Chicken Parmesan

One of my favorite dishes when I was younger was Chicken Parmesan. I love the crunch chicken but yet still tender and juicy inside with some bubbly mozzarella cheese on the top.  It is a very simple dish, however I never make it.  I don’t know if it was because I feared how it would actually come out with using gluten-free flour instead.  It has just been one of those dishes that kind of made me nervous to “re-create”. While flipping through my favorite cooking magazine (Everyday Food by Martha Stewart) I saw a recipe for chicken parm and asked Bryan if he likes it.  When he said yes I figure, why not give it a shot and see how it comes out.

I opened up my flour cabinet (yes I have a small pantry with all of my gluten-free flours stored in my favorite containers by Snapware) and looked around to see what I had left (I’m running extremely low or I’m completely out of the majority of my flours) and saw that I had some Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour, Gluten Free Bisquick and also some Orgran Rice Crumbs.  I decided to use a mixture of the Bisquick and Rice Crumbs and see how that would turn out, and if we didn’t like it I would try another combination the next time around.  We both really liked it – which I was surprised because I kind of just threw this recipe together quickly one night. The recipe is very simple and quick, you can feel free to change the measurements of the seasoning and cheese to your taste level.

Chicken Parmesan

1/4 Cup Gluten Free Bisquick (You could also sub in your favorite GF All Purpose Flour mix)

1/8 Cup Rice Crumbs (You could also sub in GF Bread Crumbs)

1/8 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

2 Medium Chicken Breasts – pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1 Egg – beaten with 1 Tablespoon of water

Cooked Gluten Free Pasta – We use Sam Mill’s GF Corn Penne Pasta (It is our favorite GF pasta that we’ve tried)

1/2-1 Cup Pasta Sauce (You can make your own or used a jarred sauce)

1/3 Cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

In a shallow baking dish beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water, set aside.

In a second shallow baking dish mix the Bisquick, Rice Crumbs, Cheese, Salt and Italian Seasoning – mix well, set aside.

Between two pieces of plasticwrap or parchment paper pound the chicken until it is about 1/4 inch thick (for even and quick cooking).

Dredge each piece of chicken in the Bisquick/Rice Crumb mixture, shake off any excess and then in the egg mixture.  Again shake off any excess and then dredge it back in the Bisquick/Rice Crumb mixture.  Set aside.

In a medium skillet add one tablespoon of oil and heat over medium heat.  Once oil is hot enough (I always test by running cold water over my hand and then flicking a little in the pan, if it sizzles then I know my meat will sizzle – this is by no means scientific but it works well for me).  Add the two pieces of chicken breast.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly golden brown and juices run clear.

If you do not have pans that can go into the oven, place the pieces of chicken either on a baking sheet or baking dish for this next step.

Turn your oven to broil and top each piece of chicken with half of the mozzarella cheese.  Place the chicken under the broiler just until the cheese starts to bubble and turn lightly golden brown.

Serve atop your favorite gluten-free pasta and top with your favorite sauce.

Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich-Gluten Free

(sorry the pic isn’t so great, I rushed because I really want to try this, its been over 2 years since I had one)

We don’t eat fast food much.  If we do, we either go to Subway so Bryan can get a sandwich and I get a salad or we go to Wendy’s because they fry their french fries in a separate fryer and I can get a bun-less cheeseburger and Bryan can get his favorite spicy chicken sandwich.  That sandwich used to be my favorite also before I found I had Celiac Disease.  Every time he gets one I ask “can I just smell it” – you laugh but I seriously do this quite often with some of his “regular” food.

Lately I’ve been on a kick of making things at home instead of going out and buying them.  For example in my last post I shared recipes from homemade beef jerky and granola bars.  I can’t go out and get a Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich but I sure as heck can make it at home.  Making things at home also lets you control the ingredients you use.  Not saying that this sandwich is super healthy by any means, don’t get me wrong.  I mentioned to Bryan the other day that I could try to recreate that sandwich for him, but would have to do it gluten-free so I can enjoy it too…he said sure.  So I looked online for some ideas of what is actually in the sandwich and then went to work on creating a recipe for it.  I have to say it came out pretty darn awesome!  We both really liked it.  I served mine between two pieces of romaine lettuce and Bryan had his on a “regular” bun.  The spicy flavor in mine was much more pronounced without having all that bread in the way.

Gluten-Free Spicy Chicken Sandwich (Wendy’s)

1/4 Cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Gluten-Free Bisquick

1 1/2 Teaspoons Sea Salt

2 Teaspoons Cayenne Pepper

1/8 Teaspoon Fine Ground Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Paprika

1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 Chicken Breasts – pounded until about 3/8 inch thick

4 Pieces of Romain Lettuce

1/4 Teaspoon Mayonnaise (optional)

2 Tomato Slices (optional)

Mix together the Gluten-Free Bisquick, Salt, Cayenne Pepper, Pepper, Paprika and Garlic Powder in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl mix together Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and water.

In a large high-sided sauté pan heat 1/2 cup – 1 cup of canola oil (should come up about 1/2 inch the side of the pan depending on the size of your pan) on medium heat.  You could also use a deep fryer but I didn’t want to deal with all of that.

Take one chicken breast at a time and dredge it in the GF Bisquick mixture, then coat it in the hot sauce/water mixture and then again in the Bisquick mixture.

Cook chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side until they are golden brown and no longer pink in the center (I cut mine just to make sure).

Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels to remove any excess oil.  Serve on lettuce or a bun and top with mayonnaise (optional), tomato (optional) and an additional piece of lettuce.  Enjoy!!

The Bisquick worked perfect for this recipe.  It was nice and crunchy and the chicken was juicy, and just the right amount of spice.  Oh how I have missed this sandwich, but now I can make it at home!

 

 

Making Snacks At Home

Before we go grocery shopping I start by getting out that weeks ads to see what is on sale, and then try to plan meals around that.  I also look at the coupons we have, new ones that have come in and also search online for them (at first Bryan made fun of me and my coupon clipping but once he saw how much I save each time he’s pretty thankful) I then make a list of all the items we need and next to it I write what the sale is and at which store, I also write if we have a coupon for it.  For the most part we try out best to stick to the list as best we can, but every now and then we find a thing or two that we really want and that is usually a snack or two.  Well actually it is mostly Bryan that finds these things because for me it is a bit harder to find gluten-free snacks.

He will usually grab some cinnamon buns, beef jerky or corn muffins, all of which I love but sadly can’t find gluten-free options in the stores so I decided that I could learn to make a few snack items at home.  I’ve made cinnamon buns and corn muffins/bread before and they came out great.  I hadn’t attempted to make beef jerky or granola bars and those are two things I have been wanting to attempt for a while, so I finally did.

Making snacks at home is easy, a great way to control what you and your family are consuming but also it is a great way to save money!

Beef Jerky

Bryan and I both love beef jerky and we usually buy him a bag of it but its gone in one sitting!  Before moving back east I bought a great cookbook “Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It And Other Cooking Projects” by Karen Solomon.  Including in the cookbook are recipes to make your own bacon, cheese, marshmallows, limoncello and so much more.  The recipe calls for very lean top sirloin or flank steak, I choose the flank steak because at BJ’s you can get two pounds for the same price, if not less than one pound of flank steak at our local grocery store!

I used the recipe listed in the cookbook just as a guideline and made it gluten-free and adjusted the ingredients to our spice level.  My recipe is below – I checked their website and they don’t have the beef jerky recipe listed so I can’t link to it, however you should really buy this book, you will love it!

Gluten Free Beef Jerky

2 pounds lean flank steak (remove every bit of fat from the meat!  this is very important-if you leave the fat on it will like go rancid!)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce

4 teaspoons dark brown sugar

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

3 teaspoons red pepper flakes (you can adjust this to your taste level, we really like heat)

Advanced Prep: Freeze steak for 30 minutes – this will help with the slicing. Line two sheet pans with foil and oil (canola or gluten-free cooking spray) two racks.  Place one rack in each of the pans, set aside. Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees – if your oven doesn’t go that low, set it to the lowest temp that it will and leave the oven door cracked open an inch or two, or use a wooden spoon to keep it ajar.

Remove steak from freezer, and make sure that all the fat has been removed (see note above).  Thinly slice steak 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick pieces.

In a large bowl mix together salt, gluten-free soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Add meat and let marinade in the refrigerator for two hours (or over night).

Lay the meat on the racks in a single layer, but don’t let them touch or over lap.

Dry the meat in an oven for 5-7 hours.  Check for doneness for the first time around 5 hours.  The jerky shouldn’t be brittle but should be able to be torn into strings and not look raw in the inside.

Allow jerky to cool completely and enjoy!

Store in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.

Granola Bars

I love granola bars, but since going gluten-free I haven’t had one, and I’ve really missed them.  They are the perfect take along snack.  I’ll be making more of these when it comes time for school.  They are super easy to make and you can add in pretty much anything you like.  I think next time I might add in some peanut butter chips.

Gluten-Free/Allergy Free Granola Bars

The recipe listed below is from Martha Stewart’s website.  I did a few little tweaks to the recipe and they are noted in red below.

