Thursday Recipe - Hush Puppies (GF, DF)

I've got some Southern blood. My great-grandmother came from North Carolina. I blame that for my hankering for fried foods and enormous cakes and having to feed anyone and everyone that shows up at my house.

The quintessential Southern food has got to be hush puppies. Deep-fried balls of cornbread goodness. Mm-hm. I ate mine with honey.

Bonus! This recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. It was definitely a winner.

A word about corn masa versus corn meal. Corn masa is sold in bags and is a finely ground corn flour. Corn meal is the yellow crunchy stuff that's been around for ages. Masa is usually used for making corn tortillas or tamales. Corn meal is the more traditional ingredient for cornbreads and traditional hush puppies. I used masa because 1) I had it in my pantry, and 2) I wanted a finer texture. Please don't substitute one for the other. They cook differently and absorb different amounts of liquid. I need to experiment to find a good corn meal version of hush puppies.

Hush Puppies (no pics because we ate them too fast!)

2 c. corn masa flour (see note above)
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. lemon pepper seasoning
2 t. baking powder
3 T. sugar
1/4 c. freeze-dried onion bits
1 T. dried parsley
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut milk (you can use the drinking stuff or the lite canned stuff)
oil for deep frying

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add eggs and coconut milk (you can use other kinds of milk or milk substitutes, but I like coconut because it adds creaminess). Stir until combined. It should be a thick batter, slightly sticky but not quite thick enough to roll out like biscuit dough. If it's too dry, stir in more coconut milk. If it's too wet, let it sit for 10 minutes to give the flour a chance to soak up the extra liquid. If it's still too wet, stir in a couple tablespoons of the corn masa.

Heat the oil to about 350° in a nice deep saucepan. You want it hot and shimmery, about where you'd fry doughnuts.

Drop one spoonful of batter into the oil to test the temperature. I used a smallish cookie scoop. The oil should start bubbling. It should take about 3-4 minutes for the hush puppy to brown nicely. Pull it out of the oil and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Break it open to check for doneness. Adjust your oil as needed. If it's still doughy inside but the outside is getting too brown, the oil is too hot. If it takes forever to cook and is like eating a greasy sponge, the oil is too cold. You can also change up the size. If they are cooking much too fast on the outside but still raw in the middle, you can try using a slightly smaller scoop. A good rounded tablespoon size seemed to be about right for my batch.

Scoop into the oil in batches of 4-8, depending on the size of your pot. Cook until done. Repeat until you run out of batter.

Serve warm with butter, honey, hot sauce, or fried catfish nuggets. Or just eat the little balls of deliciousness.

Makes around 3 dozen or so, depending on how big you scoop them.

Thursday Recipe - Dal

I've been on an Indian food kick lately. It doesn't have to be heavy or weird or spicy, though.

Dal is a side dish made from lentils. I used red lentils and got a nice mush, a lot like refried beans except greenish yellow and a different flavor. Regular brown lentils won't fall apart so you'll end up with a thick soup instead of a mush. You could try yellow lentils or one of the other varieties if you can find them.

Lentils are healthy. They're low-fat, low-fart (as opposed to beans), high fiber, and high protein. With the right mix of spices, they're also quite tasty.

Weird trivia - the "pulse" that Daniel (from the Old Testament) was most likely lentils.

Use this as you would refried beans - in tortillas, as a side dish with cheese (use a hard white cheese like manchego for best flavor), or as a main dish vegan soup.

Dal

1/2 c. chopped onion
1 lb lentils, whatever variety you like
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. paprika
hot water

Dump onions, lentils, and spices into a smallish crockpot (2-3 quart works great). Add just enough hot water to cover the lentils completely. Cook on high for 2 hours. Stir well. Add more water if needed.

Turn heat to low. Continue cooking until the lentils are soft. Add water as needed for the consistency you like. It usually takes about 1-2 hours on low to get them really soft and smooshy.

Thursday Recipe - Saucy Potatoes in the Slow Cooker or in Foil on the Grill

Grilling potatoes just doesn't work for me. Yeah, I could wrap them up and make baked potatoes, but I still haven't got the temperature thing right. They are usually burnt on the outside and raw in the middle when I try.

I came across this recipe and thought it would be worth trying. They were tasty and mostly done without being burnt, but some were still crunchy. We decided this dish would work a lot better in the crockpot. Or else you could try boiling the potato slices for 5 minutes or so to pre-cook them before wrapping it all up in foil.

