Chicken Gumbo - A Gluten Free Version

Chicken Gumbo  (my gluten free version)

Adapted from “Southern Sideboards” © 1978

Chop 2 large onions, 4 stalks celery, 1 green or red pepper, set aside.

Make a roux in a heavy soup pot:  ¼ cup oil and 1 heaping Tablespoon brown rice flour.  Stir constantly over medium high heat until a rich dark color is achieved (compare to an old copper penny for color depth).

Add the chopped vegetables to stop the roux process.  Stir over heat until the vegetables are soft.  While the vegetables are cooking, add 3 finely minced or crushed garlic cloves. 

Add these next ingredients, then simmer 30 minutes:

2 cups chicken broth

1 can tomatoes – stewed or diced

4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

4 bay leaves

2 Tablespoons parsley

Add chicken pieces, leftover cooked chicken, Cajun sausage, etc. as desired  (I add about 1.5 lb meat – may be precooked or uncooked – then deboned and shredded after cooking)

Add 1 bag frozen okra ( 12 oz. is what I am able to find in Montana)

Cook gumbo over medium heat for 2 – 3 hours, stirring occasionally.  Serve in bowls over a mound of rice with pepper sauce on the side.

Recipe can be doubled and freezes well.

To make a soup version – increase broth and add cooked rice so dish is all inclusive.

Egg Strata Casserole (Make Ahead)

This is my adaptation of a recipe I saw printed on a calendar!  Everyone who has tried it has loved it!  The eggs, sausage, cheese, greens, caramelized onions and capers have been included every time I have made it, but I have changed up the other vegetable ingredients according to what I happened to have on hand at the time.  It has never been less than wonderful!

Egg Strata Casserole  (Make Ahead)

1 ½ lb ground breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled

1 large onion, chopped and sautéed until caramelized

16 oz bag of fresh greens, steamed and chopped or use frozen (squeeze out liquid)

1 bunch broccoli, steamed and chopped (optional)

3 oz jar of capers, drained

1 sweet pepper, chopped and sautéed (optional)

2 carrots, peeled, sliced and steamed until tender (optional)

1 ½ cup shredded cheese (I use a blend of Manchego and Pecorino Romano sheep cheeses)

12 eggs, beaten

Lightly grease a 9 x 13” baking dish.  Sprinkle the bottom with the cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage.  Layer on the next ingredients in the order listed:  caramelized onions, cooked greens (may be kale, swiss chard, spinach or a combination of greens), capers, and other optional vegetables of your choice:  broccoli, carrots, sweet peppers, or any other vegetables you have on hand that appeal to you.

Sprinkle the grated cheese over the  top of the strata of sausage and vegetables.  At this point, the casserole may be covered and stored in the refrigerator overnight.

About 45 minutes before you plan to serve the dish, beat the dozen eggs and pour them evenly over the top of the sausage / vegetable / cheese strata.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes or until the eggs are set. 

Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce

I really try to avoid nightshades and that includes tomatoes - which means a lot of wonderful dishes are not available to me.  While in Mexico, I was reading some recipe books and I found multiple recipes for making sauce with tomatillos.  They are not related to tomatoes.  Not a nightshade.  Actually - they are related to gooseberries, apparently.  So, I thought it would be worth a try.....this sauce is delicious!

Mexican Green Tomato Sauce

Tomatillo Sauce for Enchiladas

4 or 5 medium size tomatillos

1 clove garlic

1 dried Ancho chili

1 dried Serrano chili

¼ cup agave nectar

Peel tomatillos, cut into quarters and cover with water in a saucepan.

Simmer on medium high heat until tomatillos begin to break down.

Remove pan from heat and add garlic and dried chilies.  Set aside for 15 minutes until chilies are soft.  Remove stems from chilies and add pour everything into a blender –adding in the agave nectar.  Blend until sauce is liquefied. 

This sauce may now be refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.

Reheat the sauce in a skillet large enough to dip the tortillas into if making enchiladas.

