Fish and Rice Stirfry (Dairy-free, Soy-free, Gluten-free)

I’m always looking for new ways to use fish. Fish is one of those proteins that I love to eat but don’t often like to cook. This is a quick recipe that really highlights flavor. Its well balanced nutritionally, very filling, and can be adjusted to serve the tastes of anyone.

You’ll need:

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked quinoa
6-8 ounces white fish, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup cooked peas
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 3 tablespoons fresh parsley)
Scallions, cherry tomatoes, etc. for garnish
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of a half lemon

In a large hot skillet, add the olive oil, onions, carrots, and celery. Saute over medium heat until celery and carrots are softened. Add the fish and cook thoroughly. Add the rice, quinoa, peas, and herbs.* Stir to combine. Heat through, spritz with the lemon juice and serve with whatever garnishes you like. This time of year, my first garnish is always tomatoes although this year, without my husband’s garden, I’ve had to find fresh tomatoes in the markets.

*Other additions, depending on your tastes, could be some diced peppers, sweet or hot; some hot sauce or chili oil; Old Bay seasoning or other herbs; and perhaps, since I’m now living in Minnesota instead of New Hampshire where this seems to be like seafood back east, some wild rice instead of the brown rice and/or quinoa.

Hash (dairy-free, gluten-free)

Anytime we had left over meat of any kind, my mother or I made hash from it. My favorite is probably ham while my mother really liked red flannel hash made with corned beef. It can be served with gravy, ketchup, horseradish sauce, or even plain with a poached or fried egg on top. The vegetables added can also vary depending on taste and what’s in the frig or freezer. I like to use sweet potato but again, any potato will work just fine. It could also be made with just vegetables for a vegan hash. In my eyes, any way one makes a hash is delicious with the crispy potato, tender meat and tasty vegetables. The English version of Chinese stir fry!

You’ll need:

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 diced onion
1/2 diced celery
1 cup diced and cooked potato
2 cups diced and cooked meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, ham, tofu, etc.)
1/2 cup cooked peas
1/2 cup cooked carrots

In a large skillet, heat the oil and cook the onion and celery until softened. Add the potato and cook until potatoes are browned. Add the meat and vegetables and stir well. Cook until heated through. Add salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. I used my salt-free mixed herbs. Top with gravy, ketchup, etc. or serve plain. My mother always fried eggs to go on top of her hashes but for those of us allergic to eggs, that’s not an option.

Braised Cabbage (dairy-free, gluten-free)

My mother loved braised cabbage; this was her go-to winter vegetable when she was tired of peas, carrots, green beans or corn. She always used red cabbage but any cabbage will work. The onion adds a little tang and the bacon a smoky flavor. I add pear; my mother always used apple. Either will add some sweetness to the dish and, when combined with the fat from the olive oil and bacon, give it a full-bodied richness. Prepare the onion, bacon, and cabbage ahead of time and this takes around 15 minutes to cook. And it can be a vegan dish if you leave out the bacon. Makes 4 servings using a 3-4 inch cabbage.

In a large saute pan, add:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped uncooked bacon (whatever bacon your family likes works fine) — IF your bacon is very fatty, don’t use the olive oil

Cook until bacon is browned. If you have more than a couple of tablespoons of fat in the pan, drain some off. Add to the pan:

1 cup chopped onion

Cook until onion is softened. Add:

4-5 cups chopped cabbage
1/4 cup vinegar (any vinegar works but if white is used, a little less vinegar would probably be good unless your family really loves the taste of vinegar)

Cover and braise 5-7 minutes until cabbage is softened, stir once or twice during cooking.

Add 1 diced apple or pear and cook another minute or two until fruit is soft (the apple may take a few minutes more than the pear). Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir well, and serve.

You can also add 1 tablespoon caraway seeds.

