Gluten Free in AZ

Gluten-Free Foodie Tour-Full of Awesome Goodness

2012-02-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

I was so lucky to be included in the Gluten-Free Foodie Tour this month, coordinated by Ken Scheer of Rock a Healthy Lifestyle fame. This month's treat was Bombay Spice Grill & Wine in Paradise Valley. And what a treat it was. There were 50 gluten-free patrons and a meal fit for royalty. Four appetizers, all gluten free, dairy free, egg free and soy free. Three of these were vegetarian! Yippee. Imagine how excited Daughter and I were to find that we wouldn't be passing on all the good stuff.

And for an incredibly busy restaurant, we were so pleased at the amazing service. Food just kept coming, refills on drinks were plenty and even $4 mimosas were served.

First off, a Mango Salad with baby greens, nuts, dried cranberries and a light mango dressing. A perfect way to start the meal. No photo of that, the bowl was on the table and everyone dove in before I could snap a photo. Trust me, if you go there, give it a try. The dressing was sweet and light, and the dried and fresh fruit made it a refreshing way to start any meal.

Lentil Cake Towers

Next up, Lentil Cake Towers. Beautiful little stacked goodies of warm lentil cakes topped with coconut milk yogurt, tamarind reduction (which tasted like a lovely, sweet balsamic reduction), crispy crumbled poppadum (crackers made with garbanzo) and a tomato/onion mixture. My only complaint would be that I'm not a fan of raw onion on many things. Next time, I'll order them without the onion. But aside from that, Daughter and I ate a few of them. The cakes reminded me of felafel and I was dying for a pita to plop it in.

Chickpea Ceviche, oh yum!

Next, my favorite appetizer was the Chickpea Ceviche. A clever vegetarian twist of beautiful, cold chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, tamarind, coconut milk yogurt and once again those lovely crunchy poppadum crackers crumbled on top. I could have eaten the entire bowl of this sweet, crunchy goodness. The chickpeas were cooked perfectly and the dressing gave it a bit of a kick. I'll be returning just to make a meal of this fabulous salad, but than again, I'm a fan of chickpeas in most everything. Once again, raw onion will be omitted, but that's just me.

For meat eaters, there were Tandoori chicken wings that were being snatched up left and right. In fact I heard there were multiple orders. Not for me, but if you're a meat eater you may want to check them out.

Luke Brady working his "Magic"

Bending forks!

In between the appetizers and the entrees, we were entertained by Luke Brady, a friendly and fun magician in town. He sat with the adults and kids in the room and wowed them with card tricks, bending forks and even crimping a few coins. It's nice to be entertained and fed well all at once. Thanks Luke!

Back to the food, you say? Each person chose one of four entrees. Vegetable or Chicken Tika Masala (tomato-based sauce) and Vegetable or Chicken Curry. All entrees could be served over white rice, brown rice or quinoa. Nice, huh? I love having a choice.

Vegetable Tika Masala

Daughter chose the Vegetable Tika Masala over Jasmine rice. I loved it. The sauce was a bit sweet, but not too sweet. Light and tomatoey (is that a word?) with just a slight bite to it (we order mild). Lots of veggies that were nice and crisp, not overcooked at all.

Vegetable Curry

I ordered the Vegetable Curry over quinoa. I loved the quinoa, it adds such a wonderful flavor to most meals. I have to admit I was much more in love with Daughter's dish than mine. The curry was good, but nothing I would drive out of my way for. I think if I were a huge curry fan, that would be different. In any case, a spicier version might have been better for the curry. But I'll get the Tika Masal with quinoa for sure.

Mango Sorbet

Last, but certainly not least, came a lovely, sweet/tart bowl of mango sorbet with a mango coulis and chopped pistachios on top. I was already full from eating everything else, but I just couldn't resist trying this fabulous end to an eventful lunch. It was like a frozen, silky bite of fresh mango with a hint of sweet and crunchy goodness. I wanted to eat the entire bowl but I didn't have the room. I'll save room next time!

Thanks again to Ken Scheer and his GF Foodie Tour. Check out the hashtag #gffoodietour on Twitter for a recount and check out his Web site if you're interested in attending the next one. He's also got a Facebook page here. Follow it and watch for the next one. Maybe I'll see you there!

Disclaimer: All participants payed for their meal and I was not compensated for this review in any way. And I was glad to pay, it was wonderful!

Ahhhhh, Fluffernutter

2012-02-18T22:02:00.001-07:00

You know, I try to eat healthy every day. There are tons of recipes on here for kale, veggies, salads, etc. But some days, we just wanna' be bad, right? And when that feeling hits, go with it. Don't suppress it, don't deny it. It will only eat away at you.

And there are times when the kid in me comes out. I bake cookies, eat pizza, eat ice cream, etc. But the true kid in me emerges when I see a container of Fluff at Cost Plus World Market. If you're from anywhere east of the Mississippi, you know what a Fluffernutter sandwich is. For those of you who don't know, it consists of loads of peanut butter and marshmallow Fluff on white sandwich bread. Nothing else. Oh yeah.

Ahhh, the makings of a Fluffernutter assembled

Now don't scoff, I hear you. Some of you eat meat and I don't compain, do I? Give me a little slack. This is sweet and salty, somewhat like a chocolate-dipped pretzel or even a s'more. The Fluff is sweet and creamy and the peanut butter (which must be chunky) is salty and crunchy. A great combination for a fabulous treat. Eat it quickly, the Fluff has this beautiful way of oozing out of the sandwich slowly, creating a gooey waterfall of marshmallow. It takes me back to my childhood when my mother would give me one of these when I was especially good.

I introduced my girls to this when they were young. Yes, they thought I was crazy at first, until they tried it. Now, it's a treat about twice a year and oh, do we love it.

Gluten-free, Vegetarian Fluffernutters make me happy!

But I would be remiss if I didn't thank Udi's for making my Fluffernutter dreams come true once again. For so many years after my switch to gluten-free living, this was off limits. The gluten-free bread out there simply was no good unless it was toasted (you know what I mean, right? So many GF breads out there must be toasted just to make them tolerable). A Fluffernutter does not work with toasted bread, I repeat, it does not work.

Finally, Udi's emerged with a gluten-free white sandwich bread that mimics the soft, sweet, and chewy consistency of the kind I remember as a kid. (It even tastes great with just butter, right out of the bag, but Shhhh on that one.) Yes, you can put your Fluffernutter on whole grain bread if you feel the need to put something of nutritional value in there (the peanut butter has protein...) but why bother?

So, don't knock it till you've tried it. And if you're a fellow Easterner, go ahead and indulge. Nobody's looking and besides, you're a grown up and that means you can do what you want, when you want, which includes eating a Fluffernutter for dinner!

Fresh Orange Cupcakes

2012-02-06T11:43:00.001-07:00

I just love this time of year when the citrus trees are full of beautiful, fresh, sweet navel oranges. When we moved here 11 years ago, there were nine orange trees on the property. Now, there are three left that produce lovely fruit every year. Christmas morning, mimosas with fresh OJ are always on the menu.

But, what to do with all those oranges? Yes, I'm generous with them to everyone who visits, but I love cooking and baking, so I'm always looking to use them. Yesterday I had the urge to bake and decided on orange cupcakes with orange glaze on top. The fresh orange juice and grated orange peel makes it taste like a bite right out of an orange. If you don't have oranges you can get right in your back yard, I supposed you could use frozen or store-bought OJ, but I don't think it will be the same.

These were so good, I packed them into the basket on my bike this morning and rode over to a friend's house for tea and cupcakes. What a beautiful way to start the week. Hope your week is grand.

Fresh Orange Cupcakes
1 package Gluten Free Pantry yellow cake mix
2/3 cup fresh OJ
Grated rind from two oranges
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 stick butter, room temperature

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs fresh orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Line cupcake pan with cupcake papers.
4. Pour into cupcake pan, filling each about 3/4 full (this made 12 full-size cupcakes and about 9 minis)
5. Bake minis for about 10-12 minutes, full-sized cupcakes take about 5 more minutes.
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely while making the glaze.
7. To make the glaze, just add a little juice at a time to the sugar and mix until you have a thick, smooth consistency.
8. When cupcakes are cool, just drizzle the glaze over the top and add a little of the orange peel for color and a lovely tart bite, then let them set for a few minutes.

I dare you not to eat them in one night. They are so light and refreshing. But save some for tea in the morning, they are perfect.

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Experiment #4

2012-02-02T13:54:00.001-07:00

Pizza Crust No. 4 is a Winner

If you've been following the blog, you already know that I'm on a quest to find the easiest, tastiest pizza crust to make at home. Yes, I know I can buy a frozen one quite easily, but aside from the astronomical costs of these things (I took out a home equity loan for a GF pizza party), I think the flavors are just not right. Either they taste like cardboard or they are overly seasoned to cover up the bean-flour taste. There has to be something out there, right?

So, continuing the quest with #4, I decided to find out if a simple, quick crust can be made. This time I had no recipe (yes, I threw away the bag already) and just went with it. I had one cup of Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust mix in a bag from a previous attempt that was just begging to be used. (I know I used this mix in a previous test, but it was mixed with another flour and I wanted to try it on its own.) The rest was improv, and wow, it's in the top 2. This crust is light and crispy around the edges, slightly chewy toward the middle and has a mild taste. Daughter said it tasted better than numbers 1 and 3 and I have to agree. I think this one is my favorite for two reasons: It is the easiest by far and it has the most basic pizza crust flavor. I can see adding all kinds of toppings and it would work with all of them. You could even bake it with cheese first, then top it off with whatever you like. This made a large 10-inch round pizza with eight nice-sized pieces. It could feed two to three hungry people easily. This makes it the most cost effective also since there are at least three-four cups of mix in each bag.

Quick, Easy Pizza Crust
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt/oregano/basil/pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until blended well. Use a fork, it will get very thick. Knead it a little with your hands to smooth it out a bit.
3. Turn out onto a greased cookie sheet and spread it out with your fingers.
4. Cover the dough with wax paper and roll out to a pizza-crust thickness (about 1/4 inch). Don't forget to create a bit of a crust edge with your fingers.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Cover with marinara, cheese, etc. and put back in the oven for 10 minutes.

The big difference in this recipe is that I did not use the yeast packet that came with the mix and instead added the baking powder. I have used yeast in two of the four crusts and aside from the fact that neither one has risen much, I'm not sure it adds much to the mix and I don't like the flavor. The recipe also calls for water but I had a little bit of milk left and decided to give it a go. That was also a good choice. Daughter asked me to make this one again for dinner so I'm checking this one off as a keeper.

Next time, I'll do this one with added Parmesan in the crust for flavor and a bit more saltiness.

Enjoy!

Mini Raspberry Swirl Gluten-free Cheesecake Bites

2012-01-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Mini cheesecake bites with raspberry swirl

I know, two posts in one day...but I couldn't help it. I offered to bring a dessert to a party today, but then couldn't decide what I wanted to bring. I could have done the usual brownies (which are very good) or go with something new. Then it hit me, what would I want someone to bring? Mini cheesecakes, gluten free, a little fruit. Mmmmmm. Then, I set about making that happen. Of course, I didn't decide this until 10 a.m. and the party was at 1, so I had to act fast. No problem...

Mini Raspberry Swirl Gluten-free Cheesecake
Crust:
1 bag of Pamela's Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies
2 TBS butter, melted

Cheesecake:
3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Raspberry Syrup:
1 bag of frozen raspberries (couldn't find fresh, use them if you can)
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1/2 tsp orange extract

1. Pour raspberries and sugar into a sauce pan and let it simmer for about 20 minutes to reduce. Just let it simmer while you do everything else, but check it often to make sure it doesn't burn or cook too fast. Low heat.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Crush the cookies finely either in a bag and smash them, or use a food processor, then mix in the butter.
4. Line mini cupcake tin with papers.
5. Put a small amount of the cookie mixture (about 1/3 of the cup) into each paper cup. I used the flat end of a wine cork (just the right size) to tamp down the cookie mixture.
6. Using a mixer, blend the cheesecake ingredients until smooth.
7. Fill the cups to just about full.
8. Once the raspberry syrup is reduced, push it through a strainer to remove the seeds and put in the freezer for a few moments to cool it down. (just don't forget about it)
9. Dot each cheesecake with the syrup, then swirl with a toothpick to make a pretty design.
10. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. They will puff up when they cook, then sink back down when you take them out. Don't worry, that's normal.

Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then refrigerate until you need them. Of course, I was in a hurry and put them in the freezer for 20 minutes, then in the fridge for a few hours at the party. Take them out about 20 minutes before you want to eat them so they aren't too cold.

Yum! These are tasty bites of heaven and everyone raved at the party. The most tedious part of the process is tapping down all the cookie crusts and swirling the raspberry sauce. I recommend getting an eager teen to help you, it certainly makes it much quicker and much more fun. This recipe made about 65 of these little beauties, and they were all eaten in less than 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pizza Perfection Quest #3

2012-01-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

Pizza, oh yeah!

I knew I would have three teenagers in the house yesterday, so I decided to give pizza crust #3 a try. I am determined to find a crust that Wows everyone. And if you have to have a quest in life, this one isn't so bad.

For this experiment, I used Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix and Chebe's Pizza Crust. I decided to mix them because I know Chebe has a chewy texture, but I'm not that keen on the flavor. I know Bob's Red Mill makes a mix for most everything, but I wanted a more chewy crust. For that reason, I used the Bob's Red Mill mix, but substituted one cup of the mix for one cup of Chebe's mix. Everything else was the same (yeast, eggs, oil, salt, garlic powder) as the back of the Bob's package.

The crust was less sticky than the previous mix, although still not a dough you can roll out. Mostly, just used a spatula and olive oil to spread it around.

Bake first for about 10 minutes to firm it up, then top with marinara and mozzarella and bake another 10 minutes.

Results? I thought the flavor was good, but I didn't get much of a fluffy dough texture from this one. It was thinner than the second crust and had a nice flavor, but a little too much of the Chebe flavor came through for my taste. The two teens who had the previous pizza liked this one, but not as much as Crust #2 (same reasons). Of course, they did each have 3 pieces, so it wasn't too shabby. The teen who hadn't tried any of them so far loved it and ate even more.

So far the votes are in:
Crust #2 is the best so far (King Arthur)
Crust #3 runs a close second (Bob's and Chebe)
Crust #1 follows up behind as the "Not bad, but I've had better" pizza. (Bisquick)

Don't worry though, there are still a few more to go, and we are determined to try them all just for you! Got a suggestion or recipe? Let me know and we might give that one a try too!

If you try any of these, please let me know how it works out for you. Let me know here, or on the FB page.

Enjoy!

The Continued Quest for Pizza Perfection #2

2012-01-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

The pizza quest continued last night with a valiant effort to make an even better pizza crust. Success and at such an early stage, I may just let this go to my head.

Comments from the two teens who were taste testing were: "This is awesome," (this one included a high-five), "This is better than the one you buy at the store," and my favorite was, "You should definitely make this one again."

Very wet pizza dough

This gluten-free crust is brought to you by King Arthur Flour, which is also nut free and soy free (and Kosher). I used the pizza crust picture here, and of course I felt the need to doctor it up a little. (You know I can't resist, dear chef.)

In short, just use the directions on the back of the box (eggs, oil, yeast, warm water). I added a tiny bit of cider vinegar (1 TBS), 1 tsp each of salt, garlic powder, dried basil and dried oregano.

Directions on the box allow for it to rise once in a bowl for 30 minutes, then once again after you spread it out on the pan. Hint: This is more very thick cake batter rather than pizza dough. It doesn't spread well unless you put some olive oil on top and spread it out with a spatula. Don't even try to roll it out, you'd be wasting your time. But don't let this scare you. I was a bit nervous at first, but it turns out just fine. As you can see in my photo, it's a pretty wet mixture. And although it said to let it rise 30 minutes, it didn't rise at all after this. Don't know what I did wrong, or if the yeast was old, or maybe it wasn't warm enough in the kitchen. Who knows.

Bake the crust first, then top it and bake again for about 10 minutes, just enough to melt the cheese and warm whatever you want on it. For this experiment, all pizzas have just marinara and mozzarella. We're trying to keep the playing field even. (As much as possible.)

The result is a chewy crust with a light flavor. It's firm enough to hold in one hand and eat like a slice of pizza, which was a pleasant surprise judging by the state of it before it was baked. It was much better than the biscuit crust from the prior night, although that was still very good. This had more of a pizza-crust texture. I was disappointed that it didn't rise more and I think it would have been even better if it did. I'll be making it again and hoping for a better rise. Could just be the cold, dry Arizona desert.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Let me know here, or head over to the FB page.
Enjoy!

A Quest for Pizza Perfection

2012-01-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Pizza Crust at the last minute

I started my quest for at-home pizza dough tonight. Since I didn't feel like heading out to the store, I decided to improvise with what I had in the cupboards and fridge. Crazy? Well, not really. In a happy twist of fate, I actually did pretty well. I'll be tweaking this recipe in the future, but if you're looking for a quick, easy, tasty pizza crust, this could be it.

The crust is firm enough to pick up, a bit more like a biscuit in texture (thanks to the Bisquick I'm sure) but still has a pizza crust taste. I added salt and a bit of dried basil to the crust for more taste. You can choose to or not, depending on your taste.

Pizza Crust #1

1 cup Gluten-free Bisquick Mix

1 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 cup almond flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Pinch of dried basil

2 medium eggs

1/2 cup milk

3 tbs olive oil

salt/pepper/oregano/basil/parsley

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees (I know, just trust me)
2. Mix the first five ingredients
3. Crack two eggs in a measuring cup and mix. Add enough milk to make 1 cup of liquid total.
4. Pour into dry mixture, along with olive oil and spices.
5. Mix dough and let sit for a moment.
6. Spread dough on greased cookie sheet. I used a piece of parchment over the dough to roll it out flat.
7. Pinch a rim around the dough and spread a little olive oil over top of the dough.
8. Bake in the 500-degree oven for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, turn oven down to 350 degrees and top with your favorite toppings. We used tomato sauce and mozzarella for our first try.
10. Return to oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Hint: depending on how dry it is in your neck of the woods, you may want to add a little more liquid to the mix. It should be like dough but stickier.

I'm on a quest to find the best at-home pizza crust and I think I'm starting out pretty well. I'll fall back on this one when all else fails because I know it's good. The ultimate test is the Teen Daughter, who ate two pieces and told me to save the rest for breakfast tomorrow. That's a very good sign!

Let me know what you think or what you've used in the past.

Shepherd's Pie with a Gluten-free, Vegetarian Twist

2012-01-19T14:20:00.004-07:00

I admit it...I have never had shepherd's pie with meat in it. It never really looked that appealing to me. But once I became a vegetarian, I loved the idea of veggies with mashed potatoes in a pie form. We used to use vegetarian burger crumbles for the bottom, you know the ones I'm talking about. It looks somewhat like hamburger and tastes meaty and chewy. But since those are made of wheat gluten, that was put on the do-not-eat list years ago. What now? I make it frequently with Quorn tenders and it is quite good, but still not what I remember.

Shepherd's Pie right out of the oven, yum!

Enter Amy's Bistro Burgers, which are gluten free and vegetarian. Crumble them up and it's the closest you can get to the texture of meat on the bottom. And before I get letters and comments, let me just say that I am not a big fan of trying to recreate meat in a vegetarian way. I just love the texture of something firm and chewy on the bottom of this type of pie and veggies just don't get it. This seems to do the trick, and the entire pie was gone in two days (Mom came over and had dinner) including breakfast. Yum. Try it with your favorite veggies, although these work just fine for us. Use fresh veggies as much as you can, it's just so much better.

Chock full of veggies, crumbles and potatoes

Veggie, GF Shepherd's Pie

4 Amy's Bistro Burger Patties, thawed and crumbled
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
salt/pepper
pinch of cumin

2 cups of fresh green beans, cleaned and chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 TBS wheat-free tamari

2 cups mashed potatoes (homemade or store-bought)
1 TBS butter
salt/pepper/olive oil

1. Heat oven to 375
2. Saute onion till soft in a small bit of olive oil and salt.
3. Add burger crumbles, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. Cook till browned.
4. Pour burger mixture into the bottom of a sprayed 9x9 glass baking dish.
5. Add green beans and 4 TBS water to the same pan (no need to clean it) and cover for about 5 minutes or until the water is steamed and beans are cooked slightly.
6. Add 1 Tbs olive oil and corn. (if corn is frozen, let it cook for a bit before going on to next step)
7. Add Tamari and let cook without stirring for a few minutes to let the veggies caramelize.
8. Spread veggie layer over burger layer in baking dish.
9. Prepare mashed potatoes the way you usually do. I used a fresh kind from Costco and just microwave it for a few minutes, then add a TBS of butter, salt and pepper.
10. Cover top of pie evenly with mashed potatoes and bake for 20 minutes.
11. Broil for 10 minutes under low to brown the top. Watch carefully, all ovens are different.
12. Let sit for a minute and serve.

Enjoy!

Scottsdale's 5th and Wine warms my GF heart

2012-01-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places in the heart of downtown Scottsdale has to be 5th and Wine, a restaurant/wine bar with a comfortable atmosphere and a GF/vegetarian salad I keep coming back for again and again. Not only do they have an extensive wine list, there is a lovely patio in the heart of the arts district with live music and comfy seats that create the perfect conversation areas. Inside there are soft, leather cushy chairs just meant for chatting and relaxing over a glass of wine and house-marinated olives.

