Sweet potato and black bean burritos

I have been eyeballing this recipe on allrecipes for awhile but could never quite muster up the courage to give it a try. I don't know why - with over a thousand reviews and 4.5 stars, it had to be good.

This weekend, with a handful of leftover sweet potatoes in the house and a love for anything made with black beans, I finally tried it.

Boy am I glad I did. Yes, sweet potatoes and black beans seem like an odd combination, but it works. It really does.

(The original recipe calls for kidney beans, but many commenters used black beans and raved, so that's what I did. Remember, I love black beans.)

With sweet potatoes being one of those super foods, it's always nice to have a new way to enjoy their awesomeness. This is a vegetarian dish that can be made vegan by leaving out the cheese, which is what we did. Although I can see how shredded cheese would have have been an excellent and yummy addition.

This recipe made a HUGE amount. Next time I make it, and there WILL be a next time, I intend to halve the recipe.

Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 onion, chopped (or less - I never use as much onion as a recipe calls for)
4 cloves garlic, minced (I did use all the garlic)
6 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water (approximately - you may use less)
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp prepared mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper (or more, whatever you like)
3 tbsp soy sauce

4 cups mashed sweet potatoes

Flour tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium skillet saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.

Add the black beans and mash (I ordered a potato masher after making this - would have been much easier). I didn't mash mine completely smooth.

Gradually stir in the water. I used the full 2 cups but next time might use less. Judge based on how runny you'd like your bean mixture. Stir until warm.

Remove from heat and stir in cumin, chili powder, mustard, cayenne and soy sauce.



Spread sweet potatoes and bean mixture down the middle of warmed flour tortilla. Fold like a burrito. (Top with cheddar cheese if you desire.) Makes approximately 12 burritos.

Bake in oven for 12 minutes and serve.

I have never made burritos before so mine weren't the prettiest. Next time (that would be tonight as we have more sweet potatoes and black beans) I will do better.

Frozen banana treats

Frozen bananas are the perfect antidote for hot summer days when you've been outside working too hard or playing too hard. They are also perfect for balmy summer evenings when you welcome neighbors to sit a spell on the front porch and chat. Or after you've tucked the kids into bed for a night and feel your sweet tooth calling. Actually, they are perfect just about any time. With just a little bit of planning, frozen bananas are a quick, healthy snack that appeals to just about everyone. And, if you can stand a little bit of a mess, making these treats can be a fun activity for the kids.

You will need:

2-3 bananas
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
popsicle sticks
desired toppings (grated coconut, ground peanuts, sprinkles, chopped fruit, granola, etc.)

Melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in the microwave and stir well. Allow to cool a bit so that it is easier to work with. Then, peel the bananas into the desired size and insert a popsicle stick into each part. I sometimes use tooth picks and they work equally well but the bananas have to be cut a bit smaller.  Now, roll each piece in the chocolate then quickly sprinkle with whatever toppings you have chosen. Place on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil or parchment paper and freeze.

These can be served when the chocolate sets or stored in a covered container in the freezer for up to a week. Mine don't normally make it that long!

Black bean salad

This one comes from a good friend—a simple summer side dish that we've been gobbling up for years. When I finally asked for the recipe, I was surprised to find how easy it is to prepare. This black bean salad goes great with just about anything you can throw on the grill, from hamburgers and hot dogs to chicken and steak.

Here's what you need:
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained (I used Goya brand)
2 ears of corn
1 small roma tomato, chopped
@ 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
@ 2-4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
salt/pepper to taste
Juice of 2 limes
@ a tablespoon of olive oil (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the corn kernels and the black beans.

Add the tomato and onion.

Give it a good stir.

Add the chopped cilantro (I admit to loving cilantro, so I used more rather than less...). Salt and pepper, to taste.

Toss with lime juice, and a bit of olive oil. A word about the dressing: the lime juice is key. You want to taste that fresh citrus when you take a bite. My friend adds a bit of oil when she makes it, but her mom doesn't. It works both ways.

I doubled this recipe for 10 people, and served it with burgers and a pasta salad. There was enough left over for my husband and I to have with our dinner the next night. Enjoy!

Green smoothies

Recently I started experimenting with our smoothies. I want my older daughter, who is dairy-free, to have more calcium in her diet from food (not supplements).

Somehow I stumbled onto the idea of Green Smoothies. These are very popular among people who are on a raw food diet, but truly would be a wonderful addition to any person's diet.

