Thanksgiving gluten-free side dishes

Thanksgiving side dishes are as varied as are the people who celebrate Thanksgiving.  My mother although Puerto Rican and not a huge fan of turkey created the most sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner for her family.  She added her own traditional meals and those of family and friends.  The red cabbage recipe is an old German recipe.  it is very easy to create, nutritious, delicious and a huge part of my Thanksgiving meal with my family.  To me it is not Thanksgiving without all of the colors of the dishes that were on my mother's table.  Although called red cabbage this cabbage is the most gorgeous purple color and a welcomed addition to our meal.

Abuela’s Red Cabbage
1 head red cabbage, chopped
1 head garlic, sliced cloves
1 onion, sliced
1 to 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste



Saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add chopped red cabbage and continue to sauté. Add vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. When cabbage is done sweating it is done.




Green Beans with Garlic, Shallots and Mushrooms

Green beans are one of the classic dishes at Thanksgiving.  For a nice crunch you can add almonds or pecans.

Ingredients
1lb. fresh or frozen petite green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 head garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
*optional:  almonds or pecans


Directions:
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and saute.  Add sliced mushrooms and continue to saute.   Add in fresh or frozen green beans combine with garlic and onions, cover and allow to steam for 3 to 5 minutes.   Salt and pepper and toss gently. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with almonds or pecans and serve.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Roast and Smashed Potatoes

This dinner is honor of my son Daniel, who believes anything wrapped in bacon is go-o-od.  My son is 25 years old and a sargent in the army.  He is stationed at Fort Drum in upstate New York.  Daniel is my oldest child and my only son.  He has been in the army since he was 19 years old and has traveled all over the world.  He will be leaving soon for the Middle East for his first time.  So when he came to California in August 2009 on leave I made him this dish.  Of course he absolutely loved it.  it was slathered in garlic, one of his all time favorites, and then draped in bacon.  How could I miss?!
 
This year we were blessed with being able to see Daniel and my grandson DJ (Daniel Junior) three times.  Now that he is going to Iraq we will not be able to seem him for at least 12 months. That is going to be extremely difficult for our family.  His presence will be missed dearly.  In order to cope with my mother's absence I started finding comfort in making dishes that she had cooked for our family.  I decided that this strategy will help comfort me while my son is gone.  So as I made this dish again last night I thought of Daniel the whole time. I talked to him by phone as the pork was roasting in the oven and tried to make the aroma waft through the phone to him so that he could know that he is never far away from home.

This pork roast is tender, and so juicy.  Plus it is chock full of flavor.  It does not consume too much time to make and it looks very chic. The smashed potatoes is a simple side dish but looks very elegant, and tastes fantastic.

I season the pork roast with the adobo recipe my mother had passed on to us, which if you can guess consists of a whole lot of garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil. If you wanted an Italian flare to this adobo you could add parsley and sweet basil, rosemary, etc. I try to use fresh minced herbs whenever possible as the flavor is much more intense and savory. My mother taught me the technique of poking holes into the meat to add more of the flavor to each slice of meat. So I incorporated that technique into ths recipe as well

     Adobo Recipe

1 head garlic, finely minced

1-2 teaspoons salt

1/2 - 1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon minced oregano

2 tablespoons oilve oil

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Roast

1 lb. Pork Roast

Adobo

Bacon

Poke holes into the pork roast and add a little adobo into each hole. Then give the pork roast a nice rub down with your adobo. Once it is nicely seasoned then you wrap the pork roast with slices of bacon. You can use kitchen string to tie the bacon in place or in a pinch use tooth picks. Then you place into a baking pan and sear the outside of the roast at 500 degrees for 15 minutes on each side. Once seared, reduce the heat to 325 degrees and allow the pork to roast until an inserted thermometer reads 140 degrees. Once this happens remove from the oven and tent with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes and then slice. Don't forget to remove the string or tooth picks first. 

Smashed Potatoes

20 Baby Red Potatoes, cut into quarters

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/4 cup milk, warmed

1/4 to 1/2 cup reserved potato liquid

salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

Take the baby red potatoes and slice them into quarters. Place in a pot of boiling water and allow to boil for 15 to 20 minutes.

Drain the water reserving 1/2 cup of liquid to add back into your potatoes.  While the potatoes are still hot add in butter, and a little milk, reserved liquid, salt, pepper, and chopped chives. Smash potaotes and combine ingredients. Serve with additional chopped chives over the top for some added color and flavor.

