Category Archives: Smalls

09Aug / 2012

Summer Squash “Pie” with Cornbread Crust


Summer Squash Pie with Cornbread Crust

Cornbread Crust

1/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 egg

2 tbsp buttermilk

1 tbsp agave nectar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the above ingredients and spread into a butter-greased 10″ round cake pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until just cooked. Remove from oven and set aside.

Summer Squash Pie Filling

2 yellow squash, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, room temp.

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese + 1/4 cup for top

3 eggs

salt, pepper, red pepper to taste

2 tbsp fresh chopped basil

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and melt in the butter. Add the squash, onions and spices and saute until golden brown and tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients except the additional Parmesan cheese.

Slowly add the squash/onion mixture to the egg mixture and stir quickly to keep from scrambling the eggs. Pour the mixture into the cake pan with the cooked crust and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

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13Apr / 2012

Cauliflower Fritters


This is a new twist on an old favorite of mine: potato latkes. The meaty cauliflower and spicy red pepper and herbs make these a crowd pleaser with less guilt!

One head cauliflower

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped dill

1/4 cup chopped parsley

3/4 cup blanched almond flour

Two eggs, beaten

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 red or cayenne pepper

2 cups oil

Rough chop the cauliflower and place in a pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and mash the cauliflower until it is the texture of roughly mashed potatoes. Add in the spices and herbs and mix well. When the cauliflower is cooled a bit (so as not to scramble the eggs), add the eggs and the almond flour. Mix well. If the batter is too light or too dry, add either more egg or more flour depending.

Heat one cup of oil in a cast iron skillet (or a deep frying pan), and when hot, drop heaping tablespoon sized spoons of the cauliflower mixture into the oil, flattening a little bit with the back of the spoon. Turn when the edges are a deep golden brown. Continue with the remaining batter, and replace the oil if needed.

You can make the batter ahead of time if you need to, and if you are entertaining, you can make the fritters as much as an hour ahead of time and simply place them on a baking sheet in the oven set to warm. Sprinkle with some extra herbs and cayenne before serving…

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23Mar / 2012

Brown Rice Tortilla Pizza


The finished cheesy goodness

So I cannot take credit for this one – it was my mother’s invention when we were craving pizza during our gluten-free beginnings. However, it has turned out to be one of my favorite snacks, meals or even appetizers. It really is surprising how much those frozen brown rice tortillas you can buy at the store can resemble a super thin-crust pizza. I love the way they taste and how super simple they are to make and hope you will too.

2 frozen brown rice tortillas (leave frozen until ready to assemble)

2-3 ripe roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese (or another salty Italian cheese like asiago)

1 large ball buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick slices

1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped

olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the tortillas on the baking sheet (you may need to use two depending on the size so they don’t overlap). Scatter the tomatoes over the tortillas so they are covered all the way to the edges. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Arrange Mozzarella slices over the tomatoes, but be sure not to overcrowd the tomatoes or they will lose their glory!!

Brown Rice Tortilla Pizza before the oven

Sprinkle the top of the pizza with the salty grated parmesan and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. The pizza is done when the tortilla crust is golden and the cheese is melted/bubbly. Garnish with chopped basil and another light drizzle of olive oil. Slice and enjoy HOT!

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08Feb / 2012

Mexican Chicken Soup


There’s nothing like homemade chicken soup, especially when you’re sick. Growing up in Georgia, the plethora of Mexican restaurants makes this soup a must whenever I have a cold! It is a bit spicy, but also light and refreshing from the fresh-cut tomato, avocado, cilantro and lime juice.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

2 bone-in chicken breasts or thighs (or one of each)

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1-2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 white or yellow onion, diced and divided into two portions

1 lime, cut into halves

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

2 tablespoons light oil

salt, pepper, and red pepper (or cayenne) to taste

1 quart of chicken stock

1/4 cup white rice


Season chicken with salt, black pepper and red pepper. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Add half of the onions and saute until translucent, stirring often. Add black pepper and red pepper (if additional spiciness is desired) and saute one more minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Meanwhile, peel and chop avocado and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime onto it to keep it from turning brown. Also dice the tomatoes, and mince the cilantro.

When the chicken is very tender, remove it from the broth and use a fork (and your fingers!) to shred the chicken into small pieces. Be careful b/c it will be hot! Meanwhile, add 1/4 cup white rice to the soup. Return chicken to broth, and simmer for an another 5-10 minutes until the rice is soft. Remove from heat and add the juice of 1/2 lime to your broth.

Just before you serve your soup, add the diced avocado, tomatoes and onion to each individual bowl – as much as you like. Garnish with cilantro and serve!

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24Jan / 2012

Perla’s Split Pea and Bean Soup


 

Perla’s Split Pea and Bean Soup

My friends Nina and Kendra were over one evening when I prepared this soup. It is my mother-in-law Perla’s twist on split pea soup. As she hails from Israel with family from Turkey originally, the Middle East will be felt in this one.

8 oz yellow split peas (half of a 16 oz bag)

1 can of either white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed

3-4 carrots diced very small (about a heaping cup when chopped)

3-4 stalks celery diced very small (heaping cup when chopped)

1 large onion, diced small

6-8 cups chicken or vegetable broth – you can also use water and Better than Bouillon soup base.

2 bay leaves

black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

olive oil

1/2 lemon

chopped cilantro

1) Rinse the split peas and place them in a large stock pot. Add 4 cups stock or water (you will add bouillon later if using water), bay leaves and a couple tbsp of oil. Bring to a boil, cover loosely and simmer for 30 minutes. These can get rather foamy, so watch out! If they do, stir it, add a bit of oil and reduce the heat some.

2) Add diced vegetables, rinsed beans and remaining 2-4 cups of water, depending on desired thickness. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the split peas have “broken down” into what looks like a puree. At this point, add the bouillon (2-3 tsp) if needed and cumin, stir to combine and taste to check consistency and flavor. You may need to add more stock/water/bouillon, but I like mine pretty thick! allow to simmer until ready to serve.

3) Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped cilantro and a good dose of black pepper

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