GF Pizza (Gluten Free, Nut Free, SCD Friendly)

I think I've said this before, but the one thing that is the most difficult about making major dietary changes is missing your favorite foods. Fortunately the food industry is catching up as are many professional and home cooks. Pizza is one of the most common foods I've missed and I've heard this from others as well. 

In order to enjoy pizza on occasion, I've made a few changes. One, the sauce. I stopped buying pizza sauce a few years ago and made my own from good quality canned tomatoes. In the past few months though, I've wanted to stop using canned products as much as possible for multiple reasons - additives, BPA lining in some cans or aluminum in others. First I tried to find canned tomatoes in a jar, but that seems to be an idea that's ahead of its time. So, I now use a good quality jar pasta sauce. We like Barilla Marinara. It has ingredients you can pronounce and, most important, tastes good.

Cheese is something that we still enjoy on occasion. Mostly I keep cheese around that is SCD friendly for our 4 year old who is still iffy on other forms of protein at times. SCD doesn't allow mozzarella, so I've switched to a good quality (Boar's Head) Provalone. My hubby and I have cut out most other forms of dairy, but do allow for cheese on a burger or, in this case, on pizza, once in awhile. 

The most difficult part of trying to enjoy pizza on an alternative eating plan is usually the crust. Pinterest has a large number of ideas for how one might make a more healthy crust. There are recipes out there that feature grated cauliflower, grated zucchini, white rice flour, etc. Meanwhile, the manufacturers who specialize in providing products for alternative diets usually have a crust mix or even a frozen pizza crust product. The problem is that the price for the packaged form (mix or pre-made crust) is usually quite high and you get a small amount of product for the cost. Most importantly though is taste and even improved over what was previously available, these product still at times don't taste very good. Therefore, the most cost effective option seems to be making your own crust using flours and products you keep in your pantry for other baking. 

Currently, I like Pamela's products. I buy the large bag of Pancake & Baking mix and I buy the bread version when I'm able to find it. I used a recipe I found on the Pamela's site for this latest pizza crust. I did change the recipe a bit to meet what I had on hand and based on experience using the Pamela's mix and other GF baking. I think this is the closest we've come to a deep dish pizza that has a satisfying crust.

Finally, toppings. My darling hubby and I love pepperoni (I know, I know). We've tried the turkey version, but it just doesn't have the same level of flavor. With "real" pepperoni, you get into more fat, sure, but even worse are the nitrates and nitrites. This time around we tried the Applegate Farms uncured pepperoni. It's more expensive, but the taste makes it worth the price. Even the 4 y.o. added pepperoni to her section of the pizza and she's usually a cheese only pizza girl.

Below is my recipe for the pizza we made last night from top to bottom. Use it as a guide or send me a note if you have something better. At the end of the day, finding a way to enjoy some of your favorite foods while trying to eat in a way that your body appreciates is important and helps you stay on track.


GF Deep Dish Pizza

Crust

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Olive Oil (not EVOO)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Water
• 1.5 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup of Potato Starch
• 3/4 cup of Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix
• 3/4 cup superfine Sorghum flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• EVOO for pan

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Liberally apply a coat of EVOO to a half sheet pan (18 x 13), set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, water, salt and eggs. Whisk to combine ensuring that eggs are well incorporated. Add yogurt and whisk again until you have a smooth, consistent mixture. Add Potato Starch, Baking Mix and Sorghum flour. Whisk to begin to combine liquid and dry ingredients. Switch to a spoon if necessary to finish combining ingredients. Crust will be very wet and sticky, looking more like a heavy cake batter than a bread.

Drop large spoonfuls of dough across the EVOO covered sheet pan. Using slightly wet hands, the back of the spoon or an offset spatula (usually used for decorating cakes), spread the dough so that no holes appear in the crust. This may take a bit of time, but be patient and keep working at it, eventually your crust will cover the entire pan.