Turkey Tetrazzini (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free)

After Thanksgiving, my mother would always make turkey tetrazzini. She added, of course, cream as well as either white wine or sherry. Since I can’t use those things, here’s my version without all that fat or any alcohol. Feel free to use whatever pasta you have on hand. I used a tortiglioni made from buckwheat flour that a friend recommended but I usually use spaghetti which is the more traditional pasta used in this dish.

You’ll need:

8 ounces of gluten-free pasta cooked al dente
2 cups of mushroom soup (see recipe under Soups and Salads or follow directions below — you will need additional ingredients to make this mushroom sauce)
8 ounces of sliced or diced mushrooms
1 medium onion diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup cooked peas
1 1/2 cups diced turkey
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon died thyme
3-4 quart baking dish
1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
2-3 tablespoons avocado (or other) oil
2-3 tablespoons shredded non-dairy cheese
cooking spray for the baking dish

If you don’t have some mushroom soup already to go, use this simple alternative:

In a medium skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil. Add diced mushrooms, celery and mushrooms. Cover and simmer over medium low heat about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add 3 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour (or brown rice flour) and stir to incorporate. Cook for a minute to begin cooking the flour. Add 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you don’t have any vegetable stock) and 1/2 cup non-dairy milk of choice (except soy which will not thicken). Add the herbs and combine.

Combine the vegetables, pasta, sauce, and turkey in the skillet. Pour into the baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs and oil. Spread the shredded cheese and then the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole and bake for approximately 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Creamed Onions and Peas (dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan)

My mother always made creamed onions for Thanksgiving and Christmas and it was one of my favorite side dishes. I’ve taken the fat, dairy, and gluten out of it but I think its just as good as the original. I’ve taken it to holiday dinners and everyone always enjoyed it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish. In a quart saucepan combine:

3/4 cups non-dairy milk (don’t use soy but any other will work but remember this is a savory dish so you don’t want a sweeter milk; hemp or rice work well)
3/4 cup of the juice drained from your jarred small white onions (or if you’ve used fresh small white onions that you boiled first, use 1 cup of the boiling liquid) [if you don’t have 3/4 cup of the drained liquid, add non-dairy milk to make up the difference]
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons brown rice flour

Whisk into the milk and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Steam:

12 ounces of frozen peas

Once you’ve drained the peas, add them along with 1 15 ounce jar of small white onions (after you drain the liquid into the sauce above) (or 1 1/2 cups if you used fresh ones) to the sauce. Mix well and pour into the greased casserole dish. For a topping, you can use 1/2 cup of gluten-free bread crumbs mixed into 1/4 cup of olive oil with some herbs, salt and pepper OR 1/2 cup of shredded non-dairy cheese. Or, even better, use the onion and bread crumb topping used for the Green Bean Casserole but mix in a 1/4 cup of shredded non-dairy cheese.

Quinoa and Wild Rice Stuffing (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, vegan)

My father and older brother used to spend the fall hunting birds such as grouse, pheasant, and quail. All of these birds are quite small so none alone would make a meal for six people so my mother would save them up all fall and for New Year’s Eve, she would bake them with a wild rice and artichoke stuffing. Here’s my version. Serves 6-8.

You’ll need:

1 cup cooked wild rice (be sure to get just wild rice, not a wild rice mixture. This took me some hunting but I did manage to find a small bag in my local grocery)
2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 diced onion
3 stalks of celery diced
8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
8-10 small baby artichokes, cooked (I used jarred in water and they worked fine) and quartered – if you can’t find baby ones, use artichoke hearts but trim the tops to remove any tough pieces
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 quart baking dish, greased
1/4 cup avocado oil

Heat the oil in a medium skillet and add the onions, celery and mushrooms. Simmer over medium heat until tender. Add the rice and quinoa and mix thoroughly. Pour into the greased baking dish and pour the vegetable stock evenly over mixture (if you prefer, you can use turkey or chicken stock instead). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes uncovered.

