Kicked Up Corncakes

When I took a peek in the fridge this morning, I noticed some leftover grilled chicken breast and was wondering what I could have for lunch.  I’ve had Mexican on my mind for several days since my friend Sandy from Easy Cooking recently made a delicious looking Tostada Salad.  Since I didn’t have a clue how to make gluten free tostadas, I decided to make kicked up corncakes instead.  I added a quickly thrown together fresh salsa to top off the dry looking grilled chicken and a dollop of sour cream to complete this spectacular dish.  Be sure to visit Sandy’s Blog to see where I got my inspiration.  She's not a gluten free cook, but she is certainly fabulous in the kitchen.  I don’t limit myself to just reading gluten free recipes since any recipe can be converted.  Eventually I’ll attempt making a gluten free tostada so I can try out her recipe the way it was intended.  For now I’ll just thank her for inspiring this dish.   

Ingredients:

1 cup Corn Meal (finely ground)

2/3 cup Rice Flour

1/3 cup Corn Starch

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 Eggs

1 tbs Sugar

2 cups Milk

¾ cup Corn Kernels

3 slices Bacon  (fried until crisp & crumbled)

1 Jalapeno Pepper (deseeded and finely diced)

3-4 oz Sharp Cheddar (grated)

Video Tutorial:  

In a medium bowl stir together the corn meal, rice flour, potato starch, baking powder, and sugar then set aside.

In a larger bowl whisk the eggs, and milk together. 

Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients then stir until just combined but don’t over mix.  Now stir in the corn, jalapeno, cheddar and bacon until everything is pretty evenly distributed.

Now to cook the corncakes, add a little nonstick spray or butter to a griddle or nonstick skillet which you have heated to medium-low temperature.  I’m adding about ¼ cup measures to the pan but you can make them as large or small as you’d like.  Allow them to cook for a few minutes until you see the tops of the corncakes begin to look dry and large bubbles begin to rise to the surface and they’re ready to flip. They won’t need much time on the second side maybe a minute or so and they’re ready to serve. 

This batch made 19 (3")corncakes & 7 minis (made to demonstrate how they'd look as a bite sized appetizer) .

Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms

Since I’m fairly new to the gluten free kitchen I’ve found that entertaining can seem a bit difficult.  Perhaps difficult isn’t the right word but entertaining certainly requires a little more thought now than it used to.  Another issue is the exorbitant prices that seem to be attached to many gluten free products.  Lately, I've found myself trying to produce recipes where the gluten free product can be stretched to feed a group of people without breaking the bank.  In this dish one slice of gluten free bread mixed with a few choice ingredients fills a dozen mushroom caps to make a nice looking plate on your buffet.  As an added bonus, while testing this recipe I took a little detour to bring you a second recipe using the leftover filling in a quick pasta dish.  Getting off track can sometimes bring you to a wonderful destination in the end as was evidenced in this great little lunch that I stumbled upon. . 

Ingredients:

12 Crimini Mushrooms

¼ cup Olive Oil

1 clove of Garlic (finely grated)

½ cup Walnuts (finely crushed)

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese (grated)

Zest of 1 Lemon

1 slice Gluten Free Bread (finely diced)

Plum Tomato (finely diced)

¼ cup fresh Basil leaves (sliced into ribbons)

Video Tutorial:

Preheat the oven to 375

Brush the mushrooms off with a paper towel and remove the stems with a gentle twisting motion.  Use a teaspoon to scoop out the gills. Set them aside.  For the filling add the olive oil to a medium bowl then finely grate one clove of garlic into the oil.  Add the finely chopped walnuts, red pepper flakes, romano cheese, lemon zest, bread and tomato then mix everything together.  You’ll want to add the fresh basil last so it doesn’t get too bruised during the mixing process.  Slice it into ribbons and gently stir it through.  To fill the mushrooms use a teaspoon to spoon a mound of the filling into each mushroom  then place them into a baking dish that has been drizzled with olive oil. Bake them at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.  When they come out of the oven let them cool for a few minutes then place them onto a serving plate and garnish with a few more ribbons of fresh basil. Everyone is sure to love this delectable appetizer whether they are on a gluten free diet or not.   

