I had the pleasure of teaching a class a few weeks ago at Flavour Cooking School in Forest Park, IL. I love hearing the reasons why some people take my gluten and dairy free classes. Some are newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease, some a gluten intolerant and some are with their significant others to support them in their new ways of eating.

One of the dishes I made was lemon curd which went inside gluten free crepes. I was lucky to use Meyer Lemons which have a sweeter taste than regular lemons, however regular lemons work well too.

One of the things I use to thicken this is called KUDZU Starch. It comes in a package like this:

Kudzu can help thicken all sorts of things like gravies, pudding, pie filling and sauces.

This recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 cups lemon curd

Ingredients

3 whole eggs
1/3 cup honey
Zest of one lemon
pinch fine sea salt

6 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon kudzu starch

Directions

In a saucepan, whisk the eggs, honey, lemon zest and sea salt until light colored. Place pan over medium heat and add coconut oil, breaking into small clumps as it is dropped into the pot to evenly melt. whisking constantly.

Put lemon juice in a small bowl and add Kudzu starch to thicken. Add this into the saucepan with the other ingredients and continue to stir until the coconut oil is melted and it starts to thicken and a few bubbles pot at the surface.

Let cool and cover with plastic wrap touching the curd and refrigerate until cooled and thickened. 1-2 hours.

This is a really fresh and tasty dessert to make!

You can’t have this lemon curd without crepes! I’d like to share my easy version.

First I start out creating a Gluten Free Flour Blend which consists of:

1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour

Ingredients for Gluten Free Crepes – makes about a dozen

1 cup Gluten Free Flour Blend (made from recipe above)
1 cup non-dairy milk – I like almond milk
1/2 cup warm water
3 tablespoons agave syrup, honey or sugar
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
4 eggs
4 tablespoons grapeseed oil, or melted coconut oil

Add all these ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth
Pour into a pitcher – cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes, up to 3 hours.

Directions:

Heat a 7-8 inch non stick pan over medium flame

Remove pan from heat and brush pan with oil

Stir the batter

Add about 1/4 cup measure of the batter and swirl to coat the pan

Cook the crepe until its golden brown on the bottom – 1-2 minutes

Flip and cook the other side for 30-45 seconds

You can use these right away with the curd, refrigerate them or freeze them for later use.

Have you made gluten free crepes before?

I had the privilege of teaching a Gluten Free/Dairy Free Cooking class at Flavour Cooking School last night. It was a great evening meeting great people who I hope learned a lot about cooking Gluten and Dairy Free. Because I am Gluten and Dairy free, it’s nice to meet other people who have to live the same way.

I love working with people and families with food allergies because its kind of like connecting a puzzle, figuring out what is best for each person. On last nights menu? Roasted Garbanzo Bean Greek Salad

Moussaka soup with meyer lemon pesto

The pesto makes this dish, I use the peel and lemon of Meyer lemons with fennel fronds. It’s amazing!

And for dessert – I made Gluten Free crepes with lemon curd

I showed the students at Flavour how I thicken dishes with a thickener called Kudzu. You can use it to thicken soups, lemon curd, pudding, etc… you can find it in the Asian aisle at the store. This is what it looks like:

The recipes will be posted in the next few days. Have you ever attended a Gluten Free Class? Is there anything you wished would have been taught but wasn’t?

If you haven’t taken a class at Flavour Cooking school, it’s a wonderful place to learn in a beautiful kitchen. You can check out their website at www.flavourcookingschool.com to check out upcoming classes. Flavour Cooking School is located at 7401 W. Madison, Forest Park, IL 708-488-8133.

Please check out this link to be taken to the page.

I hope that you can attend some of these exciting events I am doing – I would love to meet you and I welcome any questions you might have about eating with food intolerance’s.

I know if you have been recently diagnosed with either Celiac disease or dairy or gluten intolerance there is a lot of questions you may have.

Attending one of my events will be beneficial to anyone either living with a food intolerance of helping someone in your life dealing with that.

