Gluten Free | I Can Cook That

Cumin Spiced Fish Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa

With Cinco de Mayo this past weekend, I couldn’t stop thinking about making some kind of Mexican-themed meal this weekend. So I was pretty excited when my boyfriend suggested Fish Tacos on Sunday. My trusty Cooking Light obviously had the perfect recipe to fulfill our craving. These Cumin Spiced Fish Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa get an extra boost of flavor from toasting the cumin seeds before grinding. If you can’t find cumin seeds, ground cumin will work for the recipe as well, just skip the toasting part.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup sliced peeled avocado
2/3 cup finely chopped peeled ripe mango
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
the juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 can black beans, rinsed
8 oz sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
the juice and zest of 1/2 a lime
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Continue reading Cumin Spiced Fish Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa

Tandoori Chicken Thighs with Saffron Rice

Adding spices to your meal is a great way to add tons of flavor to a dish without adding calories. Because you need so little of the spice to enhance a dish, it’s a pretty cost-effective way to add flavor as well. (I try to buy my spices outside of supermarkets where they are really marked up. Spice Terminal in Reading Terminal was my favorite spot — I hope it’s coming back soon! update: The Head Nut is now open!) This dish in the latest Cooking Light for Tandoori Chicken Thighs incorporates traditional Indian spices which I absolutely love. I also made a quick saffron rice to go with the chicken.

Ingredients (this recipe makes 2 servings):

For the chicken:

1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola oil

For the rice:

1 cup uncooked basmati or similar rice
1 1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp saffron, crushed
1 tablespoon ghee, or butter
6 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
Salt, to taste

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Shrimp Fried Rice

This dish for Shrimp Fried Rice is an attempt to make a takeout favorite a bit healthier. To do so, Cooking Light cut the amount of rice, added a bunch of veggies, and cut out some of the salt. So because of this, I think this recipe should more be called “Shrimp Fried Rice” (There’s a lot of shrimp, a little bit of fried, and an itty bit of rice. Have no fear, you won’t even miss it.)

Ingredients:
1 cup broccoli florets
7 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 cup cooked long-grain white rice, chilled
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onions

This recipe works best with day-old rice but I didn’t have the foresight to do that. So I made my rice in my rice cooker and popped it in the refrigerator.

To make, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli to a steam basket and steam over the boiling water for 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. (I cheated and steamed my broccoli in my rice cooker after making the rice). Add to a large bowl.

Prepare your vegetables.

Add 1 teaspoon canola oil to a saute pan over medium high heat. If you have a wok, use it here. If not (like me) just use your largest saute pan. Add the peppers and snow peas and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Remove the vegetables and place in a large bowl with the broccoli. Add 2 tablespoons canola oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add the ginger, cooking for 10 seconds. Add the chilled rice and cook for 5 minutes or until the rice is lightly browned.

Remove the rice and add to the bowl with the vegetables.

Mix the soy sauce, vinegar and Sriracha in a bowl. Set aside.

Wipe the pan with paper towels and return to medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil (I used toasted sesame oil, you can use regular as well), and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in the soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil.

Cook for 3 minutes or until the liquid slightly thickens.

Add back in the vegetables plus the sliced green onions, stirring to combine. Cook for 1 minute and serve.

So easy right? And look at those beautiful colors!

There is a ton of flavor in this dish, and it ends with a slight spiciness. I would by no means call this a spicy dish though, it’s really great!

With so many vegetables in the dish, the rice became more a complement than the entire meal which was actually quite refreshing.

I wish I had taken the tails off the shrimp though, I wanted to just inhale this meal and the tails kept slowing me down!

Smoked Salmon Crisps

Can you tell I really like the Kitchen Table Bakers Parmesan Crisps? When I first heard of the crisps, I wanted to make an appetizer with smoked salmon, creme fraiche, and dill. The rosemary crisps are perfect for me to make Smoked Salmon Crisps!

Ingredients:

1 package Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps

3 tablespoons creme fraiche

1 tablespoon chopped dill, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon capers

Smoked salmon

Lemon zest

Mix the creme fraiche, chopped dill,and capers.

Add a teaspoon of the mixture to each crisp.

Top with a rolled piece of the smoked salmon.

Add a sprig of dill for garnish.

Zest a lemon over each piece.

That’s it!

Dill, salmon and lemon are just made for each other.