The concept of a green smoothie is pretty simple: leafy green vegetables blended with fruit into a smoothie. Many green smoothies are actually green in color, but I found that when strawberries are in it, that overpowers the green. Especially if the leafy green is spinach. When I use kale, the smoothie looks more brown.

Do you think this sounds gross yet? I promise you, it's not. With both spinach and kale (the only two greens I've tried so far), there is no taste difference.

The truth of that can be seen in the fact that my 5 year old daughter will drink it down and ask for more. And she knows there is a leafy green in it, I didn't try to hide that fact.

There are, I'm sure, a million different leafy green and fruit combos you can try. Someone recommended swiss chard, an apple and orange juice saying it was divine (but definitely green).

I have used kale with strawberries or mixed berries (frozen) and bananas, and I've used spinach with the same and added fresh pear as well.

For my part, I decided to start with what I know the girls will drink: strawberry and banana smoothie. At first, I added just one leaf of kale. Then two, and now it's up to three leaves which is roughly two 1 1/2 to 2 cups.

And truly, my daughter doesn't care. She adores these smoothies. My younger daughter - not so much. But she never was a big smoothie drinker in the first place.

I start by blending the kale first with 1/4 cup of milk (we use rice). Then add in the frozen strawberries, then the banana. There's no real recipe here - just make your smoothie the way you normally do, but use a little less fruit and add a leafy green.

I usually add a little bit of sugar and some additional rice milk if I feel like it needs to be smoother and thinner. You can add a protein powder or anything else you would normally put in a smoothie.

I have read it suggested that a green smoothie should be 40% leafy green and 60% fruit. I strive for that, loosely, but I don't follow it hard and fast. I figure any amount of leafy green we can add to our diet is a good thing.

My preferred leafy green is kale because it is such a nutritional powerhouse, but spinach and romaine lettuce work well.

The smoothie below contains 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 1 fresh pear, and 1 small banana. There is also some rice milk and about 2 teaspoons of sugar. It yielded about 2 1/2 cups of smoothie that I split with my daughter.


My exploration with green smoothies is by no means complete. I want to try adding fresh apple and using orange juice. I find them to be seriously delicious.

Help me out and tell me: how do you make YOUR smoothie?

Guacamole

I am in a funk.

A cooking funk. I cannot hardly muster an ounce of energy or interest in food right now. If I could, I'd eat a bowl of cereal every day. Or a piece of toast. Maybe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every now and then for good measure.

Unfortunately, the natives are uncooperative and demand variety. I've resorted to all of my old standbys, things I've made a thousand times, and my husband is doing most of the cooking.

Does this kind of cooking funk sound familiar to you? Surely I'm not the only person to fall out of the groove.

This past weekend we had a few guests over in the afternoon. I wanted to make a couple of appetizers. First I dug deep into the archives of my recipe box and made a classic: taco dip. I'll save sharing that recipe for a future date, though.

But I wanted a little something extra to go with it. So I did what I always do when I need to find a recipe that has reviews. I turned to All Recipes.

All Recipes is my go-to site. I love the way each recipe has ratings, and I always sift through the reviews as often good tips can be found in there.

What did I find as the perfect accessory to taco dip? Why, guacamole of course.

I do love me some guacomole. And my two daughters actually like it (sometimes) too. I have long wanted to make my own, but had never gotten around to looking up a recipe.

This one had something like 1300 reviews and was rated 5-star. That's a pretty high rating at All Recipes, so I figured it would be delicious.

And it was. Seriously delicious. The little amount that was leftover - I finished it for breakfast the next day.

I'd never had a guacamole with tomatoes in it before, but this was great. I'd still like to find a non-tomato version, though, as that is my preferred way of consuming it.

Without further ado, straight from All Recipes, I present: Guacamole.

You'll need:

3 avocados - peeled, pitted and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (intentional)

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados with the lime juice and salt.

Then mix in everything else.

I didn't have time to refrigerate for an hour, and it tasted fine. But the flavor was definitely better later in the evening when we had put it in the fridge for awhile. If you can refrigerate before serving, I do recommend it.

The next morning, my husband scooped some guacamole into a corn tortilla with scrambled eggs - very yummy too.

Enjoy.

And if you have any suggestions for getting out of this cooking funk, I'm all ears!

Dairy-free chocolate cake

As part of a family of five that goes through about seven gallons of milk a week, not to mention an abundance of yogurt, cheese, butter, and other products of the cow (and, occasionally, goat), I did not choose this recipe because it is dairy free. But, it is. So I thought it might be useful for cooks who seek either (a) dairy-free desserts their kids (and even the cook) will like or (and?) (b) a really fast way to make a chocolate cake.