I can be reached at sueson@specialeats.com if you have any questions about my upcoming events.

This casserole is great – easy and super tasty!

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Jasmine or Brown long grain rice, rinsed and cooked according to package directions
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
2-3 medium zucchini, sliced
(you could also use broccoli or green beans or your favorite veggie in place of the zucchini)
1 package cooked Chicken Italian sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces crushed tomatoes in puree
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
Optional: Dairy free Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Prepare rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, saute the onion in a large frying pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the zucchini and chicken sausages and continue cooking until zucchini is cooked al dente (still firm to the bite). Add tomatoes and spices, adjust seasoning to taste. Stir in cooked rice and serve.

This serves 4-5

I love dishes like this that are made in one skillet. To make this even easier, I sometimes cook extra rice to have leftovers on hand, so you could skip the step of making the rice by just adding the cooked leftover rice.

Have you tried Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausages? What do you make with them??

I would also like to say HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!!!

I’m a huge fan or ground turkey – I use it in lots of dishes. I like this recipe because you can make extra to freeze so a quick midweek dinner can come together quickly. And since they are baked you have time to get other things done while they bake!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

1 egg
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs (you can buy Gluten Free bread crumbs to make this gluten free)
2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced (or 2 tsp. dried)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground dark turkey

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Form meatballs with small scoop or hands and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes depending on size of meatball.

You can make these for appetizers with your favorite dipping sauce (like marinara). Make these into meatball sandwiches, add these to your favorite salad, or serve with pasta. I like a brand of gluten free pasta called Tinkyada. You can check out their site here for the different varieties they sell.

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free soy sauce
1 8 oz. jar apricot preserves, (preferably fruit juice sweetened)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3-4 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy!)
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
3 pounds chicken wings

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved; add the tapioca flour and continue cooking for 3 minutes.

Marinate chicken wings in sauce for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 40 minutes, basting occasionally with accumulated juices.

Serves 4-6

This is a great recipe to make for a big football game weekend – or super bowl weekend because you can feed a big crowd!

Cranberry Maple Glaze

This glaze gives roasted turkey a delicious sweet-tart flavor and rich color. Brush it on the turkey during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Glaze:
1 (12-ounce) bag fresh or frozen cranberries
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, orange zest, maple syrup and orange juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.

2. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered or until the cranberries burst and sauce is very thick.

3. Puree the mixture in a blender. If the glaze is too thick, thin it with a small amount of water. Refrigerate glaze until ready to use.

Turkey Stock

While the turkey is roasting in the oven, make this stock as a base for delicious gravy. Save or freeze leftover stock for making turkey soup later. For a richer stock, add chicken backs or wings or buy a turkey wing to supplement stock.

Turkey neck and giblets (not the liver)
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
2 large white onions, quartered
2 tablespoons vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 bay leaf
Handful fresh parsley and/or thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
Cold, purified water (at least 3 quarts)
Salt
3-4 dried juniper berries, optional

1. Place the turkey pieces and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour enough cold water to cover. Add bay leaf, parsley and thyme, peppercorns and cloves. Slowly bring to a boil.

2. Lower heat and gently simmer for at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours, with the lid partially covering the pan. The longer the stock simmers the more flavorful and nutritious it becomes. Occasionally skim the soup as impurities rise to the surface.

3. Remove soup from the heat. Remove the turkey pieces and discard. Strain the stock through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.

Basic Gravy

Follow these instructions to make rich, flavorful gravy. Allow at least ½ cup gravy for each person. Don’t worry about making too much. Leftover gravy can be used with leftovers or added to your gluten-free turkey pot pie.

Turkey or chicken stock Arrowroot or cornstarch,* for thickening
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Remove turkey from the pan. Deglaze the roasting pan by adding 2 cups of stock to the pan and placing pan over low heat. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan for any bits of turkey left behind.

