Gluten Dairy Free Bliss

I'm coming back!

2011-08-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hold your horses! I'm coming back!!!!

Next week: Fresh Peach Pie!

My mouth is watering already.....

See you soon.

Gluten Free Bisquick

2010-09-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

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....

2010-06-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-18T17:30:00.001-07:00

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

2010-03-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-23T18:11:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-21T14:27:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

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.

Joke Time.

2009-05-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

Have looked at this website a few times randomly as a recommendation from a friend. www.fmylife.com guess what the f stands for..... But it's quite entertaining and definitely makes you feel better if you're having a bad day or not. Anyways, my friend alerted me of this post today:

"For the past year, my stomach would get upset every time I ate. Attempting to ease the pain, I would always eat a piece of bread. My doctor told me I have Celiac disease, which means I'm allergic to gluten. I'm allergic to bread. FML"

Oh so familiar.....

GF is EVERYWHERE now. Have a super weekend.

Exciting GF News!

2009-05-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hey All, I don't normally post news stories but these we exciting. First of all, Starbucks is going to carry a GF treat at their stores! Yay! That fruit was the only thing I could eat and very expensive. All my friends hate Starbucks here at school but I'm from Seattle so please, it's buying local for me.

Secondly, the GF community has a popular spokeswomen now! Elisabeth Hasselbeck is a Celiac! And she came out with a book this week about a GF diet. Very exciting. She probably doesn't do any of her own cooking like my mom said. But maybe she'll have some good recipes in there from her personal chef.....
Let me know if you eat/see/read any of these!

Lynn eats meat....

2009-03-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

.....Yes, I do. I randomly came across this blog last week and saw this amazing recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. Complete with quinoa, veggies and tomato sauce! Favorites! Even though it called for meat I decided to make it. I bought ground bison from Denver so it's ok. The rolls took a while to make but I did it on Saturday so it was my fun for the day. It was pretty easy other than the cabbage ripping when I would try to pull it off. I'm pretty sure there's a trick to that but I didn't know. It turned out fine though. They were very good! Especially with the tomato sauce! I'm not used to eating this much meat though so I don't think my stomach is handling it very well.

Another thing I made at the same time was Chex Mix! I usually eat Rice Chex for a morning snack but I wanted to spice it up a little. I googled gluten free chex recipes and they more than a few on the chex website! Impressive, or just trying to bring in a new market! The mix was very good and easy, a little sweet, like carmel, so I keep eating it all night. But yum! I love cooking!
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
(Makes 10 rolls)
1 lb ground meat (I used ground bison)
1 egg
1 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 onion, chopped
1 C assorted vegetables, chopped (I used an Italian frozen mix)
a few cloves of garlic, roughly minced
3/4 C quinoa (cooked)
large cabbage leaves
2 c tomato sauce

1. Bring an inch of water to boil in a pot large enough to hold your cabbage leaves, and place a steamer basket over the water.
2. Place the cabbage leaves in the basket, cover the pot, and let steam for 8-10 minutes.
3. Remove them to a bowl of cold water and let them cool down while you mix up the filling.
4. Mix together the ground meat, egg, salt, paprika and pepper.
5. Put onion, vegetables and garlic in your food processor or whatever you use (I used a blender and it worked fine) to grind things up and pulse until mostly smooth.
6. Scrape this mixture into the meat, along with the quinoa. Mix everything together.
7. Spread half of the tomato sauce in a large, deep saucepan and set aside.
8. Working one at a time, place a cabbage leaf on your work surface. Plop some of the meat mixture, a little less than baseball sized, onto the center of the leaf. Fold the sides in tightly, then roll the leaf around the meat.
9. Place rolled cabbage into the saucepan with the tomato sauce.
10. Repeat, nestling stuffed cabbages in together until everything is used up.
11. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top, cover, and cook on VERY low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Ginger-Rice Chex Mix

1/4	cup packed brown sugar
1/4	cup butter or margarine
1/4	cup honey
1 1/2	teaspoons ground ginger or cardamom
6	cups Rice Chex® cereal (gluten free)
1	cup dried banana chips
1	cup unblanched whole almonds
1	cup flaked coconut
1/2	cup sweetened dried cranberries or dried pineapple

Timer-Saver

For easy cleanup, line your pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper instead of using cooking spray.

It's okay to use two 13x9-inch rectangular baking pans instead of the roasting pan.

1.	Heat oven to 250°F. Spray large roasting pan with cooking spray.
2.	In 1-quart saucepan, heat brown sugar, butter, honey and ginger to boiling. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Into roasting pan, measure cereal, banana chips, almonds and coconut. Stir in brown sugar mixture until evenly coated.
3.	Bake 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper or foil; cool about 15 minutes. Place in serving bowl; stir in cranberries. Store in airtight container.

Viva Las Vegas!

