Lactose-free Hot Crab Dip

Ingredients

8 oz can jumbo lump crab, picked clean of shells

8 oz tub of dairy free cream cheese (I used Tofutti)

8 oz of Cabot Sharp cheddar cheese (naturally lactose free), or dairy free cheese of choice

1 stalk of green onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbl paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar (optional, if you like a little sweet)

1 tsp chili powder (optional, if you like a little spice)

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Preheat oven to 350°F. Scale out all of your ingredients. Break up the cheese if it comes in a block, like mine did. Pre-shredded cheese works fine to.

*You can replace the seasonings with Lawry’s season salt (McCormick states that it is GF, even though the packaging does not mention it), if you need to make this quickly.

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Mix it all together and spoon it into a 1 to 1.5 quart baker.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes until bubbly.

*Keep in mind that if you used dairy free cheese, it will take longer to melt.

*For a faster cook time, you can heat it in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly until melted.

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Serve with your favorite gluten free crackers or bread. I served mine with both rice crackers and lentil crackers. Enjoy!

Turkey Meatball Pho

My husband absolutely loves vietnamese pho and it is one of the few stove top dishes he will help me make (he prefers cooking on the grill). While I eat vietnamese food every chance I get, it is difficult to find a restaurant where they have gluten free options. Even though the noodles are gluten free (rice), many restaurants marinate their meat in either soy sauce or hoisin sauce, which are not gluten free. I have even been places where they added soy sauce to the broth. So I make it at home!

Traditionally, pho is made with sliced meat. However, we prefer a meatball version, which I have seen on menus before. It’s great because because you can mix in extra flavorings there too. Also, ground meat is cheaper! This time around, we decided to make it even less traditional and go with  a leaner ground turkey, instead of beef.  Since I used poultry for the meat, I also opted to use chicken stock instead of traditional beef stock. You can easily change the recipe back to the beef, using like quantities of each.

Ingredients

1 quart gluten free chicken broth

2 shallots – 1 quartered, 1 sliced

1 piece star anise

1 tsp cilantro, dried

1 tsp sugar

1 inch piece of ginger, fresh – slice half, and mince the other half

2 shallots – 1 quartered, 1 sliced

1lb turkey, ground

1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs (or crushed GF crackers)

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 medium jalapeno pepper (optional)

1/4 cup white onion, minced

6 oz rice noodles

1 oz bean sprouts, rinsed

Optional Garnishes: 

1/2 bunch Thai basil, shredded

1/2 bunch mint, shredded

1 lime, sliced in wedges

1 tbl peanuts, crushed

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To start, pour chicken stock into a 3 to 4 qt pot. Add the quartered shallot, sliced ginger, the star anise, and the cilantro. Simmer, while you make the meatballs.

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Next, heat up a frying pan with some oil. Mix turkey with the breadcrumbs, minced ginger, garlic, jalapeno, and onion. Roll into balls, preferably bite sized. *My husband made these much too large, so we had to cut them up to eat.*

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Brown the meatballs on all sides. They do not have to be cooked all the way through, yet. While they are browning, skim the shallot, ginger, and anise out of the broth.

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Once the meatballs are browned, add them to the broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. While that simmers, boil some water in a large pot and cook the rice noodles. They cook very quickly, usually 6-10 minutes, so keep an eye on them. While the water is boiling, quickly fry the sliced shallots in the hot oil left over from the meatballs, then set them aside.

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Drain the noodles and divide them between two bowls. Top with bean sprouts. Add some meatballs and broth. Add desired garnish. We used basil, jalapeno slices, and the fried shallot. Lime wedges, mint, and peanuts are other great traditional options.

Honey Sesame Chicken

One type of food that I miss being able to eat at restaurants is Chinese food. I have not once been comfortable ordering food at a Chinese restaurant, since I found out I was wheat-intolerant. It seems like most of the food is cooked in the same few woks, with little to no cleaning in between orders. So much cross-contamination! Also, they never have gluten free or tamari soy sauce available, like a few Japanese restaurants I have encountered do.

Because of this, the only time I get to eat Chinese food, is when I make it myself. The other day, i started craving the sweet honey sesame chicken I used to order as a kid, so I decided to try to make it myself. I did a lot of research and  managed to piece together an excellent and (as always) adaptable recipe.

I also love a good slow cooker recipe, because you can prep it ahead of time, do most of the clean up before the meal has finished cooking, and you don’t have to babysit the pan, which frees up your time to do other things.

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

1.5 tablespoons of rice vinegar

1/4 cup of honey

½ teaspoon of Sriracha (or other hot sauce)

1.5 teaspoon of sesame oil

1/4 cup of tamari soy sauce (or coconut aminos, if allergic to soy)

1 teaspoon of minced clove garlic

1 medium onion, sliced

2 teaspoons of corn starch (or arrow root, if allergic to corn)

2 tablespoons of water

1.5 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken breast, cubed

For garnish: scallions, sesame seeds

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  1. In a bowl, add the rice vinegar, honey, Sriracha, sesame oil,  and tamari.
  2. Mince the garlic clove and slice the onions. Add these ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
  3. Mix some water and the starch together, whisking to get out any clumps, then add this to the sauce.
  4. Put the chicken breast in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over it making sure that the chicken is covered.

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5. Cook covered on high heat for 3 ½ half hours or 5-7 hours on low heat.

6. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish, and serve with white rice. Enjoy!

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Notes:

  • I don’t like things too spicy, so I only used a little Siracha to balance out the sweetness of the honey. If you do like it spicy, you can always use more hot sauce or add a chili or two to increase the heat.
  • You can sub out the white rice out for healthier options like brown rice or quinoa too!