Spinach and Ricotta Crepes - Gluten Free

I have been listening to so many people talk about Gluten Free recipes lately
that I thought I would give one a try. No one in my family has any gluten
allergies but I have several friends who do so learning a how to make a
gluten free meal will prove to be good resource. 

I liked this recipe for Spinach and Ricotta crepes because it reminded me of
Manicotti, which my family makes from scratch for Christmas Eve Dinner. 
I adapted this recipe from Simply Gluten Free.


Spinach and Ricotta Crepes

Ingredients


5 large organic, cage free eggs

7 tablespoons water – use divided

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Kosher or fine sea salt and pepper

Gluten free, non-stick cooking spray

2 tablespoon olive oil – use divided

4 cloves garlic, minced – use divided

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 ounces baby spinach leaves

2 cups ricotta cheese (part skim or full fat) at room temperature

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1tbs. lemon zest

½ cup grated parmesan cheese – use divided

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 tbs. dried oregano

Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar for tomatoes



Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the chopped onion and cook for 2 -3 minutes, add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for about 1 more minute. Add the spinach, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Let cool then place the spinach in a paper towel and squeeze out all the water. Place the spinach in a mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese and ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg and mix well. Set aside for now.


In a small casserole dish put your cherry tomatoes, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/4 cup  or so of olive oil and 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of dried oregano. Roast these tomatoes on 375 for about 20 - 25 minutes. Until the liquid gets a little thicker and the cherry tomatoes get real soft.   This can cook while you make and fill the crepes.  Add the fresh basil to the tomatoes when you take them out of the oven.    



With a fork, beat the eggs with 5 tablespoons water and a pinch of salt until the whites and yolks of the eggs are fully incorporated. Stir in the chopped parsley.

Heat a 6 inch non-stick crepe pan or small skillet over medium heat. Test the pan by dropping a tiny bit of water on it and listening for a "sizzle sound".  If you hear the sizzle - you are ready to start cooking.
Spray the pan lightly with some cooking spray. 
Pour or ladle about 3-4 tablespoons of the egg mixture into the pan (or enough to create a thin coating on the pan) .
Move the pan back and forth to evenly distribute the egg mixture.
Cook about 2 minutes or until the edges come away from the pan slightly and the bottom is browned. Carefully flip the crepe over and cook about one more minute then slide crepe out of pan onto a plate. Continue until you have 10-12 crepes.

Spray a 9 inch by 12 inch baking dish with some cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on each crepe, roll into a log and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all crepes have been filled and rolled. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the filling is warm.

Top the crepes with the roasted tomatoes and serve.

 This is a very savory dish. Nice and light. The roasted tomatoes add a nice sweetness
 to the creamy ricotta filling.  Ok my gluten free friends I found a dish I can make for you. 

Making Baby Cakes at the Viking School of Cooking

This week I took the "Baby Cakes" class at the Viking School of Cooking with my friend Linda.
We had a great time learning how to make four different types of mini cakes.  

The Menu was:
Pound Cake Petit Fours
Chocolate Bouchons
Mini Mason Jar Strawberry Cakes
Little Lemon Pudding Cakes

As you will see from the photos below ~ I think all the cakes turned out great!
My favorite was Lemon Pudding Cakes and the Chocolate Bouchons.

If you like interactive cooking classes you should check out the
Viking School of Cooking.
http://www.vikingcookingschool.com/hc-cgi-bin/hc?templ=new_vcs/calendar.html&store=36
The chefs that taught our class, Sandra & Leslie,
were super friendly and gave a lot of great tips to us as they showed us
how to make each cake.    You also get to keep all the recipes! 

                                                           Pound Cake Petit Fours

                                                 Mini Mason Jar Strawberry Cakes

                                                      


                                                               Chocolate Bouchons

                                   One of each on a plate for eating of course - YUM!!

Peachtree Road Farmers Market

Thank you Robin for introducing me to the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.

What a delightful market, super organized and filled with so many great vendors.

We enjoyed a wonderful Saturday morning at the market listening to music and strolling

along as we checked out each vendor. 

