Yes you read right – I made a pizza with an unconventional main crust ingredient – cauliflower. I wanted to try this recipe as gluten free pizza crusts are so expensive to buy and they are often loaded with sugar. I also love a challenge and to try new and different things.

I never thought I would have this problem but I actually don’t have a microwave – the recipe I used for this crust has an alternative though, to steam the cauliflower. However I don’t have a steamer either (or anything that I can use as a steamer as my colander is plastic). Still desperately wanting to make this pizza I decided to use raw cauliflower. And guess what – it worked! So the crust stayed together and looked good, and the pizza tasted awesome!

I would love to say that I was clever enough to come up with this recipe by myself but I actually got it from Recipe Girl.

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Egg Fried Rice

Fried rice is a great way to save time in the kitchen. This easy recipe uses nutritious eggs and leftover rice for a delicious meal or side dish. You can add whatever meat and vegetables you have on hand.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
• ¼ cup (optional) bacon or cooked meat, shrimp, fish chicken, or fried tofu, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped scallions
• ¼ cup thinly sliced vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, green peas or sweet corn
• 3 ½ cups cooked long grain rice (cold or cooled to room temperature)

Equipment

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INGREDIENTS:

• one red bell pepper
• one green bell pepper
• one small red onion
• 1/2 cup sliced olives
• one ear of white or yellow corn, boiled until tender
• 8 oz of your favorite brown rice pasta
  (I suggest Trader Joe’s Brand)
• 12 oz of your favorite marinara sauce
  (I love Prego!) Read More »

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Alexandra Grablewski Getty Images

Tacos! Drive thru beef and chicken, crunchy or soft may be our most familiar tacos – staples of a fast food diet. But if you’ve never had a fish taco, I content that you’ve never enjoyed the best taco of all. From South America, across Arizona and up to Alaska, fish tacos are routinely on restaurant menus, even at airports and most home cooks have their very own favorite versions.

Fish tacos, in all their regional variations are a  culinary sensation.One you shouldn’t miss out on just because you don’t frequent these locales. They are incredibly easy to make at home.

Gluten-free tortillas are easy to find in local groceries. This makes constructing a perfectly delicious gluten-free fish taco pretty darned easy in under 30 minutes. The best fish tacos I have eaten are made with Alaskan halibut or mahi-mahi. Spicy coleslaw and fusion mayonnaise (spicy, often citrus flavored mayo)  are the icing on the cake, when it comes to dressing up a fish taco.

Here’s a recipe for my version of gluten-free fish tacos, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Add a side of homemade guacamole and pico de gallo and be prepared to enjoy. Viva tacos de Read More »

Loaded with zinc, iron, and protein, oysters have a long history of nourishing people from many cultures. Quick to make, they go well with almost any quick side dish like green beans, asparagus, carrots, or broccoli. Oysters also have lots of copper, selenium, vitamin A, niacin, vitamin C, potassium, calcium and a good showing of folic acid.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon oil
• 16 oz. can of fresh, shucked oysters, drained, or if you like canned oysters, use two 8 oz. whole fancy oysters, drained
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup corn meal or gluten-free bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon onion, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Equipment

Medium skillet.

Process

On a paper plate (for easy clean-up), mix corn meal or crumbs with parsley, onion, salt and pepper. Dip oysters in beaten egg then dredge in corn meal or crumb mixture to coat.

Heat oil in medium skillet.  Lay coated oysters evenly around the pan.  Fry over medium heat about 4 minutes until golden, then turn over and fry other side.  Serve with fresh tomato salad – delicious!

Are you ready to rock your taste-buds’ world? If you answered that question with a big fat “YES” then I have the recipe for you!

First step, make sure you have some gluten-free gnocchi on hand. Whether you make it yourself, or buy it premade, either will work. I used Cappello’s fresh gluten-free gnocchi for this dish.

