Gluten Free Bisquick

I am starting to feel like a normal eater again; Bisquick, bread, cupcakes for my birthday and so many restaurant choices. It seems like I notice some new every week! I've been waiting all summer for Gluten Free Bisquick to come out and finally I saw the little box on the shelf at King Soopers. I was like what to make! I first thought of pancakes, because that's what we always used it for when I was little. But I also remember that always making me sick. So no pancakes. Plus, I like the Bob's Red Mill Mix for that. Then I remembered my mom used to make strawberry shortcake with it but I wasn't having people over anytime soon so nix that idea too. So I went onto the Betty Crocker website and looked for recipes they made. I decided on Easy Sloppy Joe Pot Pie. I went to Whole Foods and bought some all natural BBQ sauce and ground turkey (beef would have been better) . It was very easy, just mix up the Bisquick and a few things, then put over cooked meat and bake. The Bisquick rose on top of the meat and had a pretty good texture. Not so much a good flavor though... I might make this again with beef just to see if it's better. But next I want to try biscuits or shortcake!


Easy Sloppy Joe Pot Pie
Makes 4+ servings

1 LB ground beef
1 onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 can (15.5 oz) original sloppy joe sauce (I used an all natural BBQ sauce)
1 C cheddar cheese ( I didn't put this in and was too scared to use the fake stuff)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 C milk (I used almond)
1 C Gluten Free Bisquick

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly grease bottom on 8x8 (2 quart) glass baking dish.
3. Cook beef and onion in skillet till browned. Drain.
4. Stir in sloppy joe sauce and cheese.
5. Spoon into baking dish.
6. In medium bowl, stir together eggs, milk and Bisquick.
7. Pour over beef mixture.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!
From bettycrocker.com

Gluten Free Fair and Tour

A lot has been going on in the last two weeks. And a bunch of gluten free stuff happened the week before that but I'm just getting to blogging about it now. But I'm here and I ready to spill it all. The Denver Chapter of the Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) hosted a Gluten Free Food Fair a few weekends ago. It was so great! There were about 90 vendors there, all with gluten free food! It ranged from Mom and Pop places to huge companies like Udi's, Maggianos, Chipotle. There was so many samples to taste and people the push threw. The space was not big enough for the amount of people that were there! They passed the number of expected attendees for the whole thing in the just the first hour! We gluten frees are taking over the world! There was so much food I could not possibly stomach all of it. Much of the food was kind of junky because gluten is in breads, cookies, cakes and sweets like that. I don't each much of that stuff but I took the chance to try things I've seen at the store but have never bought because it was expensive and I didn't know if it was good. Some examples were Udi's Bagels, Kinnikinnick Donuts, Canyon Bakehouse Cinnamon Bread. I promptly bought the cinnamon bread next time I was at the store! Yum! After I filled my bag with coupons, samples and a free loaf of bread from Rudis! (Not so great, crumbly) I volunteered at a table handing out samples. If you're in Denver be sure to look for it next year! Not to be missed, but get there in the first hour.
I went to another gluten free event. I've been seeing "Gluten Free Store Tours" at many Whole Foods recently. Finally, I decided to go on one. I knew I'd probably already know of everything but what the heck. So I get there and am waiting. The tour guide comes and gives us really nice Whole Foods bags (the kind at the check stand) and says we can choose 3 GF items to take home with us in the bag! NO WAY! So we walk around the store, I chime in on a few things and then I get my free items! I chose a frozen pasta (was not good), Canyon Bakehouse Muffins (good!) and a quinoa cereal. Look out for these at your local Whole Foods. I see them every month now.

Beer and Olive Garden

Wow a lot of gluten free happenings in the last week. Where to start... Brian and I plus 2 other couples (the girls are both my friends) decided to have a dinner party last weekend. Basically it was so we could meet each others boyfriend/husband that we always talk about so much. We made sushi. A good thing to make for a group of people. But the gluten free part of this was I bought the raspberry beer I mentioned earlier in the summer. New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale My GF friend and I split the large bottle. It was okay..... as my boyfriend said, it doesn't taste like beer but it's good. It's very light and I think if I was a beer drinker I would like dark beers. So I won't buy that again. Sticking to cider and wine.

