Ratatouille!

Ratatouille!

If you have not heard of the dish ratatouille... odds are you haven't watched many animated movies in the past few years.
Though there is some debate on how on earth you are *actually* supposed to make the stuff, (and there seem to be as many versions as there are people who've tried to make it.) the general consensus remains that it is a " traditional French provincial stewed vegetable dish, made of tomatoes,egg plant, zucchini, onions and peppers." And it generally served with (or over) some form of grain, such as pasta, bread or rice.
So! After some research... Yup, you've guessed it. I made my own. =)
This particular recipe is not the fancily layered kind that you saw in the movie, but the slightly more conventional, provincial stew style. Of course, " more conventional" is relative with me. ^_^ But my family really loves it. I hope you all will too.


Sarah and Susie's Provencal style Ratatouille


One medium/large onion, diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, diced ( opt.)

One half of a medium sized eggplant cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Two pint cans diced tomatoes (3 1/2 to 4 fresh tomatoes can be substituted. blanch and peal tomatoes, dice into 3/4 inch pieces and drain off excess liquid.)

One half of a green bell pepper cut into1/2 inch pieces

One medium zucchini cut into 1/2 inch cubes

One medium summer squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 Tbs fresh thyme chopped

Two small bay leaves

½ tsp onion powder

1 1/2 to 2 tsp salt ( or to taste)

1/2 to 1 tsp pepper ( or to taste)

2 tsp olive oil

1 (15 oz) can canned beef (opt)

Saute onions and in olive oil until tender.
Add egg plant, garlic and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add green pepper, zucchini, summer squash, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and extra olive oil ( and beef if using beef) and simmer until vegetables are tender and tomatoes are reduced slightly. (approximately 10 -20 minutes) Ratatouille should be the consistency of a thick soup or stew when finished. (This may take slightly longer if using fresh tomatoes)
Remove bay leaves and serve over rice, polenta or other grain. =)
( A time saver tip; I like to use the "Ten minute brown rice" it is quick [ takes SO much less time than regular brown rice] and has basically the same nutritional value as the long cook kind.)

( note: Traditional ratatouille does not contain beef. I just added that because my family has a distinct protein preference. =)


Special thanks to Susan T! Her and I spent quite a fun afternoon in her kitchen creating this recipe. =D

Breakfast! ( well the recipe is for the pancakes ) ...* nom*

Soooooooo it just so happens... that I have been craving pancakes like crazy for the past few days. Now they say cravings usually don't last more than an hour or so... But I tell you, this has NOT been the case. Yesterday and today, I have been craving pancakes like you wouldn't believe. lol SO! Today I made myself a recipe, and made myself and mother pancakes for lunch. (Lol Yup, lunch. *quirky smile* Yes, I am perfectly aware of what I titled this.)

So anywayzz.. Here 'tis! My egg free, gluten free dairy, free recipe for pancakes... And it is now being blogged for all of you. Because? Well, I happen to like pancakes very much, and figure I'm not the only one. ^_^

Pancakes

¾ Cup millet flour

½ Cup white rice flour

1 Tbs Potato starch

¼ Cup oat bran ( Note: Although oats are not technically a gluten grain, a lot of people with sensitivity to gluten also have trouble with oats. I personally can do some oats ( and oat bran) as long as I don't eat a whole ton of it at once, but this may not be the case for some of you. If you have a sensitivity to oats, you could either leave this bit out or just add a little whole grain flour or another grain bran [ maybe brown rice] for the same general effect.)

1 ½ Tbs cornstarch

½ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

----

Mix together dry ingredients then ...

Combine; 1 Tbs ground chia ( salvia ) seed with

¼ cup cold/room temperature water ( this serves as my egg substitute) Stir and let jell.

Next add;

1 Tbs light olive oil ( or grape seed oil)

2/3 cup rice milk

¼ tsp apple cider vinegar

½ tsp agave nectar ( or honey)

2 Tbs water

------

Mix wet and dry ingredients together, and set pan to heating on stove to about medium heat.

Add approximately a tablespoon ( or a little less) of oil to the pan and wait until it is hot enough so that a droplet of water “ dances” when it is put into the pan. ( without spattering)

And this, my friends... is where cooking becomes art. Lol It seems making pancakes ( especially ones as delicate as these) takes a certain knack. I will try to explain how I to do them in as detailed as I can. It really is not that difficult. Though, if you're like me, it may take a smidgen of practice. =)

Once the pan is sufficiently heated, pour a 3 inch round dob of batter into the pan. ( using a fork or spoon) flatten the batter a little until it is about 4 inches around. (I highly suggest not making the pancakes much (if any) bigger than that, because it becomes extremely difficult to filp them in one piece.)

