Brynja's Grain Free Kitchen

Brynja's Artichoke & Sausage Baked Ziti

Celiac.com Sponsor (A13):
This one is not grain free. I used Tinkyada pasta. It is ONLY made from rice and it has GREAT texture. It is the only grain I have found that my body will agree to. If you are unable to have any grains, you can modify this with some carrot noodles spiralzed! I've done it that way too. Delish!

• 2 lb Johnsonville sweet italian sausae (not in casing! The ones in the caing have corn syrup in them)
• 2 can artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 Jars Classico Basil and olive oil pasta sauce
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• EVOO
• Fennel seeds
• oregano
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• Fresh basil leaves
• salt & pepper
• 1 Large container of Ricotta cheese
• 1 lb of mozzarella, diced into small cubes
• 1 cup grated Parmegiano Reggiano

This recipe makes 2 medium sized casserole dishes. One for now, one for the freezer.

The best part of this is that you do not even have to cook the pasta! In a big dutch oven stle pot, brown sausage then add onion. Cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add balsamic vinegar and cook until browning on meat occurs just a bit. Go through your quartered artichoke heart and chop them up, removing any leave that seem tough. Add artichoke hearts, oregano, and fennel (I also sometimes add a little bit of red pepper flakes!), incorporate, then garlic and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. add chopped or torn up basil, stir well. Mix the sauce and uncooked pasta together and pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. ( I actually just get some aluminum pans so I can throw them out when we're done. Dollop the ricotta cheese through out. Dice the mozzarella and incorporate 1/2 into the mix. Grate a good amount of parmeggiano Reggiano on top. Layer the rest of the mozzarella on top and then another layer of Reggiano. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes until top is a pretty golden brown. Enjoy! (put the second one in the fridge or freezer if you're not feeding an army).

White Chocolate and Almond Amaretto Cheesecake

This one IS grain free. The crust is made from almond meal so its a perfect match! We are having this tonight with a good movie the SO is going to choose any moment now *sighs* and some Tangello (the orange version of limoncello) out of the freezer. OH YEAHHHH BABY!

• For The Crust:
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp. Amaretto
• For The Filling:
• 4 (8 oz.) packages Cream cheese, softened REALLY WELL!
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 Tbsp. Amaretto
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup almonds, chopped very fine in food processor (or just use your almond meal!)
• 4 oz. baking White Chocolate, finely chopped (save the other 2 oz to shave over the top when it is all done if you like!)
• For Topping:
• 1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds for garnish

Grease a 9 inch Springform Pan and set aside. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter then combine all crust ingredients. Spread the crust into your pan evenly and half way up the sides, while pressing down firmly. Set aside. In a mixer or by hand with a string arm and a whisk, cream the cheeses with the sugar. Add the eggs, one at at time, beating until just combined after each addition. Add the almond meal, the Amaretto, almond extract, vanilla extract, pinch of salt and combine. Stir in the white chocolate ( i just break up the bar and give it a few quick buzzes in the mini food chopper/processor). Pour the filling into the crust. Place your Springform pan on top of a baking sheet and bake for 65 minutes, or until the cheesecake is almost set. Meanwhile, mix together the topping in a small bowl. When the cheesecake is almost set (55 minutes), remove it from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Spread the sour cream topping evenly over the cheesecake and bake another 5 minutes. Spread it how you wint it to look, it will not melt down the side or anything. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully, take a knife and go around the edges of the pan to loosen, and leaving the cheesecake still in the Spring form pan, move to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. After about an hour of cooling, place the cheesecake on a plate, still in the Spring form pan and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight. The next day,remove the sides of the pan and slice. You can use a long knife dipped in very hot water to slice the cheesecake. You can serve the next day, or freeze individual slices, separated with small pieces of parchment paper in a freezer friendly container for your convenience. Makes (1) 9 inch cheesecake, about 12 servings.