Healthy veal scallopini? Yes, please!

Today, at the grocery store, I was waiting at the butcher counter when I glanced down and saw the most gorgeous 1/2 pound of veal cutlets that I've seen in a long time. Some people don't eat veal and lamb (just as some people don't eat meat at all) because of where it comes from...but I don't have any such qualms as long as the meat is certified tether and hormone free. To me, veal is one of those slightly sinful meats, almost always breaded and slathered in butter/cheese or combined with sausage or on top of a huge mound of pasta. As a matter of fact, veal is one meat I have studiously avoided since going gluten free simply because I was unable to picture it any other way. Today, however, I decided that I wanted it so I impulsively put it in my shopping cart (sorry Mom, I know veal is nowhere near my wedding diet).

When I got home, I started looking at veal recipes online and decided on veal scallopini...it's quick, simple, and it doesn't (necessarily) require pasta. So I took stock of what yummy veggies I could make into my sauce and found tomato, onions, and asparagus. I would imagine you could make any of your favorite yummy veggies make your sauce, but these are my personal favorites.

This recipe is for two:

1/2 pound veal cutlets

2 small onions

1 large tomato

1 bunch asparagus (approx 1 lb)

2 tablespoons minced garlic

salt

pepper

olive oil

flour (tonight I used King Arthur gluten free multi-purpose flour)

whatever wine you're drinking while you cook (mine was red - Petite Syrah)

Begin by tenderizing your veal. Some people will tell you that you can skip this step. I disagree wholeheartedly. I own a meat mallet for a reason (and it's not to chase my darling husband-to-be around our kitchen)....it's because certain meats are best thin and tender. Veal is one of those. Place your cutlets between two pieces of plastic wrap (I like this for ease of cleaning, but wax paper works great too!) and pound away till your veal is (uniformly) half as thick as it was when you started. The thinner it is, the more tender it will be. Don't go over too overboard though...you want something left to cook! Slice your veal into 3-4 inch strips.

Now, prepare your vegetables. Cut the tomato into pieces that are about the size of a quarter. Sliver your onions, and cut your asparagus into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces (discard the woody end of the stems). Mince your garlic (or get it out of that insanely large jar of minced garlic that has permanent residence in your fridge like mine).

Pour just enough olive oil in your skillet to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil olive to medium-high. Just like frying anything, the oil is ready when you put a tiny pinch of flour in and it sizzles rather than sinking. Salt and pepper your veal and dredge it through your flour (yay, gluten free flour!). Shake off any excess flour and place them in the hot oil. Cook approximately 1 minute on each side. Don't overcook! Veal gets tougher the longer you cook it. When the flour has browned on each side, remove the veal from the oil and place it on a plate lined with an absorbent cloth.

Back to the skillet! Add your garlic, onions, and asparagus, and sauté them for two minutes. Add your tomatoes, a healthy splash of wine, and some salt and pepper. Then simmer your sauce till your veggies are as crunchy as you like them. Me? I'm a crunch-lover so the sauce was on for less than six minutes...

To plate, spoon a nice-size portion of the sauce directly onto the plate, arrange your veal on top, then top with a little more sauce. I served this with crunchy green beans and cottage cheese (which previously-mentioned fiance said made it taste "really Italian"...haha!).

Are Brussell sprouts...

...the bane of your existence? When you were little, did you try to feed them to your dog? When you see them, can you immediately taste bitter mushiness in your mouth? If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then you are reading the right post. The trick with Brussell sprouts is to minimize the bitter (caused by plant chemicals known as glucosinolates) and maximize the yummy. My mama has always said I have never been a picky eater (but then, she never tried to feed me Brussell sprouts either), but I was never a big fan of these "baby cabbages" until a few years ago.

I will credit my friend Aubrey with this yummy recipe, and I will admit to being skeptical when I heard how simple the recipe was...up until she made me these crunchy yummy wonders, I liked to undercook the sprouts and pair them with a stronger taste (like Ranch dressing or feta cheese). Now my fiance and I eat these about three or four times a month.

Take a minute to look at your sprouts...they should be bright to dark green with little to no yellowing of the leaves and no obvious bug damage. Each of these little beauties looks like a little cabbage with leafy head and hard stalky end. If you have the chance to buy a whole stalk of sprouts, do it! It's always cool to see where your food begins...(it's also okay to cheat and buy the sprouts in the nice recyclable plastic container that they come in at most grocery stores). Whatever you do though, these sprouts must be fresh, not frozen.

Begin by cutting the end off of the sprouts (just like cutting the hard end off a cabbage). Cut enough that you're taking off a good bit of the hard white end (that's where most of the bitter is) but not too much. When you cut the sprout in half, an outer leaf or two should come off easily, leaving the tightly packed inner leaves in place. When you have taken off the end and cut each sprout in half, remove the loose leaves and place your sprouts in a large bowl. Toss them with olive oil and allow them to sit for five to ten minutes to absorb a little of the oil.

