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Breakfast

Pineapple Fried Rice

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You can use almost any proportion of these ingredients, and throw in other things besides…..

3 cups cooked, cold jasmine or other long-grain rice, massaged to separate the grains of rice
1 large pineapple (peeled, cored and cut in chunks), or a can of gluten free pineapple chunks, drained
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup peeled, sliced shallots
10 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and cleaned (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons gluten free curry powder
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, sliced
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons gluten free Thai Fish Sauce

Note: Read the label on the fish sauce. Some fish sauce companies include wheat, for unknown reasons, in fish sauce. Purchase a fish sauce that does not include wheat.

Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time, and get out the wok.

Heat the wok, and add the oil by drizzling it down the sides. When the oil is hot, add the shallots. Stir-fry the shallots until they are golden, a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and stir-fry briefly until it smells good. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until the shrimp are just turning pink – they don’t have to be finished cooking. Add the curry powder and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the pineapple, bell pepper and scallions and stir-fry until the pineapple is heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cold rice and stir-fry until the rice is hot. Add the sugar and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Lastly, add the fish sauce by drizzling it down the sides of the wok into the rice. That’s it!

For gluten free curry powder, we make our own, using the recipe in Rebecca Reilly’s Gluten Free Baking.

You can add grated ginger, and chopped jalapeno peppers, or gluten free chili paste to this dish if you like things a bit spicier.

Make sure that all your ingredients are gluten free!

Chicken Salad, with Lemon Mayonnaise

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1 cooked chicken, removed from the bones and cut or torn into large chunks
1/2 cup gluten free mayonnaise
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup minced scallions or red onion
1 stalk of celery, chopped

Fold all the ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Adjust the seasonings, and add a very small pinch of sugar if you like.

If you prefer less onion, or don’t like bits of onion in your chicken salad, grate a little onion and let a few teaspoons of the juice go into the mixture.

Be sure to use gluten free mayonnaise – check the gluten free food lists on the internet or at your grocery store.

Honeydew Melon Chutney

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1 large honeydew melon, seeded, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks.
1/4 cup pickling salt, plus an extra 1/2 teaspoon
2 cups gluten free cider vinegar
2 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon whole allspice, crushed in a mortar and pestle
2 inches of cinnamon stick
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup EACH diced red and green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced or grated

1/2 cup dry currants
1/3 gluten free brandy

Soak the melon cubes in cold water to cover, with the 1/4 cup pickling salt, overnight in the regrigerator. The pickling salt is not iodized, so your pickle will not turn brown. Drain and rinse the melon in several changes of cold water.

Put the remaining ingredients (except for the currants and brandy,) in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil. Add the melon chunks and the currants and brandy, and simmer the chutney for nearly 2 hours, until it has reduced in volume by a half and thickened up. Do not cover while cooking. Store the chutney in the refrigerator. This chutney will keep for a long time.

Make sure all your ingredients are gluten free.

Baby Potatoes – are they really worth the $$?

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When we visit the produce section those baby potatoes are sitting there in their little plastic potato prisons, enticing us to remember the stories people used to tell, of creamed potatoes and peas on the 4th of July; of new potatoes just out of the ground. However, at upwards of $4 a box these little tubers are pretty pricey! So, the question is, should we spend our hard earned money on them? Are they worth it? A resounding Yes! Baby, or “new” potatoes are a superior braising or boiling potato.

Definitely buy the baby potatoes – – try the Yukon Golds – try them braised, or boiled plain and served whole with butter. You will not be sorry! Buy two boxes because you will want seconds.

Now, here’s a little useful information about potatoes in general:

If you go to spend the big bucks on tiny potatoes, make sure that they are not green – look at them closely and you may see that some potatoes have a green tinge to the skin. The green is due to the presence of solanine, which is a toxin. Potatoes form more solanine when they are exposed to light, which is why potatoes were stored in root cellars in the old days, and why they are often sold in opaque bags today. If you smell a very green potato, you will notice a bitter, grassy smell like that of weeds broken while gardening. This smell, and the green color, should alert you not to consume that potato. Solanine, in large enough quantities, can make you ill. So, avoid green potatoes.

Here’ the dictionary definition of solanine:
http://www.bartleby.com/61/32/S0543200.html

and here’s the chemical composition:
C45H73NO15

Now, you know more about potatoes than you used to!

Sweet and Sour Salad Dressing

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1 cup sliced almonds
6 Tablespoons sugar
lettuce
2 whole scallions, chopped, or 1 Tablespoon fresh minced chives
Canned GF mandarin oranges, drained or fresh strawberries, sliced

Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon minced Italian parsley
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons GF cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon GF prepared ballpark style mustard
a dash of GF hot sauce

Prepare the nuts: Cook the almonds and the sugar in a non-stick pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has melted and the nuts are browned. Take care that the nuts do not burn. Transfer the nuts to a ceramic plate to cool. These can be stored in an airtight container so you don’t eat them all before you serve the salad.

Mix the dressing ingredients up. The mustard will act as an emulsifier, causing the dressing to become one with itself and look very nice. Put the lettuce and green onions in a salad bowl, toss with the dressing and the oranges just before serving. Pass the nuts to sprinkle on top. Most recipes of this kind have half as many nuts, but here the nuts are doubled to allow for snacking.

Your GF guests will appreciate your asking which brand of mustard they are able to eat!