The day after Christmas and all through the house...

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and are now looking forward to the New Year with hope in your hearts for many good things ahead for you and your's in 2015!

The day after Christmas and all through the house are signs of the holiday... cards, gifts, wrapping papers and bows, and sweet and savory homemade snacks to enjoy this coming week.

I made gluten-free cookies, white chocolate covered popcorn (addicting and so bad for you I won't share the recipe), and spicy pretzels, which I gave for gifts. Too big to be stocking stuffers, I put the spicy pretzels in decorative holiday bags and tins. Below is the spicy pretzel recipe our delightful neighbor, Andi, shared with me. Thanks, Andi! My batch was gluten-free. This snack will be great to enjoy while ringing in the New Year!

Spicy Pretzels

Ingredients

1/2 cup Canola Oil (I used Safflower Oil)
1 envelope dry Ranch Dressing mix
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (For the grandkid's sake, I reduced to 1/2 tsp. Perfect!)
1 large (20 oz.) bag of Pretzels (I used gluten-free)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 200-degrees.
2. Put the pretzels in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Whisk together the oil, dry dressing mix, garlic salt and cayenne in a small bowl.
4. Drizzle all of the oil and spice mixture over the pretzels, and toss gently until completely coated.
5. Spread the pretzels out evenly over the two baking sheets.
6. Bake at 200-degrees for 75 minutes. 
7. Cool completely before packaging.
8. Instructions say to stir once during the cooking time, but I did not. They turned out great!

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato, Lentil and Kale Burgers

For me, 2014 is the Year of Change. I'm in the midst of moving from the shores of Washington's Puget Sound, where fresh seafood is abundant and shellfish is easily harvested, back to a place in Oregon that is beautifully situated between the Cascade Mountain Range and a city where a river runs through it.

I'm also starting off this new year transitioning towards more of a plant-based diet, eliminating the fish and shellfish that have been a part of my pescetarian diet for the past number of years.

I've tried this before and failed, but now I have the support and encouragement of family who are also discovering and enjoying the benefits of vegetarian and vegan cuisine, which makes it easier for me to stick with my resolution to eliminate seafood and more. I haven't entirely eliminated eggs and the occasional sheep and goat cheeses, yet.

Ever wondered what to call yourself while you are transitioning to a plant-based diet?

• A vegan is one who does not eat meat, eggs or dairy of any kind. Some vegans avoid such foods as gelatin, honey... or eating or buying anything that has some form of animal-based ingredient used in the process of making the product.
• A flexitarian is one who has a mostly vegetarian diet, but sometimes eats meat. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats eggs is called an ovo-vegetarian. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats dairy is a lacto-vegetarian. 
• One who is a vegetarian but also eats dairy and eggs is called a lacto-ovo vegetarian. 

This past weekend,  I attended a vegetarian/vegan potluck. Everyone brought something for the "Burrito Bar" - tortillas, beans, corn, tempeh, tofu, homegrown sprouts, salsa, spices and condiments. One brought black bean brownies and another black bean pudding for dessert.

The theme of our discussion was beans. I tossed out the idea of having a bean burger "bake-off" with a prize for the best bean burger recipe. I am not posting my bean burger "bake-off" entry recipe until after this event happens, IF it happens.

Although this is not a bean burger, here is one our family's favorite ovo-vegetarian burgers. There are only a few changes to the original recipe, which is on page 79 of Luke Volger's cookbook "Veggie Burgers Every Which Way."

 This recipe will make six 4-inch burgers, so we recommend doubling or tripling the recipe, cooking and freezing what you don't eat right away to reheat for later meals. Remember to never double or triple the salt when making more than one batch of anything with salt as an ingredient; increase salt to taste.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup French Lentils (small, green)
1 bunch Kale (remove tough stems)
1 medium Sweet Potato (approx. 8 ounces), peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, diced
1-1/2 teaspoons Garam Masala
1-1/2 teaspoons Curry Powder
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Squeeze of fresh Lemon Juice

3/4 cup Oatmeal (gluten-free), lightly ground

1/4 cup Almonds, ground to a meal-like consistency (using spice grinder with slivered Almonds)

Sort through the lentils and rinse. Bring lentils to a boil in a small sauce pan in 3 cups water. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. When tender, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Coarsely mash lentils with a potato masher.

Steam the kale, by what ever method you prefer, for 5-8 minutes. Remove and cool, then wrap in a clean kitchen cloth towel and squeeze out any excess liquid. Finely chop and set aside.

Steam the sweet potato for 8-10 minutes, or bake until tender. Add the sweet potato to the lentils, mashing and blending with a potato masher or fork.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add the onion, garam masala, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Then add the chopped kale and minced garlic. Cook and toss to combine for 2 minutes. Note: If a crust forms on the base of the pan, add 2 tablespoons water and scrape up the browned mixture with a wooden spoon.

Combine the kale-onion and lentil mixtures together. Stir in the eggs, coriander, salt and lemon juice. Blend in the ground oatmeal and almonds. Adjust seasoning according to your taste. Shape into 6 burger patties.

In an oven-safe skillet or non-stick saute pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the patties and cook until browned on both sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm to the touch and cooked through.

Serve hot on a toasted bun, or room temperature in a lettuce wrap, with your favorite condiments. Freeze and reheat leftovers.

Recipe adaptation, meal preparations, and photos by Effie.

