Category: Gluten-free

Ina’s Salmon

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It’s another fabulous Ina Garten recipe – and almost ridiculously easy. When I think how much cooking fish used to scare the heck out of me, I can hardly believe it.

3 lbs. salmon, cut into 2″ slices

2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
3 Tbsp soy sauce
6 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic powder in a bowl. Pour about half the marinade in a glass baking dish, and let salmon soak in it skin side up for 20-30 minutes. Flip fish back over.

To grill the fish, preheat the grill, and start the fish skin side down. Grill for five minutes. Then brush with more marinade, carefully flip fish over and grill five more minutes. Remove to a serving platter and drizzle on any remaining marinade.

Baking is even easier. Just flip salmon so it’s skin side down in the glass baking dish. Heat oven to 425 and bake the fish for 20 minutes. I like to brush the fish with more glaze about half way through. It’s done when it’s flaky. Yum.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

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For this soup, you cook the noodles separately, then place them in the soup bowl and add the soup and other toppings right on top of them.  Rice noodles can get really mushy if you overcook them, so by adding them to the soup bowl, you never have to worry about mushy noodles!

Rice Noodles

Place rice noodles in a large, heat-proof bowl. Add boiling water to cover and let sit, gently moving them apart with a fork. Check for doneness by biting one to see if it is cooked through. Really thin noodles cook in 7 minutes or so and thicker ones may need 10. When done, drain and toss with a little sesame oil.

4 Tbsp Soy sauce
2 Tbsp Mirin (can use cider vinegar with a little sugar)
2 tsp dark Sesame Oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Sambal Oelek (Can use Sriracha or any hot sauce you like)
8 cups chicken stock
1 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast
1 head chopped Napa cabbage

Add everything except chicken and cabbage to a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the chicken and cabbage and cook until the chicken is done and the cabbage is slightly softened,7-8 more minutes.

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
6 scallions, thinly sliced

To serve, place noodles in a large soup bowl. Ladle soup over the noodles, and top with cilantro and green onions. Serve with soy sauce and Sriracha to let each person season their soup.

Elote – Mexican Street Corn

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If you live in Omaha, you must go to the Farmer’s Market in Aksarben and pray that the sweet corn lady is there making Elote.  Kumy and I had gotten one, and quickly realized that there was no way we were willing to share.  (Okay, so there was no way I was willing to share, and I ran back to get another.)

There is nothing better than sweet corn that’s just been picked, quickly boiled and slathered with mayo, fresh lime, parmesan and Tajin Seasoning.  This is a version that I make at home.   Tajin seasoning is tart, salty, not super hot and easily available in Mexican markets and online.  You can make traditional Elote using ears of corn or  make a casserole using frozen sweet corn.  It’s delicious either way!

Ingredients

6 ears of corn, freshly shucked and washed (or 24 oz frozen sweet corn for a casserole)

Crema:

1/4 cup Mexican mayonnaise (or use regular mayonnaise with a good squeeze of lime in it.)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Cotija cheese (or parmesan in a pinch)
1/2 tsp Tajin seasoning
1 clove garlic crushed, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped pretty fine
Juice of 1/2 lime

For traditional Elote corn on the cob:

Mix crema ingredients in a bowl.  

Cook corn by boiling in unsalted water or grilling. Slather the corn with the crema, and sprinkle with extra cotija and dust with tajin seasoning.

For Elote casserole:

Mix all ingredients except Cilantro in a bowl and pour out into a baking dish. Baked uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Garnish with chopped Cilantro and an extra sprinkle of Tajin seasoning.

Great Warm Caprese Salad

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This may have come from the Wall Street Journal, or maybe Ina Garten – can’t really remember. It’s perfect for when tomatoes are abundant, but even winter grocery store tomatoes taste great.

12 plum tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
sprinkling of garlic powder
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
8 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese
12 basil leaves, julienned (Stack all the leaves on top of one another, roll them up and cut little thin slices. They’ll form little strips of basil. Thanks, Ina!)

Set oven to 425.

Lay tomatoes cut side up in a baking dish. Blend olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder and sugar and drizzle over the tomatoes. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and put Mozarella cheese on top. Put back in the oven for 2 minutes to soften the cheese. Remove again, then sprinkle basil over everything. Drizzle one more time with olive oil and give it one last go with the salt and pepper. Serve warm.

So good.

Fish Tacos

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This is so good and if you use frozen panko-breaded tilapia, it’s crazy quick.

4-5 piece of panko-breaded tilalpa from Costco. (Sorry – can’t remember the brand)
cumin powder
cayenne powder

Sprinkle a pinch of cumin and cayenne on the fish and bake as directed. When you remove them from the oven, slice them into 1/2″ slices.

Meanwhile, put together the avocado relish and yoghurt sauce, and warm the tortillas.

