Making Leftovers New

First off, it has been a long haul.....literally.  Hubby, Eric, and I just completed over a 3,500 miles of cross country driving.  No we are not truckers  and after this road trip are glad of it.  I for one admire those long-haul drivers.  We went on the very first road trip in retirement, traveling across Texas.  That in itself is a major feat. There were visits to family and friends that were long overdue.  During our travels I cooked in 4 different kitchens and enjoyed good food along the way.  There is nothing like sharing a meal with someone to build a lasting bond.


I have been home now for a few days and working to recover from the last several weeks.  On Saturday, Eric grilled steaks.  Delicious!  There were leftovers and thanks to a heads up from my son-in-law I found that medium rare steak makes a delicious opportunity for trying my hand at using leftovers.  I L-O-V-E Penzeys Spices.  Have been using them for the last several years.  Even through mail order and paying postage I find that they are less expensive and so much better than other brands.


Last summer when I was visiting my daughters family, my son-in-law suggested that I make a stir-fry using some leftover beef and Penzeys Chinese Five Spice Powder.  Since then I have used the recipe and of course personalized it to make it mine.  I'm not sure I've ever used the exact same veggies but the stir-fry marinade stays pretty consistent.  Get creative with the veggies.  What I'm listing are suggestions.  The recipe lends itself to personal interpenetration.  While I used beef this time around it also is great to use a chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs or even thinly sliced pork. 

Left-over Stir-Fry

1 medium orange, zest and juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce*

2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Powder

1 teaspoon honey

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

crushed red pepper, to taste

1/2 to 1 pound beef, thinly sliced or

1/2 to 1 pound chicken, thinly sliced or

1/2 to 1 pound pork, thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced (use both green and white portions)

In a large bowl mix together the orange juice, zest, soy sauce, Five Spice Powder, honey, garlic, black pepper and red pepper flakes.  Once mixed well toss in the meat of your choice.  Allow to sit at room temperature while prepping the veggies.

Vegetables

4 to 6 medium mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 medium carrot, cleaned and cut in thin strips or

a handful or baby cut carrots cut in strips

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced in thin strips

1 to 2 cups broccoli florets, cut in bite size pieces

6 stalks fresh asparagus, sliced on a diagonal in 1 inch slices 

cooking oil

In a wok or heavy skillet heat a small amount of cooking oil.  When warmed add in the mushrooms and cook until browned.   Add in carrot and cook a few minutes then toss in bell pepper, broccoli and asparagus.  Allow to cook a few minutes and then stir in meat and marinade.  Continue to cook until vegetables are crisp tender and meat is either warmed or cooked through.  Serve over steamed brown rice for a wonderful meal.

Note:  If cooking gluten free please read labels as not all soy sauces are created equal.  My personal preference is San-J Organic Tamari.

Ready Set Cook

For those of you who know me, you probably know that when I get involved in something I really get involved.  Back in 2004 I joined a cooking website, Recipezaar.com.  The site was purchased a few years back and is now associated with Food Network and has a new name, Food.com.  Well here it is 2012 and I have posted over 700 recipes, reviewed over 3,000 recipes and took untold food photos. Plus developed some wonderful recipes of my own.


The first online contest I entered was Ready Set Cook #5.  For my efforts and much to my surprise I won an honorable mention for Summer Squash Slaw (Recipe #93962).  There were several others that I developed but none did quite as well.  This contest was a challenge and my first experience at using duck and buckwheat flour.  Well after that I was hooked.  In 2007 I won Best Vegetarian for my Mediterranean Pizza with Caramelized Onions (Recipe #132001).  There have been other contests on Food.com that I have participated in over the years.  I have placed in a couple of more and came in first place during Craze-E Contest in 2010 with Date and Walnut Spread (Recipe #443144). 


Most of these contests have had one thing in common a lot of stiff competition and some very dedicated people to make the contests happen.  The basic principles behind these contests have been you are given an ingredients list of 15 ingredients and must use a minimum of 5 to make an original recipe.  The recipes were posted anonymously and then a review period.  The winners were determined by the number of reviews a recipe received.  At the end of the contest, winners were announced in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and the creators of the recipes were revealed.  Lots has changed over the years.  Change is inevitable.  