The capers add a slight tanginess to this which is a happy surprise.

If you can’t find creme fraiche, use sour cream. However, the lightness of the creme fraiche is really worth seeking out for this appetizer.

Grilled Striped Bass with Bacon Vinaigrette Red Smashed Potatoes and Sauteed Butter Thyme Mushrooms

Grilled Striped Bass with Bacon Vinaigrette Red Smashed Potatoes and Sauteed Butter Thyme Mushrooms. Whew. By the time you say the title of this post you could have cooked most of this meal. Fish is a perfect weekday choice because it is so darn quick to cook up. I managed to make all parts of this meal in 40 minutes which was awesome! If you wanted to cut the time for this meal even more, you could doctor up some of those refrigerator mashed potatoes from the supermarket, but I really like home made mashed potatoes so I went for it. No one is surprised to hear that this menu comes from my trusty Cooking Light.

Ingredients:

2 (8-ounce) striped bass fillets
salt, divided
freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 slices center-cut bacon
2 large shallots, finely chopped and divided
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound red potatoes
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 (8-ounce) packages presliced baby bella mushrooms
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Begin with making the mashed potatoes. The original recipe has you peel and cube the potatoes. I really like the skins of potatoes so I altered the recipe to be smashed instead of mashed. Feel free to check out the original recipe here if you’re not into the skins. Add the potatoes and the halved garlic cloves to a large pasta pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil.

While waiting for the water to come to a boil, prepare your other ingredients. Chop the shallots and fresh thyme. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 cup of the chopped shallots to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute.

By now your water will hopefully be boiling. Reduce heat for the pasta pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Go back to the saute pan. Add a 1/2 teaspoon salt and the mushrooms to the pan, stirring occasionally. Cook for 13 minutes or until the mushrooms are brown and the liquid has evaporated.

While waiting for the two to cook (and if you have room on your stove), add another saute pan over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from heat and add to a paper towel. Reserve 1.5 tablespoons of the drippings in the pan. Crumble the bacon.

Add the crumbled bacon and 2 tablespoons shallots back to the pan, cooking over medium heat for 1 minute stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon sugar.

Back to the mushrooms. Add the wine to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid almost evaporates.

Stir in the thyme and cook for 30 seconds and remove from heat.

Drain the pasta pot and return the potatoes and garlic to the pot. Mash using a potato masher or a large fork. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and mix to combine.

We haven’t abandoned the Vinaigrette! Take the mixture and slowly add the olive oil to the vinegar mixture, stirring constantly to get an emulsion.

Last but not least, we have the bass. Heat a grill pan over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and add to the grill pan skin side up. Cook for 4 minutes. (You can set your table during this time).

Flip the fish and cook for another 4 minutes.

Serve drizzled with the bacon vinaigrette.

Multi tasking at its finest! I hope my directions made sense. It’s not nearly as confusing as it sounds. You kind of bounce around between things based on when you have the opportunity to do so.

So whoever thought of the idea of bacon vinaigrette is one awesome person. It was smoky and slightly tangy. I actually put some on my mashed potatoes as well (which I highly suggest).

This was my first time having bass and I really enjoyed it. Despite doing a whole lot of nothing to cook it, the fish was flavorful and had almost a buttery taste to it.

The mushrooms were awesome as well! I added a bit more fresh thyme once it was on my plate for a little more flavor and some color.

Sorry my photos are so crummy. First, it’s not exactly the most colorful meal I’ve ever made. Second, the smell of bacon made my antsy. I needed to eat this ASAP 🙂

I hope you’ll forgive my lack of photography skills due to the calling of bacon.

White Bean Hummus

Have you ever had a craving for something that you just can’t shake? Even after eating? I desperately wanted hummus. And even after filling up on delicious pizza I still wanted that hummus. But I don’t have any chickpeas in my place right now. (Note to self: stock up on cans of chickpeas so that I am never in this terrible situation again) So I went in search of a recipe for hummus that I could use something, anything else I happened to have on hand. White bean hummus to the rescue! (I found this recipe in Southern Living)

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoonpaprika, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup olive oil

Rinse and drain your cannellini beans.

Add all the ingredients except for the olive oil to a food processor and blend. You may need to stop the food processor one or two times to scrape the sides to make sure everything is evenly blended.

While the food processor is running, add an even stream of the olive oil until well blended. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with some paprika. Serve with pita chips, cucumber, or green peppers.

