No Dinner post tonight...

because we are going over to some friends (see yesterday's post).

I am bringing gluten free chocolate chip cookies made with almond flour (and they are vegan!).

You can find the recipe here.  I own her cookbook and it has the recipe in it (but I also found it online for you all:).  Instead of grapeseed oil I used coconut oil and instead of agave nectar I used honey.  Yum!

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!!!

No dinner tonight...

Sort of just kidding with the title of this post.  I am not making dinner tonight.  We went to Vesper's at St Nicholas this evening and they had some food there and we are now eating leftovers.  Tomorrow we are going to some friends for dinner (we do this Supper for Six thing in our parish where three couples are grouped together and do three dinners together so that's what we are doing tomorrow night).  I'm supposed to bring dessert.  I need to figure out something that's lenten and gluten free.  Maybe I will post it for you:)  Good night... hope St. Nicholas leaves something yummy in your shoe!

"Olive" Garden Pasta

This is what DH dubbed our dinner tonight (it's really only garden pasta).  He thought that it tasted like something from the Olive Garden. So, from now on, we will call this "Olive" Garden Pasta!

"Olive" Garden Pasta
2 Tbs Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic minced (I LOVE when a recipe calls for lots of garlic)
1 medium zucchini, finely diced (ok, I just cut it in quarters the long way and then sliced it)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped (see note on zucchini)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup veggie broth
1 28oz can diced tomatoes (I actually only used 1 14 oz can b/c that seemed like a lot of tomatoes)
salt and pepper to taste
Parsley
1 pound pasta cooked (we used gluten free)

Heat a deep skillet or pot over medium heat (I actually used my wok for this- my stock pot lid fits on my wok). Add oil and garlic and saute until the garlic sizzles.  Add zucchini, onion, carrot, and bay leaf. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until zucchini is tender and onion is translucent. Remove cover, add broth. Stir, add tomatoes, salt and pepper and parsley (I had dried parsley and I just shook some into the sauce).  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve. 

So this was super yummy and I thought of adding broccoli and I am kind of glad that I didn't- this was just fine.  Oh, wait, I did add something.  A splash of red wine.  I can't make a tomato sauce for pasta without adding red wine so I did add that splash of red wine. When I asked DH what you would change/add to tonights dinner he said, "more of it."  I actually think we do not have leftovers of this! 

Finally, last night's dinner...

Unsoaked Rice
2 cups long grain brown rice
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 cups broth (the recipe calls for chicken broth- I used 1/2 veggie broth and 1/2 water)
1/2 tsp. salt

Melt butter and olive oil in pan.  Add rice.  Saute rice.  Add liquid and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce flame to lowest heat and cover tightly.  Cook for 40 minutes (ok the recipe says 1 1/2 hours.  We have a gas stove and my "lowest:" heat setting is still a pretty hard boil so it has never taken me 1 1/2 hours to cook rice- and if I left it on the stove that long I would end up with burnt rice).

Fish Tacos
1 lb fresh or frozen fish (I used tilapia- cod would be good)
2 Tbs. margarine or butter melted
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lime juice (or lemon juice)
corn tortillas
Salsa, guacamole, whatever you like to put on your fish tacos (except none of that yogurt/sourcream dressing because we are fasting).

Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels.Place fish in a single layer in greased shallow baking pan. Combine margarine/butter, cumin, garlic and lime (I actually used more lime because I love lime).  Brush over fish.  Bake in a 450 degree oven 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Warm tortillas in the oven by wrapping in foil and placing in oven for about 5 minutes.

We also had the red kidney bean dip recipe that my sister, Katherine, had suggested.  I happened to have some already soaked/cooked red kidney beans in the freezer:)

This dinner, though a lot of work (isn't taco night, even with meat, a lot of work?  All those little add-ons to prepare and kind of a pain to make sure everything is done at exactly the same time so that all your foods are hot) is kind of worth it in the end:)  Fish Tacos also take us back to when we first met, through Project Mexico.  We did spend quite a bit of time at the fish taco place in Rosarito when we had time off from working.  DH tried to explain to Big P that we met in Mexico working at an orphanage and that we went out for fish tacos all the time- I don't think Big P quite got it all.  And I do think my home made fish tacos are better than the fried fish and mayonnaise on a tortilla that we would get at the taco shop.

Not dinner recipes, yet...