This time around Food.com has joined with Simply Potatoes for this round of Ready Set Cook.  The recipes are posted on the website and unlike past contests you can see who developed these wonderful recipes.  There is a required ingredient which is one of the following:

Simply Potatoes Shredded Hasbrowns

Simply Potatoes Diced Potatoes and Onion

Simply Potatoes Mashed Potatoes

Then there is the list of ingredients to choose from:

Bacon
Fresh or Frozen Shrimp
Eggs
Fresh or Frozen Spinach
Fresh Carrots
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Corn
Green Onions
Red Bell Peppers
Cilantro
Chicken Broth
Alfredo Sauce
Goat Cheese
Taco Seasoning
Cumin
Black Beans
White Wine Vinegar

Along with the required ingredients a recipe can use as many other ingredients as necessary to develop it.  The required ingredients must be essential to the recipe.  An entrant can only submit 3 recipes for the contest. 

While I had seen Simply Potatoes products in my local grocery store, I had never used them.  I was surprised to find that they had "Gluten Free" on the label.  I was also surprised at how convenient they are to use.  I do have my 3 entries and am very pleased with the final products.

My first entry was for Simply German Potato Salad.  Years ago this was made in my home quite frequently but it had been years since I made this delicious salad but Simply Potatoes inspired me.  Using the Simply Potatoes Diced Cut Potatoes and Onions made this a snap.  There was no peeling or dicing of potatoes.  The potatoes cooked very quickly and dinner was on the able in under 30 minutes.  

My second Simply Potatoes recipe was for Pork and Red Chili Stew.  The stew is cooked in the crock-pot making it a wonderful fix ahead meal.  The stew is wonderful served with tortillas of choice or used as a filling for burritos. 

The final creation was a Cajun inspired dish, Creole Breakfast Stack.  

All are culturally diverse and all have some pretty stiff competition.  The deadline for entries is coming up and then the judging begins.  All of these recipes plus many more can be found at http://www.food.com/. 

Waffles Not Pancakes

Happy Shrove Tuesday!!  Or Happy Pancake Day!!!  This is the day before Ash Wednesday and the day for eating up the forbidden foods before the lenten fasting begins.  Pancakes are traditionally eaten as they are made out of the main foods available, sugar, fat, flour and eggs.  Traditionally these were restricted foods during the fasting associated with Lent.  


No today's post isn't about pancakes but the waffle.  Not a sweet sugary waffle but a waffle-wich.  In December I did a post on Waffle-chiladas.  In that post was the recipe for the Jalapeno Cornbread Waffles.  The waffles are made with the forbidden foods, the sugar, fat, flour and eggs.  With that in mind I thought it would be the perfect day to share the Waffle-wich.  I typically have these delicious savory waffles in the freezer.  They make a nice base for meat gravies, creamed mushrooms, chicken ala king and of course the Waffle-chilada.  They are also wonderful as a base for the Waffle-wich.

According to Wikipedia a sandwich is a food item consisting of 2 or more slices of bread with 1 or more fillings between them.  The Waffle-Wich certainly qualifies.

Waffle-Wich

1 Jalapeno Cornbread Waffle

2 to 3 thin slices deli ham

2 thin slices red onion

Dijon mustard, to taste

1 oz slice mild provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  With a sharp bread knife, carefully slice the waffle in half to make 2 "bread" slices.  On one half of the waffle place the sliced deli ham.  Top with red onion slices, dijon mustard and provolone cheese.  Place the second waffle half on top.  

Place waffle-wich in a preheated oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and waffle is crisp.  Add your favorite sides and enjoy.

 

Have a happy and safe Shrove Tuesday.  Now off to make pancakes for breakfast.  :)

Cha-Cha-Chia for Valentine's

Anyone old enough to remember Chia pets?  They came in many different animal forms from sheep to bears and even the likeness of famous people.  You soak the planter in water and when they are water logged, apply the little black seeds.  The directions say they are easy to grow but mine never did.  Hummmm.....


