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I was looking for a different way, perhaps a little lighter in calories, to cook fish, and came up with the following. Cooking times are inexact as I was just winging this, but this worked wonderfully. The sauce is excellent and can be spooned over rice, or thickened and spooned over polenta or baked potatoes.

Catfish Thai Style

1 pound catfish fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon nam pla (fermented fish sauce)
2 tablespoons water
3/4 teaspoon curry powder **
salt to taste
6 or 7 stems fresh cilantro

Rinse cilantro, remove the thickest part of stems (below the first leaves) and set aside.

In a non-stick skillet combine the oils, vinegar, nam pla, water, curry powder and salt. Spread the cilantro evenly in the pan. Lay the fish fillets over the cilantro. Cook on medium heat until sauce begins to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook about 5 minutes. Turn fish over, cover and cook 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when nudged with a fork. Serve immediately.

**Note: For curry powder I used Penzy's Bangkok Blend which gives a lemony flavor without adding citrus to the recipe.

Beets are at our Farmers Market! This is my favorite recipe. I roast the beets Sunday morning while it's still cool enough to have the oven on, then let the beets marinate in the refrigerator all day. Leftovers are excellent the next day in lunch.

Beet Salad with Cumin

1 to 2 pounds beets

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon ume plum vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the green tops off of the beets just above the beet without cutting into the beet itself. Place beets in a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 375 until soft, about 45 minutes. Remove beets from oven and allow to cool. When cool, peel and slice into a bowl.

Combine vinegars, olive oil, cumin, garlic clove and salt and pepper to taste into a blender cup, blend until smooth. Pour over beets and stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least a couple of hours.

Makes two generous servings for beet lovers with a little left over, or 4 to 5 servings for people who only eat them occasionally.

This is one of those spiced, fruit and nut filled cakes with just enough flour to hold it together. Serve with your favorite frozen or whipped topping or fruit syrup. Recipe is gluten free, casein free, soy free and egg free. Every bite just makes me want to eat more.

Flour Blend:
2 cups quinoa flour
2 cups sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour

Recipe:

1/3 cup dried dates, finely chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup flour blend
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon flax seed meal
3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 apple, finely diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.


2. Dice the dates. A food processor or blender speeds the process. Set aside.


3. Measure walnuts and set aside.


4. Whisk together flour, baking soda and powder, xanthan gum and cinnamon, set aside.


5. Cream together the shortening and sugars.


6. In blender, combine flax seed meal and water and process until thickened and creamy. Mix into the shortening and sugars along with the vanilla.


7. Dice the apple and set aside. Using a food processor with several on/off pulses does the work quickly.


8. Stir the flour into the shortening and sugar mix just until blended in. Batter will be thick.


9. Stir in the dates, nuts and apple.


10. Spread batter into pan. Bake for about 35 minutes until lightly browned on top, slightly pulled away from edge of pan, and cake tester comes out clean.

Variations:

Replace vanilla with 3 drops bergamot mint oil.

Replace cinnamon with one teaspoon lavender. Before using, blend lavender in food processor or blender with white sugar. Replace vanilla with 1/2 teaspoon rose water. This is my favorite variation.

Notes:

Feel free to play around with this recipe. I do.

Although I started this blog to post gluten free recipes, in recent months I've tended more towards dairy free recipes. In a culture that tends to cover it's food in handfuls of cheese, sometimes it seems like good dairy free alternatives are hard to come by.

In our two family groups and among our friends, we have a number of food allergies, intolerances, dietary preferences and diabetes. And of course, nobody wants to eat "weird food" which is sometimes how anything gluten free or dairy free is viewed. I keep a list of "safe" dishes I can bring to family gatherings, and I've just added this one to it. Free of gluten, dairy, trans-fats, processed sugar, animal products, and relatively easy to make, this attractive side dish goes as well on a holiday table as it does next to grilled steak or chicken.

