Chili, Purple Corn Bread, Apple Spinach Salad

On such a yucky, rainy day it seemed prudent to have something warm and hearty. The solution was chili. To accompany the chili, I made gluten free, dairy free, purple corn bread by modifying a recipe. To lighten the meal I had a salad featuring the crisp taste of green apples mellowed out by spinach.

Chili
Serves 12

Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet onion, diced
2 habanero peppers, seeded and minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
4 lbs ground beef
1 Tbs hot paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 oz 100% cacao chocolate
2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes, with the liquid
3 cans of beans, drained

Prepared:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot on high heat and saute the garlic, onion, and three types of peppers until the onions are glassy.
2. Add the beef and cook until there's no more pink.
3. Add the spices and chocolate and cook for another minute, until the chocolate is all melted and incorporated.
4. Add the tomatoes with the liquid and the beans, cook for another minute.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 45 minutes to meld the flavors.
6. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and corn bread.


Purple Corn Bread
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar (I like evaporated cane juice)
1/2 cup butter substitute (to make it dairy free I used Earth Balance butter substitute)
3 eggs
2 cups water
2 cups purple corn meal
2 cups all purpose gluten free flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cream butter into sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add eggs and beat until blended.
4. Beat in water and corn meal, set aside.
5. In a separate large bowl, mix flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt.
6. Pour the dry into the wet and mix until just incorporated.
7. Transfer batter to a greased baking pan.
8. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
9. Serve warm or bake up to 1 day ahead of time. Serve with dairy free butter and honey.


Apple Spinach Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 granny smith apple, cored and sliced very thin
1 large box of spinach
1 handful chopped walnuts
1 handful shredded extra sharp cheddar
poppy seed dressing to taste

Preparation:
1. Dress the spinach so leaves are lightly coated in dressing
2. Layer the rest of ingredients on top.

Side note for the gluten free portion

Just found a great article reviewing gluten free beers. Enjoy!
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/03/the-best-and-worst-gluten-free-beers.html

Chicken Fennel Quinoa, Persimmon Arugula Salad, and Baked Pears

Hope that everyone is chowing down with delight. For lunch we have a hearty, yet healthy, quinoa dish that features chicken, fennel, celery, and onion that is reminiscent of chicken noodle soup. This sturdier dish is contrasted with a lighter salad that has an arugula (also called rocket) base with sliced persimmons and prosciutto bits and a light champaign vinaigrette. For dessert there is baked pear that is spiced with clove and ginger as well as a splash of amaretto. Alas, the pears baked down a bit more than I anticipated, so if I do make this dish again I will double and possibly triple the recipe.

Chicken Fennel Quinoa
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 small onion, roughly diced
2 bulbs fennel, diced to the size of onions
3 stalks celery, diced to onion size
2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
6 chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup cooking sherry
4 Tbs olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat half of the olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute the onion, fennel, and celery until the onion is glassy.
3. Add quinoa and saute for 2 more minutes, this helps to bring out the nutty flavor of the quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add water and reduce heat to low, simmer for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed by the quinoa.
5. While the quinoa is cooking, in a skillet heat the remaining oil over high heat.
6. Saute the chicken, when it is half way cooked add the sherry.
7. Saute chicken until it is cooked all the way through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
8. Combine the chicken and quinoa once everything is finished cooking.


Persimmon Arugula Salad
Served 12

Ingredients:
2 boxes of arugula (or 4 bags)
3 persimmons, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
1 package of prosciutto, broken into small pieces
Champaign dressing

Preparation:
1. Dress the arugula with the dressing to fully coat all the leaves.
2. Layer on top persimmons then prosciutto.
Optional: This salad would also do well with the addition of a light cheese like mozzarella , pomegranate seeds, or nuts.


Baked Pears
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
6 pears, peeled, cored, and diced (choose ones that are less sandy, like the brown skinned pears rather than the green ones)
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a baking dish place pear pieces, evenly cover with clove, ginger, and brown sugar, stir to combine. Dot with butter to prevent sticking.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until they smell so good you can't wait any more. the goal is to have them be a little mushy without falling apart.
4. Top with walnuts for garnish and added richness.

