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This one’s pretty simple, but often the rubs and seasonings that you can buy pre-mixed at the grocery store have something I’m not supposed to have, whether it’s citric acid for flavor, or a filler, or an anti-flow agent that happens to be derived from corn, wheat or milk. I can’t tell you how ticked off I was to find that one of my favorite taco seasonings had lactose in it. I’ve given this a try on some boneless pork ribs and I bet it’d be great on chicken, but I can’t find out since I’m allergic to chicken. I really liked the bark (the crispy browned bits) the rub gave to the pork. I mixed just enough as listed in the ingredients below to cover two pieces of pork about six to eight inches long and about five inches wide, because I live in an apartment and they won’t let me put a grill on my second floor balcony. If you grill a lot, you might want to double or triple the recipe so that you can have it on hand. This is also pretty great on roasts and stuff you broil in the oven since we’re getting pretty close to only indoor cooking time of year. The recipe below makes about a third of a cup or so.
Dry Rub for Barbecue
2 Tablespoon of brown sugar
1 Tablespoon of kosher salt
1/2 Tablespoon of ground cumin
1/2 Tablespoon of paprika
1/2 Tablespoon of garlic powder
1/2 Tablespoon of onion powder
1/2 Tablespoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a fork or a whisk until everything is completely blended. Wow, that was easy wasn’t it? Put it in an air-tight container to store.
To use it, simply coat your cut of meat with it and put it on the grill or roast or broil it in the oven. If you’d like to use it with vegetables, I’d coat the veggies in a safe oil first, and then coat them in the rub.
This recipe is actually perfect for coming out of last week, as, like so many things that happened last week it arose out of the ashes of me screwing something up because I did not know what I was doing and was not paying attention. Last week was just that kind of week. I need a nap. Or a vacation.
A few years ago, I’d bought mung beans, dried, because I understood that they could be cooked relatively quickly, like lentils. So I put them in a pot with water, on a burner, and then wandered off to do something else. By the time I came back, I had mush instead of beans. Oops. So I made a bean loaf. You know, like meatloaf, but without vegetarian. The thing is, “bean loaf” sounds kind of gross, and baking this in a loaf meant you only had a few edges. Plus, it wasn’t really that successful at holding its shape when sliced.
You really should soak the beans overnight, so far as I can tell, but you can also just dump a kettle of boiling water over them and soak them for about an hour. They will plump up quite nicely. They are “done” cooking when they are starting to fall apart but haven’t actually fallen apart yet.
Since then, I’ve refined this so that I have less bean mush and more mushy beans, and revised the add-in vegetables and seasonings somewhat to create a flavorful bean-based patty. Actually, if you make them my way, they’re more ball-shaped, but bean balls isn’t appetizing either. We’ll go with patties. This recipe makes 16 patties measured out by a 1/2 cup ice cream scoop. These store and reheat well, but I have not tried freezing them. Structural integrity is still low, but they taste good, and who cares if your patty falls apart a bit? You already have a fork on hand.
Soaked Mung Beans before cooking
Mung Bean Patties
2 cups dry mung beans, soaked overnight or covered in boiling water and soaked an hour
3-4 carrots
1/4 of a bell pepper (use up to half if you really love the flavor)
1 bunch (6-8) scallions
1 portobello mushroom cap
2 cups fresh parsley leaves
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon tarragon (crush the leaves as you add it)
1 teaspoon thyme (also crush this as you add it)
1 Tablespoon basil
1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
Put soaked mung beans in a saucepan and cover with water so that there’s about an inch of water over the mung beans. Put over high heat, covered, and bring to a boil. Boil 8-10 minutes, turn to low, and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Water should be completely absorbed, and beans should be slightly mushy but not entirely without structural integrity at this point. Remove from heat, remove cover, and let cool while you prep the veg.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Using a food processor, grind up all the veg. You can do this any way you like, but here’s what works for me — I use the shredder attachment for the carrots and bell pepper, and then put the S-blade in to grind them up a bit more. The scallions and parsley will need liquid, so add the oil or vinegar to this. The mushroom should be fine with just the S-blade.
Add the ground vegetables and all the seasonings, along with the mung beans, to a large bowl. Stir well, longer than you think you should, and then use your hands to really work the beans.
There are two ways to form patties — either grease a muffin tin and fill it, or make scoops with an ice cream scoop and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or greased lightly. Make sure to pack the bean patties/balls together as you form them — these won’t be masterpieces that will stay together through a coming apocalypse, but they will hold their form as you dump them out of the muffin tins.
