More Kale in the CFA. More Kale recipes to discover. I make soup year round, even in the summer, so I thought I'd try a Kale soup. Soup is just so darn easy to make. With soup I like bread, so I did a corn muffin - gluten free of course. The whole meal was easy and came out yummy. The corn muffins did not scream "gluten free", which is a plus.
So the soup - Tuscan Bean soup with Kale
1. Chop - 1 medium onion, 3 carrots, 3 ribs of celery, 1 small shallot, 3 cloves garlic.
2. Add veggies to 3 tbsp of hot olive oil and sautee until softened. Add chopped rosemary (1 tsp). sage- 2 tsp, oregano- 1 tsp and thyme- 1 tsp.
3. Add 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock. Let come to a simmer.
4. Add to pot 2 - 14 ounce cans of rinsed canneli (white) beans, and one bunch of chopped kale.
5. Add pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with parmesan cheese.
and the Corn Muffins:
This recipe is form CIA Gluten Free Baking.
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
4 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
2 3/4 cups flour blend #4 (blend of white rice flour, tapioca flour and soy flour)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced ( the ones from the cfa were strong so I used less than what was called for - which was 5 peppers)
1/2 cup cheese, grated ( used gruyere - cheddar or parmesean would be good too)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Whisk together buttermilk, egg and oil. In a seperate bowl combine dry ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking until smooth. ( with gluten free baking you do not have to worry so much about over mixing as there is no gluten to be developed)
4. Fold in the peppers and the cheese.
5. tranfer batter into oiled muffin pans t0 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm in the center. Toothpick will come out clean.
YUM
We are getting lots of squashes - yellow and zucchini. The next blog or two will be dedicated to the squash we love. It's not a big sell in this house, so I keep trying.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Blue Berry Cake
I have decided to be more consistant with the blogging. Trouble is my schedule does not lend itself to consistency and I do not tend to be a consistent person, just ask my family. I decided that I would always blog on Wednesday, now it is Friday. Maybe Friday is a better day.
Wednesday morning, dispite the heat, I picked blueberries. They are at the point where they are all ripe, so the picking is easy. I just had to pick out the ones that were shriveled. Blueberries are a great source of antioxidents and vitamin C. They are not a great source of potassium, which is good for those people with renal issues who need to restrict amounts of potassium.
We usually just eat the berries as is. On cereal or in yogurt. This time I decided to make a cake. I hadn't baked in a while and it was so hot, heating up the oven would not matter much any way. That thinking could go both ways. Sometimes when I bake spir of the moment, I am lacking or low on basic ingredients. This day was no exception. I had no margarine or milk and was low on eggs. A few recipes I had just were not going to work. I am not afraid to improvise, so this is what happened. The results were a nice dense blueberry cake.
I started with a recipe for rhubarb cake from cooking light and made it gluten free and pretty much my own recipe in the end.
Blueberry Cake
3 1/3 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil (recipe called for stick margarine)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter milk ( used powdered butter milk and 3/4 cup water)
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Beat together sugar, oil, egg and vanilla.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients, sifting to remove any lumps.
4. Combine dry ingredients and sugar mixture. Add butter milk and mix well. Stir in blueberries.
5. Spoon batter into prepare pan and bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Makes about 9 servings. Good with whipped cream or icecream.
Wednesday morning, dispite the heat, I picked blueberries. They are at the point where they are all ripe, so the picking is easy. I just had to pick out the ones that were shriveled. Blueberries are a great source of antioxidents and vitamin C. They are not a great source of potassium, which is good for those people with renal issues who need to restrict amounts of potassium.
We usually just eat the berries as is. On cereal or in yogurt. This time I decided to make a cake. I hadn't baked in a while and it was so hot, heating up the oven would not matter much any way. That thinking could go both ways. Sometimes when I bake spir of the moment, I am lacking or low on basic ingredients. This day was no exception. I had no margarine or milk and was low on eggs. A few recipes I had just were not going to work. I am not afraid to improvise, so this is what happened. The results were a nice dense blueberry cake.
I started with a recipe for rhubarb cake from cooking light and made it gluten free and pretty much my own recipe in the end.
Blueberry Cake
3 1/3 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil (recipe called for stick margarine)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter milk ( used powdered butter milk and 3/4 cup water)
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Beat together sugar, oil, egg and vanilla.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients, sifting to remove any lumps.
