Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

One thing about going gluten free...I miss this kind of thing.  Whatever the holiday, I make a dinner with the foods from that country, we put on the Pandora to that style of music, and chat about the theme over dinner.  How can I possibly do St. Patrick's Day Dinner without Irish Soda Bread, a pint of Guinness, or Guinness Chocolate Cake?  Last year I perfected my Irish Soda Bread recipe and now I couldn't even make it?  

Then I began to think...and those of you who know me know where that can lead, but it actually lead me to the Perfect Flour Blend from Namaste Foods. I bought it on a whim in case I ever needed to add a little flour to something as a thickener.  Well, turns out I could make my Irish Soda Bread recipe and just substitute this flour...cup for cup!  

I did make one error, I'm not going to lie.  I left it to tall.  In other words, I should have patted it down a little.  In hopes for a high rise-looking bread I left it more ball shaped instead of flattening it out.  It was still delicious, don't get me wrong, but when I cut into the middle it wasn't cooked through, so I put some foil on it and put it back in the oven.  Came out better, but boys are impatient for that bread!  So I sliced it like biscotti and cooked the last few pieces that way.  UM, YUM!  They should make Irish Soda Biscotti.  No joke!  Sometimes mistakes can be a good thing.

Here's what I served it with for our Irish feast:

 

Shepherds pie, mixed greens with blackberries and balsamic vinaigrette, and delicious GLUTEN FREE Irish soda bread.  This is actually my son Marcus' plate.  He insisted I take a shot of his.  From this angle it looks like he has a piece of bread bigger than his plate!  It's not.  But boy does he wish it was!  Enjoy!

Eggs with Avocado, Tomato and Canadian Bacon

I'm trying out some new breakfast ideas. For those of you who know me, you know I am perfectly happy with oatmeal and whatever kind of fruit I have on hand.  BUT, I am doing a new workout routine and it comes with a recipe book.  I wasn't sure about this one, but it is DELICIOUS!  And really, it couldn't be easier.  

If you aren't a fan of fried eggs, you can poach or scramble them.  Do what you like.  I had never eaten avocado for breakfast.  The tomato/avocado/bacon/egg combination just works perfectly.  I was completely satisfied and pleasantly surprised.

269 calories

Give it a try!  You will love it.

Gluten-free Sandwich Bread

Well, I have been venturing into gluten-free bread land.  The first attempt was an epic fail and it was only 1 1/2 inches high.  Ya, not something my kids want to take to lunch.  Although if you slather enough apple butter on anything it tastes good, so we ate some with apple butter. 

When I purchased my first loaf at the store, it looked like pound cake to me.  And when I made a sandwich for my son, it looked pretty small.  The main purpose for me to make this bread is to allow the kids to have a sandwich in their lunchbox.  Who knew going gluten-free would be such a pain find a GOOD bread recipe?  And by good I mean tasty!

Any-who...I have spent way to much time on way to many blogs looking for the perfect bread recipe.  This recipe rose all the way to the top of the pan, so I call that a success in itself.  Sure beats my flat loaf that I made previously.  I really should have taken a picture of that!  It was quite  sad.

 

I left it resting upside down on the cutting board to cool.  I think it's easier to cut straight slices without bread crumbling when you cut from the bottom.  I could be totally wrong, but I swear it works for me.

I let the boys taste test it when it cooled.  My oldest son asked for some peanut butter on his.  He started raving about it, and said that it's way better than the store bought kind.  My youngest son had his with some peach jam.  He raised his eyebrows, gave a loud "mmmm," and said "this one's awesome!"  So, I guess we have a winner.