I've slightly adapted the recipe from one published in Hometown Flavor by Therese Allen. This book is a fun compendium of bakeries, cheese factories, butcher shops and other specialty markets in Wisconsin. In the days when gas was cheaper and we didn't know about our food intolerances, we kept it in the car to use as a guide on our weekend jaunts.

Peeling pearl onions is a futzy job, made easier by following directions found here.

Maple Glazed Onions

1/2 pound white pearl onions
1/2 pound red pearl onions
3 tablespoons olive oil (or flavored oil such as rosemary)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened apple cider
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

Heat large skillet over medium heat (a non-stick skillet works well). Skillet should be large enough to hold onions in a single layer, or as close to a single layer as you can get. Add oil and onions. Sprinkle with salt and stir. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned and softened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat as necessary to keep from burning.

Add maple syrup and continue to cook, uncovered, 2 to 3 minutes. Syrup will quickly thicken. Add cider, vinegar, and pepper to taste. Raise heat and bring liquid to a hard simmer. Cook until reduced to a syrupy glaze, stirring often. Remove to a serving dish and serve, or refrigerate and reheat gently for serving at a later time.

For everyone who has ever picked up a jar of simmer sauce at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, read the label, sighed, and put it back on the shelf because it had dairy in it, here's a sauce for you. Easy and quick enough to make up after work, or make the sauce ahead of time. On a 5-pepper scale, this rates 3 peppers. Not blazingly hot, but also not for those with a dainty palate. Reduce or increase the cayenne to change the level of heat.

1.25 lbs boneless skinless chicken -- breasts or thighs
2 ounces onions, peeled and coarsely chopped (or use chopped, frozen onions)
1/2 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 ounce blanched almonds
6 ounces roasted red peppers (from a jar, about 2 peppers)
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
3 to 4 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

In a food processor or blender, combine the onion, ginger, garlic, almonds, peppers, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt. Blend, scraping sides as needed, until a relatively smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Cut chicken into bite-size cubes and set aside.

Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add oil. When hot, pour in all the paste. Stir and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the water, lemon juice or tamarind paste, and black pepper. Stir in the chicken. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer gently for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot rice. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

A leg of lamb is roasting in the oven for our holiday dinner. Outside, the temperature with wind chill is 10 below. Snow depth measures well over a foot, plenty enough to make the winter sports enthusiasts happy. I'm happy to be inside.

Early in July the wild black raspberries ripen. We spend each 4th of July in a local county park, which that day we have almost entirely to ourselves, dressed in sturdy shoes, worn jeans, and long-sleeved shirts, picking berries. They are seedier and less sweet than their red cousins, but we like them, and each year freeze as many as we can.

The Roman god Janus, for whom this month is named, looks both forward and backward, thus watching over both the ending and beginning of the year. For us, the black raspberries evoke both the summer past and the summer to come.

Tonight, this salad dressing will go nicely with romaine. Next summer, we'll grill steak to slice and serve over spring mix, and drizzle this dressing on top along with a sprinkle of toasted almonds, black olives, and sliced red onion.

Blackberry Sage and Almond Salad Dressing

1/4 cup blanched almonds
2 tbs fresh sage (1/8 cup)
1/2 cup black raspberries (frozen berries are fine)
2 tbs honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup almond oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp white pepper

Place blanched almonds in blender and pulverise. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Came up with this recipe a while back. It's fairly easy and goes well with baked meats for dinner, or next to eggs for brunch. No gluten, casein, or soy!

2 large baking potatoes (1 quart packed when thinly sliced)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp salt
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tbs olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika

Sauté onion in oil until lightly browned. Heat oven to 350°F.

Combine brown rice flour and salt in a plastic bag large enough to hold the flour and sliced potatoes. Slice potatoes in thin slices -- if you have a food processor that slices, use it. Separate slices, place in plastic bag. Shake to coat. Spread out in a 9" pie tin.

Add broth to onion, bring just to a boil. Pour over potatoes. Grind pepper over potatoes, then shake paprika over top. Bake for about 1 hour until browned. Let cool 5 minutes, then slice into wedges.

Makes 6 servings. If desired, serve with sour cream, mayonnaise, ketchup or other condiment.