Makes about 16 bars

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cups gluten-free quick-cooking oatmeal (I used 3 cups of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats)
• 1 1/4 cups gluten-free crisp-rice cereal (I didn’t have any so I omitted them)
• 1/2 cup mini gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup lightly packed light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions

1. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; line baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Set aside.
2. Place oatmeal and rice cereal in a large bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, mix together brown sugar, oil, and honey. Place over medium-high heat; bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add to oatmeal mixture; stir until oatmeal mixture is fully coated and well combined.
4. Evenly pour oatmeal mixture into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with chocolate chips. When mixture is cool enough to touch, press down into pan. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into 16 (1-by-4-inch) bars. Granola bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week, and frozen up to six months.

From The Martha Stewart Show, April 2010

*I would recommend following the directions – I got distracted when making these and ended up adding some of the chocolate chips in with the oats and when I poured the liquid over it they all melted so it became chocolate granola bars. Woops – I mean they still came out pretty good.  I would also suggest that if you have the gluten-free crisp rice cereal, use it.  Also Martha’s photo is WAY better than mine!

Hope you enjoy these two homemade snacks!

Butternut Squash Soup & Croutons

I have been wanting to make some butternut squash soup for a while now, but sadly I don’t own a food processor, blender or immersion blender so I put it off. I started thinking about the soup again this past week and was determined to make it, so I thought if I cooked the squash enough I could just mash it, but then it wouldn’t have that smooth creamy texture so I finally went next door and asked my neighbor if she had a blender or food processor I could borrow.  Of course she had one, and why had I not thought of asking her sooner?  Who knows, I’m a bit slow lately.  Being sick for a month has really thrown me for a loop.  I am finally feeling better and getting back into cooking more.  Poor Bryan has been dealing with my half-ass attempts of meals lately, which consisted of mostly “mushy” foods because I couldn’t chew anything.  Even though this soup could be considered another “mushy” meal I refuse to look at it that way because I have been craving it for so long.  To add a little bit of texture to the soup I topped it with some crispy bacon pieces and homemade gluten-free croutons (see recipe below).

Like always, I did some searching online for butternut squash soup recipes just to see what others put in theirs.  I found that many of the recipes were similar to the one that I had floating around in my head so I figured I would just wing it and see how it tasted (maybe not always the best idea). Bryan hasn’t really eaten butternut squash much and has never had butternut squash soup, so to make it more appealing to him I wanted to add a bit of spice to it.  The first time I ever had this soup was in China of all places.  It was amazing.   If you don’t like that much spice you can always start by cutting those ingredients in half at first, taste it and then add accordingly.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)

4 celery stalks – diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 medium-large butternut squash (about 3 – 3.5 pounds) – See prep options below

1 large sweet potato (or two small/medium) Peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

3 cups of chicken broth (gluten-free low sodium/organic)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

salt and pepper to taste

1/4-1/2 cup half and half

There are two ways that you can prepare the squash:

1- Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and place flesh side down on a foil lined baking sheet (oiled/sprayed well).  In a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes.  Once roasted and cooled slightly scoop out flesh and add to soup

2- Peel the squash, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and then chop into one inch cubes.  Cook squash in the soup with out roasting.

The first one is probably a bit easier because the skin of the squash is very touch and can be a pain to peel.  I have a really good peeler so I didn’t have any problems with it.  So it is completely up to you on which method you prefer to use, and you will get great results either way.  The recipe below is for option number two, however if you choose to roast your squash then scoop it out add it after you sauté the celery, garlic add the broth.  You can then go right into pureeing the soup.

Directions:

Peel and cut your squash and sweet potato and set aside.  Over medium heat in a large sauce pan (or stock pot) add olive oil and celery, cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened.  Add garlic and cook for an additional two minutes.  Next, add squash, sweet potato, half of the spices and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil for 20 minutes.  Lower heat to simmer.

In small batches ladle the soup into a blender (or food processor) and puree until smooth and there are no chunks.  Add the pureed soup back into the pan and repeat until all the soup has been pureed and it is smooth.  Add remaining spices and half and half.  Do Not bring back to a boil, just simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.  Serve warm with your choice of toppings (bacon, croutons, sour cream, spiced pumpkin seeds etc.)

We served ours with crumbled maple bacon bits and some gluten-free multigrain croutons. Croutons are so simple to make, I dont’ know why people buy them. You can make them how ever you wish, plain, garlic, seasoned etc. You should really try to experiment with them at some point.  Great in both soups and salads or to just munch on.

Gluten-Free Croutons

6 pieces of gluten-free bread (I used Rudi’s Multi Grain Bread)

1 clove of garlic minced

3 – 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon melted butter

salt

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl combine garlic, oil, butter and salt – set aside.  Cut bread into small chunks and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.  Drizzle the oil, butter and garlic mixture over the bread chunks.  Toss the bread to make sure it is evenly coated.  Bake at 300 for 15-20 minutes, turning once.  Croutons should be a light/medium golden brown.

You can all any seasoning you wish to your croutons and increase the measurements according to the amount of bread you are using.  Other seasoning options include: dried basil, dried oregano, celery seed, pepper, parsley, grated parmesan cheese or whatever you wish.

These can be stored in an air tight container for up to four weeks or frozen for up to six months.

Help Rudi’s “Spread The Bread” “For every dollar coupon downloaded, Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery will give a dollar to The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) to help in their efforts to better educate physicians in the diagnosis of celiac disease. There are an estimated 3 million people in the United States suffering from celiac disease, yet only 160,000 are diagnosed.” Get your coupon HERE!

Roast Beef, Peppers and Potatoes

If you have been following my blog you’ll notice my love for Martha Stewart’s magazine, Everyday Food.  It is by far my favorite magazine because the recipes are easy, not overly complicated, if they aren’t naturally gluten-free, they are easily adaptable and there are so many great tips in them.  My mom bought me a subscription when it was first published and over the years I have tried my best to keep up with it.  If you don’t have a subscription you can find all the recipes online, however I suggest getting one of the magazines and checking it out for yourself.

Each time a new one comes in the mail I start flipping through it right away and marking all the recipes I want to try.  I don’t always make them right away but I eventually get around to trying my hand at them.  The recipe I made tonight comes from January/February 2007 Light edition.  The recipe was 100% gluten-free (even if it doesn’t say so in the magazine, just read the ingredients).  The only modification I made on this one was I omitted the onions.  Such a simple meal and all in one pan!  Quick, easy, great tasty and easy clean up! Bryan really liked this meal and said he wouldn’t mind having it again!

Roast Beef, Peppers and Potatoes (Martha Stewart – Everyday Food Magazine, 2007)

Serves 4

• 3 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 1-inch-wide strips – We had red so that is all we used
• 2 yellow bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 1-inch-wide strips - We had red so that is all we used
• 2 medium red onions, halved and cut into 1-inch wedges – We omitted these
• 3/4 pound white new potatoes, well scrubbed and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled (3 left whole and 2 cut into 12 slivers)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 1/2 pounds eye-of-round beef roast
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place peppers, onions, potatoes, and whole garlic cloves on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with half the oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
2. Using a paring knife, make 12 small slits in top and sides of roast; push in garlic slivers. Move vegetables to sides of sheet. Place beef in center, and coat with remaining oil; rub all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and thyme.
3. Roast 40 to 50 minutes, tossing vegetables occasionally, until tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of beef registers 130 degrees for medium-rare. Let meat stand 10 minutes, loosely tented with aluminum foil to keep warm. Cut half into very thin slices (reserve remaining half for leftovers). Serve with vegetables.
4. Cool remaining beef to room temperature; place in an airtight container, or wrap in plastic, and refrigerate.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Roast Beef with Peppers, Onions, and Potatoes – Martha Stewart Recipes

Mozzarella Sticks

 

One of my favorite snack foods when growing up was mozzarella sticks.  I grew up in fairly small town, however it had three or four pizza places (mostly run by Greeks instead of Italians) and none of the pizza was ever spectacular or out of this world but the mozzarella sticks were always good (and their sandwiches!).  I would much rather have an order of mozzarella sticks instead of pizza; I don’t know if it was because I loved cheese so much, or that they were hot, gooey and crunchy at the same time.  No matter the reason, I was a huge fan.  That was until I was told I was lactose intolerant (or so the doctors thought back then).  I gave up on my love of fried cheese way back then so when I was finally diagnosed with having Celiac Disease I never really gave them much thought.

I can’t remember exactly what made me think of them and crave them again, but last time we went grocery shopping I mentioned to Bryan that I can try to make them gluten-free, he of course said “sure”. I began looking online for recipes on how to make mozzarella sticks at home, which I figured wouldn’t be hard but I needed to see the basics. You need mozzarella, bread crumbs, flour, oil and egg.  I found a “regular” recipe and a gluten-free recipe that were pretty much the same so I figured I would try that one first, and of course make a few minor adjustments.  First off instead of using bread crumbs I used Orgran’s Rice Crumbs and seasoned those (see below), I also changed some of the measurements from the original recipe.   I made Bryan these for lunch today.  He being my official taste tester really enjoyed them.  I love him being a non-gluten-free taste tester because if he says something is good, then it is.

Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks (GF/OF)

1/3 Cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (you could use another flour blend if you wish)

1/3 Cup Corn Starch

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Water

1 to 1 1/3 Cup(s) Rice Crumbs (or bread crumbs)

2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder

2 Teaspoons of Italian Seasoning (Parsley, Oregano, etc.)

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 16oz package of Mozzarella Sticks – cut in half (12 sticks)

Canola Oil – enough to have 1/2 inch come up the side of your pan

3 Shallow Dishes

1. In the first shallow dish add the flour and corn starch, mix well.  In the second dish add the egg and water, whisk well.  In the third dish combine the rice crumbs, garlic, Italian seasoning (your choice of herbs), pepper and salt, mix well.
2. Open all of the mozzarella sticks and cut in half.  You should have 24 pieces.  You could cut this in half again and make little mozzarella poppers.
3. In batches of four or six, coat the mozzarella sticks in the flour/corn starch mixture.  Shake off any excess.
4. Then add them to the egg and water mixture – make sure these get coated all around – including the ends.
5. Before adding the sticks into the rice crumb and herb mixture shake off any excess egg.  Coat well in, including the ends.
6. You can either leave them as they are or go back and repeat steps 4 and 5 – I did this and the came out with a great crunch.  Trust me you will have enough egg and rice crumb mixture to do all of these twice.
7. Place the ready to fry sticks either on a plate or cooling rack.
8. Add oil to a large sauté pan so it comes up about 1/2 inch. Heat oil over medium heat.
9. Again, in batches of four or six add your mozzarella sticks and cook for about thirty seconds on each side.  Take out of the oil and place on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch any excess oil that may drip off. Repeat this step until all of the sticks have been fried.
10. Serve with warmed up marinara sauce.

Notes:

If you have the time (I didn’t) before you fry these up, place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze for about an hour.  This will help them from bursting open when you fry them.

You can also make these in advance and then freeze them in smaller batches to easily be heated up again at a later time.  I would suggest heating them in a toaster or regular oven. This is a great idea for an after school snack for your kiddos.  Instead of buying the frozen ones at the store, make them at home, freeze them in small portions and there you go!

The rice crumbs worked perfectly!  If  you haven’t tried these yet or are looking for an alternative to bread crumbs, you should really give them a try.

Some recipes are just so easy so why not make them at home?  That way you know for sure you can eat them and the best part you know what is going into them. These really did come out great.  Very simple, easy and quick recipe.  I think I will make these for our super bowl party this year.

EvaRuth’s Wheat Free/Gluten Free Bakery

We live on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island and around us we have limited options for gluten-free items.  There is one specialty grocery store near us, but we can’t afford to shop there very often, but if there is something specific that I need for a recipe, I would go there first.  Over the past six months we have realized that shopping at just one store for groceries isn’t going to cut it, you need to go to at least two…and if you want any form of gluten-free baked good, well you are pretty much out of luck and have to make it yourself.  Which I don’t really mind but somedays I want someone else to bake it for me.

About a month or so ago I was searching for a gluten free bakery or anything of the sort around me, thinking that like all my previous searchings I would come up with nothing, or if I did find something it would be about 45 minutes away.  To my surprise there was a gluten-free bakery, EvaRuth’s not that far from us!! Yesterday Bryan and I had an afternoon date to the movies and an early dinner but before we headed there we stopped over at the bakery to check it out.  It is located on Aquidneck Ave in Middletown, RI, located behind a little shopping center.

EvaRuth’s is owned and operated by Ruth herself.  Ruth is a very kind and inviting woman who also has celiac disease.  Here is a little information from her website about her and EvaRuth’s:

EvaRuth’s Foods, Inc. is owned and operated by Eva Ruth Flynn, CEO. The mission of EvaRuth’s is to create delicious wheat-free and gluten-free desserts that are convenient to eat and capable of satisfying even the choosiest of customers.

In 1995 Ruth was added to the ever-growing population of people diagnosed with celiac sprue disease. She experienced firsthand the difficulty of finding authentic tasting gluten-free desserts. So combining her love for business with her love for cooking, Ruth dedicated herself to creating true-tasting GF cookies, cakes, muffins, and brownies and the company from which they are sold. Prior to owning and operating EvaRuth’s, Ruth worked as the New England cardiovascular sales representative for GE Medical Systems.

EvaRuth’s is what is called an “old fashion bakery” which simply means, if they don’t have any seats, sell drinks and don’t offer you a fork/knife they don’t have to charge sales tax!! How awesome is that?  Well it gets better…They offer a great selection of freshly baked wheat free, gluten-free and many dairy free options: Cupcakes, Muffins, Scones, Cookies, Brownies and yes fresh-baked Bread. They also make cakes and pies that you can order. I was in love. I had the opportunity to taste some of EvaRuth’s Italian Garlic Herb bread, Pumpkin Muffin (dairy free!), Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Scone and I bought a Cranberry Muffin to take home with me.

 

The Italian Garlic Bread (they also had available yesterday some tomato herb bread and white bread) is very delicious and super moist.  Ruth said that all the breads slice well and are good as is for about 3-4 days or you can pre-slice it and freeze it like that. Next up with the pumpkin muffin – fresh out of the oven and perfectly flavored, not too over powering of pumpkin but just perfect, very moist and you could still taste the cinnamon, so good.  The Chocolate Chip and Cranberry scone was great too, I really enjoyed the combination of the two flavors.

Along with Ruth yesterday were two students from Johnson & Wales.  The bakery was very clean (which is always nice to see!), everything was measured out on scales to make sure that everything would bake evenly.  Also one of the staff was making a fresh batch of scones, measuring all around the dough with a ruler! I was impressed to say the least.

I had my cranberry muffin for breakfast this morning, and I can’t believe I actually waited until today to eat it.  It looked so pretty and smelled yummy yesterday but I restrained myself. This is probably one of the best gluten-free muffins I have had.  Hands down, awesome.  Fresh cranberries, moist and delicious.  I will definitely be back for more gluten-free goodness and some of that delicious bread.

If you are living around Aquidneck Island and are gluten-free, have a family member who is or are looking for a treat to bring to a friend’s house who is this is the place to go.  EvaRuth’s 796 Aquidneck Ave, Unit D, Middletown, RI 02842 (View Larger Map)

The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free! (Giveaway)

I heard a rumor months ago that Anne Byrn, Author of the The Cake Mix Doctor books was to release a gluten-free book.  I got a bit excited about it seeing as I have given her regular books as gifts many times.  I was generously sent a copy to review and sadly I didn’t get to bake anything as quickly as I had hoped but I did get a chance this week to finally bake her Honey Bun Cake (think cinnamon rolls in a coffee cake form, yummm).  We were gone for two weeks to New Jersey to visit Bryan’s family and some of our friends and then of course a few days before heading home, I get a nasty cold which is still holding strong.

If you aren’t familiar with Anne or her books please take a second and visit her website: www.cakemixdoctor.com.  Her latest book, The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free is fantastic! There are 76 recipes for cakes and other desserts.  She uses gluten-free cake mixes that you can find at most of your grocery stores (Betty Crocker etc.)  She also lists in each recipe how to make these recipes dairy-free (if possible).  So this cookbook is great for families with multiple allergies.   Here is a little information from her website about her new book and why she decided to make a gluten-free version:

Now comes sweet news for people on gluten-free diets. They can bake their cake and eat it, too. Anne Byrn shows how to transform gluten-free cake mixes into rich, decadent, easy-to-make, impossible-to-resist desserts. Performing the magic that’s made her a best-selling baking author with more than 3.3 million copies of her books in print, she doctors mixes with additions like almond extract, fresh berries, cocoa powder, grated coconut, cinnamon, lime zest, and more – naturally, all gluten-free ingredients. Dessert is back on the menu!

My readers pleaded with me to write a gluten-free Cake Mix Doctor! Many had baked my cakes for years until someone in their family could no longer eat gluten. For five months I baked nothing but gluten-free cakes that began with a mix. At times I felt like a mad scientist, turning a yellow cake mix into cookies, bars, even gingerbread. And when I was able to bake the Darn Good Chocolate Cake gluten-free…that was a big day! You don’t have to be gluten-free to enjoy these recipes. You just have to love cake.

