Another way to make curry! And so good but be sure to adjust the curry to meet your family’s tastes. It comes together quite quickly and has very little prep time – just dicing the onion and grating a little ginger.
In a high-sided skillet over medium high heat, heat until shimmering:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil (depending on the fat content of your ground turkey)
When the oil is hot add:
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Heat the spices just until fragrant (10-30 seconds) before adding:
1 pound ground turkey
Cook, breaking up the meat until the turkey is browned and no pink remains. Add:
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Mix to combine, reduce heat to medium low and cookuntil the onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in:
2 cups diced potatoes (or if like me you prefer them, sweet potatoes)
1 small can mild diced chiles
1/2 cup water
Cover and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Add:
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the peas are cooked. Serves 4. Serve with either chopped parsley or, as I like, with wedges of fresh lemon for people to squeeze over their curry.
Super quick and easy, especially if you buy the pre-shredded cole slaw mix at the supermarket. The only other thing that needs dicing is the small onion and that doesn’t take long. This dish is a little sweet, spicy and tangy and the ground turkey, unless you really overcook it of course!, stays moist and succulent in the sauce. I apologize for not sprinkling the finished dish with scallion as it should be but I didn’t have any in the house and wasn’t up to going to the store today. Excellent even without them! As usual, feel free to mellow or increase the spices to fit your family’s tastes.
First, in a deep skillet (3″ or so), heat over medium high heat:
1-2 tablespoons date sugar depending on how sweet you like it
1/4 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 1 teaspoon siracha)
Whisk to combine. Remove cover from the turkey mixture and add in sauce, stirring constantly until it thickens which should be about 5-10 seconds. Remove from heat to a serving dish, top with toasted sesame seeds and/or sliced scallions. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.
*If cabbage isn’t a favorite in your family, add a small can of sliced bamboo shoots and a can of sliced water chestnuts. Or some thinly sliced bok choy would also work.
**See recipe under sauces. I generally have several 1 cup jars of it in the freezer.
It’s called a pudding but it’s more like a cake in consistency. Easy to make but takes a while to bake. The only suggestion I have is to be sure you have enough people to eat it before you make it or else you’ll end up eating the whole thing yourself, it’s that delicious! Sweet, moist, and very satisfying. If you can use coconut milk, do so for a more authentic flavor. And it calls for batata, purple skinned and white meat sweet potatoes. The original recipe notes that orange sweet potatoes (the ones we’re mostly use here in the U.S.) can also be used but double the flour (and I would decrease the sugar as well).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9-10″ cake pan (I used my 7″ casserole dish which also worked fine, just harder to slice). Peel and cut into chunks:
2 pounds batata sweet potatoes (about 3 medium sized ones)
Place the chunks in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are finely grated. Put into a medium bowl and add:
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (coconut milk if possible, I used my oat milk)
2 tablespoons avocado oil (omit if using coconut milk, just add 2 tablespoons more of the coconut milk)
1 cup date sugar (or coconut if you can use it)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (I used 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional) – or cardamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional) – or coriander
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Mix together to combine and then add:
1 cup brown rice flour
Stir in the flour and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered. While it bakes in a small bowl combine:
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons avocado oil (omit if using coconut milk)
1 tablespoon date sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
dash of cinnamon (optional)
After 45 minutes, pour the above mixture over the pudding and continue to bake for another 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve hot for a softer pudding or cool for about 15-20 minutes for a firmer texture. Serve with a non-dairy whipped topping if desired.
The CHICKEN BIBLE strikes again! Once more, I needed to make changes to the recipe but another delicious, succulent chicken. I was impressed on how moist the chicken stayed even though I think I cooked it about 10 minutes too long. I was also impressed that it didn’t come out as sweet as I thought. Not difficult, a fairly easy recipe to make, very little preparation time, less than an hour, beginning to end. This would also work great for turkey or even duck. I did find the sauce a little bland so I added a dash of hot sauce but some coriander would also work.
In a 12″ skillet (oven proof) combine:
1 cup water
1 cup soy sauce substitute (of course if you are able, you can use regular soy sauce)
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons date sugar
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
Whisk to combine and dissolve the sugar. Place in the sauce, skin side down:
4 chicken leg quarters (leave whole or cut between legs and thighs)*
2″ stick of fresh ginger, peeled and halved (lengthwise) then smashed
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Bring to a boil and simmer over medium low heat for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. After 5 minutes place skillet in the oven uncovered and cook for 25-30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over so that the skin side is now up and bake another 15-25 minutes or until chicken reaches 195 degrees. Remove from oven. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
At this point, pour the cooking liquid through a strainer to remove the bits of garlic and pieces of ginger. Strain into a fat separator if you have one and let sit for 5 minutes so the fat rises to the surface and can be removed.* Turn the oven to broil.
