Dietary Restrictions

Chicken, Millet and Spinach Appetizers

We all have a repertoire of appetizers that we make year after year. These recipes are family favourites that we look forward to making and sharing. Sometimes, it is nice to change things up a bit. This recipe for Chicken, Millet and Spinach Appetizers was developed because I was looking for a way to incorporate lean ground chicken into a lighter first course or appetizer. The final result was this recipe for Chicken, Millet and Spinach Appetizers – a delicious, attractive and lean recipe.

Millet was chosen as an ingredient in this recipe for several reasons – it binds well with the delicate texture of the ground chicken and it is also gluten-free and inexpensive. Millet is an ancient seed that one-third of the world uses in their diet because it is rich in iron, B vitamins and calcium. The chlorophyll from the spinach and parsley tints the ground chicken mixture to a unique green colour. This makes the appetizers a colourful addition to the holiday season due to their garden-fresh appearance. I encourage you to try this delicious appetizer – not only for the holidays but all year around.

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Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies – GF, DF, Low Refined Sugar

By Denise Pare-Watson

Kids in the Kitchen Series

It is no secret that I enjoy having children in my kitchen. I love being a part of their eagerness and excitement when I suggest that we do some baking together. Today, we were presented with a different type of baking challenge. Their grandfather requested cookies that included some of his most favourite ingredients. Additionally, we had to consider several dietary restrictions: the cookies had to be healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free and low in refined sugar. Together we came up with a delicious cookie recipe that the children appropriately named, “Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies.” Skip to Recipe

Junior Chef's Best Cookies | urbnspice.com

Junior Chef’s Best Cookies are Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Low Refined Sugar and delicious!

Baking is a great opportunity to teach children all about measurements such as fractions, weight, volume and calculating yield. These are skills that they need to learn and it sure is a fun way to create memories that will last a lifetime.

“Always eat something that the farmer grows as part of your snack” was the standing rule that we had with our daughters and now that same rule applies to our grandchildren. Okanagan apricots are in season. We really enjoy this fruit, which is juicy and sweet and always creates a drippy mess on our fingers. The rewards for eating what the farmer grows are these delicious healthy cookies! How great is that?…

Turkey, Mushroom and Power Greens Pasta

By Denise Pare-Watson

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun dishes. To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.” This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the April Blenditarian Challenge is “Go Green for Earth Month.” The challenge is to create an earth-‘friendlier’ dish by incorporating The Blend (mushrooms + ground meat) into “power greens.” For this reason, I have developed a recipe called Turkey, Mushroom and Power Greens Pasta. It is a recipe that can be adapted for many dietary needs, such as dairy-free, gluten-free, heart-healthy, and is also Weight Watchers friendly.

Skip To Recipe

Turkey, Mushroom and Power Greens Pasta

When you use chicken or turkey in a ‘Blend’, it is called a ‘blond blend’. Lean ground turkey is an excellent choice, not only because it is a low-fat protein option, but also because it readily assimilates the flavours of the ingredients. In this recipe, spices such as cumin and chilli powder lend a subtle earthy spiciness, and using paprika helps to create an appealing golden colour to the meat mixture. The use of fresh herbs (parsley and basil) adds brightness to the dish.

Let’s talk about power greens. Power greens can be described as a nutrient-dense superfood of leafy greens contributing an energy boost with high amounts of Vitamins A and C, iron and calcium, dietary fibre and potassium. The greens can be used individually or can be found in a mix often comprised of baby spinach, Swiss chard (both red and green), and kale. For this recipe, I utilized Dinosaur Kale (also known as Tuscan kale, or black kale). I love the look of the curled dark glossy leaves. It is a sturdy green with a tough stalk. I removed the stalk by slicing along each side. Once all of the stalks have been removed, I gathered the leafy ‘strips’ and sliced them thinly (a chiffonade cut). I added the prepared kale to the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking.

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White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Mini Cheesecakes with Gluten Free Crust

By Denise Pare-Watson

I love cheesecake! Just about everyone in my circle of family and friends will answer “cheesecake” when asked what their favourite dessert is. I like to make sure that no one is left out due to dietary restrictions, so I developed this recipe for White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Mini Cheesecakes with a Gluten Free Crust. Even the folks that could eat foods with gluten loved this cheesecake.

Although this delicious white chocolate cheesecake recipe will feed a crowd (9-inch springform pan), I prefer to divide the cheesecake custard to make mini cheesecakes (18 – 24 mini cheesecakes). The crust I created for this particular cheesecake is a gluten-free rice flour crust that is pre-baked for just a few minutes before the cheesecake custard is poured in.

