Epicurean Narrative

A gluten-free journey

Dinner

Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna

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Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna This yummy Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna dish is one of my favorite healthy recipes that I LOVE making for my entire family and my friends. Zucchini is an excellent gluten-free alternative to pasta.  The layers of zucchini, ooey-gooey blend of melted cheese, and chunks of delicious meat sauce sings comfort food with nutritious yum. My little-one can eat two or three of these mini lasagnas-no problem. I love knowing that my family is eating nourishing food like this. It makes my heart sing.  This dish is easy to make and even easier to serve. Just prep, sauté, assemble, and bake. Bam! A tin of a dozen TASTY and adorable Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagnas at your fingertips. You can make it for lunch, dinner, or a soiree! And... I always double this recipe and freeze the leftovers.  Buon appetito! 
Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna

Mini Gluten Free Zucchini Lasagna

Mini Gluten Free Zucchini Lasagna Here are the ingredients for the Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna. I substitute ricotta for cottage cheese and parmesan in this dish. Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna A tin full of Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna A bite-size Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna. Buono Appetito!
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Gluten Free Mini Zucchini Lasagna Cups
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Serves: 12
 
This Mini Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna recipe is nutritious and tasty and a great alternative to pasta!
Ingredients
  • 1 zucchini, spiralized or sliced
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 tsp. of olive oil
  • 1 tsp. of salt
  • 1 onion, diced
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 cups of cottage cheese
  • ½ cup of parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup of mozzarella cheese
  • 1 25 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease the muffin tin with olive oil.
  2. Heat a skillet on medium heat, add olive oil, reduce heat and sauté onion for two minutes.
  3. Add garlic, and continue to sauté until onion is translucent.
  4. Brown the ground beef, add sauce and carrots and cook for 10 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, In a mixing bowl, add cottage cheese and parmesan cheese.
  6. Sauté the zucchini, add a pinch of salt to taste.
  7. Layer the tin with zucchini, meat sauce, cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella, and repeat two more times.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes.
  9. Cool for 10 minutes.
  10. Serve!

 

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

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Chicken and Dumpling Soup is perfect rainy day meal. The secret ingredients to a yummy chicken soup is the broth and making it with love. My son is not a picky eater however with soups he prefers soups that are made with homemade chicken broth. This recipe is inspired by my mom who makes the best Chicken and Dumpling Soup. So I am excited to pass down the tradition of eating this delicious comfort food. Naturally it gives me great joy to see my little Sky Bear eat this soup all up! Thanks mom for this recipe! 

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Chicken and Dumpling Soup
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Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 10 cups of water
  • 1 lb. of chicken
  • 2 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 3 stalks of celery, sliced
  • 2 corn on the cobs, sliced
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 3 tsp. of baking powder
  • 2 tsp. of salt
  • ¼ tsp. of pepper
  • 1 eggs
  • ¾ whole milk
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, add water, chicken, 1 onion (sliced), 1 carrot (sliced), and 1 celery (sliced), and bring it to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. For the Dumplings: add the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and mix. Then add the egg and milk and mix again, set aside.
  3. Once the chicken is done cooking, shred the chicken and set aside.
  4. In a separate pot, drain the chicken stock to make a clear broth.
  5. Add to the stock the rest of the onions, carrots, celery, and corn.
  6. Bring everything to a boil then to simmer.
  7. Add the of dumpling dough one spoon full at a time and cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  8. Cool and serve with about 2 dumplings per serving.

 

Lemon Rosemary Chicken in a Cast-Iron Skillet

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Lemon Rosemary Chicken in a Cast-Iron Skillet

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Lemon Rosemary Chicken in a Cast Iron Skillet is definitely included in my long list of delicious skillet recipes that I cook in my Staub Paella Pan. I often make this version of Lemon Rosemary Chicken dish at home for my family.  I prefer using fresh rosemary oppose to dry rosemary for this dish, if possible. It makes a big difference in the taste.

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Chicken Pot Pie

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Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken-Pot-Pie

What would be an easy cast-iron skillet dish for dinner? Did you say chicken pot pie? Not only is this chicken pot pie easy to make but it is the ultimate comfort food that would make your loved ones ask for seconds! This dish will also warm the cockles of their heart.

The Staub Paella Pan is a perfect cast-iron skillet for a one dish recipe. And chicken pot pie is a great one dish recipe that can feed a small family or big crowd. It’s also a perfect lunch or dinner dish served with a nice spring mix salad on the side with your favorite dressing. This rustic and elegant dish can also be a great dish that you bring to a friend or loved one for a special occasion.

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Chicken and Broccoli Quinoa Risotto

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Chicken and Broccoli Quinoa Risotto is a super tasty dish and it’s gluten free! I used my Staub Paella pan which is not just for paella. This beautiful heavyweight enameled cast iron skillet is great for making a lot of amazing savory meals. The next savory meal that I wanted to create in my Staub Paella pan for my blog was risotto. This gluten free risotto is one of our favorite family quinoa dishes. I wanted to serve up a healthy protein rich dinner for my family this weekend. I have been making this chicken and broccoli quinoa risotto a lot lately. It’s just so tasty!  So naturally I am excited to share this special recipe with you.