Jim had a very yummy blueberry and peach tart from

the Red Queen of Tarts.

http://www.redqueentarts.com/

I had a excellent apple and cheddar tart from

the Little Tart Bakeshop.

http://www.littletartatl.com/

and of course we had to stop by the

King of Pops cart and try

some of their homemade pops.

              There were so many other great vendors but we couldn't get treats from all of them.
                                                                     
                                                                 H&F Bread Company

Greendale Farm - selling Artisanal Raw Milk Cheeses

 .

Souper Jenny

Peachtree Road Farmers Market, we will be back!!



Crock Pot Pulled Pork

There are not a lot of recipes on my blog that involve the crock pot and
that's not because I don't like it ~ it's just a different type of cooking.
Most of the time I enjoy the chopping, sautéing, multi-tasking that preparing
a meal usually requires but there area lso times where I wish making
dinner took less of my time.

I find that crock pot cooking is great for those times when you don't have
the time to be in the kitchen for hours but you still want a good meal. 
The beauty of crock pot cooking is you can put all the ingredients in the
 pot and walk away or even go to work and come back to a good meal.

This is a very easy recipe for Pulled Pork that is made in a crock pot.
The pork turns out so tender and has a wonderful flavor.


Pulled Pork Recipe


4-5 lb. Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt
1  ( 18 ounce) bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 (12 ounce ) can of Root Beer
1/2 cup of Chipotle Enchilada Sauce
1 tbsp of spicy mustard
1 tsp. of chipotle seasoning


Pour all the ingredients in the crock pot
except the pork shoulder.  Mix the sauces
and seasonings around until they are
combined. Place the pork shoulder in the
crock pot.  It is ok if it is not completely
covered with the sauce.  Use a spoon
to pour a little sauce over the top.


Cook the pork on low for 7 -8 hours
turning it once or twice. 


You will know when it is done because
the pork will be so tender it will break
apart easily with a fork. 



I only had a 3.5 lb pork shoulder and it cooked for about
6 hours. It fell apart so easily.   I sauted onions and apples
 in a little butter and added a little spicy mustard and a
splash of apple cider vinegar. 

                                 I place the pulled pork on nice rolls and topped it with
                                                           the onion, apple mixture.
                                                                  EXCELLENT!

Carrot Soup with Curry and Ginger

Somehow, even though I am not at work, the day goes by so fast. 
There are so many things I want to try an accomplish over these next
few weeks.  Everywhere I turn I get distracted by a project and before
I know it is 5:00 and time to think about making dinner.

I made Carrot Soup because it just seemed like an appropriate summer recipe.
Don't worry it wasn't just Carrot Soup ~ It was Carrot Soup with Curry & Ginger
and then topped with roasted red peppers and pepitas.

I don't have exact measurements so you will have to be a little adventurous when
making this dish.  You can do it!

Carrot Soup with Curry and Ginger

1 bag of whole carrots (about 10 -12)
1/2 white onion , sliced
pinch of thyme
pinch of salt
honey
1 tsp. of curry powder
1/2 tsp of ginger powder
1 cup of almond milk
1 cup of chicken broth

Wash and peel the carrots.  Cut them in half. Slice the onion, leaving large pieces.
Place the carrots and onion on a baking dish and pour a little oil over them.
Sprinkle a little dry thyme and salt over the carrots and onions.  Mix them well and
then put them in the oven.  Cook them at 400 degrees for about 25 -30 minutes,
until the carrots turn a little brown.

Take the carrots and onions out of the oven and let them cool.  Once cooled,
place them in a food processor.  Add the almond milk, chicken broth, curry, ginger,
and honey in the processor and blend until smooth.   Taste and add ingredients as
needed.

Pour the soup into a pan to cook.  I cooked the soup on low for about 40 minutes
so the flavors could come together. 

While the soup cooked I toasted pepitas in a pan with a little salt.  I also sliced a red
pepper up and roasted it in the oven with a little oil.

Pour the soup into a bowl. Place the red peppers and toasted pepitas on top.

Very Yummy!

