Gluten-Free Smokehouse Burger Recipe

Happy Super Bowl week! We are gearing up for an epic gluten-free Super Bowl party here at ATX Gluten-Free. We will definitely be serving these burgers. As well as some other gluten-free appetizers and cocktails, of course. The buns used in this recipe were kindly provided by Gluten-Free Kneads. They are the official sponsor for our Gluten-Free Pizza Fest. Find Gluten-Free Kneads at several locations around town, or order online.  Stay tuned for the launch of our new website this month. It has been a fun process and I can’t wait to share the results with you all.

Makes 4-6 burgers, depending on size preference

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground sirloin
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
• more barbecue sauce for baking (depends on your preference level)
• cheddar cheese slices for burgers
• 1 large onion
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• hamburger buns, provided by Gluten-Free Kneads

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pre-heat a large, deep skillet to medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Add sliced onions and spread into an even layer in the pan. After 10 minutes, add, salt, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Let cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour (or more), stirring often. You will know the onions are done when they are a nice, golden brown.

Pre-heat another skillet (preferably cast iron or oven safe) to medium-high heat. Place ground sirloin, egg, parmesan cheese, spices and 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce in large mixing bowl. Mix ingredients with hands and form 4-6 small hamburger patties, leaving a small indention in the middle of the patty. Add oil to skillet. Sear hamburgers on both sides, about 5 minutes. Top burgers with sliced cheddar cheese, pour more barbecue sauce into cast iron skillet, on top of burgers. Bake in oven until burgers are medium-well done, depending on your preference level (about 12 minutes). Serve on a gluten-free bun.

Enjoy!

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A Sneak Peek…

The Gluten-Free Pizza Fest 2011

Oven-Dried Tomato Chips

Confession: I made these a while ago when tomatoes were in season here in Texas. I ate them so fast that I did not get a chance to photograph them. My finals are fast approaching (my grad school semesters are strange), and I was on the look out for a healthy snack that would get me through some late night studying. I remembered when I made these lovely tomato chips in Jackson Hole this past summer. They were irresistible rounds of sweet, rich, tomato goodness. If you have never had a dehydrated tomato chip before; let me give you a run down. When you dehydrate a tomato, the flavor intensifies. It makes the tomato sweet and slightly bitter. Now, if you have a dehydrator, the cooking time for you might be less (or more). I don’t mind baking tomato chips the old way though… low and slow in the oven. Just don’t forget about them!

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 6 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin. After you slice the tomato, remove some of the pulp with fingers. You do not have to remove all the pulp.
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, combine sliced tomatoes with olive oil and salt. Mix to merge ingredients. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay tomato slices in an even layer. You might need two cookie sheets. Bake at 200 degrees for 8 hours (more/less depending on oven strength) or until tomatoes are dehydrated and crispy.

Enjoy!

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This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

Looking for a sauce that will jazz up your chicken or pasta dish? Look no further than this roasted red bell pepper sauce. I’m pretty sure it is my new favorite. I was actually eating it by the spoonful when my boyfriend (known as Chris from here on out) wasn’t looking. No, I am not kidding. We have been testing pizza recipes non-stop here in the ATX Gluten-Free kitchen. It was time for a change of pace this weekend, so we turned to America’s favorite animal protein (chicken), and took it to the next level. This sauce did just that, and I was actually excited to eat leftovers the next day. It seems with leftovers, you either love them or you hate them. This time I loved them!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce:

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Start by slicing off the tops of the bed peppers and pulling out rims and seeds. Begin roasting the bell peppers either in the oven (high broil, turning periodically to char all sides), or directly over burner on stove top (char lightly all sides). Place roasted bell peppers in bowl, cover with saran wrap and let stand for 5 minutes. In a food processor, combine bell peppers with char on (for rustic flavor) or off, and the remaining ingredients. Pulse till a smooth consistency.

Enjoy!

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ATX Gluten-Free News: January 2011

Welcome to first ATX Gluten-Free News segment of 2011. For those of you stopping by for the first time, ATX Gluten-Free News is a monthly news segment full of gluten-free information for Austin, national news, and general happenings of ATX Gluten-Free. Living gluten-free may be tough sometimes; we are here to make your life easier! Let’s get started…

Wordless Wednesday: Quote

Flickr

Raw Carrot and Parsley Salad

Pizza, pizza and more pizza. That is about the only thing we have seen in Chef Jess’s (my new nickname) kitchen the past couple weeks. I’ve been busy testing all kinds of pizza recipes for my Gluten-Free Pizza Fest event, which will happen in February. Don’t get me wrong, I love pizza, but sometimes it is nice to have a big bowl of vegetables. Preferably raw, with just the right hint of acidity. It’s perfection. Don’t knock it till you try it.

