Gluten-Free Friday Smokin' Red Pepper Sauce

This recipe is great over chicken or steak (pictured below). I went into the Whole Foods in my new town (Charlottesville, VA) and found a big salt section. The smoking salt looked perfect to put over steaks I was making for dinner. I merged some chipotle steak sauce recipes and came up with this one. Enjoy!! Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp smoking salt*
*if you cant find this, usually you can find smoke flavoring, and mix this with salt
1 tsp pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/4 cup organic tomato sauce
1 tsp ground mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp ground all-spice
2 tbsp gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp olive oil

four grilled steaks or chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400F
Roast a red pepper (described in my hummus recipe)
Wrap in foil for 10 minutes, allow to cool
Peel skin and cut top open
Pour juice into a blender, trying to avoid seeds
Pull out seeds
Cut into 5 pieces
Place in blender with all other ingredients
Blend
Place over low heat in a sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes
Pour over chicken or steak

Freeze any left over sauce

Baked Shrimp Pasta

Baking shrimp is easy and takes little time so it's the perfect recipe for a time crunch. This recipe is based off of one I've had at Catch in NYC. When I served this dish, I could tell it was liked when people asked for seconds and thirds! I recommend having the fish monger devein the shrimp even if it costs a little more, it's worth it!  Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb wild caught large shrimp (about 16 shrimp)
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
juice from 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
4 servings worth of your favorite pasta, I used fresh angel hair from a local store, Mona Lisa Pasta

Preheat oven to 375F
In a baking dish (I used a brownie pan that was 8x8) line with foil that goes up the sides
Place all ingredients together and coat shrimp
Bake for 10 minutes
Meanwhile, boil pasta
After 10 minutes, remove carefully with foil and close while pasta finishes boiling
Strain pasta and add shrimp mixture
Stir and add oil if needed
Eat up!

Hash Brown Bird Nests

Sunday brunch will never be the same once you make this recipe! It's packed with flavor, gluten-free, and filling. Feel free to substitute tofu or sausage for the chicken sausage, or just have veggies.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped
4 green onions, light green and white parts chopped

3 chicken sausage links, chopped (I used apple chicken sausage)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp butter, plus more for muffin tins

2 egg whites

4 cups hash browns, thawed (usually a bag contains four cups)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 475F

In a bowl combine the egg whites, hash browns, salt, and pepper

In a non-stick 12 muffin tin, butter 9 of the cups

Use fingers to form cups with the hash brown mixture (into only 9 of the cups)

Place in the oven for 15 minutes

Meanwhile, heat butter over medium low in a skillet

Add peppers, onions, and sausage

Stir for about 8 minutes, until fully cooked

Put an equal amount of sausage mixture in each cup

Top with cheddar and cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted

Let cool for a few minutes then scoop out and eat up!

Gluten-Free Friday Okra!

Now that I'm back in the south, it's time for some southern ingredients to be used! After a great trip to a local farmer's market here in Charlottesville, I came home with tomatoes, okra, onions, and garlic. I had a large bag of quinoa so I started mixing! This recipe is easy, quick, and yummy. Enjoy as a side or add a protein (tofu or chicken) to make it a meal. Serves 4

Ingredients
1 large tomato, chopped
2 cups okra, sliced*
*to clean okra I run under water and run a knife over it
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup gluten-free organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked according to box directions


In a large sauce pan, cook oil over medium heat

Add garlic and onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

Add okra and tomatoes, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes
Add broth and quinoa
Stir for a few minutes, until broth is soaked up

Eat y'all!