Gluten Free Cheesy Broiled Polenta with Mushrooms

With half of my family living in the deep south, grits and polenta have always been among my favorite side dishes.  In this recipe corn meal takes the main stage in a delicious meal that can be served hot or cold, although bubbling hot is the best!  You can use any kind of mushroom you wish; experimentation is best when tasty.  When using the broiler, make sure to keep a close eye on your polenta, since it can quickly go from a beautiful golden brown to a charred black in a matter of seconds.  Try not to like this one:)

Total Prep Time = 30 minutes
Serves = 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Corn Meal)
• 3 tblsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms (diced)
• 1 large garlic clove (minced or pressed)
• 1 tblsp. dry white wine (or water, but wine is better)
•  1/8 tsp. salt (in addition to the salt needed for the boiling water above)
• 1/2 cup smoked cheddar or provolone cheese (shredded)
• ground black pepper (to taste)
• dash of marjoram, basil, or tarragon (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Bring 3 cups of water and 1/2 tsp. of salt to a boil. When the water is rapidly boiling, add the cornmeal slowly while stirring constantly to avoid creating lumps.
2. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, making sure to stir often to avoid sticking, until the polenta is nice an thick.
3. While the polenta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until the oil is absorbed.
4. Stir in the wine (or water), and 1/8 tsp. salt. Simmer gently for a couple minutes.
5. Preheat the broiler.
6. Spread the polenta evenly in a buttered or oiled flameproof casserole dish.  Sprinkle the shredded cheese on the polenta. Spoon the sauteed mushrooms over the cheese, and top off with another layer of shredded cheese.  Add ground pepper according to your taste.
7. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown. 
8. Remove from broiler and top with a sprinkling of marjoram, basil or tarragon if you wish.
9. Serve bubbling hot and pull up the blanket of comfort food you're about to enjoy!

Gluten Free Spicy Potatoes and Cauliflower

Besides holiday meals, I still plan on keeping things vegetarian and gluten free for the foreseeable future.  I was once a vegetarian... back in the day.  My vegetarian diet lasted for 5 of my adolescent years; until I went away to college, had to rely on a meal plan, and would've starved for lack of vegetarian options.  Now, at 36, I'm getting back into it.  Back then it was all about living a kill-free, chill lifestyle, and now it's more about staying healthy (not that a kill-free diet isn't still a nice rationale for being vegetarian).

This cauliflower and potato dish recipe is enough to feed 4 as a main meal, or 8 as an appetizer.  There's a bit more prep than I like, but the finished product is just too good to cut corners and miss out.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb potatoes
• 10 tblsp. peanut or coconut oil
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 fresh green chilli (the hot ones), seeded and finely chopped (WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER)
• 1 large cauliflower, broken into small florets 
• 2 tsp. ground cumin (or cumin seeds)
• 4 garlic cloves, diced or cut into shreds
• 4 tblsp. fresh coriander (or parsley), finely chopped
• salt

Cooking Directions

1. Cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling salted water for about 20 minutes, or until just tender (which means you can put a fork in them easily, but the potato won't fall off the fork). Drain and let cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat 6 tblsp. of the oil in a frying pan or wok. When hot, add the ground cumin, coriander, tumeric, cayenne pepper and chilli. Let the spices sizzle for a few seconds.
3. Add the cauliflower bits and about 8 tblsp. water. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, for 6-8 minutes.  
4. Add the potatoes and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and remove from heat.
5. Heat the remaining 4 tblsp. of oil in a small frying pan. When hot, add the cumin and garlic and cook until lightly browned.  Pour the mixture over the vegetables. 
6. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander or parsley and serve immediately.

Gluten Free Peruvian Quinoa Stew

I've cooked up a few nice dishes using quinoa in the past.  Once for a cold and fruity salad, and another as an accompaniment for baked fish.  This vegetarian gluten free meal calls for a bit of prep and chopping, but in the end it's all worth it:)

It's the day after x-mas and New Years 2013 is right around the corner.  Make sure to add this to your New Year's Resolution healthy eating meal list; it's a keeper!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 tblsp. oil (vegetable or coconut)
• 2 cups onions (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 celery stalk (chopped)
• 1 carrot (cut diagonally into 1/4 inch slices)
• 1 bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 cup zucchini (cubed)
• 2 cups undrained canned diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water or GF vegetable stock
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 tsp. fresh or 1 tsp. dried oregano
• pinch of cayenne (or more if it's what you like)
• salt
• fresh cilantro (optional)
• grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Using a fine strainer, rinse your quinoa well.  Place it in a pot with the water (1 cup) and cook, covered, on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until soft. Set aside.
2. Take out a covered pot. As the quinoa is cooking, saute the onions and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
3. Add the celery and carrots to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and water or GF stock. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne, and oregano, and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes (until the vegetables are tender).
5. Stir the cooked quinoa into the stew and add salt to taste. Top with cilantro and grated cheese if you like.
6. Serve up and enjoy!

