Pasta Salad w/Chicken Sausage

12-16 oz GF Rotini Pasta
7 oz (4 links) Smoked Italian Chicken Sausage, cut in half and 1/4 inch slices
2 cups Grape Tomatoes cut in half
1 12 oz jar Roasted Red Peppers, sliced
8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls or 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
1/2 Red Onion sliced thin
1/3 cup Pepperoncini slices

Dressing:
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 TBS chopped fresh Basil
1 TBS Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2-1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Cook Pasta according to package direction. Rinse in cold water and drain well. Use paper towels to dry thoroughly if desired. 

Heat 2 tsp oil over medium heat. Cook sausage until lightly browned. 

Mix Mayo, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Place chilled pasta in a large bowl. Add dressing, sausage, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, olives, onion and pepperoncini. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Monday Menu

 Monday: Smoked Blackened Tilapia, Crash Hot Potatoes, 4 Bean Salad

Tuesday: Tuna Tacos with/Cilantro Lime Slaw, Chips & Guacamole

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Breasts, Roasted Potatoes, Asparagus

Thursday: Grilled Chicken Street Tacos, Chips & Salsa

Friday: Honey Spice Chicken, Olive Salad, Roasted Potatoes

Saturday: Chicken Salad and GF Biscuits

Sunday: Salmon on Cedar planks, Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus, Tomato & Garbanzo Bean Salad

Beef Banh Mi Bowls

1 cup white rice
2 cups water

1 cup rice
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 limes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 english cucumber or 2 persian cucumbers
2 large carrots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tsp sriracha sauce
1/4 cup gf soy sauce
2 TBS sugar, divided
1 TBS butter
1/2 TBS oil
salt & pepper

Zest limes and quarter. Trim and halve cucumber lengthwise, thinly slice into half-moons. Medium dice onion. Peel and grate carrots. Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add rice, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 15-20 minutes, turn off heat and let set an additional 5-10 minutes.

Combine cucumber, 1/2 tsp. sugar, a dash of salt and juice of one lime, about 1 TBS. Mix well and set aside to marinate.

Combine Mayonnaise, 1 small garlic clove, a squeeze of lime juice and sriracha to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Add beef, garlic and 1 TBS sugar. Cook until browned and cooked through. Stir in soy sauce and season with salt and pepper.

fluff rice with fork. Add lime zest and 1 TBS butter. Place rice in bowls, add beef, grated carrot, and pickled cucumber. Top with a squeeze of lime juice if desired and drizzle with sriracha mayo.

Pasta Salad

I made PW's Spicy Pasta salad w/smoked Gouda several times with great success. Recently, my pregnant daughter is very sensitive to spicy foods and last time she ate this salad declared it too spicy.  Since we had her and her hubby over for dinner tonight,  I attempted to make a similar salad that wasn't spicy.

12 oz. Gluten Free Pasta
1 cup Smoked Gouda Cheese, cubed
1 cup Grape Tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup black olives, cut in half
1/2 cup Basil Leaves, (approximately) sliced thinly
2 slices Turkey Pastrami, chopped (optional)

Dressing:
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Wine Vinegar, garlic flavored
1 seeded and chopped Pepperocini
1/2 tsp. Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Rinse in cold water and drain well. Mix dressing ingredients. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and dressing. Mix gently. Add additional salt, pepper, or basil according to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Salmon BLT

Whenever I'm in Arizona, I visit Liberty Market at least twice within one week.  One of my recent favorite dishes is the Salmon BLT. They have delicious gluten free buns. Now that I am back in Colorado, I am wishing I could go there for this.  Today, I attempted to recreate this delightful dish.  I know it will sound complicated, but truly it wasn't.  You could use a different seasoning, but I have the Emerill's seasoning ready-made. It was the best solution for me. Not sure if Emerill sells this.

4 Salmon Filets (skinless)
4-6 strips of Bacon
Emerill's Cajun Seasoning
Chipotle Aioli
Shredded Lettuce
1 Tomato, sliced
4 GF Buns

Cut bacon in half and fry in a pan.  Drain on paper towels. Season both sides of salmon filets with Cajun Seasoning.  Use a fish pan or basket and cook over hot grill or pan fry. Toast bun. Spread one side with Chipotle Aioli, top with bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Enjoy!

