Garlic and Herb Baked Chicken

4 pieces chicken
3-4 Tbsp. wheat-free tamari soy sauce
4 large or 6-8 small garlic cloves
lots of dried parsley and paprika
1/2 tsp each basil and thyme
sea salt

Put washed chicken in a baking dish with about 1/4 to 1/3 inch water in the bottom.  Pour the tamari over chicken pieces.  Sprinkle each chicken piece very generously with crushed, dried parsley, covering the entire surface of each piece.  Next, sprinkle on just as much paprika.  Sprinkle about 1/8 tsp of basil and thyme over each piece of chicken and add sea salt as desired.  Crush the garlic and place it in the water surrounding the chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-4- min.  After the first 10 min, baste the chicken with the garlic and juices from the bottom of the dish.  Baste every 10 min until crispy and done.

Pesto-Coated Baked Chicken

1 pound boneless skinless chicken cutlets (1/2 inch thick)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon prepared pesto
1 1/2 tsp sour cream
1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
1 tbsp pine nuts

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Arrange chicken in single layer in shallow baking pan.  Combine pesto, sour cream and mayo in small cup.  Brush over chicken.  Sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts.

2.  Bake 8 to 10 min or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Makes 4 servings.

Gluten-Free Products I Love

Alright, this isn't exactly a recipe, but I think it's time to mention some gluten-free products I love.  When I first went gluten-free I found that some gluten-free items I bought were terrible. I went without substitutes for a long time, preferring to eat a burger with no bun for example, rather than eat bread products so hard it was hard to bite into them.  It would've been nice to know at the time which products were actually decent.

After a few years without gluten though, I've managed to find a number of packaged items that I actually like.  They're not all easy to find, but you can order alot of them online if they aren't in your local store.  Here are those items that really stand out as great gluten-free products:

Bagels and Buns:
Glutino: Premium Sesame Bagels
Molly B's: Sandwich Buns

Of the various bread products I've tried, these two are by far the best.  I would recommend toasting any gluten-free bread that you buy, including these.  These two come closest to the real thing in my opinion.

Breakfast Cereal:
Nature's Path: Crunchy Maple Sunrise or Mesa Sunrise

Nature's Path Cereals are all pretty fantastic, but these two are my absolute faves.  Mesa Sunrise is a tasty cornflake-like cereal, and contains amaranth and flax.  I'm sure it's the healthier one of the two.  I base this assumption on the sweet candy-like yumminess of Crunchy Maple Sunrise, which I consider more of a splurge.

Cake Mixes:
Namaste: Blondies
Pamela's: Classic Vanilla Cake Mix

There is a recipe for carrot cake on the Pamela's mix which turned out great.

Crackers:
Mary's Gone Crackers: Original Seed or Herb

So yummy!  One of the best crackers ever, and even people who eat gluten agree.  Made from seeds, they have a nutty flavor.

Crispbread:
Le Pain des Fleurs: Buckwheat or Quinoa

These crispbreads are one of my most recent finds.  They may be hard to get in North America, as they are made in France, but I did find them in a store in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.  Excellent for spreads.  I like them with hummus and sliced cucumber!

Instant Meals:
Amy's: Indian Palak Paneer

Pasta:
Annie's: Gluten Free Rice Pasta and Cheddar

Annie's Rice Pasta comes in a box like Kraft Dinner, and makes for easy comfort food.

Rizopia 100% Rice Pasta: Organic Wild Rice Radiatore, Organic Brown Rice Fantasia or Organic Brown Rice Fusilli
Tinkyada: Organic Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles

Rice pastas can get gooey, sticky or pasty, although there are plenty of good ones out there too.  I really love the small Rizopia pastas I've listed, because they have a nice texture and hold sauces well.  The radiatore is my favourite.  The Fantasia noodles are made of various shapes and might be fun for gluten-free kids.

The Tinkyada noodles were an amazing find for making lasagna.  Although they do require cooking before you assemble your lasagna, they are firm and hold together well.  We fed our lasagna to gluten eaters and they loved it.

Pizza:
Kinnikinnick: Personal Size Pizza Crusts

These crusts can be used for homemade pizzas or garlic cheese bread.  Found in the freezer and easy to use.  I love the cornmeal dusted on the bottom.

