Prosciutto Peas Pasta with Meyer Lemon Parm Sauce

Looking for an easy to recipe that is perfect for company or just a tasty easy dinner you need to make this pasta dish.

Prosciutto Peas Pasta with Meyer Lemon Parm Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 oz prosciutto – sliced into lardons
  • 1 medium shallot – finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves – grated
  • 2 Meyer lemons – zest and juice
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 cup of fresh peas
  • 1/4 cup fresh thyme – finely chopped
  • 1 9oz package of fresh gluten fee pasta
  • salt for the pasta water
  • 2 cups grated parm cheese
  1. start a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large non stick skillet. Add the prosciutto lardons to the pan and cook until almost totally crispy. Add shallots, garlic and pepper and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add lemon juice & zest and wine, reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.
  3. Water is boiling, add salt and cook the pasta and fresh peas together – about 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 3/4 to 1 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and peas.
  4. Add the cooked pasta and peas to the simmering sauce with 1 cup of the parm cheese. Mix well to combine. Add the pasta water and other cup of parm cheese and continue to combine, simmer on low for about 3 minutes.
  5. Add fresh chopped thyme and serve.

Gluten Free Quesadillas

or as I like to call this recipe Quesadillas 2.0.

Gluten Free Quesadillas

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Brown Rice Tortillas
  • 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 10 oz chopped crimini mushrooms
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons truffle oil
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • truffle salt
  • dried thyme
  • pepper
  • brie cheese, thinly sliced
  1. Heat the truffle and olive oil in a large skillet, add the sliced onions, sprinkle with truffle salt & pepper and saute on med/low for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute for another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to strainer.
  2. Over a gas burner toast the tortillas on both sides, place in the heated skillet, put sliced brie on 1/2 of the tortilla add the mushroom/onion mixture, add 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme and sprinkle with truffle salt, fold tortilla and heat thru until cheese is melted an repeat.
  3. If you are making these in advance place on baking sheet in 200 degree oven to keep warm.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Beef Stew is terrific for a cold winter’s night dinner. Easy to make in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs lean beef stew meat
  • 1 large onion – thinly sliced
  • 2 medium shallots – thinly sliced
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 to 5 whole garlic cloves
  • 7 carrots – chopped 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 turnips – chopped 1/2 inch pieces
  • 10 oz cremini mushrooms- sliced
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 7 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 14oz can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 qt beef broth
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 bag frozen peas
  1. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Add onions and shallots, lightly salt and saute for 3 to 5 minutes. Move onions and shallots to the slow cooker pot.
  2. Salt and pepper the stew meat, add to cast iron skillet and sear on all sides. This takes about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove meat to slow cooker pot.
  3. Add the tomato paste to the cast iron skillet and cook for about 3 minutes and then add to slow cooker pot.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker pot, give the ingredients a stir to combine.
  5. Cover and set the slow cooker on high for 5 hours. Add the peas to the stew.

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup

This soup is perfect for a cold winter dinner, or lunch. “Wow” was the word from those I served it to. I served it topped with gluten free thyme/garlic focaccia bread croutons.

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 butternut squashes
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 2 whole garlic heads
  • 1 large sweet onion – finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 5 sweet pork (or sweet chicken) sausages – casings removed
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 quart + additional as needed low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil + olive oil for roasting the squashes/potatoes
  • salt and pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut the squashes in 1/2 and remove the seeds, poke holes in the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the cut squash and sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper on a roasting sheet. Wrap the 2 heads of garlic in foil sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper and make into a small package. Roast all for 1 1/2 hours (or until fork tender).
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a dutch oven, add the sausage meat and cook for 7 to 10 minutes; add the chopped onion, S&P, coriander and cumin and saute for 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 quart of vegetable broth and the bay leaf and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Remove the bay leaf, add the garlic, squash and sweet potato and blend with an immersion blender (you can use a blender if you prefer). If the soup is too thick for you add additional vegetable broth until it is the consistency you like.
  5. Top with croutons. Since I am totally gluten free I don’t have bread around to just make croutons so I bake this easy focaccia bread then cut it into croutons pieces – see recipe below.

Roasted Garlic Fresh Thyme Focaccia Bread

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Dissolve the Coconut Palm Sugar in the warm water, add the yeast. Let mixture stand for about 5 minutes
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, salt, fresh thyme together.
  4. Add the egg and olive oil to the yeast and mix. Add mixture to the dry ingredients, add the garlic and combine all the ingredients.
  5. Spray a 9 x 9 pan with non stick spray, spread the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.
  6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (until top is golden brown and bread pulls away from the sides of the pan.
  7. Let cool and serve, or cut into crouton pieces, sprinkle lightly with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.