Tented Salmon, Parboiled Asparagus, Mini Sausages, and Rice

Healthy is the name of the game today. Salmon is a flavorful fish that I absolutely love. The steam baking by foil tenting leaves the fish moist by locking in the juices. Parboiled asparagus compliments the salmon quite well and the jasmine rice provides a nice base. For those that don't like fish, I provided mini apple chicken sausages, just fried them up in a pan. Here's how I did it.

Salmon
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 lbs salmon (1/2 lbs per person)
3 lemons sliced into disks
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
tinfoil

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Tear a large sheet of tinfoil and place the salmon in the center.
3. Cover the salmon in olive oil, then salt and pepper, then a splash of apple cider vinegar, then cover the salmon in lemon slices.
4. Seal the tinfoil to form a pouch, place the pouch on a baking tin to catch any leaks.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the salmon has turned a lighter pink all the way through.


Parboiled Asparagus
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 bunches of asparagus, cut into bite size chunks on a diagonal
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot.
2. Boil the asparagus for 2 minutes, then drain all the water.
3. Toss the asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Bell Pepper Pasta with Chick Pea, Raisin, Spinach Salad

Welcome back to your regularly scheduled programme. Today I decided to juxtapose simple comfort food with something a bit more complex in flavors and ingredients. Angel hair pasta with green and red bell peppers and a slightly creamy sauce is the comfort food. A chick pea, raisin, spinach salad is the splash of something different. The green pasta is gluten free and had a cabernet tomato sauce.

Bell Pepper Pasta
Serves 12

Ingredients:
2 lbs angel hair pasta
2 green bell peppers, julienned
2 red bell peppers, julienned
1/2 jar vodka sauce
1/2 jar cabernet pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
1. Boil pasta in water until tender, follow directions on the box. Drain.
2. In a large pan over medium heat, combined all ingredients except for cheese, stirring until combined.
3. Top with parmesan cheese.

Chick Pea, Raisin, Spinach Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 bag of spinach, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
3 cans of chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 bag of raisin medley
1/2 bag of plain raisins
2 cups of macadamia nuts
2 cups of dates, chopped
1 package of prosciutto
Vinaigrette salad dressing
Everyday seasoning

Preparation:
1. Combine all ingredients, making sure to mix well. Season with vinaigrette and everyday seasoning to taste.

Special Delivery

Hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Since my flight doesn't leave SoCal until 2pm, today is delivery day. What does that mean? It means I have ordered you delivery from Koh Samui & The Monkey, a Thai place that has a fantastic looking lunch menu, so everything has a side of rice. The food should be arriving between 11:45 and noon, so it's up to you to open the door and let in the delicious dishes. Here's what I got you guys:

Praram Spinach Chicken (not spicy)
Spinach chicken with peanut sauce
Wild Curry (mild)
Chicken in Thai herb curry
Prawn Asparagus (not spicy)
Stir-fried prawn and asparagus in garlic sauce
Garlic and Pepper Beef (not spicy)
Sauteed beef with crispy garlic and black pepper
Lemongrass Chicken (medium)
Sauteed chicken with onion, bell pepper, baby corn, snow peas, and carrot in chili sauce
Southern Kur-Kling (medium)
Sauteed ground roast chicken stir-fried with Thai herbs
Tofu Green Beans (medium)
Sauteed tofu with green beans in spicy curry sauce
Pumpkin Curry Chicken (not spicy)
In red curry sauce with basil and bell pepper
Yellow Curry Chicken (not spicy)
With potatoes and carrots
Green Curry Beef (medium)
Sliced beef with bamboo shoots, zucchini, basil, and bell peppers in green curry
Red Curry Chicken (medium)
Sliced chicken with bamboo shoots, zucchini, basil, and bell peppers in red curry

These dishes are probably going to do best shared, which means you'll get to try a little of everything and nobody will be disappointed if there is a meal they don't like. So, grab some rice and a spoon full of each thing and tell me what you liked best. Tried to get a good mix of medium and not spicy, but didn't go for anything crazy spicy because I don't know if that would even be eaten. Let me know if you like your food really spicy and I'll make sure to work that into the meals in the future; otherwise, I'll keep the food spiced rather than spicy.