Saucy Potatoes

6 medium potatoes
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. grated parmesan or romano cheese
2 T. dried parsley
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. black pepper
1 small onion

Scrub potatoes really well, then slice into 1/4" slices. Place in a large pot, cover with hot water and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and cover. Set aside while you prep the sauce.

In a large bowl, mix together mayonnaise, cheese, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.

Peel the onion, then slice into thin rings or slices. Add to sauce.

Drain potatoes. Add to sauce. Toss gently to coat.

To grill: Divide potatoes between two large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fold up into flat packets. Grill over medium heat until potatoes are tender - 20-30 minutes. Makes two large packets.

For slow cooker: Dump the potato mixture into a large crockpot. Cook on low 3-4 hours, until potatoes are tender.

Serves 4-6 people.

Thursday Recipe - Au Gratin Potatoes

Here's the creamy original version, lightened up just a bit. In Utah, these are commonly made with frozen shredded hash browns and called Funeral Potatoes, because they're traditionally served after funerals. They mostly use canned cream soups, too. Google "funeral potatoes" and you'll find plenty of recipes.

Au Gratin Potatoes

4-6 medium potatoes
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
3 c. milk (use skim or 1% for a lighter version)
1 t. dried onions
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
3 c. shredded cheese (sharp cheddar is best, but you can use a pizza or nacho blend, too)

Slice potatoes into 1/4" thick slices. Place in a saucepan. Add enough water to barely cover them. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes, just until tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour. Cook until bubbly and hot. Add milk a little at a time, whisking smooth between each addition. Add spices. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat. Add 2 c. of the cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

Layer potatoes in a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 c. of cheese. Bake another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

For an even lighter version, reduce the cheese to 1 c. in the sauce and none on top.
If you leave the peels on the potatoes, it boosts the fiber content just a little.
You can add chopped ham, diced onions, diced bell peppers, diced green chilis, or crumbled cooked bacon, if you want this as a main dish instead of a side.

Thursday Recipe - Gluten-free Dairy-free Au Gratin Potatoes

Or all rotten potatoes, as my family likes to call them. The non-GF non-DF version is coming next week.

And yes, I know au gratin potatoes are supposed to have cheese in them. These are technically scalloped potatoes. I could have added goat cheese to them, but I can't stand the stuff.

Gluten-free Dairy-free Au Gratin Potatoes

4-6 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold or Red potatoes work really well)
3 c. rice milk (or unsweetened almond milk, or coconut milk)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 t. dried onions
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. thyme
2 t. dried celery
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water

Slice potatoes into 1/4" thick slices. Place in a saucepan, add warm water just until slices are covered. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover the pan and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, pour rice milk into a saucepan. Add all the spices. Bring to a boil. Add cornstarch. Cook until thickened.

Arrange potatoes in a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour the sauce over the top. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, until it's hot and bubbly.

Thursday Recipe - Mushroom Rice

I've been doing a lot of dessert recipes lately. Time for some veggies or main dishes instead. How about mushroom rice? This makes a nice side dish to serve with chicken or fish.

Mushroom Rice

1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms, about eight medium sized ones
1/4 c. finely diced onion
2 T. butter
1 t. salt
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried parsley
2 c. short grain white or brown rice
4 c. hot water

Sauté mushrooms and onion in butter until softened. Add spices. Stir until blended. Add rice and water. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is cooked through. This takes about 20 minutes for white rice, 35 for brown. Stir every ten minutes or so to keep the rice from sticking.

Thursday Recipe - Spoon Bread

This recipe takes a bit of time to prepare, but it's delicious and worth the effort. I like it because I can make it wheat-free (or gluten-free) and dairy-free. All my kids can eat it. It's great with honey butter, since it's a variation on corn bread. Try it sometime, it's not as hard as it looks.

Spoon Bread

1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. cornmeal
1 T. butter or margarine
3 eggs, separated
1 c. milk or water
1 t. vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda

Heat oven to 375°. Grease a 9x12 baking dish. Stir cornmeal into boiling water. Keep stirring until mixture thickens and cools, about 5 minutes. Be careful to break up any lumps. Stir until smooth. Add butter and egg yolks. Beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in everything else except egg whites.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, like whipped cream. Fold into the batter. Spread in greased pan. Bake 45-50 minutes until set and lightly browned. Serve hot.