Tacos

While strolling through the aisles of the grocery store, I realized that I can have corn taco shells and thus, this recipe was born. I looked at taco seasoning packets for spice direction, but really just threw stuff together and it turned out to be delicious.


Turkey Tacos (serves 4)
1 tbsp. oil
1/4 large white onion, minced
1 1/2 tomatoes, diced
1 lb. ground turkey
2 1/4 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. salt 

1 1/2 tsp. grains of paradise
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. paprika

Hard corn taco shells

Broccoli Slaw (shredded broccoli and carrots, found at Trader Joe's; shredded lettuce would also work)

1. Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepan. Add onion and cook until onion is just soft.
2. Add tomatoes, ground turkey, cumin, salt,  grains of paradise, oregano and paprika. Cook until turkey is done, about 10 minutes.
3. Add mixture to taco shells and top with broccoli slaw.

Recipe note: I topped it with corn in the picture, but it was way too sweet. If I had had any peppers in my house to add some heat to the flavor, I think the corn would've gone well. Also, the spice measurements are guesstimates.

Live by the Sword(fish)

It's been about 2 months on my diet and it's starting to get a little easier. I've been able to eat out at Elephant Walk, Pho & Spice and any place that has sushi (though I bring my own gluten-free soy sauce along). I've had a few stomach aches, but it's only been after eating something that I haven't made all of. So, presumably, there was something present that I wasn't aware of.

Swordfish with White Wine Cranberry Sauce


4 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. white wine
2 Swordfish steaks
8 oz. asparagus
1/2 c. dried cranberries or cherries
Salt

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add white wine and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
2. Cut asparagus into bite-sized pieces. Salt swordfish steaks. Add swordfish and asparagus to pan. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Flip swordfish, add cranberries or cherries and cook covered for another 3 minutes or until fish is done. Salt to taste.
4. Serve with a side of rice.

Note: this would be great with a bit of lemon too, however, lemon is not allowed in my diet.

A Recipe from Mom for Mother's Day

My mom made this salad several times when I was growing up, though we usually just had it as a side. I added chicken to the mix and, voila, instant entree. It's a delicious, easy to make summer salad.

Strawberry Kiwi Salad

Mixed greens (a bag should serve 4)
Kiwis (~1 per salad you're making)
Strawberries (~5 per salad you're making)
Cooked chicken
Raspberry Vinaigrette (Olde Cape Cod brand is Michelle-friendly, but any will do if you don't have to worry about such things)

1. Slice strawberries in half, or thirds if large. Peel and cut kiwis into thin slices.
2. Place mixed greens on a plate and top with kiwis, strawberries, chicken and raspberry vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Another Venture into Vietnamese Cooking

I've discovered that the Vietnamese cookbook that my friend Hillary left behind is quite amenable to my diet. Speaking of Vietnamese food, I had an interesting encounter with basil at the Vietnamese restaurant near me (Pho & Spice). I ordered the pho ga, a very good chicken soup (which I will be attempting to make at some point), which I knew had basil served on the side. I thought that as long as I didn't eat it, I'd be ok. To my surprise, the flavor of basil has transferred to the bean sprouts which were in the same bag (I had this to go) and as I ate the bean sprouts, my tongue went numb. I guess I really am allergic to basil. Anyway, here's the crabmeat and asparagus soup I made from the Vietnamese cookbook:


Crabmeat and Asparagus Soup (serves 4)
8 oz asparagus
4c. chicken broth
1 tsp. oil
2 spring onions (white part only)
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. cooked crabmeat
2 tbsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tbsp. water
Salt
1 tsp. grains of paradise
1 egg, beaten
2. tbsp. coarsely minced cilantro

1. Cut off bottom third of the asparagus spears. Reserve the top parts for later and cut the bottom third into short lengths.
2. Bring the chicken stock and bottom parts of the asparagus to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain the stock using a fine sieve and discard asparagus ends.
3. Cut the reserved top parts of the asparagus into short lengths and set aside.
4. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and stir-fry the green onions for 1-2min until fragrant and golden brown. Add the clear stock, increase heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, seasoning with the fish sauce and sugar. Add the asparagus and simmer uncovered for about 1 minute, until just cooked, then add the crabmeat and mix well.
5. Reduce the heat to medium, pour in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly, until the soup is slightly thickened. Season the soup with salt and grains of paradise.
6. Pour the egg into the soup in a slow stream, stirring gently until it sets. Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro.

