Hopefully, the Gluten Free bloggers are back in business.
I just make myself a quick lunch and decided to post it.
Barbecue Shrimp with Rice
1 cup Instant brown rice
4 or so leftover shrimp, already cooked
Handful of black olives
Large Spoonful Greek Yogurt
1/8 cup of Barbecue sauce
First off, all of these measurements are really guesses, I eyeballed how much I put in.
Prepare the brown rice according to directions. While there is still some water visible in the rice, pour in barbecue sauce. More if you really like barbecue, less if you find it overpowering. Cook this for a little bit, letting it really combine with the rice. Roughly chop shrimp and black olives. Throw these in and stir. Add a little bit of Greek Yogurt to cut the intensity.
Voila, lunch.
You could really use anything if you don't have leftover shrimp... chicken would be good. I wonder if canned chicken or something like that would work. Maybe I'll try that out one of these days.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Gluten Free Soft-Shelled Tacos
Brooke loves refried beans and tortillas, and was really in the mood for them Monday night. So we investigated a little bit into gluten free options.
We found corn tortillas that are gluten free, and picked them up. Other than that, the rest of the meal is gluten free, so that was the only thing we needed to supplement.
I made about 2 or 3 cups of brown rice, cooked with a can of diced green chili peppers. I added to that a can of vegetarian refried beans (not because we are vegetarian, but because I think they taste better). We used this to fill the tortillas, and added to it sour cream and shredded cheese.
We were in a hurry so didn't add a lot of items that would be good on tacos, like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, guacamole, or whatever you normally like to put on tacos.
This was a nice, easy dish, that is naturally gluten free. The longest part was cooking the rice, and I have read from quite a few gluten free families that keeping some pre-cooked rice is convenient since it is an essential go-to dish for people who are eating gluten free.
We found corn tortillas that are gluten free, and picked them up. Other than that, the rest of the meal is gluten free, so that was the only thing we needed to supplement.
I made about 2 or 3 cups of brown rice, cooked with a can of diced green chili peppers. I added to that a can of vegetarian refried beans (not because we are vegetarian, but because I think they taste better). We used this to fill the tortillas, and added to it sour cream and shredded cheese.
We were in a hurry so didn't add a lot of items that would be good on tacos, like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, guacamole, or whatever you normally like to put on tacos.
This was a nice, easy dish, that is naturally gluten free. The longest part was cooking the rice, and I have read from quite a few gluten free families that keeping some pre-cooked rice is convenient since it is an essential go-to dish for people who are eating gluten free.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Gluten Free Family Trade
Today, my family got together, and my brother had the idea that everyone bring a gluten free dish, that way the meal was gluten free and everyone could try gluten free dishes.
We all gathered at my parents house; they made chicken saltimboca, and rather than using all purpose flour, using gluten free flour. My parents got King Arthur Gluten Free Flour which worked very well. It worked to thicken the drippings and make a sauce.
She also made breaded eggplant. Instead of breadcrumbs, she put gluten free Rice Chex and some parmesan cheese into the food processor and used that to bread the sliced eggplant. This was better than "real" breadcrumbs in my opinion. They got very crunchy. My mom commented that if you thought about it, you could taste the Rice Chex, but that didn't bother me, it was kind of a fun thing.
My brother made smashed potatoes with chives. They were very good and a good way to eat gluten free cheaply.. The fresh chives might be expensive if you don't have them, but dried might work. It's at least worth a try. It didn't feel like we were lacking for anything by not being able to eat gluten by eating these. They were in no way a sacrifice.
I made a summery trifle, Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Yellow Cake mix, layered with strawberries and raspberries and a custard/whipped cream mixture. Recipes will follow.
We all gathered at my parents house; they made chicken saltimboca, and rather than using all purpose flour, using gluten free flour. My parents got King Arthur Gluten Free Flour which worked very well. It worked to thicken the drippings and make a sauce.
"It's not the best sauce I've made, but it was tasty. It doesn't get as smooth as I would like."
She also made breaded eggplant. Instead of breadcrumbs, she put gluten free Rice Chex and some parmesan cheese into the food processor and used that to bread the sliced eggplant. This was better than "real" breadcrumbs in my opinion. They got very crunchy. My mom commented that if you thought about it, you could taste the Rice Chex, but that didn't bother me, it was kind of a fun thing.
My brother made smashed potatoes with chives. They were very good and a good way to eat gluten free cheaply.. The fresh chives might be expensive if you don't have them, but dried might work. It's at least worth a try. It didn't feel like we were lacking for anything by not being able to eat gluten by eating these. They were in no way a sacrifice.
I made a summery trifle, Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Yellow Cake mix, layered with strawberries and raspberries and a custard/whipped cream mixture. Recipes will follow.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Gluten Free Eating Out (in an Italian Restaurant!)
