Gluten Free Fish Batter

 Fish Batter

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup potato Starch 
• 1/2 Cup Potato or Corn Starch
• 1 Egg
• Two Tablespoons lemon Juice
• 1/2 Tablespoon Ground Coriander Seed
• Salt and Pepper
• Cold Water

Instructions:

1. Cut fish to desired size, pat dry.
2. In a large bowl add 1 Cup potato starch, lemon juice egg, coriander season heavily with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup cold water stir until smooth. Add more water until batter is smooth, no lumps. Batter should flow easily without being too watery.
3. On a large plate scatter the 1/2 cup of corn or potato starch, season heavily with salt and pepper. Sift together so salt and pepper are evenly distributed.
4. Heat deep fryer to 375°F.
5. Dredge fish pieces in seasoned starch, then in batter and directly into the preheated fryer. fry for 3-4 minutes until fish is cooked through and batter is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack over a paper towel lined tray. Repeat until all fish is cooked.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

 Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Chicken Breast Ground
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch

Crunchy Coating

• 1/2 Cup Potato Starch
• Salt and Pepper
• Gluten Free Panko, or cracker, or chip crumbs, Optional.
• 1 Egg

Tools:

• Parchment Paper
• Rolling Pin
• Food Processor

Instructions:

1.  Add the ground chicken to a food processor, and pulse several times to blend the ground chicken together. Add the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pulse to blend in spices. Sprinkle the corn starch over the chicken mix, and pulse until the corn starch blends in.
2. On a large sheet of parchment, transfer the chicken paste from the food processor. Cover with another sheet of parchment and roll to a scant 1 cm thick.
3. Transfer parchment covered, flattened chicken mix to a baking tray and chill in fridge for two hours, or freezer for 30 minutes. Until chicken is firm.
4. Lift off top sheet of parchment, and cut chicken paste into desired shapes. Transferring cut shapes to a parchment lined tray.
5. Scraps can be rolled back together and re-rolled into a sheet to cut additional shapes. 
6. Once all shapes have been cut, freeze the shapes in a single layer on baking trays until completely frozen.
7. When ready to cook, prepare a bowl with a beaten egg and water. another with seasoned potato starch and finally one with the crumbs.
8. Take the desired shape, dredge in the egg wash, the potato starch, then back int he egg wash finishing with the crumb.
9. Heat oil in a skillet, fry nuggets for roughly 2-3 minutes per side. Transferring cooked nuggets to a plate lined with paper towels.
10. Repeat process for desired number of nuggets.

Enjoy!

Korean Fried Chicken Sauce

 Korean Fried Chicken Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Gochujang Paste
• 1 Inch Ginger Root, grated
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small pot, over low heat stir constantly until sauce comes together. 
2. Simmer on low for 5 minutes.
3. To use, heat the sauce until it is more runny, toss over fried chicken. Garnish fried chicken with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
4. Enjoy!

Korean Style Fried Chicken

 Korean Style Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole chicken, butchered into two breasts, thigh, leg, wing. Butcher each breast half in half again.
• 2 Cups Buttermilk
• 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 Cup Potato Starch
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Celery Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Thyme
• 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Chilli Flakes (More for extra spicy)
• Vegetable Oil for Frying, either deep fry or shallow fry. But you must fry in oil for best results.

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl stir together the buttermilk and garlic powder. Submerge the chicken pieces in the brine for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
2. When ready to fry, remove chicken pieces from marinade, and let excess drain off.
3. In a medium bowl sift together the potato starch, teaspoon garlic powder, celery seeds, thyme, paprika, baking powder and chilli flakes.
4. Heat oil to roughly 350°F. 
5. When oil is heated, dredge each piece of chicken in the flour blend. Until evenly coated, shaking off excess.
6. Gently lower chicken into oil, and fry for 5-8 minutes in a deep fryer, or 4 minutes on one side before turning for another 3-4 minutes.
7. Use a meat thermometer to ensure chicken is cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a wire rack over a sheet tray so excess oil can drain off. Keep cooked chicken warm in a barely warm oven while frying the rest of the chicken.
8. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes:

Seriously, potato starch is the key to crispy fried coatings. and its GF! 

