Method of Cooking:
Stove top, oven

Tip:
Cooked chicken was cooled to the touch then pulled the off of the bone and cut up using kitchen shears.

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This was a multi-step meal.

Chicken thighs were cooked on top of the stove in boiling water seasoned as if making chicken broth. We then used the broth to make the enchilada sauce, the tamale cornmeal mixture, and the beans.

The beans —which had been prepared earlier in the month and kept in the freezer— were defrosted, added to a pan with onions, spices, and more of our homemade chicken broth, and cooked til tender, about 10 minutes.

Although several parts of the meal used the same chicken broth, each is flavored differently with its own set of spice combinations.

The Dish:

Method of Cooking:
Oven

Tip:
Sorghum flour is also known as Jowar flour at most Indian stores.

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There are two flavors of gluten-free scones you see in the picture. One is cranberry orange (orange zest + chopped up cranberries).  And the other is walnut/dates with lemon icing drizzled on top. The original scone recipe contains currants. But we substitute other things and even combinations of things for the currants. We like being creative.

People think it’s difficult to make scones. It’s not. It is super easy.

So when you get in that kitchen, run wild and (gluten) free!

Method of Cooking:
Crock pot, oven

Tips:
Save the bones from meat dishes and turn it into stock. It’s inexpensive, gluten-free, and plain ‘ole goodness!

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What you’re looking at in that picture is a quart-jar of the remainder a batch of turkey stock that we made ourselves. We keep this jar in the freezer and plan to use it later in the month in another dish.

We made our stock from turkey leg quarters that were cooked in the crock pot for {THIS} meal. We saved turkey bones in the freezer until we finally had enough to make stock.

Meat stock is easy to make. We think you will really like this recipe and instructions {Turkey Broth with the Leftover Bones}. It cooks in the crock pot. Is super easy. And super yummy.

You should give it a go!

The Dish:

Method of Cooking:
Stove top

Tip:
Those of us who gluten free, use peanuts (and other nuts) not wheat flour to make thick and savory gravies. Approximately 1/2 cup peanuts were ground in the coffee bean grinder and added to about 2 cups of seasoned boiling chicken stock. Stir well.  An additional 1 cup of water was added to reach the desired thickness once the gravy cooked down.

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I think every culture has it’s own fish stew recipe. This one is our take on a typical African fish stew. It includes canned mackerel, tomato paste, and crushed peanuts (peanut butter can also be used), powered spices (ginger, coriander, onion), fresh garlic, and chicken stock (as we did not have fish stock).

The chicken stock was made in June and stored in the freezer as a prep to Ramadhan cooking. So because we did not have to make the stock, the dish took about 20 minutes to cook.

You can find recipes for fish stew in any African cookbook, or search the Web.

The Menu:

Method of Cooking:
Stove top

Tips:
To keep potatoes from sticking to the skillet, sprinkle a little bit of salt in the pan.

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Did you know that most of the store-purchased (processed) hash browns contain wheat? Yep! They sure do!

The hash browns we make are the old-school style.  Did you say you want the recipe? Here you go!

HASHED BROWN POTATOES

• 6 medium, cold boiled potatoes (sometimes I will dice then boil the potatoes and let cool)
• cooking oil
• 3 raw green peppers (optional, I never include it)
• ¼ teaspoon celery salt
• salt and pepper

Chop potatoes fine, season with celery salt, salt and pepper to taste. Remove seeds and stem from pepper, wash drain and chop fine.

Mix with potatoes.

Put about 1 tablespoon of melted shortening in pan and when hot, add potatoes and cook slowly.

When partly brown, fold into omelet shape in one side of pan. Fry until a rich brown.

Source: PENNSYLVANIA Dutch COOKERY {Project Gutenberg}

Method of Cooking:
Oven

Tip:
Make sure the dough chills at least an hour. Letting it chill at least a day really does up the flavor. And do not bake these cookies on the lower oven rack — they will burn.

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This cookie recipe calls for oat flour. It you can’t find it in a local store, make your own. Bon Appétit online says  to add 1 ¼ cup old fashioned oats (don’t use quick oats) to a food processor or blender and process until finely ground.