Where did I find this delicious gluten-free bread recipe?  I was searching various gluten-free blogs and this one stood out to me because of the title of the bread.  I saw "Tender High Rising Gluten Free Sandwich Bread" and knew I found EXACTLY what I was looking for.  It's an adapted King Arthur Flour recipe.  Find this recipe and more at Barefoot In The Kitchen blog.  You will not be disappointed.  I think I just found myself another great blog to follow!  :)

Grilled Salmon Citrus Salad

I'm always looking for new ways to serve salmon.  It's one of my absolute favorites!  This looks extremely easy...and it is.  I found this recipe in one of the guides that Jillian Michaels gives with her workout videos.  I don't usually follow the diets along with a workout, but all of her recipes were things I already eat, and put a little spin on what I usually do with it.  Plus, I don't think you can go wrong with salmon...ever.  

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
2T lemon juice
4 6-oz salmon steaks
8 c mixed greens
2 tomatoes quartered
1 yellow/orange pepper (I used red because that's what I had)
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a hothouse cucumber)

Here is what you do:

Cook salmon however you like it.  I grilled mine in a grill pan on the stove (about 3 minutes on each side).  Meanwhile arrange salad greens, tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumber on the 4 large salad plates.  Whisk together the olive oil and the lemon juice (you could also use lime juice).  Toss salad with the dressing.  Top each salad with a salmon filet.  YUM!

Serves 4
Calories:  368 per serving

Hope you enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings

When the weather starts to change, there is nothing like good old comfort food.  I will admit as a kid I hated chicken and dumplings.  I don't know if I had an undercooked dumpling first try and decided it wasn't for me, but I had to give it a go for myself.  It just looked delicious in the picture.  So it had to taste good, right?  They did not disappoint.  Scrumptious!

Be sure to double the batch.  You will be happy that you did.  Even now I am trying to figure out how to hide the leftover in the fridge so that I can have it all to myself.  What's great about this recipe is that with a few substitutions (pasta or rice), you can have a whole different soup!  

I didn't have parsley on hand, so I used the leafy top of the celery.  It worked and tasted great.  My boys gave it the two thumbs up and are ready for me to make it again.  

This recipe came from my Everyday Food Magazine (October 2012).  

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, diced medium
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and green beans and season with salt and pepper.
   
2. Make dumplings: Whisk together 1 cup flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in milk. Drop heaping spoonfuls batter on top of chicken mixture. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve topped with additional chopped parsley.
   
   serves 6
   

Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust.  This was the reason I purchased the Food Network Magazine.  This soup picture was on the cover, and it looked delicious.  I love all things Ina...I have yet to get this new cookbook, so this was my way to quickly cook from her cookbook without actually having it.  Give it a try, it's so worth it!

Serves:  4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Large pinch of saffron threads
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Grilled Cheese Croutons (see below)

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.

Grilled Cheese Croutons
4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices country white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up.
Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Wonton Beef Empanadas

I had a barbeque for my mom's birthday.  There are four in our family.  Add mom, dad and gram and we have a quick party of 7.  I decided to make steak, burgers and hot dogs.  I also made a veggie tray, salad, corn on the cob, green beans, potato salad, humus and pita chips, fresh guacamole and chips, and of course margaritas.  If you haven't noticed yet, I tend to OVER cook.  I want everyone to be happy and have a satisfied belly.  So what happens when we have 5-6 leftover burgers?  Who is going to eat those as leftovers?  I decided to re-purpose the meat and make some quick empanadas.

When I made the burgers previously I added salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, grated onion, garlic and cheese.  They are already cooked, so they just needed to be chopped up and added to the bowl.  It was over a pound of meat.  I added three hard boiled eggs chopped, about 10 green olives chopped, two tablespoons of raisins, two cooked potatoes chopped, and paprika.  

If you have wontons on hand, which I did, you simply add about a tablespoon of the mixture to the middle.  Wet the sides with your finger and seal them together in triangles.  Add to a sprayed pan and then spray the tops to ensure they get brown and crispy.

Here is what they look like when they come out.  With the wontons you want to make sure you don't burn the tips of the triangles.  These can also be fried in oil, but I prefer the baked version. 

You can make a quick rice and beans and serve with your favorite veggie or salad.  For the complete recipe for the empanada filling see my Turkey Empanada post.  My family prefers the homemade dough form, rather than the wonton wrappers, but this is a quick and easy alternative.