Parmesan and Herb Fries

 Parmesan and Herb Fries

Ingredients:

1 Pound potatoes 

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder 

1 Tablespoon Rosemary leaves, dried or fresh

1/4 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Wash or peel potatoes and cut into fry or tater shapes as desired. 
3. In a large bowl add the cut potatoes, olive oil, garlic powder, Rosemary, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir or toss potatoes in the bowl to evenly coat with the seasonings. 
5. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. 
6. Pour potatoes onto prepared tray and arrange into a single layer. 
7. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, turn and stir fries and bake for another 20-30 mins until fries are golden brown and cooked through.
8. Leave in oven longer for crisper fries. 

Serve and enjoy. 

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Butter, Room Temp

1/4 Cup Peanut Butter

1 Large Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Cup 1:1 Gluten Free Flour Blend

1/4 Cup Tapioca Starch

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Power

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium sized bowl, cream together brown sugar and butter.
2. Add in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla, and cream together.
3. In a small bowl sift together flour blend, tapioca starch, baking power, baking soda, and salt. Sift dry ingredients together thoroughly.
4. Slowly blend the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until just combined. 
5. Transfer cookie dough into an airtight sealing container, and chill in fridge overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 375°F.
7. Scoop dough by the tablespoon, into round balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. 
8. Place some white sugar in a shallow bowl, and press the tines of a fork into the sugar, and then into the top of each cookie ball, making a cross-hatch pattern and flattening the call slightly.
9. Keep dough chilled until ready to bake.
10. Bake prepared cookies in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine takes about 10 minutes.
11. Let baked cookies rest on pan for 2 minutes, before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
12. Store cookies in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Enjoy!

Channa Masala Curry

Channa Masala Curry

Ingredients:

• 4 Clove Garlic
• 1 inch Ginger root
• 2 Jalapeno or about 4 Thai chili
• Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
• Salt and Pepper
• Vegetable oil
• 2 Teaspoons Mustard Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 large Onion, diced
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Coriander
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
• 2 Teaspoons Garam masala
• 1 (14 ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
• 2 (14 ounce) Cans Chickpeas, Drained
• 1 Cup Chopped Cilantro leaves

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a small food processor pulse together the garlic, ginger root, chilies, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Pulse until a paste forms with no large chunks remaining.
2. In a large sauce pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, add the mustard seeds and cumin once oil is heated.
3. Mustard seeds will sputter a bit like popcorn. Don't panic.
4. Once you can smell the spices bloom, add the diced onion, and stir-fry cook for 5-10 minutes until onions are soft, and starting to brown. If things are going to quickly add a few tablespoons of water to slow it down. We want slow carmalized onions.
5. Once onions are browned, add the spice paste from the food processor. Stir to combine.
6. Add in the coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. Stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
7. Add the entire contents of the can of tomatoes, and either mash with a potato masher, or use an immersion blender to pulse until relatively smooth.
8. Stir in drained and rinsed chickpeas, and almost all of the chopped cilantro, reserving a little bit for garnish.
9. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the curry and stir to blend.
10. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with rice, and naan bread, garnishing with a little of the remaining cilantro.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Taco Salad

Vegetarian Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup cooked Pearl Couscous, or rice, or another grain
• 2 cups Spinach or Salad Greens
• 2/3 cup Pico de Gallo or salsa
• 1/2 Avocado, diced
• 2 Ounce Shredded Cheese

Instructions:

1. add the pearl couscous, spinach, and pico de gallo to a medium bowl and toss all ingredients together.
2. Divide salad into two serving bowls, top with cheese and diced avocado, and serve.
3. Garnish with extra cilantro or green onion if desired.
4. Enjoy!

Notes:

Made this for lunch so many times over the past few months that I lost count. Its a great salad, low calorie, but filling and fairly balanced in nutrients. Plus with the pico de gallo and avocado there is so much flavor that I barely even notice there isn't a true protein in it. 