Vegan, Gluten-Free Finnish Pancakes

Thanks to our sweet friend Sarah, from Edmonds (WA), we enjoyed a Sunday breakfast of Finnish pancakes. Sarah shared her recipe with friends on Facebook, and being one of her friends, I jumped at the opportunity to give her recipe a try to compare with the Dutch Babies (pancakes) I make. I found the Finnish pancake to be just as delicious, but slightly thicker with a bit of a custard texture (more on that later).

While baking, rather than the batter raising up on the sides to form a bowl like the Dutch Babies, the  vegan, gluten-free version of Sarah's Finnish pancakes I made domed in the center. Both types of pancakes settle down and flatten once out of the oven, as the start to cool.

I served our Finnish pancakes with a choice of real maple syrup or agave nectar, and slices of fresh mango and lichee on the side. If I had an assortment of fresh fruit in the house, I would have served a medley atop the pancakes with a dollop of coconut yogurt.

I'm sharing with you Sarah's original recipe, then give your my vegan, gluten-free version.

Sarah's Finnish Pancakes

Ingredients

4 Eggs

2 cups Milk

1 cup Flour

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

4 Tbsp Butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Whisk eggs with the milk, flour, sugar and salt, until well blended.
3. Melt the butter in an 9x12 baking pan.
4. Pour in pancake mixture.
5. Bake for 20-23 minutes.

Lee's Vegan, Gluten-Free Finnish Pancakes

Ingredients

4 large Eggs
2 cups Rice Milk (try using Almond, Coconut or Hemp)
1 cup Gluten-Free Flour Mix
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Dried Lemon Peel (or fresh lemon zest)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 TBSP Butter Substitute (I suggest Earth Balance or Smart Balance)


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put two glass pie dishes in the oven to heat.
2. Whisk eggs with the rice milk, gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon peel, until well blended.
3. Carefully open the oven door, slide the rack out a bit and place 2 Tbsp of the butter substitute into each pie plate. The plates are so hot, the butter substitute melts very fast.
4. Carefully remove the pie plates with melted butter substitute from the oven, and pour half of the pancake mixture into pie dish.
5. Return the glass pie plates to the oven and bake the Finnish Pancakes for 22-24 minutes.

Note: I cooked our Finnish Pancakes for 21 minutes. The very center had a custard-like texture, but yummy! Next time, I will bake them one to two minutes longer. I might suggest reducing the milk just a bit, as I did add a little vanilla extract.

Merry Mac & Cheese

Who says that the gluten-intolerant can't enjoy one of America's favorite comfort foods during the holidays - Macaroni and Cheese?!

I think I may make the best homemade Mac and Cheese on the planet - and it's gluten-free. For the holidays, add some Christmas color by folding in or laying the noodles and cheese sauce with a your favorite red. white and green veggies, lightly sauteed. I call this version Merry Mac and Cheese. This dish is a great way to get your kids to eat more veggies!

This recipes does have some dairy, as I won't give up real cheddar cheese (soy cheeses are no substitute in this case). So, for those that are also lactose-intolerant, who don't want to give up their mac and cheese, consider taking the enzyme supplement lactase. I find that soy cheese is tasteless and doesn't melt the same as regular cheese, but give it a try, if real cheese is absolutely not an option for you. Let me know how it turns out.

Ingredients (I like to double this recipe. If you do, remember not to double the salt):

1/2 pound medium or sharp Cheddar Cheese, cubed
4 tablespoons Butter (or butter substitute)
4 tablespoons all-purpose, gluten-free Flour*
1 teaspoon Vegetable Bouillon
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Dash of Nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
1-1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt (I love using Herbamare; watch out for MSG in seasoned salts)
2 cups Milk Substitute (I use Rice Milk or Coconut Milk - original (neutral flavor))
1 8-ounce package of Quinoa Elbow Macaroni (I find that rice noodles tend to get mushy, but not the quinoa noodles - they stay firm)
Paprika for the top garnish
Mix of red, white and green vegetables to stir in or layer is optional*

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
2. If including colorful vegetables, chopped and lightly saute mixture with a little olive oil or butter (substitute).
3. Cube the cheese into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside in a bowl.
4. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter, blend in the *gluten-free flour mixture*, the seasonings and bouillon (if cubes, crumble first; if paste, blend first with butter).
5. Over low-heat blend and stir mixture until smooth and it starts to bubble. Do not let it brown.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk.
7. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring continually. Add more milk, if too thick. Once the desired consistency is reached, reduce the heat to low and add in half or all the cheese. If you use half the cheese, the other half can be layered along with the *lightly sauteed vegetables or only the cheese.
8. Stir the cheese sauce until all the cheese is melted.
9. Cook the macaroni noodles according to package directions (add a little oil to the water, and stir to keep them from sticking together), drain and rinse.
10. In a "buttered" casserole dish, large enough for a single or double batch (picture here is a double batch), layer half of the macaroni noodles, sprinkle remaining cheese if you didn't add it all to make the cheese sauce, along with the sauteed vegetables. Pour half the cheese sauce evenly over the first layer of noodles (and vegetables).
11. Layer the remaining noodles, evenly pouring the the remaining cheese sauce over all. 
12. Garnish with paprika.
13. Bake the Mac and Cheese in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes for a single batch and 40-50 minutes for a double batch.
14. One batch serves 6-8.

* Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix

Blend together the following ingredients and store in an air-tight container:
2 cups Rice Flour
2/3 cup Potato Starch
1/3 cup Tapioca Flour

Scallops Provencal with Winter Squash Timbales

"Cooking is an art and patience a virtue... Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one more thing - love. Love for food and love for those you invite to your table. With a combination of these things you can be an artist - not perhaps in the representational style of a Dutch master, but rather more like Gauguin, the naïve, or Van Gogh, the impressionist. Plates or pictures of sunshine taste of happiness and love."  - Keith Floyd, ‘A Feast of Floyd’

What a delicious, sumptuous meal - light, but very satisfying with lovely flavors, texture and color.

Scallops Provencal

My favorite way of cooking scallops. Thank you to Ina Garten for Barefoot in Paris - Easy French Food You Can Make at Home. I adapted her recipe to accommodate my black pepper-free, gluten-free diet.

Ingredients:

1 pound large sea scallops, rinsed, pat dry and sliced in half horizontally

Sea Salt

Cayenne Pepper

All-purpose Gluten-Free Flour, for dredging

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted Butter, divided into pats

1/2 cup Shallots (2 large)

1 clove Garlic, minced

1/4 flat-leaf Parsley, chopped

1/3 cup dry white Wine

1 Lemon, halved

Directions:

1. Sprinkle the scallops with salt and cayenne pepper, then toss with the flour. Shake off the excess flour and set aside on a plate.
2. Heat a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and place the scallops in a single layer in pan and lightly brown on one side, then lightly brown on the other side. This takes no more than a few minutes in all.
3. Melt the remaining butter in the pan along with the scallops, adding the shallots, garlic, parsley and sauté for another couple of minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops.
4. Add the wine, continue cooking for only another minute. Taste for seasoning.
5. Serve hot with a fresh squeeze of lemon on each serving.
6. Serves 2

Winter Squash Timbales (a dish formed in a mold or ramekin)

Thank you to my daughter for sharing this recipe, which she gleaned from The Vegan Table (page 236). A wonderful fall and wintertime side dish that is colorful, textured and nutritious!

Ingredients:

2 cups winter Squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2-1/2 cups Vegetable Stock (I use vegetarian bouillon and water)

1 cup Arborio Rice (do not rinse, and stir often)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt (depends how salty vegetable stock is)

1 tablespoon Olive Oil for sautéing 

1 large yellow Onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon minced Garlic

2 tablespoons fresh Parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh Thyme, finely chopped

2-3 tablespoons of sun-dried Tomatoes, finely chopped

Cayenne Pepper to taste (or Black Pepper)

1/4 cup Pine Nuts, toasted for garnish (optional)

Kale, washed, dried, chopped and steamed or sauteed

[Note: I used my food processor for the onion, then again to chop the garlic, parsley thyme, sun-dried tomato together. Worked nicely and saved time.]

Directions:

1. Lightly oil 4 ramekins, or oven-proof bowls or pans that can hold 1-1/4 cups.
2. Steam cubed squash until tender (10-12 minutes). Place in a medium to large mixing bowl.
3. In a large sauce pan, bring to a boil the rice in the vegetable stock. Add salt. Cover and reduce heat to low, cooking until the rice is tender, for about 20 minutes. Some liquid should remain. Stir often. Arborio rice becomes very thick.
4. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onion, sautéing until it starts to turn golden brown and translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the thyme, parsley and garlic and sun-dried tomato mixture, cooking another couple of minutes, then stir in the cooked squash. Remove mixture from heat.
5. To make the timbales, place 1/4 of the vegetable mixture in the bottom on each ramekin - pressing down gently to compact. Top with rice, once again pressing down to compact.
6. When ready to serve, run a knife along the inside edge of the ramekins and invert each one atop a bed of freshly steamed or sautéed kale on each dinner plate.
7. Garnish with the pine nuts and black pepper optional. I use Cayenne.
8. Serve as a side dish with Scallops Provencal. 

Bon Appetit!

Zucchini-Feta Flapjacks

When I asked a friend of mine what she was doing today, she replied that she was making flapjacks for a bonfire tomorrow night.  Her comment reminded me that I had not posted my recent gluten-free recipe for making a savory pancake (aka flapjack) as a brunch, lunch or dinner side dish or entree. 

So here it is!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds of Zucchini, grated (about 3 cups)

1/4 cup Feta Cheese, finely crumbled

2 eggs + 1 egg white, beaten

3/4 cup All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour

3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Sea Salt

1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper) 

1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano

Olive Oil (spray) for coating fry pan

Directions:

1. Once the zucchini is grated, squeeze out excess liquid using just your hands pressing down the zucchini in a fine strainer, through cheesed cloth, or like in my case since I had neither at hand, pressing the moisture out into layers of paper towels (worked great).
2. In a large mixing bowl, blend well the zucchini, feta, eggs, flour, baking powder and seasonings.
3. Heat over medium-high heat, a wide frying pan that is coated with the olive oil.
4. You should be able to cook 3 to 4 flapjacks that are 2-3 tablespoons of mixture each, spreading them out to make 4-inch rounds.
5. Cook the flapjacks for about three (3) minutes per side, or until golden. 
6. Serve warm as is, with butter, sour cream, greek yogurt, savory cream sauce or condiment to taste.

These were a BIG hit at my dinner table!

Curried-Tempeh Salad

Wow. This is way better than chicken salad! Thank you for sharing you recipe with us, Ef!