Five Years

Sometime last month I passed the five year mark. Five years of being gluten free. So much has happened it’s hard to think about it or express it in any rational way. But the five-year mark is sort of a rite of passage and it’s good to recognize this point in the journey somehow ... so here’s sort of a snapshot of me at this point, sort of a brief, crazed reflection of the journey so far.

Continuing to become the best I can be, the healthiest I can be

Going dairy free: a harder struggle than going gluten-free

Going soy free: necessary, led to more healing

Wondering if I have to be egg free too, knowing I can and will face it if I must

Culinary adventures I couldn’t and wouldn’t otherwise have dreamed of

All the awesome, yummy food, yet success at making a great gluten free biscuit evades me

Being at odds with family and friends who largely don’t understand, believe, or care

Being grateful for family and friends who go out of their way to take up the challenge of making something gluten and dairy free anyway, and feeling honored by their effort

A ton of healing: emotional, physical, cognitive, and being grateful for all of it

Support, both giving and receiving, and being glad for both

Wanting to celebrate five years but I’ve been celebrating every day of the five years and I really don’t need the calories

Recognizing this has been the best five years of my life, with promise that life will continue to become better from here

Sometimes I go out with friends to a local fast food restaurant and watch them eat humongous greasy burgers served with a basket piled high with fries. Generally I am appalled at the scene, but from time to time the scent of freshly made fries trips me up and I go home with French fry envy.

Now the weather outside is frightful, with the first snowstorm of the season dropping a couple of inches as I type this. I didn't even see my friends tonight, but I must have been thinking about them because I came home and made my own version of French fries, aka Potato Pakoras.

Pakoras are Indian street food -- battered and deep-fried vegetables. The batter is ridiculously easy to make, and is naturally gluten-, dairy-, and egg-free. It does not need to sit, but is ready to use as soon as the ingredients are stirred together. So get out your fry-pot or big cast iron skillet ... these will warm you to the bones. Feel free to substitute other vegetables, zucchini for instance.

Potato Pakoras

1/3 cup besan (gram flour or garbanzo bean flour)
1 tablespoon rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup water

1 pound potatoes or other vegetables, peeled (or not) and cut into 1/4-pinch thick slices

oil for deep frying

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the water and mix to a thick paste. Add the vegetables and mix until slices are completely coated with the paste.

Heat the oil to about 340 degrees F. Add as many coated vegetable slices as the pan will hold in a single layer. Fry until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels before serving.

These could be served with a dip or chutney but they are really very fine on their own.

Found this recipe a couple of years ago in Saveur magazine. What makes this recipe is the honey and mint. Serve this with a baked dish and salad, so you've got your hands and stove-top free to fry the eggplant.

One 1/2-pound eggplant,peeled and cut into 1/8-inch crosswise slices
1 1/8 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/3 to 1/2 cup flour -- sorghum works well
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
mild olive oil for frying
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scatter sesame seeds on a small oven try and toast until lightly golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Reserve.

Soak the eggplant slices in 2 cups water mixed with 1 teaspoon of the salt for 30 minutes. Drain the eggplant and dry well on paper towels.

In a small bowl mix together the flour, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Whisk in the milk and egg. Batter is rather thin.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large skillet or use a deep fryer. Heat oil until it quickly browns a bread cube, about 400 degrees. Dip eggplant slices in the batter, coating well, then place immediately in the hot oil and cook about 30 seconds on each side, until lightly golden. Drain on paper towels.

Warm the honey in a small saucepan or microwave. Drizzle lightly over the fried eggplant rounds, sprinkle with sesame seeds and mint, and serve right away.

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Now maybe we are just super hungry when we make this, but we are noshing these hot from the skillet as soon as we get the honey, mint and seeds on. Not sure if this dish qualifies as appetizer, dessert, or vegetable, but we haven't yet had leftovers.

Recipe Notes: Use the long, slender variety of eggplant found in Asian groceries. Skip the soaking and draining steps, and use 1/2 tsp salt in the batter.