Tilapia with a White Wine, Lemon, Butter Sauce

We had a wonderful dinner tonight! 
I made Tilapia with a White Wine Sauce,
Balsamic Green Bean and Tomato Salad
and Spiced Sweet Potatoes.  
It all turned out delicious!

We just returned from a week in Florida
where we ate some amazing food but
it is nice to be back at home in my own kitchen
cooking dinner for two. 


Tilapia with a White Wine, Lemon, Butter Sauce

Rinse and dry your Tilapia Fillets
Make a simple flour and seasoning mixture to
bread the fish in .   I used flour, salt , thyme and
oregano.   I lightly floured the fish in the flour mixture
and set it aside while I prepared the wine sauce. 
When you cook the Tilapia, cook it in a pan with a little oil.
Only cook the fish a few minutes on each side ( about 2-3)
unless your fish is really thick.  I like to turn up my heat really
high for about a minute or so to get a light, crispy coating on
the outside of the fish.


White Wine Sauce:
1 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, peeled, quartered and chopped
1 tablespoon shallots, chopped finely
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 TBS of butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
pinch of pepper
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1-2 tablespoons of capers
touch of lemon zest


Heat a little oil in a pan and add the chopped shallots and let them cook on low for about 3-4 minutes.
Add the wine and lemons to the shallots and bring this mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium/low and let this simmer and reduce by half, about 15 - 20 minutes.  Stir the mixture frequently.

Add the cream and continue cooking until the liquid reduces again, about 5 minutes.

*Begin to cook the fish now**

Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time and cook for about 3-4 minutes and allow the sauce to thicken . Continue stiring the sauce.  Add the salt, pepper, parsley  and whisk to blend. Add the capers and a touch of lemon zest. Stir one last time.  Give the sauce a taste and see if you need to add anything before serving.

This is a wonderful White Wine Sauce for fish that I am sure it can be used on many different types of fish.


                                                         Delish!

 
 

Firebird Chicken Pasta

I have seen this recipe posted online by a few different people. 
Each time I looked at the ingredients I thought it sounded interesting
but I hesitated making it a week night recipe because of the number
of steps involved in the recipe. 

Since the weekend allows for a little more time to cook dinner I finally
gave this recipe a try.  I have to admit that this pasta dish is" packed full of flavor. 
It is not a hot dish but it is a little spicy.


Firebird Chicken Pasta

* I did not have a Chili Rub so I just mixed the ingredients the recipe has listed  to make
my own adding more of the chili powder, paprika and cajun spices and just a pinch of
the cayenne pepper, salt and sugar.

* This recipe is for 2lbs of pasta so if you are making less you may want to make less of the cream sauce.

Cream Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil


1/3 cup chile rub (ancho chile powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, sugar and salt)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

Roux (Whisk 2 Tbsp flour with 1/2 cup of chicken stock to make a paste)

1 1/2 cups asiago cheese, grated

3 tbsp basil, roughly chopped

Firebird’s Chicken Pasta

2 lbs penne pasta

4 chicken breasts, grilled

4 slices apple wood-smoked bacon, cooked

3 cups chile asiago cream sauce (see recipe)

3 tbsp green onions, chopped

1 large fresh tomato, diced

Parsley

Sauce:
Heat the oil in a sauce pan on medium heat, add the shallots and garlic and cook
about 5-7 minutes.  Add the chili rub.  Mix well. 
Add the wine and cook on medium / high until reduced by half.  Add the chicken stock
(the half cup that is left after you made the roux) and bring to a simmer. 
Add the heavy cream, milk, salt, pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the roux ,  asiago cheese and basil. 
 
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. ( I seasoned my chicken with a little bit of the chili rub).
Cook on medium high. Set aside .  Cook the bacon, set aside.
 
Cook the pasta.
 
While the pasta is cooking dice the green onion and tomato, chop the cooked bacon, and slice the chicken.
 
Drain the pasta.  Place it back in a big pot.  Add the cream sauce over the pasta and stir well.  Add in the green onions, bacon, tomato and stir.   Serve with a little parsley or basil on top.
 
 

 
 
                                            Yummy pasta dish ~ packed full of flavor.