Gluten Free Thanksgiving

Had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at my daughter's - 19 gathered for a wonderful GLUTEN FREE feast!
Turkey n ham, mashed potatoes (both vegan & w/dairy)
...
I brought Rattatoui (Rroasted Veggies), mostly from my CSA share; carrots, parsnips, Jerusalem Artichokes, golden beets, leeks, garlic, sweet potatoes & yams ... chopped them all first, & had in bowls to saute in coconut oil in the wok, then transfer to the baking dish. I added a bit of veggie stock to moisten, & Italian herbs w/ a bay leaf & pieces of kombu.

Orange Cranberry sauce - had to settle for 'regular' oranges as blood oranges aren't quite in season yet; & used ~ 1/2 C honey (my daughter has sensitivities to both cane sugar & agave) - mmm - added a bit more sweetening when I've had left overs (but would rather not have it too sweet in the beginning!)

Pumpkin pudding - I used both pumpkin & butternut squash, which I baked at 350* earlier in the week. To make it egg free, I ground flax & chia seeds (2 parts flax to 1 part chia), & used 3 Tbsp in place of 3 eggs, & blended the baked pumpkin with a bit of the coconut milk. I used a tsp garahm masala with the other spices, & again used honey rather than Agave - YUM!!

My sweetie brought curried quinoa (cooked in coconut milk), 'good' olives, (inc green with garlic - which my 5 yr old granddaughter LOVES), & roast chestnuts! He also has a whipped cream maker that uses little canisters to do instant whip - YUM! Went great on the GF brownies, apple pie, & my pudding.

Good time with family & friends, lovely Gluten free food, what more can we ask?? Happy Holidays!!

Eat the Fridge - Step 1 - CLEAN the fridge!

Over on her blog, Suzie suggests 'eating (from) the fridge' this week, as we prepare to load our plates (& fridges) over Thanksgiving. My fridge is bursting at the seams, as, though my daughter & I share veggies from our weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) pick up, we are hard pressed to keep up with the abundance.

Fortunatly, much of the current 'share' are root veggies which keep a bit longer - like these lovely HUGE carrots!


As you can see, my fridge really needed a good clean out & scrubbing - so I began that process with the bottom shelf & veg. drawers!

I decided to switch my fridge storage from the ubiquitous plastic bags to non-reactive glass. My mom had a nice set of the rectangular containers, which are hard to find &/or expensive.

A trip to the Good Will yesterday garnered a bunch of large glass bowls ($1 - $4 each) which I washed up before starting on the fridge! Several of these are mixing bowls, & I got a couple of tall vases for the long stemmed kale or chard! Plus a glass salad bowl for lettuce.
I'll probably add some more, as I find the sizes & shapes that work best! I generally eat out of bowls or medium plates, so got down a stack of larger cobalt blue glass plates to use as covers. (I found a few domed covers as well)

I began with the bottom shelf & drawers - first step was to get everything out! That shelf also holds jars containing oils (some flower infused) for making salves & lotions.
I love the big stem of Brussels sprouts - (middle of the photo) they keep well on the stem (& save our farmers a lot of work!)

Ugg - seems like the shelves always need a good scrub! Fortunatly, hot water, some baking soda & 'elbow grease' took care of the shelf grunge pretty quickly, & the glass shelves are easy to remove & clean. Now to reload! . . .


But those brussles sprouts - I popped them off the stem, . . . hmm, maybe I should make Rattatoui with some of the sweet potatoes (which DON'T want to be refrigerated, so I store them in a shoebox!)

That means I need to get out the nice wok I picked up as well - & note the lovely wooden spoon (Yew) from my friend & spoonmaker Peter - like the little 'tea spoons' that I eat with, this is a favorite! Peter & Lorraine have been cooking with one for about 20 years.

The onions & garlic also come from the CSA, they try to provide aliums weekly in some form. I haven't had a wok for awhile - always enjoyed that large surface for stirfrying! (& am happy it's steel - didn't want aluminum, or 'non-stick' coating)

I simmered the onion & garlic skins while sauteing the veg (in coconut oil, natch!) & poured a little liquid over the veg, & added some Italian herbs before returning them to the cassarole & putting them in the oven for ~ 1/2 hour.
Now, back to that fridge! . . . . . . .