GF Panzanella Salad

I had never heard of panzanella salad, but with all of these lovely tomatoes from my garden, I went in search of a tomato salad recipe.  I was a bit disheartened to find recipes with french bread when we are gluten free.  That is until I realized I had a loaf of GF bread that was going to get moldy if I didn't eat it up quick.  Now that two more daughters and my mother-in-law has moved out, it wasn't very likely that the two of us left would finish the loaf. so I used PW's recipe for Panzanella (with a few obvious and not so obvious changes) to make a bread salad that was also gluten free.

So here is my version:

• 1 loaf Gluten Free Bread
• A variety of  Tomatoes, Cut or sliced (I used about 3-4 cups)
• 1 cup Basil Leaves, sliced or gently torn
• 1/2 cup smoked Gouda Cheese, cubed
• 1/2 sweet onion, slivered
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• Salt And Pepper
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Because I didn't have french bread, I cubed the bread and spread it on a cookie sheet. I warmed it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 20 minutes so it was more like croutons, then cooled.

Place the bread in a bowl.  Add onion and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Add cheese and basil and mix gently. Cover and allow to sit until ready to serve. (If it's going to be more than a couple of hours, you may refrigerate but tomatoes lose flavor and texture very quickly when chilled. My advice is never to chill/refrigerate tomatoes.)

Enjoy!

Tomato Salad

Am excited to harvest a variety of tomatoes this year.  We have Roma, grape, yellow pear, and regular but I don't remember the exact varieties of these that we have. Having just returned from a week long trip to Phoenix and trying to cook something from what I had on hand, I picked these tomatoes and made a salad.

About 2 cups Tomatoes, sliced or cut up
1/4 cup sliced Kalamata Olives
About 1/4 Fresh Basil Leaves
Fresh Ground Pepper

Dressing:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 TBS Rice Wine Vinegar, garlic flavored

Place sliced/chopped tomatoes into a bowl. Add olives and basil.  Mix dressing and drizzle over salad. Grind some fresh pepper on top.

P.S. Don't refrigerate tomatoes.  They lose flavor and texture.

Spring Is Here

I miss summer! Fresh vegetables from the local farmers and herbs from the garden. Chargrilled steaks or marinated salmon smoked on wood planks. Colorado Sweet Corn slathered in butter.

Grilled salmon on planks

1 1/2-2 lbs salmon filets

1/3 cup gluten free tamari or soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil

2 minced garlic cloves

Lemon Pepper (gluten free)

Salt 

Cedar Planks

Soak wooden planks for 2-3 hours in water. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, water, garlic, and oil together.  Place salmon in ziploc bag and pour sauce over.  Marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes or so.

Heat grill.  Drain marinade.  Place salmon on planks. Set planks on heated grill and cook approximately 8 minutes or until the salmon is done. 

I'm Hungry

My daughter Hilary sent me the following photo.  (Okay, it was back in February, but I ran across it looking at photos.) It was the dinner she and her boyfriend  prepared.  I was truly inspired.  Salmon Spinach Salad w/Balsamic Vinaigrette.

I have my wooden planks soaking, and my salmon marinating.  I'm grilling salmon tonight!

Mexicali Bowl

       

1 spaghetti squash 

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 small onion chopped, or one bunch sliced green onion 

1 chopped red or orange pepper

1 minced jalapeno pepper

4-6 oz. grated monterey jack cheese or pepper jack

1/2 lime (about 1 TBS lime juice)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1-2 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

Pierce the skin on the spaghetti squash with a sharp knife like you would before baking a potato.  This will keep the squash from exploding in the microwave.  (If you prefer, you can bake it, but it takes much longer to cook.)  Microwave whole squash for about 10 minutes, rotating it half-way through cooking.  Let cool while you chop and prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

Heat oil in a skillet. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper and red bell pepper. Saute a couple of minutes.  Add spices, beans, and corn, remove from heat.  Squeeze lime juice over all and mix.

When cool enough, slice squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds and strings, then scrape out most of the squash and add to the bean mixture.   Fold in cheese.  Fill the empty squash shells with filling.  Top with additional cheese, chives, or cilantro.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes to heat thoroughly.

Serve with fresh salsa and chips or avocado slices.

The original recipe came from the Whole Foods site, with a few change ups.

BLT Salad GF-Updated

Before we went gluten free, we used to enjoy BLT salad.  Now that we are able to find decent gf pasta, I decided to try it again.