Spread your sprouts on a cookie sheet (the olive oil on the sprouts will keep them from sticking). Don't pour the left over oil onto the sheet (you can use it to make salad dressing for your other healthy side, right?). Place the cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Turn the sprouts over after about 10 minutes (they should be starting to brown nicely on the side that was touching the pan). When the sprouts are nicely browned (not crispy) on each side, remove them from the oven and sprinkle them with a little bit of seasoned salt (I like Lowry's because it's gluten-free).

At this point you can either be good and put them on your plate with your dinner....or you can be like me and pop a few in your mouth right away. These are nutty, a little crunchy, and delicious! Nothing to be bitter about at all!

La zuppa toscana

I love soup. I eat it in the fall. I eat it in the winter. I eat it in the spring. I love soup so much, I even eat it in the summer…though chilled soups are much better at times like that. The weather is a little dreary today, and even though it’s April, it made me think of soup. So here’s a look at one of my favorites, stolen right off the menu from Olive Garden: la zuppa toscana.

So, I’ve been in love with this soup for as long as I can remember…creamy stock, crumbly potatoes, savory sausage and onions, and crispy kale. The problem I keep running into though is that a) it’s not listed on the gluten free menu at Olive Garden and b) they stopped putting the large amounts of kale in the soup that made me love it in the first place.

This soup is simple and homey and so fast to make…and it makes me want to say “buon giorno” or “ciao bella” (or something equally Italian) while I stand in front of my stove.

You will need:

1 sleeve of Jimmy Dean (or brand of your choice) sage sausage

3 large Russet potatoes

1 large white or yellow onion

2-3 Tbps. minced garlic (3-4 cloves?)

kosher salt

black pepper

bunch of kale (though how much you use is up to you, haha!)

half-and-half (I use fat-free Lake o’Lakes)

chicken bullion

Cut your potatoes into ½ to ¾ inch pieces. Boil them in the chicken stock you make from the bollion (5 cubes to 10 cups of water...or 3-4 tsp of Better Than Bullion Chicken which is so definitely better than bullion since it's gluten-free and delicious...it comes in a highly viscous form in a jar at your grocery store) in a large soup pot until mostly tender.

While waiting for your potatoes, brown the sausage with the onions and garlic. I usually use less garlic if the onion smells particularly strong, but that’s a judgment call on how much you love onions and garlic. I personally could probably fend off vampires with my garlic consumption each week, but I know that some people don’t love it as much as I do. Make sure to drain the sausage as (I love Jimmy Dean anyway) it’s pretty greasy.

When the potatoes are mostly tender, add the sausage/onion/garlic concoction to the pot. Stir and simmer for two or three minutes. Add enough half-and-half to make it creamy but not terribly thick (usually up to a full cup…I eye-ball it since too much makes it pretty heavy). Here’s where you want to start tasting this heaven-sent yumminess (if you haven’t already). Salt and pepper to taste (I don't usually add a lot of salt because the bullion is pretty darn salty).

Now, let’s talk about the kale…I like mine pretty crunchy, and if you don’t, now is the time to start ripping the kale into half-dollar sized pieces and throwing it in the pot. If you are a crunch lover like me (everything else in the soup is soft), put your ripped kale in the bottom of each person’s soup bowl just prior to serving. Allowing the hot soup to soften the kale for a minute or two gives just the crunch and texture that I’m looking for.

This soup refrigerates well for up to five days. The cream in the half-and-half will separate as will the fat from the sausage, but heating it up makes it all blend together again. The soup also freezes well for up to four months. It’s great to pull out to thaw one morning when the temperature isn’t going to be quite as warm as you wanted (reheat on the stove or in the microwave).

I guess all that’s left to say is BUON APPETITO!

Gluten free Maryland crab cakes

Mmmm...Maryland crab cakes

2 lb crab meat (pick out any shells)
3 stalks celery, minced
1/2 bell pepper (I use orange), minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 eggs
1/2 cup gluten free mayonnaise (regular Duke's works best!)
2/3 cup gluten free bread crumbs (you can use regular if you're a regular kind of guy or gal)
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 shakes of garlic powder
7-8 dashes dried basil
1 tsp kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. If you aren't squeamish, use your hands to really work the ingredients together (like hamburgers!). Form the mixture into patties. I like big ones, but small ones would be yummy too. The cooking instructions are for quarter pound patties, so just make sure you watch so that smaller ones don't overcook.

Bake at 375 degrees. Flip after 15 minutes then bake another 10-15 minutes till firm. Use caution when flipping...gluten bread crumbs don't have the same sticking power as regular bread crumbs! I used a pancake spatula and a baking silicon spatula...only broke one.

Makes 8 quarter-pound-ish patties. These reheat well. Serve with remoulade sauce (see below) or your favorite tartar sauce.

To make the remoulade sauce (my personal recipe, so sorry if it's less than authentic!):

1/2 cup mayonnaise

lemon or lime juice

minced garlic

sugar

parsley

basil

horseradish or Tabasco sauce if you want to make it spicy

Add citrus juice to the mayonnaise and whisk till smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon each of parsley and basil, and add sugar to taste. If you want a spicier sauce, add fresh grated horseradish or Tabasco sauce. Whisk.