2009-03-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas for Spring Break! So nice! It was my last spring break so it was nice to travel somewhere sunny and warm with super shopping! As always, vacations with food allergies can be a hassle, but this one was far from that! Luckily we were staying in a timeshare so it had a kitchen. No problem because there was also Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in Vegas so I just planned on doing a shopping trip there the first day. I was super excited to go to Trader Joe's because we don't have that in Colorado but it ended being too far away so we just went to Whole Foods instead. From a food allergy standpoint it was amazing! They had vegan and vegetarian labels in the salad bar. As well as, wheat free, vegan, wheat free/vegan labels in the bakery. They even had raw blueberry cake (GDF) but it was $6.50 so I passed. We made spegetti for 2 nights, had soup another and BBQ salmon on the hotel grill for the final night. The hotel was very supportive of cooking with a well stocked kitchen, grocery store shuttles and a grilling area.

We decided to only eat out 2 nights. One we went to PF Changs on the strip because we knew they had a GF menu. It wasn't that good and I'm kind of tired of it now because we always go in Denver. So I probably won't be eating there for a while. The other night we got unlimited sushi for $20 each at Ah-Sin in the Paris Paris Hotel on the strip. It was super yummy! I woke up the next morning thinking, mmmmm I want sushi! They didn't have tamari though so I had to eat the sushi plain.

Walking around the strip was super crazy. People with open beers, so many bars and resturants, I just wanted to eat and drink all day. But I didn't.... Overall, I would recommend Las Vegas for the gluten free because of the ability to shop at natural food stores and the variety of resturants on the strip including ethnic and chain (with a known GF menu) resurants.

(Some) of my sushi

Meals for the week.

2009-03-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

So I've been doing this for awhile, making food on Sundays for the rest of the week, because I am way to busy to cook but still want cooked food. Usually I don't make anything epic, because I'm not a rich college student. But apparently people are impressed I take the time to do this so I'll start posting my weekly fixings.

This week I made Quinoa Granola for breakfast (figured I should be eating something more nutritious than rice bread to start my day off,) Pizza (for lunches) and an adoption of the lasagna I made for Valentines Day. I looked through 2 of my cookbooks to get ideas and the granola recipe reminded me of the quinoa flakes I had. I miss granola so much. I can't be crunchy anymore because I can't even EAT granola! (haha get it?!) I made pizza because it was something different to eat for lunch. And the pasta because I use to love pasta but haven't really ever bought the GF kind.

The granola turned out pretty well. I might have cooked it for too long because it's kind of dry and with not much flavor. But that's kind of how quinoa is.... I think the quinoa flakes are just so small and thin that they don't work as well as oats. Sad day. Probably won't buy them again, they're just kind a lame and not a good enough replacement. The pizza I have made tons of times before and somehow almost every time the dough turns out different. Either doesn't rise, really dry or really sticky, too salty. Maybe my measuring is just bad. The pasta is really good and definitly hits the pasta craving.

Quinoa Granola
From Gluten-Free Quick & Easy by Carol Fenster

Dry Ingredients
2 C quinoa flakes
1 C unsweetened coconut flakes
1 C sliced almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt, if want

Liquid Ingredients
1/4 C honey
1/4 C very hot water
1/4 C canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with partchment paper.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Mix all the liquid ingredients in a seperate bowl until honey is dissolved.
5. Combine dry and liquid ingredients.
6. Place on baking sheet in a thin layer.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, mix, 15 more minutes, mix, 15 more more minutes and mix.
8. Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes.
8. Store in refidgerator for up to 2 weeks.

Inside Out Manicotti Pasta Bake
From The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook by Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger

16 oz bag of Tinkyada Elbow Pasta (by the far the best, don't even try any other)
2 eggs
1 recipe of Tofu Ricotta (See Below; same I made in the lasugua)
2 C fresh spinach
1 27 once jar of marinara sauce

1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. In a large bowl mix together eggs and ricotta.
3. In greased cassarole dish (11x14) layer a bit of sauce, noodles, cheese mixture and spinach. Repeat until all ingredients are gone. Leave a little bit of sauce to pour on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (I covered the dish with foil for a majority of the baking)

PS- I doesn't stay together when you take it out of the pan because there is nothing that holds it together. You can add vegan cheese I just don't really like that stuff. You could also add beef and it would be super yummy.

Tofu Ricotta
1 package firm tofu, rinsed and drained
1/4 C packed, shredded fresh basil
1/4 C chopped parsley
2 TBS finely chopped red onion
2 TBS fresh thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender.
2. Blend until slightly crumbly.

Pizza

2 C rice flour
3/4 C potato startch
1/4 C tapioca flour
1 tsp xanthum gum
2 tsp yeast
1 C and 2TBS very warm water
4 tsp sugar
dash of salt
2 TBS olive oil
Toppings (I do some combo of tofu, pineapple, onions, green chiles, green peppers)
8 once can of tomato sauce (just enough!)