Duck L’Orange (dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free)

I love duck, its my favorite poultry. This Thanksgiving, now that I’m alone and this being my first holiday without my husband, I didn’t want to do the traditional Thanksgiving feast that would give me more leftovers than I could possible eat so I decided, when I saw them in Whole Foods the other day, to cook myself a whole duck. I usually stick to duck breasts (see recipe under Entrees) but I’ve had duck l’orange several times and really enjoyed it but it’s so sweet the issue was how to do it without the sugar. Here’s what I did. You’ll have to forgive me for not including an image; I got so excited about this that I cut it up before taking a photo! And it was delicious – the skin was so crunchy and full of flavor thanks to the spice mix and the meat so juicy and flavorful. I served it along with creamed onions and peas and a wild rice and quinoa stuffing which was really good with the orange sauce (see side dishes for both these recipes). Makes 2 generous servings.

You’ll need for the duck:

4-6 pound duck
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1 orange cut in half
1 large onion cut in eighths
fresh thyme sprigs
fresh marjoram sprigs
1 cup stock, chicken or if you can find it, duck
2-3 carrots
2-3 stalks of celery
a large baking pan, preferably with high sides to reduce fat spattering
gravy separator if you have one
meat thermometer

You’ll need for the orange sauce:

1/4 cup raw honey
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
dash of salt
1/4 cup stock
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
1 tablespoon gluten-free flour (all purpose or brown rice works best)
1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Prepare the duck by cleaning out the cavity and drying the skin. Mix the salt, coriander, cumin, pepper and dry thyme. Rub the outside of the duck with the spice mixture and sprinkle some inside as well. Add 1/2 of the orange , 4 wedges of onion, the springs of thyme and marjoram to the cavity. Place the cleaned celery, carrots and other 4 wedges of onion in the baking dish in a line so that they raise the duck off the bottom of the pan (we’re using them like a baking rack). Put the duck in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes (you might want to be sure to turn on your overhead exhaust while you’re doing this to avoid the smoke alarm going off like it did in my house even though I didn’t see any smoke). While the duck is searing, mix together the juice of the other 1/2 orange with the 1 cup of stock.

After 20-30 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and add the stock mixture to the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for approximately 1-1/2 hours until duck reaches 170 degrees internal temperature in one of the thighs using a meat thermometer. Remove from oven and baking dish. Be sure to tilt when removing from the dish so that the internal juices can run into the baking dish. Carefully pour the baking dish juices into the gravy separator. While the duck is cooking make the sauce.

In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice and honey along with the vinegar, salt, orange rind and stock. Simmer until the duck is cooked. Add duck juices drained from the baking dish without the fat. If you don’t have a gravy separator, using a spoon, remove the fat from the top of the juices. If the duck juices don’t equal 1 cup, add stock to make up the difference.

Mix together the margarine and flour into a paste. Add to the simmering sauce using a whisk so that you don’t get any lumps. Continue cooking sauce until thickened, only a couple of minutes. Its now ready to serve.

Shepherd’s Pie (dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free)

One of my mother’s old standby’s, shepherd’s pie is a definite comfort food for many New Englanders. Warm and filling, it gives us energy and the calories we need to go out and shovel the snow or rack the leaves (which is what I spent some time doing this morning). Here’s my take on it, feel free to use any ground meat you like, I’m limited since I’m allergic to most red meats. Traditionally, its made with mutton or lamb but I use turkey or chicken in mine. Serves 4.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. You’ll need:

1 pound ground meat, lean
10 ounce bag of mixed peas and carrots (organic if possible)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
Seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder – about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of each)
3 tablespoons gluten-free flour such as brown rice or all purpose
1 1/2 cups of stock (whatever you have on hand works; I used vegetable in mine)
2 cups mashed potato (or as in my case, celery root and parsnip mash see recipe under side dishes)
2 quart baking dish

In a steamer, steam the peas and carrots until just tender. Put them in the baking dish. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onions and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add ground meat and seasonings. Stir as the meat cooks to crumble the meat up into small chunks. When meat is cooked, add the flour and stir to incorporate. Let cook for 2-3 minutes and add the stock. Stir and cook until thickened, another 2-3 minutes. Add to the baking dish; stir into the vegetables. Spread the potatoes or celery root/parsnip mash on the top and bake for 20-30 minutes until heated through and bubbling.