4. Combine dry ingredients and sugar mixture. Add butter milk and mix well. Stir in blueberries.
5. Spoon batter into prepare pan and bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Makes about 9 servings. Good with whipped cream or icecream.
Vegetable Curry
I have had a number of people say to me that following a gluten free diet is too expensive. A few of these people said that they either don't bother or "cheat" often. Yes, gluten free products can be expensive. Especially those that try to mimic foods that contain gluten - breads, pastas, cookies. I find that these people have not been fully educated about a gluten free diet or have not expanded their thinking about foods. Many cultures use little in the way of wheat based foods. Asian and Indian cuisine are too examples. Traditional Mexican is corn based. Rice, corn, corn meal and potatoes are very inexpensive.
In our house we love Thai and Indain foods. We like spicey. Unfortunately when eaten at restaurants the sodium level is very high. Since the man has be careful for his blood pressure, I like to cook at home to reduce the sodium. Indian food also tends to be high is fat - using a lot of clarified butter (ghee). The ghee also increases the saturated fat in Indian food. Thai food tends to use peanut oil - high in monounsaturated fat.- but not an overabundance. Thai curries use coconut oil - a tropic oil high in saturated fats - the jury is still out on the benefits of coconut oil vs the high saturated fat content- so I still recommend moderation for the tropical oils.
I often make my own curry sauce (curry means sauce in the Indian language), but have found a good substitue at the local grocery store. Good Housekeeping - Good Food - Coconut and Chile Curry Sauce. It comes in a jar and is found in the Indian/Asian section. For a 2 Tbsp serving the sodium is 135 mg and the fat is 2.5 grams, 1.5 grams being saturated fat. This brand is gluten free. A typical jarred curry sauce might give you 8 grams of fat and 310 grams sodium in 2 tbsp.
Having an abundance of vegetable from the CFA vegetable curry sounded like an easy meal for a warm summer night. I had some cubed, firm tofu in the fridge, so I drained it, wrapped it in heavy paper towel and weighted it with a full gallon jug - this fits nicely into my collander. I let this drain for 1/2 hour and then put it in the fridge wrapped in a new paper towel.
I diced up some red onion, garlic, green pepper, yellow squash, yellow beans and carrots. My daughter helped with some of the veggie prep. A pot of rice goes on before the cooking begins - unfortunately my people do not like brown rice (brown rice has a lower glycemic index than white rice and is higher in fiber - we can get our fiber elsewhere) I like to use jasmine rice.
The tofu goes into a large skillet that has been prepped with canola oil. The tofu gets browned then the harder veggies go in - the onion, peppers and carrots as well as the garlic. We like it a bit spicey, so i popped in a 1/2 of a banana pepper. When the carrots start to soften and the onion is starting to brown the squash and beans go in. It all sautes for about 5 minutes, then the whole jar of sauce goes in and is cooked through. A lid goes on and the heat goes to low while the rice finishes up.
Any veggie goes well in this - broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, peas.
A note about the banana pepper. I was not sure if the pepper was hot or not. Banana pepper?? Bananas aren't hot, how about naming it diablo pepper or Burning mouth pepper. I cut into this thing not knowing, tasted it to check - ouch- then proceded to finish chopping it. My lips were tingly at this point. Then I brushed my fingers over my face to clear a piece of hair, the skin on my face started to burn. Wear gloves to cut these things!!
Easy, inexpensive, delicious and nutritious.
In our house we love Thai and Indain foods. We like spicey. Unfortunately when eaten at restaurants the sodium level is very high. Since the man has be careful for his blood pressure, I like to cook at home to reduce the sodium. Indian food also tends to be high is fat - using a lot of clarified butter (ghee). The ghee also increases the saturated fat in Indian food. Thai food tends to use peanut oil - high in monounsaturated fat.- but not an overabundance. Thai curries use coconut oil - a tropic oil high in saturated fats - the jury is still out on the benefits of coconut oil vs the high saturated fat content- so I still recommend moderation for the tropical oils.
I often make my own curry sauce (curry means sauce in the Indian language), but have found a good substitue at the local grocery store. Good Housekeeping - Good Food - Coconut and Chile Curry Sauce. It comes in a jar and is found in the Indian/Asian section. For a 2 Tbsp serving the sodium is 135 mg and the fat is 2.5 grams, 1.5 grams being saturated fat. This brand is gluten free. A typical jarred curry sauce might give you 8 grams of fat and 310 grams sodium in 2 tbsp.