1. Mix the water and yeast together. Stir and let sit until dissolved.
2. Mix rice flour, potato startch, tapicoa flour, xanthum gum, sugar together in large bowl.
3. Pour olive oil and yeast/water into dry ingredients. Mix.
4. Let sit for 30-45 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. Spread out pizza on baking sheet as thin/thick as you want.
7. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. Take crust out and put sauce, cheese, toppings on it. Bake for another 15 mintues. Enjoy!

We stayed home for Valentine's Day

2009-02-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, my boyfriend and I did. He came up to my house, there are not quite as many "special" restaurants as in Denver so we decided that any food I make would be better. I made Spinach Tofu Lasagna which was amazing with the fake cheese. I was surprised, usually I don't like these "replacement" recipes but this one was really good. The Ricotta Tofu worked out well even in a blender. Adding beef would have made it good also. I will try that next time because yes there will be one. The only complaint was the top layer of noodles did not soften. I suppose there was not enough sauce and cheese covering it (even though it did not melt on the top.) Next, to the cake. Gosh, I have seen recipes for this so many times and have never had the guts to make it (because I would eat all of it) but Valentine's is the perfect excuse. This is our new Valentines tradition I have decided because it was amazing. Usually anything with chocolate is. I added the raspberries on top which were the best pieces. Put them all over when you make it! Anyways, pretty good for my posting lately. My goal for the month is to be better. Plus, good distraction and break from massive amounts of homework!

Spinach Tofu Lasagna

2 C Spinach
1 package "Follow Your Heart" Mozzarella Cheese
12 Lasagna Rice Noodles
Tofu Ricotta (see below)
2 C (maybe 2 1/2) Tomato Pasta Sauce

1. Cut cheese into slices.
2. Layer in a 11x14 in baking dish:
1/2 c sauce
1 layer of Noodles
1/3 of Ricotta
1/3 of Spinach
1/3 of Mozzarella Cheese
3. Repeat 2 more times.
4. Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes after done.

Tofu Ricotta
1 package firm tofu, rinsed and drained
1/4 C packed, shredded fresh basil
1/4 C chopped parsley
2 TBS finely chopped red onion
2 TBS fresh thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender.
2. Blend until slightly crumbly.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze (from WholeFoodsMarket.com)

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 tablespoons vegan butter, cut into chunks
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon soymilk
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray, too, then set the pan aside. (I used a 9X9 baking dish and it turned out fine)

3. Place two-thirds (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup (2 sticks) of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stirring often, melt chocolate with butter until completely blended.

4. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Add sugar and mix well.

5. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.

6. Sift cocoa into bowl and stir until just blended.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake has risen and top has formed a thin crust. The cake should be just firm in the center when done.

8. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate, removing sides of springform pan. Remove and discard parchment paper and set cake aside to cool completely.

9. Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze. Melt remaining 4 ounces chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until smooth.

10. Remove from heat, then stir in milk, honey and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

11. When cake has cooled, pour glaze onto the center.

12. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, very gently smooth glaze along the top and sides of the cake.

13. Chill cake, uncovered, for 30 to 60 minutes before serving to set the glaze and make the cake easier to slice.

Soup!

2009-02-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, have NOT blogged in a while. Been busy and unmotivated to write. But I've made some amazing things lately so I just have to share. Soup. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Love it cause it's easy and can be well balanced meal. Hate it because it's salty and not enough substance. This soup I made conquers all. I control the salt content and how much stuff is in it. It was a really well balanced mix of veggies, beans and broth. My first time cooking with white beans and kale so super exciting. It made about 5 servings and I froze some of it for a busy night. Highly recommended and enjoy!

PS-Recipe is from Whole Foods so you can find most of the packaged stuff (365 Brand) there for cheap.

Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup

3 TBS olive oil

1 C diced onion

4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 (32-ounce) box vegetable broth

4 cups packed chopped kale

1 (14.5-ounce) can italian-style diced tomatoes

1 (14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots, drained; or two large carrots, peeled and sliced

1. In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add onion; cook 3 minutes.

3. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes.

4. Add broth, kale and tomatoes (and fresh carrots, if using) and cover; cook 5 minutes or until kale is tender.

5. Add beans and canned carrots; heat thoroughly. Serve hot.

Thanksgiving for me!

2008-12-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Why hello, it's officially the holiday season. Thanksgiving last week and Christmas and New Years right around the corner. These are my first holidays completely gluten/dairy free so they should be exciting. Thanksgiving went well because my family let me make versions of things I could eat. Christmas will be hard with all those cookies though! At least there's always chocolate. So I got to make the Pumpkin Pie for my family! My first time making a pie! It went pretty well. My wonderful brother is sugar free at the moment, hopefully not forever, so he wanted me to make the pie sugar free but I refused because I was making my own pie for me and if he wants his own pie then he can make one. The recipe called for 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup so I tried to convince him that it was natural sugar and he could eat it. He wouldn't and it turns out the pie needed more sugar. My grandma informed me that regular pumpkin pies have 1 cup of sugar in them. Wow, so that's a big difference. Needless to say the pie wasn't that sweet. Could kind of taste the tofu. But if there would have been more it would have been amazing, like normal people food! So add more sugar when you make it. I don't know how you do that, just add it in or do you have to alter the whole recipe. Next year I'll just look for a new recipe. This one was from Whole Foods. They would have one with less sugar..... The cornbread was a complete winner though! It was super easy. I decided to add another ingredient to my GF flour library, soy flour. It was less than $4 so I decided why not. Now I have it and can make cornbread whenever I want! It calls for stuff I usually always have, eggs, butter and milk. Then I just have to have corn meal which is super cheap. Anyways, I made the cornbread again this week, when I got back to Colorado because I was making chili! Ah I need to blog that also! Ok well that's enough blabbing for tonight. Hope you like the recipes! And Happy Holidays!