The oil should sizzle around the edges where the batter meets the pan juuuuuuust a little.

Cook for about a minute, until the edges and sides near the pan start to stiffen ever so slightly.

Using the metal spatula, “loosen” the pancake from the pan by sliding the spatula under it against the pan from all sides..... Aaaand flip!

Now there is a rule of pancake making that my mother taught me long ago, and it is this:
“ The first pancake from every batch never turns out.” Lol

Even in spite of my best efforts... I have always seen this to be true. I wish you could have seen the first pancake ( or what was left of it anyway) that came out of this batch. *laughs* I should have taken a picture. It was a hopeless pile of pathetic looking crumbs -Tasty pathetic looking crumbs - but pathetic looking crumbs none the less. Don't worry though, the rest of the batch *points to picture* turned out lovely!

Repeat with rest of batter! I do suggest that you clean out any straying fragments of pancake, and re-oil the pan in between each pancake. It makes things cook so much better. ( You also may tilt the pan around a little while the pancake is in transit during being flipped so that the oil is again beneath the pancake.

Another tip would be make sure to keep the heat as correctly as possible. ( you may have to turn the heat down after the first pancake) This is a little hard to describe, but it needs to be hot enough so that the pancake sizzles slightly, but not so hot that the oil is smoking or forming patterns on the bottom of the pan.

Recipe makes approximately 5 four inch pancakes. ( four/ four and a half-ish depending on how you do or don't include the first one. ;)

Options:

If you can eat eggs,

The chia seed mixture would be replaced with one egg. =)

Serving suggestions... ( Wow, I always laugh at the cereal boxes when they do this so I find it ironic that I now am. haha! )

I like my pancakes with banana slices and MAPLE SYRUP! ( I love this stuff! lol =)

Also for a protein source turkey bacon is delicious. * nods* I have been able to find it without soy or any other allergic-ly objectionable ingredients. You have to check the labels though, because most of them do.

My Favoritist Ever ( so far) Homemade Chicken Coconut Curry.

Curry.

Deliciousness in a word.

The problem with curry is simply that almost every bit of Indian food out there, (including curries) involves at least some form of dairy. (This ( as far as I'm concerned) = * big sigh* Are you with me here?) A good friend of mine just made a lovely Indian recipe that I felt illustrated that rather well. * laughs* It involved... not one... not two...or even three, but four forms of dairy. Sadly, for us dairy-free people, that's not all that unusual. So, how do you make amazing chicken curry without dairy?

*points to recipe excitedly* Like this. XD

Coconut Chicken Curry

2 ½ Tblsp Olive oil and

2 Medium onions

1 small piece ( aprox 1 inch piece) of fresh ginger (grated) [Or 1 tsp ground dried ginger]

2 Tbs Tomato paste

2 Tbs Curry powder

½ Tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 Cinnamon stick

½ tsp ground chipotle chill pepper

1 Can coconut milk

1 (15 oz) Can chicken broth

2 medium/small tomatoes seeded and chopped

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( cut into 1” strips)

2 ½ Tbs fresh cilantro ( or 3 tsp dried)

3 Tbs lemon juice

Also ½ cup cold water and

3 heaping Tbls corn starch

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or pan over medium-low heat. Add onions, ginger, and cook until the onions are soft and transparent. ( about 15 minutes)

(I know , I know. The recipe is just starting here but seriously, I think the smell of the onions and ginger together [though a bit pungent] is just awesome.)

Add tomato paste, curry powder, cinnamon stick, and chilli pepper. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Add coconut milk and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes, chicken, cilantro and lemon juice. Simmer until chicken is cooked trough, ( about 10-15 minutes.) Thicken mixture with ½ cup water and 2 heaping tablespoons of corn starch.

Remove cinnamon stick. Serve over gluten free fettuccine ( a little unconventional but extremely good!) It also can be served over rice, or with gluten free Indian flat bread.

( feeds about 5 hungry eaters)

Aaaaaaand the traditional adding of optional garlic ( 2-3 cloves) if you so desire.

More options:

Mom also suggested that this would be good with 8 oz fresh mushrooms washed cut and cooked in. And …. although I usually protest against her proclivity too add mushrooms to everything X) in this case I may agree... on occasion. =)

(Special thanks to my mother and brother with their major amounts of help with this one!)