Friday night we went out to dinner with Brooke's dad and step-mom, which is always a really nice time. We went to a local Italian restaurant that we both really love. Their food is good and we don't want to miss out on being able to eat there. We were looking over the menu, and it was as we expected; pasta, pasta, pasta. There was a shrimp and risotto dish that Brooke thought looked interesting, and she ordered that. Risotto, good idea; it's rice and therefore gluten-free. Good idea, Brooke. So I found a dish that I thought looked good, Salmon Picatta served over pasta, and asked them to exchange the pasta for risotto. For an appetizer we got grilled brie, which came with toasted bread and fruit. We just asked for more fruit (and kept the bread too, since we were the only GF eaters at the table).
So here is the moral of our story: Don't be afraid to ask for what you need. Look around the menu and see if there are things to do to substitute. If you are not sure, ask. While I am a big purveyor of courtesy, waiters are there to make your dining experience pleasurable and it is their job. Just make sure you are polite and nice about it. Not everyone is going to know automatically what gluten-free is, and be prepared to accept that.
So here is the moral of our story: Don't be afraid to ask for what you need. Look around the menu and see if there are things to do to substitute. If you are not sure, ask. While I am a big purveyor of courtesy, waiters are there to make your dining experience pleasurable and it is their job. Just make sure you are polite and nice about it. Not everyone is going to know automatically what gluten-free is, and be prepared to accept that.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Online Resources of Note
As of late I have turned to the almighty internet to find resources. I have actually found a lot of information simply by looking up the different brands that we buy. One site that I have found to be extremely helpful is the company Schär. I first noticed this brand looking around in the grocery store since I noticed that they had a lot of products. So, I thought I would check out their website (http://www.schar.com/us/).
It turns out that they have a lot to offer. If you join their free club there are a lot of extra things that are made available to you. You can download a "recipe desktop tool" which you can leave open on your desktop. This little gadget conveniently gives you a new GF recipe every day. They also have a collection in which they have over a 100 addition recipes that you can peruse. And to top it off in that department you can make your on personal recipe book. Lately I have been finding that keeping a collection of recipes would be a good idea.
They also give you access to their news service which gives you information about GF topics. They also have videos on you tube about being GF (www.youtube.com). If you are interested about how you are doing nutritionally, they have a test that you can take online. They also have a toolbar which makes the Schär world never too far away. The last thing that they have available is the ability to provide product feedback. I have yet to check it out but I am going to soon. I think its good of the company to have this available when GF food isn't always the best tasting.
They also have a drop-down menu on the right hand side. The question "just diagnosed" is posed but they have all kind of information.
~ Brooke
It turns out that they have a lot to offer. If you join their free club there are a lot of extra things that are made available to you. You can download a "recipe desktop tool" which you can leave open on your desktop. This little gadget conveniently gives you a new GF recipe every day. They also have a collection in which they have over a 100 addition recipes that you can peruse. And to top it off in that department you can make your on personal recipe book. Lately I have been finding that keeping a collection of recipes would be a good idea.
They also give you access to their news service which gives you information about GF topics. They also have videos on you tube about being GF (www.youtube.com). If you are interested about how you are doing nutritionally, they have a test that you can take online. They also have a toolbar which makes the Schär world never too far away. The last thing that they have available is the ability to provide product feedback. I have yet to check it out but I am going to soon. I think its good of the company to have this available when GF food isn't always the best tasting.
They also have a drop-down menu on the right hand side. The question "just diagnosed" is posed but they have all kind of information.
~ Brooke
Gluten Free Dining Out, Product Review, Gluten Free Offer
Just because you eat gluten free, doesn't mean you're not going to stop some modern conveniences. Eating out is troublesome for people who are eating gluten free. Talking to waiters, chefs, whoever is involved in your food preparation is often recommended. You can also look at the menu ahead online sometimes to decide what you are going to eat, or if there is something you can eat. If its really important to you, call the restaurant ahead of time. Preorder something gluten free, or at least work out your options
We, for convenience, ate at Panera Bread. It wasn't something we were planning, so we didn't look at options ahead of time. If you are going to Panera anytime soon, check out the menu at http://www.panerabread.com/menu/. Obviously, going to a bakery might seem strange. If you're looking at a menu, and not finding much, an easy place to head right to is the salads. Since salads seem to get more elaborate each year, you really aren't limited this way. Brooke ordered a chicken cesaer salad, and I got a BBQ Chicken salad.
I got the BBQ chicken salad and was pleased. There was lettuce, grilled chicken, grilled corn, blackbeans, and tortilla strips (they are made of corn so should be safe). This was all dressed, and also had BBQ sauce drizzled atop it. I was impressed with it. I usually can do with more BBQ sauce, so would have appreciate more than a drizzle. Even Brooke, who doesn't really do BBQ too much would have wanted more.