5th and Wine's Yummy Veggie Salad

First on the menu is the Veggie salad filled with avocado, white and green beans, grape tomatoes, jicama, and mozzarella tossed with a light herb vinaigrette. The dressing doesn't overpower the salad, which is light, fresh and filling. You can even order half a salad if you're not that hungry, but trust me, you'll want more.

The Strawberry and Gorgonzola salad is also beautiful. I tend to order it with goat cheese instead of Gorgonzola, but that's just my preference. It's still wonderful and sweet.

Roasted marinated olives

If you're just having a glass of wine (happy hour is just $5 a glass til 6 and watch for occasional $2 days), order the house marinated roasted olives with orange peel, fennel and red pepper flakes. Oh, yum. I've been known to just eat the olives while everyone else around ate burgers. I didn't feel deprived at all, they are that good.

The menu also has burgers, salads, fries and even fried pickles for the non-GF eaters in your group, which makes my husband very happy. I've been brave enough to eat the salad and olives only. Since I'm not a meat eater, that leaves few options in these trendy downtown eateries most of the time, luckily I'm a salad lover and finding a great salad I can go back to again and again is a great thing. Thank goodness 5th and Wine has created a salad and olives I'm in love with.

The wine list is superb and if you're not sure about what you want, just ask. They are knowledgeable and I haven't been steered wrong yet. I prefer a nice white wine blend with this salad and each time I get something a little different.

Of course, if it's an intimate conversation, take it outside if weather permits (which it does most of the year here in Phoenix). It can get quite noisy inside when it gets crowded. Walk the shops in the area and stop in for a glass of wine and a salad, you won't be disappointed.

(By the way, I'm not affiliated with the restaurant and receive nothing for this review. Just sayin')

The New Year...Another Chance to Get It Right

2012-01-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

A toast to the New Year!

It's Jan. 1 and we all know what that means, resolutions Do you make resolutions every year? Do you stick to them? Are any of those resolutions about what you eat and how you eat? They should be. Cleaning clutter, getting a new job, sticking to a schedule, etc. are all important, but none of it will work as well if you don't eat right. It's as straightforward as that.

Make your #1 resolution this year to eat well and keep your body fit. It's as simple as passing on the second helping, stopping at a few bites of that decadent dessert or just having one drink instead of 3. You'd be surprised how quickly you feel better. Less soda, less chemicals, less excess.

No plans, no commitments, no infomercial box filled with food or exercise equipment needed. Just walk and eat better. Period. And if you need help, find a friend to do it with you. Here are a few tips that have worked for me to get you started:

1. Reduce the amount of carbs you eat. Bread, rice, potatoes, sugar, etc. Just eat less.

2. Increase the amount of protein you eat. If you don't eat meat, eat almonds, cheese, tofu, etc. There are a lot of sources for protein for all kinds of diets.

3. Exercise, even if you just walk more. Walk in place while blow drying your hair, stretch in the kitchen while the tea kettle heats up, etc. Find some way to move throughout the day and you'll be surprised how much more energy you'll have. If you can, grab a few weights and get some bone-strengthening exercise in there.

4. Tell yourself this is not a diet. Rather, this is a change in lifestyle. You can eat anything you like, just don't eat it all. A few bites of a chocolate doughnut is enough, 1 slice of pizza instead of 3, burger or fries-not both.

5. Don't be hard on yourself if you eat something you think you shouldn't. It's not a contest or a race. Just vow to do better next time.

6. If you drink, try less fattening alternatives. White wine instead of read, light beer instead of beer, and go easy on the sugary mixed drinks.

Good luck! Starting on a new eating plan is tough for so many, but it can be done. Giving up gluten was tough, but you did it, right? So slowing down on the sugar and fats should be a breeze!

Thank you everyone who has followed this blog for the past few years. I've had so much fun writing it, trying recipes, and meeting new people. I started it to make life easier for myself, and it became so much bigger than that. I've enjoyed learning about cooking in a new way, sharing my finds and musings, and finding gluten-free food in an easier way throughout Phoenix. There are so many more options now than when I started and what a joy that is! Just think what's still out there to come.

Here's to a marvelous, wonderful, prosperous, happy New Year for us all!

Pumpkin Pie Success! (and a chocolate cupcake)

2011-12-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

Once again for the holidays, I tried to make a pie crust and pumpkin pie. This time I was confident enough to go out on my own and tweak the recipes. Thanksgiving's pie was good, but not amazing. I strive for amazing.

My rule has always been to follow the recipe the first time, then change it the way you want after that. So, this time the crust came out better and thanks to a little mistake, the pumpkin pie filling was fabulous!

Using Gluten Free Pantry's pie crust mix and following the directions, this time I added a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla to kick up the flavor of the crust. Also, I mixed the dough with my hands, not using a machine and that left chunks of butter (about the size of small marbles) scattered in the dough. Break the dough into two pieces and refrigerate. Now, this is the important part...refrigerate at least 24 hours. The first time, we only let it sit for one hour and had to push it into the pie plate like a giant piece of Playdough. This time, after more than 24 hours of cooling in the fridge, the dough was much more firm and I was able to roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap and place it into the greased pie plate. Press in any spots that rip. There are still a few small bits of butter left in the dough, but leave them. I wanted to sprinkle some sugar on the dough before baking it to give it a layer of crunch, but I forgot. Next time...

Bake the crust for 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven before filling it. (Can't remember what the package says, that was just what I decided to do. I threw away the box before checking that part.)

Preparing the filling is easy. Just use the recipe on the side of the organic pumpkin can. (Not pumpkin pie filling, yuk!) But instead of evaporated milk, I used a can of sweetened condensed milk. Didn't realize my mistake until it was mixed in, so we went with it and crossed our fingers. Added cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, sugar and eggs (and a tsp of vanilla). Pour into cooled crust and bake 10 minutes at 450 and turn the oven down to 350 and bake another 30 minutes.

There is no photo, the pie when that fast after dinner. Everyone devoured the pie and the crust, raving about how it was hard to tell that it was gluten-free. Always glad to hear that from the gluten eaters in the group. Little tweaks can sometimes be your best friend, dear chef!

I've added a photo above of the beautiful cupcakes my daughter made for the day. Gluten-free chocolate cupcakes with peppermint buttercream frosting and a white-chocolate/peppermint bark on top. Sweet! She's getting to be the real baker, and may even be better than me now since she's gotten so creative. So proud! Recipe to follow as soon as she gives it to me.

Dear Martha

2011-12-18T19:50:00.001-07:00

Recently, there was an article printed in The Daily Mail, UK edition, with a few quotes from Martha and her newest book. She was discussing dinner guests using cell phones and those with allergies or food preferences. I'm posting my letter to her in the assumption that this reporting is correct. If it is not, then I apologize up front and you are welcome to come by and chat, Martha. But if it's true, what I say below comes from the heart.

Dear Martha:
I'm sure you have many friends, and I'm sure your dinner parties are elegant, as we've seen on TV. But I also know the reputation you've gotten over the years and I was always there to try and soften it. "If she were a man," I would say to those who bashed you, "would they be so hard on her? No." Well, I think I'm going to have to take it all back based on your newest book and interview.

Now, I do agree with you on your stance about cell phones at dinner parties. Unless one has a babysitter or child at home who may need you, there is no need to carry a cell phone at a party. And if it rings (and it should be on silent with only a vibration) then a quick look to see if it's the aforementioned babysitter/teen at home and put it on ignore if it's not. There is no reason ever to text or take a call when you are at someone else's home, especially if that someone worked hard all day cooking, cleaning, and decorating in order to spend time with you and others in her/his home.

But when it comes to allergies and food preferences, I'm in the other camp. "Oh my God! Don't ask! My rule is do not ask about dietary restrictions," she says, clearly averse to making an extra effort for certain guests. This quote from the article reveals how selfish you are being when holding these parties. Are they about spending time with friends or showing off your cooking skills? It should be both! Why can't you accommodate the very people you are hoping to please in your home?

I have always tried to accommodate people with allergies or strong preference when they are in my home. For instance, I know my niece and husband do not like mushrooms. I am always aware and leave them out of my dishes when I know there is a dinner party and they will be eating the food. I would rather find another way to be creative than have them skip something just because I thought it was an inconvenience. It's about spending time with people, not just showing off.

At the same time, I do not expect anyone to cater to my needs. I am perfectly happy to bring my own food (I'm sure you would hate that, Martha. I won't even go there) or just have a salad or the side dish. But I would never, ever, assume that someone I personally invited to my home should go without a meal. "You have to be semi-prepared," she says of picky eaters. "But don't fret about it. Everybody can miss a meal." Seriously? You would be fine with someone coming to your home and eating nothing because you weren't prepared with even a small bite for them? I certainly don't want to be catered to, but I would also be pretty darn insulted if they had absolutely nothing, not even lettuce or fruit.

And finally, the big question. Do you do all the cooking for your dinner parties? I think not. What would be so hard about just asking one of the chefs in your restaurant-style kitchen to whip up something for the celiac/diabetic/peanut allergy/etc. eater who was invited to your party? Why not show them what a thoughtful, caring hostess you are and put to bed all that talk about you being a you-know-what?

Merry Christmas, Martha. If you want any help in preparing meals with thought, compassion and creativity, feel free to give me a ring.

Here's how to have a gluten-free book club tea party

2011-12-02T11:27:00.002-07:00

It was my month to choose a book and host book club in November. Not only do I love reading, but I also love hosting parties. The book I chose was Remarkable Creatures, by Tracy Chevalier. And since the book is based on the lives of spinster women searching for fossils on the coast of England in the early 1800s, (yes, it really is), I chose a tea-party theme with seashells and dinosaurs thrown in for fun.

Tea Party with sea glass, shells and dinosaurs

Tea is served

First let me note that I am the only GF eater in the group. It's been my mission to prove to them all that GF cooking is just as good and that the wheat is not missed. Top that with the fact that we're vegetarians and there isn't any meat at our house and I've got a real challenge, but I'm always up for a challenge, Dear Chef.

The dinosaur is there for a reason, trust me.

I decided on making two veggie tarts, (basically quiche without the crust). The first was made with carmelized leeks, browned mushrooms, mozzarella and goat cheese. Carmelize one onion and two leeks, then add mushrooms and brown them with the onions. When they're done, place them on the bottom of a tart pan and spread out evenly. Cover with a layer of shredded mozzarella and about 3 TBS of shredded Parmesan. Sprinkle with chopped fresh thyme and parsley. In a separate bowl, mix together about 4 egg whites and 3 eggs. Add about 1/4 cup of goat cheese and whisk it all together with a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried mustard and nutmeg. Pour evenly over the tart and bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. Don't let it get too brown. Slice when cool and enjoy. I'm always apprehensive about using goat cheese since even though I love it, I have found that people either love it or hate it. But this was first plate to be empty, so I suppose this wasn't anything to worry about.

Another dinosaur, representing the fossils in the book.

The second tart was onion, spinach, asparagus and Swiss cheese. Start with the onions in a bit of olive oil and butter (as above) and cook till brown and sweet. Add about 2 cups of fresh spinach and cook until wilted. Turn the heat on low and cook for about 10 minutes until the liquid has cooked out of the spinach. Add 1/2 tsp fresh garlic, pinch of salt and pepper. spread evenly into a pie/tart pan. Cover with 1 1/2 cups of shredded Swiss cheese. Take asparagus and arrange in a patter on top of the cheese. In a separate bowl, beat together 4 egg whites, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup half and half, salt, pepper, pinch of both nutmeg and dried mustard. Chop about 1 TBS fresh parsley and add to the mixture. Beat and then pour evenly and gently over the veggie/cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, but don't let it get too brown. Slice when cool.

Thanks to Udi's for the fabulous bread used to make the cucumber sandwiches and the egg salad sandwiches. They were the first to go and not one was left on the plate. Daughter and I kept eating them while making them, we love them that much. Simple to make, really. For the cucumber sandwiches, just cut the crusts off the bread, then spread with cream cheese and layer with strips of cucumber (use a veggie peeler for strips) and slice. Sprinkle with a little salt and a bit of chopped fresh parsley. For the egg salad I used chopped egg, mayo, apples, celery, salt/pepper and chopped parsley. I didn't cut the crusts off of these and they were yummy .

In keeping with the fossil-hunting theme, Daughter actually made a wonderful GF coffee cake and placed a small dinosaur in one of the pieces while plating the cake. (Fossil hunting in the dirt? Too much of a stretch?) The cake was gone quickly, and worked perfectly with the tea after dinner.

And believe it or not, I found the perfect wine in the spirit of the fossil-hunting theme of the evening. Thanks Trader Joe's.

I was depending on Trader Joe's for their lovely shell-shaped chocolates to round out the decor. And wouldn't you know it, they don't have them yet for the holiday season. What's a girl to do? Ask her teen to make some chocolate, that's what. Darling daughter actually melted white and dark chocolate and poured it into molds to give us our shell chocolate. What a doll! The night was rounded out with cheese/pesto/sun-dried tomato torte with rice crackers, caramels with sea salt and a lovely salad of spring lettuce, roasted beets and candied pecans in a balsamic dressing.

I'm sad the night is over, but I can't wait for next month. Try reading the book and see what it inspires you to cook. Enjoy!

A Supernatural Gluten-free Party!

2011-11-19T17:25:00.006-07:00

With an elegant twist in honor of Breaking Dawn, a party was created and I was lucky enough to be invited. I spent the evening last night in a beautiful place, eating beautiful food (all gluten free) all while talking with lovely people. I can't think of a nicer way to spend an evening. And since you were not there, let me tell you all about the fun and more importantly, the food.

Thanks to Angela Saban of Angel Cakes for hosting this fabulous party. Check out her blog, here, for updates on the amazing cakes she creates (see below for more details on the ooh- and aaah-worthy food).

Welcome!

When you're welcomed at the party by an old truck (Bella's with a better paint job?) and a sign, this sets the stage for what's to come inside. With this attention to detail, I had a feeling nothing would be missed from this point on.

Yay, Swag!

I followed the red carpet into the entry hall with it's TWILIGHT centerpiece surrounded by swag bags for all guests. Sweet! The centerpiece fascinated me with its simplicity yet creativity. I found out that Angela's wonderful daughter-in-law, Trista Williams, had fashioned it using pages right out of the series. (Although she did say she felt bad tearing up a perfectly good book, it was worth it!) Here's a close-up for you crafters.

Pages of the book, close up

Can you choose between Team Edward or Team Jacob? Even if you're not a fan of the movies or books, the theme is fun and whimsical, yet mysterious with werewolves and vampires. I chose Team Jacob, there I said it. Let the debate begin. Fangs for Edward's team, wolf ears for the better team, er I mean the other team.

Choose a team

With Full Moon cocktail in hand (Maker's Mark, apple cider and a splash of ginger ale), I made my way around the pool, which was surrounded by candles and spinning lights. Looking up on the wall I saw projected images of Bella, Edward, and Jacob, as well as scenes from previous movies lighting up the patio. DJ Gabriel kept the vibe going with music from the series, keeping the mood romantic and fun.

Photos and movie scenes on the wall

Moving on to the buffet table (you know that's what you were interested in!) was a real treat. First off, the tables were topped off with spectacular floral arrangements that fit the mood perfectly. A rose here, a red carnation there, moss and greenery everywhere. All arrangements were created by Elba Brown of Designs by E in Phoenix with an eerie, supernatural touch. Floating red roses among moss and soft white flowers gave the buffet table just the right touch of beauty, elegance and mystery.

Notice the enormous pile of potato chips near the flowers? Oh yeah, my friend. Freshly made chips that were crispy, not too salty and oh so yummy. An avocado cream dipping sauce was provided for the chips, but seriously, with a good chip who needs dip (although it was amazing and I just needed a spoon for it and I could eat it like pudding).

The food was provided by Jennifer's Catering in Phoenix. Check out the website and see how they serve the chips in little cones, Oh my. Maggie Wark, who works at Jennifer's, is the gluten-free guru there who made the slider rolls and is spear-heading the gluten-free division of the company. Also on the menu was a tomato salad with Cojita cheese. So refreshing and served in little cups with cute tiny forks. Pork belly and salmon rounded out the food, but you know of course that was not my cup of tea, although I hear it was quite good from those who tried it.


Tomato/Cojita salad (yes, I had about 7!)

On to the crowning glory of the party, the pastry table. Oh man, if I could have married it, I would have. It was that good. I stood there wishing I hadn't opted for the cute little purse that matched the outfit rather than the huge, pastry/cupcake smuggling purse. I would have to be content with eating it all there. (Next time, Angela, don't question the large duffle purse at the party.)

Edward and Bella should have had this at their wedding

First off, the cake. A beautiful centerpiece with edible flowers. Definitely would not fit in the purse (damn!) I did not eat any, but I've had Angela's cake before at a lovely tea party (check it out here).

Next the cupcakes. Both sides were represented with a special cupcake. Jacob's side (werewolves) had a fabulously chocolatey caramely cupcake with salted caramel and a fondant paw on top. I could have eaten four, I admit it, but I didn't. But I so wanted to, but I didn't.

Edward's side was represented appropriately by a vanilla-bean cupcake with raspberry filling and even bite marks. The filling was gooey and lovely, the cupcake was light and fluffy and the frosting was a dream.

True to my original team choice, I preferred the chocolate, but it was a tough choice, trust me. Both were light and airy like a cupcake should be, but it didn't fall apart at all. I felt like Florian from Cupcake Wars as I tried both. Of course, I gave them both good marks, but I'm a chocolate lover at heart, you know.

What about Bella, you ask? Bella-berry Cobblers with a berry filling and flaky, buttery crust gave Bella her chance to shine. And that she did. Two bites of a perfect cherry pie. My table mates all claimed that this was their favorite. The crust was something I have been trying to perfect without success. Once again, Angela shines with a gluten-free pie crust that is equal parts flaky and chewy, just the way it should be.

And yes, there were cookies! What, you say? No really, on top of all this, there were little white hearts of vanilla cookies with white icing. They reminded me of the glorious black and white cookie of my New York City days that I feared I would never eat again. Never fear, they are right here. I'll bet Angela could even make them black and white if you ask her.

Swag bags, you ask? Oh yeah! I was fortunate enough to meet the actual Tom Sawyer of Tom Sawyer Gluten Free Flour-fame, no kidding. And not only that, there was a bag of flour for everyone to take home and start baking. Sweet! A chocolate wolf lollipop, Werewolf "kibble" and "blood-spattered" popcorn, all by Angela Saban started the bags off. Add to that Udi's chocolate chip cookie, Julia's Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll and more. I can't imagine a better time with better food or company, and I even had swag to take home. Now that's how you throw a party!

I was lucky enough to meet Kim Pebley, president of the Southern Arizona Celiac Support group and Chandice Probst of Gluten Free Frenzy here in town. Check out her website for giveaways and fun restaurant reviews. I also had the chance to spend a little time with Nina Spitzer, the GF guru who started the Phoenix Celiac group and Gluten Free Absolutely, a wonderful restaurant menu consultation service. What a great group of people who are supporting and advancing the GF community.

Trista Williams, me, and the lovely Elba Brown

Proof positive by Angela that you can have a lovely, successful cocktail party with elegant food and not a speck of gluten to be found. Thanks!

Gluten-free, Chocolate Almond/Cashew Cups

2011-11-05T13:28:00.002-07:00

Gluten-free, chocolate almond/cashew cups

I had a craving for peanuts and chocolate last night, so I decided that I would whip up something fun. These nut cups are modified from the protein bars I made previously, and are quick and easy to make, no cooking (unless you count a microwave for a few seconds) and yummy. I even had a few for breakfast.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Almond/Cashew Cups
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup unsalted, natural peanut butter

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 Tbs honey
1/2 Tbs GF vanilla extract
1/2 cup Enjoy Life GF, DF, CF chocolate chips

1. Spray a mini-muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small food processor, combine almonds, cashews, flax, sunflower seeds and peanut butter until it forms a paste.
3. Heat coconut oil, sugar, honey and vanilla in a small bowl in the microwave for just 15 seconds.
4. Pour coconut oil mixture into nut mixture and process until mixed (just about 10-15 seconds).
5. Put about a TBS of mixture in each tin and place in the freezer while you make the chocolate. This made 24 cups.
6. Heat chocolate in microwave for 20 seconds, then stir, then heat again for 10 seconds. Keep doing this until it's all melted. Be careful not to overcook.
7. Remove cups from the freezer and put about a tsp of chocolate on top of each cup and spread it out. Work quickly, it cools and hardens fast on the cold nut mixture. After you've put all the chocolate on, you can add more if you like.
8. Return cups to the fridge or freezer (depending on how fast you want to eat them).
9. When hardened, remove the cups from the tins and put in an airtight container in the fridge. They melt quickly so keep them in the fridge.
Enjoy!

Calling all Vegans!

2011-11-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

The logical step for many people who are vegetarians is to take the next leap and become vegan, right? But remember when you went GF and wondered, "How will I get pizza, cookies, bread, etc.?" It was scary. Well, going from vegetarian to vegan is the same thing. "What about pizza, what about cheese," we ask.

Southwest vegan pizza with black bean paste

Well, these days the answers are a lot easier than they were years ago. And I recently had the chance to sample the new vegan pizza at Gluten Free Creations that would make the transition even easier. Using Daiya cheese and vegan ingredients for the crusts, they've managed to make a pizza that is satisfying and vegan, finally.

