Posts Tagged ‘sugar free’

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Pom Chicken

Sunday, November 30th, 2008

Pomegranates are pretty much perfect.  Heck, they’re a lot of effort to peel, but it makes me appreciate them even more!  They’re very high in antioxidants and vitamin C, and wonderfully delicious.

The only downside to poms is the amount of mess they make and the amount they stain…everything.  We have pomegranate stains on the walls, the floor, some of my sweaters.  You get the idea! Regretfully, DH does not see this as art.  I’m still working on convincing him.

Since I can’t eat citrus, pomegranates are a great way to get a tangy taste.  I used fresh pomegranates, but you can also just use pom juice for this recipe.  I used to juice using a food mill, but realized that a (well sealed) ziplock bag and a rolling pin was easier.  And if you enjoy having poms in the warmer months, the seeds freeze really well!

1 onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons of oil
pinch of salt
2-3 chicken breasts, diced
2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped or well mashed with a rolling pin
1 tablespoon agave or to taste
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup pom kernels, reserved

1 1/2 cups pom juice (about 3 poms, with 1/4 cup reserved and not juiced)

1 cup broth

Simmer the juice and broth gently until it is reduced by half. In skillet, saute onions until translucent and set aside. Brown the chicken in the same pan. Add sauteed onions to the chicken, along with reduced juice mixture, spices and walnuts.

Adjust spices as necessary, serve with broccoli and a starch of your choice.

This is my weekly submission to Weekend Herb Blogging, originated by Kalyn’s Kitchen, and now hosted by Haalo of Cook almost anything at least once

Our host this month is Scott of Real Epicurean.

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Posted in recipe, weekend herb blogging | 6 Comments »

Harvest apple crisp

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to share one my Apple Crisp recipe. It’s always been one of my favorite things to make because they’re so quick, easy and yummy. Crisps are a holiday tradition in my family. It’s very easy to make them gluten free, but I also wanted to make one that was sugar free, because I (and many people I work with!!) feel better when avoiding sugar. It took a few tries to come up with a recipe I’m delighted with.

When I can find them, I love the extra dimension quince adds to the flavor. This peculiar looking fruit is a real treat. The smell is heavenly. I often leave one for a day or two in my car! They are a pain to cut and peel, but the flavor is lovely when cooked slowly. They take a longer time to cook than apples, but if they’re shredded, they cook down easily. If you have a Latino market nearby, these babies are known as “membrillo”

4 apples, pears or a combination, peeled and thinly sliced
1 quince, finely shredded (or 5 apples)
½ cup cranberries
½ cup dried cherries, raisins or cranberries)
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot starch

1 ¼ cups almond meal or almond flour, OR 1 ¼ C sorghum flour (increase oil to ½ cup)
¼ cup quinoa flakes or oats
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of cloves (or replace the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves with1 tsp apple pie spice)
½ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
finely grated zest of an orange (optional)
¼ cup agave nectar
1/3 cup oil

Peel and slice apples thinly, and mix with cranberries, dried fruit, and agave. Mix spices and flour in a separate bowl, then combine with the apples. Pour into a greased 8X8 pan.

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly, then add in wet ingredients until the texture is crumbly. Scatter the topping over the fruit mixture. Put in the oven at 325 and bake for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and bake until the juices get all bubbly (generally, 40 minutes total).

Serve and enjoy!

As an added bonus, both the apple mixture and the topping can be made a day or two ahead and stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator.

If you are on a no amylose diet, use cornstarch, almond meal or flour, and quinoa flakes.

This seasonal treat is my submission to Weekend Herb Blogging, as originated by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen, though Haalo of Cook (almost) Everything at least once is our new WHB master. Siri of Siri’s Corner is this week’s fabulous host. Check out her site for a great range of global recipes!

