Christmas 2012

Playing catch up. 

We were good this year. :) It may have been the best Christmas dinner ever!

Carving up the prime rib. 

Grampa and Gramma: Prime Rib

Aunt Leslie: Brussel Sprouts

Aunt Becky: Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Onions

Mom: Cabbage Salad

Me: Black Rice Salad and Tarragon Cooked Carrots (These recipes were fantastic, I'm happy to provide recipes upon request, once I get moved in and find them)

Followed with Allergy Free Apple Spice Cake with Spiced Frosting from Living Without Magazine. It was fantastic and is highly recommended. We used too much frosting but man it looks great!

More appetizers!

Time for hummus again. I headed to a family party with some filling food in hand. This is the 'potluck' dish I bring in case I can't eat anything. :) Easy to pair with chips, veggies or some GF flatbread.


Gluten Free Flatbread Recipe
1 c. brown rice flour (maybe 1/2 potato flour and 1/2 all purpose)
1/2 c. corn starch
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. water
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. canola
2 eggs (or flax eggs)


1. Mix all dry ingredients in medium size bowl.

2. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Grease two 8 in. square baking pans and dust with brown rice flour.

4. Spread half of batter evenly into each pan. Use the back of a wet spoon if the dough is sticky.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes, or until bread pulls away from the sides of the pans.

Substitution Notes: Tapioca starch or potato starch can be substituted for the corn starch. Flax eggs are 1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp. water.

Roasted Garlic! Yum!

Roasted Red Pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to BROIL. Cover the pepper in olive oil, I use my hand and swirl it in a bowl

2. Place on a cookie sheet 

3. Use tongs and oven mitts to pull the rack out and turn the pepper. Keep your eyes on it! Don't leave this unattended. 

4. Hmmm watch out for the parchment paper, use foil!

5. Important step: place the pepper back in the oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap so it can steam.

Hummus:

Ingredients:

-2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and juice SAVED

-1 roasted garlic head, skinned

-1 roasted red pepper, seeded and chopped

-1/2 a lemon, juiced

-Salt to taste

-2 TBS olive oil

-Garbanzo bean juice if more liquid is needed

-Paprika to garnish

BLEND!

YUM! Great eats!

Classes at Portland's Culinary Workshop

Last week I signed up for two classes at the Portland's Culinary Workshop. I took the Four Course Gluten Free Meal and Gluten Free Baking. Both were excellent! The chefs were great: Melinda and Susana both ex-instructors at culinary schools. The classes were small, hands on, and relevant to my cooking. I hope to go back soon!

Four Course Gluten Free Meal
Menu:
Arugula Fennel Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Dijon Vinaigrette
Zucchini Fritters with Charmoula Sauce
Roasted Chicken
Squash Gratin with Poblanos
Chocolate Tart with Pecan Crust



We sat and feasted at the end of the night!



Roasted butternut squash for the au gratin.



Shredded zucchini for fritters.



Ingredients to the charmoula sauce



Blackened poblanos for the au gratin, yum!



Frying fritters!



Ingredients for the chocolate tart: agave, coconut butter, avocado, cocoa powder

Our FEAST:









It was all fantastic and I can put up their recipes eventually or per request. Class made me realize how much I LOVE to talk about food. I could do it for hours. :)

Gluten Free Baking
There were only four of in the class so we each picked some items and went for it. They turned out pretty good.

Menu:
Crackers-I hadn't had a cracker in two years!
Focaccia
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Sandwich Bread
Pancakes
Fresh Egg Gluten Free Pasta
Chocolate Cake

This was certainly my first go at gluten free pasta from scratch. It worked great. It even made it through a pasta slicer. The pasta does taste like egg but that's ok.









Testing out two types for a plate of fun.



Mom came too and made sandwich bread.



\

Wow it looked great! Good work mom!



Focaccia bread



Recipes are available per request. Class was great. I loved cooking class and can't believe I don't do it regularly. I recommend the classes at Portland's Culinary Workshop for fun, laid back cooking.

Making Appetizers!

Headed out to the Sandy River to see friends I decided to bring bruschetta and ceviche. I know it sounds amazing and it was! It was my first time making ceviche and it turned out great! I used an adapted ceviche recipe from Simply Recipes and the bruschetta recipe was my own!

Ceviche Ingredients
1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined (mine were cooked but there's instructions on how to cook them in the link-I'm sure they didn't soak up as much flavor but, it was still pretty good)
1 pound bay scallops
2 Tbsp salt
3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced (it could use more heat, you could barely taste it)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks



I used Gramma's electric juicer. She used to make grapefruit juice with it. It works perfect!



Clean as whistles!



Chopped serrano, now it really wasn't spicy. I was expecting some more kick and would do something different next time.

1 Put cooked shrimp in dish and add the lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.

2 Mix in the chopped red onion and serrano chile. Refrigerate over night or at least an hour.

3 Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and avocado.

4 Serves 4-6. It seems that one could add tequila to this mixture as well. Hmmm.

YUM!



Now the Bruschetta:
4 garden tomatoes
Some cherry tomatoes because they were available
1/2 Sweet onion (or less)
Red bell pepper
Fresh basil
Salt and Pepper







Finished product! I think the bell pepper adds a great taste and would be sad without it.

Great delicious surprise!

Matt and I are only getting better in the kitchen. This week Matt wanted tater tots with out ritual artichoke and champagne. Yum! YAM TATER TOTS rocked our socks and we are so excited to cook up some more varieties. I used the ingredients from Apron Strings and then just did what sounded OK.

Ingredients:
3 yams
1 tsp salt
1 TBS GF AP flour
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (it's so fun to have this!)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Boil the yams for 20 min.



Peel and grate/mush then add ingredients.



First you rooollllll it up.



And throw it in the pan. I let them get pretty brown and crunchy. They could be taken out earlier per taste. I also wonder about using breadcrumbs. They don't seem like they need them.



FANTASTIC. We experimented with the last few and put in some Daiya cheese, those 6 were ever MORE amazing. We can't wait to try some with cheese and jalapenos or bacon!



Our addiction: steamed artichoke and secret sauce (aka fry sauce)



Matt picked out pink flowers and pink champagne. :)



And this is what happens when you leave your camera and your boyfriend in the kitchen.