Having an abundance of vegetable from the CFA vegetable curry sounded like an easy meal for a warm summer night. I had some cubed, firm tofu in the fridge, so I drained it, wrapped it in heavy paper towel and weighted it with a full gallon jug - this fits nicely into my collander. I let this drain for 1/2 hour and then put it in the fridge wrapped in a new paper towel.
I diced up some red onion, garlic, green pepper, yellow squash, yellow beans and carrots. My daughter helped with some of the veggie prep. A pot of rice goes on before the cooking begins - unfortunately my people do not like brown rice (brown rice has a lower glycemic index than white rice and is higher in fiber - we can get our fiber elsewhere) I like to use jasmine rice.
The tofu goes into a large skillet that has been prepped with canola oil. The tofu gets browned then the harder veggies go in - the onion, peppers and carrots as well as the garlic. We like it a bit spicey, so i popped in a 1/2 of a banana pepper. When the carrots start to soften and the onion is starting to brown the squash and beans go in. It all sautes for about 5 minutes, then the whole jar of sauce goes in and is cooked through. A lid goes on and the heat goes to low while the rice finishes up.
Any veggie goes well in this - broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, peas.
A note about the banana pepper. I was not sure if the pepper was hot or not. Banana pepper?? Bananas aren't hot, how about naming it diablo pepper or Burning mouth pepper. I cut into this thing not knowing, tasted it to check - ouch- then proceded to finish chopping it. My lips were tingly at this point. Then I brushed my fingers over my face to clear a piece of hair, the skin on my face started to burn. Wear gloves to cut these things!!
Easy, inexpensive, delicious and nutritious.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Kale Again
The CSA has been providing us kale every week - my craving for kale is quite satisfied. I made this the other night, my hubby- the guy who does not like greens - actually took this one to work for his lunch. He may be converted yet.
Kale is a rock star for fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and Vitamin K.
Orzo with Kale -
1 tsp ground tumeric
2 cups uncooked gluten free orzo (or tiny pasta)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch kale - stems removed and coarsely chopped
1 large lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
black pepper to taste
Cook pasta, add tumeric to the water - makes the pasta a pretty yellow color. Tumeric is a good source of antioxidants.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Cook the garlic for a few seconds, stir in the kale. cover the skilled with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes or until tender. (keep checking it to be sure it does not burn- heat should be fairly low) Stir in the lemon juice, nutmeg and parmesan cheese. Season with the pepper and serve over the pasta.
Crazy Veggie Roast
Three days ago I picked up my 4th CSA. This was a great haul. Potatoes, carrots, kale, baby lettuce, chard, beets with the greens, garlic, herbs. Now the squashes are coming - zucchini, yellow squash and a little green one, some okra too (that will be another blog-okra to northeners is a forgien veggie). I worked today and came home hungry - stopped to work out on the way home too- on top of the hungry the sky was threatening rain. No a good grilling night. Instead I had a little roasting fit. All the veggies got roasted in the oven at 450 degrees with a bit of olive oil. Easy peasy!! Fingerling potatoes and carrots with rosemary and pepper. These potatoes are beautiful things - pink skin and pink flesh. The next pan was zucchini and yellow squash with olive oil. I did one of the okras to see what would happen. Not bad - roasted okra is ok, I would not make it a meal, but not bad. It worked well mixed with the squashes.
Pan #3- roasted beets. When the beets were soft they got chopped walnuts and gorgonzola, back into the oven and.... yum.
While the veggies were roasting I started the beet greens. Sliced onion browned in olive oil, add sliced red pepper, pop in chopped beet greens and saute until the greens are tender.
So the veggies are all taken care of, time to start the fish. I found some talapia in the freezer, thawed it out, dredged it in chipotle mayonise and then cornmeal. This cooks for 3 minutes on each side in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of olive oil - it comes out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
The entire meal is done without a recipe. Not too taxing and very yummy in my world. Gluten free and healthy. TaDa.
Pan #3- roasted beets. When the beets were soft they got chopped walnuts and gorgonzola, back into the oven and.... yum.
While the veggies were roasting I started the beet greens. Sliced onion browned in olive oil, add sliced red pepper, pop in chopped beet greens and saute until the greens are tender.
So the veggies are all taken care of, time to start the fish. I found some talapia in the freezer, thawed it out, dredged it in chipotle mayonise and then cornmeal. This cooks for 3 minutes on each side in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of olive oil - it comes out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
The entire meal is done without a recipe. Not too taxing and very yummy in my world. Gluten free and healthy. TaDa.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Too Hot to Cook
Again as stated in the last post, it's to hot to cook. Too hot to make more heat in the house.
