Tag Archives: gluten free

Chocolate Banana Mousse

Sometimes at the end of a meal you just need something sweet. This recipe comes in time for Valentine’s Day, combining two top 10 aphrodisiac foods bananas and chocolate, making for a perfect ending for a romantic dinner. Plus it comes without the guilt, as this a dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate banana mousse.

You can make this mousse for four servings or two large ones, I found myself eating 2 of the four servings as I just wanted a bit more. To make this mousse, slice two bananas length-wise and place on a cookie sheet sliced side up and broil for six-seven minutes. The bananas will be a bit browned. Turn them over and broil for three minutes on the other side. Set aside.

In a mixer on high speed, whip egg whites with teaspoon of salt until stiff peaks form. Set aside and then add the egg yolks to the mixing bowl with sugar and beat until the color is a light pale yellow. Add the bananas and cocoa powder to the egg yolks and mix through. Add the chocolate chips and mix through. Then, fold in the egg whites and pour mixture into ramekins. Bake in a water bath for 30 minutes to prevent the mousse from burning and help it cook evenly.

Chocolate Banana Mousse

Ingredients:

2 bananas
2 eggs separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Slice bananas lengthwise and broil sliced side up for 6-7 minutes on one side until they are a bit browned. Turn over and broil for 3 minutes on the other side. Set aside. Preheat oven to 360°. In a mixer, whip egg whites with teaspoon of salt on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes, and set aside. Add the egg yolks to the emptied mixing bowl along with the sugar and beat until light pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add bananas and cocoa powder and mix through. Add chocolate chips and mix through. Then fold in the egg whites and pour mixture into 4, 6 oz ramekins or 2, 10 oz ramekins. Place ramekins in roasting pan or Pyrex pan and add water halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with powdered sugar, optional.

Serves 2 or 4

White Chili With Chicken

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This white chili with chicken recipe is packed with flavor but has no heat so it is great for those who don’t like spicy foods. In fact, I came up with this recipe after a friend of mine asked me for a chili recipe that her kids would like. This one has plenty of flavor without the kick. And, it cooks up pretty quickly – 30 minutes, plus time for chopping, making it an easy weeknight family meal. It also freezes quite well making it perfect for a make-ahead dinner plan.

No tomatoes or tomato sauce are included in white chili, hence the color… or lack thereof. This recipe calls for ground chicken thighs, which provide enough fat to keep the meat flavorful and moist. Poblano peppers and Anaheim peppers add a nice touch of flavor without being spicy. Cumin and chili powder provide the main chili flavorings without the heat.

To make the chili, add peppers, onion and garlic to a pot with the EVOO and sauté for four minutes. Add ground chicken stir to mix all ingredients through and break up the chicken so it is in small pieces rather than chunks. Cook for four minutes.

White beans are used instead of the traditional red kidney beans, and a cup of corn helps round out the heartiness of the chili. Low sodium chicken stock serves as the liquid and masa harina is used at the end for thickening. The chili cooks in just 30 minutes in total.

Grated Monterey Jack cheese works as a nice complement, yet, the chili is flavorful enough that it doesn’t need really need it.

White Chili With Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lb ground chicken thighs

2 large poblano peppers – (about ¾ lb in weight)11oz

4 Anaheim peppers – 11oz

3 garlic cloves

1 onion

3 tbls EVOO

1.5 cups frozen corn, defrosted

1 15 oz can white beans, such as Northern

4 cups chicken stock, low sodium

2 teaspoons cumin

2.5 teaspoons chili powder

2.5 teaspoons kosher salt

Juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons masa harina

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Remove stems and seeds from peppers and dice. Dice onion and mince garlic. Add peppers, onion and garlic to pot with the EVOO and sauté for four minutes. Add ground chicken and cook for four minutes, with constant mixing to help break up the chicken. Then add the stock, beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt, and lime juice. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 25 minutes. Mix the masa with 1/2 cup cooking liquid and mix through until masa is absorbed and add back to pot along with cilantro and mix through. Simmer, covered for five minutes. Serve with grated Monterey Jack cheese, optional.

Makes 6-8 servings

Gluten-Free Lace Florentine Cookies

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Lace Florentine cookies filled with chocolate are a one of my favorite cookies. The caramel flavor is sweet and well, a little bit addictive. It’s hard to eat just one. This version of the cookie is made gluten-free using a mix of pulverized oats and almond meal to combine with a homemade caramel sauce that forms a batter. I have used steel-cut oats and Quaker oats and both work fine. I would not recommend using quick cooking oats, as the oats are thinner and the quantity might not hold up for the batter.

