Category Archives: Lunch

Elote Recipe

Elote is a mexican corn on the cob dish that sweet, spicy and creamy. When my boyfriend is in the mood for something he will ask for it repeatedly until he gets it. It’s kinda funny because it is always something very random that he sees in passing. The other day while walking in the market he must have found someone selling it so as always he called and started chanting “Elote… Elote….. ELOTE.” With corn in season this is a great alternative to spice it up a notch.
Since Jay is the Mexican food expert I finally got him in the kitchen to make this one. Check out what he did and give it a try.

Ingredients:

2 Full corn on the cob still in husk
1 Tbs Mayo
Juice of half a lime
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese (Cotija if possible)
2 tsps chile powder
2 tsps cumin
1 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 cup cilantro chopped

Soak corn for about an hour in water. Then broil corn in husks until dark brown on outside. Rotate 1/2 turn after 7 mins then cook another 7 mins. If you don’t have a broiler feel free to cook the corn in the same way on the grill or in am oven at 500 degrees.

When corn is cooked remove from husk. In one bowl combine 1 tablespoon of Mayo with 1/2 lime squeezed. In another bowl mix together Cotija cheese (or Parmesan if you don’t have Cotija) , chile powder, cumin, ground red pepper. When your ready to serve, brush on mayo lime mixture. Then coat heavily with cheese spice mixture and top with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

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Italian Pasta Salad

I always inspired by the Italian Market to make something fun. I made this recipe for a family picnic and it was a hit.

1 Box Quinoa Pasta ( Works Best with Ancient Harvest Pagodas which are like little different color twists http://www.quinoa.net)
1/2 Cup Chopped Sun dried Tomato’s
1 Can Artichoke Hearts
1/4 Cup Slice Green Olives
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Juice of Half a Lemon
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Sugar
1 Tbs Dried Oregano

Cook pasta and make sure not to over cook, your looking for it to be firm. Drain the pasta and allow it to cool. Then, in a food processor place the oil, salt, sugar, lemon and oregano in the food processor and mix well. Pour dressing over pasta and mix in Artichoke, Tomato and Olives. Toss well and Serve.

* This can be prepared ahead of time but keep the pasta and dressing separate until ready to serve.

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Pumpkin Smoothie

Pumpkin Smoothie

Its my favorite time of year and time to go crazy with pumpkin. I actually dug out my last quart of frozen pumpkin from last year and have been playing around with it. I decided to start with a smoothie.

1 Cup Pumpkin Mashed or Canned
1 Frozen Banana
3/4 Cup Almond Milk
2 Tbsp Splenda
1 tsp Pumpkin Spice
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/3 Cup Cool whip or Yogurt

Place it all in a blender and turn it on high for abut 2 minutes. Serve in a tall glass with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

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Veggie Burger

I am always looking for fun stuff to do with Quinoan and since finding a gluten free veggie burger can be hard I figured I would give it a try. The combination of nutty quinoia and naturally sweet butternut squash makes this a fun fall dish.

1 Small Butter Nut Squash
1 Tbs Honey
1 Egg
2 Cup Quinoa cooked (Ancient Harvest Brand Original or Red http://www.quinoa.net/)
4 Tbs Chestnut Flour
1/2 Red Pepper chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tspn Nutmeg
1/2 tspn Onion Powder
1/2 Tbs Garlic Powder
1/2 paprika
1 Pinch Chile Flakes
4 Gluten Free Hamburger Buns ( As always Sweet Christens brand is my favorite http://www.onlinebakery.co/ )

Peel and cut squash in to cubes. Place into a small non-stick over safe dish with a tiny bit of water at the bottom. Roast at 500 degrees for about 30 minutes until cubes are soft. Remove and drain as much water as possible while you allow them to cool completely. Once cool, mash squash on a bowl and add cooked Quinoa, egg, honey and all spices. Stir well and then add flour. I use chestnut but any nut flour would do the trick. Combine all ingredients and place in the fridge over night to firm up. When ready to serve just form patties and cook on a pan. Serve with your favorite topping!

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Ancient Harvest

Quinoa has always been a favorite of mine. It super health benefits, unique nutty flavor and its unique ability to be used many different ways. I use it recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner and both cold and hot.

A few weeks ago I was in the store looking for quick meal to make and I was craving mac and cheese. Until this day I had never found a gluten-free pasta I liked. Kt always cooks into a mush. The employ at the store explained that rice pasta often does that and I should try this quinoa version of mac and cheese in a box. I figured why not.

