Gluten-free Quiche

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I made this amazing quiche a few weeks ago when my dear friend Emma came to visit.

 

Home cooked gluten-free, lactose-free quiche.
Home cooked gluten-free, lactose-free quiche.

Potato crust quiche

For the Potato Crust:

  • 1/2 cup grated onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose gluten-free flour (Bulk Barn)
  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled

For the Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 1/2 cups (1 large) leek, sliced, washed, and drained
  • 4 cups sliced mushrooms
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup grated fontina or Swiss cheese (optional – I didn’t use cheese to make it lactose free)
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used rice milk)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease a 9- or 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Set up a strainer over a bowl.Grate the onions into the strainer, and drain for 10 minutes, pressing out the extra liquid.

When the onions are drained, transfer them to a bowl and combine them with the salt, thyme and flour.

Grate the potatoes into the strainer. Press out any extra liquid, then combine with the onion mixture, mixing to combine.

Pat the mixture into pie pan and up the sides. Bake for 25 minutes to let the steam escape.

After 25 minutes, brush the potatoes with oil, then bake for 15 minutes more, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature to 350°F.

While the crust is baking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and mushrooms and cook until the leeks are wilted, and the mushrooms give up their liquid and it cooks away (you don’t want the vegetables to be juicy). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the vegetables to the baked crust, and sprinkle the cheese evenly on top.

Whisk the eggs, milk and Worcestershire together, and pour slowly over the vegetables. Return the quiche to the oven and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the centre is set. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

I found the recipe at: http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/breakfastrecipe1/r/potatoquiche.htm

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Gluten free granola bar recipe

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granola bars

At last I have made a school friendly granola bar that I am happy to see my boy love.

Store bought granola bars tend to be filled with sugar and rarely don’t have wheat in them.  The gluten-free bars are often very high in sugar and mostly void of fibre.

Here is the recipe that I concocted to make some delicious ones at home.

  • 1 cup quick oats, 2/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup hemp hearts
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 cup gluten free Rice Krispies
  • 1/3 cup oat flour
  • 6 Tbsp oil (olive or coconut)
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin seed butter, heated until smooth
  1. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8×8 pan with oil then line it with parchment paper that hangs over all edges.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.
  3. In a smaller bowl, combine the oil, honey, vanilla and heated pumpkin seed butter.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
  5. Pour the mixture into the pan.  Use an oiled spatula or oiled waxed paper to press the mixture firmly into the pan.
  6. Bake for 30-40 minutes (until the edges just start to turn brown), remove and place on cooling rack.  Do not attempt to remove the granola bars or cut them until they are well cooled.  In fact, place them into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm them up before cutting.
  7. These freeze really well.

Enjoy 🙂

Edit March 8/15: my son asked for granola bars that look like the Nature’s Path ones. They are not as thick as these. So I followed the recipe, but instead used a larger pan and cut the time down to 15 minutes. Worked like a charm!

 

Dr. Kerri

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Easy Chicken Roasted in a Crock Pot

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As I write this at the clinic, I have a chicken cooking at home. I love that when I get home from work tonight, my meal will be mostly ready. All I will need to do is steam some green beans and maybe have some corn on the cob because it’s in season. I have cooked small chickens in the oven before but I always worried it wasn’t cooked all the way through. Since this is cooked in the crock pot, the juices stay inside and it doesn’t dry out while I can leave it for the length of time required and I know it will be done. The skin doesn’t get crispy but we try not to eat a lot of the skin anyway because of it’s high fat content. Try it at home with an organic or free range chicken. We got ours from the Warwick Hughs Food Market  http://whfoodmarket.foodpages.ca/ The chicken itself came from Edencrest Farms: http://www.edencrestfarms.com/

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 1 large chicken
 INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
  2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  3. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
  4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
  5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Or cook on low 8-9 hours. Don’t forget to make your home-made chicken stock from the bones! ( I throw water, salt, thyme, carrots, onions, peppercorns and celery in the pot and let it cook on low over night with the bones)

Thanks to this source for the recipe:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/

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Green Tip – Coconut oil…and then some!!

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I have been experimenting off and on with consuming more of a raw diet for the last few months now. I will admit some weeks are more raw than others, but even just getting more fruits and veggies into my diet has made me feel much better.

One of the main oils used in the raw culture is Coconut oil because it is not processed and completely natural. In one of the books I found the author noted that she uses coconut oil, not only as a moisturizing natural alternative to shaving cream or gel, but also that she uses it as an eye makeup remover!! So of course, I had to try it…and yes it works, extremely well actually. It’s also used as a good carrier oil for massage. So instead of buying a bottle of shaving cream and a tube of makeup remover – you can save all that packaging and just buy a large tub of coconut oil and use it for many different purposes. A nice environmentally friendly natural resource!

I shared my new found information with a girlfriend a few weeks ago and she just sent me a really great article on coconut oil and some health benefits of using it…including help with weight loss, immunity, and skin irritations. I thought I would share the link for the article as well…it makes for some very interesting reading and potentially a few more naturally healthy people!

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

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Almond Coconut Macaroons – Gluten & Dairy Free Baking can taste good!

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Yes, it’s true, gluten & dairy free cooking is tastey! Just take the word of my 4 year old friend, Nigel. He looked sceptical at first looking at these cookies. After one bite, his face suddenly brightened and he quickly ate the rest.

Gluten/Dairy free recipes don’t have to be hard to find. I found this recipe in my Recipe of The Week: Cookies cookbook by Sally Sampson. You can adapt it slightly to make it even more healthy if you’d like. Many people discover through Naturopathic Medicine that they have sensitivities to common foods like these. After they begin to feel so good when cutting these foods out many don’t return to eating the “bad” foods again.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup white sugar (substitute with local honey or try a small amount of Stevia)
3 cups natural almonds, lightly toasted and cooled
1 1/2 cups unsweetened dried coconut flakes
4 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Toasting the almonds:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place nuts on a baking sheet or in a shallow pan, transfer to the oven and bake until lightly coloured and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.

2. Place sugar, almonds, and coconut in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until the mixture looks like fine sand. Transfer to a large bowl, add the egg whites, vanilla, and salt and mix, using a wooden spoon, until everything is well incorporated.

3. Place heaping teaspoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges begin to firm up, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Let the cookie sheet cool completely between batches and repeat with the remaining dough.

Whitney Young, ND

Almond Coconut Macaroons – Gluten & Dairy Free Baking can taste good!Read More