Rachel’s Recipe Box

We, like everyone else we know, are finding ourselves on a tighter budget because of the cost of gas and heating oil. My daughters love polenta, and while I am Italian, I always thought it was too tricky to make from scratch. I mean really, would they be selling it in rolls at the store for $3 or more if it was easy?

Yes.

Polenta is incredibly easy to make, and while it requires a bit of time, it’s done in under an hour. You need to simmer your marinara for a while anyway, so let it simmer while the polenta bakes. There’s very little work involved after the first few minutes other than being in the house while the oven’s on. I have adapted a recipe for polenta from The Silver Spoon, a fabulous cookbook for anything and everything Italian. I bought the cookbook for everyone at Christmas a couple years ago, and we’re all still cooking our way through it!

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, top 8 allergen free, and vegan/vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 3 cups cornmeal (I use fine-ground, but a courser grind is more traditional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• (optional)2-3 shakes basil or oregano or Italian seasoning
• olive oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 400F

Bring the water and salt (and spices if using) to a boil in a large saucepan or medium-sized soup pot. Make sure you have enough room in the pot to add the cornmeal.

While the water is boiling, drizzle olive oil over the bottom of a 9×13 pan or two smaller pans.

When the water boils, sprinkle in the cornmeal with one hand, and whisk it into the water with the other hand. Whisk carefully so there aren’t too many lumps, and watch out for spitting cornmeal, it can burn. (You may want to don your Kevlar® gloves for this part!)

Once all the cornmeal has been whisked into the water, you will have a nice cornmeal mush. Pat it into the oiled pan(s) with a spatula, then drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Slide it into the oven, and set the timer for 45 minutes.

Check the polenta - the top should be a bit crisp, and the edges golden brown. Slice and serve with a sauce. You’ll never buy the other stuff again!

Serve this with a lovely side salad and marinara and sausages (if not vegetarian). Mmmm… One of my daughters prefers the polenta plain, then eats the red sauce and sausages with a spoon!

This recipe contains peanuts! You could easily substitute pea butter, sunbutter, or soynut butter for the peanut butter, though. Do not despair! The top 8 allergen I can’t avoid in this recipe is soy, as the soy sauce is integral to the taste. If you have a good soy sauce substitute you use, though, try it - and let me know!

One day when we were having lunch with friends, my oldest daughter tried this salad, and promptly scarfed down the entire container! I was quite excited, as cold dishes aren’t a big hit in our family, so my friend sent me the recipe. This is what I’ve created from the original.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also a wheat free, dairy free, egg free, tree nut free, fish free, shellfish free, and corn free recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked short grain brown rice

• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1-2 carrots, diced
• 1 1/2 TBS sesame seeds
• 3 TBS peanut butter or substitute
• 2 TBS rice vinegar (cider vinegar works fine)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 TBS soy sauce (LaChoy is GF, Braggs is GF and corn free too)
• 1 tsp sesame oil (toasted is ideal)
• 1 small clove garlic, minced

Method
While the rice is cooking, combine everything else in a large bowl. Mix together well.

Add rice to the rest of the ingredients while still warm - this will help the rice soak up the flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning (it might need more soy sauce or vinegar).

Chill, then serve. This makes a great dinner with some stir-fry; or in summer serve it along side some cole slaw and something off the grill!

Make this for thanksgiving. In our house, it is not thanksgiving without it.

As a warning, though, I broke my crock pot with this soup (OK, it slid off the hood of my car), and my mom needed stitches from this soup. So be careful!

Ingredients

• 2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped in 2 inch chunks*
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 2 Cups apple cider
• 2 Cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 2 Cups Chopped onion
• Olive oil
• 4 slices fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove-sized piece of ginger, grated
• kosher salt & pepper to taste

Method
Heat oil. Saute, then sweat the onions and ginger over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the onions are quite soft. (The fresh ginger is the secret here - ground ginger doesn’t have the same punch.)