Snacks:
Glutino Wafers: Lemon or Chocolate
Mary's Gone Crackers: Sticks and Twigs in Curry Flavour

Soup:
Amy's: Lentil, or Medium Chili

Amy's products can be found pretty easily in health food stores and many grocery stores.  If you like lentil soup you might even find it at Costco.  I found it there packaged in an 8-pack with Minestrone, which has gluten, so you can give those to the gluten eaters in your life.  Even if you give the cans of Minestrone to the food bank, you'll still save money.

Waffles:
Nature's Path: Buckwheat Wildberry or Mesa Sunrise

Of course there are other decent products out there; I haven't tried them all.  These products though, are a great start if you're looking for convenient foods that taste good.

Grilled Pineapple Spears

My girlfriend and I stole the idea for this recipe after having grilled pineapple at a Brazilian BBQ place in Niagara Falls.  This is possibly one of the simplest and tastiest recipes I've ever made, but it's impressive enough to serve to any guests you might have coming over.  The flavour in the pineapple really comes out when you grill it.  It can easily be eaten on it's own (and I actually prefer it that way), but if you'd like to dress it up you can serve it with ice cream or whipped cream.

Ingredients:

1 whole pineapple, or pre-cut pineapple spears
brown sugar or brown sugar splenda
cinnamon

Core pineapple, and cut into spears.  Lightly sprinkle spears with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Grill spears over medium heat until warm.  Serve immediately.

Baked and Dressed Zucchini AKA Jamie Oliver Zucchini #2

This is one of easiest recipes ever, and yet still so good!  Try and find really small zucchinis.  I omitted the vinegar and mint and used dried parsley, and it was still awesome.

Ingredients:

8 small zucchini
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
red wine vinegar
a small handful each of chopped fresh parsley and mint

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Wash and pat dry zucchini.  Toss them with olive oil and generous amount of salt and pepper, and lay in ceramic baking dish.  Bake for 15 minutes until soft and blistered.  Remove from oven and dress with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar and the herbs.  As Jamie says, "loosen and balance" the dressing with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle of S&P.

Simple Sauteed Zucchini with Chilli and Lemon AKA Jamie Oliver's Zucchini #1

My aunt gave me a Jamie Oliver cookbook a couple years ago for Christmas and I've been a fan ever since.  I wasn't much of a TV watcher so I didn't know him, but now I'm a big fan.  He's passionate about food and making a difference.

When it comes to Jamie's stuff, I am particularly fond of his veggie recipes.  They taste amazing, and as far as I can tell they're pretty hard to mess up!

Here's the first of two zucchini recipes I've made by him.  Thanks Jamie!

Ingredients:

4 small zucchini
olive oil
1 dried red chilli, crumbled (I substituted dried chili powder... which I'm sure isn't the same, but was still yummy)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 a lemon
a knob of butter (butter may be omitted)

Slice zucchini with a mandolin or sharp knife so they're under 1/4 inch thick.  Heat a large frying pan over high heat and pour in a "good" splash of olive oil.

Drop sliced zucchini into pan and fry for two minutes with the chilli and garlic until they begin to brown.  Season well with salt and pepper, add lemon juice and butter, and cook for another two minutes.  When juice has evaporated remove pan from heat and serve.

Prune Compote

As may be obvious by the lack of dessert recipes on my blog, I am not that big on sweets.  I like desserts, but I haven't been motivated enough to go the extra mile to learn how to bake gluten-free goodies.  So, when I want something sweet these days my go-to food is fruit.

This recipe is easy and quick just like most of my cooking.  It can be stored for two weeks in the fridge, making it a simple dessert that can be dipped into when you're too busy for much preparation.  Just be careful not to eat too much, after all prunes do help to keep things moving through the digestive tract.

Ingredients:

1 pound pitted prunes
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 bags Earl Grey tea

Combine prunes with just enough water to cover in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes, then stir in sugar and 1/2 cup orange juice.  Add tea bags and cook about 10 minutes more or until all prunes are tender.  Refresh the flavor if desired by blending in another 1/2 cup juice.  Discard tea bags and remove fruit with syrup to a covered container and refrigerate at least three hours before serving. 

Eat on it's own, or with sour cream or yogurt.

Quick Ground Beef and Celery with Kidney Beans

After living with ranchers for three months it is now time to finally post a beef recipe!  All the beef we eat here is grass-fed and butchered here on the farm, and it's so much better than most other beef I've had.  We are so lucky!  If you can get your hands on good beef I think it's really worth it, although I suppose you might as well splurge and get some steaks or a roast if you're going to go to the trouble.