For these dainty little cheesecakes, a simple garnish is all that is required. Top each mini cheesecake with a quarter wedge of strawberry or other perfect berry and you will have an impressive dessert for a buffet or dessert tray. Bonus Technique: I have included a simple technique to make your own white chocolate garnishes as pictured in the photographs below. I hope you will enjoy trying these White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Mini Cheesecakes.

White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes | urbnspice.com

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Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

By Denise Pare-Watson

Here is the story behind these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers: one of my daughters recently discovered that she had to temporarily adopt a gluten-free lifestyle due to some serious digestive and blood sugar issues. That can be quite challenging for some people to deal with. My work as a chef often touches on developing gluten-free recipes; however, concentrating on adapting familiar recipes that our family frequently made together became paramount to help our girl. She was getting tired of eating salads.

: Rock Star Veggie Burgers made for Kid of a Chef – Gluten Free Rock Star

One of the first recipes she wanted to adapt was Dad’s famous hamburger into a vegetarian version that would provide the protein and vegetables she required yet still give her the same satisfying feeling of satiety that his burgers gave her. And so, our family came up with these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers.

I have to say that this is by far the best vegetarian burger I have ever had. They are a delicious and flavourful burger. I needed something that would hold the burgers together as a binding agent. Moistened gluten-free bread is always an option; however, why not step up the flavour component if you can?

In this gluten-free version of veggie burgers, I used rehydrated dried vegetable flakes. After rehydrating the vegetable flakes, I pureed them to make a paste and folded them into the vegetable burger mixture. As a flavour booster, it was amazing! So much so that we have used this technique in other gluten-free dishes. After trying them in the vegetarian version we now used them in regular hamburger mixture, meatloaf and meatball mixtures.

: Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

NOTE: Dried vegetable flakes can be found in your grocer’s bulk food section. They usually contain a mixture of carrots, onions, celery, leeks and garlic, and occasionally bell peppers, potatoes, and cabbage. They are useful for many recipes, such as soups, stews, and these veggie burgers.

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

CHEF TALK: The combination of beans in this recipe is a favourite of mine due to the firmness of the chickpeas and the creaminess of the white beans, making a great texture for the burger mixture. Try making them slider size for a light meal with salad greens. For small plate sharing, or for an appetizer, make them Toonie size. The veggie burgers are gluten free, grain free, sugar-free, nut-free and dairy free. Note: for egg-free veggie burgers (if you cannot tolerate eggs or do not want to use the egg), substitute for 3 tablespoons of aquafaba liquid.

Yield: Approximately 24 slider-sized burgers, or 10 to 12 large burger sized portion.

INGREDIENTS:

Dried Vegetable Flakes	½ cup
White beans (white kidney, Cannellini bean)	1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)
Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans)	1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)
Vegetable Oil	1 – 2 Tbsp.
Green pepper	1 medium, diced fine
Onion, cooking	1 medium, diced fine
Mushrooms	½ cup, chopped fine
Garlic cloves	6 cloves, peeled, mashed finely
Tomato paste	1 Tbsp.
Chili Powder	1 Tbsp.
Ground Cumin	1 teaspoon
Coriander	1 teaspoon
Garlic salt	1 Tbsp.
Sea salt, fine	To taste
Pepper, ground	To Taste
Eggs (optional, if required)	1
Hot sauce (Tabasco or similar)	1 teaspoon
Lemon juice	1 Tbsp.
Lemon zest	1 teaspoon
Parsley, flat leaf	1/3 cup, chopped

Optional: Gluten Free Panko Crumbs to coat the burgers

METHOD:

Rehydrate vegetable flakes in 1 cup boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. The vegetable flakes will soften and absorb the water. Drain and mash or puree the vegetable flakes to a paste.
Mash the beans in a large bowl with a fork (or food processor) until thick and pasty. Set aside.
In a large frying pan, sauté the diced vegetables (pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic) in vegetable oil. (Alternatively, place all of the vegetables in a food processor and process until finely chopped).
Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat until caramelized. Add the rehydrated vegetable paste.
Add seasonings and tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
Add this mixture to the mashed beans.
Combine together hot sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Stir into the bean-vegetable mixture. If required for binding purposes, you may use an egg, beaten, if desired to achieve the texture you want for shaping the burgers – not too moist or too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Using an ice cream scoop or another measuring tool, portion the mixture into large patties, or smaller slider burger portions, and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. I used gluten-free panko crumbs to coat the burgers. CHEF TIP: The burgers benefit from a quick chill of 30 minutes or so in the refrigerator. You can also make them ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to complete the recipe.

Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burger Mix

: Rock Star Veggie Burgers are scooped and coated with gluten-free panko crumbs

To cook the Rock Star Veggie Burgers:

Fry the burgers in a frying pan with a little vegetable oil until golden, or.
Alternatively, in a preheated 350oF oven, bake the prepared veggie burgers on a baking tray until golden, or.
Freeze the uncooked or cooked burgers until firm and store in an airtight container in between layers of parchment paper.

Serve in lettuce cups with slices of avocado and tomato, and cheese (if it is not a dietary restriction). The photo of the burger uses tiny gluten-free buns.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Gluten-Free Flour Blends
Folding
Tweaking
__________

You Might Also Enjoy These Gluten Free Posts:

Gluten Free Rock Star (written by “Kid of a Chef”)

My Inspiration of the Day – Stuffed Whole Cabbage

Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques

Going Gluten Free

Gluten for Punishment

Gluten for Punishment, Too!

“It’s easy to impress me.

I don’t need a fancy party to be happy.

Just good friends, good food, and good laughs.

I’m happy.

I’m satisfied.

I’m content.”

Maria Sharapova

Happy Veggie Burger Making, Rock Stars!

If you give this recipe for Gluten Free Veggie Burgers a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

And lastly, my cookbook called, Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious

Volume Four: Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts,

recipes created using some of my favourite and cherished recipes from my pastry chef career

and transformed them into gluten-free recipes just for you!

Thanks for your support!

This post is linked to Gluten Free and DIY Tuesday

Classic Cobb Salad

By Denise Pare-Watson

You don’t know what you are missing if you have never had a Classic Cobb Salad – it is a classic salad with a great story behind it. The original salad was invented at the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood by the owner – Mr. Cobb, of course.

The story reports that Mr. Cobb worked non-stop in the busy restaurant until midnight. He was starving! He frenziedly mixed together this amazing salad with the things that he pulled together from the salad bar and tossed it with the house vinaigrette and the rest, as they say, is history!

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POTATO CRUSTED QUICHE

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urbnspice

I have had so much fun in the past few weeks developing recipes for The Little Potato Company who have been working with Food Bloggers of Canada (FBC) to sponsor an opportunity for its FBC members to develop original recipes utilizing their unique potatoes. These little nugget potatoes were the inspiration for my Potato Crusted Quiche.

In developing these recipes, I had several favourites and this one in particular: Potato Crusted Quiche is just too good not to share with you. It is well worth trying. In addition, this recipe is a gluten-free option. It is also for those of you who avoid making quiche (or pies and tarts, for that matter) because of the ‘dreaded pie crust dilemma’. This Potato Crusted Quiche recipe is for you!

Potato Crusted Quiche

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Sweet Potato Pancakes (Gluten Free)

By Denise Pare-Watson

Pancakes are definitely a comfort food, aren’t they? I have experimented with different varieties and Sweet Potato Pancakes have become a favourite. Lately, pancakes in our house often mean certain dietary restrictions are considered, depending on who I am making them for. When grandchildren are visiting, I will often add a scoopful of protein powder (age appropriate ) and quinoa flakes to give them a running start. When their Daddy or Mommy are visiting, the recipe gets changed again to accommodate dairy free and grain free restrictions.

The little ones told me yesterday that they had run out of my pancakes, so I had better get busy again making a batch and freezing them to reheat. They make a quick and easy breakfast served with fresh berries and a fruit syrup.

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Yogurt Pancakes – Revisited once again

By Denise Pare-Watson

I am revisiting a very familiar and much-loved family recipe for Yogurt Pancakes. One of my readers asked a question regarding baking powder vs baking soda. She was on a quest to make her daughter light fluffy pancakes. The tricky part was making a fluffy pancake without eggs due to an egg allergy.

Once again, another reader, being a celiac, wanted so much to try these pancakes. I adapted this recipe again to accommodate her dietary concerns and issues. Since she was able to tolerate dairy products, I was able to use milk. There are, of course, other options for dairy milk, such as substituting rice milk, coconut milk or almond milk or even fruit juice.

Yogurt Pancakes ready to eat

This is a perfect recipe to try. It has all the qualities of a fluffy pancake and the egg substitute as posted below will ensure that your daughter can enjoy her fluffy pancakes soon! Good luck!

