Happy Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

Yes, a gluten-free Thanksgiving Dinner can be done and in a very HAPPY way that the whole family will enjoy…

We celebrated our first gluten-free Thanksgiving a couple of years ago… just the thought of it was very daunting. But with a bit of research and some planning, it all came together in a very easy and DELICIOUS manner. 

Here is what is on the menu:

Roasted turkey and potatoes

Turkey gravy

Quinoa dressing

Homemade cranberry sauce

Steamed carrots

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Pinot Grigio/ice water

 

Check out the pictures and the recipes on my original blog post… and get cooking!

 

Is this your first gluten-free Thanksgiving?  What are you preparing?

More Sweet Potato and Quinoa Burgers from The Lean Green Bean

I found this recipe for Sweet Potato Quinoa Black Bean Burgers with Cranberries on a blog I like to read called The Lean Green Bean. I have used lots of Lindsay's recipes over the past several months and have never been disappointed.  You may recall her Tuna Quinoa Cakes.

This one is marvelous!  It is a combination of some of my very favorite gluten-free ingredients and is basically a very tasty veggie burger... but with a real flavor twist in the cranberries.

We actually first tried these burgers some time ago.

I had The Captain mix up the ingredients and form the burgers...

And then we baked them for 20 minutes before turning them over...

 and popping them back into the oven to cook for 10 minutes more.  They get crsipy on the edges and I love that crunch!

We decided that one each would make a great dinner... I had mine on a bed of mixed Spring greens and sliced cherry tomatoes, topped with feta cheese....

and The Captain chose to have his real burger style on a whole wheat roll with mustard and processed cheese.

I enjoyed another one, cold from the fridge, for lunch the next day, also on a green salad and it was just as good.

Check out the recipe and instructions at The Lean Green Bean, and please be sure to tell Linday I sent you!  I bet you already have the ingredients on hand, just as I did, and can make these right away for yourself and your family, too.

Here is the Nutritional Information for the burgers:

Per serving of one burger.

Weight Watchers P+ = 4.

Calories 176; Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 32g; Fat 2g; Fibre 7g.

Have you made veggie burgers? 

Do you have a link to a favorite veggie burger recipe you would like to share?





Oatmeal Quinoa Breakfast Bake

This recipe intrigued me when I first saw it on Frolic Through Life.  

I am making a real effort to eat more oats again because I keep reading how good they are for us!  They just never stick to my ribs till noon though so my oats always need some dressing up with protein. I am already a quinoa fan so the combination of oats and  protein-rich quinoa in this Oatmeal Quinoa Baked Breakfast looked very good to me.

I don't like to have leftovers around for more than a day or two, so I did halve the ingredients to make up just 4 servings.... and because the recipe calls for one egg, and I couldn't figure out how to halve an egg, I used 2 Tbs of egg whites (the equivalent of one egg white) instead and just 2 tsp of coconut oil.  Also, I used one cup of frozen berries, slightly thawed, instead of the fresh berries that Sylvia  used in the original.  That is what gives my dish the purplish hue.



Partway through the baking time, I took the dish out of the oven and stirred it because I didn't like the idea of having crunchy bits of quinoa on the top... even so, there were a few.  A little crunch is okay

I let it cool for about 10 minutes after I took it out of the oven and then served it for breakfast with some vanilla yogurt.  It was really good!



This dish takes 40 minutes to bake in the oven so make it on a day when you have lots of time or in the evening, and store it in the fridge.  It is quick and easy to heat in the mike so a great breakfast to have on hand already made for a busy morning when you don't have a lot of time to cook.

Wet ingredients, dry ingredients, and berries... mix together and bake!

 

Served with a bit of vanilla yogurt.... a complete and satisfying breakfast.

 

If you use certified gluten-free oats, the dish is gluten-free.

 

And for my Weight Watchers friends, cause I know you wanna know...  I am going to share the N.I. as I made it - remember, only half the ingredients and with the changes I cited above:

 

Per serving without yogurt.

Weight Watchers P+ = 4.

Calories 156; Protein 5g; Carbohydrates 22g; Fat 5g; Fibre 3g.

 

Have you ever mixed oats with quinoa before?

 

 

 



Quinoa Porridge with Fruit

I rarely think about having quinoa for breakfast... unless I have some leftover in the fridge. Then I might sprinkle it with cinnamon, toss some berries and a bit of yogurt on the top, and pack it along in a container to eat after I do my monthly weigh-in at a Weight Watchers meeting.

But hot quinoa?  Like hot oatmeal?   Not ever... I have never cooked it in milk...until I saw a recipe in a local food market's newsletter. 

The Captain and I recently attended a gluten-free tour of this store, led by a dietician, and I have been getting their newsletter ever since.  But I think even if you don't care about gluten-free, this is a great start to a cool Fall morning!  Cooked in milk, the quinoa is thick and creamy and really satisfying.  The Captain, who is sort of so-so about quinoa, said he loved it and would like to have it again... hurray!