Well after all these years, and trust me it has been a few, I now have found something that I can do with chia seeds.  Bake!  Yes, chia seeds can be used in baking.  The seeds are a great source of omega-3 and fiber.  When combined with liquid they produce a glutenous gel that can be used in gluten free baking in lieu of gums.  I have done a few things like making muffins which I'm still working on.  The muffins were a little drier than I would have liked and now I have made cupcakes and just in time for Valentine's Day.

I took a pretty typical recipe for the cupcakes, reduced the ingredients by half, added in a few gluten free items and we had a wonderful gluten free dessert.  The recipe made 12 cupcakes and were then topped with a quick and easy cream cheese frosting.  The tops of the cakes were a little flat.  There could have been many reasons from the batter being to wet, the baking soda being old or my overfilling the cups.  I will be making these again but for now here is the recipe.

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes

 

1 1/8 cups gluten free brown rice flour blend* 

2 tablespoons Expandex Modified Tapioca Starch

2 tablespoons buttermilk powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon chia seeds

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 ounce red food coloring 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners and spray the liners lightly with a gluten free cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl, add the flour blend, Expandex, buttermilk powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  Whisk with a wire whisk to thoroughly combine.  

Measure out 1/2 cup water and add the chia seeds.  Let stand while creaming the butter and sugar.  In a large mixing bowl cream the butter, gradually add sugar and continue beating until incorporated.  Add in the egg, extract and vinegar.  Mix in the chia gel and beat well.  Add in the flour mixture and continue to beat on medium speed until combined.  Finally add in the red food coloring and mix on medium low speed to incorporate.  

Divide the mixture evenly into 12 cupcakes, place in oven and bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Once the cupcakes test done remove from oven and allow to stand 5 minutes.  Remove from muffin tin to wire rack and cool completely.  When completely cool frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

In a small mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter.  Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Gradually add in milk to spreading consistency.  If you are going to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes you will need to add less milk and have the frosting a little stiffer.

*Please note:  The brown rice flour blend can be found on the King Arthur Flour website.

Gluten Free or Not

Buffalo Chicken Pizza: King Arthur Flour

I survived the Super Bowl!  Not a very big deal just a small gathering of friends and some outstanding food.  Having any kind of gathering for me pretty much always includes food.  Food is a great place to come together.  So much culture and traditions can be found in food choices and preparation.


Take me for example.  I was raised by a wonderful southern woman who cooked southern.  I'm not sure my mother ever used a recipe from a book.  When growing up I don't remember cookbooks in the house and as we had not reached the computer age so everything she did was pretty much in her head.  I remember her fried chicken, beef stew and smothered steak.  A few things she had picked up along the way were spaghetti with French bread and what she referred to as Goulash. 

Then of course there were pinto beans.  Beans were a staple in our house.  Every Monday she would make a big pot of beans and we would have them in some form for the rest of the week.  On Monday they were typically served with Southern style cornbread.  Upon moving to the southwest and being introduced to refried beans I learned that my southern mother had her version as well.
Somewhere around late elementary or early junior high, pizza found it's way into our home.  The base of the pizza was always from Chef Boyardee.  As for the toppings they really didn't make a lasting impression.  I remember mixing the prepackaged dough, letting it sit and then stretching it to fit a pan.  For a brief period of time I lived in the Chicago area.  There was an amazing take out pizza place that delivered.  It was local and Mamma Mia's seems to stick in my mind as the name.  On occasion we would have delivered pizza from there.    Delivered, pre-made pizza was a treat that was to be savored. 

