A Fabulous Weekend

The Red Rock Martini

I spent the past weekend at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ with some friends. We were celebrating a couple of birthdays and I couldn't resist the chance to cook for everyone. I was the only one eating gluten free and a few were not vegetarians, but I made the best of it and decided that if I cooked dinner for everyone, I could be assured of its safety. I tried to keep it purely GF but a few people snuck in the dreaded flour products. A loaf of bread here, a cupcake there. But all in all, it was a grand, GF weekend.

On the menu? GF, roasted veggie frittata on the first night and a beautiful zucchini Parmesan the second night. The frittata recipe is truly simple. In a large baking sheet, mix the following with olive oil, salt and pepper: one bag of cubed buttnernut squash from Trader Joe's, one chopped onion, two chopped zucchini, one chopped yellow squash. Roast in oven at 375 for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until golden and softening.

Add veggies to a large saute pan that can go in the oven. Add a cup of shredded cheese (I used swiss and parmesan) Mix 4 eggs and 5 egg whites with a pinch of salt, nutmeg and pepper, then add to the veggies in the pan. Cook on the stove until the eggs are just starting to firm up and then stick in the broiler for about 5 minutes to puff up and finish cooking the eggs.

I like to add a little goat cheese also, but I left it out since I knew there were some in the group who were not so fond of it. Let the frittata sit for about 10-15 minutes to settle, then serve with a salad.

Also on the menu, the zucchini Parmesan, was a big hit. Easier still, just slice zucchini in thin, long pieces. Grill on a grill pan with just a little salt and olive oil. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and bake for just 2-3 minutes and remove. These are now the "noodles" for the Parmesan. Layer the zucchini in a springform pan with marinara and mozzarella. Add a little Parmesan cheese and voila! Bake for about 30-40 minutes, depending on whether you've made it the night before or you're cooking it right away. I made it the night before and it was wonderful. We paired both meals with salads using fresh, local ingredients and home-made salad dressings using fig balsamic, blood orange olive oil and more.

The ending to the perfect weekend was a dessert that made us all smile. Cookies, all GF and fabulous, from Cookies from Home in Tempe, AZ and a delicious, gluten-free cheesecake baked by my dear friend, Laura, using just five ingredients: eggs, sugar, vanilla, cream and cream cheese. It was fantastic and we're still eating the leftovers (slowly, to make it last).

Thanks to everyone for joining us on our birthday weekend. The food was fantastic and the company was even better!