Food Challenges

Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced
¼ cup celery, thinly sliced
¼ cup sweet onion, finely chopped (substitute chives, green onions or shallots)
1 Tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped (substitute 1/2 tsp dried sage)
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste


Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Stir well. Set aside in the refrigerator until you are ready to use your chicken salad in a sandwich, on a bed of greens, grilled romaine leaves or in a cheese bowl.


Serve cold. Makes 2 servings

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The Food Revolution

I have joined Jamie Oliver’s North American Food Revolution. I think it’s especially important for people with Celiac Disease, gluten/wheat intolerance and multiple food sensitivities to make the effort to eat as healthy and nutritious meals as they can afford. Continue Reading…

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Time and Effort Pay off – Lasagne Bolognese

This is a recipe that I have adapted from my original to gluten free. It’s one I’ve made, in its traditional form, for my family for decades. I have updated it to reflect my change in lifestyle. There is a focus on organic, gluten free and fresh ingredients in this new recipe. Continue Reading…

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Mini Cannelloni

After we made lasagne recently, I had some pasta and ricotta cheese mixture left over. I decided to try making some cannelloni and was very pleased with the results! Please refer to “The Great Lasagne Adventure – Valentine’s Day 2010” for details on how to make the pasta and the ingredients for the ricotta cheese mixture. This dish is quick and easy.


Preheat the oven to 350F


4 sheets of gluten free lasagne pasta
1 cup ricotta cheese mixture
2 – 3 cups tomato sauce (your favourite gluten free mixture)
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
Freshly ground pepper to taste


Cook the pasta sheets in boiling, salted water for two minutes. Dry on a paper towel or clean tea towel.


Use an 8 x 8 inch glass casserole dish and cover the bottom with a layer of tomato sauce.


Lay a sheet of lasagne pasta on a board lengthwise, with the thin end facing you. Take a generous tablespoon of the ricotta cheese mixture and place it at the end closest to you in a line across the pasta. Roll the pasta around the cheese mixture until the pasta slightly over laps. Cut the pasta horizontally to make your first completed cannelloni. Set the mini cannelloni in the casserole dish, seam side down, on top of the tomato sauce. Repeat until all the sheets of lasagne pasta have been made into mini cannelloni. It will make 8 to 10 mini cannelloni, depending on how large you make them.





Cover the mini cannelloni with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle the fresh parsley and pepper on top. Add the grated mozzarella cheese.








Bake at 350F in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or until the sauce and cheese are bubbling hot. Place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the cheese.





It makes 2 portions. Sever hot with a romaine side salad.

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Jazzed-Up Cauliflower Soup

1 head of organic cauliflower, cleaned and cut into florets
1 large sweet organic onion, peeled and diced
4+ cups chicken or vegetable broth ( low sodium )
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp olive oil


In a large pot, saute the onions in the oil until they are translucent. Add the chicken broth, cauliflower and bay leaf. Make sure you have enough liquid to just cover the cauliflower. Place a lid on the pot and simmer until the cauliflower is tender ( about 15 minutes ). Remove the soup from the heat and discard the bay leaf. In batches, blend the soup until it is a velvety texture. Return it to the pot and keep it warm. Add more liquid if it is too thick. Personally, I like my soups thick and velvety, so I don’t add any more liquid.

fresh chives
bacon
cheese
nutmeg
salt & pepper


While the soup is cooking, finely chop some chives. Chop and cook some bacon. Finely grate some cheese. Assemble your herbs and spices. Place these additions on the table for individual use.


Ladel the soup into a bowl and serve. Each person can then “jazz-up” their soup based on their individual preferences. I like to layer mine with sea salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Then I top it with chives, cheese and bacon. It’s delicious!

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Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts

2 large chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless

Marinade:
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3Tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed and minced
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cracked pepper corns ( I use a blend )
½ tsp dried parsley ( substitute tarragon or thyme if desired )

Combine the ingredients and whisk well to mix. Add the chicken breasts and coat well. Place in a sealed container or re-sealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. Turn over occasionally.

2 carrots, thinly sliced ( I use organic carrots, so I don’t peel them )
½ a sweet onion, sliced
½ cup sweet seedless purple grapes, cut in half
2 long ( 5” ) sprigs of sage leaves, washed and dried
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
White wine
Lemon juice

This recipe is put together in layers on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the 2 sprigs of sage leaves on the parchment paper in the middle of the baking sheet. In a frying pan over medium heat, sauté the onion slices in olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes with a bit of salt and pepper, until they begin to become soft and translucent. Place the sautéed onion on top of the sage sprigs. In the same frying pan, using the same oil, sauté the carrot slices, with a bit of salt and pepper, for 2 to 3 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from the pan and create a new layer on top of the onions and sage. Then add the halved grapes as the next layer. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and place on top of the herbs, grapes and vegetables.

Deglaze the frying pan with ¼ cup of white wine ( I used some rose champagne I had left over ) and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Reduce to 2 – 3 Tbsp. Pour on top of the chicken breasts. Place in the middle of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 150F. Remove from the oven and allow to rest, covered, as the meat comes up to 160F.

Slice the chicken breasts on an angle into thin slices. Discard the sage sprigs. Cover each serving with the cooked onions, carrots, grapes and juice. Makes 4 servings

This dish is very aromatic and moist, even though the breasts are skinless.

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