Gluten-free sweet potato cobbler recipe

 I distinctly remember the first time I ate sweet potato cobbler.  I was about 10 and had just enjoyed breakfast on my grandparents' porch.  My grandpa Al always quizzed me about whether I had tried different foods (usually it was some uncommon fruit or vegetable, a classic southern food, or something weird he concocted).  I was an adventurous eater compared to most kids, so I tried quince jelly (it was delicious), tomatoes with sugar (not my thing), and even cornbread doused in buttermilk (you should have seen the look on my face - I haven't had any buttermilk since).  And all throughout breakfast that day he told us about sweet potato cobbler.  I love sweet potatoes and it's hard to beat cobbler, so I was excited when he announced that he had some in the refrigerator and insisted that I try some (never mind that it was still early in the morning).   As I expected, I loved it, which tickled Al to death (as my grandmother would say).

(Un)fortunately, Al passed away last weekend.   He found out about a week before that he had terminal cancer, and luckily didn't have to suffer very long.  I made a last-minute trip down to Atlanta to see him (hence my lack of posting), but didn't make it in time.   We were all as mentally prepared as possible, but that never seems to be enough.  As we reflected on our memories of Al over the weekend, it always came back to food.  Al loved to garden, he loved to cook, and he LOVED to eat. I remember spending summer mornings shelling peas and beans with Al and Grandmother in the basement.  Al also taught me how to make pickles.  Even when he no longer had energy to spend hours in the garden or kitchen, he would give me numerous tips on growing and preserving various fruits and vegetables (I now wish I had taken notes!).

Al also won me over with food.  He and my grandmother got married when I was 6, and I think we first bonded over our love of eating.  Before they got married, I was out in the yard with them (likely picking up pine cones, as that's Grandmother's favorite activity), and Al said that he had something for me inside.  We went in and he handed me a few Bugles (you know, those horn-shaped corn chip things).  Grandmother wasn't excited about this because she thought it would spoil my dinner, but Al explained that it was just a "sample," and samples don't count.   Almost every time that I saw Al, one of us would make a joke about having a sample of something and the calories not counting (sometimes the sample would be a large piece of cake, but as long as we called it a sample, it didn't exist).  I was hoping to bring Al a box of Bugles last week, but oh well.

Instead, I made a sweet potato cobbler today, because I know that's what he would want me to do.  Instead of using his recipe, I made a gluten-free, low-sugar version.  I made a small amount because I wasn't sure how it would taste, but I loved it.   It was very different from Al's, but fantastic and still reminds me of him.   Now I wish I had made a big pan of it!

Sweet potato cobbler (adapted from Gluten free Mommy)
(Printable version)

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/3" slices
1 1/2 Tbsp sorghum flour
1 1/2 Tbsp sweet rice flour
1 Tbsp almond meal
1 Tbsp tapioca starch
1 Tbsp potato starch
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
pinch of cardamom
pinch of cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp orange juice
3 Tbsp milk (more or less)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla

Cook sweet potato slices in boiling water until tender (about 7 min).  Then drain the sweet potato and place it in a small baking dish (I used a 4 cup round Pyrex dish).  While the sweet potato is cooking, combine flours, starches, sugar, salt, xanthan gum, and spices in a small bowl.  Combine the orange juice and butter, and stir this into the flour mixture.   Then add enough milk so that it is the consistency of muffin batter.  Sprinkle the lemon juice, agave nectar, and vanilla over the sweet potatoes, and then top with spoonfuls of the batter.  Bake at 350 until the dough is set and beginning to brown (about 30 min).   Serves 2.

Macaroni and cheese with chicken and spinach recipe

I feel silly sharing this light version of mac and cheese now because I just got back from a trip to Vancouver, where I stuffed my face every day.  But it's probably a good thing that I was eating lighter food like this before I left, and it's probably the reason that I can still manage to button my pants.  If you have no problem buttoning your pants, feel free to use more cheese than I did to make it more similar to typical mac and cheese, but I really enjoyed this version.

Macaroni and cheese with chicken and spinach (adapted from Whole Grains for Busy People)
(Printable version)

4 cups water
8 oz. brown rice macaroni (or other small pasta)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used boiled chicken thighs - about 3/4 lb.)
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (or up to 10 oz., depending on how cheesy you like your pasta)
1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch mixed with 1 Tbsp water (if necessary)
10 oz. fresh spinach
freshly ground pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a large saute pan over high heat, and then stir in the macaroni and let it cook for a few minutes less than the package directs (I cooked it for 7 min), stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to medium-high and add chicken and cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.  If the sauce is very thin, add the starch and water mixture.  Then add the spinach and continue to cook for a couple of min, until the pasta is tender and the spinach is wilted.  Grind black pepper on the top.  Serves 4.

Weekend Herb Blogging #229 Recap

I'm very excited to be hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week.  There were a number of fabulous submissions using all kinds of fruits, vegetables, grains, and herbs.  Here are this week's entries:

Anna from Morsels and Musings submitted a Middle Eastern orange cake:

This cake sounds delicious, and is made with only a few ingredients.  I was excited to find that it's gluten-free, too (it's made with ground almonds).

Tigerfish from teczcape - an escape to food tells us about Kaffir lime leaves:

This post includes great information about how to find, store, and use Kaffir lime leaves, and an example of a dish that uses them (Thai shrimp cakes).

Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen gives us a recipe for Soft Oatmeal Bread:

This bread uses cooked oats, and sounds delicious!

TS and JS from [eatingclub] Vancouver give us a recipe for Quinoa Lentil Apple Salad:

This recipe sounds like the perfect combination of grains, legumes, and fruit.


Nina from My Easy Cooking contributed a recipe for Green Bean Stew:

The stew includes lamb, potatoes, and green beans, and would be a great winter dish.


 Nuria from Spanish Recipes contributed a recipe for Strawberry Gazpacho:

In addition to step by step instructions for making the gazpacho, this post also includes information about the health benefits of eating strawberries.


 Muneeba from An Edible Symphony tells us about a Vietnamese Avocado Milkshake:

 This milkshake sounds like it will be a great beverage for staying cool this summer!


 Ben from What's Cooking? gives us a recipe for a Spring Mango Salad:

This salad combines mangoes with a lot of fresh vegetables for a tasty-looking salad.


Cinzia from Cindystar submitted a recipe for White Chocolate Pudding:

I can imagine any kind of fruit would be great with this pudding.


Yasmeen from Health Nut tells us how to make Pita Wedges with Green Almond Hash:

I've never tried green almonds, but this sounds like a perfect way to top pita bread!

Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once introduces us to tazziberries and provides a recipe for Tazziberry Friands:

I've never had tazziberries, but they sound like an interesting combination of all kinds of delicious fruits.  These gluten-free friands sound like the perfect way to try them!


Joanne from Eats Well With Others contributed a recipe for Strawberry Yogurt Bread:

This sounds like a great way to use strawberries as the begin to appear in the markets.


And finally, here's my contribution, a recipe for roasted butternut squash:

Thanks to everyone who contributed to WHB this week, and please let me know if I made any errors.  Next week, Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen will be hosting, so send your entries to her (see complete WHB rules).

Roasted butternut squash recipe

How have I never shared this recipe?  It's one of my all-time favorites that I make more than any other recipe.  In fact, I think I tried this method the very first time that I cooked butternut squash (sadly that was in the last couple of years).  It's so easy that I hesitate to even call it a recipe, but it's always fantastic.  I made it for Thanksgiving two years ago and took it to my program's holiday party a few weeks later, and I got many requests for the recipe.  In fact, it was even requested for a Desperate Dinner cookbook that one of my friends put together (my first few years of grad school, a group of us got together for dinner and Desperate Housewives every Sunday night).  Any time I have a butternut squash lying around, there's a good chance that it will be used for this very recipe.

The best part about roasting winter squash is that it caramelizes and almost becomes a dessert.  Thyme is one of my favorite herbs, and I think it pairs beautifully with the sweet squash.  Sometimes I add Parmesan, sometimes I don't; it's great either way, so you can't go wrong.  I'm submitting this dish to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once.  I'm hosting WHB this week, so send me your entries by Sunday! 

Roasted butternut squash (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)
(Printable version)

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Spread the squash cubes out on a baking sheet, drizzle the cubes with oil, and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper.  Rub the squash around with your hands so that the cubes are coated in oil and the herbs/spices are distributed evenly.  Roast at 450 for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender.  Sprinkle squash with Parmesan if desired.  Serves 2-3 (if you can resist eating it all in one sitting).

Thai fish curry with brown rice recipe

Last night I was reminded why I cut back my consumption of processed food.  Michael Pollan gave a lecture on campus, and he came on stage with bags full of groceries that he picked up at Meijer (he got extra points in my book for making fun of Meijer!).  He had boxes of sugary cereal claiming to be health food, fat free yogurt with more sugar than the full fat counterpart, and splenda with fiber.  But the one that caught my attention was the Tropicana Healthy Heart orange juice.  Sounds innocent enough, right?  Well, it contains tilapia, anchovies, and sardines.  I almost gagged.  Guess who will not be drinking store bought orange juice for a long time.

I would rather drink juice that I've squeezed myself (or at the very least has no sea creatures in it).  And I'll eat my fish with a fork, thank you very much.  Here's a great recipe in case you need ideas for ways to eat fish in its solid form.  I did have trouble finding a firm white fish that's sustainable but still affordable, but I finally came across cod from the U.S. Pacific, which is at least a "good alternative" according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's standards. The flavors in this dish were mellow - I suggest adding a minced jalapeno if you're looking for something more dramatic - but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  The crunch of the water chestnuts was the perfect contrast for the flaky fish, and I wouldn't recommend making this without them.  It doesn't necessarily live up to "real" Thai food, but considering that it took about 10 minutes to make, it was a great substitute.


Thai fish curry with brown rice (adapted from Whole Grains for Busy People)
(Printable version)

1 can (13.5 oz.) light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp green Thai curry paste
pinch of sugar
1 cup corn kernels (frozen are fine)
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1 lb. firm white fish (I used cod, but halibut also works), cut into bite-sized chunks
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
zest of one lime
3 cups cooked brown rice

Combine coconut milk, water, fish sauce, curry paste, and sugar in a large saute pan, and bring to a boil.  Then stir in the corn, water chestnuts, and fish, making sure that the fish pieces are almost completely submerged in the sauce.  Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the fish is cooked through (about 4 min), stirring occasionally.  Stir in the cilantro and lime zest, and serve over rice.  Serves 4.