From Miranda Jade Turbin of



GlutenFreeHelp.info

Ingredients:

1 large acorn squash

4 eggs, separated

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. butter ( or coconut oil for dairy-free)

3 tsp. sugar or alternative sweetener

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut and steam acorn squash pieces. Simmer until soft.

3. Let squash cool and peel off skins. This yields 3 to 3 ½ cups of squash.

4. Blend squash, add 2 egg yolks only, and then add cinnamon, sugar/sweetener and butter. Add more sugar/sweetener to taste.

5. Coat inside of soufflé dish with butter or coconut oil.

6. Whip egg whites in separate bowl and fold squash mixture into whites gently (so you don’t deflate whites).

7. Pour gently into soufflé dish.

8. Bake 20-30 mins until done.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of olive oil
• 4 huge onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 x 28 oz cans of peeled plum tomatoes in tomato puree (you can also pick up a 100 oz. can from bulk discount stores)
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (optional)
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chopped parsley
• 8 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot. Add onions and carrots and cook, covered, over low heat for about 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.

2. Add the tomatoes, dried herbs, salt and pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaves. Puree the sauce using an immersion blender or by pouring the sauce into a blender, then returning it to the pot once pureed.

4. Over medium heat, add the parsley and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning. Add the vinegar now if the sauce lacks intensity.

Tips & Alternatives:

Don’t skimp on the olive oil. That is one of the ingredients that really adds to the flavor, and olive oil has nutritional value.

Think about adding ½ cup of sun-dried tomatoes as you add canned tomatoes. You could also add 2-4 freshly roasted and peeled red peppers.

I store cooled, cooked sauce in 1-2 cup quantities in freezer bags. Press out as much air as possible, then label with content and date and freeze.

For a quick meal, heat sauce, add some fresh parmesan, a touch of cream and canned tuna. Serve over pasta. I’ve also been very indulgent and added lobster, shrimp or scallops to the sauce with cream. Plus fresh basil.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh or smoked kielbasa (For gluten-free recommendations, visit NFCA’s Gluten-Free Hot Products blog.)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or oil
• 12 oz. bottle of gluten-free beer (Each beer will give a different taste, as will different kielbasa.)
• 2 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 medium sized onion, peeled, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. If using raw kielbasa, place kielbasa in a skillet, cover with water, bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and put sausages on a plate. If you use smoked kielbasa, just put them in the skillet with apples and onions as in step #3.

2. In same skillet, melt butter/oil, add onions and gently fry for 5 minutes until browning. Add apple, and fry for further 5 minutes until softening.

3. Add kielbasa and turn in pan.

4. Add gluten-free beer, salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to nearly a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook covered for about 30 minutes until cooked through. The cooking time will depend on size of pan, quantity being cooked, and how gentle a simmer you can reach. Watch that the liquid doesn’t evaporate.

Tips & Alternatives: This recipe works with any kind of gluten-free beer. I like to cook this the day before for the flavor really to develop. Then put it in a slow cooker, refrigerate and reheat the next day in the slow cooker. You can also put it on the side of the barbecue to reheat in a foil pan. It’s also great to serve with gluten-free bread to soak up the juices.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients

• 64 oz. of canned beans, precooked, rinsed and drained
  • This is about four 15 oz. cans of beans. Try a variety – I used pink, cannellini and Great Northern beans
• 1 medium to large white or yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 6 oz. (½ packet) bacon
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon hot pepper jelly or relish
• 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 12 oz. hard apple cider (or apple juice or gluten-free beer)
  • I find most gluten-free beers are too strong in this recipe, so I use hard cider instead. If you like drinking dark ales, then gluten-free beer will work nicely.
• 12 oz. water
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in a large non-stick pan or pot until most of the fat is runny. Add onions and cook until tender and starting to brown.
2. Add remaining ingredients, except for beans. Bring to a boil and simmer until sugar has melted, about five minutes.
3. Add drained beans, bring to a boil, and transfer to slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
5. Remove the lid and simmer until excess liquid has evaporated. (If your slow cooker insert is heat resistant, you can also place it on the stove to cook off the excess liquid.)

Tips & Alternatives

Try adding less water so the beans are thicker. You can also add salt, but I think the beans are salty enough without the addition. In the end, it’s all up to your personal taste.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of



Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

Salad

• 1 ripe but firm mango, sliced and cut into ½” dice. (You can also add fresh pineapple, nectarines or peaches when available)
• 1 large tomato, cut into small dice
• The green of 4 green onions finely scissored or chives
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• ¾ -1 lb. cooked salad shrimp – rinsed and drained. Thaw if frozen, then rinse and drain well to avoid diluting the dressing (if packaged, make sure it’s gluten-free)
• 2 stalks of celery, washed, quartered lengthwise and cut into fine dice or a Gala apple, peeled, cored and diced (optional)

Dressing

• 2 tbsp hot pepper jelly placed in small microwave safe bowl and melted in microwave (It’s best when it contains jalapeno peppers. Make sure it’s gluten-free!)
• Grated zest/rind of one lime
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
• ½ tsp salt (or more or less to taste – shrimp can still retain salt)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp gluten-free hot pepper mustard.
• ¼ c olive oil or other oil

Directions:

1. Mix all salad ingredients together.

2. Add dressing ingredients to melted pepper jelly.

3. Stir dressing onto salad and leave in the fridge for a few hours for flavors to mingle. Salad keeps in fridge for 2 days.