There are a few varieties (along with just the crusts) that are quite good. I suggest the Southwest pizza with black beans or the pesto/spinach/artichoke pizza. The crust is crispy and just right for pizza toppings. It doesn't carry a lot of flavor on its own, which makes it the perfect vehicle for any toppings you want. At the time I tried the pizzas, there was an issue with canned mushrooms, which is one of my pet peeves, but just go without mushrooms and you're good to go (unless you like them, then have a blast). All in all, if I were a vegan, this would be a wonderful treat. Not on the cheap side, these are treats and not something we could do every day, but most GF products are costly, right? Buy a few and top them with your own special toppings.

As I've blogged before, I'm a big fan of the Italian GF crusts from this bakery and always have them in my freezer for those nights I have no creativity or energy to cook. Bake with just olive oil and spices and dip in marinara, or top with cheese and garlic, or even make a sandwich with it. The same can be done with the vegan crusts. Go nuts and be creative, or just heat them up and dip.

And once again, I have to put a plug in for the chocolate donuts there, which are my favorites. I get them when I have a killer chocolate craving. Chocolate donuts with chocolate frosting and chocolate chips. Phew, they are intensely chocolate and just what I need sometimes. What about you?

(I am remiss in this post since I spent a wonderful morning at Gluten Free Creations not long ago and I promised to blog about it. Well, it's been too long and I got too busy. Sorry for the delay in the post.)

Whole Foods to the rescue!

2011-10-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Daughter and I were headed out to a baby shower yesterday and realized that we had no cake to eat at the party. Normally, I don't really care about eating at these things. I usually eat beforehand so I'm not tempted. Daughter has learned to do the same. But she wanted to have some cake and I'll admit it, I wanted something sweet. I didn't have time to bake and we were on our way so we stopped at Whole Foods and grabbed a package of their vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.

When the cake for the party was served, it looked wonderful. It was chocolate with a chocolate mousse filling and everyone seemed to love it. Daughter and I broke out the cupcakes and tore into them right away. The cake was moist and yummy with a great cupcake texture. The icing was a bit sweet and overpowering, but I think next time I'll just eat half the frosting and be done with it. For the most part, we didn't feel deprived and it hit the spot. If we're on our way to another party, I may grab the chocolate for a change of pace. These are large cupcakes, which is good but, at $8.99 for 4 cupcakes, that won't be happening very often. It's much more cost-effective to make our own, but for a quick cupcake...not bad at all!

Egg "noodles" the grain-free way

2011-09-26T19:19:00.001-07:00

Egg "noodles" with marinara

I've been absent for a bit, taking care of school work and remodeling work. But never fear, I've still been cooking and eating. After so long trying to curb the amount of grains in my diet, I fell off the wagon and went gangbusters on cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc. for the past month. Finally, I'm back on track and feeling so much better.

Which means I'm still hungry, I just have fewer items on the menu. Noodles are one of my favorites and trying to find alternatives can be difficult. I've used raw zucchini in long, thin strips and it's wonderful with pesto, and I love spaghetti squash as a pasta alternative, but what if I'm trying to add more protein in my diet as well?

Aha, it hit me today while watching Jamie Oliver on TV while he made crepes and cut them in long, thin strips for a salad. Why not do that with eggs? I scrambled 2 eggs and 2 egg whites with a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder. The rest is so easy it's crazy.

These are the "noodles" without sauce so you can see. Pretty, huh?

In a hot skillet with a little butter, add a small amount of eggs, just enough to cover the pan without leaving open spots (how much you use depends on the size of your pan. Just imagine you're making a crepe). Swirl it around until you get an even layer. Then let it cook without touching it for about1- 2 minutes depending on the size of your pan. It should start to get well done on the edges. Then gently lift it from the pan and flip it. (you might need to get the hang of this, but it's easy after the first one.) Cook another minute on the other side.

After you have a few of your egg "crepes," stack about 3-4 of them and roll them in a tight cigar shape. Then cut in strips from one end to the other, essentially making pinwheels. When you uncurl them and fluff them, you now have long, thin egg "noodles" to add anything you want. I had some marinara and shredded Parmesan, which was wonderful. The noodles were chewy and had a nice bite, reminded me of an egg noodle from long ago. But it's not a real noodle so don't look for that texture. I liked the egg taste of it and the way it worked with the sauce and cheese. Perhaps using them as manicotti and rolling some cheese might work, or serving with pesto, goat cheese, Parmesan, roasted mushrooms, etc. The possibilities are endless. Yum.

Enjoy!

Garbanzos with spinach and lemon

2011-08-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today's post is short and sweet. I wanted a quick, easy lunch before running out to a meeting, recently. I remembered that I had a great lunch recently in Tucson at the Shish Kebab House. Along with a lovely but standard Greek salad, we ordered the sauteed garbanzos and spinach. I decided to try and recreate it since it was so good. Mine tasted just like the restaurant, and I could even add a little more lemon. The garbanzos are firm and chewy and the spinach and lemon give it just enough tartness. It is quick and satisfying, and its good for you. Best of all, it's gluten free naturally. I love this recipe since it's so easy to prepare, but if you prefer to soak your beans overnight, go right ahead. The dish just takes a little more planning.

Garbanzos with spinach and lemon
1 can garbanzos, drained and rinsed
2 cups raw spinach, rinsed
Juice of one medium lemon
1 TBS olive oil
salt/pepper

1. Sautee garbanzos in the olive oil till warm.
2. Add all other ingredients and cook until the spinach is wilted and warm, but don't overcook it. You still want some texture to it and a bright green color.
3. Serve with a wedge of lemon for a little treat.

Simple, quick and yummy. Enjoy!

Gluten-free caramel corn drizzled with chocolate-my new addiction

2011-08-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

My new addiction

I had a craving for caramel corn and decided to try and make my own. It always sounded so difficult and messy, but that never stopped me before. Besides, when a craving for something sweet hits me, not much can get in my way. After scouring cookbooks and the Internet, I decided to buy Trader Joe's air-popped popcorn to begin with. I got rid of my air popper last year after realizing I never used it. Now, I wish I hadn't. But, TJ's seemed to do the trick. Then, I decided to use Paula Deen's recipe for caramel corn, since it seemed to be the most simple. Click on the link for the entire recipe, but I've listed a few hints below to make it a little easier.

1. Once all the ingredients are in the pot and mixed, and the butter is melted, let it simmer/boil for 5 minutes without touching or stirring (resist the urge to stir, and I know that's hard to do). Then add the baking soda.

2. I used 8 cups of popcorn (1.5 bags) but I think I would use 6-7 next time since not all of the popcorn got a good coating of the caramel. Although it's not bad if some of it is lightly coated. That's up to you.

3. Even though it bakes for an hour, don't forget to stir it every 15 minutes so it cooks evenly. I spread it out on two large roasting pans that I sprayed with non-stick spray to make it easier.

4. I melted a bag of GF chocolate chips and drizzled it for just a little more decadence. If you do that, make sure you put in the fridge to harden a bit.

5. I dare you to make this and not eat it all night. I bagged it up right away and handed it out the next day. I made sure to leave enough for all of us to eat, but it's so addicting...it's hard to stop once you start. Trust me.

I think this would make a great hostess gift or even something to bring to a potluck or party if you can't decide. Best caramel corn ever...really.

Enjoy!

Quick and easy beet salad with truffle oil

2011-08-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

Beautiful beet salad with greens and truffle oil

Beets are unappreciated, in my opinion. Mention them and either get a big smile, or a big grimace from most folks. That's because they right away think of those pickled beets at the salad bar. Yuck! Now think of a nice, sweet roasted beet fresh from the garden. There, now I've got you thinking in the right direction.

I started this morning with a roasted a pile of fresh beets from the Phoenix Farmers Market that I bought this weekend. Half of them are for my Mom, who prefers it if I roast them for her. "You do it better," she says. I think she's just trying to keep her oven off in this heat.

Italian Truffle Oil, a special treat

So, like the good daughter that I am, I roasted them all. I saved hers to the side and wondered what to do with mine. Then it him me, why not use the greens and make a salad? Simple...

Then I remembered that my lovely sister bought a bottle of truffle oil for me when she visited Italy recently. I don't use it that often, I just don't want to use it all. But I adore the earthy aroma and flavor when it's drizzled over salads or bread. I know it can be quite expensive and not many people have it sitting in their cupboards, I never did till she gave it to me. But if you can find some, try. If not, olive oil is just as nice and gives a lighter flavor. Make sure you have some good, extra virgin olive oil.

Roasted Beet Salad with Truffle Oil
2 fresh beets, roasted and refrigerated
1 bunch of fresh beet greens, washed and dry
3-4 yellow baby tomatoes
1/2 tsp truffle oil (or olive oil)
salt/pepper

1. Roast the beets the night before, or at least put them in the fridge for about an hour so they can cool off. I roast mine at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes.
2. Wash, drain, and pat dry the beet greens, then chop them.
3. Chop beets into bite-sized pieces.
4. Mix greens and beets in the bowl with the tomatoes, salt/pepper.
5. Drizzle just a touch of truffle oil over the salad and mix.

The truffle oil is the best part. It gives the salad a warm, earthy flavor. The greens are slightly bitter and crunchy while the beets are sugary and carmelized, making this a wonderful contrast. The truffle oil just brings this up a notch higher. Don't overuse the oil, or salt and pepper. Lightness is the key here, you want a summer, refreshing salad.

What do you do with your beets? I'm still looking for more ideas. Let me know.

Enjoy!

Gluten-free blueberry scones, the easy way

2011-08-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with a craving for a scone. Now, I'm not usually a scone lover, they can be a bit dry for me. And couple that with gluten-free flour and you're sure to get something that resembles crumbling drywall. But, nevertheless I was determined, and hungry. I looked in the cabinet and found GF Bisquick mix...Hmmm. What if...

It worked! What a treat. More like a cross between muffin and scone, it was perfect on a summer morning. I used frozen blueberries that I had frozen just a few months ago when huge, sweet blueberries were in season. If possible, try to use something like this rather than those little, tiny, chewy frozen ones. The rest is ad-libbed...and gutsy but successful. I didn't have enough Bisquick, so I used about a 1/2 cup of GF yellow cake mix, which seemed to work out great.

Gluten-free blueberry scone and espresso

Blueberry scones
1 1/2 cup GF Bisquick mix
1/2 cup GF yellow cake mix
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup frozen blueberries

Topping
2 TBS melted butter
1 tsp sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix first 6 ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Once it's all come together, add the blueberries and mix for a moment.
4. Turn out onto a table or board using a bit of the mix to "flour" the table. Knead a few times till mixed thoroughly, but don't overdo it.
5. Pat out into a flat, round shape about an inch or so high, about 10-12 inches in diameter.
6. Melt butter for about 15 seconds, pour over the top, and spread evenly. Don't worry if you don't use it all, you just want a thin layer over the top to brown it up nicely.
7. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top of the dough. Depending on how big you've made it, you may need a little more.This will give it a lovely brown and crispy top.
8. Slice into 8-10 triangles.
9. Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper, leaving about an inch between them.
10. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Let them cool slightly and serve warm. I haven't eaten one cold yet, but these are quite yummy. Like a blueberry muffin with a bit of biscuit/scone mixed in. Wonderful with a cup of coffee. (I caught my husband grabbing one and putting cream cheese on it.) Of course, add any fruit you like. I prefer the blueberries, but I'll try strawberries or even apricots next time. I would also love to try a rosemary/lemon scone soon.

Enjoy!

True Food now offers GF pizza

2011-07-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

True Food's version of GF pizza

A dear friend took me to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in town, True Food. I've written a review of the restaurant before and you can read it here. But this time, I was surprised to see gluten-free pizza on the menu. The server said it was new and of course, you know I couldn't refuse. We ordered one pizza with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes to split as an appetizer.

Since my daughter was with us, I knew we'd have the input of two GF eaters and one non-GF eater (my friend). The results? Lackluster on my part, so-so on my friend's and pretty good on daughter's side. Here's the rundown...

The pizza is made in-house by the chefs. The crust came out much too overcooked on the edges for my liking but the server said they all come out like that since they are still working on perfecting it. It tasted burned on the edges and I wasn't too impressed, but the inside and underside were not burned, so we passed on the offer of another.

The taste was bland and although the texture was crispy, I found it a bit dry. A perfect vehicle for spicy toppings, or strong flavors like pesto, as my friend pointed out. I still found it to be a little too bland, but my daughter said she found it to be quite good and ate most of it. The pesto was wonderful with a little bite of spice to it and the sun-dried tomatoes were just right. Sometimes they are too chewy on a pizza, but these were lovely. I love that it is a place you can trust will understand the needs of GF customers and I felt safe eating there.

True Food's Spaghetti Squash Casserole

My daughter and I split our favorite Spaghetti Squash Casserole, which I highly recommend if you visit the restaurant. (See my previous review linked above.) The spicy tomato sauce and cheese create a wonderful little casserole and the squash is still al dente, just the way it should be. We ordered one for us to share and the kitchen made two little casseroles, how cute. For dessert, the always-wonderful GF chocolate cake and a citrus sorbet that was divine, tart, sweet and addictive.

My final call...I rate my four top GF pizzas in the Phoenix area as 1. Picazzo's- lovely texture, best flavor, expensive. 2. California Pizza Kitchen- tasty crust, light and crispy, medium price. 3. PieZano's- GF Creations crust, made to order, great toppings, much too far away, (I've never been to the Glendale store, only the Phoenix one that closed), medium price. 4. True Food- least amount of flavor in crust, overcooked edges, good toppings, medium price.

What's your favorite Phoenix-area pizza? I have yet to try Naked Pizza, but I have tried Spinato's and was disappointed by the canned mushrooms - I just couldn't get past those rubbery, chewy bits of yuck. The server said even she hated them but the kitchen insisted on using them. Since they use GF Creations crusts too, it's not worth it just for that.

Side note: If you're in Tucson, I recommend Renee's Organic Oven.

Ice Cream Cake and Carrot Cake...Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-07-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

My darling daughter bakes a cake, just for me!

I celebrated my birthday a few days ago, and I've been continuing the celebration ever since. Actually it's been a birthday month for me. But more importantly, I gave myself permission to eat cake the entire month of July, with abandon. Good thing the month is almost up, I am going to need to lose a few pounds.

For the actual birthday, I made an ice cream cake similar to what my grandmother used to make when I was a kid. We would get to choose what kind of ice cream we wanted when it was our birthday, and then the celebration began. I wish there was a photo for you, but we ate it all so fast there wasn't enough time. But let me spell it out for you and you'll see why it didn't last.

In the bottom layer of a springform pan, crush half a package of Kinnikinnik K-Toos (take the filling out of about half of them) and add about 2 Tbs of melted butter. Press into a pan you've sprayed with nonstick (GF) spray. Let your first ice cream soften on the counter for a few minutes (I used Baskin Robbins chocolate chip). Each layer took about a quart. Layer the ice cream evenly over the crust mixture and freeze at least an hour.

Layer the rest of the crushed cookies (without butter) on top of the ice cream layer. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips in there if you want. We used about a 1/4 cup of Enjoy Life mini chips. Freeze again for about 30 minutes. Spread the next layer of ice cream (Baskin Robbins Gold Medal Ribbon) and freeze again for about an hour. Finally, pour a jar of chocolate fudge topping over the top and freeze again till you're ready to serve. And don't forget the whipped cream. Oh, that was good....

The best carrot cake in the entire world

OK, cake number two I just had tonight. My daughter wanted to make me another cake before the month was out and who am I to protest? Using The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free once again, she made a carrot cake that is out of this world. I haven't had carrot cake in years and even when I ate gluten, I couldn't eat the nuts so I would have to pass on the cake wherever I went. I never made one myself. Now, I see what I was missing. This cake had just enough spice and flavor and the cream cheese frosting was sweet and tart. No nuts, and just the right amount of golden raisins and fresh carrots. I ate it while it was still warm, I couldn't wait. My oldest daughter said, "It smells like Christmas in here," as it was baking. It sure felt like Christmas to me!

I'd love to give you the recipe, but I don't want to type it right out of her book. I urge you to get Anne Byrn's book, you won't regret it!

Enjoy!

Summer means cherries & grilled corn and asparagus salad

2011-07-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Rainier cherries...get 'em while you can!

I love summer for one reason...the food. Living in Phoenix means we hibernate right about now and stay within AC at all times. And with the recent haboobs we've had (technical term for big damn dust storms), it's getting to be a real pain to leave the house. Saturday morning outings to the farmers market is the only think I look forward to takes place outside. Asparagus, fresh corn, summer squash, oh my... Then the Ranier cherries hit the shelves and I'm in heaven.

Taking inspiration from the fresh veggies available right now, I searched for ideas on what to do with the veggies I had in the fridge. I had a large bunch of asparagus and 8 ears of fresh corn. I gave mom a few of the ears of corn and a handful of the asparagus, then set out to make a salad from the rest.

Grilled asparagus and corn salad

I decided to grill inside instead of standing outside in the 110-degree heat. If you're someplace else in the country, you may be OK with standing outside. It still went pretty quickly. First, I grilled the corn a few at a time for just about 10 minutes...enough to grill and cook, but not overcook. Keep turning them and put a little olive oil and salt on it to keep it from burning.

Grilling brings out a fabulous smokey flavor!

Next, wash and trim the asparagus. These take a little less time and you just have to flip them once after about five minutes. Then another few minutes and they're done. I did mine in two batches since I had so much. I love watching them get brown and lovely. It's all I can do not to eat them right out of the pan.

Cut the corn off the cob, chop the asparagus into bite-sized pieces and mix. I added about a Tbs of olive oil, the juice and zest of one medium lemon, pinch of parsley, oregano and basil. A little more salt and pepper to taste and you're done. Dear chef, don't fret over it, just keep tasting till you get the right mixture. This is a light summer dish, so go easy on the lemon and keep adding a little more till you get it right. This was wonderful a little bit warm, and even better the next day after it cooled in the fridge. The lemon had a chance to settle into the asparagus, which was smoky and grilled and still crispy to the bite.

Enjoy your summer.

California Pizza Kitchen's new GF Pizza fills a void, and my tummy.

2011-07-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

CPK GF Margherita Pizza

California Pizza Kitchen has long been a favorite place for our family. The kids loved the pizzas and pasta when they were young and I loved the salads and pizza. When we were sidelined by the GF lifestyle so many years ago, we didn't stop going, just stuck to salads and soup. We didn't want to deprive the rest of the family, but no more pizza, although we watched everyone else indulge.

How thrilling it was to see that CPK had a new GF pizza on the menu. First order of business was to call and find out how it was prepared. I was assured that all utensils were color coded and not shared with wheat items and the pizzas were cooked in a separate place on separate foil. Yipee! We headed out.

After once again getting reassured by our server of the precautions, we ordered one Margherita Pizza (tomato, mozzarella and basil). When it arrived, I pulled out my camera to take a few shots, which piqued the interest of the manager. "I've never seen anyone take pictures of our food except PR people," he said. I told him about the blog, and how excited we were about the pizza. He said his wife had also tried it and was quite pleased. He was curious to know what we thought since not many of the pizzas had been sold yet.

I respect him for mentioning that although the pizza crusts are pre-made, there is flour in the kitchen and cross-contamination can occur, although they try very hard to avoid it. That's the case in any restaurant and I appreciated him repeating it. Make your own choice if you decide to go.

Now, on to the pizza... Yummy. The toppings were the usual cheese and tomato with fresh basil. The crust is light and crunchy. Although I would have liked a little more flavor to it, I will be trying it again. It's perfect with spicy or strong flavors since it doesn't have much flavor of its own, much like a lot of GF crusts. It tasted a lot like the Udi's Pizza Crust, although with a little more flavor. It's a blank slate for any toppings.

The crust is about the same size as the regular pizzas, which was so nice to see. So often, the GF pizza is more expensive and smaller than the regular pizza, right? That is so frustrating. These are the same size as the CPK regular pizzas and cost the same, which is even better. There are two pizza toppings that are not GF and they are listed clearly at the bottom of the pizza listings.

Although it was crisp on the edges, it was a little soft in the middle. I recommend ordering it a little overdone, which I'll be doing next time. Since it's on foil and not on the stone with the rest of the pizzas in the oven, it's easy for it to stay a little soft and not crisp up as nicely as the regular pizzas. For that reason, tell them to leave it in a few more minutes. FYI, we took it home and heated it up in a frying pan with a little olive oil for dinner. Much, much better. It's amazing what a little olive oil and heat can do. One pizza was enough for two of us for lunch and dinner. Fancy that!

Bottom line...I'm glad they have a new GF crust and are taking precautions to make it safe for us. I had no reaction and neither did my daughter, so we'll definitely be back. Each time a restaurant tries to accommodate the GF lifestyle, it's one step closer to making life a little easier. Make your own decisions and always be careful when eating out.

Now, when will they have GF pasta? Soon, I hope.

Enjoy

Quick and easy Summer Soycutash and Quorn

2011-07-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

It's 118 degrees in Phoenix today. Not the kind of day that makes you want to spend hours in the kitchen. Check your fridge and see what you have that can be made quickly. No, barbecuing is not an option...that means standing outside in the scorching heat. Not my idea of fun.

Quorn and Soycutash

I found a bag of Trader Joe's Soycutash (corn, peppers, edamame), quickly sauteed it with some Quorn "chicken" tenders, added a bit of garlic, parsley and olive oil and done! Yummy, light and full of protein.

Tomorrow...salad!

Enjoy

Gluten-free brownie-cookie, ice-cream sandwiches...oh my!

2011-06-12T20:44:00.000-07:00


Cookies with vanilla ice cream and chips.

Cookies in their lovely, chocolaty goodness...