Anyway, this particular recipe is one of the simplest things in the world to make, which is exactly how I like my cooking.  This realization was reinforced today while perusing some rather fancy-schmancy gluten-free blogs.  There are some amazing GF blogs out there, filled with baking galore and all kinds of ways to reinvent the glutenous favourites we all once had.  This blog is totally not that!  So, in summary I have decided that my niche market is gluten-free folks who want to make relatively simple, mostly health conscious, delicious food.

That being said here's my latest creation:

Ingredients:

2lbs lean ground beef
one head of celery
one white or yellow onion
a splash of oil of your choice
whole bunch of seasonings: dry mustard, garlic powder, dried parsley, basil, and cayenne
one can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Start by chopping onion and celery into fairly small pieces.  Toss the veggies in a pan with just a bit of water and cover to steam and soften.  Remove lid and add a bit of oil.  Saute for a few minutes with the lid off so the water evaporates.  Set cooked veggies aside.  Then, cook ground beef in the same pan on medium heat until completely browned.  Stir in the veggies and add many dashes of the seasonings to taste and mix in the beans.  Serve on a bed of quinoa or rice.

Serves 4.

"Light" Roast Veggies

Recently I moved in with some folks on their farm, so my cooking has changed somewhat.  Now instead of cooking primarily for myself and my partner, I am treated to the cooking of others and pitch in the occasional side dish.  Since they raise beef here on the farm (and are therefore far more experienced in it's preparation than I am), I find myself looking for side dishes that I can add to the family meal. 

This recipe was something I mixed together last night.  I wanted something easy and fast, as in nothing that needed peeling!  I call it "light" not because of it's fat or calorie count, but rather because the veggies used weren't the heavy, starchy veggies so often roasted.  Ordinarily I would use olive oil in a dish like this, but we had grapeseed oil on hand last night and it turned out great.

Ingredients:

6 peppers chopped (I used 2 each of red, yellow and orange)
1 or more red onions, chopped
1 pkg (aprox 10-15) medium sized button mushrooms, stems removed and cut in halves
5 zucchini, chopped in large chunks

Throw all the veggies together in a roasting dish.  Splash with oil and toss so they are lightly coated.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 min or until it looks good.  :)

Serves 8.

Pork or Chicken with Cabbage and Sesame Seeds

As some of you may have noticed, I try to incorporate alot of veggie and fish dishes into my meals, since meat can be contribute to inflammatory problems.  I do eat some lean meats though, including beef, pork, chicken and turkey.

Here's a recipe I invented a few weeks ago when looking for a yummy way to cook cabbage.  I love how inexpensive cabbage is, and it's been used to help people lose weight since it is low in calories.  Along with other cruciferous vegetables, they are high in idoles, which have been found to help prevent cancer.

Ingredients:

Lean pork or chicken breast, sliced
1/2 cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp tamari
1 onion, sliced (optional)

Cook pork or chicken in oil over medium heat in a large pan on the stovetop.  The pan should have a lid, as that will be needed to steam the cabbage in the next step.  Once meat is cooked through, add cabbage and onion to pan and cover.  Turn heat down slightly and cook until cabbage is wilted.  Once cooked add tamari and sesame seeds.  Mix so that cabbage and meat is lightly coated.  If necessary add more oil and tamari.

Serve with brown or basmati rice if desired.  Makes 4-6 servings, depending on amount of meat used.

Oatmeal with Currants and Agave Syrup

Oatmeal is something I gave up when I became gluten free, because they say some of them have gluten.  My naturopath said the way to remember what to avoid was to by the word BROW: barley, rye, oats and wheat.  I have been very pleased to start eating some gluten free oats though.  It seems that the issue with oats is that they can be cross-contaminated by barley, rye or wheat.  These folks seem to have some info on this: http://www.glutenfreeoats.com/

Another great find I have had lately is agave syrup.  Agave is used to produce a sweetner that tastes very similar to honey, but is low on the glycemic index.  Some say that it is a better choice for diabetics because it doesn't affect their blood sugar the same way as other sugars.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup gluten free oats, cooked according to package
1 tsp agave syrup
a handful of dried currants or raisins
rice, almond or soy milk

Cook oats according to package.  Serve immediately, topped with syrup, dried fruit and dairy-free milk.  Very filling and delicious.

