Monday 20 October 2014

GF Souvlaki

What's your choice of meat? You can make tempeh or firm tofu souvlaki as well. No matter what it is. The trick is to marinate for 6 hours or more.

For the marinate you will need a blend of olive oil, fresh minced garlic, oregano, lemon juice, salt and pepper. And for those who love more tangy-ness add the zest of a lemon.

Cut your meat, tofu or tempeh into bite size pieces.

Whisk all the marinate ingredients together.

Place meat, tofu or tempeh in a large ziplock bag. Pour the marinate in and seal it shut, pressing all the air out. Massage the meat or swish the tofu/tempeh around to evenly coat it. Repeat every other hour. Just to make sure the flavours are evenly distributed.

Soak your bamboo skewers in cold water for at least an hour before use. Skewer the meat/tofu/tempeh using veggies as dividers or you can just have all meat.

Grill until meat is cooked or when the center is warm. Serve with rice, pita, tzatziki sauce and greek salad.

GF Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken

This is a well-known Filipino recipe for chicken. It is a nice balance of sweet, savoury, bitter and spice.

6 skinless bone-in chicken thighs
1/2 cup GF Tamari
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pickled pearl onions
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced potato
2 tbsps ginger powder
2 bay leaves

Place all the vegetables in the bottom of your slow cooker followed by th ginger powder and bay leaves. Place chicken thighs over the vegetables and pour liquids over top. Cook on high for 2-3 hours then on medium for 1-2 hour. Serve with steamed rice and salad.

Sunday 19 October 2014

GF Boeuf Bourguignon

This is my rendition of Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon sans gluten (gluten free version).

6 oz slab bacon, rind removed, cut into 1/4 x 1 1/2" pieces, 1 tbsps olive oil, 3 lbs stewing beef, such as lean rump pot roast, cut into 2" cubes, patted dry. 1 carrot, thinly sliced, 1 medium onion, sliced, coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. 2 tbsps gluten free flour blend,
3 cups red wine, such as Chianti, Shiraz, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. 3.5 cups beef stock or canned low-sodium beef stock, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 3/4 tsp dried thyme, 1.5 dried bay leaf, crumbled, 4 sprigs fresh parsley, plus more for garnish. 3 1/2 tbsps unsalted butter, 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 24 pearl onions, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, and peeled,
1 lb white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered.

After shopping for half a day to buy all the ingredients,  you yhen spend the remainder of the day cooking. 😆

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with oven racks set in the middle and lower half. In a small saucepan, bring 6 cups water to a simmer; add bacon and rind, simmering for 10 minutes. Drain; dry bacon and pot. Reserve rind.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch-oven over medium heat. Add bacon; cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon; set aside.
Increase heat to medium-high; oil should be just below smoking point.

Add beef in small batches and cook until well-browned on all sides. Remove meat, and set aside with bacon.

Add carrots and sliced onions; cook until browned.

Return beef and bacon to pot; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle in flour, tossing to coat.

Transfer pot, uncovered, to middle of oven; bake for 4 minutes. Toss meat and vegetables; bake for 4 minutes more.

Transfer pot to stove. Reduce heat to 325 degrees.

Over medium-low heat, stir in wine and enough stock to barely cover meat. Add tomato paste, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 crumbled bay leaf, and bacon rind; bring to a simmer. Cover pot, and transfer to oven.

Bake, regulating heat so stew simmers, until meat is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, make a Bouquet Garni (herb sachet). In an 8 x 8" piece of cheesecloth, combine 4 sprigs parsley, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp thyme, and tie using kitchen twine. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, combine 1 1/2 tbsps butter and 1 1/2 tbsps oil over medium-high heat. When butter is bubbling, add whole onions; sautée until browned, about 10 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup stock to pan; season with salt and pepper, and add the bouquet garni. Simmer, covered, until onions are tender and liquid has evaporated, 40 - 50 minutes. Remove herb sachet, and discard. Set aside.

Wipe out skillet; place over high heat. Add 2 tbsps butter and 1 tbsp oil; butter will begin to foam. As foaming subsides, add mushrooms; sautée stirring often, until lightly browned. Remove from heat; set aside.

Pour stew into a sieve set over a large saucepan. Rinse out Dutch-oven. Return beef and bacon to pot; add cooked mushrooms and onions.

Skim fat from sauce. Over medium-low heat, bring sauce to a simmer, skimming off additional fat, 1 to 2 minutes. Sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, bring to a boil and reduce to correct consistency.

If too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.

Bring pot to a simmer, covered, over medium heat, basting meat and vegetables with sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley; serve immediately.

GF Crêpes

Bonjour mes amis! Bienvenue à la blog YourInnerGreek. Today I will share a french snack/simple dessert recipe with you.

For the batter you will need the following ingredients; 2/3 cup coconut, soy, almond, rice or cow's milk, 1/3 cup cornstarch, 1 egg, 2 tsps olive oil or melted butter and pinch of salt.

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Grease your frying pan with olive oil and heat the pan over medium heat.

Pour 2 tbsps of batter into the pan while swirling the pan to spread out the batter.
Continue to swirl the pan – OFF the heat! – until the batter begins to bubble and there is no longer excess batter to swirl.
Cook for 30-40 seconds; the first one is always not the nicest looking crepe. But it gets better as you go.

Carefully flip the crepe and cook and additional 15-20 seconds on the other side. Repeat until there is no batter left.

This recipe makes approximately 10 crepes depending on your pan size.

Serve the crepes with melted butter and sugar. Butter, sugar and lemon. Cinnamon apple compote and confectioners sugar dusted on top. Or have a savoury crepe a la Thon. Tuna salad and chopped tomatoes rolled in the crepe.

Bon apetit!

GF Pancakes Recipe

I thought I would post this recipe for those who love pancakes. Super simple and quick to make.

Here is what you will need; 1 cup GF flour blend, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1 egg, 1 tbsp coconut oil, a pinch of salt & 1/2 cup coconut water give or take. You may need more or less coconut water. It depends on your flour blend; some like more liquids and some like less.

Whisk all the ingredients together till smooth without lumps. Grease your frying pan and heat should be at medium. Pour a laddle of batter in the center of the pan and watch for bubbles to form. Once the edges becomes solid and slightly translucent. Flip the pancake and press down lightly with your spatula. In about 20-30 seconds remove from pan and place on serving plate. Repeat till no batter is left.

This reipe makes about 6-7 mini pancakes or 2-3 large pancakes. Which is great for 1 person.

Hope you enjoy my recipe; let me know how you liked it in the comments below.

Cheers,
Vivian