Jessie and Jilly's Jazzy Jambalaya

This spicy and flavorful dish transports you right down to N'awlins! I had never tried to cook a Jambalaya before (and never eaten an authentic one) so when I saw this recipe in The Gluten Free Table I had to try it. Once I ate it, I knew I had to share it with you! It was so easy to make, tasted delicious, and of course Gluten Free. 

Featured in The Gluten Free Table by Jilly Lagasse and Jessie Lagasse Swanson

(Serves 8 to 10)

1 pound fresh medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 TSP Emeril's Original Essence Seasoning, or Cajun seasoning of your choice

1/4 cup Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 pounds GF andouille sausage, sliced into bite sized rounds

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

3 bay leaves

2 TBSP fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 TSP dried oregano

1/4 TSP cayenne pepper

4 cups vegetable stock or water

1 can (14 ounces) diced or chopped tomatoes

1 tsp celery salt

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 cups uncooked white rice

4 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

-In a small bowl, combine the shrimp and Essence Seasoning. Coat all sides evenly. Set aside.

-In a large (10-quart) stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sausage and cook for 5 minutes to allow the sausage to brown, stirring occasionally. 

-Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and cayenne and stir well. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

-Add the stock, diced tomatoes, celery salt, and salt/pepper to taste, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes

-Add the seasoned shrimp to the pot, cover, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

-Add the rice to the pot, stir well, and bring the mixture up to a gentle boil over medium-high heat uncovered. 

-Once the mixture is boiling return the heat to low and cook 25 minutes covered, until the rice is cooked through, stirring frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

-Uncover, add about 3/4 of the green onions, reserving the remainder for garnish, stir well, and cook a final 5 minutes.

-Taste and re-season if desired. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes.

-Remove the bay leaves, if possible, before serving in bowls. Garnish with the remainder of green onions.

Enjoy! Make sure you try this recipe and check out all the other delicious recipes in Jilly and Jessie's cookbook. Keep your eyes peeled for more Gluten Free Table and Annie's Gluten Free Grub! 

Bacon Tomato Jam

Bacon Tomato Jam? Just trust me.

 Thank goodness that most bacon is Gluten Free because bacon just makes everything better. This has to be one of my favorite recipes that I have created. It was one of those recipes that you barely have any left when it's ready because you have already eaten half the pan. It is sweet and savory, and would work on so many foods. Imagine it on a big turkey burger with a gluten free bun. That's happening soon. Serve it with some eggs and toast or on its own as long as you make it and eat it. 

Enjoy! XO

10 Roma Tomatoes, Chopped

1/2 Pound Bacon *I used Hickory Smoked, Chopped

1/4 Cup Coconut Palm Sugar

1/2 TSP Salt

1/8 Tsp Pepper

1/2 Red Onion, Diced

Heat a saucepan over medium heat and partially cook bacon. Drain the excess oil.

Add the onions and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes, Stirring and making sure nothing burns. 

Add the tomatoes, coconut palm sugar, salt and pepper.

Cook for about an hour, stirring frequently. 

The bacon jam will be caramelized and gooey when ready.

If you want smaller bacon pieces, chop the finished jam a bit to get your desired bacon chunk size.

Jalapeño Kale Pesto

I love kale... Well, I love kale chips. Other forms of kale, I pretend to love because I know it's so good for me. Kale has amazing benefits like tons of fiber, iron and vitamin K. Not only that, but it's low in calories and is filled with powerful antioxidants. Meet your new beneficial best friend. This version of pesto uses kale and spicy jalapeños for a little twist. 

 I was never a big pasta person before I went gluten free, so pasta cravings rarely happen (especially since a lot of the gluten free pasta I have tried is so gummy) The great folks at Ancient Harvest sent me a few boxes of their amazing products. I am officially obsessed with their quinoa pasta. Their pastas are made with a mixture of corn flour and quinoa flour and is far from gummy! I have found exactly what I need for those rare pasta cravings, but for all you pasta lovers try it out. 

Ancient Harvest Quinoa

Jalapeño Kale Pesto

2 Cups Kale, Stems Removed

3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

1 Jalapeño, Seeded and Chopped

1/3 Cup Pine Nuts

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

2 TBSP Nutritional Yeast

*Sauce is Vegan 

Spinach Meatballs

1 Pound Ground Turkey

1 Cup Spinach, Finely Chopped

1/4 Red Onion, Finely Chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1/8 Cup Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes

For the pesto: 

In a small skillet, heat 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil over medium heat. Add the kale and sauté until the kale begins to soften. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or two but do not let garlic burn. 

Add the kale and all the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor and blend until it's a smooth consistency and there are no chunks.

For the meatballs:

Mix all the ingredients and form into little meatballs. Do not form the meatball too much. Just roll and go. The tighter the meatballs the more tough they will be.