Turkey Osso Buco (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free)

One of our favorite cold weather meals is a turkey osso buco (or turkey stew) made with root vegetables. The hot gravy with the succulent root vegetables is so warming and very filling. I don’t always use the same vegetables but they are usually root ones although I’ve been known to add both peas and string beans to the stew.

You can cook this either in a dutch oven in your oven or in a crock pot. You’ll need:

Turkey leg quarter or breast
1 large Russet potato, peeled and diced
1 large turnip, peeled and diced
3 small to medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
3-4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
Salt, pepper and herbs to taste
1 quart turkey (or chicken) stock
1/4 cup gluten-free brown rice flour
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the turkey leg quarter in pieces (leg and thigh). Put in a gallon food storage bag, the brown rice flour along with salt, pepper and herbs to taste (I like to use some paprika, oregano, thyme, parsley, along with the salt and pepper; if I don’t have those, I’ll use a teaspoon of Mrs. Dash or other herb mix). Shake to mix and then add the turkey piece(s) and shake to coat.

In a skillet large enough to hold the turkey piece(s), heat the olive oil and then add the turkey over medium heat to brown. While the turkey is browning, dice the onion. If you are using a crock pot, add the onion to the cooker. If you are using a dutch oven, you’ll want to brown your turkey in that and add the onion when the turkey is browned. Be sure to brown all sides of the turkey. Remove the turkey and add the dredging flour to the oil and stir so that the flour absorbs the oils and drippings from the pan. If you are using a slow cooker, add the flour mixture to the pot and then add the turkey along with the stock. If you are using the dutch oven, simply add the stock and the turkey back in.

Using a slow cooker, turn it onto high and cook for 3-4 hours. If you’re using a dutch oven, you’ll want to prepare the vegetables (peel and dice them) and add them into the dutch oven before cooking in the oven at 325 degrees for 3-4 hours. I’ve found that the vegetables don’t cook well in the slow cooker so I peel and dice them and cook them on the stovetop separately, mostly cooked through and then add them to the crock pot during the last hour of cooking.

Makes six to eight servings. You’ll want to deskin and debone the turkey pieces before serving.

Baked Beans (dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, fat-free, vegan)

Being from New England, one of my comfort foods has to be baked beans. I like to eat mine with rice, that way I eat fewer baked beans but my husband likes to eat his plain with extra ketchup. Whatever way you like them, this baked bean recipe makes hearty, not too sweet beans.

Soak overnight:

1 16-ounce bag of dried red kidney beans (or whatever bean your family prefers)

Be sure that the water covers the beans by at least 3 inches. Cover the bowl so that nothing falls in it while the beans are soaking.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. You’ll need:

1 medium diced onion
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 to 1/2 cup real maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want your beans)
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup sugar-free ketchup (such as Organicsville Agave Ketchup)
1/2 cup diced bacon (optional) [when I add bacon, I use turkey bacon that doesn’t add any fat to the beans]

Combine above ingredients except the beans and onion. Add the diced onion and your soaked beans to a bean pot. If you don’t have a bean pot, a very heavy Dutch over would work (like a cast iron one). Add 2 cups of the bean soaking liquid into the mixed ingredients and pour over the beans until they are just covered. Don’t overfill your bean pot to start or you’ll have a mess in your oven.

Bake, adding liquid as needed, for approximately 3 hours or until the beans are soft but not mushy. You want to check them every half hour and add liquid as needed as well as stirring them so that the beans on top don’t get undercooked while the beans on the bottom get overcooked. Remember, once you take them out of the oven and leave the cover on the pot, they will continue to cook. I usually let mine sit on the counter for about a half hour after taking them out and then I transfer them to a serving dish.