REQUESTED RECIPES

Steve and I watch a lot of shows on Game Show Network.  One of our favorites is Catch 21, where players try to beat one another with the perfect hand of 21, similar to playing Black Jack in the casinos. 

A few weeks ago, one of the contestants was a ventriloquist named Christine Barger.  She brought her alter-ego with her – the sweetest little girl “dummy” named Suzy-Q.  She was the cutest thing I’d ever seen and I took some photos of them off the TV screen.  I was determined to locate Christine and share the photos with her.  I got lucky!  I located her on Twitter and sent one of the photos to her.  It turns out that Christine is an actress/ventriloquist  and performs around the Los Angeles area.  She wrote back and eventually asked if I had any gluten-free recipes on my blog. 

 

Christine is a wonderful person, Suzy-Q is too precious for words, and I’m very proud and happy to call both of my friends!  If you’re in the Southern California area and read that Christine and her pals are performing, do yourself a favor and go to see them!  You’ll be as enchanted as I was!

Just for my new friend, some yummy gluten-free recipes 

GLUTEN FREE CHERRY COLA RIBS

 

5 pounds baby back ribs
1 – 2 liter bottle Cola
Salt & Pepper
1 – 10 ounce bottle maraschino cherries without stems
1 -2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 – 4 tablespoons brown sugar – optional

 

Flip the ribs bone side up and insert a dinner knife just under the white membrane that covers the meat and bones. Gently peel the membrane off. Place ribs in a baking dish or roasting pan and pour the cola over. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Remove the ribs from the cola, reserving the cola for the sauce. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels and season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Pour the cola into a saucepan, wipe of the baking dish or roasting pan and return the ribs to the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 3 to 3-1//2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

While the ribs are baking, make the glaze. Puree the maraschino cherries, with the juice, in a blender or small food processor. Add to the cola in the sauce pan. Add 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce, the mustard, vinegar and ½ teaspoon of both salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil, uncovered until the liquid reduces down to about 1 cup and is very thick. Skim the foam off the top of the mixture occasionally and stir once in a while. When the mixture is reduced and thick, taste it – you may want to add some more chili garlic sauce if you like it spicier and some brown sugar if you want it sweeter – this is to taste. Also check to see if it needs more salt and pepper. Reserve glaze until the ribs are done.

When the ribs have finished baking in the oven, remove and turn the heat up to 500 degrees (or you can use the broiler – turn to high). Place ribs on a baking sheet, bone side down, and brush the glaze liberally over the top. Cook or broil for about 5 minutes, watching to make sure the glaze does not burn.   Serves 4-6 People.

GLUTEN FREE COBB SALAD

1/2 head of romaine

1/2 head of Boston lettuce

1 small bunch of frisée (curly endive)

1/2 bunch watercress, stems removed, rinsed, spun dry & chopped
6 slices of bacon

2 ripe avocados, seed removed, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 skinless boneless chicken breast, cooked and diced

1 tomato, seeded and chopped fine

2 hard-boiled eggs, separated, yolk & white finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1/3 cup red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

1-2 teaspoons sugar

Salt and pepper

2/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup finely grated Roquefort

Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper. Allow to cool. Then crumble and set aside.

In a large salad bowl, toss together the lettuces and watercress.

Arrange the chicken, the bacon, the tomato and  avocado over the salad  and garnish with the egg and the chives.

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, mustard and salt & pepper.  Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking, until the dressing emulsified. Stir in the Roquefort. Add sugar to taste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Whisk the dressing. Serve separately or toss in with the salad.

Brown Sugar Glazed Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

1-3/4 lbs. ground turkey

1 small sweet or red onion, peeled

1 medium to large carrot, peeled, trimmed

3 cloves fresh peeled garlic

1/2 cup good tasting tomato ketchup

1 tablespoon molasses

1 organic free-range egg

3/4 cup gluten-free cornbread crumbs

A pinch of nutmeg

A pinch of cinnamon

1 teaspoon thyme

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350º.  Put the ground turkey into a large bowl and using a fork or spoon, break it apart it a bit.

Roughly chop the onion and carrot into same sized chunks and place them into a food processor; add the garlic; pulse until the veggies are uniformly diced- fine- not too chunky; add them to the turkey. Toss lightly with a spoon or fork to quickly distribute the veggies. Add the ketchup, molasses, egg (if using), cornbread crumbs, spices and thyme. Mix it all up using a light touch; try not to over-mix it into mush (over-mixing makes for a dense loaf).

If the mixture is too dry at this point, add a little more ketchup. If it feels too wet, add more cornbread crumbs. You want a nice stick-together balance.

Spoon the meatloaf mixture into a standard size loaf pan and firmly press into place, smoothing and rounding the top of the loaf so that the sides are lower than the edge of the loaf pan (you don't want the glaze spilling over the sides later on).

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make brown sugar glaze.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf Glaze

Stir to combine:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, to taste

1 teaspoon honey mustard

A small pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon

At the 45 minute mark, remove the loaf from the oven.

Spoon the glaze mixture on top of the loaf.

Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F. Allow the cooked loaf to cool for ten minutes or so before slicing and serving. Serves 4 to 6.