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008

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Posted in baked goods, dessert, recipe | 9 Comments »

Pear Skillet Bread

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

Sometimes I get something in my head and I’m not letting it go until I get what I want! This recipe is a perfect example. I love my Nana Skillet Bread, but bananas don’t agree with me…and I can’t have grains. But I believed I could make it work with pears and was absolutely determined! Darn thing wasn’t going to get the best of me. Most of the “failed” batches were delicious, but they were a pile of crumbs, so I was always “forced” to eat them. Quite a hardship! I generally make things in season, and started working on this at the beginning of pear season, and didn’t figure out how to make it work until a week ago. I have a stash of frozen pears, and methinks this is where they’re headed.

It’s not quite a bread, and not quite a cake. It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack, and it’s quite healthy, too! If you don’t have a skillet, you can do it in an 9 inch round, but the crust won’t brown as nicely. Lining the skillet with parchment is essential if you’re using a skillet, or it will totally get stuck. Salba or chia is a must, and flax won’t work. You’ll get a pile of crumbs. Tasty crumbs. Trust me. For more info on Salba, I have a two articles here. If you don’t have mesquite, add more almond flour instead, and add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and more spices.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
¼ cup mesquite flour
1Tablespoons +1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
pinch of salt

Wet:
1 1/4 cups very ripe pears
1 tablespoon ground chia (Salba) seeds
2/3 cup agave (a little less)
3T oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Line the bottom of a 10 inch cast iron skillet with parchment paper, then grease the paper and sides of the pan. Preheat oven to 350 and put skillet in the hot oven 10 minutes before adding the batter.

Thoroughly mix dry ingredients together. Dump wet ingredients in a blender. Let it roll until well blended. In my vitamix, that takes less than a minute. I would assume an ordinary blender would take a few minutes. Add wet to dry mix until well everything is combined, then stir in the nuts.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until top turns a beautiful golden brown. Almond flour browns a lot so don’t be surprised if it’s darker than you expect. Cool on a drying rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Top with sauteed apples if desired.

Yum.

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008

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Posted in baked goods, bread, recipe | 5 Comments »

Red Pepper Soup

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

I love red peppers. And yellow peppers. And orange peppers. I guess I really mean all sweet peppers! Raw, roasted, sauteed…you really can’t go wrong. I eat a ridiculous quantity of roasted peppers in the summer and fall months. As it gets colder, I turn more toward red pepper soup and sauce.

This is one of those “un-recipe” recipes. Every time I’ve done it it’s been great, and each time is slightly different, depending on what I have on hand and my mood. You can use different nuts. I like brazil nuts and almonds, too. When I have some, I add in a clove or two of roasted garlic, and it works well. I try to put aside some of my herb-y roasted peppers (if I can manage not to eat them all!!), but canned marinated peppers work, too.

The soup is creamy and satisfying and best of all it’s quick and easy to make!

1 cup roasted peppers
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup broth
a squirt or two of agave
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder (if your peppers are not already marinated or seasoned)
pinch of sea salt
black pepper, to taste
pinch cayenne
sprig of thyme

Put everything except thyme in a blender and blend until smooth (this may take a while!). You’ll have a great soup ready in just a few minutes. Warm over gentle heat, sprinkle with fresh thyme and enjoy.

This is my weekly submission to Weekend Herb Blogging, which has passed from Kalyn’s Kitchen to Haalo ofCook Almost Anything At least Once (words to live by!) This week’s hostess is Wiffy of Noob Cook

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Posted in recipe, side dish, soup, vegetables, weekend herb blogging | 13 Comments »

Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

Our fabulous host for this months’ Daring Baker challenge is Rosa of Rosa’s Yummy Yums. Our recipe this month is pizza! I was quite excited. I hadn’t had pizza in a LONG time, maybe 4 years or so, so I figured I was due. I was also determined to do a way that would work for me, and also a way that was semi-faithful to the recipe we were given. I’ve been SO busy lately, since we hosted a big pumpkin carving party last weekend, that this almost didn’t happen. My head GF taster was busy, and it seemed silly to cook a GF pizza for my glutenous DH. But I discovered that another friend has gone GF and was craving pizza, so the dishes are still in the sink as I type away, and this is just under the wire.