The main entree of our tailgate lunch, in the parking lot at the Portland International Raceway between our kid's cyclocross races, was our daughter's gluten-free, faux chicken curry salad, made with tempeh, served with her gluten-free sandwich bread made with buckwheat. If I am successful with her bread recipe, I will share it on this blog too.

Ingredients:

2 packages (8-ounce each) of Tempeh, diced into 1/4" cubes

1 Apple, cored and diced (peeling optional)

3 Celery stalks, chopped

1/4 cup chopped Nuts (walnuts or pecans)

2 tablespoons Raisins

2 teaspoons Curry Powder

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper

1 cup Mayonnaise (eggless, if vegan)

Directions:

1. Steam the tempeh for 10 minutes. If you don't have a steamer, add 2 to 3 inches of water to a saucepan and place tempeh in a steamer basket. Let cool.
2. Once cooled, in a large bowl, combine the tempeh with the apple, celery, nuts, raisins, seasonings and mayonnaise. Add more or less pepper and mayonnaise to your taste and level of moistness you prefer.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Here's a recap by my daughter of her conversation her four year old daughter, my granddaughter, on their drive home from their cyclocross race: 

"Leify (22-month old brother), please stop making all that noise! It's not polite to make all that noise when I'm trying to have a conversation with Mama." She told me in intricate detail of her plans for opening a restaurant called "A Big Kitchen For All of Us" - it will host two large kitchens, a party room, offer world foods, the parking lot will be on the left - and I will be supplying lights for the lot, restaurant decorations, roses for the tables and a calendar for the kitchen so that she knows what day it is. And her menu sounds amazing! She's so creative she won't even have to go to cooking school! Thankfully we've been invited to dine at her restaurant every night! I can't wait for her to wow me every night, cause she certainly does evety day!!!

Some of the delectables Seph plans to serve are Crispy Crunchy Carrots and Purple Marshmallow Stew.

Black Olive and Roasted Potato Salad

Central Market in Poulsbo is a wonderful one-stop-shop grocer on the Quimper Peninsula. Last time I was there I bought my family in Eugene a terrific cookbook chalked full of fantastic vegetarian and vegan recipes for burgers and delicious, nutritious side dish accompaniments. Everything we've tried from Luke Volger's Veggie Burgers Every Which Way thus far has been exceptional, including Black Olive and Roasted Potato Salad with Arugula, on page 135.

The roasted potatoes just came out of the oven to cool before tossing with the vinaigrette.

In the meantime, I'll give you this gluten-free recipe, so you can whip up this dish for you and your guests tonight.

In the original, the potatoes are tossed with arugula. I'm serving the potato salad atop mixed greens and only using the only potatoes we had on hand, red. I also substitute cracked black pepper with cayenne, as I have a black pepper allergy. Although the recipes says it serves 4, it can be stretched to serve 6 if not the main course.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato or 1 large large Yukon (8 ounces)

1 red potato (8 ounces)

4 tablespoons black olive tapenade (finely process 1 cup + of black pitted olives with 2 tablespoons olive oil)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced into half-rings

3 cups baby arugula, baby spinach or mixed greens loosely packed

Fresh ground pepper to taste.

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400-degrees
2. Wash, dry and cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Peeling not necessary.
3. Toss potatoes with 3 tablespoons of the tapenade and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
4. Spread potatoes onto a baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Completely cool the potatoes.
6. In a large mixing bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of tapenade, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and salt.
7. Add the slices of red onion and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes before adding the potatoes and greens before serving.
8. Season with black pepper to taste.

We served our warm black olive and potato salad on a bed of mixed greens with blanched asparagus and sautéed mushrooms.

Gorilla Bars

My 20-month old grandson, Leif, misunderstood "granola" calling his family's latest version of GF granola bars, Gorilla Bars. And yes, Leif, these Gorilla Bars are "yummy!"

Dry Ingredients

2-1/2 cups organic rolled oats
1/4 cup GF flour mix: 2 cups white rice flour, 2/3 cup potato flour/starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup ground flaxseed (automatic coffee bean grinder works great)
1/2 dry protein powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced almonds*
1 cup craisins*

* alternative ingredients to consider are: dried apples or apricots chopped fine, raisins....

Wet Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup creamy almond butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven 325-degrees. Lightly oil a 9"x13" baking pan with olive or canola oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Wait to add the dry fruit until the wet ingredients are ready to mix in.
3. In a small saucepan, stir together all the wet ingredients over medium-low heat until warm and well-blended.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, adding the craisins, mixing quickly until well-combined.
5. With lightly oiled hands, pat the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
6. Bake at 325-degrees for 20 minutes.
7. Let the bars cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. A pizza cutter works best.
8. After the bars are cut, let them continue to cool before removing from the pan. You can cover them with plastic wrap overnight to keep the bars moist.
9. Store in an air-tight container up to a week, if they last that long!

Makes 24 bars

My daughter, Effie, is now contributing their family recipes to Cook Around the Block - experimenting, discovering and creating new recipes they are enjoying, having made a radical change to their lifestyle and eating habits to address food allergies, gluten and lactose intolerance, and to improve their health and fitness for their very active lives.

Failed Vegan Experiment - "Chowders On!"

Well, it was nearly a year ago that we took the challenge to go vegan, and failed I might add. Now that we live on the Olympic Peninsula, we are able to enjoy the bounty of the Puget Sound, simply by walking onto nearby beaches to harvest oysters and clams, go crabbing with friends and enjoy fresh-caught fish anytime we want when they are in season. 