Avocado relish:

1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup jalapenos
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup diced avocado (can add more if you like)
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp salt salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix all gently.

Mayo sauce:

1 1/2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
dash hot sauce (can use Tabasco or Sriracha)

Mix together.

corn tortillas
diced cabbage
1 bunch cilantro, diced
Mexican cheese (not taco cheese)

While fish is baking, wrap tortillas in foil, pop them in the oven for 5-6 minutes and assemble avocado relish and mayo sauce.

On a plate, place a warm tortilla, and fan out one fish fillet on each tortilla. Top with a spoonful of Avocado relish. Add a spoonful of cabbage, a sprinkling of cilantro and cheese. Drizzle with mayo sauce and serve. Sooo good.

Flattened Chicken

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My neighbor Rachel told me about this mouthwatering way to cook chicken and let me borrow her “Mad Hungry” cookbook that the recipe came from. I liked it so much I ended up ordering a used copy of my own, though I do make this dish slightly differently than the cookbook. Just chalk it up to laziness and the “it still tastes good” excuse.

1 whole chicken prepared as explained below.
salt and black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Heat oven to 400.

Lay chicken on its breast. Using a kitchen shears, cut out the backbone. Push down hard on both sides of the chicken until you kind of “split” the breast. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a cast iron skillet on medium/high heat. (Watch so it doesn’t start smoking.) Lay the chicken breast side down and cook it for three minutes. Flip it over and pop the skillet into the oven. Bake it 1 1/4 hours.

Remove chicken from pan and let sit for 10 minutes while you make the sauce. If there is a lot of chicken fat, you can remove most of it and save it for another time.

Add butter, garlic and lemon juice to pan, scraping up as much of the browned on bits as you can. Cook 2 or 3 minutes. Add remaining olive oil and red pepper flakes.

Cut chicken into pieces, lay on a platter and pour pan sauce over the top.

Tangy Chicken Tacos

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These tacos use all green ingredients and have flavors that remind me of Salsa Verde. They are delicious.

If you are lucky enough to have a Mexican grocery store nearby, you can easily get tomatillos, serrano pepper, cheese and good fresh corn tortillas.

I often use Asadero cheese or Queso Fresco, but most grocery stores sell shredded Mexican cheese, and I use that sometimes, too. (Do not use Taco cheese, which is seasoned, as it will really drown out the other flavors.)

If you can’t get tomatillos, I’ve read that you can use green tomatoes and a splash of lime as a substitute.

Be careful with the serrano pepper – they are 5 times hotter than a jalapeno. You can also substitute a jalapeno for the serrano.

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1 serrano pepper, diced
1/2 lb. tomatillos, rough diced
3/4 cup cilantro, rough chopped
corn tortillas, warmed
1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese, crumbled or shredded
2 cups romaine lettuce, rough chopped
1 cup chicken broth
limes

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and saute 5 minutes. Add onion, cumin and pepper, and cook for a few minutes until onions are soft. Add tomatillos and chicken broth. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 25 minutes.

Check salt and pepper and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with warm tortillas, cheese and lettuce and fresh lime.

These would also be good with Shrimp. Just remove the shrimp from the shells, and add them 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Thai Coconut Chicken Casserole

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This is a great quick supper. It’s delicious and so colorful. Red Curry Paste is available at Asian Markets, and online. It may even be in some regular grocery stores.

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 can light coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, heated in a small pan or a microwave until just boiling.
1 – 2 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste. (I use Mae Ploy.)
1 cup jasmine rice (regular rice is fine, too.)
2 red bell peppers, chopped and sauteed
8 oz. green beans, trimmed and sauteed

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add oil to a saute pan and saute chicken until browned on both sides. Cut into smaller pieces and place in an oven proof pot. Add all other ingredients except for peppers and beans. Cover and cook 25 minutes at low heat.

While chicken and rice are cooking, add more oil to the saute pan and cook veggies for a few minutes until soft, but not mushy.

Remove chicken and rice from oven, top with peppers and beans, and serve.

Kumy’s Spicy Rustic Spaghetti Sauce

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Kumy first made this Spaghetti sauce in August of 2011 and he’s made variations ever since.  It’s a spicy, rustic sauce that’s delicious on pasta.

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
5 small tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper seeded, and cut into four pieces
pinch of Sage
1/4 tsp Rosemary
1/4 tsp Thyme
3/4 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Parsley

Heat oil, and add garlic in. Saute garlic for a couple minutes and add the chopped tomatoes and all the rest of the spices. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Serve over pasta sauce with Parmesan cheese.

Ronneburg Cottage Cheese

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A surprisingly tasty variation of cottage cheese from a restaurant in Iowa.

1 16-ounce container of cottage cheese
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp buttermilk
1/4 tsp salt
dash pepper

Blend all ingredients. Yum.