Homemade Poutine!

Poutine is a very Canadian dish.  Poutine is a dish made from crispy french fries, topped with fresh cheese curds, and then topped with gravy, which melts the cheese onto the fries.  They serve it at fast-food restaurants, which, quite frankly, I avoid.  However, the more unique poutines at places like Chic Shack in Quebec City are delicious. (and they're gluten-free and they have delicious GF hamburger buns, too!)  There are poutines topped with all sorts of extras, like mushrooms, bacon, chicken, and beef with the most unique and delicious variety of gravy.  There are places like Boom Burger on Prince Edward Island that have poutines topped like a loaded bacon-burger -- fries, cheese curds, bacon, hamburger, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, and gravy.  I wasn't a huge fan of poutine when we first moved to Canada, but it grew on me until it's now a favorite.  I based this gravy off one I absolutely loved eating at Chic Shack.   Enjoy!

Homemade French fries, fresh cheese curds, fresh diced chicken, and homemade gravy make a delicious GF poutine dinner! 

If you like, you can add fresh scallions on top, and serve alongside in-season vegetables. 

Homemade Poutine
Makes about 1 1/2 - 2 cups gravy

The following gravy is meant to accompany my homemade french fries.  Top the hot fries with fresh cheese curds or fresh cheese, grated.  Then, top it all off with the following gravy!  You can add other sauteed vegetables, or meats to your poutine, as desired.

Heat in a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat:
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil

Add and saute until softened:
1 shallot, minced
1/2 - 3/4 cup sliced & diced mushrooms

Add:
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash paprika
pinch oregano

Add and bring to a boil:
1 cup water
1-2 tsp GF beef bouillon paste ("better than bouillon" is great)
dash Worchestershire sauce (optional, but adds a nice flavor)

Once boiling, mix together in a small bowl and then add to boiling liquid:
1/4 cup milk
2-3 tsp cornstarch

Mix, stirring constantly until thickened.  Season with extra salt and pepper, if needed.  Once it's boiling, cook about 1 minute before removing from heat and serving over hot, fresh and crispy fries topped with fresh cheese curds (or grated cheese).

Homemade fries after the first round of frying.

Homemade fries after the second hotter round of frying.  Nice and crispy fries make the best poutine! 

Delicious Oven-Roasted Chicken, Roast Vegetables & Gravy

This really is a wonderfully tasty and easy roasted chicken to whip together.  It turns out looking gorgeous, as well, which is a plus! I based this recipe off the wonderful Ina Garten - her 'perfect roast chicken' recipe, to be precise.  I tweaked a few things around, but the basic prep, cooking time, and resting time are all thanks to her expertise.  You'll end up with a nicely roasted chicken and veggies to serve alongside, plus drippings that can be used to whisk together a quick and flavorful gravy, if desired.  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Roast Chicken, Veggies and Gravy!  What a beautiful bird! Fresh from the oven.

Surrounded by roasted vegetables, and ready to slice and eat!

Delicious Oven-Roasted Chicken, Veggies & Gravy
Based off Ina Garten's Perfect Roasted Chicken recipe
Makes one 5 - 6 lb chicken - serves 4-6, cooks about 1.5 hrs, rests 20 minutes before serving.

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a medium to large baking dish (I used a ceramic one that was slightly smaller than a 9x13 pan) place the following:
4 small potatoes, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, sliced in 2" pieces
1 onion, sliced

Sprinkle over vegetables, and then mix with hands to evenly coat:
salt & pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground thyme
4 Tbsp olive oil

In a small bowl, have the following mixed together to place inside the chicken:
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp minced garlic
1 orange (or lemon), sliced in half (don't mix this with the herbs/salt/pepper - just have it ready to place in the bird)

Rinse the 5 - 6 lb. chicken and pat the outside dry with a few paper towels.   Rub the inside of the chicken with the salt/pepper/thyme/garlic.  Then place the orange halves inside the chicken.

