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Gluten-free Pastitsio (Greek-Style Baked Pasta / Lasagna)
I literally cannot believe that after nearly 7 years of blogging and sharing recipes here with you, that I have never shared this one. It’s literally one of my MOST favorite foods ever. Gluten-free Pastitsio (pa-STEE-tsee-oh), a Greek-Style Baked Pasta / Lasagna, of sort, this is 100% my kind of comfort food. A Christmas dinner tradition, this is the food I grew up eating for the holidays. My Yia Yia always made an incredible tray of pastitsio and since her passing, we can always count on my mother to manage the task and do it as if she herself was the Greek one. Years ago, when I discovered my gluten intolerance, my mom so graciously tweaked the family recipe to be made gluten-free and I never had to be without. Overtime I have made it myself and continued to slightly adjust things and I am so honored to be sharing it with all of you, finally.
With layers of ground meat (beef or lamb) and pasta and a creamy, puffy, eggy, cheesy béchamel on top, there are hints of warming cinnamon throughout the entire dish and then it’s baked to perfection. This dish steps in where casseroles and lasagna leave off. Traditionally made with bucatini, a long tubular pasta laid out going in the same direction, I make mine gluten-free using instead an organic brown rice penne. In place of regular flour in the béchamel, I use a gluten-free all-purpose blend.
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Lightened-Up Moussaka {Grain-free w/ Vegetarian Options}
After sharing the recipe for my dad’s famous Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Cheese Dip earlier this summer, I realized that I haven’t shared enough Greek recipes here on the site.
Growing up Greek is to grow up loving delicious, traditional, homemade food. I can still remember the smells of my Great Yia Yia’s house, the fragrant stews and sauces, like Fasolakia, simmering that you could smell as you walked up the driveway, fresh herbs drying in the kitchen, the smells of homemade chocolates wafting up the stairs from the basement, where she did her candy-making. It is amazing how I can still tell you exactly what that kitchen smelled like and that was over 20 years ago. When my great grandmother passed away, it was my dad’s parents that moved into the home, carrying on many of the same traditions, Avgolemeno soup, lamb meatballs, pastitsio, spanikopita, dolmades, plus of course, the Greek pastries and all of that good sweet stuff.
Now that my parents have moved into this home, that was built for my Great Grandparents many years after they moved here from Greece and has been in family since long before I was born, they continue to make many of these amazing traditional foods in the very kitchen that my Yia Yia Faklaris and my Yia Yia Manos once did. My dad makes the best Greek salad dressing around (I will have to share my version of it soon) for the best souvlaki you will ever eat, he can grill up a leg of marinated lamb like it’s no one’s business and he makes a killer rice pudding that will literally have you on the verge of tears, it’s that good. My mom, though she doesn’t have a bit of Greek blood in her veins, she makes incredible pastitsio, amazing Avgolemeno soup and together she and my dad make the best baklava I have ever eaten.
Sadly, going gluten-free nearly 10 years ago now, has meant that I have had to say goodbye to a lot of the traditional foods I grew up on. I have yet to come up with a gluten-free equivalent to phyllo dough, something so integral to so many of my favorite Greek dishes. With that said, it has taken me nearly 10 years and moving across the country away from my family to come to this – but lately I have been thinking that while I may never have many of those classic Greek dishes as I once knew them, there is no reason I can’t reimagine them. Keeping the classic flavors, but making them gluten-free and trying to generally just lighten them up a bit.
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Sprouted Quinoa Salad with Mango, Black Beans and Avocado – Gluten-free + Vegan
Phew! Life has been a bit busy lately. We’re still trying to get caught up on all the work we have going on right now. Between being away from the studio for 2 weeks and with how much client work we have booked, we’ve really been putting in the hours. We also spent the weekend painting the downstairs here at the house, getting it ready to sell. OK, well actually we had a friend here doing most of the painting while we worked on client work, but I helped for a handful of hours on Sunday! We also spoke at the State University at Fredonia on Monday night, to final-year design and print making students, which was really, really fun. On top of all of this, I have been trying to get to yoga every morning for my 90-minute practice. I have had to miss a day here and there, but when life is busy, it is when I need it the most.
The last week and a half actually seems a little bit like a blur. So, I have been trying to sneak time into the kitchen here and there, when I can, but it is proving to be a bit difficult right now. Last week, besides the delicious Baingan Bharta that I made, I made a HUGE pot of vegetable soup and I also made a version of this delicious gluten-free flatbread with roasted vegetables from Karina, the Gluten-Free Goddess. I basically lived off of those meals and that worked fine, but now I am ready for life to calm down a bit, so I can start playing with new recipes!
I am hoping to have some time this weekend to play around with some gluten-free, vegan waffle recipes and I am also thinking of making a fun new dessert treat, similar idea to the coconut dark chocolate treats that I made and everyone has been loving so much! Plus, I have been dreaming of a pie recipe, that I just need to find the time to actually make. So look for those recipes, hopefully really soon, and definitely some others, too.
In the meantime, I made this salad for lunch today and I was really glad that I made the time to do so. It was super simple and a really nice bright and fresh spring meal. I happened to have sprouted quinoa that I had picked up at the market, but any regular quinoa would do. I also ended up topping this salad with avocado when I served it. I forgot about the avocado when I took the photos, but it was a perfect addition. You could also add in some red bell pepper if you have some on hand or fresh corn, etc. If you don’t want a little spice, skip the jalapeño or just start with half of one.
The weather is starting to really warm up here, but more than the temperature, the biggest change in this time of year that I absolutely adore is the sunshine. I miss the sunshine during the winter months and it is my favorite part of the spring. Salads like this feel like the perfect light meal to eat when the sun is shining!
What have you been eating lately? Have you had a lot of time in your kitchen or has life been hectic?
[print_this]Sprouted Quinoa Salad with Mango, Black Beans and Avocado – Gluten-free + Vegan
serves 4-6- 2 cups cooked organic sprouted quinoa
- 1 mango, diced
- 1 cup of canned organic black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cucumber, quartered the long way, then sliced
- 1 cup organic cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, minced
- 3-4 scallions, sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
Dressing
- juice from 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- zest from 1/2 lime
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cook the quinoa according to package directions. After it is cooked, fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside to cool.
While the quinoa is cooling, mix the dressing in a small bowl, whisk well to combine.Once the quinoa is cooled, toss it with the mango, black beans, cucumber, tomatoes, jalapeño, green onions and cilantro. Drizzle the dressing over top the salad, and toss gently to evenly coat. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled topped with a small sprinkle of sliced green onions and fresh cilantro, as well as some diced avocado on top, if you wish.
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