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Small Onion
• 1 Bunch Cilantro
• 1-2 Jalapeno Peppers
• 1 Lime
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1.  Dice the tomatoes, and onion.
2. Finely chop the cilantro and jalapeno.
3. Zest and juice the lime.
4. In a medium bowl add the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime zest and lime juice. 
5. Season well with salt and pepper.
6. Stir to combine. 
7. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
8. Store in an airtight container for about four days in the fridge.

Notes:

Ok so I literally actually totally do make this all the time. It makes a great salsa, I use it as a condiment for tacos, I make salads for work and use it as both the dressing and extra veggies. The amount of heat can be adjusted, I usually use one small jalapeno pepper and find the spice kick is perfect for me, and I am not very good at handling spice heat.

If Cilantro tastes like soap to you, congratulations, you have a genetic mutation! But this means that no matter what you do, cilantro will taste like soap or perfume so if that is the case then just skip it, and if you really want to add in some herb notes green onions or a little oregano can be substituted in a pinch. 

Garlic BBQ Pork Chop

Garlic Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 2 Pork Chops, bone in or boneless
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat  BBQ or a grill pan to medium high heat. While allowing the pork chops to rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes.
2. If you have a mortar a pestle, smash the garlic cloves into a paste. If you don't have your own mortar and pestle finely mince, grate, or crush the garlic cloves.  Add the olive oil, stir to mix and set aside.
3. Season Pork Chops on both sides with salt and pepper.
4. When grill is heated, place pork chops on grill and cook for about 4 minutes on the first side. Turn and baste cooked side with the garlic olive oil blend. Cook for an additional 4 minutes, turn and baste other side with garlic olive oil blend. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, turn and cooked for 2 more minutes.
5. Ensure Pork is cooked through, rest on a plate for 5 minutes before serving.
6. Cooking times may vary, these are the times I used when cooking a boneless pork chop that was about 1/2 inch thick.

Enjoy!

Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:

• 6 cups Puffed Rice Cereal (Or other Cereal)
• 4 Cups Mini Marshmallows, or roughly 45 large Marshmallows
• 2 Tablepsoons Butter
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

1. Prepare a 9X13inch brownie pan by spraying lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large microwave safe bowl measure out the marshmallows and butter, and heat for about 1 minute at a time, stirring after every minute until marshmallows are melted and not lumpy.
3. Add the Vanilla extract to the melted marshmallows, and stir well.
4. Add all the cereal to the melted marshmallows and stir to combine, being sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to mix everything well.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray and press cereal and rice mixture firmly into pan.
6. Allow to set for an hour before cutting into squares.
7. Store cut squares in an air tight container.

Enjoy!

Falafel Wrap

Falafel Wrap

Ingredients:

• 1 Recipe for Falafel
• 1 Recipe for Tahini Garlic Sauce
• 1 Recipe for Quick Pickles, Radish or Carrot
• 6 Pita or Tortillas
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Bell Pepper
• 1 Cup chopped Tomato
• Lettuce

Instructions:

1. Prepare Falafel, or used store bought.
2. Prepare Tahini Garlic Sauce 
3. Prepare pickled carrots or radish.
4. Slice the pepper and zucchini into thin slices.
5. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, without oil, char-grill the zucchini and pepper, for about 3 minutes a side. Trying to get a nice dark char on at least one side of each veggie slice.
6. Roughly chop about 1-2 cup of lettuce or spinach leaves.
7. Open the pita pocket, or lay the wrap out flat, arrange 4 falafel in the center, drizzle some of the tahini garlic sauce over the falafel. Sprinkle some chopped lettuce into the wrap, then a few slices of pickle, zuchini, bell pepper and tomato.
8. Wrap everything up, if desired, toast slightly under the broiler in oven.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup GF Rolled Oats
• 1 Cup Gluten Free Baking Flour Blend(I'm still using Our Compliments by Sobeys)
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon Xantham Gum
• 3 Bananas
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a small loaf pan. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the Peeled bananas, and with the paddle attachment cream the bananas to mush. 
3. In a food processor pulse the rolled oats into a fine powder. 
4. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, xantham gum, salt, cinnamon and powdered oats.
5. Add the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract to the stand mixer with the bananas. Cream everything together until relatively smooth. 
6. Pour in the sifted dry ingredients and mix until all the flour is incorporated. 
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan
8. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy! 