I tried a new restaurant. I wasn't planning on it but I went back to my college town to visit a friend for the weekend and her sister and her friends were visiting also. So we were deciding where to go to dinner and they all screamed Olive Garden! I was like shoot I don't think I've EVER been there. There isn't one in my home town and during college I didn't eat out much. Then I was like SHOOT what I am going to eat. Thinking I could just get a burger or some other kind of meat.... I then remembered that Olive Garden has gluten free food! So I looked up the menu online and sure enough they about about 8 items. Now I wasn't expecting much from a huge chain restaurant like that with the cross contamination issue and such. We went and I asked the waiter about their cooking procedures (DeAnna would be proud) He was like "well yeah you have to cook the food in the separate stuff because it's an allergy" I was like CORRECT. But he went back and checked with the cooks to be sure. He said the food was so I felt better. They only had 1 dish of pasta and it had veggie sauce. The rest were meat dishes. Which is kind of weird because I can get a meat sauce at Maggianos..... That tells you the meat they put in the pasta isn't very pure.... The pasta and sauce were ok. Nothing special. I didn't feel sick so that's always a plus. But nice because all of the other people in the group could get something good. I guess sometimes I just have to take one for the team! So I wouldn't go there just for the gluten free pasta but not a bad place to eat if other people want to go there.

Ok well I have two more things to blog about but it's getting late. Look for the posts this week!

Eating Out

It was my boyfriend's graduation this weekend and his family came to Denver to celebrate. Needless to say, we ate out a lot. I find it so interesting how wait staff responds to food allergies. I have two examples.

Example #1: One night we had dinner at Maggiano's. Now, Maggianos is on my list of good gluten free restaurants to eat at. Yes, I have a running list and some places don't make it. Maggiano's does have a "reservations necessary" clause though because their waits are outrageous. So when we went there last week we were informed their menu had changed. There used to be 2 sizes of pasta, half and full. Now they only have one size and they "send some home with you". What a business plan. I have never heard of that! So weird! Guess they want you to keep thinking about Maggiano's even after you leave.... They even offered to give us a different kind to take home. So we got the food and of course the size was smaller. Kind of lame. Another problem we came across was is we told the waiter that we needed a gluten dairy free dish. He responded with "Is this an allergy or a preference?" UH it doesn't matter! You should do the best you can to serve what the customer requests! That was disappointing. Finally, we received our pasta only to find out they changed the kind of pasta. The old one was really yummy and the new one is not. And my boyfriend and I's stomach were not to happy after. Magganio's you are officially OFF my list!

Example #2: My boyfriend, his dad and I were up at Blackhawk, a gambling town outside of Denver. It became dinner time so we looked at the menu at the current casino we were in. They had a few things I could eat. A salad, hamburger and salmon. This was kind of dive place. Cafe style, nothing fancy. I ordered the salmon with a baked potato and veggies. I explained I am allergic to gluten and dairy so no butter or breadcrumbs on the food. (I like to give examples for clarity) The waitress came back two times to clarify things about my order. The cook even suggested to steam the veggies instead of sauteing them. The meal turned out really well and I felt fine after!

Now let's compare and contrast these two examples. One high end restaurant and advertises their gluten free meals and one dive cafe. The cafe was better than the high end restaurant?! Yes it was. Who knew!

Gluten Free Fruit Crisp

Exciting foodie weekend for me. I finally got my act together and made it to the Cherry Creek Farmer's Market on time Saturday. Too bad it was a record 102 degree high that day. It made for super hot shopping :( I haven't been yet this year so I was excited to see the gluten free offerings. The only stand that really interested me was one with gluten free cookies, breads and brownies. I went up and looked at the menu and saw it was all junkie sugar stuff and was about to turn away. But then the attendant caught me and said hi. I made a comment about how the bread she had out to sample was crumbly, like all gluten free stuff. She thought I was being mean and responded "it's been out in the hot sun for a while" I was like, right because gluten free stuff also melts (it really does). Then I explained that I am gluten free and I know everything crumbles and that's what sucks about it. So then we were talking for bit and finally I felt like I had to buy something. So I bought a piece of lemon poppyseed bread and it was pretty good actually. Don't think I've had poppyseed something for awhile (that used to be my favorite kind of muffin). After that stand I came across a FABULOUS FIND. Remember I mentioned those tamales from Boulder in my last post. Well, they were there! In Denver! So great! They even had frozen ones I could take home too. I bought some bean and spinach ones. And I had one tonight. So good! I will be going to the Farmers Market every Saturday now!
Peaches are just coming into season right now. So I bought some at the farmer's market, the famous Palisade Peaches. As well as some cherries and decided to whip up a fruit crisp for dessert. I made this recipe many times last summer but I never blogged about it. It was very good and my boyfriend liked it too. Not too sweet or crunchy. I also like this recipe because the flours are basic ones I always have. The crisp part would work with any fruit too! Here's the recipe.

