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.
It’s that time of year again! Time to pull out the gingerbread recipes along with all the pumpkin and spices. Here’s a very easy ginger cookie recipe that takes very little time to throw together and only 10 minutes to bake so in a mere 20 minutes you’ve got cookies – just as quickly as any tube of cookie dough you buy in the grocery store. And oh so delicious!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet by covering with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl combine:
1 tablespoon ground flax
3 tablespoons warm water
Stir to combine and let sit for a minute or two until a gel forms. Add:
1/2 cup pepita butter (or sunflower butter, tahini, etc.)
1/3 cup date sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Using a hand mixer, mix until fully combined. Add:
3 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Using a spoon, mix in the dry ingredients. This is too thick for the hand mixer. When combined, using a small cookie scoop, place scoops on the prepared baking sheet and flatten. Makes about 15 cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.
When I worked at Arizona State University, the chair of the department and I shared the same birthday so we’d go out for lunch annually on our birthday. There was a little Chinese restaurant near campus where we’d devour several orders of pot stickers and a soup bowl of hot and sour soup. I’ve been checking every grocery store I go to and I couldn’t find gluten-free wonton wrappers but a check on-line found a recipe. So, although this process is somewhat lengthy, the dumplings are well worth the effort.
First, make the wonton wrappers by combining:
1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 white rice flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon guar gum
Whisk together the dry ingredients then stir in:
1/2 cup boiling water
Dough will start to come together. Add:
2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
Stir to combine, kneading with hands if necessary. Form into a ball, cut in half. Place one half under plastic wrap to stay moist while working with the other half. Roll the dough into a log then cut into 12 pieces, about 1 tablespoon each. Roll the pieces into balls and place in a sandwich bag until ready to fill. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Next, make the filling. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse:
8-10 scallion whites
6 ounces shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup shredded carrots
Pulse until well ground. Put into a medium bowl with:
3/4 pound ground turkey (or pork)
3 teaspoons date sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce substitute (see recipe under sauces)
1/2 teaspoon ginger juice (or freshly grated ginger)
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Combine, cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to fill the wontons. Using a bamboo steamer (or a steamer basket or pot but you won’t be able to cook as many at once), place over water on the stove. Take one dough ball, place between two pieces of plastic wrap, and using a small rolling pin (or any can), roll out to about a 3″ circle. Place about 1 tablespoon filling in the middle. Using the plastic wrap, bring the sides of the wonton wrapper together in the middle. Pick up the ball and gently press the edges together to seal the dumpling (these can be either round or rectangular). If the dough is dry, wipe the edges with a small amount of water to moisten and seal. Place in the steamer and repeat until the steamer is filled, without the dumplings touching the edges or each other because they will stick as they cook. Bring the steamer water to a boil and cook the dumplings 10-12 minutes. Serve with a sesame garlic sauce and garnish with the scallion greens.
Here’s another recipe adapted from the Chicken Bible. It’s somewhat spicy due to the abundance of freshly grated ginger as well as just a 1/4 teaspoon Vietnamese chili sauce.* The original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes so use those if you can’t find a chili sauce that works for your family. I also cut back slightly on the amount of freshly grated ginger – the original recipe called for 1 tablespoon but I used only about 1 teaspoon and it was sufficient for my tastes. This is a recipe that may sound difficult and complex but if you follow the steps, it’s really quite easy to make and oh so worth the effort – just as good as any dish in your favorite Chinese restaurant.
First, cut up everything:
1 pound bok choy (I used three medium sized baby), cut off the stems and cut into bitesize pieces and then separately chop the greens and put them in a separate bowl
2 small sweet red peppers, cut in thin slices
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced as thinly as possible (if the breasts are partially frozen, they will slice much easier although the hand holding the meat will get quite chilly!)
1 garlic clove minced
about 1″ of fresh ginger peeled and grated to produce roughly 1-2 teaspoons
2-3 scallions, slice at an angle, add the white parts to the bok choy stems and peppers and set the greens aside in a medium bowl
Next, mix together in a medium bowl:
1 tablespoon soy sauce substitute
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon date syrup
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch (or arrowroot)
Whisk together and add the sliced chicken. Mix to ensure all the chicken is coated with the marinade. Refrigerate until needed.
Third, put on a pot of water to boil:
6 quarts water in a large pot
When the water comes to a bowl, add:
1 teaspoon sea salt
9 ounces of noodles (I used brown rice pad Thai noodles)
Cook for only 3 minutes until el dente (or the amount of time on the package of your noodles). Drain and add to the bowl with the green scallion slices. Mix to combine. In a 12″ non-stick skillet, heat over medium high heat:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Add the noodle/scallion mixture and spread out in the pan. Use a strong spatula (or I used a bacon flattener) to flatten the noodle mixture in the pan (see photo below). Cook 5-7 minutes until browned and then using a large spatula, flip and brown again on the second side 5-7 minutes. Remove to an oven proof plate and stick in a 200 degree oven to keep warm.
