Gluten Free

Black Bean Soup

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I made a huge batch of this and ate it for the entire week after New Years. It was delicious, healthful, filling and HIGHLY addictive. I decided to make my own after being on a pretty serious black bean soup kick where I was spending almost seven dollars per day at Whole Foods buying their black bean soup. So I planned Mexican night and put black bean soup and Chicken Mole on the menu. Never made it to the Mole, but the soup was outstanding. This had an accidental addition of tomatillos which were intended to be used in the Mole (hence why the Mole did not happen).

I topped mine with a little grilled chicken, avocado, cilantro, green onions, fresh chopped cherry tomatoes and lime juice. Later I mixed it with previously cooked brown rice that needed to be used as well. Feel free to add cheddar cheese or queso fresca or sour cream to the garnish list if you like – I have to avoid the dairy.

Note: Adding the brown rice into the soup acts a thickener and will fortify you if this is your only meal.

Black Bean Soup

Serves 6-8

Three to Four cans of Black Beans, all liquid retained

Four Carrots, roughly diced

One large white onion, roughly diced

Seven cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

Three celery ribs, roughly diced

Three tomatillos, husked, rinsed and roasted

A couple of pieces leftover ham (can omit – I used the rest from Christmas)

Three to four cups chicken or veggies broth 

Two chipotle peppers in adobo and a couple of tablespoons of the sauce

Cup of Brown Rice (optional – I had some on hand)

Array of spices to taste: Shallot salt; cayenne; cumin; garlic; Peruvian Chile Lime seasoning

In a large dutch oven, saute carrots, onions, garlic, celery, and a pinch of salt in a bit of olive oil until they are sweating. Add ham, broth, black beans and their juice and reduce heat to a simmer. Add roasted tomatillos, peppers and some of the seasoning (just add a little bit and then add according to taste later). Add rice and finish seasoning. Let simmer for about thirty minutes. Either use an emulsifier or a blender to process the soup (you can leave it has chunky or make as smooth as you wish). Squeeze a bit of lime juice to taste and enjoy!

Top soup with desired herbs and garnish, my favorites include: grilled and shredded chicken, cherry tomato halves, avocado slices, green onion and cilantro. Other options are sour cream or cheese, mango salsa, red onion, pico, or toasted pepita seeds.

Beef and Barley Soup

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I love beef and barley soup. I usually just buy a cup or two from Central Market (who makes a dang good version), but, during a recent freezer inventory I realized I had a lot of rump roast that needed using and opted to make my own version. You can add more (veggie wise) to this hearty soup  to up the nutrition ante, if you like. It is filling and perfect for cold winter nights. If you have homemade, good quality beef stock – this is a great showcase for it. If not, make sure to use a good-quality boxed broth (and/or some demi glace) for good depth.

Beef and Barley Soup

Serves Four to Eight 

One pound rump roast, cut into half-inch dice
One and one-half cups Hulled Barley
Six carrots, cut into large dice
Two yellow onions, cut into large dice
Twelve garlic cloves, minced
Two bay leaves
Five sprigs fresh thyme (more if desired)
Two sprigs fresh oregano
Three fresh sage leaves
Three celery stalks, cut into thin dice
Four tablespoons crushed red pepper
One pound mushrooms (I used white), quartered
One pound butternut squash, cut into quarter-inch cubes
One to two cups robust red wine or Burgundy (or white wine)
Three to Four quarts beef stock
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toss beef cubes with a good amount of salt, pepper, Italian herb blend, and cayenne. Heat a glug of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Brown meat on all sides and remove from pan. Deglaze pan with a bit of red wine, beef broth, or Burgundy wine – scraping the brown bits on the  bottom up. Add onions and garlic (with a pinch of salt) and saute until glassy. Add celery, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, red pepper flakes and about a cup of red/white/or Burgundy wine. After about five minutes, add the beef broth, the reserved meat, mushrooms and barley. Turn heat to simmer and let it cook away for at least three hours. Taste occasionally and season to taste. About one and a half hours before serving, put butternut squash in the pot and stir well. Feel free to add peas or spinach in the last five minutes before serving if you wish to use them.  Serve with crusty bread.