Gluten Free Fruit Crisp
(Makes 4 servings)

2-3 Cups Fruit (I used blueberries, peaches and cherries)
1/2 C white sugar
1 1/2 TBS cornstarch
3/4 C brown rice flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C crushed Enjoy Life Very Berry Granola
1/3 C butter (I used Vegan Earth Balance)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare fruit by cutting and/or pitting. Can use frozen but thawed and drained fruit.
3. Place fruit into 9x9 pan, spread evenly.
4. Sprinkle fruit with white sugar and cornstarch.
5. Toss mixture to make sure evenly distributed.
6. In bowl, mix brown rice flour and xanthan gum.
7. Add brown sugar, mix again.
8. Add smashed granola.
9. Cut butter into the flour mix. The topping should look like coarse, crumbly cornmeal when ready.
10. Pour topping onto fruit in pan. Layer evenly.
11. Bake for 50 minutes. The fruit juices will be dark and bubbling. With a browned topping when it is done.
12. Enjoy a la mode or plain!

GF at Coors Field

Hi All, summer time = baseball games. Here in Denver the Rockies play at Coors Field in downtown Denver. My boyfriend and I and a few friends headed out for a game this weekend. It was a great game with many home runs and big hits. I was also excited to go because Coors Field started having GF food last season. So I checked it out. They had a special cart with GF hot dogs, burgers and chicken. As well as cookies and beer. Even with it's own condiments (some were even organic). It's so great people are providing so much for our community! I didn't get anything from the cart... because I ate before I came and don't like GF beer.... But I'm sure it was good!

A Happy GF 4th!

I did have one! I traveled with my boyfriend to Pueblo, CO to meet up with some friends for the weekend. I really wanted to get some tamales :) but my friend said they don't make bean ones. They do in Boulder, DUH it's Boulder. So I'll have to travel up there sometime soon for some! They are Amaizing Corn Tamales found at the Boulder's Farmers Market or Berry Best Smoothies. Anyways, I traveled pretty simply food wise for the weekend. I brought things that could be eaten for many meals. I packed a lunch for the way down, 2 little containers of Whole Foods Black Bean Quinoa, tortilla chips, salsa, eggs, strawberries, granola bars. And of course I had to make a GF Flag Cake to share! Seen above, I remember making one when I was little and haven't had one for a while so I made one! I used the Betty Crocker Mix and frosting mentioned in an earlier post. It was kind of dry.... but it got eaten! And it looked pretty so that's all that matters :) The weekend worked out well with food and fun! We launched our own fireworks! Fun!

Work Lunches

Work lunches are hard, as I found out this week. Having a party/meal with my friends is easy. They all know what kinds of foods I can eat or that they need to ask me about them. At work well people don't know me, I'm the "new temp girl". They don't know people with food allergies either, so just don't know how to work with that type of person. So one of my coworkers last day was Friday so this lady planned a lunch for him on Thursday. The menu: pizza, wings and cake. Oh great. The absolute of what I can't eat. Pizza and wings: no big deal I'll just bring lunch like normal. Cake: I had, what I thought I was a very good idea. I offered to make the cake. I would use GF cake mix and regular trans fatty frosting. Well apparently our department is a bunch of pigs because the planner lady said she was going to get a Costco cake. (We don't have THAT many people, and lots of the women don't eat sweets) And said I could bring my own cake. Yeah lady, I'm going to make a whole cake just so I don't feel left out. I'm NOT 5 years old thank you. Then I remembered that Costco only has white cakes. And I know their are chocoholics in my department (me included) so I just decided to make a chocolate cake. I wasn't trying to go behind the lady's back at all. I just knew she didn't understand. And I think she's the type of person that doesn't cook. And any thought of cooking just seems unnecessary. And I'm the opposite, I would rather cook because it shows more effort and tastes better :)

So I made a chocolate cake with Betty Crocker GF Cake Mix and Frosting. General Mills has really jumped on the GF bandwagon. They have a list of GF items online. They label all their products that are GF. And have a few boxed mixes and is coming out with GF Bisquick this summer! I love their boxed mixes. Reasonably priced, turns out well, and tastes good. Some of the mixes at Whole Foods are kind of scary.... I used to be totally against Betty Crocker because most of her stuff has trans fats in it and many other ingredients I can't pronounce. But the GF stuff is surprisingly quite pure.