Now when I think of pizza I think of it as something special. Something to be shared with others.  When King Arthur Flour sent out an e-newsletter recently it included a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pizza.  There version was laden with gluten.  I looked at the recipe and quickly decided that I could do something similar and make it gluten free.  I was right.  The crust was my go to Gluten Free Pizza Crust.  I did make 2 10 inch crusts earlier in the day and had them ready and waiting for easy assembly and final baking during halftime.  The rest of the recipe was mine inspired by King Arthur.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

2 pre-made 10" pizza crusts

2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 to 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce

1/4 cup garlic infused olive oil
1 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, gluten free blend
1 to 2 teaspoons seasoning salt blend
cooking oil
1/3 cup bottled wing sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons butter melted

6 (1 oz) slices mild Provolone cheese

4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

4 to 5 green onions, sliced

crumbled Feta cheese, to taste

Cut the chicken into 1-1/2 to 2 inch pieces and place in a glass dish.  Mix together the yogurt and Tabasco sauce. The amount of Tabasco sauce will depend on your taste buds.  I like it when the yogurt is just tinted pink.  Add the chicken to the yogurt blend, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

To cook the chicken, remove from marinade and shake lightly to remove excess.  The yogurt will cling to the chicken providing a nice base for the flour to adhere to.  Season the flour to taste with seasoning blend.  Place in a paper bag or container with tight fitting lid.  Shake to combine the seasoning, add in chicken several pieces at a time.


In a heavy skillet warm about 2 inches of oil until the oil sizzles when the tip of a wooden spoon is placed into it.  Add in the coated chicken, taking care not to overcrowd the pan.  Place a splatter screen over oil and let the chicken cook until crisp and golden.  For added crispness, place a cooling rack over a cookie sheet, layer the cooked chicken on cooling rack and place in a 450 degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes.


After chicken is cooked, place in a large container, combine the wing sauce, melted butter and pour over chicken.  Toss the chicken with mixture until coated.  Please note:  tossing is the secret to success.  If the chicken pieces are stirred the coating will breakaway.  Now you are ready to enjoy the boneless wings with your favorite dipping sauce. 

 

The 2 pounds of chicken made enough for 4 adults to enjoy about 6 to 8 pieces with dipping sauce and plenty left for two 10" pizzas.  King Arthur's Gluten Free Multi-purpose Flour  is perfect for coating the wings.  Now as your guests are enjoying the wings the pizzas can be easily assembled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place the pre-made crusts on baking stone or cast iron griddle.  Drizzle lightly with garlic infused oil. Lay 3 slices of sliced provolone on each crust.  They will overlap slightly on a 10-inch crust.  Cut the boneless wings in half lengthwise and place cut side down on top of cheese.  Sprinkle with cut green onions, crumbled feta and Parmesan to taste.  

Place in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is hot. 


Cut each pizza into eights and serve.   If you want to be really decadent, serve the cooked pizza with ranch dipping sauce. 

As always when cooking gluten-free you will need to read labels and do your research.  Enjoy!

Biscuits!

Growing up the southern part of the US, biscuits are a breakfast staple.  There are biscuits and eggs, biscuits and bacon, biscuits and grits, biscuits and sausage, biscuits and fried apples and the ultimate biscuits and gravy.  I have an aunt that could make the best biscuits ever.  She used self-rising flour, canned evaporated milk and some melted shortening.  She had her flour pan that she would used to mix the biscuits in and then she would pat them out with her hands to produce perfectly even biscuits.  Now thinking back it is amazing.  A real art form that I never developed.


Biscuit making for me is a little more complicated.  I would carefully measure out the flour, add in the baking powder, salt and if making buttermilk biscuits the baking soda.  After whisking this together I would then use a pastry blender and cut in the shortening or butter.  When the fat was evenly distributed I would add in the milk and mix till everything was moistened with a fork.  A cutting board was lightly floured and the dough turned out onto it.  I then rolled the dough and carefully cut the biscuits out with a cutter.  I have read some place that to produce high rising biscuits that the dough should be cut straight down and not twisted.  Using a rolling pin and biscuit cutter was the only was I could ensure conformity.


Since my switch to gluten free, I have really missed the delectable flaky biscuits of my childhood.  Recently I stumbled upon a recipe on the bag of Guar Gum from Bob's Red Mill.  Now I frequent Bob's site and have yet to find this recipe.  I have looked on several cooking sites and while there are several recipes for gluten free biscuits none quite like this one.  These look and taste like the real thing.