This recipe achieves both. It comes from the latest edition of the Joy of Cooking, and you can find it on page 723. The text describes it as "delightfully simple." As someone who's been cooking nigh on three decades, I was skeptical. But it was really and delightfully simple and turned out to be delightfully OK.

Set the oven at 375 F. Your pan is an 8 x 8 greased square, or you can line it with parchment paper. I sprayed mine with organic cooking spray. If you're going non-dairy, that's probably one way to go.

In a large bowl, I whisked together:

1.5 c. all-purpose flour (if you're gluten free, you'll have to work out the appropriate subs here)

1 c. sugar + another 2 tbsp

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder + another 1 tbsp

1 tsp baking soda

0.5 tsp salt

To this, I added:

1 c. cold water

1/4 c. vegetable oil (I used canola)

1 tbsp distilled white vinegar (full disclosure: I was clean out of this, so I used white-wine vinegar)

2 tsp vanilla

Whisked it up until it looked like a smooth cake batter, poured it into pan, popped pan into oven for 30 minutes exactly. It was done. It looked like a cake. A chocolate cake. I've never, ever been able to make a cake from scratch in 35 minutes before.

You have the option of dressing it up with various accoutrements of your choice, from a dusting of confectioners' sugar to a quick icing. We ate ours plain. And we liked it like that.

As a chocolate lover, I will say that there's not a rich, chocolatey flavor to this cake. It's juuuust chocolate enough. But it is a good cake, a quick cake, and a dairy-free cake that my kids seemed to think was just as good as anything with loads of butter or milk.

Give it a try and chime in with here the opinions around your house.

Daiya "cheese"

I've mentioned before that my older daughter has several food sensitivities so I've had to learn a variety of substitutions and modifications for many a meal or recipe.

In addition to being gluten free, she is also casein free (dairy), soy free and peanut free. Peanut-free is not a big deal and gluten has been fairly easy to get used to not eating.

Then there's dairy. If you have to be dairy-free, it's not too bad if you can have soy products. There are many decent soy versions of things like cheese, butter and milk. If soy is a problem, though, look out.

The single biggest thing that I miss is being able to cook with cheese. There are quite a few decent Vegan cheeses out there, but most contain soy. The ones that don't are, in my opinion, blech. In addition to not tasting very good, they don't melt.

Then I started hearing about a new soy-free Vegan cheese called Daiya. Blog reviews were raving that it not only tastes delicious, but it melts. That means we could make pizza! And quesadillas! And grilled cheese!

With little hesitation, I shelled out a small fortune for 2 8-ounce bags of this miracle food.

And true to what other reviewers said, it was outstanding. Here's how it looked before going into the oven. Looks just like regular shredded cheese, no?

After baking, Daiya was everything I hoped it would be on a pizza. Melted beautifully, tasted wonderful.

My dairy-free daughter, who hasn't had pizza in over six months, devoured it. She may have eaten half the pizza herself!

However, a few days later I decided to make another pizza, and this time she wouldn't touch it. She said she didn't like the cheese.

Stunned was I.

Since she's the only one in the house who has the sensitivity to dairy, it's unlikely I'll buy Daiya again. I admit, I'm disappointed. I was looking forward to HER being able to enjoy pizza again -something she used to love. But I guess maybe she didn't enjoy all that much.

Despite my picky daughter, I'd recommend Daiya to anyone who's looking for a casein-free, soy-free cheese.

Bon appetit!

Best GFCF chocolate chip cookies

Last fall I went on a bit of a GFCF cookie exploratory. We don't eat a ton of cookies in the house, but they are nice to have on hand for when a cookie just feels right. Store-bought GF cookies are expensive ($4.99 for a dozen) and kinda blech.

My all-time favorite cookie, hands-down, is a chocolate chip cookie. In fact, I have a little bit of a problem with them. I'm addicted. Homemade chocolate chip cookies are something I just. can't. stop. eating.

Last fall I began scouring the internet for GF chocolate chip cookie recipes. The first 3 recipes I tried were so-so. Edible, but nothing to make me stop looking.

Then I decided to check out what my favorite GF blogger, Erin at M.A.G. - Adventures in ASD and GFCF living, had to offer.

I found the winner. My search stopped.

These cookies are soft and moist and taste every bit as delicious as the chocolate chip cookies that I've been making for years.

In addition to being free of gluten and casein, they are soy-free as well!

Because four different flours are used to make these cookies, mixing up the dry ingredients seems to take the longest. So what I do now is mix up the dry ingredients for 4 or 5 batches rather than just one.

