gluten-free – Page 38

Crispy Lemon-Thyme Brussels Sprouts

December 22, 2014December 29, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

Mmmmmmm…… lil baby cabbages. If you haven’t noticed, I love brussels sprouts. Luckily, so does my DH – so we have them quite often around here; generally just cooked simply with a little bacon grease or ghee and tossed with mustard. And they’re delicious.

But this time I wanted to go French-ish and wanted some crunchy bits to serve as a contrast for the wine-braised short ribs I made.

This recipe was intended to serve as a side for two, but as providence would have it the hubbs was called away at the last minute, and I got to eat the whole damn thing myself. And eat it all I did. With delight.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30

Crispy Lemon-Thyme Brussels Sprouts

1 bunch brussels sprouts (I had about 2c)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
Kosher salt & pepper
1/4 a preserved lemon
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
Preheat your oven to 400 F.

Rinse the brussels and quarter or halve so you end up with roughly half inch portions. Toss in the coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on your baking sheet – making sure not to crowd – so that you have room for air to circulate between each piece. Bake 10 mins, stir and bake another 10 minutes. Check. If they’re crispy now, great, take them out. If not, let go a couple more minutes until they’re crispy but not incinerated.

While the brussels are working, mince your preserved lemon (you want 2 Tbsp.) and chop the thyme (1-2 Tbsp.).

When the brussels are ready, toss with the lemon and thyme and serve.

Allegedly serves 2

Rosemary And Preserved Lemon Pork Stir-Fry

December 6, 2014December 29, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

This week’s recipe was a fluke. Not what I’d planned (though, admittedly, I didn’t have much in the way of a plan). My DH got called out to work and wouldn’t be home for dinner, so I grabbed bits and bobs left over in the fridge and cobbled something together. I had originally thought to go Asian in inspiration, since that’s my most comfortable fallback – but then I saw the half-dead packet of rosemary sadly staring at me from the cheese drawer and knew I should use that instead.

So behold – a Fr-talin-ican inspired stir-fry using up some fridge staples. And a glimpse into the kind of flavor experiments I conduct when I’m alone – inspiration totally cribbed from this great series on Lady and Pups.

Gluten-free, paleo & Whole30

Rosemary And Preserved Lemon Pork Stir-Fry

6 ounces thinly sliced pork chops, cut into strips
2 medium carrots, sliced on the bias about 1/8″ thick
2 stalks celery, sliced on the bias about 1/8″ thick
1 tsp cumin
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. preserved lemon, minced
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
Salt & pepper

Heat a cast iron skillet or other large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the carrots and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes or until they look like they’re beginning to soften (I prepped my celery, rosemary and lemons here).

Add the celery and cook, stirring frequently, a couple of minutes (I prepped the rest of my ingredients here).

Add the pork, 2 big sprinkles salt, a few grinds black pepper and the cumin and toss.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are browned and soft and the pork is cooked through.

Serves 1 for dinner

Bacon-Wrapped Butternut Squash

November 29, 2014December 29, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

I, dear friends, have been saddled with a squash nonbeliever.

I did it to myself, really. I *knew* my DH harbored this character flaw way back when he was only ‘the boyfriend’, and chose to ignore it – to deal with this injustice later; to blindly turn my eye to the potential battleground that would become dinner and forge ahead.

This squash distainer sits at my dinner table (who am I kidding? the couch) every night during the fall, hoping whatever huge wintery monstrosity made my eyes shiny at the grocery store/farmers’ market the weekend before is not making an appearance on his plate. And then it does, and the poor guy does what he can with it. Funky textures, sweetly savory tastes and all.

This dish is an olive branch of sorts – a peace offering for the many, many hashes and roasted lumps of undesirables I make my longsuffering DH consume each year when the mercury dips below 50. For the broken promises of crispiness; the bait-and-switches that come when silky purees don’t have the expected flavor profile.

Who doesn’t love bacon? And if you have to eat squash to get it, maybe that bacon fat-basted root veggie won’t be so bad.

Gluten-free, paleo, Whole30 if you luck up and can get compliant bacon

Bacon-Wrapped Butternut Squash

1/2 a large butternut squash
6 slices bacon
Salt
Pepper
Chili powder

Preheat your oven to 400 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Now attack your squash. Peel with a vegetable peeler, lop off the ends and cut into half width-wise (you should have two big hunks of squash – 1 with seeds and 1 without). Cut your seedless half into half again and then into large fry looking wedges.

Reserve the other half for another purpose (a nice hash, perhaps).

Cut your bacon into half so you end up with 12 slices.

Wrap a slice of bacon per wedge – my large butternut yielded 12 good wedges; perfect for the amount of bacon I had on hand. When wrapping, make sure both ends wind up on the same side and put that side down on the prepared baking sheet.

