recipe in Quickies 2; veggies and more, published by Chatelaine. I love the cookbooks in that series, and use them frequently.

This recipe is quick and easy — the hardest part is cooking the macaroni! I’ve had good luck with Glutino Brown Rice pasta, and you could use fusilli or penne instead of the macaroni.

Lemon Vegetable Pasta Salad

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• grated peel of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill or basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper
• 4 cups cooked gluten free macaroni
• 1 large tomato, juiced and seeded, diced
• 1 chopped zucchini

1. In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon peel, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper.
2. Stir in macaroni, tomato and zucchini.

Serves 4.
_________________________________________

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

This recipe is a quick and easy way to get potatoes and vegetables ready for supper. If you don’t have zucchini, you could substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just slice them thinly so they cook quickly.

It’s adapted from The 250 Best 4-Ingredient Recipes by Margaret Howard, in which I’ve found many excellent meal ideas.

If you’ve got a meat or poultry main dish planned for tonight, this would make a very tasty side dish.

Baked Summer Vegetable Layers

• 4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 grated carrot
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (optional)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. In greased 8″ shallow baking dish, arrange half the potatoes in an even layer.
3. Spread onions, zucchini and carrot on top.
4. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tbsp basil (optional), salt and pepper.
5. Add remaining potatoes, and top with tomato slices.
6. Sprinkle with remaining basil (optional).
7. Add 1/4 cup water.
8. Cover and bake in preheated over for 20 minutes.
9. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese.
10. Bake for 20 minutes more, or until potatoes are tender.

Serves 4.
_________________________________________

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

Technorati Tags: carrot, Potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini

Our family loves these squares, which are nice and chewy. The secret is to undercook them just a little, so they stay really moist.

A few years ago I started making these with gluten free flour blend, and we like them just as well with gluten free flour as we did with wheat flour.

This recipe is adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls, that was my first cookbook. I bought it for $1 while we were on a family vacation, the summer that I was 10 years old.

Many years later (too numerous to count), I’m still using it, so I sure got my $1 worth.

Butterscotch Brownies

• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or maple flavouring
• 1/2 cup raisins (I soak them to moisten)

1. Heat oven to 350°F
2. Grease an 8″ square baking pan
3. In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar.
4. Stir in egg.
5. Add flour, baking powder and salt, and blend well.
6. Stir in vanilla and raisins.
7. Spread in pan.
8. Bake 22-25 minutes, only until a toothpick stuck in centre comes out clean. Do not overbake.
9. Cool in the pan and cut into squares.

Makes 16 2-inch squares.

_________________________________________

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

The recipe is from Dad’s Own Cookbook by Bob Sloan. I haven’t used this book much, but it’s full of simple recipes, cooking tips and food basics. We served these potatoes at a family dinner, and got lots of compliments. They were easy to make, and delicious.

There’s only a little butter in them, and you don’t have to add butter or gravy at the table, so that keeps them relatively low fat and low calorie.

Next time we’ll make them in the cast iron pan, to make them a bit crispier.

Pan Roasted New Potatoes

• 2 lbs (about 12-14) small new potatoes
• 1½ cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried rosemary (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

1. Cut the potatoes in half and fit as many as possible in one layer in a large frying pan.
2. Pour the broth over the potatoes.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat.
4. Cover the pan, and cook until the broth is almost gone, about 20 minutes.
5. Just before the liquid is boiled away, reduce the heat to medium low.
6. Add the butter, thyme and rosemary.
7. Continue cooking, covered, shaking the pan often, for another 10 minutes. The potatoes should be soft but not mushy, with a deep golden brown crust. Add a bit of water to the pan if the potatoes start to burn.
8. Sprinkle on the parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve immediately, or leave covered and keep warm in a 250°F oven for up to 15 minutes.

Serves 4.

_________________________________________

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