Pork Chops and Root Veggie Mash

We didn't have pork chops in our house when I was growing up, so this is a food that is still new to me. I have found it easy to overcook and make tough. But then I was introduced to cooking it in the pressure cooker -- and, voila! Perfect pork chops every time. As an added bonus, I've created a recipe that produces one of your side dishes at the same time, and infuses it with the pork juices. It's an easy weekday dinner that is ready in a jiffy. I add steamed kale or a salad to round out the meal.

• 4 1-inch thick pork chops
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt, pepper, and seaweed salt replacer (if you have it)
• 2/3 cup chicken stock
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (or 1/3 cup more chicken stock if you prefer)
• 2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut 1/8-inch thick
• 1 large sweet potato (equivalent to 2 medium potatoes), peeled and cut 1/8-inch thick
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped or sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, quartered

1. Heat oil in pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and season with salt, pepper and seaweed salt replacer. Brown both sides, then remove from pan.
2. Add stock and wine to pressure cooker and scrape loose any browned pork bits.
3. Add veggies and garlic, then top with browned pork chops.
4. Close lid and bring cooker to full pressure according to your cooker's instructions.
5. Cook at 15 psi for 10 minutes, then release pressure.
6. Remove pork chops to plates to serve. Mash remaining ingredients together and taste to see if more seasoning is needed (I usually don't need to add anything).

Note that if your pork chops are not 1-inch thick you will need to adjust the cooking time. You can experiment with other vegetables in this dish -- parsnips give it a whole different flavour!

Eagle Loft Italian Sausage

Sausages can be something tricky when you have allergies. Although there are sausages that are gluten-free, I feel safer preparing our sausages in my own kitchen. I have a sausage-stuffing attachment for my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, but it isn't necessary to have special equipment -- you can shape the seasoned sausage meat into oblong patties and fry them in a pan.

I have included two versions of the recipe, one for making patties and one for making a larger batch to stuff in sausage casings.  The first recipe makes about 12 patties; the second makes about 30 sausages.

• 2 pounds ground pork
• 1 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/4 tsp paprika
• 2 1/2 tsp fennel seed
• 1 1/4 tsp anise seed
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• scant 1/4 cup water

1. Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer and mix thoroughly.  
2. Shape into oblong patties.  Excess patties can be frozen for future meals.
3. Fry patties in a pan until browned and cooked through.

Here is the same recipe scaled for if you are stuffing these in sausage casings:

• 5 pounds ground pork
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp fennel seed
• 1 Tbsp anise seed
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup water

1. Put all ingredients into a very large bowl and use your hands to mix thoroughly.
2. Stuff into sausage casings.  Sausages can be frozen.
3. Barbeque sausages (or fry in a pan) until browned and cooked through.

Sloppy Joes

Back when I was in university, I used to make a lot of casseroles. Tuna noodle casserole (my Grandmother's recipe!), lasagne, beefy pasta bake. Comfort food. One of our favourites was sloppy joes. I looked up my old recipe yesterday and to my surprise it needed almost no modifications to fit our allergies. It was a great blast from the past, and something we will be having again for dinner once in a while as not only was it super easy and fast to make, it was also so tasty.

This recipe makes lots, so you could serve it to some hungry teenagers, eat it for lunch the next day, or freeze some for a future meal.

• 2 pounds ground bison
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 sweet red pepper, chopped fine
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup safe ketchup
• 1 14-oz can finely diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp natural cane sugar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• pepper to taste

1. Brown ground bison in a large frying pan. Drain if there is excess fat.
2. Add onion, celery, red pepper and oregano. Fry on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients to pan. Heat to bubbling then reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
4. Serve over toasted allergen-free bread. Add a salad to round out your meal.

Turkey Risotto

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a great holiday season.  This has been a super busy month at Eagle Loft.  I've been cooking up a storm and have several new recipes to share.  I also have a few new cookbooks I'm excited to review.

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a set of two pressure cookers.  I love them!  I made a pressure cooked meal for lunch and another for dinner last night, so they are already getting lots of use.  After eating turkey with mashed potatoes, yams and gravy for the several days following Christmas, I wanted to come up with a recipe to use up more turkey in a different way.  I braved risotto for my first test of the pressure cooker and it was an overwhelming success!  I will definitely not be making risotto the old fashioned way again.  I've made it a couple more times since, including as a dinner side-dish to accompany a roast chicken.  It really is easy and quick enough to make as a side-dish or a lunch.