Gluten/Dairy Free Pie Crust

3/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup vegan butter
2 TBS cold water

1. Stir dry ingredients together, making sure xanthan gum is evenly distributed.

2. Cut in butter or oil and add honey.

3. Add cold water a little at a time until a ball is formed. (I had to add 2 TBS more)

4. Roll dough to 1/8" thickness between two sheets of aluminum foil.

5. Peel top sheet of foil off, and invert dough onto a 9" pie pan.

6. Peel off other foil sheet.

Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Filling

2 cups pumpkin purée (1 can)
2 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup, honey, or rice syrup
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 (14-ounce) package silken tofu
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust (in pie pan)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Put pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, salt, pumpkin pie spice and tofu into the blender and purée until smooth. (Super FUN!)

3. Pour pumpkin mixture into unbaked pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.

4. Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 45 minutes, or until set.

Gluten/Dairy Free Cornbread

1 TBS vegan butter
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup soy flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 cup soy milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place butter in a 9-inch square baking pan or in a small cast iron skillet. Put the pan in the preheating oven until butter is melted.

3. Remove from oven and tilt the pan back and forth to coat. Set

aside.

4. Mix corn meal, soy flour, brown rice flour, salt, brown sugar and baking soda together.

5. Add egg, milk and melted butter.

6. Combine with a few strokes, not overbeating.

7. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enchiladas!

2008-11-16T21:35:00.000-08:00

Hello! I saw this recipe (well 2 of them) in The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien. It's actually the reason I bought the book.... It turned out pretty well. I acidentally added the black beans to the sauce instead of putting them with the yams inside the tortillas. And I guess I'm just not a big garlic fan because the garlic was a little too overpowering. I could just smell when I opened the container of leftovers. Sometimes I just like things bland and this was one the times. I'll probably try it again with beans on the inside and no spices. And this did make a lot. I had to freeze 2 servings because I wouldn't be able to eat all of them before going bad just in the fridge. I also served it on top of brown rice for extra nutrition and topped with avocado slices for amazingness! Here's the epic recipe:

Yam and Black Bean Enchiladas with Pomegranate Sauce

3 Large Yams
1 medium yellow oinion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic (I only put in 2 and that was too much for me!)
1 TB crushed coriander seeds
1 TB cumin seeds
1 TB cocoa powder
1 TB chile powder
1 tsp brown sugar
2 TB dried oregano
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or diced)
Seeds and juice from 1 pomegranate
Vegetable Oil
12 small corn tortillas

1. Microwave yams for about 5 minutes after pricking with fork.
2. Saute the onion in a large skillet over medium heat until transparent.
3. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and continue to saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add the cocoa, chile powder, brown sugar and oregano. Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and pomegranate seeds/juice.
6. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, adding water as necessary to create a medium thick sauce.
7. Cut up the yams into small squares. Put in a bowl.
8. Drain the black beans and add to the yams in the bowl.
9. Heat up a skillet with vegetable oil in it. Warm up the tortillas in it as needed, if tear as rolling.
10. Place enough sauce in the bottom of a 9x11 pan to cover it. Fill the tortillas with the yam and black beans, place in the pan.
11. After all the tortillas and pan in filled then pour the rest of the sauce on top. Place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
12. Serve with avocado and brown rice for a superfood meal! And don't forget to freeze the leftovers!

More Boxes

2008-10-16T23:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to the boyfriend. A friend gave me this mix and I had been waiting for a good time to use it and this seemed like it. I was a little wery of using a box cake mix, especially GF. But I added the stuff it said to in the mix. You had to add 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of yogurt (I used plain soy yogurt), vanilla, butter (vegan Earth Balance) and I think that's it. I mixed it all together and it got really thick. I got excitied and started eating the batter. yummm I can taste it now...... I used partchment paper because I wanted the cake to come out well to decorate it. But I didn't know cakes had to bake for so long! I've actually never make a cake by myself before ;) And I ended up doing this late on a friday night, which worked out well because I made the AMAZING frosting while it was baking, did dishes then the cake was done. Took it out and left it to cool overnight, then frosted in the morning. In the end, it turned out super well. I would highly recommend this mix. Now I want to try all the Whole Food's GF mixes! I finally got to try the cake after I gave it to my boyfriend. We both loved it. It stuck together quite well and was moist. So I was proud for making yet another desert! Here's the recipe for the frosting! Cheers to a gluten and dairy free cake!

