Gluten Free Pesto Pasta

So.... In a perfect world, I would have made this recipe 2 weeks ago when I had my last batch of fresh carrots from the market!!! I say that because my farmer friends from At Home Organic Farms tell me to use carrot greens in my pesto. It is the best way to make it! Unfortunately my greens went bad before I had a chance to make the pesto so I just went old school. I am going to give you two versions of this recipe because carrot greens are not always available and pesto is something I like to have around!




INGREDIENTS

With Carrot Greens:
1 bunch of basil leaves (approximately 50 leaves)
1/2 cup carrot greens (not the actual carrots, just the leaves)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Original Pesto Sauce:
1 bunch of basil leaves (approximately 50 leaves)
1/2 cup parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, or no nuts if you want nut free
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (if not adding nuts you can increase the cheese to 1/2 cup. Or increase to 1/2 cup if you like it cheesier!!!)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Gluten Free noodles of your choice! Here I used Rizopia Vegetable Rotini because they were on sale at Loblaws 2 for $4 and they are very pretty and taste delicious! My other favourite gluten free pastas include Trader Joe's brand gluten free pastas and Tinkyada.

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to the package.
In a food processor, (I love my Cuisinart!) while it is running, I drop the garlic through the tube. Once it is all ground up, I stop the machine and add the basil, carrot tops or parsley, parmesan cheese, and nuts and turn the the machine on again. Then, while the machine is still running, I pour the olive oil through the tube, until everything is blended! 
Pour the pesto sauce over the warm pasta, stir, and serve!
YUM!!!

Gluten Free Tuna Casserole

I started with a recipe I saw online at simplygluten-free.com by Carol Kicinski and then I added my own personal touch! I hope you like it!

INGREDIENTS

Kosher salt 

1 454g bag of Tinkyada elbow noodles (I love Trader Joe's gluten free pasta as well!)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup mushrooms, diced

black pepper to taste

3 Tablespoons gluten free flour blend (I'm a personal fan of Trader Joe's gluten free flour!)

2 1/2 cups chicken broth, either real or I use Celifibr brand

1 1/2 cups milk

2 (6 ounce) cans tuna in water, drained and flaked

1 cup frozen peas, corn, or carrots, whatever you prefer!

1 cup gluten free bread crumbs. I use whatever I have leftover (crackers, bread, cereal) and I put them in my cuisinart and make my own bread crumbs!

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425F, grease a 9x13 inch baking dish, and make up the chicken broth.
• Cook the pasta according to the package. Don't overcook the noodles because they are going in the oven as well!
• While the noodles are cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the onions are soft and the mushrooms have released their moisture, approximately 7 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and stir in the flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth and milk and bring to a low boil. Once it is boiling, reduce  heat and cook until sauce thickens, 8 minutes.
• Now add it all together! Cooked noodles, mushroom sauce, tuna, and whatever veggies you choose!
• Pour the mixture into the baking dish and top with the bread crumbs.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly!
• Let sit for 5 minutes before serving!

ENJOY!