I brought the whole cake to work. The guy it was for thanked me, he liked the effort. A couple people tried it at lunch and liked it. And then I had some to bring home (and hide from my boyfriend)! Overall, it worked out well. This is new territory for me, work lunches. And many more to come. (Sorry no picture)

Comfort Food

So maybe I'm not the typical American when it comes to my choice in comfort food. My stomach wasn't feeling very well today (maybe it was that root beer and Reese's I had at lunch...) Not a good choice.... I've discovered that lots of sugar, like a full sized candy bar or soda triggers my migraines. So I tried to wash that down with a bunch of water! It didn't hit too hard. Anyways, my stomach hasn't been that great the last few weeks and well the last 2 years on and off. I've found this meal is always appetizing even when I don't want to eat much. Because it has potatoes! GF dream land!

-Deli sliced Black Forest Ham
-steamed broccoli
-microwaved potato with Earth Balance Butter

Quick, balanced and yummy!

Yes, I have been cooking in the last month....

I haven't been blogging but I have been cooking. I made GF/DF lasagna last week! It was so good. But my stomach couldn't take so much of the dairy free cheese :( So it hasn't been happy this week.... I started taking probiotics and digestive enzymes. Hopefully that helps!

I also made pot roast! Which was good. But a little too salty with a whole packet of onion dip. I used Simply Organic. My mom bought me a slow cooker when she came so I used it! I added potatoes, celery and carrots, yum!

I've been attending a Gluten Free Meet Up. It's nice to meet other people who are gluten free (and many other allergies). We talk about restaurants, food we eat and what's happening in the gluten free community. Good to meet new people! It's lead by this very ambitious women who is very passionate about the need for more understanding about living gluten free in our community! Her and her family also started a business about gluten free products iamgf. So great!

Last night I bought a new GF beer! It's made in Boulder, CO! Local! New Planet Tread Lightly. It's ok.... Let's just say I'll be sticking to my Woodchucks. Maybe their raspberry one will be better.... Thanks for trying, New Planet! This plays along with my philosophy; naturally GF/DF food tastes the best! Not the replacements...

Sorry no pictures from my cooking.... I kind of forgot...

Quick Weekday Dinner

I'm behind on blogging because I cooked all new things this week. So #2 for the day. I made Tilapia! A friend made some for me last summer so I knew it wasn't as scary as some seafood is. I wanted something quick and easy and cheaper than salmon and that's what I got! Talapia is Green on the seafood scale of sustainability by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. And what's super great is it is farmed right here in Colorado so it's a local food too! And it tasted good! Not too fishy!

Lemon Garlic Tilapia
(1 tilapia fillet for each person)

4 tilapia fillets
3 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
pepper

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking oil or line with parchment paper.
2. Rinse fillets under cool water, pat dry with paper towels.
3. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice and melted butter on top.
4. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley and pepper.
5. Bake in preheated oven until fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with fork. About 30 minutes.

I served with asparagus and roasted potatoes.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Risotto and an All-American Breakfast

I was all excited for the green vegetable risotto I made one night last week. I got home from work and hurried to get it on the stove. Forty minutes of stirring later, all the chicken broth is finally absorbed and the chicken in done. I didn't taste it while it was cooking, so I sat down and ate a spoonful for the first time. And wow, after that hard 40 minutes of stirring the dang risotto still wasn't done! ARG. My boyfriend didn't finish his. And you know what, I dog gone it finished mine. At the end of dinner, he was like "did you really eat all that?" I replied, "Yeah I stirred it for 40 minutes, you bet I'm going to eat it all!" But I couldn't bring myself to eat it for lunch the next day at work...... I think I messed up in a few places. First, the toasting at the beginning always throws me off. So I think I burnt the rice instead which would made it not absorb as much water. Secondly, I did not use white wine as the first liquid. Maybe that gets the absorption going. So I don't know. But I won't be making risotto for awhile. And I served the risotto with chicken breast I just baked and with lemon juice and pepper.