Due to my craving, I had none of these on hand. Junk. But I did have some of the Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps that went perfectly with the hummus!

Oh so satisfying.

Cannellini beans make one fantastic hummus, who knew?

The hummus was nice and creamy. And I loved the fresh rosemary!

I’d suggest adding some extra fresh chopped rosemary on top for added flavor. You can store this overnight or for a few days beforehand. I like to bring it with me as a snack at work.

Shrimp Ceviche on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

I’m really on a canape/appetizer kick. I used these Jalapeno Parmesan crisps to make canapes with Black Bean Mango Salsa on top, but really wanted to make something with shrimp incorporated in it. I found this Cooking Light recipe for Ceviche de Camaron and used it as a base for this recipe for Shrimp Ceviche on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps. Traditional ceviche is usually fresh raw fish marinated in lemon or lime juice. I actually steamed the shrimp before marinating them in the lime, so it is not an actual ceviche, but the general idea of it is still present.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped red onion
6 cups water
3/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
1 pound medium shrimp
1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mild taco sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt

Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps (Kitchen Table Bakers)

I didn’t read the recipe correctly before buying my ingredients, so I actually asked the seafood place to peel and devein the shrimp. Well, the original recipe required boiling the shrimp and then peeling them, so I had to change it up a bit. Click the link above for the original recipe if you’d like.

Bring 6 cups of water with 1/4 cup fresh lime juice to a boil in a large pot. When boiling, add the shrimp to a steam basket and place on top. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove the shrimp and combine with 1/2 cup juice, plus the zest from the limes, in a large bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While waiting for the hour to pass, chop your onion, cucumber, and cilantro. Take the chopped onion and rinse with cold water in a colander.

Add the onion to a medium bowl. Stir in the cucumber, ketchup, taco sauce, cilantro, hot sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and salt.

Refrigerate until the hour has passed for the shrimp. When the hour is finished, stir in the shrimp and lime juice.

Top each Parmesan crisp with one shrimp and a teaspoon of the onion cucumber mixture.

Aren’t these fun?

So I realized after taking these photos that the shrimp still had their tails. I wouldn’t suggest serving the shrimp on the crisps with the tails on.

However, if you serve the ceviche in a bowl or wine glass with the crisps on the side, keep the tails on for presentation.

The shrimp managed to maintain a really nice citrus flavor despite being pre-cooked.

The cocktail sauce on the shrimp had a nice spice but didn’t deliver much heat (the Parmesan crisps were spicy enough for me) so if you like it really spicy, add a bit more hot sauce.

I did think corn kernels would go great with this as well. Next time I make it, I think I’d throw in some frozen thawed corn kernels for extra texture.

Black Bean Mango Salsa on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

You can never have too many quick appetizers on hand. I am loving the Kitchen Table Makers Crisps. I already did one post on the Rosemary Parmesan Crisps, so it was time to get a little spicy. I used Kitchen Table Makers Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps and topped it with a yummy Black Bean Mango Salsa. The original recipe had jalapenos within the salsa, but after tasting the Crisps, I decided they had enough heat that the additional jalapeno might be too much. If you’re a huge spice fan, feel free to add a bit of chopped jalapeno to the salsa.

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 firm, ripe mango, diced
1 tomato cored and chopped
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 of an onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
the juice of 2 limes plus zest
Salt, to taste
Jalapeno Crisps

Continue reading Black Bean Mango Salsa on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

Pecan Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes

I have a confession. Despite cooking most nights a week (and making leaps and bounds over the past year and a half as to what I am able to cook) I still struggle to pull an entire meal together at one time, i.e. a protein and two sides. Unless it is a one-pot kind of meal, I tend to just make the protein and be done with it, or I make a huge batch of the side and have that as my dinner. So with Cooking Lightt’s April issue including 40 Meals Under 40 Minutes, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to tackle making an entire meal. I used their Hazelnut-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Red Potatoes as a base for this meal – Pecan Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 (6-ounce) halibut fillets, skin still on
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 lemon wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 handfuls of small potatoes (I used red, fingerling, and purple) – Very scientific, I know

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Rose Water Cardamom Lassi

I still had some plain yogurt leftover from making a batch of Mango Lassi over the weekend. I wanted to try to make my own combination and realized I still had rose water on hand. I love love rose water, which is a common ingredient in this sweet yogurt drink. I also picked up some ground cardamom when I was picking up all of the Indian spices. Cardamom is used to flavor a lot of desserts so I thought it would work great in the lassi as well. So I ended up with a Rose Water Cardamom Lassi!