BEEF STROGANOFF

6 Tbsp butter

1 pound of top sirloin or tenderloin, cut thin into 1-inch wide by 2 1/2-inch long strips

1/3 cup chopped shallots (can substitute onions)

1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of dry tarragon or 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon

1 cup of sour cream at room temperature

 

Melt 3 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Increase the heat to high/med-high and add the strips of beef. You want to cook the beef quickly, browning on each side, so the temp needs to be high enough to brown the beef, but not so high as to burn the butter. You may need to work in batches. While cooking the beef, sprinkle with some salt and pepper. When both sides are browned, remove the beef to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook the shallots for a minute or two, allowing them to soak up any meat drippings. Remove the shallots to the same bowl as the meat and set aside.

In the same pan, melt another 3 Tbsp of butter. Increase heat to medium high and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. While cooking, sprinkle the nutmeg and the tarragon on the mushrooms.

Reduce the heat to low and add the sour cream to the mushrooms. You may want to add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the sauce (or not). Mix in the sour cream thoroughly. Do not let it come to a simmer or boil or the sour cream will curdle. Stir in the beef and shallots. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately over egg noodles, fettucine, potatoes, or rice. (Potatoes, rice, and gluten-free pasta are gluten-free options.)

Buffalo Wings Recipe

Wings:

2 lbs chicken wings (about 12 wings)

3 Tbsp butter, melted

4 Tbsp bottled hot pepper sauce (like Crystal or Frank's Original)

1 Tbsp paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Celery sticks (optional)

Blue cheese dip

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar or white vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

For Wings

Cut off wing tips (discard or reserve for other use such as making stock). Cut wings at the joint. Put chicken wing pieces in a plastic bag. Set aside. Food safety note: when cutting raw chicken it is best to use a cutting board reserved just for cutting raw chicken. Wash thoroughly when finished. Do not let raw chicken juices come in contact with other food.

Create a marinade by stirring together the melted butter, hot pepper sauce, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the marinade over the chicken pieces in the plastic bag. (Reserve those 2 Tbsp of marinade for coating after the pieces come out of the oven.) Seal bag and let marinate at room temperature for half an hour. When marinating is finished, drain marinade and discard bag.

Place wing pieces on the rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for about 10 minutes on each side, until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove from oven and baste with the 2 Tbsp of reserved marinade (not the marinade that was in contact with the raw chicken).  Makes approximately 24 pieces (about 12 appetizer servings).

Serve with Blue Cheese Dip and celery sticks.

For Blue cheese dip
Combine dip ingredients - sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, vinegar, and garlic - in a blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until smooth. Cover and chill up to a week.

Three-Cheese Baked Penne

Since gluten-free pasta can clump and stick together if it stands for a while, be sure to cook it to al dente (since it'll cook a bit more while it bakes), and have it ready just in time to toss with the sauce.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)

1 (12-ounce) package gluten-free brown rice penne

1/4 cup cornstarch

4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cooking spray

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup panko -style breadcrumbs (such as Kinnikinnick)

Preheat oven to 375°.  Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring often.

While onion cooks, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.

Combine cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk in a small bowl. Add remaining 3 1/2 cups milk to onion; bring to a boil. Gradually stir in cornstarch mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt. Stir in pasta. Pour pasta mixture evenly into 6 (2-cup) gratin dishes or ramekins coated with cooking spray.

Combine Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs; sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and top is brown.

Fried Mozzarella With Marinara

For the fried mozzarella:

3-4 cups canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 lb. mozzarella Ciliengine

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour

1cup Kinnikinnick gluten free panko crumbs

Drain the cheese from its liquid. Place the cheese on a paper towel-
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.

Put the egg mixture and bread crumbs in separate wide, shallow bowls. Combine the panko with the teaspoon of salt and Parmesan in another wide, shallow bowl.

Roll the cheese in the flour, dip into the egg mixture and coat with the bread crumbs, shaking off the excess after each step.

Repeat the breading process one more time for each cheese piece.
In a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour the oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat to 375°F on a deep-frying thermometer.

Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden, about one minute or until golden brown

Transfer the fried cheese to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt and pepper.
 

Place the cheese on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while frying the remaining cheese.

Serve with the warm Marinara Sauce:

Marinara

10  tomatoes, skinned, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white wine.

 To remove the skins, place tomatoes in boiling water for ten minutes. 

Remove and immediately put into iced water. Drain.  The skin will be wrinkled, making it very easy to peel off. Peel the skins off and you can also squeeze out the seeds.

Saute garlic in extra virgin olive oil, add seasonings,simmer in pot for 15 minutes add wine and basil.

Cook for 15 more minutes. Use a hand blender to completely mix up and almost puree the marinara.

HONEY BAKED HAM

1 6 lb cooked ham

1/4 cup whole cloves

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup honey

1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Score the ham with a knife, and then stud the ham with whole cloves.

Place the ham in a foil-lined pan.  Heat the brown sugar, honey and butter over low heat, and brush over the ham.

Place the ham in the oven, and baste every 5 minutes turning every time so the entire outside gets crunchy for about 30 minutes.Turn the oven to broil on high. Watch carefully and let the outside get crispy. Remove and serve with pan sauce drizzled over the meat. 

Gluten-Free Layer Bars

A gluten-free version of the traditional Seven Layer Bar recipe.

7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut, divided

1 cup butterscotch chips

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

8 ounces unsalted peanuts

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Generously grease one 13x9-inch baking pan.

Spread 2/3 of the flaked coconut evenly on the bottom of the baking pan. Sprinkle the butterscotch morsels, chocolate chips, and peanuts evenly over the coconut layer. Pour condensed milk evenly over the whole pan. Top with sliced almonds and remaining coconut.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares.  Makes 30 bars