Raw Carrot Salad with Italian Parsley

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 5 carrots (you will not use up all the carrots)- peeled with a Titan peeler into spaghetti-like strands
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon high quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
• 1 cup loose packed Italian Parsley leaves, keep whole

Instructions:

Using a Titan peeler (the larger one), peel carrots into spaghetti-like strands. Place in small mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Don’t miss a recipe or ATX Gluten-Free News segment. Sign up for my RSS feed today, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

Other gluten-free carrot recipes:

Roasted Carrot and Beet Pasta with Goat Cheese (ATX Gluten-Free)

Carrot and Raisin Salad (Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free)

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake (Elana’s Pantry)

Candy Carrot Coins (Gluten-Free Easily)

News:

Don’t forget to check out the recent post about Gluten-Free Pizza Fest. The dates are set. We would love for you to join us!

I’m guest blogging today over at Athletic Foodie. Head on over to check out my article on Exercise and Electrolytes.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

The Details: Gluten-Free Pizza Fest 2011

Greetings food bloggers!

You might be wondering…pizza fest? What the heck is that? It is a time where food bloggers come together and share their best kept pizza recipes they have come to love. I have always loved pizza. In fact, it might be my favorite food of all time. I can’t wait to share this exciting event with you all!

ATX Gluten-Free is hosting a fabulous event February 7-11 and February 14-18. The event is called Gluten-Free Pizza Fest and it is 10 days of gluten-free pizza recipes on my blog, ATX Gluten-Free.

I would love to get others involved also, so would love for you to participate (or help spread the word).

For those that would like to participate, you may contribute 1 or more of the following points below at any time during the dates 2/7-11 and 2/14-18.

• a gluten-free pizza recipe (This does not have to be an original recipe, it may be adapted. Also, you may use homemade or pre-made gluten-free crust).

• a gluten-free pizza restaurant review (Only if you live in Austin, Texas)

• a gluten-free pizza product review.

Your contribution to pizza fest will be as a blog post on your blog.

After pizza fest is over, I will write a summary blog post with links to everyone’s pizza post (February 21).

The button plus widget code is now available on the front page of my blog. If you are a Gluten-Free Pizza Fest Contributor, please add this button to your blog. (Not mandatory)

*Save the button picture to your computer (or copy image URL) and upload this button picture to your blog posts contribution, with a link back to ATX Gluten-Free. (Mandatory)*

I am looking forward to reading everyone’s pizza posts! If you have any questions, feel free to email me (atxglutenfree@gmail.com) or tweet me (@atxglutenfree).

Note:

• You do not have to be a gluten-free food blogger to participate. I just ask that you provide a gluten-free recipe/restaurant review/or product review in order to participate.
• If you live in Austin, Texas and will be participating, let me know by email (atxglutenfree@gmail.com). There are a couple more details to share with you;  including a taste-testing party!
• You do not have to live in Austin, Texas to participate in Pizza Fest.
• Please leave a comment in the comment section if you would like to participate; or you may send me an email or tweet.

Thank you everyone! Please feel free to help spread the word!

Best-

Jessica, ATX Gluten-Free

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash with Toasted Pine Nuts

I’m sure there are a million different ways to stuff acorn squash, but quinoa is my favorite way. Quinoa is one of my favorite gluten-free grains (Well, actually quinoa is considered a relative of leafy green vegetables, like spinach). Why is this powerful grain a favorite of  mine? Because it is literally packed with amino acids, and it is versatile. Recently, for my graduate program, we were asked to pick a book related to food and write a book report about it. First of all, I can’t remember the last time I had to write a book report. Second, I chose Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. I have read it before, but reading it again did not hurt one bit. If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it. The book is full of advice, facts and quotes that will change the way you look at food forever. After all, the motto of the book is “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” If you have read the book, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. In the mean time, enjoy this flavor-packed recipe.

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash with Toasted Pine Nuts:

Serves 2, with leftover quinoa.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1 cup quinoa,  mixed 1/2 cup red and 1/2 cup white quinoa

2 cups chicken stock

1 lb. small sliced mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small white onion, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt for squash, 1/2 teaspoon salt for quinoa mixture

1/8 teaspoon black pepper for squash, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper for quinoa mixture

pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter divided, for squash

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

large handful of fresh Italian parsley, rough chop

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup fresh feta

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Slice squash in half and scoop out seeds. Sprinkle salt, pepper, cayenne pepper over squash. Place butter in each squash. Roast for 45 minutes or until fork tender, set aside. Toast pine nuts, set aside. Cook quinoa according to directions, with chicken stock instead of water. In separate skillet, saute mushrooms and onions in extra virgin olive oil at medium/medium-high heat. Wait until mushrooms and onions are tender and slightly brown to season them with salt and pepper, about 15 minutes. Add in garlic, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, along with salt and pepper. Simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked quinoa to vegetable mixture. Stir in fresh parsley and feta cheese. Place quinoa mixture inside cooked acorn squash. Top with toasted pine nuts.

Enjoy!

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Wordless Wednesday: Sunrise in Jackson Hole

ATX Gluten-Free Flickr