Ingredients:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon rose water

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

2 tablespoons coconut milk

Ice cubes

1 tablespoon pistachios, chopped

Add all ingredients except the ice cubes and pistachios to a blender. Puree until well combined.

Pour into a glass over ice. Top with chopped pistachios.

Um. Yum.

The rosewater is oh so nice in this drink.

The pistachios add a nice crunch to the drink which I really liked.

Lassi is supposed to be super sweet, but if you’re sensitive to sweetness, you can limit the amount of sugar, or you can substitute vanilla yogurt for the plain yogurt and omit the sugar entirely.

I love how easy these are to whip up!

Lassi is traditionally served with lunch, but I honestly love it as a dessert drink.

Honey-Rosemary Blue Cheese Canapes

I received two packages of Kitchen Table Bakers‘ Parmesan Crisps in the mail recently, and my mind immediately went to making fun little hors d’oeuvres with them. The crisps, made entirely from Parmesan cheese, are like a thin chip packed with a bunch of delicious cheesy flavor. So why not add a little more cheese on top?

Ingredients:

Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps

Blue Cheese

Honey

Fresh Rosemary

Bacon Bloody Mary

What could possibly make a traditional Bloody Mary even better? Bacon of course! The smoky taste of bacon is a perfect upgrade to everyone’s favorite brunch accompaniment. I used Bakon Vodka to make this Bacon Bloody Mary, but you can also make your own homemade version if you so choose.

Ingredients (makes one drink):

1 1/2 oz Bakon Vodka

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

4 drops tabasco, or more if you want it spicy

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay, plus more to rim the glass

Tomato Juice

1 piece of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 celery stalk

Ice

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Banana Berry Pecan Granola Bars

There are so many fantastic food bloggers out there. One food blog I regularly check is Cookin’ Canuck. Dara makes the most appealing looking recipes and her photos are always stunning. She has also cooked her way healthy and has a wonderful post about her journey. Dara has a great recipe for Low Fat Granola Bars with Bananas, Dried Cranberries, and Pecans that I just had to try. I switched it ever so slightly, but you can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup pecan pieces
3 ripe bananas
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons honey (to make vegan, substitute agave nectar)
3/4 cup dried berries (I used Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp whole flax seeds
1/2 tsp salt

Winter Lentil Soup

Philadelphia is about to have a full week of weather in the 70s. I think there’s even an 80 degree day thrown in In March! I’m so excited, but I feel a bit stressed because I didn’t get to make all of my winter soups and stews. But who says you need to eat these in freezing weather? So I decided to make this Winter Lentil Stew for lunches in my office when they crank up the AC and I feel like it’s winter.

Ingredients:

4 leeks, white and light green parts only
1 bunch kale (mine was huge, so I ended up using half)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
6 cups water
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut
1/2 cup brown lentils
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Prepare all your ingredients. Slice each leek in half lengthwise and then slice into 1/4 inch thick half-moons. You want about 2 cups of half moons.

Add to a large bowl filled with cold water and swish to remove any grit. Drain and pay dry. Lay on a paper towel.

Remove the stems from the kale and then thinly slice the leaves. You want about 3 cups of leaves.

Peel and chop your sweet potatoes. You want them to be bite sized or smaller. Measure out the lentils, prepare your thyme leaves, and open your can of diced tomatoes.

Add a large saucepan to the stove over medium heat. Add the oil and heat. Add the leeks and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the water and bring to a boil.

Stir in the kale, sweet potatoes, lentils, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

If freezing, you can spoon into individual containers, let cool, and freeze at this point.

If enjoying immediately, eat as is, or sprinkle with some grated Parmesan cheese.

I can’t wait to enjoy this on my “colder” days in the office!

Chunky Vegetarian Chili

I love chili, and with the warm winter we’ve been having, I didn’t have nearly enough of it. So before spring is truly here, I wanted to make another batch. This meatless chili has so many different beans and flavor, you won’t even miss the meat! I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light, using more peppers, diced tomatoes instead of stewed, and a bit of vegetable broth to thin it out a little.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 chopped yellow bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped orange bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup vegetable broth