The Baking Beauties » Side Dishes

Gluten-free Kickin’ Cajun Chicken Alfredo

Jeanine Friesen — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:51:24 +0000

Years ago, when my husband and I were dating, we used to go to a restaurant that served a great chicken Alfredo dish with a kick of Cajun seasonings. 14 years, 2 kids, and a celiac disease diagnosis later, eating out at restaurants is not high on our priority list anymore. When I saw some Cajun seasoning in the store a while back, I decided to re-create my own gluten-free version of this favorite dish from our past at home. My husband and I agreed, this dish was better than any the restaurant ever served. Homemade is always better.

To view the full recipe, click HERE.

Gluten Free Beef and Beer Stew with Rice

Jeanine Friesen — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:45:03 +0000

I have always been a huge fan of Jamie Oliver. It all started back when he was just a bachelor with a neat flat and a scooter. Now, he’s grown into a family man on a mission to make the world a better place, one lunch cafeteria at a time. So, he is a man I am impressed by, and when I am looking for inspiration for a meal, and feel stuck, or don’t have many ingredients in the house, I look to him and his recipes. Many of his recipes use everyday, down to earth ingredients, making it easy to find an answer to those “What’s for supper” days. In this case, the question is “What to do with this stewing beef?”. I had bought a package of stewing beef, but didn’t feel like making my regular stew (but the next time I do, I will be sure to blog that recipe, it has a beautiful brown gravy, loaded with veggies & topped with gluten-free dumplings. You’ll like it, I promise.)

Anyway, Jamie Oliver had an answer to today’s question. He has a recipe for a yummy looking beef and ale stew, which I used as inspiration for this dish. I made a few simple alterations along the way, but either way, I think you’ll enjoy it.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 lb stewing beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large stick celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 Tbsp olive oil
355 ml gluten-free beer (I used Redbridge, which is made from sorghum)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
14 oz. tin of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup long grain white rice

Directions:

In a cast iron pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions, celery, carrots, salt, pepper and bay leaf for 10 minutes.
Add the stewing beef, gluten-free beer and crushed tomatoes. Stir and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, cover with the lid and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 3 hours.
Add the rice, stir, cover, and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Season with salt & pepper if necessary.

Alternately, you can cook the stew in a casserole dish in a 350° oven. Cooking times will remain the same.

Based on a recipe by Jamie Oliver

This recipe is being linked to Canadian Beef in hopes that I can win an all-inclusive scholarship to Eat, Write Retreat in Washington, D.C.

Update: I did not win the scholarship to the Eat, Write Retreat, just in case anyone was wondering. Thanks for tolerating my rapid beef postings.

Gluten-free Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

Jeanine Friesen — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:42:12 +0000

One of the things I miss the most after being diagnosed with Celiac disease and going on a gluten-free diet, is the convenience of being able to eat anything, anywhere, anytime. Pre-GF days, the only question was “What are you hungry for?”, or “Do they have something the kids will eat?”. Now, getting ready to go out to eat is similar to preparing for battle. You have to have lists, plans, strategies. And back up lists, plans & strategies, just in case.

Pre-GF days, we’d order in food occasionally, it’s not that it was a weekly occurrence, but it was nice to be able to order in on a whim. One of our favorite order-in foods was Chinese food. I’ve been able to recreate sweet & sour chicken balls, as well as fried rice, but seriously, both of those dishes do take quite a bit of time to make. Sometimes, you want something quick. And that is where today’s dish comes in.

This Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry was quick to put together (with cooking the brown rice taking the most amount of time), and since it had the brown rice, the beef strips, and the vegetables, it was a complete meal. There was no need for other side dishes to accompany it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. stir-fry beef (or boneless round steak, cut into thin 3-inch strips)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
4 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup onion, chopped (or thinly sliced)
1/2 cup carrots, thinly sliced (or you could use red pepper)
1 cup cold water
1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, adds some nice heat)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1-2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

In a glass bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup soy sauce, minced garlic and black pepper. Add the stir-fry beef strips and marinade for half an hour. (Now is a good time to start the brown rice, since it takes about 45 minutes to cook in the microwave.)
In a large frying pan or wok, heat the 2 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add the stir-fry beef and marinade, and fry until the meat is no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the onions & carrots, and fry, while continuing to stir) for another 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and continue stirring and frying for 1 more minute.
In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the 1 cup cold water, 1/4 cup soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and cornstarch. Pour this mixture over the beef & broccoli mixture, and cook until sauce thickens, about 2-3 more minutes.
Serve immediately over hot rice. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving.

