gluten-free Archives - Penguin Girl

kitchen sink pasta success

penny on September 4, 2014

Pasta night in our house is generally a simple affair of whatever pasta spent some time in boiling & salted water with either store-bought sauce or olive oil and parmesan cheese on top. Sometimes we add some one or two extra ingredients such as tomatoes or lemon zest, but it’s still kept pretty low key. Last night more substance was desired over pure simplicity and the pantry and fridge were overflowing with items just about to turn, so kitchen sink pasta night it was.

Kitchen sink pasta involves reviewing key ingredients in the awesome Flavour Bible and putting together something that hopefully goes together.

This version of kitchen sink pasta includes TVP reconstituted in no chicken broth sautéed in olive oil with some garlic, a white bell pepper, black and green olives, lemon juice, and capers. This was poured over each pasta serving and feta cheese was sprinkled on top.

It was fun to stretch outside my normal ingredient comfort zone.

year of making progress

penny on July 31, 2014

For the past 212 days, I’ve taken a photograph and posted about what I’m making as part of the year of making project. I expected to loose interest weeks ago. I found that by stopping to reflect for even just a short moment, there is renewed inspiration and respect for each and every thing I make each day, even if it’s just for dinner or another round on a pair of socks.

I recommend participation in this project. Has it changed how or what I make? No. It has changed my mindset to celebrate more of what I make even if it feels like I just keep making the same darn thing.

Please feel free to join in — don’t feel obligated to track the days, or even wait until January. By reflecting on our #yearofmaking we celebrate making of both the mundane and the magical.

cooking adventures with kohlrabi

penny on April 30, 2014

For Pesach I bought kohlrabi, hopeful for warm-ish weather and the desire for crunchy vegetables to snack on.

Then it snowed.

So the kohlrabi sat in the fridge the entire holiday.

We always eat kohlrabi raw, but knew someone must cook with it and a hot meal sounded ideal. Yesterday, after some quick searching, I discovered Kohlrabi Risotto from The New York Times.

I’m not a huge fan of making time-consuming recipes on weeknights, but risotto is pretty mindless and I caught up on some reading while I was stirring and adding broth. Yes, I use packaged broth. It’s low sodium and I go through it fast; I’ve yet to be able to figure out a way to keep enough stock in the freezer! Ideal? No. Does it work?

Yes.

Verdict? This was good, but not overly flavourful and we weren’t quite sure what the kohlrabi added beyond something different to chew. Before I added the rice, I nibbled a few pieces and it had a greater depth of flavour then. I think, however, we’ll keep crunching our kohlrabi raw.

dinner dilemma

penny on January 30, 2014

Most Thursday mornings our breakfast conversation revolves around the question of meal planning.

Some weeks are easier to plan than others. Winter weeks are the most difficult because the weather impacts mood and everything begins to taste the same. Tonight I posted an instagram of dinner for today’s year of making post and on Facebook a few friends were inspired by the polenta.

So tonight I offer up some of the meals I’ve made recently in the hopes that they’ll inspire you so you don’t have a dinner dilemma.

Clockwise from upper right. All meals are vegetarian and gluten-free, if vegan it is noted. I tend to add egg to stir-fry.

vegetarian cottage pie: Made with soy TVP, mushroom gravy, frozen peas, and creamy mashed potato.
shirataki tofu lo mein.: Vegan if made without egg. Drained and press tofu sautéed with ginger and garlic, frozen corn and peas. Add sauce and allow to thicken. Then add noodles and serve. I suggest one package of noodles per person.
soft polenta with squash, beans and sage.: vegan if you don’t add parmesan at serving. From The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley
pasta with olive oil and lemon.: vegan.
vegetable curry.: vegan. From Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker: 200 Ultra-Convenient, Super-Tasty, Completely Animal-Free One-Dish Dinners by Robin Robertson
tofu stir-fry.: vegan (if made without egg)

Now don’t get me started on lunches …

cozy dinner

penny on November 14, 2013

Sometimes you just need mac and cheese for dinner. Sometimes the stars align and you actually have ingredients on hand for Alton Brown’s Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese (substituting gluten-free pasta of course). Sometimes even Thursday night dinner can make you smile.