Reduce preheated oven temp to 350 and bake for 25 minutes. I found it's best to let the crust cook to the golden brown stage. Then, place your oven on low broil and allow the top to cook for 3-5 minutes until medium brown, but not burnt. Remove from oven and carefully apply toppings. 

Topping Your Pizza & the Final Bake
As I said above, we used Barilla Marinara sauce as our foundation. We all agreed that this crust can stand up to quite a bit of sauce, so this first pizza didn't have quite enough to balance the thick crust. This time we probably used a cup or so of sauce, next time I'd double the amount.

Top the sauce with whatever pizza toppings your heart desires. We kept it simple this time using just Applegate Farms Uncured Pepperoni. Fresh meats, like bacon or sausage, should be added to the pizza in their cooked state as only 10 minutes or so is needed once you put the pizza in the oven the second time and that's not enough to cook the meats through for safe consumption. 

Complete your pizza with a top layer of your favorite pizza cheese. We used a mixture of Provalone and a little wedge of Mozzarella I had in the freezer. In the future we'll use only Provalone and any other SCD approved cheese. 

Place pizza back in the 350 oven for approximately 10 minutes to allow toppings to warm through and the cheese to melt. Remove from oven and allow pizza to rest for 10 minutes so that the cheese better stays in place before cutting/serving.

~Enjoy

Sunday Breakfast (Paleo friendly, Gluten Free)

My darling hubby has decided that the Paleo lifestyle is for him. We recently figured out that our daughter has issues with some forms of dairy - milk and cottage cheese being the worst offenders. All three of us are gluten sensitive and avoid MSG and artificial sweetners. With so many differences, how do we make even one meal? We focus on the similarities. To be specific, veggies and organic, grass-fed meats, wild caught fish and seafood work for all of us. Coconut flour is SCD and Paleo friendly, as well as Gluten-free. Eggs are encouraged on Paleo and allowed in moderation on SCD. Fruits are allowed on Paleo and SCD and are gluten free. All of these things, being in their natural form, obviously do not contain artificial sweetners or MSG. Of course, you should still ALWAYS read the label on any ingredients you buy.

Below are the recipes for our latest Sunday Brunch. Darling hubby and I LOVE Sunday Brunch. So much, in fact, that we had a morning wedding just so that we could have a brunch reception! 

I've included a link to the crepe recipe that we found on the Against All Grains site. I love her site, great recipes and I've learned a lot from reading her posts. 

Darling hubby is the crepe maker. He found that he had to thin the batter quite a bit after the second stirring. Also, he held out the baking powder until the second stirring. We used coconut milk as that's what we had on hand. And, from reading another post on Against All Grains, added 2 tbsp of potato starch when the original crepes weren't holding together enough to turn them over. This made a huge difference in the end product. We still found that these were more like a pancake than a crepe, so we enjoyed them open faced. In the end, it all worked well and served as a terrific brunch dish - savory with the sausage, veggies, scrambled eggs and some salsa verde; and sweet with the cinnamon apples and pecans.

The rest was made up by darling hubby and I. What are your favorite brunch dishes?

Against All Grains Tortilla Recipe  

Baked Cinnamon Apples and Pecans
This is a great "sweet" treat. I found organic Granny Smith apples @ the market for a good price this week, so it afforded the opportunity to come up with this dish. If you miss apple desserts laced with Cinnamon, this is a great substitute that also happens to be better for you!

4 medium to large GS apples, washed and chopped into 1" pieces
1/4 cup date sugar
2 handfuls (about 1/2 cup) pecan halves
2 tsp Saigon Cinnamon (or to taste)
small pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla (GF)
2 Tbsp Raw Butter 

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and chop apples and place them in a baking dish. Chop pecans into large chunks (I found it easy to just chop them in half). Add date sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and stir with a large spoon to evenly distribute the spices. Dot the top with butter. Bake for 30 minutes and stir to ensure even cooking. Cook for 10 more minutes or until apples are soft.

Serve on SCD yogurt as a special treat or on the crepes as a breakfast treat.