Easy Tuna or Salmon Bake

When I stopped eating gluten a few years ago I needed some easy lunch ideas that would work in place of a sandwich.  This recipe was a great option.  It can be baked in a toaster oven, and only takes a couple minutes of prep.


Ingredients:

1 can tuna or salmon - drained
3-4 tbsp. mayonnaise
Vegetable salt to taste
Several dashes each of cayenne and kelp
Optional: 1/4 cup of green onion tops, chopped fine

Serves 2.

Mix everything together and pat it into one or two small, oiled baking dishes about 1/2-1/3 inch thick.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes or until browned on top.  Serve immediately, with rice crackers or raw veggies for dipping, or a side salad.

Acorn Squash with Pine Nuts and Green Onions

And now presenting, my second original recipe!  My girlfriend and I were in need of a light meal option tonight and she suggested squash.  With just a few bits tossed on top, Voila!  We had ourselves a simple yet delicious vegetarian meal.  If you're hungrier, this would make a good side dish for fish or chicken.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash, halved with seeds scooped out
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. each basil and oregano
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place squash cut side down on a microwave safe plate with a bit of water.  Cook until soft, approximately 10 minutes.  While squash is cooking, saute nuts, and onion in olive oil.  Cook until nuts are slightly browned, then remove from heat.  Add basil and oregano and mix.

Once squash is soft scoop pulp out with a spoon into individual portions.  Top with nut mixture.

Serves 2.

Beet Treat

It seems like a stretch to call this cooking, but I thought I'd post it anyway because it's surprisingly good and the fastest thing ever to prepare.  It's hard to believe how different beets taste with some lemon juice on them.  They end up tasting sweet!  This recipe is also taken from Eating Alive.  Sometimes I sprinkle a bit of dried parsley on top.

1-3 grated beets (or sliced canned beets if you want it to be really simple)
1-2 lemons, juiced

Mix the beets and juice together and serve on a lettuce leaf or with an avocado half.  Yum!

Tamari Baked Salmon

This salmon recipe is one of our very favourites for so many reasons.  It's fast, easy, and it's good enough to serve to company.  My brother once told me that if I wanted to impress a date that this is what I should cook. I've also cooked rainbow trout this way and it was great too.

If you're not familiar with tamari, it's a type of soy sauce you can find easily in health food stores or the healthy section of some grocery stores.  There is a wheat-free type, which is what I use.  If you don't have a problem with gluten you can substitute regular soy sauce.

The recipe was published in a booklet put out by the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition called Healing Leaky Gut.  Doesn't sound too appetizing, does it?!  But trust me, this recipe is fantastic!

Ingredients:

4 salmon filets
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup tamari sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil

Place washed salmon filets in baking dish.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over salmon.  This dish works best if the dish fits snuggly around the filets, so the fish is "swimming" in the sauce.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 min on each side.  Put it in for longer if the fish still looks shiny inside.  As soon as it's opaque though, it's done.  It will be very tender and delicious.

Serves 4.

Fish and Sauteed Greens for Breakfast

So here it is, my first published recipe.  I am a pretty new cook, mostly motivated by my desire to get healthy in a natural way.  The thing is though, I LOVE tasty food.  I also crave variety, as my partner has helped me to notice.  I like all types of food, but I limit certain foods due to sensitivities.

This recipe was born from a desire to incorporate more dairy-free, calcium rich foods into my diet.  Both sardines and spinach are good sources of calcium, and they're cheap and easy to store.  I usually keep frozen spinach on hand, but fresh spinach is great too.  If you don't have either on hand I've found frozen mixed veggies to be great in it as well.  I've also substituted leftover fish for the sardines.  Salmon and rainbow trout are both fantastic.

Also, a note on the spices.  Powdered or flakes of kelp can be found in health food stores, and is a good thing to use in combination with sea salt, as it provides iodine that is usually found in standard iodized table salt.

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of frozen spinach (or other mixed veggies if preferred)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 can of sardines
1 tsp olive oil
A few dashes each of turmeric, cumin, chili powder, kelp
Sea salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped (optional) 
1 lemon wedge (optional)

Saute garlic, spinach and onion in oil.  Drain sardines.  Place desired amount of cooked veggies in bowl, and using a fork, mash sardines with veggies.  Add turmeric, cumin, chili powder, kelp, salt and pepper to taste, and mix again.  Use fresh squeezed lemon for added flavour if desired.  Enjoy!

Serves 2.