Gluten Free Angel Hair Pasta with Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Pumpkin Sauce

I could only think of pumpkin on Halloween night which turned out to work in my favor. I had seen a recipe for a pumpkin lasagna that sounded fantastic so I went to the drawing board with what I had in my pantry. The end result was a creamy, well-balanced pumpkin sauce accented with roasted garlic and flecked with roasted mushrooms. I’ll be making this one over and over this fall.

Ingredients:
1 pint crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 head of garlic, still in paper
8 leaves of fresh sage, diced
3 strips of thick cut bacon, diced into bit sized pieces
1 can pumpkin puree or 1 cup fresh puree
1 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and more for topping
1 package brown rice angel hair pasta
4 stems chives, diced for topping

Preperation:
Set oven to 350°. Arrange sliced mushrooms on a baking sheet and toss in 1 tbsp olive oil with 2/3′s of the chopped sage, salt and pepper. Chop the top off of the garlic head, place on roasting pan and then top with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until garlic is soft to the touch. Stir mushrooms occasionally.
Meanwhile, pan fry the bacon in a large skillet. Once crisp, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Leave the drippings and add the pumpkin to the skillet over low heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir and pick up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Next add in the roasted mushrooms, bacon, remaining sage, milk and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Dice up 1-2 cloves of the roasted garlic and add to sauce.
Cook the brown rice pasta to just under al dente. Drain and add directly to skillet with sauce. Add the parmesan cheese and use tongs to combine the pasta and sauce over low heat. Plate in serving bowls, sprinkle with a little extra cheese and the diced chives. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Honey Sweet Potato Pie

 

A classic recipe emerged from a trip to the local Farmer's market. Walnut Hill Farm had a plethora of earthy, massive sweet potatoes spilling out of buckets on the table so I picked up a few to work with. I also made a stop by one of my favorite vendors, Alfredo’s Honey, and picked up a tub of whipped cinnamon honey (I think I am working on my 7th tub from him).  The two market picks just seem to be a marriage made in heaven, right? Having not made a sweet potato pie before, I did a little research online and found a recipe that seemed to be in-line with what I had in the pantry and what I had picked up from the market.  I modified it slightly by using a homemade gluten-free crust which will be featured on glutenfreerichmond.com, my new website created with a fellow Richmonder and lover of all things tasty and gluten-free. I also changed up the cinnamon portions since I was working with a cinnamon flavored honey. Here’s my take:

Cinnamon Honey Sweet Potato Pie
Filling Ingredients:

2 large, roasted sweet potatoes removed from skin (about 3 cups)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup Alfredo’s local cinnamon honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup melted butter

Preparation:
Start by dry roasting the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in an oven set to 375° for about 50-60 minutes or until soft to the touch. Once cooled, scrape flesh from skin and place into a food processor, pulse until broken down. Add remaining ingredients, except butter and pulse until smooth. With the food processor on, drizzle in melted butter until combined.

Fill a par-baked, gluten-free pie crust (will fill a 10″ pie) and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. A knife inserted into the center should come out clean or the center of the pie should spring back when touched.

Pesto and Goat Cheese Spread

I started salivating earlier this week, dreaming up all of the wonderful treats I could make with a nice crusty baguette and a fresh bunch of basil that I brought home from our local Farmer's Market. I came back to a go-to dip that hits the spot all summer long.  Rarely do I go without homemade pesto in my kitchen, especially when I can buy basil in bulk and make tons to freeze.  So, with the two huge bunches I picked up and a tasty roll of black peppered goat cheese, I put together a fresh, bright dish that would be a perfect summer evening snack or compliment to any Sunday brunch. 

Pesto
Makes about 2 cups

4 handfuls fresh basil leaves
1/2-2/3′s cup toasted, unsalted walnuts
1 wedge parmigiano reggiano
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
pinch salt
Pulse all ingredients in a processor except oil until chunky. Next, slowly drizzle in the olive oil – add as much oil as needed to get to the right consistency.  I tend to keep it a bit tight because you can always add a little more oil to each dish when using the pesto and for the purposes of a dip, the less oil the better.

Pesto and Goat Cheese Dip
Servings: 4-6

Remove all but 2 tbsps of pesto in processor and store separately.  To the processor, add zest and juice of 1/2 lemon and 4 oz of black peppered goat cheese.  Blend until creamy.  The black peppered goat cheese adds a sharp tang to the dip which is balanced out by the freshness of the lemon. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with toasted, oiled baguette rounds.

Anna B’s gluten-free baguette had the perfect texture for this dip.  Toasted on a low heat with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, the crusty outside and slightly chewy inside made for a great base to the creamy, sharp flavors of the pesto and goat cheese.

Not only did the basil provide a summer fresh taste, but the pale, vertical blooms made a modern and fragrant bouquet for the kitchen.

Spicy and Crunchy Peanut Noodles

For years I've been searching for an Asian inspired noodle recipe with a salty/sweet peanut sauce and, finally, one from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) appeared on Food Network .  I tried her version first and then adjusted the ingredients according to my own tastes and preferences.  I've made this dish several times now and each time someone has asked me for the recipe, which is my own personal gauge of a successful conversion, so I figured it was time to share.


Below is a list of the ingredients I use to make the recipe gluten-free, the first of which is brown rice spaghetti pasta.  While I am a fan of rice pasta, this is the first recipe I've tried where I would say the brown rice spaghetti is a natural fit.  If you aren't gluten free and would like to save some cash, stick with the traditional angel hair pasta and swap the tamari for straight soy.

Spicy and Crunchy Peanut Noodles

Serves: 6
Time: 25-30 minutes

1 lb brown rice spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lite rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup gluten free tamari
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup organic smooth peanut butter (I like Trader Joe's because it pours from the jar which makes it great for sauce)
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded and sliced in thin strips
1/2 pound fresh snow peas, cut on an angle in half
4 scallions, cut on an angle
3 tbsp fresh cilantro
2 tbsp unsalted peanuts, chopped
1/2 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

Start by dropping the pasta into salted boiling water and follow the instructions to cook to al denté. While the pasta cooks, whisk together the oil, vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, zest, peanut butter and seeds.  In a large mixing bowl, toss red pepper, peas, 2/3's scallions and shrimp.  Add cooked pasta and cover with sauce (use half or all of sauce depending on personal taste).  Top with remaining scallions, cilantro and peanuts to serve. 

A few things to note: 

This recipe makes a lot of sauce.  If using the full pound of spaghetti, you can definitely use all of the sauce and there will be some left at the bottom of the bowl.  If you like less sauce, jar the remainder and use it as a dip for spring rolls, chicken satay or grilled shrimp.   Also, this dish is great served warm, cold or at room temperature.  Leftovers will work for a day or so but the longer the noodles sit, the more they will break down because of the acid in the sauce.  And finally, for an even bigger punch of flavor - serve lime wedges on the side to squeeze over the noodle bowls.