Dairy Free Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) dairy-free margarine, room temperature
2-1/2 tablespoons honey (really added to the texture!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup dairy-free 100% cocoa powder
2-1/2 tablespoons water
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Place margarine, honey, and vanilla in mixing bowl. Sift cocoa into this bowl. Using electric beaters at low speed, cream these ingredients together. Add water and sift powdered sugar into mixture. Beat with electric beaters on medium speed until well mixed. Use frosting to frost cake.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups frosting, enough to frost a 9-inch double-layer cake.

Finished!

I wish.

2008-09-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

COOKIES! Oh my gosh I wish I could eat them more often. I banned myself from making desserts awhile ago. But last weekend I just had a craving for cookies. I wish there was a place in this small of a town that I could just buy a cookie. But no so I had to make them. Making gluten free cookies from scratch = nightmare. So I bought this box mix at Whole Foods and it was even on sale too. It was really simple, only called for you to add, 1 egg, butter (I used vegan Earth Balance) and vanilla. I mixed everything up and snacked on the yummy yet very crumbly dough. What else about being gluten free is new though?! I squeezed the dough into balls and baked. When I pulled them out of the oven I was amazed to see a real cookie. Not a super flat or spread out mess. The cookies looked real, like in those old days of so called food. I was amazed and ate one when they cooled a bit. Satisfied the craving! Thank you. I froze the rest so I didn't eat them all at once (the reason for the ban on baking) and I still have some a week later. So it worked. Anyways, I recommend this mix, it's pretty quick. I also have the chocolate cake mix that I'm making for my boyfriend's birthday in a few weeks so I'll let you know how that turns out. Good eating!

It was different and delis!

2008-09-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

My friend and I try to make dinner every Tuesday night. She has the same food standards that I do, very healthy. And she knows that eating gluten, dairy and meat free is amazing. I saw this recipe in the Whole Foods Market Local Food Magazine also. Told you it has amazing recipes. I wanted to try a different kind of quinoa recipe because I feel all of them are kind of weird. This one was very good. It made a large bowl full! So we had extras for lunch the next few days. I like it because it has all the food groups in it. Protein (3 kinds- nuts, grain, yogurt), veggies, fruit and yeah that's all I eat so yes. Anyways try it out for yourself and enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Stone Fruit and Basil
1 1/2 cups quinoa
6 Tbs. Olive Oil-divided
4 Tbs. lime juice- divided
1 bunch fresh basil (we only used 4 leaves because we didn't want it too strong, but you could use a few more)
2 cups halved fresh cherries or sliced plums, nectarines, or apricots (I also used pears)
1 cucumber, diced
1 can (1 1/2 cups) cooked chickpeas
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds or pine nuts (we used pine nuts-yummy!)
1/4 cup plain soy yogurt

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to medium, cover and let sit for 15 minutes, or unitl all the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Remove from heat and cool. Transfer to serving bowl and toss with 3 Tbs. olive oil and 2 Tbs. lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Lay 5 or 6 basil leaves flat on tip of one another on cutting board. Roll tightly into cylinder, then slives into thin strips.
4. Add basil, cherries, cucumber, chickpeas, shallots and alomonds to quinoa mix. Toss. Chill for 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
5. While that is going on, whisk together yogurt, remaing 3 Tbs. olive oil, and remaining 2 Tbs. lime juice in small bowl. Serve salad with yogurt dressing.

Colors!

2008-09-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

I love the colors of this meal. Pretty sure I need to get a white plate like this because it just makes the food stand out so much more. I was at my boyfriend's and we were deciding on what to do for dinner. We thought about going out to P.F. Chang's, Maggiano's or Beau Jo's Pizza, or we could just make our own. Haha usually what I opt for, him the other. So he had these great salmon burgers from Costco that are so versatile. I thought of putting fruit on it because my friend and I did that over the summer. And we both love asparugus and it's pretty cheap right now again. And then we need some gluten free carbs and potatoes are yummy! So there's the meal. It was great and super healthy and my stomach felt wonderful afterword!

-Cut up pieces of rasberries and pineapple. (Could also use mango, peach, blackberry, lemon)
-Grilled Salmon Burger from Costco
-Steamed Asparagus
-Wash, cut off ends, place on plate, put 1/4 cup water onto plate. Microwave for 3 minutes.
-Could put tamari or lemon juice on. I didn't have any.
-Roasted Red Potatoes
-Cut up potatoes into about 8 pieces each.
-Saute in olive oil until brown on a few sides. Can also cover for faster cooking. Makes them softer also.

