Category: Gluten-free

Israeli Couscous with Chicken

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Israeli couscous is much bigger than regular couscous and takes a longer to cook. It’s often available in the Kosher section at the grocery store , and has a nice chewiness we really like.

1/2 lb Israeli Couscous
2 Vidalia onions, finely chopped (can also use regular yellow onions)
2 tsp garlic puree
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 heaping tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 lb. chicken tenders
salt and black pepper
2 cups chicken broth

Saute onions in oil and butter until soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute a little longer. The add cous-cous and saute for 2 minutes. Add everything else but the chicken and cook for 5 minutes.

Salt and pepper the chicken and lay it on top of the Couscous. Cover the pan and cook on low heat 10 more minutes, until chicken is done.

Toss gently with a fork and serve.

Spinach on Polenta

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More and more, we’re finding that we can’t resist the flavor of spinach that’s sauteed and just slightly wilted. This is a nice way to serve it and even people who don’t like spinach seem to like this.  (Check the prepared polenta label if you are being careful about Gluten.)

1 package of prepared polenta, sliced
2 Tbsp Butter

4 Tbsp butter (or 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil)
1/3 cup half and half
2 tsp crushed garlic (or a generous sprinkle of garlic powder)
1/3 cup good Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Big bag of spinach (or two!)

Melt butter in your biggest frying pan. Saute the slices of polenta in butter until they’re warmed through. Remove and put on a platter and cover them to keep them warm. Add the 4 Tbsp of butter and garlic, and saute for a couple of minutes. Add spinach and start to turn it, using tongs or a big spoon. Keep adding spinach until it is all just wilted.

Add half and half, salt and pepper and parmesan cheese. Gently combine all the ingredients. Go easy on the salt at first, because the parmesan is pretty salty.

Ladle the spinach mixture over the polenta and serve hot.

Coconut Milk Jelly

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Maya chose this for her birthday “cake” on her 7th birthday. I think the recipe came out of an old Canadian cookbook I had.

3 1/2 cups coconut water
1/2 cup half and half
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 knox gelatin packets
drop of red food coloring

Heat coconut water and sugar to boiling. Remove from heat.

Stir half and half, gelatin and food coloring together.

Pour boiled mix into gelatin, stir well and add vanilla. Pour into a pretty mold and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, loosen mold by gently going around the outside edge and flipping it on a platter.

Erum’s Spicy Baked Mince Squares

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This recipe comes from Kumy’s sister Erum and it’s both easy and delish.  Thanks, Emum!

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 jalapenos, ground (use less if you don’t want it too spicy.  1/2 pepper is fine.)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger puree
1 tsp garlic puree
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (This makes it really spicy so add just a pinch if you don’t want it spicy!)
1 onion, thinly sliced and fried in oil until it’s nice and brown

Garnish:
2 jalapeno peppers (use less if you don’t want it too spicy)
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
lemon juice

Mix all and spread in a baking dish about 1/2″ thick. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then reduce to 300 and bake another 20 – 30 mninutes.

Remove from the oven and garnish with jalapenos, cilantro and lemon juice.  Slice into squares and serve with hot naan or pita bread.

Faye’s Cukes and Onions

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Faye made this unusual dish for us once and said that whenever the Miracle Whip jar is almost empty, she make this dish.  I think it might be an eastern European dish, but I am not sure.  It is a great summer dish to make when cucumbers are ripe in the garden.

The combination of hot, buttery potatoes and the cool crunch of cucumbers with a creamy dressing is wonderful. Miracle Whip is a little sweeter than Mayo, so if you use Mayo just add a little sugar to add sweetness.

1 cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise)
3 cups water
2 Tbsp apple cider
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix all in the miracle whip jar. (I just add everything in, close the lid and shake it like crazy.)

3-4 cucumbers, peeled, halved and sliced
1/2 – 1 onion, sliced

Put the cucumbers and onions in a bowl, and pour the dressing over them. Cover and refrigerate for several house.

1 lb potatos, scrubbed and cut into quarters, unless using new potatoes
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter (more if you like lots of butter!)

Boil potatoes in hot, salted water until soft – usually 25 minutes or so. Drain.

On a large serving dish, lay down the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and butter generously. Spoon over cucumbers and onions mix with plenty of the dressing, and serve immediately.

Moroccan Squash & Chicken Tagine

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A tagine is a stew that’s cooked in a ceramic dish with a conical lid that sits on top of it, but you can also just cook it in a dutch oven. The original recipe called for a cup of golden raisins and 3 Tbsp honey, but I found it too sweet, so I’ve cut them both in half.  This recipe makes a nice, large batch.

Moroccan Spice Mix:
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper

Blend and set aside.

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs, cut into large chunks
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, cut in wedges
6 cloves of garlic, halved
5-6 saffron threads
2 1/2 to 3 lbs. of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1″ cubes
1 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Rub 1 Tbsp spice mix on chicken. Heat oil in a dutch oven and saute chicken for 6-8 minutes. Remove and add a little more oil, than add onions, garlic and saffron. Cook 2 minutes and add squash. Add 2 tsp more of spice mix. Add chicken back in, and add broth and honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer one hour, stirring very gently once in a while.

Add raisins and cook 10-20 more minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley just before serving with Couscous, or whole wheat flour tortillas warmed in the oven.

Mulligatawny Soup

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I just learned this evening that this is Ali’s favorite soup. This version isn’t super traditional, but it’s still delicious.

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, well-scrubbed and chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and rough-chopped

Saute veggies in olive oil. Once veggies are soft, puree them in a blender or food processor.

1 can coconut milk
1 apple, peeled cored and diced
2 cups cooked basmati rice

6 cups chicken stock
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken meat
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1/8 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 cup red lentils

In a large stock pot, heat stock and add chicken, lentils and spices. Cook 25 minutes, remove chicken and shred it. Add pureed veggies and coconut milk to stock. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.

Put rice, chicken and apples in bowls and cover with broth. Yum!

Samir’s Favorite Kitchiri

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Kitchiri is a wonderful mix of rice and lentils that is a great, filling vegetarian main dish. It is kind of based on kedgeree, which is more soupy. But it’s easy, quick and definitely worth trying. It is also, as per the title, one of Samir’s favorites.

1 cup red daal, soaked for 30 minutes, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic puree
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves
3 cardamoms
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon
5 cups water (or 5 cups chicken stock if not worried about being vegetarian)
2 tsp vegetable stock
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp salt
black pepper

Saute onion and garlic in butter and oil for 5 minutes. Add rice and spice and saute for 1 minute. Add all else, stir well, cover and cook on low heat 20 minutes.

Thai Sticky Rice

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We met Tao because her son Benson was a really good friend of Samir. She is a great cook and shared her Thai Sticky Rice recipe with me. Super easy and super delish!

2 cups sticky rice (it’s a sweeter rice but you could probably make it with jasmine rice, too or even regular long grain rice if you don’t have an asian market close by.)
water
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (not coconut cream)
1/2 cup plus a little more sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Soak rice in a glass dish in plenty of water for 30 minutes. Drain until there’s just a little water left. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Remove from microwave. Stir coconut milk, sugar and salt in a bowl and blend gently into the rice. You can add a drop of food coloring to the sticky rice if you like.

Put the cover back on and microwave for 5-10 minutes until the rice is done. Fluff gently with a fork and serve.