Nana Carroll's Sugar Cookie

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1/2 Cup Icing Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Butter
• 2 1/2 Cup Flour

Instructions:

1. Cream together egg yolk, butter and sugar until light and smooth.
2. Sift together the flour and salt.
3. With a wooden spoon stir in about 1/2 of the sifted flour, knead in the remainder.
4. Cover and chill dough in fridge for at least two hours, or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
6. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick on a well floured work surface.
7. Cut out desired shape.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, until edges are just golden and bottoms are toasty colored.
9. Allow cookies to rest on pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
10. Cookies are great as is, dusted with a little icing sugar, or frosted.

Enjoy!

Stove Top Mac n' Cheese

Stove Top Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Elbow Pasta, or other small pasta shape
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Butter, divided into 8 cubes
• 5 ounces Cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and set aside for now.
2. In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse the cheese into a fine crumb, or finely shred it. I like to use about 2 ounces of Parm and 3 of a sharp cheddar for this recipe, but any cheese will work.
3. Heat 1 of the butter cubes in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, until it is melted, and foamy, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the milk and whisk to blend in the melted butter.
5. Continuing over medium heat, whisk the milk and butter, add one cube of butter and whisk until completely melted and incorporated into the milk sauce. Only add the next butter cube when the previous one has been fully emulsified. Repeat with remaining butter cubes.
6. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
7. Pour the cooked pasta into the milk sauce, add the cheese and about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
8. Stir to melt the cheese, and coat the pasta. If it seems dry, add another little bit of the reserved pasta water to help the sauce reach your desired consistency.
9. The mac n' cheese is ready to eat, or you can pour it into a casserole dish, top with more melted cheese and bake for a more traditional macaroni and cheese.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Salad- Meal Prep

Mediterranean Salad

Prep for about 4 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 Lemon
• 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes
• 1/4 Cup Chopped mixed Olives
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
• 1 Cup Pearl Couscous
• 2 Cups Veg or Chicken Stock
• 2 Cups Shredded Lettuce or Spinach
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil, plus extra
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 can Chickpeas, drained
• 1 Tablespoon Paprika
• 4 Small Naan Breads
• 2 Zucchini
• 250g Halloumi Cheese

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl add the chopped olives, 1/4 cup of the chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup olive oil.
2. Zest and juice the lemon, and add both to the medium bowl.
3. Grate 1/2 of one of the zucchini, add the grated zucchini to the medium sized bowl.
4. Stir everything together, season with salt and pepper, stir again and set aside for now, this is our dressing for the salad.
5. Slice the remaining zucchini into thin rounds. Grill zucchini rounds on a grill pan or BBQ, about 3 minutes a side until lightly charred. Season with salt and pepper, and once done set aside.
6. On a baking sheet, toss the drained chickpeas with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and the paprika. Roast in an oven set to 450°F for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. once cooked, set aside.
7. Toss cherry tomatoes on a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. Broil for about 5 minutes in oven, until skins are just starting to pop. remove from oven and set aside.
8. Slice the halloumi into bite sized cubes, and grill in a nonstick frying pan, without any oil for about 2 minutes a side over medium heat, until all sides are golden brown on all sides. Set aside.
9. In a small sauce pan, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat, add the couscous and toast for about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for about 10 minutes. Set aside once cooked.
10. To prepare our to go lunches, get 4 covered togo containers ready.
11. Divide the dressing between the four togo dishes.
12. Divide the cherry tomatoes between the four togo containers.
13. Fluff the prepared couscous with a fork, and divide between the 4 togo containers.
14. Arrange the zucchini over the layer of couscous so it kind of acts like a ceiling, keeping our "wet" salad ingredients apart from our "dry" salad ingredients.
15. Divide the Halloumi between the 4 togo containers.
16. Divide the roasted chickpeas between the four togo containers.
17. Divide the remaining cilantro between the 4 togo containers.
18. Divide the shredded lettuce or spinach between the four togo containers.
19. To enjoy, take one of the togo containers we just prepped and layered, as well as one of the naan breads. Invert the salad onto a plate, if possible toast the naan in  a toaster, and either eat the naan along side the salad or tear it up and use it like croutons in the salad.