I decided on the Honey Bun Cake because I really was craving cinnamon rolls and don’t have the flours to make them from scratch right now so this was the closest I could get to them, and this cake was awesome.  I made it for breakfast one morning, seeing as it’s a coffee cake it worked really well.  I did however leave off the glaze (by that I mean, I forgot about it) that normally is on cinnamon buns – but I am sure it would taste fantastic with it.  The cake is very easy to make with ingredients that you probably already have on hand.  The flavor was perfect, not to sweet and very moist. This is a recipe that we will make again and again.  I can’t wait to try more of her recipes, which I think my next one will be the Holy Cow Cake (chocolate cake with butterfingers, caramel and whipped cream on top!). This cookbook sheds a whole new light on boxed cake mixes and plenty of ideas for cakes, cookies and bars.  I wish I had this when I was making my birthday cake this year – next year will be a much better cake

In addition to the copy that I received to review Anne has offered two additional copies to give to my readers!  It is simple to enter for awesome giveaway, just follow the instructions below. Don’t forget to leave a comment for each one:

• Subscribe to Creative Cooking Gluten Free
• “Like” Creative Cooking Gluten Free on Facebook
• “Follow” Creative Cooking Gluten Free on Twitter
• Click HERE and “Take A Look Inside” at the Index and tell me what recipes you would like to try
• Tweet about this giveaway (use button below, and leave a comment each time you tweet)

Two lucky readers will be chosen to win a copy of this great book.  The giveaway will end on Thursday January 13th at 11:59pm.

Pulled Pork and Cornbread

I have fallen in love with my crockpot!  I got a new one for Christmas from my dad and stepmom, a nice big 7qt one…mind you we are a household of two people but we put this to some good use.  After spending two very long weeks in New Jersey I came home with a horrible cold and no energy so I decided that it would be a week of easy and/or crockpot recipes.  I have been so excited to start using the crockpot and one of my new cookbooks (which I won from the lovely Shirley of GFE) “Make It Fast, Cook It Slow” by Stephanie O’Dea (A Year of Slow Cooking).  Her cookbook is fantastic, over 300 recipes all in the crockpot and all gluten free.  Over the holiday I had been flipping through the book trying to figure out what to make first and we decided on the Korean Ribs recipe (That recipe will be posted soon but just a quick summary of it – they were awesome!).  While looking through the cookbook Bryan saw the Pulled Pork Recipe and requested that “we”, meaning I make that soon.  I’m not the biggest fan of pork but I said sure, lets give it a shot.  We didn’t have all the ingredients listed in the recipe but we had a very large bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce (Bryan’s favorite) so we used that instead.  I have to say it came out really really good.  Normally one would eat pulled pork on a nice roll but seeing as I didn’t have or didn’t make any gluten free rolls, I made some cornbread instead.  I used Orgran Natural Foods Gluten Free Cornbread.  This I have to say is my favorite gluten free cornbread.  The taste, texture and the fact that I could use it as bread to make a sandwich is just awesome. Even Bryan, my cornbread loving non-gluten free boyfriend said it was his favorite, and he is very picky about his cornbreads.

Have you checked out Orgran’s website? All Orgran products are Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Diary Free, Egg Free, Yeast Free, GMO Free and Vegan! So if you are a family with multiple allergies, you should really check them out. I have also had the pleasure to try their Gluten Free Easy Bake Bread Mix – YUMMM.  I used this bread with my favorite Boar’s Head meats and cheeses.  Great texture and flavor to this bread, perfect for sandwiches and/or toast in the morning.

Pulled Pork – Slow Cooker Recipe

1 2-3 pound pork loin

1 large bottle of BBQ Sauce  (Sweet Baby Rays is Gluten Free!)

1/2 cup water

In a crockpot place the pork loin and between 24-30 oz of Gluten Free BBQ sauce (one large bottle) and 1/2 cup water.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat is tender enough to shred with a fork…trust me this will fall apart.  Mine was at this point around 5 1/2 hours but I let it cook for six.

Enjoy!

Garlicy Green Beans – Share Our Holiday Table

I am honored to be one of the many bloggers participating in a virtual dinner by Share Our Strength – Share Our Holiday Table to raise awareness about childhood hunger in the United States.  For a week bloggers around the country will be setting their virtual tables with holiday dish ideas starting with Appetizers (12/6), Drinks (12/7), Salads (12/8), Soups (12/9), Entrées (12/10), Sides (12/13) and finally Desserts (12/14).

This event really hit home for me.  Growing up we didn’t have much money and were brought up to be resourceful not just with money but also with food.  I grew up in a family of hunters (not for sport but for survival), so we grew up eating many different types of meat.  If it wasn’t for my dad hunting we would have gone with out a lot more often.  Our freezer would be stocked with meat from deer, bear, wild boar, turtle and moose amongst others. My mom would make some amazing tasting meals including soups/stews, roasts etc.

Even now we, like many other families struggle to put food on the table some days, but we are making the best of it.  Bryan is a huge support and encouragement when I have my mini breakdowns about being so financially strapped right now.  I made a meal one night that almost brought me to tears, it wasn’t a horrible meal but it reminded me so much of my childhood I could barely eat it.  Do you ever have moments like that? Where a smell or taste brings back such a strong memory?

I am very thankful for programs/organizations such as Food Stamps, The Knights of Columbus and The Elks because they provided many holiday meals and presents for our family. When the holidays came around, our meals were much more traditional with turkey and ham being served instead of the game meats.  We had all of the sides to top it off – mashed potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and my favorite; green bean casserole! I love green beans.  I will eat them pretty much anyway – fresh, with almonds, steamed, sautéed in a little sesame oil and chili oil and if you’ve been reading my blog you will have seen the following recipe pop up once or twice already.  My garlicy green beans recipe has replaced the green bean casserole on our family table.  It is beyond simple and extremely quick to make.  Bryan loves it just as much as I do and I even made it for Thanksgiving this year with his family – we received no complaints.

Before I get to the recipe I want to share a little about Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry Program (borrowed from their website):

Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign is working to ensure that no child in the United States goes hungry again. One dollar can help connect a child with up to ten healthy meals.

No Kid Hungry™, an unprecedented, five-year effort designed to end childhood hunger in America. Our nation has the food and programs in place to end childhood hunger, but consider what we are up against: The stigmas and embarrassment that surround hunger, the challenges presented by access to healthy food, and the struggle to connect children with the resources they need to thrive. For 25 years, Share Our Strength has been confronting hunger head-on to break down these barriers. Together, with your support, we can put an end to childhood hunger. Will you join us in the No Kid Hungry campaign?

Please consider helping out by making a donation at No Kid Hungry Share Our Strength

Garlicy Green Beans

1-2 pounds of fresh green beans

3 large cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Lightly steam the green beans until bright green yet still crispy (if you get the steam in the bag fresh green beans – found in your produce section, it makes this recipe even easier!!).  Drain well.  In a medium-large pan melt butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and stir in the green beans.  Toss the green beans so they are all coated in the garlic butter sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.

This side dish is easy, quick, tasty, cost efficient – I really think your family will enjoy it.  You can adjust the garlic to your preference and even add some slivered almonds (I would lightly toast them and then toss them in the pan).

Happy Holidays to you and your families. Below is a list of the other bloggers taking part in todays “sides” post – also if you are looking for posts from the previous categories, click HERE (you dont’ want to miss these – so many great recipes have been shared).

Gourmet

• The Urban Baker
• Heather Christo
• We Like to Cook, and Eat
• Plum Pie

Family Friendly

• What’s Cooking
• Dine and Dish
• The Evolving Cook

Vegetarian

• My Kitchen Addiction
• Taste as You Go
• Flamingo Musings

Gluten Free

• The Whole Gang
• Jenn Cuisine– A mostly gluten free cooking blog.

Chicken Pot Pie

It is the time of year for comfort foods!  Who doesn’t love a nice hot meal on a very chilly day?  I know I do.

Bryan had mentioned a while back that he really liked chicken pot pie and missed it.  Me being the nice girlfriend that I am decided that I would attempt to make him one, but of course it had to be gluten free so I could also enjoy it.  I actually have never been the biggest fan of pot pies for several reasons: when I was younger I choked on the crust a bit (probably why I don’t like pies that much either and prefer crisps or crumb toppings), I HATE peas, and very much dislike cooked carrots – which are ummm three major ingredients of pot pie.  The three things I don’t like are the three things Bryan really enjoys, well at least two of them, crusts and peas.

I searched online for some gluten free recipes to gain some inspiration and hoped to find a good crust topping.  I eventually stumbled upon a gluten free recipe from Bisquick and seeing as we have some, I would give that recipe a try. I mostly followed it, with a few minor tweaks and it came out pretty well…Bryan really liked it and honestly that is all that mattered. (You can view the original recipe HERE)

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie

Filling:

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup diced potatoes (peeled)

2 garlic cloves

3-4 celery stalks chopped (try to chopped all the vegetables the same size)

2 medium carrots chopped

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken – cut up

1 3/4 cup gluten free chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

3/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Topping:

3/4 cup Bisquick Gluten Free Mix

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon tried thyme (I actually used 1 tablespoon and we both thought it was too much)

Salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add potatoes; cook, stirring frequently cook for five minutes. Stir in celery, carrots,garlic and peas, cook an additional five minutes. Add the chicken, chicken broth, salt and thyme; heat to boiling. In small bowl, mix 3/4 cup milk and the cornstarch with wire whisk until smooth; stir into chicken mixture. Heat just to boiling. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole.
2. In small bowl, stir all topping ingredients with fork until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Drop topping mixture by small spoonfuls over chicken mixture. Carefully spread the topping over the entire dish (this is optional, you can just top it with the spoonfuls).
3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of topping comes out clean. The topping should be a light golden brown.