‘Garlic Nation’ Cornbread

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My friends and I had our Girls Christmas party this past weekend and it was wonderful! The food-theme somehow migrated to “Cajun/Southern” during our lengthy email chain (for which I am truly thankful) and it was Delicious! Our resident NOLA queen, Bonnie, made delicious gumbo; my favorite red-head Candice, made some pretty awesome Red Beans and Rice and brought some outstanding Venison boudin. And my favorite Bota-Box representative (aka Susanna!) asked if I could make cornbread (hence why I classified the theme as “/southern”). She has been unable to get her hands on her favorite recipe because the source refused to part  with the recipe (like me and my enchiladas). I told her sure thing, vaguely remembering a recipe for corn muffins that had appealed to me in Giada de Laurentiis’ Giada’s Kitchen cookbook. I decided I was going to make a whole corn, sun-dried tomato, hatch green chili cornbread with some cheese and played with the idea of adding bacon to the batter. This corn bread earned the name ‘Garlic Nation’ Cornbread after Sus dubbed it as such. What can I say, I love garlic and it was girls night so no pesky boys could tease us about our garlicky breath. I actually lost count of the number of garlic cloves I used (really I was just not paying attention), but it was somewhere in the vicinity of ten.

This was my first time making cornbread (at least in the past four years) and, honestly, I do not know why considering how delicious it is and how well it freezes. Clearly, I must remedy this…and maybe that batch will have some bacon in it.

Note: You can use your favorite cornbread cooking apparatus for baking this (i.e. cast iron, Pyrex, muffin tin, etc.) – I used a cast iron.

‘Garlic Nation’ Cornbread

Serves eight to ten

adapted from Giada’s Kitchen

17 ounces of favorite corn muffin mix
Three cups frozen corn kernels
One cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
Two-thirds cup aged cheddar cheese, shredded
One can of hatch green chilis, chopped
Ten garlic cloves, finely minced
Pinch Salt
Black Pepper to taste
Two eggs
Two-thirds cup buttermilk, plus two or three tablespoons more if needed
Two-thirds cup sour cream

In a large bowl combine the corn mix, corn, salt, pepper, sundried tomatoes, cheese, garlic and chilis and mix well. Add in the eggs, sour cream and buttermilk and stir until all elements are well incorporated. Grease a cast iron skillet and pour the cornbread mixture into it. Bake for about 25 minutes on 375 degrees (NOTE: Bake time will depend on baking vessel used and oven type – general rule is to bake until the top is golden brown, then check the inside with a toothpick. It should come out relatively clear). Cut into pie pieces and serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Apple Soup

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I have had a serious addiction to butternut squash lately. Literally, twice a week I roast about two butternut squash and, so far, I have yet to tire of it. Usually, I have every intention of creating soup using the roasted deliciousness; however, once I roast them, they rarely last longer than two hours. After buying butternut squash soup four days in a row (which I may or may not have garnished with roasted squash), I vowed to take the 15 extra minutes to make my own after I roasted my next batch. I make mine without butter, cream or other dairy, making this a perfect soup to deliver loads of nutrients for almost all dietary restrictions. The soup was fabulous and I saved myself about $13 in not buying it for three different meals.

You can garnish the soup with your pleasure of the moment  (fresh herbs, creme fraiche, crispy bacon, etc). Personally, I had planned on crisping up some thick cut bacon to crumble atop the soup – but was so excited to eat it I could not wait.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Apple Soup

Serves Two to Three

Ten Garlic Cloves (or more to taste), roughly minced
One large white onion (or six or seven medium shallots), roughly diced
One to two pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
Two or three tablespoons Italian Seasoning or Herbs de Provence
One tablespoon black pepper
One teaspoon White Pepper (optional)
A couple good pinches of salt
Couple glugs good olive oil (regular, basil, garlic, or truffle)
Three red apples (I used Pink Lady), cut from the core in large sections and squeezed with lemon
Two tablespoons Thai Curry Blend or similar
Two to Three Cups of good-quality Vegetable (or Chicken) broth

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place garlic, butternut squash, and onions in a baking dish. Add oil and spices to taste, sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Bake until golden brown and squash is tender, 30 minutes.  Taste and adjust for seasoning preferences. Remove pan and add apples; continue baking for about 15 minutes. Remove and transfer to a pot with about 2 cups of vegetable or Chicken broth. Working in batches, puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan and taste (adding additional seasoning as necessary. Add two tablespoons of Thai Curry Blend or similar and let simmer for about five minutes.

