January 26th, 2015
Meatless recipe….but the day is perfect for a nice hot chili!!
This recipe is totally stolen. Cannot take any credit for it. It is a recipe from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. It comes out so good and it can be served by itself, or, as a side dish for meat, chicken or fish. I have served it with a Turducken and I just served it for Christmas Eve dinner with my small standing rib roast from Hickman’s in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Spinach Gratin and sliced tomatoes on the side…yummy! It is by no means a low fat, low cal recipe but some adjustments can be made….substitute the butter for something lighter. The heavy cream can be half and half, and the milk can be low fat, as well.
SPINACH GRATIN
4 tablsps. usalted butter
4 cups yellow onions, chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated (I used ground)
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
5 10-ounce packages of frozen spinach, defrosted
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Kosher salt (optional)
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. About 10 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook stirring for a few more minutes, making a roux. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened.
Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the defrosted spinach. Add the spinach to the sauce. Then, add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix it well. Season with salt and pepper if you want to.
Transfer the spinach to a baking dish, 9 x 13, and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Serve and enjoy!!
I made this recipe gluten free. Please grate your cheeses to make sure there are no additives containing gluten.
November 3rd, 2014
I have tons of cookbooks. Not enough years to read them. Some I like better than others. This Meatless Monday recipe is not my own, but I treat it like it is. It was Giada’s mother’s recipe. It is good; perfect for company. A little tricky getting out of the loaf pan, though.
Veggie Loaf gives you an opportunity to leave meats on the side. Just by itself, it is plenty. Serve it with a fruit salad would be my choice.
VEGGIE LOAF
LOAF:
Cooking Spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped (finely, please)
1 shredded carrot
1 celery stalk, sliced (thinly, please)
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 15 ounce canned cooked lentils, drained
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup canned corn
1/3 cup chopped basil leaves (If not available use basil paste by the vegetables in the grocery store. Use about 2 tablespoons.)
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp. kosher salt (optional)
1/2 tsp. freshly black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, sliced (You can use smaller tomatoes, as well.)
SAUCE:
1 box (pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
3 scallions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped (optional)
8 fresh basil leaves (Use basil paste, if fresh basil leaves are unavailable.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp. Kosher salt (optional)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Make the sauce first and just put it aside. In a blender or food processor chopped the ingredients. Do not puree, you want them a little coarse. I used a blender.
Proceed with the loaf:
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a skillet, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, carrot, onion, celery….cook for about 5 minutes or so stirring frequently. Put in a large bowl to cool.
In the same skillet, cook spinach until it wilts, which does not take long. Drain and let cool slightly. Squeeze the excess liquid. On a cutting board coarsely chop it. Add to the onion mixture.
Add the lentils, brown rice, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella, the corn, basil, eggs, egg white, salt, pepper and 3/4 cup of the sauce to the already cooled veggie mixture.
Fill the loaf pan with this mixture. Arrange the tomatoes in a couple of rows, depending on their size, covering the mixture.
Sprinkle the remining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Bake until loaf is heated through and the topping has melted and starts to brown. It might take 35 minutes or a bit more. Let it cool for about 15 minutes.
Slicing this loaf is tricky. Do so while the loaf is still in the pan. Do not attempt to take it out. Otherwise, you will have to do some rearranging.
I think 1 inch slices will be a good portion. Arrange on plates and top with sauce. Enjoy your Meatless…..whatever day you want it to be.
Note: This recipe was gluten free. Please check the labels for canned goods, grate your own mozzarella cheese or read the label on the bag. If using basil paste instead of fresh basil, Gourmet Garden, Basil Paste is gluten free and usually available by the produce in the local grocery stores.
October 23rd, 2014
I love the title my Mother in Law gave to a family cookbook of recipes: Begged, Borrow, & Stolen. That’s how I feel when I use recipes. The good thing is that I usually change them with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I make the recipes my own.
So, being that it is cooler, rainy, windy…and Fall, I think that the Curried & Apple Soup could be a keeper. Served with a side dish of tostones or fried plantains and Mojito….it is even better. The word Mojito has been around for such a long time. In Puertorican cooking it means a sauce made for dipping certain local delicacies.
