Grandma Hoerner's Applesauce review and Duck Sauce recipe

Last year, I met the nice folks at Grandma Hoerner's at The Fancy Food show. I loved their products like the preserves and the dark fudge sauce. I must have made a comment about how much it was like the low sugar preserves I buy from Trader Joes. Guess what? That's their product!

Last year, I posted a recipe for Apricot Dijon Chicken which I use for both my family and in cooking classes. I love that their products are natural and mostly organic. For the preserves, they reduce the sugar rather than use a substitute sugar. As a mom, I love that the preserves are not as sugary.

We recently tried the Big Slice Applesauce and served it with gluten-free latkes. This applesauce has no added sugar; it's sweetened from fruit juice instead. This makes it just sweet enough. Both of my kids loved it. I wanted to share some other ideas for how you could use it:

• Serve with a pork or turkey roast as a side dish.
• Serve with potato pancakes, aka, latkes.
• Add to yogurt with a little cinnamon for a snack.
• Make a "duck sauce" (see recipe below) to serve with eggrolls or wontons.
• Eat it out of the jar with a spoon (ok, maybe just when it's almost finished).
• Serve warm over vanilla ice cream (skip the pie crust).

I hope you will give it a try. I don't think they sell this at Trader Joes; maybe they should. You can also order it on-line. Enjoy the recipe!

Amy's Duck Sauce

1 cup of unsweetened or low sugar applesauce
¼ teaspoon each ground garlic and ginger
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar (use only 1 Tablespoon if applesauce is sweetened)
2-3 Tablespoons apricot or peach preserves (another great Grandma Hoerner's product!)

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse for 20-30 seconds or until pureed. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes if possible. Serve with eggrolls, wontons, or grilled chicken or shrimp.

Russian kale, lentils and sausage

What do you do when someone drops off a big bag of Russian kale to your house? Cook it like spinach and see what else is in the pantry.

I am fortunate to have friends at The Heal Project which is where it came from. The kale was left over after they were preparing fields for new crops. Lucky me! I wasn't sure what to do with it but figured I would be able to muster something up.

Russian kale is flat and leafy; it almost looks like lettuce you would use for salad. Kale is rich in beta carotene, vitamins K and C and rich in calcium so when it comes to healthy, it fits the bill. Give it a wash to get rid of any dirt and cut into small pieces or slices. I like to let it soak in water for about 5 minutes and then lift it out of the water to keep the dirt at the bottom of the bowl.

When deciding how to prepare it, I thought about how I might use spinach. I had some garlic and herb beef sausage from Markegard Family Grass-fed in the freezer and lentils in the pantry. Pine nuts seemed like a nice addition so I toasted some of those as well.

This meal was more of a "put together the different parts" sort of dish. So, mix and match; use what you have but make sure to eat your veggies. I do think it was an excellent combination of flavors. Enjoy!

Russian Kale, Lentils and Sausage

Cook the kale. Use this blog post as a guide to how to cook kale.  You could use any kind or even chard.

Cook the lentils. I used green lentils (which are closer to brown but that is what they are called). Add 1 cup of rinsed lentils to 3 cups of water or broth with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook about 30 minutes or until water is absorbed and lentils are soft. I probably only used 2 cups in the dish and saved the rest.

Cook the sausage. Cook 1 pound of sausage either in a saute pan or on the grill. Leave the casing on so it's easier to slice. Drain any fat that accumulates in the pan. To make the dish vegetarian, leave it out. Let it cool, then slice into 1" pieces.

Toast the pine nuts. Some people swear by the oven or toaster oven but for me, personally, I always use a regular saute pan without any added oil. I use a medium to low heat and shake the pan every few minutes until they are golden and fragrant. For this dish, I used about 1/2 cup of pine nuts.

Assemble the dish. It couldn't be easier. Take all of the ingredients and mix in a bowl. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings by adding salt and pepper. You can also add 1 tablespoon of a good quality olive oil. Best served warm.

Gluten-free beef stew recipe

When the weather turns cool, I think comfort foods. With a busy day ahead, I knew my crock pot would come in handy. Once again, it delivered, even with a power outage toward the end of its cycle!

Here's a delicious recipe for beef stew which I have converted to gluten-free. To make it "with gluten", use regular flour instead of the white rice and potato starch. The process and seasonings are the same.

We are very lucky to have quality beef right down the road, from Markegard Family Grass-Fed. The test is in the taste which truly delivered. It wasn't too greasy, either, and was very tender.