P.F. Chang’s Beef a La Sichuan

My version of P.F. Chang’s Beef a La Sichuan

P.F. Chang’s Beef a La Sichuan

Yesterday was day two in my weekly menu planning and Bryan’s last day of classes for his first semester as a 1L, so I decided to celebrate I would try to tackled one of our favorite P.F. Chang’s recipes – Beef a La Sichuan.  Ever since this was put on the gluten-free menu at P.F. Chang’s it is all Bryan will order.  I usually order the Chang’s Spicy Chicken (it’s amazing if you haven’t had it yet, you should).  Sadly though we don’t have a P.F. Chang’s close to us so I’ve been searching online for “copycat” recipes for this dish.  I really only found one, but found plenty of pictures of the dish which didn’t help me at all.  The recipe I found was pretty good, however it didn’t have any measurements for the ingredients! Seeing as we hadn’t had this in a while I had to think back to what it tasted like and try to build a sauce based on memory-honestly I got it on the first shot…not sure if I should be proud of that or kind of embarrassed.  If you don’t know Chinese food is my biggest weakness and seeing as I can’t go to any restaurant and get something I do my best to create recipes inspired by my favorite Chinese/Asian dishes.

I found the recipe on RecipeLink.com and like I said it had no measurements so below is my measurements along with RecipeLink.com’s directions.  Now this recipe is a little in-depth with the preparation so be prepared to spend a bit of time in the kitchen the first time-but I promise it is worth it.  I’m sure you can always find some shortcuts, like finding celery and carrots that are already julienned for you but I wanted to do it start to finished myself.   The original recipe called for green onion stems but seeing as we don’t cook/consume onions in our house we just omitted them but you can add them in if you wish.

Stir Fry Ingredients:

1 Pound Flank or Sirloin Steak Sliced thin
3-4 Medium Celery Stalks -Julienned
2 Medium Carrots – Julienned
Green Onion Stems (Optional)
1/2 Cup Peanut Oil or Canola Oil (you may use less if using a non-stick pan, I only use about 1/4 cup)
1/4 Cup Corn Starch
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes(or whole Tien Tsin Chinese Chili Peppers work great)

1 1/2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

Sauce Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Gluten Free Soy Sauce (I use San-J)
2 Tablespoons Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce (I use Dynasty)
1 Tablespoon Garlic Chili Paste
1/2 Teaspoon Chinese Hot Mustard
1 Teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Chili oil/or Mongolian Fire Oil (made by House of Tsang) -(Optional)
1 – 2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Minced garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Minced Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Directions

Mix all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Julienne your carrots and celery and set aside. It is important to get these done first because when it comes time to stir-fry them, it is a very quick process.

An important step is “velveting your beef” – Thinly slice your beef and place in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and  toss to make sure each piece is thoroughly coated. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Rinse beef free from all cornstarch and pat dry – you do not want any moisture or the oil will splatter when you add the beef to the pan.

In a skillet (or wok), fry the sliced meat in hot peanut (or canola) oil until crispy to your liking. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels.

In the same pan (or wok) add the following ingredients in this order with sesame oil: stir-fry celery, crushed red pepper flakes (or Tein Tsin Chinese Chili Peppers) followed by carrots. Do not over cook these ingredients – you want them to be nice and crispy. Add fried meat and green onions. Add sauce and bring to a fast boil, cook for 1 minute and serve immediately over white or brown rice.

This last step should take only 3-4 minutes – it is a very quick process so be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t over cook.

Notes:

I sliced my beef a little bigger than P.F. Chang’s does but not by much and didn’t fry it as much as they do.  Some times the beef can become a bit tough when it is fried too long so I left mine a little tender but still had a slight crunch to it.

The veggies were perfect – like the directions above say DO NOT OVER COOK them – they are supposed to be nice and crunchy.  This process goes very quickly.

I drained off most of the remaining oil from frying the beef before adding the Sesame oil and veggies.  I didn’t wan it to be too oily.

The recipe called for Chili Oil but I couldn’t find it anywhere around me (my grocery stores aren’t so good with stocking “international” cuisine products) so I left it out and didn’t miss it at all.

The sauce was created from memory so if you have had it more recently and attempt to make it at home please adjust the measurements to your liking.

I cooked this in a wok but you can use a large sauté pan.

We had not leftovers!! Like I said this is Bryan’s favorite dish.

Who says you have to go our to have great Chinese food when  you can easily make it at home!  It may take a little longer to make it but it is so worth it and helps save you a little money too.

Weekly Menu Planning

I’m determined to get back into planning out a weekly menu and base our grocery shopping on that menu.  I hope that this will save us money but also the frustration of what to eat each night.  This week is a very Asian inspired week as you’ll see below.  I really miss my favorite little Chinese restaurant in Monterey, Full Moon.  They were so great to me, I would bring them a bottle of gluten-free soy sauce and they would make my food with that. We have both been craving Chinese food lately and Bryan could go out and get some but I can’t so I figured I would make a few Asian inspired recipes this week that will hopefully hit the spot.

When planning weekly menus I usually look at my cookbooks, blogs etc and search for dishes that are tasty, easy and that the ingredients can be used in more than one dish during the week.  This weeks menu inspiration comes from: Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking, Everyday Food-Fresh Flavor Fast and a few recipes I found online.

November 29-December 5

Monday

Grilled Steaks, mashed sweet potatoes and corn (these were our last steaks from Omaha Steaks -a gift from Bry’s parents)

Tuesday

P.F. Chang’s inspired Beef A La Sichuan (Bryan’s favorite dish to order there, even off of the gluten-free menu)

Wednesday

Asian Inspired Noodle Bowl (Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking pg. 30)

Thursday

Beef Stir Fry (Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast pg. 190)

Friday

Penne A La Broccoli (Light dish with red pepper flakes from DrWeil.com)

Saturday

General Chang’s Chicken (Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking pg. 163) I’ll be making this for my birthday dinner along with some cupcakes, or maybe even a cheesecake…I have yet to decided which one I really want.

Sunday

Not 100% sure what to make just yet for sunday, maybe some beef stew or pot roast.

If you haven’t picked up a copy of the Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking cookbook by Kelli and Peter Bronski you really should – this cookbook is fantastic.  I’ve made several of their recipes and have enjoyed every one of them.

What are you cooking this week?

Gluten Free Culinary Student

A few days ago I posted about my visit to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI for the Culinary Arts/Culinary Nutrition program.  I had applied earlier that week and during the visit I was told they were just waiting for my previous college transcripts, but my application file was on someone’s desk waiting to be reviewed.  I called on Tuesday to make sure they had received my transcripts and was told that they had and would be doing an evaluation worksheet on them to see if any of my previous courses would transfer in.  Before hanging up I asked when I should expect to hear an admissions decision and was told “Actually you were admitted yesterday, Congratulations!”  To my shock and surprise I have been admitted to my dream school.  I’m still kind of numb from it I think, don’t get me wrong I am beyond excited and I know that this program is going to be difficult, tiring, long hours, lots of hard courses (especially for the culinary nutrition aspect of it).

My Passion

Growing up I have had several real passions, cooking (thanks to my grandmother), photography (thanks to my dad) and pathology (again, thanks to my dad who every Christmas gave me presents revolved around it: dissection kits, anatomy coloring book, which I still have, and amazing anatomy pop up books).

Like I mentioned above, my Grandma Lu has had a huge influence on my love of cooking.  A few months ago I wrote a post about her (you can read it here).  She is truly an amazing woman who I will forever be grateful for. Ever since I was little she has been a huge encourager in my life.  My Grandma Lu is a rock in our family, always keeping her children and grandchildren a priority no matter what is going on.  She is a sweet little Italian lady who doesn’t have a problem telling you how it is.  She hasn’t has the easiest of lives but she is one tough cookie, with a positive attitude.  I have so many fond memories of her. If you don’t mind I want to share a few memories and little things about my grandmother:

• When I was younger she taught me how to make chicken soup from scratch – I was about five or six and she pulled a chair up to the stove next to her and taught me how to cut veggies and make a soup with what you had on hand.
• When my parents divorced she gave me a little card with the “Serenity Prayer” on it and I still have it to this day.
• No matter how bad things got she would say “This too shall pass”
• When I was born she came to the hospital with a crocheted santa and I still have it – actually in a few weeks that santa will be 29 years old.
• I have always been told that I am a mini-me of her and to me that is one of the best compliments that anyone could ever give me.
• She is a fantastic cook – she used to cook for the Priests at her church and when I lived with her I would often go and help her.

Seeing as she was so willing to help me when I first started to look at JWU 12 years ago I figured she would be excited for me now.  The hard part is she has Alzheimer’s.  I called her yesterday to tell her the good news and she was so excited for me and kept saying, “Wow you are going to be a chef!” “Oh that is a great school” “I have Alzheimer’s and I don’t like that I have it”, and then would continue to repeat the conversation over and over again.

