Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

More than half my family is now eating gluten free. Yes, we are a family full of autoimmune diseases and GI disorders! Mom has been gluten free for over a year and doing well, then my brother started a gluten free diet about a month ago. In just that short amount of time, he has seen a drastic change with his health, for the better. 

Going Gluten Free

I made a conscious effort at the beginning of the year to cut out gluten, and can now say I have done this entirely. Yes, this sucks! I miss pizza and beer and biscuits, even Ezekial bread. But gluten has been scientifically linked to inflammation in the body. Considering Crohn's causes inflammation in the gut, I thought this would be an appropriate diet to try.  

Eating gluten free is actually not that difficult. I have already (inadvertantly) posted many recipes that fall into this category. Check out my new Gluten Free Recipe page in the navigation bar. I will be sure to add in more tips and tricks as I go along with this blog, but don't worry, I will still be posting the good stuff (i.e. recipes full of gluten)!!!

For my first "official" gluten free recipe, I thought I would post a fun and easy one...spaghetti squash with meatballs. A great substitute for the Italian comfort food, but with a lot more health benefits. I usually roast a few spaghetti squashes at a time, so I can have leftovers as an easy veggie side dish.

Spaghetti Squash with Meatballs

Serves: 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes


1 3-4lb spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise
Favorite sauce (store bought or homemade)
Favorite meatballs (store bought or homemade)

Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the seeds from both halves of the squash by using a metal spoon and scraping them out. I usually discard the seeds because I never have time to do anything with them.

Place the halves cut-side down on the baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes or until very tender. Turn the halves over to release steam and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Using a fork, scrape the flesh out of the skin into noodles and serve right away or keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake for My 100th Post

Chocolate? Yes!

Red wine? Yes please!

Cake? Uhh...Yea!

100th post....YAY!

It is amazing to me that the food gods have allowed two things to happen:

1. That chocolate, red wine and cake can come together in blissful harmony and 
2. That I am able to keep up this blog in the midst of my busy life. 

Hard to believe that I have cooked, experimented with and written 100 posts!! Yay, go Kettler Cuisine!! 

100th Post on Kettler Cuisine

I was so excited when I noticed that I was approaching my 100th post that it was hard for me to decide on what to write about. One thing was obvious, write a huge THANK YOU! I have so much in store for all my followers, and can't wait to keep this blog going for many more posts. I can't express how grateful I am to many people in my life that encourage me, my love for cooking, and this blog. So thank you to my family, friends, and the culinary community for all your support. And what better way to say thank you, than with cake?

       

I've made Smitten Kitchen's Red Wine Chocolate Cake in the past and for some odd reason, waited an entire year to make it again. I DO NOT know why, for the life of me, I waited another year to try this recipe again because it is so easy and delicious!! My 100th post seemed like the perfect opportunity!

The website recipe for Chocolate Red Wine Cake is a bit different than the cookbook recipe, but they're both delicious! This has become my go-to cake for all occasions. Not only is this an extremely easy recipe, it gives a nice excuse to open a bottle of red wine. :)

So, raise your glass (of red wine or preferred libation) and cheers with me....Here's to many more posts on Kettler Cuisine! 

Do you have a favorite recipe? Do you have recipes you want me to write about? Email me or "like" me on Facebook and let me know.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen Red Wine Chocolate Cake 

Yields: 9-inch round cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature

3/4 cup red wine (I use a Cabernet Sauvignon)

1/4 cup milk (any kind)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup + 1 T all-purpose flour

1/2 cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Favorite frosting or whipped cream to top - I like Mascarpone Frosting 

Preheat the oven to 325F and line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper (I use a pencil to trace a circle around the cake pan on the parchment paper and cut the exact size). Butter and flour the sides of the pan and parchment paper well.

In a large bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter until smooth, then add in the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes. Add the full egg and additional egg yolk and beat well. Add in the red wine, then vanilla and mix well. The batter might seem a bit uneven - no worries according to Smitten Kitchen (and Kettler Cuisine kitchen)!

Over a separate medium mixing bowl blend the flour, cacao, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. Pour into a sifter and sift about 3/4 of this mixture right over the wet ingredients. Then fold in the rest with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Test the cake (insert toothpick into the center, should come out clean) after 20 minutes. The cake will overcook fast, so watch it carefully!

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully flip the cake out of the pan and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. Once the cake is fully cooled, dust with powdered sugar right before serving or serve with fresh whipped cream or Mascarpone frosting...and of course, a glass of red wine!

Seaweed Salad

This post is for my girl Virginia! She loooooves sushi and is not afraid to admit it. I don't even ask anymore where we are meeting for lunch or dinner because she has usually set her mind to sushi. One of our staple sushi accouterments is seaweed salad. I love it and always order it prior to whatever raw-fish roll I am in the mood for. 

Seaweed is Good For You

Thinking about seaweed brought a grimace to my face, thinking back on all the times my brother used to find it on the beach and throw it at me. Talk about getting an instant scream! So how is it that seaweed salad has become such a popular side dish in America? Well, we aren't the first to pick up on the salt-water-dwelling algae. Like most foods, trends and recipes, we "borrow" ideas from other cultures. The Chinese and Japanese have included sea vegetables in their diets and medicinal remedies for centuries. And rightly so, seaweed is FULL of essential vitamins and minerals. 

Therefore, one would think this is a healthy side dish to order while at a sushi restaurant, but apparently not all healthy. Much like many wonderful things, it has a defect....too much sugar and sodium. Beware of what you are about to read....seaweed salad can have as much as 1200mg of sodium in a serving!! Esh....that is definitely most of the suggested daily intake and probably the reason for major bloat after eating it.

When I was shopping in Trader Joe's the other day, I came across one of their new items - dehydrated seaweed salad. I didn't like the dressing that was included, so I threw it away and created my own version, further controlling the amount of sugar AND sodium. Even better, my dressing is gluten free!! So here is to having your cake (or seaweed) and eating it too!! Enjoy Virginia :)

Seaweed Salad

Yields: 2 cups salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes

1 package of Trader Joe's Dehydrated Seaweed Salad (discard dressing) or 30 grams mixture of dried seaweeds (nori, wakame, etc)
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 T low-sodium Tamari (or soy sauce if gluten is not an issue)
1 T sake (optional - Trader Joe's usually has it)
1 T rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp red pepper powder or flakes

Suggested toppings:
sesame seeds, toasted (white or black)
cucumber, thinly sliced
scallion, finely chopped
radish, thinly sliced
avocado, diced

Follow the instructions for re-hydrating the seaweed (unless you have fresh, then just rinse and drain). For the Trader Joe's package, soak the seaweed in water for 7-10 minutes.

Dehydrated

Rehydrated

In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together and adjust the honey and red pepper powder to taste. Then pour over the seaweed, serve with desired toppings and enjoy!