Now for the detour, since the mushrooms I used today were a little smaller than the ones I usually find I had a bit of the filling leftover.  I put a pot of water on the stove to cook a few ounces of gluten free penne.  I sliced up all those mushroom stems and one Serrano pepper then sautéed them with some olive oil in a small nonstick pan.  I added the leftover mushroom filling sautéing for another few minutes then the drained pasta and tossed it all together in the pan before a plating the dish.  I added some grated cheese and a few ribbons of fresh basil and had an awesome lunch. 

I hope you try these recipes and leave a comment with your own variations.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo With Creamy Polenta

Shrimp Fra Diablo with Polenta

This modern take on shrimp and grits came to me as I was rifling through my cluttered freezer trying to dream up an idea for a quick lunch.  I spotted a small Ziploc bag containing several lonely looking shrimp.  Instantly I began to crave a plate of spicy Shrimp fra Diavolo.  I could just see those long strands of linguine drenched in fiery sauce twirling around my fork before spearing into a plump juicy shrimp.  The only problem was that I didn’t have any gluten free pasta in the pantry.  Nor did I feel like making a batch of homemade pasta at that point.  Feeling defeated I began to poke around the freezer again when I was struck with an idea.  Shrimp and grits is a classic pairing in the south and polenta is the same thing as grits so why not merge the southern Italian classic, Shrimp Fra Diavolo with creamy polenta instead of linguine.   And so, my lunch was born.  Its name may have originated in the pits of hell but oh how I heard the angels singing while I was eating this one.   

Ingredients for the Polenta:

• 1 cup water
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup instant polenta

Ingredients for the Shrimp Fra Diavolo:

• 4 oz shrimp (peeled & deveined)
• Sea salt & red pepper flakes to taste 
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 serrano pepper (seeded and diced)
• 1 clove garlic (peeled and sliced)
• ½ cup marinara sauce
• 1-2 oz red wine (white if you don’t want to discolor the shrimp)
• fresh basil

Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. To make the polenta, add the water, salt, and butter to a small saucepan and place it on a medium heat.  When the liquid comes to a boil, add the polenta and lower the heat.  Stir the polenta as it simmers for 3-5 minutes then turn off the heat, cover the pot and set it aside while you make the shrimp.
2. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and red pepper flakes.  Heat a skillet to medium-high then add the olive oil, shrimp, garlic and Serrano peppers.  Once the shrimp has sautéed for two minutes on the first side, turn them and allow them to cook for one minute on the second side before adding the wine.  After another minute add the marinara sauce.  Simmer for an additional minute then turn it off. 
3. To serve, spoon the polenta onto a plate.  Top it off with the shrimp mixture then add some ribbons of basil, a few more red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil to finish it off.   

Notes:  The amounts written in this recipe are enough for one large entree.  You could divide it into a few smaller appetizer sized portions or you could double or triple the recipe as needed.   

Mini Plantain Pizzas ~ Perfect as a Quick Lunch or as an Hors d'oeuvre at Your Next Soiree

Mini Plantain Pizzas

In all honesty this recipe was born out of desperation.  It was nearing lunchtime as I wondered what I might throw together. I looked on as my daughter pulled two slices of leftever pizza from the fridge.  Needless to say, the pizza was not gluten free.  As she began to munch away, I began to feel a bit of envy creeping in.  Alright, so maybe it was full blown jealousy but would I allow myself to wallow in defeat? Certainly not!  Then the idea hit me.  Those starchy plantains that were sitting on the countertop might just make the perfect crusts for my pizza indulgence and ...QUICKLY!  Alas, the Mini Plantain Pizza was born.

Ingredients:

• 1 Plantain (just turning yellow)
• ½ cup of your favorite Marinara Sauce
• 2-3 oz grated Mozzarella
• 2 tbs grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Basil Leaves for garnish

The Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel the plantain and slice into about ¼ inch slices.
3. Toss the slices in a bowl with 1 tbs of olive oil. Then placed them onto a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with a nonstick spray and give them a sprinkle of salt. 
4. Bake them at 375 for 5-7 minutes. 
5. When the plantains come out of the oven flip each one over with a spatula then top them with sauce and the two cheeses then return them to the oven for 5-7 minutes.
6. When the Mini Pizzas are done place them onto a plate then garnish with some ribbons of  fresh basil and serve.