Salmon Boxty

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It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day and I’m not a huge fan of corned beef and cabbage. I wanted to try something different this year, and traditional Irish Boxty sounded rather plain, so I thought adding salmon would make it a little more like a meal. This is more like Irish boxty and salmon croquettes got married and had little bundles of crisp, moist goodness. On first try, I added way too many mashed potatoes and they turned out like mush, so make sure you watch the salmon to mashed potato ratio!

I served it with dill cream sauce (recipe follows), but a good tartar sauce would be delicious also.photo 3

Dill sauce:

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 2 tsp dried dill
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Salmon Boxty:

  • 1 pound fresh salmon fillet, skin and pin bones removed
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup mashed potatoes
  • 2 cups uncooked, shredded hash browns
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Gillian’s Gluten Free)
  • oil for frying

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place salmon on a baking sheet and top with a good drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes, then shred salmon with a fork in a large mixing bowl.

While salmon bakes, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir in the chopped onion and 1 tsp salt. Cook and stir for 15 to 17 minutes, until onions are caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To shredded salmon, add mashed potatoes, hash browns, and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Stir cooled onions into salmon mixture and stir well to combine. Form into about 12 patties. Dredge both sides in breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry patties in batches for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Place cooked patties on a paper towel lined plate. Serve with dill sauce or tartar sauce.

Gorgonzola Crusted Steak With Red Onion Faux Demi-Glace

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This came to me from my friend Dean, who previously worked in catering and restaurants. He started salivating while trying to tell me how to prepare this, and while it wasn’t written down, I made a mental note of the ingredients and it turned out quite well!

I used shoulder tender steaks, but any grill steak would work for this, and I also used a simple marinade of oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder, but feel free to use whichever marinade you like, if any.

I say it’s a “faux” demi-glace because there was no way I had time to roast beef bones and boil them for hours after being at work all day unless we wanted dinner at midnight, so I found the base for the sauce online from the Sun-Sentinal.photo 4

  • 2 pounds, marinaded and grilled beef steaks, (such as shoulder tender, strip steak, sirloin fillet, or tenderloin)  

For the faux demi-glace:

  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • 3 tbsp cold water
  • dash balsamic vinegar

For the gorgonzola crust:

  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or crushed buttery crackers
  • 2 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese

In a small stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add chopped onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another stockpot, melt the butter over medium-low heat, and stir in beef stock. Salt and pepper to taste. When heated through, combine the cornstarch with water, and add to beef stock. Add onions to stock mixture, along with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Bring to a gentle boil and continue to cook and stir for 30 minutes, until reduced by half.

In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter and breadcrumbs (or cracker crumbs). Add gorgonzola to breadcrumb mixture, and use a fork to break apart any large pieces of cheese.

Place grilled steaks on a baking sheet and press breadcrumb mixture onto the top and sides of steaks. Place under a broiler until topping is nicely browned. Remove steaks from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

To serve, slice steaks into medallions and ladle sauce generously over steaks.

Great with oven roasted asparagus and potatoes!

Turkish Red Lentil Balls

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Every now and again, my son will save the “Food” section out of the paper if there’s a recipe he finds interesting or looks good. He saved this recipe almost a year ago from The St. Augustine Record, and I was very surprised he would hold on to a recipe like this one, but he may have been referring to the carrot cake that was pictured right next to this one.

At any rate, this looked challenging as I’ve never done anything with red lentils before and am very limited with my lentil experience period. I’ve also wanted to add a vegetable category so this seemed a good one to start with.

The original recipe calls for bulgur wheat and I replaced that with quinoa to keep it gluten free. I also couldn’t find harissa paste or any kind of chili-garlic paste like the recipe suggests as a substitute, so I made up a concoction of roasted red peppers, sriracha, and garlic for the harissa.

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  • 1  cup cooked red lentils
  • 1/2  cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1  cup water
  • 2  tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle or two
  • 1  medium onion, chopped
  • 1  tbsp ground cumin
  • 2  tbsp finely diced roasted red peppers
  • 1  clove minced garlic
  • 1  tsp sriracha
  • 1  lemon
  • Butter lettuce leaves
  • Parsley

Cook red lentils to package directions.

While lentils are cooking, bring water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until quinoa is soft and most of the water is absorbed. Stir quinoa into the lentils and set aside to cool sightly.

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook onions 5 minutes, until soft. In a small bowl, combine red peppers, garlic, and sriracha, and mash until well combined. Stir cumin and red pepper mixture into onion, then remove to a mixing bowl.  Add lentils and quinoa to onions, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Place lettuce leaves (about 25) on a serving plate, and shape a heaping spoonful of mixture into an oblong shape, and place on a single lettuce leaf. Repeat until all the mixture is used.

Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with lemon juice.

Pear And Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops With Gorgonzola Sauce

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It’s a New Years resolution of mine to learn more pork recipes. As you can see, I only have a couple so far. I’ve been terrified of cooking pork loin chops just because they’re so easy to dry out, and I’m not a huge fan of eating shoe leather.