 I will give you the Nutritional Information as I calculated it, and the recipe as I made it.

Feel free to make substitutions for the milk and the dried cranberrries (raisins, anyone?) and the fresh fruit with appropriate standins. I think coconut milk would be really nice here and so would fresh mangoes or strawberries or kiwi fruit.  I used a sweetened almond milk which made the final dish taste a lot like it had brown sugar in it.  If you use an unsweetened version, the P+ count would be 1 or 2 less, I am sure.

Once you get the basic idea, I bet you will find lots of ways to make this Quinoa Porridge part of your regular rotation on cool mornings.  So great to find a new breakfast meal!



Quinoa Porridge with Fruit
Makes 2 servings.  

• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained if not organic
• 1-1/2 cups almond milk
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 1 medium banana, sliced
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 Tbs honey or maple syrup (or use a sugar free brand if you like) - optional if you have used a sweetened milk

1. Place the quinoa, milk, cranberries, cinnamon, vanilla,  and salt in a small-to medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot and bring the mixture to a light boil.
2. Cover the pot, lower heat to medium-low, and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Uncover and stir the quinoa mixture.
4. Cook and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally (so it does not stick and burn on the bottom), 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the quinoa is quite tender and the mixture has thickened, but is still creamy and porridge-like in texture.
5. Divide mixture between 2 bowls. Top each with half of the fresh fruit. Drizzle each with 1 Tbs maple syrup or honey and serve.

Per serving, not including fresh fruit, syrup or honey.

Weight Watchers P+ = 7.

Calories 273; Protein 6g;  Carbohydrate 51g; Fat 5g;  Fibre 5g.

Cook the quinoa mixture on a simmering heat, covered.

I topped our Quinoa Porridge with some fresh blackberries and banana slices... a drizzle of sugar free syrup for me... unnecessary as it turns out with having used a sweetened almond milk in cooking the quinoa.

 

Printable Recipe



 

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Chili

A few weeks ago I saw a headline on the front of a women's magazine that read Butternut Squash and Quinoa Chili and I quickly turned to the page to read the recipe.

I was kind of disappointed but thought the idea was a good one, overall. I had never thought to put either butternut squash or quinoa in a chili before so I went to work and created my own.  We have eaten it as I made it, and a few days after I first made this, I mixed some leftover cooked chicken breast into a serving and heated it up and it was delicious!

It freezes nicely... and as with most chilis, the peppery flavor gets stronger as it sits.  I didn't overdo the chili pepper as The Captain doesn't like it too spicy, so add the larger amount, or even more, if you like it hot!





Butternut Squash and Quinoa Chili
Makes 6 servings, 1-1/2 cups each.

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• Butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes, about 14 ounces in weight
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1 green pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup raw quinoa
• 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained, about 2 cups
• 1-1/2 cans diced tomatoes, about 42 fluid ounces
• salt and pepper to tasted
• 1-1/2 to 2 Tbs chili pepper
• few red pepper flakes, optional

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over MEDIUM heat.
2. Saute the onion and garlic until they are translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the butternut squash and green pepper, and saute another 5 minutes.
4. Add the quinoa, beans, tomatoes and seasonings and bring to a light boil.
5. Cover with a lid, and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minute.
6. Serve hot.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 245; Protein 9g; Carbohydrate 45g; Fat 4g; Fibre 10g.

Steaming on the stovetop, before covering and allowing to simmer for 30 minutes.

 

Freezing leftovers in single servings.

 

Delicious and nutritious!

 

With some cooked chicken breast chunks mixed in.



Printable Recipe

Happy #Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

Yes, it's true... a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal can be a very happy experience!  The whole meal prepared for our traditional Canadian Thanksgiving turkey dinner this year was gluten-free. and it was truly delicious.



On the menu:

Roasted turkey and potatoes

Turkey gravy

Quinoa dressing

Homemade cranberry sauce

Steamed carrots

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Pinot Grigio/ice water

We gave up stuffing our turkey a few years ago.  Not only does it cook much quicker, but the meat is moister, by far.   There is a lot more jus to make gravy, too.  Neither of us ever cared for the bread dressing that was cooked inside the turkey anyway, so we don't miss that one little bit.



We peeled and cut up russet potatoes and set them around the turkey to roast along side it. Roasted potatoes taste so good, and require no mashing and who needs all the butter that it takes to do that!

The turkey jus was thickened slightly with a bit of cornstarch instead of white flour and and then seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper before serving.  I heated it in a saucepan and then mixed a bit of it in a little bowl with some cornstarch and then added that back to the sauce pan to thicken the jus just a bit.  I don't like a thick gravy so this worked really well.