*Note to those not eating gluten: anything with a thickened sauce is not for you, so if it looks more like a gelatin than a soup, stay away. It should be fine, but it's a good rule of thumb anywhere. Also, asian food tends to be thickened with cornstarch rather than flour, anyway.
*Note to those not having dairy/garlic/onions: most of these dishes are fine, just don't eat the Garlic Pepper Beef & Prawn Asparagus and pick out the onions in the dishes you do eat. There should be no dairy in these dishes.

Enjoy your meal and I'll see you tomorrow.

Sandwiches, Raspberry Salad, and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since I'm going to be out of town tomorrow, I have prepared lunch early and left the items for a lovely sandwich bar in the fridge. the cookies turned out a bit more *ahem* crispy than I intended, so I have altered the recipe below to reflect the changes I would have made. There are gluten free cookies in a box in the fridge.

Sandwichs
Serves 8-12

Ingredients:
Bread (there is also gluten free bread in the fridge too)
Mayo
Mustard
Lettuce (there is a small box with the rest of the sandwich fixings)
Tomato (these will need to be sliced)
Cucumber (this will need to be sliced)
Red onion (this will need to be sliced, remember to cut from the top and to peel away the papery skin on the outside)
Sliced meat (there are 3 kinds, go nuts)
Sliced cheese (there are 3 kinds, mix and match)

Preparation:
1. It's a sandwich, just layer the stuff inside making sure that the condiments are on the bread and the tomato isn't touching the bread and you'll be fine.
2. Stuff your gob with deliciousness.

Raspberry Salad
Serves 8-12

Ingredients:
1 large box of herb salad mix
2 containers of raspberries
1 bag of mixed seeds
raspberry salad dressing

Preparation:
1. Place a bit of each of the ingredients on your plate so that you get a good amount of each yummy thing. Feel free to use some of sandwich items to make your salad even better.


Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 60 small cookies or fewer large cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cups evaporated cane juice (or regular sugar if you must)
3/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips (I like the mini ones)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla until everything is combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated before adding the next egg.
5. Add the flour mixture a bit at a time to insure that there isn't flour all over your kitchen.
6. Once all of the dough is combine, add the chocolate chips (this is where you would also add other goodies if altering the recipe, like nuts or dried fruit or other candy).
7. Drop cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet using a spoon, spacing them to try to avoid them merging together.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until golden brown. If wanting to have extra crispy cookies, bake for 20 minutes or until darker brown. Remove cookies to cool on a wire rack.

Broccoli Beef Over Rice with Chinese Salad

Today was a little hectic because I had to prepare 2 meals due to my being out of town for Thanksgiving, leaving tomorrow morning at 6am. For Tuesday lunch I felt like chinese food, so I looked up a recipe for broccoli beef which I will share with you all. One thing to note is that my sauce had some difficulty thickening because cornstarch is not always cooperative with my agenda, but it should work if you let the bits cool enough and mix in the right proportions.

Also whipped together a chinese inspired salad. This salad would also work really well with shredded chicken or shrimp added to the mix, but since the meal was already pretty meat heavy I decided to skip on the animal bits.


Broccoli Beef
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 Tbs cornstarch dissolved into 6 Tbs water mixed with 2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup soy sauce
6 Tbs brown sugar
3 tsp minced ginger
3 Tbs cornstarch dissolved into 1 1/2 cups water
3 lbs boneless round steak cut into bite sized pieces
12 cups broccoli florets
1 bunch of spring onions chopped
vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Dredge the beef chunks in the cornstarch garlic mixture.
2. In a bowl mix together the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and cornstarch mixture and set aside.
3. In a large pot or wok, heat 1-2 Tbs of vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook the beef until there's not more pink showing. Remove the meat and keep warm.
4. In the same pot/wok, heat 2-3 Tbs of vegetable oil and cook the broccoli and onions until the the broccoli has changed to a darker green, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Return the meat to the pot/wok and add the set aside sauce from earlier.
6. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Serve over rice.


Chinese Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 large box of mixed greens
2 cans of mandarine orange slices, drained
2 cans of sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 large handfuls of snow peas with the strings removed
chinese inspired salad dressing (I used Girard's Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing)

Preparation:
1. Dress the mixed greens with the salad dressing, making sure that the dressing is well mixed as it tends to separate easily.
2. Layer the orange, water chestnuts, and snow peas on top of the salad so that the heavy items don't all fall to the bottom.