We have easily given up everything else that is animal protein-based, except for the occasional grating or slice of cheese. Our dairy substitutes are coconut, almond and rice milk products. We get our fats primarily from olive oil, nuts and seeds and their butters.

Back in 2009, I posted two crab recipes with links to other variations. I recommend you try them. Tonight, we are cooking up a batch of crab chowder from DZ's catch the other day. 

If you have a shellfish license in the State of Washington, you are able harvest five regulation-size crabs a day during crabbing season.

I'm hearing "Chowder's on!" coming from the kitchen... be back shortly to post our recipe.

 Absolutely fabulous! Could be served in the finest seafood restaurant anywhere in the world.

Manhattan Crab Chowder - Gluten-Free

Manhattan Crab Chowder

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Water to cover Potatoes
3 cups precooked diced Potatoes

1 pint of Water

2 tablespoons "Organic Better Than Bouillon" Vegetable Base (paste)

2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning Blend

1 heaping teaspoon Fennel Seed
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper or 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground Black Pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup chopped Onion
4 cloves chopped Garlic
2 large fresh Tomatoes, chopped
3/4 pound Crabmeat (and/or cubed, bite-size pieces of white Fish, Clams...)


Directions

1. Diced potatoes and cover with water in a 3-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, and boil for 15 minutes.
3. In a 1-quart saucepan, add a pint of water, 2 heaping tablespoons of the vegetable base. Add fennel seed, Italian seasoning, salt and the optional pepper.
4. Boil for a couple of minutes.
5. In a 4-5 quart stockpot, add the olive oil, diced onion, chopped garlic and tomatoes.
6. Pour the cooked potatoes along with the potato water over all. 
7. Next, pour the ingredients from the small sauce pan into the stock pot. 
8. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then stir in the crab meat (and/or other seafood). 
9. Simmer for another 5 minutes and serve hot.

Turn this into a fabulous seafood stew/cioppino by adding to the crab a combination of clams, mussels, shrimp, white fish....

My All-Time Favorite Minestrone Soup

Yesterday, my girlfriend Loma mentioned that she wanted to get back in the kitchen and cook up some healthy meals following the holidays. Sounds good to me! The topic of homemade soups came up and I offered to share my all-time family favorite minestrone soup recipe with her. I started making homemade minestrone back in 1978 using the recipe on page 109 in the Spices of the World Cookbook by McCormick. I hope you are fortunate enough to find a copy of this out-of-print cookbook. I guarantee you’ll be glad you have it on your culinary book shelf!

Photo from "Everything Minestrone Soup"

Ingredients:

1 cup dried marrow beans or garbanzo beans or lima beans

7 cups water

1/cup chopped instant onion

1 tablespoon Parsley Flakes

3 tablespoons Celery Flakes

1/8 teaspoon Instant Minced Garlic

2 tablespoons Bell Pepper Flakes

¼ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper

½ pound fresh spinach

2 teaspoons Beef Flavor Base, or vegetable base

1/8 teaspoon Rubbed Sage

¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning, or make your own blend

1 teaspoon Ground Thyme

2 teaspoons Salt

¼ teaspoon Course Ground Pepper

1 cup diced potatoes

2 cups tomatoes

1 cup chopped cabbage

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Soak beans overnight in water to cover. Drain.
2. Add the 7 cups of water. Cover and simmer for 3 hours or until tender.
3. Sauté the onions, garlic, parsley, celery and pepper flakes in oil until well-coated and hot, but don’t allow them to brown.
4. Add mixture to the beans with the remaining seasonings, fresh vegetables and uncooked macaroni.
5. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes or longer.
6. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add water to thin to the consistency you prefer.
7. Top the minestrone soup with grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes about 3 quarts.

Notes:

• This cookbook was designed to promote the sales of McCormick spices, so if you decide to use all fresh ingredients including the beans, onions and herbs, as I typically do, you will want to decrease the amount of water.
• To make this a gluten-free soup, simple add gluten-free macaroni (quinoa or brown rice).
  
• If you want to learn more about minestrone and try other variations, click here.

Christmas Eve Mediterranean Feast

Preparation for our Christmas Eve Mediterranean feast began several days in advance with culling though our cookbooks, selecting recipes, making a shopping list and checking it twice, deciding where to shop for best values for which items, doing the shopping, putting away the groceries, and cooking up what we could the day before. All in all, it was an enjoyable process with my husband just as enthusiastic and willing to do whatever it took to help me shop and cook.

Although dinner was intended to feed four adults and a child - the two of us, our daughter and son-in-law, our two year old granddaughter, with the addition of our week-old grandson - ...

Baby Leif fast asleep in Nana's arms.

...we made so much food, we had leftovers for all of us for three more meals, including Christmas day!