Carrots are so healthy and the saying of “an apple a day, keep the doctors away”, is probably so true, as well. Hope you like it.
CURRIED CARROT & APPLE SOUP
2 tablespoons margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and chopped
salt and pepper
1 pound carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
3/4 pounds celery root, chopped (regular celery will do)
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
4 gingersnaps cookies
1/2 tablespoon yellow curry powder (more if you like curry)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger
2 thyme sprigs (1/4 tsp. ground thyme will do)
3 cups chicken stock (I used unsalted chicken stock)
1 cup Apple Cider
1/2 cup sour cream (I used non-fat)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Garnish: Toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped mint, fresh cilantro or cilantro paste, and favorite hot sauce; optional. The pumpkin seeds were toasted on the stove in a frying pan. Make sure they do not burn. So good!!
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onion, leek, fennel, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook stirring here or there until softened and veggies are browning.
Add carrots, celery, apple, gingersnaps, curry powder, garlic, ginger, and thyme. Cook until the carrots and celery soften somewhat.
Add chicken stock and apple cider. Bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat for about 15 minutes until the veggies are very soft. If using thyme sprigs, remove, otherwise, continue with the next step.
Working in small batches, depending on the size of your blender, puree the soup with the sour cream and vinegar until smooth. What I did was mixed the sour cream with the vinegar and added a tablespoon with each batch. This is a creamy soup so, make sure there are no lumps.
You can reheat the soup and seasoned it with salt and pepper, if necessary. Laddle the soup into bowls and top it with the garnish above mentioned. ENJOY!
I decided that Tostones or Fried Plantains would be great with this soup. A meatless meal, no less! Plantains are a starch. If you let them ripen, then, they are sweet and if green you can make Fried Plantains. For the longest time I used to mashed them with a plate, but now I have my Tostonera from Puerto Rico. The Tostonera and the Pilon are a necessity when cooking Puertorican food. The Pilon is very versatile…use it to mash garlic, make mojito, and other PR dishes.
 
The plantain was peeled, cut, and ready for the next step of frying.
Fry the chunks of plantain in oil until lightly browned. Then, place on the tostonera, or between wax paper.
 
The tostonera is going to make it so much easier to mash. Otherwise, while between the wax paper, mash with a plate. 2 plantains were used on that evening. Finish mashing them and keep on paper towels until the next step.
 
Heat the oil back again and place the mashed plantains in batches once again. They will rise to the surface. Let them get nice and light brown. Take them out and place on paper towels again to drain the oil.
You can serve them on a platter with just butter and garlic salt. Or you can make the mojito by placing in the Pilon or Mortar 1 garlic clove, a pinch of salt. Then with the pestle, crush garlic and salt together. Add a bit of olive oil, a tablespoon or so, a small can of tomato sauce, tabasco and cilantro. Then squeeze half a lime and add it, as well. That’s it.
Note: This recipe is gluten free. Make sure you check the tomato sauce, the chicken stock, and apple cider. Have a good one!!
September 22nd, 2014
Well, I was not sure how this recipe was going to come out. When I read it….it caught my attention. Meatballs, broccoli, cheese….I thought the almond gravy recipe I have would be great to dunk these little ones in. Plus, it is Gluten Free!
You can use your food processor, but I used the NutriBullet instead for the grinding of the almonds.
For the broccoli, I used the blender.
This is an easy one.
BROCCOLI PARMESAN ‘MEATBALLS’
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 bag of frozen broccoli florets, defrosted…enough to make 2 cups
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese…the finer the better
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 egg, slightly beaten
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the almonds in the NutriBullet or food processor. Go ahead and process until coarsely ground. Transfer them to a medium size bowl.
Place the broccoli florets in the blender or food processor. Pulse until chopped.
Add the chopped broccoli, cheese, and garlic to the almonds and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the egg.
Spray a mini-muffin tin with cooking spray. Form the broccoli mixture into 12 balls, squeezing them a little to make sure that they hold their shape.
Place each one in its own cup in the muffin tin.
Bake until they are golden on the outside and heated through. Even though the recipe said 20 minutes, mine took about 10 more minutes.
Remove tin from the oven and run a butter knife along and underneath each meatball to loosen them before gently popping them out.
Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese and serve with Almond Gravy….recipe to follow.
ALMOND GRAVY
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 large clove garlic
2 medium tomatoes (I used the cocktail tomatoes that are larger than the grape tomatoes. I cut them in half; enough to make about 1 1/2 cups.
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprikra
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (I used any infused Balsamic vinegar on hand.)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons fresh basil or 2 tablespoons Basil Paste found in the vegetable section at grocery stores.
Process almonds in a food processor or in the NutriBullet with the garlic, tomatoes, paprika, vinegar, basil, and milk. Process until smooth.
You don’t have to heat this gravy…it is great also on steamed veggies.
Enjoy and make it your own!!
June 9th, 2014
Meatless Monday is a trend that has been taking the nation by storm…..just a day to stay away from meat!! So, as the weather in Rehoboth Beach turned a little cloudy, I thought that the Red Mushroom Bisque would be a good alternative to anything else you might have thought preparing.
First of all, the original recipe has been completely deconstructed….it is my own now. Hope you like it.
RED MUSHROOM BISQUE
2 tablespoons vegetable oil; more if needed
1 1/4 lbs. mushrooms…..I used two different types of mushrooms; your favorites will do.
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Sherry or Madeira wine….or a bit more, if you want to.
3 cups unsalted vegetable broth, plus more if desired.
2 cups almond cream (recipe will follow)
Chopped Chives for garnish
White Truffle Oil for garnish
Basil paste for garnish (found at grocery stores, by the fresh veggies)
Heat a large soup pot on medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil, then mushrooms. Cook, stirring often until the mushrooms begin to brown. Remove from the heat, spread on a plate and let them cool off.
Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper.
In the same pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions, cooking them until translucent and slightly browned. Add the garlic, then, the Madeira or Sherry, scrapping the bottom of the pot.
Add 3 cups of unsalted vegetable broth and half of the cooled mushrooms. Simmer and remove from heat.
In your blender, blend the mushroom mixture. Return the blended mixture to the pot.
Whisk in the almond cream.
Heat the soup, having in mind that it could thicken as it heats up. If it does that, you can add a bit of the unsalted vegetable broth and that will take care of it. I don’t think you will have any problems, though.
ALMOND CREAM
1 cup raw almonds
1 large clove garlic
6 or 7 cocktail tomatoes cut in half….they are bigger than the grape tomatoes.
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons of basil paste, found by the fresh veggies in the grocery store.
In a high powered blender or Nutri-Bullet, which is what I used, put all the ingredients and blend until smooth. That’s all! It will be like a cream, not totally smooth, but close to it.
Serve your Red Mushroom Bisque on a pretty bowl and garnish with chives, basil paste and drizzles of truffle oil. If you do not have truffle oil, you can use your favorite oil.
Enjoy!!
Last year, Rehoboth Beach VegFest was a one day event….this year is the whole week-end, but the day to really go and enjoy the tastings, recipes, and talks will be on Saturday, June 14th. All the details can be found at http://www.rehobothvegfest.org.
Have a great day!
May 21st, 2014
“The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction.” laurie colwin
So, can you believe it? The beginning of summer 2014. The crowds making the summer pilgrimage to the Delaware Beaches. It is a destination. You know you are going to have guests….that’s what happens when you live at the beach. You might as well get ready. Easy summer recipes are the best. Making them ahead of time, let them sit in the refrigerator…that’s even better.
This recipe came from a friend by the name of Mary Jo. It is one of those recipes that you can make it your own immediately. I have changed it through the years. At times I add a little bit of this or a little bit of that. It looks pretty. I love it because it is so refreshing and healthy. And for those who have to eat gluten free, then you will be so happy with it. Here it goes.
CHILI BEAN SALAD
1 15 ounce can kidney beans
1 15 ounce can pinto beans
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans
1 15 ounce can whole-kernel corn (low sodium)
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
Note: You can replace the beans with your favorite ones. I love black beans so at times I replace one of the beans and also replace parsley with cilantro. I am telling you….pretty easy.
Dressing: 4 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons leaf oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Drain and rinse the beans and corn.
Put all dressing ingredients in a jar; shake well to mix.
Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large serving bowl. Pour dressing over salad, mix well.