1 lb. pkg.  Gluten Free Penne Pasta
1 lb. pkg thick cut bacon
3-4 ripe roma tomatoes, chopped, or a cup or so of grape tomatoes whole or sliced in half
3 cups sliced romaine lettuce
1-2 ripe avocado cut into chunks

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 TBS cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Mix together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper. Cook pasta & drain and rinse in cool water. Slice bacon, cook, and crumble. Mix bacon, tomato and lettuce, and pasta in a large bowl. Toss dressing mix with pasta. Add avocado and gently mix. Serve immediately.  I served this with PW's Olive Cheese Bread on these GF Hot Dog Buns.

Sweet, Spicy Sausage Pasta w/Dates

1 Pkg. Johnsonville Hot Italian or Sweet Italian Sausage
4 Cups Baby Spinach, 0r thin sliced spinach
1 Onion, slivered
1 Cup Dates, quartered
1 Cup White Wine
1 Can Water Chestnuts
3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 TBS Bertolli Olive Oil
1/2-1 Cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 lb. fettucini noodles (I used Gluten Free pasta in order to create a gluten free dish for my daughter who has Celiac Disease.)
Fresh Parsley for garnish

Cook Sausage in a skillet with a bit of water, allowing it to brown.  When done, remove and keep warm.  Pour off any remaining water, scraping bits of sausage and save.

While pasta is cooking,  heat 2 TBS olive oil over medium heat in the same skillet you cooked the sausage.  Add onions and cook, stirring, for a few minutes.  Add in garlic and continue stirring 1 minute.  Add the dates and cook another minute or two until onions begin to caramelize.  Toss in spinach and cook until slightly wilted.

Pour 1 cup of wine into the onion mix and the leftover juices from the sausage.  Simmer for 5 minutes until slightly reduced.  Add sausage back to pan with the water chestnuts.  Heat through, then add in pasta.   Mix and top with parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley.

(Johnsonville states that their sausage is made from gluten free ingredients.)

GF Teriyaki Chicken Salad

 I finally came up with a decent gluten free substitute for my family's favorite main dish salad:  Teryiaki Chicken Salad

Chicken Marinade:
3/4 cup Tamari or GF soy sauce 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 TBS red wine vinegar
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 minced garlic clove
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger (or 3/4 tsp ground ginger)
1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast

Mix all ingredients together and marinate chicken for several hours, overnight, or freeze all in a Ziploc bag until ready to use. Drain marinade and grill chicken about 4 minutes each side. Slice thin or cut into bite-size pieces.


For Salad Topping:
1 pkg. Maifun Rice Noodles
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1TBS butter
oil

Salad:
1 head napa cabbage, shredded
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Dressing:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce*

In a medium skillet melt butter over medium heat, add almonds, and sesame seeds and stir-fry until light brown.  Remove from heat and cool.  Heat oil (or use a deep fryer) and drop half a package of noodles into it.  Cook about one minute until noodles begin to brown and float.  Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with a bit of seasoned salt.

In a small saucepan bring vegetable oil, sugar, and vinegar to boil for 1 minute, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.   Add soy sauce. Cool.   I store it in a glass jar with a tight lid so I can shake to completely mix before pouring over salad.

In a large bowl, combine shredded napa cabbage and sliced green onions. Add Teriyaki Chicken, the noodles and soy sauce dressing. Toss to coat. Serve.

Spicy Fruited Chicken Salad

Couldn't figure out what to make for dinner tonight. I saw 2 avocados sitting on the counter and some fresh peaches...thus a salad was born.
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
2 TBS Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, chopped finely
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 TBS Oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Mix peppers, garlic, dash of salt & pepper, and oil with chicken. Grill 3-4 minute each side, or until no longer pink inside. Cool 2-3 minutes, then chop or slice.


For Salad:
2 avocados, chopped (avocados should be firm, not soft and mushy, but not hard)
1 large ripe peach, chopped (remove skin if desired)
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1/3 cup chopped red pepper
1 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
juice from 1 lime
Salt & Pepper, to taste


Chop vegetables and place in bowl, mixing gently. Squeeze lime juice over all. Fold in chicken & garnish with parsley. Enjoy. I served this with Black Beans and Chips & Salsa.

A Simple Meal

In the summer, I do a lot of salads and fruit for main dishes, as well as sides. In our gluten-filled days, bread was a staple with salad or as a filler with grilled meat & salad. I like summer meals that are easy to put together, without turning on the oven. Not the right time to practice making gluten-free breads. What could be easier than a can of beans?

