Coriander-Maple Sweet Potato Fries
Posted by Gorging George in Sides on May 30, 2012
It’s been nearly a week since I last posted and so much has happened: I’ve become an Auntie! We’ve had amazing weather; I poisoned myself by willingly eating gluten (I swear it was for the greater good…but it won’t be happening again); And we hosted a few visitors in our home! Other than the the day-or-so of stomach pains and headaches, it was a great week!
Even though we are getting to the time of the year where no one wants to turn on their ovens, I thought I’d share this recipe for sweet potato fries; just in case some of you are daring enough to add that extra heat to your home. There are a bazillion recipes for sweet potato fries out there, so I’m sure by now most of you know how to make them. So why not try this flavour combination the next time you’re looking at that tuber on your counter and wondering what to do with it.
I typically add a teeny bit of maple syrup to my sweet potatoes when I roast them in wedges. Not because they require the additional sweetness, but to highlight the natural caramelization even further. And, inspired by large, soft chunks of sweet potato that I’ve had in some flavourful curries, I thought warm, citrusy ground coriander seeds dusted on top of the orange gems would compliment the maple syrup. I thought right.
Coriander Maple Sweet Potato Fries
Note: I prefer purchasing whole coriander seeds and grinding them myself (either with a coffee/spice grinder or in a mortar & pestle); this creates a fresher taste that pre-ground coriander can’t replicate. And my experience is that pre-ground coriander tends to lose it’s flavour fast. If you must use pre-ground coriander, I can not guarantee this recipe will turn out the same – you may need more of it (because the flavour is so bland) or less (because it’ll be ground so fine compared to doing it yourself); use at your own taste-bud risk.
1 medium sweet potato
olive oil
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp ground coriander seeds (grind them yourself – see Note)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili flakes
Preheat oven to 425 ºF. Line a baking sheet with tin foil (if desired – you can skip this step).
Scrub sweet potato then pat dry. Cut the potato up into 1/2″ strips and lay them on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and the maple syrup; then sprinkle over the coriander, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Give the sweet potato wedges a quick toss to (somewhat) evenly coat them. Place in the hot oven for 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and flip over the sweet potato strips (or just toss everything around if you don’t have the patience to turn each one over one-by-one). Return the pan to the oven and continue to cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potato fries are cooked through and beginning to caramelize.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Serves 4.
(These were delicious with some garlic-braised collard greens and rosemary&garlic grilled lamb chops)
Cranberry Coconut Granola
Posted by Gorging George in Breakfast on May 24, 2012
I had my first meltdown after going gluten-free yesterday. It had been an emotional day at work – supporting a client through a very personal and tough day – and when work was done, I was not in the mood for cooking. But for some reason I felt a bit of pressure to cook something at home instead of going out for dinner, as I have a good friend in town who is staying with us; I’m not sure why I put that stress on myself – my friend has no expectations when she is in town, as long as she is surrounded by her friends. So, intent on cooking up some (gluten-free) pasta or risotto for dinner, we headed to the grocery store after our day was done (my friend was in town to work with the same client, so we had actually spent the whole day together – which meant we were equally mentally exhausted). I went up and down the produce aisle about 10 times trying to think of something to make; I think I grabbed nearly every vegetable in the store! When we got to the meat aisle, I was disappointed by the lack of selection, nothing that I had wanted was there. And my head was starting to get foggy due to my lack of food … I was in no mood for being spontaneous in the kitchen. And that’s where I lost it. I realized I couldn’t grab a quick meal because I discovered I can no longer eat “bagged” salads (there is wheat in all the dressings); and I’m not even sure if I can eat a grocery-store roasted chicken. My go-to Quick-Dinner-In-A-Pinch was gone. So I had to hold back tears while I loaded up my veggies onto the check-out belt with zero idea about what we would eat…especially when I was hungry now.
I looked at my friend and asked if she’d be alright with going out to eat, which of course she didn’t mind, but I still felt guilty. Then I got stricken with panic about where to eat, since I was so worried about contaminated food and servers not really understanding the seriousness of “gluten-free” requests. I honestly felt ridiculously hopeless and felt like giving up on the whole gluten-free thing right there. Typically I’m excellent at meal-planning; however yesterday I had expected that we may end up going out for dinner with our client, but after such a long day, he was ready to go home. So I had no plan, yet foolishly felt the need to cook something up. We did end up finding a place to go that served gluten-free pizza; and to my surprise the pizza was really good. Way beyond my expectations. So I learned a few things this week: 1) always have a backup plan; 2) I can find good gluten-free take-out; and 3) make sure I always have some prepared gluten-free food at home.
