The kids are back in school and in a rare quiet moment, I found myself watching some daytime T.V. I've always been a fan of Rachael Ray, and decided to sip some coffee and take a peek at her show. My mouth watered as I watched her cook up a vegetarian version of chicken cacciatore. I envied how she washed and chopped giant portobello caps with ease and sauteed them with the typical cacciatore veggies. She sold me with that recipe. I wrote down the ingredients and made a quick decision to revamp it into a gluten-free, dairy-free version and give it a try it for dinner.

I'm glad I had that moment, because the results were worth the dent in my precious alone time. I took a picture of the finished product above (my apologies, the wooden spatula made it in the shot. I am not a very good photographer!)

Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian dish, which translates to mean "hunter's stew." It's a dish that's easily cooked outside over a fire, so it is often cooked with rabbit or other wild game. A traditional cacciatore is a combination of chicken, mushrooms, garlic, onions and canned tomatoes. Ray, however, takes on the meaty portobello and adds deeper flavor by simmering dried porcini mushrooms and adding sweet, banana-shaped cubanelle peppers.

I was happy to skip the meat for once. After all, gluten-free cooks are often dishing out meat-and-potatoes fare, which can be costly and less healthful. And most of us have vegetarian friends or family members, so it's good to have a few recipes in our repertoire.

So, without further ado, here are a few of my favorite veggie dishes:

1. Potatoes of any kind are sure to please veggie-lovers. Roast them with red peppers and garlic and they are fragrant and delicious. They get a nutty crust on them when baked at a high temperature in the oven. I like to sprinkle some olive oil on them and dust them with fresh herbs (terrible photo above). They are filling and satisfying.

Roasted Red Skins With Peppers
1 package of red skins (such as Aunt Mid's)
1 sweet red or yellow pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 cloves of garlic, cut into thin disks
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt to taste
1 sprig of fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut larger red skins in half. Little ones can be cooked whole. Put potatoes in casserole dish and add peppers and garlic. Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle on salt and rosemary and bake 20-25 minutes or until they start to brown. About halfway through, toss potatoes with spatula so they don't burn to the bottom.

2. Squash always has been one of my favorite dishes. I have revealed that here once or twice! The buttery smooth veggies are simple to bake, go well with anything and can even be filled with rice and beans for a complete meal. I like to eat them as a side, make a soup with them and add them to casseroles. For a bowl-sized treat, try making Apple-Stuffed Acorn Squash (photo at left, before baking). Slice an acorn squash in half (tip: poke with a fork and microwave for 5 minutes to soften a little), take out the seeds and fill with apples, walnuts and cinnamon. I top it off with a pat of Smart Balance vegan buttery spread and bake at 400 F for 30-35 minutes.

3. Revamp a classic. I, of course, went with Ray's portobello creation and made it my gluten-free own. I used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes I had on hand from Muir Glen. I loved the flavor it brought to the dish.

Portobello Cacciatore Sans Gluten
4 portobello tops (keep scales on, they have lots of flavor)
1 small package dried porchini mushrooms (near mushrooms in produce section)
3 cups veggie or chicken stock (such as Kitchen Basics)
4 stalks celery, diced
1/2 large, sweet onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 cubanelle peppers, sliced into small pieces
2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon marjoram or oregano
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 cups dry white wine (I just used more stock)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) Muir Glen Fire Roasted crushed tomatoes
Salt to taste
1 box DeBoles multi-grain Penne (or any gluten-free pasta of your choice that can stand up to a thicker sauce)

In small sauce pan, place dry mushrooms in 3 cups of stock. Bring to simmer and continue simmering as you prepare rest of dish. Wash of portobellos with a damp washcloth, then dice into large pieces. Chop up onions, peppers, garlic and celery while you're at it and heat oil in large skillet. Drop in mushrooms and garlic and saute about 5 minutes. Add onions, peppers and celery and cook until tender. Spoon in tomato paste and stir. Add wine or broth and bring up heat so dish is simmering. Add rosemary, marjoram or oregano and pepper flakes. Simmer 15 minutes. Bring large pot of water to a boil and prepare pasta while cacciatore is simmering. Take porcini out of broth and chop, then drop into portobello mixture. Spoon out remaining broth, adding it to cacciatore but leaving 1/4 inch on bottom (grittiness will drop to bottom of pan). Add can of tomatoes and simmer another 10 minutes. Drain pasta and toss with cacciatore.

The Italians like this dish with crusty bread. If you can have dairy, check out Whole Foods' selection. We make our own in the bread maker for a special treat. Brush with olive oil and add a few thin sliced of garlic if desired.