Trying for normalcy

2008-09-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been awhile but I have been busy with classes starting and all the randoms that come along with that. But my boyfriend did come up the other weekend and I made wonderful dinners for him. He is the new person I cook for. He is a full meat, dairy and gluten eater so I really have to impress. But he's a good sport, eats what I make and says it's wonderful. The way it should be of course. I know he loves burgers, I was going to actually make real burgers with real meat. (Local of course) But I saw this great recipe in the Whole Foods Market Magazine- Local Edition. (I swear I don't live there) Surprisingly, most the recipes in that edition were gluten free. It was a nice surprise. But anyways, back to the dinner. First of all, it took FOREVER. Somehow I labored over these burgers for 2+ hours! I think it was just the rice cooking (but I was cutting up veggies), mixing in the different steps, letting it cool, then refrigerating the burgers after I made them before grilling them. It was kind of lame. Should have had a glass of wine because I was frantic. But the burgers turned out very well. Had a little kick to them. I put in more sauce then it called for I think. But it was a different flavored mexican dish so that was nice. The guacamole on top was the icing on the cake. And I added Alexia Gourmet Sweet Potato Julienne Fries which are amazing! I had extra burgers of course so they are sitting in my freezer, waiting to be grilled on a busy day.

Hot Tamale Burgers (Makes 8 burgers)

1 cup short-grain brown rice

1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

3/4 cup corn kernels

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced, plus 2 tsp. sauce (I bought a can in the mexican section)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (I despise this stuff so I left it out)

1 1/2 Tbs. lime juice

3/4 tsp. lime zest

1. Boil rice and 3 cups of water. Simmer after until soft, about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, pepper, corn, chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin and salt. Saute 2 minutes, reduce to low heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Whisk 1/2 cup water with cornmeal in a bowl. Add to skillet mix. Stir in and let cook for 10 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, stir in rice, cilantro lime juice and zest. Cool 20 minutes. Shape into burgers. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Grill!

Guacamole

2 avocados

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 TBS lime juice

1 tomato, finely chopped

1. Smash avocados in bowl.

2. Mix in other ingredients.

3. Eat with everything!

Is anything too healthy?

2008-08-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

My doctor told me that I needed to diversify the grains that eat. Because I was eating rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She suggested breakfast as an way to add them in. Quinoa and amaranth were top on her recommendation list. I saw this recipe on the Closet Cooking Blog, that I love by the way. Is this guy single?! Really. But the recipe, yes, it was for quinoa with yogurt and fruit. I was so excited for a new way to eat quinoa. But it does kind of taste funny and all the salads I make with it for dinner kind of taste the same. So I figured I could do that and then just mix in some ammerath and we'd have a monster combo. Plus, I don't have to buy cereal anymore. Which is really expensive, not very good and not that healthy for you(?!). Sticking to whole foods, yes! So here's what I put in it:

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup cooked amaranth
soy yogurt
fruit (I used pineapple and coconut flakes for a tropical theme, usually I'm the berry type)
nuts (I used slivered almonds)

(There is left over grains for more mornings or a group of people)

It was pretty delis. I wasn't very sweet though. That's why I like berries. So maybe I'll just sprinkle some sugar on top tomorrow morning ;-)

That was one long summer.

2008-08-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have not blogged in over a month. Maybe that's because I've been hidden up in the Colorado mountains attempting to do something called school. For those of you that don't know, I had to attend a required summer field course in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. It was probably the hardest month of my life considering there was nonstop class, papers, tests, quizzes and group work. I barely got through it but I made it. Now I'm back home, which is priceless, waiting until classes start again next week. So eating in the middle of nowhere was not good. I was prepared with lots of food in a mouse proof container. But I didn't think I would basically be able to eat nothing in the cafeteria. Luckily, there was another GF girl (my new friend) so they bought special sandwich bread for us. But it turned out it had GF oats in it so I was sick the whole first week. I finally asked them to get different bread and then they got the Whole Foods brand, which is super gross, and it had milk in it. Who puts milk in bread?! Then I realized that I basically can't eat anything, if they can't even get the right bread. Those were the closest things to my diet that I could eat there. They basically never had food I could eat for breakfast or dinner. I was worried about cross-contamination and the quality of ingredients they used were not up to my standards to say the least. So I ate my own cereal, used my own bread for lunch, ate their fruit and veggies. And then ate frozen dinners I had made for dinner. Needless to say, it was a boring month for eating. I thought 2 weeks in Europe was bad. But at least I figured out that I really just need my own food all the time so if I ever go anywhere I can just plan on that. My first dinner back home was no very exciting just a veggie burger, roasted red potatoes and black beans. I was too tired and stressed to make anything else. But last night I made pizza! That was yummy and still have left overs for tonight. Anyways, I don't know when I'll make something epic again. But I will blog when I do. As a parting gift, here's a picture of the beauty of the mountains. (I still love the ocean more)