Sausage and Veggie Filling
This recipe can be used in many ways. It makes a great foundation for a fritatta, a terrific filing for an omelet or add your favorite marinara and serve over GF pasta or spaghetti squash for a terrific dinner.

1/2 lb organic breakfast sausage 
1 medium green pepper, large dice
1 medium red pepper (sweet), large dice
1 medium red onion, large dice
2 large handfuls of matchstick carrots
1 small baked potato or left over fried potatoes (optional)
2 handfuls of spinach, chopped
2 handfuls of baby bella mushrooms, large chop
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry sausage in a large skillet, over medium heat, breaking the meat into chunks as you cook. When sausage is no longer pink, add all of the vegetables EXCEPT the spinach. Cook until the onions are translucent and the peppers soften. Add spinach and stir to combine. Cook until spinach has begun to wilt. Turn off the flame and allow to sit over the warm burner until the crepes are ready to fill.

GF Clam Chowder (Gluten and Nut Free)

Winter is FINALLY here. Last winter was nice with 50 and 60 and, sometimes, 70 degree weather, but I did miss waking up to find the world covered in snow and the quiet that comes along with it. Our daughter missed the snow too as she wanted to make snow angels and snowballs. So, our entire household was pretty happy that it looks like we're going to have a traditional winter this year. 

As we're on Christmas break, it's also a great time to enjoy the snow by rarely leaving the house, cuddling in and enjoying some great warm comfort food. And, what's more comforting than a big steaming bowl of soup? I love soup, it's a great way to get your veggies, it's a super way to clean out the fridge and you can put nearly anything in it and it nearly always turns out good. I also like the flexibility in cooking methods - you can make it on the stove top, some you can bake in the over and then there's always my favorite, the crock pot!

This time I had on hand the ingredients for clam chowder. Unlike a lot of people, I happen to enjoy both white and red clam chowder. However, when I make it at home, for some reason, I always make a New England style (white) chowder. With this being the holidays, I had some ingredients on hand I don't usually keep around - specifically half and half and extra butter. So, this version is more decadent than I would typically make. However, you can use any milk product you have on hand or prefer. I think you could, probably, also use soy milk or maybe even a nut milk, but I haven't tried it myself so let me know if you have experience with this - I'd be interested to know if this works. And, you can choose to reduce the amount of butter at the end or leave it out entirely, it's really up to you.

The ingredient in this recipe that you may not be familiar with is Potato Flour. Not to be confused with it's cousin, Potato Starch, which is common to GF baking and appears in many recipes for basic GF all purpose flour mixtures, Potato Flour is actually just ground dehydrated potatoes. So it's not just the starch, it's just whole potato in a dehydrated ground form. Potato flour has a number of uses in the GF kitchen. I use it in my salmon and potato and crab cakes as a binder in place of breadcrumbs or flour. I use it to lightly coat (or dredge) those same potato cakes prior to frying to create a nice crust on the outside that's crispy and doesn't detract from the taste of the finished product. I use it in my sauces and soups instead of white all purpose flour to create a GF version of bechemel sauce - a basic white sauce that is the basis for a number of classic sauces and dishes including cheese sauce, souffle and, in this case, as a thickener for cream soups or bisques. I like the potato flour to thicken soup over, say, corn starch mixed with cold water - as is used in many asian dishes to give a sheen to a brown sauce or to tighten up any sauce from baked beans to the traditional WV hot dog sauce - as it doesn't mess with the flavor of the soup. It, of course, works really well in those soups that also contain potatoes, like this chowder. 

Another ingredient that I've come to rely on in my kitchen for both ease of use and the time savings, and, well, because it just really works so well, are matchstick carrots. Matchstick carrots are the grocery store equivalent of the grated carrot. I often use them as a way to get more veggies into our diet as you can add them to anything from muffin batter to meatloaf. I also have found that the matchstick carrots tend to be a bit sweater than their full size counterpart. And, if I don't have them, I have often turned to chopping the baby carrots I keep on hand into spoon size discs. Of course you can use any form of carrot you have on hand. I haven't tried the purple or red carrots, but I presume they would work in this recipe as well.