So why not grill out side?? Too hot to stand over the grill and monitor the cooking.
Solution. Wrap everything in foil. Less monitoring. Close up the grill, give things a turn. Not too bad.
Foil pouch #1- Swiss chard and onions. Drizzed on a bit of olive oil, fold up the foil and pop it on the grill. This did not need to be turned. I think I am going to re-heat this in the microwave with an egg and a bit of parmesean cheese. Makes a great breakfast.
Foil pouch #2- Zucchini and yellow squash, rub with oil, wrap in foil. Cook about 7 minutes on one side, turn, and cook 7 minutes on the other. One squash went into a wrap with smoked salmon spread.
Foil Pouch #3- Eggplant, rubbed with oil, wrap in foil. Cook about 6 minutes for each side - these were small. The eggplant was diced the next day to go into "Easy Moussaka"- (earlier blog)
So why not grill out side?? Too hot to stand over the grill and monitor the cooking.
Solution. Wrap everything in foil. Less monitoring. Close up the grill, give things a turn. Not too bad.
Foil pouch #1- Swiss chard and onions. Drizzed on a bit of olive oil, fold up the foil and pop it on the grill. This did not need to be turned. I think I am going to re-heat this in the microwave with an egg and a bit of parmesean cheese. Makes a great breakfast.
Foil pouch #2- Zucchini and yellow squash, rub with oil, wrap in foil. Cook about 7 minutes on one side, turn, and cook 7 minutes on the other. One squash went into a wrap with smoked salmon spread.
Foil Pouch #3- Eggplant, rubbed with oil, wrap in foil. Cook about 6 minutes for each side - these were small. The eggplant was diced the next day to go into "Easy Moussaka"- (earlier blog)
Jicama and Cabbage salad
For the past few days it's been too hot to do anything - cook, eat, blog. It's so muggy my fingers sweat on the keyboard. In the early morning coolness there is insentive to move.
Many vegetables have passed through my kitchen in the past few days. Independance day has passed as well. My last farm basket was full of greens and cabbage. It had a beatiful red cabbage and a huge napa cabbage. Cole slaw, of course, was what I brought to the Fourth of July Pot Luck. This one was very colorful and crunchy. I used a combination of the red cabbage and the nappa cabbage plus the addition on slivered red pepper, slivered almonds and a granny smith apple. The dressing was my basic coleslaw dressing of mayonaise, milk, sugar and- lacking vinegar I used - lemon juice.
Two days ago the temperatures hovered near 100 degrees. There was no way I was making more heat in the kitchen. Just chopping veggies made the sweat trickle down my back. Dinner that night was cold. A Jicama and Red Cabbage Salad and a green salad with blue cheese. Gluten free man added some tortilla chips and my daughter and I added some whole grain pita.
The jicama and cabbage salad came out nicely. A combination of sweet, salty and crunchy. I made a few adjustments to the recipe due to lack of and ingredient (jalepeno pepper) and preference (one daughter can not stand cilantro and we are not big on mint)
Jicama is a South American root vegetable, looks like a potato. It is a good source of fiber - 6 grams for 3 ounces- and vitamin C. The sweetness comes from oligofructose inulin, which is a prebiotic. The rest of the jicama plant is apparently poisonous. The skin needs to be peeled and it can be eaten raw or lightly cooked.
Jicama and Red Cabbage Salad
Adapted from a recipe by Rebecca Katz
The salad part is - 6 cups chopped red cabbage - I used a combo of red and napa cabbage.
2 cups julienned jicama, 1/4 cup combination of chopped basil and parsley.
The Dressing - 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce or tamari, 3 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.
Spiced Almonds (do not skip this- yum) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1/2 cup slivered almonds, 1 tsp maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and fragrant.
Mix the three parts and enjoy.
Many vegetables have passed through my kitchen in the past few days. Independance day has passed as well. My last farm basket was full of greens and cabbage. It had a beatiful red cabbage and a huge napa cabbage. Cole slaw, of course, was what I brought to the Fourth of July Pot Luck. This one was very colorful and crunchy. I used a combination of the red cabbage and the nappa cabbage plus the addition on slivered red pepper, slivered almonds and a granny smith apple. The dressing was my basic coleslaw dressing of mayonaise, milk, sugar and- lacking vinegar I used - lemon juice.