If you are scared of pressure cookers then I encourage you to try a good quality new model as they have safeguard features now.  Mine is the Fagor Duo, which comes with two size pots (both of which I've used already in the last week).  I found it easy to figure out and am not worried at all about its safety.  I've also heard good things about the Kuhn Rikon cookers.

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1 small leek, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 1/4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock for a vegan dish)
• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey (optional -- omit for side dish)
• 2 Tbsp Daiya vegan cheese (optional but delicious)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in pressure cooker pot over medium heat and saute onion and leek for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add rice and saute another 2-3 minutes until rice starts to slightly brown.
2. Add peas and chicken stock and stir.  Seal lid and pressurize according to your cooker's instructions.  Cook at reduced heat (once under pressure) for 7 minutes at 15 psi (13 minutes at 8 psi).
3. Release pressure fully then open lid and stir in turkey, Daiya, thyme, salt and pepper.  Serve and enjoy!

Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

We eat these chicken wings all the time and I never remember to take a picture because I am so busy digging in.  So please excuse the poor photo of the remaining few wings, and just trust me that these are way more tasty than they look.

These are perfect for a party as an appetizer, but also work as a main course.  They are excellent for planning ahead as they freeze really well in the marinade.  I usually prepare an extra batch (or two) when making these and freeze for a future easy meal.

• 3 1/2 pounds split chicken wings
• 2/3 cup safe ketchup
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 large clove garlic, minced

1. Mix ketchup, honey, wine, sugar, salt, ginger and garlic together in large Ziploc bag.
2. Add wings and squish gently to thoroughly coat all the pieces.
3. Refrigerate overnight, or freeze for a future meal.  If you previously froze this recipe, now thaw overnight in the fridge.
4. Transfer chicken to foil-lined baking sheet.  Pour a little marinade over each chicken wing so each is coated in sauce.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Oooey Gooey Lasagne

You may have heard it talked about as it is getting a lot of press, or you may have tried it yourself.  I'm talking about Daiya, a newcomer to the vegan cheese market.  If you haven't tried it I know what you're thinking: "Eeewww, vegan cheese. I'm not trying THAT again."  But you have to trust me that Daiya isn't like other cheese alternatives.  It contains no dairy, soy, eggs, or wheat.  What it DOES contain is gooeyness.  It actually melts like real cheese!  It also has quite a good taste.  So good the Little Man and I have consumed over 8 pounds of it since we ordered it the first week of August.  He loves it raw and gobbles up slices of it.  I am not so fond of it in its raw state, but love it melted on pizza, nachos, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and of course -- lasagne.

I modified this recipe from one at Gluten Free Chops.

• 9 Tinkyada lasagne noodles
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• fresh oregano, basil, marjoram, parsley all finely diced
• - or - dried herbs to taste (try 1/2 tsp of each)
• dash of agave syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt for sauce plus 1/2 tsp salt for meat
• 1 pound ground bison
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 1/4 pound (or more) Mozzarella-style Daiya 

1. Lay dried noodles in 2 lasagne pans so they are not overlapping.  Pour 1 inch of boiling water in each pan and cover with cookie sheets.  Let sit 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, lightly brown bison over medium heat in a large frypan.  Add garlic, onion, peppers, carrots, zucchini, kale, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cook over medium-low until veggies are softened.
3. Drain a little liquid from the diced tomatoes, then puree with a hand-blender.  Stir in tomato paste, herbs, agave, and 1/4 tsp salt.
4. Once the 20 minute noodle timer rings, remove the lids and transfer all the noodles into one pan (draining the other pan).  Coat the empty lasagne pan with a little olive oil, then place 3 noodles side-by-side in the bottom of the pan.
5. Spread half of the meat/veggie mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the Daiya.
6. Repeat another layer of 3 noodles, the remaining meat/veggies, 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce, and 1/2 of the remaining Daiya.
7. Top with last 3 noodles, remaining tomato sauce, and remaining Daiya.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Have you tried Daiya?  What do you think of it, and what recipes do you make with it?

