Quinoa, Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprout Hash

I have a small problem with walking into Trader Joe's or Whole Foods without a grocery list. As soon as I see stocked aisles of produces my mind reels. Whatever looks fresh and yummy usually ends up in my cart. My feeling is that I can always make a great salad or scrumptious soup.

Shopping over the last week has left me with the following ingredients: spinach, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, onions, red pepper, grapes, pomegranate seeds, mushrooms, edamame and raspberries. So far, I've made a salads and had plenty of fruit filled snack breaks. Tonight, I wanted something warm, filling and comforting.  I think I put together the perfect dish! Quinoa, Butternust Squash and Brussels Sprout Hash. It turned out absolutely delicious!! If you prefer different veggies, feel free to swap for them. :)

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1 lb Butternut Squash, diced square
1 small onion, diced
1 small sweet potato
1/2 lb Brussels Sprouts, finely chopped
1/4 cup mushrooms, diced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Pop the sweet potato in your microwave and click the baked potato button. A few minutes later, you'll be all set!
2) Next, cook the quinoa. Combine 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1 cup water in a stock pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil then simmer until water has evaporate. Quinoa will be moist and fluffy.
3) While the quinoa cooks, heat a sautee pan over medium high heat. Add the butternut squash and sautee for about 5 minutes. Next,  add onion and Brussels sprouts. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and cook for about 10 minutes. Finally, add mushrooms and sweet potato and cook until all vegetables are tender and browned. 
4) Add cooked quinoa to vegetable mix, stirring thoroughly. Once combined, top with pomegranate seeds. Serve and enjoy!

I loved the kick of sweet crunch the pomegranate seeds gave the dish! I could add those things to almost anything.

Restaurant Review: Pie by the Pound

New York City is famous for it's pizza. While I can't walk into any pizzeria on the street and pick up a slice, thankfully there are some great gluten free options. The very first gluten free pizza I had was two years ago at Pie by the Pound. It was perfect! The restaurant highly promotes their gluten free goods. Pizza, grilled cheese, cookies, brownies, ciders and beer; all gluten free. They also serve regular pizza by the pound - hence their name.

I was so excited to have pizza that I ordered my fave tried and true pie - cheese and pepperoni. After a short wait I was diving into the crunchiest, cheesiest pizza I've had in a long time! The crust is delicious. It reminds me of a Cheez-It. The texture is super crisp like a Cheez-It and has a bit of a cheese flavor to it. Topped with a little sauce, cheese and pepperoni - it was perfect!!

While sitting at the table, the owner over heard me talking about the pizza and he asked if I had ever been to his restaurant before.  When I replied "no" he insisted that I try a gluten free beer and second pie on the house!! I was so excited! He suggested I try their "Fresh Cubed" pie. It was topped with fresh mozzarella,  tomato sauce, cubed tomato, garlic, oregano, basil, arugula and olive oil. It was BEYOND delicious!!!

I've been back to Pie several times since my first visit and have never been disappointed. In fact, I am signed up for their loyalty club that gives me discounts on my check anytime I am there! :)
The pic above was from a time I ordered sausage, onion and arugula! Yum.

Also, they have board games all over the place to play... can someone say Jenga!!?

Cooking Makes me Happy!

There, I said it. Cooking makes me happy! It always has and I am sure (on most days) it always will. What doesn't make me happy? My time management skills. When I'm not at home whipping up something delicious, you can find me tasting my way around one of the many amazing restaurants in the city. The biggest problem I have is finding time to post about what I've cooked or tasted along the way. The more time goes by, the more backlogged my posts become; the more backlogged I am the more overwhelmed I get with "catching up." Then I get frustrated and avoid posting for long periods of time (...like say, since last March!) :(

Over the last few weeks I've thought about my life: What makes me happy? What stresses me out? What do I want to spend my time doing? What do I want to let go of? All of these thoughts came to me while reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Rubin set out to write this book to discover what things in her life can make her more happier than she already is. It wasn't that she was unhappy or depressed, but more about how can she make small changes in her life to make her days even better. It really got me thinking... what does that for me? For so long this blog did and I let so many other things in my life get in the way. Not any more.

Enjoying what I cook or order then writing about it will only extend those little moments of happiness. How can that be so bad? Rather than getting worked up and trying to "catch up" on posts, I'm blogging at my leisure. So don't be surprised if you see 8 posts one week then don't hear from my for a week or two. I'm excited to get back into this! More yummy food to come! Stay tuned...

Healthy Salad Night!!

