Garlic Lover's Pasta Salad

I went to the Marin Farmer's market this morning, and made this fresh, easy, and delicious pasta salad with my purchases, plus a few staples I had at home. Serve chilled or warm.


Ingredients:

• 2 - 3 cups cooked al dente brown rice pasta
• 1 Tablespoon veg. oil and 1 t balsamic vinegar, sauteed with two large bulbs and greens green garlic
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
• Juice of one small lemon
• Fresh roasted garlic (large, whole clove drizzled with oil, wrapped up tightly in foil and baked at 375 degrees F for about 25 min.) - squeeze out all the "meat" of the garlic out of the skins when cooled - they should be mushy.
• About 1 pound fava beans in shell - prepared (shell the beans, put them in boiling, salted water for 1 minute, drain, then immediately put in ice water to stop cooking. Pierce each bean with your fingernail and pop out the beans, then add to the salad)
• 6 large leaves chopped fresh basil
• about 3 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Combine all the above and chill for a few hours. Then serve cold, or warm if desired. Pairs well with grilled, marinated chicken breasts.

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese "Quiche"

This is almost like a corn cake topped with an omelet - very rich, filling, and yummy!

Recipe: 

Filling

2 cups egg substitute or 8 whole eggs
3/4 cup 1%/low-fat or 2% milk
1 cup butternut squash, cubed small
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
3 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1 tsp dried or fresh sage
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Crust

 3/4 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp agave nectar or honey
4 Tbsp ice water

Prepare crust - Mix melted butter with cornmeal, add agave nectar or honey, then gradually add in ice water (without the ice!) until mixed well. Press into a 9" pie tin coated with non-stick spray and bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

Mix the filling ingredients together with a whisk, then pour on top of the baked crust. Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes or until the center is set and toothpick can be inserted in center and it comes out clean. Serve warm. Pairs well with fresh fruit or a salad.

Serves 4 - 6 depending on serving size.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Want a filling, healthy, protein- and fiber-loaded meal? This recipe is not only gluten-free, it's vegetarian (even vegan, actually, without the suggested toppings), low-fat, and cheap to make. It's definitely my pride and joy, and I crave this often. I posted it on SparkRecipes.com, and so far people have rated it very positively.

I use my slow cooker, so that's what I recommend, but you could throw it all together in a soup pot and simply simmer for an hour or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

I use low-sodium versions of the canned stuff when available, and you could even use dried beans.

Recipe:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed well
1 large sweet potato, cut into bite-sized cubes (about 1.5 cups. You can also use butternut squash)
1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter, or a little more if you like a richer, nuttier taste
2 medium to large sweet bell peppers, chopped - yellow and red are best
3/4 cup raw onions, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (same size as the cans of beans - soup-can size) - do NOT drain
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbsp molasses OR 1 T brown sugar (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 can corn, drained (I like the white and yellow crispy kernels)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
Red/cayenne pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp. (or hot sauce to taste)
6 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or a couple tablespoons)
1 - 2 cups water (enough to almost come to the top of the stuff in the crockpot
** you can add more other veggies, too, like portabella mushrooms, butternut squash instead of sweet potato, fresh tomatoes, etc.- most veggies taste really good in this, so make it your own style.

Throw everything into a slow cooker and cook on high 5 - 6 hours.

Add hot sauce to taste and top with your favorite chili companions - mine are fresh cilantro and avocado with a little shredded cheese.

Serves 8 - 12, depending on the portion size.

Crispy Oven "Fried" Fish

Tasty, easy to make, and uses things you probably already have on hand! Serve with potatoes in your favorite style, coleslaw, salad... whatever you like with fish!

Ingredients

2 fish filets (I like to use tilapia, but cod, halibut, or any flaky, boneless white fish will do)
1/2 c. GF bread crumbs or crumbed chips/crackers/dried bread
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
dill (dried or fresh)
cracked black pepper
1/4 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven (I used my toaster oven) to 450 degrees F.

Sprinkle fish filets in black pepper (unless you're not a fan of pepper... you can also sprinkle with salt if you like.

Add the dill and lemon pepper to the crumbs. Put 1/3 of the crumbs in a shallow dish wide enough to lay a filets down without it being too big to lay flat. TIP: instead of GF breadcrumbs, use whatever chips or crackers you have on hand - put them through a blender to crumb them. This also reduces the need to add any salt.

Drench fish filets in the buttermilk (in a bowl). Then transfer the filets one at a time to a shallow dish containing 1/3 of the crumbs. Scatter some crumbs on top, shaking dish back and forth gently to coat the filets in the crumbs so they're "breaded."

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray. Place the filets next to each other on the baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. You can also cook these the same way in a toaster oven, and can "toast" it at the end to crisp it up even more.

I serve these with tartar sauce - Trader Joe's makes a good one with jalapeno and dill mixed in and it's gluten-free, of course!

This recipe makes 2 filets - serves one if very hungry or two for a lighter meal.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake Muffins

These "muffins" are more like cupcakes but make a nice breakfast or dessert on the go, or with coffee on a Sunday morning.