I hope you give this soup a try, even if you use all purpose white flour to thicken it. It's that good. My darling hubby had two bowls and our four year old daughter enjoyed it as well. I serve it with a tray of mixed veggies and a little dill dip made with plain greek yogurt and a little light mayo. Sometimes I mix up a batch of GF cornbread or popovers to serve along side, but obviously the veggies are better for you, which may be a good choice if you make this recipe as written.


Lisa's GF White Clam Chowder

• 1/2 a large red onion, small dice
• 2 medium celery stalks, small dice
• 2 handfulls of matchstick carrots or 2 medium carrots, small dice
• 2 15/16 oz cans evaporated milk
• 1 cup half and half Note, this cannot be fat free half and half as it will separate when heated. You can substitute any other type of cow's milk with any percent of fat - skim all the way up to whipping cream.
• 2 tbsp Chicken Soup Base (I use McCormick)
• 1 10 oz bottle clam juice
• 2 cans chopped clams with their juice
• 2 cans minced clams with their juice
• 1.5 cup hot water
• 1.5 tbsp potato flour, not potato starch
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine or 1 tbsp dried, crushed in hand
• 2 large green onions, cleaned and sliced think
• 1 large baking potato, 1/2" to 3/4" dice
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp onion powder, not onion salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder, not garlic salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp bacon grease, or 4 slices of bacon rendered and removed leaving appx 2 tbsp grease in the soup pot

Place a heavy bottom pot over medium heat and add the bacon grease. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook stirring often until the onion and celery are translucent. Add the dried and ground spices and stir to cook them in some of the oil which will release their flavor. Add the potato flour and stir to combine with the vegetables. Allow the potato flour to cook for a couple of minutes to reduce any raw flour taste. 

Add the evaporated milk, water, and clam juice and stir to remove any lumps. Add the potato and allow the soup to cook until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened - appx 15 to 20 minutes over medium low heat. Stir often and pay attention to the outer ring of the pot as veggies tend to settle there and will stick and possibly scorch if you don't move them around as things cook.

Add the clams, the parsley, green onion, butter and half and half. Allow the soup to come back to temperature stirring frequently. When the soup is hot, the potatoes tender and the butter melted and incorporated the soup is ready to serve.

~Enjoy!

Muchos Nachos

As we learn more about our family's allergies, we find that we're eating out less and less. One big reason is that it's just less stressful to eat at home - there's no question about whether you can enjoy the food without worrying about the ingredients; there's no limited menu option(s) for you to choose from; and, my fav, it's cheaper! Two, even if you do all of the right things to make choices that are "safe" for you, on occasion you will have an unintended interaction with whatever ingredient/allergen you're trying to avoid. 

For example, earlier this year I went to the little deli style cafeteria that's close to my workspace. I was with another coworker and we were in between meetings with little time to spare. I ordered the carved roast turkey sammie with no bread, a pickle and their housemade potato chips. I've had this meal probably 25 times in the past four years and have NEVER had a reaction. The only difference this time was that I eliminated the bread, which in theory should have been a plus. Unfortunately, before I could make it back to my desk I realized I was in the beginning stages of a reaction. What happened? The manager changed the brand of turkey and, apparently, there's something in the new brand that I don't tolerate. Let me say this in case you're thinking, "oh yea, cafeteria food, who knows what's in that". The brand they changed to wasn't some no name brand. In fact, it's a very well-known, nationally recognized brand, one that most of America likely had on the Thanksgiving table last month. This is just one example, but I could give you others. The bottom line is that anytime you eat out, you're taking a calculated risk.

