Deck Herb Garden

Every summer I plant an herb garden on my deck. I fill my pots with potting soil and buy the starter plants at the nursery. The spot is in full sun and the herbs do beautifully! I have fresh herbs through the fall. Nothing like stepping out to the deck and snipping a handful of fresh herbs to add to my recipes! I have Italian parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme, cilantro, spearmint, chocolate mint, chives and dill (this is in the empty pot, the only one I am trying to grow from seed). I am not a gardener, but the herbs don't require a lot of care, just water regularly and prune them (pinch off the tops & flowers) to encourage more growth. I think its really hard to make a mistake with these, the more you pinch off the more grows back!



Basil

Italian Parsley

There is nothing more delicious in the summer than a ripe Jersey tomato topped with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and fresh basil leaves. With an abundance of  basil and parsley, I can make a wonderful chimichurri sauce to use as a marinade for skirt steak. Fresh cilantro is great in homemade guacamole. 


Lemon Thyme

Rosemary

I have never heard of lemon thyme before I saw it at the nursery. I couldn't pass up its lovely lemon scent! Wasn't sure what to do with it? It has a mild thyme flavor combined with lemon.  I added it to baby yellow potatoes with some garlic and olive oil- nice!  I think I'll use it in a marinade for chicken.... Experiment! Finely chop rosemary, parsley, garlic and lemon zest as a topping for grilled tuna steaks. Hmm, maybe I'll add some lemon thyme!

Mint

My iced tea is always accompanied by a sprig of spearmint or chocolate mint! Chocolate mint gives a hint of chocolate flavor to a fresh berry salad. Combine strawberries, blueberries and raspberries with a little agave and add some chocolate mint leaves-this is my favorite quick gluten free summer dessert served with vanilla ice cream.


And...I look out my kitchen window everyday and see this beautiful display the entire summer!

Red Lentil Soup

Growing up, my mom always made lentil soup. Simple, inexpensive and hearty. She used brown lentils and usually added whatever "greens" she had on hand. She made it with water, not broth. She served it with elbow or "ditalini" pasta and lots of crusty Italian bread to soak up the soup. It was a great budget stretcher, no need for meat.

Lentils are a good source of potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin and vitamin K, and are rich in dietary fiber, lean protein, folate and iron. It wasn't until recently that I discovered red lentils. The red lentils are sweeter than the brown and cook really fast in about 30 minutes. The brown lentils hold their shape after cooking, the red burst open and are very soft. This soup can be made with either red or brown, the only difference is the cooking time-the brown will take longer. The red makes such a beautiful colorful soup. I serve mine with brown rice which makes it very filling. I use chicken broth for more flavor and my mom's "secret" ingredient-balsamic vinegar-just a dash after it has finished cooking, adds some sweetness and tang.


Gluten Free Red Lentil Soup                                                               Printable Recipe

2 tbsps. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 cup red lentils (can also use brown)
4 cups gluten free chicken broth
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes w/red pepper & fennel (love, love , love this flavor-gives the soup a little spiciness)
5 oz bag baby spinach
Salt/pepper
2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar

Saute the garlic, onion, celery and carrots in the olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes.





Add the lentils, chicken broth, diced tomatoes and spinach. Simmer 30 minutes. (45-60 minutes for brown) Remove from heat, season with salt & pepper to taste and stir in balsamic vinegar.
                                      


Serve with cooked brown rice or gluten free elbow pasta. Top with grated Romano cheese.

Gluten Free Lemon Icebox Pie

I was looking through a magazine and came across a recipe for lemon icebox pie. It reminded me of a dessert my aunt made in the summer when I was a child. It was creamy, cold and lemony. I' m not very fond of chocolate, so desserts with vanilla or lemon always catch my attention. Not sure if this was the same recipe, because I don't think my aunt baked hers, I thought she just refrigerated it.  But I was craving the creamy, lemony flavor I remembered, so I thought I'd try it. And, the only ingredient I had to substitute that wasn't gluten free were the graham crackers.

