Gluten-Free Summer Pasta

Yummmmm. This is good stuff. It tastes so fresh. A friend of mine sent me a recipe from the New York Times called Summer Pasta. It is delicious. After making it a few times, using both regular pasta and gluten-free pasta, I have adapted my own version of it based on my personal taste and feedback from dinner guests.

Quick Disclaimer: For this particular time, I used regular pasta, but that is the only thing that is not gluten-free in the recipe so it can be easily substituted. That being said, I have made it using Trader Joe's Brown Rice Fusilli, and it was equally as delicious and fresh. You can use any type of gluten free farfalle, penne, or fusilli.

Another quick disclaimer: I really love garlic, so I don't mind it but some have told me the garlic taste is too strong in this recipe, since the garlic is added raw. If you aren't a huge fan of garlic, you may want to cook your garlic first over the stove in some olive oil. Personally, I like it the way it is.

The roasted tomatoes can be time consuming, but you can leave them for awhile without really paying attention to them. I think they are best slow roasted as the recipe states.... but there is an alternative. You can use grape tomatoes and get a similar taste in about a half hour. But, if you have the time, do it the 4 hour way. It's worth it.

SUMMER PASTA

What You Need:

For the roasted tomatoes:

Roasting grape tomatoes

2 1/2 pounds tomatoes (or as I mentioned, grape tomatoes if you don't have the time to slow roast, I used grape tomatoes this time, but I like it much better the other way)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar

For the pasta:

Salt to taste, pepper optional
1 pound gluten-free pasta, like farfalle, penne, or fusilli
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced and mashed

2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ears corn, can be raw if very fresh, or lightly steamed if not
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (can be red, orange or yellow) halved or quartered
12 ounces fresh mozzarella

fresh mozzarella cut up
(some basil remained from cutting board)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup mixed herbs, cut or torn into small pieces (mostly fresh basil, with some mint and parsley)

What You Do:

Roasting the Tomatoes:

1. Heat oven to 275 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice tomatoes about 3/4 inch thick. Lay slices on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and sugar. Bake 15 minutes and reduce heat to 200 degrees. Continue baking, cooking halfway through until tomatoes shrink and are chewy but not crisp, approximately 4 to 6 hours. As I mentioned previously, if you don't have time to do this - an alternative is baking grape or cherry tomatoes (1 pint) after being halved, in the same mixture, olive oil, sugar, and salt at 350 for 30 minutes or so, turning halfway through. It will give a similar taste, but the best way is to do it the long way.

herbs, tomatoes, raw garlic

Chopped herbs

2. When tomatoes are roasted, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, cook until al dente. While pasta is cooking, chop roasted tomatoes very finely and place in a large serving bowl, along with the chopped garlic, butter and olive oil. Slice kernels from cobs of corn, and chop the other grape tomatoes, and herbs (finely) while pasta is cooking as well. Place tomatoes, corn, and herbs in a separate bowl. Slice fresh mozzarella into small pieces, and place in a separate bowl with the shredded parmesan.

3. When pasta is cooked, drain well. Add to the bowl with butter, garlic, and olive oil while still hot, and toss pasta.

4. Add the corn, cherry or grape tomato mixture and the cheese mixture. Toss well. Add herbs and toss well again. Add salt and pepper to taste while tossing.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

I didn't actually get to use the corn this particular time because unfortunately, it's October and sweet corn is out of season. However, it is SO good with the corn. This is the first time I have made it without and I definitely missed it. I thought it was strange at first to add the corn raw but it's actually delicious and very fresh. If you are able to get sweet corn, don't leave it out. It is delicious with these ingredients.

So good! You should definitely try this one.

Enjoy!

Chicken, Artichoke, and Wild Rice Casserole

This recipe was DELICIOUS, easy, and gluten-free. It could also be made ahead if necessary.

I used some ingredients I had around and modified a few recipes I had found online to make it gluten-free. We loved it. Very hearty and warm and delicious!