I haven’t been around for five years so her progression is a bit hard for me.  My other family members are a bit more used to it but I am not.  I cried like a baby after getting off the phone with her.  I know she is proud of me and I just wish I could express to her and share with her how much of an impact she has had on me and this passion of mine.  I tried to explain it a bit yesterday and she kept saying she has some recipes and cookbooks to give me. She was looking for her brown folder of recipes – which are coveted by many.  I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her coveted collection of recipes has been given to my Aunt Lisa (her youngest daughter). I so badly wish I could take her Alzheimer’s away, but nothing will ever take the love I have for her away.

She is definitely a huge influence for me. And I told Bryan last night that when times get tough in school please remind me that I am doing this partially for her.

My journey

I have been dreaming on and off about JWU for the past twelve years.  While in high school this was where I wanted to go, but when I hurt my left shoulder at the beginning of my senior year, when I fell down/off stairs that had no railing, I gave up my dream.  My grandmother really wanted to me to go and even offered to help me if I changed my mind, but at the point I couldn’t lift anything more than five pounds.  After many doctor visits, physical therapy and an MRI I was told that it was nothing just some tendonitis.  A little more than a year later I was still in physical therapy and one day they had me do this one stretch called the “superman” and that was it, tears streaming down my face, couldn’t talk, couldn’t put my arm down or up.  They called my mom to come get me and she made a phone call to Dr. Peace who performed a surgery on her torn rotator cuff a few years earlier.  I got an appointment the next day and sure enough, he took one look at the MRI and saw the tear right away.  I had torn my rotator cuff a year or so before and apparently had torn it even more the day before.  Not long after I had my surgery and started the recovery process, however my left should will never be 100%.

Instead of pursuing my dream of culinary arts I changed plans and attended a local college and changed my major about five times (I’m not joking).  After a semester of attending classes full time and working part time at the school I was offered a full time job there and started taking classes part time.  Four years later I left there and enrolled in a Photography school in California.  Working at a school I was that obnoxious prospective student, calling and emailing them a million and one questions before I accepted the offer.  I packed up two suitcases and my camera bag and flew across the country to tackle this goal of becoming a photographer.  Three months into school I was told that they were under investigation for falsifying admissions information (I had asked them about this issue before enrolling and was ensured they were not involved). Needless to say I left after that and moved to central California where I lived and worked (again, in higher education) for five years.

During all of this, I never gave up my love of food and cooking.  Over the years I’ve made some amazing friends who also love food, cooking and experimenting. It is also during this time that I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  At first for someone who loves food, especially pasta and bread this new life style was a bit depressing and scary.  ”What was I going to eat?” Thankfully though I approached this new lifestyle and diet like another adventure.  I cleaned out my cabinets of all food that contained gluten and went shopping for some new goodies to try.  I started this blog to help myself and hopefully help others.  My big thing was I didn’t want to be that person that says “Oh I had to give up everything I love”, so instead I started taking my favorite recipes and adapting them to be gluten free.  It has turned out rather well, there isn’t much that I miss or can’t have.

Then Bryan came along…well actually we have known each other for six years now.  Every few months over the five years that I was in California we would exchange e-mails to see how the other was doing etc.  I went to visit him last summer for a week and that started it all.  After not seeing him for five years it was like we never missed a beat.  He truly is my best friend.  After he got accepted to law school in Rhode Island we started talking about me moving back east to be with him and to be closer to our families.  In July I moved to New Jersey and then we moved to Rhode Island in August.  After searching for jobs and not finding anything I decided I should start looking at going back to school.  I was looking for nutrition programs because ultimately I want to work with families who have food allergies.  During my search I found that JWU offers a Culinary Nutrition Program.  I about fell over – Culinary Arts and Nutrition combined, it couldn’t be real, could it? So Bryan and I started talking about it and decided that we will go to their open house and check it out.  Bryan said I should request my transcripts and apply before we went so I did.  He has been beyond supportive of this desire of mine and I can’t thank him enough.

I feel even more in love with the school after visiting it.  I asked as many questions as I could about doing the programs and having Celiac Disease.  Everyone I talked to were very encouraging about it and there have been several students who have done this.  And now here we are…starting in March I will be a Culinary Arts/Culinary Nutrition student at my dream school – Johnson & Wales University. Best part is, I’ll be doing this Gluten-Free (as best I can!)  Needless to say once school starts I’m sure the blog will change a bit, I’ll be posting about my experiences as a gluten-free culinary arts student in a not so gluten-free environment, some recipes etc.

So Grandma Lu this is for you – I love you more than words can express, thank you for instilling in me the love of food and being creative with what you have and making something wonderful out of nothing.

POM Wonderful Dinner Party (Recap)

About a month ago I entered a contest to host a POM Wonderful dinner party.  POM would pick 100 people to host a dinner party inspired by, Pomegranates (of course).  I entered at first because Bryan and I love pomegranates, and I really wanted to try to incorporate them into some recipes other than just drinking the juice and eating the seeds.  To my surprise I got an e-mail back saying I was one of the 100 picked and I would be receiving two cases of pomegranates and some goodie bags for my guests.  After getting this e-mail I had about 9 million thoughts running through my head of what to make, how many people to invite and oh I can’t forget the decorations! After sitting back and relaxing for a little bit I decided that simple was the best way to go.

Bryan and I will hopefully be in New Jersey for Thanksgiving this year and my dad, stepmom and stepsister will all be in upstate New York, so I figured we would do a pre-Thanksgiving inspired dinner together yesterday, just the five of us. Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme our menu was as follows:

Starter:

Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and a Pomegranate Balsamic Dressing

Main:

Roasted Chicken with Pomegranate Glaze

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Garlic Green Beans

Pomegranate-Cranberry Sauce

Biscuits

Drink:

Hard Pomegranate – Apple Cider

Dessert:

Brownie Cupcakes topped Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

Pomegranate Sorbet

Over all our dinner was great- with a few minor setbacks of having a small kitchen, sink and not being happy with my frosting!  It was nice to have my family here for a relaxing afternoon filled with football and a very tasty dinner (If I do say so myself).  Our decorations were simple – some small pumpkins in the center and on each plate was a pomegranate and an instruction card on “how to open a pomegranate”. Most of the recipes used were ones that we make often, simple yet very tasty and all 100% Gluten Free! Below are some of the recipes with photos.  (I must note that I got caught up in feeding everyone that I forgot to take a few photos, such as the roasted chicken when it came out of the oven-sorry!)

Salad with Pomegranate-Balsamic Dressing

(We usually have mixed greens and what ever else we can throw into the salad, it is completely up to you)

One -two large romaine lettuce heads, chopped (Or mixed greens)

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cucumber sliced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (optional)

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate-Balsamic Dressing

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup of good olive oil

1/4 cup pomegranate juice

1/8-1/4 cup balsamic dressing

Add all ingredients to a covered jar or salad dressing mixer.  Shake well and enjoy (you can adjust the measurements to your flavor liking)

Roast Chicken with Pomegranate Glaze

1 Whole Chicken (about 9 pounds)

1/4 cup room temp butter

1 1/2 tablespoons of Seasoning of your choice – I use a mixture of rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage.

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl mix the softened butter and herbs until well combined. Set aside

Make sure the giblets and neck are removed from the chicken cavity.  Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Season with salt and pepper – also season the cavity. Place your chicken in the roasting pan and gently lift the skin using your fingers – be sure not to tear any of it.  Once the skin  has been lifted, take  half of the butter and herb mixture and spread evenly under the skin.  Take the remaining butter and herb mixture and do the same over the top of the chicken.  Place chicken in oven.  About thirty minutes into cooking add about 1 cup of chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan and baste the chicken.  Continue to baste the chicken every 30 minutes.  (please be sure to check the size of your chicken to determine how long it should roast for).  For a 9 pound chicken, cook for 2 – 2 1/2 hours.

During the last thirty minutes of the chicken brush it with the pomegranate glaze (see recipe below) every ten minutes, do this again when your chicken has been removed from the oven. This sauce can also be drizzled over the meat on your plate (which I did)

Pomegranate Glaze

(Very concentrated flavor, and very good)

1 cup POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

In a small sauce pan heat the pomegranate juice over medium heat.  Simmer until juice has reduced about half, about 10-12 minutes.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

(We love mashed sweet potatoes, especially with the cinnamon added.  We tend to eat more sweet potatoes than regular ones)

1 – 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2  - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup soy milk

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan add sweet potatoes and cover with water.  Boil for ten minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.  Drain well.  Either by using a potato masher or using a stand mixer add your potatoes to a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), add butter and soy milk and begin mashing (or whisking), until smooth.  Season with cinnamon and mix again until well blended.  Season with salt and pepper.