Yogurt Pancakes on the griddle

Yogurt Pancakes

YOGURT PANCAKES:

CHEF TALK: No other pancake will do in the Urbnspice household. These are very easy to make. They are light, very fluffy, and so delicious! If you can find real maple syrup for the Hot Maple Butter, it’s the best!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup plain dairy yogurt or non-dairy coconut yogurt
3/4 cup milk or milk substitutes such as coconut milk, almond milk, or lactose-free milk beverage
2 eggs, beaten (or 1/2 cup egg substitute from the recipe below)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, melted

METHOD:

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Combine the yogurt, milk, eggs (or egg substitute) and butter.
Add all at once to the dry ingredients.
Stir just until combined.
Serve with Hot Maple Butter

Hot Maple Butter:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter

METHOD:

Combine and stir until butter melts and sauce is heated through.

Fluffy Yogurt Pancakes on the griddle

For Egg Allergies: Substitute ½ cup egg substitute (below) for the 2 eggs

EGG SUBSTITUTE

INGREDIENTS

Combine these :

3 cups of water
1/3 cups flax seeds

METHOD:

Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain, Refrigerate. It will become very thick.
For every egg required in a recipe, substitute 1/4 cup of the flax seed liquid.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Gluten-Free Flour Blends
__________

You Might Also Enjoy:

Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques

Cranberry-Coconut and Carrot Muffins

Best Ever Banana Muffins

Roasted Tomato Compote with Poached Eggs

If you try my recipe for Yogurt Pancakes, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

GLUTEN FOR PUNISHMENT, TOO

By Denise Pare-Watson

This post is a sequel to Gluten for Punishment, which is why I called it Gluten for Punishment, Too. What do you do when you have the challenge of multiple dietary restrictions to consider?

I have been experimenting at home and in my workplace featuring gluten-free, grain-free, and sometimes dairy-free recipes. This week, the recipe testing happened to include all three restrictions!

This would make most chefs shake their heads, shiver in their toques, or briskly march their chef-clogs out of the kitchen. Not this chef, since I have a virtuous reason why I am persisting in this culinary undertaking. I need to provide my daughter with ideas regarding a very special 1st birthday cake. Why, you ask? The one-year-old has an Auntie who has a gluten-free, grain-free restriction and follows a Paleo Diet. As well, our tiny guest of honour is lactose intolerant.

: Gluten Free Cake with Dairy Free Ganache

If this happened to you, what would you do? You may not necessarily be facing the restrictions listed above; however, most gatherings have guests with some type of restriction that you have to consider when planning your menu. This does not necessarily mean that you have to serve sorbet for dessert, although it certainly provides an alternative.

My suggestion is to list the restrictions of your guests and make sure you review the ingredients that you will be using in your recipes carefully and methodically. Eliminate or modify any recipe that will be problematic for allergies, sensitivities or intolerances (these reactions are all different).

In many cases, you can exclude or substitute an ingredient in certain recipes and they will not affect the end result. For example, the addition of heavy cream or butter to your pan when making a sauce for chicken breasts or other meats can be omitted for your dairy sensitive guests without adversely affecting the sauce. In this situation, you can use the reduction method by simmering the liquid in the pan until it thickens.

Taking the concept of substitution into consideration, my challenge was to develop a birthday cake or dessert recipe that is gluten-free; grain-free and dairy free.

: Gluten Free Chocolate Cakes with Dairy Free Ganache variations

The birthday cake recipe that I developed is a flourless chocolate cake, using a nut meal (if tolerable), coconut flour or sunflower seed flour as a flour substitute. Typically, I would cover this type of rustic cake with a ganache made of heavy cream and chocolate. Since dairy ingredients are an issue, I made a ganache from fruit puree – in this case, raspberry puree. Raspberry puree is easily made by pressing fresh or thawed berries through a sieve to remove seeds and sweetened to taste. You can find out How to Make Raspberry Coulis post here.

: Gluten Free Chocolate Cakes with Dairy Free Ganache variations

Another dessert option for this type of dietary restriction (if a cake is not required), is a sabayon (the French culinary term) or zabaglione (Italian culinary term). A sabayon is a sweet sauce produced by a similar technique used in the popular savoury hollandaise sauce (Eggs Benedict). There are only three ingredients in a sabayon: Egg Yolks, Sugar, a speciality wine blend. Marsala is typically used, although an Ice Wine is also brilliant (although very expensive).

Another dietary restriction challenge has been unravelled. There are others to be solved! Stay tuned.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Gluten-Free Flour Blends
__________

Urb’n’Spice Books:

Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – The Cookbook Series from Pastry Chef Denise Paré-Watson of Urb’n’Spice

If you enjoyed reading this post, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

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Dietary Restrictions

Kids in the Kitchen Series

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

The Inspiration of Urbnspice

… Read More »

YOGURT PANCAKES:

Hot Maple Butter:

EGG SUBSTITUTE

…

Read More »