Category: Main dishes

Pineapple Fried Rice with Curry

My husband really likes pineapple fried rice.  Any time we go to a restaurant and it’s on the menu, that’s what he orders.  Previously I had made a pineapple fried rice recipe, but I had never tried it in a restaurant.  He said it was good but different than what he was accustomed to.  I finally found a place in Denton, TX that serves a pineapple fried rice that’s gluten free.  I ordered it, of course, and I asked my husband if it tasted similar to the ones he normally ate and he said yes.  So, this is my more accurate version of pineapple fried rice.  The other one is good, but this one is more like it is in the restaurants :-).  I cooked the chicken and rice ahead of time and I already had chopped the pineapple, so this came together really quickly.

 

Ingredients:

3-4 T. olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 c. frozen peas and carrots

1 c. cooked chicken, diced in 1/2 to 1 inch pieces

1-2 tsp curry powder

1 1/2 tsp coriander

6 c. cooked rice (Basmati or Jasmine)- day old preferred, or let it sit out on plates for 1-2 hours beforehand

1 1/2 T. brown sugar

2 1/2 T. gluten free soy sauce (I prefer Kikkoman’s gluten free soy sauce)

1/4 tsp white pepper

2 green onions, diced

1 1/2 c. pineapple, diced

1 c. cashews

1/2 c. raisins

1 medium tomato, diced (optional)

*scrambled eggs can be added if desired

 

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add onions, red pepper, peas and carrots, and chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add curry powder and coriander and stir until it’s well mixed in.  Cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Add rice and stir until seasoning is mixed well into rice.  Cook for 2-3 minutes more.  Stir together brown sugar and soy sauce and then pour into skillet and stir until rice is coated.  Sprinkle in white pepper and stir to coat.  Add green onions, pineapple, cashews, and tomato.  Add more raisins if desired.  If you can eat eggs, add in some pre-scrambled eggs now.  Cook just until all ingredients are warm- about 3-5 minutes.   Serve and enjoy!

 

Original recipe:

http://healthynibblesandbits.com/pineapple-fried-rice/

 

 

 

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Orange Caper Chicken

This was a quick and easy recipe.  It looks fancy but requires just a few ingredients.

1/2 c. brown rice flour

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves or fourths

2 T. olive oil

1 1/3 c. orange juice

1 T. plus 1 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 c. capers, drained

1/4 c. chopped flat leaf parsley

Rice for serving

 

Directions:

Mix brown rice flour, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt on a plate.  Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture and press down a little so the mixture sticks well.

 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Cook chicken in skillet for 10 minutes per side until chicken is cooked.  Remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet, add orange juice and cook on high until it reduces some- about half.  Stir in orange zest, capers, parsley, and remaining salt and pepper to taste.  Put chicken back in skillet and allow to simmer together for 5-10 minutes.  I think I actually let it sit about 30 minutes because I had dinner ready early, and the flavors blended really well.  I think it will taste just fine if you serve it sooner, but if you need something that you can cook and have waiting, this is a good option!

Serve over brown rice.

 

Original recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/34585/orange-caper-chicken/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickld=cardslot%201

 

 

Chickpea and Kale Curry

We grew a garden this year and our kale has been doing really well.  Now we are faced with the problem of how in the world to use it all…

 

This is a nice and easy vegetarian meal if you like yellow curry and you have kale you need/want to use.  🙂

 

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1 T plus 1/2 tsp curry powder

1 c. onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 c. kale, stems removed and chopped

1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz)

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained (you may use just one can if you prefer- I actually cooked mine from dry beans in the crockpot the day before but cans work just fine)

1/2 c. tomato sauce

1 tsp sugar

dash salt

4 tsp lemon juice

Rice for serving

 

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet on medium/medium high.  Add curry powder and cook while stirring for 1-2 minutes until aromatic.  Add onions, garlic and kale and cook until onions are clear (about 2-3 minutes).  After that, add the coconut milk, garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, salt, and sugar.    Stir it all together and then allow it to simmer for 5 minutes or so.  I served mine over brown rice.