Garnish with desired toppings ( slivered apples, crunchy bacon, shaved cheese, fresh herbs, etc). and serve with crusty bread. Can be eaten cold or hot, as soup or poured over chicken, fish or pasta for a nice sauce.

Brussel Sprouts in Shallot Wine Sauce

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I happen to love brussel sprouts even when they are plain, but even those finicky sprout eaters will love these. I mean they have pancetta, apples, and are doused in shallot-garlic white wine sauce. Best part is that they are still a healthy alternative to loading your veggies with butter without sacrificing any of the flavor. You can roast or steam the sprouts first; I steamed them since these were last made on thanksgiving and the oven was full of butternut squash and turkey and dressing. Either way you choose to do them, simply toss them in the sauce afterward and you are done!

Brussel Sprouts in Shallot Wine Sauce

Serve Five to Six

One pound Brussel sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
One half red apple, diced and squeezed with lemon
Four ounces pancetta, diced
Eight large cloves garlic
Six Large shallots
One Cup White wine (or half cup wine with half cup broth)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
One tablespoon butter (optional – really only for the Paula Deen’s out there)

Steam or roast brussel sprouts until 95 percent cooked. In a large saute pan, heat a dab of garlic olive oil in the pan and fry up the pancetta. Remove and reserve on a napkin. Add the shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and a bit of salt to the pan. Once glassy, add the white wine (or broth) to the pan and reduce by half. Add butter if using near the end to create a bit of richness. Toss pancetta, apples, and brussel sprouts together with the sauce in the pan. Grind fresh black pepper and serve immediately.

Pulled Duck, Lamb and White Bean Stew

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Recently (technically November 16th), we went to a lovely local bistro called Blue Dahlia for my dear friend Sarah’s birthday celebration. Their special for the evening was a play on Cassoulet (a classic french dish that can cure just about any ailment). It was a thick pulled duck, lamb sausage, white bean stew with a wonderfully spicy tomato-based stew pungent with fresh herbs (though had markedly less broth than my version). Even though I am dieting and trying to reduce the amount of food I eat, I at EVERY bite and then proceeded to lick the bowl. Clearly, I would have to replicate this dish (if possible). Luckily, they were gracious enough to tell me the main ingredients. Eventually, I will confit the duck and make an actual cassoulet, but right now I am changing jobs, preparing for the holidays, and trying to bang out my last papers of grad school so cassoulet will have to wait. Not that I mind much; the stew turned out quite amazing and I could smell it cooking down the hall from my apartment. It was so good in fact, I ate my first bowl with a few hard beans in it because I could not take the smell of it anymore.

Pulled Duck, Lamb and White Bean Stew

Serves at least Four

Two Duck Leg quarters
Half pound of Lamb shoulder, cut into one inch pieces (or one link Hot Italian lamb sausage)
Two Cups Great Northern or Navy Beans, soaked overnight
Three large tomatoes, quartered and roughly seeded
Three tablespoons crushed red pepper
Two Tablespoons Black Pepper
Salt to taste
Two tablespoons demi-glace du canard
One Large white onion, roughly diced
Bouquet garni of fresh Thyme Sprigs, Oregano, Sage, and Rosemary
One head garlic, roughly chopped
One cup dry white wine
Four cups Chicken Stock
One tablespoon tomato paste (more if desired)
Parmesan Rind (if you have one on hand)
Additionally garlic or garlic powder if desired

In a large dutch oven, sear the duck and lamb after seasoning it with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and heat onions and garlic until glassy. Pour in wine and just boil off. Return the meat to the pan and add crushed red pepper, bouquet garni, stock, tomato paste, demi glace, black pepper, a couple good pinches of salt, beans, and tomatoes. Let it hang out in the pan on a low heat for about 6 hours; it will start smelling all kinds of amazeballs. Taste test occasionally and add seasoning as desired. Serve with fresh herbs of choice and some crusty bread for soaking.

