Clam Chowder

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 oz bacon, thinly sliced
• 2-3 medium red potatoes, diced in 1/2 inch cubes (I don't peel mine but you can if you want)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cellery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 to 2 tsp salt, to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp cellery seed
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp ground fennel seed
• 4 cups milk
• 4 oz cream cheese or neufchatel cheese (I used neuf)
• 1 10 oz can of clams, drained, juice reserved
• 1 6 oz can wild salmon, drained (optional)
• 1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Steam or boil diced potatoes until just al dente and set aside (this can be done several hours ahead of time and the cooked potatoes kept in the fridge till you are ready). Saute bacon in a 8-quart soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat until just crispy. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving rendered drippings in pan. Add rice flour and stir until flour dissolves in bacon drippings, about 1 minute. This will be the roux, the thickener for the soup. Transfer roux to a separage bowl and set aside (I just put it in with the reserved bacon).

Return pot to medium heat and add oil. Saute onion, carrot, cellery and bell pepper until they begin to soften. Add cellery seed, thyme, fennel, salt and garlic and continut to saute for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add clam juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and add roux and bacon, stirring to prevent clumping. Add milk and potatoes and raise heat to medium. Stir often till soup just comes to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low. Be careful not to let the soup boil or the milk will curdle. Ladle about a cup of liquid from the pot into a bowl and add the cream cheese. Mix the milk and cream cheese till well combined and return mixture to soup pot. Let the soup cook on medium low heat for about an hour, stirring often to keep milk from scorching. Add clams, corn, and salmon and cook for 10 minutes longer. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with Bacon, Cheddar and Scallion Cornbread Biscuits. Enjoy!

More to come with Love!

Bacon, Cheddar and Scallion Cornbread Biscuits

I love soup. I could eat soup 4 to 5 nights a week, even in sweltering summer heat. To satisfy my soup addiction, tonight I made clam chowder. Usually, clam chowder in our house comes with corn bread, but alot of other people have biscuits. I decided to combine the two and add a little bacon and cheddar cheese, for the trifecta of perfect soup sides. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I did!

Yield: 8 to 10- 3" biscuits

Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup gluten-free flour mix
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
1/3 cup cooked chopped bacon
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese plus 1/4 cup, divided, for tops of biscuits
2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine milk and yogurt. Whisk till well incorporated, set aside. Combine cornmeal, gluten-free flour mix, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper and xanthan gum in a bowl. Cut butter into mixture with a pastry cutter until its the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Add bacon, cheddar cheese and scallions and toss gently, then add milk and yogurt and mix gently with a fork until it forms a slightly sticky ball. Scrape onto a rice-floured surface and pat out into a disc about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with a rice-floured biscuit cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Form scraps into another disc and repeat cutting until all dough is used. (Note: one of the greatest things about gluten free short doughs is that you don't have to worry so much about "overworking" the dough because there are no glutens to develop) Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden, sprinkling the tops of biscuits with reserved cheddar cheese half way through baking. Serve warm with your favorite soup, or try them with my clam chowder. Enjoy!

More to come with Love!

A Winter Weekend Brunch

Whole Grain Oat Biscuits with Faux Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Cream Cheese Fritatta and Everything Yummy Smoothie

I asked my husband what he wanted for breakfast this morning and he said "That egg thing in the pan with stuff in it?" I was pretty sure he was referring to a frittata. So I went to the computer and looked us some recipes. I found one with smoked salmon and cream cheese but all I had in the pantry was canned salmon so I decided to wing it with what I had in my fridge and pantry. The result was a wonderful mid-morning meal that my family lingered over. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Oat Biscuits

Yield: 8 -  3" biscuits

Ingredients:
1 cup gluten-free oat flour
1 cup gluten-gluten free flour mix of your choice
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp gluten free oats (either old fashioned or quick work well)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup milk (you can use water but the flavor will be much richer with milk)

1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp milk for egg wash (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine oat flour, gf flour mix, baking powder, sugar, salt and xanthan gum in a bowl. Cut butter into mixture with a pastry cutter until its the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Add 1/2 cup oats and mix, then add milk and yogurt and mix gently with a fork until it forms a slightly sticky ball. Scrape onto a rice-floured surface and pat out into a disc about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with a rice-floured biscuit cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Form scraps into another disc and repeat cutting until all dough is used. (Note: one of the greatest things about gluten free short doughs is that you don't have to worry so much about "overworking" the dough because there are no glutens to develop) Brush tops of biscuits with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp whole oats. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Serve with butter, honey, or jam and lots of love!

Frittata:

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 7oz can salmon, drained of liquid
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
2 oz cold cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 roasted red pepper, julienne sliced
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
seasonings of your choice (I used 1/2 tsp each of dried thyme and dill but you can use whatever sounds good to you)

Directions:
Set oven to broil. Whisk eggs and milk together and set aside. Use a fork to break the salmon up a bit and pour the liquid smoke evenly over it. You can do this inside the can and save a dish, or you can transfer it to a small bowl for this step. Just make sure not to break the salmon up too much so it doesn't disintegrate. Saute spinach and garlic in 1 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted and garlic is fragrant. Transfer spinach mixture to small bowl and set aside. Heat a 8 or 10 inch oven-safe saute pan over medium high heat. (I would recommend nonstick but stainless steel works fine too). Add remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add egg mixture then sprinkle the cream cheese over and give it a quick stir with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle salmon, spinach and garlic mixture, roasted red peppers, green onions, salt and pepper and seasonings over egg mixture and continue to stir, as as if you were making scrambled eggs, for about 1 minute longer. You should see chunks of scramble and runny egg. Remove the pan from the stove and smooth out the surface with a rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven and broil for 2 to 4 minutes, or until puffy and light golden. Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes. Now is the time you can get really creative with the presentation. I served mine right from the pan, but you can turn it out onto a pretty plate and garnish with a sprig of fresh dill or parsley and sliced green onions. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream or hot sauce and lots of love!

Everything Yummy Smoothie

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 whole tangerine, seeds, peel and all, cut into eighths or 1/2 cup orange juice
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries, blackberries or raspberries (I used a frozen blend of all three)
6 large frozen strawberries
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup juice
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Put all the ingredients into the pitcher of your blender and whiz it up! I use my BlendTec Total Blender on the "Whole Juice" setting, but you can use whatever blender you have. If not using a VitaMix or BlendTec, though, I would recommend using orange juice rather than a whole tangerine as it might not get blended as well and you might end up with chuncks or peel or seeds. Serve with love!

More to come with love!