 

Original recipe:  http://www.alaskafromscratch.com/2015/12/29/chickpea-curry-with-kale

Salmon Macaroni Salad

This made a great afternoon snack and would also be a great picnic item.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 c. dry macaroni noodles (I used HEB gluten free)

2 small cans of boneless salmon (6-7 oz each)

1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise (or more)

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp lemon zest

1 T. lemon juice

1/3 c. finely minced onion (I used red onions, but you could use regular or green onions)

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

1 T. chopped fresh dill (or 1/2 tsp dried dill)

2 stalks celery, chopped

Black pepper to taste

Tabasco sauce, optional (I didn’t use it)

 

Directions:

Boil the macaroni as per the package directions.  Add 1 T. salt to the water after it is boiling.  While macaroni is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad.

Mix the salmon with the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Add in the onions, parsley, dill, and celery.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the salad while the pasta is still warm.  Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce (if using).

Refrigerate for at least an hour or two before serving.  Should be served cold.  As it sits in the fridge, it may absorb the liquid, so more mayonnaise may be added to keep it creamy.

Original recipe:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/salmon_macaroni_salad/

Creamy Chicken Mushroom Spaghetti

2 T. olive oil

4 T. non-dairy butter

1/2 onion, diced finely

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1/3 c. white wine

2 tsp fresh thyme

dash salt

dash pepper

1/4 plus 1/8 c. brown rice flour

1/8 c. cornstarch or other thickener, optional

2 c. chicken broth

1 c. non-dairy milk, unsweetened

2 c. cooked, shredded or diced chicken

1 c. cheese (Use Parmesan if you can.  I added in Daiya cheddar cheese to each bowl of leftovers.  In this case, you need some sort of cheese. My husband used a pizza cheese blend in his bowl and liked it.)

1 pound noodles (I used HEB gluten free spiral noodles)

 

Directions:

Begin boiling water for the noodles.  Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add a dash of salt.  Stir in mushrooms, wine, and thyme and another dash of salt and pepper and cook uncovered for about 8 minutes.  Remove mixture to a bowl or plate.

Now it’s time for the roux.  Melt the “butter” in the skillet over medium low heat.  Add in the brown rice flour and continue whisking while cooking for two minutes.  Add the chicken broth while continuing to mix.  Pour in the milk and continue to whisk while cooking on medium low heat for 5 minutes.  It should begin to thicken.  If you want it to be thicker, add 1/8 c. cornstarch.

Add the mushroom mixture back in along with the chicken and whatever cheese you are using (or you can have each person add their cheese later if some can have dairy and some can’t.)  Cook for another 4 minutes.

When noodles are cooked, drain them and add them to the mixture.  Serve with additional cheese, salt, and pepper available for people to season at will.

 

Original recipe:

https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/creamy-chicken-mushroom-spaghetti-31387

One Skillet Dinner- Beef, Sweet Potato and Kale

So, I tend to think of paleo things as not as good as normal food.  This may be an unfair assessment, but it’s my gut reaction.  I assume it will taste “healthy” instead of good.  If you enjoy a little bit of mockery all in good fun, JP Spears has a video on youtube about the paleo diet in his Ultra Spiritual series.  My husband and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  If you get offended when people poke fun at things you like, you might not enjoy it…

Anyway, I went into this recipe with pretty low expectations, but I needed to thin my kale, I had a sweet potato growing stems and leaves on my countertop, and my carrots were growing roots in the fridge.  It was time to use these ingredients.  Normally I don’t let things go that far, but well, what can I say.  This was one of the first recipes that came up and I decided to give it a try.  I actually went back for thirds and am glad there are leftovers for later :-).  I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Also, I changed a few things, so I don’t think it’s paleo the way I made it, but I’ll put the link to the original recipe at the bottom and you can look at that if that’s important to you.  Basically, I replaced the coconut oil with olive oil and the coconut flour with brown rice flour.

 

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

3-4 carrots, peeled and diced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced (I forgot to add this, so I sprinkled on garlic powder at the end)

1 to 1.5 pounds ground beef (lower fat preferred since you won’t be draining it)

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. brown rice flour

2 cups chopped kale- about 2 handfuls (this was my first harvest from my garden!)