Pea Soup with Mango Avocado Chicken Salad

This morning I felt a desire for something sweet and a little spicy, so I decided to make a salad featuring a sweet and spicy dressing as well as mangos. To accompany the salad I decided on a fresh pea soup and some french bread to make for a healthy and light lunch with a little bit of sweet, a little bit of spicy, and a fresh taste. Both dishes, minus the bread, are gluten free. The salad is also dairy free, but the soup had very low lactose due to the butter being such a small part of a large dish.

Fresh Pea Soup
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped spring onion
9 cups of fresh unshelled peas (frozen will work if nothing else is available)
6 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
2 Tbs lemon juice
salt
pepper
mint leaves

Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat the butter over medium heat until melted.
2. Saute onions in the butter, stirring constantly until the onions start to smell good, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add peas and saute until partially cooked.
4. Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil.
5. When the soup starts to boil, reduce heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes until peas are tender.
6. Mix in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Blend the soup in a blender a batch at a time or with a stick blender.
8. Serve with a garnish of mint and, optionally, fresh bread to dip into the soup.


Mango Avocado Chicken Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 box of spring mix
2 mangos cubed
2 avocados cubed
1.5 lbs chicken breast tenders
the juice of 2 limes
2 Tbs of sweet and spicy chili marinade

Preparation:
1. Boil chicken in water until no longer pink in the middle, then shred the chicken and set aside to cool.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the chili marinade and lime juice to make a dressing.
3. Dress the salad in small batched to get even coverage.
4. Top the salad with chicken, mango, and avocados.

Thai Green Curry Chicken over Thai Jasmine Rice and a Kiwi Asian Pear Macadamia Nut Salad

Thailand is on my bucket list (that's the list of things you want to do and see before you kick the bucket) and in honor of getting tickets to go to a friend's wedding in Thailand in the new year, I decided to be inspired by the food of Thailand. This may not be a very traditional version of the dish, but I think that it is the light combination of spices, fish sauce, coconut milk, and veggies that makes this dish really say "Thailand, here I come" (though the deliciously tender meat doesn't hurt matters).  As with most asian food, serve with rice, I chose Thai Jasmine Rice to try to be more authentic. Prepare that as per the package directions.

A request was made for more salads, so I decided to make a light salad to pair with the delicate flavors of the curry. Fruit and nuts make a salad taste special to me.

Thai Green Curry Chicken
Served 12

Ingredients:
6 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat and cut into bite-size pieces
3 14oz cans of coconut milk
4 Tbs of green curry paste
5 Tbs of fish sauce
5 Tbs brown sugar
1 cup chicken stock
2 handfuls of fresh baby corn
2 handfuls of fresh snap peas
3 cans of chinese stir-fry veggies, drained

Preparation:

1. In a large pot simmer the coconut milk and green curry paste over medium heat for 5 minutes.

2. Add the fish sauce, brown sugar, and chicken stock and stir until combined. 

3. Add the chicken and veggies. 

4. Simmer until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle (about 10 minutes of simmering) stirring occasionally. 

Kiwi Asian Pear Macadamia Nut Salad

Serves 12

Ingredients: 

1 large box of mixed greens

apple poppyseed dressing 

2 asian pears, cored and cut into small pieces

4 kiwis, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces

1 handful sunflower seeds

1 handful macadamia nuts

Preparation: 

1. Dress the greens in a small side bowl a handful at a time to insure an even and light coating.

2. Top dressed salad with all of your yummy bits so that the heavy things don't all fall to the bottom.

Lasagnas

Hello all. Today I decided to go old-school and make lasagna. Well, not that traditional because I made one of them gluten free, dairy free, used butternut squash sauce instead fo the usual tomato, and included mushrooms, zucchini, and ground beef in the layers. For the second one, I made a vegetarian green and white lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, alfredo sauce, artichoke hearts, spinach, and green beans. These are two great ways to mix up the usual lasagna and make it something different.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Lasagna
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 packages of gluten free no boil lasagna noodles (check out gfgrocery.com)
2 packages of dairy free shredded mozzarella substitute (gfgrocery.com)
2 zucchinis sliced
1 package of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 lbs ground beef
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
1 jar of butternut squash pasta sauce (I used Dave's Gourmet)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms, zucchinis, and ground beef. Brown the beef.
3. Add wine and simmer until liquid has reduced and zucchinis are slightly soft.
4. In a large baking dish layer sauce, noodles, meat & veggie mixture, and cheese-like substitute.
5. Repeat step 4 until out of ingredients, ending in a layer of noodles, then sauce, then cheese.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.