Sprinkle with chili powder, salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes (or until the squash is soft and the bacon is done), kick your broiler up to high, and broil 5 minutes on each side to finish crisping the bacon and brown the edges of the squash.

Serves 3

Delicata, Pomegranate & Arugula Salad

November 22, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

This salad is sweet, tart, fatty & salty and strikes a great balance between the carbs & fat you want when the weather turns cold, and more virtuous things like fresh greens.

Vegetarian, vegan & paleo with omissions; gluten-free with none

Delicata, Pomegranate & Arugula Salad

1 delicata squash
Arugula
1 pomegranate
Pecorino, romano or other salty aged cheese
Pomegranate molasses
Optional pulled meat of some sort – I used pork like this, this would also be fantastic
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

First, start your squash.

Preheat your oven to 425 F. Line a cookie sheet with foil.

Slice the ends off your squash and push the seeds out with a spoon. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds.

Lay squash rounds in a single layer on your prepared sheet – making sure not to crowd; brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Bake 20 minutes, flip, and bake another 20 minutes or until browned and nutty on both sides.

While the squash is working, de-seed your pomegranate (my favorite method is to roll the pomegranate on a cutting board to loosen the seeds, cut in half, and whack with the back of a wooden spoon. Not only cathartic, this method is really quick and only a little splattery).

Reheat your pork (I prefer crisping it up a bit either under the broiler or in a pan on the stovetop) and gather the rest of your ingredients.

When the squash is crisped, pull from the oven and start assembling your salad. I used about a cup of arugula, 6-8 slices of squash, a hand full of pomegranate arils, a Tablespoon or so of cheese, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Enjoy.

Depending upon the size of your squash, serves 2-4. My squash was on the small side and I was hungry, so it served 2.

Burnt Radicchio Salad with Pear and Maple

November 15, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

This recipe was born out of the need to burn fall with fire. Call it bleeding frustrations, getting rid of demons, or just simply not getting enough fire with my wintery weather while on vacation, but I came back with an urge to burn things – specifically, food things.

Why so destructive? Slightly burnt around the edges radicchio is fantastic. So are toasted nuts. And butter. And pears – I thought long and hard about caramelizing these, too, but since no one has seen fit to festoon me with a blowtorch it didn’t happen. It might in the future, though. Maybe Santa will bring the gift of fire.

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian friendly, vegan friendly

Burnt Radicchio Salad with Pear and Maple

1/2 head of radicchio
Drizzle olive oil
1/4 c. crushed pecans
1 Tbsp. ghee
1/2 pear
Drizzle maple syrup
Kosher salt & black pepper
Leftover flank steak (optional but delicious)

Set your broiler on high and tinfoil a cookie sheet. De-stem your radicchio and cut into two chunks. Place onto the prepared sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil 5-6 minutes, or until blistered and burning at the edges. Not incinerated, just lightly burnt around the top and edges.

While your radicchio is burning, toast your pecans in the ghee over medium-high heat until they smell nutty. Remove from the heat.

Slice your flank steak and pear into thin slivers.

When the radicchio is done, chop into bite-sized pieces and add to a serving vessel. Top with the sliced pear, flank steak if you’re using and pecans. Drizzle with a teaspoon or so of maple syrup and hit with another pinch of salt and few twists of pepper. Viola.

Serves 1 for lunch

Spicy Chard & Cabbage Slaw

November 1, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

It must be the Southerner in me, but every time I think ‘pulled meat’ (hee hee) I think ‘slaw’. This week, I made pulled beef as my big multi-meal protein, and was graced with some really nice cabbage and chard in this week’s CSA box.

Slaw it is, and what better kind than spicy?

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Paleo (swap aioli for strict)

Spicy Chard & Cabbage Slaw

1/2 small head cabbage
1/2 bunch rainbow chard
4 scallions
1 small bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
Fresh black pepper

For the dressing

2 Tbsp. mayo (I used Just Mayo, which is pretty great and not filled with a bunch of crap – it’s not strictly paleo (contains canola oil & tiny amounts of sugar & pea protein), but it is good and waaaaayyyy more convenient than my futile attempts at making aioli)
3 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. water
2 pinches kosher salt

Core and shred the cabbage and add to a large bowl. Ribbon the chard and add. Thinly slice the scallions and add. Julienne the pepper and add. Mince the garlic and add. Toss with a few cracks black pepper.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayo, sriracha, lemon juice, water and salt.

Drizzle the dressing over the slaw and toss with your hands to combine.

