A Vacation Meal to Tide You Over

Thought that I would tantalize you with an easy meal that has become my "Breakfast of Champions", which I have repeatedly enjoyed during my time in Australia. The best part? It's easy enough to make when half asleep and only takes one pan to allow for easy cleanup. High in protein and vitamines, this meal will leave you feeling satisfied until lunch without skimping on big taste.

Breakfast of Champions with bok choy

Also, who says that breakfast is the only time to eat breakfast? This meal works well for lunch or dinner because of the rich flavors and lack of fillers. I love cooking foods without added oils and if your bacon is too fatty, simply drain some of the fat before cooking the other ingredients. Mmmm, just thinking about this hearty, yet surprisingly healthy, meal makes me hungry. Bon Apetite, until next time.

Breakfast of Champions
Serves 1

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 pieces of thick cut bacon, cut in half to fit easily into the pan
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms (get the pre-chopped to save on time)
5 oz baby spinach (that's half a bag) or chopped kale or chopped bok choy
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat a skillet over medium to low heat until warm. Add bacon.
2. When bacon has released some of the liquid fats and is sizzling, move bacon to the middle so that there is space to crack eggs into the pan on one side and cook the mushrooms on the other side.
3. When eggs start to solidify, add greens to mushroom side of pan and flip the bacon to prevent charring.
4. The meal is done when the whites of the eggs are completely solidified, the mushrooms are gray, the greens have turned a dark green and wilted without releasing too much water, and the bacon is cooked fully without being charred. Salt and pepper to taste.

*Note: the directions for these eggs and bacon are for runny eggs and floppy bacon; if you want over-easy eggs, flip the egg and keep cooking; for crispy bacon, keep flipping bacon to prevent burning while cooking bacon to a crisp consistency. Don't over cook the mushrooms ro spinach.

Roasted Leg of Lamb, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Tomato Salad

Today I was feeling like something a little special to end the week on, so I decided to roast a leg of lamb. To accompany the main meat dish, I decided to do a slight twist on the traditional mashed potatoes by making them with sweet potatoes instead of the typical russet. To lighten the dish up and help everyone get over the holiday gluttony, I made a mock caprese salad (I just dropped the mozzarella) with cherry tomatoes. Bon apetite.

Roasted Leg of Lamb
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 lbs boneless leg of lamb
8 cloves garlic
4 sprigs mint, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut slits in the meat and stick in the garlic.
3. Cover with salt, pepper, and mint.
4. Roast in a deep baking pan until this interior is 140 degrees F, about 20 minutes per pound.
5. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 large sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 cups lactose free milk
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, stem removed and minced
2 Tbs lactose free butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Place potatoes into a large pot and fill with water until potatoes are just covered.
2. Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.
3. Drain and return potatoes to pot.
4. Use a potato masher and mash potatoes, add other ingredients and continue mashing until desired consistency and flavor is achieved. The milk makes the potatoes fluffy, but too much makes them soupy, so add milk incrementally.

Tomato Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 cartons cherry tomatoes in various colors to add interest
1 package basil, stemmed and chopped
2-3 Tbs olive oil
2-3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Combine tomatoes and basil.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss to combine.
Optional: Add mozzarella cubes for more flavor and fill to this dish.

Pasta Salad and Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe

Yesterday while I was shopping I came across a fantastic product: veggie pasta. What the heck is that, you might ask? Veggie pasta is regular pasta with concentrated veggies added to the dough, like tomato, spinach, mushrooms, and more. the picture on the box inspired me to make pasta salad, which I think is a great way to get in all the veggies that make this comfort food into something healthy too. For the gluten free and lactose free constituency I made quinoa pasta and just cut out the feta. To accompany the pasta I made prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe, a delicious blend of salty and sweet.

Pasta Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 12oz boxes of rotini veggie pasta (or other shaped pasta you have lying around)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs water
1/2 cup olive oil

2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
2 orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jar julienned roasted red peppers, drained
2 cans of green olives, drained
1 bag of super greens, chopped
1 package of crumbled feta

Preparation:
1. Cook the pasta and drain it according to the directions on the box.
2. In a container with a lid combine vinegar, water, and oil. Place lid on and shake until emulsified.
3. Mix together all ingredients so that everything is evenly coated with vinaigrette. Serve cool or warm.


Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cantaloupes, seeded rind removed and chopped
3 packaged of prosciutto
Toothpicks

Preparation:
1. Wrap mellon in a small amount of prosciutto and skewer with a toothpick to hold meat in place.
2. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Simmered Chicken Breast, Sautéed Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Brown Rice

A request has been made for more meat heavy meals, so I made over 6 lbs of chicken. I'm not sure if you knew this, but a serving size of meat is 3 oz, or about the size of a deck of cards. At half a pound per person todays meal is almost three times the recommended serving of meat. To balance this abundance of meat I have paired the chicken with caramelized onions, sautéed kale and brown rice.

Simmered Chicken Breast
Makes 6 lbs

Ingredients:
6 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs sweet and spicy marinade
2 Tbs liquid aminos
pepper to taste
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/4 cup cold water

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add chicken, marinade, and liquid aminos to the pot, stir frequently until there is no visible pink on the chicken.
3. Turn to low and cook until the largest piece is no longer pink in the middle.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken pieces from liquid.
5. Boil liquid stirring constantly until desired amount of sauce is reached, pepper to taste.
6. Add cornstarch slurry and stir over heat until sauce thickens, pour over chicken.


Sautéed Kale
Serves 12

Ingredients:
5 lbs chopped kale
olive oil
everyday seasoning (can be found at Trader Joe's)

Preparation:
1. Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add kale until pot is 3/4 full so there is still room to stir. Stir constantly.
3. When kale has become a more vibrant green and cooked down a bit, add a few grinds of everyday seasoning and set aside covered in tinfoil to keep warm.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 until all of the kale is used, serve warm.


Caramelized Onions
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:
4 sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter

Preparation:
1. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until butter has all melted.
2. Add onion and stir occasionally until onions are glassy.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until the onions turn a lovely caramel color and have become nice and sweet.

Roasted Root Veggies, Dandelion Blueberry Salad, Scrambled Eggs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes Roasted Garlic and Sautéed Leeks

This morning I had a case of the Mondays; though I hate this phrase, it feels apt to describe how I felt this morning. Getting out of bed was such a chore that I didn't have time to go shopping and so this lunch is more eclectic than usual because I had to make do with what I had in my fridge. The result turned out pleasantly delicious, but it means that portion control is even more important so that everyone gets to taste everything. If I were to make the eggs again, I would double or triple what I made, but I stretched the meal with the leeks, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted garlic. Enjoy.

Roasted Alternate Root Veggies
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 fennel bulbs, chopped
2 celery roots, peeled and chopped
1 lbs golden beets, peeled and chopped
2 cans quartered artichoke hearts
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line three baking sheets with tinfoil and place one type of root veggie on each baking sheet so that they can be roasted separately.
3. Drizzle the root veggies with olive oil, about 2 Tbs per baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fresh ground tastes better.
4. Roast veggies, stirring about every 15 minutes, until they can be easily pierced with a fork, about 30 to 45 minutes depending on size of pieces.
5. Combine all of the roasted root veggies and the artichoke hearts, place back into oven for a few minutes so that the artichoke hearts heat up.


Dandelion Blueberry Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 bunches of dandelion greens, chopped
2 packages of blueberries
1 carton of heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
1 handful sliced almonds
red wine vinaigrette

Preparation:
1. Dress the greens so that they have a light coating of vinaigrette.
2. Layer the topping over the greens so that they don't fall to the bottom.


Scrambled Eggs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, and Sautéed Leeks
Serves 6 for just the eggs, with sides serves 12

Ingredients:
12 eggs
1/2 cup lactose free milk
2 leeks thinly sliced
4 heads roasted garlic
1 jar julienned sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbs olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute leeks stirring constantly until they turn a more vibrant green and start to smell good. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk until a uniform yellow color with no variation.
4. Return empty pan to stove over medium heat, pour eggs into the pan.
5. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove cooked eggs and allow still liquid eggs to get access to the bottom, continue doing this until eggs are no longer liquid, light and fluffy is the goal. Scrambled eggs are overcooked when they exude water, so cook eggs until just before they release water.
6. Serve eggs with leeks, sun-dried tomato, and a clove or two of roasted garlic.