These biscuits are mixed in the food processor and as stated on the package they are easier to mix and handle when done this way.  First time out I got it right and this will become my go to recipe for flaky down home biscuits.

Gluten Free Biscuits

1 cup all-purpose gluten free baking flour

1/2 cup gluten free cornstarch

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon guar gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg white

cooking spray

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted*

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.  In the bowl of the food processor that has been fitted with the metal blade, add the flour through salt.  Pulse a couple of times to combine.


Cut the shortening into small pieces and add to the flour mixture.  Pulse several times to incorporate.  Beat together the milk and egg white.  Add to the processor bowl and mix until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl. 


Lightly flour a cutting board or counter top with the all-purpose baking flour and turn out the dough.  With wet hands pat dough down, sprinkle lightly with additional flour and roll gently to 3/4 inch thickness.  Use a lightly floured 2" biscuit cutter to cut into 6 biscuits.  Place on prepared baking and bake 12 to 15 minutes.  Half way through baking, brush the tops with melted butter.

*The melted butter was not part of the recipe but my addition.  I think that it helped to produce a nicer browned product.

It's Chili Time

While growing up I remember my mother making chili.  The ingredients were ground beef, onions, canned kidney beans, canned tomatoes and tomato juice.  The canned vegetables contain salt and still the dish was seasoned again and Mexicana Chili Powder.  The chili powder was made into a paste with a few tablespoons of white flour for thickening and water.   I did a Google search for the proper spelling of the chili powder and wasn't able to find it.  If it is misspelled I apologize.  This was served with white saltine crackers and if you really wanted to enjoy the chili, crumble those crackers into your bowl.


The first time I had lentils was when I was in my late teens or early 20's.  For a long, long time I thought that the only way you could enjoy lentils was in a lentil vegetable soup consisting of onions, carrots, celery, canned tomatoes and elbow macaroni.  While both bring back memories my tastes and dietary requirements have changed.  


My mother's chili was a staple in our house.  The ground beef was not ground sirloin but the real 70% lean or such.  The fat was not drained off but allowed to cook into the chili only adding to the flavor.  When I say saltine crackers I'm not talking about a few but the more the better.  No wonder I had weight issues most of my life.  

I have gone to eating things lower in fat and working to eliminate as much as possible prepackaged foods from my diet, organic when at all possible and have been gluten free for the last 18 months or so.  So how does one go about reducing fat, eliminating gluten and not sacrificing flavor?  

How about combining lean ground turkey with lentils the typical tomatoes, onions and seasonings and enjoy a big bowl of Lentil Chili?  Lentils do not need to be pre-soaked and they cook in a relative short time.  While my recipe does use canned tomatoes and tomato sauce there are low-sodium options available for those who might need or want to reduce their sodium intake.  The secret ingredient in this recipe is epazote.  

Epazote is a Mexican herb that was used as far back as the Aztecs.  It is frequently added to beans during cooking as it is said to help reduce the gaseous effect.  I have made this recipe without and it really isn't quite the same.  Several internet resources suggest using Mexican Oregano as a substitute if the epazote isn't available.


The recipe makes 8 to 10 substantial servings and can be frozen and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator as needed.  It has a minimal prep time and cooks in about 30 to 40 minutes.  Serve this with either blue corn muffins (recipe to follow at a later time) or crunchy tortilla chips.

Lentil Chili

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
5-6 cups chicken stock
2 cups lentils, rinsed
1 (15  ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2  ounce) can dice cut canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2-3 teaspoons epazote
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
green onion, sliced
cheddar cheese, grated

In a heavy stock pot warm a small amount of olive oil and saute the onion  until transparent.  Add in the garlic and cook for a few minutes taking care not to scorch the garlic.  Crumble in the ground turkey and cook until turkey is cooked through, breaking up with a potato masher.

Add the stock through epazote, stir to blend, bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and cook on medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes or until lentils are tender.  At end of the cooking time taste and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

Ladle into bowl and garnish with sliced green onions and grated cheddar cheese.

Happy eating!