~ Our Mediterranean Menu ~

• Vegetarian Lentil Soup - Arabia - TLOB*, pg. 19
  
• "Start the Party" Hummus & Pita Bread - Arabia - TLOB*, pg 125
  
• Orange, Red Onion, Black Olive Salad (Munkaczina) - Arabia -
  
• Subsistence Tabbouleh - Arabia - TLOB*, pg. 143, also see quinoa tabouleh, gluten-free
  
• Dolmathes - Greece - GCIAAK*, pg. 122, also see stuffed grape leaves - vegetarian dolmades
  
• Garlic Green Beans with Mizithra Cheese - Greece - PA*, pg. 89 (with asparagus)
  
• Special Rice with Cinnamon - Arabia - TLOB*, pg. 29
  
• Mo Kadeem's Roasted Fish in Tahini Sauce - Arabia, TLOB*, pg.315
  
• Mrs. Manarelli's Civilized Panna Cotta - Italy, TLOB*, pg. 86
  

Cookbooks:

1. *TLOB - The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber (a culinary memoir)
   
2. *GCIAAK - Greek Cooking in an American Kitchen (1983) by St. Demetrios Church Cookbook Committee
   
3. *PA - Papas' Art of Traditional Greek Cooking by George and Chrisoula Papas
   

cinnamon rice, quinoa tabouleh and munkaczina with feta cheese

vegetarian dolmades in tomato sauce, roasted red snapper in tahini sauce with roasted pinenuts, garlic green beans with mizithra cheese

vegetarian lentil soup with cumin, green beans with
olive oil, roasted garlic and mizithra cheese, pita bread,
roasted fish and dolmades

panna cotta with chocolate sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream, less 2 tablespoons to dissolve in gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons gelatin (1/2 packet)
4 to 8 tablespoons of chocolate sauce, fruit puree or sweetened fruit

Directions:

1. Heat two cups (less two tablespoons) of the heavy cream and sugar in a sauce pan.
2. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. In a very small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining two tablespoons of cream.
4. Remove the simmered cream from the stove and add the gelatin-cream mixture.
5. Stir to dissolve.
6. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot cream liquid into 4 lightly-oiled metal molds or ramekins*.
7. Refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours until set.
8. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
   
9. Dip the molds in hot water and run the edge of a knife around the molds to loosen.
10. Invert molds onto serving plates and drizzle your choice of sauce over top.
11. *Option: Serve panna cotta in ramekins without removing and serve with sauce.
    

Serves 4

Gluten-Free Apple Oat Muffins

Something's been missing the past few years, but what is it... Muffins!

Yes, muffins; I haven't allowed myself to indulge in muffins since going gluten free. So, I went in search of a gluten-free muffin recipe. The criteria? It had to be quick, easy, moist and flavorful, and that I had all of the ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator. Voila! Love the Internet. I came across this recipe, contributed by Terri Gruss, MS on About.com, adapted from "Apple Oat-Bran Muffins" recipe in The Good Carb Cookbook by Sandra Woodruff, M.S., R.D.

This recipe is indeed quick, easy, and yields moist and flavorful muffins! And sweet, but not too sweet. Just right. I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free steel cut oats. Grinding them in my Vita-Mix to a fine flour.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups freshly ground certified gluten-free, rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plain, gluten-free yogurt
• 1/2 cup good quality 100% apple juice
• 2 lightly beaten large eggs plus one egg white
• 4 tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil (I used peanut oil)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup shredded, unpeeled apple (equivalent of one large apple)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
• 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to sprinkle on muffins (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Use a blender or coffee grinder to process the gluten-free oats into flour. Grind in batches if using a small coffee grinder.
2. Combine the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.
3. In a smaller bowl, lightly beat eggs. Whisk in the yogurt, apple juice, oil and vanilla. Slowly pour this wet mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients. Stir with a fork to thoroughly blend.
4. Fold in the shredded apple (I used a hand-held cheese grater) and nuts. Stir until blended. Avoid overmixing.
5. Line muffin pan with paper liners, or lightly grease pan and fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean (in my oven the muffins baked for 18 minutes).
7. While hot, sprinkle muffins with cinnamon sugar mixture and allow muffins to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving, if you can.

Enjoy!

Mama Siran's Date and Hazelnut Spread

I began my day with a delicious serving of natural goodness and sweetness. With a butter knife, I easily and liberally troweled Mama Siran's Date and Hazelnut Spread on a toasted half of a UDI's gluten-free bagel. Mama Siran's Spread has a creamy, smooth consistency like the thick, homemade apple butter I enjoyed as a young girl. Both dates and hazelnuts are loaded with nutrients and health benefits.

I look forward to serving Mama Siran's Spread during the holidays as an appetizer atop cream cheese on thin slices of a gluten-free baguette.

Soulikhan also sells both of Mama Siran's date products, date-hazelnut and date-apricot, as pastes. A 2 tablespoon serving has 120 calories.

Home-Baked Pizza with UDI'S Gluten-Free Crust

Yesterday was a busy day out and about with our granddaughter. We even fit in a late afternoon movie. By the time we were heading home, our thoughts were to either eat out or eat simple. Hungry, yet opting for the latter, we made a quick stop at the grocery store for toppings to go on the 9-inch UDI'S gluten-free pizza crusts we had in our freezer back home. We hadn't tried UDI'S pizza crust yet, so this was the perfect opportunity to load those crusts up with savory items and sink our teeth into them.


We weren't disappointed; the pizza was easy to cut with a pizza wheel and tasted great! The crust was crisp on the outside, yet chewy and flexible so we could pick up individual slices loaded with sauce, cheeses, fresh veggies and tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and olives... bending, and folding to wrap our mouths around them to take big bites!

The directions are to cook the pizza at 375-degrees for 5-7 minutes, if defrosted. Our crusts were frozen, so I let them cook for 10 minutes. I could have left the pizza in the oven for another minute or so, but I opted to microwave for 30-seconds on high instead. I said I was hungry! So, depending on the type of oven you have and how well it heats, the temperature of the crust, as well as how much you load up your crust, you will want to experiment on the time so your pizza is thoroughly cooked through from the crusty bottom to the juicy top.