Set the chicken on top of the prepared vegetables.  Tuck the wings under the body, as best you can.  Use some kitchen twine to tie the ends of the legs together securely.

Brush the top of the chicken with the following:
2-3 Tbsp butter, melted
Then sprinkle the chicken with additional salt and pepper.

Cook chicken in the oven 1 hr 15 minutes - 1 hr 30 minutes.  Test a meaty area (like thigh) to ensure the chicken has reached the appropriate temperature of 185 F.

Once the chicken has cooked, remove the chicken and vegetables to a serving dish.  Cover with an aluminum foil tent and let the chicken rest for 20 minutes.   Slice and serve!

This has two purposes - it lets the chicken meat rest and you have time to use the drippings from the main pan to whip up a quick and tasty gravy, if desired.

Gravy from drippings (optional, but I love it)
This is a general recipe, which you can tweak as desired - use water for a lighter gravy and milk for a thicker gravy, or some of both for somewhere in between.  I usually use water with a little milk when I add the cornstarch.

Pour the drippings from the cooking pan into a small frying pan over medium heat.   Add:
1 cup water (or milk, or some of each)
1 tsp mushroom seasoning or GF chicken boullion
pinch paprika

Once mixture boils, whisk together and then pour into gravy:
2-3 tsp cornstarch (If you have a lot of drippings, you may find you need more like 1-2 Tbsp cornstarch to thicken your gravy.  Always mix with a little cold milk before adding to the simmering gravy.)
1/4 cup milk

Let mixture thicken for a minute or two.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.  Serve over chicken and veggies! We enjoyed extra chicken with rice and gravy, too. Enjoy!

Kristin's Biscuits n' Gravy

This is one of those recipes I tend to whip up when we're in the mood for something Southern.  I love that they have delicious gluten-free breakfast sausages available now, because it means we can once again enjoy this breakfast (or dinner) meal we all love!  You can make regular buttermilk biscuits, or my naturally sweeter, coconut flour biscuits (as I've done here).  Either way, it's a delicious and easy meal that hits the spot.  Enjoy!

Make a batch or two of my naturally sweeter coconut flour biscuits OR buttermilk biscuits.  The light, sweeter flavor is wonderful with the sausage and gravy topping.

Cook up 1 package gluten-free breakfast sausages in a medium-large frying pan over medium heat. To cook, chop into small pieces, or remove meat from casings, so you have lots of small bits of sausage cooked up. (natural selections maple syrup flavored sausages are lovely). 

NOTE:  If you use a package of breakfast pork sausage in patty form (they have some you slice yourself, and some in ready made, uncooked patties) - it's best to triple the recipe below in order to have enough gravy to accompany the sausage. 

Once sausage is cooked, add
1 cup milk (lactose-free works great)
pinch or two of chicken boullion flavoring (or asian mushroom flavoring, naturally gluten-free!)
salt and pepper

Bring to a rolling boil, mixing occasionally.

In a separate bowl, mix together:
1/3 cup milk
1 heaping Tbsp cornstarch

Mix the cornstarch/milk into the boiling sauce, stirring constantly.  The mixture will thicken quickly.
Salt and pepper to taste. 

Remove from heat and serve over warm gluten-free biscuits.
Enjoy!!!

Anyone not want biscuits n' gravy?  No problem!  Set aside some of the cooked sausage and fry up a couple eggs (topped with cheese, if you like, as I've done here), and serve with biscuits on the side.

I know my eggs look like triangles. I cooked them 4 to a pan, then cut them apart.  I like to fry them with a lid on top as they cook more evenly, and it helps the cheese melt nicely towards the end.

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast & Gravy

The great thing about this recipe is that you don't have to bother changing the temperature, or basting the turkey. You let it get a bit crisp at the beginning, cover with foil, and it cooks wonderfully and is nice and moist.  It takes a bit of time, so if you're in a rush, buy boneless chicken or turkey.  But if you have a bit of extra time, this is a nice recipe to add to your repertoire.  Enjoy!