Enjoy!

Notes:

This is vegetarian but it is so loaded with protein and good fats that it will fill you up and keep you full through a long afternoon at work, without being too heavy. I truly love this meal and have it as a lunch at work often.

Gluten Free Pancakes

Gf Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 Cups Gluten Free 1:1 Flour Blend
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Cup Greek Yogurt, flavored or plain
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar 
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Milk

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl sift together one cup of the flour, sugar and baking powder. Set aside. 
2. In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, egg and vanilla. 
3. Add the yogurt mix to the dry ingredients and stir together. 
4. If mixture is dry or very thick, add milk 1-2 tablespoons at a time, stirring well until a pour-able batter forms. 
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat, and lightly oil. 
6. Add pancake batter to pan in about 1/4 cup portions to create small pancakes. 
7. Fry pancakes until edges are just starting to firm up and small bubbles form over the surface. 
8. Flip pancake and cook am additional 1-2 minutes. 
9. Repeat with remaining batter. 

Enjoy!!

Notes:

So this recipe is designed to be able to deliver as much nutrition as possible to my son, who is a picky eating toddler with Celiac disease. So all my gluten free recipes are for him, and pass my own bar for what good baking should taste like. As mentioned, he is a picky toddler, so most of the gluten free recipes are going to be designed to try keep a small human alive, I have substituted mashed fruit like banana or avocado for the yogurt, but my own little one would eat fruit until he became that fruit, but protein is not easy, and Greek yogurt is my crutch to keep him on a balanced diet.

Speaking of Greek yogurt; My biggest problem with a lot of gluten free recipes is that they often have textural problems or sometimes grittiness which is not ideal. I've had really good luck adding a bit of Greek yogurt to a lot of gluten free baking recipes, it helps the rising agent in baking work better by adding a bit more acid to the recipe and just generally improved the final baked texture of whatever its added to. 

I might try in the future to experiment more with a wider variety of allergen free baking recipes, but until I get a feel for gluten free baking i'm just going to focus on it on its own.

Gluten Free Muffins

Gluten Free Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 Teaspoon Xantham Gum
• 1 3/4 Cups Gluten Free 1:1 Flour Blend
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Optional up to 1 Cup Blueberries, Chocolate Chips, or whatever mix in you like for muffins. 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Sift or stir up or if your flour blend is in a large jar like mine lightly shake the flour blend to redistribute its components more evenly. This is important for any gluten free baking. 
3. In a large bowl blend together the flour blend, xantham gum, salt, sugar, and baking powder. 
4. In a small bowl whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract. 
5. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, mix everything together until all the flour is incorporated. If adding blueberry or chocolate stir in now. 
6. Grease or line with baking paper 12 muffin cups. 
7. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. I like to use an icecream scoop to aim for more evenly sized muffins. 
8. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until tops are golden and bottoms are just lightly browned. 
9. Cool on a wire rack. Then store in a sealed container. Will keep for up to 4 days. 

Enjoy! 

Notes:

I use Our Complements brand gluten free flour blend right now. 

Even if your gluten free flour blend contains xantham gum I would still add in the extra just to help create a better a better muffin texture. 

Vegetable oil like canola or sunflower or similar low taste oils is best for this recipe instead of butter, as the vegetable oils tend to be more liquid at room temperature which helps the muffins retain moisture and a better texture. Trust me I use butter literally any chance I get, so when I suggest a veg oil, it's because it really does work better. 