Add the strained and defatted liquid back into the skillet and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add:
Slurry made with 1 tablespoon arrowroot (or tapioca starch) mixed into 1/2 cup water (or chicken stock)
Whisk to combine and continue whisking until the sauce thickens, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Place chicken, skin side up, back into the skillet and place under the broiler for 4-5 minutes until the skin is crispy and crackling. (I put my chicken pieces on a small baking sheet lined with parchment and broiled them while I made my sauce.) Serve with the sauce on the side. Makes 4 servings. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes. I sprinkled some toasted sesame seeds on mine after I served it with the sauce.
*I don’t have a fat separator so I didn’t do this step but there wasn’t a lot of fat in my pan because I trimmed the fat off the thighs before putting them in the skillet.
I’m always looking for new ways to cook fish to make it more interesting and succulent. Here’s one that’s really mouth wateringly good! And so easy to make and quick to make. In less than 45 minutes, you can have dinner ready with this one. While I used Halibut, any dense white fish will work like haddock or cod. Make sure your fish steaks are at least an inch thick.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray that will comfortably hold the fish (I used my 5″x 8″ dish). Dry with paper towels:
2 halibut steaks (6-8 ounces each)
Place them in the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl mix:
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons date syrup (honey, agave, etc., would also work)
3 tablespoons soy sauce substitute (see recipe under sauces)*
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice (juice from 1/2 lime)**
1 teaspoon grated or finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce (or 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce) [Optional]
Whisk to combine and pour over the fish. Sprinkle over the fish:
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Bake 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. After about 15 minutes, open the oven and baste the fish with the surrounding sauce. When cooked, remove fish from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving. Garnish with:
thinly sliced greens from 2 scallions
**zest from 1 lime (zest before slicing and juicing the lime)
*Of course, use soy sauce instead of the substitute if there’s no allergy to soy. Use 2 tablespoons soy and 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce in place of the soy substitute sauce.
Serve over rice to soak up the tasty sauce.Makes 2 servings.
I have jars of jam in my freezer and since I don’t eat much toast or other things where jam would be good, I’ve been looking for recipes to use up these jams. Here’s one I found for my plum jam. If you do a search on my blog, you’ll find a recipe for strawberry jam (sugar-free of course) which you can use to make sugar free plum jam which is the base for the oriental spicy plum sauce for these pork chops. I served these chops with sauteed bok choy (find recipe under side dishes).
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees then make the plum sauce by combining in a small saucepan:
1 1/2 cups plum jam
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons date sugar
1 tablespoon dried onion (flakes or granules, both work)
1/2 teaspoon spicy chili sauce (or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Whisk to combine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, over medium high heat. Once it boils, remove from heat.
In a 12″ skillet, over medium high heat, heat:
1 tablespoon olive oil
When shimmering, add:
4 pork chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness
Sear on all sides, including the outsides, until browned. Place in a 9×9″ baking dish (or whatever size fits your pork chops) and cover with the spicy plum sauce. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes depending on the thickness of your pork chops. Serves 4.
Here’s another recipe amended from the CHICKEN BIBLE, modified a little since I don’t like really hot and spicy foods. Once the vegetables and turkey are diced, the recipe is very fast and simple to put together. It only took me about 15 minutes to put together, after about 45 minutes of cutting and dicing! Be sure to follow the temperature instructions or it will take longer to cook and the turkey breast meat may get dried out.
In a small bowl (2 cup) combine the sauce ingredients:
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
5 teaspoons date sugar
1-4 teaspoons sriracha*
1 tablespoon soy sauce substitute
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon arrowroot, tapioca (or cornstarch)
1 minced garlic clove
Whisk to combine and set aside. In another small bowl (1/2 to 1 cup size), combine the garlic mixture:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon grated (or minced) fresh ginger
Mix to combine and set aside. In a medium bowl (or I used a gallon food storage bag) combine the seasoning mixture:
Mix to coat the turkey with the season mixture. In a 12″ (or larger) high sided skillet (or a wok if one if available), heat over medium heat:
2 teaspoons olive oil
When shimmering, add half the turkey and stirring constantly over HIGH heat, brown for 3-4 minutes. Remove to a bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel and repeat with the other half of the turkey, removing the second portion to the same bowl and recover with towel. Into the empty skillet, heat over medium heat:
1 tablespoon olive oil
When shimmering (this will only take a second since the pan should already be sizzling hot from the turkey), add:
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut on the bias into 1″ pieces
Cook, stirring constantly over medium high heat for a minute or two. Add:
8-10 ounces sliced shitake mushrooms
Stir constantly until mushrooms start to brown and beans are slightly crunchy. Move the beans and mushrooms to one side of the skillet and add the garlic mixture and heat until you can smell the garlic, about 30-45 seconds. Mix into the vegetables then add the turkey and any juices back into the skillet. Whisk the sauce mixture and pour it into the skillet. Stir constantly until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with more sesame seeds if desired or sliced green scallions. Make 4 servings. Serve over rice or quinoa.