Fresh out of the oven!

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast & Gravy 

Makes 2-4 servings
 

Preheat oven to 400F.

 

In an 8x8 pan, place one turkey breast, bone-in.

 

Put 1 Tbsp butter, in small pieces, under the skin.

 

Spread ½ Tbsp butter on top of the skin.

 

Sprinkle generously with:

Salt

Pepper

Ground coriander

Dried tarragon

Paprika

 

Roast 15 minutes, uncovered.

Cover with foil, roast 1 – 1 ¼ hr, until temperature at thickest point reads 170F.

 

Remove from pan, pour drippings into a small frying pan or sauce pan.

 

In a small bowl, mix:

1 heaping teaspoon cornstarch

½ tsp chicken boullion

½ - ¾ cup water

 

Heat drippings to a boil.  Add cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened.

 

Slowly add milk (approx. ½ cup), stirring constantly, until your gravy is the consistency you desire.   Salt and pepper to taste.

You’ll end up with about a cup of gravy.

 

Nice served with rice & veggies. Enjoy!

Swedish Meatballs and Gravy

These are delicious! SO delicious! And, if you don't manage to eat them all, they freeze well, too!
My nana's family was from Sweden and growing up we had Swedish meatballs on special occasions, like New Years Eve.  We all devoured them, and I discovered that, with a bit of tweaking to the recipe, you can whip them up in no time and bake them in the oven!   However, my BIG goal was to re-create the gravy, because that together with the meatballs is simply divine!  So, here you have the meatball recipe, the gravy recipe and a cranberry sauce recipe.  Mmmm... I've finally remembered to take a picture of the beautiful round meatballs from the oven, and I will include a picture of how the pan-fried ones end up looking (aka, a little flattened, but the taste is still fabulous).
Enjoy!!!

This is one of our absolute favorite meals.  We make it most holidays, and other times when we just want something a little extra special for dinner. 

Swedish Meatballs and Gravy

Makes ~ 24-30 meatballs
 

Mix:

1 lb. ground beef (low-fat)

½ finely chopped onion

¼ tsp dry mustard

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 egg

½ cup cream

½ cup gluten-free flour (a mix works well, or even just ½ cup brown rice flour works in this recipe) OR gluten free breadcrumbs

 

Roll into small meatballs. 

 

Bake at 375F ~15-20 minutes, until cooked through.

OR

Pan-fry 10-15 minutes in 2-3 Tbsp. oil. (I find they never stay round this way, but they still taste great) 

They may look silly pan-fried( aka, they won't stay round) - but the taste will still be just as delicious!

 

Gravy

 

Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in saucepan

Add the following (in no particular order):

1 3/4 cups milk or light cream (I usually use 2% lactose-free milk)

1 cup beef broth (can be made from bouillon cube + water – check bouillon for gluten!)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp parsley

drippings and/or 1 Swedish meatball (broken-up into small pieces) from meatball pan

 

Cook, stirring constantly, until gravy comes to a boil. 

 

Mix together thoroughly & then add to saucepan:

1/4 cup milk

2-3Tbsp cornstarch (2 Tbsp for thinner gravy (I usually use 2 Tbsp), up to 3 Tbsp for thicker gravy)

 

Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until gravy thickens. 

 

Serve over meatballs.

 

This meal is nice with oven-roasted french fries, roasted potatoes or boiled potatoes.  And, if possible, serve with lingonberry jam (IKEA sells it) meant to go w/ Swedish meatballs, but it works great with cranberry sauce as well!

 

Cranberry Sauce

 

Put in small pot over medium heat until boiling and thickened (~10 minutes):

½ bag cranberries

½ cup water OR ¼ cup water & ¼ cup orange juice

½ cup sugar

1 tsp grated orange rind (optional)