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. GF flour (see a previous baked goods recipe)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 bag chocolate chips

Cinnamon Sugar:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter and sugar until light, then add the eggs. Mix well. Fold in sour cream and vanilla. Mix well. Add the flour mixture and baking soda and powder, mix until just all moistened - do not over-mix.

Put one spoonful of batter each into greased muffin cups. Sprinkle top of each with some cinnamon sugar and some chocolate chips. Top with another spoonful of batter and then top with more cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips... pat the chips into the batter slightly.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Makes 12-15 muffins, depending on how big you want them!

Hershey's Kiss Peanut Blossoms

I admit, they are not *quite* as amazing as the regular recipe, but they are pretty damn close!

Recipe:

1 3/4 cup GF flour mix (see previous cookie recipes for recipe)

1 tsp baking soda

a few dashes salt

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I like Skippy's Natural kind)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag Hershey’s kisses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Unwrap all the kisses, eat a few, and put the rest aside.

Cream the peanut butter, butter, and sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla.

Add flour mix, salt and baking soda until mixed well. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes to an hour so they are easier to shape into balls.

Scoop big rounded teaspoons of dough and roll between hands to make them into balls, then roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on an ungreased baking sheet, about one inch apart.

Bake for 6 - 7 minutes. Take the cookies out and place one kiss in the center of each cookie, pressing the kiss down into the cookie gently so it "sticks" in there. Then bake 1 - 2 more minutes to "set" them.

Makes 35 - 50 cookies, depending on the size.

Melting Moments Cookies

These are so incredibly light and melt in your mouth. I think the GF version is even better than the non-GF!! Sorry I forgot to take a photo of these :(... you can see what they look like here - different recipe, but they look the same!

Melting Moments cookie recipe:

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 c. GF flour mixture (see recipe below)

1 c. butter, softened (yes, use REAL butter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll into balls (about 1 heaping tsp worth), place on ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten just slightly. Bake 12-14 minutes. Let them cool before transferring off the cookie sheets.

I like to put a big "dot" of frosting on the tops!

Frosting:

My favorite isn't measured precisely... I take a cup or two of powdered sugar and add 1 T of water at a time and mix until it's the desired frosting consistency, then I add almond extract until it tastes good (about 1 tsp per cup of frosting).

Makes about 50-60 cookies.

All-purpose GF flour mix recipe:

(double or triple all measurements to make a bigger supply of this flour mix that substitutes well for most flour in baked goods)... I like Bob's Red Mill GF products. Xanthan gum is pricey but a bag lasts a long time. You can also get just the amount you want in the bulk container of herbs and spices at most specialty grocers... I bought a couple tsps worth at Whole Foods (in with their whole leave teas and herbs) for about 50 cents.

2 c. rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum

Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

Finally! A sugar cut-out cookie recipe that turns out like the non-GF version I remember making with my family when I was a kid. These are so good, no one will know they are gluten free - promise!

A few tips that you really need to follow to get the good results:

~ Chill the dough for about a half hour, then knead gently with your hands to form a ball before you try to roll them out.

~ Be generous flouring the surface you're going to roll them out on with rice flour - and flour the rolling pin before and in between batches... the dough will stick like to everything otherwise, and won't roll out well.

~ Also be generous with vanilla extract for yummy flavored cookies. I like french vanilla flavoring.

~ Use real butter only.

~ Different ovens may produce different results. Check them a couple minutes before they are supposed to be done. They should look only very slightly golden, and should not have any soft spots left. I let my oven preheat quite long to make sure the temp is perfect before I start baking, and if your oven tends to overcook things, bake at a slightly lower temperature than this recipe suggests (10 to 20 degrees less).

Recipe:

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla flavoring

2 1/4 cups GF flour blend (see below for recipe)

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Beat together sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until all blended together.

Add the salt and flour mixture. Mix until all blended into a dough. CHILL the dough in the refrigerator for 30 min.

Roll out the dough onto floured surface - flour the rolling pin and your hands, too - in one big handful-sized ball at a time - roll dough slightly thinner than a half centimeter thick. Cut in desired shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Usually 10 is perfect. When they are done let them cool before moving them onto plates to decorate, or they might crumble.

Frost (see frosting recipe below) and decorate if desired, or just eat them plain.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on size.

Frosting:

My favorite isn't measured precisely... I take a cup or two of powdered sugar and add 1 T of water at a time and mix until it's the desired frosting consistency, then I add almond extract until it tastes good (about 1 tsp per cup of frosting).

All-purpose GF flour mix recipe:

(double or triple all measurements to make a bigger supply of this flour mix that substitutes well for most flour in baked goods)... I like Bob's Red Mill GF products. Xanthan gum is pricey but a bag lasts a long time. You can also get just the amount you want in the bulk container of herbs and spices at most specialty grocers... I bought a couple tsps worth at Whole Foods (in with their whole leave teas and herbs) for about 50 cents.

2 c. rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum