Gluten-Free, Nightshade-Free 3 Cheese Sausage Lasagne

I know, I know it's been about 3 months since my last post. Life has been really busy (when is it not?) but that is no excuse.
In January, my husband and I decided to do a 60-day gluten-free trial to see if it would help him feel better (both his mother and his sister are gluten intolerant, so it's likely he is too). Lo and behold, he feels better! After many experiments in the gluten-free realm, I feel pretty confident in cooking gluten free (I've done some baking experiments too, and they have turned out relatively well, though I still need some practice).
Nightshade free, on the other hand, has been a little more difficult. What are nightshades, you ask? They are a family of flowering plants that include tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers of all kinds (including bell peppers, chilies, paprika, chili powder, etc), eggplant and potatoes (though potatoes don't seem to bother my husband - we think it's because they are the root and not the fruit). Here's a link to what Wikipedia has to say about them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightshade. Trying to find food that does not contain nightshades is very hard. Lots of things have "spice" on the label, which can often contain peppers of some sort (usually paprika or red bell pepper) so we can never be certain. Cooking from scratch is just the best way to go, because then I know what is going into the food.

This lasagne has 3 cheeses (ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella) and a creamy sauce. I used brown rice lasagne noodles (no need to pre-cook) and sweet rice flour as a thickener for the sauce (instead of corn starch - sweet rice flour won't make it goopy the next day like corn starch does). You needs lots of sauce to cook the rice noodles properly. I used mild Italian sausage meat (or you could buy Italian sausages and remove the casings if you can't find the meat on its own); the only thing I'm concerned about is that is has "spice" as an ingredient, so it may not be 100% nightshade free. You could use any kind of ground meat to be certain or if you don't eat pork for whatever reason. 

Gluten-Free, Nightshade-Free 3 Cheese Sausage Lasagne
Prep: 30-45 minutes | Cook: 45 minutes | Yield: one 9x13 pan (about 6 large servings)

Ingredients:
1 package mild Italian sausage meat (or other ground meat) - about 1 pound
3 large cloves garlic, minced (I used my garlic press)
2 TBSP butter
3 cups 1% milk
4 TBSP sweet rice flour
1 large shallot, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp each salt and pepper
300g ricotta cheese (this is a standard container size)
2 TBSP shredded parmesan cheese
1 TBSP Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
10 gluten-free brown rice lasagne noodles
250g grated mozzarella
vegetable oil spray

Method:
1. Cook the sausage in a large pan over medium-high, breaking it up as you cook it. When the meat is mostly cooked, add the garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink and is cooked through. Remove the meat to a separate bowl, leaving the cooking grease in the pan.
2. Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat to low. Add the butter and melt. Once the butter is melted, add the shallot and cook for about 1 minute.
3. While the butter is melting, mix the sweet rice flour with the milk. Mix well to avoid lumps. Once the shallot is cooked, add the milk to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens. This could take up to 15 minutes - be patient! Once the sauce is thick, add the meat back to the sauce and stir to incorporate fully. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Mix the ricotta cheese with the parmesan and the Johnny's Garlic. Set aside.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the pan with vegetable oil. Spread just over half the sauce evenly on the bottom of the pan. Place 4 rice noodles across the width of the sauce (side-by-side, not overlapping) and then place 1 noodle across the end of the pan (you may need to break it to make it fit).
6. Top the noodles with the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Add a second layer of noodles (same as before and top with the rest of the sauce. Make sure the noodles are completely covered. Cover with the grated mozzarella.
7. Cover with tinfoil and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the tinfoil and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
 

Rice Pilaf with Pork

I have never made rice pilaf before. I was never the biggest rice fan but I am learning to be more open to things. I had some instant brown rice in my pantry and wanted to try something new (instant brown rice isn't really "instant" like white rice is, but it only takes about 10 minutes to cook as opposed to 40 minutes. What makes it instant is that it is already partially cooked, then dried. Plus, it's way easier to cook and you don't have to worry about wrecking it by lifting the lid).
I made this with pork stir fry strips, but you could easily substitute chicken or turkey if you wanted.
This recipe looks simple but it is hearty and full of flavour. I served it with a side of steamed garlic zucchini.

Rice Pilaf with Pork
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 package pork stir fry strips (about 500g)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups chicken broth1/4 tsp each dried parsley and paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups instant brown rice
1 TBSP fresh oregano

Method:
1. Cut stir fry strips into small pieces. In a large, deep pan, cook pork in the olive oil over medium heat stirring frequently until fully cooked, about 6 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Cook the onion in the same pan that you cooked the pork in. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3.  Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add rice, all spices (except the fresh oregano) and salt and pepper and stir until completely mixed. Top with cooked pork. Turn heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 5 minutes
4. Remove from heat. Stir in fresh oregano. Cover again and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir and serve.

Pita Pizzas with Pancetta and Fresh Oregano

This recipe was inspired by a recipe I saw in an Australian Women's Weekly cookbook I have but the only similarities are that they are pizzas without tomato sauce (their recipe is just olive oil with garlic and mine is a white sauce with garlic/shallot) and include pork (theirs is ham, mine is pancetta), fresh herbs (they use sage, I use oregano) and cheese (their fontina to my mozzarella). So really, not at all similar.
I like Byblos brand pitas because they are really thin and have a great flavour, but use whatever pitas you can find (Byblos bakery is based in Calgary, AB and they distribute through out Western Canada so you may not be able to get them elsewhere).
Pancetta is Italian bacon, but please, please do not substitute bacon in this recipe. Pancetta has a different flavour and you will be disappointed if you don't use it. You can find already diced pancetta in the deli section of most grocery stores.