Garlic Green Beans

(one of our favorite side dishes, quick, easy and very flavorful.  This replaces the green bean casserole on our table)

1-2 pounds of fresh green beans

3 large cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Lightly steam the green beans until bright green yet still crispy.  Drain well.  In a medium-large pan melt butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and stir in the green beans.  Toss the green beans so they are all coated in the garlic and butter/oil sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pomegranate-Cranberry Sauce

(I usually make this a day in advance)

1 Bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries

1 cup pomegranate juice

1/2 cup sugar – you can use either with sugar or packed brown sugar (I used the brown sugar this time)

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

In a medium saucepan – over medium/high heat add the pomegranate juice and sugar. Bring to a boil.  Add the fresh cranberries, once the berries start to pop open reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally.  Cook until most of the cranberries have burst open and the sauce has thickened a bit, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add in the pomegranate seeds.  Cool  to room temp before serving (or if you are making this in advance like I do (I think it tastes better the next day) cool completely and transfer to an air tight container.

Biscuits

I used the recipe on the back of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Bisquick box.

2 cups Gluten Free Bisquick mix

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup milk (I use soy)

3 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees

Cut shortening into mix, using fork, until particles are size of small peas.  Stir in remaining ingredients until soft dough forms.  Drop by spoonfulls onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes 10 biscuits.

Hard Pomegranate-Apple Cider

(We used a local hard apple cider from Newport Vineyards, which is right down the road from us)

Serves four

3 parts hard apple cider

1 part pomegranate juice

In wine glasses (or any fun glasses you might have) add three parts hard apple cider and one part pomegranate juice and stir lightly.  Serve chilled.

Brownie Cupcakes with Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

12 Brownie Cupcakes (I used the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix and made them in a cupcake pan – you can use which ever brand you like).  Make these the night before so they can cool and that is one less thing to bake the day of.

Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

(sadly below isn’t the recipe that I used, I made my own but it didn’t have much pomegranate flavor so I suggest using this one instead)

8 oz cream cheese softened (room temp)

4 oz butter softened

3 oz of pomegranate juice (juice from 3-4 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates,* or 1-1/2 cups POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice)

14 oz Powdered sugar

1 cup arils from 1 large POM Wonderful

Prepare fresh pomegranate juice*, score 1-2 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water, break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs), the arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top, sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside, (refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use), reduce the pomegranate juice, over low heat, down to 3 fl. oz., Allow to cool, place butter into electric mixer bowl with paddle attachment and cream on medium-high speed for 1 minute, add the cream cheese and continue to mix for 2 more minutes, turn the speed down to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar and the pomegranate juice reduction, mix until the sugar is fully combined, remove icing from the mixer and place into a piping bag with a round or star tip.

Pomegranate Sorbet

(I have never made sorbet before so I asked my stepmom to use her ice cream maker so I could attempt making pomegranate sorbet.  I found the following recipe online at Saveur and it is very flavorful and refreshing!)

1/2 cup sugar

3 cups pomegranate juice

1 Cup water

Place sugar, 1 cup water, and pomegranate juice in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well chilled. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve garnished with pomegranate seeds. (This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #9)

 

Our table setting

Our POM Wonderful inspired meal

To make our Hard Apple-Pomegranate Cider we used a local hard cider from Newport Vineyards (It’s the best we’ve had)

A light refreshment – Hard Apple-Pomegranate Cider

“How To Open A Pomegranate”

A simple yet flavor packed and refreshing dessert – Pomegranate Sorbet

Each guest got a POM Swag-Bag which included a POM bracelet, POM recipe cards, POM pamphlet, a free coupon for a bottle of POM wonderful juice and an awesome reusable POM wonderful tote.  They also got to take home a few pomegranates.

 

Gluten Free Culinary Student-We’ll See

A few of you may have noticed my recent posts about possibly going back to school but not just any school, my dream school from when I was in high school, Johnson and Wales University.  I have been looking at schools for a little while now for a nutrition program but there really isn’t much around us in that field.  One day when searching I noticed that Johnson and Wales has started a Culinary Nutrition program. This program blends my two goals. Below is a little blurb about the program and JWU.

Developed in response to industry and consumer concerns about food allergies, food intolerance and food-intake related diseases, the Culinary Nutrition bachelor’s degree is designed to produce chefs who know how to make nutritious food, and nutritionists who know how to cook. It is the first of its kind to receive accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association.

As a student in the program, you’ll learn to develop sensory evaluation techniques, nutritional diagnostic skills and innovative food products. Through the completion of an internship in your senior year, you’ll apply your practical knowledge in a professional setting of your choice. Qualified students may have the opportunity to replace their internship with a summer term abroad.

As a graduate, you will be positioned to work in major test kitchens, health care facilities, cruise ships, spas, resorts and the personal chef industry, where an emphasis on nutrition is fundamental.

I called a few weeks ago to see how realistic it would be for me, having Celiac Disease to do a culinary arts program there.  To my delight they said it is extremely possible to do and they have several students with Celiac Disease and a few other food allergies, such as nut and citrus not only complete the culinary arts degree but they have also successfully completed the baking and pastry arts degree. So today Bryan and I went to Providence to check out the campus, facilities and program.  The facilities are incredible! To read more about them, click here.

When we arrived, I checked in at the table to register and was asked if I was a high school senior, no lie – some of you will laugh at this but I am 28 years old and will be turning 29 in a few weeks, and still to this day I will get offered the kids menu and crayons at some restaurants.  It took everything in side of myself and Bryan not to laugh out loud and not look at each other. I really don’t mind people thinking I’m very young, it works in my favor, or at least I hope it will in about twenty years.  When the first information session ended and we are about to go on our tour, I look around and started to realized that I am probably the oldest or one of the oldest people there that is actually looking at the school for myself and no my child!

While on the tour today we (well Bryan) got to test out some tasty foods. We learned out some really fascinating courses that they offer-Skills of Meat-cutting, International Cuisine, How Baking Works (the professor of this course is releasing a Gluten-Free cookbook next year), Mixology and so much more.  I asked as many questions as I could think of and was informed that gluten-free cooking is well received and encouraged.  For example in the “healthy desserts” course I was told that the students are broken up into groups and they decided on a recipe such as, chocolate chip cookies and one group will make a recipe that is for diabetics, one group will make one for those with celiac disease and another group will pick another food intolerance, allergy or medical condition that needs an alternative diet.

At the end of the tour we got to walk through the Culinary Arts Museum which had an exhibit of some of their more famous graduates, which include Sarah Moulton, Thomas Keller, Martin Yan and Emeril Lagasse!

I know that this program is going to be extremely difficult, tiring, exciting, humbling and everything in between. However, I think I could do this if I actually get admitted…seeing as there are no guarantees my fingers are crossed.  My ultimate goal is to get my A.S. in Culinary Arts, my B.S. in Culinary Nutrition, get an internship and then sit for the Registered Dietitian exam.  Once all that is done, have the ability to work in either a hospital and/or work with families that are newly diagnosed and do cooking lessons with them, to show them that just because you have an allergy you don’t have to miss out on healthy and delicious food. Overall it was a great day and a great school.

Below are a few photos that I took with my phone today, so I apologize for the bad quality.

Steak crostini with horseradish cream, roasted red pepper and micro greens

French Onion Soup

Students getting ready for NY Food week

Students preparing cafe diablo

Bananas Foster

One of the two things I could taste today – really good!

Student sugar sculpture projects

Close up of the sugar sculpture

Close up of Hansel and Gretel bread sculpture

Hansel and Gretel student bread sculpture

Yummy smelling bread that I couldn’t eat

Brioche with cream filling – Bryan really enjoyed this.

Our last demo, Culinary Nutrition.  Some fantastic Squash soup was made for us.

Culinary Nutrition food lab

Culinary Nutrition food lab (2) – 8 mixers and 8 ovens

Culinary Arts Museum

Culinary Arts Museum – Sarah Moulton

Culinary Arts Museum – Thomas Keller

 

Also don’t forget there is a great giveaway going on at Creative Cooking Gluten Free – click HERE to read more about it.

Live Gluten Freely Review & Giveaway!

This giveaway is no closed – thank you to all who entered!

I am very excited about this review and giveaway.  General Mills generously provided me a complementary box of products through My Blog Spark. I have tried and reviewed many of these products, and truly enjoy them.  General Mills has done a great job with providing some fantastic gluten-free products that taste just as great as their gluten containing products. General Mills proudly offers over 300 gluten-free products that you can find at your local grocery store.

Live Gluten Freely has started to offer this amazing box of General Mills gluten-free products.  These boxes are great not only for your self, but as gifts, especially for those who are newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  If you haven’t visited and become familiar with Live Gluten Freely, I highly suggest that you head on over to their site and check it out and subscribe to their newsletter.  It is a great resource for gluten-free products, and they even have a pocket guide that you can print out and take along with you to the grocery store or keep in your car.  They also have a product locator, recipes and resources.

In our house we love the new Betty Crocker Bisquick mix.  We’ve been making some great recipes with it and Bryan loves the pancakes!  One day we made Chocolate Chip Pancakes (gluten-free, dairy free and nut free chocolate chips) and the other night I made him pomegranate pancakes. We also made chicken tenders with the bisquick mix, both regular Chicken Tenders and then boneless buffalo chicken tenders.

GIVEAWAY!

One lucky winner will win the gluten-free box above from Live Gluten Freely (valued at $24.99)

To be eligible to win please leave a separate comment for each of the following by 11:59pm on Thursday November 18, 2010!