 

Directions:

Dice the onion, sweet potato, carrots, and garlic.  Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the diced vegetables and garlic to the pan, stir, cover, and cook for 10 minutes on medium.  Add the ground beef and continue cooking uncovered while stirring the beef.  When beef is cooked, add salt, pepper, and brown rice flour.  Stir until combined.  Add the kale and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring.

Taste and add more seasoning as desired.

 

Original recipe: http://fit4godonline.com/skillet-dinner-hamburger-sweet-potatoes-kale/

Pepperoni Rolls

I love pizza rolls.  They were a major part of my junior high and high school experience.  After I moved to Texas, I soon discovered Double Dave’s, which was the location for many a gathering.  Unfortunately, I can no longer eat there since I discovered the root of my stomach issues.  Boo, hiss!  I want pizza rolls!  Then we had a coffee date with friends.  I was looking for an interesting dessert and went back to my few recipe books.  I made what was supposed to be chocolate croissants.  As I was eating them, I thought, this is not a croissant.  Hmmm….I wonder if this would work for pizza rolls!  Indeed it did!  Unlike many gluten free doughs, this one can be rolled out and wrapped (albeit you have to be a little more careful than with a gluten dough, but it works!)  I was also concerned with how fake cheese would taste inside of the rolls.  I made ones with real cheese for my husband, but I decided to settle for the fake stuff.  It usually comes out a little dry on pizza so I wasn’t expecting much, but I think this is the best that the fake cheese has tasted so far- something about it being wrapped up and having the pepperoni grease seep into it.  Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I have.  Let me know if you discover any other interesting ways to use the dough!

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour

2 1/4 tsp quick-rising yeast

1/4 c. sugar*

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. warm water

1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 T. warm water (or 1 egg)

Up to 3 T. warm water (as needed)

White rice flour for dusting

Mozzarella or Daiya cheese, shredded

Pepperoni slices

 

Directions:

Mix flours, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.  In a stand mixer, combine oil, water, and egg replacer for one minute on medium speed.  Add dry ingredients and mix slowly until incorporated.  For 5 minutes, beat the mixture on medium high until the dough is coming together.  As you mix, if it’s too dry, you can add water by 1/2 Tablespoons until it is wet enough to mix (up to 3 T.).  Don’t make it too wet or it will be harder to roll out later.

Preheat your oven to it’s lowest temperature.  Once it hits 200 degrees F, shut it off and let it cool down to 115 degrees as you roll out the dough.

 

Use the white rice flour to flour a clean surface like your countertop.  Divide the dough into 8 parts.  Put one part on the floured surface and flour the top.  Roll it out with a rolling pin and re-flour as needed (I felt like I added a lot of flour to keep it from sticking).  Flip it over several times as you roll it out to make sure it’s not sticking to the counter.  If it does, you can use a spatula to help get it up.  Roll it out until it’s about 6×4 inches.

Once rolled out, place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Lay out pepperoni on the dough, leaving about a 1/2 inch or more at the edge.  Sprinkle a line of mozzarella cheese or Daiya cheese down the middle.  Roll the dough, staring on the long side.  Place on baking sheet with the seam facing down.  It’s ok if the dough has a few small gaps in it.  Repeat with each piece of dough.

After all the rolls are made, place the pan of pizza rolls in the preheated and cooled oven (cooled to 115 degrees F) and place an oven safe bowl of water on the rack below the rolls.  Allow to rise for 35 minutes.  At 30 minutes, take the rolls out of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake for 12-16 minutes or until they start to brown slightly.

 

Optional: serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

 

*It turned out fine with this much sugar- a little on the sweet side.  I’m not sure if reducing the sugar would affect the recipe or not.  I think you might need at least a little to help the yeast.  Let me know if you try it out and what the results are!

 

Original recipe:

Martin, Colette.  “Chocolate Croissants.”  Learning to Bake Allergen-Free.   New York: The Experiment, LLC, 2012. 175.  Print.

Dominican Beans and Rice

This recipe is from some old friends who learned it in the Dominican Republic.  It’s cheap and way easier than I thought it was.  I finally made it on my own and here it is!