*Most Sriracha sauces contain cane sugar. If you, like me, wish to avoid cane sugar, I found one sriracha sauce at Whole Foods, YELLOWBIRD Blue Agave Sriracha Sauce which has no sugar in it but uses Blue Agave syrup instead. If like me, you prefer your food to be on the mild side with just a little spice, use 1 teaspoon of sriracha sauce. It gave me just a hint of heat in the back of my throat. I might increase it just a little in the future, especially if I make the dish for my grandson who likes things, the hotter the better!
I took a small pork roast out of the freezer yesterday morning and noticed that I have two bags of carrots in the frig. What to do with them, I asked myself. So on Taste of Home, I found a recipe that I thought would work once I modified it to remove the allergens. It’s really quite quick and easy if you buy already chunked pork and pre-shredded cabbage and carrots. One of the bags of carrots was shredded so I went and picked up a large container of cole slaw mix this morning. It took me about a half hour to cut up the roast and then only about 10 minutes to make the dish! Very tasty over some rice. Makes 4 servings.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium, heat up:
2 teaspoons olive oil
When hot, add:
4-6 cups chopped cabbage
Cook for about 2 minutes until cabbage starts to get tender but is still crisp. Add:
2 cups shredded carrots
Stir to combine and cook for about another 2 minutes until carrots start to get tender. Remove to a bowl. Add to the now empty skillet:
2 teaspoons olive oil
When hot, add:
2 cups diced pork
Cook over medium high heat until the pork is browned on all sides, about 2 minutes depending on how large your chunks of pork are, try to cut them into approximately the same size (I know, easier said than done!). Add to the skillet:
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger root*
Stir to combine and cook for about 2 more minutes until the pork is about cooked and the juices run clear. Combine in a separate bowl before adding to the skillet:
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup soy sauce substitute
2 tablespoons arrowroot
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Whisk to combine and add to the skillet. Stir constantly until it thickens. Add the cabbage mixture back into the skillet and heat through, about 1 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice.
*The easiest way to mince ginger root is to cut off the peel producing a rectangle of ginger root. Slice into thin slices and then, using a French knife, cut back and forth until finely minced. (A French knife is a long-bladed knife that is angled so that you can rock the blade back and forth to finely chop things.)
Like ribs, wings are high on my favorite foods list. I usually just bake them and barbecue sauce them (see recipe under Appetizers and Snacks) but I wanted to do something a little different today so I found three or four recipes for Asian wings and took what I liked from each to get you this divinely mouth-watering succulent wing recipe. In fact, I enjoyed them so much I went to the store and bought another package of wings just so that I could make them again! If you want to make them a meal, serve with cooked rice and some sauteed bok choy (see recipe under side dishes).
First, if your wings are whole, cut off the mini pointed section (the wing tips) and then cut the wing between the mini wing and the drumette. Throw the wing tips in the garbage and the other two parts into a gallon food storage bag. You should have about 2 pounds of wings.
Second, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a medium size baking sheet by spraying it with non-stick spray. Next, add to the bag:
1 tablespoon all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika (more or less depending on your taste)
Seal the bag and shake to coat the wing sections. Place each piece on the prepared baking sheet. Best to make sure they don’t touch. Bake for 30-40 minutes. While the wings bake, prepare the sauce. Mix together in a small saucepan:
1 teaspoon avocado oil
1 teaspoon ginger juice (don’t have ginger juice? Peel and finely mince a thumb size piece of ginger)
1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons chili sauce (depending on the heat level you want in your wings)*
2 tablespoons honey
2-4 tablespoons date sugar, depending on how sweet and sticky you want them
1/3 cup soy sauce substitute
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
Whisk together and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until slightly reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.
When the wings are cooked, remove from the pan to a medium size bowl and pour over the sauce.** Mix together with a serving fork or large kitchen spoon. Add:
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Move to a plate and garnish with:
1/2 cup sliced scallion greens
Serve hot.
*I used 2 teaspoons and it was quite spicy but not overly hot, just the way I like it. And the addition of the sesame seeds and scallions help cool the wings a little.
**I used only half the sauce for my 1 1/2 pounds of wings.
Most gluten-free muffins (and breads) are very gummy, overly moist. These are not! They have a very soft crumb but are not crumbly or overly dry. By finely dicing an Asian pear, these have a great crunch along with the spices. Just delicious! And fairly quick and easy to put together and bake (about 30 minutes altogether). Of course, apple can be used instead of pear.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease a 12-muffin pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine:
1/4 cup avocado oil (or other mild oil)
1/2 cup gluten-free oat milk (or other non-dairy milk)
4 tablespoons pear sauce (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons date sugar (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)
3/4 cup finely diced Asian pear (1 small)
Stir to combine before adding:
1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend (one with guar or xanthan gum already in it)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Mix thoroughly until combined. Spoon into muffin cups (about 2/3 full), sprinkle with date sugar if desired and bake for 15-18 minutes until skewer comes out clean.
cookingwithoutallergens 