Gluten Free Red Fried Rice

It's the end of the academic semester, I have about a week and a half left of grading papers and tests, going to meetings, and organizing the mess in my office that has accumulated over the past 4 months.  And then my winter break begins!  I'm seriously looking forward to having some free time to fill.  I plan to get on the mountains to hike and snowboard as much as the weather allows, finish up a few lingering home projects, and spend some time visiting friends I've neglected during the school semester.  I also plan on learning how to create some memorable vegetarian meals and a few new desserts to add to my culinary repertoire; something I've already begun.

This healthy vegetarian dish is very easy to prepare and cook.  It's quite tasty and can be eaten for any meal of the day.  Although I made this a main meal, this is a great side dish as well.  Feel free to add some diced hot pepper and experiment with the amounts of salt and pepper you add.  Although the directions call on you to add the salt and pepper at the end of the process, you may want to season throughout. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 4 tblsp coconut oil
• 1 large red onion (chopped)
• 2 red peppers (seeded & chopped)
• 1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes (halved)
• 4 eggs (beaten)
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Cooking Directions

• Either combine 3 cups of water and the rice in a rice cooker and press the "on" button, or... wash the rice under cold water. Drain. Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add rice and cook for 10-12 minutes.
• While your rice is cooking, heat the coconut oil in a wok (or deep pan/pot) until very hot (medium/high heat). Add the chopped onions and red pepper and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.  
• Add the halved cherry or grape tomatoes and continue to stir fry for another 3 minutes.
• Pour the beaten eggs in all at once and let cook on top for 30 seconds before you stir it all together. 
• Drain the cooked rice (if not using a rice cooker) and add to the wok.  Toss the rice over the heat with the vegetable/egg mixture for another 3 minutes.
• Season generously with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Gluten Free Cheesy Shrimp & Grits

After seeing a shrimp and grits dish whipped up on one of my favorite Food Network shows, I just had to see what the fuss was all about.  The recipe is easy, relatively quick to put together, and sooooo good! Feel free to double the amount of shrimp I used. The more shrimp the merrier!  I decided to mix everything up together, but you can opt to top the cheesy grits with the shrimp mixture and eat it that way. Either way I'm sure you won't be disappointed:)  You can use any GF corn grits you want, but I used Bob's Red Mill GF Grits.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water (+ more to keep grits moist)
• 1 cup grits (aka polenta)
• 3 tblsp butter
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 6 slices bacon - pork or turkey (chopped)
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 2 tblsp parsley (chopped)
• 1 cup scallions (thinly sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil. Add some salt and pepper and the grits. Cook for 20-25 minutes.  If grits start to look dry, keep adding splashes of water to keep it moist and creamy. 
2. Meanwhile...  Rinse shrimp and pat dry. 
3. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well and chop up. 
4. In the bacon grease, cook the shrimp on medium heat until pink.  Add the lemon juice, chopped bacon, chopped parsley, scallions and garlic.  Saute for another 3 minutes.
5. Remove grits from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese.  YUM!
6. Either mix up everything together, or spoon grits into bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately and chow down!
7. Enjoy!

GF Gratin Dauphinois

I just made this dish for an Easter get-together with some friends.  It's a recipe from a book I bought when I lived in Newcastle, Australia entitled the "Great Potato Cookbook."  It isn't listed in the United States, but if you ever find it be sure to pick it up.  Besides the slicing of the potatoes, this dish is pretty simple. I decided to alter the original recipe by adding layers of pre-sliced button mushrooms, and diced onions.  But either way you make it, this is delicious!

GF Gratin Dauphinois Ingredients

• butter for greasing
• 4-4 1/2 pounds potatoes
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese (or any cheese you please)
• 3-4 garlic gloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/4 cups cream (half & half is fine)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter a large baking/casserole dish
3. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly
4. Mix together two-thirds of the cheese, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper (to taste) well. Layer the potatoes in the prepared dish, sprinkling the cheese mixture over each layer except the top one.
5. Whisk the milk, cream and eggs together and then pour evenly over the layered potatoes, making sure that the liquid goes all the way to the base of the dish.
6. Layer the remaining cheese over the top of the layers and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Test the potatoes with a sharp knife or fork; they should be tender when done.
7. Eat and be merry!

With the recipe I just shared, I was able to make two containers full of food. You can feed a lot of people with this recipe, or have a ton of leftovers for yourself!  Enjoy!