Hey y'all (Corey)

It has been such a long time since we posted anything...and I could make excuses, but I won't. We're busy ladies, and sometimes you make things a priority even if it's not what you want to be doing. But, hey, we're back, and we'll be posting lots of yummy stuff.

Laura and I found out right after our last post that we have Celiac disease. Without getting too technical, it basically means that we can't eat anything with gluten in it. What's been interesting for me, at least, has been finding out just how well-versed the restaurant and grocery world already is about gluten. Except for a few slip-ups, both Laura and I have been pretty good at staying away from anything with a derivative of wheat, barley, or rye. So now our posts will mostly be gluten-free...you may occasionally hear from Mom on a something she just couldn't help but share, but even those can usually be made A-ok for us with a few jiggles and substitutions.

Let's eat!

Black & blue salad

I don't eat red meat often, but every so often I get a craving for a yummy medium-rare steak. With this salad, you can feed about four to six people with one 1 lb. New York strip as the steak is pan-seared and sliced thin.

When I was in college, I worked at a restaurant called O'Charley's. If there's not one near you, it's kind of like an Applebee's or Ruby Tuesday's. Among many things on the menu during that time was a steak and bleu cheese salad that I would occasionally order at the end of my shift. As most foodies who cook will tell you, after that first bite, you start to deconstruct the dish to see if you can make it at home. I don't know if this salad is still available at O'Charley's as three years of working there kind of sent me in another culinary direction, but I think that most similarities end with the lettuce, steak, and cheese.

+/- 1 lb. New York strip (filet mignon or sirloin can also be substituted)

balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

minced garlic

brown sugar

rosemary

thyme

parsley

spicy brown mustard

kosher salt

black pepper

several romaine lettuce hearts (or lettuce of your choice)

shelled roasted pistachios

strawberries

purple, yellow, or white onion

alfalfa sprouts (radish or broccoli sprouts would be nice too)

Begin by preparing the marinade for your steak: 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup of olive oil, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Poke your steak vigorously with a fork many times front and back...not only will the marinade will seep into the little holes, it also functions to tenderize your steak without using any meat tenderizer. Place fork-tenderized steak into marinade and refrigerate four to six hours, turning every two to three hours.

When the marination time is complete, allow the steak to rest in its marinade at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high. When the pan is hot (not before), place the steak into the skillet. Sear on both sides about four to five minutes, spooning marinade onto the steak every so often. While the steak is finishing, add one whole slivered onion to the pan and caramelize the onions in the pan leavings. Remove the steak from heat and allow to rest two to three minutes then slice as thin as possible. (If you don't like medium-rare, please cook it longer...just remember that the longer you cook it, the less tender it is.)

To create the salad base, for each person I take a whole romaine heart and just chop it cross-wise all the way down to create 1 inch thick ribbons. I usually add a couple of length-wise chops too to bring the lettuce ribbons down closer to bite-size. Plate your lettuce and add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of pistachios to each plate. Garnish with sliced strawberries, caramelized onions, and sprouts. Add mustard salad-dressing, then top with steak slices and bleu cheese crumbles.

To make the salad dressing, combine 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon each parsley, rosemary and thyme (if only there were sage, I could sing!), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add 1/4 cup olive oil if desired (I didn't, but it would be yummy). Mix well.

Turkey kilbasa and tortellini in a creamy pesto sauce (Corey)

I have often been accused of using as many dishes as possible when I cook. Since this has been brought to my attention more than once, I have made a concerted effort to use less cookware..though I am super guilty of forgetting where I put the spoon and getting another one out of the drawer! With that in mind, be proud that this only makes three things dirty: one pot, one colander, and one cutting board. Cutlery (despite what others may tell you) doesn’t count.

1 package smoked turkey kilbasa sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

1 package spinach and ricotta tortellini

baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed, remainder cut into 1 1/2 inch segments

1 small purple onion, diced

3 stalks green onion, chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned

Alfredo sauce (You can make your own, but to keep it a one-pot meal, I usually use Bertolli.)

basil pesto (Mom’s recipe is great! Store-bought is fine too.)

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon each of extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt to the water before adding the tortellini. Boil 8-12 minutes until the pasta is tender. Be careful not to overcook as this pasta will fall apart and lose its stuffing. When the pasta is cooked to your taste, drain using a colander. Don’t return the pasta to the pot yet.

Return the now-empty pasta pot to the stove. On medium-high heat, add the turket kilbasa and cook for two to three minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the burner heat to medium. Add the vegetables to the pot and sauté until al dente. Add half the jar of Alfredo sauce (it’s probably still in the fridge from when you made the pizza) and two heaping tablespoons of pesto. Stir well to distribute sausage and vegetables in the creamy pesto sauce. Fold in tortellini. Plate your yummy pasta creation and garnish with some of the chopped green onions.

On the night pictured, I served this with a simple summer salad (mixed baby greens, grape tomatoes, slivered almonds, and balsamic vinegar) and watermelon wedges.

For all of my vegetarians out there, it's just as yummy without the sausage.