Meatball and Spinach No-Sagna Remix

Today’s blog is simple.  Visit the original Meatball and Spinach No-Sagna post for a look at a remix of this favorite Krista Kooks dish.  Enjoy!

Gluten Free Pork Carnitas in a Slow Cooker/Crock Pot

I’ve never…other than bacon…made pork.  EVER!  No pork chops, tenderloins or anything.  It’s never been appetizing to me or something I wanted to try.  That said, recently, friends of ours (and one of the sous chef’s co-workers) invited us over for dinner.  While they were kind enough to prepare food for my gluten-free diet, they prepared pork as the main dish.  I sat down frightened, as I don’t ever eat it, but thought to myself, “Well, what can it hurt?!  They certainly prepared it well!”  After one bite, I was impressed.

Thus, it intrigued me to see what I could do.  After ordering two cookbooks that tailor to the gluten-free diet, I decide to try this pork carnitas recipe from Carol Fenster’s 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes.  Wait a second.  I take that back.  I was having a hectic day planning for the sous chef’s family coming in town, so I must give credit to the sous chef.  He is actually the one that threw everything in the slow cooker!  He deserves the credit

The family thought it was great, as did I, and we served it with Roasted Broccoli.  Whether you eat gluten free or not, I think you should try this!

Ingredients

1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin or pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

1/2 cup gluten-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup gluten free salsa

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cut the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch chunks and add to the slow cooker that has been coated with cooking spray.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, pour over the pork and cover.  Cook 6 hours in a slow cooker on low heat.

Serve the pork as a main dish, spooning the sauce over it.  Or shred the pork and serve it as a filling for tacos, using the remaining  liquid as a sauce.

As you can see from the recipe, there’s nothing that makes this blaringly gluten free other than making sure you get gluten free chicken broth (not hard) and gluten free salsa (definitely not hard in Texas). Thus, if you are someone who does not need to eat gluten free, don’t hesitate to use the chicken broth and salsa YOU prefer.  Enjoy!

Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach

Gluten Free notes at the bottom of this post.

Not a surprise that I’ve selected another recipe from Gina   She’s fabulous at what she does!  Even though this is a pasta dish, it seemed as though it would be easy enough to create as a gluten free dish.  The sous chef and I agreed that this is a great weeknight dinner dish that is fabulous for leftovers at lunch the next day!  I would also suggest this as a fabulous dish to take to new parents.

Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach

1 lb high fiber ziti

28 oz crushed tomatoes

1 tsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic,minced

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed

1 tsp oregano

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

salt and fresh pepper to taste

8 oz fat-free ricotta

1/4 cup Parmesan

2 cups (8 oz) part skim mozzarella

Spray olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°.Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil spray.
In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add olive oil and sauté garlic. Add chopped spinach, salt pepper and chopped tomatoes. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
Add sauce to the pasta and combine the ziti. Add half of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and ricotta. Mix well then transfer to the baking pan.
Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with the remaining mozzarella.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned.
This can be made up to a day in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

Make it Gluten Free!

• Use gluten free pasta.

Gluten-Free Southern Red Velvet Cake

Again, I leave the Krista Kooks readers hanging.  So sorry!  Life is crazy busy these days.  I’ve so missed being able to blog about the culinary delights that are created in this household

While I would love to be able to eat the fabulous Red Velvet Cake I’ve previously blogged about, a recent diagnosis of Celiac Disease has led me to search for new recipes, including my favorite cake - Red Velvet!
I loved tasting and consuming this cake as it made me realize that I won’t be missing out on ANYTHING with this diagnosis.  Don’t let the types of flour scare you; this is no different than tossing all-purpose flour in with other ingredients.

Cake Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. canola oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten (room temp)
1 c. brown rice flour
3/4 c. sorghum flour
3/4 c. tapioca starch
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 Tbsp cider vinegar and 1 c. milk substitute)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 oz. red food coloring (this is one of the McCormick’s bottles)
1 Tbsp. cocoa

Frosting Ingredients:
1 box confectioner’s sugar
8 oz. cream cheese (can sub vegan cream cheese)
1 stick butter (room temp)
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla Cake Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Use a mixer to cream oil and sugar. With the mixer still going, add one egg at a time and beat until the eggs are thoroughly incorporated. (This step creates an emulsion that holds the batter together)

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Make sure they are well mixed, either by sifting the flours or whisking them.

Add the flour to the oil and sugar mixture in four parts. Alternate the flour with the buttermilk. You should begin and end with dry ingredients and each part should be mixed in completely before you add the next. (If you were to start with the liquids the emulsion would break.)

Make a paste of the cocoa, red food coloring, and vanilla and gently stir it into the batter.
Pour the batter into two greased and floured round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes. (A toothpick stuck into the middle of the cake should come out clean when the cake is done)

When the cakes have completely cooled, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Frosting Instructions:
Cream the confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese, and butter.
Mix in the vanilla and chopped nuts.
Spread over cooled cake.