Hardy Fare

Happy Thursday all.
I work in a restaurant in West Hollywood. No, not in the kitchen but as a server. The other day I was craving something I eat a work pretty regularly. I try my best to avoid gluten, per doctors orders :(. So, no pasta for me, but we do have a pretty great turkey bolognese, which I usually just have the cooks throw over some steamed broccoli or spinach for me. It's mucho delicious. Well, last weekend I thought I would try my hand at my own version and have some tasty leftovers for the next few days for dinner. Here is what I came up with. Though it's not traditional, I added capers and olives, because I had and love them. If you don't, feel free to omit. It's pretty thick, but I did it that way on purpose. If you're serving it over pasta, I might add an extra cup or 2 of marinara to make it more saucy. Also, I used rosemary because I had it. If you have leftover thyme, go ahead and use that. If you like it spicy, add chili flakes. It's pretty versatile

Enjoy my dairy free darlings.

Turkey Bolognese

serves 6 over veggies

1 Tbs coconut oil
1 lbs ground turkey
1 onion, minced
2 carrots, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced (*see note)
2 tsp rosemary, minced
1 jar good quality marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs capers
a handful of you favorite olives
salt and pepper
a handful of chopped fresh parsley

1. Melt coconut oil in a large skillet. Add the turkey and cook about 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
2. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary and saute with a little salt and pepper for about 5 minutes while the turkey continues to cook through.
3. Add marinara, bay leaf, capers and olives. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Toss in parsley before serving.

Serve over cooked veggies of your choice. I used broccoli and brussels sprouts

*note: My mother and I have a personal rule. However much garlic a recipe calls for, we double it. As a result, my recipes tend to be garlic heavy. Yum

This is mid way through the process. Sorry no pics of the finished product. We were hungry ;)

What do I do with this Quinoa??

Good afternoon from sunny California!
Ok, new blog and dairy free is the name of the game so lets get this show on the road.
I've been cooking a lot of quinoa lately because I can make a big bowl of it and it is great for leftovers. It is good cold, but also reheats well, so yay quinoa! But I was getting bored with my usual use of chicken stock and herbs, so I decided to mix it up and this is what I came up with. I may try it another time with the addition of anchovy and chili to make it more puttanesca-ey, but for now, I think it's mighty tasty.

Mediterranean Quinoa with Olives

1 tbs coconut oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup tomato purée (or even leftover jarred marinara sauce)
1 bay leaf
A handful of kalamata olives
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

1. Melt the oil over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes, until the onions have started to soften.

2. Add rinsed quinoa and stir. Add purée, chicken stock, bay leaf and olives. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Later gaters