This is easily accomplished by using quart-sized ziploc bags in an assembly-line fashion. I just dump the ingredients in each bag (I don't bother sifting, I can do that when I'm ready to make the actual cookies) and toss them in the freezer. When I'm ready to make cookies, all I have to do is mix my "butter" and sugars, the egg and vanilla, and then add the dry ingredients from my ziploc bag.

Without further ado, the recipe.

GFCFSF Chocolate Chip Cookies
(courtesy of M.A.G. - Adventures in ASD and GFCF Living)

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

scant 1 cup (8 oz) dairy free, soy free margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
10 ounces dairy free, soy free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together the sorghum flour through the salt, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and the sugars until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, beat well.
Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides as necessary. This will take a bit of work if you do it by hand - don't worry if it looks dry at first, it will come together and look perfect in a minute.

You don't want the mixture to be too wet, or the cookies will flatten out and get crisp in the oven. (If you like flat, crispy cookies, then increase the margarine to a generous 1 cup.)

Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by generous teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms and edges of the cookies are very lightly browned.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 30 seconds before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Tips: I find these cookies bake better on parchment paper. I make smaller cookies, and get about 3 1/2 dozen out of the recipe.

Note: If you don't need to be soy-free, you can use your regular dairy-free butter.

Oven roasted rosemary potatoes

I wish I had some interesting story to tell you about how I first tried these at so-and-so's restaurant (I did not) or how my mother used to make these every Sunday (she did not).  Alas, I've got nothing for you.  Just some yummy potatoes which are so easy to make (no matter how you do them) and are so versatile that you can substitute just about any seasoning you want to complement any meal or to satisfy any taste.

Here's how I made them (this week):

Ingredients:
6 medium red potatoes
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
olive oil
sea salt

The 18-minute version:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash potatoes and cut into chunks approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches large.

Using a mortar and pestle or a small burr grinder, grind up the rosemary just enough to release the oils and flavor.

Place potatoes into a microwaveable bowl or casserole.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Add rosemary and sea salt, to taste, and stir the potatoes to spread the mixture evenly.

Cover dish with plastic wrap and microwave on high for approximately 8 minutes until almost completely cooked. Potatoes are cooked when they can be pierced with a fork.

Transfer potatoes to a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet.  Brown in oven for 10 minutes or until golden crust begins to form on the potatoes.

Serve piping hot and enjoy!

The 45-minute version

Preheat oven to 400F. Wash potatoes and cut into chunks approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches large.


Using a mortar and pestle or a small burr grinder, grind up the rosemary just enough to release the oils and flavor. Add rosemary and sea salt, to taste, and stir the potatoes to spread the mixture evenly.


Put the potatoes, oilve oil, rosemary and sea salt (to taste) in a plastic food storage bag.  Seal it and shake to coat evenly.

Transfer potatoes to a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until golden crust begins to form on the potatoes.  They are done when the potatoes can be pierced with a fork.

Serve piping hot and enjoy!
 
Footnote:
Now, you may be asking yourself why I would go to the trouble of microwaving the potatoes when I can just roast them in the oven.  Two reasons, actually.  First, I don't always have the time to get the oven ready with enough lead time for preheating and cooking for 45 minutes.  I can set the oven to preheat while I'm mixing and microwaving and then toss it all into the oven to brown away while I am giving Nik his dinner.  Second, I like my potatoes a bit moister than I think they come out when cooked in the oven for so long.
 
Another plus to the shorter method is that they can be cooked ahead of time —say the night before I want to serve them— and baked/browned in the oven the next day.  If I cook them completely and then have to store them in the fridge, they get kind of mushy and I end up having to re-brown them anyway.

White bean and kale soup with sausage

Last week I decided to try two new things. One was to cook dried beans, and the 2nd was to try kale (a dark, leafy green vegetable like spinach).

I have attempted to cook dried beans once before and it was horrible. I tried a crock-pot method and they turned out really gritty. I never tried again. But dried beans are both a healthier and more frugal choice, so (a mere 10 years later) I tried again.

Whole Foods, where I do the vast majority of my shopping, featured a recipe in their monthly newsletter for white bean and kale soup with chicken sausage. I decided to use Italian sausage instead though. The newsletter also gave a basic recipe for cooking dried beans.

I am thrilled to say that my beans turned out great and the soup was a huge hit. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I liked kale. Much better than I expected.

I am no longer afraid to cook my own beans! And as they are so healthy and a great option for meatless meals, I think I'll be doing it more often!