You may remember that we posted a Stout Braised Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe way back in the depths of time. Well, that was in the time before my wheat and corn allergies were diagnosed. At the time, since Mary Kate had issues with gluten, and a lot of our readers are gluten-free, I had put in the modifications needed to make it gluten-free. But once my corn allergy hit, I couldn’t find a safe brand of corned beef that I could buy, because of the dextrose, sodium erythorbate, and other corn ingredients that tend to show up in commercial versions. A while ago, I came across a beef brisket while shopping, and it occurred to me that maybe I could research how to make corned beef, just like I had for learning to cure bacon. Worst case scenario, I’d cook it as brisket if it didn’t work. So I bought it, but I didn’t have time to deal, so I threw it in the freezer. During my most recent “vacation” otherwise known as “food prep week”, I finally decided that it was time. So I looked at recipes from Alton Brown on the Food Network and the Wellness Mama, and modified and added things based on my other research.
I prepared the brine, then I brined the brisket for 10 days, and cooked it according to my original recipe, but using the gluten free tweaks, and without cabbage, because I forgot to buy any. And it was corned beef, and it was good. Even my husband (no food allergies) said it was good. So I’m sharing.
Just a note, this takes a long time. And it’s probably best to do the brine the day before you’re actually going to start marinating, because it has to be completely chilled. Also, be aware that it’s not the right color because we’re not adding curing salt or saltpeter, but it still tastes right.
Cure your own Corned Beef after curing and cookingCure your own Corned Beef after cooking and slicing
Cure your own Corned Beef
2 quarts of water
1 cup of kosher salt
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces (I used a zip top bag and a rolling pin and smacked it a couple of times)
1/2 Tablespoon of brown mustard seeds
1/2 Tablespoon of yellow mustard seeds
1 Tablespoon of whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
8 whole allspice berries
2 bay leaves, broken into bits
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger or 1/2 Tablespoon of crystallized ginger (whichever you have on hand)
2 pounds of ice
1 cup of fresh celery puree (Take 5-7 stalks of celery and put them through a food processor or blender until they are pureed)
1/4 cup of juice from sauerkraut made from red cabbage (optional – just an attempt to get the correct color since I’m not using curing salt)
1 – 2 1/2 gallon zip top plastic bag (They have these now! They are brilliant for marinating and knitting projects!)
1 – 4 to 5 pound beef brisket
In a large stockpot, add the water, salt, sugar, cinnamon, both kinds of mustard seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, allspice berries, bay leaves, and ginger, and mix to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat until salt and the sugar have dissolved completely. Remove the stockpot from the heat, and add the ice. Stir the mixture until the ice has melted. Put the brine in the fridge until it has completely chilled. And I mean it, completely chilled, so that could take several hours or it might even be the next day.
Once the brine is completely chilled, mix in the celery puree and the sauerkraut juice. Place the brisket in the 2 1/2 gallon zip top plastic bag and add the brine mixture to the bag. Push as much of the air out of the bag as you can and seal it. Place the zip top bag in a container that allows it to lay flat and put it in the fridge for 10 days. You want to check it daily to make sure that the brisket is completely submerged and to flip the bag to stir the brine. After 10 days, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse it off using cold water. Discard your brine, it can’t be used again. Now you have corned beef brisket to cook as described in our original Stout Braised Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe, or to cook it how you normally cook corned beef.
I am not quite sure who figured out that beans and greens is an excellent combination, and that almost any greens and beans can be used, and that, if the beans are cooked (or canned, if you can use them) and the greens aren’t collards (which really do take time), this is a quick and healthy and satisfying meal. I’m a fan because I like greens and often forget how much — until I make another version of this and wonder why I don’t eat this regularly.
Feel free to add a grain of your choice, but I usually skip that. Brown rice is particularly complementary. But in a rush, which I kind of feel I always am lately, beans and greens is enough.
This makes two large servings, three “normal” sized servings, and is great leftover.
Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans
2 Tablespoons oil of your choice
1 can (or 2 cups) cooked cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (if canned)
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons dry sherry, dry white wine, or water
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic (if using crushed from a jar, use about 2 teaspoons)
1 bunch of Swiss chard, rainbow if you can get it, stems chopped, leaves chopped (separated)
1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (beware “caramel coloring” or other additives) or lemon juice
Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot.
Add oil. Heat until shimmering.
Add beans. Cook maybe 5 minutes, until they start to crisp a little.
Add pepper and sherry/wine/water. Cook until the liquid you just added is reduced by half.
Add chopped stems and garlic and stir well. Cook 2-3 minutes.
