31 Squashlove: Portobello Spaghetti Squash

Hey everybody, it's officially fall (now bordering on winter) so what better time to share squash recipes of all variety! Last month was my first opportunity to participate in a #love blog hop, and this month is my first chance to co-host it. #love events are composed of a whole variety of food bloggers who share recipes showing their love for a certain ingredient. Last month the theme was applelove, and this month we are sharing squash recipes. Pumpkin, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, they're all ingredients we're showing respect to this month! Thanks to EA Stewart for introducing me to the blog hop group!

My main contribution to this month's event is my Portobello and Pancetta Spaghetti Squash. As someone who is gluten free, spaghetti squash is a godsend. I don't quite understand how it happens, but spaghetti squash has this amazing texture after its cooked that looks just like angel hair pasta! Even better, a good spaghetti squash has tons more flavor than angel hair pasta, and can provide a delicious taste to an overall meal. I came up with a fairly simple sauce that combines the richness of Portobellos and butter, the salty pork flavor of pancetta, and the aromatics of white wine. For this recipe, be sure to use a white wine you would drink. I recommend the flavor that a Reisling provides, but you can feel free to use whatever is handy. Check out my recipe at end of the post, under the blog hop!

Thanks to all of the other co-hosts for this month's #squashlove event!

Baker Street | Anuradha : @bakerstreet29

Bloc De Recetas | Salomé : @blocderecetas

Bon à croquer | Valerie : @valouth

Cafe Terra Blog | Terra : @cafeterrablog

Elephant Eats | Amy 

Food Wanderings | Shulie : @foodwanderings

Hobby and More | Richa : @betit19

Mike's Baking | Mike : @mikesbaking

Mis Pensamientos | Junia : @juniakk

My Twisted Recipes | Dudut : @mytwistedrecipe

Queens Notebook | Elizabeth : @mango_queen

Simply Reem | Reem : @simplyreem

Skip To Malou | Malou : @malou_nievera

Teaspoon Of Spice | Serena : @tspcurry

The Daily Palette | Annapet : @thedailypalette

The Professional Palette | Regan : @profpalate

The Spicy RD | EA : @thespicyrd

Vegan Miam | Rika : @veganmiam

Feel free to add your favorite squash recipes to this bloghop! 

Portobello Spaghetti Squash with a White Wine Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes for the squash in the oven, 15 minutes for the sauce.
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash
salt and pepper
3 ounces Pancetta, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic,minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 Portobello mushroom caps, cubed
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup Reisling
Feta Cheese for garnish



Steps
Preheat the oven to 350F. Slices the spaghetti squash in half, and then scoop out all of the seeds. Drizzle the insides with olive oil, and generously salt and pepper. Place face down on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until the flesh is tender. Once baked, set aside for 5 minutes.

While the squash bakes, sautee the pancetta over medium heat until crispy. Remove the pancetta from the pan, and set it aside for later. Add the oil, garlic, and onion to the pan. Sautee until the onion is translucent. Add the mushrooms, butter, and wine to the pan, and cook until the the wine reduces and a sauce begins to form, about 10 to 15 minutes.

With a fork, shred the flesh of the squash into spaghetti-shaped strands. ( see image next to ingredient list ). Empty the squash into the pan, and add the pancetta back to the pan. Over low heat, mix all the ingredients until the squash is coated with sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.


I hope you enjoy, and feel free to share the squash love!

0 Mocha Chip Parfait

Hey everyone! I hope yall are having a great beginning to your weekend. Last month, through Foodbuzz I received the opportunity to try Godiva coffee. Not only did the flavors smell and taste like they were described, but went wonderful with desserts. Here's my recipe for Mocha Chocolate Chip Parfait!

Serves 8 people
Prep Time 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies of your preference
1 4.5 oz box of chocolate pudding mix
1.5 cups of milk
.5 cup room temperature brewed Godiva Caramel Pecan Bark coffee
Whipped Cream

Steps
In a medium saucepan, stir the mix, milk, and coffee over medium heat. Once the pudding starts to boil, stir constantly for one minute, and then remove it from heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir it constantly for another 5 in order to cool it down. It is ready for the next step once room temperature.

In high ball shot glasses or some other dessert presentation, crumble the cookies into the glasses until there is a 1/4 inch layer of cookie on the bottom.

Pipe the pudding into each glass until halfway full.

Add a dollop of whipped cream, then add another layer of cookie. Fill to the top with chocolate pudding. 

When ready to serve, garnish with additional whipped cream. I hope you enjoy!

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received Godiva Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Pecan Bark coffee.

12 Gluten Free Ratio Pie

Hey everyone! Its the first Wednesday of the month, and time for the Gluten Free Ratio Rally! With the holiday times approaching, we decided to tackle gluten free pie crust this month! For those who are new to the Ratio Rally, it's based upon Rhulman's baking ratios. If you want to know more about these, check out Ruhlman's book on Amazon.

I will admit this Ratio Rally was second in difficulty to the pate a choux Rally a few months back. (That one still ranks as the hardest thing I've attempted from a culinary aspect). The difficulty I've experienced with gluten free pie crust in the past is their delicate nature. Historically for me it's been much easier to tear or break gluten free crust versus traditional wheat crust (curse you gluten). However, with my experiences this month and the knowledge shared between the group, I think I've made my best gluten free pie crust thus far.

Also, thank you to Lisa for hosting this month, and to everyone who shared their tips and methods! Be sure to check out Lisa's post here.