Vegetarian White and Green Lasagna
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 lbs of lasagna noodles
2 jars of alfredo sauce
2 cans of quartered artichokes, diced
1 bag of baby spinach chopped
1 bag of steamed green beans
1 large carton of ricotta cheese
8 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (2 large bags)

Preparation:
1. Prepare lasagna noodles according to directions on the box.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a large baking pan layer noodles, ricotta cheese, sauce, veggies, and mozzarella cheese.
4. Repeat step 3 until all of the ingredients are used, end with noodles, then sauce, then mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.
6. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Roasted Pork Loin with Fennel and Apple with Spinach, Strawberry, Honey Mustard Salad

Today the windows in the kitchen were being replaced, so I made sure to concoct a dish that would be unlikely to get any dust or debris in it because it would be contained during the construction. The workers made many comments about it smelling really good in the kitchen and I felt bad that I couldn't offer them any. On a positive note, the dish was pretty easy to make, I managed to get everything from my cooking cleaned up before I had to drop off the food, and there are new windows in the kitchen so it won't be freezing in there when it gets cold outside.

Because it was a bit chilly in the morning, I was feeling like something a little hearty as well as healthy. There were also some things that came from the garden that were screaming to get used, like fresh rosemary & thyme and some beautiful exotic blue potatoes & yams. Besides that, I had a few different types of greens that I wanted to use up before they went bad and a bunch of strawberries that were on their last legs and a pomegranate that needed to be eaten asap. Here's what I came up with.

Though the pork was delicious, I think that next time I will have to reduce the sauce to make a lovely gravy rather than leave drippings at the bottom of the pan to drizzle. Find out how to do that yourself in the optional side note. Also, carrots and celery might make a lovely addition to the roasted veggies, so gauge the veggie level to your group

Roasted Pork Loin with Fennel and Apple

Serves 12 

Ingredients: 

3-4 lbs pork loin (or 2 average size loins)

4 Tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper

3 fennel bulbs quartered with ends removed

1 large white onion quartered with ends removed

6-8 medium sized potatoes and yams cut into fork sized pieces

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

3 sprigs fresh thyme

3 cloves of garlic, smashed to release scent and flavor

6 small apples, cored and quartered

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 cup apple cider

2 Tbs grainy mustard 

Optional gravy:

1/2 cup white cooking wine

2 Tbs cornstarch

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Lightly coat the pork in freshly ground salt and pepper.

3. In a large cast iron skillet heat half the olive oil over high heat until it smell like olives, but not to smoking. 

4. Sear the pork loin in the skillet to seal in moisture. Be careful not to let the pork burn, just have a nice crust of brown on the 4 long sides. Use strong tongs to turn the meat, try not to pierce the meat.

5. Set aside the seared pork to let it rest. 

6. Add the remaining oil to the cast iron pan and saute the fennel, onion, potatoes/yams, rosemary, thyme, and garlic, stirring frequently until the veggies are browned and the whole kitchen smells good. 

7. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, apple cider, and mustard. 

8. In a large baking pan, place the apples and veggies at the bottom, then gently lay the pork on top, coat everything in apple mustard sauce. 

9. Cover the baking pan in tinfoil and bake until the internal temperature of the meat is 140 degrees F (about 30-45 minutes). 

10. Set aside the meat and tent with tinfoil. Return veggies to the oven until fennel and potatoes are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork. 

11. Slice the meat and serve over the veggies. 

Optional: To make gravy, transfer all but 2 Tbs of drippings from the bottom of the baking pan into a measuring cup so it is easy to pour later. Put the pan on the stove top over medium heat and deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup white wine (that means scrape off all the stuff from the bottom while cooking it in a liquid). Dissolve 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 1/4 cup of water to make a thin paste. Whisk the cornstarch and the deglazed pan drippings together until the gravy has formed a thick roux, then slowly add 2 cups of pan drippings you had set aside and whisk until combined. If you don't have enough drippings, use veggie stock to make up the difference. At right is a video on how to do it with flour, which is more traditional, but if you need gluten free, then the thickening power of cornstarch is what you will substitute for flour. 