Hearty Experimental Vegetable Beef Soup =)

So, as you've probably figured out by now; everything on this website started out as an an experiment that turned out well enough for me to want to share it with all of you. ( No, don't worry, I won't share the ones that did not turn out. ;) But this one was one was my experimenting, rather kind of on a whim. One day, I really just wanted beef vegetable soup... with... LOTS and lots of vegetables. SO! Here it is. And it's hearty with lots of vegetables as promised. It is especially nice for a somewhat chilly day. ( I seem to be on a soup posting phase..lol. I'll blame it on the cold weather we've been having. ^_^ )

Hearty Experimental Vegetable Beef Soup

1 large Onion ( diced)

3-4 Medium carrots ( pealed & diced)

3 stalks celery ( diced)

Aprox 2 ½ cups cabbage ( shredded)

1 medium turnip

1 medium rutabaga

2 small potatoes ( two more small potatoes could be substituted for turnip and rutabaga)

5 cups beef broth

[ As a note; (And I'll probably comment on this later,but, ) IF you are using commercial beef broth be sure to double check the labels. Most of them contain soy ( either lecithin or protein) Milk ( as natural flavoring) garlic... or even gluten ( masquerading under the amazingly un-suspicious name of “modified food starch.” It IS possible to find them without these things, but it takes some searching.) I usually just make my own broth at home and freeze or can it for convenient use later.]

1 16 oz can tomatoes ( not drained)

1 medium/small zucchini

1 medium/small summer squash

¾ cup wilted ( or frozen) spinach ( opt)

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp parsley flakes

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp onion powder

1 16 oz can pre-cooked beef

In large kettle, put in onion, carrots, celery, and broth, bring to simmer, cook 5-10 minutes.

Put in cabbage, tomatoes, turnips/potatoes, salt, pepper, parsley and onion powder. Cook 15 minutes.

Then add zucchini, summer squash and spinach.

Cover and cook another 5-10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Add beef and cook 5 minutes longer.

Serve! =)

If you reeeeeeeeally like you can take the extra time and effort to saute` the carrots, celery and onion. But imho this just adds an extra step and doesn't really make that much of a difference flavor wise. X)

Options:

2 cloves minced garlic ( can be added with the tomatoes)

Another potential is to add 2 cups of frozen green beans with the carrots and onions. ( You may want to add just a little bit more broth ( or even a little water) if you do this though; just to keep the vegetables moist while they're cooking.)

Gluten free/ dairy free/ egg free APPLE PIE!!!!!

OOOOOOooohhh the joy. Oh the HAPPINESS! Complete *BLISS* Moment.
LOL Yup. This was my reaction upon the climax of my success. Warm, amazing apple pie that I COULD EAT!
After all those allergies and years without eating any dessert I was determined that I was going to create a dessert I could have. After some help brainstorming (Thanks Sarah F.)
I had a day with the house completely to myself. A day to do absolutely whatever I wanted. That day...I was going to make a "Sarah friendly" pie. ( lol I know I'm such a crazy partier. =p)

I experimented and fussed and tweaked for what seemed like a remarkably long time. (And though I still think I may be able to adjust some things on the typed out version of the recipe . ) The result... was seriously, the an extremely amazing homemade apple pie.

( For the reference, I had people without food allergies eating it. And they labeled it " as good as bakery pie". So I feel I have right to be quite pleased with my outcome. X) lol)

Let's start with the crust.

Gluten free dairy free pie crust ( Sarah style X)

This recipe is rather large. It makes two deep-dish 9inch pie pans. ( hooray for [hopefully] extra pie! =)

Alrightie! Let's start with the crust.

Mix together in a large bowl.

¾ Cup coconut oil

1/2 Cup Cashew butter ( both room temperature)

Next ingredients –

1 tsp salt

2 Cups White rice flour

1 Cup cornstarch

1 ¾ Cup millet flour

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 1/2 Cup Rice milk

Next, Mix in flours ( including cornstarch) and salt. When mixture is dry and fairly crumbly, mix in maple syrup and rice milk until mixture pulls away from sides of bowl just enough to form a dough. ( You may or may not use quite all of the rice milk to get it to this point... but it will be very close to using it up if you don't.) It is helpful if you refrigerate after this step.

Take out 1/4 of pie dough, and roll out between two sheets of plastic wrap or freezer paper to about 1/8^th inch thick.

Lay dough flat in refrigerator. ( You may have to clear off a few shelves to do this, but the dough is much easier to work with if you can just slide your hands under the [then stiffened] sheet of pie dough.=)
While it is hardening you can roll out the others and refrigerate them in the same way.

Remove one sheet of pie crust from the refrigerator and remove one of the sheets of plastic.
Lay the pie pan on top of it then flip them gently. Use the second sheet of plastic wrap ( now on top) to help you press the crust gently into the bottom of the pan. ( repeat for second pan) And place both pans back in the refrigerator.