The Quinoa Dressing is made with celery, onion, herbs,  and chicken broth... quite lovely!  And I made enough for lots of leftovers.  I will share the recipe later in this post.  Just an aside...we both do like bread dressings... but we opted to make a gluten-free dinner this year and so decided not to go this route. I will make a bread dressing later for The Captain to have with leftovers... and I will bake it in the oven so it is crispy and crunchy on the edges, just the way he likes it.



I made my homemade cranberry sauce.  It can be made with sugar or with an artificial sweetener for those of you looking to lower calorie and P+ values of your meal.



Steamed fresh carrots need no explanation. I chose them because they are easy and nutritious and they go nicely with turkey.  And they are colorful and look like Thanksgiving!



Rather than fussing with a gluten-free piecrust, I opted for a crustless pumpkin pie.  This is such an easy and delicious dessert.... dress it up with real whipping cream or vanilla yogurt if you like.  It is great and you will make it again and again.



I served an very cold Pino Grigio with dinner and we also like to have a glass of ice-water to sip on, too.

There you have it.. a wonderful gluten-free traditional roasted turkey Thanksgiving Dinner! I hope this will inspire you to think about your own.  Eating gluten-free doesn't have to be an isolating or expensive undertaking. 

 





Stove-Top Quinoa Dressing
Makes 16 servings, approximately 1/2 cup each

• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbs fresh sage, chopped
• 1 Tbs fresh or dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

1. Heat oil in large saucepan on MEDIUM, and then saute the celery, and onion till they are translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the quinoa, chicken broth, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.
3. Cover the pan and reduce heat. 
4. Simmer for 15 minutes until the quinoa has absorbed the chicken stock.
5. Remove from heat and fluff the qunioa with a fork. 
6. Replace the lid and keep covered till ready to serve.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 2.
Calories 98;  Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 16g; Fat 2g; Fibre 2g.

Printable Recipe

Fall Quinoa Sweet Potato Cakes

I am a big fan of quinoa and I love sweet potatoes.... those dark-orange fleshed ones that we like to incorrectly call yams, to distinguish them from the drier, yellow-fleshed variety.  They are so flavorful and I am always looking for new ways to sneak them into my day!

These Quinoa and Sweet Potato Cakes from Clean Food Creative Fitness make up very quickly and can be enjoyed so many different ways.

When I first made them, I had 2 for lunch on a bed of salad greens and an assortment of chopped veggies... I added a hardboiled egg for more protein and I was really full all afternoon!

I stored the leftovers in the refrigerator and then had 1 of these delicious cakes for breakfast the next morning with a poached egg.  Wonderful!

They are good cold, too.  I packed a lunch for a golf outing and The Captain and I each had one of these cakes on a pile of coleslaw, as part of our noon picnic. So filling and nutritious.

And the last one... enjoyed it cold on a pile of salad greens, topped with crumbled feta cheese.  Mmm.

You can make them sweet or savory.  The original recipe calls for cinnamon, but I knew that wouldn't work for me in the ways that I wanted to use these cakes, so I used a sprinkle of salt, oregano, and thyme in my mixture.  I think that the next time I make them, I will plan on having them for breakfasts, with syrup and yogurt and fruit, so I will add cinnamon to the mix.

Or you could leave out the herbs and spices altogether, and then just season as you eat them up.

 



Fall Quinoa Sweet Potato Cakes
Makes 6 cakes

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1/2 cup dry cooked in 1 cup water)
• 3/4 cup baked sweet potato, peel removed
• 2 Tbs unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 Tbs cinammon  *

1. Preheat your oven to 400° F.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the cooked quinoa with the flesh of the baked sweet potato and mash together.
3. Add in your egg white, applesauce, and cinnamon and continue to mix.
4. Slowly add the remaining 1 cup of quinoa to the mix.
5. Form into 6 patties and place on a baking sheet coated with non-stick spray.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and flip the cakes. Then bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve and Enjoy!

Per cake.
Weight Watchers P+ = 2.
Calories ; Protein 4g; Carbohydrate 16g; Fat 1g; Fibre 2g.

* If you plan to use these cakes in salads I suggest you use oregano, salt, and thyme instead of cinnamon.  The cinnamon would work well with sweet accompaniements.

Mix all the ingredients together.

 

Form into 6 patties and then bake.

 

Really pairs well with an egg.

 

 

And I loved it cold with feta cheese on this bed of salad greens.

 

 

 Printable Recipe

Quinoa and Bean Salad... Easily Portable and Gluten-Free

When were were living on the sailboat, all of our dishes were made of white melamine.  They were very practical and serviceable and I brightened our salon table with a variety of colorful linens.  Now that we are land-based, it has been fun for me to collect a few brightly colored dishes.  I was really pleased when The Captain spotted some cute,  shallow ceramic bowls in an antique store window while we were out for a walk last week, and insisted that we bring them home.