First, how to cook the dried beans.

You'll need:
1 lb dried white beans (cannellini, navy or great northern - I used cannellini)
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 dried bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Spread the beans in a single layer on a large sheet tray; pick through to remove and discard any small stones or debris and then rinse well.

Soak the beans using one of these two methods:

• Traditional soaking method: in a large bowl, cover beans by 3" with cold water, cover and set aside at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

• Quick soaking method: in a large pot, cover beans by 3" with cold water, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, for one hour.
  

Drain soaked beans and transfer to a large pot. Cover by 2" with cold water, add onion and bay leaves and bring to a boil; skim off and discard any foam on the surface. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, gently stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans, if desired, discard onions and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Makes about 7 cups total.

Now, the recipe for White Bean and Kale Soup with Sausage (originally from Whole Foods). This recipe is naturally free of both gluten and casein.

You'll need:
2 32-ounce boxes of chicken broth
1 lb of Italian sausage, sliced
Thinly sliced yellow onion (to taste, I used about 1/2 of one)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
7 cups cooked white beans
1 bunch organic kale, stems and tough ribs removed, leaves roughly chopped

Heat 1/4 cup chicken broth in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and sausage is just browned. (About 10 minutes.)

Add onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened. (About another 10 minutes.)

Meanwhile, puree together 3 cups of beans and 2 cups of chicken broth, and set aside.

Once onions are softened, add remaining broth to sausage mixture in pot and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits.

Add kale, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until wilted and softened. (About 5 minutes.)

Uncover and add remaining 4 cups of beans, bean puree, more salt and pepper, and simmer until hot throughout.

I served this with a loaf of gluten free French bread.

Oven pork chops

I'm not one to make New Year resolutions too often. But if I were, no doubt one of them would have something to do with seeking more variety in what we eat, and trying new things.

It's one of the reasons I like this blog, (Never) Too Many Cooks, so much. I aim to try at least one new recipe per week. And because I post once a week, I aim to try an additional something new at home too.

This week, however, coming off the holidays and all manner of colds and viruses running through the house, I resorted to an old familiar for dinner.

These oven pork chops are a tried and true recipe that comes from a family friend. It is naturally free of gluten and casein. And ridiculously simple.

Oven Pork Chops

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix together
1/4 cup diced onion
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup maple syrup

Brown pork chops in skillet.

Place in baking dish and pour the mixture over the pork chops.

Bake for 45 minutes, covered.

Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes uncovered.



Usually I like to serve this with mashed potatoes, but the few potatoes in my cupboard had started to go soft. So we went with our standard (gluten-free) pasta and a side of peas.

For those of you who don't eat pork, I can't see why this wouldn't work just as well with chicken.

Guest post: Homemade cucumber sushi

Of all the so-called "ethnic" foods one can serve up, homemade sushi seems to strike a good share of fear into the hearts of cooks who otherwise have no qualms about dishes that require trips to foreign markets, or strange spices, or presumably difficult techniques. But honestly, sushi is so simple to make at home, and so delicious, I can't figure out why more people don't do it. Even some cooks here on NTMC claim they'd "never" attempt it, so here's my brief pep talk—and tutorial—aimed to prove sushi simple.

Here's (all) you'll need:

Two cups cooked short grain, "sushi" rice. This can be purchased in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets. I cook mine in a rice cooker. Two cups of rice will make about three rolls of sushi.

One English cucumber, sometimes called hothouse cucumbers. These have more meat on the cucumber, and less seeds, and, in my opinion, better flavor. But honestly, a regular old cucumber will work too.

Sushi nori. Again, many supermarkets sell this. It's simply sheets of nori, the right size for rolling sushi. If you buy your nori in an Asian market, ask specifically for sushi nori, as many Asian markets also sell Korean style nori which is far saltier, and spicier, and greasier, and well, delicious on its own but it won't roll up right at all.

Mirin. This is a sweet rice seasoning—not vinegar!

Bamboo sushi rolling "mat". You can buy these in all Asian markets, or even on Amazon.

Small bowl of warm water.

Getting started:

First, peel and seed the cucumber, then cut into long, thin strips. Next, sprinkle the cooled rice with the mirin and toss. The mirin lightly seasons the rice, and makes it a bit less sticky when rolled. Next, lay the sheet of nori on the bamboo mat, then spread an even 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer of rice along all but about two inches of the nori, leaving a bit of nori free at the top for sealing. You'll have to play with the thickness of the layer of rice to get the amount right, but after a few rolls, you'll get the hang of it. My local sushi chef also compresses the rice between his hands before he lays it on the nori. This makes the roll nice and tight, so go ahead and try!

