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.

Pumpkin Spice Stuffed French Toast (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, vegan)

I’ve always wanted to try stuffed French toast but how to make French toast without eggs was the dilemma. Here’s the solution. It takes a bit of forethought but its well worth the effort. Makes four servings.

You’ll need:

8 slices of gluten-free bread, the thicker the better
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon date sugar
6 ounces of non-dairy cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup milk of choice
2 tablespoons ground flax
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dash of salt
1 cup cranberry compote (see separate recipe)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Spray a 8×10 inch baking dish. Mix:

6 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon date sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Using a fork, mix until well blended. Spread on all 8 slices of bread. Heat the milk and add the ground flax. Let cool until just warm. Add the baking powder, salt and vanilla and whisk to combine. Spread some of the cream cheese mixture on each of the bread slices. Add a tablespoon of cranberry compote to 4 slices. Top those slices with the other 4 slices of bread. Place in the baking dish. Top with the milk mixture. Let sit 15 minutes and then turn the bread over so that the other side can absorb milk mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Turn the bread over again.

In a 10-12″ skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or your oil of choice). Add the 4 bread pieces and cook over medium low heat for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and repeat. The slices may slip slightly from the cream cheese stuffing getting warm so be careful in turning. Here we want to allow the milk mixture to cook along with the bread but not overheat the middle cream cheese mixture which will then run out of the bread thereby taking away the “stuffed” part of the French toast. So keep the heat fairly low even it takes slightly longer to cook. When done, slice each diagonally and top with more cranberry compote or maple syrup if preferred.

Alternatives: If you don’t like pumpkin and cranberries here are some alternatives. Use instead of the pumpkin, apple or pear sauce (preferably chunky) along with a berry jam or apple butter. OR delete the pumpkin from the cream cheese mixture and use strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, or cherry jam instead of the cranberry compote.

Maple Glazed Roasted Squash with Kale (dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan)

This reminds me of my mother’s baked acorn squash where she’d half them, remove the seeds, fill the cavity with butter and brown sugar and then bake them. So buttery and delicious. This is a fairly easy recipe once the squash are sliced. Some grocery stores will now do this for you so ask (they can probably slice them more evenly than I did mine!). Feel free to use one large or a variety of smaller ones depending on your taste. In my case, as in the three squash mash from an earlier blog, I used my favorites – butternut, buttercup and acorn. The sweetness of the maple sugar only adds to the velvety sweetness of the squash with a note of maple thrown in. So simple and so good. Be sure to reduce the heat half way through the cooking process to keep the maple glaze from burning. Serves 6 depending on how much squash is used.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a steamer pan add:

1-2 bunches kale, cleaned with larger stems removed

Steam until softened, 5-12 minutes depending on how much kale you have in the steamer.

Half the squash and remove the seeds from:

1 small acorn
1 small butternut
1 small buttercup

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. Slice the squash into equal slices. Arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Be sure that end pieces with mostly skin are skin side down. Mix together in a small bowl:

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive or avocado oil
Salt and pepper to taste (I used only 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a 1/8 teaspoon pepper)

Pour the glaze mixture evenly over the squash. Flip over the squash so that the end pieces with mostly skin are skin side up. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip so that pieces with flesh on both sides are now turned over. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until squash is soft, approximately 15-20 more minutes. If you have thicker pieces that need more cooking, remove the cooked pieces and add the kale in the places where there’s no squash (I moved all the thicker squash slices to the edges and put the kale in the middle of the baking sheet). If all the squash is removed, simply add the kale to the baking sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Arrange the kale on a serving dish with the squash slices on top.

Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Patties (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, sugar-free, soy-free, vegan)

If you love quinoa and sweet potatoes as much as I do, this recipe is a must for your side dish repertoire. It easy to make and delicious to eat, flavorful from the herbs and garlic as well as the sweet potato, crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Garnish with your favorite aioli or eat them plain. Be sure to add lots of scallions to garnish as well since sweet potatoes love them. I used a curry aioli which I made by adding 2 teaspoons of curry powder to 1/2 cup of hot olive oil. Let it cool before you begin blending the aioli. Make sure you don’t heat the oil after you add the curry powder or it will burn very quickly. Makes 6 servings (2 patties each).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You’ll need:

1 cup cooked quinoa, whatever color you like
1 cup sweet potato puree
1 15 ounce can drained chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 of a medium onion
1/4 cup quinoa flour
2 scallions sliced for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon seasoning mixture such as Mrs. Dash
1 tablespoon ground flax, preferably golden
2 tablespoon arrowroot
1/3 cup water
1 to 1 1/2 cups breads crumbs, with seasonings added — remember if you need more, you can add more but you can’t take it away or use it again once you’ve covered your patties.

