It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Friends, Food & Fun Times! Every other day there is something fun to do, gifts to purchase, and holiday planning to be had, that this time of the year always catches my off guard with how much I miss spending time in my kitchen. Since I haven't been a crazy housewife lately, I thought I would post some updates about where I've been, and what I've been eating along the way. It's been a little nerve wracking knowing that I am unable to grab a bite at any restaurant like I used to, but thanks to the internet, I've been able to find places that satisfy my issues and still be served amazing food! Here's a few of the places I've visited so far this holiday season:

Kona Grill - They have a gluten-free menu and their happy hour is fabulous! If you decide to check it out, I highly recommend their shrimp and chicken wraps (w/o side sauce). It's a great place to catch up with great friends and not be worried about what you can and can't have since they offer a seperate GF menu.

Nicoise Salad @ Lifetime Fitness LifeCafe - With 22g protein and only 360 calories - what a great lunch or dinner! The nicoise salad has everything in it. Potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, tuna salad, green beans, onions and olive tapenade. This satisfies any palette.

Wildfire Steaks, Chops, and Seafood - Simply superb! I have been to Wildfire twice in the 2009 holiday season already and both times they have amazed me with their gluten-free capabilities. They have an extensice gluten-free menu. They bake their own bread, so the first time I went I had a hamburger with roasted veggies on the side...I haven't had a hamburger in months and it was unreal! I've been missing out. The second time I went there I had their signature Wildfire chopped salad which is always satisfying and delicious with all the chopped veggies they add. I also saw on their menu that they offer GF pizza...looks like I gotta go back! :)

Chianti Grill - This restaurant also has an extensive gluten-free menu and I was able to have some pasta! Holy goodness - I'm on a carb high! I haven't had carbs like this in a long time, but gosh they are missed! :) I enjoyed GF Mostaccioli & Caprese Salad. This pasta had great rice noodles and lots of cheese, so I couldn't have as much as I wanted to, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

Gluten-Free Any Berry Scones

I woke up this morning with some confidence after all the risotto success...so I believe it's time to challenge myself with that bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour Mix. I initially told myself I wasn't going to bake for a while until I really got myself settled into this new lifestyle, but one trip to the grocery store later and I had everything I needed for some ooey-gooey scones. Can gluten-free treats be ooey-gooey? I hope so. I guess I should also inform you that I am not a baker. I'm an aspiring cook. I do not specialize in anything with batter or flour or treats. I've had a few ugly run-ins with baking and wiped it off my list of things to accomplish in my lifetime. It's just not for me. But gluten-free baking...hmm. Is it easier? I guess we'll see. The Mister was home for an extra hour this morning and I thought it would be great to send him along with some warm breakfast blackberry scones, gluten-free style. It's early enough...maybe his tastebuds will be a little forgiving? ;)

Any Berry (this is Blackberries) Scone

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

     2 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour

     1 level tsp. xanthan gum

     1 tBsp. baking powder
     1/2 tsp. salt
     2 tBsp. sugar
     5 tBsp. unsalted butter, diced (and COLD)*
     1 cup cream or soy milk
     1 cup any berries

Combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt & sugar in a large bowl. Transfer 1-2 tablespoons of this dry ingredient mixture to a small bowl & add the berries you plan to use. Toss the berries to coat and set aside.

To the large bowl with the dry ingredients, add the cold diced butter. Cut it in. You can either use a pastry cutter or two knives & pretend like you’re cutting steak with them over & over. The mixture should look coarse when you’re done.

Add in the cream or milk and stir to combine. The dough will come together. Handling it as little as possible, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a rectangle about 1/2″ thick.

Cut the dough into triangles. Transfer the triangles to baking sheets lined with parchment paper, a couple inches apart. Brush with a bit of milk and sprinkle with a tiny bit of granulated sugar, if you like.

Bake at 400F degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the scones are puffed up and slightly brown around the edges. Serve right away.

*The trick here is to keep the butter cold. I usually dice the butter and then stick it in the freezer for a few minutes to ensure it’s good and cold.

Recipe Review:
YUMMY SUCCESS! I dusted them with milk on the top to get them golden brown. I used frozen blackberries and they had a sweet and savory flavor about them. I didn't have the 'cut into triangles' idea down or the 'place a few inches apart' so they didn't take on the true scone look when they came out of the oven. The Mister thought they could use a little more sugar - but since they're scones, and I don't eat a lot of sugar right now, I thought they were perfect. I surprised the Mister with them - It was a great way for him to start the day. He ate 3, brought 2 with him for the day and now I realize why people make double batches and freeze some.

This recipe is officially my first gluten-free baking experience and a recipe that will be used over and over again!  Life is delicious!