Almost every time I go to the grocery store I load up on various veggies and kale. The funny thing is, I rarely make a salad out of the ingredients. Typically, I toss them in with quinoa or pasta dishes. Tonight, I had a hankering for a fresh salad.

This week, I picked up spinach, tomatoes and fresh mushrooms so I tossed those together with artichoke hearts, white beans and a dash of fresh parm. For the dressing I just topped the salad with a little olive oil and balsamic glaze. Healthy and flavorful in no time at all! That makes me a happy girl!

Gluten Free Crockpot Bolognese

One of my favorite things to do on a lazy Sunday is to curl up on my couch watching trashy tv for hours. I could literally eat junk food all day (chips and dip please!) and veg out with my feet up... Feeling guilty about not be productive as times passes. When I preplan for such events, or lack there of, cooking all day is another fave.

Like the smart girl that I am, today I planned to be lazy. I picked up all the ingredients necessary to make crockpot bolognese. A little lazy since I let the crockpot do the work, but still a delicious meal at the end of the day. Personally, I prefer my bacon-packed stove top bolognese but this recipe certainly does the job.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup whole milk
1 cup white wine
2 28-oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed

Directions:
1) Heat olive oil a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beef or turkey, breaking it apart with your spoon and cooking until it is just browned. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
2) Stir in the milk and bring it to a rapid simmer. Continue simmering until the milk has reduced completely and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and simmer again until reduced completely, about 10 minutes. Transfer the beef mixture to the slow cooker.
3) Add the cans of tomatoes to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.  4) In the last half hour of cooking, remove the lid to allow any excess liquid to evaporate and reduce the sauce. The finished sauce should be chunky and creamy without being soupy.

The finished product with some fab g-free rigatoni and freshly grated parm. Yum!!

Lamb Chops and Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

When I was home with my family over Christmas I went to the grocery store a lot. Not because I was hungry all the time but more so because I missed gallivanting through endless aisles of food at cheap prices. You don't see that in New York!

One of my trips included my parents, who were on their weekly food run. When we walked through the meat department we started thinking of what we could have for dinner that night. From pork loins to short ribs, relatively inexpensive meant (for NY standards) lined the shelves. We came across lamb and all agreed that we haven't had lamb in the longest time so our decision was made. The loin chops looked delicious so we picked them up and were on our way. 

Since my mom loves that I cool so well she left dinner prep up to me and watched from the kitchen island. When dinner was served we dug right in hands first - these babies were so tender and juicy. The cucumber dipping sauce added a delightful light flavor to the meat. It was perfect! (And apparently I did such a good job cooking that my parents are sill bragging to their friends about the meal.) ;) 

Chop Recipe:

Ingredients:

5 - 6 1/4 inch-thick lamb loin chops
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, lightly crushed 
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, lightly crushed 
2 tsp salt 
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

Directions: 
1) Mix garlic, rosemary, thyme salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil in large bowl. Add lamb then turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.  
2) Heat remaining oil, or more if needed, in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the chops and cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. 
3) Transfer to platter and cover with foil to allow the chops to rest. 

Cucumber Yogurt Dipping Sauce Recipe:
Ingredients:

3       3 Cups plain Greek yogurt

4       3 tbsp lemon juice (or juice of one lemon)

5       1 garlic clove, minced

6       1 large cucumber, peeled and diced small

8       1 tbsp rosemary, chopped

9        salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, and a dash of black pepper. Stir until well blended, then stir into yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving so flavors can blend.

Gluten Free Lasagna Soup

When I think of the ultimate comfort food, Italian cuisine always comes first to mind. I am constantly craving pasta, pizza, caprese, meatballs and so on. Toward the top of that list is lasagna! Having Celiac does not allow me the opportunity to pop over to my favorite trattoria to get a slice of the delicious cheesy, meaty saucy Jenga-like pasta. In fact, I haven't had lasagna at all since begin diagnosed. :(

When I saw this recipe for lasagna soup I could not wait to get in the kitchen and adapt it to my gluten free needs.  It so deliciously creamy and cheesy. The perfect comfort soup for yet another Polar Vortex this winter.

This recipe makes about 8 servings so I was able to set some aside in the freezer to enjoy later. I can't wait!

Ingredients:
8 oz pasta of choice, I used gluten free small seashell
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, casing removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste
6 cups chicken broth
1 28-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

For the ricotta mixture
8 oz ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

3) Once the ricotta mixture is complete, heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add Italian sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat. Add garlic, onion, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste until well combined, about 1 minute.

4) Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in pasta.

5) Serve with a heaping spoonful of the ricotta mixture then with mozzarella and basil as you please.