He was right! This stuff was amazing! The pasta cooked great and held its shape. The powder cheese is exactly hot I remember from when I was a kid. Even Jay liked it and he will never eat my store bought gluten free stuff. The next day I wrote the company to express my love for this product. Thankfully the company makes a ton of different stuff which I am working hard to try it all. From all kinds of gluten free pasta to polenta and even quinoa flour.

Is quinoa gluten free?

As a grain, quinoa is gluten free. Our Ancient Harvest Quinoa is grown exclusively in the high Andean Altiplano regions of Bolivia. Our quinoa is grown at 12,000+ foot elevations in very arid conditions which will not support traditional gluten bearing grain production, therefore insuring us no possibility of potential field contamination with such grains. Our Traditional, Inca Red and Black whole grain quinoa is then cleaned, processed and packed in our quinoa-only organic and gluten free facilities.

Are your products produced in gluten free facilities?

Our Ancient Harvest Quinoa, Quinoa Flour, Gluten Free Pasta Corn/Quinoa Product Line and Food Merchant Polenta are all processed in specialized gluten free facilities in the United States. This assures us of the highest quality integrity and frequent shorter production runs for fresher product delivered to our customers. Our Quinoa Flakes are now also processed in a gluten free facility.

Playing with this stuff is a blast. I will be posting everything I make but Next time you are at the store pick up a box and give it a try.

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Chicken Nuggets

The infamous chicken nuggets. The ones we all remember from childhood. The ones in the the box that comes with a toy. Easy to dip and fun to share. We always have a box of the store bought kind in the freezer for my boyfriend but they clearly are not gluten free. I wanted to make some that I could enjoy. This is a kid pleaser for sure.

Ingredients –
2 Skinless and Boneless chicken breast
1 Cup Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1 Tbs Onion Powder
1 Tbs Garlic Powder
2 tsps Salt
2 tsps Pepper

First place bead crumbs in a food processor with spices and half the sat and pepper. Blend it well and place on a plate. Next, puree chicken breast in food processor to form a paste along with the other half of the salt, pepper and 1 Tbs of the bread crumb mixture. For 1 inch balls with the paste. Coat each ball with rice flour, then dip in egg and finally in the bread crumb mixture. Place on a lined cookie sheet. Press each ball down half way to form the tradition nugget share. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes but check frequently. If you would like to freeze, cook for 5 minutes and once cooled place in an ziplock bag. Then just remove frozen and cook an additional 8-10 minutes. Serve with some homemade ketchup or fresh honey.

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Quesadilla

Since most quesadilla’s are made on big flour tortilla its one of the few mexican dishes that are hard to get gluten free. I have been playing with my favorite pizza crust from Sweet Christine’s Bakery and figured out that the work great for making quesadilla’s in the oven. Bonus, two of these gluten free crusts Are less calories the one big flour tortilla.

Recipe –

2 gluten free 10 inch pizza crusts ( Buy the best at http://www.sweetchristinesglutenfree.com )

¼ Cup red pepper sliced

¼ Cup Sliced Mushroom

1/8 Cup Mexican Cheese Shredded

½ teaspoon chipotle powder (Use paprika is you would prefer it not spicy)

½ teaspoon Adobo seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Oil or non stick spray

The first step is to slice and sauté the veggies on an well oiled pan. While veggies cook add in salt, pepper, chipotle powder and adobo seasoning. Cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes or until veggies begin to get soft. Spray/ Oil both sides of each crust. Place on a sheet pan and top first with an even layer of veggies and then cheese. Place second crust on top and press down. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes and then carefully flip and continue to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the quesadilla a few minutes to cool. Cut in to triangles and serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

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Egg Drop Soup

Every time I order Chinese food the first thing I get is egg drop soup. It is also the only thing I ever want when I am not feeling well. It is super easy to make and worth a try.

Ingredient:

2 Cups Chicken Broth (gluten free)
1 egg scrambled (you can use only the white of an egg if you prefer)
1/2 Tbsp of Gluten Free Soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
2 – 4 Tbsp chopped green onion depending on how much you like

In a pot, boil broth with soy sauce and pepper. Once liquid is boiling lower heat and add egg slowly while whisking lightly with a fork or chop stick. The egg will cook quickly and then remove soup from heat and pour into a bowl. Add green onions and serve while hot.