My daughter decided to make dessert tonight! Oh my, so yummy. She's making me so proud as a young teenager with a talent for cooking and creativity. Using the Betty Crocker GF Brownie mix, she added a tsp of vanilla, 2 TBS of coconut oil and 2 eggs. Instead of making brownies, she put them in scoops on parchment paper and made cookies. (They spread a lot, so start with small scoops.) Oh my, if she left it at that it would have been tremendous. It's like eating the yummy, crunchy ends of the brownie in each bite. But then she added vanilla ice cream in between two of them and rolled it in Enjoy Life GF chocolate chips. Could there be anything better? I think not, you be the judge. Don't you just want to dive into this? I did (and another one, I admit it!)

Give it a shot. Any GF eater, and especially any GF youngster, will love you forever for this.

Enjoy!

A Gluten-free Tea Party for Big Girls

2011-06-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Don't you just want to dive in there?

I was invited to a tea party by a dear friend recently. Normally, I turn those down since all those goodies are off limits to me and it can be quite depressing. I don't mind spending time with friends over tea, but it breaks my heart sometimes when a lovely affair is catered and I'm munching on fruit. But this time it was different. I wouldn't have to turn it down, I wouldn't have to pass on dessert, and as a matter of fact, I would have to refrain from eating too much. Surprise, surprise...everything was gluten free and fabulous.

And not only were all the treats GF, but the little finger sandwiches made by the adorable husband of my friend were made using Udi's bread. Yum! Top that off with every attention to detail in the design of the room down to the amazingly beautiful Ikebana flower arrangements keeping the theme of blue and yellow throughout their lovely home.

Lovely flowers


Crispy, light sugar cookies

The party was catered by Angela Saban of Angel Cakes Bakery. Wow! It is very unusual for me to be speechless, but I couldn't find the words to express how delighted I was at everything I tried. Excuse me while I take a few minutes to gush...

Finger sandwiches with arugula and egg...yum!
(Thanks Chris)

Luscious lemon tarts

There were lovely, light and crispy sugar cookies tied in sweet blue ribbons. Along with those were luscious and delicate lemon tarts in a GF crust that was flaky and buttery, just like grandma used to make. Perfect little bites of lemon creme and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

		My favorites would have to be the little vanilla cakes with whipped cream icing and fresh fruit. The cake was so light and fluffy, I could have eaten the entire plate and not felt full (I tried, but darn it there were other people who wanted some.)
Little cakes with whipped cream frosting...oh I still dream about these.

The centerpiece of the table was a beautiful chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling. I didn't know if I even wanted to eat it, it was that beautiful. Even the flower on top was made of sugar...But I found the courage and couldn't help myself. The cake was just as I remember a chocolate cake was supposed to be. Light, chocolaty, moist and not too sweet filled with a chocolate mousse filling that I would have eaten out of a bowl if they let me. The cake was decorated with an elegant, simple style and looked more like a piece of art than food. But then again, we eat first with our eyes, right?

Thanks again to my dear friend, Elba, for such a wonderful time, as always....and to Angela Saban for making this one of the best tea parties I've ever been to. This topped any tea party the Mad Hatter or Alice ever attended! Any time I need something catered, it will be by Angela for sure. Her passion is obviously making GF treats that taste like we remember them, not like we have learned to accept them. Thanks Angela!

Udi's does it again with multi-grain bread

2011-05-22T19:17:00.000-07:00


The box contained two kinds of bread and cookies!

I was recently lucky enough to receive a shipment from Udi's with a few products that have yet to be released in my neck of the woods. Imagine my excitement to find Millet-Chia bread and Omega-Salba bread, not to mention snickerdoodles and chocolate-chip cookies! Daughter and I wasted no time diving in to the box. We even had GF friends visiting and they helped us with our taste test.

Millet-Chia Ancient Grains Bread

We tried each bread straight out of the bag and then toasted with a little butter. First the Millet-Chia bread, which was soft and filled with seeds. It had a hearty, nutty flavor and a soft texture that worked straight out of the bag. Even toasted, it held up well. I would make a sandwich on this bread without toasting, it doesn't need it. The seeds give it a crunchy texture that works well with cheese and soft fillings as well as crunchier fillings. The flavor is like a soft multi-grain with sunflower seeds and chia seeds. Yummy! The wonderful thing about this bread is it packs a whopping 5 grams of protein in two slices. Among the usual ingredients, this bread has millet seed, sunflower oil, chia seeds and pea protein.

Omega-Salba Ancient Grain Bread

Next up, the Omega-Salba (which is another word for chia, don't ask my why it's different on this one). This bread also packs the 5 grams of protein in two slices, which is nice. This one is a little more dense and firm and toasts beautifully. With a firmer texture, it feels like the multi-grain bread I remember from my non-GF days. It contains flax seed, GF oats and chia seeds. I recommend toasting this one since it has a great texture and consistency for toasting. Everyone agreed this one was a little more like the old multi-grains we remember.

Soft and chewy snickerdoodles

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The cookies are more like eating cookie dough before you bake it. This used to be something I loved to do back in my non-GF days, so I'm not complaining. Although I prefer a crispier cookie, these will do in a pinch. I'm thinking they may be better if I just pop them in the oven for a few minutes, but I haven't tried that yet. The flavor are great. The snickerdoodle has just the right cinnamon/sugar ratio and the chocolate chip has a lot of chips (I hate a cookie skimpy on the chips!)

If I was heading back to spend my money, it would be on the bread, although I highly recommend trying them all. Udi's just gets better and better in my book and I'm so grateful they are around.

Note: Udi's provided these products to me at no charge, but I would gladly have paid for them if they didn't. As you all know, I rely on Udi's and have reviewed many of their products, none of which were provided by the company. Check out my review of the hot dog/hamburger buns and the awesome bagels.

A real bun is a thing of beauty!

2011-05-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

Udi's Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns

While shopping at Sprout's this morning, I came across Udi's hamburger and hot dog buns. At a fabulous sale price, I couldn't resist. Daughter and I went right home and made a Tofu Pup and Sunshine Burger, topped on a toasted bun of each and split them both. Yes, we were that excited. Live without a real bun for 8 years and tell me if you get excited when you see one you can eat.

Oh my gosh, I closed my eyes and ignored the Tater Tots on the plate...yes, they were that good. The most wonderful thing about these is the texture. Crispy on the outside after toasting, soft and chewy on the inside, just like a bun should be. It holds together, does not fall apart and has a wonderful taste and brings the familiar "bite" of a burger on a bun. We used Sunshine Burgers and Tofu Pups since they are the only vegetarian/gluten-free options we've found that are great tasting and healthy. We just tossed the buns on the grill with the burger and pup, but I'm sure they would be fine in the oven or even the toaster, although the hot dog bun might be a little too long.

We topped the Sunshine Burger with a little Swiss cheese, and put a bit of relish on the Tofu Pup...no need to overdo it. We were eager to taste the buns more than condiments. Bottom line - I've stocked my freezer and will be heading back for more at the sale price to make sure Memorial Day and the BBQ will be fantastic. I'm already spinning ideas on what else can be done with the buns...garlic bread, eggplant parmigiana sandwiches, etc. What ideas do you have? Let me know.

We used the white-bread version of both, although there were whole-grain versions also. That review will have to wait till we finish these. But if they are anything like these, we'll be finishing them up very soon!

Enjoy!

(Note: I am not compensated in any way by Udi's Gluten Free, or Sprout's Farmers Market. I paid for the buns and will do so again. Of course, if Udi's wanted to send any new products to me for review in the future, I would be happy to oblige!)

Grain-free, gluten-free, peanut-butter cookies

2011-04-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free and grain-free, and yummy!

I've been making these cookies for years now since I found out how easy they were. Recently, a friend told me her son is supposed to be completely grain free. Yowza! That sounds so difficult. At 5 years old, how do you tell him he can't have a cookie anymore? So I remembered how easy these peanut-butter cookies were and promptly whipped up a batch. I added chocolate chips (Enjoy Life, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free chips) to 1/2 the batch, just for fun.

Add a few chips on top for fun

These are creamy, nutty and crumble just the right amount, just like a cookie. They are also amazingly easy and quick to make. You probably have everything already. That's what I love about them, if all else fails...make some cookies in a jif (oops, peanut butter pun unintended!) This recipe is all over the web in a few different varieties. Some have more eggs, some have less sugar. It's really up to your particular taste. Make them according to the directions the first time, then tweak them any way you like. I prefer to add a little crunchy peanut butter to get peanuts in there, some people prefer to make it all creamy. Your call...

Peanut-butter cookies
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (try to use the most natural kind as possible)
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar (plus about 3 TBS)
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix all ingredients except for the 3 Tbs reserved sugar. If you want chocolate chips in the cookies, add about 1/4 cup now.

3. Roll cookie mixture into small balls, using a little less than a tablespoon each time. Make sure they are all consistent in size to be sure they cook evenly.

4. Roll each cookie in the reserved sugar and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Using a fork, press down on each cookie to make the traditional hash marks.

5. If you're using just a few chocolate chips, press them into the top now.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes, then remove and cool completely on a rack.

These are crunchy and oh so yummy. They are also great to bring to a party or cookie exchange, just remember to make sure the little ones don't have peanut allergies, of course.

Enjoy!

Beet greens and a pinch of smoked paprika

2011-04-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Beet greens with smoked paprika

I love finding beets at the farmers market and today was no different. I bought some lovely white beets today and couldn't resist roasting them in the oven right away. But what to do with all those greens attached to the top of the beets? Normally, Daughter's bearded dragon and our two dogs get the greens. Today, I decided to saute the greens and see how they were. I've never actually had beet greens before, but everyone assured me they were wonderful and you know what? They were right! They were not as bitter as I thought they would be. Instead, they were crunchy, mild, and bursting with fresh flavor. Something like a cross between collard greens and spinach is the best I can describe it.

I roasted the beets in a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes with olive oil, salt and pepper. That's it. Nothing fancy, but the sugars in the beets begins to caramelize and sweeten the beets until they are so yummy and buttery in flavor. The white beets are deceptive since they look just like a potato when cooked, but taste like a beet.

I sauteed the greens with just a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of smoked paprika. Oh my, what a flavor and kick. The paprika was given to me by a good friend in California and I've been using a little at a time with greens or beans. I knew the paprika would add just the right flavor and I was right. It gave it a smokey, earthy flavor. (Make sure to use just a pinch if you try this. A little too much and it's very overpowering) I originally thought the greens would be more bitter and the paprika would mask it, but there was no need to worry. They were lovely, crunchy and perfect. Unfortunately there wasn't more...

The moral of this story? Don't be afraid to try something new. You never know. I'm hooked on beet greens now and can't wait for Saturday's market. I'm looking forward to candy cane, white and golden beets, as well as the load of greens they'll provide.

Enjoy!

The ultimate comfort food... Gluten-free Mac & Cheese

2011-03-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

GF Mac & Cheese (better than my mom's...Shhhh)

Wow, I am so good! Seriously... Since going GF about 6 years ago, I haven't had a good mac & cheese. I've had frozen mac & cheese, and that yucky one in the box. I gave up after trying to doctor them and coming up with a goopy, yucky mess. But that doesn't mean that my need for comfort food is gone (can't you tell by the enchilada pie the other day?)

I have seen many, many recipes for this timeless comfort food on the Internet and they all look good. Truth is, I'm sure they are all good. But I wanted mine to be awesome! Instead of using flour to thicken the cheese sauce, the top three options out there are GF flour mix, corn starch and rice flour. I chose to go with some sweet rice flour I have in the cabinet, which I normally use for GF crepes. I also just grabbed all the different kinds of cheese in the fridge, so don't get nervous about that. Make sure you put some cheddar in there, then switch it up and use whatever looks good to you. The main point is to have a gooey, cheesy cream sauce that bakes into a wonderful dish that brings back comfort memories. OK, this is better actually than mom used to make, but I'll deny it if anyone tells her that (sorry Mom!)

The rest is simple...pasta, cheese, butter, milk, bake, viola! Give it a try and I guarantee you'll fool those G-Eaters out there. My husband ate two plates full and said he'd eat this over any gluten mac & cheese out there. Score!

GF Mac & Cheese
2 1/2 cups GF pasta (I used DeBole's corn elbows)
1/2 stick butter
2 Tbs Sweet Rice Flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 cup chopped cheese cubes (I had Jarlsburg and Cheddar left and chopped it up)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta with plenty of water and salt. Take it out while just under al dente since it will cook some more in the oven.
3. While pasta cooks, melt butter in a pan. Add flour and whisk till mixed well. Then add milk slowly and keep mixing till blended well and bubbly. Let it simmer while stirring and thickening. It should be about as thick as a good thick gravy. If it isn't, go ahead and add a little more rice flour or milk, depending on which way you need to go.
4. Add the cheese and mix till all the cheese is melted.
5. Add drained pasta to cheese mixture and blend.
6. Pour pasta mixture into a greased 8x8 glass baking dish.
7, Sprinkle with a handful of shredded cheese (optional) and bake for 30 minutes.
8. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long).

I love the way it looks when it comes out of the oven...yum!

Enjoy!

Amazing Enchilada Pie

2011-03-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free, Vegetarian Enchilada Pie

Since most enchilada sauce is made with flour to thicken it, I had mostly just given up on eating and making enchiladas. I thought the sauce was the most important part of the dish, right? Even canned sauce is suspect since I had a bad reaction once. But those days are over! I searched on the Internet to find out how to make my own enchilada sauce. Turns out, it's not that hard. Using corn starch to thicken it makes it gluten free and adding the spices you want keeps it just as spicy as you like it. I read about 10 different recipes calling for all kinds of spices, flour, corn starch, etc. and decided to create my own...And after attempting to roll the tortillas, I gave up and decided it was easier to make this a layered pie instead. Still tasty and much easier, but if you feel like rolling, go for it.

I decided to fill it with veggie goodness since cheese enchiladas seems to be just a little overkill...but don't get me wrong. I still love cheese as you can see from the photo. There's plenty of cheese in there and if you're rocking this vegan, just use your favorite soy/rice cheese in place of the cheese I've used. Still yummy!

Amazing Enchilada Pie
Sauce
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used Trader Joe's)
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste (I used Trader Joe's)
About a tsp of each of the following, then keep tasting and tweaking till it meets your tastes
salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried epizote, dried parsley
(if you don't have epizote, you can skip it. I just happen to have it as a gift from a friend)
2 tsp each cumin and chili powder
1 cup water
2 TBS corn starch

Enchiladas
1 doz. corn tortillas
1 sweet onion, chopped finely
2 cups frozen roasted corn (Trader Joe's)
2 cans black beans
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground pepper
2 cups grated Mexican cheese
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 and spray a glass pie dish. This recipe actually made three pies, so cut it in half if you don't need that much. Remember you can freeze them.
2. In a large pot, combine diced tomatoes (don't drain), tomato paste, 1/2 cup water and spices. Stir until mixed and let simmer while you make the enchilada filling.
3. To make the filling, use a large skillet and add the onion in some olive oil and cook until tender. Add a pinch of salt to the onion.
4. When the onion is soft, add the corn, black beans, spinach and spices. Mix and let it simmer for about 15 minutes to blend the flavors.
5. Use an immersion blender and blend the sauce until smooth. (you can use a blender if you don't have an immersion blender, but be careful since this is hot)
6. Mix corn starch with 1/2 cup of water and mix until corn starch is dissolved. Add it slowly to the sauce while stirring
7. Now it's time to layer the pies. On the bottom of the glass baking dish, spoon enough sauce to just cover the bottom. Layer with tortillas by ripping up the tortillas if needed to make one layer. Spoon the bean/corn mixture evenly over the tortillas (about a cup), then cover with a sprinkling of cheese.
8. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, veggie mixture and cheese.
9. Top off the pie with another layer of tortillas, then spoon about a cup of sauce to cover the top. Make sure no tortilla is left uncovered since it will get hard and burn in the oven. Cover this layer with cheese.
9. Repeat in the remaining baking dishes.
10. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and let them sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

This is the cheesy goodness that came out of the oven! Yum!

This recipe made just enough sauce for the three baking dishes. Next time, I may double the sauce recipe to have a little extra. Other than that, these are the best I've ever made, or eaten. Even my husband said the sauce and enchiladas were better than any restaurant. High praise!

Enjoy!

My Daughter's Awesome Coffee Cake

2011-03-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free Coffee Cake

Gluten Free Pantry used to have a coffee cake mix. Remember those? I made one for Christmas in Dec. 2009, and it was so very good. Well, they must have stopped making it since I haven't found it again. I've been craving coffee cake ever since, but too lazy to figure out my own recipe.

Thank goodness my daughter has inherited my love of cooking and experimenting. As a special treat, she decided to give it a try and used the Gluten Free Pantry Yellow Cake Mix and came up with a wonderful coffee cake that was gluten-free, quick and easy...and totally delicious. I needed a lot of self control not to eat it all that night and actually saved some for the morning to go with my coffee. It has a lovely cinnamon/sugar crunchy mixture on top and in the middle, kind of like a layer cake. Give it a try and tweak it however you like. You can add nuts if you like (like we did a few years ago). We're not big nut fans over here so we don't put nuts in our cakes, usually. But if you like them, I'll bet a few walnuts or pecans would be great!

Julie's Awesome Coffee Cake
1 box Gluten Free Pantry Yellow Cake mix
4 medium eggs or 3 extra large eggs
1 Tbs vanilla
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs sugar
1 stick butter + 4 Tbs butter

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix the box of cake mix (keeping out 2 Tbs) into a bowl with the eggs, vanilla, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 stick of butter, melted, and salt.
3. Mix until blended and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, add 2 tsp cinnamon, brown sugar, white sugar, 2 Tbs of the cake mix you saved and 4 Tbs of cold butter until crumbly.
5. Spray 2 9-inch layer pans.
6. Pour cake mix evenly into both pans and and top each with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes, checking to be sure that a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let them cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Then stack them to make a layer cake, or just serve one and freeze the other, which is my plan for the next one. I wish there were more, but it's all gone.

Enjoy!

Quick Grilled Veggie Salad

2011-03-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

What if you could whip up a fabulous salad in just a few minutes? Not that hard, you say. But what if that salad had grilled veggies, baby beets and homemade honey/mustard salad dressing? Ah, now I've got your attention!


Trader Joe's Marinated Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini

I found these grilled veggies in the frozen section of Trader Joe's. I bought them on a whim, thinking I could do so many things with them. Same with the beets. I love beets in salads and there are enough in this small package for a few salads. When I realized I was going to a friend's and needed to bring a salad, I realized how it would all come together.

Quick Grilled Veggie Salad

2 cups butter lettuce, chopped
2 cups spring greens, chopped
2-3 baby beets, cooked and chopped (I used Trader Joe's baby beets)
7-8 slices of grilled veggies, chopped (I used Trader Joe's marinated eggplant and zucchini, but you can grill your own)
1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
Honey/mustard salad dressing (see below)
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1. Pulled the veggies out of the freezer and place them on some foil covering a cookie sheet. Since they are already grilled in olive oil and spices, nothing else is needed. Just turn on the broiler and prepare the rest of the salad while they cook, turning them once for even cooking. This takes only about 5-7 minutes.

Trader Joe's Baby Beets

2. Make the dressing in a small food processor. Add the juice of one lemon and 1/2 an orange. Add 1 Tsp Dijon mustard, 2 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs honey, and a pinch of salt/garlic powder/pepper/dried parsley. Whiz in the processor and taste. Add more of anything to make it to your liking. I like a little more mustard and honey in mine, but just keep messing with it till it's just right.

3. Add lettuce, tomatoes, beets and parsley and toss the salad.

4. Remove veggies from the oven and chop.

5. Just before serving, mix in the veggies and the dressing to the salad and toss. Don't add all the dressing, just add a few tablespoons and toss, then add more as needed.

This is fabulous with a few crackers. I also did not have any Parmesan but I think that would be lovely also.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Update

2011-02-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

The best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies ever!

By tweaking the recipe for Snickerdoodles, I was able to make the most amazing gluten-free chocolate chip cookies on the planet!

Use the recipe posted and do the following:
1. omit the cinnamon
2. do not put cinnamon sugar on top
3. add another egg
4. mix in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips at the end

I made the cookies a little smaller this time, about 1 teaspoon each, and put them on parchment paper to save clean-up time. I got about 4 dozen this way, which is even better!

Wow, these were amazing and we can't stop eating them. If your kids are craving cookies like the rest of their friends, look no more. Use this recipe and their friends will want your cookies instead, trust me! Anne Byrn scores again!

Snickerdoodles!

2011-02-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free Snickerdoodles (I am in love!)

Oh man, I am loving Anne Byrn's book. Tonight, I made these snickerdoodles and they are terrific. Very easy, very quick. I just used the recipe in the book, which is one Gluten Free Pantry Cake & Cookie Mix, one stick of butter, one egg, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1/4 cup light brown sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. I added a touch of fresh ground nutmeg and Wow, these are brilliant. Just mix it all together until it forms a ball of dough, place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove immediately from the pan onto a cooling rack and try not to eat them all in one night!

Enjoy!

Fresh oranges and cake...the perfect combo!

2011-02-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

Glazed orange cake

One of the great things about living in Arizona (and there are many great things) is the lovely winter navel oranges on the trees in our yard. We get to have fresh juice every morning, mimosas on Christmas morning and orange cake using fresh oranges. Oh yeah!

Last night I went to Changing Hands Bookstore, a lovely independent bookstore in Tempe, AZ, and listened to Anne Byrn, who was there to promote her newest book, The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free. I was inspired by her mad-scientist approach and couldn't wait to start baking.