I’m not too familiar with cooking pork chops, but I know a lot of pork recipes use apples, and I thought about a pear and gorgonzola salad, and tried to figure out how to combine the two. This is what I came up with!

Sorry about not being able to see much of the pork chop in the photo! The sauce was so good, I got a little carried away!photo 3

For the pork chops:

  • 4  boneless pork chops, butterflied
  • 3  tbsp butter
  • 3  slices bacon, diced
  • 2  bartlett pears, diced
  • 1  small onion, diced
  • 1  tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1  tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear pork chops for 3 minutes on both sides, still folded over like they’re not split for stuffing. Set aside and keep warm until ready to stuff.

In the same skillet, cook bacon until browned on the edges, but still slightly raw in the center. Add pears and onions to skillet, and cook until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in balsamic and brown sugar. When sugar is well blended into mixture, remove from heat and cool slightly. Spoon 1/4 of mixture into each chop and place in a greased baking dish.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

For the gorgonzola sauce:

  • 3  tbsp butter
  • 3  tbsp flour*
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 4  oz. crumbled gorgonzola

In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium low heat. Whisk in flour and let cook, stirring continuously for one minute, then whisk in milk. Continue to cook and stir until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in gorgonzola a little at a time until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place a stuffed pork chop on a plate and top with heaping spoonfuls of gorgonzola sauce. Goes well with green beans and oven roasted sweet potatoes.

 

* I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

Enchiladas With Red Sauce

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My first post of the New Year!

Something pretty standard in most homes for dinner, enchiladas! So versatile, you can fill them with your choice of meat, veggies, or just plain cheese, and you can always find store bought enchilada sauce to pour on top, or even salsa works well. I’ve been making enchiladas for years, but have never attempted to make my own, homemade red enchilada sauce. I made them here with ground beef, but you could always change that out for shredded chicken or steak.

I wanted to use corn tortillas, but all I could find was the little ones for tacos and they did not work at all for enchiladas, so I used rice flour tortillas that are gluten free and they turned out surprisingly well!photo 3

For the red sauce:

  • 6 dried New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 1 1/2 cup reserved liquid from cooking chiles
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and heat until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove chiles to a sauce pan and cover with boiling water. Let stand at least 15 minutes.

Add chiles to a blender or food processor, along with reserved cooking liquid, and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined.

Pour sauce through a strainer and set aside.

For the beef enchiladas:

  • 1 1/2 lbs ground round
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried cilantro
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/2 cup cream of mushroom soup, ( I used a GF, ready to eat soup, not condensed)
  • Tortillas,   corn, flour, or gluten free rice flour
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onions over medium heat. When beef is cooked through, stir in chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and cilantro, and cook for 10 minutes. Add salsa and soup, and cook until heated through.

Spoon two heaping tablespoons of meat mixture onto a tortilla, roll up and place in a greased 13x 9 inch casserole. The size tortilla you use will determine how many enchiladas you get. Continue filling tortillas until all beef mixture is used up, or you fill up the pan.

Spread red sauce evenly over enchiladas, and top with cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

Pretzel Chicken With Mustard Cheddar Sauce

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This recipe is one I found in a Rachel Ray cook book and it’s one that’s in our regular menu rotation, but since the whole “no gluten” thing, I didn’t think I’d be eating it ever again. But thanks to all the brands that have produced “gluten free” products, I’m able to eat it once more!

Synder’s Of Hanover makes these wonderfully tasty gluten free pretzels that I crush up to coat the chicken, then pan fry it, and drizzle a mustard cheddar béchamel over top that’s made with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. It really tastes just like the gluten-y version without the nasty side effects! photo 1

For the béchamel:

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar
  • 1 tbsp mustard

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then add milk. Continue to cook, and stir constantly, until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in mustard and cheddar. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm while preparing the chicken.

For the chicken:

  • 6 chicken breast cutlets
  • 2 cups crushed pretzels
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • vegetable oil for frying

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the large skillet over medium-high heat.

Place chicken in a zip-top bag with the flour and shake to coat. Dip a piece of chicken in the eggs, then in crushed pretzels, continue with remaining pieces.

Fry chicken in two batches, about 5 minutes per side, and remove to a plate lined with paper towels.

Spoon a tablespoon of béchamel on to a plate, place two cutlets on plate, then drizzle with a few heaping tablespoons over chicken. Goes great with a salad and steamed vegetable of  your choice.

Sausage And Sweet Potato Scramble

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My husband and I recently went on an impromptu trip to Asheville, North Carolina (in my opinion a dining mecca) and intended on having breakfast at Tupelo Honey Cafe. When we got there, we were told they were closed a few days for some remodeling, and were directed upstairs to The Early Girl Eatery. It didn’t look like much, and I was heartbroken to not be having breakfast at my first chosen location, so imagine my delight when I saw this tasty treat on the menu! I scarfed down every last bit and was hoping that hubby wouldn’t eat all of his so I could finish his plate as well! Sad to say, I only got the portion I ordered! When I came back home, I knew I had to make this, and did several times for breakfast and even once for dinner!photo-2

A family sized meal:

  • 1 lb bulk breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean and the like)
  • 6 slices cooked, diced bacon
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly diced
  • 3 diced green onions
  • 4 oz sliced mushrooms, shiitake or cremini
  • 10 eggs

Place sweet potatoes in a large sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook and crumble sausage over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions and cook until mushrooms are soft. (For a more healthful alternative, drain fat from the sausage, remove from skillet and cook mushrooms and onions in a few teaspoons of olive oil, then add sausage back to the skillet.)