To make the batter, add the oats to a food processor and process until it looks like a meal, about 1-2 minutes. Add to a large bowl along with the almond meal and salt. In a heavy saucepan add the butter, brown sugar, sugar and cream until the butter is melted and ingredients are mixed through. Heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until the sides start to bubble. Make sure the entire pot does not bubble or the caramel will not work well for the batter. When the sides start to bubble, turn of the heat and add the vanilla extract and mix through. The alcohol in the extract will cause the mixture to bubble a bit which is fine. Pour the hot caramel into the dry ingredients and mix through.

Pour the hot caramel into the dry ingredients and mix through. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350° and place two racks in the oven. When the batter is cool enough to handle spoon 1-teaspoon size balls on a baking sheet leaving plenty of room (about 3 inches) for the cookies to spread out while cooking. I do 6 cookies on a sheet and cook 2 sheets at a time.

The sheet placed on the lower rack cooks faster than the upper rack so after 4 minutes, move the top baking sheet to the lower rack and the bottom baking sheet to the upper rack and bake for another 4 minutes. 8 minutes should be enough for the cookies to get golden brown. If your oven is a bit slower then keep the cookies in for 10 minutes but make sure they do not burn.

When you take the cookies out of the oven, some of them may have run into each other. Use a knife and gently separate the batter. The cookies are very amenable while they are on the hot baking sheet so you can also use the knife to create more perfect shapes if you wish. Remove the cookies on the parchment paper to a cooling rack or cutting boards to cool, they will cool almost immediately once removed from the hot pan. Repeat until batter is finished.

Once all the cookies are baked, heat the chocolate in a double boiler until melted. Pair the cookies up as best as the shapes can match and line them up on parchment paper with the bottom side of the cookie facing up. Spread one of the matched cookies with the chocolate. Since the lace cookies have lots of holes, some of the chocolate will drip the drip through onto the parchment paper. Place the matching cookie on top with the bottom side down on the chocolate. Place the parchment paper with the filled cookies on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to set the chocolate. Repeat with remaining cookies and add them to the tray in the freezer.

When you are done making all the cookies, store the cookies in a freezer-proof bag or container and take them out right before serving. This will keep he chocolate form melting through the cookie.

Gluten-Free Lace Florentine Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup oats (not instant) processed to form a meal

½ cup almond meal

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

5 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup good quality semisweet chocolate chips – I use Guittard or Tcho

Process oats until fine and add to a large bowl. Add the almond meal and salt and mix through. Melt butter, brown sugar, sugar and cream in a heavy pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until almost a boil, when the sides start to bubble but make sure the whole pot does not bubble. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract and mix through, then pour into dry ingredients and mix through to form the batter.

Preheat oven to 350° and place two racks in the oven. Place 1 teaspoon-size balls on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets – 6 on a tray about 3 inches apart. Bake for 4 minutes and rotate baking sheets and cook for another 4 minutes and check for doneness. Bake for 8-10 minutes in total when cookies are golden but not too brown.

Remove the cookies on the parchment paper to a cooling rack or cutting boards to cool. Repeat until batter is finished. Once all the cookies are baked, heat the chocolate in a double boiler until melted. Pair the cookies up as best as the shapes can match and line them up on parchment paper with the bottom side of the cookie facing up. Spread one of the matched cookies with the chocolate. Place the matching cookie on top with the bottom side down on the chocolate. Place the parchment paper with the filled cookies on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to set the chocolate. Repeat with remaining cookies and add them to the tray in the freezer. When you are done making all the cookies, store the cookies in a freezer-proof bag or container and take them out right before serving.

Makes 18 sandwich cookies

Honey Glazed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

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These honey glazed stuffed chicken breasts make for a really nice presentation. The stuffing is gluten-free and dairy-free, and combines spinach with shallots and ground almonds and the sweetness of dried apricots and basil, making it a great dish to serve for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, when it is tradition to serve something sweet and fruity. The stuffing is inserted inside the chicken breast and underneath the skin, making for a nice chicken-to-stuffing ratio for almost every bite.

To make the stuffing, combine the almonds and basil in a processor and process until the almonds are pretty fine, with no big pieces. The basil and almonds will be mixed through thoroughly. Add the almond basil mixture to a non-stick frying pan.

Defrost and drain a box of frozen chopped spinach and squeeze the excess water out with paper towels. Add one cup, tightly packed spinach into the frying pan along with the chopped shallots, chopped dried apricots, 4 tablespoons of olive oil grated garlic clove and salt and pepper and sauté for 3 minutes.

