Gluten Free
Quinotto is the quinoa equivalent of risotto. Since risotto is one of my favorite foods, I thought I would give this a try. It turned out to be delicious and the roasted squash gave this dish a wonderful flavor…it’s a close second, but nothing beats out risotto!
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb Butternut Squash, peeled & cubed
Salt & Pepper
1/2 Cup Uncooked Quinoa, rinsed
A Handful of Cilantro, chopped
1 Carrot, grated
5 White Mushrooms, sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, finely grated
1 small onion, shopped
1 1/2 Cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and season with salt & pepper and about 1 Tablespoon cilantro. Toss to combine. Roast in oven for 30 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned.
Cook the quinoa. A rice cooker works well or you can cook it on the stovetop. Add the quinoa along with 1 cup of water to a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. For a rice cooker, add the quinoa along with 1 cup water and turn on.
Heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onion, cooking for a couple minutes to soften the onion. Add the mushrooms, remaining cilantro and 1/2 cup stock. Cover and simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
Mix the grated carrot into the cooked quinoa. Stir the quinoa and remaining stock into the veggies in the sauté pan. Fold in the squash. Cover and simmer a few more minutes to let the remaining liquid absorb.
Serves: 4 as main dish
-Recipe adapted from FitSugar -
Tags: Butternut Squash, Dairy Free, Dinner, Gluten & Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Mushrooms, Quinotto, Risotto
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Large Yellow Onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 Celery Stalks, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 Medium Carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 Bay Leaf
1 Cup Brown Rice
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin side down in the pot. Cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.
Add the onion and celery, cover and cook on low for 20 minutes.
Add the carrots, bay leaf, 1 3/4 cups water, rice, salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble over high heat, reduce heat and simmer covered until the rice is cooked, about 45 minutes.
Serves: 4
-Recipe comes from MarthaStewart.com-
Tags: Brown Rice, Chicken, Chicken Thighs, Dairy Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, One-Pot, Rice
I’ve discovered some amazing oatmeal that I just had to share! I hope you enjoy this quick and tasty oatmeal too.
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 Cup Water
1 Banana, broken in half
Dash of Cinnamon
Place all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir to combine.
Enjoy!
Serves: 1
Tags: Banana, Breakfast, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Oatmeal, Oats, Quick & Easy
Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is one of my new favorite foods. You should give this little grain a try!
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, finely grated
1 Large Fennel Bulb
2 1/2 Cups Vegetable (or Chicken Broth)
3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
1 Cup Quinoa, rinsed in a mesh strainer
1/3 Cup Sliced Almonds
Cut the fronds off the the fennel bulb and peel of the outer layer of the bulb. Reserve some of the fronds for garnish. Cut the bulb in half and remove the core. Thinly slice the fennel.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan (one with a lid) over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the fennel and saute for about 3 minutes to soften.
Add the broth and thyme to the pan. Bring to a bubble, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the Quinoa. Bring to a bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.
Toast the almonds in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Stir in the almonds. Garnish with some of the reserved fronds.
Serves: 4 as side dish
-Recipe comes from CookinCanuck.com-
Tags: Almonds, Dairy Free, Fennel, Garlic, Gluten Free, Quinoa, Side Dish, Vegan
Garlic! Yum!
Ingredients:
1 Cup Brown Rice
1 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Zucchini, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, finely grated
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Start cooking the rice by your preferred method. I like to use a rice cooker.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until browned. Add the zucchini and garlic and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the cooked rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves: 2-3
Tags: Brown Rice, Chicken, Dairy Free, Dinner, Garlic, Gluten Free, Rice, Zucchini
Here is a good way to use up some leftover pumpkin puree. Oh, and don’t sprinkle roasted pumpkin seeds on top like I did because they instantly turned really chewy and hard to eat. They do look pretty though!
Ingredients:
2 ½-3lbs Tomatoes, cut into large chunks
6 Cloves Garlic, finely grated
1 Onion, Sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to drizzle
Salt & Pepper
3 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
2 Cups Pumpkin Puree
Preheat oven to 450°F and cover a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.
Place the tomato chunks, garlic and onion on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes.
Transfer the roasted tomatoes, garlic and onions to a large soup pot. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, basil and pumpkin puree. Bring to a bubble, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Adjust seasonings with salt & pepper if needed.
Serves: 4
Tags: Dairy Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Pumpkin, Roasting, Soup, Tomato, Tomatoes
This is a meal that made me rethink spaghetti squash. I thought I didn’t like spaghetti squash, but in reality I really just didn’t like how it was prepared before. So, if you think you don’t like spaghetti squash, why not give this recipe a try and see if it changes your mind too!
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1 Head Broccoli, cut into florets
2 Cloves Garlic, finely grated
3 Chicken Breasts
1-2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
Half the squash lengethwise, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Place on the baking sheet cut side down. Bake for 15 minutes.
Add the broccoli to the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, toss with the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Place on baking sheet and return to oven. Bake another 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the squash is soft.
Scrape the spaghetti squash out into a large bowl. Chop the chicken and add it to the bowl along with the broccoli. Toss to combine.
Serves: 4
Tags: Broccoli, Chicken, Dairy Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Spaghetti Squash, Squash
Sweet and tangy roasted chicken drumsticks make for a simple and delicious dinner that is perfect for company.
Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
12 Drumsticks
Salt & Pepper
6 Tablespoons Honey
2 Limes, juice and zest
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a large baking dish.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
Prepare the glaze by combining the honey and lime juice and zest together in a small bowl.
Pour the glaze over the chicken and bake for 20-30 minutes more until the chicken is cooked thoroughly, turning several times.
Yield: 12 Drumsticks
Tags: Chicken, Dairy Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Honey
Risotto and sweet potatoes are two of my favorite things. Put them together and it’s a heavenly dish! This risotto would be good with any type of sweet potato.
Ingredients:
5 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1-2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Stalk Celery, diced
2 Cups Short Grain Brown Rice
1lb Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Clove Garlic, finely grated
Salt & Pepper
Nutmeg, freshly grated
2 Tablespoons Butter
Heat the stock in a sauce pan and keep warm over low heat.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the rice and sweet potatoes, cooking 2-3 minutes to toast the grains. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Start adding the stock, 1-2 ladlefuls at a time. Stir frequently until almost all of the liquid is absorbed before adding more stock. Keep adding stock until the rice is softened and creamy. This will take about 45 minutes with brown rice.
Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little nutmeg and stir in the butter.
Serves: 4
Tags: Dinner, Gluten Free, Risotto, Sweet Potato
Easiest and best tasting frosting ever! I doubled this recipe when I made it last time and froze half of it for later. The butterfly cake pictured above is from Chloe’s 2nd birthday.
Ingredients:
1 ½ Squares Bakers Chocolate
3 Tablespoons Water
3 Tablespoons Butter
12 Large Marshmallows
1 1/3 Cups Powdered Sugar
In a large bowl, microwave the chocolate, butter, water and marshmallows until melted. Microwaving in short intervals, stirring frequently. Cool in freezer for a few minutes.
Sift in the powdered sugar and stir to combine.
*Note: I forgot to sift the powdered sugar. Notice the lumps. It did end up being lump free after lots of stirring.
Yield: Frosting for 1 cake
Tags: Chocolate, Dessert, Frosting, Gluten Free