Spicy Veggie and Chicken Minestrone

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Recently, I made minestrone from a special diet cookbook. This was a first for me and, after making it, I cannot understand why. I sent that soup home with its intended eaters and immediately decided to make a large batch for myself for the week. This made a ton of food (I froze half) and was healthful and satisfying. Feel free to adjust depending on what you have to use up, after all the soup is designed to use up everything in season in an Italian’s kitchen. I wanted to use whole wheat Gemelli, but had regular Penne on hand so that was what went in. Feel free to use your favorite pasta, rice, grain or even gnocchi.

Spicy Veggie and Chicken Minestrone

serves 8-10

One Frozen Parmesan Cheese Rind
One-half pound pasta of choice
Three cups shredded chicken
One bunch Swiss Chard or Kale, washed, stemmed and cut into strips
Two Cups Zucchini, diced
Two cups Yellow Squash, diced
Three Cups Onion, diced
Two Cups Celery, roughly diced
Two Cups Carrot, peeled and roughly diced
One head garlic, minced
Four tablespoons crush red pepper
Two tablespoons each: oregano, fennel seed, black pepper, thyme (use more or less according to taste preference)
One Ham Hock
One can kidney or cannellini beans
Two quarts good quality chicken stock
Two boxes of crushed tomatoes with juice
Two cups frozen peas

Heat about two tablespoons olive oil in a large dutch oven. Once hot, add onions and garlic and saute until glassy (with a good pinch of salt). Add celery, zucchini, carrots, squash, crushed red pepper, and all spices cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add ham hock, Parmesan rind, tomatoes and broth (adding additional broth as necessary). Simmer for about an hour, then add chard , peas, shredded chicken, cooked pasta, and beans. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Simmer another 10 minutes or so and serve with crusty bread and a sprinkling of Pecorino or Parmesan cheese.

Wintery Steak Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette

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My friend Susanna, who has perpetual leftovers, has been regaling me with stories of the wonderful dinners she has been enjoying with all the leftover steak from this weekend. It really gave me a hankering for a good steak salad. A lot of steak salads will be more southwestern (read charred bacon and corn, avocado, red onion) and, to be honest, at first I wanted to go that route – I even bought an avocado. Then I started feeling the need for a more comforting salad and picked up some butternut squash, just in case. Two days after the intended date, I created this manly out of stuff I already had minus the steak which I had purchased Monday; if you do not have any steak (fresh, leftover, or frozen) feel free to use chicken or crispy pancetta. You can throw whatever you have in here (I would have used spinach and arugula but ran out). This salad is hearty, healthy, tasty, comforting, and just darn good for winter. I added about a fourth-cup of garlicky bulgar, quinoa, and wild rice for some extra substance and because it was in the pantry – feel free to leave out (it is perfectly wonderful either way).

Note: This is a great weeknight dinner for the busy mom. It is high in nutrition, has great flavor, is very easy to make, and is healthy.  All in under thirty minutes.

Wintery Steak Salad

Serves Three

Half pound skirt steak (marinated as desired – I use Montreal, S & P, and Worcestershire)
One or more recipes Roasted Butternut Squash
One-half Gala Apple, sliced thinly
Small amount of Goat Cheese or other good soft cheese
Five cups Arugula, squeezed with a bit of lemon
One-Third cup basil pesto, mixed with one to two tablespoons red-wine or raspberry vinegar (to taste) and a dash of lemon
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Near East Whole Grain Blend Garlic (optional)

Prepare butternut squash and Whole Grain blend (if using) according to instructions. Marinate steak and allow to come to room temperature before cooking. Prepare the dressing whilst everything is cooking. Over a medium-high heat a bit of olive oil. Once hot, cook the steak for about four minutes on each side. Adjust cooking time to desired doneness and thickness of the meat; you will want to sear the meat to brown and caramelize the outside and keep the inside juicy – I like my steak mooing so I cook it accordingly (and give D the end pieces since he likes it more done). When the meat is cooked, remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for five minutes. In this time, divide arugula, butternut squash (inclusive of garlic and shallots), apples, cheese, and rice among three plates (or two plates and a Tupperware). Cut steak against the grain into thin slices or cubes and add to the salad. Dress as desired and crack black pepper to taste. Mix well and enjoy.