Shrimp-Stuffed Portobellos

Lately, I've had this hankerin' for shrimp...and mushrooms.  I'm in the south, can't I talk that way?  It's rather fun.  So, anyhoo, this recipe came to me at the grocery store one day...during the hankerin'.  

I bought the ingredients and went to work.  All I can say is - that evening, we feasted.

I hope you enjoy the feast!  This recipe has been shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays and Gluten Free Fridays.

Mangia!

Ingredients:
For Marinade:
2 tablespoons coarse mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For Mushrooms and Filling:
6 portobello mushrooms
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 large ripe tomato or 2 plum tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup Chardonnay
about 4 handfuls (or is it hands-full?) of spinach
salt and pepper to taste

2 pieces of Yummy Grain Free Bread, toasted
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (if tolerated)

Instructions:
Prepare vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey and balsamic vinegar.  While whisking, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream.  This will allow vinaigrette to emulsify.

Prepare mushrooms:
Carefully remove stems and set aside.  With a small spoon, scrape out the "gills" of the mushroom.  Then wash and pat dry.

Marinate mushrooms in the vinaigrette for about 15 minutes (or more - whatever your time allows).  

Remove mushrooms from marinade and grill or broil on both sides for several minutes.  Set aside.

For filling:
Chop shrimp and set aside.  

Wash mushroom stems and chop.  Heat a saute pan to medium.  Once hot, add olive oil.  Next, add stems, chopped tomato, and spinach.  Saute for a several minutes until tomato is soft and liquid is evaporating.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Next, add Chardonnay.  Continue to saute until liquid is reduced.  Finally, add shrimp and continue to saute until shrimp are pink and fully cooked (don't overcook).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Pulse the grain free bread in a food processor, or just crumble with hands.  Add the grated Romano cheese and about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Toss with a fork.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place grilled (or broiled) portobellos on baking sheet.  Stuff mushrooms with shrimp filling.  Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top.

Place stuffed portobellos under broiler and broil until golden brown.  Eat immediately - or while warm.

Aunt Nettie's Chicken Salad with Roasted Red Peppers and Garlic (grain free, dairy free)

I mentioned in my previous post on Apricot Chicken Salad, that I don't usually like traditional chicken salad "dripping with mayo".  I spoke of my dear Aunt Nettie's recipe for chicken salad made with roasted red peppers, garlic, parsley and olive oil.  (I'm salivating now...)

After obtaining hearty permission from my cousins on the matter, I am sharing this delicious family recipe with you.  My cousin Luanne's response to my request for permission to post this recipe was...and I quote..."Make the people happy!" 

With that in mind, here's the recipe. And I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that it does it's job - and makes you happy.

Mangia! 

(This post was shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays blog hop.  Check out all of the GREAT allergy free recipes!)

Aunt Nettie's Chicken Salad with Roasted Red Peppers and Garlic

Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed (guess how much I use?)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (flat leaf if you can get it but curly works too)
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Line oven rack with aluminum foil.  Turn oven on to broil.  Place red pepper on foil and roast until the skin turns black.  Using tongs, rotate pepper so it chars on all sides.  

Remove from oven and place in a bowl with foil (or a cover of some kind) on top.  Allow the pepper to sit as the steam loosens the skin.  Once cool enough to handle, peel pepper and pull out the stem and seeds.  If you must, give a light rinse in a bowl of cold water just to get the seeds off.  Dice pepper.

In a large bowl, add chicken, diced pepper, garlic and parsley.  Add olive oil to taste (liberally) and salt and pepper.  Give a stir with a large fork.  Adjust olive oil and seasonings. 

This chicken salad is better the longer it sits.  Enjoy it atop spring greens or on a slice of Yummy Grain Free Bread. 