Bean and Squash Chili

I have been looking for more ways to incorporate squash into our diet and to try more varieties of squash.  I  am also trying to serve a couple of vegetarian meals each week, so I have been experimenting with meatless main dishes.  Chili isn't something we have at our house anymore because some family members don't care for it.  But this chili met with rave reviews and was greatly preferred over our traditional meat chili recipe!

My Mum and I each made this using different squashes and both were tasty, so feel free to use any variety of winter squash you prefer. The photo below shows us roasting our squashes and a pie pumpkin in my oven all at once.  This worked well as we had cooked squash and pumpkin available to use in several recipes over the next few days (this chili, pumpkin pie, squash soup, and some toddler lunches). Can anyone identify the squash on the top rack?  We think it is an heirloom hubbard but are not completely sure.

I adapted the recipe from epicurious.

• 1 small butternut squash (or other winter squash)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 to 1 tsp chipotle chili powder, to taste
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 15oz can adzuki beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large Italian tomato, diced
• 2 cups fresh kale, chopped
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• pepper to taste
• fresh chopped cilantro to garnish

1. Cut squash in half, remove seeds, and place halves in glass baking dish cut side down with 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the pan.  Roast squash at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let cool a few minutes, then scoop flesh away from skin.  Coarsely cube squash and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic 3-4 minutes.  Add chili and cumin and saute another 2 minutes.
3. Add beans, broth, tomato and squash.  Reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes.
4. Add kale, salt and pepper and cook another 10 minutes.
5. Garnish each bowl with chopped cilantro.

Quinoa Salmon Burgers

I am a sucker for anything with quinoa in it, so when Ali at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen posted these quinoa salmon burgers today I knew I had to make them.  Not just someday -- today!  They are made in a food processor using cooked quinoa and fresh salmon along with some herbs and spices.  They are super simple and quick to make, especially if you ask the fish market to remove the bones and skin for you.  I chose wild coho for my salmon, and parsley and dill instead of the cilantro that Ali lists in the recipe. 

These patties are going to be one of our dinner favourites.  We both raved about them while gobbling them up.  The quinoa makes them so moist, and using fresh fish really enhances both the texture and flavour.  Yum!

Planning: Allergen-Free Christmas Dinner for Ten

That's right, Christmas dinner is in full planning mode at Eagle Loft Kitchen!  It is not only possible to make a holiday dinner for ten people that is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, etc. etc.... (not taste-free!), but in some ways it is even easier than the traditional way.  What makes it easy?  Planning.  And the freezer!  And a bit of a messy kitchen a few days before the event. :)

Here's what we will be serving for dinner this Christmas:

• Turkey (salted, then basted with olive oil and oven roasted)
• Gravy (chicken broth mixed with turkey drippings, poultry seasoning, tarragon, salt, pepper, and thickened with arrowroot flour)
• Mashed potatoes (boiled, mashed and mixed with rice milk and Becel RSF)
• Mashed sweet potatoes and yams (boiled, mashed together and mixed with Becel RSF, fresh orange juice and a touch of agave syrup)
• Bread stuffing (cubed homemade gluten-free bread mixed with sauted onions, celery, sausage meat and bacon, tossed with poultry seasoning -- stuff in turkey or add some chicken stock or white wine and bake covered in the oven)
• Sausage meat (made fresh by our local butcher, allergen-free -- hooray!)
• Carrots and peas

And for dessert:

• Pumpkin pie
  
• Molasses spice cookies
• Date coconut balls (I will post these sometime in January)
• Chocolate star cookies (similar to my chocolate Easter cake, but in star shapes)
• Chocolate cinnamon ice cream (same as my chocolate fudgesicle ice cream with a bit of cinnamon added in)

The beauty of this menu is how much can be done ahead.  All of the desserts are already made and frozen except the pie, which I am making Christmas Eve night.  The mashed veggies can be done the day ahead, and pretty much everything else is finished off late Christmas morning as the turkey goes in the oven.  I'm anticipating getting a lot of time this year to visit with my guests Christmas evening.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, and a tasty allergen-free holiday feast.

Lamb Shanks with Lentils

This isn't the prettiest dish, but it is so tasty and rich that it could be served to guests. Sometimes I serve it as shown in the photo, with the whole shank on the plate. But usually I remove the bones after cooking, shred the lamb, then mix in brown rice and stir it all together. If prepared this way, you can get 6 servings from this recipe. Serve with a veggie side and a green salad for a complete meal.