What you Need:
1 can Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup (it's gluten-free!)
1 cup uncooked wild rice (I used Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley b/c it includes veggies. Any wild rice would do, or white or brown rice if you prefer those)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb cooked chicken breasts
1 bag frozen artichokes (I used Trader Joe's frozen artichokes, could also use a can of artichoke hearts or fresh artichokes)
1/4 cup low-fat mayo (could use regular if you'd like)
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (optional) for topping

What you Do:

1. If necessary, cook chicken breasts over stove. I used fresh chicken breast tenderloins and chopped them up first and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I cooked them with olive oil in a skillet for about 5-7 minutes or until browned.
2. Prepare 1 cup of wild rice (or white or brown rice) using 2 cups water and 1 tbsp olive oil. Prepare according to package directions.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine creamy mushroom soup, artichokes (defrosted if frozen), mayo, cooked chicken, and cooked rice. Stir until mixed thoroughly.
4. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Top with cheddar cheese (optional).
5. If making ahead, cover with foil and place in fridge. If ready to cook - preheat oven to 350 and cook for 30 minutes with foil covering the top.

Remove from oven and serve.

It was really good and really easy! Very hearty!

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Lasagna!

Tinkyada makes a brown rice lasagna noodle that works just perfectly for homemade lasagna. We made it the other night and I literally could not taste the difference in the noodles at all. It turned out delicious. I also recently discovered the key to any lasagna recipe is mixing cottage cheese with the ricotta. It makes it easier to spread the layers, and it really adds a lot of moisture as well.

I made mine meatless, and made a meat-sauce on the side. Feel free to add ground beef to your sauce (to layer) if you prefer.

What You Need:

1 Box Tinkyada Lasagna Noodles
2 Jars Pasta Sauce (I used Classico Sweet Tomato Basil)
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese (I used low-fat, worked fine)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

What You Do:


1. Cook noodles according to box instructions. Make sure not to over cook.
2. Drain and rinse noodles.
3. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer bottom of pan with a layer of tomato sauce.
4. In a medium bowl combine ricotta, cottage cheese, basil, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and 1/2 cup mozzarella.
5. Cover the layer of sauce at the bottom of the pan and make a layer of noodles across the pan.
6. Cover noodles with: cheese mixture, some mozzarella cheese, and then tomato sauce. Add more noodles to the top of the layer.
7. Continue layering in this pattern. For the top layer, simply top noodles with tomato sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese.
8. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
9. Remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted on the top.

Enjoy! It's delicious! No one will know the difference in this pasta.

Some Gluten Free Updates

I don't have any new fabulous recipes at the time, but I am making gluten-free lasagna tonight and will post the recipe when I'm finished! I did want to share a few exciting things though!

My favorite grocery store, Dominick's (Safeway store, all around the Chicago area) started to label their foods with tags that say "Gluten Free!" It is great because I get very tired of searching labels all the time. I really like it. They have a new program called "Simple Nutrition." Hopefully more stores follow the same trend soon.

Also, a great gluten free breakfast or snack, that may seem obvious but I seem to overlook a lot: Smoothies! It's the best way to make fruit and yogurt a little more fun, and healthy too. Today I just did it without a recipe: Mixed lowfat vanilla yogurt (2 containers) with frozen raspberries (about 3/4 cup or so), fresh strawberries (about 1/2 cup) and 1/4 cup milk. It was delicious, filling, and healthy. I really enjoyed it. I look forward to experimenting with more fruits (I think peaches, mangoes, blueberries, blackberries, etc). I personally don't care for bananas but I know they're a popular smoothie ingredient. Anyway, I just wanted to share that since I do forget about them a lot and I really really enjoyed my smoothie this morning! I think I will start to make them in a larger batch ahead and keep them in the fridge so I can always have them ready for the mornings. Yum.

Gluten free lasagna post to come!

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Casserole

This was so easy and such a hit! I am going to add this to my "go to" recipes that are easy, few ingredients, and tasty! I modified a recipe that I found online... and this is what I came up with.

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Casserole

What You Need:

2 1/2 cups chopped chicken breast meat (I used Tyson's Grilled Strips in the green bag, and chopped them up... they are delicious and gluten free)
1 can Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup (it's gluten free)
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
16 ounces broccoli ( I used Green Giant's Steamers and cooked it beforehand to avoid extra water)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder
Rice (optional)

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine chopped chicken, soup, cheese, broccoli (cooked), garlic and pepper, and rice if desired.

3. Mix well and spread into greased 9 x 13 pan. 

4. Cook for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, or until bubbly.

Tips:

I do have some tips with this dish, because next time I would do things a little differently...

