Monday, June 30, 2014

Quick Chicken & Fish Marinade


Happy 4th of July!

With the temperatures soaring and the summer holidays just around the corner, I've been grilling a ton. It's a healthy, easy, clean way to cook. I also love the whole process—standing outside, smelling my food cooking, pulling it off the grill and having a whole meal ready to go.

More than anything else, I love grilling fish. I've shared my homemade marinade receipt with my FaceBook friends on many occasions. It finally occurred to me that I should post it here.

I made it with salmon (as pictured above). It's great for chicken and fish. I throw the meat in a dish and cover it with organic raw apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids or gluten-free tamari (a type of soy sauce). That's just the beginning. Then I add Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning (but any sort of BBQ rub will work), fresh thyme, and fresh grated ginger.

It's kind of an everything but the kitchen sink deal.

Got other fresh herbs? Throw them on there. Got other spices you want to try out? Add them in. Don't have apple cider vinegar? Try white wine or even lemon juice. Want to go vegan? It's great on tofu too.

After I marinade the meat for about half an hour or longer, I throw it on the grill. I often make grilled vegetables to go along with the protein for a complete meal.


Quick Chicken & Fish Marinade
Makes about 2 portions
Gluten free; dairy free
Prep thyme: about 5 minutes

Marinade Ingredients
2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Bragg's Amino Acids or Tamari (soy sauce)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning or other BBQ Rub

Marinade Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and Bragg's or tamari. Pour over the meat until well coated in the sauce

2. Next season the fish with the seasoning, thyme and ginger. Let marinade for about thirty minutes to an hour, occasionally spooning the marinade over the top.

3. Fire up the grill and cook to perfection!

Monday, June 9, 2014

Cherry Clafoutis (Gluten Free)


In case you missed the memo...

...it's cherry season!

This short season only lasts three weeks. I may have been overdoing it slightly. My husband came home last week with an enormous bowl of cherries. They were a
mix of Bing and Rainier, super sweet and tart and amazing. We ate as many as we could over the weekend, but it quickly became clear that something else had to be done with all these cherries.

Enter the clafoutis!


I have my own recipe that I make from time to time when I want to whip together a quick, yet delicious desert. I've made it with blackberries (you can see the recipe here). But this week, I made it with cherries. That's the classic way to make clafoutis.

My recipe is gluten free (though you can use regular flour if you desire). It's also milk free, though you can use regular milk if you'd like. I do use butter in the recipe, but you can substitute nondairy butter like Earth Balance if you'd like.

Did you know that cherries have tons of health benefits? You can read about a few of them here. The clafoutis came out delicious! So enjoy...


Cherry Clafoutis 
Serves about 6 people
Cooking time: 50 minutes (including baking time)
Gluten free; vegetarian

Ingredients
1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pits removed
confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch gratin dish. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt.  Whisk in the eggs, butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add the almond milk and whisk until light and very smooth (about 3 minutes). Pour the batter into the gratin dish and add the cherries.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the clafoutis is set and golden. Let cool slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired and cut into wedges. Enjoy!