Therefore, the number of restaurants we patronize is much more limited than it used to be. We can no longer enjoy many Greek restaurants as the Gyro meat contains wheat, as does the much loved pita bread that goes with the hummus and other appetizers we love. Obviously pizza is nearly impossible. The new front runner in this category surprisingly is Dominos. Their new GF pizza crust is really, really good and most of their toppings are GF. Steak restaurants can usually accommodate those with special dietary needs - we happen to love Longhorn Steakhouse as they not only have a GF menu, but their service tends to be very good. Another good choice is, believe it or not, Thai or Indian restaurants. Other than the naan, most items in an Indian restaurant are GF. Thai restaurants, unlike their counterparts, tend to have the ability to make their dishes GF by using Tamari (a type of soy sauce actually made from soy beans) rather than the widely used wheat-based soy sauce we've all come to know and recognize - especially those national brands that are most popular.  

If we do eat out, another good option is the non-franchise Mexican restaurant. I don't remember any place else that I've lived - six states and the District of Columbia - that has as many Mexican restaurants to choose from as Indianapolis and surrounding areas seem to have. Even in our new small town, there are two and both are always packed.

Right now, we're on holiday break, which means I've been cooking up a storm. It isn't often I get to make three meals a day for my family for a week or more, so I'm enjoying the variety and the chance to cook for them on week days. Today, I decided to dig out the ingredients for nachos and to have those as a late lunch/early dinner. 

I started with homemade Queso Blanco. All three of us love this dip and order it nearly every time we go out. I've figured out how to make a traditional cheese sauce at home by making a GF white sauce, but that's not even required here. It's so easy and I love it when I come across a recipe that is naturally gluten free. There's no need to figure out which of my list of acceptable substitution ingredients might work best in one specific recipe or another. My go to Queso Blanco recipe can be found here at Pennies on a Platter. It's creamy, warm and coats your chip just right. And, best of all, it's affordable and you can freeze the cheese making it a pantry staple.

As I've been making our favorite Mexican and Latin dishes at home more and more, I've also picked up a few things. One, refried beans. Have you ever noticed that the ones you buy in the can are never as supple and delicious as those in your favorite restaurant? Want them to be more like that? Here's what you do:  open the can, put the contents in a microwave safe bowl, add a little ground cumin, some onion and garlic powders and 1/4 cup of water. Stir to combine a little and microwave for a minute. Stir, microwave for another minute or two. Remove, stir and serve. Play around with ingredients and your favorite spices and find one you like.

Two, toppings. Fresh chips are an important base, but it's really the toppings that make the nachos. If you love green onions, black olives, chicken strips, etc.  spring for it at the market. For me, it's guac and sour creme. So, when we make nachos I nearly always make sure I have them on-hand.

Try this as a starter recipe and tweak it to your liking. 

Lisa's Muchos Nachos

• 1 15 oz can black olives, chopped
• 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
• 1 15 oz can of beans - refried or whole, black or brown (optional)
• 1 lb ground beef, cooked 
• 1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning
• Sour creme
• Avocado or guacamole
• 1 recipe Queso Blanco
• 1 bag of 100% corn tortilla chips

Chop olives and onions and set aside. Cook ground beef, add taco seasoning according to package directions. Make Queso Blanco. Warm beans on stove top or in microwave. 

Place tortilla chips on a plate and top with your favorite toppings in the quantity you like and the order you want them. 

~Enjoy!

Fall Feast: Pork Chops, Spinach Rice and Roasted Butternut Squash (Gluten Free)

We are hosting my parents this week. It's the first time they'll actually stay with us in our new home. I'm super excited for all of us to be under one roof! And, I'm excited to have an entire family to cook for. First up this week is a traditional fall menu of pork chops and fall veggies. My father loves pork chops, it's always been one of his favorites, so I'm going all out to make this a dinner he will love. 