The experience was, though, a pleasant one. Even with the group of high school girls who are in prom-mode, and the wedding planning party next to us, the food was good.
Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins
Who doesn't love crackers? Personally, I think anything can be put on a cracker. I grew up with a grandfather who loves peanut butter and fluff on saltines, and a mother who loves buttered crackers. And they are also great for parties and get-togethers. Eating crackers when you are gluten free is expensive. I have looked at crackers that were $5 or $6 dollars for a few dozen crackers. My mom found Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins (http://www.bluediamondgrowers.com/index.cfm?navid=34) in the local grocery store, so I am assuming they are easily found in the cookie and cracker aisle, for between $3.50 and $4.50 a box (4.25 oz, about 5 dozen crackers. An average cracker box size).
My mom gave me two boxes. One is plain, and the other is cheddar cheese. These crackers are good. They taste a little bit like rice crackers (they are primarily, but also have nuts in them). The nut helps dispel some of the gummy-ness that can come with regular rice crackers. The cheddar cheese flavored crackers are very artificial cheddar-cheese tasting, so if you are missing cheese curls, these are good for you.
We recommend finding these crackers. We are snacking on them right now.
Gluten Free Offer
While browsing gluten free sites, I came across Ener G's website. They offer a fairly wide variety of gluten free products, for what seems to be a good price. One offer that I found particularly interesting was their Gluten Free Sample Kit (http://www.ener-g.com/gluten-free/sample-kits/gluten-free-sample-kit.html). The kit includes two slices of each tapioca loaf, brown rice loaf, white rice loaf, Seattle brown loaf, and corn loaf, and egg-free raisin loaf, as well as English muffins, pound cake, ginger cookies, vanilla cookies, rice mix, white rice macaroni, and Wylde pretzels, which we reviewed yesterday, 4/13/2001 (http://unceremoniouslyglutenfree.blogspot.com/2011/04/gluten-free-pizza-and-product-reviews.html). All of this is available for $19.50 .
We, for convenience, ate at Panera Bread. It wasn't something we were planning, so we didn't look at options ahead of time. If you are going to Panera anytime soon, check out the menu at http://www.panerabread.com/menu/. Obviously, going to a bakery might seem strange. If you're looking at a menu, and not finding much, an easy place to head right to is the salads. Since salads seem to get more elaborate each year, you really aren't limited this way. Brooke ordered a chicken cesaer salad, and I got a BBQ Chicken salad.
"I have not been to Panera many times so I was not sure what there would be available to eat. When thinking "Panera" I always thought of either bread or bagels neither of which would work. We have quickly found that due to their recent popularity there is usually a salad of some sort on the menu. I am one to quickly look at a menu. Looking at the salad options I quickly saw cesaer salad. This I know that I like quite well, and the addition of grilled chicken added more substance. Once we got out orders I found Kate's salad to be quite interesting and I wished that I would have looked over the menu more. Oh well. The salad was okay but nothing really special. I think I liked the apple that came with it most of all. Turns out you can get a roll, chips, or an apple with your order, which didn't leave us with much of a choice. Not all chips are gluten free."
~ Brooke
I got the BBQ chicken salad and was pleased. There was lettuce, grilled chicken, grilled corn, blackbeans, and tortilla strips (they are made of corn so should be safe). This was all dressed, and also had BBQ sauce drizzled atop it. I was impressed with it. I usually can do with more BBQ sauce, so would have appreciate more than a drizzle. Even Brooke, who doesn't really do BBQ too much would have wanted more.
The experience was, though, a pleasant one. Even with the group of high school girls who are in prom-mode, and the wedding planning party next to us, the food was good.
Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins
Who doesn't love crackers? Personally, I think anything can be put on a cracker. I grew up with a grandfather who loves peanut butter and fluff on saltines, and a mother who loves buttered crackers. And they are also great for parties and get-togethers. Eating crackers when you are gluten free is expensive. I have looked at crackers that were $5 or $6 dollars for a few dozen crackers. My mom found Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins (http://www.bluediamondgrowers.com/index.cfm?navid=34) in the local grocery store, so I am assuming they are easily found in the cookie and cracker aisle, for between $3.50 and $4.50 a box (4.25 oz, about 5 dozen crackers. An average cracker box size).
My mom gave me two boxes. One is plain, and the other is cheddar cheese. These crackers are good. They taste a little bit like rice crackers (they are primarily, but also have nuts in them). The nut helps dispel some of the gummy-ness that can come with regular rice crackers. The cheddar cheese flavored crackers are very artificial cheddar-cheese tasting, so if you are missing cheese curls, these are good for you.
We recommend finding these crackers. We are snacking on them right now.