Pita Pizzas with Pancetta and Fresh Oregano
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Bake Time: 15 minutes | Yield: 6 pizzas

Ingredients:
6 whole wheat pitas
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
1 scant cup 1% milk
1 TBSP flour
150g diced pancetta
dash of black pepper and salt
2 TBSP fresh oregano, chopped
300g grated mozzarella

Method:
1. Cook the pancetta over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the edges start to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove pancetta to a bowl; keep the fat released by the pancetta in the pan
2. Cook the garlic and the shallot in the pancetta fat until very fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute
3. Add the flour to the milk and mix well
4. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium-low and slowly add the milk/flour mixture, stirring constantly. Add the pepper and salt (resist the urge to salt the sauce more than just a dash as the pancetta is very salty). Sitr frequently until the sauce is thickened and is a uniform consistency 5-7 minutes. Remove form heat
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Divide the pitas on 2 baking sheets. Divide sauce evenly between pitas and spread with a spatula. Sprinkle pancetta equally over pitas, then the oregano, then the cheese
6. Bake for 7 minutes, then turn the pan 180 degrees (so the pizzas that were at the back of the oven are now at the front). Return pizzas to the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes longer (until cheese is melted and bubbly). Let sit for 2-3 minutes, then slice in half and serve

Pizzas before the cheese has been added

Finished product. Yum!

Featured Recipe

Okay, these are amazing. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was very very happy with the way these turned out. I was a wee bit worried about the flavour and that's the biggest problem with making meatloaf - you can't taste it until it's completely done. Thankfully, they worked and were delicious. I was worried that they would be too spicy, but they weren't at all and had a really nice smoky taste - just what I was hoping for. Not too much work either . We ate them with Mac and Cheese and a side salad.

Smoky Pork Mini-Meatloaves

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground pork
1 poblano pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp each dried oregano and paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper, divided
1 TBSP Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
2 pinches chipotle chili powder
1 tsp hot sauce (i.e. Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
4 TBSP BBQ sauce (I used Bullseye)
1/4 cup quick oats

Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add poblano and onion. Cook until very soft, about 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with half the salt and pepper. Puree in a food proceesor until smooth. Cool in the freezer for 5 minutes
2. Add all remaining ingredients into a large bowl. Add pepper mixture. Gently mix with your hands until just mixed (be careful not to mix the meat too much as that can make your meatloaf tough).
3. Form into mini loaves (about the size of a hamburger patty and about 1.5 inches thick). Cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit on a drip tray  for 20 minutes (the drip tray helps them get crispy all the way around as the fat can drain off); flip and cook for 20-25 minutes more (until the temp reads 170 on a meat thermometer).

  

Featured Recipe

Ok, to be completely honest, I have never had a pulled pork sandwich before. I understand the basics (that pork shoulder cooked low and slow until it's fall-off-the-bone tender and then shredded ("pulled") and simmered in a sweet-smoky sauce and piled high on a soft white bun) but I've never actually eaten one. So when thinking of what to make for dinner tonight (I have been very bad about meal planning and have had to think on the fly for a few days now) I asked my husband to take the pork strips out of the freezer as I was planning to make something with that and some quinoa and whatever few veggies are still in the fridge. He said "we have these really nice buns, why don't you make pulled-pork sandwiches." I said okay but I started to panic a wee bit since, as indicated above, I have never eaten one before and was worried about getting the flavour right. The panic quickly passed and the wheels started turning and what came out tasted "pretty close to bang-on" (according to the hubby). Not bad for trying to re-create a flavour you've never tasted.
These are not "traditional" as I did not cook a pork shoulder for hours and hours until it was uber tender (I cheated and used pork stir fry strips) and I did no actual "pulling" but the flavour was good and they were totally satisfying (and it didn't take me all day).

Pulled Pork Fakies

Ingredients:
1 package uncooked pork stir fry strips (enough for 4 large sandwiches)
2 green onions, minced
1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 TBSP ketchup
1/4 cup thick teryaki sauce (I used Kikkoman brand)
1 tsp barbeque sauce (I used Bulls Eye brand because it's not as vinegar-y as some other brands)
1 tsp lime juice
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 smidge cinnamon (a smidge is about half a pinch or, if your spice is in a shaker jar, one light shake)
1 smidge ginger powder
1 smidge red pepper flakes
1 pinch black pepper
4 large soft, good quality white buns 

Method:
1. Slice the pork into very thin slices, then into pieces around 2cm long or so
2. Heat a large pan over medium-low heat (if your burner dial has 8 increments, put it at about 4). Add the oil, green onion and pork and cook, stirring frequently, until pork is cooked through and no longer pink (7-10 minutes)

3. Make the sauce. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the buns) in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork. Add to the cooked pork

4. Turn the heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce is reduced and thickened and clings to the meat (about 12-15 minutes)

5. Slice each bun in half and top with a quarter of the meat mixture. Enjoy!

Featured Recipe

Broiled Pork Chops

I made these for dinner tonight and my husband said "these are sooo good, you should post the recipe on your blog." So, here it is. I made 2 pork chops, but the marinade would probably do 3. The measurements could easily be adapted for more meat. I used bone-in loin chops that were about 1 inch thick. You don't want to use the thinner fast fry ones as they would get too dry when you broil them.

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce (I happened to have gluten free but regular or low sodium is fine too)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried minced onion

Method:
1. Mix all the marined ingredients together in a small bowl. Place pork in a shallow dish big enough so that all of the pork chops can lay flat. Pour marinade over meat. Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning meat over every 15 minutes
2. Set the broiler on your oven to low. Place marinated meat on a rack in a broiler pan. Broil for about 16-18 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time. The meat is done when it is no longer pink in the middle (if you have a meat thermometer, it needs to read at least 160 degrees) and it should be golden around the edges.

Serve with pan roasted potatoes and a green salad.