travel Archives

Gluten-Free and Low-FODMAP Chicken with Broccoli

I’ve taken my son skiing a few times this season, and he’s really loved it. The conditions weren’t perfect as we chose some of the coldest days of the season, but I’ve been so impressed with his ability to pick it up. Can’t wait to get back out there soon!

We visited Hunter Mountain in NY but are itching to get further west for a different ski experience!

Following on the theme from my last post, I have another gluten-free and low-FODMAP Chinese food recipe for you today! We ate this one for days, and it was great every time. Please note that I did use broccoli in the recipe as it is my son’s favorite. While broccoli has shown up on some lists of foods to avoid or limit when following a low-FODMAP diet, however, theMonash University has recently published new resultsshowing the breakdown of FODMAP rating for 1 cup.

Gluten-Free, Low-FODMAP Chinese Chicken with Broccoli and Fried Rice (Fried Rice recipe coming next!)

Gluten-Free, Low-FODMAP Chinese Chicken with Broccoli

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups of broccoli, cut into florets

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Marinade

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil

Sauce

¼ cup gluten-free soy sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil

1 tablespoon water

Directions

In a small bowl combine all marinade ingredients

Combine chicken cubes and marinade in a shallow container and refrigerate for at least 1 – 2 hours

In a small bowl combine all sauce ingredients

Once ready to cook, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade along with 1/2 of the sauce. Cook chicken until no longer pink, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan to a plate

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add broccoli and red peppers and saute until tender, about 5 minutes

Add chicken, remaining sauce and sesame seeds and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens

Serve with fried rice – recipe to follow next!

Gluten-Free Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna

This year, my family and I made the same dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas because we loved them so much at Thanksgiving! Using the amazing Cappello’s gluten-free lasagna sheets, we made Gluten-Free Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna and Gluten-Free Meat Lasagna. While neither were low-FODMAP given the heavy dose of dairy, I was able to manage alright with just a small piece given how heavy they were anyway.

On our trip to California for Thanksgiving, we had a great time in Santa Barbara – biking, visiting outdoor museums with ocean views…AAhh, what a wonderful life in California! (I also note with sadness all of the devastation of the wildfires just weeks after our visit 🙁 ).

Gluten-Free Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, grated (~2 cups)

1 lb ricotta cheese

1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/4 cups vegetable stock (if you can find a brand that does not have onion and garlic that is best)

2 tbsp butter

2 large egg yolks

1/3 cup fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Gluten-free lasagna noodles (~1/2 pound)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash, olive oil, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt and pepper on a baking sheet

Bake until light gold and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Flip through cooking as needed. Discard garlic

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and grease a 9 cup baking dish

Combine ricotta, cream, egg yolks, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt

Melt butter in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sage and cook until light gold and crispy at the edges, watching to ensure it does not burn. This should take 3 – 4 minutes

Place squash in a medium bowl, and mash 1/2 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the other 1/2 in whole pieces. Gently stir in sage-butter mixture and vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper

Spread 3/4 cup of ricotta mixture in baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 of the butternut squash mixture over noodles. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering once more (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta). Sprinkle Parmesan over ricotta mixture

Place baking dish on a baking sheet, and bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving

Veggie Tacos and Saying Goodbye to Summer

For the past few years, we have gone out to Mountauk in mid-September for an amazing surf camp for autistic children. It is 1) an amazing event hosted by Surfers Healing, 2) the best way to wrap up summer and 3) an easy way to maintain pescatarian status!

We had some amazing lobster rolls – with and without buns, but for a waterfront view like that I will gladly pass on the bun any day 🙂

And some nice sunsets…

Upon returning home, I had reached my max of seafood. So I went for some more basic veggie tacos. Simple recipe but really quick and easy way to get dinners loaded with flavor!

Grilled Veggie Tacos

Ingredients

1 medium size green squash

1 medium size yellow squash

4 – 5 radishes

1 large red bell pepper

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. coriander

2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 -2 serrano peppers

Lettuce and tomato as desired

Corn tortillas

Directions

Chop squash into roughly 1 in. pieces. Set in a colander in sink or with paper towels under. Sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 20 – 30 minutes until water has drained from the squash

Slice red pepper, radishes and serrano peppers

Place all the vegetables in a bowl. Add 1 tsp. olive oil and the seasonings. Toss until well combined

Grill the vegetables, flipping so each side is cooked through

Heat corn tortillas in a frying pan

Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa (see my latest favorite salsa recipe!)

Radishes 3 Ways – Part 1

I’ve been developing an obsession with radishes this past year or so – as has most of NYC I think ; ). I’m going to share a few of my favorite radish recipes over my next 3 blog posts – radishes are delicious fresh with a butter dip, in a salsa for tacos or roasted with a little seasoning. Let me know which is your favorite!

Before I share the first radish recipe, I wanted to share some fun experiences my son and I had over spring break this year. We went to DC for his first trip, and he had such a blast!