To stuff the inside of the chicken breasts, find the pocket on the side of the joint. Use your fingers to separate it and make room for the stuffing. Using a tablespoon, spoon the stuffing into the pocket pushing down to make sure it extends all the way to the end of the breast. Then separate the skin from the breast and spoon the stuffing in between. Repeat with the remaining stuffing and chicken breasts ad place in an ovenproof dish.

Salt and pepper the skins of the chicken breasts and brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the wine and water to the pan, and place in preheated 375° oven and cook or 20 minutes. After 20 minutes of cooking, glaze the tops of the chicken breasts with the honey and continue cooking for another 40 minutes, the breasts will be browned on top and cooked through.

Honey Glazed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds

1 cup basil leaves

1 cup tightly packed frozen chopped spinach defrosted, drained and squeezed dry

2 shallots minced

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

5 tablespoons EVOO

1 garlic clove, grated

Salt pepper

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup Honey

Combine the almonds and basil in a food processor and process until the almonds are pretty fine, with no big pieces. Add the almond basil mixture to a non-stick frying pan.

Defrost and drain a box of frozen chopped spinach and squeeze the excess water out with paper towels until the spinach is dry. Tightly pack one cup of spinach and add to the frying pan along with the shallots. Chop the dried apricots into 1/8” pieces and add to frying pan along with 4 of the tablespoons of olive oil, the grated garlic clove, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for 3 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Stuff the inside of the chicken breasts, using the pocket by the joint, and place stuffing under the skin. Repeat with the remaining stuffing and chicken breasts and place in an ovenproof dish. Salt and pepper the skins of the chicken breasts and brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the wine and water to the pan, and place in oven. After 20 minutes of cooking, glaze the tops of the chicken breasts with the honey and continue cooking for another 40 minutes, the breasts will be browned on top and cooked through.

Serves 4

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

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What is summer without grilling? And what’s better than sweet and spicy grilled food on a summer’s day? This recipe for sweet and spicy grilled chicken gets it’s sweetness from honey and its spice from cayenne pepper – so you can easily control how much heat you want. It’s a quick and easy marinade to make and the chicken only needs 15 minutes of marinating time.

The marinade is also used as a glaze for the grilled chicken. It’s made with honey, lime juice, mustard, ketchup. EVOO, ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper. This recipe makes about 2/3 cup of the marinade for which half is used to marinate the chicken and the rest is used as a glaze after the chicken has been cooked. The lime juice in the marinade gives it an extra twang. Be sure not to marinade the chicken too long as it will break down the protein in way that leaves the chicken rubbery, even on the grill. About 15 minutes of marinating time is sufficient to flavor the chicken. This recipe makes enough for 2 pounds of chicken, but it can easily be doubled.

Cayenne pepper provides the spice and this recipe calls for a lot of it – a half-tablespoon. If you prefer less heat use a teaspoon and if you prefer just a hint of heat, use a half-teaspoon. Grilled pineapple is a great accompaniment to this chicken, especially when made with the full amount of spice. For a great summer picnic, see the sweet and spicy grilled chicken sandwich balanced with grilled pineapple and sweet basil leaves.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken boneless skinless breasts – sliced lengthwise into 1/4″ thickness

For the marinade and glazing sauce:

2 tablespoons EVOO

Juice of one lime or 3 tablespoons of lime juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

2 garlic cloves grated

1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (if you prefer less heat then use 1 teaspoon or a half a teaspoon)

Grilled pineapple (optional garnish)

Slice chicken breasts lengthwise into 3/8″ thickness. Mix all ingredients of the marinade together. It’ll make about 2/3 cup. Marinate chicken in half of the marinade (1/3 cup) for 15 minutes, reserve remaining marinade. Grill chicken on medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes on each side. Brush cooked chicken with remaining unused marinade. Serve with grilled pineapple as a garnish.

Serves 4-6

Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Salad with Artichokes

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This quinoa salad is light and lemony and a great side dish. It’s perfect for spring or summer barbecues when you need some good vegetable side dishes. Roasting the cauliflower brings out the nutty flavor which complements the quinoa and the toasted pine nuts. I use white quinoa for this recipe because I like how it blends in color with the cauliflower and artichokes; the red onion and parsley offer the hints of color and flavor. The lemony dressing brings the flavors together with a nice acidic punch.