Ingredients:

1-2 cans pinto beans or 2 c. dry beans

1/8 c. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 pepper, diced (optional- I didn’t use)

1/2 can tomato paste

1 1/2 c. uncooked white rice*

2 c. water

1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz) (or vegetable broth)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp oregano

handful of fresh cilantro

1-2 cans pinto or navy beans or 2 c. dry beans

 

Directions:

Prepare and cook pinto beans if not using canned beans.  Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add onions and peppers and saute until onions are translucent.  Add tomato paste and allow to caramelize (about 5 minutes).  Add in rice, stir, and let them toast together, another 5 minutes or so.  Add 2 c. water and the chicken broth, salt, garlic powder, oregano, cilantro, and beans.  Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat and cover.  Allow to simmer for about 35 minutes.

 

*I think next time I may try this with brown rice.  I am assuming it will need to cook a little longer and may need a little bit more liquid, but I don’t know.  I’ll update this recipe if I actually try it!

 

Original recipe from:  Megan and Lesley

 

 

 

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Salmon Cakes

After a brief hiatus, I’m back!

 

So, my initial reaction to this recipe was, “Tastes like fish.”  I’d never had salmon cakes before, so I didn’t really know what to expect.  My husband, on the other hand, is apparently more versed in seafood than me.  He said, “It tastes like salmon cakes.”  That was good enough for me!  After I got over them tasting like fish, I craved them and ate all of the leftovers over the next 24 hours except one (trying to spread it out…).  I adapted the recipe from the back of the canned salmon and it was easy!

 

Ingredients:

1- 14.5 oz. can pink salmon (Honey Boy brand)

2 T. liquid from the canned salmon, drain the rest of the liquid

2 c. finely chopped Rice Chex cereal

1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk

2 flax eggs (2 T. golden flaxseed, 6 T. warm water)

1/3 c. finely minced onion

2 tsp dried parsley

1 T. lime or lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried dill

dash pepper

oil for frying

 

Directions:

Drain off all but 2 T. of liquid from the can of salmon.  Set liquid aside.  Flake the salmon but leave the bones and skin in it (I removed the vertebrae.  It says online that they will dissolve but it just seemed to weird to me as this was my first canned salmon experience.)  Mix flaxseed with water in a small bowl and set aside.  Process Rice Chex cereal in the food processor until you have 2 cups of finely crushed Chex.  Chop onions with a knife and then mince them using the food processor so they will be really small.  Add all ingredients together including the salmon and the 2 T. liquid from the salmon.  Stir until all is combined.  Shape into 11-12 patties about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  Cover the bottom of a frying pan with about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil (I used olive oil) and heat on medium/medium high.  I drop one drop in the oil and when it pops it’s ready, but be careful.  I recommend using a splatter shield to protect yourself.  If you have a better method, please share!  When oil is hot, carefully add patties until the bottom of the pan is full.  Do not stack them.  Cook until one side is browned and a little crispy, about 10 minutes give or take.  Carefully flip them and cook until the other side is browned, about 7-10 more minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a paper towel-lined plate.

May be served with sauce.

Sauce recipe:

2 T. mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise)

dash lime juice

dash garlic juice

dash dried dill

 

Original recipe found on the back of the Honey Boy Pink Salmon can.

 

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Salmon Patties before being cooked.

Spaghetti Squash and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

Squash:

1 medium spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise and with seeds removed

olive oil for drizzling (not extra virgin)

salt

 

Sauce:

1 c. yellow tomatoes, sliced in half

1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 c. olive oil (not extra virgin)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 tsp red pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 T. fresh basil

4-5 fresh sprigs of thyme

1 T. fresh oregano

 

1 handful of spinach

 

Directions:

Squash: Carefully cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds (this is super easy with a grapefruit spoon).   Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place squash halves on pan, cut side up.  Drizzle halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 20-30 minutes for small squash and 40-50 minutes for medium to large squash (I may have needed to cook it for 60 minutes- I don’t exactly remember).  Squash is cooked when you can easily pierce it with a fork (similar to how a potato would pierce when done).  Using a spoon, scrape out the strands of squash.

Sauce:

Pour olive oil into a pan and allow to heat for 1-2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and garlic and allow to cook down for 5-10 minutes.  Add salt, black pepper, red pepper, and herbs and cook for another 5 minutes or so.  Add spinach and cook until it’s wilted.  Serve over spaghetti squash.

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