Black Eyed Pea Sausage Soup

Black Eyed Pea Sausage Soup

New Year’s Luck Soup (a soup version of Hoppin’ John)

2 lb dried black eyed peas

1 lb cooked link sausage of your choice (I used a chicken sausage – Adelle’s Pineapple-Bacon)

3 quarts chicken or vegetable broth plus water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped

3 cups carrots, chopped

3 cups celery, chopped

6 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 bay leaves

1.    Sort through black eyed peas, removing pebbles, debris, etc.   Cover black eyed peas with water – about 2” above the level of the peas in your pot.  Soak for 4 hours or overnight.

2.    Caramelize onions in olive oil, then add the other vegetables and sauté them until all are tender.

3.    Add vegetables and bay leaves to stockpot and add drained, soaked black eyed peas.  Add broth.  Add more liquid as needed to keep the peas submerged during cooking.  Simmer several hours until peas are soft. 

4.    At this point, you may wish to remove several cups of the mixture and puree in the blender to make a creamier soup base.  Return the puree to the pot and add the diced cooked sausage and Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Simmer 30 minutes longer, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

5.    For my New Year’s Open House, I made this soup the day before and reheated to serve it from the crock pot.  The flavor seemed to improve the second day.

Butternut Squash Soup

 This is a recipe from Meshell.  She was gifted with a squash from Grandma's garden and she made this delicious soup!  I do not eat any food in the gourd family, so I was not able to enjoy it beyond a tiny taste.  Yum!

Buttercup Squash Soup
Adapted by Meshell Shumaker

1 medium to large size Buttercup squash
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 small, or 1 large, yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock

Generous pinch of ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut the squash in half, scoop out seeds and stringy insides, then prick flesh with a fork. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on flesh and set halves face down in baking sheet in approximately 1/2 inch of water. Bake for about 45 minutes until flesh is soft.
3. While squash is baking, caramelize onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
4. After squash is tender, scoop flesh out of skin.
5. In a food processor, add roasted squash, onions, coconut milk, stock, salt, and pepper and process until smooth. Serve.

Makes approximately 8 servings.

Gluten Free Turkey Pot Pie (or Chicken)

My family looks forward to the leftovers from holiday turkey dinners.  I make as much gravy as possible in order to have enough left over for pot pie.  This is such a comfort food!

Turkey Pot Pie

I make this pie with whatever I happen to have leftover.  Quantities can be varied according to preference and availability.

1.    Lightly grease a 9 x 13” baking dish

2.    Sprinkle cubed cooked turkey or chicken evenly over the bottom of the dish, along with any other cooked vegetables you may wish to add.  If you have enough to fill the pan 2/3 full, you may not need to add more vegetables.

3.    If more vegetables are needed, peel and cube carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onion, celery and add them to a 4 quart pot.  Cover with water or turkey or chicken broth and simmer for 15 minutes until tender.  If you want to add other vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, or green peas – add them for the last 5 minutes so they don’t overcook.

4.    If you have used water for cooking, drain off excess, if you have used broth, thicken it with a paste of equal parts brown rice flour and tapioca starch flower mixed with water. 

5.    Now, add whatever leftover gravy you have to the pot in which you cooked the vegetables and stir to heat it through.

6.    Pour the vegetable gravy mixture over the meat in the baking dish.

7.    Gently cover the top of the gravy, meat and vegetable mixture with a thin layer of crust (recipe below).  

8.    Bake at 400 degrees until crust is golden brown and gravy is bubbling around the edges of the pot pie.

Crust

2 cups brown rice flour

½ cup tapioca starch flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

Cut in ¼ cup solid coconut oil (you can use any other solid shortening you like – even margarine is OK) until dough is crumbly – like a pie crust.

Add approximately ¾ cup water or dairy free liquid (I use coconut milk) as needed to make a firm dough.

Mix until the dough holds together, adding more liquid as needed.

Roll out between 2 sheets of waxed paper (dough is sticky)

Cut into 3” squares with a pizza cutter and use a pancake turner to transfer squares to the baking dish which is now filled with the turkey stew.  Overlap squares as needed to cover dish completely.

*Any leftovers are a treat sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and baked on a cookie sheet.