Gluten Free Offer
While browsing gluten free sites, I came across Ener G's website. They offer a fairly wide variety of gluten free products, for what seems to be a good price. One offer that I found particularly interesting was their Gluten Free Sample Kit (http://www.ener-g.com/gluten-free/sample-kits/gluten-free-sample-kit.html). The kit includes two slices of each tapioca loaf, brown rice loaf, white rice loaf, Seattle brown loaf, and corn loaf, and egg-free raisin loaf, as well as English muffins, pound cake, ginger cookies, vanilla cookies, rice mix, white rice macaroni, and Wylde pretzels, which we reviewed yesterday, 4/13/2001 (http://unceremoniouslyglutenfree.blogspot.com/2011/04/gluten-free-pizza-and-product-reviews.html). All of this is available for $19.50 .
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Gluten Free Pizza and Product Reviews
Today for dinner we had gluten free pizza, made with pre-made crusts. So, I figured I would both a product review of the pizza crusts, and the toppings I used. I also made the sauce I used on the pizza, so I'll throw that in, even though sauce is typically gluten free anyway.
Kate's "Tomato" Sauce
1 large can tomatoes (diced, whatever, you're going to blend later)
1 bag of frozen spinach
1 small can of sliced black olives
3 sardines
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch, plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch (here is the gluten free part, normally I would make a roux)
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon tumeric
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning herb blend
Handful of cubed salt pork
Sautee the salt pork in a pot. Add tomatoes, then spinach, then olives and sardines, tumeric, Italian seasoning blend, and 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch. Simmer together. Put into blender, add buttermilk. Blend. Return to pot, add remaining corn starch. Simmer, making sure there are no lumps. Reduce until desired consistency.
So this is the sauce I used for the pizza; it is more spinach-y tasting, and I'll warn you in advance, it's not the most attractive stuff in the world. I like it, and so does Brooke, though. Either she is appealing to my ego, or she REALLY loves it.
Glutino Pizza Crust
This pizza crust was amazing (http://www.glutino.com/our-products/frozen-meals/pizzas/premium-pizza-crusts/). We were pleasantly surprised to find that we might like this more than regular crust. It got to be crispy, had a good flavor (that is, it didn't interfere with the toppings), and is something we would definitely eat again. Happily. We made two different pizzas, and each ate half. I'll include what we made, in case anyone is interested in replicating it.
Pizza 1
On top of this crust, we put a layer of sauce, a layer of ricotta, crab meat, Italian blend shredded cheese, diced mushrooms, and paprika. I expected to absolutely love this pizza, and was disappointed. There were too many moist ingredients under the cheese, and it made the crust soggy. Based on the second pizza we made, I am thinking this was our error, not the pizza crust's.
Pizza 2
On top of this crust, we put a layer of sauce, then spread fresh spinach leaves across it. We put Italian blend shredded cheese on it, then topped that with diced sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, and roughly chopped artichoke hearts. This was a very good combination, and the entirely of the crust was crispy.
Overall I would declare these pizzas a success. They are most expensive than non-gluten free pizza crusts, but a good thing to have on hand (they come frozen) to just whip up. They bake for only 10 minutes at 400 degrees; or they can be made as a fun make-your-own pizza night, with toppings put out in bowls where everyone can put their own toppings on the pizza. To save a bit, obviously only give the Glutino to those who are Gluten Free.
Namaste Muffin Mix
Brooke is prone to eating granola bars and cereal bars. Eating Gluten Free this is difficult, and Gluten Free cereal bars can run $6 for a box of five. Not so thrifty. So I thought that perhaps Gluten Free muffins (http://www.namastefoods.com/products/cgi-bin/products.cgi?Function=show&Id=15) would be a good alternative, so I decided to make a batch.
I am a batter eater, and was worried when I was licking the spoon. It just tasted strange and not like muffin batter. However, once we baked them, we liked them just fine. One person said they had an interesting flavor, but it was something he could live with.
We arranged the muffins according to the mix, and threw in some dried currants and Goji berries. The mix, I think, could go sweet or savory depending on your fancy.
Ener G Wylde Pretzels
I love pretzels, and was prepared to mourn the loss of peanut butter pretzels and mustard and pretzels. Then I found Ener G Wylde Preztels (http://www.ener-g.com/wylde-pretzels.html). Again, I was pleasantly surprised at the results. I like these better than regular pretzels. They are small cicles, maybe the size of a quarter, and they are wonderfully crunchy. I made my own peanut butter dip, and my desire for peanut butter pretzels was more than quelled.
Peanut Butter Dip
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 tablespoon agave or honey
Splash of milk
Combine all of these ingredients until smooth.
We also ate this dip on apples. I wonder if maybe yogurt, vanilla or plain, would work well instead of cream cheese and honey. If anyone tries it before me, let me know.
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