The great news is that the pizza challenge (as written) was quite successful! DH and Natalie pretty much inhaled the first one, and the second one vanished as well. Both gave glowing reviews, and DH is picky, so I know I can trust him. I even changed the flours to make it amylose free so I can share it with people that I work with, so I was very glad. It was very simple to make. Since I no longer have a baking stone, I opted to use the back of a cast iron skillet. It’s not the most graceful way to get the job done, but especially if you give it time to heat up, it does help the crust get nice and crispy. You could even pick up a piece and eat it like pizza!

My Cheryl-friendly pizza wasn’t so successful. I made a few attempts at a grain free, vegan and yeast free pizza for me. One was a socca pizza (YUM!) but it got overly soggy. I did, however, eagerly devour every crumb. The other was a vegan/grain free/yeast free foccacia-ish bread I was working on. It looked beautiful, and tasted awful. I finally realized I’d forgotten the lemon juice and the baking soda taste was quite prominent. Whoops! I will surely experiment with both in the future, though.

I did a half batch and used it for 2 pizzas instead of 3 as we were advised. The flour combo I used was 1/2 cup almond, 1/2 cup corn flour, 1/4 cup chestnut, 1/4 cup amaranth flour, 1/4 cup quinoa flour, and 1/2 cup corn starch.
I added herbs and minced onion to the crust, but aside from that, I followed the instructions as given.

What a nice treat to do something different! To see more, lovely pizza creations, check out my fellow Daring Bakers.

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Posted in baked goods, daring bakers, main meal | 14 Comments »

Pesto time!

Saturday, October 18th, 2008

As always, I leave things to the last minute, and this is pretty much the last hurrah for my basil.   I’m just lucky that the weather has cooperated and that my basil is still around!  I love pesto, and it’s just so easy to do.  It’s even better because the basil and garlic are from my garden (the garlic was harvested and roasted months ago).

And, as an added bonus, pesto is part of my sneaky agenda to add vegan meals to the menu without DH noticing.  Pesto is so hearty and filling, especially with a great protein like quinoa, and I think it somehow escaped his attention.  Whenever he notices, he feels the need to compensate by eating a big bowl of ice cream…which entirely defeats the purpose.  He says it’s not intentional, but I don’t buy it.  We had a deal when we married.  I wasn’t moving to Rochester, and he wasn’t going vegetarian.  So far, we’re living in Virginia, and still have a mixed diet.  But that doesn’t stop me from trying to push the envelope.  Ah, the things we do for love…

But onto the pesto!

I make a bunch at a time and freeze it so I can enjoy in the winter. I tend to make a pretty dry paste to freeze, and then just thin out with more olive oil as needed when I’m ready to use it. And there are so many ways to use it! Stir it into quinoa, as above, or use it as a pizza topping. Use it as a dip, pesto your fish….you’re only limited by your imagination!

You may also notice that there’s no cheese in this recipe, since I’m allergic to dairy. You can certainly add in some parm, but between the pine nuts and walnuts, there’s a delightful creaminess and I never miss it.

3 cups packed fresh basil, washed at the last minute
4 cloves roasted garlic (optional)
1 clove raw garlic
1/2 cup olive oil*
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts and walnuts
Big pinch sea salt
good squirt of lemon
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives (optional)

*more as needed or desired

Toast pine nuts and walnuts over medium heat in a dry skillet, shaking to prevent burning. Set aside.
Process basil, garlic and oil until smooth-ish. Add in salt, nuts and lemon and pulse. I like to leave chunks, but that’s a matter of personal taste!

Since I’ve been missing the “Grow your own” deadlines for a while, I’m reversing the trend and submitting early! The host for this round is Andrea, of Andrea’s Kitchen, who also was the founder of this event.

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Posted in main meal, recipe, weekend herb blogging | 9 Comments »

Parchment Tilapia, lazy style

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

The criteria for a good weeknight recipe are: yummy, easy, quick, and main meal and veggie all in one.  This tilapia is all of the above!  I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a long time.  It’s an old standby, perfect for when I’m not going to be home and I can just put everything together quickly and have DH pop it in the oven.  It also makes good use of the lemongrass from my garden, and is perfect for green peppers that just are too harsh tasting to have raw.  I freeze some of the long lemongrass stalks to make this recipe in the winter months.

