Lasagna Soup

I love lasagna. It's one of my very favorite meals. But it's hard to make gluten free. The noodles are hard to find, they get soggy, etc. This soup definitely can't substitute for real lasagna, but it's very good. 

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs Italian Sausage (I use Italian Turkey Sausage)
3 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
optional: 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
28-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
8 ounces gluten free pasta
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, or a heaping tablespoon dried basil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
a few cracks of black pepper
shredded mozzarella for sprinkling on top

 1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.   If you’re using dried basil, add it at this point.  Cook for about a minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.

2. Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  You can add the dry pasta to the soup in the last 8-ish minutes of cooking, or do as I prefer, and cook the pasta separately and add to individual servings. Right before serving, stir in fresh basil if you’re using fresh, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

4. To serve, place a generous dollop of the ricotta mixture in each soup bowl, add pasta if you cooked it separately, and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.  Let it sit for a minute for the cheese to get all melty, sprinkle mozzarella on top if desired and eat up.

Recipe from Our Best Bites:  http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/12/lasagna-soup/

Mom's Famous Lasagna

1 jar Ragu spagetti sauce (or if you are feeling ambitious, you could make your own...)
1 cup water
1 lb ground hamburger (or ground turkey)
16 oz. cottage cheese
mozarella cheese (lots)
2 boxes gluten free lasagna noodles

1. Cook hamburger/turkey thoroughly. Drain and rinse.
2. Mix Ragu sauce and water. Spread a thin layer on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
3. Lay down one layer of noodles, placing them carefully to cover the entire pan.
4. Lay down a layer of cottage cheese (about 8 oz.) and mozarella cheese.
5. Lay down another layer of noodles, placing them carefully to cover the entire layer of cheese.
6. Mix the remaining Ragu sauce with the ground hamburger/turkey. Pour a layer of Ragu/meat (about half of what remains) on top of the noodles.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 until all ingredients are gone.
8. Cover pan with a greased piece of foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes.

Butternut Squash Risotto

4 1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken broth; more as needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 large fresh sage leaves
6 slices bacon, diced
2 medium shallots, minced, about 1/4 cup
2 cups (1/4-inch-diced) fresh, uncooked butternut squash
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.Pour the chicken broth in a small/medium saucepan and set over medium heat. It doesn’t need to boil, just heat it through and keep it hot while making the risotto.
2. In a medium (3-quart) saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and fry, turning once, until they’ve turned dark green in most places, about 1 minute total, being careful not to brown the leaves. With a fork, transfer to the fried sage leaves to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Drain off all of the oil except for 1-2 teaspoons.
3. Cook the bacon in the hot oil in the saucepan, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to the plate with the sage. Again, drain off excess grease, if desired, leaving about 2 teaspoons in the saucepan.
4. Add the shallots to the saucepan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until softened, about 1 minute.
5. Add the squash and rice and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
6. Ladle in enough of the hot broth mixture to just cover the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until the broth is mostly absorbed. Keep the heat regulated so that the broth isn’t boiling (it will evaporate too quickly) but instead the rice/broth mixture bubbles and simmers gently while it cooks.
7. Add another ladleful of broth and continue cooking and stirring until absorbed. Continue this process (adding a ladleful or two of broth once the previous broth has been absorbed), stirring constantly, until the rice is tender with just a slightly toothsome quality, about 25 minutes. If you use all the broth before the rice gets tender, simply use more broth.
8. Set aside the nicest looking sage leaves as a garnish (about 1 leaf per serving) and reserve a few crumbles of bacon for garnish as well. Crumble the remaining bacon and sage leaves into the risotto. Stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble the remaining bacon over each serving and garnish with a sage leaf. Serve immediately.

This delicious recipe was found at Mel's Kitchen Cafe:  http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/03/butternut-squash-risotto.html

Italian Potato Sausage Soup

20 oz. lean Italian turkey sausage
1/2+ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 large onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
8 cups (2 boxes) chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, diced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups low-fat milk
3 ounces light cream cheese
3 tablespoons GF flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups baby spinach, chopped

1. Place sausage in large soup pot. Begin cooking it over medium heat and add red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, onion, and garlic. Saute until the sausage is fully cooked and drain if necessary.
2. Add the chicken broth and Italian seasoning, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.
3. Add diced potatoes, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook potatoes until tender.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, place the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth.
5. Heat the butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, then add the milk mixture and cook over medium heat until thick (like a very thick cream soup or a stirrable pudding).
6. When the potatoes are cooked, add the thickened milk mixture and chopped spinach. Season with additional crushed red pepper flakes and kosher salt to taste and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe from Our Best Bites:  http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/01/italian-potato-sausage-soup/

Lemon Basil Chicken

2 cups cooked, diced chicken (I used leftover Rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup cooked crumbled bacon (or more... I believe in being generous with bacon)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh minced basil
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons gluten-free chicken bouillon
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 bell pepper, chopped
salt, to taste
gluten free noodles
Parmesean cheese

1. In a measuring cup, combine water and cornstarch.
2. Saute red pepper with garlic and oil.
3. Add basil, cream, bouillon, lemon juice, and cornstarch mixture. Heat through but do not boil.
4. Add chicken, bacon, and salt.
5. Serve over noodles. Top with Parmesean.

