Saturday, May 22, 2010

Spaghetti Carbonara

I apologize in advance to all those who are soy-free. The spaghetti pasta I use is made with soy, potatoes, and rice. I tried this dish with corn pasta and rice pasta and I did not like it. The parmesan cheese used in this recipe is also made from soy.


1 12 oz. pkg. Bionaturae GF Spaghetti -- alternate pkg. photo
1 med. onion, finely chopped (I prefer a sweet onion for this recipe)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4-5 slices GFCF bacon, uncooked, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
2 eggs, beaten
salt
pepper
garlic salt
1 tablespoon Galaxy Foods Vegan GFCF grated Parmesan cheese (our container is purple)

Beat eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.

Into a large skillet or dutch oven, place chopped onion, garlic, bacon pieces and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Cover and saute over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Do not allow the garlic to brown.

In a medium saucepan cook pasta in salted water, adding 1 tablespoon margarine, for 13 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain but do not rinse. Immediately pour the pasta into the pot of onions, garlic, and bacon. Then, immediately drizzle the beaten eggs over the top of the hot pasta. Cover for 2 minutes. Stir and then cover for another 2 minutes. Remove lid and continue stirring, if necessary, until the eggs are cooked. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top and stir. Season to taste with garlic salt. Serves 4

~ This is another one of those dishes that I was resigned to never having again until I tried it with the soy-potato-rice pasta and a drastically reduced portion of the Vegan brand Parmesan cheese. I think I went wrong all those times before by using the same amount of Vegan Parmesan cheese that I was using with real Parmesan cheese. The Vegan Parmesan cheese seems so much more concentrated to me, but I digress, I am not a big fan of soy cheese. ~

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Bread Pudding

6-8 slices Udi's GF Whole Grain Bread, cubed *
2 cups GFCF milk
4 large eggs
1 cup pure cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

*If the bread slices are compact and you prefer bread cubes without crusts, you may want to use more than 6 slices.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 2 to 2 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Place bread cubes in baking dish. In a bowl, mix or whisk remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over bread cubes to cover completely, pressing bread cubes into liquid as necessary. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Place lid on baking dish (do not use aluminum foil) and bake 35-40 minutes. Remove lid and bake 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes (while you prepare the glaze). Pour cinnamon glaze evenly over top, or spoon over individual servings. Serves 8.

Cinnamon Glaze

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons GF cornstarch
2/3 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon GFCF margarine
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Add margarine and lemon juice. Stir until smooth.

~ If you want to toss 1/2 cup of raisins on top of the bread cubes at the beginning of the recipe, go ahead. We don't like them. Please don't hold it against me. ;) ~

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Strawberries, Fruits & Veggies Info.

Environmental Working Group's list of 47 fruits and veggies, ranked by pesticide load:

List


Tips


Non-Organic Strawberries Alert

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Summer Squash with Vidalia Onions

* Must be prepared in a large non-stick skillet with a lid. Please do not even attempt this recipe in a regular skillet.

2 - 2 1/2 pounds small yellow (summer) squash
1 med./large Vidalia (or sweet) onion, chopped
3 tablespoons GFCF margarine
salt
pepper

Thoroughly wash squash, trim ends, and slice into rounds just under 1/4 inch thick. Place margarine into the middle of a large non-stick skillet. Place squash rounds and chopped onions into the skillet. Generously season with salt and pepper. Cover.

- My stove dial settings range from low, 1 through 9, and high. 5 is medium. 8 is med./high. 2 is med./low. -

With skillet covered, turn heat to just above medium-low (3 on my stove) and cook for 15 minutes. Remove lid and turn squash and onions over in sections. Cover, reduce heat to med./low (2 on my stove) and cook for 15 more minutes. Stir.

Now comes the part where you cannot leave the skillet unattended...

Remove lid and turn heat up to just below high (9 on my stove). Gently press squash and onions down to completely cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquids begin to evaporate and the squash and onions begin to caramelize, for approximately 4-5 minutes. Turn over squash and onions in sections, press down and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat this 2-3 minute process 2-3 more times, reducing heat to Med./high (8 on my stove), turning squash and onions over in sections each time, until the squash and onions reach the desired level of golden brown goodness - caramelization. When the desired color has been reached, remove the skillet from the heat and partially cover the skillet with the lid. (Do not completely cover the skillet with the lid - the squash and onions will dry out and become tasteless.) After 10 minutes, stir completely, being sure to scrape any bits off of the bottom of the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8

~ This is another one of those recipes I tried for years to perfect. I was able to achieve the desired taste almost immediately, but the consistency of the squash and onions was mush. Using this technique, I am able to see portions of the squash rounds and still enjoy the caramelized deliciousness of the squash and onions. I do not recommend using a regular (non-sweet) onion in this recipe as the end result will taste very different. If you don't have a sweet onion, simply prepare the squash according to this recipe, without onions. ~