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BlueBerry Jam

I have started playing around with preserving food in jars. I have failed with my attempts at pickling but I seem to do well with making jam. This recipe is transferable to almost any berry. Please make sure to follow approved canning techniques to insure a safe, shelf stable product. I provided a great link for you with tons more recipes and resources if your interested:http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html

If you are from Philly then you have most likely been to one of the many great brunch places with homemade jam. I have been wanting to replicate it for a long time but was finally inspired when the market had a full flat of blueberries for $2. I adjusted the recipe’s I had by adding less sugar and no pectin. This was my first try and it came out great!!!!

Ingredients:

5 Cups blueberries (Washed, dried, stems removed)
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
Juice and zest of one lemon

I recommend reading the site I provided above for some better canning instruction but I will try to break it down below. I have taken some canning classes on canning and I can imagine it would be hard to follow with out understanding the reason behind each step. This recipe was a small batch and made 3 small jars worth. Start with the three pot set up below:

Pot 1 – Medium size pot non-reactive surface to make the jam. Place blueberries in the pot and crush. Add sugar and lemon and cook on medium heat. Continue to stir and watch the mixture so that it continues to bubble but not burn or boil over. You must stir it every few minutes. Your goal is for the mixture to become thick. It should get to the point that it wont create droplets or run easily off a cold spoon. You are looking for a consistency that slowly forms large clumps that look almost like glass forming on the spoon. Many recipes say this will take 10-15 minutes. It took me about 35 minutes but weather plays huge factor.

Pot 2- The next pot should be small with hot water for cleaning the lids. When you preserve anything in jars, the metal circle part of the lid is not re-usable. Each time you must use new lids.This is because they have a rubber lining that helps form a seal but it only works once. The jar and twisty top are good for many uses but not the flat part of the lid. In order to active the new flat top you must heat the lids to help soften the rubber. Do this by putting just the flat part of the lid in the pot with very hot water but not boiling and allow it to sit for about ten minutes before processing.

Pot 3 – Place water into the pot high enough to cover the jars with a little extra water because water will evaporate. You should use the biggest pot you own for this one like a lobster pot. Place a small towel in the bottom of the pot. This acts like a pillow to avoid the jars from breaking in the pot. Place the jars and lids in the pot and bring water to boil. Boil for ten minutes and then keep the jars in the hot water until your ready to fill.

Once the jelly cooks down and is ready to go, shut the heat off and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Remove jars from hot water and drip dry. Fill each jar with jelly about one half inch from top. Clean the tops of the jar well with a clean towel to insure that you will make a good seal between the jar and lid. Place the lids on jars. Its important not to twist the lid on to tight because you want air to escape. A good rule is to make it finger tight.

Next, place the complete jars in the big pot of water on high heat for ten minutes. Once the water is boiling you may want to lower it a bit to keep the jars from moving to much. After ten minutes CAREFULLY remove the the jars with tongs from pot and place on counter. Its important not to put the jars on a cold surface because the sudden change in temp from the hot water to the cold counter can break the glass.

The final step is my favorite. I call it the canning musical. Once jars are out of the water you want to hear each lid make a pop sound. This insures a good seal. The sound is like the what you hear when you open a glass juice bottle. This can take up to 15 minutes depending on room temp. If you don’t hear the pop or see an indent on the top of the lid then you should keep that jar in the fridge and use it first.

Jam can stay shelf stable for up to a year but once opened should be stored in fridge. Enjoy!!!

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Bruschetta

I wanted to give some tips on a very popular recipe right now. This is one of my favorites. Tomatoes are in season right now and I could eat them all day. I was never a big fan of bruschetta because I did not see what was so special. Once I learned how to do this the right way I was shocked by the difference.

Ingredients

5 plum tomatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped basil
Pinch of salt
2 cloves garlic
1/2 Cup motzerl cheese *optional
1 loaf of gluten free bread ( My pick is Sweet Christine’s baget)

Slice bread and either grill or toast it. Slice raw garlic clove in half and rub all over the toast. The hot bread will release the right amount of oil from the clove. Then Lightly oil the top of the toast. Next, slice a tomato in half and gently rub the juice onto each slice. In. A separate bowl add chopped tomato with olive oil, basil and salt. If using cheese add it at this point. Mix tomatoes well with hand and top it on bread.

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