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a bigass salad

Miso Pepita Broiled Squash

October 18, 2014December 29, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

I know I have a winner on my hands when the first taste of something horrifies my mouth – but subsequent tweaks and tastes cause me to salivate, eat too much, and wind up having to pour water over the bowl to cease the smorgasboarding. (sidebar: you don’t even want to know how many times I typed Smorgasburg instead of smorgasboard – I may have been living in Brooklyn too long)

Back to topic. This side is pretty great. The topping is sweet and salty and rich and a little crunchy – while the squash is a little sweet, soft and a touch velvety. The two play well nicely together.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo-ish [miso is not strictly paleo (neither is rice wine vinegar for that matter), but as far as soy products go – fermented isn’t quite the devil that unfermented is. I will also love my rice wine vinegar forever, regardless of what the paleo police say]

Miso Pepita Broiled Squash
Adapted from Broiled Spaghetti Squash with Walnut-Miso Glaze by Saveur

1 medium butternut squash
Coconut oil
1/2 c. pepitas
1/4 c. white miso
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
Pinch red chili flakes
Pinch kosher salt

First, prep a baking sheet with tinfoil and set your oven to heat to 400 F.

Peel your squash with a vegetable peeler, cut into two easier-to-manage hunks, and cut into potato wedge looking sizes (scooping the guts from the bell end as you go). Lay on the prepped cookie sheet and drizzle a little coconut oil over. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake 30 minutes or until soft and just starting to brown a bit on the edges.

While your squash is baking, make the crumbly goodness.

Combine the pepitas, miso, maple syrup, vinegar, chili flakes & salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined and gravelly looking. Taste. The mixture should be weird but strangely delicious and addicting after the second taste or so.

If you need to cut the weirdness, adding a little more maple syrup would work; adding some “warmer” spices (like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice) may also help. I kept it weird.

When your squash is done, move your rack up and kick the oven on to broil.

Top your squash with the miso pepita mixture – I used the whole batch when I made it (mostly because I was already obsessed with the taste, but in hindsight this was a wise choice).

Broil 3 minutes or so, until the top is nice and crunchy and browned.

Serves 4 as a side.

Pulled Pork Tacos with Pepper and Apple Slaw

October 4, 2014Recipes1 Comment

Seriously? I haven’t shared a pulled pork recipe this year? Really? I have trouble believing that, since I make so much pulled pork, but it looks like I have neglected you guys.

Well, that’s going to change today.

Pulled pork is one of my absolute favorite go-to meals to make on a Monday and nibble throughout the week. It’s cheap, makes a ton, takes zero effort, and can be dressed a million different ways – practically the perfect food. Plus: pork.

This recipe is how I’ve been eating my pork lately. I’ve been obsessed with the sweet/spicy combo Korean BBQ sauce brings to the party, and was overjoyed to find Napa cabbage in last week’s CSA box. Out of all the non-carby options for taco wrappage, Napa cabbage is my favorite. It’s pliable, holds a bunch, and has a great neutral crunch. I’ve eaten this meal four times this week, which is restrained for me (I used the last batch as an excuse to take down an entire huge jar of kimchee + a jar of quick pickles – in one week). Needless to say, I love this dish. Other fantastic additions include: the aforementioned kimchee & quick pickles, peaches, mangoes, pineapples, Sriracha, sauerkraut, zucchini strips, chipotle, and lime.

Gluten-free, paleo (check your labels!!)

Pulled Pork Tacos with Pepper and Apple Slaw

Pulled pork – about 6 ounces per person makes a good tacos-for-dinner portion
2-4 Tbsp. Korean BBQ sauce (I used 365 brand from Whole Foods, which has both soy and wheat – there are some fantastic gf & paleo versions out there; check your labels!)
2-3 Napa cabbage leaves per person
1/2 bell pepper (I went for yellow)
1/2 tart apple (Fuji and good old Granny Smith are both good here)
1/2 lime
Salt & pepper

Heat your pork and toss with the bbq sauce. Thinly julienne the pepper and apple and toss with the juice of half a lime, plus a sprinkle of kosher salt and a few cracks black pepper.

To assemble, layer your cabbage leaf with a little saucy pork + top with slaw – lengthwise down the leaf seems to work best.

Chow down.

To Make The Pork

2-5 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (you can do bone-in, but it takes longer)
3 or so Tablespoons of your favorite seasoning (my favorite is an Eastern Carolina-style rub with enough black pepper to make me sneeze & lots of red chili flakes)
1/4 cup or so apple cider vinegar
Maybe a thinly sliced onion

Sprinkle your pork on all sides with the spice mixture, rubbing in as you sprinkle and flip. Add to a crock pot. Splash the vinegar over. If you want, a thinly sliced onion is also fantastic here. Lid and cook on high about 6 hours, or until the pork is falling apart and can easily be shredded with a fork.