I have found that my coffee bean grinder is better. I work in small batches being sure not to over process it.

Enough about oat flour . . . We like this cookie recipe because it just tastes good. We’re thinking to have it on ‘Eid as cookie ice cream sandwiches.

Give this recipe a try! It’s super easy!

Method of Cooking:
Oven, stove top

Tip:
The chicken recipe I used bakes “hands-free” in the oven so that I can do something else while dinner cooks. And the day was cool enough that having the oven on was not a problem.

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Rice is a wonderful grain alHamdulillah! It’s very filling and naturally gluten-free.

The rice recipe —Bariis isku karis (Somali rice with spices)—  was delish!

One of the things I like about this recipe is that it uses whole ingredients and spices, and not things that are processed.

I hope you try it!

Method of Cooking:
Oven, stove top

Tip:
I made coconut milk from dried coconut. It doesn’t need preservatives, uses less storage space, tastes fresher than canned milk, and I can make the exact quantity needed without waste.

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Food sensitivities and allergies are common among many families. This means dishes require a bit of thinking outside the box.

For example, I wanted to show some Ramadhan love in dessert form so I took a basic recipe for cornstarch pudding from a very old cookbook and made it fit our family’s needs.

I used coconut milk instead of cow’s milk. And the crust —which requires only an 8-minute bake— was made from walnuts and raisins instead of wheat. It’s one of our favorite gluten-free crusts.

I let everything cool down before spooning in the cooked pudding. Then I made hearts with a simple raspberry sauce that was made with a little bit of sugar, cornstarch and defrosted raspberries.

Raisin Nut Crust

• 1 cup Sun-Maid Golden Raisins
• 1 cup walnuts

HEAT oven to 375ºF. Spray 9-inch spring-form pan with cooking spray.
PROCESS 1 cup golden raisins and walnuts in food processor until finely chopped, about 30 seconds.
PRESS in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of spring-form pan.
BAKE 8 minutes or until nuts are toasted and crust is set. Cool completely.

Source: SunMaid.com Light Citrus Cheesecake with Raisin Nut Crust {HERE}

The Menu:

Method of Cooking:
Stove top, Oven

Tips:
Unlike traditional pot pies, the only part of this meal that requires the oven is the crust which bakes for only 8-10 minutes.

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Remember the extra amount of turkey I cooked in the crock pot?  Well, I used it to make the pot pie!

We did a little bit of prep cooking earlier including making stock with turkey bones, carrots, celery, and onion. Then about an hour before Maghrib, we worked on the rest of dinner:

• Made the Pot Pie Filling — added meat and veggies; thickened on the stove top with cornstarch and water mixture

• Made & Baked the Crusts — used the crust recipe from the Apple Tarts minus the sugar

• Finished the Dish — filled crusts with pot pie filling

Again, another delicious but easy meal.

Method of Cooking:
Oven, stove top

Tip:
When cooking the apples, keep the sauce pan covered. Otherwise, the liquid from the apples will evaporate and the mixture will probably burn.

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Have you too noticed an increased desire for desserts during Ramadhan? Or is it just me?

At any rate, these apple tarts came about through a marriage of two recipes. Here’s how I did it insha’Allah.

First, I adjusted this simple but tasty stove-top {Chunky Apple Filling Recipe} for 1 pound of apples since it was all I had; it was enough alHamdulillah. With no lemon juice on hand, I substituted water! And I used white sugar instead of the brown but added about ½ teaspoon of molasses . . . after all, brown sugar is just white sugar + molasses. The molasses adds flavor and creates that beautiful color.

Next, while the apples were simmering in the sauce pan, I made this gluten-free {Sorghum Pie Crust}.  I used butter not shortening, and added ½ teaspoon sugar to the dry ingredients because I know this recipe is a bit on the salty side.

Next, I divided the dough into ramekins, patted the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the ramekins, and baked according to the recipe instructions.

I let the crusts cool for about 10 minutes before piling in the cooked apple pie filling.

Y-u-u-u-u-m-m-y!