Dairy Free – Page 3 – Alice the Cook

February 25, 2013February 25, 2013

Asian Meatballs with Pea Pods

I try to find time to cook healthy meals. Mixing my sense of historical cooking, my love of ethnic foods, and the need and want to eat healthier, I challenge myself to create new recipes. Some will have a historical slant and others will have more international flair; this particular recipe is Asian influenced. It is low carb and low-fat and has plenty of protein, fruit and vegetable servings. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground chicken
1/2 cup of pineapple, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 egg
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tbsp of soy sauce

Combine all off the ingredients in a non-metal bowl and blend well.

Grab a heaping tablespoon of mixture and place on a greased cookie sheet. Continue until mixture is gone. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the meatballs are cooking gather the rest
of the ingredients:

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 cups snap pea pods
Optional: 1 cup red peppers, sliced thin or more pineapple in 1/2 inch cubes

Once the meatballs are done, heat up a skillet and add the oil. Once hot, add the meatballs and vegetables together and continue cooking until the vegetables are el dente (bright green, not overcooked).

Enjoy!

January 9, 2013January 9, 2013

Lobster with Brussel Sprouts

On a whim, I cooked this dish up. It is very reminiscent of a French dish I’ve enjoyed on the coast of France. I hope you enjoy it.

Lobster with Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:
2 raw lobster tails, shells removed and cut into 1” cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
8-10 fresh Brussel sprouts, cored and quartered (do not use frozen)
2 shallots, sliced
1 clove of garlic minced
1 pinch of dried red pepper
1 tsp of dried thyme
½ tsp of fresh lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by heating up a large fry pan to medium to medium – high heat and then add the oil. Begin by Brussel sprouts and keep stirring and shaking the pan, so that the oil completely covers the sprouts and they begin to cook evenly. The goal is to have them cook quickly at a hot temperature as we do not want to overcook them, but to caramelize them.

After about 2 minutes, add the shallots, garlic, and dried red pepper. Continue to stir or toss the ingredients and add the thyme, salt and pepper. After about 4 minutes, the vegetables are starting to caramelize (the edges are browning). Add the cut up lobster tail to the dish.

The lobster tail will cook very quickly (2 minutes). Once the lobster is done, remove the pan from the heat and serve, garnishing with the fresh lemon zest.

January 8, 2013

Caramelized Shallots

Ingredients

2.25 lbs of shallots, peeled and cut into half and large ones in quarters
6 cloves of garlic
3 sprigs or fresh rosemary
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tbsp of raw sugar
6 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl toss together the shallots, garlic, rosemary, thyme, raw sugar, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Season with the salt and pepper and toss (mix well).

Place items in an oven proof dish with cover. Cover the items and bake for 20 minutes. Pull it out, stir well and place back in the oven uncovered for another 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, most of the liquids should have reduced to a nice glaze.

Transfer the items into a serving dish. When served hot, it makes an excellent relish for steak or chicken. When served cold, it complements cheese and crackers.

I’ve also added it to scrambled eggs and fried potatoes as well. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.

December 25, 2012December 25, 2012

Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes

1/2 lb of red potatoes (baby ones work best), cubed with skins on

4 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 green onions, diced
1 sprig rosemary
sea salt
black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Heat up a sauté pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic and half of the rosemary. After a minute, add the cut up potatoes. Sauté, stirring occasionally to avoid burning and to make sure the potatoes have been thoroughly covered in oil, shallot, garlic and rosemary. Sauté for about 5 minutes and transfer to an oven safe bake pan.

I usually recommend putting down tin foil to minimize the sticking. Once in the pan, add the green onions and cover it up and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Pull out of the oven, flip potatoes over and add salt and pepper. Turn up the oven to 400°F and continue cooking the potatoes uncovered until browned.

Pull out of the oven and serve.

December 25, 2012December 25, 2012

Lemon Green Beans

2 cups of green beans, tips trimmed* (raw work best)
1/2 lemon, zested** and juiced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil or use cooking spray
Sea Salt
Pepper

Begin heating the pan to a medium-high heat and add the oil or cooking spray. Once hot, add the green beans and begin to sauté. They will cook very fast so after a minute, add the garlic and the zest. Continue to stir to avoid burning. Add the black pepper and salt. After about two minutes, the beans should be bright green. Add the lemon juice and let the beans steam and cook in the evaporating juice for about 30 seconds. The beans should be el dente (just done) and are ready to serve.

* Asparagus, Chinese pea pods, zucchini will make excellent substitutions for this dish.

**As a note: I do not use a traditional zester. I shave off the zest from the lemon with a sharp knife and then I begin slicing the zest into long, thin strips.