Donna's International Gluten-Free Pizza

As we are almost down to the long weekend ahead, I wanted to make something quick tonight (since I have not made it to the grocery store in awhile) so went to the refrigerator, pulled out an assortment of ingredients from around the world and came up with this new concoction.  It was very tasty, and takes less than 30 minutes to make and bake!  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.  Best, Donna:

Donna's International Gluten-Free Pizza

Ingredients:

One 10 inch gluten-free brown rice tortilla (Asia)

4 slices Swiss cheese (Switzerland)

1 cup medium salsa (Mexico)

1/2 cup turkey deli slices, chopped (USA)

1/2 cup (about 8 slices) garlic bologna, sliced (Germany)

~8 - 10 Kalamata olives (Greece)

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (Italy)

Olive oil (Spain)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Place tortilla on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  And remaining toppings in order given.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 1 to 2 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 2.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Slow Cooked Glazed Salmon with Ginger & Green Onion and Rainbow Fruit & Vegetable Salad

Hello Fellow Diners, this menu is so simple yet delicious and also packed full of healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables to complement the slow-cooked glazed salmon that is tonight's main course.  Although the salmon is heated in a slow cooker, it still requires only about 3 hours to reach a sumptuously tender state.  Adding basmati rice and the fruit and vegetable salad as side dishes require very little preparation or cooking time (especially if you use a rice cooker for the rice and start it about 20 minutes before the salmon is done).  I created the salad from the items I had in the refrigerator and I was pleasantly surprised at the result!  I hope you enjoy this menu as well. Bon Appetit!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Slow Cooked Glazed Salmon with Ginger & Green Onion and

Donna's Rainbow Fruit & Vegetable Salad

Donna's Slow Cooked Glazed Salmon with Ginger and Green Onion

Ingredients:

~One and a half pounds salmon fillet, skin removed

Salt and pepper to taste

2/3 cup favorite glaze, e.g. teriyaki or sweet-and-sour

1 Tablespoon candied ginger root, chopped

Two green onions, chopped

Method:

Place salmon fillet in slow cooker sprayed with cooking oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook on low setting for 2 1/2 to 3 or more hours.  Serve by spooning extra sauce on top of salmon accompanied by basmati rice, if desired.

Serves 2.

Donna's Rainbow Fruit & Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

One and a half cups watermelon, cut into chunks

2 ripe peaches, chopped

1/4 cup blueberries, washed

One half small cucumber, chopped

8 - 12 cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 Tablespoon green onions, chopped

1 Tablespoon basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Serve immediately or chill.

Serves 4.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Balsamic Blueberry Glazed Whitefish with Tarragon Honey Buttered Corn on Cob

Dear Friends, today's meal represents the best of the sea and the land.  My Balsamic Blueberry Glazed Whitefish is so simple it takes 5 minutes to prepare, if that, and 15 minutes to bake.  The sides include my Tarragon Honey Buttered Corn on the Cob, freshly picked from a local farm.  Rounding out the meal are fresh garden lettuce, cucumbers and tiny cherry tomatoes.  I hope that you find these recipes tasty additions to your summer menu and, as always, I appreciate your feedback!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Balsamic Blueberry Glazed Whitefish with Tarragon Honey Buttered Corn on Cob

Ingredients:

1 pound whitefish fillet

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup blueberry jam, preferably homemade, and warmed in microwave to slightly melt 

1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette 

2 cobs of fresh corn, microwaved for five minutes removing leaves and silk after cooking

1/2 cup soft butter

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons Tarragon leaves

Method:

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Place whitefish skin-side down on foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  Season fish by drizzling with olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix jam and vinaigrette and spoon on top of fillet to cover. Bake for 15 minutes and remove promptly.

Mix soft butter with honey and spread on cooked fresh corn.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Tarragon leaves.  Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.

Donna's Bacon-Blue Cheese Salad Whirls

Hello Everyone!  It's Friday and we are ready for the weekend to start as I am sure you all are too.  Today's dish is an easily put-together, light yet filling salad which is a variation of the classic "wedge" salad. Instead of cutting the lettuce into wedges which I find to be too large, I've sliced the lettuce into "whirls".  Round out the salad with grilled chicken or salmon if desired, or serve it as your entire meal as we did.  Your comments are always appreciated!  Best, Donna

Donna's Bacon-Blue Cheese Salad Whirls

Ingredients:

Two thick slices of chilled iceberg lettuce

Blue cheese dressing

Blue cheese crumbles

Bacon bits

Kalamata olives

Gluten-free croutons, preferably homemade

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place lettuce slices in 2 bowls or plates  Add toppings in order given.  Serve immediately. Serves two.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Roasted Pesto-Cheese Crusted Whitefish, Slow Cooked Risotto, and Happy Face Virgin Mary

Hello Everyone!  Today's simple menu offering is absolutely delicious:  It requires a small bit of prep work mid-day for the Slow Cooked Risotto; however, it is ready to go as soon as you have roasted the Pesto-Cheese Crusted Whitefish which needs only 10 minutes in the oven.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did, and your comments are always welcome!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Roasted Pesto – Cheese Crusted Whitefish

Ingredients:

2 one pound whitefish, thawed

1/2 cup prepared pesto, preferably homemade

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking oil.   Place fillets on top of foil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread half of pesto on each fillet, and and sprinkle each with the Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.  Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly on top.

Serve immediately with cooked rice or other side dish as desired.

Donna's Slow Cooked Risotto

(Inspired by Joanne Weir, PBS, 11 November 2006)

Ingredients:

One medium sweet onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped

One and a half cups arborio rice

3/4 cup sauvignon blanc wine

2 cups (or more if needed) chicken stock, hot

1 tablespoon tamari (or soy) sauce 

1 tablespoon grated ginger root

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Sauté onion in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil until soft, about seven minutes.  Add rice and sautée another five minutes.  Then add the wine and stir until absorbed, about three more minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and stock, and simmer until just boiling.  Place in a sprayed slow cooker.  Heat on high about one hour, then on low 1 to 2 hours.  And more stock if rice appears dry.

Happy Face Virgin Mary

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Red, White & Bleu Salad and Turkey Vegetable Burritos

Hello Everyone!
After a full working day, we were ready for the weekend and wanted to just relax at home.  So I opened the refrigerator to see what I might be able to pull together quickly that was still nutritious.  Since I had made a mid-week trip to our local farmer's market, I had some fresh summer fruits and vegetables to pick from.  These dishes are what I came up with:  Donna's Red, White and Bleu Salad and Donna's Turkey Vegetable Burritos.  I hope you enjoy them and I'm always looking forward to your comments!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Red, White & Bleu Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups seeded watermelon, cubed

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons bleu cheese, crumbled

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

Mix all ingredients gently, chill and serve.

Donna's Turkey Vegetable Burritos

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

One cup sweet onion, chopped

One cup yellow pepper, chopped

One cup corn kernels (if using fresh corn, equal to about one corn cob) One cup black beans, drained and rinsed 

One cup medium salsa

One 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese mix

Method:

Preheat large sauté pan and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and peppers and sauté till crisp tender. Add ground turkey and stir until almost cooked through. Then add corn and black beans and mix well. Mix together salsa and tomato paste and add to sauté pan. Add seasonings and Sriracha, mixing well.  Stir until heated through.  Place turkey mixture on tortilla wraps, preferably gluten-free.  Roll up wraps and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Pesto Quinoa Turkey Patties

Hello to all of you who are interested in delicious, healthy, quick meals that can be easily made after putting in a full days work - or fun!  I have been cooking for close to 40 years out of necessity raising a family of 4 children with my exceptional spouse, Gary, and for the pure enjoyment of creating meals for those I love.  Your comments are appreciated on any of my recipes since I am always trying to improve them, and thank you for your interest!

My Best, Donna LeFave Smith

Today's Meal:  Donna's Pesto Quinoa Turkey Patties over Southwestern Hash Browns and Gary's Garden Buttered Green Beans

Inspiration:  Since I wanted to create a very easy and fast-cooking turkey meatloaf, I wondered what would happen if I placed a meatloaf/burger type mixture into muffin cups.  When I looked in the refrigerator and freezer and found quinoa and pesto, I thought that these might be ideal companions to the turkey.  This recipe is the result!

Donna's Pesto Quinoa Turkey Patties

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

1 cup cooked quinoa

3/4 cup prepared pesto, preferably homemade

Salt and pepper to taste

12 grape tomatoes

Parmesan cheese, grated

Sriracha sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Mix together gently first five ingredients.

Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture into each of the sprayed muffin cups.

Place grape tomato in center of each cup and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Top decoratively with Sriracha sauce.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 4.

Copyright 2014.