Spinach, Strawberry, Honey Mustard Salad

Serves 12

Ingredients: 

1 large box of baby spinach (or 2 bags of baby spinach)

1 bag of shredded kale

1 bag of shredded cabbage

1/2 carton of strawberries, sliced with tops removed

1 pomegranate, seeds carefully removed (or a couple of handfuls of already separated pomegranate seeds, less work but use what you have)

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 large cucumber diced

1 bottle of honey mustard dressing (I like Brianna's Dijon Honey Mustard Dressing because it's delicious and gluten free)

Preparation:

1. Combine the spinach, kale, and shredded cabbage by placing a handful of each into a medium size bowl with about a Tbs or two of dressing, mix thoroughly before transferring to serving bowl; repeat with all of the greens. 

2. On top of the greens layer the heavy items: pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, strawberry slices, and cucumber bits. 

3. Serve with extra dressing on the side so that people can put more on if they like.

Balsamic Vinegar Date Chicken with Roasted Carrots and Parmesan Brown Rice

Here I go with the baking again, but I just love it for feeding large numbers of people because it requires less unwieldy handling of large hot skillets. Meat and fruit are a combination that make me really happy, stone fruit cooks at the same rate as meat and releases juices that make the meat taste so yummy. Pair a roasted meat with a roasted root vegetable and it is a match made in heaven, all it needs is a carbohydrate and it is a well rounded and seasonal meal that leaves you time to clean up while things cook. Fantastic!


Parmesan Brown Rice
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 cups long grain brown rice
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot combine water and rice; bring to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 50 minutes.
3. Fluff with a fork and add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.


Balsamic Vinegar Date Chicken
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
6 lbs skinless chicken thighs (if you go boneless, you only need 4 lbs)
salt and pepper
3 Tbs white cooking wine
1 Tbs minced fresh peeled ginger
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 package dates (about 1 lb), pitted
1 Tbs corn starch

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat dry chicken. Place into a deep baking dish and sprinkle the dates on top.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the wine, vinegar, and ginger.
4. Cover the chicken and dates in the liquid, then cover the baking dish with tinfoil.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the juices run clear and there's no pink when the chicken is cut into.
6. Remove the chicken and dates to the serving plate.
7. Cook down remaining liquid in a skillet. Add cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Strain to remove any ginger chunks and unincorporated cornstarch globs.


Roasted Carrots
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 large bag of baby carrots (about 1 lbs)
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbs fresh rosemary removed from the stem and chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (if you have to, 425 F will work)
2. Open the bag of carrots, pour in the oil, garlic, and rosemary, seal the bag and shake to mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper the carrots while in the pan for an even distribution.
3. Pour carrots into a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until able to pierce easily with a fork, moving the carrots every 10 minutes to prevent them from burning to the bottom.
*Optional: replace garlic and rosemary with 2 Tbs of fresh chopped dill.
*Optional: replace carrots with other root veggie, like potatoes, beets, yams, or parsnips, or a sturdy veggie, like eggplant, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, or asparagus. Cooking times will vary with different veggies, so keep an eye on it.

3 quiche with a handmade crust and mixed greens salad

Baking is one of my favorite ways to cook. Don't get me wrong, I still love my skillet, but there is just something about mixing everything together at leisure and then sitting back while it undergoes a magical process in the oven to become something amazing. For this meal I made three quiches with different special ingredients as well as a very well received salad. Start with the pie crusts, then the special fillings, then make the quiche. While the quiches are baking there is plenty of time to make the salad and clean up the kitchen.

To make the quiche gluten free I tossed with Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour and poured the quiche mixture into metal baking cups to create individual quiches without crusts (make sure to remove the paper). For a low lactose version of the quiche, I used lactose free milk and an aged cheddar (aged cheeses have minuscule amounts of lactose because lactose breaks down over time; so if you're lactose intolerant, stick to the hard and aged cheeses).


Pie Crust
(makes 3 crusts)

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
7-10 Tbs cold water

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Sift flour if you live in a humid area and have clumps.
3. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour (I just use my hands to combine the butter and the flour, making sure that the flour covers the butter as I squeeze it until there are no lumps of butter).
4. Add water until the dough is able to form a ball that doesn't fall apart.
5. Divide into three parts and roll out each part on a flat surface until the dough is able to cover a pie tin.
6. Carefully lay dough into a pie tin and remove excess. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom and sides.
7. Bake pie crust until it begins to brown, about 10-15 minutes.