Cooking for a Guest

What excitement! I'm done with the elimination diet and it's time to celebrate - gluten-free style! We have a guest for dinner and I'm going to keep it simple and fresh. Stuffed chicken breast with asparagus that the Mister can be in charge of, sweet potato wedges that can roast while we cook and some risotto. I've never made risotto, but it's the one thing that I love to order whenever it's on the menu and I think it will go great as a side for this meal. I've heard it's time consuming - the consistent stirring doesn't let you get far from the kitchen, but goodness, it's worth a try.

Spring Stuffed Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

     3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
     5 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
     1 lemon, juiced and zested
     1/4 cup parsley (about a handful), chopped
     4 chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each), butterflied and
        pounded to 1/4-inch thick
     4 slices proscuitto cotto or any good quality ham
     4 slices fontina cheese (about 4 ounces)
     Salt and freshly ground black pepper
     1/2 cup dry white wine
     1 large bunch of asparagus

Place a large, tall-sided skillet with 1-2 inches of water over high heat and bring up to a boil to cook the asparagus.

Working with one chicken breast at a time, line the breast with the tip closest to you. Place your hand flat on top of it and, with a very sharp knife, cut into the center of the thickest part of the breast. Carefully and slowly, work your way down to the tip end, cutting into the chicken.

The goal is to butterfly the breasts, cutting them just shy of completely in half. Open up the chicken breast as if it were a book and pound it out slightly under a piece of plastic wrap with a heavy skillet. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

In a small bowl, combine the thyme, lemon zest and parsley. Lay each butterflied chicken breast out on a flat work surface so each breast is open. Sprinkle the insides of each chicken breast with the thyme and lemon zest mixture. Add a slice of proscuitto cotto to each piece and top with a slice of fontina cheese.

Fold each piece over to enclose the ham and cheese in the chicken breasts. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pre-heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with three turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Add the seasoned, stuffed chicken breasts to the hot skillet and brown for 5 minutes.

Gently flip the chicken over and continue to brown for another 5 minutes. Add a 1/2 cup of dry white wine to the skillet and cook until the wine has reduced by half.

Once you have the chicken working in the skillet, add a generous amount of salt to the skillet with the boiling water. Simmer the spears for 3-5 minutes until just tender.

Drain the asparagus and squeeze the lemon juice over the top. To serve, plate asparagus, top with the chicken breasts and spoon sauce over the top.

4 Servings.

Recipe Review:
The Mister made an incredible main dish!!! He sure was proud of it too…and he should have been! It was so flavorful. The thyme, proscuitto cotto, fontina cheese, parsley and lemon zest added so much to our typical, plain chicken flair - we giggled because we used to wonder why we got sick of making chicken (Plain + BBQ sauce = boring!) This stuffed chicken was very moist - even the next day as one piece was actually leftover.

Sweet Potato Wedges
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes

     2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
     Extra-virgin olive oil
     2 Tbsp. Cajun spice mix

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a cookie sheet into the oven. In a large mixing bowl, toss sweet potatoes in olive oil to evenly coat. Toss onto the hot cookie sheet and spread out into one even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, then use a spatula to turn. Bake for a further 20 minutes until crispy and golden. Dust with Cajun spices and serve.

Serves 4-6.
Recipe Review:
AWESOME!!! After making these and realizing we love the flavor of sweet potatoes, this opens so many doors for more vegetable choices in the house. The Mister added a little bit of real maple syrup for some added sweetness - but they don't even need it. They are like little candies - it seems wrong to call them a vegetable! :)
 

Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Risotto
Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 25 minutes (plus 1 hour to roast garlic)
 
     1 head garlic
     2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
     2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
     3 cans water
     1 medium onion, chopped
     1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms
     Salt and freshly ground black pepper
     2 1/2 cups long-grain rice
     2 tablespoons unsalted butter
     1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Slice the top off the head of garlic. Put it on a large square of aluminum foil and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the extra-virgin olive oil over the exposed cloves. Wrap the foil around and over the garlic. Roast until it is soft, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Pour the 2 cans of broth into a saucepan, over low heat, and add 3 cans of water. Bring to a simmer.

In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until the mushrooms release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute to toast.

Add 2 ladles full of hot broth to the pan and gently stir the rice. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Adjust the heat so that the pan is just gently bubbling. Continue adding broth and stirring until all the broth is used and the rice is cooked but not mushy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Once the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is nice and creamy, stir in the butter, Parmesan and the garlic pulp. Cover and let rest for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

Reserve 3 cups for Risotto Cakes.

4-6 Servings.
 
Recipe Review:
First time ever making risotto from scratch! I had roasted the garlic the day before so we didn't have to wait for that an hour while it cooked. As for the long-grain rice, I used a basmati rice and it worked great. It cooked well and soaked up all the other flavors. I'm sure you could use arborio as well. I also used the Kraft shaker for the parmesan cheese which had good flavor, but was also the reason for only 4 stars vs. 5. So, next time I'm determined to use a good, organic brand of cheese such as Organic Valley. This dish needed a little bit of salt & pepper but the flavor was excellent. LOTS of leftovers - going to make risotto cakes tomorrow night with the extras!