entree

Quick and Easy Fish Gumbo for Supper

Chopped, early fall 2016 edition.  Thirty minute time limit because I am hungry! I have some frozen haddock.  There is a packet of fresh tender okra in my fridge.  Yeap, I am in possession of a healthy amount of that crazy southern veggie, okra, which I happen to love. okra Most times it looks kinda beat up and I pass it by but this day the okra was mighty fine and I selected a packet of it to build my supper around. Also must use ingredients are fresh homegrown tomatoes and a red bell pepper, plus the usual items available in my pantry: onions, garlic, broth.  What can I concoct? In about thirty minutes.  I was thinking gumbo because of the okra.  Yeah, I have heard all the whining about the slimy nature of okra.  This cook was determined to not let that travesty occur, so the okra was sliced right before adding to the pan and I didn’t cook it too long.  I chopped and sautéed and stirred my pan full of veggies and some haddock.  It isn’t quite a traditional gumbo but pretty close and darned delicious considering how quickly it went together.  The ripe tomatoes from my garden were the perfect counterpoint to the okra and the flaky fish.  I served mine with tiny rice grained gluten free pasta but you could easily use the more traditional cooked white rice to accompany your gumbo.  Of course, you could use another protein from the sea like cod, monkfish, shrimp or any firm white fish.  Enjoy!

Angie’s Haddock Gumbo; Serves two.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove minced (about 1 tsp.)

3/4 cup roughly chopped red bell pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

¼ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp sea salt

1 cup broth: fish or chicken or veggie

1 cup chopped fresh ripe tomatoes

1 to 1.5 cups sliced okra; cut in 1/3 inch slices

½ lb thawed haddock cut into ½ inch cubes

1 cup hot rice or cooked rice shaped gf pasta

Directions:

Chop the veggies.  Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan; add the onion and sauté for three minutes on medium heat.  Add the garlic, sauté another minute, stirring. Then dump in the pepper.  Cook for a minute before adding the thyme, half the parsley, and the salt.  Cook for 3 minutes stirring often. Add the broth and chopped tomatoes, stir and bring to a simmer.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the okra and cook for five minutes, add the fish cubes, cook for five more minutes add the rest of the parsley.  Don’t overcook it until okra is shapeless and gray; it should be just tender and the tomatoes still holding some of their shape. Taste, add more salt if necessary and up to ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper.  Serve over the rice or pasta.

If you want it spicy, add a dash of Tabasco and a pinch of cayenne when you add the thyme.  If you want it soupier; add another ½ to one cup of broth and serve in a bowl.

raspberry-jam-011This recipe is from Jane Brody’s “Good Seafood Cookbook” with some modifications.

Corned Beef Hash

Need a quick supper with not too many ingredients that will please a hungry man and be gluten free? Got leftover corned beef in the fridge/freezer or just a can of corned beef in your pantry?  Go for the hash! You won’t be sorry and you will be full….of yummy satisfying hash.

 libbys corned beefLibby’s doesn’t say gluten free on the can but I took a chance and did not get sick both times I have made this hash.  I think it will be fine for others with celiac disease.

This is a happy food memory from my childhood; my mom made this once in a while.  Sometimes she even stuffed peppers with it, extra tasty that way.

 shoe fly pie, hash 022

Mom’s Corned Beef Hash

1 can corned beef, I like Libby’s

4 medium russet potatoes

1 large onion chopped

½- 1 cup chopped pepper, any color (I used yellow in this batch)

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Microwave each potato until fairly done; different for every oven.  Let them cool a bit and peel.  Cut into ¾ inch cubes.

Heat the oil in a large pan. I used my large cast iron pan.  Love that sturdy pan, well seasoned so things don’t stick and you get a great browning as you fry, even with minimal oil. Add the onions, stir and cook 2-3 minutes, add the chopped pepper and cook another minute. Add the potato cubes, cook 5 minutes, then turn with a pancake turner.  Cook 3 more minutes and add the corned beef after you cut it into half inch cubes.  Cook 3-4 minutes, turn/stir with turner and cook 3-4 more.  Do not let burn but a crisp brown crust is great on the potatoes and the meat.  Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; maybe ½-1 tsp. salt, and a quarter teaspoon pepper.  Serve hot.  I made a green salad to round out my hearty and satisfying meal.

Mongolian Beef Stir Fry: Awesome!