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Here in California I think we get spoiled with the variety and the amount of vegetables that are available year round.  When my family and I traveled this summer across the U.S. we found that vegetables were not so prevelant everywhere else.  Salads were some times just a bowl of icebeg lettuce with one slice of cucumer and two cherry tomotoes on top.  Not very appealing, or tasty.  What we craved the most while on our trip, were the beautiful, colorful and fresh vegetables that abound in California.  My family loves vegetables.  Not just some vegetables but all vegetables.  I know that unfortunately our lives often can get so hectic.  It can get to the point that all we can think of is getting that meal on the table without any regard to what goes into it, what it's nutritional value is, or how it looks and tastes.  Slop!  We sometimes get stuck into a routine and forget to create new and exciting vegetable dishes to tease our palettes.  But you know me, I am ever seeking for new recipes.  I don't care where I get them, just as long as they keep coming.  There is this new cooking show on the Food Network called "10 Dollar Meals with Melissa d'Arabian".  I like her show because she is extremly accessible.  She is always giving tips on how to create wonderfully tasty, and eye catching meals without having to break the bank.  This concept really hits home for us, because that is our exact philosophy.  Who wants to eat the same old dried up veggies or worse yet soggie, no color, lifeless vegetables?  Certainly not a vegetable out of a can.  Yuck!!  Not us, that's for sure.

This vegetable dish is extremely easy, yet looks fancy; fine dining if you will.  Plus, roasting the broccoli does not mean it will lose anything in color, flavor, or texture.  Did I mention it only takes a few minutes to prep this dish and it costs less than a dollar for a family of four to serve?  And yet again a dish I can throw into the oven while the rest of dinner is being prepared and I am working on homework with my daughter.  This would be a nice dish to serve for a huge family gathering or party.  Simple yet elegant.  FYI, this concept of roasting vegetables can be adhered to many vegetables.  As a Puerto Rican I would be remiss if I did not add a little, if not alot of fresh minced garlic, and you could always add some fresh minced herbs, or marinade the veggies in a nice salad dressing before you roast them.  Remember to be creative and there is no wrong way to do this!

ROASTED BROCCOLI WITH PARMESAN
Recipe courtesy Melissa d'Arabian
Show: Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian Episode: Supper for a Song
4 servings
Ingredients
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks. Cut the broccoli lengthwise keeping the stalk and broccoli florets intact. (The long broccoli spears should resemble trees.) Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to coat and roast until nicely caramelized, about 15 minutes. Turn broccoli over and sprinkle with grated the Parmesan. Cook until the Parmesan melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve immediately.

Click on this link to see this recipe on the Food Network:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/roasted-broccoli-with-parmesan-recipe2/index.html

Chilies Relleno ~ Estilo puertorriqueño ~ Stuffed Chilies ~ Puerto Rican Style

When I was growing up my mother would always cook her special Puerto Rican dishes and in addition she would also try her hand at various cultural treats like roast turkey (American), lasagna and spaghetti (Italian), stir fry (Chinese), tacos (Mexican), etc. Although someone may have given her a recipe, my mom had her own style of cooking, and she would incorporate that into all of her dishes. Hence our change in titles of our recipes became Puerto Rican lasagna, Puerto Rican tacos, and so on. But in actuality there was no such thing as a Puerto Rican lasagna, or a Puerto Rican taco. As far as I know, they never existed in Puerto Rico, just in our kitchen in California.

My mother, who I considered to be a culinary genius, told us that she did not even know how to boil and egg when she married my father at the age of 19. When I heard this I was totally shocked, as I had thought that my mother came out of the womb with her cuchara (spoon), and her olla (pot) lista para cocinar (ready to cook). Of course my dad will always tell you that he was the one that taught our mom how to cook; although he does not really know how to cook himself. But he says he would guide her with his finely tuned taste buds. "It needs a little bit more pepper, or too much salt," he would say to her. My mother was not always so receptive to my father's criticism.
Mom also let me in on a little secret that in the olds days it was a whole lot of trial and error. My mom said that at first she would burn the rice and just break down and cry. The only true lessons my mom received in cooking were from her aunts in New York. Mom lived with them for a time and became their little understudy. Who would have guessed?! Not I, that's for darn sure. My mother was an only child and both of her parents owned and ran a grocery store. As she was the only child, she was treated like a princess and not allowed to cook, or clean, etc. My Abuela (grandmother) would dress my mother up like a doll and was not allowed to get dirty in any way. While my mother grew up she said that had a lady in the neighborhood that would cook food for them and bring it to them when they arrived from work. either that or one of my mother's aunts would come and cook for them.