Cover and chill 6 hours or overnight, stirring frequently. How easy is that?
Note: It can easily be doubled.
February 12th, 2014
The setting? A private home in the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico. The view? A million dollar one.
The dining room? Comfortable, beautiful…island style.
On the table? Arroz con Pollo Puertorican style (chicken with rice).
Also on the table, a very simple Spinach Pie. One bite, and I had to have the recipe.
Back at the Delaware Beaches….it is cold, probably snow tonight and defnitely, rain tomorrow. After my own tasting….I had to share it.
SPINACH PIE – 4 Ingredients
Please note that to make this pie Gluten Free grate the parmesan cheese yourself.
1 package of frozen spinach – 10 ounces
1 block of cream cheese, 8 ounces (I bought the one with less fat.)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese (or more, if you like)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease lightly a pie dish.
Let the spinach defrost and squeeze to get all the water out or as much as you can.
In a blender, put the 4 eggs, spinach, and cream cheese. If you want to add salt and pepper, please do so, but I did not. Blend and pour into a pie dish.
Place in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes and then sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. The cheese will make a crust and add a delicious taste to the pie. There is no other crust. It will take another 15 to 20 minutes to be ready. You want it to look like the one on the photo.
Take it out of the oven and cut it in wedges.
Enjoy!! The pie can be eaten hot, at room temperature, or cold. You can also serve it as an appetizer. I thought you could probably make it in a rectagular glass baking dish and cut into bars if you have guests over. You know what to do now right?
NOTE: I stand corrected…..an immediate call came in from Puerto Rico….it seems that I forgot that a chopped onion was to be included in the ingredients going into the blender. Oops!! It still tasted delish!
January 20th, 2014
You can tell there is snow in the forecast….the grocery stores were having a white sale: bread, eggs, milk
Following some of the restaurants that are offering meatless Monday dishes, I decided to try a recipe given to me by my friend, Kathy. I have had the recipe for some time. But tonight was the night.
Like any of the recipes that I prepare, I usually add a little bit of this and a little bit of that. To this particular recipe, I changed a few things, and it was still very good.
The original recipe was vegetarian and gluten free. Usually, I would prepare it that way, using short or long grain brown rice, but I do have 50 pounds of pearl barley so I used the barley instead of the rice, and therefore, the recipe as I prepared it was not gluten free. All you have to do is to use the rice instead. Here it goes….I hope you love it just as much as I did.
PEARL BARLEY (OR, SHORT/LONG GRAIN BROWN RICE) AND WALNUT LOAF
1 1/4 short or long grain brown rice (I used pearl barley.)
1/4 cups walnuts, roasted and chopped (I bought the ones already chopped and roasted them.)
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, lightly roasted
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
6 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard (Plenty of gluten free ones on the market, like Emeril’s.)
1 teaspoon salt is optional (I did not use it since there is cheese in the recipe.)
1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 cup grated cheddar cheese ( I bought an extra sharp cheddar block and did the grating at home.)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roast the walnuts for about 5 minutes then add the sunflower seeds for another few minutes. Watch them so they don’t burn.
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned and pulling away from the sides a bit. I will take about 60 to 90 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the Gravy. Once again, the original recipe called for 3/4 cup of Cashew Butter. Never have seen it, and never found it. So, I decided to replace it with Almond Butter. I also replaced the 2 1/2 cups of water for unsalted chicken broth. If using chicken broth make sure it is gluten free. This gravy is gluten free. It is so good, you might want to use this gravy for everything. It makes about 4 cups.
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, diced
3/4 Cashew Butter if you find it. If not use the Almond Butter…..very good.
1/2 cup wheat-free and reduced sodium soy sauce
2 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon sage
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until caramel in color; about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the onions become browner, stir more frequently. Add the cashew or almond butter, gluten free soy sauce, broth, and spices. Cook until heated through.
Place in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. I did this in batches, placing the already blended sauce in a saucepan and repeating the process. Be careful while blending since hot liquids tend to foam up. Warm up the gravy while you wait for the loaf to cook.
Once the loaf is ready, cut it and serve it with gravy drizzled on top. You may add your favorite veggie or salad to this dish. Enjoy!!
Have a good one!!
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