Meanwhile, on a good note. I made a super All-American Breakfast this weekend. I was really proud of myself and my boyfriend was super happy! Yum!

Emerald Green Risotto
Makes 4 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup Arborio rice
1 stalk celery, diced
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups boiling chicken stock
1 cup broccoli florets
3/4 cup sugar snap peas, halved
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the rice, and stir until the rice is coated in oil and has started to toast, 3 to 4 minutes. (Careful!)
4. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the celery and white wine.
5. Cook and stir until the wine has mostly evaporated, then stir in one third of the boiling chicken stock; continue stirring until incorporated.
6. Repeat this process twice more, stirring constantly.7. Stirring in the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all.

8. Add the broccoli, peas, zucchini, and green beans during the last 7 minutes of cooking, and cook until tender. All American Breakfast of hash browns, bacon, eggs and fruit!

Cookies!

I baked something and it was actually good! Surprise! And I know why! I made these cookies and they didn't have any special flour or ingredients. They were just naturally GFDF. They don't "melt" after a while (like some gf flours seem to do) And the cookies rose and were a normal cookie texture! I'm so proud of myself! Oh and the cookies were peanut butter chocolate chip, recipe below.

Now that tax season is over I have to start thinking about what to cook again. So we'll see how that turns out.

I bought this really good dairy free cheese. I was in line at Whole Foods and the person in front of me was buying and saying they just got it in (an employee). I was making pizza that night so I ran back and grabbed a bag. It melted and tasted pretty good. Best I've had for diary free. It also doesn't have any scary ingredients :) Daiya Vegan Cheese

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
(makes about 1 cookie sheet)

1 cup Peanut Butter (or any nut butter)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix ingredients together in bowl.
3. Spoon dough pieces on to the cookie sheet. (I lined the cookie sheet with parchment paper. My cookies were about 1 inch in diameter and they cooked well)
4. Bake cookies for 15 minutes. (Mine weren't brown by this point but were done enough to harden)

Enjoy!

Easter Dinner

One week later, I have time to blog about Easter dinner.... I haven't been cooking much lately, as you can see. Tax season is upon us and when working in the financial industry that means lots of work and not much time to cook. With tax WEEK this week I have been planning meals I can cook ahead of time. Major meal planning. But last Sunday I took the time and made a yummy Easter dinner for my boyfriend and I. It turned out pretty well. I ordered and picked up a Honeybaked Ham (now the glaze is gluten free). I also made roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes. Oh and then there was the failed carrot cake. Well the cake part was great. I used Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mix. The cream cheese frosting didn't quiet work. Dairy free cream cheese and marshmellow cream. It turned out so watery and would not thicken up. I tried powdered sugar (not in the recipe) and chilling it in the fridge. Didn't work. I frosting the cake anyways but it just got soggy. Gross. But I tried, I guess and that's why I don't bake.

The recipes:
Roasted Asparagus
GF Betty Crocker Carrot Cake

My love/hate relationship with Quinoa

Quinoa, a blessing and horror is disguise. This grain is amazing for you. One of the top 10 most nutritious foods. It's the ONLY grain that is a complete protein (like meat), it fills you up because of that and you can eat it for any meal. It's also great to take places or to make a salad for a party that you know you can eat. That being said, quinoa doesn't taste the best.... it has a nutty flavor. And it just gets kind of gross after a while. I'm in that stage right now. I made this huge amount of this quinoa salad for a potluck dinner I attended last week. I just finished the last bit tonight. I've had it for dinner or lunch over the last week. It's so good for me and fills me up without feeling grossly full. But arg, like I said love/hate.

That being said, this recipe was actually a really good one. The trick is an oil or vinegar as a dressing. Don't just eat it without a coating. Whole Foods makes the most amazing quinoa salads and that's their trick that I didn't do. But this salad is very good and has lots of veggies and protein!

Anyways, try it for yourself. You can also have it warm for breakfast. Kind of like oatmeal. With fruit, yogurt, milk, nuts and such.