Bake the meatballs for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees

OR

In a skillet, heat 1 TBSP of olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook in the skillet. Since the meatballs are mini they don't take as long but make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. 

Enjoy! XO

Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs

I am the meatball queen! Give me 20 minutes and I will have some tasty meatballs cooking.You can't really go wrong with meatballs. I love that you can mess around with sauces and ingredients and you always get a delicious outcome. Seriously though, think about it... Greek meatballs, Asian meatballs, Italian meatballs, Spanish meatballs... Talk about versatile! You can choose your meat too! I typically like to use ground turkey meat as it's lower in fat than beef. Here is the first of many meatball recipes to come. These have an asian flare to them, so pair it with some steamed veggies and rice and you have an easy weeknight meal. 

Meatball:

1 Pound Ground Turkey

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Green Onions, Chopped

1/4 TSP Sesame Oil

1/8 Cup Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes

Salt and Pepper

Sauce:

1 Cup Heinz Chili Sauce

1/4 Cup Tamari (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1/2 Cup Sugar Free Apricot Preserves or Jam

2 TBSP Sriracha

1/8 Cup Rice Vinegar

In a large bowl, mix your ingredients together for the meatballs. Form into nice little meatballs. Do not mess with the meatballs too much. Just roll and go. If you roll them too tight, they will be tough. It's okay if they aren't perfectly round, they still taste good!

In the crockpot, combine ingredients for your sauce.

In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP of olive oil. Brown the meatballs. They don't have to be fully cooked on the inside but make sure the entire outside it browned and formed together. The crockpot will cook them fully. Cooking them first in the skillet helps hold them together since there is no egg or breadcrumbs.

Once your meatballs are browned, stick them in the crockpot. Cook on high for 1-2 hours until fully cooked and saucy! 

Chili Beef and Broccoli

Asian food is one of the biggest gluten traps out there. Sadly, the majority of dishes are off limits. The funny thing is most of the time, it's a simple switch from soy sauce to tamari. I am surprised that more asian restaurants haven't jumped on the gluten free train. There are some great chain restaurants like PF Changes and Pei Wei that have a dedicated Gluten Free menu but most authentic asian restaurants have yet to make the switch. Since eating out can be difficult and breaks my budget, creating delicious asian recipes is what I strive to do. Enjoy this sweet spicy beef dish with some sticky rice and don't forget your chopsticks and sake!

4 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Pound Beef, Your Choice of Cut

*I have made this recipe using different types of beef like skirt steak as well as a cheaper cut of beef. 

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 TSP Ginger, Minced

1/2 Cup Tamari (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1/2 Cup Water

2 TBSP Brown Sugar

1 TBSP Heinz Chili Sauce

1/2 Onion, Sliced

1 Crown Broccoli, Cut into Florets

Rice Flour

*You can add other veggies too!

In a small skillet, heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add broccoli and onions. Sauté until onions are almost translucent. Set aside

Using the same skillet, Heat 2 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger. *Keep an eye on your garlic so it doesn't burn. Quickly add tamari and water to cool it down slightly. 

Next, add your brown sugar and chili sauce until dissolved. Turn the heat a little lower and let simmer for 1-2 minutes while stirring. This will thicken your sauce a little.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the beef! Cut beef into 1/4 Inch strips against the grain. Toss with rice flour. 

In a large skillet or preferably a wok, heat 1-2 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add your beef and cook for 3 minutes until edges turn darker. 

*If there is a lot of excess oil, drain the oil.

Toss in your broccoli and onion and cook for 1 more minute. 

Then add your sauce and cook for 1 more minute.

Serve hot with rice and enjoy! xx

Blackberry Balsamic Ribs

Holy smokes! These ribs are so delicious. One negative thing about apartment living is the fact that we can't barbecue or grill on our tiny balcony. Someday, I am going to have the biggest fanciest built in barbecue, but until then it's time to get creative. These are the best oven baked ribs I have ever had. They are so juicy and tender. I am sure that these ribs would be out of this world on the grill so if you are lucky enough to have access to a grill, try it out. If not, follow my easy oven baked recipes and enjoy! Napkins needed, but you might as well wait until the end to wipe your face. 

1-2 Racks of Ribs (I used St. Louis Style Ribs about 2 pounds, but Baby back would be great too)

1/2 Cup Seedless Blackberry preserves

1/8 Cup Sriracha

1/8 Balsamic Vinegar

1.5 Jars of Heinz Chili Sauce

Preheat over to 300 degrees.

Mix blackberry preserves, sriracha, balsamic vinegar, and heinz chili sauce in a bowl. 

Cover bottom of glass baking dish with aluminum foil.

Place rack of ribs in dish and smother with sauce. Make sure you cover all of the ribs. Back, front, top, bottom, sides..smother it!

Cover the glass dish with more aluminum foil. 

Bake in the over for 3 hours. Remove the top of aluminum foil and continue baking for 1 more hour.

Cut up ribs and enjoy! xx