1. I served the rice on the side, and put the casserole over the rice. Next time, I would add rice to the casserole. It comes out a little bit watery, and I think this would help, as well as add flavor to the rice. Either way, the flavor was delicious.

2. It is VERY important to cook the chicken and broccoli beforehand, so that the cooking process of those two items doesn't add any extra water to the food.

Overall... it was easy, and delicious! Enjoy!

Fajita Night!

Fajita's are a great gluten-free option! They are easy to make and if you serve them with corn tortillas, they are 100% gluten free!

What You Need:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into strips
1 red bell pepper
1 green pepper
1 medium sized onion
Fajita seasoning mix (Make sure to check the back for wheat ingredients)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water
Corn Tortillas
Garnish: Cheese, Sour Cream, Guacamole

What You Do:
1. Slice the red pepper, green pepper, and the onion into lengthwise strips.
2. Heat up olive oil in medium skillet. Cook peppers and onions.
3. Add chicken to skillet.
4. Mix fajita seasoning with water and pour into skillet. Stir and simmer until liquid disappears.
5. Warm up corn tortillas in the microwave and serve.

So easy and so delicious! I like to make fajitas because guests can customize what they want inside their fajitas! Delicious! 

Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan

We definitely eat a lot of chicken in our kitchen. I'm somewhat of a picky eater (no red meat for the most part, though I will cook it now and then) and with Scott being allergic to gluten, we usually meet in the middle at chicken or seafood. 

I try to change recipes so that chicken doesn't get boring. You can make it so many ways. Last night I had the idea to make chicken parmesan. I actually went down the health food aisle at Jewel (local grocery store) and found these Schar gluten free breadcrumbs for around $4.00 a bag. 

I do want to add that about a month ago, I wanted to try making chicken parmesan as well, except I could not find gluten free breadcrumbs. Instead I found gluten free croutons in the health food aisle, and I actually had the idea to grind them in a food processor and use those. It worked WONDERFULLY for breadcrumbs. I have also heard of people using toasted Udi's or some other gluten free bread and putting it in the food processor. Sometimes you just have to be a little more creative!

Scott often tells me one of the things he misses most is any sort of "crunch" in his diet. What he really means is things like: croutons in a salad, breading on chicken or meat, etc. I was hoping these bread crumbs would do the trick, and they did! Everything was great.

Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan


What You Need:

3-4 thin chicken breasts (if they are thicker, you can pound them out)
1 egg
1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs (I used Schar pictured above)
1/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil (You CAN use Olive Oil but I have heard this makes it bitter so I never do it)
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp chopped basil
1 tsp Nature's Seasoning (or salt and pepper)
1 jar tomato sauce (I used Trader Joe's Garlic Marinara)
Serve over GF pasta (I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Spaghetti)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

What To Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and boil a pot of water for the spaghetti
2. Create an egg wash to coat the chicken by beating an egg in a shallow bowl.
3. In separate bowl, mix gluten free breadcrumbs, basil, Nature's Seasoning (or salt and pepper) and parmesan cheese to create breading mixture.
4. Individually dip chicken breasts in the egg mixture, and then coat in the breading mixture. Place on plate once finished. Bread each piece of chicken and set aside.
5. Heat vegetable/canola oil in a medium sized skillet until hot. Add chicken breasts to oil and cook until breading is brown. Make sure to flip the chicken and cook both sides of the breading.

6. Blot with paper towels to remove excess oil and place in an oven safe dish.

7. Top chicken with grated mozzarella and place chicken in oven for about 15 minutes (depending on how thin the chicken is) or until cooked.

8. While waiting for the chicken to cook in the oven, boil GF pasta as directed and drain.

9. Heat tomato sauce in a medium saucepan. I actually added some half-and-half to the tomato sauce. I do not ALWAYS do this, but I had some on hand still from making the Shrimp Scampi last week.

10. When chicken is cooked, take chicken out of the oven and serve chicken over gluten free spaghetti topped with tomato sauce.

Everything turned out great. Even though these breadcrumbs are a little more pricey, they seem like they're going to go a long way. I had plenty leftover and put them in the fridge for future use. I wasn't sure they would cook up as well as regular breadcrumbs, but they did! Enjoy!