Here is a link to sign up for the online newsletter from our school.  It is different from what you might receive in the mail.  I am just going to cut and paste what I received in my email inbox today.  I will see if they can post it as a pdf on their main site so you can preview this beautiful newsletter. 

(ten minutes later...)  ok so I can't cut and paste it into blogger.  Take my word for it, it is beautiful.  If you would like me to forward the email to you, please leave me a comment and your email address (be sneaky about leaving your email address) and I will forward it to you!

UPDATE:  try going here to view the newsletter before signing up!

Fish Tacos, Kidney Bean dip, Brown rice, and toppings...

So that was dinner tonight. And I am actually a bit tired right now and will probably not post the recipes (although the kidney bean dip I posted a few days ago- a suggestion from my sister).

I will say that it was a delicious meal (I did the Nourishing Traditions non-soaked brown rice) although I did miss having some type of sour cream/yogurt sauce on my fish:)

Tomorrow, busy day. At school in the morning to make St. Nicholas cookies for the children (for Sunday school and for Agia Sophia Academy). Hopefully I will have some time tomorrow afternoon to post tonight's dinner recipe. Saturday, another busy day... I'm helping to lead a prosfora baking workshop (the bread that we use for Holy Communion) in the morning.

Big P and papa are "Scouting for Food" on Saturday morning. little p will probably be with yiayia and pappous. So, if a Cub Scout or Boy Scout comes to your door on Saturday and asks for canned food for the hungry, please, think of my Big P out their collecting food, and give to that scout. Thanks:)

Bouillabaisse of Spinach, Potatoes, Garbanzos, and Saffron

This is our first "yuck" recipe (I don't count when Big P says "yuck") since the beginning. Not bad!

I have decided that I just don't like cooked spinach. Well, I liked cooked spinach in eggs or brownies or lasagna, but not in a soup.

But I will share the recipe...

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound spinach or 1 10 oz bag fresh spinach cut into 1/4 in. strips
1 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes, unpeeped, cut into 1 in. pieces
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp powdered saffron or 1/2 tsp curry powder or to taste
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (i actually did use canned beans... I have not had much luck soaking and cooking garbanzo beans- I do fine when I soak them for falafel (which I will post in a few weeks) but when I have had to add them to soup it seems as if I never cook them long enough)
4 thick slices peasant style bread (optional- we did not use the bread).

in a medium pot, heat the oil add the onion and cook until lightly browned. add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. add the broth and wine; bring to a boil over high heat. add half the spinach, the potatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Return to boil. reduce heat to medium boil and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender (15 minutes)
Stir in the saffron. add garbanzos and remaining spinach, stirring well to combine. bring to a boil over high heat. immediately remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 3 minutes. remove bay leaf. serve (over bread if you choose).

So... it looked like a real good soup with the potatoes and beans and spinach. Except I think I don't really like cooked spinach (I know I already said that). DH thought it was bland. More saffroon? Should have gone with the curry? I do love curry. And I do agree with him. It was bland. But it also was a lot of wilted spinach. On potatoes. In a bland soup. Have I made my point? Maybe YOU like cooked spinach. I LOVE raw spinach- I love spinach salads so it's not an anti spinach thing- and I like kale- maybe I should have used kale? Kale holds it's form better, it tends to be somewhat bitter, but that would be an improvement to, uhm, bland, right?

Stir Fried Shrimp and Broccoli (and a question)...

1 lb. shrimp (you decide if you want fresh, frozen, cooked, uncooked, tail-on, tail-off)
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
3 Tbs. soy sauce (we use wheat free soy sauce)
3 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. corn starch
1 1/2 tsp. sugar (or substitute of your choice)
1 Tbs. oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 cup thinly bias sliced carrots
1 small onion, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional- ok, not really, but I do not like mushrooms. There, I said it, a food that I will not eat. They taste like dirt to me)
2 cups hot cooked rice (as opposed to two cups cold, uncooked rice)

Do whatever you need to do with your shrimp (you could also use scallops, if you wanted to). Set aside. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, water, cornstarch, and sugar, set aside
Heat oil in wok or large skillet. Stif fry the garlic for 15 seconds. add broccoli, carrots, and onion. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until all the veggies are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from wok with slotted spoon. Add vinegar mix to wok and bring to boil. Add shrimp or scallops and cook until shrimp turn pink or scallops are opaque. Stir in veggies, heat through. Serve over rice.

We love this. Except Big P. But he's tough to please.

