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Pesto-Inspired Spaghetti Squash

When my doctor told me my test results showed I was allergic to gluten, eggs, and dairy, she also told me she wanted me to do a candida cleanse for six weeks.  This involved also being basically grain-free, which meant no pasta.  No pasta for 6 WEEKS!  

Enter my saving grace: the spaghetti squash.  This is such a captivating cucurbit.  To me it is literally like magic. 

Spaghetti Squash
How is it that something can transform from what’s on the left to what’s on the right?

 

The only tricky part is cutting into it.  What I find to be the easiest way is to first cut off the stem end (about a 1/2″ of it).  This gives you a more stable platform for cutting.  Place it cut-side down, and then cut downwards (See picture below).  It’s important to have a good, strong knife to do this.  Be careful!

Cutting into a squash

I enjoyed the spaghetti squash so much then that I still have it often even though I can now have gluten-free pasta.  I know that there are gluten-free pastas out there, but to me spaghetti squash is a more filling and low-calorie meal (I mean, four cups of the squash ‘noodles’ is under 150 calories). 

Pesto-Inspired Spaghetti Squash
Serves 3
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  3. 2 medium onions, 1/4" dice
  4. 3 garlic cloves, minced
  5. 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  6. 3 cups loosely packed spinach, roughly chopped spinach
  7. 1/4 cup minced basil
  8. 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash, cut-side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a fork can easily be inserted into squash. Once it's cooked, remove from oven and flip the squash so cut-side is up. This makes it so the squash doesn't get watery. Let squash cool slightly. Scrape squash into strands with a fork.
  2. While squash is cooking, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and sauté until onions are softened and begin to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and sauté for about a minute.
  3. Add spinach and spaghetti squash, stir until spinach begins to wilt. Add pine nuts, basil, and toss to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/

Toasted Quinoa Salad

When cooking with quinoa, you typically want to rinse the quinoa to get rid of the soapy taste that coats the grains and then just cook it like you would rice. That is how I had always cooked it since I first discovered quinoa.  A few months ago, I tried toasting the grains in a dry skillet. The result was delicious. This simple step really adds a lot of flavor and complexity.  Just remember, it’s better to under-toast than to burn.  It only takes a light toasted color to impart a lot of flavor.

Left: untoasted, Right: toasted
Left: untoasted, Right: toasted

Toasted Quinoa Salad
Serves 6
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
25 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
25 min
Quinoa
  1. 1-1/2 cups quinoa, uncooked
  2. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  3. 1 medium onion, finely diced
  4. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  5. 2 teaspoons Oregano
  6. 3 cups water
Dressing
  1. 1 orange, zested
  2. 1/4 cup orange juice
  3. 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  4. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  5. 1 teaspoon chili powder
  6. 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
  7. 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
  8. 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  9. 1 tablespoon honey
Mix-ins
  1. 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
  2. 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
  3. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  4. 2/3 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
  1. Put quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake pan occasionally. After 5-7 minutes you will begin to hear grains popping. Once the popping starts, the grains can go from toasted to burnt fast, so pay attention. Cook for 1-2 minutes until grains give off a toasty aroma and are slightly toasted. Remove from heat (I usually dump them on a large paper towel as it makes it easier to transfer into the pot).
  2. In large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, stirring to combine. Cook until onions begin to brown around the edges. Add water and bring to boil. Add toasted quinoa, cover, and reduce to simmer. Cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
  3. While quinoa is cooking, whisk dressing ingredients together. Taste for seasoning.
  4. Once quinoa is done cooking, stir in dressing and mix-ins. Eat immediately, at room temperature, or even chilled.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
This is a dish that is good to have in the arsenal of recipes. It can be changed according to what you have on hand.  Don’t have cilantro? Use parsley.  Don’t have pumpkin seeds? Use pecans.  Don’t have the dressing ingredients? Make your favorite vinaigrette (or use your favorite store-bought one, don’t worry, I won’t tell).  Super versatile recipe.

 

Funeral Potatoes, DF/GF/EF


How’s that for a cheery title?  I don’t know who came up with the name for this recipe, but it largely has to do with the culture of the intermountain west I imagine.  Whenever there is a funeral, church members help prepare a large meal for the family and friends of the person that has passed away.  Funeral potatoes were and still are a required side dish.  

We would have this casserole dish a lot outside of funerals.  Growing up it seemed like we had it at least once a month. Creamy cheese and potatoes?  What kid wouldn’t like that?  

Well, now as an adult with dairy, egg, and gluten allergies, it would seem that I would no longer be able to enjoy the cheesy goodness (not that I want to after reading the ingredients in the required can of condensed cream of chicken soup).  But I was determined to create a version I could have.

Could I just create a nutritional yeast cheese sauce?  That works with some success, but I’m not the biggest fan of nutritional yeast in large amounts.  Nor did I want to create a nut-based cheese sauce as there are quite a few member of my family with nut allergies. What I decided to do was create my own cream of chicken soup base.  But how to create that without using flour to thicken it?  The answer: Sweet White Rice Flour.  

5038C24_s_hrUnlike many other gluten-free flours, Sweet Rice Flour is very finely ground, and it thickens sauces beautifully because the rice is higher in starch.  Stir in dairy-free cheddar cheese and dairy-free sour cream, and we are in business.

 I haven’t had a family member yet that can tell it is GF, and DF.  In fact, when my sister-in-law made it for her 1-year-old and 3-year-old, they cried when she put it in the oven to bake, and they cried when it was all gone.

Funeral Potatoes
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Ingredients
  1. 3 tablespoons oil or non-hydrogenated vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
  2. 2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
  3. 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
  4. 1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  5. 1 cup dairy-free milk
  6. 1-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  7. 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  8. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  9. 1-1/2 cups loosely packed dairy-free cheddar cheese (one that melts well such as Daiya)
  10. 8 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
  11. 1/2 cup dairy-free sour cream
Optional Topping
  1. 1 cup crushed gluten-free cornflakes (remember regular corn flakes often have barley malt in them, making them not gluten-free)
  2. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  3. 1 tablespoon oil or non-hydrogenated vegan margarine (Earth Balance), melted
  4. 2 scallions, greens only, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, until slightly golden.
  2. Whisk in broth, scraping the bottom of the pan in order to get all of the brown bits off the bottom. Stir in milk, salt, thyme, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in cheese until smooth. Stir potatoes into sauce, and cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat until thawed, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in sour cream until combined.
  3. Scrape mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish. If using the topping, mix together cornflakes and 1 tablespoon of oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake 45-50 minutes until topping is browned and sauce is bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving (the hardest part of the recipe). Top with sliced scallions.
Notes
  1. This dish can be made ahead and refrigerated for 2 days (wait on mixing the topping until ready to cook). To cook, cover the refrigerated dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil (add topping if using) and bake until golden brown and bubbly, 45-50 minutes).
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
The result is excellent, so much so that I decided to submit it to the  Earth Balance Recipe Contest.  Hope you enjoy it!