gluten free

Turkey Posole Stew; Sort of Spicy and So Delish!

I am betting you have some roast turkey in the freezer, maybe a pint of gravy too?  Well, I have just the recipe for you, courtesy of Rachel Ray and foodnetwork.com.  It is nothing like most traditional turkey leftover recipes.  It is a slightly spicy Mexican stew; posole stew can easily be gluten free. Just use care choosing your chicken broth and your tortilla chips that accompany this savory soup. One of these years I will remember to buy an extra carton of gf turkey broth and use in instead of chicken broth; turkey broth disappears immediately after thanksgiving; a bit of a bummer….

I have been making it every fall after Thanksgiving and always look forward to a few bowls of it.  Spicy, crunchy, tangy; unlike any other soup I make.  Posole stew can be made with roasted pork and I have done so but I like it far better created with leftover roast turkey, especially the dark meat.  I have served this stew to many people, and it is always well received and enjoyed, even by my elderly mother.  I made a batch today and it was so delish! You can cut this recipe in half easily which I did this time; didn’t have enough turkey for a whole recipe and my fridge is pretty full anyway; my posole turned out great and I am thrilled to be enjoying it again. 

Notes:  I used most of a good-sized jalapeno pepper and one 15 ounce can of hominy in a half recipe. I used a cup of water for the beer and a carton of gf chicken broth. About 3-4 tablespoons of homemade turkey gravy this time: ate the rest on hot sandwiches. It was absolutely delish!

tomatillos

The more jalapeno pepper you add the hotter it will be. I have tried canned tomatillos, and they are not really a good substitute.  You can get them fresh (found near the fresh tomatoes) in many stores including Giant.  They are used in Hispanic and Mexican cooking and add a lot of flavor and tartness to the soup. I have heard that some folks use salsa Verde instead of tomatillos but it really isn’t hard to chop them up, so I recommend the real deal.

Hominy is a corn product; whole kernels soaked in lye to swell and soften.  The kernels have a mild corn flavor plus they soak up other flavors quickly and add a certain texture and body to the stew.

The wild turkey is native to North America and one turkey species is originally from Mexico.  So turkey is a natural component in this stew.  The Aztecs revered corn and liked to cook it with meat.  Tomatillos are native to Mexico, related to cape gooseberries.  They are used in salsa verde and other Mexican dishes. So this compilation of turkey, corn, tomatillos and lime is a natural combination that will be easy to make and fun to eat. Go on, be adventurous and enjoy a steaming hot bowl of delicious posole and use up that turkey in a totally different way!

Turkey Posole Stew

Ingredients

2 tbsp mild olive oil or canola oil

2 medium onions chopped

4 cloves garlic chopped fine

1-2 jalapeno peppers – seeded and chopped fine –use two if you like it spicy, I use one!

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 cup GF beer (can use 1 cup water if you want but it gives more flavor)

Coarse salt and pepper

12-16 tomatillos; about 2 lbs, take off the paper cover, rinse and chop up.  Can coarsely chop in food processor

5-6 sprigs fresh thyme; chop it up off the stems.

2   15-ounce cans hominy

1.5 qt chicken stock (can be part gravy)

1 ½ to 2 lbs. chopped turkey meat; can be mixture of light and dark

1 lime juiced

Chopped cilantro leaves to garnish (optional)

Tortilla chips: the ones with lime go particularly well with this.

tomatillos

Cook first six ingredients about 5 min in a large stock pot.  Add beer or water, cook one minute.  Add chopped tomatillos and cook 5-6 minutes until softened.  Add hominy, thyme and stock and cook 15 minutes.  Add chopped turkey and lime juice, stir. Taste and add salt and pepper, stir well.  I never use cilantro; something I just don’t like, but feel free to add it as the original recipe uses a bunch of it.turkey posole soup

Then ladle the posole into bowls and serve lots of white tortilla chips to crunch over the top of the hot soup.  As the soup disappears from my bowl, I like to add more chips to keep the crunch going.