A Gluten Free Santa Fe and Albuquerque

2008-07-15T19:05:00.001-07:00

Traveling this summer has taken me many of places. Abroad, road tripping the US and to my final destination of Santa Fe, NM. Heading to Santa Fe is exciting because I love the food, culture and feel of the city. Mexican food is mostly GDF except for a few flour tortillas and cheese fillings here and there. I mostly eat mostly Mexican themed meals at home so heading down gives me new ideas to spice up my meals. Googling "Santa Fe Gluten Free" did not return with many hits. I was surprised with this health minded town. But I decided not to worry because I can just eat mexican food anyways. I kept my eyes open around town. When I visited in the spring I went to this great cafe/yoga studio called Body. The cafe has a great atmosphere. I went for Friday dinner and there was a solo guitarist playing in the background. The menu was marked with vegan, vegetarian, macrobiotic and gluten free entries. I had a great gluten free vegan burger. Who know that was possible! Highly recommended! I also want to try the yoga..... The next two places I ran into accidentally. Attending the Santa Fe International Folk Art Festival, I was overwhelmed with the amount of crafts and more or less crap these people trek across the world to sell for hundreds of dollars. But considering how many people were there, maybe I'm missing something.... Already upset because I did not grab an emergency granola bar and a sweatshirt for a potential monsoon, I was not prepared for the crowds. Thumbing through the program while my mom looks around I think to look at the map for the food area. International food was well represented. I thought, oh great they'll never understand my english questions. Meanwhile, walking around I run into this booth with, wait big breath, chocolate! Just what I need. Knowing that some chocolateirs use flour, I politely ask for an ingredient list. They say it's on the items and ask what I can't have. I say gluten, and it turns out the lady I was chatting with also gluten free. She exclaimed that all of their chocolate products (chocolates, brownies, drinks) is wheat free with much gluten free. (I saw alternatives to milk used as well) Needless to say I was thrilled. I bought a GF chile brownie and chocolate pack. The brownie had some kick at the end. But not too much to burn your tongue. I have yet to try the chocolates though. The shop is called Kakawa Chocolate House. Highly recommended as well!

Well finally I'm so hungry and decided to be brave. I push threw the crowds, I start scanning the food booths for something somewhat safe and easy. The second one is Indian. Not being a huge eater of Indian food, but knowing it is mostly gluten and dairy free, I find myself a spot in the extensive line and squint to read the menu. The few entries actually seem pretty good. Rice with chickpeas, kale, carrots and broccoli. A big YUM. And it was. I saw they also have gluten free cookies and such at the restaurant in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Much to be tested out on my next visit. The place is Annapurna's World Vegetarian Cafe.Lastly, my mom and I spent sometime in Albuquerque. Googling this city I actually turned up with a few hits. Mainly looking for pizza because I hadn't had it in a while. I found an Italian restaurant with pretty much everything with a gluten free option. We arrived at Paisano's early on a weekday night. The first customers, the service was great. And the food was out fast. The pizza was very good (probably rice flour), very puffy, it felt like normal pizza. It was nice because my mom could get regular flour pizza (she said it was fine) and I could get my special food. I tried a new kind of pizza. Green Chiles! They put that on everything here. Never seen that on a menu so I had to try it. Let me say it pretty much put my mouth on fire. So be warned! I have a moderate to low tolerance of heat though. Anyways I imagine the place fills up nicely on the weekends. Recommended of course! Cheers to being GDF and traveling and not eating rice cakes and granola bars the whole time!

Does the trick.

2008-06-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't make cookies. I gave up doing that a long time ago. They turn out horrible and I just stuff my face with them. Two very bad things. So I usually just stick to the chocolate bars. "When coffee dreams, it dreams of chocolate." On a box of Starbucks Chocolate. That stuff is amazing by the way. The Espresso Dark Chocolate Bar, a personal favorite. But anyways, I do love chocolate and usually eat that but sometimes it just doesn't do the trick. So off to Whole Foods to buy a prepackaged cookie. Last night I had this one by Wow Baking Co. It's pretty amazing! It does have dairy, usually I try to stay away. But the texture is like a real cookie so I give myself a treat. Anyways, it does the trick. This is from a local Seattle company and they do not have them in Colorado. Usually I buy a cookie from the Whole Foods Bakery that they make that is flourless. However, they do not make that at the Seattle ones. I guess that's good that not all stores are exactly the same. So if you're in the Seattle Area try these out! Let me know what you think. Thanks all!

It's a party

2008-06-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

And it's graduation time. My brother graduated from high school yesterday. So of course with big events like this come the parties. Well yeah I basically can't eat anything at parties ever so I made my own food. This is "Wonder Cake" from The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook. It's gluten, dairy and sugar free. My brother is currently living sugar free so I wanted to make a treat for him that he can eat. So needless to say the cake turned out pretty well. The texture was moist and fluffy. A little crumbly like all GF things are. Then I made royal frosting in his school colors for people who eat sugar. The weird thing was the recipe called for olive oil and not vegetable oil. I could kind of taste the olive oil and it was kinda gross. So maybe next time I'll make it with just vegetable oil. Anyone have any thoughts?