I've never been a very confident baker, and never really had the time to make things from scratch. That's what I love about Anne's books...she doctors cake mixes. I've been doing that for some time now and it works great. Add an egg here, extra vanilla, etc. And when Betty Crocker came out with cake, brownie and cookie mixes, I was so thrilled. Check out the Betty Crocker Brownies we made by tweaking the box recipe and making them so much better.

But, tonight I decided to utilize the awesome oranges we still have on the trees outside. Anne has a recipe for orange cake in her book, and I used it just about exactly, using just a touch more fresh juice and a bit more zest to make it really pop. Wow, that worked like a charm. My husband went back for seconds and my daughter couldn't stop eating it. The orange glaze on top is amazing... make sure you use fresh orange juice if you can. You won't believe this is gluten free, really, and neither will your friends. This would be wonderful with a cup of tea on a warm spring day.

Basically, use the recipe on the box of Gluten Free Pantry Old Fashioned Cake & Cookie Mix using the following substitutions: Use fresh orange juice instead of water, use 3 eggs instead of 2, add the zest of 2-3 oranges, depending on the size. You can also use Betty Crocker's yellow cake mix, but I can't seem to find that in my local store. But this was just wonderful, so no worries. Bake as directed (about 25-30 minutes).

I made this in a 9-inch round pan, but you could use an 8-inch square also. Poke holes in the top after it's cooled a bit and drizzle on a glaze made from 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 2 TBS fresh orange juice with a little orange zest mixed in.

If you can wait for it to cool, the glaze will harden into a crunchy, yummy topping. But then again, it's soooo good when it's warm, I dare you to wait that long.

Enjoy!

How to have a bridal shower with GF options 101

2011-02-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

I hosted my niece's bridal shower at my place this weekend. Apart from the cupcakes and sandwiches, which were brought in from the outside, I prepared everything else and made sure it was gluten free and vegetarian. My daughter knew what to eat and what to stay away from.

Tomato/mozzarella/basil drizzled with balsamic

These wonderful tomato/mozzarella/basil bites were a hit. I ended up having to refill the plate three times. Drizzled with aged, thick balsamic/garlic/olive oil and parsley, they are so yummy and low-carb. It's what I munched on all day. Putting each on a toothpick just makes it so much easier to eat.

Fresh strawberries with cream cheese dip

The strawberries were also a hit. Fresh fruit is always lovely on a buffet and these are asy to arrange, then dipped in cream cheese/marshmallow fluff. (OK, not 100% vegetarian, but most people don't care about that. I love the strawberries!)

And although the cupcakes ordered for the party were not GF, I did buy four GF red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles for the occasion, making sure the gluten-free guests were taken care of. They were wonderful and we were all happy, most of all my niece, who is marrying a wonderful guy!

Enjoy!

Shortbread, breakfast cookies, or what?

2011-01-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Remember these?

I remember as a teenager, I lived on these. I would eat them with coffee or tea in the morning, and snack on them when I got home from school. My mom worked and I would come home alone, snack on these and do my homework. It was the mid 70s in South Florida and I watched the alligators and boats in the inlet behind our home as I drank tea and snacked. The slight almond flavor rocked my world. They were slightly dry, flaky, crispy, yummy and filling.

Well, it's been way too many years since I've had anything like them until yesterday. I found Aunt Gussie's sugar-free, gluten-free Vanilla Spritz cookies. And as I sat in the parking lot at the local AJ's Supermarket, I was magically transported to our back yard in Florida, watching the ducks float on the water behind our house, feeling my hair frizz from the humidity and snacking once again on the same almond, crispy goodness. They may not look like the original, but the taste is so very close. (Yes, I was sitting in my car. When I find something this promising, I can't resist. Gluten free? Sugar free? Why wait? Rip it open and dive in, that's my motto.)

These are yummy little bites that must be eaten with coffee or tea. Serve them to guests and they'll thank you, and they won't realize they are gluten free or sugar free until you tell them. I had never heard of them before and although they are a bit pricey ($7), I will save them for special occasions, or when I'm longing for a walk down memory lane. Now, if I could only fit into the shorts I was wearing back then...

Yummy GF pizza in Tucson... Eclectic Pizza for the win!

2011-01-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

I spent a lovely day in Tucson with friends this weekend. We traveled down (a 2-hour drive) to see Wicked, the Musical. Wow, what a performance and what fun. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. But...on to the pizza, which was the real star of the day.

We stopped at Eclectic Pizza before the show for their GF pizza. The owner, Renee Kraeger, had mentioned on my Facebook page, Gluten Free in AZ, that we should come down and try it out. No need to tell me twice. The restaurant has a dedicated GF menu with salads, pizza, appetizers and desserts.

We found the restaurant, a lovely, clean storefront, in a typical strip mall. The bright colors on the wall and beautiful mosaics and lighting inside make it a peaceful and comfortable place to park yourself for a bit. We started out with salads that were enough to share but not enough to fill, just what a salad should be before the meal. Although there are two sizes to the salads, we chose the smaller. I ordered the roasted red pepper salad with organic baby spinach and was pleasantly surprised to find ribbons of fresh basil, along with a lovely balsamic dressing that was perfect for the light salad. My companion had a Caesar salad, and apart from her aversion to tomatoes in a Caesar salad, said it was quite lovely, that it had just the right amount of pepper and cheese, and finished it off. The salads came with a wonderful, crunchy cheese cracker made of Parmesan. Daughter grabbed that quickly, but not before I got a quick bite of it's salty, crunchy goodness.

The Old Town Classic

We ordered two GF pizzas, which only come in one size, 10 inch. Although at first we thought that would be much too small for the four of us, we shared the two pizzas between us and still had leftovers. My companions chose pepperoni (thereby ensuring these vegetarians would not share) and we chose the Old Town Classic, a simple pizza with tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil.

Wow, what a pleasant surprise. It was light with a great flavor. The pizza crust was even good on its own, without sauce or cheese, which is unusual in most GF pizza crusts. There was plenty of cheese (we love lots of cheese) fresh basil and lots of fresh tomatoes. I especially loved the crispy, chewy texture of the crust. Of course, we decided that the final test would be eating the leftovers cold later that night when we got home from the long drive after the show. The verdict? Awesome! I had one and Daughter had the other piece, right out of the box and cold. The crust was still chewy and crisp, the cheese was wonderful. Not many GF pizzas can hold up to that test.

The pizza crust was from Dad's Gluten Free, a place I had never heard of. I can't see anywhere on the site where it can be bought in the state, but it is available to order online. I'm still addicted to my GF Creations crust, but this is a great alternative to a crust that is the closest to real as I've found. Runs a close second to Picazzo's. Check the Web site for a great deal. New customers get free shipping on One Crust! ($7.99) so you can give it a try without breaking the bank. Orders of 10 crusts get free shipping also, according to the site. That's a little steep for me, but you might want to give them a try if you've got the cash.

Although the restaurant has GF desserts, including chocolate cake and brownies, we were so full we just couldn't do it. This only means we'll have to head down again.

This is how it's done!

2011-01-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

I just got this video from Naked Pizza in response to my post on not trusting GF pizza sometimes. I haven't tried them yet, but since they are opening a store in the Phoenix area soon, Please take a moment to watch it and see how things should be done, and send it to any pizza place you think should have these types of precautions in place. I can't wait to try it.

If only all pizza makers had this type of control over cross-contamination, we would all be so much happier. Thanks to Naked Pizza for sending this over.

Enjoy!

My kind of cookbook!

2011-01-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

A new GF cookbook for me!

Now, this is my kind of cookbook. Since I'm not much of a baker, I prefer to take a mix and tweak it. Now, there's a gluten-free cookbook out there that does just that! It's called The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free and it's all about taking cake mixes and making awesome cakes, cupcakes, and even bundt cakes using these mixes. Yahoo!

I've ordered it on Amazon after checking it out in the preview and it looks great. Can't wait to start cooking. Even though I've been tweaking these mixes for a long time, it's nice to get new ideas sometimes. Let me know what you think if you've used this one.

Enjoy!

Review of Schar's gluten-free products

2011-01-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

While browsing Sprout's gluten-free section the other day, I found a section with Schar's products. These are German products, although they have a US-based headquarters in New Jersey. I had heard of them years ago, but it's just been a few years that they were readily available and the first time I have seen them in the store. I don't usually order food online so I was waiting for it to make it to the stores.

First up, Table Crackers. The photo on the package looks fabulous, making me imagine biting into a crispy Saltine cracker just like the old days. They are a little bigger, but break it in half and it's about the size of a Saltine. Unfortunately, that's as close as it comes to tasting like a Saltine. As far as crackers go, this one doesn't have too much of a strong taste and that's not always a bad thing. Saltines don't have much taste either if you think about it. That helps with whatever you top it off with. These are better than Ener-G crackers, thicker, crispier and a little tastier, but not as good as a Saltine. I love the crispy crunch of these and they are strong enough to hold up to cheese and other toppings. I'll buy these again since I won't be eating a Saltine soon, but I prefer Glutino crackers. (review to follow)

Next up, the Vanilla Wafer cookies. Now, I'm already a big fan of Glutino's Lemon Wafer Cookies. They are always in my fridge for a sweet treat. I assumed these would be just as good, but vanilla. Not really...they have a funny aftertaste that lingers after the cookie is gone. It is nice and crispy and light, just like a wafer should be, but it's not even close to Glutino's precious lemon wafers. I won't be buying these again.

Finally, Schar's has a Ladyfingers. These are quite large and the photo on the package is what attracted me. They are perfect for tiramisu, or so the package states. The picture looked so good, I had to try them.

This cookie was a pleasant surprise and is light, fluffy, airy and surprisingly not too sweet. It pairs perfectly with a cup of tea since is not overpowering or too sweet. I haven't tried the tiramisu yet, but the package has a lot in there so I still have some left to give it a try. I will definitely buy this again since I love having 1/2 of one at night with my tea. It doesn't feel like cheating or eating too much...just right.

Bringing in the New Year!

2010-12-31T17:05:00.000-07:00

Life is beautiful, just look around...

Although we make many resolutions each year, that doesn't mean we follow them, right? I posted on my writing blog about the things I will NOT be doing this year. On this blog, I will post the things I WILL be doing.

1. I will cook more at home. It's so easy to get into the rut of picking up something on the way home, or eating out because it's easier. But for people with food issues, that can be dangerous. We know that we are most safe when we prepare our own, so what is the problem?

2. I will experiment more, try new food and actually attempt to bake something besides cookies. I never was much of a baker before, but these days it's important to find something I love.

3. I will eat right and that means fewer grains and more protein. I have learned to read my body and I know that more protein and less grains are what make my body happy. It likes to feel "clean" and this is how it's done. This is how I lost 25 pounds, this is how I have more energy, and this is how I stay happy.

4. I will post more often on this blog and publicize it as much as possible. A good friend of mine has offered to help me set up my own site and I think that will be my new project.

5. I will spend more time with family and friends. The Internet is a time-suck, no way around it. And so I will be spending less time wasting time online and more time with people who make me laugh.

Hope you all have a happy, safe New Year celebration and I hope to talk more with all of you next year. Please make suggestions for things you would like to read or try on this blog. I'm happy to test anything, just throw it out! And if you have a recipe you'd like to share, let me know! Join the Facebook Page and become part of the Gluten Free in AZ crowd!

Don't be too trusting...

2010-12-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Beware the Pizza....

Once again, I have been taught that even doing our best to research products and cross-contamination precautions will not always guarantee "clean" food. When my husband recently told me that Mama Mia's pizzeria in town had gluten-free crusts available I was excited. Being the skeptic, I e-mailed the owner and asked what procedures were taken to prevent cross-contamination.

The owner responded quickly to say that a separate area was used to prepare the pizza, it was cooked on a separate aluminum tray so as not to touch the oven bottom (where pizzas are placed) and that a separate cutting utensil was used for all GF pizzas. Of course, it's a pizzeria so there is flour in the room, he said, but every precaution was taken. He also said that the crust was ordered from a GF outside source. Then I checked the website, here, which states that precautions are taken.

Sounds good, doesn't it? I did what every diligent GF eater should do...go right to the top and ask questions. I ordered a pizza, feeling confident that precautions were taken and I would soon be feasting on a GF mushroom pizza.

I arrived to find that my pizza was not ready. I waited, watching the pizza cook shift pizzas in the oven on three levels, using the same cutting utensil for all of them. I finally witnessed my pizza come out of the oven...sans any aluminum tray...and plopped into a box. He then quickly grabbed the same pizza cutter he had used on about 8 other pizzas and sliced it in 2 seconds.

Yes, I protested. "What are you doing?" I asked. "You just contaminated the pizza."

"I did what?" he asked, completely clueless. When I explained to him, and someone who seemed to be the night manager, that a separate utensil was supposed to be provided, they both looked at me as if I had horns. They were given no instructions on doing anything different with these pizzas. The pizza cook then grabbed another one after I said I didn't want the first one and tossed it into the oven, once again without any separate pan.

I finally explained that I wanted my money back and did not want any pizza. I told them they needed to talk with the owner and get educated on what they were supposed to do, and that they shouldn't be selling it until they do.

I was sorely in the mood for pizza and went home and made a GF Creations pizza in my own oven. Yes, it was good and I knew it was safe.

Bottom line...unless you make it yourself, you just can't be sure. And even after doing everything to ensure we are safe, there is no guarantee. I will still eat at restaurants and take my chances, but I won't stop checking and double checking. I suggest you do the same.

Saving Christmas Day with Almond Cookies

2010-12-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

Although I had planned everything for the holiday, I realized early yesterday morning that I had forgotten cookies. Yes, company would be here in a few hours and I was cooking dinner. But, no cookies? I asked a friend if that was bad. Her reply, "Yes, it's not Christmas without cookies. That's like New Year's Eve without booze." What could I do?

Then, I checked my Facebook page, Gluten Free in AZ, and Ta-Da! There was a recipe for cookies from a loyal follower. And what could be better? I had everything I needed at home, no shopping required. Sweet!

These cookies are just as I remember them to be when I was a kid. I remember buying the box of almond crescents when I was in my 20s and eating the entire thing. Yes, they were that good. So I couldn't wait to share these with my family. They were so good, everyone took some home and my husband ate every last one! I'll be making these very often, they are my new favorite. Thanks to Sue Bush for saving my Christmas!

Almond Crescent Cookies
1 c GF flour
1 c almond flour
3/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 c cold butter in cubes
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

1 c crushed raw almonds

1/2 sifted powdered sugar to coat cookies

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Put the first 7 ingredients into a food processor and pulse until blended. Be careful to wipe down the sides and watch the butter to make sure it mixes. It will be a crumbly mixture.
3. Add nuts and pulse just until mixed.
4. Shape into crescents using about a tablespoon of mixture for each.
5. Place on parchment paper pretty close together. They only spread a little bit.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, until bottoms are brown. Watch to make sure they don't burn.
7, Let cool slightly, then roll in powdered sugar while still warm so the sugar sticks.
Enjoy!

Tips: I used Bob's Redmill GF and Almond Flour. Also, make sure you grind the almonds pretty small so you don't have huge chunks of almond in the cookies. I'll be doubling this recipe next time since they went so fast.

Sue's recipe called for pecans instead of almonds and did not include the almond extract. But you know how I must tweak things to fit my palate. Feel free to switch out the nuts, just watch for different baking times depending on the type of nuts used.

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday season and are looking forward to a brand new year. I've decided to completely change the layout of our house with new furniture and carpeting, just to get a new start on the year. But, the kitchen will stay the same. I know where everything is and I love it! The kitchen is the heart of the home, right?

Let others pamper you sometimes!

2010-12-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian, Gluten Free and Amazing!

Daughter decided she was hungry and wanted to make dinner tonight. What can I make? Well, surprise me...I said.

Wow, look at my surprise! She used a Gluten Free Creations Italian Herb Pizza Crust, spicy marinara, mozzarella, basil and garlic. Yum! She can cook for me anytime!

There is something wonderful that happens when someone cooks for you, isn't there? Yes, I love to cook and share with others, but I have to admit I love it when someone cooks for me. Last night at book club, our hostess made a fabulous, gluten-free, vegetarian eggplant Parmesan for dinner. As a matter of fact, the entire meal, including appetizers, was completely GF and vegetarian. I felt like a princess.

So go ahead and let others pamper you every once in a blue moon. It feels great!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Share the love on Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again... cooking becomes a major endeavor, company comes over or you're heading out with dish in hand to celebrate with others. But for GF folks like us, it's just a little stickier, isn't it?
What should you bring to the dinner party?
What if you don't get to it first and it's contaminated?
Can you ask others to prepare an entire meal that is GF just for you?

I have learned that I prefer to cook at home for the holidays. What about you?

I don't mind cleaning and having everyone at my place since I know I can regulate what is GF and what is not, and there isn't much that is not. When I cook, I keep it all GF. Nobody knows the difference and that way we are assured that it will be a healthy holiday.

Last year I brought a dish that I knew Daughter and I could eat to a Thanksgiving meal, but when it was placed on the table with all the other gluten items and spoons were shared freely, we were done. We did get to it first, luckily, so we had our share, but seconds were not an option.

This year, we're eating at home once again and feeling safe and comfortable. We're serving roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, Quorn roast for the vegetarians and a turkey breast for meat eaters, GF pumpkin pie and a GF apple crisp Daughter has decided she wants to make. It's a simple, GF meal we can all enjoy.

I hope your day is lovely, filled with family and friends, and relaxing. Remember to be cautious if you're eating outside your home. And if you're cooking at home, take time for a glass of wine and a hug with guests. Don't spend all day in the kitchen if you don't have to.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Gluten Free in Arcadia

2010-11-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

The apples are ready

It's Autumn, which means it's chilly and lovely outside. These days, I want to run out of the house and grab a cup of coffee and a muffin on my way. But finding a coffee shop that meets all my needs, in Arcadia, is not easy. There's one on every corner, sure. Finding one that is local and not a chain is a little more difficult, but Arcadia seems to be doing pretty well in that department lately. But add to that the need to find something gluten free to munch on at any of these coffee shops and you're pretty lucky if you can find something other than a piece of fruit. Sure, Starbucks had a wonderful gluten-free orange cake for a split second, but for some ridiculous reason they stopped carrying it. The only thing GF there is chips or fruit these days.

Enter the Coffee Lady Cafe. Nestled in a strip mall on the SW corner of 40th St. and Indian School Rd., this tiny shop offers great coffee (quick and hot in the morning), sandwiches and soup. After talking with the owner about the lack of GF choices, she ran out and bought Udi's muffins, bagels and bread. Awesome! Now, a place to grab a muffin and coffee on the run.

Be aware that there is not a separate toaster at this time. Get your muffin or bagel microwaved and have them change gloves and surfaces when making sandwiches. They are still in the beginning stages of having GF products, but the owner is more than willing to work with the GF community and is receptive to all suggestions.

Stop by and say hello, grab a muffin and try the Creme Brulee coffee, yum.

Enjoy!

Cupcake Heaven!

2010-11-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Lovely Little Cupcakes

I've been dying for cupcakes lately. Probably because everyone is eating them these days and I can't seem to find one that really tastes like non-GF cupcakes from the old days. But at the park recently, a mom showed up with cupcakes for her daughter and they were fabulous. GF and chocolate, what a combo. After raving about them and saying how hard it is to find a good GF cupcake, I expected to get a long, drawn-out recipe I would dread getting involved with. But all she said was," I used the Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake Mix." No way!

So, I decided to give them a try. I bought the mix at Safeway on sale for $3.69, which means I got a lot more cupcakes for my money than from a fancy shop.

My friend and I are throwing a wine and cheese party for the gals tomorrow and this was the perfect time to try out some mini cupcakes. Oh my, they are so lovely. The cake is moist and light, just enough chocolate and not overly sweet. Just what I've been looking for. I'll try the White cake next and see how that goes, but I can't imagine them being any different. I also found some mini cupcake papers in Safeway also. Aren't they cute?


Cupcakes Ready for the Ladies

Just follow the directions on the package, which calls for 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of butter and 3 eggs. I used some lovely farmers market eggs. Normally, I tweak the recipe and add a little of this and a little of that. Not this time. I decided to try it as is for the first try. Good idea, I can't imagine what I would do to them.

The frosting is just something I bought in a can that sprays, which tastes adequate and sweet. I put just a small flower on top of each to keep the sweetness at bay. I suppose my next project is to make my own frosting. I love whipped cream frosting, maybe I'll try that next.

Enjoy!

I'm GF, now what?

2010-10-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Ever since going GF, I've found that people are always fascinated by the concept. At any party or gathering, the topic comes up and the conversation changes from, "I could never eat like that," to "I need to eat GF but it's too hard. How do you do it?"

Most recently, my sister has decided she needs to eat GF. Since this kind of thing runs in the family, I'm not surprised. But she's highly intimidated by making the leap to GF eating and I don't blame her. It's a big change.

Below, I've listed helpful info for those going GF for the first time. I'm also listing a few tips I always give when advising people on GF eating. Of course, please consult your doctor if you've been told you have medical issues and need to eat a certain way. I'm not a doctor, I only play one in my kitchen!

1. First bit of advice...don't panic. Most people think they will never eat anything tasty again. The thought of going out and not eating pizza and beer with your friends, or skipping the wedding cake or birthday cupcakes is depressing sometimes. But in reality, you don't really need those anyway, do you? And by not eating these things, you will feel so much better that you won't want to eat them anymore, no matter how lovely it looks for smells.