I have been thinking about coming up with something new to serve in them and decided to kill 2 birds with one stone... so to speak!

Things have finally started to feel somewhat normal to me now that we have mostly finished furnishing and  decorating our new apartment.  It seems that we have a couple of days coming up with no planned commitments and so finally have a chance to get out and do some golfing... good thing the hot Summery days are due to last for a few more weeks!

We always take a cooler with lunch and snacks along with us when we head off in the car for the day.  I prefer to know what we are going to eat, rather than be at the mercy of a fast food vendor or a convenience store, or even worse yet... go hungry!

When we were travelling around the Maritimes a few years ago, I got into the habit of making up lunch boxes for us each day... I like to call them bento boxes.    They usually consisted of some grain-based salad mixture, a hard-boiled egg, and some veggie sticks.

So, I decided to make a salad that would look good in my new colorful bowls, and also keep well in the fridge overnight to put in the next day's bento boxes.  Here is what I came up with... a salad that is very easy to throw together, and you likely have the ingredients already on hand.   Use any kind of beans you like.  It is gluten-free, too, which is a nice bonus.

The dressing is a bit different... I mixed ingredients together till I liked the taste!  If you have dijon mustard, use it certainly.

I used chunks of ripe yellow tomatoes, freshly picked from our balcony container garden for garnish, and I toasted and buttered a couple of small slices of dark rye bread for The Captain.

 



Quinoa and Bean Salad
Makes 6 cups (4 servings of 1-1/2 cups each)

• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 1 medium bell pepper,  your choice of color, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 can dry red kidney beans, rinsed and drained - approx 2 cups
• 2 mini cucumbers, halved lengthwise and then sliced
• 2 Tbs cilantro chopped coarsely
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs white vinegar
• 1 Tbs dark balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard
• Dash of  Splenda or sugar or honey

1. Cook the quinoa in a small covered saucepan in 1 cup boiling water for 15 minutes and then turn off heat.  Leave for 5 minutes, then remove lid and fluff with a fork.  Allow to cool to room temperature before using.
2. Meanwhile mix the diced bell pepper, sliced green onions, rinsed kidney beans and chopped cilantro in a medium to large bowl.
3. Add the cooked quinoa and stir to combine.
4. In a small bowl, mix the oil, vinegars, mustard and sweetener of your choice.  Pour over the salad and chill for at least an hour before serving.

Per serving of 1-1/2 cups.
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 239; Protein 11g; Carbhohydrate 38g; Fat 6g; Fibre 9g.

Mix the vegetables together...

 

and stir in the cooked and cooled quinoa.

 

The Captain's plate.

 

Lunch is served on the balcony.

 

 

Bon apetit!

 

With an egg and some veggies for a take-along cooler lunch... don't forget the forks!

 

Lunch before heading out to play golf.

 

 



Printable Recipe

Quinoa Mediterranean Style

In my ongoing quest to get more protein into our diets, and more whole grains too, I have been turning to quinoa more and more lately.  It is so versatile and seems to change with the mood of the flavors I serve with it.

When I make it, I usually cook a bit extra and store it in the fridge for up to a couple of days.  I do like it cold as a salad base, and also with yogurt and fruit.

I made this recently on a warm evening for dinner. It was really tasty and filled our bellies quite nicely!  If you don't have the dried sprouted beans on hand, use about 1/2 cup of cooked beans per serving.  And, any kind of chopped onion will work.  I used red onion, but green onions would also be really good here.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup quinoa, dry measure 
• 1-1/2 ounces sprouted beans, dry measure
• 2 small fresh mushrooms,  sliced thin
• 2 Tbs chopped onion
• 2 Tbs sliced black olives
• 1/3 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 4 tsp white vinegar
• Dashes of oregano and basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions and allow to cool at room temperature for a few minutes, then chill in the refrigerate at least one hour.
2. Cook the sprouted beans according to package directions, drain, and let cool at room temperature for a few minutes, then chill in the refrigerate at least one hour.
3. To assemble the salads, place half of the quinoa and half of the sprouted beans into each of 2 serving bowls.
4. Add half of the mushrooms, onion, black olives, bell pepper, and tomatoes to each bowl.
5. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil with the vinegar, oregano, and basil.  Mix together well and pour half over each salad.
6. Stir each salad to mix the ingredients, season with salt and pepper, then serve. 

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 8.
Calories 364; Protein 13g; Carbohydrate 64g; Fat 5g; Fibre 12g.

Start assembling ingedients by putting quinoa and sprouted beans into the bowl.

Add the mushrooms, onions, peppers, olives and tomateoes.

Mix the oil and vinegar in a small bowl with oregano and basil... if you have fresh, even better.

Pour the dressing over the salads and stir well to combine.

Season with salt and pepper, and then serve.

Printable Recipe