GFGF: The Middle East

For April the Good Friends Good Food chose to cook dishes from the Middle East. The Middle east consists of Egypt, Israel, Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Kuwait, etc. It is difficult to separate one country’s cuisine from another as they are all so similar.

Zucchini with Tomatoes

This is a very simple dish. Slice and saute garlic and coriander in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, peeled and chopped, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Simple. I have made zucchini and tomatoes many times but never with coriander. Completely different flavor. And I would have added more coriander.

Fish in Hot Sauce

Fish and other seafood are quite popular in the countries along the Arabian Gulf as well as the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Sea of Galilee.

Serves 4:
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoonsground coriander
4 thick fillets whitefish , about 3/4 lb each (I used catfish)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and white pepper
lemon slices , to garnish
Sauce
1/2 stick butter
1/2 small sweet red pepper, diced
4 medium tomatoes , skinned and chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2teaspoorigroundginger
a pinch of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste mixed with a little water

Pound the garlic and coriander together in a pestle and mortar. Rub this into the fish fillets and chill in a covered bowl for 2 hours.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Remove the fish from the bowl and rub with a mixture of the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Lay the fillets in a flat, oiled baking dish, cover tightly with foil and bake for about 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.

Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the pepper, tomato and onion until soft. Add the seasonings and the tomato paste and mix well. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on a low heat.
Serve the fish in the baking dish, garnished with the hot sauce and lemon slices.

This was delicious. Definitely a keeper. BTW both of thse are KETO friendly.

As it turns out I am the only one who did the Middle Eastern recipes this month. I still have one or two I want to try: Prawns in Tomato Sauce (cinnamon). And Maamoul which is a stuffed pastry. I have the mold I just haven’t made the pastry…YET!!

Both of these recipes came from Cooking the Middle Eastern Way by Christine Osborne

Next month…?

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GFGF: Ukraine

This week GFGF celebrates Ukraine. Considering the situation that is going on now with Russia we wanted to support Ukraine in a way we could. By cooking some of their national dishes.

The thing one has to understand is that Ukraine used to be part of the USSR and so many of their dishes are part Russian, part Ukrainian, part Eastern Europe in general. So I tried to find some recipes that were typically Ukrainian. Still hard to separate them out from so many similar dishes from across eastern Europe.

I made Chicken Kyev first..

I’d heard of this dish for years but had yet to try it out. Turns out it was quite simple. Simply pound a chicken breast ’til thin. Stuff it with a delicious compound butter. Roll it up. Then dip in egg/milk, flour, and bread crumbs. Easy peasy! Fry and then bake. You can find the recipe I used here.

I also tried Ukrainian Syrniki which are pancakes made from Farmer’s Cheese. These didn’t turn out so well. I never could get them to cook right. I tried three times. All I ended up with was a mess. It was like I had never made pancakes before. I did taste them. Not a fan.

Usually they are served with fresh fruit or preserves.

My last foray into Ukrainian cuisine was to try Paska. This is a Ukrainian Easter bread. It is not just a bread. It is a braid that contains lemon and orange zest. This type of bread is enjoyed all through Eastern Europe. There is just a wee bit of difference from country to country.

This was a wonderfully citrusy, rich sweet bread. Often times it is also drizzled with a sweet glaze. Similar to brioche. Or Challah. Definitely a keeper for special occasions.

I know Ulrike made some Ukrainian dishes (there are three links here). As did Kayte.

 

GFGF: Season of Renewal

This week we are sharing recipes that sets your culinary hopes for the New Year. In 2022 I hope to go back to my healthy eating which, sadly, I have neglected since Thanksgiving. KETO has been my friend for most of 2021 and it is that I am going back to.

One of my favorite things to make is the Broccoli salad. It is super simple to make. Really doesn’t need a recipe and the dressing is delicious.

The only part of the recipe I ever follow is for the dressing.

Raw broccoli and cauliflower florets. Chopped green onion. Sunflower seeds. Chiopped pecans. Shredded cheese. Crumbled bacon in just about any amount you like to taste. (If not on KETO you can throw in some dried cranberries.)

Dressing:

• 1 cup real mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup granulated erythritol (sugar)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and mix into the other ingredients.

I usually make at least 1/2 more of the recipe just to be sure I have enough. I love this salad. And make it often.

This is the last post for Good Friends Good Food. But we have revived Eating with Ellie (Krieger) and Wednesdays with Donna Hay. Both are healthy food chefs. And many of their recipes are easily adaptable to KETO. YAY!!

You can access our blog posts each week.

Kayte

Peggy

Ulrike

We also all are members of Tuesdays with Dorie where we are working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking with Dorie.

If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Y’ALL!!

 

GFGF: Carrot Souffle

If you live somewhere in the gulf coast region you have heard of Piccadilly Cafeterias. It is a chain that started in Baton Rouge, La. Advertised as quality dining at an affordable price. Their food is usually pretty good. Nothing fancy. Solid comfort food.

One of favorite s is their Carrot Souffle. I love it. A sweet side dish packed with flavor. So when I found a copycat recipe I knew I had to try it. And it just became my new Christmas side dish. A new veggie dish.

The recipe is HERE! Super simple to make. I think I can make this KETO friendly simply by switching out the sure with erythritol. And the AP flour with almond flour. I’ll try that.