Patricia's First Meal

Good morning gang. Today is a special treat: Patricia will be cooking her first meal for you guys and it smells fantastic. While I'm abroad there still needs to be someone to cook delicious and nutritious meals and Patricia is testing the waters to see if it will work out for you and for her. Today's meal is roasted chicken breasts with a wonderful spice rub, stir-fried veggies over jasmine rice, and a spinach salad. Let us know what you think.

Roasted chicken breasts
Serves 12

Ingredients:
5 lbs bone in skin on chicken breasts
1 Tbs ground black pepper
1 Tbs dried marjoram
1 Tbs lemon thyme
2 Tbs dried sage
1 poof garlic powder over each piece, top and bottom
1 poof sweet smoked paprika over each piece, top and bottom
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven 425 degrees F.
2. Cover a baking sheet in tinfoil and place the chicken breasts on it, trim any large globs of fat.
3. Combine black pepper, marjoram, lemon thyme, and sage to make a rub and apply liberally to chicken on top, bottom, and under the skin. Apply poofs of garlic and paprika. Squeeze the lime over the chicken to add just a little extra zing.
4. Bake for 15 minutes to seal in juices.
5. Lower temperature to 350 and bake until no longer pink in the middle and juices run clear, about 1 hour.
6. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.

Stir-Fried Veggies
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 baby bok choy, bulbs and leaves separated and chopped
3 fist sized broccoli florets, chopped to bite size
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 bag baby carrots
2 bunches spring onion
1/2 inch finger of ginger, peeled and minced
1 bag spinach
1 bunch asparagus, wooden bits snapped off and chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 to 1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos (optionally replace with soy sauce)
4 cups jasmine rice, cooked according to package

Preparation:
1. In a large skillet heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute the chopped wooden bits of the asparagus to break them down.
3. Add the peppers, spring onions, and bok choy bulbs.
4. Grind pepper over cooking veggies to taste.
5. In a separate pot steam the broccoli and the main part of the asparagus by adding an inches of water to the bottom of the pot and heating over medium heat until the veggies have turned a richer green and become fragrant.
6. Wooden asparagus ends are done when able to be pierced by a fork.
7. Set aside cooked veggies and in the large skillet heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat.
8. Saute the snow peas until they are slightly floppy yet still a little crunchy.
9. Combine rice, raw bok choy leaves, snow peas, and 2/3rds of the liquid aminos.

Spinach Salad
Served 12

Ingredients:
1 bag of spinach
1 head butter lettuce, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and chopped
1 pear, cored and chopped
juice from 1.5 lemons
4 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs eucalyptus honey
1 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a jar with a lid, combine lemon juice, oil, honey, liquid aminos, and pepper.
2. Close jar and shake dressing to emulsify, adjust to taste.
3. Combine spinach, lettuce, and pear and serve with dressing on the side so that people can dress their own salads as they like.

Rare Steak, Brussels Sprouts, and Two Salads

Today I felt like salad, but I had the dilemma of wanting two different kinds. Suffice to say, I made them both. To try and make up for my salad mood, I made steak, which has been requested and since I had a little left over in the budget, I decided to splurge and got you guys $50 of meat. To accompany the steak is a mushroom gravy that I made from the reserved liquid from yesterdays meal and sauteed brussels sprouts. Enjoy!

Salad #1
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 big box of spring mix
2 persimmons, peeled cored and chopped
2 handfulls of snap peas
white wine pear vinaigrette

Preparation:
1. Coat leaves with dressing in small batches.
2. Layer heavy items on top of dressed greens.

Salad #2

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 big box of fresh herb mix

1 butternut squash, roasted peeled and chopped (left over from yesterday)

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup roasted squash seeds (see recipe bellow)

sesame ginger vinaigrette

Preparation:

1. Coat leaves with dressing in small batches.

2. Layer heavy items on top of dressed greens.

Roasted Squash Seeds

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 cup raw acorn and butternut squash seeds

salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

2. Wash and pat dry squash seeds, a colander is useful for this.

3. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.