Wonder Cake
1 egg
1/3 c each honey and molasses (I only used honey)
6 TB olive oil
1 3/4 c rice flour
dash of salt
2 ts cinnamon (I used 3)
2 ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
1 cup apple juice
1 small apple, chopped
1 small pear, chopped
1/2 c raisins (I used Craisins)

Cream the egg. Blend in honey, molasses and oil. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and soda. On low speed mix in the juice. Stir in the chopped apple, pear, raisins. Pour into a parchment lined 8 or 9 inch cake pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Royal Frosting
1 egg white
1 3/4 c powdered sugar
2 TB water

Mix all together. Add more powdered sugar/water if needed. Can add food coloring.

I also needed to make something with substance to eat for dinner. So what better than quinoa?! I actually had this recipe for lunch at PCC last week. I immediately tried to find the recipe online when I got home. I came up with one pretty close. It's really easy and doesn't call for many crazy ingredients. Remember you can buy some them in the bulk section. Pumpkin seeds, quinoa, pepper. Anyways, the salad turned out really well, my family was impressed. And it's just super healthy and makes you feel good! Oh the perks of being gluten, dairy, meat free!

Aztec Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 or 3 scallions, minced
1-pound can pinto, pink, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 heaping cup diced canned tomatoes (I used 1 fresh)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 c Pumpkin seeds

Optional:
Black olives
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Add quinoa and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes. When the quinoa is done, remove it from the heat, fluff it with a fork, and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Combine the quinoa with the remaining ingredients and toss well. Also good when served chilled.

Cornmeal Pizza

2008-06-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Pretty sucky weather over here in Seattle. It's June, and it's rainy. I finally braved the rain and went for a run this morning. It actually wasn't that bad. Quite refreshing. But now I'm cold. Even when surrounded in fleece. But last night I made a quite epic pizza. I went to the Bellevue Farmer's Market for the first time this season. There was this amazing toffee. I will get some next time. I was expecting to get all the vegetables for the pizza from the farmer's market. In Fort Collins, the market has any vegetable you could possibly want. But not here. So I only bought onions and scrumptious heirloom tomatoes. I saw the recipe for polenta in one of my cookbooks, "The Gluten-Free Vegan" by Susan O'Brien. I'd never had it before so it's been enticing me for quite a while now. I saw that my mom had cornmeal in the cupboard (I don't have that at home) so it reminded me and motivated me to make it. It was actually really easy. and yummy too. Actually, it didn't really taste like much. If anyone has any suggestions about what herbs to add that would be wonderful! But I'm definitely going to make it again. I think you can buy cornmeal in bulk from Whole Foods.....

Polenta Crust
3 c soy milk
4 c cornmeal

Boil the soy milk, then gradually add in the cornmeal. It should be like really thick oatmeal. I just stopped here and started making 3 inch diameter pizza crusts on a oiled cookie sheet. The recipe said to let it sit on the stove for 20 minutes. I think it would burn and dry out. Then bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Pizza Toppings
Sauce (I had premade from the store)
Cheese (Mozzarella?)
Veggies (Onions, Green Pepper, Tomatoes)
Pineapple (no pizza is complete without)
Meat or protein topping (black beans*)

After crusts have baked for 20 minutes add the toppings and then put back in the oven for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

*I also made sorta of a mexican style pizza (as you can see in my photo). Didn't use any sauce but put black beans, veggies on. It was good of course. Can't go wrong with mexican. So this polenta is very versatile!

Quiche

2008-06-03T22:22:00.001-07:00

After a day of driving around in the pouring rain, my mom and I made a GDF quiche. I have the Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour a friend gave me. I hate that stuff. I bought it once to make cookies with. Who the heck turns beans into flour and then puts it in sweets. I swear I'm the only one who can taste it (my gluten friends can't.) I figured it would be fine the crust because it's thin and a fraction of the dish. It did turn out well. And I will probably just use the flour for this from now on.

Crust

1-1/2 c. Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 c. Margarine (I use Earth Balance)

4-5 Tbsp. Plain Soy Milk

From Bob's Red Mill

Filling
1 c vegan cheese
1 c chopped tomatoes
1 c chopped asparagus
1/2 c chopped ham slices
3 eggs
1/2 c plain soy milk
First, make the crust. Combine flour and salt, then cut in margarine using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle milk, one tablespoon at a time, while blending, until all ingredients are moist. Using wax paper, place dough onto one sheet, flatten with palm, place another sheet on top and roll out to desired size. Remove the top sheet and invert into pie pan. This made just enough for the pie pan. Not enough the roll the edges over :( Bake this for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees. While that is baking cut up the veggies. Beat eggs, add to soy milk. Grate cheese. After crust is baked, put cheese in the bottom, then the egg/milk mix, then put in veggies. Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool 5 minutes.

and so I begin!

2008-06-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Today starts one of many! I have been wanting to start a blog for a while now. Now, that I'm on summer vacation there is no better time than now. I plan on posting comments about cooking (Gluten and Diary Free, mostly vegetarian too) and on my running and yoga practices! I was inspired by Shauna the "Gluten-Free Girl" and her amazing book. Also by random other blogs I have come across in the last few days that have amazing recipes that inspire me to cook all day. Cheers to more to come!