Category: Gluten-free

Spiced Tomato Stew with Cheesy Polenta

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From Sara Bradley, in the Wall Street Journal

We’re kind of swimming in garden tomatoes at the moment, and this recipe is a great way to use them. Sara’s original recipe calls for heirloom tomatoes, smoked cheddar and regular cheddar, but I had Pecorino Romano and Gruyere and garden tomatoes, so I just used those.

It was really delicious and I loved the rustic tomato sauce, which I’ll definitely make again.

Ingredients:

4-5 cups water
½ tsp salt
1 cup polenta
2 oz smoked cheddar (or gruyere), grated
2 oz white cheddar (or pecorino romano), grated
2 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced or chopped
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar
4-6 cups roughly chopped tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves, torn

Bring salted water to boil in a medium pot. Add in polenta, reduce heat and cook 20 minutes or so, stirring from time to time and adding a little water if it gets very thick. Once the polenta is creamy, add in the two grated cheeses and the cream cheese. Stir well and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large frying pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil. When hot, add in shallots and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and stir another couple of minutes. Then add red chile flakes, fennel seeds, salt, black pepper and sugar. Stir for a minute or so, then add all of the tomatoes.

Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Check seasoning.

Scoop polenta into a wide bowl, and top with a nice big spoonful of the tomato stew, and some fresh basil leaves.

Vietnamese Tomato Salad

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  • Version #2 with grape tomatoes, cucumbers and cashews.


Saw Emily Paster’s recipe in Midwest Living Magazine and realized I had everything I needed to make it. It’s so good and ready in just a few minutes. The dressing would be great on other fresh veggies, too. It’s really the perfect summer salad and we ate every last drop!

Ingredients
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp honey (or agave nectar or sugar)
1 Thai (or Serrano) chile, seeded and minced
2 Tbsp light olive oil ( or a neutral oil like canola oil)
5 medium plum (or heirloom) tomatoes, sliced
1/4 of a red onion, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs – I used regular basil and spearmint, but you can also use Thai Basil and peppermint
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped – I used half peanuts and half cashews
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Directions

For dressing: whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, honey and the chile, then continue whisking whil you slowly drizzle in the oil.

Arrange tomato slices on a large platter. Top with onion, herbs and nuts.

Spoon dressing over salad, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve immediately.

Version #2; Used grape tomatoes, with some quartered, sliced cucumbers (about a cup) and used cashews instead of peanuts. It was good, too.

Frog & Prince Sheet-Pan Baked Feta With Broccolini, Tomatoes and Lemon

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Note: this was the first time I made this, and hadn’t dipped the feta slices or nestled them down. But I had to share the tray before going into the oven with all these vivid colors!

Based on Yasmin Fahr’s recipe with a few tweaks, it is one of those incredibly beautiful dishes because of the colorful veggies, that also tastes wonderful. It’s also quick and easy.

The funny name came because I try new dishes all the time, and honestly, some are duds. (Those don’t make it on the blog.) Kumy tried this and said, “There are frogs and princes, and this one is definitely a prince.” You can add practically any vegetable, as long as you include sliced lemons, onions and tomatoes, which are the real stars. So good!

Ingredients
1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed, thick stalks split lengthwise, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)
1 big red onion, peeled, quartered and cut into 1-inch wedges
1 small zucchini, cut into ½” thick rounds (optional)
1 and 1/2 yellow or orange bell peppers, sliced into 1″ strips
1 lemon, 1/2 cut into thin rounds and the remaining 1/2 left intact, for serving
3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp red-pepper flakes
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (6- to 8-ounce) block feta, cut into 1-inch slices (can also use Queso Fresco wedges)

Cooked orzo, for serving
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped for garnish

Heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack set in the lower third. Put all the veggies in a sheet pan.

Mix olive oil and seasonings in a bowl, then carefully dip the feta slices in the oil to coat, set them on a plate and drizzle the oil mixture over the veggies. Toss the veggies with your hands until the veggies are pretty evenly coated. Nestle the feta slices into the veggies.

Roast at least 20 minutes, until the broccolini stems are soft enough to pierce with a fork and the tomatoes blister and collapse a bit. Yasmin tosses the veggies 1/2 way through, but I didn’t want to break up the cheese, and it was fine.

Remove from the oven, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon over it then serve over orzo, and top with a drizzle of olive oil and the basil. Yum!

Bean & Edamame Salad

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My friend Vicky brought this salad to work the other day and said she always makes some to keep in the fridge. I had to try it because I love how colorful it is and that it has so much protein. You can always soak the beans yourself, but canned beans makes this incredibly fast. Vicky uses a little good red wine vinegar, but we ended up using a vinaigrette instead. It was so good.

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 package frozen Edamame, thawed
1 orange or red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp wine vinaigrette (I used Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigette)

Add onions to vinaigrette in a small bowl, stir well and let it pickle for about 10 minutes.

Add everything together in a large bowl, and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Delicious right away and keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew

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Another fast and fabulous recipe from Sue Li in the New York Times. I made it with a few tweaks for supper last night. It was just delicious – with a wonderful, creamy texture from the Cannellini beans, rich flavor from the shrimp, onion, shallots, garlic and paprika and a burst of citrus from the zest and lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest and 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (save peels for stock)
4 Tbsp butter (½ stick)
1 yellow onion, cut into large chunks
2 large shallots, cut into large chunks. (Or 2 large leeks, trimmed, halved and sliced)
1 big handful spinach (2 cups?)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shrimp stock, or chicken stock*
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Toasted bread, for serving

PREPARATION

Peel shrimp and remove tails. Add peels to a small saucepan with 2½ cups water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer while you cook. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to get 2 cups shrimp stock.

Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.

Add onions and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium until soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and cook for a minute or two until wilted.

Gently stir in beans and hot stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley if using. Serve with toasted bread.

*Can use chicken stock if your shrimp is already peeled. But the shrimp stock is super tasty! You can also use any white bean. I added spinach and used an onion and shallots because I didn’t have any leeks – and we loved it that way.

Greek Style Beans with Onions & Spinach

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I found this recipe by The Doctor’s Kitchen, aka Dr Rupy Aujla, on the BBC website. I was incredibly skeptical about these flavors combined, but I have to say I am totally won over.

It’s super satisfying – a very solid healthy main dish, and very quick and easy to make. I made some tweaks, since he uses some ingredients less easily available in the US.

It uses mostly pantry ingredients, but tastes super fresh and delish. Kumy and I had it with naan and we totally devoured it! It’s also great with toast.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (red’s fine, too)
½ tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes, with juice (14.5 oz)
2 tsp honey
1 small dry red chilli, deseeded and broken into chunks
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 14.5 oz (Can use any white beans.)
8 oz baby spinach (really big handful)
Feta cheese, crumbled for garnish

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.

Heat the oil in a large oven-proof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes until softened.

Add the tomatoes, honey, chilli, cinnamon, paprika and oregano. Simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the beans and the greens. Toss the spinach to help it wilt.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes and serve sprinkled with Feta.

Mushy Peas with Mint

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I’ve been dreaming about Mushy Peas ever since we came back from Ireland. Finally had a chance to make them last night, when our friends hosted a wonderful dinner with the Ireland trip gang.

Fresh mint really makes this dish something special and unbelievably (January in Nebraska?) I still had some growing. These very bright green Mushy Peas were surprisingly delicious and definitely worth making again.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 24 oz bag frozen peas (not petite or baby – you want full-size peas)
1 bunch of scallions, greens and white parts, chopped into 1″ sections
1 shallot, roughly chopped
big handful of mint leaves
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
3/4 stick butter, cut into chunks (can use vegan butter, too)

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, and add scallions and shallots. Sautee for a couple of minutes and then add everything else except the butter. Stir well, cover and let cook over low heat for 5 minutes, shaking occasionally.

When you can see that the peas and scallions look softened and the mint leaves are wilted, remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Use an immersion blender and buzz everything until it’s fairly smooth. (You can also use a food processor.)

Add the butter and stir until it’s completely melted. A little pat of butter makes a nice garnish! These also reheat nicely in the microwave.

Bhuta ka Salen (Corn Curry)

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This is the first dish I ever learned to cook when I moved to Karachi. I learned it from Kumy’s sister and mom and it remains an all-time favorite. I love to fish out the rounds of corn and dip them in the curry, but it can be messy! If you’re squeamish, cut the corn off the cobs before you cook it.

When sweet corn is in season, there is nothing better.

Ingredients:

6 ears sweet corn, cut into 1½” wide rounds
1 yellow onion, finely diced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large bunch cilantro, leaves and about 2″ of stems, rough chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded (if desired) and rough chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 large clove of garlic (or 2 small)
1/2 cup corn water
3 Tbsp gram flour (check online for substitutes)
1 can coconut milk
½ lemon

Boil water (do not add salt!) in a large pot and cook corn pieces for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat and drain, saving a cup or so of the corn water.

Heat oil in a large frying pan and add onion. Sauté on medium heat for several minutes until onion is soft and transparent. Let cool a bit.

Add cooked onions with cilantro, jalapenos, turmeric, salt, garlic and water, and buzz with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth. Then pour back into frying pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

In a little cup, stir together a couple spoons of the corn water with the gram flour until smooth. Add gram flour slurry into the frying pan and cook a few more minutes to thicken, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and add coconut milk. Stir well and finally add the sweet corn, tossing to coat with the curry.

Just before serving over rice, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the dish. Yum!

Garbanzo & Feta Salad

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I’ve made this amazing “Chickpea Salad” from The Pioneer Woman twice in two weeks. Does that tell you something? I did make a few changes to her recipe, but nothing too drastic. It’s a great side dish, or even main dish, since there’s protein in the garbanzos and feta. So delish!

I made it yesterday, holding back on the avocadoes and dressing until just before tossing it and serving it today at a picnic. So you can easily make it ahead of time.

INGREDIENTS:

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
6 oz. feta, cubed (omit for a vegan version)
4-5 baby cucumbers, (or 1 English cucumber), cut into half moons (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 pt. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional – Kumy doesn’t like raw onions, so I didn’t add this.)
2 avocados, cubed
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

FOR THE DRESSING:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp dried Basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Mix all veggies, beans and feta in a large bowl. If making ahead, don’t add avocadoes.

Mix dressing ingredients in a mason jar, close lid and shake like crazy.

Drizzle dressing over and toss well.

Note for photo: my avocadoes were quite ripe, and were very creamy.

Yogurt with Berries and Granola

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When you want a really light, delicious breakfast, snack or dessert, nothing beats good yogurt, berries and granola. This is a dish that I make all the time, but never think of writing down.

We usually buy the best whole milk plain yogurt we can find (Brown Cow makes amazing yogurt!) and then add a little honey or jam. My favorite jam to add is Spicy Peach, paired with Cinnamon Granola. But you can really use almost any jam or fruit, even a frozen berry mix if you want to, and any granola you have on hand.

Ingredients

1 cup any berries – blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are good
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp Spicy Peach Jam
handful of Cinnamon Granola

In a wide, flat bowl start with yogurt, and drop jam over in little plops. (Technical term.) Toss berries and then granola over. Stir gently and devour.