This was one of our favorite photos in the National Geographic Museum exhibit of the best Instagram photos in which they were tagged.

We had a few great meals as well while in DC. Gluten-free pizza and a delicious tomato soup at Firefly.

And of course a visit around to all the capital city has to offer.

And then of course being silly 🙂

Now I’ll take you on to the great fresh radish with flavored butter

Fresh Radishes and Carrots with Chive Butter and Flavored Salt

Ingredients

1 bunch radishes

2 – 3 medium size carrots

1 stick of butter

1/4 cup chives, chopped

1/2 cup coarse ground sea salt

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions – Chive Butter

Take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften, until it is room temperature and soft enough to mix with a spoon or whisk.

Combine the chopped chives with the butter and mix well.

Either wrap the butter in plastic wrap or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it hardens again.

Directions – Flavored Salt

Combine the coarse sea salt, paprika and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and mix until well combined.

Directions – Vegetables

Chop the radishes and carrots into dipping size portions.

Serve the chopped vegetables with the “dips” and enjoy 🙂

Blue Hair, Don’t Care – March 2, 2017

We had another great trip in California this school break. Matt’s been wanting to “dye” his hair blue for some time, so I thought the few days at the beach would be a fun time for blue hair (using chalk products only! This one seemed to be the safest for kids!)

We took a trip over to Huntington Beach to walk one of the longest piers on the west coast – 1,850 feet long! We were standing over where the surfers were catching their best waves.

We also did a lot of cooking! Be on the lookout for “Radishes and Carrots 3 Ways” in one of my next posts. We took on the challenge of roasted, raw and slaw versions of radishes and carrots – two of my favorites 🙂

Here we have a more time consuming recipe than I’m used to, but it is worth the effort for the delicious lasagna at the end, loaded with veggies!

Low-FODMAP No Noodle Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

2 medium-sized squash

1 lb. ground beef

1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes

2 cups raw spinach (roughly 2 large handfuls)

1 16 oz. container of ricotta

8 oz. shredded mozzarella

8 oz. shredded parmesan

2 fresh basil leaves

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tbsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup red wine

1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×13 baking pan

Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin pieces, using the thinnest setting on a mandoline or a sharp knife (I use this one)

Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and set in a colander to drain in the sink

Begin preparing the meat sauce by combining the ground beef, salt and black pepper in a deep skillet over medium high heat until meat is browned. Stir in the diced tomatoes, basil, oregano and wine. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and developed in flavor. Stir frequently

While the sauce is cooking, stir together the egg and ricotta in a medium bowl until well combined

When all ingredients are prepped, begin the process of making the lasagna

Spread 1/2 the meat sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Layer 1/2 of the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all the spinach and then half of the mozzarella. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture and mozzarella. Spread the parmesan cheese over the top and cover with foil

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 – 10 minutes to allow the lasagna to settle before serving

Enjoy 🙂

California Surprise – February 18, 2017

We traveled to Southern California on our break from school and work to relax in the warm, sunny weather with my sister. Instead we joined her for the worst storm in at least 6 years, but possibly going back to 2004! We are certainly making the most of it – cooking, shopping, creating art projects. Matt and my sister created a planet of vegetable “good guys” and “bad guys” followed by a planet of dairy characters while we lunched at the most amazing gluten-free meal I’ve had in ages at True Food Kitchen.

As we didn’t want to leave the house in the storm again, we made boiled lobster tail and kale and quinoa on the side for dinner. I’ll share both recipes below. The lobster tail was a new one for us, so we had to experiment a bit; it turned out great!

Boiled Lobster Tail

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 lobster tails, frozen

6 cups of water

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Bring the water to a boil, adding salt at the start

Add butter and lemon to the water as it starts to boil

Place frozen lobster tails in the water and cook for 10 – 12 minutes, until the lobster meat is whitening

Place lobster tails on a cutting board and cut down the center to peel off the shell

Serve with extra butter for dipping on the side if desired

Low-FODMAP Kale and Quinoa Side Dish

Serves 2 – 4

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale, chopped

1 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (always confirm this does not contain onion and garlic)

~10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 egg

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp. butter

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. salt

Directions

Rinse quinoa and place in rice cooker with chicken stock and 1 tsp. of salt

Once the quinoa has been cooking for 10 minutes or so, add the butter and olive oil to a frying pan heating on medium heat

Add cherry tomatoes and 1 tsp. of salt to the frying pan

Add the kale to the frying pan and cook until the kale is softened and has halved in size in the pan

Crack an egg in the frying pan and stir until cooked into the mix

Stir in the quinoa and parmesan cheese

Serve as a side dish or on its own for a nice weekday lunch!

Tag: travel

Gluten-Free and Low-FODMAP Chicken with Broccoli

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Gluten-Free Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna

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Veggie Tacos and Saying Goodbye to Summer

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Radishes 3 Ways – Part 1

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Blue Hair, Don’t Care – March 2, 2017

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California Surprise – February 18, 2017

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