Food Challenges

Tortiere Medallions

My husband, Paul, is French Canadian and enjoys a traditional meat pie called Tortiere. My mother has an excellent recipe, which we bake on Christmas Eve for dinner. Tortiere has been a favourite in our family for many years, but I have had to forgo this savoury pie when it’s served, because of the pastry.

Recently, while watching “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” with Guy Fieri, on the Food Network, I saw a cook wrap a meatloaf in bacon. (Please don’t ask which episode. I have no idea!) That concept gave me some ideas which lead to this recipe. The results were fabulous and gluten free. Now I can enjoy all the flavours of Tortiere without the crust! Continue Reading…

Cheeseburger Pie

When my children were young and I was a single, working Mom, I liked to have quick and easy meals at my finger tips. One of my children’s favourite dishes was the impossible pie I made using Bisquick. There were many variations, but Impossible Cheesburger Pie was one they requested often. When I started eating gluten free, I dropped that recipe from my repitoire. Today, I decided to try and create a GF version. The recipe required a bit of tweeking, but the second pie was great. Here’s a bit of comfort food that’s back on the menu!

1 lb ground (minced) meat (beef, lamb, veal, bison, chicken, turkey)
1 cup onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced & crushed (2 tsp)
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar)
3 tsp Herb de Provence
3 eggs
1.5 cups milk
Salt and pepper
½ cup GF biscuit mix:
I used ¼ cup tapioca starch, ¼ cup quinoa flour, ¼ cup sweet rice flour, ¼ cup teff flour, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp xanthan gum and ½ tsp salt. I used ½ cup and reserved the second ½ cup for the next pie.

In a frying pan, sauté the ground meat, onion, garlic and 2 tsp of the Herb de Provence until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a blender, combine the eggs, milk GF biscuit mix, and remaining 1 tsp Herb de Provence. Blend on high for 15 seconds or whisk by hand for a minute.

Grease a large, deep pie plate. Place the cooked ground meat on the bottom and spread it around to form an even layer. Top this mixture with the grated cheese. Pour the egg and milk mixture on top. Use a fork to push down into the pie, in numerous locations, to allow the milk and egg to penetrate the meat and cheese.

Bake in a hot oven, 400F, for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted.

Allow the pie to rest on a rack for 10 minutes. Cut the pie into 8 slices and serve hot with a salad or cooked vegetables. Use chilli sauce or ketchup as a condiment.

Nutritional Information: approximations only

1/8 of a pie is 156 g
244 calories
10.8 g fat
0 g fibre

High in Vitamin A and C, Calcium and Iron