Apricot Chicken Salad with Blanched Almonds (GF, dairy free)

Chicken salad... the thought of it used to make me gag.  (Please excuse my colorful language and the uncouth picture I just placed in your mind. Ahem.)  Bear with me, I'm Italian and chicken salad dripping in mayo wasn't exactly something I grew up eating. (Although my Aunt Nettie made a killer chicken salad made with olive oil, fresh garlic and roasted red peppers....now THAT'S my kinda chicken salad!)

After living in the South (say-yowth) so long, I've come to enjoy a cracker chicken salad (oops, there I go with colorful phrases again, excuse me), as long as it's not soggy with mayo. 

I love this dish served in a ripe, hollowed out tomato, or scooped on top of a big salad.  It's easy to throw together and makes a nice lunch or light supper.

Let me know what you think of it!

Apricot Chicken Salad with Blanched Almonds (GF, dairy free) 

Ingredients:

5 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 stalks celery, diced

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

1 cup unsulfured dried apricots, diced

3/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

scallions (optional)

For Dressing:

3/4 cup Soy Free Vegenaise (it's egg free and gluten free too)

1 tablespoon dijon or course grain mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

Toast slivered almonds in a preheated 300F oven until fragrant and golden brown.  Set aside to cool.  In a large bowl, toss first five ingredients together (including toasted almonds).  

In a smaller bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.  Pour over chicken mixture and mix well. 

Top with scallions if desired. 

Carrot Beet Salad with Dates and Toasted Pecans

If you knew what was happening in my life right now, you'd wonder why I was blogging...Sometimes you just have to employ yourself.  

My husband and I have been trying to add to our family via adoption and started this process five years ago.  We signed with a local adoption attorney a couple of months ago, and just found out that we were "picked" by a birth mother.  Oh!  And by the way - she's due in three weeks.

So, I've been a little busy nesting, (deep cleaning, preparing food for the freezer, sewing and BUYING BABY STUFF).  Yippee!

Well, three weeks have flown by and we're in the waiting room now (been here 4 1/2 hours) and hoping to meet our new little girl soon.  There have been tears, prayers and comfort knowing that so many are praying for us and all of the surrounding circumstances.

So, how do you transition from meeting a new little person who is a gift from God and will change your life forever to Carrot Beet Salad with Dates and Toasted Pecans?

I have no idea.  I'm losing my mind.  But, I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Carrot Beet Salad with Dates & Toasted Pecans

Ingredients:
4 large carrots, peeled and shredded
2 small beets, peeled and shredded
2 small golden beets, peeled and shredded
6 dates, pitted and chopped
pecans, toasted and chopped  

Dressing:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch of:
  garlic powder
  onion powder 
  salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Instructions:

Toss shredded carrots, red beets and golden beets into bowl.  (I use food processor to shred carrots and beets.)

Meanwhile, if your dates are not soft, soak them in warm water for a few minutes.  Once soft, carefully slice in half, remove pit (if not already pitted) and chop into small pieces.  Add to carrots and beets.

To make the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar with Dijon mustard and spices.  While whisking, slowly add olive oil in steady stream.  This will allow oil to incorporate evenly. 

Toss carrots, beets and dates with dressing.  Serve with toasted pecans on top.  

Note:  This salad is pretty sweet.  The chopped pecans help to cut the sweetness.  If it's too sweet for your taste buds, eliminate the dates.

Tabouleh (grain free, gluten free)

I'm not sure how much of an expert an Italian can be on Tabouleh, but I CAN say I love this stuff!  It's light and refreshing and even tastes good along side a mound dollop of White Bean Hummus.  I adore Middle Eastern food.  Actually, I enjoy a variety of ethnic foods.  OK, I just enjoy food.

You probably know that Tabouleh is made with bulgur wheat, which, of course, is a grain not allowed in my big fat grain free life.   

Just when despair had set in, I found a recipe in my new, amazing cookbook, Eat Well, Feel Well by Kendall Conrad for Tabouleh without bulgur.  She actually explains a brilliant technique of pulsing zucchini in a food processor until it resembles tiny grains of bulgur wheat.  Fantastic.