I adapted this recipe to be cooked in a crockpot and made some changes for our allergies. The original recipe came from The Rest of the Best and More.

• 3 lamb shanks
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to season
  
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 cups red wine
• 1/2 of a 5 1/2 oz can tomato paste (about 1/4 cup)
  
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp molasses
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
  
• 1 1/4 cup mixed brown and green lentils, thoroughly rinsed
  

1. Heat oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Add shanks to frypan and season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes per side, turning to get all sides browned. Add browned shanks to crockpot (mine is the 5 quart size).
2. Add onions to frypan and fry 4-5 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Scrape onions into crockpot. Add beef broth, wine, tomato paste, molasses, sugar, vinegar, rosemary, salt, and pepper to frypan. Stir to combine. Heat to boiling. Add lentils and stir. Pour mixture over shanks and onion in the crockpot.
   
3. Cover and cook over low heat 8 hours.

I'm looking forward to more crockpot dinners now that the weather has turned cold and we have been having blustery days. What crockpot meals are you looking forward to this season?

Bison Tacos

Homemade tacos are a fun dinner and can be quite allergy-friendly (assuming you aren't allergic to corn). I mix up a big batch of seasoning every once in a while and then I have it on hand in my spice drawer as needed. It helps to keep this recipe quick and easy if the seasoning is pre-mixed.

Seasoning mix (makes about 8 meals):

• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp black pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp oregano

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Store in a cool, dry place (such as with your other dried herbs).
2. To use, fry one pound of ground bison (turkey or ground beef would also work) over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain fat. Add one cup water and one heaping Tbsp seasoning mix to meat. Heat 10 minutes or so until water is absorbed. (If it doesn't absorb after 10 minutes, turn up the heat a bit).
   

Taco toppings are a personal preference, but our favoured choices are shown in the above picture.

Toppings:

• chopped red and yellow peppers
• sliced black olives
• diced onion
• cubed avocado
• finely shredded lettuce (or pea shoots, or cilantro)
• cubed tomatoes
• salsa

1. Wrap corn tortillas in foil and heat in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
2. Put a tortilla on your plate and scoop a narrow line of seasoned bison down the middle.
3. Layer preferred toppings over the bison.
4. Fold up taco into a "C" shape in order to eat it.

If it's in season, I like to serve sliced watermelon after a taco dinner. It is refreshing and cuts any residual spiciness.

Roast Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

I make this dish quite often as it is one of the few meals that we can eat as a family, Little Man included. I also roast vegetables in this herb mix without cooking a chicken, so this can also work for the vegan crowd. Just double the veggies (feel free to include other types of vegetables, preferably harder types) and omit the chicken.


Herb mix (mix all together in small bowl):

• 1 1/2 Tbsp parsley
• 1 1/2 Tbsp rosemary
• 1 Tbsp poultry seasoning
• 1 Tbsp thyme
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Chicken and veggies:

• 1 whole roasting chicken
• 4 large Yukon gold potatoes (cubed into 1 1/2 inch pieces) or 10 small red or purple potatoes
• 2 large red onions, cut into thick wedges while leaving a bit of the root intact so the wedges don't fall apart
• 6 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• olive oil
  
• 1 bay leaf
• fresh rosemary sprigs
  
• sea salt to taste

1. Wash chicken and pat dry. Coat outside with olive oil. Salt inside, then stuff with rosemary sprigs and bay leaf. Tie leg ends together with twine.
2. Lightly salt outside of chicken, then sprinkle half of the herbs over the outside. Rub with your hands to cover the surface and get in the crevices. Place chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan.
   
3. Put prepared vegetables in a large bowl and pour a little olive oil over. Stir to coat all the veggies in oil. Sprinkle the remaining herbs over the vegetables and stir to combine (I do this twice for better herb coverage: sprinkle, stir, sprinkle, stir again).
4. Place vegetables around chicken in roasting pan. I use a spatula to scrape the bowl to get the residual herbs and oil out and sprinkle it over the chicken.
5. Roast chicken and vegetables in a 400 degree convection oven for one hour. (For non-convection, set your oven to 425 degrees and bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes.)
   