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups cooked black beans. If using canned beans, drain and rinse well
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced, OR 1 tsp garlic powder
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1 green pepper, sliced thin
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Dressing:
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
Pinch cayenne or chili powder

Directions

1. The quinoa can be made ahead of time and refridgerated
2. Soak the quinoa 1/2 hour in cold water
3. Rinse very thoroughly in water several times. For each rinse, pour off most of the water and finish draining through a large fine mesh strainer
4. Place in 2 qt pot with 1 1/2 c. water and 1/2 tsp salt
5. Bring to a boil, turn down to low, cover tightly, and cook for 15 minutes
6. Remove from heat and allow to sit 5 minutes covered
7. Fluff gently with a fork and set aside to cool
8. Sauté jalapeno, fresh garlic, in 2 Tbsp oil until garlic is browned, pepper and celery are softened
9. Add the green and red peppers and sauté briefly
10. Add the cumin and coriander, cook and stir 5 minutes
11. Blend dressing ingredients with a whisk or shake in a jar
12. Gently combine sautéed veggies, tomatoes, black beans, quinoa and dressing in a large bowl
13. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro and scallions, and serve warm or cover and chill

From Savvy Vegetarian

Loaded Quesadilla

Yum yum. One good thing about my boyfriend not being home for dinner, well actually there's two good things. One, I don't have to eat meat. Two, I can make Mexican food for every meal! I've been making these quesadillas lately because I can put whatever I have around in it and it's easy and yummy! It's not really a quesadilla because there is no cheese. I used refried beans instead of cheese. Here's what I used:

2 Corn Tortillas
Refried Black Beans (Whole Foods Brand)
Chopped Onions, Tomatoes, Lettuce
Guacamole (Wholly Guacamole--when I want to keep some around without it getting brown) (rhyming in a food blog; 10 points!)
Hummus

1. Pre-heat a mini fry pan over medium-high heat.
2. Layer beans, onions, tomatoes and whatever else you want on the inside between 2 tortillas.
3. Put sandwiched tortillas into pan. Brown each side for a few minutes. If you smell burning, it's burning.
4. Take out of pan, layer toppings. Lettuce, guacamole, hummus and others you choose.
5. Cut, serve, enjoy!

Cornbread and Chili

So I did make something new on Sunday night, but let's just say it wasn't photo worthy. Not like the pretty one on the website :( It tasted good! If you're interested in trying it for yourself. Lasagna rolls, I made with GF lasagna noodles and dairy free cheese.

Chili and cornbread. Classic. So classic. And yummy! I haven't made chili in a while so I decided to make it again. My boyfriend didn't like it because it had "too much stuff" in it. It's chili, what do you want it to have in it?! Whatever. I thought it was good. And now that he's not eating it I can put beans in it too! This recipe was for a Crock Pot but I don't have one so I just let it sit on the stove for 30 minutes. I'm sure it would have been better (cooked down, more soup like) if it would have simmered for a while longer. So I would recommend that. One more kitchen accessory to get.... Add that to my list! (Kitchen Aid Mixer, wine chiller, dehydrator, George Foreman Grill) Anyways, the corn bread was super good too. It was VERY moist and didn't crumble like cornbread I've made in the past. Let's see how it holds up for leftovers. Overall, the meal was good for me!

Here's the recipes:
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread Mix with:
2 eggs
1/3 c oil
1 1/2 c milk (I used almond)

No Beans Chili
(serves 4-5)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (Little much, I put in a few leaves)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Brown the meat.
3. Cut the veggies, put in pot.
4. Put canned ingredients in pot. Add cooked meat. Add spices.
5. Bring to a boil then put on simmer. Simmer for as long as you can. 30 minutes-4 hours!
6. Make cornbread. Mix all ingredients together with electric mixer.
7. Pour into greased 9x9 pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Pancakes

Big blog day. I'm behind and have been making lots of new things so I need to catch up. I'm making something new tonight too but I'll write about it tomorrow. So I've made this pancakes a bunch of times. Mostly during the summer. I haven't had them for awhile and I got kind of sick of eggs for breakfast on the weekend. So I made these this morning. And I showed my boyfriend how to make them so he can now! Since breakfast is his thing. But these are pretty good for being gluten free. Kind of dense but in a puffy way. I would recommend. I almost freaked out when I couldn't find a new bag at Whole Foods today, but it was hiding luckily :) Also, this is a good mix because it is dairy free. Many GF pancake mixes have dairy already in them. This one you add your own milk.