Quinoa Chicken and Broccoli Risotto

I shopped for most of my ingredients at Traders Joes. I purchased organic chicken thighs, Trader Joe’s Organic Tri-Color Quinoa, and Organic Chicken Broth.

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Chicken and Andouille Sausage Paella

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Here is one of my favorite paella recipes that I love making in my Staub Paella pan. This Chicken and Andouille Sausage Paella recipe has evolved since the first time I made it.  I am excited to share one of my favorite paella recipes that I love to cook for my friends and family.

Paella

I do have to mention, this paella pan. This Staub Paella Pan is one of the best paella pan’s I have ever cooked with. I am not just saying that because I happen to love Staub products. I have cooked with many different types of paella pans and I have burnt the middle of every pan that I have ever used. The great thing about this Staub Paella pan is that it is made out of enameled cast-iron and is built to endure high heat. I have an electric oven so that could be the reason why I have burnt all my other aluminum paella pans. But after switching to this pan 6 years ago, I have seen a dramatic difference in my paella dishes. Huge!

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Rosemary Garlic Lamb

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I made this delicious Rosemary Garlic Lamb dish for my hubby and son last night for dinner and they absolutely loved it. Scott came downstairs and I was eager to show him the food journey we were about to embark on (as usual). He was really amazed with the presentation that he encouraged me to take a photo of the dish. It almost didn’t make it on my blog, so thanks to his gentle nudge to snap some photos of this dish, I am able to present one of my favorite lamb dishes, Rosemary and Garlic Lamb.

Rosemary and garlic has this amazing aromatic scent that gives such depth to the taste of lamb. I made a simple rosemary, garlic, olive oil rub and roasted the lamb in my Le Creuset Dutch oven. I served this with a parsnip & yam puree. Bon appetite!


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Rosemary and Garlic Lamb Recipe
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Serves: 4
 
Roasted Rosemary & Garlic Lamb Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1 lbs.of lamb steaks (4 or 5 pieces)
  • 3 whole sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 3 tbsp. of olive oil
  • 5 cloves of garlic, diced
  • Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt
  • pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 for 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, de-stem and then dice one rosemary sprig very finely, or chop in a food processor.
  3. In a bowl, add olive oil, diced garlic, and diced rosemary.
  4. Rub the garlic steaks with the garlic rosemary rub.
  5. Place lamb steaks in a dutch oven
  6. Sprinkle with Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt and pepper
  7. Cut the second rosemary spring in thirds and place over steaks.
  8. Roast lamb steaks in oven for 20-minutes or until done.
  9. Take the steaks out and garnish the finished dish with a small sprigs of rosemary and serve with your favorite side dish.

 

Mini Frittatas in a Cocotte

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I love frittatas. Especially mini frittatas. They are super easy to make and just look so darn cute, especially in a mini cocotte.

First, a backstory: my husband has been making me breakfast just about every morning since I met him. I know, I know, I am very lucky, and I am super grateful. Well, when he’s on a business trip and I have to make breakfast on my own, I usually make frittatas. It’s easy. I mix up my ingredients and pop it in the oven….

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Matzah Ball Soup

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I L-O-V-E Matzah Ball Soup. I was first introduced to this dish when my husband (when he was a boyfriend) treated me to Jerry’s Deli in Los Angeles, CA. It was when we first started dating and little did I know that he and Matzah Ball soup would both rock my world.

I decided to take on the challenge by learning how to make this dish, and naively thought it would be super easy.  It took me many botched recipes to get the Matzah Balls right. But with a lot of practice and helpful hints from my husband’s lovely sisters and his beautiful mother, I finally got this dish right! Now I make this soup about once a month for my husband and my sweet adorable son. The last time I made this was for Channukah and they loved it! And as always they ate seconds!

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Split Pea Soup for Good Luck in the New Year

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I love split pea soup. It is our family tradition to eat Split Pea Soup on New Years Day. We believe it brings good luck for the New Year so I make sure our family is filled with this delicious soup on New Years Day. And! I have to mention my sister, Tanya’s birthday is on the 1st of January so it is already is a special day for many reasons!

Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup

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Split Pea Soup for Good Luck in the New Year
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Serves: 6
 
This traditional New Year Good Luck dish is one of my favorite to make and eat! I eat Split Pea Soup at least once a month. I truly love it!
Ingredients
  • 10 cups of water
  • 2 cups of split peas, washed
  • 3 celery ribs, diced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • ¼ tsp. of dried thyme
  • 2tbsp. olive oil.
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt
  • black pepper
Instructions
  1. In a skillet, heat oil and saute onions until translucent.
  2. In a large pot, add water, split peas, celery, carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme and bring to a boil for 20 minutes and then reduce and simmer for 1 hour, slightly uncovered until peas are tender.
  3. I usually don't add salt and pepper to the entire pot, since I prefer low sodium dishes.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.Garnish with your favorite toppings!

Split Pea Soup