Enjoy for days.

Paleo Almond Coffee Creamer

September 27, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

It seems like homemade almond milk has been everywhere on the blogosphere this summer, and I spent almost the whole season holding out – running from its charms – denying that it’s not only crazy simple to make, but cheaper than buying the good stuff – and puts my mind more at ease than buying a carton of milk with added chemicals. Turns out, it’s cheaper even than my beloved coconut milk.

Here’s the cost breakout for home almond milk vs. store almond milk vs. coconut milk in my area (NYC):

“Regular” Storebought Almond Milk
Blue Diamond – the best of the readily commercially available options, IMHO

Cost: $3.29 for 64 ounces
Servings: 32 (2-ounce servings)
Cost Per Serving: $0.10

Fancy Storebought Almond Milk
Califa Farms – a brand with no added crap

Cost: $3.79 for 48 ounces
Servings: 24 (2-ounce servings)
Cost Per Serving: $0.16

Homemade Almond Milk
Made by me with whatever flavorings I want to add and no added crap

Cost: $5.99 for a 16-ounce bag of almonds from Trader Joe’s, which yields just at 5 cups of nuts – with 2.5 cups of water per batch, we’re looking at about 100 ounces of milk.
Servings: 50 (2-ounce servings)
Cost Per Serving: $0.12

Canned Coconut Milk
My favorite is from Trader Joe’s and it has no added crap.

Cost: $0.99 for 14 ounces
Servings: 7
Cost Per Serving: $0.14

The cheapest alternative for my morning coffee looks to be “regular” almond milk – but for pennies more, I can make my own and avoid unnecessary added chemicals. I think that’s a good trade-off. Plus, it’s fun to make.

All you need to make almond milk is a high-speed blender (I have a Vitamix), a mesh bag of some sort (I use one I got for free at the botanical garden a few years ago), some water and time.

Almond Milk

1 cup almonds
2.5 cups water
Pinch salt

Soak 1 cup almonds in water 12 – 24 hours. Drain and rinse.

Add the drained almonds to a blender with 2.5 cups water (I prefer lukewarm to warm). Blend. Add a pinch of salt and blend some more.

Fit a mesh bag over a bowl. Pour the almond milk into the bag. Lift and squeeze until you can’t get any more liquid out.

Funnel the liquid into containers – I’ve found that splitting the batch between 3 small re-sealable pop bottles works the best for clean retrieval + optimal flavor selection.

My Favorite Coffee Creamer Flavorings

Whiskey Cinnamon (1 tsp. Honey Jack + 1 tsp. ground cinnamon in 1/3 of a batch)

Maple Vanilla (1 tsp. maple syrup + 1 tsp. vanilla extract in 1/3 of a batch)

Pumpkin Spice (1.5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice in 1/3 of a batch)

Keeps about a week in the fridge

What do I do with all that leftover pulp? Make cookies! These are pretty great. I’m also dying to try these crackers.

Paleo Peach Crumble

September 20, 2014December 29, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

I don’t go for desserts often, but I find myself lately with a glut of fresh almond meal that needs using (more on why later) – dessert seems like the logical outcome. Plus: peaches. Can we talk about peaches that have been graced with heat?

d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s

This recipe isn’t instant, but scales beautifully to serve more – these peaches would be absolutely fabulous with some of that coconut whipped cream I made for a party, or some of my favorite 1-ingredient ice cream.

Vegetarian, Vegan, gluten-free, paleo

Paleo Peach Crumble

2 peaches, halved and pitted
1/4 c. almond meal (either plain from the package, or leftover from making almond milk)
1-2 Tbsp. melted ghee
1 tsp. vanilla (optional – if you use plain flour, it would be a nice touch)
Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice
Kosher salt

Preheat your oven to 375 fahrenheit. While your oven is coming up to temperature, either grab some oven-proof ramekins or line a cookie sheet with foil. I love the ramekin for baking this item because it looks pretty, feels fancy, and puts my ramekins to better use than being a handy cherry tomato-to-mouth conveyance method.

Place your halved peaches cut side up in/on your cooking vessel and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon and a pinch of kosher salt.

In a small bowl, combine the almond meal and ghee and work with your fingers until you have crumbly flour. Sprinkle over the peaches (you don’t want a whole heap here – go for a moderate amount and the crumble will toast more evenly).

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the peaches offer no resistance to a fork and the topping is nice and browned.

If desired, drizzle with some honey or maple syrup and top with a dollop of coconut whipped cream or scoop of 1-ingredient paleo ice cream.

Serves 2-4, depending upon how heavy a dessert is warranted.

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