Mix the ground flax with 3 tablespoons of hot water and let sit until cool. In a food processor, add the chickpeas, garlic and onion. Blend until well mashed. In a bowl, put the quinoa, sweet potato puree, chickpea mixture, flour and seasonings. In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot with the other 3 tablespoons of water (cold this time). Combine the arrowroot and the ground flax mixtures and add to the quinoa mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Spread the bread crumbs in a small baking dish (I used a small cookie sheet with sides). Scoop out the quinoa mixture by 1/4 cups (it doesn’t have to be exact). Put the scooped mixture on the bread crumbs and cover with more bread crumbs as you flatten it. Place on another sheet while you finish the remaining patties, make sure you wipe off excess bread crumbs.

Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and when the patties are browned, put them on this cookie sheet in a single layer. In a large skillet, put 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and heat (more may be needed as the patties fry). Add the patties to the skillet without crowding and brown on each side. When all are fried, bake them for 15-20 minutes to heat through and cook inside. Garnish with aioli and scallions.

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.

Butternut and Chard Tart (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free, vegan)

I enjoy savory pies just as much as sweet ones. I wasn’t a believer in mixing squashes and cheese until I tried this tart. So yummy and such a great side dish for Thanksgiving. Feel free to substitute pumpkin or sweet potato, maybe even a different squash like acorn or hubbard. Serves 6-8.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. You’ll need for the crust:

1 1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour
1/4 cup pepitas, toasted and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 tablespoons cold water

Since this is a gluten-free crust, the oil and water may change depending on the flour blend you use. Mix the above with a food processor or a fork until crumbly. Spread in a 9″ pie plate, pressing on sides and bottom. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. When cut this crust will act more like a graham cracker crust than a regular pie crust.

For the filling, you’ll need:

3 cups diced squash
1/4 cup olive oil
2 diced shallots
2 medium diced garlic cloves (or one large)
1/4 cup toasted and chopped pepitas
4-5 cups of sliced rainbow chard
1 tablespoon vinegar (1 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses could substitute for both the vinegar and agave nectar)
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey would work)
Salt and pepper to taste (approximately 1/4 teaspoon of each)
4 slices of non-dairy provolone or other creamy cheese
1/3 cup aquafaba combined with 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch (if you can use eggs, you can substitute 2 large eggs here)

Roast the squash for approximately 1/2 hour until tender, turning once so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Meanwhile in a large skillet combine the olive oil, diced shallots and garlic and saute for about a minute until tender. Add chard, vinegar, agave, and seasonings, combine and cook for another 3-5 minutes until chard is tender (I cooked mine a little longer because I like the stems along with the leaves and it takes a little longer for them to get tender). Add the pepitas, cheese and aquafaba (or eggs slightly beaten if you can use them). Stir in the squash and pour into the pie shell. Add another 4 slices of non-dairy cheese on top and bake for another 20-25 minutes until filling is set (the aquafaba may still be a little runny when you take it out of the oven but will set as it sits). Serve warm.

Chicken “a la king” with leeks and peas (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free)

My mother didn’t make chicken a la king very often but it was a favorite of everyone in my family. Here’s my updated version with the addition of peas, mushrooms and leeks instead of onion. Very tasty with a variety of starches like gluten-free toast, baking powder biscuits, rice, or quinoa. I make it now to use up leftovers from rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Makes 4 servings.