Luckily I got a head start on preparing breakfast goods this past weekend by whipping up a big batch of gluten-free granola. Through all my research with this gluten-free stuff, I found out that oats themselves are gluten-free. However, they are typically processed in the same plants as wheat products, so they become contaminated with those nasty glutens; therefore I can not simply buy a bag of oats or granola and go to town on them. I have to seek out gluten-free oats and gluten-free granola. The oats weren’t too hard to find. I have 2 giant bags right now; 1 of quick oats and 1 of steel-cut oats. Gluten-free oatmeal is a little harder to find…and when I did unearth a teeny tiny bag of granola, it ended up costing me $15! That’s so insane! I opened it this weekend, really looking forward to the awesomeness that had to be waiting for me inside, what with the price tag and all. But I was seriously disappointed by stale, tasteless chunks of oats, nuts, and fruit. It was disgusting actually, so I threw away the bag..and my money. With that experience I decided to get back on the granola-making horse (I used to make it frequently) and turned out this tasty batch. And I didn’t even have to go to the grocery store because I already had everything on hand – bonus!
Cranberry Coconut Granola
I put ground flax in this granola to add a bit more fiber, seeing as it’s a bit harder these days to get the fiber I used to when I could eat wheat and bran. I grind my own, since it is fresher and the flax seeds start to lose their nutrients quickly upon being ground. Feel free to use pre-ground flax meal if you do not want to grind your own. To grind, I just use by blender and blitz them up a bunch of times – they are not as fine as flax meal itself, which ends up working better for the granola anyways.
2 cups steel-cut oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup ground flax seeds (see note above)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 325ºF.
Combine oats, almonds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, ground flax, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together themaple syrup, oil, sugar and vanilla. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the oat mixture; mix until everything is evenly combined.
Pour out the oat mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet and smooth into a single layer. Place in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven when the oats and nuts are browned evenly (I unfortunately stepped away from mine for 5 minutes longer than I should have – so it’s a bit darker in the pictures than you’ll want it.). Let cool then transfer to a large bowl and stir in the dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container.
Makes 5-6 cups of granola.
Kung Pao Chicken – Gluten Free
Posted by Gorging George in Poultry on May 18, 2012
A frustrating fact about going gluten free is the insane amount of food that contains gluten. I’ve discovered that wheat is used in so many products as filler; and many of my favourite condiments contain some form of gluten, whether it be barley, wheat, spelt or rye. Some main offenders are soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and many pre-made chicken and beef stocks. So now I’ve become one of those obsessive people who looks at every label; which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I can sense the sneers I get at the grocery store from carefree shoppers.
Luckily grocery stores are wising up to the prevalence of gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease, so it’s much easier to find gluten-free goods – even up here in the Great White North. It’s funny how I’ve never noticed them until I started rooting around the aisles for various products. My mother even thought that there was some sort of “special” on the gluten-free products because she noticed that one local store had tons of “Gluten-Free” labels up the week I informed her of my upcoming diet change. I told her I had also, just noticed them, but that I suspected they were there all along. This was indeed the case because 3 weeks later the store still has the signs up.
Enough with this babbling though. I’m sure everyone who has gone gluten-free is bored by the above paragraphs, as you’ve already done your research, and now you’re just here for the food. So here’s a gluten-free & peanut-free take on Kung Pao Chicken (which I am sure to get lots of flack about for omitting the peanuts & fresh chilis). It’s not unlike other recipes for Kung Pao Chicken, I’m just being cognizant of the products in Asian cooking that typically contain gluten (and there’s a lot…so beware).
(Gluten Free) Kung Pao Chicken
I’ve been making Kung Pao Chicken for years, so I don’t really remember where I originally got the recipe from. I’m going to guess Company’s Coming if I think back on the time of my life when I started making this dish. Since those were the books my mom had lining her kitchen shelf while I was growing up, my cookbook collection started out the same. Feel free to add roasted peanuts or cashews to your dish if you like. And no, this isn’t a traditional Kung Pao Chicken, but it’s a great version of it, so don’t be a hater until you try it.