First I turned on the outdoor grill, where I cooked Lemon Pepper Chicken. In the 5 minutes it took to heat the grill, I shucked some corn and popped it into the pressure cooker for 5 minutes. I then put these beans on the stove:

1 can black beans
1 TBS chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TBS chopped fresh-from-the-garden cilantro
pinch of salt& cumin

Saute onions & in a smidge of oil. Add can of beans, salt, and cumin. Put lid on pan and simmer on low.

After cooking the chicken, I put a bowl of cherries and blueberries on the table and we enjoyed a simple meal of Lemon Pepper Chicken, Corn-on-the-cob, Black Beans, & fruit.

I pulled this meal together in less than 20 minutes.

Chicken Rice Salad With Artichokes

I've been wanting to make Chicken Rice Salad for awhile, but it's made with Rice-a-roni, which is NOT gluten free. I think I like the new version even better than the old.

1 cup rice
2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 chicken bouillon cube, gluten free
1/8 tsp. turmeric
4-6 green onions, chopped
4 stalks chopped celery
1 cup chopped cooked chicken or 1 can of chicken breast
1/3 cup stuffed green olives, sliced
1 12 oz. jar quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice with bouillon, parsley, celery salt, turmeric, and onion powder in 1 3/4-2 cups of water. (I'm at a high altitude, so you may need less water. After 15 minutes, I check on the rice and add more water if necessary.) Chop vegetables. Mix mayonnaise, curry powder, lemon juice & Worcestershire sauce. When rice is cooked, remove from pan and chill. If I'm in a hurry, I spread it out on a non-stick foil lined pan for a few minutes. Place in a big bowl and add green onions, water chestnuts, celery, chicken, olives, artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper to taste. Fold in dressing, mixing well. Chill and serve.

Cobb Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce, sliced into 1/2 inch ribbons, then crossways into 1-2 inch pieces, or chopped
1/2 lb sliced, cooked bacon
2-3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 ripe avocados, chopped
1-2 cups chopped cooked chicken, in a pinch, canned chicken works fine
1 tomato, roma works well, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onions, or sweet/red onions
3-4 oz. mild bleu cheese

Dressing:
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Mix vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper and oil in a dressing carafe. Shake until well mixed.

Boil eggs. Peel and chop. Cook bacon, drain on paper towels and crumble. (Or slice up before you cook-I do this with a lot of recipes.)

Place lettuce on individual plates or shallow bowls. Arrange chicken, bacon, chopped tomatoes, avocado, green onions, and bleu cheese crumbles atop lettuce. Serve dressing on the side.

Corn Salad

After eating a delicious concoction that my sister-in-law dubbed Avocado Brucshetta, I've been obsessed with the lovely green fruit, mixing it with all kinds of things. In my effort to recreate the essence of bruscshetta, minus the gluten filled toast, I found PW's Fresh Corn & Avocado Salsa. But seriously, no garlic? One can't make something called salsa without fresh garlic. So I added fresh garlic, didn't use red onion but sweet onions, and...well, shoot. I should just give you the whole recipe with the changes.

But, then I made fresh corn and avocado "salad." Sure, you can eat it with chips if you want, but it seems healthier as a salad.

2 cups fresh corn, cut from the cob (if you can't get fresh, sweet corn use thawed frozen kernels)
1/2 cup diced onion

1 minced garlic clove
2 avocadoes, chopped
1/3 cup diced red or green pepper

2 TBS chopped parsley or cilantro
1 roma tomato, diced (optional)
1/2-1 diced jalapeno pepper (remove seeds, unless you like it HOT)
1/2 cup sliced roasted almonds (optional, but adds an interesting flavor/texture)

Dressing:
3 TBS lime juice
2 TBS olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of red pepper sauce, if desired

Mix dressing ingredients. Place corn, peppers, onion, & tomato in bowl. Add dressing and mix. Refrigerate if not ready to eat. Right before serving, add chopped avocado and almonds. This can be served atop thinly sliced lettuce.

To toast almonds, I do the same as for toasted pecans or other nuts.

To serve as a main dish, add sliced, grilled chicken and top with toasted almonds or even walnuts.

For salsa: omit olive oil & almonds, add 1 TBS vinegar and a tomato or two. PW uses 4 ears of corn for hers.

Mixed Up Caprese Salad

This recipe comes from Kalyn's Kitchen, as usual, with a few minor changes.

1 cup mozzarella pearls
1 can black olives, I like the small ones or you can cut them in half
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped (please don't refrigerate tomatoes, they lose a LOT of flavor)
1/2 cup fresh basil ribbons
1/2 cup Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (I'll post the dressing recipe later.)
2 TBS grated parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all together and enjoy!