2. Give yourself some time before eating GF cookies, cakes, etc. It won't taste as good as the real thing at first and you need to give your gut some time to heal. Give up grains for a bit and stick to whole foods without labels...lean meats (if you eat meat) veggies, fruit, tofu, eggs, beans, Quorn, etc. You may spend more time cooking, but it will be worth it.

3. There are plenty of GF frozen foods out there and you can find just about anything in a GF variety these days. Just don't go overboard. Most GF items have added sugars to give them flavor, so losing weight is not always a side effect of going GF. Don't do it just to lose weight, do it to feel better.

4. Don't trust anyone or anything. That means that even if you've read the label of a product and eaten it before, check it again before eating it. You can never be certain.. For instance, Lipton Onion Soup mix used to be GF but is not anymore after adding barley to the recipe. If you've been using it for years, you may wonder why you're feeling sick now. Check this out.

5. Don't worry about hurting someone's feelings. So many people have the right intentions and will cook what they think is a GF meal for you, only to find out that they added soy sauce (which has wheat as a main ingredient) or used a mix with flour or barley in it. I know you feel badly for this person because they worked so hard to please you, but don't eat it just to make them feel better. You'll get sick and they will feel even worse. Just politely refuse the food and tell them how much you really appreciate their effort and caring. Move on...

6. Don't cheat. This goes along with #5 in a way, but whatever you do, don't cheat. Give your body a chance to heal before you sneak that piece of cake or brownie. It's not worth it. There are brownies and cakes out there that are GF if you must have them. Find something you like to snack on that's GF and carry it with you for these weak moments. Everyone in the office celebrating a birthday with whipped cream icing on a lovely chocolate cake? Pull out some lemon wafer cookies or trail mix with chocolate chips from your purse.

7. Google gluten-free foods and be prepared to be overwhelmed. There are lists, foods, mail-order foods and mixes, blogs, etc. to keep you busy for years. Weed out the ones you don't need and follow the blogs and sites that have what you need. If you have other food allergies, make sure you take those into account when ordering food and following recipes.

8. Watch your wallet. GF is just so much more expensive. I know the ingredients are more expensive, but it's amazing how much you can spend in your first few months. Four cookies for $5? They must be pretty damn good cookies! And they are the size of oreos? Oh hell no! They can't be that good, can they? Well, I'm here to tell you they are not that good. No cookie is that good! You can buy loaves of bread for $10 or more, but is bread that important? Udi's bread is just about $4.99 at Whole Foods. It tastes great and doesn't break the bank. Go ahead and try things out, but just be aware that we are a niche market and prime for companies to take our money.

9. Check out the blogs listed on this page and look up more on Google. There are zillions right about now. The best I've found are Gluten-free Goddess and Elana's Pantry. There are plenty more, but start there. There are also zillions of cookbooks out there. Don't freak out, you don't have to cook everything.

10. If you're a vegetarian, as I am, this gets a little more difficult. Since the wheat is missing, everyone things you can just go to a restaurant and eat grilled chicken or steak. NOT! You will end up eating a lot of salad and grilled veggies, trust me. (Make sure the salad dressing is GF and the grill is not used for wheat products.) You might even want to bring your own crackers or bread with you to bulk up your meal, that's up to you.

11. Don't be afraid to ask. When you go to a restaurant, ask everyone. If the waiter is not sure what gluten is, ask for a manager. If you ask, "Is there flour in this?" and the waiter doesn't know, make him/her go and find out. Sometimes it's surprising what has flour added. Most notorious...soup. Most places will add flour to soup to thicken it so you can't be safe just assuming it's clean.

12. Check out this site for a list of foods that have hidden gluten. For instance, licorice is not GF, soy sauce has wheat, baking powder and even chocolate chips can have gluten.

13. This article from Suite101.com has a great intro to GF eating.

14. Follow celiac/gf people on FB and Twitter. I'm on FB here and list some wonderful treat ideas and restaurant picks. Also, I have found so many wonderful tips and recipes just from following people who are in the same situation. I recently discovered Celiac Diva on FB and follow many GF people on Twitter. The best way to get a list is to follow me at /vdemetros and look up my GF listing.

15. Finally, if you do get glutened, ride it out. You may find that once you haven't eaten it for a bit, you have a much stronger reaction to it when you do eat it. Give it time, eat clean and learn from this.

Good luck...let me know how you're doing.

Low carb? Are you sure?

2010-10-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

gluten-free lemon/chocolate-chip muffins

For someone eating low carb, I've been posting a lot about muffins and pancakes lately. What's the story with that? Well, quite simply, carbs are not your enemy. If you eat them in very little quantities, you can get away with just about anything. The secret to eating anything fattening (such as carbs, including sugar, grains, etc.) is to eat just a little. Don't go overboard.

With that said, I had a craving to read a good book, grab a cup of tea and eat a warm muffin. I had everything but the muffin. Normally, I would grab an Udi's Blueberry Muffin from the freezer, but Daughter made sure those are all gone. Second best thing is to make some. I use Authentic Foods Lemon Cake mix and doctor it up my way. Add the two eggs, 1/2 cup milk (I use rice milk) and 1/4 cup oil (I use olive oil) called for on the package. Add a little more vanilla, lemon juice and a handful of chocolate chips and fill about 24 mini muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes and viola! You have a lovely snack for that tea and good book.

Now find a comfy chair and relax. Just pace yourself and put a few in the freezer for the next time this craving strikes.

Enjoy!

Pancakes are on the menu!

2010-10-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Pancakes hot off the griddle

It's raining here in Phoenix, with a cool breeze and a chill in the air. Know what that says to me? Comfort food. I want a warm cup of tea and something comforting in my tummy. Normally, I would have said that I wanted pancakes, only to remember that I can't have them. But not anymore...

Oh wow. That's all I can say, wow! Now that Bisquick has a new Gluten Free mix, I know what I'll be eating for breakfast. Yes, I know I'm eating low carb, and yes I know I'm trying to lower the amount of grains I eat. But you don't understand! This stuff is gold, pure gold.

Yes, the box is smaller than the non-GF version and cost $4.99 at Fry's, but trust me...it's worth it.

Following the directions on the box, I made one batch of pancakes (using 1 cup of mix, 1 cup milk (almond milk), 2 Tbs olive oil and 1 egg. I also add 1 TBS lemon juice...trust me, it's what takes these from good to great!) I got about 10 pancakes out of that, about 3 inches in diameter. Just enough for now and a few left for tomorrow morning. They were golden brown, fluffy, light and tasted like the best pancakes I've ever had, even before going GF...seriously.

Cook them up and watch how everyone loves you. Daughter couldn't stop smelling them and saying, "If I could eat these every day for the rest of my life, I'd be happy!" I had to stop her from eating 8 of them for dinner! Now I know what to make after a sleepover. We used to make pancakes but had to stop when we went GF.

I like mine with just a spray of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter or nothing at all. Daughter likes her plain also...we're not syrup people. But if you are, go for it. Let me know what you think after you've tried this.

The company site has recipes for coffee cake and pizza crust using this mix. I'll be trying those out in a few days. Can't wait...

Enjoy!

A lovely GF Trifle

2010-10-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free Trifle

Last night's book club meeting was at my place. What to make? The book, based in England in the early 1930s, gave me a great idea for dessert. How about a trifle? I'd heard of them, but never had one. First, I don't eat non-gf cake, and second, it always looked like so much trouble. So, being the clever girl that I am, I made one up for myself.

Wow, it turned out so beautiful and tasted wonderful. This is very unconventional and if anyone out there reading this is the least bit British, I apologize. But don't scoff too much until you've tried it. There were 9 of us eating (and my Daughter) and this giant bowl was empty in 20 minutes! The cake was moist and had a touch of lemon and the meringue cookies gave it a wonderful crunchy sweetness. This is not a diet dish at all, but for a special night it's worth the effort. It doesn't take long at all and is quite impressive, not to mention delightful!

GF Trifle
1.5 tubs Cool Whip
2 cups strawberries, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1 lemon GF cake (I used Authentic Foods cake mix)
(two eggs, 1/2 cup milk/almond milk, 1/4 olive oil)
4-6 vanilla meringue cookies
1/4 cup sugar or simple syrup

1. Mix berries and sugar in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. Make lemon cake as directed on the package. Let cool on rack completely and then slice into squares about 1 inch sq.
3. Assemble trifle in a glass bowl in order to show off the layers. Start with a layer of cake, dipping each piece in the syrup from the berries.
4. Next layer is berries (about half the berries)
5. Next layer is cool whip, spread evenly to cover all the berries.
6. Crumble 2-3 meringue cookies over the Cool Whip layer.
7. Repeat the layers of cake (dipped in syrup), berries, Cool Whip and cookies. (Save a little of the fruit for the top)
8. Top with remaining berries.
9. I added a little shaved dark chocolate on top for presentation and taste. I had a dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe's and just grated it over the top. This is optional, of course.
10. Refrigerate till you need it. I wouldn't make this any more than about 1.5 hours before eating since the meringues will lose their crunch after some time.

Caprese with a twist

Also on the menu, a little twist on the typical Caprese salad. Add a little cantaloupe to the mix. It adds a touch of sweetness to the dish and with the balsamic, it's a wonderful new taste sensation. This is a photo of the dish before adding the aged balsamic just before serving. Also, add a little salt. Yum!

Enjoy!

Tell me your GF tips and win $25 Fry's gift card!

2010-09-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

Feeling all alone in your GF world?

Ever notice how everyone cringes when you mention that you eat gluten-free? The thought of giving up their bread/pizza/buns/pasta, fill in the blank, makes them automatically scrunch up their faces in a grimace.

"I could never do that!" they spit out. "I feel sorry for you."
My favorite is..."What do you eat?" as if there is nothing else out there but pizza, bread and bagels.

When I first realized I would be gluten free for the rest of my life, I did feel that way for a moment. Being vegetarian for 25 years meant that I had already given up a huge portion of the menu and now, going gluten free meant I was giving up another 1/4, leaving just about 1/4 to 1/8 of any menu available to me. Asking questions became a necessity, ordering special meals became an everyday occurrence.

A few tips of the trade, and a few great websites to visit would have made things easier. I found the gfvegetarian yahoo group first and they were amazing. All my questions were answered and I felt as if I were not as alone as I feared. Great ideas, recipes and support helped me get through the toughest beginning stage. I found our local Phoenix Celiac list group on yahoo groups also and that made a huge difference, and meeting them at a restaurant helped even more to get a closer connection. I have made wonderful friends who understand (and I'm not the only one at the table asking for GF anymore.)

Check the right side of this blog for websites I recommend and search for new sites. There are new ones popping up every day. Look for organizations in your area, etc.

Oh yeah, the $25 that I mentioned up at the beginning (you didn't think I forgot, did you?) My very good friend and fellow blogger, Sara at savingforsomeday, graciously handed over a $25 gift card from Fry's, which celebrated the grand opening of the new Tatum and Shea Super Duper store with valet parking, covered parking, organic section, wine bar, gluten-free section, etc. If you're just starting out or an old pro at GF eating, this will come in handy for sure. How, you may ask, can you get your hands on this? Simple-leave a comment below with your best tips and insights for the anyone starting out a GF diet. Let's help out the beginners with things we wish we had known up front.

If you are not GF or just happened to stumble upon this site, welcome! Although the recipes on this site are GF and vegetarian, they are also tasty and fabulous and can be enjoyed by even the pickiest meat eater and wheat eater. I'm sure you know someone who is GF. Tell me what you know or want to know about eating GF and I'll try to address it here. I'll use Random.org to choose a winner from the comments and contact you for your mailing address. Simple.

Finally, let me say that this is in no way supported by Fry's. It's my way of saying thanks for reading and supporting this blog, and for following each week with ideas and comments.

My eating GF tips:

1. Read labels. Do not eat anything that has a label without reading it first. And even if you've read it before, read it again. Companies have a tendency to change their processing without telling anyone. Don't trust anyone.

2. Look for hidden gluten. Soy sauce, TVP, semolina, etc. Find a list at Celiac.com and follow it.

3. Find support. You can't do this alone. There are organizations in every city these days. Even if you just connect on the Internet, it really does help. Let people tell you where they've been before heading out.

4. Get used to cooking for yourself. Even though I loved to cook before, I cook even more now that I have gluten to worry about. I feel safe when I cook for myself. Mistakes can happen wherever you go, be prepared.

5. Speak up. Don't worry about offending people, most of them are very understanding. If you're not sure about something and don't want to speak up...don't eat it! Why risk it? It's only food, not the end of the world. I've gone through an entire dinner with an iced tea and side salad. Nothing else. Eat when you get home, you'll be proud of yourself. Any hostess would rather you not eat than get sick. If you can, tell them before the event. If you're really confident, bring your own food.

6. Don't cheat! Too many people feel as if they can cheat and in reality...it's just not an option. Tell yourself...it's just food. Is that pizza really important to you? Why do you have to taste that guy's breaded calamari? You can't live without it? Of course you can, you did before you got there and you will when you leave. Let it go.

7. Don't go overboard on all that fabulous GF food that is now offered. It usually means there is more sugar and other ingredients to pump up the flavor. Just because something is GF doesn't mean it's good for you. There are zillions of GF cookies, cakes, buns, etc. to keep you going for a long time. Don't get sucked in.

8. My favorite GF items, after picking through the losers, are as follows: (remember, you'll probably have to do your own taste test since everyone is different)
*Bread: Udi's everything. They have the best bagels, sandwich bread, whole grain bread and muffins. Closer to the real thing than any other I've tried. Most other breads have to be toasted to get close to "normal." The only other bread that comes close is French Meadow. Udi's is at Whole Foods and Sprouts, French Meadow is at Sunflower.
* Cookies: Kinnikinnik makes K-Toos that are so close to Oreo's that they've fooled the wheat eaters I know. They make a great vanilla one too.
* Donuts: Kinnikinnik has little cinnamon donuts that are so much like those wonderful cake donuts that we used to love dunking in coffee. Also, Gluten Free Creations, a wonderful shop in the Phoenix area, makes their own donuts that are fluffly and light.
* Veggie burger: Sunshine Burgers rock the vegetarian/gluten-free burger market. They are organic and use just a few ingredients. If you eat cheese, I recommend it highly. Use a crispy lettuce bun and you're in heaven. (I recommend the Garden Herb, but try them all and decide for yourself.)

These are just a few tips. I have hundreds, and I'll update and add more each day. Let's hear what you've got-and good luck!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

2010-09-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

With the inspiration of True Food's spaghetti squash special, and the need for a potluck dish tomorrow, I came up with what turned out to be a fabulous dinner! It's low carb, delish and easy. Just the way I like it!

I've cut the recipe in half since I made this for a ton of people, and made a small one for us tonight. Feel free to double it and bring it along to a potluck, you'll be popular for sure.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole
1 spaghetti squash (about 4 lbs)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
16 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 Tbs tomato paste
garlic powder, salt/pepper, dried parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut spaghetti squash in half (or get someone strong to do it since it's a tough job) and remove the seeds and fibers from the middle. Place them face down on a cookie sheet that's been sprayed with olive oil spray. Spray the tops of the squash and bake for about 30-40 minutes. You'll know it's done when you stick a fork through the skin and it's soft.

3. While the squash is baking, use a saute pan and saute onions in olive oil. Add a little salt and saute till translucent.

4. Add yellow and zucchini squash to onions and saute until liquid is gone and zucchini is soft. Add a little salt/pepper and about a pinch of parsley.

5. Mix crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt/pepper and dried parsley to taste and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

6. When spaghetti squash is done, take them out and let them cool for a bit. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

7. Using a fork, shred the squash until it's all loose. Pour it all into a glass baking dish (about 9x9)

8. Add veggies, 1/2 the Parmesan and about 2 cups marinara sauce and mix. Taste and season if it needs more salt/pepper.

9. Spread it out evenly in the dish, top with the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella.

10. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown on top. Let it cool for a few minutes to set up.

You can make this ahead, assemble and refrigerate and just bake the next day. I'm assuming it would freeze well also, I just haven't tried that yet. Just remember to bake it longer since it's cold.

Enjoy!

Kale Krazy

2010-08-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

Aarti's Massaged Kale Salad

I've always loved kale and cooked a lot of it when I was receiving the CSA bags of veggies. But for some reason, it was always too chewy. I just didn't have the knack for doing it right. But I recently watched an episode of Aarti Party, the newest Food Network Star's program, and she had a fabulous, easy kale recipe I just had to try. This was exactly what I was looking for, a way to make kale tender, tasty and healthy.

Although this recipe called for mangos, I also made a dish without the mangos and added a little Parmesan cheese. This turned out wonderful also and reminded me of the kale from True Food in Phoenix. Wonderful topped over their egg-white omelet. I highly recommend it.

Thanks again to Aarti Sequeira for this massaged kale recipe. With simple ingredients...mango, kale, pumpkin seeds, lemon, olive oil...it's a cinch to make. The only thing I did differently was to use a little less olive oil and add a little garlic powder to the dressing. Other than that, do what she says, make sure to massage the kale for at least 1.5 minutes to really soften it up and there you have it. While you're massaging the kale, or basically squeezing it over and over, you'll lose volume in the kale and that's expected.

For my second try, I just skipped the mango and sprinkled with a little Parmesan before eating. Either way, this is tremendous and fantastic!

Oh, and make sure you don't chop the stems of the kale. They're too hard and fiberous...but they do make an excellent dog bone... my boys love them!

Tucker and his kale bone

Enjoy!

Ratatouille...It's Oh So Good!

2010-08-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ratatouille with cauliflower

I had a strange craving for ratatouille tonight. Why? Who knows...it's one of those cold-weather dishes I usually reserve for nights when it's chilly outside and I want a warm, hearty meal. But why not make it in summer? It's got zucchini, eggplant and yummy tomatoes, what could be better?

Daughter loves cauliflower, and since I had half a head in the fridge (the cauliflower's, not mine) and since I didn't have any peppers, the cauliflower went into the dish as an excellent substitute. I didn't miss the peppers at all and quite honestly, it's the best ratatouille I've ever made and I'll do it with cauliflower from now on. Can I still call it ratatouille? Hmmm...

The end result is a sweet, crunchy, hearty dish that melts in your mouth. Trust me, this is fabulous and there is a lot left over to share with friends or eat for lunch for a few days. Not only that, it's GF, vegetarian and vegan if you leave off the shredded Parmesan Daughter sprinkled on top. Serve it over rice or noodles, or rice noodles if that's something you like, but trust me, this dish stands up all by itself. For a little protein, I'm thinking of throwing in some tofu or Quorn next time, just for a change. Although, this needs no improvement at all.

Hint: chop all the veggies about the same size, It's easier to cook that way and better to eat when everything is uniform. The pan may look full before you add the tomato sauce, but once the veggies cook down, you'll have plenty of room.

Ratatouille with cauliflower
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 large eggplant, chopped
1 large or 2 medium zucchini, chopped
1/2 head of cauliflower broken into bite-sized pieces
1 28 oz. can Trader Joe's Low Fat Tuscano Marinara Sauce (or your favorite)
1 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp of basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper

1. Use a large saute pan and saute onion until translucent in 1 Tbs. olive oil.
2. Add zucchini and cook another 5 minutes.
3. Add eggplant and cauliflower and toss with salt and pepper and 1 Tbs olive oil
4. Stir and let the veggie simmer until they reduce in size and soften.
5. Add marinara, tomato paste and spices.
6. Simmer for about 15 minutes until all the flavors come together. Test for salt and pepper and serve as is, or over rice.

This is even better the second day once all the flavors have set together overnight. Too good for words... My Daughter loves Parmesan cheese on everything and this was great with a little shredded Parm on top, but not a necessity.

Enjoy!

A Childhood Treat Revisited, and a Cupcake

2010-08-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free Goodness

Remember Suzy Q's? Yes, those chocolate delights filled with overly sweet, tasty filling? I used to love finding those in the store. I don't think I ever ate an entire Suzy Q just because it was so sweet, but I sure loved them. I stopped eating them way before I went GF, but on a recent trip to Gluten Free Creations in Scottsdale I came across the treat, newly formulated as a gluten-free treat. The shop makes the chocolate cake nice and moist and fluffy, and the inside filling is just as I remember it...very sweet. But isn't that what a treat is all about? If I want something mild I'll eat a carrot!

A sweet treat

The cupcake tower awaits

What a great treat. I would recommend bringing a friend, or taking it home, and share with someone else. It might not be that big, but it packs a sugary punch. Ooohhh, it brought back memories and was so yummy. The shop also had cupcakes that were adorable and I would have tried one if I hadn't just eaten a faux Suzy Q. Next time...

Enjoy!

Nourish - Scottsdale's GF/Veg Dream Come True

2010-08-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

Acai Berry Martini

OK, I know I should have put a review in here much sooner, but I've been back three times already and I can't stop. Nourish is my new favorite restaurant in Scottsdale. Not only is it close to home, it's completely gluten free and more than half the items on the menu are vegetarian! It's like a dream come true....no actually it is a dream come true. As a gluten-free vegetarian, I don't know how many times I have said, "I wish there was a completely gluten-free and vegetarian restaurant I could walk into, feel comfortable about the menu and not spend a fortune. Yeah, like that will happen." Ha! It happened.

I'm also in love with the staff, who are friendly and helpful, and the owner, Kirstin Carey. She's friendly, funny and so willing to work with customers. Each time I've been there, she's come out to ask how the food is and for suggestions and ideas. She truly wants to create a place for those of us with allergies where we can eat with ease. (OK, she does have meat on the menu, but I'm overlooking that since I can't have everything, right? This way I can drag my carnivorous husband in for a healthy meal.)