When potatoes are soft enough to pierce with a fork, drain and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes then add to skillet with sausage. Stir in bacon. Scramble up eggs in a mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper, and add to skillet. Allow to firm up a bit before stirring or you’ll have minced eggs instead of nice big chunks! Serve with your favorite breakfast sides!

Crab Cakes With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

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I love crab cakes and hated the thought that I’d have to pass them up due to the whole “gluten free” thing! The tricky part was finding a cracker to replace the saltines that you’d normally use in crab cakes. For this, I’ve used rice crackers that I thought added a richer flavor to the cakes. Of course, if you don’t have to be gluten free, just use plain saltines instead.photo 1

Cakes:

  • 1 pound lump crab
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp zesty cajun seasoning
  • 3/4 cup finely crushed rice crackers
  • 1 tsp dried parsley

Combine all ingredients in a bowl being careful not to over mix or your lumps of crab will become shredded crab. Form into 8 patties and place in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.

While cakes are chillin’, make the red pepper sauce.

Sauce:

  • 12 oz jarred roasted red peppers
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 5 basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Blend in oil and vinegar and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown cakes 4 at a time for 3 minutes per side until golden brown and transfer to a greased baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes just to finish off cooking the cakes.

To serve, spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons onto a plate and top with 2 crab cakes. I served mine with some rosemary and toasted almond green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes. Just wish I didn’t have to share!

Tri Tip Roast with Barbecue Sauce

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Wow! Here it is December and my last posting was in June! I’ve been so busy with two little furry additions to my family, a Chocolate Lab named Hayden and a little pound Pittie named Rossi, that I haven’t had time for much else!Hayden and Rossi

Then recently discovering that I’m gluten intolerant has also been keeping me busy trying to figure out what I can and can’t eat, then trying to alter recipes I can’t live without! Please be patient with me as I try to get all this worked out! My postings might not be quite as often as I hoped, but I’m going to try and get recipes on here at least once a month. I never realized how many things have gluten as an ingredient until I could no longer eat it! It’s been a frustrating journey thus far, but feeling better has made it all worth it!

Now to the food!

I discovered the yummy goodness of this cut of meat on my trips to beautiful California. In an attempt to relive memories of one of my favorite places in the world, I came up with this combining California style barbecue with a Southern style vinegar based sauce. Serve it on it’s own or as a sandwich. Easy and doesn’t disappoint!20121210-174322.jpg

One 2 pound tri-tip roast

Spice Rub:

(Please note these are approximate as I don’t really measure this! Tweak where your taste buds see fit!)

  • 3 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and rub a generous coating all over tri-tip roast. Place in a dish and cover tightly with foil. Let sit in the fridge at least 6 hours.

Homemade Barbecue Sauce:

  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 3 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • pinch red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer while stirring 5 minutes. Remove from heat, pour in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. ( This can be done 2 days in advance!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a roasting pan, cook tri-tip 40 minutes, until internal temperature of 140 degrees is reached. This will be for medium, I don’t recommend well done for this cut of meat or it’ll be tough. Remove roast from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice against the grain and serve with barbecue sauce!

Shrimp And Mushroom Stuffed Flounder

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The seafood counter had some beautiful flounder fillets come in and I knew I wanted some for dinner, but was not wanting to spend the money for lump crabmeat to stuff it with, so I thought “What about stuffing it with shrimp?” $17 for half a pound of crab versus $10 for a full pound of fresh shrimp was a no brainer. Time to come up with something new and here it is!

  • 3 flounder fillets, about a 1/3 a pound each
  • 3/4 lb fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half
  • 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 slices of bacon, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp cajun seasoning
  • a few turns salt and pepper
  • extra cajun seasoning and panko for topping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a fry pan and add mushrooms, garlic, and onions. When mushrooms start to soften, add shrimp and cook until shrimp start to firm up. Remove shrimp mixture to a mixing bowl. Wipe out fry pan and return to heat with the bacon. When crisp, remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate and pat to remove some of the grease, then add to the mixing bowl with the shrimp. Add mayo, breadcrumbs, seasoning, and salt & pepper, and stir to combine.

Place flounder on a piece of wax paper or foil and pat dry. Spoon 1/3 of mixture across the center of one piece of flounder and roll up to resemble picture above. Place on a greased baking sheet and top with a sprinkle of cajun seasoning and panko. Repeat with remaining flounder fillets.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with a salad and your favorite oven-roasted veggie.