More new to us dishes for Good Friends Good Food:

Kayte

Peggy

Ulrike

 

GFGF: New for Thanksgiving

Kayte supplied us with good theme for this week’s Good Friends Good Food. Something new for Thanksgiving. We could use any fresh produce and make a new side dish for our Thanksgiving table. Mine:

Creamy Zucchini Gruyère Casserole

And it was delicious. I took it to our Thanksgiving Church supper to see if they liked it. They did! There was NOTHING left.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a square 8″ pan with butter.

Slice 3 – 4 zucchini. Chop up 1/2 an onion and sauté with the zucchini with salt and pepper to taste in a large skillet with EVOO and butter.

When they are nice and soft spread in the pan.

Mix 1 cup shredded Gruyère, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 tsp Wish you were here sauce (LOL) and 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan in a large bowl until well mixed. Add in 1/4 tsp dried basil.

Pour the cheese mix over the zucchini in the pan and top with 2 Tbl shredded Parmesean.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until barely brown on top. Remove and let cool about 20 minutes. SErve warm or at room temperature.

This is completely KETO friendly. I found the recipe in The Southern Keto Cookbook (page 93)

Want more NEW recipe for Thanksgiving? Visit with:

Kayte

Ulrike

Peggy

 

Good Food Good Friends: Winter Squash

My choice this month and I chose Winter Squash. That would include butternut, pumpkin, acorn, delicata, hubbard, and spaghetti squash (to name a few). I love butternut so that is what I worked with.

IF you have read my blog in the past you know I love ethnic cuisine – Indian, Asian, Latin American – and I love to cook it. Using the butternut I made Thai butternut and chicken curry.

My cookbook collection includes everyday asian which is where I found the recipe but it is also available on The Williams Sonoma website. The recipe is here. It calls for pumpkin or butternut.

It was OKAY. I liked it but I didn’t LOVE it. I think the butternut was too sweet for a curry. But that’s just my humble opinion. I don’t think I’ll make it again.

More winter squash recipes from:

Kayte

Ulrike

Peggy

Next veggie: Any fresh produce for November 5th

We’d love to have more members in Good Friends Good Food so if you want to join in just let one of us know.

 

Good Friends Good Food: Parsnips

I have to admit I had never eaten a parsnip. It was not a veggie any one in my family had ever cooked. And I would not have cooked it now if Ulrike had not chosen it for this week’s veggie.

I would have to describe it as “not a carrot”. It looks like a white carrot. The taste is similar to a carrot but with a little bite.

I looked at a lot of recipes. Most of the recipes were for mashing, roasted, or in a soup.

i decided to go simple. Roasted. With butter and garlic.

I have to admit they weren’t bad but not something I would use again. I’d just as soon have carrots.

Here is the recipe

Kayte, Ulrike, and Peggy all made parsnip dishes. Go check them out.

If you want to join us just let one of us know. We’ll give you the schedule through the end of the year.

 

Good Friends Good Food: Sweet Potatoes

This week our veggie is Sweet Potatoes. aka yams. This was Peggy‘s choice and it is a good one. Especially since fall has now arrived and these are often on the table at various celebrations. Most of the time I either make these into Sweet Potato Fries. Or a casserole. Or stew them down in my MIL’s recipe (which is delicious). But I wanted to do something a little different. So what else is new?

I give you Sweet Potato Gnocchi! Delightful little bites. I wanted to serve them with brown butter and sage but I was out of Sage so I sprinkled them with Cinnamon Sugar instead. YES!! And I got to use my little gnocchi board which has been lonesome sitting on my shelf. It is fun to use.

Recipe is HERE.

Definitely a keeper.

Want more sweet potato?
There is always a great variety with the GFGF ladies. Visit with

Kayte

Peggy

Ulrike

 

GFGF: Fruit

This week the choice for Good Food Good Friends is FRUIT. My choice. Because the Farmers Markets are full of fresh fruits and veggies. I used some fresh and some canned. Not ALL fruits are available fresh. This fruit salad is based on an Ambrosia my grandmother used to make. For Thanksgiving. For Christmas. For Easter. It was one of my favorite sides.

I’ve taken her Ambrosia and kicked it up a notch. (BAM!) There are not measurements just add in the fruit you really like. Anything, really. I used mangoes, bananas, cherries, satsumas, and strawberries. I added coconut and then mixed it well into some Hibiscus Passionfruit whipped cream. PERFECT!!

See, no recipe. I found the Hibiscus Passionfruit flavoring and thought it would add a little extra to the whole mix. 1 cup whipped cream + 2 TBL flavoring.

More Fruit?

Kayte

Ellen

Donna

Peggy

Ulrike

Our next fresh ingredient for salad is Spinach. Peggy’s choice.

 

GFGF: Cucumbers

A Cucumber is such a versatile veggie. It is very good for you. You can put slices in ice water for a refreshing drink. You can put slices on your eyes to reduce puffiness. They contain lots of antioxidants, nutrients, aids in weight loss, may lower blood sugar. You can even mix cucumber juice and yogurt for a facepack.

AND they also taste good.

Even better if mixed with ponzu sauce. This is a KANI salad. While this doesn’t look like cucumbers it is. Shredded and mixed with some fake crab (and sliced avacado if you like it) and ponzu sauce it is a sweet/tart salad.

Shred a cucumber. Add some shredded fake crab, and toasted sesame seeds. Pour over some ponzu sauce and you have a quick tasty salad.

Ponzu Sauce:

• ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Mix all ingredients. Cover and chill.

You can use a lot or a little sauce on your salad.

More cucumber salads:

Ulrike

I’s still trying to catch up. Still have asparagus salad, and herb salad to go.

My choice next time (7/2) – FRUIT!!