Veggie Pizza

OK, on to the food. Since I've been back a few times, I could write a very long review but I'm going to stick with my favorites and recommend you go there yourself and try even more. The first time my husband and I ate at Nourish I had a veggie pizza. Fresh, thick and full of flavor, the best part of the pizza was the sauce. The restaurant uses GF Creations Italian pizza crust so I knew I would like those, but it's the sauce that makes it all worth it. Kirstin explained how they wanted to make a sauce that stood up to the crust and didn't soak in. Wow, they achieved that-and more. It's thick, tangy and tastes like someone's grandmother has been back there making sauce all day. My daughter has had it and wanted to take some home. The pizza also had fresh spinach, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes. The cheese was lightly added on top so it didn't overpower the pizza. All in all, a great entree that was big enough for Daughter and I to share.

Quiche with spinach and bacon

My husband had a spinach quiche with a quinoa crust that was fabulous. I've never had a crust made of quinoa (and I'm not talking about flour but the actual quinoa) and it was very tasty. It's also black quinoa, which I had never had either. The quiche did have bacon in it, so I just tried a little of the crust. Husband said it was great and devoured the entire piece, which was quite huge along with a side and salad.

Lemon Gluten-Free Cheescake

Dessert was a fabulous lemon cheesecake to die for! I don't usually go in for dessert when I'm out, but we couldn't resist. The crust was flaky and light, the cheesecake tasted like something my mom would have made, only better. (sorry Mom!) Being from New Jersey, we take our cheesecakes very seriously and this was one of the best I've ever had. No, it's not dairy free, but who would want that?

Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Apricot Dipping Sauce

I'll wrap this up with my two favorites...the sweet potato fries are air-fried (how do you air fry? I have no idea) oil-free, crispy and light, not greasy like most sweet potato fries. They come with a sweet yet spicy chipotle apricot dipping sauce that takes them to a new level of fry goodness. I crave these now...

I know I said I would try and keep this short, and I didn't even mention the red & white quinoa salad, sweet potato and avocado salad or the spicy mango avocado salad. There is so much, I can't help myself. I'm also looking forward to trying the Crispy Baked Eggplant Parmesan, which is gluten-free and vegetarian. (My stomach is growling right now)

Nourish also has a cute little bar and I've become a convert to the acai berry martini (photo above) which is Prairie Organic Vodka, Veev acai berry liquor and a splash of key lime Oogave soda. It's light, not too sweet and has no bite to it at all. It goes down smoothly and works great with any of the dishes. Light and satisfying. So, what are you waiting for? Get down there before everyone knows about it and you can't get a table!

Dear Nourish...Thanks for making my dreams come true.

Enjoy!

Pomegranate Cafe

2010-08-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

Phoenix is finally catching up to the rest of the country in options for vegetarian and gluten-free food. One in particular is Pomegranate Cafe in downtown Ahwatukee, just south of Phoenix. In a nondescript strip mall you can find pure vegetarian heaven! What makes it so wonderful is not only the vegetarian choices, but most of them are raw, making just about everything gluten-free.

This adorable little cafe is run by mom and daughter duo, Marlene and Cassie Tolman. I brought my daughter, a friend of hers and my mom on a little trek to Pomegranate on our way to IKEA (another favorite hangout!) We didn't want to leave the restaurant. Not only is the food wonderful, but the service and atmosphere are relaxed and perfect. The staff are helpful and truly educated on gluten-free options, which is a refreshing change in the area.

Garden Burger

So, on to the food. The girls had the Garden Burger, the cafe's own tofu veggie burger on gluten-free bread, which is an option along with the spelt bun. The girls split the burger and as you can see there was plenty for both of them. I tried the burger and it was tasty, tangy and firm. Daughter thought it even tasted a little like the veggie chicken patties we've had in the past. It had that kind of mild taste to it. I liked it and would definitely order one in the future. The pickle was crisp and tart and the salad was just enough to satisfy both girls. Daughter and her friend have already asked to go back for another. The burger comes with a choice of cheddar or vegan cheese. Kids chose the cheddar.

Strawberry Fields Salad

Mom ordered the Strawberry Fields Salad, chock full of fresh goat cheese, pistachios and strawberries. Just the right size for lunch with a tangy, tart pomegranate vinaigrette. I love the crunchy sprouts and avocado, giving the salad an added crunch and flavor.

Arizona Roll

But the most amazing and wonderful dish, shared by all and wowed over by all, was the Arizona Roll, a completely raw treat that I can't stop thinking about. It starts off with nori seaweed stuffed with a sweet and nutty almond spread and a rainbow of veggies including carrots, peppers, and avocado. There is a shoyu sauce for dipping and I recommend you don't miss it. It's also served with a cabbage salad with miso dressing. There was so much that we all had a chance to try it and the kids went back for seconds. I was full from what I had, along with the wonderful miso salad. I highly recommend you try this, and bring a friend. It's a great experience to try something that is so wonderful and good for you.

But we weren't done yet. One of Pomegranate's specialties is the raw pie. I've had a the Super Berry pie before, but this time we had the chance to have both the Super Berry and the Pineapple Cheesecake. But don't let the names fool you, they are both made from completely raw ingredients and have no dairy or gluten in them. The crust is a fantastic combo of just macadamia nuts, coconut and dates. I don't know how it's done, but those three ingredients create the most tremendous of tastes. Daughter kept eating the crust and saying, "Why don't you make this?" Hmmm, why don't I?

Super Berry Pie

The Super Berry pie is made simply by soaking raw cashews and then blending them to a smooth creamy texture. Add to that acai, blueberries, goji berries, coconut oil, agave, pomegranate juice and orange juice and you have a beautiful, purple berry surprise of a pie. It's amazing how creamy just cashews can be. No sugar, now high fructose corn syrup, etc. Just berry goodness packed in each tangy bite.

Pineapple Cheesecake

The pineapple cheesecake uses the same base and crust as the pie above, but uses a top layer of pineapple and mango, giving it a wonderful, tart bite to it. Out of both, the girls liked the pineapple better, although I suspect they also liked the fact that it was half frozen and that made it more like ice cream to them. Either way, I think I would choose it also for it's tart, fresh pineapple flavor.

With True Food, Pomegranate Cafe and now Nourish, Phoenix has finally gotten a blip on the radar of good, healthy food. There are finally a few places for those of us who want to eat out, yet not give up our quest to eat healthy. I'm dining at Nourish tonight and I'll let you all know how it went. I can't wait!

A Fabulous Weekend

2010-07-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

The Red Rock Martini

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July 4th Taste Test...Beer and Brownies!

2010-07-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

An Independence Day celebration and a good friend's house seemed like the perfect time for a GF beer tasting. I rounded up the guys and asked them for their opinion (along with mine of course.) Daughter, unfortunately, didn't get to participate, although she tried. Being 14 means you have to wait just a few more years.

The tasting was a blind taste test for all the guys. I knew which was which but I wanted an honest opinion from some serious beer drinkers.

Jim, Matt, Jeff, and Al give the first beer a try

First up, Bard's. It's made from malted sorghum, the company's site says it consists of sorghum, yeast, hops and water. It's light in color, something like a Budweiser in color. Although it starts out with a nice beer taste, it ends with a very metallic/medicine finish that the guys picked up on right away. I made sure both beers were cold and that didn't seem to help this one. Bard's Tale Beer Co. has a great story of how the founders were Celiacs and wanted to enjoy beer with their friends. Makes sense and I so wanted to like this one, but the finish was just too metallic for my taste.

Second verse, same as the first...Redbridge this time.

On to number two, Redbridge. Brewed by Anheuser-Busch, it's a little darker in color than Bard's. The company site says it's made from sorghum, yeast, water, hops and corn. The flavor is a little stronger, less watery, and no aftertaste to speak of. In terms of beer, it has a more decent beer taste. The flavor comes off as a beer with a little more kick.

There are a lot more barbecues in our future this summer and it looks like Redbridge will be joining us. Now if someone would just make a nice, dark, GF beer, I'd be in heaven. But for now, I'm sticking with Redbridge. Thanks for your help, guys!

Since we were in the taste-test mode, we happened to have two versions of GF brownies at the barbecue. On the left, Pamela's Chocolate Brownie Mix. On the right, Betty Crocker's version. As you can see, or maybe you can't, the Pamela's version of the brownie is more cake-like and held together well. These were made by our hostess and were quite lovely, light and cake-like in texture. The cocoa flavoring was not overpowering, but the texture did have a bit of a grainy feel.

The other brownies, which I made, were made using Betty Crocker's GF brownie mix. I added a TBS of virgin coconut oil and a tsp of blood-orange olive oil. These were much more moist in texture and more gooey in parts. They were also much more chocolaty since the mix comes with small chocolate chips that give it a more intense chocolate flavor. The olive oil gave it a slight citrus flavor that was quite good, although I think I would use one or the other, not both oils next time. I usually use just the coconut oil but I was trying to be festive.

All in all, great brownies on both plates. I would take either one. I tend to use the Betty Crocker mix since I like the more gooey version of brownies, but this was the first time I had Pamela's version and they are great for a light dessert. Give them a try. We ate our brownies with Almond Dream vanilla ice cream, which happens to be gluten and dairy free. Yum!

I wonder what's next on the taste test front? Waffles anyone???

Enjoy!

MYO Granola Bars, just the way you like them

2010-06-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

pistachios and dried cranberries

Ahhh, I finally have just what I want after complaining for years about granola bars that are too nutty, too sweet, wrong flavors, etc. I finally decided to give it a try and make my own. Wow, why didn't I do this a long time ago? I made two flavors (hoping at least one of them would be edible). Luckily, they both came out wonderfully and I can't decide which one I like best.

For the first batch, my daughter suggested apricots and cashews. Yum, great idea and great tasting. I love the sweetness of the apricots and the mellow flavor of the cashews. Batch number two had pistachios and dried cranberries. Another home run with the tartness of the cranberries and the distinct saltiness of the pistachios. Once again, I can't decide which one I like best but judging from which one is disappearing in the hands of Husband and Daughter, the pistachio bars are a bigger hit, but not by much.

The recipe below gives the measurements for what I used. Go ahead and switch it up using whatever nuts or fruits sound good to you. I'm going to give peanuts a try next time. Haven't decided on the fruit yet. Also, I've added mini GF chocolate chips just because I happened to have some, but I can tell these bars would be just as great without them.

cashews and dried apricots

MYO Granola Bars
1 cup nuts
1 cup GF oats (I use Bob's Redmill brand)
1/2 cup mini GF chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)
1/2 cup dried fruit
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup raw honey (plus a tablespoon)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop nuts in a processor or by hand until smaller in size but not too fine.
3. Add all other ingredients to nuts in a large bowl and mix.
4. Spray a 9x9 glass dish and spread nut mixture into pan until evenly distributed.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until sides begin to brown.
6. Cool completely before turning out onto a board and cutting into squares (if you have the willpower to wait that long, which I did not!)

These are a satisfying treat and great to take with you when you know you'll be out all day and may need something to snack on. If it's the middle of summer in AZ (like it is here) I would suggest leaving out the chips if you're taking them with you. I know these will be gone before I get a chance to take them with me, but the next batch will be bigger now that I know this works so well. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

Enjoy!

The new bagel in the house

2010-06-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I should title this post- Udi's does it again! While stocking up on their fabulous white and whole grain breads at Whole Foods today, I noticed something different in the freezer. Bagels! Now, I've had Glutino bagels and I was pleased with them, although they tend to be a little dense. In a pinch, they are good to have in the freezer...up until now...

I'm a true believer in Udi's and can't say enough about their wonderful products. Yes, I would be on the payroll if they'd have me, but I'm not. I've talked about bread before here and I still stand by the bread from Gluten Free Creations here in town, but move over for Udi's, really!

If you haven't had their bread, you are truly missing something. I've actually fooled people who didn't know it was GF bread, and if you've eaten most GF breads you know that's not easy to do. Most of them are only good for a doorstop. The bread can actually be eaten without toasting, smells wonderful and toasts to a beautiful, crusty golden brown. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. But, today we're talking bagels!

These bagels are so much like I remember bagels to be. Daughter closed her eyes and ate her half and smiled widely. "It's crunchy," she said. "Just the way they should be." She's not kidding, these bagels are soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside and have just enough "chew" to make it cream-cheese-worthy. Of course, my half had just butter, but Daughter had to do it up right with the cream cheese. Since she's only been GF for about 6 months now, she appreciated it immensely. I haven't had a bagel like this in about 5 years so this was a major treat for me.

This took me back to mornings spent on the floor of our apartment in NYC with the Sunday Times, bagels, coffee, and music. The paper was spread out all over the floor and we sat on the floor without speaking, just eating and reading. I know what I'm doing Sunday morning!

Liberty Market

2010-06-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

I had the great pleasure to visit Liberty Market in Gilbert, AZ this weekend. Not only did I have the best vanilla Americano that I have had in a very long time, but this is a photo of the salad I ordered. Is that beautiful or what? The greens were crisp and fresh, the tomatoes plump and ripe and the mozzarella was perfectly fresh and not too firm. And that's not even the best part. Drizzled over the top with perfection was a sweet, tart, delectable balsamic reduction. It was so beautiful, I wanted to take it home with me. I wished I had brought my usual bag of bread in my purse (GF) to dip.

Daughter had the same salad and ate the entire thing, greens and all. And if you know her, you know that's pretty amazing. She loves veggies, being a vegetarian, but salad is not her thing. She gave it a try and left nothing on the plate.

I highly recommend Liberty Market if you're in Gilbert. The rest of our dining party raved about their sandwiches and salads. It's a casual place with a coffee bar. You order up front, then grab a seat and smiling staff bring your food to the table. It's worth the drive, if only for an awesome cup of coffee.

Of course, if you are GF, be careful and check with the staff before diving in. I made sure there was no bread or croutons used and stayed away from anything that might be contaminated. Always use caution and tell wait staff that you are GF so they are aware of your needs.

Enjoy!

Raw Lemon/Blueberry Pie

2010-06-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's hot out there. I always seem to blank out just how hot it can get in Arizona. Then summer hits and it starts all over again. It's just the beginning of June and already we're in triple digits! Dang it. But I know we'll weather it out (pun intended). But what to do when it's hot? Not cook, that's for sure. The cooler, the better.

After having a fabulous raw pie at Pomegranate recently, I decided to give it a shot and try it myself. The pie at the restaurant was a raw mixed-berry pie. Since I love lemonade in the heat of AZ, I decided to give that a try...no recipe, just wing it (cuz' I fly like that, you see). It turned out fabulous and I'm only disappointed that I made such a small pie. It's tart and sweet, cold and refreshing, just like lemonade with the extra bonus of a crunchy, sweet, nuttty crust.

Next time, it will be much bigger, not just the 4-inch springform. This recipe was for a small pie, so double it up if you're doing a normal pie size, like 8 or 9 inch. It's tart, which is the way I like it. Add more honey/agave if you like your lemonade sweeter.

Now once you read this, don't let the cashews scare you away. This was the first time I've done this and I was worried, but trust me...it's amazing! Be brave and do it, you won't be disappointed.

Raw Lemon/Blueberry Pie

Crust:
4-5 whole pitted dates
One handful of raw almonds and pecans (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 Tbs raw honey (or agave if you're keeping it vegan)
1 Tbs ground flaxseed
pinch of sea salt

Filling:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of one large lemon
4-5 fresh blueberries
1-2 Tbs raw honey (or agave if you're keeing it vegan)
pinch of sea salt

1. For the crust, place everything in the processor and grind until sticky but not creamy. Use one Tbs honey and 4 dates first, then add more if you need it.
2. Press crust into pan and set aside.
3. For filling, drain cashews and process until smooth, adding lemon juice as needed when it gets hard to grind.
4. Add everything else, once again adding honey slowly to taste.
4. Pour mixture into pie pan and place in freezer if you want to eat within an hour, or refrigerate overnight.

I served this with sliced strawberries and blueberries, but it's just as good on its own. It's refreshing and light, yet totally non-dairy and your friends won't believe it's made of cashews. The creamy texture is deceiving but so lovely...As an added bonus, it's loaded with protein from the nuts.

Enjoy!

Hot out? Salad to the rescue...

2010-05-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's getting hot here in the desert-it should hit 100 in a few days. Who wants to think about cooking? That's why salads are so fantastic at this time. I think I'll write a book one day about all the fabulous salad ideas that would last all summer. For now, here's one that was fabulous and fell together for lunch. Measurements are estimated since it's all up to you how much you want of everything, and how many you're making this for. This was just for me today, so add or subtract as you wish.

I've been visiting the farmers market often and found beautiful blood orange olive oil, pomegranate balsamic, fig jam, fig balsamic vinegar, and more. Take a chance and go for something different. Check out specialty stores if you don't have a farmers market nearby. The flavors are intense and make your salad pop!

Blood Orange/Pomegranate Salad
2 cups organic lettuce (use a variety for color and fun)
1 handful shredded Romano cheese
1/8 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup fresh organic blueberries
1/4 cup chopped candied pecans
1/2 tomato, chopped

Dressing
1 TBS pomegrante balsamic vinegar (or regular balsamic)
2 TBS blood orange olive oil (or regular olive oil)
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp strawberry jam

1. Add all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Place dressing ingredients in a small container, close and shake till blended.
3. Pour dressing over salad and toss gently (you might not need all the dressing, so use half and mix, then see how it is.)

All gluten-free and vegetarian, and lovely and fresh on a warm summer day. Enjoy!

A visit to True Food Kitchen

2010-05-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. While perusing the Apple iPad at the Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix today, Daughter and I decided to take in True Food Kitchen. The restaurant is a collaboration between Dr. Andrew Weil (the whole food guru we all know and love) and local restaurateur on fire - Sam Fox.

We started with a fresh strawberry lemonade for Daughter, and I began with the T-Eight, a lovely blend of fresh veggies including Tomato, Celery, Ginger, Cucumber, Golden Beet, Apple, Carrot & Parsley ($6). Yum, served over ice it was refreshing and cool. Although at $6, I'll ask for less ice and more juice next time.

Daughter had the gluten-free baked ziti, which was essentially brown-rice pasta, tomato sauce, kale and a little Parmesan ($7). She was in heaven. The sauce was beautiful with mild spices and a sweet flavor. I gave the Spaghetti Squash Casserole a try. Lovely sauteed spaghetti squash mingled with tomatoes, onions and thinly sliced zucchini topped with fresh mozzarella and Parmesan, baked to perfection ($13). The mixture of tomatoes and onions gave this casserole a light, airy feel, although it was quite filling and I didn't miss pasta in the least. I may try this at home, but I'm not sure if I can copy this one.

We were quite full after all this, even the kid's meal was large enough to fill Daughter sufficiently. But of course, there was a flourless chocolate cake on the menu, topped with decadent vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce ($7). Who could resist? It was lovely, creamy, chocolaty and crunchy with cacao nibs on top.

The restaurant is clean, airy and light. Lots of wood and stainless steel makes it feel open, although the noise level can get up there. I noticed later that if we sat toward the back, we could have watched the food being prepared. Ask to sit farther toward the back and watch the action. We'll definitely be back. Wanna' join us?

Enjoy!

Phoenix Gluten Free Expo

2010-05-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an amazing event I was lucky enough to attend. The Celiac Disease Foundation's Greater Phoenix Chapter held the most wonderful gluten free event in Phoenix. As you can see, it was quite well-attended. Great crowd, great food.

The photo here is just a small portion of the great products offered at the event. There were children, families and people wandering for hours in a friendly, educational environment. I took my friend, her son was recently diagnosed with Celiac, and she had a great time finding out about the options out there for her.

I had a great time just trying all the wonderful food offered. There was soup, cheesecake, crackers, nutbars, pizza and more. A few of the vendors are listed below, and the rest I've saved for my Taste Test Tuesdays. I'll take a few of the items and test them out each Tuesday until I run out-then I'll find more!

Today, just for the record, I tried the lemon cheesecake from Innocent Indulgence and thought I went to heaven. The crust was moist and crunchy with a tart, light and fluffy, lemon cheesecake filling. A little goes a long way, but I could have eaten much, much more. Lucky for me the test bites were two-biters.

I also tried Heavenly Organics honey chocolate mint patties-do die for! I love when something has very few ingredients and these have just three: raw Himalayan honey, unsweetened chocolate, peppermint oil. That's it! Sweet little bites of minty, chocolaty goodness. I wish I had a handful so I could have just one for each night with a cup of tea. I'll definitely be getting more of these.

And finally, something I haven't had in a very long time-shortbread. We all know, in the GF world, that shortbread is one of the hardest things to replicate from the world of wheat. It just doesn't happen for most-it's dry, gritty, powdery, too sweet, not sweet enough, too pasty, etc. You know what I mean...so why am I telling you this? I found one that was sublime-broke apart like a real shortbread should, tasted buttery, salty, sweet and begged for a cup of tea in your other hand. These little pillows of heaven are made by Simply Shari's (formerly Gluten Free & Fabulous). As far as I know, they may be in Sprouts but can be found online. The company also has a frozen pizza but I couldn't taste it since he was testing out the pepperoni variety. Veggie girl here had to wait.

I'll have more reviews as time goes on, including a new GF beer (new to me, anyway.)

The ladies at Basha's had crackers and info for everyone, and a smile! Thanks Ladies!

Honest Tea was handing out samples and they were cold, delicious and gluten free. We tried the mango and 1/2 tea/1/2 lemonade varieties. Yum!

Enjoy!