This is a simple recipe with only a few ingredients. You don't even have to pull out a mixer, you just whisk it all together. I haven't come across a good GF graham cracker, so I decided to use GF ginger snaps instead. I've successfully used these to make a crust for pumpkin pie and I thought they would pair nicely with the tart lemon filling.

The pie was amazing! Refreshing, creamy, tart, lemony. An easy summer dessert and gluten free :)


Gluten Free Lemon Icebox Pie                                                    Printable Recipe
8 oz bag gluten free ginger snaps
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted  butter, melted
8 large egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon zest
1  and 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice ( 5 or 6 lemons)
2 - 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Crush ginger snaps until fine, combine with sugar, salt and butter. Press into the bottom and two thirds up the sides of a 9" springform pan. Place on a rimmed baking sheet (this will catch any liquid that comes out of the pie as it is baking so it doesn't drip in the oven) . Whisk egg yolks until pale, a few minutes. Whisk lemon juice, zest and condensed milk until combined. Add to yolks and mix well. Pour into crust and bake for about 25 minutes until center jiggles slightly. Cool for 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap and and freeze for 6 hours. Let sit at room temp for 10 -15 minutes before serving.

My Prize Winning Sauce

They say we will all have our "15 minutes of fame". I experienced mine when I entered my tomato sauce recipe in a contest sponsored by a local hotel. The prize was an overnight stay at the hotel so I decided to enter.

We had to bring a sample of our sauce and the recipe to the hotel for the judging.  The night of the judging, I wasn't able to attend because I didn't have a sitter for my kids. I didn't hear anything that night so I assumed I didn't win. The next morning I woke up to a call from the food editor of our local newspaper asking me for an interview and to set up an appointment for the photo shoot! When I told her I didn't know what she was talking about, she informed me that I had won 1st place in the contest over 15 other entries. The newspaper editor came to my home for a photo and to get the "story" behind my recipe. The article and picture ran in our local paper. My phone began to ring from friends and strangers who saw the article and wanted to try making my sauce.  My 15 minutes of fame... it was exciting.

The original recipe was my mother's. Growing up in an Italian household, I woke up every Sunday morning to the smell of my mother's "gravy" simmering on the stove. My mother fried everything in lard (yes, lard!) and after she fried her meats, she added the drippings to the gravy. (no wonder I was an overweight child!) . Her gravy was delicious, but when I started to make it myself, I made a healthier version without the lard and extra fat. Yes, you can make gravy without all the fat and it will be delicious! I won the contest, didn't I?

My Prize Winning Tomato Sauce (or as my mother called it,  "Gravy")
2 tbsp. olive oil                                                                                      Printable Recipe
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 -6 oz can tomato paste
3- 29 oz cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes ( I recently started using these tomatoes that come from San Marzano Italy-they are sweeter and less acidic than other tomatoes)
3 fresh basil leaves or 1/2 tsp dried
2 tbsp dry red wine
Salt/pepper to taste
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
Meatballs (recipe follows)

Prepare meatballs. While they are cooking, microwave sausage until no longer pink, about 10 minutes, pour off fat (look at all this fat, no need for it in the sauce and on your hips!) Cut into 2 inch pieces. Set aside.

Gluten Free Meatballs
(Approx 20 meatballs)
2 lbs ground beef
2 tbsp gluten free Italian flavored bread crumbs
 2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp grated Romano cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients, mix well. Shape into 2 inch balls. Place on cookie tray (spray with gluten free cooking spray). Bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning over at 10 minutes to brown evenly.


Saute garlic, onion, and parsley in olive oil until softened. Add tomato paste and cook about 5 minutes, stirring well.

Add tomatoes and mash with a wooden spoon to break up the whole tomatoes. Add basil, wine, sugar, salt, pepper. Add meatballs and sausage. Simmer on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Freezes well.


Enjoy over gluten free pasta!