Add chopped chard leaves in handfuls, stirring each handful in as it wilts and adding the next. When it’s all in, add the vinegar or lemon juice, stir well, and let cook another minute. Taste, and add salt, pepper, or olive oil as needed to finish.
Blueberry Habanero Hot Sauce (and my pathetic attempt to do a smiley face with the hot sauce bottle dripper)
So remember earlier this summer when I went berry picking with Mary Kate and I made the blueberry barbecue sauce? Well, I also made this Blueberry Habanero Hot Sauce. Just a warning that the outset, when I say hot, I mean hot. This is not a sauce for the faint of spice. Please be advised that my taste buds no longer think that Sriracha is all that hot, and I use it like ketchup, so when I say this is hot, I freaking mean it. Now with that out of the way, it’s really good. I really like the fruity spice combination and it was great to kick up my portion of the ribs we made with the Blueberry Barbecue Sauce to acceptable spice levels. Also, it was really good when I dipped marshmallows into it. I used to have a hot sauce collection in the long ago and far away time before corn, and I had a blueberry hot sauce in it. It’s really nice to get it back.
Blueberry Habanero Hot Sauce
Makes about 4 cups.
1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries
1 onion chopped
1 1/2 cups of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of lime juice
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of salt
1 Tablespoon of sugar
10 habanero peppers, seeds and stems removed, chopped.
Combine all ingredients, except for the habaneros, in a saucepan and bring to a medium boil. Cover the saucepan, and gently boil for 10 minutes.
Place the habaneros and the contents of the saucepan in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
You can either can this recipe in a water bath as described here – or you can store in the refrigerator or freezer. Also if you’re worried about using up this much hot sauce, you can make half the recipe.
Despite being diagnosed with a likely soy allergy and confirming it with a food challenge, I also challenged gluten-free tamari separately and decided I could handle it. But paying a little more attention to the fact that I felt lousy the day after Denise and I would have sushi, and also when I’d make stir-fry, I started experimenting with making my own soy sauce substitute. I did try coconut aminos. I didn’t like them. Your mileage may vary, but coconut aminos can also be a bit on the pricey side. Regardless of what you find that works for you, I think that soy sauce is a handy flavor to have in your arsenal for so many uses.
I looked at and tried a variety of recipes online, but none were quite exactly what I wanted, taste-wise. This recipe is my version — I’d suggest trying it in this size (makes a little less than a cup) and then seeing what you might want more or less of in your own final version. Then, if you find you use it regularly, double it. So far, it seems to last safely about a month in the fridge. None of mine has made it past that.
This sauce works best, in my opinion, in cooked or mixed recipes, so stir-fry, teriyaki, marinades of all sorts (like jerky), rather than as a dipping sauce for sushi. Although, hey, it works there, too, but it shows its differences a little more.
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (be sure this is free of “caramel coloring”)
2 teaspoons rice vinegar (free of sweeteners)
3 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns (lightly smash one or two if you really like pepper flavor)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic or one large clove, smashed
1 large chunk of ginger — approximately 1 inch square, but chopped into 4 or so pieces
1 pinch of onion powder
1 teaspoon (or so) of salt
In a saucepan, mix all the ingredients except the salt. A fork or whisk seems to work best to incorporate the onion powder and fully blend the molasses.
Bring to a boil, then turn down to a high simmer (it should still be bubbling briskly) and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until reduced by 1/3 in volume.
Remove from heat, whisk in salt. Allow the mixture to cool, then strain and bottle. Store in the fridge.
*I would not highly recommend veggie stock for this, although if you really roasted the veg good and brown, it might be okay. Mushroom broth or stock has a richer flavor in the right direction for a soy sauce replacer, though, so if you want to make this vegan or vegetarian, and you’re not allergic to mushrooms, check out that option. There is at least one boxed brand on the market, or Vegetarian Times has a recipe.
If you tweak this to your tastes, please let us know! Post your recipe or a link below in the comments.
When Mary Kate and I began to plan the cookout we held several weeks ago (grilling, friends and lots o’ posts for the blog, what could be better?), we started with thinking about what ingredients were in season and could be grilled. We wanted to do a dessert, but I couldn’t figure out anything with my restrictions by the time we were solidifying the menu. I had seen a recipe for peach salsa for canning, but I wondered what it would be like grilled instead, because it would bring out the sweetness of the peaches and combine it with some lovely caramelized, smokey flavors. So we tried it. It’s good. And for those of you that can’t have chips like me (the corn chips are only to make the picture pretty in my case, although Mary Kate can eat them), this salsa is really good on pork chops as a sauce. You could also use it as a marinade or a glaze on pork or chicken, depending on how finely you chop the ingredients or just put it in the blender for a peach barbecue sauce. This is a low heat salsa, so don’t be afraid because I’m posting it. For the chili heads, don’t worry, I’ve got a hot sauce coming up in few weeks that blows my head off, and will have appropriate warnings.