Question- I need to purchase hoisin sauce and duck sauce. Is there a wheat free version of hoisin sauce? Where do I find it? and what is duck sauce and where do I find that?
Thanks (I realize I could "goodsearch.com" it and raise money for our school, but I thought I would start a dialogue with my readers:)

Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce

This is one of those recipes that I don't use a recipe to make. It's a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The nice thing about this meal is that I usually save it for busy days like today! I had a reg. dr. appt. today (everything is good), grocery shopping this afternoon, pick up at school, and, tonight is our once a month cub scout pack meeting. So we are all going (and, anyway, DH has somehow decided to be one of two assistant scout master's for the pack- he is an Eagle scout, BTW and really enjoys this scouting time he has spent with Big P).

anyhow...

I use GF pasta (if you have been following my lenten cooking blog so far, you will notice that we do not use a lot of pasta- and that's not just because we are gluten free- even before the celiac days, our fasting was more heavily beans and vegetable oriented so get out of that carb rut!!! It can be done!)

1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic minced
a little cinnamon
salt and pepper
oregano
water
red wine

that's about it. If I have lots of time I will saute onions and peppers and add it to the sauce. I have also been known to throw in some zucchini or yellow squash:)

This is our fast fasting option- I try to keep it all on hand at all times (big shopping trip to Costco today involved buying the bag o' garlic heads- yes, we do go through that much garlic).

Red Kidney bean Dip...

My sister sent me this recipe. She soaked her kidney beans instead of using a can of beans. She also chopped cilantro withthe limes to put on the top. This would be a nice alternative to the pinto bean refried beans I made a few weeks ago. And I happen to have a bag of kidney beans in the freezer:) We might be doing this later this week! Looks yummy!

3 tablespoons olive oil (not extra-virgin)
1 large onion, finely diced
3 fat cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 3/4 cups kidney beans, reserving the liquid in the can
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, zested and juiced

Heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic until soft and golden.
Add the kidney beans and their liquid and stir in the tomato paste and spices and cook for a few minutes.
Add the lime juice to the kidney bean mixture. Take the pan off the heat and when it has cooled a little, process the mixture until it is a bumpy puree. When it is cool, arrange in small bowls and sprinkle over the reserved lime zest.

Fish and Chips...

We had cod and homemade oven fries tonight for dinner. It was delish.

Pan Fried Fish
1 pound fish (I used 1 1/2 lbs cod)
1 cup flour (I used 1 cup Gluten Free all purpose mix (I make it myself:)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup beer or milk (I used Gluten Free beer)

Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Combine four, baking powder, salt, and beer and mix until smooth. Dip fish into batter. Fry fish in oil (I used olive oil) about 2 minutes on each side until goden brown. Serve. yum!

The homemade french fries are from this site. And remember, after you cute your potatoes- ALWAYS DRY YOUR POTATOES WITH A CLEAN KITCHEN TOWEL! That makes them crispy and they won't stick to the pan!

Vegetable Soup...

Ok, so there are probably about as many different versions of vegetable soup as there are people who have inhabited the earth since creation. In fact, I have at least three different versions of "vegetable soup" that I make during fasting times. This is a new version (as in, I have never made it until tonight). And, of course, I changed little things here and there depending on what I have on hand(I do not happen to have Old Bay Seasoning so I looked it up online and sort of made up my own version of it).

Here it is... another vegetable soup recipe:)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
2 ribs celery chopped
3 medium red skinned potatoes, diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning (see above)
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
3 cans broth
salt and pepper to taste
5-6 oz. spinach or baby spinach

Heat a deep pot over medium heat. add oil, onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, bay leaf, and Old Bay Seasoning. Cover pot to cook veggies about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. add beans, tomatoes, broth and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Serve when spinach wilts.

Ok. I did not have spinach so we did this without the spinach. But we would like to try it with the spinach. I used 2 cups veggie broth and added about 1 cup water so I used less broth/water than the recipe called for which I think is fine. We like a thick soup anyway. I did not use canned beans. Back when I made the Vegetarian Chili, I had soaked a combination of black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans. I did not use all the beans for the chili so I put them in the freezer. I pulled the bag o' beans out of the freezer and used that (it was probably 3 cups of cooked beans). We liked this soup. It is very good; very hearty with all these veggies. You could probably add all sorts of other veggies (grean beans, peas, etc). This is a keeper recipe and it is actually better than my stand by vegetable soup recipe. Yay!