Next! Mix up the pie filling.

Apple Pie Filling

6-7 granny smith apples pealed and sliced

7-8 Johnathan or gala apples pealed and sliced

( all together this is about 14 cups of apples)

The juice from half a lemon sprinkled across the apples as you slice them (Aprox 2 ½ tbsp)

1 ½ cup sugar

2 ½ tbsp cup maple syrup

1 ¾ tsp cinnamon

1/8 - ¼ tsp cloves

1/8 -¼ tsp ginger

½ cup cornstarch

Mix together ( be sure to put the cornstarch in last) and pour into pie dish.

Ok, got all that? Here is the next bit.

Take the next pie crust sheet from the fridge and ( again) remove the top piece of plastic wrap, and flip it onto the top of the ( now full) pie pan.
You may want to wait a moment until it starts to melt eeeever so slightly so that the edges mush together easier. Then just cut off the scraps from around the edge of the pie pan and crimp edges of the crust together gently.

Cut vents in the top crust with a knife. ( This allows steam to escape and makes it preeeeeeeetty! )

Using tin foil, create a rim around the pie pan that covers the edges of the crust so that they don't brown over much. ( They have little pie edge cover thingies that do this same thing without the hassle of crimping pieces of tin foil together... but I do not have one of those. X)

Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Chicken Chili

If you are allergic to chicken, this recipe can also be done very well with turkey!
It is rather spicy, if you do not want it spicy though, you may want to half the chili powder.
( Just as a comment, I really like it how it is; as does my family who usually aren't fond of overly spicy things)
This recipe is also a great way to use up all that leftover turkey from thanksgiving. ( And trust me, by the time it is done, it doesn't even remotely resemble thanksgiving turkey anymore! =)

Chicken Chili

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 cups chopped onion

¼ cup (garlic free) chili powder

1 ½ tsp. Dried oregano

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

¾ tsp salt

3 cups chicken stock

1 ( 14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes ( not drained)

3 cups diced, cooked chicken (or turkey)


Heat oil in dutch oven over med-high heat. Add onions and saute` 5 minutes.
Add chili powder and next 4 ingredients. Saute` 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat ( med-low) simmer 20-30 minutes. Add chicken and simmer 15 min.

Options:


Ok! For you people *not* allergic to garlic and beans you can also add;

2 garlic cloves, minced ( after you saute`the onions)

and

1 ( 16 oz) can kidney beans, drained (at the same time you add the tomatoes.)

( thanks for the original base of this recipe goes to Patty Wayne)

____________________________________________________

For those with garlic allergies here is my garlic free chili powder recipe.
Make SURE when you look for chile pepper that it does not have garlic already in it. ( most of them do) I found that Spice Island has a gound chipoltle chile pepper that does not, and I like it pretty well. =)

Sarah's garlic free chili powder
( only instructions.... put into a bowl and mix together! ) =)

1 ½ tbs paprika

1 ½ tbs ground chipoltle chile peppers

2 tbs cumin

1 ½ tbs oregano

1 tbs salt

2tsp Onion powder

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

This is an old stand by that I use quite a bit on cold wintry days.
I'm looking to potentially add some new spices and things to it to liven it up a bit ( I may add them in as optional later) But for now. Here is the basic recipe as I have it. ( It happens to be one of my comfort foods. ^_^ )

Beef Stew

1 ½ Lb/ Stew beef ( cubed)

2 Tbs. Oil

1 ½ Tsp salt

1 Tsp Ground black pepper

½ Tsp Celery seed

½ Cup chopped celery

2 Quarts water ( Or beef broth if you want more flavor)

2 cups ( one pint) tomato juice (or 1 can ( 15oz) sauce)

4 medium potatoes

4 medium carrots


[ Also needed]

½ cup cold water

¼ cup cornstarch


1.Heat oil in a heavy- bottomed kettle.
2.Add beef, onion and spices ( next 3 ingredients) and cook until meat is well browned.
3. Add water/broth, celery and tomato juice. Bring to boil and simmer covered 1 ½ hours.
4.While meat is boiling prepare vegetables.
5.Add carrots when meat is tender, cook 20 minutes more. ( adjust salt to taste.)
6.Add potatoes and cook another 20 minutes.
7.Mix together cold water and cornstarch. Then pour into still boiling stew to thicken it. Stir gently! Serve hot.


Options:

If you can have these feel free to add...

1 Tsp. Chopped garlic to the meat

and 1 Lb. Frozen green beans (with the carrots)