2. Strain the gravy through a sieve into a saucepan. Remove excess fat that rises to the top and discard.

3. Add additional turkey stock to saucepan and simmer uncovered.

4. Make a slurry by dissolving arrowroot or cornstarch into cold water. The amount of starch depends on the amount of gravy you’re making. Start with less starch; you can always add more. For 1 quart of gravy, dissolve about 2 tablespoons starch into ½ cup cold water.

5. Stir the slurry into the saucepan. Increase heat to medium, stirring occasionally until gravy reaches desired thickness. Add additional slurry to further thicken the gravy or more stock or water to thin, as needed.

6. Taste and adjust seasoning.

*TIP Arrowroot slurry takes longer to thicken than a slurry made with cornstarch.

Roast Turkey
Select a natural turkey, preferably a free-range bird that hasn’t been injected with any additives. The key to a great turkey dinner is to make sure that you don’t under or overcook the bird. Before the estimated completion time, test the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer; white meat/breast should reach 160 degrees and the dark meat/thigh should reach 170 degrees. When pierced, juices should be clear. If the turkey begins to brown too early, check your oven temperature and make a tent with foil to protect turkey breast from overcooking and drying out – do not enclose turkey in foil as it will steam versus roast. You may use a piece of parchment paper between bird and foil to avoid aluminum contact.

Depending on size, roast an unstuffed turkey at 325 degrees as follows. If your turkey is stuffed, add an extra 15-30 minutes to the overall cooking time.

Weight Cooking Times How much to buy?
8 to 12 pounds 2 3/4 to 3 hours (1 pound per person)
12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3 3/4 hours (¾ pound per person)
14 to 18 pounds 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours (¾ pound per person)
18 to 20 pounds 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours (¾ pound per person)
20 to 24 pounds 4 1/2 to 5 hour (¾ pound per person)

After the turkey has finished cooking, remove it from the roasting pan and set it on a platter to “rest” before carving. This step allows the juices to return to the turkey and gives you time to make delicious gravy. (Save any juices that accumulate on the platter and add them to the gravy.) The turkey will continue to cook when resting and the internal temperature may raise 5-10 additional degrees.

Hope these recipes find their way to your Thanksgiving Table! Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

In thinking about what people make this time of year I am reminded of sweet potatoes. I did not grow up eating sweet potatoes; in fact on their Thanksgiving appearance I turned up my nose and refused to even taste the sweet and nutritious treat. Something happened in my 40′s and I tasted sweet potato soup – which I loved. At first I only ate sweet potatoes disguised as soups, casseroles, etc.

Now I eat them any way I can find them including, as indicated here, or occasionally with the skins intact. I hope you enjoy the unlimited possibilities of sweet potatoes.

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large pot, cover sweet potatoes with water and cook until tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Mash potatoes by hand or with a potato masher or puree in a food processor or pass through a potato ricer. Add the nutmeg, maple syrup, salt and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.

This serves 4-6 people.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Egg Salad Wraps – Serves 4

6 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise, plus extra, if you like, for spreading
1 tsp. Dijon mustard (you can use gluten free Dijon mustard too)
1/2 tsp. dried dill
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
GFCF tortillas (such as Food for Life Rice Flour Tortillas)

To hard boil the eggs, cook the eggs in a saucepan of simmering water enough to cover the eggs. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, cool under cold running water, peel and chop eggs.

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, and dill weed; add chopped eggs. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Heat tortilla in a non-stick skillet until pliable, or microwave covered with a damp paper towel for 15-20 minutes.

Place slices of avocado on tortilla if desired and top with 1/4 of the egg salad. Fold or roll as desired. Best if eaten fresh, however you can wrap this in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

This is so filling and nutritious – a great source of protein and healthy fats from the avocado.

Proceeds from the cost of the dinner benefits the ground breaking research being done at the center.

Here are the locations/dates:
Oakbrook NOV 7th
Chicago NOV 8th

http://www.wildfirerestaurant.com/glenview

Schaumburg NOV 10th

http://www.wildfirerestaurant.com/lincolnshire

There is a set menu BUT also know that Wildfire has recently EXPANDED their gluten free menu. I hope you can attend one of these dates – it’s a great fundraiser for The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center!