Second step – make sure you have the rest of the ingredients for this amazeballs dish (literally, it’s amazeballs because it has two types of balls in it – gnocchi and chicken sausage meatballs).

Gluten-Free Gnocchi with Mini Chicken Sausage Meatballs

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray of the Food Network Read More »

This lovely, satisfying lasagna is very rich in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin A with the health benefits of lycopene and antioxidants.

Ingredients

• ½ box (8 oz.) gluten-free lasagna noodles, cooked as directed and drained
• 2 cups soft tofu, mashed
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
• 1 cup mozzarella or manchego (sheep) cheese, grated
• 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 cup broccoli florets, separated into small pieces, or zucchini slices
• 2 ½ cups tomato sauce

Equipment

1 ½ quart glass baking pan or casserole dish.

Process

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare or have ready tomato sauce. Prepare noodles and set aside.

While noodles are cooking, prepare cheese mixture. In a medium bow, combine tofu, egg, parsley, pepper and Manchego cheese and beat until fluffy.  

Assemble lasagna.  Spoon ¼ cup of tomato sauce onto bottom of pan, then lay 2 noodles over it. Spread tofu/cheese mixture over noodles.  Pour ¼ cup tomato sauce, and top with 2 more noodles. Arrange mushrooms and broccoli evenly over noodles then cover with mozzarella or manchego cheese.  Add ¼ cup sauce and top with noodles.  Pour remaining sauce over the top.  Sprinkle with the remaining Romano cheese.  Cover with lid or aluminum foil to prevent evaporation.

Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly.  Remove lid or foil and bake 5 minutes more.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Like most seafood, this dish cooks up quickly and can easily be doubled or tripled. Mussels are a great source of important nutrients. They are rich in protein, manganese, selenium, vitamin B12, zinc, and provide lots of thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, potassium, copper and some vitamin A.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped onions
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• 1  cup water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 2 pounds fresh, live mussels, scrubbed and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Equipment

Large pot with lid.

Process

Check the mussels to make sure they alive.  Wrap them lightly against the side of the sink.  They should close their shells and sound dull not hollow.  If they are not already clean, scrub them under cold, running water.  Pull off any beards (how they attach to rocks in the water).

Add oil, garlic and onions to a large pot with lid.  Heat on stove over medium heat.  When garlic is just golden, quickly stir in water, parsley, celery, salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil then add mussels and basil.  Cover with lid to steam them. When all mussels have opened, turn off heat and remove lid.  Discard any mussels that fail to open.

Serve in bowl as first course for 4 or over pasta for 2 persons for dinner.  Prepare choice of gluten-free pasta according to package directions.  Sprinkle with grated Romano sheep cheese. 

I have a short New Year’s Resolution list. It’s much the same list that I wrote down last year and the year before. It involves cooking and eating more nutritious foods.

Homemade soups are the most nourishing food I can think of. Enough protein, enough fats of the right sort, lots of vegetables in healthy stocks and broths, rich in nutrients. That’s what soups and stews are made of.

Therefore, my number one New Year’s resolution is to make one big pot of homemade soup or stew each and every week of the new year. Last year I lost focus and fell short of my weekly soup/stew goal, but this first week of the new year, I’m at 100%, starting with a simple gluten-free version of “Beef Burgundy.”

On Christmas Day my son served an amazing Beef Bourguignon for the family. The flavors were rich and earthy. As I listened to him describe his list of ingredients and method of preparation I decided to start the year with an abbreviated, easier version of the classic French Beef Bourguignon recipe, beef burgundy. Here is my first gluten-free stew of the new year.

Gluten-Free Beef Burgundy Recipe

According to our About.com Guide to French Food beef burgundy, or boeuf Bourguignon, is the ultimate slow-cooked comfort food. It is!

The earthy flavors in this simple dish transform run-of-the-mill beef stew into something truly special to be enjoyed with a warm slice of gluten-free bread and a glass of wine. Read More »