First up is to brine the pork chops. I'll be the first to admit that I don't always do this for a couple of reasons. One, since we started buying organic or locally sourced pork there doesn't seem to be the need. We nearly always grill our pork chops and they come out juicy and tender every time. However, sometimes I like to brine meat just to get that little bit of added umph that makes the meat portion of the meal special. Dessert tonight features maple syrup, banana and pecan cupcakes. Since I was already on a maple syrup wave, I decided to swap out some of the brown sugar in the brine for the amber liquid. My rosemary plant is still hanging about, so I added a bit of chopped rosemary and threw in the stems just to keep the flavor going. A bit of chopped garlic and some pepper corns and I'm hoping that these will be pork chops to remember! 

I also happen to have a huge package of fresh baby spinach in the fridge that I need to use, so obviously that becomes a side dish. Our daughter loves rice, so I'll throw those together with some almonds and top it with a bit of parmesan. This should be an easy and flavorful side dish to go with the pork chops. 

Rounding out the meal are my butternut squash jewels. I love, love, love winter squash and butternut is a particular favorite. I posted the recipe for my take on this winter wonder veggie a few months ago, find it here.

Well, like most of you, I'm off to get ready for work as it's a chilly October Monday morning. I hope that your dinner is yummy as well!

~Enjoy!

Brine for Pork Chops (or other cuts)

• 8 pork chops - thin cut, bone in
• 8 cups of cool water, divided
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup good quality maple syrup
• 20 black pepper corns
• 2 large stalks fresh rosemary - chop the leaves and save the stems

Add salt, sugar, maple syrup, pepper corns and rosemary (chopped leaves and reserved stems) to a large bowl. Add 7 cups of water and whisk until sugar and salt have dissolved. Place 8 pork chops in a very large plastic container. You will likely have to stack them, so do it strategically so that the brine can get between the chops and do its job. I find that changing the way I lay them and having only about 3 to a layer works well with the container I use. Pour over the brine and allow the chops to settle. Check the level of the brine to ensure the chops are completely covered. If necessary add the additional cup of water or more to fully cover the meat. Place the lid on the container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to cook the pork chops. Heat the grill, drain the chops, rinse and dry them thoroughly on all sides with paper towels. Brush the chops with a bit of olive (not Extra Virgin) and lightly salt and pepper - remember all of that salt and pepper in the brine? When the grill is ready, grill them 2-4 minutes per side until cooked through. You want them to be done, but not over cooked. 

Remove from the grill and tent with foil. Allow the pork to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 

Serve and enjoy!

Inspired Lasagna (GF, nut free)

I've titled this blog entry "inspired" as the universe was poking at me today in an effort, I believe, to get me to make something Italian for dinner. I was up in the middle of the night last night and came across this delicious looking Italian chicken dish via Pinterest, which originated at the blog Our Story. That was the first inkling. Then,  I read my friend Deborah Sissions blog entry at Messy Cooker where she made spaghetti for 15 people, including noodles from scratch. Goodness, I have one of those attachments for my Kitchen Aid, but have not attempted anything so daunting. Kudos to her for both the number of people she fed and for not going to box noodle route. Finally, this afternoon I enjoyed a little me time and watched two of my favorite cooking shows. Bobby Dean's new show Not My Mama's Meals was dedicated to lightening up his mother's lasagna (and if you saw the calorie count for both a slice of his mama's lasagna and her dessert, you'd nearly choke; all I could say was "wow"). Bobby's recipe included a few things I adapted in my version: 1) a 90/10 ground beef for the meat, and 2) he incorporated mushrooms into the red sauce, along with the beef, to get a more meaty texture with fewer calories. Next, I tuned into America's Test Kitchen to watch Christopher Kimball and staff make a very tasty looking vegetarian lasagna that featured zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant. I found a non-AMT copy of it for you so have provided the link. I learned a few things from watching ATK as well:  1) use two types of "sauce" in your lasagna - a traditional tomato sauce and a alfredo like white sauce, and 2) cook your veggies before assembling the casserole layers.

With so many instances in a 24 hour period, I called "uncle" to the universe and accepted it as divine inspiration that my family was going to have something Italian for dinner. After a quick trip to the store to gather a few ingredients that I didn't already have on hand, I was ready to start. 

