Chicken Curry

This recipe comes to me from my good friend, former roommate, and duet partner Jill. Another great rice recipe, you can spice this up or keep it really nice and mellow.

For this recipe, you will need:

- 1-4 Chicken breasts, cut into small stir-fry portions
- 3/4 c butter; 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 qt chicken broth
- 1 clove garlic or 1-2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 c onion chopped
- 1-2 Tbsp curry powder
- 1/8-1/4 c cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper

Sautee meat in ~3/4 c butter (use less butter for less meat). Saute garlic, onion, and curry powder in 3 T butter. Remove from heat and add cornstarch, cardamom, ginger, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken broth, bring to a boil, and cook slowly for 10-20 mins, reducing heat and stirring as needed. Add meat at any time. Serve over rice or couscous.

Notes: If time is short, use the pre-cut chicken breast tenderloins found in the poultry section. I did this and found that I needed less than 1/2 c butter for sauteeing. Add more cardamom, curry, and pepper to kick up spiciness. Modify amounts of onion, garlic, etc. as necessary for tastes.

Pumpkin Sausage Pasta

This is a great sauce to celebrate Autumn. As a friend of mine candidly put it, "That sounds heinous!" However, it is, in fact quite delicious. I would not make it my first recipe if it weren't super yummy...

This is best served over gluten-free pasta but can also be a great sauce over sticky rice (be generous with your sauce if using rice since it absorbs so much moisture).

For this recipe, you will need:

- 1 lb Cooked Gluten-Free Pasta or Sticky White Rice
- 1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
- 1 medium Onion, sliced and chopped in quarters
- 4 Cloves of Garlic (or maybe ~1 Tbsp Garlic Powder... use your best judgment)
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 Tbsps fresh Sage
- 1 c Dry White Wine or Chicken Broth
- 1 c Chicken Broth (2 c total if using Broth over Wine)
- 1 15-oz can Pumpkin puree
- 1/2 c Evaporated Milk
- 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- Salt/Pepper to taste

Start water to boil for pasta or rice. Add pasta when ready. Coat large skillet w/ cooking spray and brown sausage. Remove from heat, drain grease, and set meat aside in separate bowl. Return pan to stove. Coat with additional olive oil or sausage grease if necessary. Add chopped onion and garlic. Sautee til onions are soft, keeping pan wet. Add bay leaf, sage, and white wine (or 1st cup of chicken broth). Cook til half of liquid evaporates. Mix in pumpkin and (2nd cup of) chicken broth. Continue stirring til sauce starts to bubble. Add sausage back in and reduce heat. Stir in evap milk. Add seasonings and simmer 5-10 mins to thinken. Remove bay leaf. Pour over pasta or rice. Garnish with Parmesan or Romano cheese and additional Sage if desired.

Notes: Use a Sweet Italian Sausage or if possible, a sausage that has only salt and pepper seasoning. Also it's important not to brown the onions and keep the pan wet during the sauteeing process.

Pilot

My story is probably similar to many of yours. You're going along, thinking life is great when suddenly everything you eat seems to make you sick. For me, I thought it was coffee. And while the acidity in coffee was certainly aggravating my poor digestive system, there was yet another culprit at large: gluten and gluten-based products. My online research revealed that gluten is one of the most complex compounds our bodies attempt to break down. Wow. And I have to admit that probably 60% (or more) of my diet consisted of this compound. As a student-musician, I do not have tons of time nor money to invest in professional-level meals, though I have quickly and recently discovered a new outlet for my stress: cooking. And making sure I can eat without getting sick. This blog is devoted to providing quality gluten-free recipes for the under-budgeted among us. My first recipe will come later tonight after testing :)