Kendall's Eat Well, Feel Well cookbook contains over 150 mouth-watering recipes that are all SCD compliant.  It has given me hope that a restricted diet doesn't have to restrict our taste buds.  The book has received rave reviews - even from one of my favorite "Italians" Giada.

Here is my "interpretation" of Kendall's Tabouleh recipe.

Tabouleh (grain free, gluten free)

Ingredients:

2 bunches of curly parsley, washed and trimmed of stems

4 scallions, chopped (green and white parts)

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped

6-8 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 zucchini

juice of 1 lemon

olive oil

sea salt & pepper to taste 

Instructions:

Spin parsley in salad spinner to remove excess water.  By hand, finely chop parsley.  (Not my preference to use a food processor here.  It can turn the parsley to mush.)  Put parsley, scallions, cucumbers and tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.

Trim ends of zucchini.  Cut into large chunks.  In food processor fitted with blade, add zucchini and pulse until it resembles fine grains.  Add to mixing bowl and toss.

Add fresh lemon juice and olive oil to taste, coating well.  Add salt and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning.  Cover tabouleh and marinate in fridge for at least an hour. 

Herbed Goat Cheese Spread

This recipe came to me as I eyed some goat cheese that had been in the fridge awhile looking lonely and forgotten.  My kids don't eat goat cheese and my girl, especially, does not tolerate soft cheeses well.  

I, on the contrary, do - and since no one else in my family likes nor tolerates goat cheese, my motto is "More for me."

Below are some ways to enjoy this spread.  Post in the comments and let me know how you might use it.

1. slathered on grain free crackers

2. dolloped on scrambled eggs

3. in an omelet with spinach or swiss chard, tomato and onion

4. in any omelet

5. spread on a piece of gluten free roast beef and rolled up

6. on carrots, celery or any cut up veggie

7. stuffed inside a mushroom cap and baked

8. spread on a sandwich made with Yummy Grain Free Bread

9. the possibilities are endless!

Herbed Goat Cheese Spread 

Ingredients:
1 small log goat cheese
2-3 tablespoons cashew milk (or any well-tolerated unsweetened milk)
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil 

Instructions:

In small bowl, mix everything together with wooden spoon.  Yup, that's it!

Here are some delicious recipes for grain free crackers...

Rosemary Crackers from Elana's Pantry,

Savory Grain Free Crackers by Gluten Free Goddess, and

Cheese Crackers (SCD) from Straight into Bed Cake Free and Dried

White Bean Hummus

I've always LOVED hummus - lemony hummus, garlicky hummus, or red peppery hummus.  Even though we can no longer have gluten (nixing pita chips) or corn (nixing tortilla chips) hummus with fresh veggies satisfies my crunch cravings.

If you're not eating SCD and can tolerate chickpeas, I suggest the Ultimate Hummus recipe from one of my favorite sites, Cooks Illustrated. 

White Bean Hummus

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked white beans, drained (** See note below.)

2 large lemons, juiced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup sesame tahini

1-2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (start with 1)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (** UPDATE - I'm using 2 teaspoons now and personally like more of the smoky flavor.)

1/4 cup water

Instructions:

In small bowl, mix together sesame tahini and olive oil.  Set aside.  In the work bowl of a food processor, add beans, lemon juice, garlic, salt and cumin and 1/4 cup water.

If beans were freshly cooked and drained (retaining more water), pulse at this point.  If it seems dry, add more water, a few tablespoons at a time, until it moves through the blades well. 

With processor running, add olive oil and tahini mixture in a steady stream through opening in top of work bowl.  Process until creamy.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  I keep dried white navy beans on hand at all times to use in soups, hummus and cakes - yes - I said cakes.  

** To cook beans, soak 1 1/2 cups of dried navy beans in water to cover and let soak overnight.  Drain beans and add to pot with enough fresh water to cover beans about 1-2 inches.  Bring beans to a boil then turn down to simmer.  Simmer for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  If water evaporates, just add more until beans are tender.