Good Gravy (with Chicken and Biscuits)!

This dish is a play on chicken with biscuits and gravy, only milk- and gluten-free. The recipe called for peas, but since I have to avoid those, I chose edamame for a nice texture addition.

Chicken with Biscuits and Gravy


Biscuits (makes 10)
2 c. Bisquick Gluten Free mix 
1/3 c. ghee (clarified butter, found at Indian markets and some supermarkets; can also use butter or shortening)
2/3 c. soy milk
3 eggs


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Cut ghee into Bisquick mix, using fork until particles are the size of small peas. Stir in remaining ingredients until soft dough forms.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 13-16 min, or until golden brown.


Chicken and Gravy
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. edamame (shelled)
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. grains of paradise
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. gluten-free flour
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1/2 c. soy creamer
3 c. cooked chicken


1. Cook onion, carrots, salt and grains of paradise in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 min.
2. Sprinkle gluten free flour over vegetables and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Stir in broth and thyme and bring to a boil, stirring, then boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
4. Add soy creamer, chicken and edamame to gravy and gently stir until chicken and edamame are heated through, about 3 minutes.


To serve, spoon chicken in gravy over biscuits.

Vietnamese Cooking

My friend, Hillary Nguyen Merritt, recently passed away at the young age of 23. We had met at the Arthur Murray Worcester Studio about 6 years ago when I first started and instantly became friends. A few years later, she became my roommate. When she moved out about a year later, she left behind a brand new wok and a cookbook "Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy". She told me to hang on to these items, as I would probably get more use out of them, and hang on to them I did, though I have yet to use the wok (it kinda scares me) and just recently dove into the cookbook.

I must say, there are several recipes within the book that are friendly to my diet (or easily substitutable). I figured it was a fitting occasion to celebrate the life of my little Vietnamese friend by cooking from the recipes she left behind several years back. Needless to say, the first recipe I tried was delicious and I can't wait to try more. I give you:

Cabbage Roll Soup

Serves 4-6

16 cabbage leaves, blanched in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes until soft, the drained, for wrapping

16 spring onion greens, blanched in boiling water for 10 seconds until soft, then drained

6 C. chicken broth

1 tbsp. fish sauce

1 portion Fish Sauce Dip

Filing

8 oz. ground turkey (the recipe calls for pork, but any ground meat will do)

8 oz. fresh medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

16 spring onion bulbs

3 tsp. dried cilantro or coriander leaves (or 3 tbsp. fresh)

2 tsp. fish sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. grains of paradise (recipe calls for black pepper)

1/4 tsp. five spice powder

1. Prepare the fish sauce dip (recipe below)
2. Prepare the filling by grinding all ingredients to a smooth paste in a blender, set aside.
3. To make each cabbage roll, place 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling along one edge of a blanched cabbage leaf. Fold the leaf over the filling, then fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Tie the roll securely with a blanched spring onion green. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make a total of 16 rolls.
4. Bring the chicken broth and fish sauce to a boil over high heat in a stockpot. Add the cabbage rolls and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until cooked. Remove from heat.
5. Serve hot in individual serving bowls with a bowl of fish sauce dip on the side.

Fish Sauce Dip (yield 1 cup)
2-3 finger length chilies, deseeded and sliced
1/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp. vinegar
3 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt

Grind the chilies to a coarse paste in a mortar or blender, then combine with all the other ingredients and mix until the sugar is dissolved.

**Note: the fish sauce dip calls for 3 garlic cloves. While it tastes good without, I imagine it's great with them as well, if you're not allergic like me. Blend garlic with chilies and then follow directions as written.**

Mmmm...Bacon (Risotto)

Gotta love me some bacon. My newest creation:

Bacon Asparagus Risotto


1/2 lb bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb asparagus spears, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 c. organic chicken broth
3 tbsp. butter
1.5 c. arborio rice
1/2 c. dry wine (I used sherry, but whites would work well too)

1. Cook bacon in large saute pan over medium high heat until crispy. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving bacon grease in pan.

2. Cook asparagus in bacon grease until crisp-tender. Set aside.

3. Bring broth to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and keep warm.

4. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan. Add rice and stir about 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 c. hot chicken broth. Reduce heat and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 c. at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 30 minutes.

5. Add asparagus and bacon and stir until heated through. Remove from heat. Salt and grains of paradise to taste.