 

 

Healthy Honey Spiced Yam Casserole

I started making this side dish over 10 years ago, have made it for a number of holidays.  We had it one Easter Saturday along with a big roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, the whole chicken dinner complete with challah bread which was a first for me gluten free and an almond honey cake with candied lemon peel slices and fresh raspberries.  But with all the yummy food, this humble side dish was sort of the star.  There was very little left and most of us had seconds.  So, I figured it was time to share it; now you have it for the next time you make a big meal and want a simple yet yummy and healthy side dish.

I love it because it is healthier than most yam/sweet potato casseroles.  It is free of gluten, grains, eggs and refined (read white) sugar.   If you use something other than butter it can be dairy free too.  No tons of butter, marshmallows or cup of brown sugar.  Less than a quarter cup of sweeteners make this a good choice for pre-diabetes.  I do use the coconut oil; adds a subtle flavor I love.

And it is so easy to throw together. Just peel and dice up the yams, mix up the other ingredients in a small saucepan and pour over, bake and enjoy.  So easy but the flavor is subtle yet very pleasing.  I use 4 large yams but I often use 5 or 6 smaller ones. You can double it easily; actually have a post doing just that.  Simple, tasty and healthy; side dish home run!

Honey Spiced Sweet Potatoes

4 large sweet potatoes or yams
1/4 c. butter (or coconut oil, for dairy-free)
2 T. coconut oil
2 T. honey
2 t. molasses
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/2 – 1 t. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash sweet potatoes, peel if you like (it’s not all that necessary), chop into uniform 1/2 inch cubes, and place them in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Over low heat, melt the butter and coconut oil. Stir in the honey, molasses, and spices. Drizzle over sweet potatoes, than sprinkle with salt. Stir to evenly coat, then bake for about 1/2 hour, or until potatoes are fork tender. Suggest that you stir it up once or twice while it bakes so that yummy sauce can sink into every bite of yam. Enjoy!

It shrank a bit in the pan but still a nice amount of delish to share. Looked fantastic before I took it to the luncheon; darn but I forgot to take a picture….

Bratwursts From Aldi’s are Still the Best!

This re-post is one of my most popular posts ever. I don’t think any other product review even comes close. We had them for supper tonight. As great tasting as ever. So here it is again!

I bought the package of 4 uncured Bavarian bratwurst at Aldi’s. They were pale and unexciting looking in the shrink wrap but when I pan fried them in a bit of olive oil they browned up nicely. Each brat was still juicy and tender with a delicate flavor I was very impressed with. bratwurst

I have bought brats before at other grocery stores and found them rather dull and pedestrian. These are thinner, longer and far tastier.  bratwurst packageUncured means they have less junk added in the curing process of many sausages.  Definitely a yummy and healthy-ish choice for sausage in any recipe. They cook in about 8-10 minutes. They make a quick supper with some pan-fried potatoes and a veggie. And grilling them is on the package as an alternative to the frying pan. I need try them on my grill. Maybe for camping next year…

They are imported from Germany, and I have heard that they are very authentic compared to most of the brats made in the USA. I give these an A plus in every category. Enjoy!

Originally posted June 2018.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie… Classic Pie of Late Spring: Easy to Make GF

It is the peak of local strawberry season and rhubarb is still plentiful right now, so this was a perfect pairing for adaptation to a gluten free pie recipe.  This is an easy pie to construct, and you can store any leftover crumb mixture in a sealed container in the fridge; it keeps a few weeks.  The GF crust will work for any pie and the GF crumb topping is perfect for any crumb pie.  If you prefer a solid crust just double the crust part and top your pie with it.  Be sure to cut some slits for steam escape!  strawberry rhubarb pie

Please make every effort to use local strawberries; you can get them at most farm stands from now to about June 10th.  This pie really showcases the strawberries more than the rhubarb which is a silent partner so that is why I suggest you get the best; locally grown sweet ripe strawberries to make your perfect pie.

Bake and enjoy June in a delicious pie in just a few minutes of work.  Don’t eat it hot; it should be cooled to room temperature or even chilled. I ate it both ways and liked it either way.  I am guessing you could top this with vanilla ice cream.  Maybe next time.

Angie’s GF Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

Crust:

1 c plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour mix (at bottom of recipe)

2 tbsp sweet rice flour

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter cut into 6 chunks

1 lg egg

2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice

Spray a 9-inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour.

Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer.  Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal.  Add egg and juice.  Mix until it comes together into big chunks.  Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes while you chop the rhubarb into ½ inch chunks and hull/slice the strawberries.

Filling:  strawberry rhubarb raw

2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and cut in thick slices

2-3 cups cut up fresh rhubarb – place in medium bowl

Mix with

½ to 2/3 cup sugar ( I used ½ cup but I guess some like things really sweet so I gave a range of sugar amounts.)

1/3 c gluten free flour mix (see below recipe or use any you like: I actually used a mock Better Batter flour for this pie filling.)

Roll out pie crust in a pie bag or between the two sheets of wax paper, try to get the thickness even, no thick middle! Peel off one side of paper and place in pie pan, centered.  Remove other slice of wax paper.  Crimp edges all around.  Fill with dry strawberry – rhubarb mixture

Crumb topping

Put all four ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form.

¾ c brown rice flour mix

½ c sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks

Sprinkle the top of the pie with the crumb mix; use as much as you like.  I like about ½ to 2/3 of the mixture.  Up to your personal taste… It sinks partially into the fruit mixture and adds lots of sweetness and eye appeal.

Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 40-50 minutes until bubbly and the crust is light brown.  Cool at least 2 to 4 hours before serving at room temperature.

Brown Rice Flour Mix
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

Drip is Delish!

The other evening we decided to try out a local eatery, Drip The Flavor Lab Restaurant on Main Street in Hellertown. It is a burger and fried chicken joint and much of the menu can be made gluten free for those who need to eat gf. We got there at peak time around 5:40 on a Saturday evening. The place was packed! All seats taken, people still coming in. We ordered using a fun printed menu that you fill out with a pencil and turn in at the counter. We stood around sharing a snifter class of classic hard cider while we waited for a table to open up. the cider was a classic apple (no sugar added) cider and had a lovely, bubbliness, yet quite crisp and oh-so drinkable. We people watched, and just enjoyed the vibe. Our food got out in decent time and by then we had secured seating at a high top table.

I had the classic Drip burger with slaw and Joe ordered his with all sorts of additions like jalapeno pepper slices, lettuce, tomato and bacon which he swore to me he didn’t order! Plus an order of fries. He ate the whole burger! And some slaw they accidentally gave him as well as fries. I confess I ate a fair amount of the fries; they were in a wire basket and were hot and so crispy. They stayed warm a long time which I loved. My classic burger had just katsup and cheddar cheese. These are smash-burgers which someone eating there told me that they add butter as they fry so they have a rich flavor and a crispy exterior. Mine was perfect; just pink inside and it was so juicy yet crisp. The fresh gluten free bun was smaller than my meat patty but that was no problem. I loved every bite of this awesome burger. The slaw was nice although I like it with lots of green; it was all white pieces of cabbage; ate every bit. 

We shared a second glass of the hard cider; there was a large selection of beers on tap and some hard tea and mojitos. My guy was wishing for a lager but seemed quite content with the bubbly cider. They messed up the add-ons to his burger a little bit but honestly he loved it just as it came out. Prices are not far off other burger joints, not cheap but I feel we got great quality and we enjoyed the hopping atmosphere in this small eatery! That said, it was a bit crowded; the waitress said that Saturdays are their most busy nights. Folks came in and picked up take-outs, meals were rapidly coming out of the kitchen and tables were reset and more folks seated. You might want to try it on another night when it isn’t quite so jammed. Also, I didn’t know they had ice tea and lemonade until we were done. and cold water in a cooler. The front staff is very friendly and accommodating. I simply loved my burger; now I want to go back for the fried chicken! They also have floats and milkshakes…

I didn’t have my phone on me; left in the car so no meal pictures. Look them up on line at https://www.driptheflavorlab.com/  so you can view the menu and hours; they close at 8; a bit early and on Sundays; its 7 pm so don’t turn up late…. I definitely felt they cater quite nicely to those who need to eat gf, I didn’t feel deprived or end up eating bland, sad food as some places do for gf meals. If you live in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania this is a great burger place!