To roast the cauliflower, slice it very thin and season then roast it with olive oil and some salt and pepper. While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the quinoa and slice the artichokes, onion and parsley and add them to a large bowl big enough to hold the rest of the ingredients. Add lemon juice, remaining oil and vinegar and seasoning to the artichokes. Add the cooked quinoa, cauliflower and toasted pine nuts. Mix all ingredients through. Chill for at least 2 hours so the flavors mesh.

Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Salad with Artichokes

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower sliced thinly, and into small pies

1 cup of quinoa to yield about 2 cups of cooked quinoa

2 cups water

5 tablespoons EVOO

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts sliced

¾ cup diced red onion

¾ cup chopped parsley

Juice and zest of 2 lemons (yielding about 1/3 cup of lemon juice)

½ cup pine nuts, toasted

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

Thinly slice the cauliflower, slice it very thin and into small pieces and season it with salt, pepper and 3 tablespoons of olive oil and roast on a foil-lined pan for 25 minutes in a 400° oven. While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the quinoa in water in a covered pot for about 15 minutes, until cooked through. Add the artichokes, onion and parsley to a large bowl big enough to hold the rest of the ingredients. Add lemon juice and zest, remaining oil, vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper and cumin to the bowl and mix through. When the quinoa is cooked add it to the bowl, then add the cauliflower, cutting the pieces as needed. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt and mix all ingredients through. Toast the pine nuts then mix them through. Chill at least 2 hours so the flavors mesh.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Wild Rice Salad with Zucchini and Pecans

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Wild rice is one of those great grains that is too often overlooked. It has a great nutty flavor and a bit chewier than other rice and is good eaten as hot dish as well as cold. Wild rice is a “good” carbohydrate; it has fewer calories per serving than brown rice, higher protein levels and a lower glycemic load. When cooked to it’s fullest, wild rice grains “pop” and the grains are no longer the thin black grains that often appear in mixed rice dishes, but rather become a heartier, plumper grain and lighter in color.

The key lies in letting the rice cook a long time with a lot of liquid. I use chicken stock but you can easily use vegetable stock or water to cook the rice. I also add the liquids in stages to gauge how the rice is cooking. Different pots and different flame levels affect how the rice cooks and how much exact liquid you will need, so I start with 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice and then add a half a cup at a time at the end. The total is about 3 cups of liquid and it takes about an hour and a half to cook. It freezes well after it has been cooked so if it becomes one of your favorites, you can make it when you have the time and freeze it. I like it as a side dish to Judy’s Chicken, as it mixes with the mushroom lemon sauce quite well.

In this recipe, the wild rice is served cold as a salad with zucchini, lima beans, roasted red peppers, corn, pecans, sunflower seeds and scallions – a great dish for spring/summer barbecues. It’s a good hearty salad for those who are gluten free and vegetarian or vegan if you cook the rice with water or vegetable stock. The zucchini is blanched for about a minute to a minute and a half to bring out the sweetness. It’s cooked al dente so be careful not to over cook or it will be too soft to stand up to the heartiness of the rice. The corn and lima beans are blanched for about a minute; and the pecans and pine nuts are toasted. The dressing is very light – orange juice , red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper – and just enough is added to coat the ingredients and bring out the flavors. You can use almost any mix of vegetables and nuts that you like. Dried currants or canned mandarins can also be added if you want to add a sweeter tang to the salad.

Wild Rice Salad with Zucchini and Pecans

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice

3 cups stock or water

½ lb zucchini – about 2 med-large zucchinis sliced lengthwise, blanched, then diced

½ cup chopped roasted red peppers

½ cup Lima beans, blanched for 1 minute

1 ear of corn, kernels sliced off cob and blanched for 1 minute

½ cup sliced scallions

½ cup pecans toasted

¼ cup sunflower seeds toasted

Dressing:

3 tablespoons orange juice

1½ tablespoons EVOO

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon country grain mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Add 2 cups of stock and 1 cup of wild rice to a pot and bring to a boil and simmer covered until the liquid has absorbed, about 1 hour. Then add ½ more stock and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. If rice is still not plump, add ½ cup more stock and simmer covered for another 15 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, slice the zucchini lengthwise and blanch in boiling water for about 1½ minutes until al dente. Make sure not to overcook and that the zucchini is not soft. Remove zucchini and add corn kernels and lima beans for 1 minute. Dice the blanched zucchini, then add to a bowl along with the corn and lima beans. Dice roasted peppers and scallions and add to the bowl.