In other news... a friend of mine from church mentioned when I started this recipe blog that it reminded her of the movis Julie and Julia. At that point my only knowledge of that movie was that it was about a woman who sets out to make everything in Julia Child's cookbook. I didn't realize she blogged about her experience. Another friend mentioned that the movie was playing at the $3 theater last night so we went to watch it. It is very cute. I very much enjoyed it. I don't know that I would have the discipline to do something like this for an entire year and my reason for doing this is different than Julie's reasons... I am doing this to add to my recipe collection of good Lenten meals instead of eating lentil soup every night (even though we ate that last night:) Depending on how I am doing by thte time Nativity rolls around, I "might" continue to post new recipes for regular meals because we all do get stuck in that cooking rut. I would love to venture out and make new dishes for my family. AND we also have diet restrictions and I am always on the lookout for new ways to turn gluten filled foods into gluten free foods.

I do promise, though, that I will never post things about my relationship with my husband. You won't know when we have an argument; I just can't do that to him.

Anyway, enough ramling from me. Tomorrow we are having FISH for dinner!!! WooHoo! You know you are Orthodox when you get excited about fish:)

Meal plan put on hold for one day...

Actually, I should say two days because yesterday was Thanksgiving. We have a problem with fleas in the house from my sister's cat, Honey. So Honey is now an outside cat at my parents and we "bombed" the house yesterday morning and stayed the night at mom and dad's (this is our second "bombing"- we bombed two weeks ago).

Now we are home and I am taking a break from cleaning in order to post an unplanned for dinner recipe. I have permission from DH that instead of making the little bit more complicated vegetable soup that the children will probably not eat- I can make the super easy lentils:) I know, we are trying to stay away from the lentil soup but I do have permission:) And the children LOVE it!

Here it is...
Lentil Soup (or as we Greeks call it... Faki- yes, you heard me right. And yes, it is pronounced like that infamous four letter word- fun to tell it to your friends when you are in grade school:)
1 cup lentils
1 can tomato paste
1 onion chopped fine (optional- my dad hates cooked onions so I grew up without the onions)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 stalk celery, chopped fine (optional- dad also does not like celery)
1 clove garlic minced
5 cups water (or water and vegetable broth)
1 tsp salt

sort and wash lentils. Place in deep saucepan and add all ingredients. Cover and bring to boiling. reduce and cook slowly for about 1 1/2 hours (or boil hard for about 1 hour if it's 5pm and you need to eat dinner in an hour and you just didn't have time to prepare your meal earlier in the day because maybe somebody got sick at school and you had to go pick them up and that just totally interfered with your "plan"- hey, it happens sometimes;) Serve with red wine vinegar.

I double this recipe all the time because it freezes so well. I will also sometimes add 1/4 up brown rice (and a little extra water) or cut up two potatoes (dh likes the potatoes- he is of Irish descent, you know) or chop up some carrots.

Lentil Salad...

Please forgive me... posted the sweet potato souffle yesterday and then time just went into superspeed and I lost track of it (until I was in bed and thought, should I go post our dinner recipe?) AND then, after I typed up the recipe at school today, the internet went down and I lost it all! So, here it is...



Lentil Salad

1/2 pound lentils
1 bay leaf
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 Tbs. olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
splash red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. tahini (optional)

Cover lentils in a pot with water and add bay leaf. Boil then simmer for 20 minutes until tender. Rinse in cold water and drain. Combine lentils with tomato and parsley. Mix oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and spices together. Pour dressing over lentils and coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with tahini (use a little water with the tahini if it is too thick).

We really like the dressing on this. I added a cucumber and was feeling in the mood for shrimp so I sauteed shrimp in olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. DH did not like the lentils. He felt like he was eating a bowl of lentils. His suggestion is to not use lentils at all and to make this a pasta salad and maybe add a can of rinsed/drained garbanzo beans. He did say to keep the shrimp in it.

Sweet Potato Souffle

For Thanksgiving... this is a family favorite. It is not lenten:) It is easy to make gluten free.

Sweet Potato Souffle
3 c. mashed sweet potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
3 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. gluten free all purpose baking mix (or 1/2 c. flour)

Mix all souffle ingredients and put in a 2 quart baking dish. Mix topping ingredients well and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bate at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Will post tonight's dinner (Lentil Salad) well, uhm, tonight! After we try it!