I've outlined everything below in case you want to recreate my version. I have to say that this is probably the best lasagna I've ever made. I've tried many, many different approaches to lasagna over the years, but the mushroom/beef mixture was really meaty and good, while the alfredo and veggie mixture added a creaminess you don't get from the traditional ricotta filling. Finally, when the red sauce and the alfredo come together as you cut through the layers on your plate, the coupling is pretty darn good. Yep, for me, this one is a keeper. It doesn't mean I won't try my hand at other lasagna recipes in the future, but when we want something hearty and satisfying, this will be my go to recipe for sure!

~Enjoy


Inspired Lasagna

The Red Sauce

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1 carton sliced white button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 large red onion, medium dice
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil 
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
• 2 tbsp dried parsley, crushed in your hand to release flavor
• 1 tsp dried marjoram, crushed
• 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp minced garlic, I use the jar type (I know, I know)
• a good size pinch of kosher salt
• pepper to taste
• EVOO

The White Sauce & Veggie Layer

• 1 small container (8 oz or so) Buitoni alfredo sauce
• 3 cups zucchini, small dice
• 2 cups matchstick carrots
• salt and pepper to taste
• EVOO

Between the Layers:

• Gluten free lasagna noodles, I use De Boles rice noodles
• 1 16 oz block of part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater
• 4 oz of grated parmesan

Pre-heat oven to 350. Place a 5 quart dutch oven over medium heat and add enough EVOO to skim the pan. Add the onion and mushroom and stir. Allow mushroom/onion mixture to cook until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Add the dried herbs and garlic to the pan and stir. Allow garlic to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently to keep it from burning. Add the ground beef to the pan along with the salt and pepper. Break up the meat with your cooking spoon and stir frequently to ensure all pieces are cooked through. Add both cans of tomatoes to the pan and stir to incorporate. Turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer while you cook and assemble the vegetable layer.

Place a medium large skillet over medium heat and skim with EVOO. When the oil shimmers, add the zucchini and carrots. Stir to ensure all are covered with the oil and allow to cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat. Place the alfredo sauce in a medium heat proof bowl and stir in the cooked vegetables being careful to cover all of the vegetable pieces with the sauce.

Spray or brush a 13x9 glass casserole dish with EVOO or cooking oil of your choice. Ladle in enough of the mushroom/meat sauce to cover the bottom of the dish with appx 1/2 inch of sauce (you will need the moisture to cook the noodles). Layer with 3 lasagna noodles running the length of the pan. You will have space left at the end of each row of noodle. Break one more lasagna noodle into thirds and use each piece of broken noodle to complete the row so that all of the noodles reach from one end of the pan to the next. You will see that there's a bit of space between the rows of noodles. I used to worry about this and fret over layering my noodles from top to bottom, side to side, but have found that the dish is just as yummy, with a few less calories, if I use a minimum of noodles. So, I make two noodle layers and don't sweat the small amount of space between them. Top the first noodle layer with a few more ladles of red sauce to ensure even coverage.

Next, place the veggie alfredo layer on top of the meat and mushroom sauce, spreading the veggie mixture evenly to cover the entire pan. Top with the second layer of lasagna noodles using the same technique as above. I do try to alternate the end with the broken pieces of lasagna for stability, so if the first layer lays from left to right with the broken noodles on the right, I alternate the next noodle layer so that the broken noodles are on the left. This helps, I think, with stability. Top the second layer of noodles with enough red sauce to fully cover them.

You are now ready to bake your lasagna. Cover the casserole with foil and place in the middle of the preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. When the time is up, remove the pan from the oven and the foil from the pan. Sprinkle the final layer of cheese on the top of the casserole and return it to the oven for 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted. 

Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 to 30 minutes. I find that if I begin serving the lasagna lengthwise, rather than cutting it across the short end of the pan, I have less mess and the whole thing stays together a bit better so future servings are as yummy as the first ones from the pan.