And here are the rest of the posts for this Rally, let me know if you'd be interested in joining!

Jean Layton from Gluten-Free Doctor Cheese Crusted Apple Pie

Charissa from Zest Bakery Apple Galette with Pisco Soaked Golden Raisins

Kate from katealicecookbook Kale & Zucchini Tart

Jenn from Jenn Cuisine Sweet Potato and Duck Pot Pie

Caleigh from Gluten Free[k] Leek and Potato Pie

Rachel from The Crispy Cook Maple Walnut Pie

gretchen from kumquat deep dish chocolate bourbon pecan pie

Claire from Gluten Freedom Autumn Pumpkin Spice Pie

Morri from Meals With Morri  Spinach – Prosciutto Ricotta Quiche & Muffin Tin Pie Variations

Silvana Nardone from Silvana’s Kitchen Chicken Potpie

Caneel from Mama Me Gluten Free Green Tomato Pie

Meredith from Gluten Free Betty Blueberry Pie

Shauna from Gluten-free Girl and the Chef Fresh Pumpkin Pie

Meaghan from The Wicked Good Vegan Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie with Pumpkin Seed and Ginger Topping

Erin from The Sensitive Epicure Chess Pie 

Mary Fran from frannycakes Pumpkin Mousse Pie and Apple Maple Cream Cheese Pie

Brooke from B & the boy! Pot Pie

Lisa from Gluten Free Canteen Frangipane Apple Tart

 ~Mrs. R from Honey From Flinty Rocks Mock Apple Pie

Serving Size 8-10 people

Active Prep Time 20 minutes

Inactive Prep Time 6 hours

Bake Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

150 g white rice flour

100 g tapioca starch

50 g potato starch

100 g cold shortening, cubed

100 g cold butter, cubed

100 g ice cold water

1 tsp salt

Filling:

7 oz dark chocolate

2 tbsp sugar

2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

Whipped cream for garnish

Steps

Crust: In a food processor, pulse the salt, flour and starches to mix them. Add half of the shortening and butter and pulse until the flour and fat starts to collect into crumbs. Scrape the sides and bottom of the processor, add the rest of the fat, and pulse until the fat is distributed throughout the flour. While adding small amounts at a time, pulse the water into the flour mix just until a dough forms and is sticky to the touch. This may not require the whole 100g. 

For those who've made wheat flour pie crusts before, this dough will feel much stickier than you are used to. Don't worry, that will be normal. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F. When ready to roll out, place a sheet of plastic wrap onto a counter, and generously cover with tapioca starch. Unwrap the dough and place onto the plastic wrap. Dust the dough with tapioca starch, and cover your rolling pin in tapioca starch. Gently roll the dough out into the shape of a circle, slightly bigger than your pie tin. You'll want a thickness of about 1/8th of an inch. Be sure to constantly dust your rolling pin and the top of the dough with starch to prevent sticking to your pin. When at your desired thickness, carefully put your hands under the plastic wrap holding your dough and invert into the pie tin. Gently tuck the dough into the pie tin, fitting the shape. If there's any cracks, use excess dough to fill them in. Place the dough in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until crispy and slightly golden. Let the pie crust cool completely.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the sugar until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove the chocolate from the heat, and let cool to room temperature. In a large, cold mixing bowl, whip the cream until peaks form. Gently fold the chocolate into the whipped cream, and spread into the pie crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving, and serve with whipped cream. I hope you enjoy! 

6 Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies

This week I'm hosting a recipe sharing event called #pumpkinparty, where you can see all the recipes people have shared in this post.

For my first recipe, I wanted to share my gluten free pumpkin cookies with crystallized ginger. One thing I love about fall produce is the variety of fresh squash available in the stores. For this recipe I made my own pumpkin puree using a pie pumpkin, but you can use canned pumpkin puree for this recipe as well. Pie pumpkins are smaller than the kind you carve for jack-o-lanterns, and therefore have a smoother, sweeter texture when pureed. Here's an older post of mine detailing how to make pumpkin puree.

I also saw some crystallized ginger in the store, so I decided to use that in the recipe to give it a little bit of a kick.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 18 minutes per sheet
Yields: about 32 cookies

Dry Ingredients
3/4 cup white rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla

Topping
1tbsp crystallized ginger, minced
Glaze (1 cup powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp milk mixed together)

Steps
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, blend the butter until fluffy. Mix in the sugar until well combined. To this whip in the egg with the pumpkin puree and the vanilla. It should produce a pumpkin slurry as pictured.

Fold the dry mix into the slurry by the half cup until a consistent cookie batter has been made. Scoop by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheets, and top each cookie with pieces of crystallized ginger. Bake for 18 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges.

Drizzle the glaze on top of each cookie, and enjoy!

Be sure to check everyone else's pumpkin recipes here!

4 Pumpkin Party Blog Hop!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far! Earlier this month, as mentioned in this post, I was inspired by others in the blogging community to host a pumpkin party this week. My hope is that this will be a wonderful opportunity for bloggers to share their favorite pumpkin recipes with each other through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. I hope everyone enjoys the pumpkin party, running from today until the end of the month!

Please feel free to join! To do so:

• Add your recipe to the blog hop below.
• Please link back any pumpkin recipe to this post so all your readers can easily see everyone's pumpkin recipes!
• If you use twitter, feel free to share using the #pumpkinparty hash tag.

Thanks for joining, and feel free to share the event!