Going Gluten Free

Let me just say here first: I love bread. I love pasta. I love cake. But sadly it may not love me back. So for many reasons I’ve decided to try a gluten free diet for two months to see if I may have a gluten intolerance. I’ve also spoken to a nutritionist and my doctor about this so I am not doing this on a whim or weight loss attempt (although that wouldn’t be a bad side effect). If I see signficiant benefits to some health issues, I may be gluten free forever. In that case, I have a lot of work to do.

I’ve survived one week of gluten free and it was actually pretty easy since we eat at home a lot. The hardest part was my nephew’s fifth birthday party — no birthday cake for me! Controlling what we eat at home is not difficult. I already cook quite a bit with brown rice, quinoa, millet, veggies, fish and meat. However, eating out is going to be the real challenge. Did you know that there is gluten in soy sauce? Neither did I. On the flip side, I didn’t realize that rice is gluten free. Thank god.

So if you are in the same boat as me and are looking to explore gluten free living, here are the resources I am using to get up to speed. In the meantime, I will share some recipes on gluten free baking (and we know I’m not much of a baker) once I take that leap. That will be, by far, the most challenging part for me. If you don’t want to go without bread or a little treat forever and don’t want to spend money on store bought gluten free products, you need to make them yourself!

For the most part, I’m still cooking like I normally do. I’m just more mindful of what I eat outside the house.  And for the record my mother is full supportive of this experiment but I’m quite sure I won’t be able to eat at her house for the next couple of months!

• Eating Well: 7-Day Gluten Free Meal Plan
• Gluten Free Goddess Blog: Tips on going gluten free
• Gluten Free Girl: Seasonal gluten free recipes

My Zucchini Runneth Over!

I’ve probably shared the story of my one farm experience as a kid. Smack dab in the middle of our neighborhood was a farm, a small one, but a farm nonetheless. I’m not sure if anything came out of that farm other than corn. But we loved our corn and we loved walking to the farm, buying the corn, and sitting out back on the “stoop” to husk the corn. I think it was the only truly “fresh” vegetable we ever had other than tomatoes and cucumbers. After many years of saying we were going to, we finally joined a CSA. Now I haven’t received any corn, but I’ve eaten more kale in the past three weeks than I have in 40 years of life. As you can imagine, my mother’s kitchen didn’t have a whole lot of kale in stock. This week I’m overflowing with zucchini and yellow squash. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t love either and since there is just two of us I need to find a few good ways to use it up before next week when I get more!

Since I’m trying to lay off the sweets (except ice cream since that doesn’t count in the summer!), I opted for savory vs. sweet because yes I did think of zucchini bread. I decided on three dishes for my crop - A zucchini/squash gratin and a zucchini, basil, and pine nut frittata for the weekend and a zucchini soup to go with last night’s “cook-in” leftovers of tabouli salad, corn and chicken sausages. As you know, I love me a good soup, but I’ve never made zucchini soup. I decided to go with something that might work hot or cold given the 100 degree temps here this week. And I always love an excuse to use my immersion blender.

I found a simple Curried Zucchini soup recipe along with dozens and dozens of other zucchini/squash recipes at Martha Stewart.com. Definitely check it out if, like me, have an abundance of squash this summer.

This soup would have been pretty bland without the garlic and curry powder so feel free to add more spices to meet your test preferences and maybe even a dollop of plain greek yogurt and some nice toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish!

Happy Summer!

Curried Zucchini Soup (Martha Stewart.com)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Coarse salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish (I used roasted pumpkin seeds)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and 1 tablespoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and curry powder; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add zucchini, potato, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. In batches, puree soup in a blender (do not fill more than halfway) until smooth; serve immediately, or let cool, and refrigerate in an airtight container until chilled. Garnish with toasted almonds. (or roasted pumpkin seeds!)

Grow It, Cook It, Eat It!

So there has been a lot of chatter about growing some of our own food (a first for me) at the new homestead. Figured we better learn from the best. We’ll be attending the “Grow It, Cook It, Eat It” event this Sunday at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia. I heard about this through our friends at the Philadelphia Orchard Project - an amazing local effort to plant orchards in the city of Philadelphia that grow healthy food, green spaces and community food security. Philly Homegrown is another great resource for foodie events in the region and they are also kind of enough to support Not My Mother’s Kitchen.