Not only is UDI"S pizza crust gluten-free, it also dairy, soy and nut free. Each packages comes with two 9-inch uncooked crusts. The main ingredients are: tapioca, potato and corn starches, brown rice flour, canola or sunflower oil, evaporated cane juice xanthan gum, salt and yeast.

Note: I already have a couple posts about homemade gluten-free pizza and recently posted about trying gluten-free take-out pizza from Papa's Pizza. Next, I'll try making gluten-free pizza crust dough from a variety of dry mixes.

Gluten-Free Gravlax with Sour Cream Mustard Sauce

Gravlax is a Scandinavian entree or appetizer made with raw salmon that has been cured in salt, sugar, dill, and in this recipe potato vodka. Gravlax is served on thinly-sliced bread with a dollop of mustard sauce.

I served 2-1/2 pounds of Gravlax to family and friends at my daughter's baby shower this past November. It was so delicious, I plan to make it again for the holidays. You may still have time to make it for your Christmas party later this week, but you do need 48 hours for the salmon to cure before serving. And you'll need a sharp knife!

Ingredients for the Salmon (per half pound):

1/2 pound fresh, boneless salmon fillet
2 tablespoons potato vodka
1 round teaspoon coarse salt
1 round teaspoon sugar
Fresh dill weed to cover

Ingredients for the Sour Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
Pinch of salt
Minced dill weed (optional, to taste)

Directions:

1. If the salmon has skin, place it skin-side down in a glass or enamel baking pan.
2. Pour the vodka over the fleshy side, then sprinkle the salt and sugar evenly to coat.
3. Completely cover the salmon with sprigs of fresh dill weed.
4. Cover the salmon with a sheet of plastic wrap and place a heavy object on top to weigh it down while is cures in the brine. I set a smaller glass baking pan in side the larger glass pan and placed a water-filled tea kettle on top for weight.
5. Put the salmon in the refrigerator for 48 hours to cure in the brine.
6. Meanwhile, go ahead and make the sour cream mustard sauce. Mix together the sour cream, mustard, salt and minced dill (optional). Season to taste and chill.
7. After 48 hours has past, scrape all the dill and any remaining crust of sugar and salt off the top of the salmon fillet.
8. Place the salmon on a cutting board, and with a very sharp knife, make thin, diagonal slices the length of the fillet, making sure to slice clean through each segment.
   
9. Carefully transition the sliced fillet to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh dill weed, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to serve or transport to your party. Don't forget to take the sauce and bread and appropriate serving utensils!
   
10. Set the Gravlax platter on the table along with the bowl of the Sour Cream Mustard Sauce (with small spoon) and a basket of thinly sliced bread or crackers.

Note: Increase ingredients according to how many pounds you wish to serve.
Enjoy!

Festive Gluten-Free Quinoa Salad

Very exciting news! Our daughter Effie gave birth to a beautiful baby boy this past Wednesday, on December 15th.

Besides caring for our two year old "big sister" granddaughter, I wanted to make a nutritious meal for the family to enjoy when they returned home from the hospital.

I slightly modified the "Southwestern Quinoa Salad Recipe" I saved from the blog A Chic Life. It seemed like a versatile offering; one they could enjoy as a main entree and serve the next day as a side dish. Although the perfect salad for summertime meals, this quinoa salad is also a colorful, flavorful and festive contribution to any luncheon, dinner or potluck during the holidays. And it's gluten-free!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, dry and uncooked
  
• 2 cups water
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
  
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeds, minced OR 1 small can of diced jalapenos (mild or hot)
• 1 small jar of pimentos
  
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1/4 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa and combine with the 2 cups water in a medium pot.
   
2. Bring quinoa to a boil and simmer on low heat till the water absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking to the pot. Cool.
   
3. In a large bowl, mix the cooled, cooked quinoa, black beans, bell pepper, corn, jalapeno, and cilantro to combine.
   
4. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, and chili powder.
   
5. Pour dressing over the quinoa salad and stir gently to combine.
6. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Take-Out Pizza

My husband didn't know when he called late this afternoon that I didn't feel like cooking dinner tonight. However, he did call to say that when he came home for lunch today, he checked the mailbox, and in it there was a handwritten message on the back of a Gluten Free Menu from Papa's Pizza. It reads:

"Here's the menu. It sounds like you may not have been to Papa's before. I'd describe their pizza as consistently mediocre, but, they do have a respectable salad bar & gluten free pizza." S

S is a neighbor of mine, who recently introduced himself when passing my house on foot while on his way to walk the Amazon Trail. He knew of me through the community newsletter, which posts updates, including a note that we were new to the neighborhood. S mentioned that he is planning the annual neighborhood potluck and wanted to know what I thought of it being held at Papa's Pizza. I said that it was something to consider, but wondered if they had a gluten-free menu. This note in our mailbox was a follow-up to that conversation.

Back to my husband. He also called me to tell me that he had called in an order to Papa's Coburg location for a medium vegetarian pizza. Wow... I've been craving take-out pizza for over a week. It has been at least four years since I've eaten take-out pizza, and only a few occasions that I can think of where we ordered a gluten-free pizza at a restaurant. We arrived home about the same time, hungry, and dove right into the pizza with only a 30-second warm-up in the microwave. Pizza craving satisfied! Not bad... actually, pretty good. And I didn't have to cook.

