PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

THAI PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

The recipe

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 shallots, minced 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
• 1 red chili pepper, minced
• 1 small red bell pepper, minced
• 1 large omega-3 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of cold water
• 3 tablespoons gluten-free vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons Thai Fish Sauce  or gluten-free tamari
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup of fresh pineapple, cut into medium dice
• 8 medium-sized fresh, raw shrimp, peeled and devained, leave the tail on
• 1 chicken breast, cut into large dice
• 1/4 cup frozen, organic baby peas
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a pan large enough for all the ingredients.  Add the shallots, garlic, peppers, and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant and tender, just a minute or two.  Set aside.

Heat the other tablespoon of oil in the pan and pour in the egg mixture.  Let it cook through.  Do not stir.  You can gently flip it to lightly brown both sides.  Slip it into a plate and cut it into slender lengths. Set aside.

Put the meat and seafood into the pan and cook gently until they are almost cooked through.  Then add the broth, fish sauce and other seasonings, reserving the cilantro until later.  Continue to stir fry.  Add the peas.

Next add the brown rice and the pineapple and continue to stir-fry to mix all and heat through.

Plate the Thai Pineapple Fried Rice and sprinkle it with the fresh cilantro before serving.

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

YOUVARLAKIA, Greek "porcupines" in egg and lemon sauce

Pamphaios, potter Wikipedia

Lamb meatballs made with rice, simmered in chicken broth, and served in an egg and lemon sauce (avgolemono) is wonderful peasant food that can be served for any occasion. A little salad with feta to go with it - and a Lebanese or Turkish Coffee after - makes quite a heavenly little feast.  It's not too expensive.  The rice helps stretch the meat.

"Porcupines" in Lemon Sauce, Youvarlakia, (Wheat-and-Gluten Free)

The recipe

Serves four

Prepare the meatballs:

• 1 pound of ground lamb
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1/4 cup Lundberg Brown Jasmine Rice
• 1/4 olive oil (does not have to be first press)
• 1 teaspoon fresh spearmint, very finely minced or crumbled
• Black pepper to taste
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 large omega-3 free-range egg
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, finely minced
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour

Prepare the sauce:

• 2 cups of homemade gluten-free chicken broth or 1 sixteen-ounce package of Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth, gluten-free
• 5 tablespoons European butter, room temperature
• 3 large omega-3 range-free eggs, at room temperature and separate
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from Meyer lemons if you can get them

Combine the first eleven ingredients, which are listed under "prepare the meatballs" above. Keep working the mixture until it is like paste, then form into small balls just a bit larger than a ping-pong ball.  Roll the meatballs in the flour

Bring the broth to a boil in a large soup pot and add the meatballs, carefully one-by-one.  Break up the butter into small pieces with your hands and distribute it over the meatballs.  Cover the pot. Turn down the heat to simmer and let the meatballs cook for forty-five minutes.

Turn off the heat.  Separate out one cup of the broth.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and then whip the egg whites with some salt until they are fluffy but not quite stiff. Slowly add the yolks and then the lemon juice. Continue whipping. (I do this by hand.)  Finally, slowly add the cup of broth that you set aside.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs.  Do not stir or the meatballs will break.  Do not cover the pot.  The sauce will curdle.  Just slowly shake the pot to incorporate the sauce with the meatballs.

Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

RED BEANS AND RICE, Vegan

Zojirushi Rice Cooker

 The recipe I share here is easy, healthy, filling, budget-wise, great for potlucks, and adaptable. When I prepared it for a potluck recently, I used a vegan soy chorizo sausage knowing it would change the flavor from New Orleans to old Mexico.  If you want to use meat, use andouille sausage and just make sure it's wheat-and-gluten free.

This is the basic recipe, which I'm happy having vegan. I did the brown rice in my Cadillac of rice cookers, the Zojirushi, which was gifted to me by son. It's a fine appliance. The cooked rice is consistent in texture. There's no burning at the bottom. It doesn't dry out the rice when you set the machine at warm  The Zojirushi is attractive - as machines go - and well-built, easy to clean, and has a convenient handle for toting it to potlucks and church suppers.

And now for the red beans, which starts off with the Louisiana trinity. You can do your beans from scratch if you normally do so, or you can use a good organic canned bean ... Eden Foods is organic so it's always a good choice if want a precooked bean. The quality is excellent.  

RED BEANS AND RICE, Wheat-and-Gluten Free, Vegan

The recipe

Serves 6- 8

• 2 cups minced celery
• 2 cups minced yellow onion
• 2 cups minced green bell pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 28-oz can organic crushed tomatoes
• 1 15-oz cans of organic kidney beans, drain
• 12 oz. vegetable broth, homemade or packaged, wheat-and-gluten free
• 2 dry bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried red pepper (adjust to taste)

Sauté the celery, onion, and green pepper in olive oil until they are tender. Add the garlic and stir, cooking for about one minute. Add the tomatoes and the beans and stir. Add the broth and the seasoning and stir. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat immediately. Simmer on low with the lid slightly ajar on the pot for about 45 minutes or so.  If you then let it rest in the refrigerator overnight, the flavors will be enhanced.

Serve over rice ... Yum!

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

GREEK TEA AND A GREEK SPINACH PILAF

Chamomile Flowers via Wikipedia
under GNU Free Documentation License

Camomile Tea
Preparation:
Bring hot water to a roiling boil. Water should be at 183 degrees fahrenheit for tea. Pour some of the water into your teapot and swirl to warm the pot. Place one heaping teaspoon of  dried camomile per cup into your teapot. Add boiling water.  Put the cover on the pot and allow to steep for about five minutes.  Sweeten with Greek Honey.






Gluten-free Spinach Pilaf, Spanakorizo
The recipe:
Serves two as a main dish
1 pound of spinach
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh, sweet butter
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup of Lundberg Brown Jasmine Rice
1 tablespoon tomato paste (in a pinch use a quality, gluten-free ketchup*
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 cup feta cheese

Put the spinach in a drainer and rinse it thoroughly several times with cold water.
Put the olive oil and butter in a pan that is large enough to hold the spinach.  Over a low heat slowly brown the onions. When they begin to get golden, add the spinach. Cover the pan and cook until the spinach wilts, which will take about five minutes. Add the rice, tomato paste, the seasonings, and 3/4 cup of water. Stir well, bring to a boil, cover the pan and lower the heat.  Simmer for about one-half hour or until the rice is tender.  Serve hot with crumbled feta on top.

*"Organicville's Ketchup is USDA certified organic, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and contains no added sugar. With less sodium than other brands, our ketchup is fat and cholesterol free, and is also an excellent source of lycopene. Organic ketchups have higher levels of lycopene and anti-oxidant activities than other brands tested." OrganicVille A definate thumbs-up on this one.

Whole Foods' brand ketchup is also a good gluten-free ketchup. However, it is not produced in a dedicated plant.

Dedicated facility: one that produces only wheat-and-gluten free products, thus eliminating the potential for cross contamination.

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.