(If you already follow on Twitter, like on Facebook and subscribe, please leave a comment saying so)

Subscribe to Creative Cooking Gluten Free (top left of blog) – 1 Entry

Follow Creative Cooking Gluten Free (@Creatively_GF) on Twitter – 1 Entry

‘Like’ Creative Cooking Gluten Free on Facebook – 1 Entry

Tweet This: Enter to win a #GF box from @BettyCrocker, @Creatively_GFEnds 11/18 (11:59pm) 
http://wp.me/pnrJm-iS
#giveaway#myblogspark -1 Entry and can be done once a day!

Bonus Entries:

Leave a comment below on which product(s) you would like to try and why – 2 Entries (please leave the comment twice)

Leave a comment below with which products you would like to see gluten-free – 2 Entries (please the comment twice)

Gluten Free Pomegranate Pancakes with Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Bisquick:

1 cup Betty Crocker Gluten Free Bisquick Mix

1 cup soy or rice milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined and there are no lumps.  Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat.  Use just under 1/4 cup of mixture for each pancake.  Add about one tablespoon of pomegranate seeds to each pancake. Cook until edges have hardened and the tops start to bubble .  Flip and cook until golden brown.  Makes about 10 pancakes.

M&M Cookies

Last night we had our first frost of the season! Took the dog out this morning and the cars were all covered and the ground was nice and crunchy – today was a baking day for sure.  In my last post I wrote about living the gluten-free life not only creatively but frugally as well.  Seeing as I am running low on all of my gluten free flours and xanthan gum I was trying to think of something to bake that didn’t require much of those ingredients and was simple to make.  I did some searching online because none of the recipes I have would of worked with what I have in the house.

Bob’s Red Mill has some fantastic recipes on their website and I found a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe by Carol Fenster that sounded pretty dang tasty.  Who doesn’t miss coming home after school and your mom having fresh baked cookies for you?! I know I do.  Seeing as Bryan is at school all day and well, I’m home I thought I would make these for him and seeing as we don’t have any chocolate chips in the house, I decided to use some of his plain M&M’s instead (I have peanut ones, and those are just too darn big for cookies).  These cookies remind me of the ones you would get at the food court in the mall at the cookie stand, crunchy and soft at the same time-they went great with a cup of soy milk!!

M&M Cookies (Chocolate Chip Cookies by Carol Fenster) (GF)

Ingredients 1-2/3 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Xanthan Gum 1/4 tsp Sea Salt 1/4 cup Butter 3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar 1/3 cup Sugar 2 tsp Vanilla 1 large Egg 1 cup Chocolate Chips 1/4 cup chopped Walnuts-Baker’s Pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large cookie sheet or line with parchment paper; set aside. Stir together the GF baking flour, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter (room temperature, not melted) with granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg; scrape sides of bowl frequently. Beat in flour mixture on low speed, mixing thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Shape dough into flat disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on baking sheet, or roll into balls if dough is hard to work with. Bake 10-12 minutes on center rack of oven or until lightly browned. Cool 2-3 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 24 cookies. P.S. – We’ve got some give aways coming up so keep checking back in the next few days!! Trust me you don’t want to miss these

Creatively and Frugally Gluten Free

We’ve all been hit hard with the economy the way that it is and if you are like myself, you’ve been hit a bit harder because I am still out of work.  I wasn’t laid off or anything, I willing left my job and life in California to move back East to be with Bryan.  I don’t regret my decision by any means – I think it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. If I didn’t move in the summer who knows if or when it would have happened.  There were other factors (like our families) into moving when I did but he was the main reason.  Seeing as I left my job, I do not collect unemployment and have no income or health insurance. I spend my days searching and applying for jobs – which is usually about 20 jobs!  I’m not being picky and only applying for certain jobs, I am applying to anything and everything that I remotely qualify, however the call backs are scarce. sparse.  Honestly as depressing and defeating as it is, I keep doing it every day.  I know something will come along, I just hope it happens soon. It is funny because the few responses I have received back say I am over qualified and that is one thing I have never been told in my life, usually it is the opposite because even though I have about 10 years of administrative work under my belt (mostly in Higher Education admissions) I am under qualified because I don’t have a Bachelor’s degree (actually any degree for that matter).

I would love to someday have the ability to donate my time with an organization or be a part time food blogger and work part-time, but right now we need me to be working.  I enjoy working (and earning a pay check) actually I miss working.  People keep telling me that once I get a job I’ll be wishing for this time again, and I’m sure I will at some point but I think it might take a while for me to feel that way.

So with being out of work for a total of four months we have learned to not only live the gluten-free life creatively but also frugally!  I am a coupon clipper and at first Bryan would make fun of me for it but I think now he is pretty thankful for my OCD with coupons.  Each week when we get the grocery ads I scour them looking for the good sales.  We normally don’t buy anything that isn’t on sale.  I’m a big fan of the buy one get one items.  We buy more fresh items vs. processed items.

I also try to make as many gluten-free things that I possibly can instead of buying them at the stores such as granola, bread, salad dressings, cookies, ice tea, mochas, cakes and pies.  Sadly however, I am running low on all of my gluten-free flours and my xanthan gum! So I have to be careful until I can afford to order some new ones.  Today I was trying to think of other things I can make at home with the ingredients I have on hand instead of buying.  One thing that came to mind is taco seasoning.  We eat tacos fairly often because it is a quick and easy meal that we both enjoy.  So I did some searching around online to find out what people really put in taco seasoning because the packages are a bit vague listing “spices” – well that is obvious but which ones? Here is what I came up with, and should probably note we really enjoy spicy foods in our house so you might want to adjust this recipe to your level of spice preference.  We tried this tonight and it was really good, if I do say so myself!

CCGF’s Taco Seasoning (GF/OF/DF)

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch (I noticed some people used Potato Starch or Corn Flour)

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder (make sure it is gluten-free!)

1 Teaspoon Paprika

3/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (You might want to use only 1/4 teaspoon if you don’t like much spice)

1/2 Teaspoon Chipolte Pepper (You can omit this or use 1/4 teaspoon)

1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Sugar

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl or plastic bag, mix well.  Store in an airtight container.

Tacos:

1lb – 1 1/2lb ground beef or turkey

Taco Seasoning (see above)

2/3 Cup water

Corn tortilla shells -hard or soft

Shredded lettuce (optional)

Shredded cheese (optional)

Sour cream (optional)

Avocado (optional)

In a large skillet on medium heat, brown beef and drain off any fat, about 8-10 minutes.  Add taco seasoning stir until well combined then add water.  Simmer over medium heat until sauce has thickened, about 3-4 minutes.  Serve in taco shells with your favorite toppings.  You can even make nachos with this instead!

Here is to living the gluten-free life creatively and frugally!

PJ’s Organics – Gluten Free Enchiladas & Taquitos

One thing we really seem to lack around us is Mexican food!  I was beyond spoiled living in California and I have to say that even though I love the Mexican food in Monterey the Mexican food in Ventura was still better.  One day we decided to try an “Authentic Mexican Cantina” near here and I posted about this before – bottom line, it’s not good at all, so we make tacos at home now, and by no means are they authentic but they are at least tasty!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by PJ’s Organics and was asked if I would be interested in trying and reviewing their new gluten-free products.  I didn’t even have to think twice about that, my answer was yes!  I was sent samples of their four gluten-free products: Gluten Free Chicken Enchilada, Gluten Free Steak Enchilada, Traditional Taquito and Deluxe Taquitos.  Bryan and I were both excited to try PJ’s Organics products – even though he isn’t gluten-free, he is my taste testing companion – I think its great that I get to do this, but I love getting his non-gluten free opinion on these products.  If he says its good, then you know it must be really good!

So first up we really wanted to try the Enchiladas which come with black beans and brown rice.   We decided to make them both, and cut the Enchiladas in half and each try them both.  Let’s start with how Bryan felt about them “You can’t even tell these are gluten-free!” and I think that sums it up pretty well, they were delicious for frozen meals.  The perfect serving size, the meat in side wasn’t just mush either, there were actually chunks of meat.  These were very filling, I don’t think either of us even finished the rice and beans.  We would defiantly buy the Enchiladas again – if you can find them around you, give them a try!

Next up we had the Traditional and Deluxe Taquitos.  Again, we tried them both together and out of the two I have to say my favorite was the Deluxe Taquitos…they have chicken, corn, red bell peppers along with rice and cheese.  Both were a bit dry, but that was easily solved with a little bit of salsa and sour cream.  Again, there were actually chunks of meat and decent flavor – the enchiladas had a bit more than these did but they were still pretty tasty. The Taquitos were a very good size too – so about two or three of them are great for a snack after school.

These products defiantly fixed our need for some tasty Mexican Food – and yes they are frozen meals, but they did the job just fine! Click here for places to buy PJ’s Organics – They have a whole ton of gluten containing products and the gluten-free products listed above!

Thank you to the very kind people of PJ’s Organics for letting me taste your wonderful products.  Great job on making them taste fantastic and even those with out Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance will enjoy them!