Grilled Peach Salsa
1 pound of peaches, grilled
1 small red red onion, grilled
1/2 of a orange bell pepper, grilled (If you don’t know what to do with the half of orange bell pepper you’ll have left over, de-stem and de-seed it, put it in a freezer zip top bag and put it in your freezer. Peppers need no additional prep to freeze. Use it the next time you make a soup, stew, chili or marinara sauce.)
2 jalapeno peppers, grilled
1/2 of a bulb of garlic, with top cut off and with most of the outer layer peels removed (Grill the whole bulb and put the remainder in the fridge to use for mashed potatoes or something else where roasted garlic would be awesome)
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil or other safe-for-you oil
1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper
**Please keep in mind as you look at the pictures that I was cooking a whole lot of other things the day we were grilling, so the pictures do not reflect the correct amounts of the ingredients shown, or may show additional ingredients. Also, my original recipe made a holy ton of salsa, so we cut the ingredients in half for the purposes of this post.
De-stem and de-seed your peppers.
Peppers de-stemmed and de-seeded – Photo by J. Andrews
Place the peppers on the grill and grill until they get a bit tender and have a bit of char on them.
Peppers on the grill – Photo by J. AndrewsPeppers and Garlic on the grill – Photo by J. Andrews
Take your garlic bulb, slice off the top so that the cloves are exposed a bit (see the picture and description in our previous Grilled Salsa recipe), and place it on some aluminum foil large enough to wrap the garlic in as shown in the picture above. Drizzle the olive oil over your garlic bulb, and wrap the aluminum foil around it and place it on the grill. Roast the garlic until the cloves are cooked and mushy.
Trim and peel your onion and then slice it in about half to one inches slices and place on the grill. Grill until you have a bit of char, and the onion is tender. (Ours were a bit more charred probably than strictly necessary, we were having issues with the grill, totally user error.)
Sliced Onions – Photo by J. AndrewsSliced onions on the grill – Photo by J. AndrewsSliced onions on the grill just before they got a bit too done – Photo by J. Andrews
Cut your peaches in half and remove the pit. On some of them I had to cut the peaches in quarters to get the pit out, but it’ll still work, it’s just halves are a little easier to manipulate on the grill. Place the peaches on the grill and grill until they are a bit more tender and have some nice charring on the outside.
Peaches in halves and quarters – Photo by J. AndrewsPeaches on the grill – Photo by J. Andrews
Once all your grilled ingredients are cooked, squeeze out the roasted garlic from the cloves, and put the garlic, peppers, onions, and peaches in a blender or food processor, and process until chopped to the level of chunkiness that you like. I used the manual food processor from Pampered Chef because I wouldn’t have to truck everything back inside or find an electric outlet (no affiliation, I just like it). You are likely going to have to process in batches. Place all the chopped ingredients in a large bowl and add the white wine vinegar, brown sugar, cumin and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Completed Grilled Peach Salsa – Photo by J. Andrews
When Mary Kate invited me to go berry picking earlier this summer, I had already done a good bit of canning with blueberries. So when I wound up about 6 cups of blueberries, I decided I want to do something other than jam and syrups, since I had already made syrups and blueberry butter. In poking around online for ideas, I found a canning recipe for blueberry barbecue sauce. I make some tweaks to it in order to make it safe for me, and reduced the amounts by half to make a more reasonable amount for those of you who aren’t into canning. If you do want to can it, the original recipe is here. This is a low heat sauce, as verified by others, so don’t worry that just because I’m posting it, you won’t be able to handle it.
Blueberry Barbecue Sauce
Makes about 2 cups.
1 3/4 cups of fresh blueberries
1/4 cup of safe-for-you ketchup (I don’t have a corn safe one so I make it myself)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon of fresh grated ginger
1/8 of a teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon Penzey’s Cajun Seasoning
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a medium boil. Stir and lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 15 minutes. Use a hand blender to puree all the ingredients, being careful not to splash, or pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth.
Once the sauce has cooled you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer until you’re ready to use it. When grilling, I prefer to use a dry rub first, and then once the meat is almost completely cooked, I use a silicone pastry brush to coat the meat with the sauce and then grill each side to warm and/or char up the sauce.
Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. AndrewsBrushing pork with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. AndrewsGrilling each side after coating with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. AndrewsBoneless pork ribs with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce – Photo by J. Andrews