The only real technique with this recipe is with the flouring of the beef and searing. The directions are very straight forward. Gather your ingredients and, in about 5 hours, dinner is served. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Beef Stew

2 Tablespoons white rice flour
2 Tablespoons potato starch
1/2-1 teaspoon sea or Kosher salt (add more salt or seasonings based on your taste; you can always add at the end)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2-1 teaspoon herbs de Provence or a combination of dried thyme and oregano
1 lb of stew meat, patted dry
1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
Optional: 2 Tablespoons of sherry, brandy or wine

2 cups beef broth
1 14-15 ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 onion, chopped
3 carrots, cut into 1/4" circles

1 pound Yukon gold or red potatoes, about 3 or 4, cubed
1 cup each fresh or frozen corn and peas, thawed slightly

1.    Mix flour, starch, salt, pepper and herbs in a bowl with a lid or sealable plastic bag. Place beef inside, close lid or seal, and shake to coat.
2.    Heat oil in pan to medium high heat. Place beef in pan, reserving the flour mixture. Cook meat 2-3 minutes on each side or until just browned. Optionally add sherry or wine and cook for 1 more minute.
3.    Place broth, tomatoes, onions and carrots in a crock pot. Add 1 Tablespoon of reserved flour mixture (discard the remainder) and stir. Add beef. Cover and cook 2 hours on high or 5 hours on low.
4.    Add potatoes and cook 30 additional minutes or until tender. Add corn and peas and cook 10 minutes or until heated.
5.    Taste and adjust seasonings; it might need more salt at the end.

Thanksgiving leftovers pie

Need a new idea besides turkey soup or enchiladas for your turkey dinner leftovers? Try this quick and easy recipe that's just as good as your original meal. This is less than a recipe and more of a methodology (ps sorry for the quality of the pics; lighting was not great).

First, grease a 13x9 pan (if you have less leftovers, use an 8x8). Add about 2-3 cups of cooked turkey; chop or shred with your hands. I added some sauteed onions and celery which was extra from the stuffing.

Next, add about 1 1/4 cups of warm gravy; this makes it easier to spread. If you are out of gravy, you can use this recipe for my gluten-free gravy or anything you like.

If you have stuffing, add 2 cups on top of the gravy-turkey mixture and then place peas and corn on top (about 1 or 1 1/2 cups of each).

After that, top with mashed potatoes. We had 2 containers!

Bake in a 350F oven for 35-45 minutes or until the gravy is bubbling up. Scoop and serve. We loved it and served it with a little bit of cranberry sauce. Yes, we had that leftover as well. The stuffing added a new dimension. Not that you can tell, but the dish was all gluten-free, including the stuffing. You could use whatever you have at home. Hopefully, this will be the end of the leftovers! I hope you enjoy it.

Gluten-free gravy

If you think making homemade gravy is harder than the SAT's, think again. Instead of using a gluten-based roux (butter and flour), start using slurries. A slurry is a combination of a starch and cold water (equal parts) which are mixed into a hot liquid like chicken or turkey broth. The ratio that I use which seems to work well is:

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch to 1 Tablespoon Cold Water to 1 cup of liquid

If you can't tolerate corn, try arrowroot, tapioca or potato starch. Make sure the gravy is seasoned well with herbs, spices and...salt (again, assuming you can tolerate). To give it the creaminess and texture you might miss with a regular gravy, add 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter at the end. You can also try cream or a plain unsweetened milk, like coconut (it has a thicker texture than rice).

Happy Turkey Day!


Gluten-free Gravy for Turkey
Serves 8

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup (or more) drippings from the turkey (I sometimes add hot water to the bottom of the pan to make my own "broth")
Note: If you don't have any drippings, use 2 cups total of chicken broth

Slurry: 2 Tablespoons cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons cold water

1/2-1 teaspoon sea or Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Optional: 1 Tablesoon unsalted butter

1. Heat broth in a small to medium sized pot.
2. Meanwhile, make the slurry in a small bowl. Mix until smooth and the slurry looks like whole milk (see photo above). Make sure to mix the slurry right before adding it to the broth.
3. Once broth is simmering, whisk in slurry and season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook 4-6 minutes or until thickened. If the sauce is not thick enough, add more slurry if necessary.
5. Make sure the sauce does not have a starchy texture. The way to tell is to taste it. If there is a gritty texture, the sauce needs to cook more.

6. Add sage at the end. Optionally add 1 tablespoon of butter to make the sauce more creamy and similar to a roux-thickened sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings. If it tastes "flat", add more salt, 1/8 teaspoon at a time.

Variations
For variations, add the following ingredients to the sauce when the broth is added. You may need to add more slurry to achieve the proper thickness.

• Lemon and Garlic: Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 minced garlic clove to a chicken or vegetable based broth.
• Wine and Herb: Add 2 tablespoons of dry white wine and 1 teaspoon of dried herbs to the broth.
• Mustard: Whisk in 1-2 teaspoons dijon or grainy mustard into the sauce as it thickens.
• Creamy: Add 1 Tablespoon cream to any of the above sauces.