 

Here is a list of some upcoming local events: http://food.visitphilly.com/homegrown-guide-to-upcoming-foodie-events/

 

Below are the specifics on “Grow It, Cook It, Eat It.” Maybe we will see you there!

 

Philadelphia Science Festival – Grow It, Cook It, Eat It
Bartram’s Garden
Sunday, April 22nd; Noon – 3PM
Join Fair Food, Penn Urban Nutrition Initiative, The Food Trust, The Restaurant School, Urban Scavengers, PA Horticultural Society and The Franklin Institute as you explore the path your food takes from garden to table. Stations throughout Bartram’s Garden will pair a horticultural expert with a chef to demonstrate how to grow and cook a variety of homegrown vegetables. Part of the Franklin Institute’s Philadelphia Science Festival, this event will help explain the science behind growing and cooking your own food. Tickets will go on sale soon, again, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.

 

P.S. – This is my 100th Post at Not My Mother’s Kitchen. A miracle indeed.

The Great Outdoors

One of my favorite things about being a new, suburban homeowner (besides 45 trips to Home Depot each month!) is outdoor dining. As a kid, I loved any opportunity to eat dinner outside and spent the better part of my life trying to convince my parents to build a deck, a porch, or anything other than an insufficient picnic table that served more as home base for tag than a proper outdoor eating area! Alas, I had to wait until I had my own home to fulfill this fantasy.

So we are making the most of THREE outdoor spaces at casa de LaHerlinger. The al fresco adventure began with the discovery of a beautiful eight-piece patio set (for less than $130!) for the flagship patio area in the backyard from one of our many flea market/estate sale excursions. Last week, we added a quaint bistro spot for two on the back deck. And the upstairs balcony is the perfect spot for a solo cup of coffee or an outdoor nap. Okay, this is starting to sound like an ad for a B&B…Now on to today’s special.

For me, planning outdoor menus is really the fun part. All you need is a few good al fresco recipes to entertain yourself and others for Spring and summer. Here are some of  my new favorites. 

Brunch

Mixed Greens Salad with Honey-Orange Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 4 cups torn radicchio
• 3 cups bagged baby spinach leaves

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add lettuce, radicchio, and spinach; toss gently to coat.

 Fresh Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Prosciutto Strata

Ingredients:

• 1 pound rosemary focaccia, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 3 1/4 cups fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) crème fraîche or sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute
• 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Cooking spray
• 4 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.
2. Combine milk, crème fraîche, and egg substitute in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add tomatoes and garlic, stirring with a whisk. Add bread; stir gently to combine. Let stand 5 minutes.
3. Pour half of bread mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange prosciutto and mozzarella evenly over bread mixture. Top with remaining bread mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours or up to overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350°.
5. Uncover dish. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Dinner

Spring Pasta with Peas & Mint

Ingredients:

• Kosher Salt
• 6 oz. pasta- (angel hair recommended but anything will work)
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
• A good handful of chopped mint
• A good handful of frozen peas

Directions

1. Bring salted water to a boil for your pasta and cook it until 2 minutes before done. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta water.

2. While the pasta is cooking melt 2 T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and cook for about a minute. Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and remaining 1 T butter. Reduce the heat and toss in your peas, mint, and cheese until nicely coated.

3. Remove from the heat and add more pasta water if your pasta seems dry. Serve it up and enjoy!

Making Julia Proud

You may  have thought I ran away or, worse, stopped cooking. Well neither is true. I’ve just been very busy and overworked. But when my husband just suggested that we blog together (insert loud gasp here!) or share stories about how I used to eat cold, uncooked hot dogs out of the refrigerator as a child (sadly this is true) on this blog, I knew it was time to start typing. The reason for my absence? For the first time in almost four years, I’m working at an office five days a week! While it has been nice to get out of the sweats and go Working Girl, the change has put a serious crimp in my cooking.

But there is nothing like a good old cooking class to get you back on the horse. My first experience with “cooking” and “class” involved watching my mother learn how to make homemade pasta in our kitchen. In a word, traumatic. And there is nothing like a scheduled cooking class to get you back in the kitchen. Luckily, my experience at the Viking Cooking School in Bryn Mawr was nothing like this.

I like learning how to cook things that scare me and since it doesn’t get more intimidating than Beef Bourguignon  and Chocolate Souffle, I chose a french cooking class. I’ve danced around making either of these dishes for many years, but the time had come. And what is great about cooking classes is how much “side” knowledge you always get from the chef – the proper way to hold your knife, how to cut an onion etc.