Quiche Filling #1

Ingredients:
1 orange bell pepper seeded and diced
4 pieces of prosciutto broken into small pieces
1 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in skillet over high heat until it smells like olives, but isn't smoking.
2. Add bell pepper and jostle the pieces so they don't burn until they smell cooked (2-5 minutes)
3. Remove from heat and place into a pie shell along with prosciutto pieces.


Quiche Filling #2

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
3 Tbs chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in skillet over high heat until it smells like olives, but isn't smoking.
2. Add spinach and jostle the pieces so they don't burn until they release water smell cooked (2-3 minutes)
3. Remove from heat, drain liquid and place into a pie shell along with sun-dried tomato pieces.


Quiche Filling #3

Ingredients:
2 precooked sausages cut lengthwise then sliced along the length to create small pieces (I used Aidells Mango Sausages)
1 package of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs cooking sherry

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in skillet over high heat until it smells like olives, but isn't smoking.
2. Add mushrooms and sausages and jostle the pieces so they don't burn, until they start to smell cooked (2-5 minutes)
3. Add cooking sherry and continue to jostle until all of the liquid has evaporated
4. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes.
5. Drain excess liquid and place into a pie shell.


Quiche Recipe
makes 1 quiche, so do it three times unless you have a really huge bowl

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbs flour
1 cup milk
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup parmesan cheese


dash of salt and pepper
pie crust
filling (go wild with this, above are just a few examples, just make sure the items are cooked first and that you don't use too much or the quiche will overflow)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl toss cheddar and flour
3. Add milk, eggs, parmesan, salt and pepper.
4. Place filling into pie crust and pour cheese mixture over filling. If your quiche is filled really high, place a baking tray under to catch any spills.
5. Bake until set (that means it doesn't giggle when gently jostled) about 50-60 minutes.


Mixed Greens Salad
serves 12

Ingredients:
1 large box of mixed herbs and greens pre-washed salad salad
2 cartons of blackberries (or raspberries or sliced strawberries, whatever looks the best)
1 carton of heirloom cherry tomatoes cut into halves (quarters for the bigger ones)
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup pine nuts
2-4 Tbs vinaigrette dressing to lightly cover greens

Preparation:
1. Toss greens with salad dressing in small batches so that the greens are evenly covered but not swimming in dressing.
2. Cover greens with other ingredients making sure not to toss the salad because all of the heavy items will fall to the bottom.
3. Serve as soon as possible because dressed salads don't last more than a day even in the fridge.

Baked tilapia, kale, brown rice, mango cucumber salsa

Today I made baked tilapia on a bed of kale with a mango cucumber salsa and a side of brown rice cooked in homemade chicken broth with shredded carrots & zucchini and almonds and sunflower seeds. The whole meal was gluten free and dairy free, which takes a bit of innovation if I do say so myself. The tilapia is buttery and light, which goes great with the cucumber mango salsa (one comment on the salsa was that it was like a burst of sunshine and lightness), grounded by the rich kale and veggie packed brown rice. Overall, this is a delicious and healthy meal which is light on the love handles and the wallet. 


As far as timing is concerned, start the brown rice first, since it takes the longest. 


Brown Rice with Veggies and Nuts

Ingredients:
1 cup long grain brown rice
2 cups chicken broth (I like to make my own when possible, but whatever you have works, use veggie broth for a vegetarian version of this dish)
1 or 2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
3 Tbs slivered almonds
3 Tbs sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (1 bunch with stems removed)

Preparation:
1. Bring brown rice and broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 50 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender. 
2. In a skillet heat olive oil and cook carrot and zucchini (just a couple of minutes). 
3. Add almonds, sunflower seeds, and red chili flakes. Cook over medium heat until aromatic.
4. Add brown rice and cilantro to skillet and combine. 


Baked Tilapia Over a Bed of Kale
makes 9 filets (I doubled this for 12 people, figuring about 1.5 filets per person)

Ingredients:
9 tilapia filets (fresh or thawed from frozen)
chopped kale (about 1/2 a bag)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Coat baking dish in a thin layer of olive oil, then put down your kale so that it fills the baking dish.
3. Lay the tilapia on the bed of kale then season the filets with a light coating of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the flesh flakes easily with a fork. 