Lemongrass is used as an herb, but it’s actually a grass. Usually, it’s not eaten and just added for flavor, but if you have tiny pieces in a dish, it’s certainly edible. It’s commonly used in Thai and other East Asian dishes. If you have a cat and intend to grow lemongrass, beware. Not only will they devour the whole darn plant, but then they will regift you with the lemongrass, pre-chewed. Do not ask how I know this.

From a nutritional perspective, tilapia is a wonderful source of omega 3 fatty acids, and garlic and ginger are both fabulous anti-inflammatory herbs.  They also freeze really well, and I chop them when I have the time, and then thaw mini cubes of chopped ginger and garlic when needed.

I used to make fish wrapped in foil, and it takes a heck of a long time to wrap them individually in tilapia and then re-wrap in foil.  There’s a simple solution, though: make one big foil envelope, and save the trouble!

4 tilapia fillets
5 bell peppers, sliced in rounds
2 Thai peppers, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, minced
6-7 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 chopped green onions
4-foot long green outer leaves of lemongrass, finely minced (I’m sure you can use dried, but I never have)
2 Tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, OR a splash of soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons maple syrup, or 3-4 Tablespoons fruit juice, or a pinch of stevia
sesame seeds (optional)

Line a 9X13 pan with foil, and then also line with parchment paper, if desired.  Put tilapia in the dish.  Combine ginger, garlic, chopped lemongrass, salt, oil and sweetener, stir to combine.  Pour over fish, sprinkle peppers on top.  Cover pan tightly with a second piece of foil and crimp the edges.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until done. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve and enjoy.

I’m serving up this tilapia as an ode to lemongrass for this week’s edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, the brainchild of Kalyn’s Kitchen. Our hostess this week is Valentina of Trembom, English Version

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Posted in main meal | 10 Comments »

Crispy crackers: A daring baker challenge

Saturday, September 27th, 2008

This was such fun!  Many thanks to Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, and co-host Shel, of Musings From the Fishbowl for September’s Daring Baker Challenge. I haven’t had much in the way of crackers or bread in the past 4 or 5 years.  Something about not being able to have gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, sugar, yeast, and made the idea of bread and bread products a little off-putting.  Crazy, I know.  And then came the really fun part: giving up grains for a while (long story).  What can I say, I’m always up for a good challenge, it inspires me to be more creative.

I don’t think I have ever had real lavash crackers so I didn’t have a good sense of what I was going for.  I decided to play with several ideas, and it was great fun.

After quite a few experiments, the crackers started to taste like…well, crackers. I could have precut them to make them more evenly shaped, but that’s not really my style. I thoroughly enjoyed them, and certainly do plan to make them again. I also made the Salsa-mole to go with them, but alas…I was having such fun eating the crackers that it didn’t occur to me to dip them until they were all gone! They are especially great if you are on a low glycemic, a low carb, grain free or no amylose diet, or South Beach kind of diet because they are tasty, and they aren’t very difficult.

Take 1: almond flax crackers

I barely got a picture of these babies before I gobbled them all.  I didn’t quite get the texture right, but the taste was yum. However, I wanted something much crispier.

Take 2: flax crackers:

I got a sheet of goop that was starting to burn.    Direct to garbage.

Take 3: hazelnut/mesquite/agave/cinnamon crackers
they smelled heavenly, but were way too gooky. I’ll have to work more on those.

Take 4: brazil nut/chestnut/sorghum crackers:

I played with these a bit. They very yummy, not quite crispy or thin enough.  If you want the recipe, drop me a line. But I really wanted to make a grain free cracker, so…

Take 5: my delightful, grain free, crispy, delicious crackers. 

2/3 cup canned or cooked garbanzo beans, washed and drained
1/3 cup chestnut flour
14 brazil nuts
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons of water, or until the mix starts to come together

3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Wash the garbanzos well and drain off all of the water.  Put first group of ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the nuts disappear into the mix.

Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time. 2 worked well for me, but it may differ slightly depending on how moist the beans are and the size of the brazil nuts.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Put dough on the sheet and put a second sheet of parchment on top. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough as flat as you can. Refrigerate dough for an hour.

Preheat oven to 275, and Sprinkle coarse salt and herbs on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on how thick the dough is. Some “pockets” may bake a little faster than others.

I can’t wait to see what the other Daring Bakers did with their lavash crackers!

~from Cheryl’s kitchen ©2008. Please do not replicate without crediting/permission.

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Posted in appetizers, baked goods, bread, daring bakers | 11 Comments »

Salsa-mole

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

I was fully prepared to make guacamole, but there were all of these tomatoes and I was craving salsa, too. Problem solved: salsa-mole.

This made a great, quick, vegan lunch that I enjoyed most thoroughly! If you’re a big fan of cilantro, like I am, you may want to increase it. You can enjoy this on tortilla chips, crackers or just with a spoon. Yum!

Cilantro, or coriander, is a member of the same family as carrots, celery and parsley, and yet the neighborhood rabbits leave it alone. Come to think, they’re not too clever, they rarely munch on my garden. Usually they have grass instead. Hey, I’m not complaining but grass instead of veggies? You must be kidding! Now that the weather is getting cooler, I’ve planted some again and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Many culinary traditions make good use of cilantro, such as in Mexican, Indian and many others. However, there are some misguided people out there that can’t abide the taste or smell. Regretfully, DH is one.

1 avocado, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 heirloom tomato, diced
1/2 sweet pepper, diced
small shallot, finely minced, or a Tablespoon sweet onion
small handful of chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
good squeeze of lime

Add everything together, mix and enjoy!

This is my weekly offering to Weekend Herb Blogging, the baby of Kalyn’s Kitchen. This week’s host is Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once is our host, and that’s a motto that sounds like fun. Her photos are stunning!


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Posted in main meal, recipe, side dish, vegetables, weekend herb blogging | 9 Comments »

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Go gourmet with this delicious vegan treat! I gave a slice to a friend, and then I was out of town for a week. When I returned, I had 3 emails requesting the recipe! I’ve had gluten eaters come back for seconds.  This bread is perfect for brunch or a snack, and also works as muffins. It’s largely whole grain, and the Salba seeds lend a wonderful moistness. It’s gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn and sugar free and vegan.

I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a while, and am so glad I got around to it.  It won the Gluten Intolerant Groups‘ (GIG) Healthy recipe contest, and it is quite yummy.

There are a lot of different flours in it.  I suspect that you could substitute most of the flours with an all purpose GF mix, though I don’t know if the rice bran would sub well.  If you try it, please let me know!

Salba gel
1 T whole Salba seed
¼ cup water

½ cup + 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
½ cup sorghum flour (or teff flour)
½ cup almond meal
¼ cup rice bran
¼ cup sweet rice flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

2 Tablespoons honey (or agave, for vegan version)
¾ cup orange juice
¼ cup canola or olive oil
¼ cup agave nectar (or 1/3 cup sugar and 2 Tablespoons honey)
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Line a 9X5 inch bread pan with parchment paper overhanging the edges. Preheat oven to 350º.

Combine Salba seed and water, in a small bowl, set aside. Combine all flours and starches and mix well, eliminating any lumps. Add in poppy seeds.

Zest lemon before juicing. Combine honey and warm orange juice. When well mixed, add in oil, agaves nectar, Salba gel, and lemon juice and lemon zest.

Mix wet and dry ingredients and stir until everything is combined. Bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes, cover after 30 minutes to prevent over-browning. Check for doneness with a toothpick.

Allow to cool on a drying rack, and remove with parchment paper “handles” after 5 minutes to prevent a soggy bottom. Cool completely on drying rack.

Serve and accept compliments.

Makes one large loaf, or two 5X3 loaves or muffins.

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Posted in baked goods, bread, recipe | 5 Comments »

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