The class pairs everyone off into groups of four. I was lucky to have a great group of ladies who worked really well together. And I have to say after 2.5 hours of cooking, there is nothing that smells better than a kitchen full of Beef Bourguignon. Making this dish I truly forgot what I was ever a vegetarian (assuming you have grass fed beef etc. as I still consider the quality of meats very important). For me, the key was breaking the dish into steps and taking it one section at a time.

I am waiting for a special occasion to recreate this meal for a little dinner party at home. In the meantime, I’ll admit to making a sausage (vegan), mushroom and onion Stromboli from Pillsbury biscuit rolls for dinner tonight. But it IS Super Bowl Sunday so I think Julia wouldn’t mind too much…

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon 

Ingredients

• 1 6-ounce chunk of bacon
• 1 9- to 10-inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
• 1 slotted spoon
• 3 pounds lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes (I look for grass fed, organic)
• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups of a full-bodied young red wine such as one of those suggested for serving or a Chianti
• 2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• a crumbled bay leaf
• the blanched bacon rind
• 18-24 small white onions (brown-braised in stock)
• 1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter
• parsley sprigs

Directions

Remove rind and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2-inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Saute the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Saute it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 21/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

(*) Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

A Date with Bacon

When I was a vegetarian, I missed one big thing about meat – BACON! My husband used to send me out in the hallway in our apartment building when someone was cooking with bacon just so I could breathe it in. To. Die. For. As I started eating meat again, bacon was definitley an occassional favorite treat but it has never shined for me like it does in this appetizer. Truly one of my favorites and I have a good friend to thank for it. You have not been to a dinner party until you have been invited to my friend Bob’s house. You may have thought you threw a good party - well you didn’t. Not like Bob. So when I was throwing my own little holiday soiree I decided to steal Bob’s recipe (actually I did ask permission) for Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Wrapped in BACON. And as usual it did not disappoint. With the exception of finding good dates, it is a very easy appetizer to make and one that is sure to wow your guests. I have seen this dish done – sometimes with almonds, sometimes with basil leaves, sometimes with added salt. No need – these flavors do not need anything to make it any better. They belong together. Gosh, just writing this I wish I would have stashed some away for myself.

I had to go to a specialty produce store to find nice plump dates, but I also found that if the dates are to small  you can splice them together and add your goat cheese, roll them in your hand a bit and wrap your bacon slice around it and bake! Just don’t forget to remove the pits.

Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon (adapted from Saveur Magazine)

• 24 large moist dates, such as medjool
• 12 slices of bacon
• 2 oz. softened goat cheese

Move oven rack to upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500 °. Pit dates, tearing them open as little as possible. Set dates aside. Halve the 12 slices of bacon crosswise. Put the goat cheese into a pastry bag fitted with a round, plain 1/4″ tip. Pipe goat cheese into each stuffed date. Wrap 1 piece of bacon around width of each date. Put dates on a baking sheet, seam side down, at least 1/2″ apart. Bake until bacon is golden and crisp, 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool briefly before serving.

The Quick Thinking Cook

I’m not a great cook, but what I lack in skill I make up for in resourcefulness. I don’t have the patience for a souffle, I scoff at recipes with more than six steps and I avoid baking whenever possible, but I can make a little something out of a lot of nothing as my husband can attest to night after night.

Until I met the roast chicken. I’ll be honest. It wasn’t love at first site. I had avoided  him for years – my oven was too small, it was too much of a commitment, I had a headache….I just wasn’t into it. Turns out I didn’t know what I was missing.

First off, roasting the chicken was much easier than I thought it would be – especially after the upside down turkey incident on Thanksgiving. Day one of the chicken was thorougly enjoyed by two hungry tree decorators. But day two left me with a dilemna – what to do with the chicken next? I’m someone who normally does not like leftovers. I like variety. And unlike most people, I despise chicken noodle soup so that was out. But minutes before my husband came home from work I found some inspiration with a can of crescent rolls from Thanksgiving. Chicken Pot Pie! So I sliced some mushrooms, grabbed some frozen peas, and went to work on my pot pie. A little flour and milk, some thyme, salt and pepper and we were cooking. I threw the crescent roll dough on top and in the oven it went. The result was better than I anticipated – my husband told me it was one of his favorite dishes so far. So I will take that as a success. Next up? Chicken salad with toasted walnuts and apples.

Why have I never made a roast chicken before?? See what happens when you give a guy a chance…