Papa's Pizza - Vegetarian
Olive, Mushroom, Green Pepper, Onion, Tomato, and Cheese

Papa's Pizza crust is Bavaria Mills' gluten free, soy free pizza crust. Ingredients: rice flour, chickpea flour, eggs, sorghum syrup, grapeseed oil, olive oil, potato starch, rice bran, xanthan gum, sea salt, yeast, rice vinegar, chia meal and guar bean gum.

"Bavaria Mills is a Wholesale Bakery in Vancouver WA but they will ship retail orders with a $50 minimum balance. Call them at (360) 571-7619 and stock up your freezer." Gluten Free Mom

Papa's Pizza gluten-free pizzas can be ordered in either a 10" or 12" size, with a selection of over a dozen pizzas and extra toppings to choose from. If you dine at the restaurant, there is a large salad bar with a list, for your convenience, of all the items that are not gluten-free.

Next time I see S, I'll not only thank him for the introduction, I'll give him a thumbs up for having our neighborhood get-together at Papa's.

Gluten-Free Cottage Cheese Cornbread

Our family loves a good vegetarian soup, stew or chili accompanied by cornbread, especially when it's cold outside. Here's a quick and easy recipe for cornbread that is almost a meal in itself - nutritious, moist and gluten-free.



Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup oil or butter
1 cup corn

* If you don't have buttermilk on hand, pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup, top measuring cup with milk, and let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the other ingredients.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. Mix the cornmeal, gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl.
3. Whisk the sugar, oil, buttermilk and cottage cheese in a larger bowl.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then fold in the corn.
5. Pour mixture into a greased 8-inch square baking pan.
6. Bake 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
7. Let cool slightly before cutting; serve warm with butter, honey....
8. Another option is to place each serving of the cornbread in the bottom of individual bowls, ladle stew or chili over the top, and garnish with grated cheese.
   

Serves 8-10

'Tis the Season

I don't even know where to begin, because I don't know where the past few months have gone! The last time I posted was three months ago, and here we are embarking on the Christmas season.

Today on Facebook (facebook.com/leeenryerickson), my status reads: "We're a blended family... gluten-happy and gluten-free." The past two days I have been making Christmas cookies with my youngest daughter and granddaughter. They are "gluten happy". We had so much fun decorating sugar cookies cut out in the shape of a tree, star and snowman. They were all for their enjoyment, because I am "gluten-free".


Next time we bake together, we will make a variety of Christmas cookies in a cookie mold with gluten-free dough. And they will be for all of us to enjoy, when visiting Nana and Papa's house during the holidays.

For a recipe for gluten-free Christmas sugar cookies go to Celiac.com, the Gluten Free Cooking School and About.com for their "Decorated Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Recipe". Oh, and if you don't have time to make your sugar cookie dough from scratch, Cherrybrook Kitchen makes a terrific sugar cookie mix that is nut, dairy, egg, wheat and gluten free.

These past few months, I've been distracted and preoccupied with many things... health issues, sailing, projects, and especially busy with our family as we prepare for the arrival "Littlest" Sephira Lee's baby brother "newest" Leif Kohl Ericson. He can make his debut any day or week now. I'm waiting for the call! I've devoted little time for experimenting in the kitchen. Since we moved last July, leaving my large, beautiful kitchen behind, I've lacked some of the motivation I had adjusting slowly to working in a smaller, less inspiring and accommodating space. And, to be perfectly honest, there are times when I just don't feel like cooking much.

I have found however, that my interest in learning all I can about the differences and similarities between celiac disease (CD) and gluten intolerance has greatly increased. I recently posed that very question on Facebook. If you are a member, click here to add your vote and join the discussion. At the time of this posting, the vote is nearly 50/50. I'm also trying to connect with a many people and experts as I can who are either a Celiac or gluten sensitive. Another online community that I have joined to connect with others is Gluten Free Faces. I'm beginning to feel inspired once again!

My intention is to reboot my blog with entries about experimenting with more raw foods and gluten-free recipes, as well as working all this into an acid-alkaline balanced diet. I recently responded to a friends inquiry: What do you guys think of the acid v alkaline theory? The following was my response:

I've learned that a balanced alkaline-acid body chemistry is foundational to health. If our bodies are too acidic, then that imbalance can cause a myriad of maladies from a-z. Acid waste in the body attacks joints, muscles, nerves, organs, gut, glands, including our thyroid, adrenal and lymphatic system... and opportunistic infections and insidious diseases like cancer. It's primarily our poor dietary choices, which lead to alkaline-acid imbalance that is the underlying, root cause of why we see a pandemic of illnesses, allergies, sensitivities and syndromes. Alkaline neutralizes acid. It is essential to know which foods and minerals are alkaline-forming or acid-forming to avoid over-acidity and create alkalinity. The best diet is an organic, raw foods diet rich in alkaline-forming foods and drinking the purest water we have access to.

The best book I've read on this subject is Alkalize or Die by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody.

I also plan to start putting together a blog entry that will provide links to my favorite celiac disease/gluten-free blogs and website, as my side bar would cascade to the bottom of the sea if I posted all the links there.

Last Christmas I shared my recipe for making a delicious, organic Gift of Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix. 'Tis the season to share it again. Click here. Gift a batch of sugar cookies while you're at it!


Happy Gluten-Free Holidays to You and Yours!