Serve with a green salad and red wine of your choice.

Weekend Roast Chicken

I laughed a bit when I titled this post. I was looking for a way to differentiate this roast bird from the crock pot version I make on week days, so, viola, it must be a weekend version!!! In theory, you could make this chicken in the crock pot too, I suppose. You'd miss out on the super crackly deep brown skin though and I'm not sure the wine would cook out to something mild and delicious, but hey, give it a try and let me know how it works out. Who knows, maybe there's a crock pot chicken two just waiting to be shared :)

I like to make this roast chicken when we have company, when I have extra time and want a special meal for my darling family, or when I just find myself craving it. It's super easy, so if you're in the cooking mood, you can add some special sides. I love to serve this with homemade mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. Risotto would be nice too since you can use the same wine in both recipes and get that symbiosis that makes food go together so well on one plate. 

If you find yourself in the fortunate situation of having leftover chicken -  sometimes the bird is just picked clean, as was the case the last time I made it for visiting family members - it's terrific in a simple salad or, a really good lunchbox sammie with slices of the chicken, some really good mayo and high quality bread (in our case, GF of course). 

Whatever you decide to add to the menu on the first serving or to do with the leftovers, please just make it. Yep, it's that good!

Weekend Roast Chicken

• 1 good quality whole chicken, the best you can buy
• 2 celery stalks, clean and cut into large chunks
• 3 carrots, large, clean and cut into large chunks
• 1 large onion, clean and cut into wedges
• 1 bunch fresh herbs appropriate for poultry (sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.)
• good white wine
• fresh ground black pepper
• Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange celery stalks, carrots, onion wedges and fresh herbs in the bottom of a heavy pan that has a tight fitting lid. I use my 5 qt Dutch oven or a ceramic baker that came with a lid. Wash your bird thoroughly, letting fresh cold water run through it until clear. Set the chicken on a stack of paper towel that you've placed on a plate, cutting board, etc. and dry it thoroughly with more paper towel. Set bird in the center of the carrot, celery, onion and herbs. Pour enough white wine in the pan that it comes an inch or so up the side of the bird. You don't want too much or the skin won't crisp nicely (I know, I've made that mistake). You want just enough to provide delicious steam for the bird to absorb while cooking and so that you have a lovely pan sauce when you're done. Cover the bird generously with salt and pepper, place the lid carefully on top and put the whole thing in the oven. 

Allow your chicken to roast covered for the first hour, then remove the lid and allow to roast uncovered for approximately 90 minutes or until the juices run clear. If you're having a bit of trouble getting the thighs and legs to fully cook, make an incision around the leg to let in more heat and allow this part of the bird to fan out a bit and finish cooking. I had to do this the last time I made this recipe and it really improved the cooking time, which meant that my chicken didn't dry out and everything was cooked through. 

I like my chicken to be well done, no pink even close to the bone and the meat is tender and soft. This way, I always get a juicy bird that come off the bone easily and makes carving and eating a breeze. 

Once the chicken is done, remove the pan from the oven. Place the chicken on a large plate, platter or cutting board (not the same one you used when it was raw!!!!). Place a strainer over a large bowl and pour the juices, veggies and herbs through it so that you capture all of the lovely juices that have collected in the bottom of the pan. Discard the veggies and herbs and place the juices back into the pan you cooked the chicken in or reserve for the second day if you don't want to serve pan sauce right away.

Place the pan with the juices on a burner and turn it to medium high. Allow the juices to come to a boil and reduce by 1/3. Add either a slurry of cornstarch and cold water or cream/half & half to the liquid (just a few tablespoons), some fresh chopped herb that you used in the bottom of the pan and, if you're really going for broke, a nob of butter (1 tbsp), unsalted of course. Taste sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Serve along side bird.

One last little thought on this chicken. I've made it with all types of white wine, including the sparking variety like Champagne and Prosecco. What you get is generally a bit sweeter sauce, but a lovely bird that's fit for a special occasion. 

~Enjoy!