Make dressing by mixing together all the ingredients and then add to the vegetables. Toast pecans and sunflower seeds and set aside. When rice is cooked add to the bowl with vegetables, then add the nuts and mix through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until chilled before serving, about 2 hours.

Serves about 8-10 as a side dish

Savoy Cabbage with Pineapple and Jalapeños

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This is a sweet and spicy salad that is good as a side dish accompaniment with grilled fish or fish tacos. It also goes well as a side for the Flank Steak with Pepper Lime Cilantro Marinade dish. It’s light and refreshing with a bite. The base is Savoy cabbage – a crinkly, crisp, light leaf cabbage. Pineapple makes this salad a bit like a salsa and the red jalapeño peppers add color and punch. The recipe calls for 1-2 jalapeños depending on how spicy you want it to be. Avocado adds a bit of cooling to the jalapeños, though you can make this salad with or without the avocado. If you do add avocado, add it at the end right before serving. The dressing has no fat; it’s simply 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar balances well with the pineapple juice, cilantro and jalapeños. Add all ingredients, except the avocado, to a bowl and let it sit for 20-30 minutes before serving so the flavors all mesh. Then add avocado at the end and mix through.

Savoy Cabbage with Pineapple and Jalapeños

2 cups sliced Savoy cabbage

1.5 cups diced pineapple

1-2 red jalapeño peppers, sliced

1 avocado, diced (optional)

½ cup sliced scallions

¼ cup chopped cilantro

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients, except the avocado, to a bowl and mix through. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes before serving to give time for the flavors to mesh. Add avocado, if using, right be fore serving and mix through.

Serves 4-6

Flourless Almond Sponge Cake

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This is a gluten-free version of a cake my grandmother used to make for Shabbat and holidays. It’s a sponge cake, made very light and airy with beaten egg whites. This cake is not only gluten free but it’s also dairy free, making it a great dessert for Passover. Orange zest and a bit of orange juice provide the added flavoring. The tricky part in making it with almond meal is that the amount of wet ingredients had to be reduced from the original recipe. I used fewer egg yolks and orange juice than what I would use to make the traditional sponge cake. I tried making the cake with varying types of almond meal from course to fine. I found that fine almond meal absorbed the wet ingredients better.

Traditional sponge cakes are made in a tube pan, and I baked this one in my grandmother’s tube pan. The key in making this cake is to really whip the egg whites until they are thick and frothy and then add a few teaspoons of sugar and keep whipping until it’s absorbed so the egg whites become glossy. Reserve the egg whites and then in the same mixing bowl add the yolks and whip for a minute then add the sugar gradually until the sugar is completely absorbed into the yolks and the mixture is glossy. This will take 5-10 minutes, depending on your mixer. The color of the egg yolk-sugar mixture will turn a mustard color.

To the yolk-sugar mixture, add the juice and zest and mix for a minute. Then fold in the egg whites, one quarter at a time, and then pour the mixture into the ungreased tube pan. Tap the bottom of the pan to get rid of any air bubbles and place in a 350° pre-heated oven for 50-60 minutes, until a fork comes out clean.

The trick to keeping the shape, height of the sponginess of the cake lies in turning the pan upside down over the neck of a bottle (I use a wine bottle) let it stand until the cake is cool, about an hour.

Flourless Almond Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup almond meal

1 cup sugar

6 eggs plus 2 egg whites

2 tablespoons of orange juice

Zest of one large orange

Beat egg whites until stiff and frothy. Add 4 teaspoons of sugar, one a time, and continue to beat so the sugar us absorbed and the egg whites are silky and glossy. Remove egg whites and reserve.

Using the same beaters and bowl, beat the yolks on medium-high speed and then add the remaining sugar and beat until the sugar is fully incorporated and the mixture is glossy – it will take about 10 minutes or so and the color will be a mustard yellow. Then add the juice and zest and then the flour. Mix until incorporated.

Fold in the egg whites 1/4 at a time. Pour into an ungreased 10″ tube pan. Pat bottom to remove any air bubbles. Place in bottom rack of 350° pre-heated oven and bake 50-60 minutes, until a fork comes out clean. Take the cake out of the oven and invert it on a wine bottle to keep the elasticity until the cake is cool, about an hour.

Serves about 10.

Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

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When I was in high school, I had a friend who was half Syrian and it was at her house that I helped make meat stuffed grape leaves. This was my first introduction to dolmas. I had never had the rice-stuffed ones that are far more popular until years to come. In fact, I rarely see meat-stuffed dolmas anymore. As I look to increate the amount of protein in my diet, these type of dolmas came to mind.