Don’t know why but I’ve been totally craving Chinese food lately.  Quick stir fry meals served over rice, with rice noodles.  With lots of veggies.  With beef, chicken, tuna.  You name I crave it!  And I make it ‘cause there isn’t any gluten free Chinese restaurant within easy reach of my house. So when I saw this recipe for Mongolian stir fried beef I knew I wanted to re-create it.  I confess I made changes.  Yeap; I did.  Honestly, I almost always change recipes some.  Just the way I roll. This time I added lots of veggies and took out the deep frying aspect.  Oh, and I took most of the brown sugar out.  ¾ of a cup of brown sugar is close to insane in a stir fry. Just trying to keep things healthy folks.  lemon blooms and beef with broccoli 009

And it worked.  Yummy meal over rice and no guilt because low in fat, sugar and full of healthy vegetables.  Sure there is beef in there but not that much and it is lean rather than fatty meat. I used beef sirloin but the original recipe off of food.com used flank steak.  Use whatever cut of beef you like, if it is too chewy it will give you a chewy result; this is not a low braise but a fast stir fry.  I used plain sesame oil (not toasted!) but canola or mild olive oil both work well in rapid stir fries.

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So stop whining about there being no P.F. Changs around here.  You can do this, it’s not that difficult.  You do need a wok if you want to do it half decently. And yes, a gas range works hugely better for woking. I have a big one but my favorite kitchen pan is my baby wok.  Makes up to four servings in it easily and fits on burner a heck of a lot better than my big old wok from years gone by.  You can use a big one but honestly, my baby wok does 99 percent of my stir frying.  If you need to double this recipe, well then maybe you need a full sized wok.  But for 4 or less; small is best! lemon blooms and beef with broccoli 011

You may wonder why I need to make this recipe myself and call it gluten free when there is no naturally occurring gluten in it.  Well, a lot of soy sauces have gluten in them.  And a lot of Chinese restaurants do not prevent cross contamination.  If you have celiac even a tiny amount of gluten is a serious problem.  So I really can’t chance eating food from a Chinese take out place or most restaurants unless I am sure they understand this issue fully and can make truly safe food for me. Annoying for sure as sometimes I do miss eating Chinese take out…. For now though, I am more than satisfied by the authentic flavor of my new fav stir fry dish!

Angie’s Mongolian Beef with Veggies
Serves 3-4

¾ lb of beef round sliced into ¼ inch thick by 1 inch pieces

3-4 tbsp. corn starch

1 tsp. ginger

1 tbsp. oil for stir frying

1 large onion sliced top to bottom into long segments

2 cups or so of raw broccoli florets; make them like 1 inch wide and I cut the lower parts of the stems into 1/8 inch slices

2 carrots, cut on the bias to make long ovals. 1/8 inch thick

2 celery stalks cut on the bias to make long half moon slices; 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick

1 tbsp canola or sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. fresh ginger minced or grated frozen ginger

1 heaping tbsp. brown sugar

1-2 tbsp. gf soy sauce or tamari sauce

3-4 green onions cut into slivers, optional

Directions

Sprinkle the ginger powder over the cornstarch on a sheet of wax paper, stir around. Roll the beef pieces around to coat them well.

Let stand while you cut up the veggies, up to ten minutes.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok to almost smoking hot.  Add the beef.  Cook a couple of minutes on the first side, stir up and cook a couple more minutes.  The heat should be fairly high to cook things fast. You want the meat to get crusty but not hugely overdone.  Remove to a plate; cover to keep warm.

Add another tbsp. of oil to the same pan.  Throw in the cut up onion and carrots.  Stir a minute. Add the celery slices.  Stir another minute. Add the broccoli stems, stir and then throw the rest of the broccoli on top. Add 2-3 tbsp. of water and let steam a minute or two uncovered.  Add the garlic and fresh ginger.  Cook a minute. Return the beef to the pan, dump the brown sugar on top, add the soy sauce.  Add the green onions if you want some, I went without this time but I plan to add them next time I made this yummy meal. Stir a minute or two.  Add more water to create sauce if there isn’t enough.

Serve over brown rice or white rice.

Note, these stir fry times and amounts are flexible.  If you don’t want one of the veggies leave it out or sub in something else.  If you want more soy sauce or more sugar; add more and taste to see how you like it.  I like things a tiny bit crunchy; taste and see if you need to cook another minute or two before you turn off the burner. I find stir frying rather freeform and fun.  It can use what you have available in your fridge and pantry.  I also would like to try this dish made with chicken.  Enjoy!

Original recipe inspiration from food.com.

Stuffed Squash for Winter Supper

Chilly days and nights demand hearty suppers. But your main dish does not have to be expensive or fattening. It can be gluten free and still tasty. This recipe is naturally gluten free.

I had some leftover hot Italian sausage. I had a sweet dumpling winter squash and a big red bell pepper. Some quinoa and an onion and I was in business to throw together a homey flavorful main dish. Add a salad on the side and it is a well balanced supper that can be baked and then seconds enjoyed for lunch. This makes 3 servings, can double the recipe easily, just bake it in a bigger pan.

sweet dumpling squash

sweet dumpling winter squash

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I had the sweet dumpling on hand but I have made this same recipe with an acorn squash and with a delicata squash. A delicate is a small oblong squash with orange and green stripes on yellow skin.delicatasde

All three are great vessels for this riff on stuffed peppers. I happened to have a big red pepper and stuffed it as well.