Pesto Pasta and Artichoke Dip

This recipe is two meals in one. You can just use the basic recipe to create a terrific artichoke dip, or you can add a few extras to make a scrumptious pesto sauce for pasta. Or you can do what I now do -- make a double batch, scoop out half at the dip stage and then add the remaining ingredients for the pesto sauce. Both freeze really well, so you can make double and save time another day. The dip recipe was adapted from one in the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook. It is delicious with a fresh veggie platter, on crackers, or as a rich sandwich spread.

Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor.

For the dip:

• 1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained (I remove outer leaves if tough)
• 1/2 cup rice breadcrumbs (you can use any breadcrumbs that work for you)
• 2 tsp capers with their juice
• 1/4 cup Manzanilla (green) olives (with or without pimentos)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• fresh ground pepper to taste

For the pesto sauce blend the above, then add and puree:

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil (pour in a steam while running the processor until you get the consistency you like)
  

Thai Chicken Curry

This colourful dish is full of rich Thai flavours: coconut, lemongrass, lime leaves. If you are unfamiliar with Thai cooking, this may appear daunting at first. It took me awhile the first time, but it is now easy since I am more familiar with the ingredients. I adapted the recipe from one in The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook.

• 2 14oz cans coconut milk (be careful not to shake)
  
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
  
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 2-3 red, orange or yellow sweet bell peppers, sliced
• 1 Tbsp safflower oil
  
• 1 inch ginger root, diced
• 1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves discarded and remainder cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  
• 2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
• 3 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 2 tsp natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
• 3/4 cup snowpeas (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or Thai basil

1. Separate the thick coconut cream from the thin coconut milk by spooning the cream off of the top of each can of coconut milk. Put the cream into a medium saucepan and reserve the milk for later in the recipe.
2. Cook the chicken over medium-high heat in the coconut cream along with 2 of the whole kaffir lime leaves. After 10 minutes, remove chicken to a medium bowl and keep warm by covering with foil.
3. Boil the coconut cream until it thickens and starts to look curdled. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, fry the peppers in the vegetable oil in a wok for 3 minutes. Remove peppers, adding to bowl with chicken.
5. Combine curry paste with 1 Tbsp of the reserved coconut milk and fry in the wok for 1-2 minutes. Add fish sauce and sugar and stir together.
6. Stir in remaining coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, and snowpeas. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
7. Add peppers, chicken, and curdled coconut cream and cook another 5 minutes until chicken is heated through. Remove lemongrass pieces.
   
8. Sliver the remaining 2 kaffir lime leaves very thinly and stir into the wok along with the cilantro/basil immediately before serving.
9. Serve over Thai jasmine rice.
   

BBQ Pork Tenderloin

This is a favourite at our house so we have it fairly often. Excuse the cutting board photo, but it was so tasty that I forgot to take a picture of my plate and had to take one instead of the leftovers waiting to be carved.

Marinade:

• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp green curry paste
• 1 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• zest of one lemon
• 1/2 tsp ground Chinese ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large Ziplock bag (or a bowl with a lid).
2. Add one pork tenderloin and coat with marinade.
3. Let marinate in refrigerator minimum one hour (overnight works really well).
4. Grill on barbeque until cooked but still slightly pink on the inside (15-20 minutes on medium heat), basting several times with the marinade.
   

Beefy Tomato Pasta

While looking through my Nana's recipes I discovered a simple pasta sauce. My regular sauce takes so long to make that I don't make it all that often. With a few changes here and there, I've updated her recipe to taste almost the same as my slow-cooked sauce -- but it can be ready in a jiffy. This recipe serves 4.

• 1 bunch fresh spinach
  
• 1 lb ground beef (I use bison or beef)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 5 1/2 oz can tomato paste
• 5 1/2 oz water (fill tomato paste can)
  
• heaping 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• heaping 1 tsp basil
• heaping 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
  
• 8 spears asparagus
• 3 cups uncooked rice pasta spirals or elbows (I use Rizopia brand for this dish)
  

1. Heat water to boiling in pasta pot. Cook asparagus spears 3 minutes then remove from water and set aside. Keep water at a boil for pasta.
   
