Rigatoni with Pesto and Roasted Butternut Squash

Today was a perfect fall day in Portland, sunny and crisp. A few dear friends and I went to visit vineyards in Cornelius, and also went to the first pumpkin patch of the season to pick up harvest vegetables -- especially squash and sugar pie pumpkins!

To end the day, I cooked up a dinner of GF rigatoni, pesto, and roasted butternut squash.

Here's the recipe:

Roasted Butternut Squash

• preheat oven to 400 degrees
• peel, scrape out the seeds, and cut the squash into one inch cubes
• peel 5-6 cloves of garlic
• place squash and garlic in a roasting pan and coat generously with olive oil
• cook for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned and tender

Pesto

• chop one bunch of fresh basil finely (approx. 1 cup)
• peel 2 cloves of garlic
• chop 1/4 cup of walnuts
• grate 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
• puree all dry ingredients plus 1/2 cup olive oil and pinch of salt until incorporated

Cook the rigatoni according to instructions on package. After pasta is cooked, add grated Italian cheese (I used Toscano dusted with cinnamon) to pasta right after draining. Then add 2 tbs of pesto plus the roasted squash. For a bit of spice, add crushed red pepper. Mix well, and enjoy!

Austin, Texas

While visiting my hometown of Austin, Texas recently I was presently surprised by the amount of GF options available at many restaurants. Old standbys (Ruby's BBQ) and Guero's Tex-Mex (with new GF menus!) are encouraging for Celiacs like me and other people with gluten intolerances. Keep up the good work, Austin! As I left Austin, I had to have the required Amy's Ice Cream in the airport -- I went for Mexican Vanilla with Praline Sauce. Heavenly.

While in Austin, my mom bought me the Homesick Texan cookbook! I love it. The only recipe I've tried so far is the Texas Chocolate Chewie cookies, and they were awesome! The recipe itself is gluten free without any modifications needed -- I encourage you all to check it out! I made these cookies for a dear friend's birthday celebration -- and because I cooked, all of the dishes ended up being gluten free -- and I don't think anyone minded or missed the bread!

If you know of other great GF options in Austin, let me know.

Til next time!

Tomato Jam & Beet Goat Cheese Dip

Hello all!

It's been awhile since I've posted, I spent the last week traveling for work to the nation's capitol. It seems like I missed the best week of summer here in Portland!

Lucky for me, the weekend was absolutely gorgeous. I went to the best farmer's market around, and purchased some delicious vegetables, and saw some beautiful flowers.

As you can see, tomato season is in full force! We purchased a number from the market, and also harvested quite a few from our yard.

We made tomato jam with these tomatoes. It's pretty fantastic, I recommend you all try it! I modified the recipe a bit by using one cup of brown sugar and one cup of white sugar, and instead of cooking on the stove, I let the goodness cook in a large Crockpot on high for five hours. Delicious!

Beets are also in season. To put the beets I purchased at the market to use, I decided to make a beet goat cheese dip. Here's the recipe:

• 3 small beets (roast skin-on for an hour at 350). Allow to cool, remove skin, and chop finely.
• 4 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1/2 tsp smoked serrano sea salt (regular sea salt would work, but flavored salt adds an additional punch)

Puree all ingredients together until smooth. Serve with crackers, cheese, and fresh vegetables or crudite.

Thanks for reading! Til soon!

My favorite GF foods and restaurants...

Hello everyone! I thought I'd send an update out letting folks know I've added two new lists to my blog: favorite products and favorite restaurants. The restaurants I've listed have shown exceptional knowledge and service regarding gluten-free options. This said, if you're gluten-free, it's important to always notify the server you have an allergy or intolerance. For now, these restaurants are located in the Portland, OR area. I hope to expand the list to other cities soon! As I learn of new excellent products (or remember old favorites), I'll update the list. Please leave comments if you have questions.

Thanks for reading!

Fig Jam and Breakfast Cakes

What an awesome combination!

Super easy and delicious fig jam -- the ginger flavor is strong, so use less unless you're a huge fan (like me). Mix all ingredients in a crockpot or slow cooker. I cooked the jam for five hours on low, and it turned out perfectly!

• 2 lbs figs (peeled and chopped)
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbs candied ginger
• 1 lemon, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup coconut water
• 1/2 cup water

I made the Salvadoran Breakfast Cakes again, with a few modifications. I split the batter in half and made two batched. In the "sweet" version, I used lowfat yogurt instead of sour cream and sheep's milk pecorino instead of cotija cheese. For the "savory" version, I used the same ingredients but added smoked maple cheddar (about 2 tbs), chopped chives (about 1 tbs), and sauteed onions (1/8 of a white onion), and habanero salt (1 tsp). The results were awesome, and the fig jam was delicious on both varieties.

Til soon!

Figs

I love figs. Figs are some of my favorite food in the world. I was thrilled when a friend told me I could come over and pick as many as I wanted. These are beautiful, ripe green figs, fresh from the tree.

The first thing I made was broiled figs with honey, goat cheese, and marcona almonds. This is an extremely simple recipe: slice figs in half, drizzle with honey, add a dollop of goat cheese (chevre), and one marcona almond. Broil for approximately three minutes, or until the top of the fig is lightly caramelized.

Next, we made one jar of pickled figs. Also a simple recipe: water, sugar, salt, apple cider vinegar, and figs. Boil equal parts vinegar and water. Add one tablespoon salt, two tablespoons of sugar. Put figs in jar, and fill to top with the hot liquid. Keep figs in fridge. We'll see how these turn out!

Pies! Blackberry & Blackberry Peach

Delicious pies! It was a lovely, warm rainy evening, perfect for pie making. I admit, the crusts were pre-made from Whole Foods, but the filling is made from the blackberries we picked over the weekend. Special thanks to Mary for sharing her pie-making skills!

Here's the recipe for the very simple, no-cook filling (makes 2 pies):

• 6 cups blackberries
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs melted butter
• optional: fresh peach slices

Mix all ingredients together until incorporated, fill pie crust, and bake according to crust type.

This is a great filling recipe for "normal" pies, too!