Now, in a small bowl mix together:
2 tablespoons olive oil
the minced garlic
the grated ginger
In another small bowl make the sauce by combining:
1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce substitute
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon date syrup
1/4 teaspoon chili sauce or red pepper flakes (or hot sauce!)
1 teaspoon cornstarch (or arrowroot)
Stir to combine. Set aside until needed. Pour into the empty skillet and heat:
2 teaspoons olive oil
Add:
sliced chicken (and marinade)
Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly and turning frequently until the meat is cooked, about 2 minutes. Remove to a dish and set aside. Into the same skillet heat over medium heat:
the olive oil mixture with the garlic and ginger
When hot, add:
the bok choy stems
red pepper slices
scallion whites
Cook over medium high heat stirring frequently until they just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add:
the bok choy greens
Cook just until the greens begin to wilt, add the cooked chicken along with any juice in the dish. Whisk the sauce mixture to be sure it’s still combined and pour over the chicken in the skillet. Stir continuously until the sauce thickens about 30 seconds and the chicken is reheated. Remove the noodle cake from the oven and cut into wedges. Serves 2.
*I had a lot of difficulty finding a chili sauce that didn’t contain either sugar or soy. I finally located one (at the 4th store I checked!) – Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam Chili Garlic Sauce. It’s VERY hot so the amount used should be to the level of your taste buds. I don’t mind spicy but super hot is not to my liking therefore the recipe calls for just 1/4 teaspoon.
I’ve talked about how much I love Chinese food and here’s another luscious, mouth watering, easy to make dish. It’s a little spicy with the chili paste (or hot sauce) and grated fresh ginger but not too spicy but feel free to leave those out if you don’t want it spicy. And be sure to check before purchasing oriental chili paste because most of them (all the ones I looked at in the store) contain wheat flour and therefore gluten. Serves 2-4 depending on serving size and the vegetables you add.
First prepare the chicken:
12 to 16 ounces boneless chicken breasts and/or thighs
Remove skin and whatever fat and silver skin you see. Cut into bite-size chunks and place in a gallon food storage bag. Add:
1/3 to 1/2 cup corn starch (or arrowroot)
Close the bag and toss the meat around to make sure it’s entirely covered by the starch. Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.
In a small saucepan combine:
2 tablespoons soy sauce substitute (see recipe under sauces)
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup (sugar free)*
1/2 teaspoon chili paste (or hot sauce which is what I used)
Whisk to make a slurry and then pour it into the saucepan. Heat the sauce over medium heat, whisking often until it starts to heat up and you see a few bubbles from a slow boil then whisk constantly until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and add:
2 tablespoons TOASTED sesame seeds (you can buy them that way)
Stir in the sesame seeds and set the sauce aside. Over medium heat, heat a 12″ skillet with:
1 tablespoon olive oil
When shimmering hot, add the cubed chicken. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, spread out the meat so it’s in a single layer in the pan and cook, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes until the meat is cooked through (time will depend on how large the cubes are). Once the chicken is cooked, pour in the sauce and mix to combine. Cover and remove from heat.
For vegetables, whatever your family likes will work. I used 1/2 cup of shredded carrots and 1/2 cup of frozen peas which I zapped in the microwave for 2 minutes before adding to the chicken mixture. But broccoli, bok choy, snow peas, celery, onions, water chestnuts, green beans, will work just be sure to cook them before adding to the sesame chicken. Or if you prefer, leave out the vegetables and serve a vegetable dish on the side. I served this over brown rice but again, Thai noodles or linguini would also work.
*For those of you unfamiliar with the product, Organicville makes a ketchup containing agave nectar instead of sugar. No one I’ve ever served it to knew it wasn’t “real” ketchup.
I do love gingerbread but I also love pumpkin. This cake doesn’t have a pronounced pumpkin taste – the ginger overwhelms it so if you want more pumpkin taste, reduce the amount of ginger you add. It’s wonderfully moist and delicious served with a vanilla frozen dessert or a non-dairy whipped cream.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 square or round pan (to take the entire cake out of the pan to serve, cover the baking pan with parchment paper and then grease). In a small bowl combine:
1 tablespoon ground flax
3 tablespoons aquafaba*
*Add 1 teaspoon aquafaba powder to 3 tablespoons hot water. Don’t have aquafaba powder or a can of chickpeas handy? Substitute 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 tablespoons hot water. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or until a flax gel forms. In a medium sized bowl (at least 3 cups) combine:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup hot (the hotter the better) water
Mix until the molasses and honey are fairly thin. In another medium size bowl (at least 6 cups) sift together:
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice (or nutmeg)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix thoroughly. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before cutting.
cookingwithoutallergens 