4. To serve, sprinkle plate or serving glass with finely shredded lettuce or salad miz and top with salad. Finish with whole shrimp.

Tips & Alternatives: I use hot pepper jelly in the dressing because it gives a mild tingle but isn’t so hot that you can’t appreciate the flavor. You can also add hot sauce, ground chipotles or chopped hot peppers to boost the heat factor.

For variety, add shredded carrots, chunks of avocado and, just before serving, diced cucumber. The more you add, the more dressing you will also need to add. I have also made this with leftover barbecued chicken. Black beans would also give you more protein and are a wonderful contrast of color to the pink shrimp, mango, and green herbs.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Makes 4 generous portions

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 ½ lbs. Yukon gold, fingerling or New potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes.
• ½ lb. fresh green beans, trimmed (or same quantity of fresh asparagus)
• 4 eggs
• 1 raw red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips (julienned) or a small dice (brunoised).
• 1 lb. fresh salmon fillets (I was out of tuna)
• 4 fresh tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 head of Boston, Bibb or Romaine lettuce, washed and well-dried.
• anchovies and olives (optional)

Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (you can also use regular balsamic vinegar – it just gives the dressing a dark color)
• 12 large basil leaves
• 2 cups of fresh parsley
• 4 green onions or chives – use just the green part (you can also use shallots or red onions)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely crushed with salt (optional)
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp maple syrup or sugar (add according to taste)
• Salt and pepper

Put vinaigrette ingredients in 4 cup jug and use an immersion blender to chop the herbs and make the vinaigrette thick and creamy. You can also chop the herbs by hand and then whisk together with the oil and vinegar. This can also be made without herbs if you don’t have them available.

Directions:

1. Put potatoes and eggs in pan, cover with water, add salt and cook until just tender.

2. Take eggs out after about 6 minutes of cooking. Immediately plunge eggs into very cold water, which will help prevent the black ring from forming around the yolk. Peel the eggs and cut into quarters just before serving.

3. Drain cooked potatoes, and pour about ¼ cup vinaigrette over potatoes while warm and leave to cool down before refrigerating.

4. Put fresh salmon in small skillet, cover with water and slowly bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and leave to cool down in the water. Drain and refrigerate before use.

5. Cook green beans/asparagus until degree of tenderness you prefer. Drain and immediately plunge into very cold water to stop them cooking and retain bright green color.

6. To finish: Traditionally, the ingredients are arranged on a platter in segments, not mixed together. So, take a platter and cover the base with lettuce drizzled with vinaigrette. Then arrange potatoes, green beans, olives, hard boiled eggs, red peppers, tomatoes, anchovies and salmon like the segments of a wheel around the platter. Drizzle with more vinaigrette and serve.

Tips & Alternatives: I like making this with tuna canned in oil, and using that drained oil as the oil in the dressing. Simply drain the oil into a measuring cup, then use bottled olive oil to top it off to ½ cup.

To add more flavor to the fish, add wine, lemon rind, and parsley to the water before cooking. You can also grill the fish, potatoes and vegetables to avoid heating up the kitchen.

This is a great meal to plan in advance after a day at the beach or when friends or family are expected. If you cook the potatoes, green beans, fish and eggs in advance and make the vinaigrette, then the meal can be on the table within about 10 minutes of walking in the door.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Makes about 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 12 oz. can of regular V8 juice
• ½ lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped small, retaining seeds and juices for the soup
• ½ of an English/European cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into small pieces. (I don’t deseed. If you do deseed, then you will need more cucumber.)
• 2 Tbsp. green of green onions (spring onions, scallions), finely sliced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ of a ripe red bell pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
• ¼ of a ripe yellow bell pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
• ½ cup (about 1 small ear) corn (Tip: If you can grill a fresh ear of corn and then cut off niblets, do that.)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely crushed (optional)
• ½ to 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. white Balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water, more if needed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil finely chopped (optional)
• Several sprigs of fresh lemon thyme, leaves pulled off stems (optional)
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, stone removed, cut into thin slices (for garnish)
• Small cooked salad shrimp (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Put everything except for avocado and shrimp into 6-8 cup mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings to suit your preferences.
3. Serve each bowl of chilled soup with a garnish of cooked salad shrimp and sliced avocado as the photo shows. You could also put crab meat on top instead (be careful with imitation crab meat; it may contain gluten). Some cooked asparagus tips.

Tips from Chef Oonagh:

• Remove the soup from the refrigerator 15-30 minutes before serving.
• Quantities aren’t set in stone. It all depends on your preference. One essential, though, is ripe tomatoes. You won’t get the same outcome if the tomatoes aren’t very ripe.
• For variety, throw in some seafood, olives, herbs, nuts, grapes, ham, celery, carrots, white beans or chickpeas.