Monthly Archives: February 2012

Cauliflower Pizza Crust…Yes We Can!

Posted on by

4

Cauliflower pizza crust is the type of recipe concept that brings many food bloggers together: the Weight Watchers, the Low Carbs, Atkins folks, Gluten-Free peeps, the No Grains and the Low Grains. We are not so different after all. And when it comes to making a delicious pizza crust out of cauliflower…yes we can!

I was so excited to get a head of cauliflower in my farm box yesterday so I could try this out. My daughter went from “that sounds gross” to “that looks delicious” very quickly.  Due to the crazy weather in California our farms cauliflower heads are quite teeny at this time. So this turned out to be a small pizza and my husband was shut out. Well next time.

When perusing different recipes online I did not see any using almond flour which I think makes it easier to form a crust. The addition of fresh green garlic added enormous flavor, if you can’t find green garlic chives would be a good substitute. I’m not going to use exact measurements because it depends how big your cauliflower head is.

First chop a head of cauliflower into crumbly pieces (mainly the head and a bit of the stem).

Microwave dry in a small bowl for about 5 minutes. It will be brownish and there will be shrinkage. Mix with egg, salt, cheese and finely chopped green garlic. I also mixed in 1/4 cup almond flour (not almond meal). Add enough to form into a crust.

Grease a pie pan with olive oil (a lot) and form a “crust”. (I’m using real quotes and air quotes when I say crust.)

Bake @ 10-15 minutes. You will know when it’s done when you start to smell it and it’s bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool.

Brush with olive oil then add tomato sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice and put back in oven until cheese melts.

Enjoy!

“Charoset” Stuffed Butternut Squash

Posted on by

0

When I was making the stuffing for this butternut squash my daughter asked me why I was making charoset.  Charoset is a paste made out of fruits and nuts and is served during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The word charoset comes from the Hebrew word clay and represents the mortar the Israelites used when they were enslaved in ancient Egypt. Anywho-I was just thinking of a flavorful way to eat the squash but it did give me a good idea about a different way of serving charoset this Passover (which is usually eaten on non gluten-free matzoh).

Ingredients:

  • One butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
  • Walnuts finely chopped
  • Crushed ginger
  • Squeeze of orange
  • One apple, peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 pats butter
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Combine walnuts, ginger, orange juice, apple in bowl
  3. Put water in bottom of pan and put squash in peel side down
  4. Add one pat butter to cavity of each squash, then stuffing, then top with another pat butter
  5. Cook 30 minutes covered then another 5-10 minutes uncovered

Grandma Shirley Schure’s Stewed Chicken 2012

Posted on by

1

This dish is my version of my Grandma Shirley Schure’s famous stewed chicken. An intuitive cook herself-my Grandma’s beloved recipes are still in heavy rotation in my family.  I’d like to think she would have approved of my updates.

The flavor of this sauce is out of this world as it is built layer by layer and the chicken just falls from the bone. I hope you enjoy my family recipe!

Ingredients:

  • Three whole chicken legs, cut in half
  • One large onion, chopped
  • One bell pepper, chopped
  • Bunch of fresh parsley, wrapped tightly in cheese cloth
  • One cup pasta sauce
  • Carrots
  • Lots of small potatoes
  • Two cloves crushed garlic
  • Basil, paprika and salt to taste
  • Butter and olive oil
  • Cook onions in the butter and olive oil. Don’t skimp on the butter. Meanwhile, dry the chicken and add the spices (except parsley) to chicken. Brown chicken in batches turning frequently.

  • Put all the chicken back in pot and add rest of ingredients, except bell pepper.

  • Cook covered on low heat for 1/2 hour.
  • Give it a big stir, then add bell pepper. Cook another 20-30 minutes uncovered. Serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Asian Beef Noodle Soup

Posted on by

0

I love, love asian noodle soups and wanted to make my own version. This can be done in many ways, next time I will use chicken and broccoli. The brown rice noodles were a great find and you may want to seek them out at the large chain health food store whose name I shall not mention.

First I made a beef broth:

  • Boil beef bones, peeled ginger, onion, garlic, water and salt

Then I made the beef:

  • Marinate sliced skirt steak in gluten-free soy sauce and crushed ginger (no more than 30 minutes or the soy sauce will break down the meat)
  • Cook over high heat until almost cooked through (it will continue cooking away from the heat)

Then I made the noodles

  • Cook 1/2 package of brown rice noodles 4-5 minutes

Combine all three and then add bok choy (I used bell pepper in the picture but I think bok choy or another green would have worked much better).

Note: The noodles will absorb the broth so don’t add them until you are just about to eat (or just “aboot” if you are Canadian)

Cozy Chicken and Veggie Soup

Posted on by

0

Chicken soup can be very easy to make and this one is a great example.  You can make this recipe in stages throughout the day and the longer it sits the better.  This dish was inspired by the Passover Chicken Soup recipe from the  Kim Kushner Cuisine Blog. I made mine differently than hers-but you may want to check out her version and her other simple and delish looking recipes.  I have never used this method for soup making and I will surely be trying it again in different ways.

Ingredients:

  • Two whole chicken legs, cut in half
  • One sweet potato, peeled & chopped
  • One large onion, peeled and quartered
  • Bunch of dill (wrapped tightly in cheesecloth)
  • Two cloves garlic, peeled
  • Two small potatoes, peeled & chopped
  • Four cups water
  • Salt to taste

Put into pot in this order:

  1. Chicken
  2. Veggies
  3. Water
  4. Dill & Salt

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove chicken and dill then puree soup (keep it chunky). Remove chicken from bones and put bones back to soup. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add chicken back in (remove bones) and serve.

*Recipe freezes very well and can be doubled easily*

Acorn Squash and Bok Choy Soup

Posted on by

3

This soup has similar elements to my Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup but a totally different flavor profile. Yes I did write flavor profile.

Ingredients:

  • One acorn squash cooked*
  • One onion chopped
  • Two cloves crushed garlic
  • One head bok choy, leaves separated and chopped
  • Handful of fresh spinach (about 1 cup)
  • Dash of red pepper
  • Salt
  • Olive oil & butter to taste
  • Three cups water
  • Dash of red pepper
  • Grated lemon zest

Cook onions and salt in olive oil and butter until soft.  Add squash, garlic, red pepper and water and simmer @ 10-15 minutes. When soft enough puree with stick blender. Turn off heat and allow greens to cook in hot soup. Serve topped with grated lemon zest.

*Slice in half and remove seeds. Roast at 450, skin side up in a covered pan with a little water until you can put a fork through.