You’ll need:

6 inches of leek, white part only, cleaned and sliced thin
2 stalks of celery, washed and sliced on the bias
8-10 mushrooms such as baby bellas, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup cooked peas
1 cup cooked diced chicken
1 small jar of pimentos (optional)
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk, anything but soymilk
3 tablespoons brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried herb blend like Mrs. Dash
4 tablespoons olive oil

In a 7-9″ skillet, heat the olive oil and add the leek, celery, and mushrooms. Saute until softened (feel free to lower the heat to low and cover them), about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the brown rice flour and let simmer for a few minutes to cook the flour (about 3 minutes). Add the chicken, pimentos, peas and seasonings. Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste. Stir in the non-dairy milk and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve with your choice of side such as gluten-free toast.

Carob Buttercream Frosting (dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, egg-free, vegan)

One of the most difficult parts of making a cake or cookies that need frosting is making a frosting without confectioners sugar. Here’s the perfect answer! So smooth and creamy as well as delicious. You can, of course, substitute chocolate if desired.

In a medium sized bowl mix:

1/2 cup sweet potato puree (I used canned)
1/2 cup date sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup, agave or coconut nectar, OR 1/2 teaspoon stevia powder OR 1/4 teaspoon monk fruit powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup carob powder OR cocoa powder
1/4 cup tahini or, if you can use it, nut or seed butter
2 tablespoons shortening such as Spectrum OR solid coconut oil OR vegan margarine or butter

Using a hand mixer, blend until smooth and well blended.

Sugar Cookies (dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free, vegan)

My son’s favorite Christmas cookie is a decorated sugar cookie. I haven’t been able to make him any in years but this year will be different (of course I have to find my cookie cutters first!). This cookie comes out crispy and full of flavor. My husband says the consistence was a little powdery but making sure the cookies are a little thicker and don’t get too brown took care of that problem. Makes 2 dozen cookies (approximately).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl whisk together:

1/3 cup agave or coconut nectar
1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk such as hemp or soy
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor blend:

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Blend just until mixed. Blend in:

1/2 cup shortening such as Spectrum or solid coconut oil, a tablespoon at a time

When combined and mixture is crumbly, add the liquid and blend until well mixed. Be sure to stir the mixture so that any flour on the bottom of the processor gets blended as well. For drop cookies, drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheets either lined with parchment paper or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Flatten with your palm or a lightly oiled or silicone spatula. If rolled cookies are desired, drop the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, place another sheet on top, flatten and wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour before rolling out and baking. Bake between 10 and 15 minutes depending on how thin the cookies are or how large.

Orange Sugar Cookies: Substitute orange juice for the milk and add grated rind of one orange to the dry ingredients. I also added 1 teaspoon of ground cloves, delicious!

Strawberry Sugar Cookies: Reduce brown rice and millet flours to 1/3 cup and add 1/3 cup ground dried strawberries.

Quinoa and Rice Cereal with Fruit (dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan)

I grew up in New Hampshire and my mother was always very frustrated with me in the winter because I absolutely refused to eat any type of hot cereal. I remember distinctly back in the 1950s and 1960s that Maypo was the go to hot cereal along, of course, with oatmeal. Not for me! I hated hot cereal, it was always so slimy in my mouth. Probably the way my mother cooked it. My mother would be so upset with me now to see how much hot cereal I eat during the winter. This is one of my favorites. I used to buy expensive quinoa and rice cereal already premade, just add the liquid and cook it. Now I make my own; so easy and it can be done with the new overnight refrigerator technique. I give you the stovetop version here. Makes two servings.

In a medium saucepot:

1/2 cup white quinoa
1 small pear diced
8-10 blackberries or raspberries (blackberries don’t break up as much as raspberries so I usually use those and its fine to take them out of the freezer and add them into the pot frozen)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash or two of salt

In a blender, blend until mainly smooth:

1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cold water

Add this to the pot, cover and cook over low heat, stirring frequently. This will thicken quickly because of the fruit so be sure to stir often. Keeping it covered insures that the quinoa cooks. When the quinoa looses its white sheen, its cooked. If its too wet, cook uncovered for a few more minutes.

Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup if the fruit hasn’t gotten it sweet enough. You can also feel free to add a tablespoon of ground flax, some chia seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, etc. Or substitute an apple for the pear.

To use the overnight refrigerator technique, put all the ingredients into a large mason jar, shake to mix (or stir), and refrigerate overnight. Heat up in the morning and enjoy.