Zucchini Bread

I found a recipe for gluten-free zucchini bread last year on Gluten-free Goddess, and finally tried it out. Judging from the fact that I've almost consumed the entire pan today (yikes!), I like it a lot. I followed her instructions almost exactly (except for using sea salt and free-range organic eggs). Next time I'll try to squeeze more moisture out of the zucchini, as the center of the bread seemed a little too moist.

Ingredients:

1 rounded c shredded zucchini (I chopped mine in my mini food processor)
1 c sorghum flour
1/2 c tapioca starch
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t xanthan gum
1/2 t salt
1 t  cinnamon
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c light olive oil or coconut oil (I used coconut)
1 t fresh lemon or lime juice
2 egg whites, beaten
1/4 c coconut milk (I used So Delicious in the carton, per instructions from the original recipe)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9 inch loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper. Lightly oil it.
2. Press the grated zucchini with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as you can.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sorghum flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, and cinnamon. Add in the brown sugar.
4. Add the oil, lemon juice, egg whites, and the coconut milk. Beat to combine and continue to beat on medium high until the batter is smooth- about two minutes.
5. Add the shredded zucchini. Mix well.
6. Scoop and scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and even out the top.
7. Bake in the center of a preheated oven until the top is golden and firm, yet gives a bit when lightly touched. It should feel slightly springy. This may take anywhere from 50 to 60 minutes. (It took mine 60 minutes). Test with a thin sharp knife or a wooden pick- either should emerge with no crumbs or batter.

Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

I have a ton of tomatoes right now from my garden, and figured a good use for them would be to make my own spaghetti sauce. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and modified it slightly for my needs (it used canned tomatoes, so see the original recipe if you are using canned).

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 c fresh bread crumbs (I made mine from Udi's gf bread)
3 T fresh parsley, chopped (or use 1 T dried)
1 T parmesan cheese
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/8 t garlic powder
1 egg, beaten

Sauce
3/4 c chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c olive oil
7 c fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 t salt
1 t white sugar
1 bay leaf
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 T or more fresh basil, chopped (or 3/4 t dried)
1/2 t ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours. 
3. Stir in tomato paste, basil, pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve.

Key West Chicken

This recipe is from allrecipes.com.  My sister had this for her birthday dinner the other night, and it was yummy.  The best part -  it is a great quick and easy dinner.  The chicken doesn't have to marinate for very long - 30 minutes and it's still very flavorful.  In addition, the ingredients are kitchen staples.

Ingredients:

3 T. GF soy sauce
1 T. honey
1 T. vegetable oil
1 t. lime juice
1 t. chopped garlic
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

1. In a shallow container, blend all ingredients and then add chicken.  Turn to coat.  Cover, and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Grill chicken 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.

Penne Arrabiata

Always a favorite with my family:

Ingredients:

6-8 oz. Penne pasta
1 can petite diced tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil, add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Saute until onions are clear.  Add tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook and drain pasta.  Toss tomato mixture with penne.  Top with fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese. 

* I make a small amount of GF pasta for myself and regular pasta for the rest of the family. 
* We like lots of mozzarella cheese!

Tikka Masala

This is a simple recipe my husband's family found on allrecipes.com. They modified it by omitting the marinating step, deciding that it didn't make enough difference in taste. And I modified it a little further by adding spinach and tomatoes. We thoroughly enjoyed it for dinner last night.


Ingredients:

1/2 c brown rice
1/3 c wild rice
14 oz gf chicken broth

3-4 chicken breasts

1 T butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and sliced thin
2 t ground cumin
2 t paprika
1 t salt, or to taste
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 c heavy cream
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

Baby spinach, torn
Tomato, diced


Directions:

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil, then stir in brown and wild rice. Cover and simmer on low for 45-50 minutes.
2. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20-25 minutes. Remove jalapeno slices and discard. 
3. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then grill until no longer pink. Dice.
4. Add grilled chicken to sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro.
5. Serve chicken over rice and baby spinach, then top with tomatoes.