Recipe adapted from "Gluten Free Cooking Made Easy" by Susan Bell.

How to Make Gnocchi

2 pounds whole baking potatoes
2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt

Making the Gnocchi:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a fork, pierce the potatoes in several locations to allow moisture to vent. Place on a baking sheet and bake the potatoes for 1 hour.
3. Cut open the potatoes and allow them to cool for about 20 minutes. Scoop the potatoes out of the skins and put through a potato ricer. If you don't have a ricer, use a wooden spoon to push the potatoes through a mesh strainer or mash the potatoes by hand using a fork.
4. Add the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, eggs, and salt to the potatoes and mix together to form a ball of dough.
5. Dust a cutting board with brown rice flour. Break off a small piece of dough and roll with your hands into a 1 inch diameter tube. Repeat.
6. Cut the tubes of dough into 1 inch long pieces. Repeat until all the dough is cut.
7. Place the cut gnocchi onto a brown rice flour dusted baking sheet. Freeze the gnocchi on the tray for about 1 hour. After the gnocchi is frozen, you can store it in a re-sealable plastic back or cook it.

Cooking the gnocchi:
1. Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boild in a large pot. Gently add frozen gnocchi to the water. Cook until the gnocchi rise to the surface of the water, about 5 minutes. Drain the gnocchi before serving.

Serve with your favorite pasta sauce.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

I've been dreaming about this soup for a long time. When I was in graduate school, my roommate Miriam and I made this imitation Olive Garden soup and it was absolutely delicious. When I went gluten free, I searched for gluten free gnocchi but I could never find it. I still can't, but I found a recipe for gluten free gnocchi and I knew I had to make it for this soup.

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed
2 c. half and half
2 c. chicken broth
1 stalk celery
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup carrot, grated
1 onion diced
1 c. spinach, chopped
1 t. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
16 ounces gnocchi
1 T cornstarch

1. Saute celery, onion, garlic, and carrot over medium heat.
2. Add chicken and chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil.
3. Add gnocchi. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add spinach. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Roasted Tomatoes with Pesto

tomatoes
fresh Parmesean cheese
fresh pesto

1. Slice tomatoes 1/4" thick and place on a cookie sheet.
2. Spread a thick layer of pesto on each slice of tomato.
3. Top each tomato with Parmesean cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

This makes a great appetizer or side with grilled chicken or an Italian theme meal.

Fresh Pesto

2 1/2 – 3 C basil leaves, gently packed
3/4 C fresh Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 C pinenuts, toasted
1/2-3/4C extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt (to taste)
a few cracks pepper

1 .Place the basil, Parmesan, garlic, pinenuts, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Give it a few pulses until things are chopped up.
2. Slowly pour in olive oil while processor is running until you reach the consistency you want.

If you don't eat it all right away, you can freeze it in ice cube trays and pull it out as needed for other recipes.

Mexican-Style Sweet Shredded Pork

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10-ounce) cans enchilada sauce
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup apple juice

1. Trim the visible fat from the roast and sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder, and onion powder. Use your hands to massage the spices over all sides of the meat.
2. Heat the oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat. Sear the pork roast for about 1 minute on all sides or until meat surface is golden brown.
3. While meat is searing, combine the enchilada sauce, 2/3 cup brown sugar, salsa, Worcestershire sauce, and apple juice in a slow cooker. Add the pork, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours with lid on the entire time.
4. Remove pork and shred, discarding any pieces of fat. Add the additional 1/3 cup brown sugar to slow cooker and turn heat to high. Add shredded meat. Simmer with lid off for 30 minutes.

Serve as salad (with tortilla chips, lettuce, tomato, rice, ranch, olives, cheese etc), enchiladas, burridos, quesadillas, etc.

Recipe from the Our Best Bites Cookbook.

Risotto con Peperone

6 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 medium green bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup apple juice 2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, green tops only
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or less, to taste)
2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped

1. In a small saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through but still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque, 2 minutes. Add the apple juice and cook, stirring until the rice nearly completely absorbs all the liquid, about 1 minute.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the thyme. Add 1 cup of the hot stock, and cook, stirring constantly. Cook the risotto, adding more stock 1/2 cup at a time as it is absorbed, about 20 minutes total cooking time. Stir in the green onions and cooked bell peppers after 15 minutes cooking time. Season the risotto with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. The rice should be slightly al dente.
5. Remove from the heat. Discard the thyme sprigs. Add the cheese and prosciutto, and stir well to mix. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Original recipe from the Food Network found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/risotto-con-peperone-recipe/index.html

Spaghetti with GF Noodles

GF noodles (quinoa noodles are my favorite - rice noodles get mushy)
GF pasta sauce (all tomato-based sauces I've checked, and Classico brand alfredo sauce)
cooked ground beef (with tomato sauce) or chicken (alredo sauce)

1. Prepare noodles as directed on packaging.
2. Top with GF pasta sauce.
3. Top with cheese