So long story short, I am not even sure that they have chilles relleno in Puerto Rico, but my mother used to make them for us and they were mouth watering and absolutely delectable. These are not hot chiles, they are sweet chiles that I am able to purchase at the Sunday Farmers Market under the freeway; Summertime only of course. They are unlike most chile rellenos not breaded or dipped in egg. So as I am making these today my daughter, Autumn, who loves to cook, says she is dying because the smell is so tantalizing. It was 3:30 p.m. and she couldn't wait for dinner. "Let's eat now!", she said. All I can tell you is that it smells like my mom's kitchen, and that, always brings me back home. It is a safe and comforting feeling.
Chiles Relleno ~
Estilo puertorriqueño ~
Stuffed Chiles ~ Puerto Rican Style
8 Pasilla Chiles (Long Green Chilies or Bell Peppers)
Picadillo (See recipe)
Mozzarella Cheese

Picadillo

Picadillo Recipe (Puerto Rican Style Ground Meat)
1 lb. ground pork (ground turkey or ground chicken will work too)
1 onion, diced
½ head of garlic, finely chopped
½ diced bell pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
!/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
green olives stuffed with pimentos
1 tsp. capers
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce

Saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper with olive oil in a large skillet. Add the ground meat and brown.. Add oregano, cilantro, olives and capers. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer then cover and cook for 15 minutes or so over low heat.

Make a slit with the tip of a paring knife in the pepper at the cap. Remove the seeds. Roast the chiles in a 450 degree until they are blackened on the outside. (This step is well worth your effort. It will make your house smell sumptuous Once roasted place the chiles in a ziplock bag and seal. Allow the chiles to steam and cool. Once they are cool the skin with be much easier to peel off. Once cooled fill with Picadillo mixture and grated mozzarella cheese. Line in a greased 9 x 13 pan or larger. Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese over the top and place in a 400 degree oven until the top is golden brown. About 20 to 30 minutes.

April 17th Michael's (My husband) 42nd Birthday!!

For my husband's 42nd birthday, as always I asked what he would like for his special birthday dinner, and he surprised me with his answer. He decided that he wanted BBQ'D tri-tip steak, but not with our usual Korean marinade. He wanted a garlicky, wine, olive oil and herb vinaigrette marinade. With that he requested smashed baked potatoes with butter, and buttermilk, and steamed artichokes with garlic, lemon and butter. This is not is every day meal since he comes from a family with very high cholesterol, and he himself is constantly battling his cholesterol numbers. So we thought it would be a special treat for his birthday. The meat was oh so tender, juicy, and flavorful. The smashed baked potatoes were creamy, with a yummy potato flavor that was not washed out as if we had boiled them, and they were not as rich as one would have thought either. For dessert I had fixed him a Banana-Chocolate Custard Tart. Talk about decadence! It was a banana pie taken to the extreme. The meal was delicious and filling an dso Autumn and I could only take a bite of the Banana-Chocolate Custard Tart. Even Michael was saddened that he could not have a larger piece of his birthday dessert. To make up for it he has been able to have a nice slice of it almost every night for a week after his birthday.

Many of you know that our entire household is gluten free. While the fact remains that Michael is not Celiac or gluten intolerant, he does live in a household with two others who are (Myself and our daughter Autumn). So I always tease others and say he is a Celiac by virtue of living with two others who are. Plus, if he wants to eat, he must eat gluten-free. Michael decided early on that it was much easier for me as the chief cook and bottle washer to only have to prepare one meal for the family and on the plus side it ended up so much less expensive for us. He has even learned to cook a few gluten-free dishes as well. For the most part our cooking hasn't changed that much, aside from breads and pastas and of course baking. We do have to be hypervigilant where and with whom we eat. We have to know what is on every menu and make sure that there is not a chance of gluten in the food or in it's preparation. But all of the delicious flavors and incredible textures, with a yummy side of visual appeal are all still there.

Michael seemed to really enjoy his birthday dinner, his decadent dessert and his gifts for his new (new to him) "Spider" scooter. He got his rear view mirrors replaced and he received a cool looking helmet and a very functional scooter trunk for the back. Autumn wants him to get a new seat at least for her because she says his seats are worse than the one on her bicycle. So not as pleasurable a ride as she would like. But she never turns down a ride. Do you want to hear something funny?! Michael finally had to fill up the tank on his scooter for the first time and it cost him a whopping $2.50. Mr. Frugral was truly in heaven! All recipes can be viewed on The Gluten Free Fox search engine.