While the onion is cooking, peel and chop the squash - [*an Oxo peeler works best for the peeling, and take care with the chopping, since folks have been known to hurt themselves with this very resistant squash. You might consider buying pre-peeled squash.]

Add squash, chopped apple and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 25-30 minutes or until squash is tender. Allow to cool slightly.

Remove the solids from the broth with a slotted spoon and puree in a food processor or in a blender in batches, adding broth as needed. It’s easier if you can use an infusion blenders right in the pot - less mess potential! The soup should be a velvety orange puree.

Add cider to soup, stirring well. Correct seasoning by adding ground ginger, grated fresh ginger, and/or salt and pepper to taste. Serve in small soup bowls as a hearty first course, or with a salad as a light lunch or supper.

These are surprisingly delicious - sweet and mouthwatering. You won’t believe how fast brussels sprouts disappear if you roast them!

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, top 8 allergen free, and South Beach safe recipe.

Ingredients
1-2 lbs brussels sprouts
kosher salt
olive oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 400

Rinse brussels sprouts, and cut the ends off, and then make an X in the bottoms.

Lightly oil a baking sheet, then toss the brussels sprouts with the olive oil and add a little kosher salt.

Roast for 10 min, then shake. Cook another 10 minutes, and eat. Make sure you sneak a few of the crispy leaves before someone else snags them!

Once you’ve wowed your family with these, don’t forget other roasted vegetables!

This is an adaptation of a great recipe in Cooking for Mr. Latte, an amusing book that has fabulous recipes. Many of which can be easily adapted to be dairy and gluten free.

This is dairy, egg, gluten, corn, and soy free. It could also be vegetarian very easily, too.

Ingredients

• 2 TBS olive oil

• 1 cup arborio rice
• 4-5 cups chicken broth, hot (ideally homemade stock. Could also be vegetable broth if you have vegetarian guests
• zest of 1 lemon (I use a microplane grater)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk, plus 1/4 cup lemon juice, left to sit for a few minutes
• good pinch kosher salt

Method
Find a medium-sized saucepan, and put in the olive oil. Bring the olive oil up to medium heat.

Add the arborio rice, and stir, letting the oil coat the rice. Add about 1/2 cup broth at a time, stirring very frequently. Add it little by little so the rice is loose, but not swimming in broth.

After the first few additions of broth, add half the zest. When you have used 4c of broth, check the rice for done-ness. You want it firm, but not crunchy. Keep cooking and adding broth until the rice is done.

Add the lemon juice/coconut milk mixture, and combine. turn off the heat. It will sit very well for a while as the rest of your food finishes.

We love this paired with Oven Fried Chicken and a salad. It cleanses the palate very well when paired with a greasy food.

What is thanksgiving without stuffing? OK, so we never actually stuff the turkey with it, but it’s still a delicious bread stuffing. Mmmmmm… This year it finally turned out just right. Yum.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, top 8 allergen free, and vegan/vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 batches Focaccia or a loaf of prepared bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

• splash olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 handful parsley, chopped
• 1 cup chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth (you might need a little more or a little less)
• 2 tsp Bell’s seasoning
• 1 tsp salt (less if using prepared broth)
• several grinds black pepper
• (optional - 1 cup pecans, 1 cup dried cranberries, or other additions)

Method:
Make and cube the Focaccia, or cube a loaf of pre-purchased bread. Toast for about 30 minutes in a 300 degree oven, or in a toaster. When toasted, toss them into an oven-safe casserole dish.

Sauté onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of the Bell’s seasoning as it’s cooking. When soft, mix in with the toasted bread cubes. Add the 2nd tsp of Bell’s seasoning, plus salt and pepper and mix well.

Chop the fresh parsley, and mix that in with the bread cubes. (If you’re adding pecans, dried cranberries, or other variations, add them here) Pour the broth slowly over the bread and toss, mixing well so they are evenly moistened.

Cover, and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Serve with the rest of your Thanksgiving or other festive meal!