2. Meanwhile, wash spinach and pat dry. Divide evenly between 4 pasta bowls.
   
3. Brown meat over medium heat in a wok or large frypan. Drain excess fat.
4. Add onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water and spices. Stir to combine.
6. Coarsely chop asparagus and add to meat/tomato mixture. Bring mix to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes while pasta cooks.
   
7. Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water, and add to meat/tomato mixture.
8. Stir gently and let everything heat together 1-2 minutes.
9. Serve pasta mixture over fresh spinach in prepared bowls.
   

Turkey Burgers

Ahhhh, a BBQ'd burger... Pre-allergy food, right? Wrong! I think I may have just discovered the best burger idea ever: Pancake buns. No, seriously! They are *delicious* and I think I even prefer them to the traditional wheat bun. They have a much more delicate texture than a bun and just melt in your mouth.

How simple is this?
Burger patty:

• 1 pound ground turkey (preferably thigh)
  

1. Shape meat into four patty shapes.
2. BBQ until cooked through.

Burger "buns":

• 1 recipe Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix

1. Pan-fry mix into 8 pancakes that are slightly bigger than your burger patties.
2. Load up your pancake "buns" with traditional condiments and burger trimmings as usual. (For me, that is dijon mustard and ketchup with some chopped onions).
   

To make things even simpler, I make extra pancakes with breakfasts and then freeze the leftovers. I then toast the pancakes whenever I need a bun. So easy and quick!


For the toddler version, I used cubed turkey meatloaf sandwiched between two pancakes. This was Little Man's first burger, and he gobbled it right up.

Halibut with Sweet Pepper and Basil

This is our favourite way to serve halibut. I adapted this recipe from one listed at The London Free Press. My version serves two.

• 2 halibut fillets
• 3 Tbsp rice flour
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 sweet orange pepper, diced
• 1 baby zucchini, diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in an ovenproof skillet.
2. Season the rice flour with salt and pepper and dredge the halibut in the mixture.
   
3. Sear the halibut flesh-side down for 3 minutes.
4. Flip the fish over and cook another 2-3 minutes.
5. Move skillet to the oven and bake 8-10 minutes until fish flakes with a fork.
   
6. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat in another small skillet. Add onion and cook until soft.
7. Add garlic and orange pepper, cook 4 minutes.
8. Add zucchini, cook 2 minutes.
9. Stir in parsley, balsamic vinegar, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
   
10. Divide halibut and vegetable mixture between two plates. Serve immediately. Brown rice makes a nice accompaniment.
    

Apricot Chicken

I love love love this chicken recipe. I love it so much I have a difficult time thinking of anything else to do with chicken breasts. It has few ingredients and requires little supervision, so it is easy-peasy to make. But it looks so lovely on the plate and tastes so good that it is perfect for serving to company.

I got the original recipe from Lifestyle Markets. I have adapted the recipe to serve two (but I always wish I made the full recipe for four so I would have leftovers):

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup apricot jam
• 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (1 navel orange)
  
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix together the jam, orange juice and rosemary and set aside.
2. Heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
3. Add chicken, cook 3 minutes until lightly browned.
4. Flip chicken over, add onion around the edges.
5. Salt and pepper the chicken, cook 3 more minutes.
6. Pour the jam/juice/rosemary over the chicken, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 8-10 minutes (until chicken is fully cooked).
7. Lift chicken onto serving plates.
8. Turn the heat to medium-high and boil sauce uncovered for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened.
9. Pour sauce over chicken (also excellent on rice) and serve.
   

Hawaiian Chicken Stirfry

I like to call this "Hawaiian" simply because it has pineapple in it. I'm sure no one in Hawaii has ever made this, but they should! It is yummy.

• 6-8 chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
  
• 1 inch ginger, diced
• 2 cups vegetables, cubed (I used broccoli, onion, carrot, and bell peppers)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed

Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 2 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp cornstarch

1. Whisk sauce ingredients together and set aside.
2. Stir fry vegetables and ginger in 2 Tbsp oil over high heat for 3 minutes.
3. Set vegetables aside in a bowl and cover with foil.
4. Stir fry chicken 3-4 minutes until browned.
5. Add sauce and heat until bubbling.
6. Add vegetables and pineapple and cook for 1 minute.
7. Serve over cooked rice.