Gluten-free Halloween Party

A simple GF pumpkin muffin with pumpkin cream cheese frosting

If you have ever been in a social situation and can't have the food around the buffet table, whether it's related to allergies, religion or weight loss, it can be quite difficult. What if it was the other way around? Imagine arriving and being able to eat everything! I thought it would be useful to create some ideas for gluten-free occasions (after getting some great advice from Amy Sherman of Cooking with Amy). So here is my first list: Halloween.
 Maybe you are the host and you are getting ready for a ghoulish party. If you need to plan it around one or more gluten-free eaters, you might need some ideas beyond hummus and rice crackers or tortilla chips with guacamole. When you are doing your planning, think about the items that you can't eat when you are gluten-free: bread, crackers, pretzels, pizza, cookies, cakes and cupcakes, doughnuts. Today, there are many options for all of these items. Of course, if you are the one hosting, you will have much more control. That's my plan this year; delegation! And, even if you aren't gluten-free, you can use the ideas below to plan your own party. 

If you are the host and not the one with the sensitivity, make sure you understand the needs of your guests. Someone with Celiac disease looks at gluten as seriously as someone with a peanut allergy. Gluten can be in ketchup and bbq sauce and is almost always in soy sauce unless it's specifically gluten-free.

If you are the gluten-free host and guests want to contribute, keep it simple and ask them to bring the fruit salad, deviled eggs or carrot monster fingers. If you are gluten-intolerant, store-bought, certified gluten-free products like pretzels, cookies or crackers are good options for those who are not familiar with the intricacies of gluten-free. 

I have provided some links to the recipes; for everything else, you should be able to make the appropriate gluten-free substitute. When the cookbook comes out, you will have access to most of these. Enjoy!

• GF Pretzel sticks with pumpkin cream cheese
• Devil eyes (deviled eggs)
• Gluten-free mummy meatloaf with mashed potato ghosts (see pictures above for how-to's)
• Mummy hotdogs (hot dogs wrapped in gf pie crust and baked)
• Worms and bugs (lentil, gf pasta and brown rice pilaf)
• Monster fingers (carrot sticks w cream cheese and slivered almonds)
• Witches fingers with blood (gf chicken tenders with ketchup or BBQ sauce)
• Green goblin Caesar salad with gf croutons
• Trees with cobwebs (broccoli with gf white cheese sauce)
• Graveyard chocolate cake (make your own or try The Pure Pantry's or Pamela's Products mixes)
• GF pumpkin muffins
• Monster eyes (fruit salad balls or grapes)
• "Pumpkin" cake (any gf cake baked in a bundt pan; use two for a big crowd and place on top of eachother)
• Rolled gf sugar cookies in spooky shapes

Gluten-free Spaghetti, Rice and Lentil pilaf

Halloween food should look scary but still taste good!

When it comes to Halloween cooking, you want your food to look scary but not taste that way. I used to make a "bug salad" a few years back but with barley so it wasn't gluten-free. However, you could substitute rice or quinoa for it so check it out if you like a coconut flavor with red lentils.

This recipe is my new and improved gluten-free version of what I call Worms and Bugs in Dirt. If you like the recipe and you don't eat gluten-free, it's easy to adjust; just use regular pasta and breadcrumbs.

I made it this week to taste-test and get the recipe down. There was only a 1/2 cup left at the end of the meal so I'd say it hit both marks; scary and tasty! But really, it can be served any time of the year.

If you are having gluten-free guests for a ghoulish meal or just want a side dish with more grains and protein, give this a try.

Gluten-Free Spaghetti, Rice and Lentil Pilaf (aka Worms and Bugs in Dirt)

Serves 4

2 cups of low sodium gluten-free chicken or veggie broth
1 1/4  water
1/3 cup brown lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup long grain brown rice (if you use short grain, add at least 1/4 cup of additional liquid)
1 ounce or about 1/2 cup dry brown rice spaghetti (or any gluten-free spaghetti)
Optional: few strands of saffron (it will give the pilaf a yellow color)
1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (try Schar or make your own)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for dairy-free, use olive or your favorite vegetable oil)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Ground pepper to taste
Optional: grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat broth and water to boiling in a medium size pot (see note below for tips on using a rice cooker). Add lentils, rice and saffron, if using. The pasta is added later. Stir, cover and bring back to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook 25 minutes.
2. Remove cover, add pasta and stir. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If there is still liquid, remove cover and continue cooking until liquid is absorbed. Test everything for doneness. If any of the grains or rice is still crunchy and there is no more liquid, add 1/4 cup and cook another 3-5 minutes.
3. While the pilaf is cooking, place the breadcrumbs in a shallow pan (e.g. round baking dish) and place in a toaster oven or the regular oven (300F) to brown. Crumbs toast quickly so keep an eye on them.
4. When the pilaf is done, stir in the butter, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs.
5. Optionally garnish with grated parmesan or any hard Italian cheese. That's what you see in the photo!

Note: Rice Cooker Method
Add broth, water, lentils and rice (saffron if using) to bowl of rice cooker plus another 1/4 cup of water. Brown rice made in the rice cooker needs more liquid. Turn rice cooker on and set a timer for 25 minutes. Open cooker and add spaghetti. Stir and close cooker. Prepare breadcrumbs in step 3. When rice cooker is done, leave closed for 5 minutes. Check to make sure all of the liquid has been absorbed.  If for some reason it has not, turn cooker back on for 3 minutes. Add ingredients in step 4 and optionally garnish with parmesan cheese.