I don’t recall what was in the meat-rice stuffing or the exact ingredients in the cooking liquid other than that it contained lemon juice and tomato sauce in (which I remember thinking was a bit odd at the time) and that we lined the pot with unused grape leaves so that the bottom layer would not burn when cooking. But, what I do remember is that I really liked eating them.

Stuffed grape leaves or dolmas are popular in Mid-Eastern food, Greek food and Turkish food, made with varying fillings, spices and sauces, depending on the region. Since my first encounter was of Syrian influence, I kept this recipe of that culture, using allspice as a main seasoning ingredient and combining a mixture of beef and lamb, sprinkled with pine nuts along with the rice. The rice is rinsed twice to remove the starch, then added to the meat mixture.

I was able to buy jarred brined grape leaves at Whole Foods, but given the wide amount of cultures that make stuffed grape leaves, I would think that most supermarkets would carry them as well. To assemble the grape leaf pockets, unravel the grape leaves from the jar and separate the leaves. Place one leaf on a flat surface, shiny side down. Place a tablespoonful of stuffing in the center of the leaf. Note that for the smaller leaves, the fillings might need to be smaller, perhaps more like a teaspoon in size. To make the packet, fold the top leaf down, pressing into the stuffing, then fold in the left side, then tuck the bottom left leaf into the fold, pushing into the stuffing, and then toll the wrapped stuffing from left to right to cover the right side, tucking in the top and bottom leads in as you roll. Repeat the process until all of the filling is used. You will have plenty of grape leaves left over, so if they are small or ripped, choose another.

To cook the grape leaves, I lined the pot with carrots rather than the left over grape leaves to prevent burning the bottom layer of grape leaves. The carrots offer the right amount of protection while also providing a flavoring ingredient for the sauce. To do this, I cut up about 4-5 carrots length-wise about 1/8″-1/4″ in thickness, and fit them to cover the bottom of the pot. Then I layered the grape leaves on top. I have read that you are not supposed to have more than 3 layers of meat stuffed grape leaves to help keep the cooking time even.

Once the grape leaves are stacked, I add the ingredients of the sauce. I mix the tomato sauce with 2 cups of water to thin it out and pour it over grape leaves. Then I add lemon juice, garlic, mint leaves, and then more water until the liquid meets the top of the grape leaves. An inverted plate is then placed on top of the grape leaves, and finally the cover to the pot. Cook the grape leaves on a simmer for 50-60 minutes until the rice has cooked through. Discard carrots and strain sauce. Serve the dolmas hot with the sauce.

Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

1 15 oz. jar of grape leaves (you’ll use about half)

For the filling:

3/4 lb beef

3/4 lb lamb ground

1 cup rice

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

For the sauce:

1 cup tomato sauce mixed with 2 cups of water

4 cloves smashed garlic

3/4 cup lemon juice

Leaves from 1 sprig of mint (about 6-8 leaves) torn from sprig and torn in half

4-5 carrots cut length-wise into about 1/8-1/4 inch thickness

Additional water

Make filling: Pour the cup of rice into a bowl and add water to cover. Swirl the rice around with a spoon to help release the starch. Drain in a colander and repeat process. Add the beef, lamb, rinsed rice, pine nuts, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix through.

Unwrap the grape leaves and one at a time, lie it flat shiny side down on a flat surface. Place about a tablespoon of filling in the center (less if the leaf is small). To make the packet, fold the top leaf down, pressing into the stuffing, then fold in the left side, then tuck the bottom left leaf into the fold, pushing into the stuffing, and then toll the wrapped stuffing from left to right to cover the right side, tucking in the top and bottom leads in as you roll. Repeat the process until all of the filling is used.

Line the pot with the carrots. Layer the stuffed grape leaves on top. Mix the tomato sauce with 2 cups of water, pour over grape leaves, add lemon juice, garlic, mint leaves, and then add more water until the liquid meets the top of the grape leaves. Place an inverted plate over the grape leaves. Cover pot. Bring to a boil then lower to simmer. Simmer 45 minutes until rice is cooked through . Discard carrots and strain sauce. Serve the dolmas hot with the sauce.

Makes about 40

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Tag Archives: gluten free

Chocolate Banana Mousse

White Chili With Chicken

Gluten-Free Lace Florentine Cookies

Honey Glazed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Salad with Artichokes

Wild Rice Salad with Zucchini and Pecans

Savoy Cabbage with Pineapple and Jalapeños

Flourless Almond Sponge Cake

Meat Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)