 Next, layer strips of cucumber into the middle of the nori. I usually cut the cucumber into 1/4 inch strips and use about three to four of these per roll.

 Begin rolling:

 The goal here is to keep the roll right. Use both hands and don't be afraid. The mat will prevent you from breaking the nori. When you get to the end, wet the edge of the nori with the warm water, and seal the roll.

Moisten a sharp knife with water, and cut the roll into inch wide pieces. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi.

 See how easy? And so much better than supermarket sushi!

***

Leightongirl blogs at www.vickiforman.com

Gluten-free snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are one of my all-time favorite cookies (and also one of my favorite words to say!) C'mon, say it: Snickerdoodle. Snickerdoodle. Snickerdoodle. You have heard of Snickerdoodles, right? I was shocked a couple of days ago when a friend said, "What are those?" when I mentioned this cookie.

With the holiday baking spirit starting to take over in my house, I decided now is the time to find out if gluten-free Snickerdoodles would be just as delicious as the traditional ones.

I searched the web looking for recipes, thinking that I might try several, but one in particular kept surfacing time and again with rave reviews. There were other GF recipes that were for variations on the original, but I was looking for the tried and true cinnamon/sugary delight known as Snickerdoodles.

The recipe is from The Gluten Free Baker by Robin Ryberg

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup potato starch

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp corn starch

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp water

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

Mix together

3 Tbsp sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together potato starch, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, xantham gum and salt.

Add the dry ingredients along with the 2 Tbsp of water to the sugar/shortening. Mix very well to eliminate any lumps in the dough.

Lightly oil hands or spray with cooking spray (I sprayed) to handle the dough as it is quite sticky.

Shape into small balls using a slightly-rounded teaspoon of dough for each cookie. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet (again, I used cooking spray). The original recipe calls for each ball to be pressed to about 1/3-inch even thickness, but I forgot to do that after the first batch and didn't notice a difference.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. A single cookie should be removed at the shortest baking time to test for doneness. Browning is not a good indicator for these cookies.

This recipe made 3 dozen, 2 dozen of which were consumed practically on the spot. The remaining dozen were nibbled away all day.

Now that I've shared one of my favorite cookies, please share yours! I looooove cookies!

Breakfast crepes

Finding the new and different for breakfast is something I'm always interested in. Breakfast is definitely the least varied meal of the day at our house. Nearly every day it's cold cereal for myself and one daughter, hot cereal for the other, and oatmeal for my husband. Borrrring.

On weekends we mix it up with organic eggs and organic bacon. Incidentally, if you've not yet switched to organic bacon - hurry and do so now. So delicious!! I will never go back to that overly-processed, filled-with-nitrates bacon that lines the shelves at the supermarket. The taste is awful compared to what we like to call "the good stuff."

Imagine my delight upon seeing that Living Without has a recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free breakfast crepes. I have always loved crepes, and enjoyed them often when my sister and I were roommates, but I had never tried making them myself.

They turned out to be one of the easiest things I have ever made. And now I'm thinking a crepe pan is in my not-too-distant future.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Breakfast Crepes
1 cup brown rice flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 cup milk (plain-flavored rice, soy, hemp or almond milk)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp oil

Mix flour and sugar in a blender or mixing bowl.

Add milk, eggs and vanilla and combine well. Batter should be thin, like cake batter. If it's too runny, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time.

Place oil in a heavy skillet or non-stick pan and heat skillet to medium high.

Pour enough batter into the skillet to coat the bottom of the pan.

Tilt the pan until batter is evenly distributed.

Tip: If, like me, you have too large of a non-stick pan, it's not necessary to tilt the pan to coat the entire bottom. I did that on the first one and it didn't turn out well. For the rest I just tilted the pan to spread out the batter a little bit (crepes are meant to be thin).

Cook until bubbles cover the crepe.

Peek at the bottom; crepe should cook until bottom is lightly browned.



(Patience is key here. If you flip too early, you’ll split the crepe). Flip crepe with a spatula and cook briefly until done.

Repeat until all batter is used.

Immediately after removing the crepe to a plate, I spread (dairy-free) butter on it and sprinkled with sugar and then rolled them. Heavenly. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

There would have been quite a few more on the plate, but while I was making them a certain "chef" and her husband couldn't stop eating them. We managed to hold back so I would have enough for a pretty picture.

Just think how much prettier that picture will be when I get that crepe pan and they are all the same size.

Next weekend I think we'll try adding fruit or something else delicious to them.