This recipe is being linked to Canadian Beef, in hopes that I can win an all-inclusive scholarship to Eat, Write Retreat in Washington, D.C. The contest runs until Monday, Febuary 24th, so expect a few more beefy recipes between now and then.

Easy to Make Pumpkin Puree

Jeanine Friesen — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:12:36 +0000

Today I am going to show you how to make something that you will NEED this Fall. If you are wanting to do any baking with pumpkin (and use that Pumpkin Pie Spice you made earlier), you will need some pumpkin puree. Now, I know you can buy this in a can, but really, when you make it from a real pumpkin, it just tastes that much better. Now, I don’t have the ideal pumpkin here, but it works just fine. Ideally, you will want the nice little “Pie Pumpkins” or “Sugar Pumpkins”, which are nice little round pumpkins, perfect for making puree. If you can’t find one of those though, buy the smallest pumpkin you can find. The bigger the pumpkin, the stringier the fibers will be.

You will need to cut your pumpkin in half, from the stem down, and scoop out all the seeds and stringy, icky stuff from the middle of the pumpkin. Just a note; don’t throw those seeds out, I will show you how to make a tasty snack with them next week.

Place your cut, scooped pumpkins, cut side down, on a lined baking sheet, and bake it for about an hour. Once it has cooled a bit, scoop it out of the pumpkin using a large spoon. I spooned mine into a bowl, them let it sit for a bit to cool some more. I bought myself a new kitchen toy a few weeks ago, a new KitchenAid blender. LOVE IT! It has way more power than my previous blender, and it worked the pumpkin into a puree in no time! Leaving me with…

…beautiful, smooth pumpkin puree. The pumpkin you buy in a can will not have this beautiful colour to it, that’s for sure. This pumpkin can either be stored in the fridge if you will use it in the next few weeks, or stored in freezer safe containers and frozen until you’re ready to bake with it.

Easy to Make: Pumpkin Puree

Author: Jeanine Friesen

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 5 mins

Ingredients

1 pie pumpkin, or small pumpkin

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Cut the pumpkin in half, from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds & stringy bits from the middle of the pumpkin.
Place pumpkin, cut side down, on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes. The pumpkin is done when a knife easily inserts through the skin and pumpkin. If it still feels hard, keep baking for another 10 minutes and check again.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Scoop pumpkin out of the shell, leaving the tough skin behind. Puree pumpkin in blender until smooth.
Store in the fridge in an air tight container, or freeze in freezer safe containers (or bags) until ready to use.
Use the puree as you would the canned stuff, to make your favorite muffins, pies, waffles or cakes.

To view a list of the pumpkin recipes on The Baking Beauties, click HERE.

Southwest Chicken Mango Quinoa

Jeanine Friesen — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:20:02 +0000

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I love quinoa. Ask me 2 years ago, and I’d never heard of it. Weird how 2 years ago, one hadn’t ever heard of an ancient grain before, but so it goes! I love how quick it cooks up (perfect for those “What’s for supper today” days). I love the nutty flavour it has behind it. That you can eat it hot or cold, and it’s great either way. And I love that you can do anything with it. Flavour it anyway you want. You want it to be filled with Greek flavours? Done! How about a nice creamy dessert (which is healthy enough for breakfast)? Done! Add some Mexican flair? Why not? It is a very versatile grain. And totally healthy too.

So, when I saw a recipe for a sandwich on a recipe site, I thought…those flavours would be absolutely perfect in a quinoa dish! Well, it was after the “oh my goodness, I wish I had bread good enough and big enough to hold that load of toppings!”. But, you do what you can, and I took the flavours from that sandwich, and incorporated them into this wonderful Southwest Chicken Mango Quinoa Salad.

Southwest Chicken Mango Quinoa

Author: Jeanine Friesen

Recipe type: Salad

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 4

This quinoa salad is filled with flavours that compliment each other beautifully. For a vegetarian dish, omit the chicken and use a gluten-free vegetable broth instead.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed & drained if necessary (mine says “Pre-rinsed”)
3 cups gluten-free chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, cut into bit size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 mango, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

In a medium size sauce pan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the quinoa and stir. Turn the heat down to low and place the lid on the pot. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
In a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat, saute your chicken in the olive oil until nearly done. Season with salt & pepper.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the minced garlic, red onion, red pepper and jalapeno pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder and stir.
Place the cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add in the chicken/onion mixture, lime juice, mango and cilantro and stir until mixed. Serve immediately, or allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.