Mango Cucumber Salsa
makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

3 mangos diced (see video at side)
1 cucumber peeled, seeded, and diced
2 jalapeno peppers minced
1 large sweet onion finely diced
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs lime juice
dash of salt and pepper to taste

1. Combined mangos, cucumber, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and cilantro. 
2. Season with lime juice, salt, and pepper
3. Refrigerate 1 hour to let flavors mature.

Falafels, hummus, and quinoa tabbouleh

The first challenge is that two of the 12 people I'm making lunch for are celiac, which means no gluten in their diets. The second challenge is that one of those two celiac individuals is lactose intolerant. The third challenge is that the group wants healthy meals and flavorful dishes. The fourth challenge is that there has to be more than one dish, preferably three dishes, to offer diversity. The final challenge: it all has to be delivered by noon. 

I may be a little insane to take this on, but only time will tell. 

To start, I made gluten free falafels. The lesson I learned from this experience is that I needed xanthan gum and didn't have it, but the recipe bellow has it added in for your convenience. 

Gluten Free Falafels

Ingredients:
1 (19 oz) can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) drained
1/2 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley (about one bunch with stems removed)
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (about one bunch with stems removed)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder
4-6 Tbs almond meal for stability
1/4 to 1/2 tsp xanthan gum for stability
2-4 Tbs olive oil for frying

Preparation: 
1. In a food processor, chop together the chickpeas and onion until there are no large pieces. 
2. Add in the parsley, cilantro, salt, red chili flakes, garlic, cumin, and baking powder. Process until combined. 
3. Add in the almond meal and xanthan gum until the batter can be molded into a ball without sticking to your hands. 
4. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat, it is ready when you can smell olives but is too hot if the oil smokes.
5. Use a small ice cream scoop or a large spoon to scoop out the batter into walnut sized dollops and carefully place them into the hot oil. Make sure to not splash hot oil, it sucks to get burned. 
6. When the underside of the falafels have browned, flip them. 
7. Once the falafels are golden brown all over, place onto a plate with two layers of paper towels. Serve over a salad of freshly chopped lettuce, tomatoes, hummus, tahini, and yogurt. 

Because the gluten free option didn't hold together very well without that key binding ingredient of xanthan gum, I opted to also make these with all-purpose unbleached flour in place of the almond meal and xanthan gum. Those turned out much better in terms of retaining shape and ease of cooking. Serve the with gluten falafels in pita pockets along with all the goodies mentioned above or on top of a salad.

Hummus 

Ingredients: 
2 cloves garlic
1 (19 oz) can chickpeas, drained with liquid reserved 
4 Tbs lemon juice 
2 Tbs tahini
1 tsp salt
dash black pepper (optional)
2 Tbs olive oil (optional)

Preparation: 
1. In a food processor chop the garlic.
2. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, and salt into the food processor, blend. 
3. Add the reserved liquid until you get a good consistency to the hummus (about half the liquid)
4. Optional, for serving sprinkle black pepper and drizzle olive oil over hummus. Enjoy with pita, chips, or veggies. 

Quinoa Tabbouleh 

• Ingredients: 
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped seeded tomato 
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (or mint if that's what you have)
• 1/4 cup currents (or raisins if that is all you have) 
• 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced sweet onion 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 
  
• Preparation: 
• 1. Combined water and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. 
• 2. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork.
• 3. In a small dish, combined lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over quinoa and mix thoroughly.
• 4. Stir in all remaining ingredients. 
• 5. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

It All Starts With A New Job

This story begins with me being offered a new job. My boyfriend works at a company that has lunch catered and it was all going fine until the woman who was doing it had a nervous breakdown and didn't show up for work without telling anyone. There is panic. What will the people eat?

The solution: me.

A few years back I was the Kitchen Manager for a collective, which meant that I cooked two meals a day, five days a week, for 8 people and also did the meal planning, budgeting, shopping, and clean-up so that the poor programmers wouldn't starve. Back to the present and once again my talents are needed. On very short notice (ie: can you cook lunch for us tomorrow?) I jumped right in to the challenge.

Here is the story of lunch.