Do you like crepes? What's your favorite way to serve them?

GFCF Spaghetti and meatballs

This past weekend my younger daughter turned 3 years old. She requested her favorite dish: spaghetti! For her that means a plate of plain spaghetti with Parmesan cheese. For the rest of us, it meant the classic spaghetti and meatballs.

About 15 years ago, someone in my family stumbled across a little Italian cookbook that has turned out to have some of the best recipes ever in it. It was so loved, that my mother bought nearly every good friend and family member a copy.

I have made more than a dozen recipes from this cookbook, and each one has been superb.

I decided to use the meatball recipe from this now out-of-print cookbook, and modify it to be free of both gluten and casein.

Because this was for a party with other guests besides just my immediate family, I was a bit nervous about how the meatballs would taste with the modifications. I'm happy to say they turned out delicious and were scarfed up right away.

To compensate for omitting the Parmesan cheese in the original recipe, I mixed Italian sausage with the ground chuck. The Italian sausage added extra flavor and "covered" for the missing Parmesan cheese.

For the gluten free bread crumbs, I used two-day-old gluten free bread that I ran through the food processor to make bread crumbs. I think it would be fine to use regular GF bread without making bread crumbs though.

Below is the original recipe and my GFCF modifications are in parentheses.

Spaghetti and Meatballs (serves 6-8)
1 1/2 cups torn crustless Italian bread (gluten free bread crumbs)
1/4 cup milk (rice milk)
1 1/2 lbs ground chuck (50% GFCF Italian Sausage)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (omit)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
2 tsp oregano

In a large bowl, combine bread and milk. Let stand 5 minutes to soften bread. Add meat, eggs, 3 Tbsp parsley, Parmesan cheese (or not if making dairy free), half the garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Blend to mix well (I used my hands). Form into 2-inch meatballs.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add meatballs and cook over a medium-high heat, turning, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

In large Dutch oven, heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Add remaining garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add tomatoes, wine, water and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. (The longer this simmers, the better. 45 minutes is the minimum.)

Before serving, add oregano and remaining parsley to sauce. Serve over spaghetti.

Unfortunately it was a little chaotic trying to pull all this together for a dinner party of 10 people, so I did not take any pictures of the final product. And to give you an idea of how good it was: there weren't any leftovers for me to take a picture of either!

Sweet potato souffle

I have a embarrassingly funny sweet potato story.

Growing up I swore I didn't like sweet potatoes. Truthfully, though, I never tried them. Orange potatoes? Ick, I thought.

When I was about 25-26, it was November and at work we were having a department lunch meeting. I grabbed a piece of pumpkin pie and was noshing away. Hmm, this tastes different.

So I comment, out loud, to everyone, "This is the funniest tasting pumpkin pie I've ever had."

The crotchety old department secretary pipes up (equally as loud), "That's because you're eating sweet potato pie."

The rooms bursts into laughter. I turned 3 shades of red!

But I've been a fan of sweet potatoes ever since!!

This is arguably my favorite Thanksgiving side dish (squash casserole runs a close second). I always want to make an extra batch to ensure that there is plenty for leftovers the next day.

Sweet Potato Souffle
2 lbs mashed sweet potatoes (about 3 cups)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar

Topping
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp flour*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecan

Preheat oven to 350.

With a mixer, mix all of the souffle ingredients together and place in a 2 quart souffle dish.

Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of souffle.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

*For a gluten-free version of the nut topping, use an all-purpose gluten-free baking flour. I have not ever done this, but I'm going to give it a try. If you'd like a tested GF nut topping recipe, click here: All-Purpose Crumb Topping. (I have not tried it, but I've never been disappointed in any of her recipes.)

To make recipe dairy free, substitute dairy free buttery spread in place of the butter.

Baked salmon

If you were to judge by the recipes I've posted on this blog, you might think all we ever eat is seafood. Not true. But we do eat a LOT of it.

I'm lucky that both of my children seem to like it. Most of the time. We do have our hit or miss days, though, like this weekend when they both refused to eat this dish. Last time I made it though they cleaned their plates. Go figure. Fickle!

This recipe for baked salmon is one that I have been making for many, many years. I have passed it on to numerous friends and everyone always sings its praises. When we removed gluten from our diet, I knew there was no way we could do without this favorite.

So I modified it to be both gluten and casein free. I will share both versions.

These aren't precise measurements for the ingredients, so feel free to adjust to your taste.

Baked Salmon
4 Salmon fillets
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
About 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
Melted butter

Preheat oven to 400.
Rinse salmon fillets and pat dry.
Line a shallow pan with foil.