4. Lay out dry seeds so that none are overlapping, bake for 25 minutes or until the seeds puff up.

Rare Steak
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 lbs of boneless New York steaks, thick cut
salt and pepper
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. Season steaks with salt and pepper on both sides, with good quality meat that's all you need.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until fragrant.
3. Place the steaks in the skillet and leave them be until they start cooking up the side, it will change color about half way up.
4. Flip the steaks and cook until they have a good caramel build up on both sides (that means they have a nice brown crust instead of just the gray of cooked beef).
5. Let rest for at least 5 minutes to allow juices to settle into the flesh before slicing the steaks. Serve with gravy.

Mushroom Gravy
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
juices from yesterdays chicken and mushroom dish
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/2 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat juices over high heat, stir constantly.
2. Add wine and boil until the alcohol has all evaporated, salt and pepper to taste.
3. When the liquid is tasty, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to make everything equally thickened.
4. Remove from heat and serve with steak or other plain meats or mashed potatoes. 

Brussels Sprouts
Serves 12

Ingredients:
brussels sprouts, ends removed and quartered
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. Heat oil over medium to high heat in a large pot.
2. Add the brussels sprouts and stir frequently until they turn a deeper color.

Mushroom Kale Chicken, Squash, and Quinoa

Happy New Year! Hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday break, I know I did. But it is back to work and back to cooking. Today I wanted to welcome people back from the holiday glut with something healthy. Everything is made with simple and healthy ingredients. The two dishes bellow are served with quinoa to round out the meal, but feel free to pair with brown rice, bulgar, orzo pasta, fresh baked bread, or any other grain.

Mushroom Kale Chicken
Serves 12

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
3 bags of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 bag kale (this avoids having to wash and chop it)
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat until it becomes fragrant.
2. Add chicken and saute until no pink is visible.
3. Add mushrooms and continue sautéing until the mushrooms start to change color.
4. Add kale and carefully stir contents of pot so that the kale is under the mushrooms and chicken.
5. When the kale has wilted and turned a brighter green, remove pot from heat and drain off liquid. (I'm reserving this for a mushroom gravy for another meal.)

Squash
Serves 12

2 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
Pinch everyday seasoning (from Trader Joe's) to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees F.
2. Cut the squashes lengthwise.
3. Scoop out seeds and anything stringy. (I'm reserving the seeds for another meal.)
4. Cut squashes in half widthwise.
5. Place on a tray with 1/2 cup of water.
6. Bake until able to be easily pierced with a fork, 30-35 minutes.
7. Remove rind with a spoon after the squash has cooled enough to touch.
8. Chop squash and season with everyday seasoning to taste. Alternatively, use salt and pepper to taste.

Asparagus Chicken and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This morning I was feeling like something warming and a bit on the healthy side. I was also really tired of rice. This lead me to make a sauteed chicken and asparagus dish with mashed potatoes. Feel free to substitute fresh peas or broccoli florets for the asparagus to change up the chicken dish. To do a twist on the expected, try a different kind of potato, like purple potatoes or sweet potatoes, and add fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.

Asparagus Chicken
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs, cubed into bite sized pieces with fat removed
3 bunches asparagus, roughly chopped with wooden bits removed
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in water
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium to high heat, whatever you're comfortable working with.
2. Add chicken and saute until the outside of all of the cubes are no longer pink.
3. Add asparagus and stir frequently.
4. When the asparagus has darkened in color and the scent of cooked asparagus is in the air, transfer solids to serving dish leaving liquids behind.
5. Add wine and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to scrape any good stuff off of the bottom of the pot. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. When all of the alcohol has evaporated (that means no head rush when you smell the steam) add the cornstarch and stir constantly.
7. Remove sauce from heat once it has thickened and toss the chicken and asparagus in the pot, return everything to serving dish for a delicious and healthy meal.


Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 head of garlic (I recommend making a few heads of roasted garlic at a time, I made 6 heads of roasted garlic, just store extra peeled and in an airtight container in the fridge)
olive oil
6 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup butter (I used a Earth Balance Butter Substitute to make these lactose free)
2-3 cups of milk (I used lactose free milk)
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut of the pointy bits of the head of garlic and brush with olive oil.
3. Bake garlic for 40-60 mins, until the garlic is soft.
4. While garlic is roasting, put potatoes into a pot and add water until just covered.
5. Bring potatoes to a boil and boil the potatoes until they break apart easily with a fork, about 15 minutes.
6. Drain potatoes and return to pot to keep them warm while you mash.
7. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or fork.
8. While mashing, add butter and mash until combined.
9. While mashing, add milk a bit at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Adding the milk while mashing makes potatoes fluffier.
10. Mash in roasted garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, this means that you should taste after you add a little of each item to see if you need to add more. Always remember that you can salt something more, but you can't un-salt something.

Potato Pancakes with Apple Sauce and Sour Creme, Bratwurst, Bockwurst, Sauerkraut

Germany is one of my favorite places that I have lived and I thought that I would share the typical german lunch with you. Kartoffelpuffer mit apfelmus is the german name for potato pancakes with apple sauce and they were my favorite thing to eat. Bratwurst and bockwurst are commonly served with sauerkraut and a potato side, simple and hearty traditional food, just what I was in the mood for. For those who are eating kosher, try a kosher jumbo frank instead of the sausages.

Potato Pancakes
Makes about 6 latkas, I made 2 batches gluten free and 3 batches with regular flour

Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 egg
1/2 sweet onion, shredded
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour + 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
(or 1/2 cup flour to make with gluten)
Vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Drain shredded potatoes and shredded onion, squeeze out as much liquid as possible either using your hands and a sieve or cheese cloth.
2. Combine potatoes, egg, onion, salt, baking powder, and flour (with xanthan gum) in a large bowl.
3. In a large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium high flame.
4. Spoon 1/4 cup sized dollops of batter into the pan and cook until browned on both sides, checking often to avoid burning.
5. Serve warm with sour cream (lactose free sour cream if you're lactose intolerant) and apple sauce.
*Always remember that when cooking with large amounts of oil to have a fire extinguisher that is compatible with grease fires at the ready.

Ratatouille over Brown Rice with Heart Salad

Last night I had a dream that had a rat running around the kitchen in it and when I woke up I was inspired by the Disney movie involving an adorable rat who loves to cook. I went for one that has a bit more cohesion than some of the super stewed versions because that was what I was in the mood for. The thing I really like about ratatouille is that it is a one pot meal, plus a large bowl, and you just keep reusing the pot over and over. Be prepared to do quite a bit of chopping to prepare this dish on your own. At the store I decided that there needed to be some sort of side salad in case someone didn't like ratatouille, so I made a heart salad.

Ratatouille over Brown Rice
Serves 12

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced into half rings
1 clove garlic, minced
4 large chinese eggplants (or japanese eggplants), sliced
5 zucchinis, sliced
6 yellow squashes, sliced
6 grey squash, sliced
1 cup white wine
2 large cans chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat. Saute onions and garlic until they smell really good and the onions have changed from opaque to semi-transparent, stir constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid burning and things sticking to the bottom.
2. Set aside onions.
3. Return pot to heat, if there is anything a medium brown color stuck to the bottom, deglaze with 1/4 cup of wine (that's just a fancy word for scraping off the good stuff on the bottom of a pan using a liquid, like wine, over heat; you'll know you're done deglazing when all of the stuff has come up and the alcohol has evaporated, which means you no longer get a buzz when you slick your head over the pot) and pour deglaze over cooked veggies. If anything has burned, turn down the heat on the next batch and wash out the pot before cooking in it again.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each of the fresh veggie individually, setting them all aside together.
5. Return everything to pot and add tomatoes, reduce heat and let simmer until things start to smell and taste fantastic, about 30 minutes; salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, add herbs like rosemary, sage, or thyme to give it a more rounded taste.

