Nothing says New Year's eve like

Curry!

Curry around here is a special treat since I can't get anyone to eat it with me. ~sigh~

But it doesn't stop me from making it.

Okay, it only says New Year's to me because I'm not one to fuss over New Years Eve.

I'll admit, I cheated with this one.  Here is how I cheated:

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 can chickpeas
1/4 cup of (store bought) red thai curry paste
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water

In a wok add oil and saute onions until they become soft. Add ginger, garlic and cumin seeds cooking for a minute. Add chickpeas and toss cooking for about three minutes, add curry paste, tomato paste and water if needed.  Simmer for about fifteen minutes.

Serve with brown rice.

Pot Luck!

Later this afternoon I'm getting together with my brothers, I guess you can say for a pre-New Year's fete of sorts. It is a pot-luck do and I'm bringing Southwestern Pulled Pork that I prepared in the slow cooker.  One of my brothers will be bringing the buns.  I wonder if he'll remember to pick me up a gluten-free bun?

Anyway, here is how it all came together:  

1 teaspoon of olive oil

2 large onions, diced

8 cloves of garlic, minced

8 shallots, minced

2 tablespoons of chilli powder

a good grind of the pepper mill

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups of chilli sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

couple of splashes of liquid smoke

couple of splashes of worcestershire sauce 

In a skillet heat the oil and saute the onions for a few minutes until they start to get soft.  Add the shallots and cook for another minute before adding the freshly minced garlic and continue cooking for another minute or so.  Season with chilli powder and black pepper.  Add the chilli sauce, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil, reduce and let it simmer for five minutes.  

Place boneless pork loin in the slow cooker, pour sauce over the pork, cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours.  Shred the pork using two forks, and let it soak up the juices while resting on the warm control.  

Serve with gluten-free buns.  

I found some leftovers!

WooHoo!  I found some crab legs hiding in the fridge. This calls for a celebration and Crab & Corn Chowder.

Here is how it came together:

2 tbsp. butter
1 cup white onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, miniced
4 cups red potatoes, diced
3 tbsp. quinoa flour
2 1/2 cups skim milk
2 tsp. fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 3/4 cup corn
1 3/4 cup seafood stock
1 cup crabmeat
3 tbsp. parsley

Melt butter in a large pot.  Add onions, saute for 3 minutes until soft.  Add garlic, saute for a minute, add potatoes and cook for another minute.  Sprinkle flour and stir into vegetables.  Add milk, stock, corn, and seasonings.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent potatoes from sticking.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked throughly.  Add crabmeat, parsley and salt to season.

And enjoy!

Breakfast...

What's that sprinkled on top of my buckwheat porridge?

Pepper?

Don't be silly.

It's chia seeds. Everyone seems to be raving about it, apparently it is the new super food. Move over quinoa. You can read about chia here.

No more leftovers?

It is three days after Christmas and there are no more leftovers in the house.  I was thinking about making Jambalaya with the saved cooking liquid from the homemade spicy sausage but all the ham is gone.  Yes, there were three brothers and three nephews at the Christmas dinner table, what was I thinking?  Of course there wouldn't be any leftover ham.

Hmmm.  And I used up all the left over roast chicken making the Starvin' Guy Chicken Pies.

I'm not sure what to cook today.

Wait a second!

Is that chorizo I see in the fridge?

It is!  The boys left behind chorizo.

I meant to say, "Yes, Virginia! There is a Santa."

I head to the freezer to dig out a container of my Red Pepper Tomato Sauce.  I'll let this defrost and will cook some corn pasta.

Can't wait for dinner.

Hmmm, now I wonder if there is any wine leftover?

Starvin Guy Chicken Pie II

This recipe has totally won me over, it is delicious.  You really have to try it. I first discovered it on an episode of Greta and Janet's Eat, Shrink and Be Merry and you can find it in their new cookbook too.

The first time I made these I used gluten-free puff pastry that I picked up at Lorenzo's bakery. It worked really well, but I was quite intrigued by Greta and Janet's Sweet Potato biscuit top. The biscuit tops were less work than defrosting and rolling out the puff pastry!

This is how I made a gluten-free version of the sweet potato biscuit.

1 cup of gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used an all-purpose flour made from beans)
1/2 cup quinao flour
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup roasted and mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup 1% milk with a squeeze of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons of melted butter.

It turned out better than I hoped for and yea, comfort food for a chilly day.
 

Paella Valenciana

I think this is the best paella recipe ever!

1/2 cup olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 lb chorizo, cut into chunks
3 - 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
12 to 16 large shrimps, peeled and deveined
10 large scallops
8 oysters, scrubbed
12 mussels, scrubbed
8 clams in shells, scrubbed
6 crab claws
1 lb red snapper, cut into chunks
3 cups seafood stock
pinch of saffron
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1/4 cup white wine
green peas for garnish

Pour olive oil in large heavy stock pot (one that will fit in the oven later).  Add onions and green peppers and saute until just limp.

Add tomatoes, garlic and bay leaf.  Cook five minutes.

Add Italian sausage and chicken and saute until tender, stir to prevent sticking or burning.

Add seafood, stock,

saffron, and salt.

When this boils, add rice.  Stir and bring to a second boil.

Cover and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  To serve, sprinkle with wine and garnish with peas.