TA DA!! OK, so the photo's grainy - but I now have the veg in glass bowls, only a couple of bags (celery root & a romanesco cauliflower) in one cripser drawer! Now on to the shelf above (some eggs, more oil, a few veg that are being consolidated, & the rattatoui is almost done! (added cauliflower, beet & carrot & baked ~ 10 min more)

Here's my bowl with the last of the rice n lentils from Tue in the bottom, the rattatoui, some quickly sauted chard, & a dolop of pesto, & cherve from one of the Playschool moms. I used a sprinkle of raspberry vinegar on the chard, which I sauted in the wok as the rattatoui was finishing. The spoon & chopsticks are from Peter, the bowl from a local potter.

Winter Favorite Recipes

Rice & lentils is one of my favorite daily fares. Lentils take about as long as brown rice to cook, & are easier to digest than some of the larger beans. I like adding red & wild rice, a 1/4 c quinoa & a Tbsp or two of teff.

I begin by putting the rice (usually ~ 2 parts rice to one of lentils) & a chopped onion or the white part of a leek in a pan with a bit of olive oil, & heat water (or Stock *) in another pan. Stir the rice frequently till more than half the grains have turned white, & take pan off heat, adding the lentils.
Add the lentils & boiling stock or water, season with Italian or Herbs de Provence (includes basil & lavender) a piece of Kombu & a bay leaf, add chunks of potatoes, leek tops, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms (if dried, soak for a hour or so first) & few chopped cloves of garlic, bring to a boil, then turn down & simmer for 45 min to an hour. I add the quinoa & teff with the veggies.
We use 'Bragg liquid aminos' instead of soy sauce, our natural foods store carries it. It's lower in sodium & Organic (OG) - hence GMO free - Soy is usually Genetically Modified unless labeled OG. This is my stand by fare, I tend to make it weekly (enough to last a few days), & my (grown) kids still enjoy it!

My new *favorite* is Ratatouille!!
After seeing the movie, I pulled out some recipe books, & mostly found 'summer' versions (tomatoes, summer squash, eggplant) . . . I like making a winter one best!
I begin with a stir fry - olive oil with a leek (white part) or onions & garlic; then add lots of root veggies, which I cut into chunks, & add in small batched to the clay 'apple baker' that I put in the oven before preheating, & add the 'bits' from the stove top pan as I go. You could use any large vessel that's oven safe.

Winter veggies: I like GOLDEN beets (don't stain like the red) parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes or squash (I don't nec. peel, but you could) Jerusalem artichokes (I grow these - a sunflower relative tuber!) potatoes, mushrooms (fresh or dried & pre soaked) cauliflower &/or Brussels sprouts (I cut in thin slices, & add just before putting in the oven, a piece of kombu (seaweed that's great for a bit of flavor & extra nutrients) the same spices (Italian or french) & a bay leaf,
Bake @ 350 for 15 to 20 minutes after everything's been added; I -re cook in little batches, & keep adding for 10-15 min.
You can add chopped nuts - local if you have them (in our area, filberts or walnuts) I gauge how much to cook by what my pan holds, again, I make enough to last several days, & re-heat small batches as needed.

I don't use a microwave at home, but re-heating a portion or two on the stove top only takes a few minutes! I can even do a 'quick meal' stir fry in very short order.

I make * Stock by saving all the veggie trimmings - parsnip & carrot tips & tops, celery tips & a few leaves, onion skins, asparagus stems, mushroom ends, garlic husks, etc. anything that's not moldy or dirty goes in a bag or quart yogurt container in the freezer (Do not include cabbage family trimmings : cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, (sulphery & will overpower other flavors) & NO potatoe peels) I also add a piece of Kombu a bouquet garni of sprigs of herbs, tied together, or a sprinkle from my spice jar; & a bay leaf or two.These go in a stock pot on top of the stove while I'm starting the veggies, or in the crock pot for a few hours. You can use just veggies, or add chicken bones - freezing keeps things 'fresh' till you need them!

I learned to make stock from a chef friend, such an easy way to adds flavor & nutrients!! You can make your own stock in minutes while chopping veggies for whatever you're making, & use a bit of water or stock to 'saute' in, if you don't want to use oil! When I make 'quick cook' stock for a recipe, after taking some out, I add more water to my stock pan, & continue to simmer it for another hour, & then refrig. it for later use.