Scones

I guess It is time for me to post a bakery item. Yes the gypsy does indulge from time to time. One of my recipes I have been reworking for a while is scones. I like them dry and not very sweet. My recipe was great before the gluten, dairy, egg, soy thing. My family asks me about this recipe all the time. I had it figured out the first time just for gluten free. Then all that other stuff got eliminated for me and some of my sisters, so we all keep working on it. I like scones especially when doing the gypsy thing, traveling. Coffee and a scone is the way I start out my day. Of course, as you should know by now, this is not my breakfast just a starter. In early spring this year I made a batch with fresh strawberries and served them with some rhubarb sauce I made. YUM

This time I put dried cherries and walnuts in. This basic recipe is where I am at for now, but it can change at any moment. Switch the ingredients like fresh fruit and dried fruit and nuts and coconut and chocolate chips and so on and so on. Like when I lived in Hawaii I made macadamia nut and coconut scones. Now in Wisconsin the recipe is dried cherries and walnuts. You get the picture. So as always experiment its fun.

Door County Scones

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1/4 cup sugar (I use Wholefoods 365 organic)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
5 Tbsp coconut oil (can use butter or shortening)
1/2 cup hemp milk (whatever milk you use)
1/4 cup coconut milk kefir plain ( or use sour cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Ener G egg replace for 1 egg according to box (or use whole egg)
1 cup dried Door County cherries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400
Combine all flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum in steel bowl of stand mixer. Add coconut oil and blend to coarse meal. In separate bowl mix hemp milk, kefir, vanilla, and Ener G. Remove bowl from stand and make a well in middle of flour. Pour liquids in middle and blend slightly by hand. Add cherries and nuts and combine. Let rest 5 minutes. Turn out onto floured surface. Using floured hands knead gently until dough comes together. Pat into 7 1/2 inch round. Using knife cut into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet. Bake until golden and crusty about 20 minutes. Sometimes it takes 18 minutes, sometimes up to 25 depending on the ingredients.

Meatballs

As I am contemplating who my horse is for the Kentucky Derby race today, I thought I would share the recipe I just had for lunch. Ah yes the derby. Another of those gypsy adventures in my life. I lived in Lexington, Kentucky in the the 70's. What a beautiful place if you haven't had the opportunity to go. All the white fences and rolling hills and of course the horses. I get so excited on race day. My mother told me yesterday "You probably got that from your grandfather". I remember going to the farm as a child and seeing those huge horses which actually were huge because they were the Belgium type. I guess you never know what influences from your childhood will carry forward and in what way. This recipe has nothing to do with any of that probably the only thing I will have today that does is a mint julep when I watch the race. So now for the recipe. I gave you the Kicked Up Ancho Sauce on a previous blog which is part of this. We originally had this for dinner and now today as a leftover for lunch. It was very good either way. The combination is meatballs, polenta and the ancho sauce. Meatballs can be made so many different ways with so many different meats. This one was with pork and beef. If turkey or chicken is what you prefer go for it. I like all varieties. For the polenta I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free corn grits. I just make the polenta according to the package directions.

Meatballs

1# ground beef (I buy grass-fed no hormone no feed grade antibiotics sustainable from local farm)
1# ground pork (same resource as beef)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped colored bell pepper (any combination I used orange and yellow)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (Penzeys Spices)
1/3 cup Bobs Red Mill gluten free cornmeal
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in bowl. Form meatballs. Brown in 2 Tbsp olive oil.

Serve with polenta and Kicked Up Ancho Sauce

My Garden

Yes it is that time again for the annual planting of the seeds. I attempted a few starter plants and time will tell if that will work out. Gardening is not for the weak of heart. It is that passion to dig in the earth that gets me going. I get so excited about the vegetables to come. I realize most people think about dessert like I think about vegetables. Probably a Freud analysis there. The White House is getting in on the act of gardening so we all should try it. It is the best quality produce you can get for your health. For those of us on gluten, dairy, soy and egg free diets we can't go wrong. If you don't have a huge space it can be done in containers. I grew up with a garden. Actually back then I hated the weeding part. I don't have a problem with that now but just the difference in attitudes from teens to fifty is all that is. I think it is fun now. Try it you might like it. A little hard work is good for all of us. This will be a work in progress, so after I gather all my seeds and plants I will show you my beautiful garden. Think of all the recipes to come....

Sauces

This recipe has been around for a while and I don't recall exactly where or when I first discovered it. It is southwestern influenced so this gypsy may have collected it in California, Mexico, Texas, Arizona or Nevada. My little wagon gets around this country so all things are possible. I like to make chicken tortillas rolled with cilantro and onions covered with this sauce and baked. This works really well on chicken many ways. It is one of those staple sauces you try on various things then decide where you like it best. If it is time to kick up the taste buds and chocolate doesn't satisfy your restless soul go for the spice. We all need a little spice in our lives. Make it when you want your kitchen to have that roasted pepper smell. When you just can't get away to a new location but want to feel like you have. It is oh so easy but so rewarding. It doesn't really have a name so I officially name it kicked up ancho sauce.