Heart Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 cartons of grape tomatoes (I had one carton yellow cherry tomatoes and 2 grape tomatoes, mix it up with pretty colored tomatoes of you can), cut in half
2 cans of heart of palm, drained and sliced
2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
4 Tbs pear vinaigrette

Preparation:
1. Combine all ingredients and toss to combine thoroughly.

Granola with Yogurt and Fruit, Baby Kale Salad, Egg Cocottes

Breakfast is the name of the game this chilly Friday morning. This is something that was actually quite easy to make, the most difficult part was cracking eggs into the makeshift ramekins (tinfoil making cups). Healthy and delicious, what more you want in meal?

Granola with Yogurt and Fruit
Serves 12

Ingredients:
8 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup whole almonds
2/3 cup raisins
12 dried apricots, chopped
2/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sugar (I like evaporated cane juice)
8 Tbs maple syrup

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl until completely combined.
3. Transfer to two tinfoil lined baking sheets.
4. Bake 25 minutes until lightly toasted, stir, bake another 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden.
5. Serve with yogurt and fruit (I used mangoes, blackberries, and strawberries) or in milk. After cooled, store in an airtight container for up to a month, a ziplock bag works well.

Egg Cocottes
Makes 12 individual servings

Ingredients:
6 oz chopped spinach (I used half a bag of Power Greens)
12 eggs
12 Tbs milk (lactose free milk to make the dish lactose free)
12 Tbs shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper (use freshly ground if you can, it makes a difference here)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In buttered ramekins set on a baking sheet or buttered tinfoil baking cups placed into a muffin tin, place enough greens to cover the bottom of the cups (about 1/2 oz or about 1 Tbs, enough so that there's still room for the egg).
3. Crack an egg on top of spinach, add a spoonful of milk (lactose free milk for those who are lactose intolerant), sprinkle with parmesan and season with salt & pepper.
4. Bake for 6 minutes or until the egg no longer jiggles when you nudge, the top should puff up a little.

Baby Kale Salad
Makes 12

Ingredients:
10 oz box of baby kale
10 oz box of baby arugula
3 cups of 1 bag of shredded carrots
1 carton of yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Ginger sesame seed dressing

Preparation:
1. Dress greens so that the leaves are lightly coated.
2. Layer carrots and tomatoes on top of salad to ensure that they don't sink to the bottom.

Scones, Fruit Salad with Yogurt, and Mini Apple Chicken Sausages

What a lovely day for baked goods. I'm trying my hand at gluten free and lactose free baking using a very successful scone recipe from my Steampunk Birthday Tea Party. Baking is always a surprise, you never know if you did it right until it's done. Then you taste to discover if your experiment was a success or not. Most range cooking allows you to alter as your going, taste to see if it needs more salt or a dash of something else, but baking is one where to alter it you have to start from the beginning and make the whole thing over. It makes me keep notes on how to fix things for the future. Let the experiment begin!

Besides the gluten free scones I also made regular scones (see Dried Cherry Scones, but substitute curants for dried cherries), a fruit salad with yogurt, and pan fried mini chicken apple sausages. Enjoy.


Gluten and Lactose Free Scones

Makes 8 large scones

Ingredients:
2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup sugar (I like evaporated cane juice)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbs butter substitute (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup raisins and currants (or other dried fruit in small pieces)
1/2 cup sour cream substitute (I used Sour Supreme)
1 egg

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Cut in butter substitute until completely incorporated, use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers. There should be no lumps and the consistency should be of coarse meal.
4. Mix in dried fruit.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream substitute and egg until smooth.
6. Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until there are no more dry pockets, you will probably have to use your hands for this.
7. Form dough into a 6 to 8 inch circle, 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 triangles using a sharp knife. Place triangles onto a cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15-17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.
8. Serve with preserves.


Fruit Salad with Yogurt
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1/2 cantaloupe, seeded and cubed
3 mangoes, cubed
2 granny smith apples, cored and cubed
3 green pears, cored and cubed
1 basket blackberries
1 large carton vanilla yogurt

Preparation:
1. In a large bowl, combine cantaloupe, mango, apple, and pear.
2. Top with berries and yogurt.
Optional: Top with granola.

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.