Gluten Free Pancakes
(makes 4 pancakes- 3 inches across)

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix (directions on the bag and I'll write them here) Available at Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage and the like.
1 Egg
3/4 cup milk (any kind is fine. I use almond.)
1 TBS. vegetable oil (don't use olive oil, it gives it a nasty, non-breakfast taste)
Fruit to put in (blueberries, strawberries, bananas, apples, dried fruit)
Butter
Syrup

1. Whisk all the pancake ingredients together.
2. Warm up a small fry pan (non stick) on the stove. Medium setting.
3. Pour a tiny tiny bit of oil on the pan.
4. Pour batter into the pan. Spread out to edges of the pan.
5. Place fruit in baking batter.
6. Keep checking pancake, flip after about 5 minutes.
7. Finish making all the the pancakes.
8. Serve with butter, syrup or make own fruit syrup by boiling sugar and fruit in a pan on the stove. (That's what I did with the blueberries)

Teriyaki Stri Fry

mmmm Woodchuck Cider too!

This is a very quick and simple recipe with all the food groups! Easy to make after work and fills you up. I make this about every 2 weeks as one of my staple meals. Great as leftovers too. Not much else to explain. You either like teriyaki or you don't.

Gluten Free Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
(2.5 servings)
1 cup brown rice (make as directed on package)
1 cup frozen stir fry veggies
1/2 cup cut up pineapple
1/2 cup gluten free teriyaki sauce (see the bottle in the picture)
2 chicken breasts

1. Get the rice cooking as directed on the package.
2. Cut up chicken into bite sized pieces.
3. Place chicken in gallon ziplock bag or glass dish.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup on the chicken and let sit for 30 minutes to marinate.
5. Take out frozen veggies to defrost.
6. Once the chicken is marinated, fry in pan on stove with teriyaki sauce.
7. When chicken is cooked, add pineapple and frozen veggies.
8. Cook for a few more minutes until veggies are warmed up.
9. Serve with brown rice.

Gluten Free Bagels!

Look Look! I ate a bagel! When was the last time I did that?! A long time ago! My GF friend and I decided to finally try them! We walked into Einstein Bros Bagels in Denver, CO (Colorado and Yale) on a buzzing Saturday Morning. Wow I have never seen a place that busy. Guess I don't eat out that much and I'm in the big city now. My friend and I were excitedly looking all around for our prized of a bagel. They weren't on the menu but we finally found a pack of them in the refrigerator case. And then saw a mini poster about them. I was so excited to eat a bagel I didn't even think what I was going to order on it! I just got veggies (lettuce, tomato, hummus, cucumber and sprouts). We sat down with our coffee and ate bagels with the rest of the restaurant! How often does that happen! The bagels were pretty good. They are made by Udi's Gluten Free in Denver. I eat their bread (mentioned in earlier posts) so it kind of just tasted like that. Not the real glutenous taste of legit bagels. But that's ok the experience was fun. And it's good to know I can go eat their with my gluten eating friends!

***** If you go: I'm pretty sure only 3 stores in the Denver Area are carrying the bagels right now. And some Whole Foods Stores. I would call Udi's for which ones they are. But the Colorado and Yale (by the University of Denver) store is one of the three.

Fruit Chicken

Trying to be better about posting so here I am. I have had my camera card and a note on my desk all week reminding myself to blog about this chicken I made. I don't really like chicken. I don't know why. Some how it just grosses me out. I like beef and would choose that 1000 times over chicken. Costco had organic chicken at a pretty good price so I decided maybe I would like that better. Eh, not really. But my boyfriend appreciates me cooking meat so here it is. I made this fruit chicken when I was in Seattle this summer for my family that was really good. I couldn't find the same recipe so I found this one. It's very simple and pretty cheap. It was good the night I made it but for leftovers it was too sweet.

Pineapple Cranberry Chicken
4 chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
1 8oz can of crushed pineapple
8oz whole cranberry sauce (1/2 of normal can) (Ug it had high fructose corn syrup in it)
Sprinkle of cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place chicken in foil lined baking dish.
3. Layer cranberries and pineapple on top of chicken.
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Cover dish and bake for 25 minutes.
6. Removed cover and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
7. Serve with veggies of some sort and a starch (bread or potatoes).
Enjoy!