Two days ago the temperatures hovered near 100 degrees. There was no way I was making more heat in the kitchen. Just chopping veggies made the sweat trickle down my back. Dinner that night was cold. A Jicama and Red Cabbage Salad and a green salad with blue cheese. Gluten free man added some tortilla chips and my daughter and I added some whole grain pita.
The jicama and cabbage salad came out nicely. A combination of sweet, salty and crunchy. I made a few adjustments to the recipe due to lack of and ingredient (jalepeno pepper) and preference (one daughter can not stand cilantro and we are not big on mint)
Jicama is a South American root vegetable, looks like a potato. It is a good source of fiber - 6 grams for 3 ounces- and vitamin C. The sweetness comes from oligofructose inulin, which is a prebiotic. The rest of the jicama plant is apparently poisonous. The skin needs to be peeled and it can be eaten raw or lightly cooked.
Jicama and Red Cabbage Salad
Adapted from a recipe by Rebecca Katz
The salad part is - 6 cups chopped red cabbage - I used a combo of red and napa cabbage.
2 cups julienned jicama, 1/4 cup combination of chopped basil and parsley.
The Dressing - 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce or tamari, 3 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.
Spiced Almonds (do not skip this- yum) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1/2 cup slivered almonds, 1 tsp maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and fragrant.
Mix the three parts and enjoy.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Kale and more Kale and more Kale
I have gotten 3 farm share baskets so far. All have included Kale. Kale. This is something that most people think of as a garnish. It's sitting on the side of the plate looking all green and nice. Sometimes it has a lemon wedge nestled into it. Is it really food?
Kale is food. It is a great source of vitamin K, folic acid, potassium, it is a green leafy vegetable full of nutrients. A member of the cabbage family, it actually tastes good. If cooked.
Chomping on it raw as a garnish, no so good. But cooked, not so bad. A simple way to prepare it is with onions browned in olive oil, add chopped kale, cook another 5 minutes until soft and a simple and delicious side dish.
I'm thinking that the kale is going to keep coming, so I'd better find some more recipes. This evening I made a Kale Puttanesca. Kale has a strong taste so it can take the flavors of caper, garlic, anchovy and black olive. This came out nice. I made a few adjustments to lower the sodium content, but it is still a high sodium dish.
Due to the multiple likes and dislikes in my house as well as the gluten intolerance, the pastas are made seperately and the black olives were left on the side- I kept the anchovies a secret.
Kale Puttanesca
1 pound gluten free pasta or whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp transfat free margarine
1/2 large onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp capers - drained and rinsed
1 ounce anchovy fillets - chopped finely (to hide)
1- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes - do not drain juice
2 cups chopped kale
2 ounces sliced black olives - drain and rinse
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese or to taste
1. Cook and drain pasta
2. While pasta is cooking heat olive oil and margarine in large skillet. Add onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until onion is softened and begins to brown. Stir in capers, anchovy fillets and diced tomatoes, bring to a simmer. Stir in kale. simmer until kale is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in olives. Serve over pasta, sprinkling with parmesean cheese.
Kale is food. It is a great source of vitamin K, folic acid, potassium, it is a green leafy vegetable full of nutrients. A member of the cabbage family, it actually tastes good. If cooked.
Chomping on it raw as a garnish, no so good. But cooked, not so bad. A simple way to prepare it is with onions browned in olive oil, add chopped kale, cook another 5 minutes until soft and a simple and delicious side dish.
I'm thinking that the kale is going to keep coming, so I'd better find some more recipes. This evening I made a Kale Puttanesca. Kale has a strong taste so it can take the flavors of caper, garlic, anchovy and black olive. This came out nice. I made a few adjustments to lower the sodium content, but it is still a high sodium dish.
Due to the multiple likes and dislikes in my house as well as the gluten intolerance, the pastas are made seperately and the black olives were left on the side- I kept the anchovies a secret.
Kale Puttanesca
1 pound gluten free pasta or whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp transfat free margarine
1/2 large onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp capers - drained and rinsed
1 ounce anchovy fillets - chopped finely (to hide)
1- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes - do not drain juice
2 cups chopped kale
2 ounces sliced black olives - drain and rinse
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese or to taste
1. Cook and drain pasta
2. While pasta is cooking heat olive oil and margarine in large skillet. Add onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until onion is softened and begins to brown. Stir in capers, anchovy fillets and diced tomatoes, bring to a simmer. Stir in kale. simmer until kale is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in olives. Serve over pasta, sprinkling with parmesean cheese.
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