These are flaky and delicious. They are perfect for serving with some soup or fried chicken!

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free recipe! It is also wheat free, dairy free, tree nut free, peanut free, top 8 allergen free, corn free, vegetarian recipe. This recipe only has two eggs in it, so it could easily be an egg free and vegan recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup light colored flour (we like amaranth, sorghum, or millet)

• 1 cup starch (arrowroot, tapioca, corn, potato, or sweet rice flour are some examples)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs (or your favorite egg replacer)
• 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick) or shortening or lard
• 2/3 cup soured milk substitute (1 tsp lemon juice or vineger, plus enough water or milk substitute to make 2/3 cup liquid)

Method
Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Add the margarine/shortening/lard to the dry ingredients, and use 2 knives or a pastry blender to mix together until it looks like rough cornmeal.

Mix in the eggs and milk, and stir until just moistened.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet that has been well greased, lined with parchment, or lined with a silicone baking liner.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. They turn out a bit crumbly, but incredibly flaky and delicious!

This is adapted from a recipe I clipped this past spring. It is gluten, dairy, soy, and egg free. It could easily be vegan/vegetarian and corn-free by checking ingredients.

Everyone in our house loves asparagus, but they love it as soup even more - they frequently have seconds (or thirds!) of this soup. It would double well if you were planning to serve a larger group.

Ingredients

• 4 TBS olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped (ideally videlia or other sweet onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth) - you can also substitute half broth, half water if desired.
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 lbs asparagus

Method
Warm the oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsnip. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Break the woody ends off the asparagus, and then chop roughly and set aside.

Add the broth and the thyme to the vegetables. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring to a boil.

Add the asparagus, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, turn the heat off. If you have an immersion blender (aka stick blender), use it to puree the soup, and then serve it. If you don’t have an immersion blender - let the soup cool, then puree in batches in a regular blender. Then go out and buy an immersion blender for next time.

This is a very pretty soup in white bowls, and a great way to get kids to eat lots of veggies! We serve it with a casserole, and dinner is happily complete.

My husband came up with this recipe, and the girls liked the squash a lot better than my “just steam it” veggie strategy. We scarf it down each time it’s made!

Ingredients:

• 3 yellow squash, sliced in circles (I’m sure zucchini would work too)

• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• splash olive oil
• pinch kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

Steam squash in microwave for 2 min, until starting to get tender. Drain any liquid out, then toss with the cornmeal.

Begin sauteing the garlic in the olive oil. As it starts to cook, add the cornmeal/squash mixture, and add a pinch or two of salt.

Cook until the squash is tender and beginning to get golden brown

Ingredients
For the marinade:

• 3-5 lbs chicken pieces (wings, legs, thighs all work well)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 garlic-sized piece of ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup gf soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 TBS apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar

Mix everything but the chicken in a microwave bowl, heat 1 minute and stir until brown sugar is dissolved. Combine with chicken in a resealable plastic bag or container. Shake. Let Marinate for 2-24 hours, depending on how much time you have.

The Baking Ingredients

• pre-marinated chicken

• 1/3 cup GF soy sauce
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• splash olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced very finely or pressed
• garlic-sized piece of ginger, grated
• 1 TBS apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar

Method
preheat oven to 375. Grease baking/roasting pan or line with something like Reynolds Release, Silpat, or other nonstick substance.

In a small saucepan, splash the olive oil. Add garlic & ginger and cook over medium heat for a minute. Add brown sugar, and whisk together. Add liquids, increase heat, and whisk as it boils. Continue boiling for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.

Drain chicken from marinade. Arrange chicken pieces into a single layer in baking sheet. Pour thickened sauce over chicken.

Optional - sprinkle with sesame seeds

Bake at 375 for 1 hour. You can turn them after 30 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice and steamed broccoli, or some other carb & veg mixture. Or serve as an appetizer or side dish along with other great finger foods.