Place salmon skin side down and spread a thin layer of mustard across each fillet.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper (to taste).
Top liberally with bread crumbs and drizzle melted butter over top.

Bake about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets, until appearance is no longer translucent and flakes easily with a fork.

And now for the gluten free, dairy (casein) free version. (We actually like this version much better!)

GFCF Baked Salmon
4 Salmon fillets
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
3/4 to 1 cup crushed Rice Chex
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp melted non-dairy butter (I use soy-free Earth Balance)

Mix the Rice Chex, garlic powder, salt and pepper together. (I usually crush the Rice Chex in a plastic baggy with the spices.)

Spread thin layer of mustard on salmon fillets, top liberally with crushed cereal and drizzle the melted butter on top.

Bake about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets, until appearance is no longer translucent and flakes easily with a fork.

Of all the various ways we prepare salmon, this is our favorite. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Shrimp feast

I hope you like shrimp. I love it! My whole family loves it.

Problem for a long time was that I didn't know how to cook raw shrimp. I was scared of it. Intimidated by the deveining, worried I wouldn't cook it long enough. I avoided dealing with raw shrimp at all cost, thus relegating me to only enjoying it at the occasional restaurant outing.

That all changed this summer when I went to South Carolina to visit my sister. I asked her to show me how to clean and devein shrimp. Being a teacher, she, of course, took my request very seriously.

After my Shrimp 101 course, I came back home and we started eating shrimp fairly regularly. Both of my daughters love it. We even created a new tradition: Friday Night Shrimp Night.

One of the reasons Friday night works as shrimp night is because by the end of the week, I'm really not interested in laboring too long over dinner. Shrimp cooks really quickly!

Awhile back I started searching for a variety of ways to prepare shrimp. Today I'm going to share with you my three favorite recipes.

But first, if you're at all intimidated about working with raw shrimp (like I was), click here to watch a video demonstrating how to clean and devein raw shrimp. Trust me, it's EASY.

Without further ado, my favorite shrimp recipes.

Fried Shrimp (gluten free and casein free)
1 egg, mixed with a little bit of rice milk (or your preferred milk substitute)
1/2 cup of GF coating mix (recipe follow)
1 lb of peeled, deveined shrimp (I only buy wild-caught American shrimp)
Canola oil

Dip shrimp in egg/milk mixture, then toss in coating mix until evenly coated.

Heat canola oil in pan. When it's hot, place shrimp in pan. Shrimp cooks very quickly. You will probably only need to fry it about 3 minutes per side. You can tell it's done when the shrimp is opaque in appearance, not shiny and translucent.

Remove from pan to a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve immediately.

After much online searching and quite a few trial and fail attempts at making a good gluten free breading, I finally found the perfect one. Trust me when I say, look no further. This is the best recipe for breading chicken, shrimp or fish. Just perfect.

GFCF Coating Mix (works great on chicken, shrimp and fish)
This recipe comes courtesy of Erin at M.A.G. - Adventures in ASD and GFCF Living.

1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 cup crushed rice cereal
1/2 cup potato flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)

Sift all ingredients until well blended. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use quickly or store in the refrigerator for longer shelf life.

Baked Shrimp Scampi
The original recipe can be found at allrecipes.com (my go-to online recipe site). I made a few modifications, including making it dairy-free.

1/2 cup dairy free butter (I use Earth Balance)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1-2 lbs peeled, deveined raw shrimp

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine everything but the shrimp in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.
When butter is melted completely, remove from heat.
Place shrimp in a shallow baking dish, and pour butter mixture over top.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until shrimp are pink and opaque.

I serve this over spaghetti and with a vegetable. The butter mixture makes a great sauce over pasta.

Lastly, my most favorite of ways to make shrimp: marinated and grilled! This recipe comes directly from allrecipes.com with zero changes to it. It is naturally free of gluten and casein.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp
3 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 lbs peeled and deveined raw shrimp

Mix all the ingredients, except the shrimp, in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and marinate (in the fridge) for at least an hour. I have found the longer you marinate the better with this recipe.

Skewer shrimp and cook on preheated, lightly oiled grill. I haven't timed it, but it takes about 3 minutes per side for the shrimp to be cooked thoroughly. Remember, you know it's done when it's opaque.

I served this several times over the summer with a big salad and corn on the cob. I think we had it 3 Fridays in a row it was so good.

If you have a favorite shrimp recipe, do share! Leave a comment or write a guest post. See sidebar for details.