Greens and Beans

2010-05-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

I found the most wonderful escarole at the farmers market today and couldn't wait to cook. Tonight, I made something my mother used to make when I was young (minus the ham she threw in there). It's a simple dish we loved when we were kids, and now I love it as an adult since it's low fat, low calorie and jam-packed with vitamins and goodness. Even protein from the beans. My mom was a great cook (and still is) and I love making something I learned so long ago while putting my own twist on it. Give it a shot and add whatever you want. I think I'll go with some sauteed onions next time, although it's awesome just the way it is.

For those of you following the blog, I've done something similar with red chard, and you could use spinach or any other greens if you want. Experiment and have fun...

Greens and Beans
1 bunch of escarole, washed and chopped
1 can white beans, rinsed
1 can tomatoes
1 tsp tomato paste
garlic powder
salt/pepper
fresh parsley

1. Throw the escarole in a large saute pan with a little water and let it wilt slightly.
2. Add all other ingredients and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Serve with Parmesan cheese (optional)

It's that easy, and that good. It's fresh and filling and a wonderful comfort food.
Enjoy!

Pine Nut Pizza

2010-04-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

Pine nuts are something I always try to have in the house. Why? I love them and they add so much to a dish. Add it to a pasta dish for a wonderful flavor change. I also add it to pizza and veggies. Roast them a little in a pan before sprinkling on top of most dishes and it looks and tastes so much better.

Just the other day, Daughter and I split a gluten-free pizza crust from Gluten Free Creations. What to put on mine? Aha, just a little parmesan, fresh parsley, sprinkle of mozzarella and a few pine nuts. Okay, a lot of pine nuts, I do love them so. You could probably use half as much and be happy with that.

I pre-bake GF Creations pizza crusts for about 10 minutes so that the baking time is cut in half. After cheese and toppings are added, it only needs another 10-15 minutes for a crispy, yummy pizza.

It's a quick and yummy snack, and with the addition of the pine nuts, I feel as if I've made something gourmet and special. And hey, I deserve that and so do you, dear chef.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

2010-04-16T20:40:00.001-07:00

While watching the Food Network Channel and wondering what to eat, I saw Rachel Ray making stuffed zucchini. I realized I had two zucchini in the fridge, along with some veggies. Of course, I had to tweak her recipe just a bit, but these turned out amazing. Daughter ate an entire zucchini with filling and wanted more. Too bad I only had two zucchini in the fridge. Good reason to visit the farmers market tomorrow morning. I love the tanginess of the Parmesan with the mushrooms and zucchini. These were good as a dinner, but would make a wonderful side dish to a meal. I'm thinking about adding this mixture to a Portabello mushroom next time.

Give these a shot and switch up the veggies if you dare. I wish I had a red pepper in the fridge, I would have added that too. This is the amount I used for two zucchini, but double it if there are more than two people eating.

Stuffed Zucchini
2 zucchini
1 small onion, diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 clove garlic, chopped

2 slices GF bread (I used Udi's)
butter for bread
1/4 cup fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice zucchini in half longways and scoop out flesh (save for later). Place in a greased cooking dish.
3. Toast bread, butter while warm. Break it up and add parsley, then pulse in a processor till it looks like bread crumbs. Set aside.
4. Saute onions, mushrooms, spinach, garlic in a saute pan until mushrooms and onions start to brown and crisp up. Add the chopped insides of the zucchini and cook a few more minutes. Add salt/pepper to taste.
5. Add veggies to breadcrumbs, add Parmesan and mix well.
6. Scoop mixture into zucchini boats and spread out evenly.
7. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for 30 minutes, until zucchini is soft.
8. Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes then serve.

Rachel's recipe called for an egg to be added to the mixture, but I omitted the egg and it was wonderful. I may try the egg for protein next time, but it's good without also. Try it and let me know what you think.

Easter Brunch with Family and Friends

2010-04-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Easter Pasta Frittata

I love holidays where everyone comes together in one place. It's lovely to have friends and family here, in my home, having fun and sharing a meal. It's important to me that my home is a place of comfort and peace to people who visit, and I try hard to make it so. I also want the food to be great too, and since I cook gluten free and vegetarian, I feel as if I have to work even harder so people don't notice what they are missing. So far, so good.

Beautiful gluten-free dessert table. GF carrot cake, fresh fruit, chocolate dipped macaroons and more. Yum!

Today was no exception. Easter is always a great day for brunch and since my sister was here visiting from New Orleans, along with the rest of the family living here and my best friend and her family, we had a house full of joy and happiness. I couldn't decide what to cook until my sister requested the frittata I had made while visiting her last year. No problem. I switched it up a bit by roasting some great veggies the night before, making preparation much easier this morning. Make this when you've got company coming and you don't want to spend all your time in the kitchen. Along with a salad, crackers and a casserole my sister made, we were all very well fed.

Easter Frittata
1 butternut squash, cut into chunks
1 leeks, chopped
2 carrots sliced
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 large red pepper, cut into chunks
Olive oil
salt/pepper
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 package Trader Joe's Brown Rice Pasta (or any kind you choose)
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (leave out if going nondairy)
6 egg whites
4 eggs
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

1. Set oven to 375 degrees
2. Roast veggies in a shallow pan with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste for about 45 minutes. Take it out and stir 2-3 times while cooking. If doing this the night before, just refrigerate overnight.
3. Cook pasta according to directions, leaving it a little al dente since it will be cooking in the frittata also.
4. Add 1/2 cup marinara sauce to pasta and stir.
5. In a large skillet with metal handle, heat veggies and spinach until warm and wilted.
6. Add pasta to skillet and mix.
7. Beat eggs and egg whites with nutmeg, garlic and parsley.
8. Add egg mixture to pan, pouring over veggies and pasta.
9. Cook frittata over low heat until just about set (jiggle the pan to see if the eggs are set in the middle.)
10. Sprinkle cheese over top of frittata and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully.
11. Be sure to let this sit for about 5-10 minutes for it to set up.
12. Slide onto a large serving plate and serve with marinara sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.

This went over very big today and I heard a few times how pasta and eggs shouldn't go together. But everyone kept going back until the plate was clean, so I guess they do go together after all. This is a great dish to make in a small amount with leftover pasta, eggs and some spinach. Make it easy and quick, and healthy!

Enjoy!

Simple Greek Garbanzo Salad

2010-03-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

Friends drop by for lunch? Nothing in the fridge? I recently wanted to make something with garbanzos since I love them, love the protein and the gluten-free nature of a salad. This is a simple and quick salad you can whip up for friends or just for yourself. The feta cheese gives it a Greek edge, but I'm guessing that goat cheese or no cheese is just as good. The longer it sits around, the more the flavors mesh, so make enough to last a few days.

I tend to always have cans of beans in the cabinet, but if you have the time and want to soak your dried beans overnight, by all means go for it. Usually, I want something now rather than waiting overnight-I'm just that way.

Simple Greek Garbanzo Salad
1 can of garbanzos, rinsed thoroughly
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 TBS fresh basil, chopped
Juice of one large lemon
1-2 Tbs olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix (except for 1 Tbs olive oil and salt/pepper).
2. Add one Tbs of olive oil first and taste. If you need more, add it. Depending on the size of the lemon, you may need to cut the acidity a little more.
3. Add salt/pepper to taste.
4. Done.

This is so simple, yet tastes so great. Simple dishes are sometimes the best in so many ways. I also like to separate it into small containers that I can eat whenever I'm hungry or grab it on the go. I even grabbed a container and brought it to my mom in the hospital when she was sick of hospital food. Worked like a charm!

Enjoy!

Orange Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes

2010-02-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

The beautiful flavors of sweet potato and cauliflower come together easily in this quick and easy dish. With very few ingredients and a cinch to make, this is a wonderful side dish or entree. Since it was raining all day, I wanted something comforting and warm but not too filling. I went through the fridge and came up with 1/2 a head of cauliflower and saw the oranges. Viola!

The flavors of the orange zest and juice give this dish a lovely fresh aroma and flavor. The yams add a lovely sweetness and the texture of the cauliflower is wonderful in this dish. And don't forget how beautiful the colors are, making it even more appetizing.

Orange Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes
1/2 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 large sweet potato, chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
zest from one orange
salt
pinch of nutmeg

1. Add cauliflower and potatoes into a pot with a 1/4 cup water. Let them simmer for a few minutes until tender.
2. Add all other ingredients, mix and let simmer until desired tenderness. I like my cauliflower tender so I tend to cook it a little longer.

It's that easy. If I had any onions, I would have added them as well as a little broccoli. Switch things up and try new veggies. The orange zest gives the kitchen a lovely aroma.

Enjoy!

Sun Dried Tomato/Pistachio Pizza? Yea, you heard it right!

2010-02-26T19:29:00.001-07:00

Ok, this may sound crazy, but in order to judge you must try it first. Pizzeria Bianco, a wonderful pizza place here in Phoenix, makes a red onion/pistachio pizza to die for. Well, now that I'm GF, that's no longer an option for me. Tonight I decided to modify it to what I had and it worked out amazingly well.

Using a pizza crust from GF Creations, I simply added garlic, sun dried tomatoes, chopped pistachios and a little mozzarella. Bingo-gourmet yummy pizza. (I put a little basil and parsley on top for color and flavor also.)

Try this and you won't believe it. It's light, tasty, and goes well with a great white wine. It's also elegant and makes a great appetizer if cut into small pieces. Go ahead and use your own GF pizza crust if you don't have these pre-made crusts. I'm just lucky to live near a great GF bakery that makes it easy for me to have pizza when I want it-my way.

If you're using GF Creations pizza crust, pre-cook the crust a little if you have the 9" crust. They tend to be a little more thick and don't hold up well with lots of toppings. This is what the crust looks like before heating with just a little olive oil.

Don't be afraid to try something new on your pizza. Salad on a pizza? Yes, I've done that already. Pistachios on pizza? Absolutely. And one of my favorites-broccoli-give it a try, Dear Chef, what have you got to lose? And you may come up with your own signature pizza!

Enjoy!

Sweet African Veggies

2010-02-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from my good friend, Ross. He brought it to a geography class and I fell in love with it. I hope I’ve followed his recipe. If not, it’s still great either way. This takes a little time to make, but most of the time is spent simmering and it’s not hands-on, leaving you to do other things... read, watch TV, play a game of backgammon, clean the kitchen, etc. I’ll leave it up to you. But be warned, you won’t be able to stop eating it when it’s done. But it’s low in calories, so eat up!

Sweet African Veggies
1 sweet onion, chopped
½ head large cauliflower, chopped
½ head large cabbage, chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
2 Tbs olive oil
salt/pepper
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground paprika
¼ cup water

1. Cook onions in a large sauté pan in 1 Tbs olive oil until soft.
2. Add cabbage and stir. The pan will be full, but the cabbage will cook down. Cover and let the cabbage cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add all other ingredients to pan, stir, and cover. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes and cauliflower are soft.

It’s that simple, but oh so delish! You can serve this alongside a main dish. For instance, we had a Moroccan Chickpea Stew with this the first time and it was wonderful. If you eat meat, it works with that too.
Enjoy!

Quiche Muffins

2010-02-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

I've been making these for ages and just realized that I had never put the recipe up here. Somehow I thought I did, but I was wrong...what can I say? I came up with these after having one that was similar at Paradise Bakery. I decided to give it a try at home, make sure it's gluten free, and create something simple. And, Dear Chef, as we all know, simple is better. The ingredients here are few and preparation is a cinch. That's what makes it so nice. Whip these up in about 5 minutes, bake for 15 minutes and put them away for breakfast or lunch for the week. I calculated the calories for each one and it came out to about 85 per muffin-not bad. You can also use tiny muffin tins and make snack-sized muffins for a party or just for fun. Everyone will think you worked on them forever.

Quiche Muffins
1 16 oz. bag of organic frozen spinach
2 eggs
4 egg whites
1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp ground nutmeg
salt/pepper
2 Tbs grated parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put spinach in a microwaveable bowl and cook for about 3 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the liquid.
3. In the same bowl, add all other ingredients and mix well.
4. Spoon out mixture evenly into 12 muffin tins. (sprayed with nonstick spray)
5. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and let them sit in the oven for about 5 minutes.
6. Remove muffins onto a cooling rack and allow to cool for just a few minutes. This will help them firm up a bit.
Enjoy!

I've made these with many different kinds of cheese including Fontina, Swiss, Gouda, Mexican mix, and more. Use whatever cheese is your favorite and experiment to find what you like best. These are a great way to get protein and veggies, and my Daughter loves them. Mix it up with different veggies if you want, but the spinach always seems to be the best. I also added the Parmesan recently and it seems to give them a great, salty flavor.

Enjoy!

Simpe Sauteed Greens

2010-02-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

I've been getting a CSA basket each week for about 4 months now. Although I love having fresh veggies each week, and organic to boot, what I don't love is eating the same thing week after week. Yes, I love kale and chard, but every week for 6 weeks? Hmmm, it takes a lot of creativity to work on that. It's been a great motivator to try new things and I appreciate that. Thank goodness I can hit the farmers markets and get a few more goodies each week or I'd be lost.

This week, I decided to clean out all the greens and cook them for the week. It turned out to be a great idea and one I'll be repeating again. As you can see in the photo, everything is green (except for the leek, and that's technically green, right?) Once everything is done, the possibilities are endless. For the first night, we had the greens mixed with Jasmine rice. The next night, sauteed with a little more olive oil over gluten-free pasta. The next day for lunch, I just heated up the greens and ate them just like that-Yum!

Use whatever greens you like or you happen to have from a basket of greens. I tried to keep everything as similar as possible, meaning I kept the crunchy veggies in and left the squash for later since I didn't want it to become too soft. But whatever you like, dear chef, just throw it in there. Oh, and by the way, don't forget to peel the broccoli stem and chop that up, it tastes wonderful. In fact, it's my daughter's favorite part of the broccoli. I also chop the entire chard, not just the leaves. The stems have a wonderful, crunchy texture and taste divine-don't waste them.

Simple Sauteed Greens
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped (including stems)
1 bunch baby kale, chopped
1 large leek (white only), chopped
1 onion, diced
2 stalks of broccoli, chopped (including stem)
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley, chopped
salt/pepper
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1. Chop veggies into bite-sized pieces.
2. Saute all veggies except parsley in 1 TBS olive oil until soft but still crisp (about 10 minutes).
3. Add parsley, salt, pepper, and lemon.
4. Serve over rice, pasta, or just on its own.

This is a great way to serve greens without much fuss. It's quick, but it's also fresh and clean tasting. Use a little lemon zest if you want more lemon flavor.

Enjoy!

Injera

2010-01-19T10:51:00.001-07:00

Ok, here's the injera I promised yesterday. It sat overnight and fermented (although it could have used another day I think) and I made the crepes this morning. For those of you wondering what the heck it is, it's basically a form of bread/crepe made in Ethiopia and parts of Africa. It is made with teff, a grain that is naturally gluten free. It can be found in Ethiopian restaurants and has a wonderful taste and texture.

If anyone is going to attempt this, I suggest heading over to Youtube and watching a few demonstrations. It's just like making a crepe-thin batter, spread it out, let it cook, slide it out-except for two very important differences. 1) do not flip the crepe, once it is done you simply slide it out of the pan. 2) once you pour the batter into the pan and spread it around, cover it for about 30 seconds. I figured it wasn't that important and did not cover it for one of the crepes and it promptly cracked and looked awful. So cover, Dear Chef.

Here is the recipe I used, which was modified from what I found online in a few places. In order to make these gluten free, it was important to use the teff flour only. In many restaurants, the teff is mixed with self-rising flour to make the injera more fluffly. Be careful if you're ordering it. Unfortunately, my favorite Ethiopian restaurant adds flour and I can't eat it there-I bring my own corn tortillas normally-but now I can bring my own injera! For my purposes and to make it lighter, I added a little sweet rice flour I had on hand. If you don't have that, don't worry.

Injera
1 cup teff flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups water

1. Mix flour and water together. Cover with a tea towel and let sit for 24 hours or more. The mixture will ferment and should have bubbles in it. Mine didn't have too many, but that wasn't a problem.

2. When you're read to cook, add the salt and mix the batter with a whisk.

3. Heat a non-stick skillet. For each crepe, spray a small amount of non-stick olive oil spray on the pan.

4. Take about 2/3 cup of the batter and pour into the pan, tilting pan to spread it around into a circle. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need a little more or less batter.

5. Immediately cover the pan and let it sit over medium heat for about 25 seconds.

6. Lift the lid and check the crepe. The edges should be just starting to curl. Take a think spatula and ease the crepe away from the pan and shake the pan to make sure it's loose.

7. Let the crepe cook for about 40-50 more seconds until all the edges are curled.

8. Slide the crepe onto a towel and let it dry completely. Don't stack or they will all stick together.

Viola! Not that hard, is it? Roll them up when they are cool and you're good to go! The bread is usually used to scoop up food that is placed on top of it. I've rolled them for ease but you could put your food right on top. I thought it would be more difficult. The injera has a wonderful nutty whole-wheat flavor, thanks to the teff, somewhat like a heartier crepe. As you can see in the photo, it has lots of bubbles like a pancake. Daughter had fun cooking them and we had a geography lesson as well as a cooking lesson.

Have fun and let me know how it goes if you try it.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

2010-01-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

It's time to study Africa during our World Geography class. I've been having a blast researching and teaching the class, and this week we're in Africa. I decided to try and cook something for class tomorrow and this is what I came up with after research on the Internet. Of course, I've been making something like this for years, but I'm trying to be authentic and use the spices and ingredients that are most prevalent in Africa. Of course, Africa is a huge place and there are many cultures and dishes. It's not easy trying to find something to represent a continent-sort of like trying to find a food to represent Asia. Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian....you get the point.

But I decided to go with the Moroccan Chickpea Stew I found, and believe it or not I'm trying to make injera, which is the answer to bread using teff flour (which happens to be gluten free, but we'll get into that later.) I'll tell you all about that tomorrow (it has to ferment overnight). First-the stew.

Rather than cook slowly most of the day on the stove, I opted for the crockpot, although I know that is probably not an ancient cooking process for Morrocans. But let's assume it is now, OK? Ingredients are all optional, add or replace anything you are not fond of. It tastes great and I'm not sure I can wait until tomorrow to eat it. I hope the kids like it...

Moroccan Chickpea Stew
3 cans chickpeas
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 medium potato, diced
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chopped garlic

1. Saute onion for a few minutes with a little olive oil to soften.

2. Pour all ingredients into the crockpot and cook on high for 5 hours (6-8 on medium).

3. Test for doneness of the potatoes and then make sure you don't need more salt. Done.

4. Since peanuts are popular and often-used, I've garnished mine with a few warm peanuts.

It's that simple. The crunchiness of the garbanzos gives it so much depth, yet the sweetness of the yams is just heavenly. Go easy on the spices until you know for sure how much you like (and since I'm making this for the class, I want to be sure not to blow away the kids with too much spice.) I prefer to let the vegetables take over, rather than the spices anyway. I love the tartness of the tomatoes and the firmness of the white potatoes (which were not in the original recipe, but I had one around).

I don't drain the beans and that, along with the tomatoes, should be enough liquid. You should have enough to cover all ingredients, but if you don't-use a little veggie broth or water.

I'm making the injera tomorrow and that is typically used to scoop up the stew and soak in the food, instead of using a spoon. That's why you want the stew to be thick, not soupy. But if you like yours soupy, by all means add more broth. The best part of all this is that the entire stew is gluten free. And much of the food that I found for this lesson was gluten free. Wheat is not common on the continent, as far as I can see (we'll talk about htat tomorrow). And luckily, there are many vegetarian dishes to make.

Variations-add chopped kale, spinach or chard for color and texture. I've also heard that okra is a common veggie used so give that a try if you can find it. You can also add some cayenne pepper to give it a little kick, or add more of the spices to make it stronger. It's all up to you, Dear Chef.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Dip

2010-01-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hungry for a snack but don’t know what you want? I had that very feeling around lunchtime today. I knew I wanted to eat something but didn’t want to make a huge meal. I wanted something substantial but easy.

I looked around the kitchen and saw the eggplant I bought yesterday, not knowing what I would do with it. It just looked too good to pass up. And I knew I’d think of something, and I just did. Baba ghanoush, or better know as eggplant dip, came to mind as I stood there. Luckily, I had everything at hand.

This didn’t take long, the most time needed is just for roasting the eggplant. Stick it in the oven, then get everything else ready. Follow these directions and you’ll be dipping in no time.

Eggplant dip (Baba ghanoush)
1 medium eggplant
1 tsp tahini
Juice from ½ lemon (mine was huge. If you have a small one, juice the whole thing)
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut eggplant in half longways. Lightly brush cut side with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet.

3. Roast eggplant for 30 minutes or until soft. Depending on the size of your eggplant you may need more or less time. Mine was of medium size. Remove eggplant from the oven when it's soft. Scrape inside guts of eggplant into a small mixer or blender.

4. Add remaining ingredients except ¼ tsp paprika. Blend.

5. Taste and make sure you don’t need more lemon or salt. Add whatever you need to make you say out loud, “Yum, this is good.” Then you’re done.

5. Pour into a bowl and garnish with last ¼ tsp of paprika. (I also like to sprinkle a little dried parsley for color, but that's optional.)

You can chill this in the fridge if you want, but I had to eat a little first, I couldn’t resist. It’s wonderful warm or cold. The roasted eggplant gives it a warm, rustic taste and the aroma is heaven.Serve with just a few GF crackers and it's heaven. I think I need to buy another eggplant for tomorrow.

Enjoy!