1 lb chicken boneless, skinless chicken thighs (and/or breast)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp soy sauce (Gluten-Free)
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp chicken stock (Gluten-Free)
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce (Gluten-Free)
1 Tbsp soy sauce (Gluten-Free)
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp sambal oelek
Peanut oil
1 galic clove, minced
1 tsp chili flakes
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 cups chopped vegetables – peppers, onions, mushrooms (I cheat here and just buy the pre-chopped packs at the store)
4 green onions, sliced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the cornstarch, soy sauce, 5-spice powder and garlic – ensure all the chicken is evenly coated. Set Aside.
To prepare the sauce (so it’s ready when you begin stir-frying) combine the chicken stock, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, corn starch, and sambal oelek in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat up a wok (or large sauté pan) over medium-high heat (but more on the high side). Pour 1 tsp of peanut oil in the wok; when it is hot, stir in a third of the chicken and sauté until cooked – about 3-4 minutes. Scoop the chicken into a clean bowl and repeat with the remaining chicken (you want to cook the chicken in batches in order to saute it rather than steam it).
When all the chicken is cooked, heat up another 1 tbsp of peanut oil. Add the garlic, chili flakes and fennel seeds and saute for 30 seconds (careful! The garlic will burn quickly). Toss in the chopped peppers, onion, and mushrooms and saute for another 3-4 minutes until the veggies are cooked, but still crisp. Add the cooked chicken to the wok, then stir the sauce and pour it over the entire dish. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir everything to combine.
Serve hot or at room temperature with rice. Top with cilantro and onions to serve or let people top their own dishes.
Serves 4-6.
Short-Rib Tacos
Posted by Gorging George in Beef/Lamb on May 15, 2012
We were away this past weekend for Kyle’s youngest sister’s graduation from High School, so I’ve been a little while since I last posted. I’ll admit I haven’t gone 100% Gluten-Free yet. I figured with the upcoming trip to Alberta for the grad, I’d be served up lots of food with gluten in it – and I wasn’t about to start making special requests to family members when I’ve barely started this thing. Plus I wasn’t quite ready. I’m still not to be honest. But my gluten days will all come to an end after this weekend. I’m going out with a bang by having a Gluten Party this weekend. So ridiculous I know, but I wanted one last chance to eat all my favourite gluten-filled foods. Plus I wanted Kyle in town when I did it. So I will likely have a gluten hangover this coming Sunday … luckily it’s a long weekend.
While I am slowly saying goodbye to all my favs, I am reminding myself daily about all the wonderful food I still get to eat. Pork already had it’s shout out. I found a new way to enjoy PB&J instead of on wheaty bread. And I am over-the-moon that I still get to eat TACOS! Thank goodness for corn flour. I previously really enjoyed a soft flour tortilla topped with pork and shrimp and mushrooms and avocado… (anything yummy really), but after my recent adventures in making corn tortillas from scratch, I have a new found love of soft corn tortillas. And I truly prefer them over their wheat-filled counterparts.
These particular tacos are basically just a delicious way to use up leftovers. Specifically the Short Ribs from this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Although don’t bank on having leftovers if you make this recipe – it’s so delicious you’re bound to have each rib devoured by yourself and your dinner mates before the evening ends. I suggest making an extra batch, or heck, just make them specifically for these tacos if you have a hankering to try these. So, I admit this is a cheat’s recipe, as I’m not really giving you much a recipe, merely directions for building an extremely tasty (and gluten-free!) taco.
Short Rib Tacos
6 6″ corn tortillas
1 1/2 – 2 cups cooked short rib meat – I suggest using this recipe
1 1/2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 lime
1/2 tsp salt
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 small onion, diced
cilantro, chopped
tomatillo salsa (you can use regular salsa; but I prefer this here to keep everything green. And tomato salsa would probably overpower these)
Heat the corn tortillas according to directions (or make your own!). Heat up the leftover short rib meat (I typically heat up 2 good-sized short ribs in the oven - this gives me a good amount of meat for tacos for 2) – shred the meat once heated.
Put the shredded cabbage in a bowl and mix with the juice from 1 lime and the salt. To prepare tacos, top each tortilla shredded short rib meat, some of the cabbage mixture, and any of the above toppings you’d like. I suggest them all. But go ahead and leave some out, or add you’re own. But don’t come back and tell me your taco was no good – I’m just saying.
Makes 6 tacos.
What I’m Reading Now