Pasta e Fagioli

Takes a few ingredients to pull this one together, but it is so worth it

Ingredients:

• 4 Scrubbed Carrots
• 1 Medium Onion
• 3 Celery Stalks
• 6 Good Sized Garlic Cloves
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes(28oz), without tomato concentrate or puree
• 8 Ounces small or medium dry white beans
• Chicken stock
• 8-10 Ounces Chopped Spinach Leaves
• 8 Ounces small dried pasta shapes
• Parm Rind (optional)
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• Pork hock
• 2 Slices Bacon, uncooked
• Fresh Parmesan to serve

Instructions:

1. The night before planning to make soup, set the beans to soak in a large bowl. Cover beans with at least one inch of water, set in fridge and soak overnight.
2. To start the soup, scrub the carrots and roughly chop, peel the garlic, roughly chop the Celery and onion. In the bowl of a very large food processor, or in batches, pulse all the vegetables until they are fine chopped but not a puree.
3. Heat a large stock pot over medium low heat, and heat about 1/3 cup olive oil. Add the finely chopped garlic, carrots, onion and Celery, season well with salt and pepper. Slowly cook the veg down, without adding color. If things are cooking too quickly turn down the heat and continue to cook. The goal is to sweat down the veg until they are soft, juicy and reducing in volume without browning yet. Cooking the veggies down should take 20-30 minutes.
4. Once the veg base is looking good, add the ham hock. Roughly chop the raw bacon and also add it to the pot. Continue cooking an additional 10-20 minutes until it seems like the veg has reduced in volume by half.
5. Add the beans and their soaking liquid to the pot along with the crushed tomatoes and at least four cups of chicken stock. Add more stock or water to ensure that the beans are always fully submerged.
6. Bring everything to a boil, add the bay leaves and the Parmesan rind if using. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1-2 hours. Add in the spinach and stir well.
7. Cook pasta in a separate pot of well salted boiling water, 1-3 minutes less than package instructions indicate. The pasta should be slightly toothsome as it will continue to cook a bit in the soup.
8. Pull the pork hock out if the soup and shred any available meat off the bone. Discard skin, bones and fat chunks. Return usable shredded meat to the soup. Fish out the parm rind and bay leaves and discard.
9. Once the pasta is cooked to desired doneness, drain the pasta and stir into the soup.
10. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with fresh shredded parm and a drizzle of olive oil. Goes excellent with a bit of crusty toasty bread.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Holy goodness, this soup was so tasty! The veg base that we start with is called a sofritto and that is the ticket to flavor town in this recipe.

This soup is amazingly rich, hearty and so comforting on a cold winters night. Plus since it is so veg heavy, with beans it'll fill up hungry tummies so well and keep them full!

* update, froze some, added some extra chicken stock as the pasta had taken in more liquid while cooking and it was just as delicious reheated after being frozen, still had lots of flavor.

Galbi Marinade

Galbi Marinade 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Green Onion Stalks
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 1 Asian Pear
• Pepper to taste
• 2 Pounds Steak, short rib or small roast

Instructions:

1. Season steak all over with pepper and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl add the soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. If the brown sugar won't completely dissolve, add a few tablespoons of water.
3. Mince, grate or crush the garlic, finely chop the green onions from top to about 2-3 centimeters from the root. Discard the root, add everything else to the bowl.
4. Peel the Asian Pear. Discard the peel. Grate the Asian pear over a small bowl. Add the grated pear and pear juice to the marinade.
5. Add the steak to the marinade. Cover or transfer to a sealable container and marinate the steak for at least an hour or two, or overnight.
6. Allow steak to return to room temperature and drain off excess marinade to drain from steak before grilling to desired doneness.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Galbi is a South Korean BBQ style dish.

If you read this far, here is a secret, you can just add all the ingredients except the steak to a food processor and pulse a few times to create the marinade.

My husband spent a year and a bit living in Korea and traveling around Asia. I have made this marinade a lot, or used in to slow cook and he liked it ok. But this week I used the BBQ and he was much more impressed with how close it was to what he remembers. So at least for me, it's husband approved.