Stuffed Quinoa Squash or Pepper

Ingredients:

1 sweet dumpling or acorn winter squash
1 large red pepper or another squash
2/3 cup plain quinoa, rinsed well
1 medium onion, diced
2 hot Italian sausage links
1 tbsp EVOL (extra virgin olive oil)
1 garlic clove, minced

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash from the tip to the blossom end. You probably should cut off that stem bit first; makes the cut easier. Scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff. Spray a small rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and place the cut squash halves cut side down. Roast 30-45 minutes; check by piercing with a fork; remove when tender enough to stick the fork in but don’t cook it so far that it collapses. After the squash has been in 15 minutes add the red pepper squash which you have cut the lid off, emptied the seeds out and cut up the top third into small dice. Reserve the dice for later. The lower two thirds is a tasty vessel to hold more quinoa sausage filling.

Meanwhile, as the squash and pepper bake…. Heat 1 and a 1/3 cup of water, ½ tsp. salt and then add the quinoa, cover and cook 14-15 minutes.

While that cooks, put the EVOL in a frying pan, add the links which you have liberated from their skins. Cook 4-5 minutes, chopping them up as they cook. An alternative is loose sausage meat; 1/3 to a half pound should do it. Stir them up, flip to cook all sides. Should be browned but not burnt. After you flip them over add the chopped onion, cook about 3-5 minutes stirring often. Add the minced garlic and the top 1/3 of that red pepper cut into small cubes. Keep stirring and when the onions and red pepper bits are softening add the quinoa. Leave any liquid in the pan.

Stir the quinoa/sausage/veggie mixture. Heap it into the squash halves and the pepper half. Mound half the extra filling into a small 1.5 quart round baking dish. Place the three stuffed veggies on top and pour over the rest of the filling as well as any quinoa liquid in the pot. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. The veggie filling should be bubbling when it is done and the squash is tender to a fork.

Enjoy with a side salad. I reheated some of the leftovers for lunch the next day. It gives you something much better than something cold for your mid day meal.

If you don’t like red pepper; make it with 2 small winter squash and just leave the chopped pepper totally out. You could sub in half a chipped carrot for the red pepper bits. Use a mild Italian sausage if you prefer it less spicy or leave the sausage out to make the dish vegetarian. I am guessing you could try to bake it in your crock pot; maybe like 2 hours on high. If you try that let me know how it turns out. It is a versatile recipe for sure!

Republished from last winter in my blog (early 2015).

New Orleans Dirty Rice…Quick Version

 

I confess to a love of Cajun food, not too spicy though, for my tummy’s sake! I love gumbo and jambalaya and try to make them each at least once or twice a year. But sometimes, you get too busy for the time and effort of a big scratch meal production. Like during the holidays. For a quick change up in the meal routine I made some New Orleans style dirty rice using a Zatarain’s mix.

Before you freak out about salt or gf issues in processed foods, I did use their reduced sodium version and it is clearly labeled gluten free. It still has quite a bit of sodium so I wouldn’t make this every week but in a pinch; darn sure I will use it again. The box says it is 6 servings but I think it is more like 4-5 as a main course. dirty rice

Do like I did: jazz it up. I used a package of ¾ Italian sausage and ¼ hot sausage instead of the ground beef the recipe calls for. I added green pepper and onion too. Mission accomplished! Easy, tasty and gluten free. The meal trifecta at my house! But this recipe came with one added request: not too spicy. To tone down the hot I added an extra ¼ cup of brown rice and more water. Don’t get me wrong, it was a bit spicy but not really hot. You can leave out the extra rice and water if you want to breath a little fire. It is purely a matter of personal taste.

This is not one of those showstopper looking entrees but it has lots of flavor considering it is based on a box mix. Great weeknight supper choice; quick, easy and very tasty.

stir fry 003stir fry 004stir fry 009

 

Angie’s Dirty Rice

1 box Zatarain’s Dirty Rice Mix, reduced sodium
1 pound mixed sausage; mostly Italian links and a couple hot ones, casing removed (could use loose sausage)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup quick cooking brown rice; Uncle Ben’s has some that cooks in 20 minutes

Directions: Heat half the oil in a ten inch deep fry pan, I used a cast iron one and add the sausage. I used a wooden spatula and chopped the meat up as it cooked. Once it is getting browned on both sides add the pepper and onion. Keep stirring so nothing burns and all cooks. Add the other tbsp. of oil, the rice and the rice packet from the box. Stir, add 3 cups hot water, cover. Heat to a boil, turn down to simmer and let cook on low for 25 minutes. Turn off and let stand 5 minutes before eating.

Notes: I think a red pepper might be nice variation in this recipe. I bet you could add another ¼ cup brown rice and another 1/3 cup water if you want it even milder and you will have more of the dish to enjoy. If you dislike brown rice, just use white rice but not instant rice; cooks too fast for this recipe.