Kicked Up Ancho Sauce

2 1/2 cups chicken stock ( I use Pacific Organic low sodium)
13 oz chopped tomatoes no salt (I use 1/2 of Pomi 26 oz box all natural no sodium)
1 medium white onion coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves peeled
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
2 dried ancho chili peppers seeds and stem removed
15 no salt white corn tortilla chips
All my spices and the ancho are always the best I can buy. I use Penzeys Spices

Place all ingredients except tortilla chips in stockpot bring to boil reduced heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add tortilla chips and continue to simmer 15 minutes more. Remove from heat and cool. Place in blender and puree. Keep refrigerated. If you like it more kicked up add more ancho.

Chicken Soup

Chicken soup, that dish which replenishes our soul. It is interesting how our recipes change as we do. Often when we travel we discover new taste sensations and then incorporate them into our recipes. I have had many chicken soup variations from different avenues on my adventure. This is the dish of the hour for this moment in time on this stretch of the road. I like the simple as well as the complicated versions. This one has many of my favorite ingredients including vegetables of course. It is influenced by my years of living in California and Texas. Chicken soup is that dish we turn to when we need comfort or when we are contemplating life and the many challenges it throws our way. Food....good healthy food....it keeps us going....feeds our soul....makes us curious for more.....and we all hope in the end helps us be the best we can be.

Gypsy Chicken Soup

4 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 quarts water
2 cups chicken broth (I use Pacific organic low sodium)
1 whole chicken (I buy free range from my local farmer)
1 tsp salt (I start here and adjust as I go for taste)
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 sprig fresh basil
3 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups fresh zucchini cut in halve and sliced
1 1/2 cups carrots quartered and sliced
1 1/2 cups diced green bell pepper
1 medium onion chopped
1 15oz can garbanzo beans drained (I use Eden Organic no salt)

Mix garlic, oregano and cloves to a paste. Bring water to a boil in large soup pot. Add stock, salt, pepper, cumin, basil, bay leaves, garlic paste and chicken. Return to boil. Let chicken simmer about an hour. Skim off any foam as it rises to the top. Remove chicken and let cool. Add zucchini, carrots bell pepper, onion and garbanzo beans. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer for approximately 15 more minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Remove skin and bones from chicken and shred meat. Add meat to pot and heat through. Top each serving with garnish.

Garnish

1 bunch green onions chopped
1 or 2 jalapeno chilies chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
2 tomatoes cubed
1 avocado seeded and cubed

I also cook brown Basmati rice separately and place 1/4 cup in each bowl. Pour soup over and top with garnish.

As always experiment, adjust and have fun.

Breakfast

Yes breakfast. I am a vegetable breakfast fan. This is why I really haven't struggled like others with this gluten free thing. I don't like cereal for breakfast. All those boxes down that aisle in the store seems amazing to me. If you read the labels, it is very difficult to find one that is not all sugar. I thought the only reason to eat it is to get fiber but you hardly see much fiber. Now add that gluten free thing and it really gets interesting. I prefer food for breakfast. Anything I would eat for lunch or dinner. I have greens with breakfast often. Nothing hard about what I make. I just scan the refrigerator every morning and decide. No matter what I make it almost always has celery, onions and bell peppers. Some greens be it collard, kale, or Swiss chard and always a protein. I use beans often for protein, but I have a wide variety of things to choose from. There is no real recipe for this type of cooking. It is sort of like stir fry. I just put a little chicken stock (I buy Pacific organic low sodium) in the pan then add chopped celery, onions and bell peppers. Then I decide what else. This dish has tomatoes and kale and black eyed peas. Some herbs or spices and we are good to go. The beans I use are Eden organic no salt. They have so many types and its easier than buying dried. Life is a journey so try the adventure of a different breakfast maybe you will discover a new adventure and maybe even a little gypsy spirit.

Vegetables

Time for a vegetable recipe. After showing you all those vegetables I buy seems like it is time to share. This is such a colorful dish. I think you can tell by now I like colorful food. I guess that comes from my interior design background. The fact is colorful food is healthy food. We try to stay away from that white food. This is a coleslaw dish. You can of course make this with green cabbage instead of red or a combination of the two is interesting. Coleslaw from the Dutch meaning "cabbage salad". Basically shredded cabbage mixed with a mayonnaise or vinaigrette dressing. Here is how we do it.

Coleslaw

1/2 head red cabbage
2 carrots peeled cut in halve
1/4 red onion
1/2 lemon juiced
1 Tbsp grape seed oil
6 dashes Tabasco
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning

Shred the cabbage, carrot and onion. I use the food processor with the shredding blade. Place in a bowl set aside. In a separate bowl mix lemon juice, grape seed oil, Tabasco and Old Bay seasoning. Add this to shredded cabbage and mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simple quick and easy and oh so healthy. This recipe is enough for the two of us for a couple of meals. You don't have to be so exact with this recipe just experiment with it and see what works best for your taste. enjoy