(From AllRecipes.Com)

Weekend Breakfast

mmmmm I love having the time on the weekend to make a yummy breakfast. I usually make the same thing, eggs, toast and fruit. Sometimes I make pancakes but that's more time intensive. Listen to NPR and drink some tea or coffee, a great way to start the day. Lately it's been warm enough to take walks to the park too. So that's an great healthy way to start the day too. But not today because it's snowing. Here's my breakfast:

2 Free Range Eggs
2 pieces of Udi's GF Bread (with Earth Balance Vegan Butter and Jelly)
Fruit (berries, grapefruit, pineapple, and/or melon)
Egg Condiments (avocado, hummus, pepper, salsa, green chiles, sauteed onions)
Coffee or Tea

SUSHI!

I made sushi Friday night. It was a very good meal after a long week. I love making sushi because it's very easy, fills me up, is cheap and I can eat a lot and not feel bad like I would at a restaurant. It's dairy and gluten free naturally too! I take a lot of the credit, but I really can't. My friend Leslie, introduced me to making sushi last summer. And I have been addicted ever since. Thanks Leslie :) I'm still working on the rolling and cutting part but I'm getting better. Anyways, here's the recipe!

Sushi (makes about 6 rolls)
Rice
3 C sushi rice (brown or white) (available at an asian grocery store or regular)
3 1/4 C cold water
1/3 C Rice Vinegar
2 TB sugar
1 tsp salt

Other Ingredients
1 avocado
1/2 of a cucumber
1 carrot
kiwi
mandarin oranges
raw or smoked salmon (found at asian grocery stores or Whole Foods) Remember to eat sustainable and healthy fish.
Cream Cheese
Nori Paper (Seaweed for outside)

1. Boil the rice and water.
2. After boiled, put on simmer for 20 minutes with lid.
3. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Leave lid ON and let sit for 10 minutes.
4. While rice is cooking cut up veggies/fruit/meat.
5. Also, warm rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan on the stove. Do not boil.
6. When rice is done, put into non metal bowl and mix with vinegar mix.

Please Google for how to roll. There are many videos out here. This is a good website for more information on making sushi. Enjoy!My "Green Roll"--Avocado, Cucumber and Kiwi

Welcome Back!

Wow, a lot has happened since I wrote last. Lets just some it up with, I've joined the real world and school is in my past! A huge relief for me! Because now I can focus on cooking again (I gave up during my last year of school!) I now cook for 2, since I moved in with my boyfriend, which is also exciting. So what to do with the hours after work, cook new things! My boyfriend and I are going to compile a list of meals we both like. One suggestion thrown out was Curry Chicken. Well I didn't have anything else better to cook tonight so I found a recipe online, during work ;), and ventured to Whole Foods after work to get the necessary ingredients. Came home, quickly cooked the chicken and curry sauce. And served it on the dinner table. And the reviews were less than amazing. It's always sad when you don't like what you cook let alone the other people you cooked it for..... But hey I tried something new. I ventured out of my mexican favorites! So I will be proud of that. Here's the recipe with notes of where I might have messed up. Any suggestions? I'm sacred to try it again.... But I have a bunch of spices now....



CHICKEN CURRY (INDIAN OR MALAY)

1 whole chicken (3 lbs.)- I used 2.15 lbs chicken breasts
2 med. yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2" piece of ginger, minced- Pretty sure I used WAY too much, like the only flavor I could taste.
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
3" stick cinnamon
2 c. chicken stock
2 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. gharum masala
1 c. coconut milk (opt.) -I used light, probably didn't help either.

1. Cut the chicken into pieces and brown in oil.
2. In a pot, add chopped onion. Saute until tender.
3. Add garlic and ginger, make sure there is enough oil so that nothing sticks.
4. Add cumin and mustard seed. Fry until the mustard seeds begin to "pop".- I didn't hear this, probably not hot enough.
5. Add the turmeric and curry powder and stir constantly to prevent any sticking. Stir the "paste" until the curry powder becomes fragrant; this usually takes 1 to 2 minutes (be careful not to burn the curry powder). - What does curry even smell like?!
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir until they form a sauce (3-4 minutes).
7. Add the chicken broth, cinnamon stick and chicken (& coconut milk).
8. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked (approximately 45 minutes).
9. Stir in the gharaum masala and serve with white rice.- I used brown, of course.