gluten-free greenie

This Blog is Changing and moving.

2011-01-06T13:33:00.001-05:00

Gluten-Free Greenie is changing names and moving host. In a way I really hate to see her go, she has been a good friend to me, but I want to spread my wings a bit.

My new blog is titled Wendy Cooks and will be hosted at WordPress.

There are many reasons I've decided to make this change.
1. If I host a giveaway on WordPress my readers can give their email address without the whole world seeing it. I never liked the fact that people had to leave their email address on an open comment when I sponsored a giveaway on Gluten-Free Greenie. I never want to be the reason that any of my readers get spam.
2. I have another blog on WordPress that I started in October. People seem to be able to find me there much easier than they did on Blogger. If you would like to visit my blog all about me living with chronic illnesses, and simply my life in general; please come by Picnic with Ants.
3. Wendy Cooks will be all about my life in the kitchen. I may mention small little things that are going on in my life, but mainly only if they change the way I'll be cooking and eating. All of my other interest and life happenings will be covered on Picnic with Ants.
4. Don't worry all the recipes on this blog will still be here, and there is a Recipe Page on Wendy Cooks that will give you a link to each recipe, even if I post a recipe in Picnic with Ants I will still have a link to it on Wendy Cooks Recipe page.
5. The New Recipes on Wendy Cooks will still be Gluten Free!

Asian Vegetable Soup

2011-01-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had an Endoscope done and found out that I have to follow a diet for Acid Reflux. (He also took some biopsies so I should find out about that in about a week.)
There's going to be quite a few changes to my diet. The biggest ones are No Onions, and No Tomatoes. That is going to be so hard. I love a good tomato sauce, and I cook almost everything with onion. Some things I've read have said that people with Acid Reflux, can eat onions in small amounts as long as they are cooked. I guess if they happen to be in something I don't have to freak out. : )
Here's a link to the diet: Acid Reflux Diet
The highlights of the diet are, NO: Caffeinated drinks, carbonated drinks, greasy or fatty foods, spicy food, citrus fruits and juices,tomatoes or anything tomato based, onions, peppermint, chocolate, alcohol, nicotine.
I'm having a hard time getting in the swing of things with this diet so far because we simply have too much good cheese in the house. : ) I don't eat a lot of fat, but I do eat some things that are higher in fat because I don't like all the junk they put in low-fat foods as fillers. I just eat less of the higher fat food. But I guess that will have to change. I do wish they would be more specific in the diet and say how much fat I should have at each serving. I guess I will be doing more research.
The first recipe I'm making with all my new requirements is a nice comforting soup.

This is an extremely easy soup to make. You don't have to give it an Asian flavor, I just wanted it, you could switch up the seasoning and vegetables to your taste. Just use what ever vegetables you have on hand. Leftovers in the fridge, or you can use frozen veggies like I did.
Asian Vegetable Soup

1 12 oz Bag Kroger Brand Frozen Asian Vegetables (or vegetables of choice, I had a bag of these in the freezer. They do have onions, but not a lot, hopefully it won't be enough to bother me.)
about 3 cups Vegetable Stock (I used Kitchen Basics Unsalted Vegetable Stock, I just poured in enough to cover the veggies, it took about 3/4 of the box.)
1 teaspoon of Molasses
2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

The last 4 ingredients could be substituted with low sodium Tamari sauce (but I was out and this is a pretty good substitute, with no sodium) See this Soy Sauce Substitute Recipe if you are interested: Soy Sauce Sub. Recipe from allrecipes.com
Combine all the above ingredients in a slow cooker (or you could cook it on the stove). I cooked mine in the slow cooker on high for about 2 hours. I thought it would take longer, but the veggies were starting to look over cooked. You could cook it on low for about 4 hours probably.)
Serve with rice or noodles of choice. I had some left over brown rice so I just poured some of the soup over the rice. This would also be good with grilled chicken, or grilled tofu added.
These new restrictions are going to be hard, but if it helps, I'll give it a try. I am hoping that some day I'll be able to eat onions and tomatoes again, at least in small amounts.

Another Year

2011-01-01T17:37:00.001-05:00

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

- Neil Gaiman

I could not have said it better myself. I wish these things for you, and also for me. May we all live a life in 2011 where we constantly surprise ourselves (in a very good way).

Today I am making Black Eyed Peas, and Rice with Collard Greens for the New Year. Yes, I am a Southern Girl.

This is traditionally a West African dish, brought to the Southern US by slavery. It is thought to bring prosperity.
The Peas represent coins, and the Greens represent the color of money. (I'm not sure if the rice represents anything or not.)
This dish is often refereed to as Hoppin' Johns, but why is not known. One possibility is that the name is that is comes from the Haitian Creole term for black-eyed peas: pois pigeons (pronounced:: [pwapiˈʒɔ̃]).

Traditionally Hoppin' John is made with bacon or some kind of salty pork. I wanted to make mine Vegan this year, and with much less sodium, so I could use them in other recipes and not just this one. I omitted the pork and added liquid smoke, and Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning. It seemed to work very well.

Vegan Black Eyed Peas with Rice (Hoppin' John)

1 lb Dried Black Eyed Peas
4 cups (1 container) Vegetable Stock (I use Kitchen Stock's Unsalted Vegetable Stock)
about 2 Tablespoons of oil (I used Toasted Sesame Oil to give this an even smokier flavor, but you can use olive oil, or whatever.)
1 medium to large onion diced small
4 large cloves of garlic minced. (probably about 3 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon Cumin (yes, I know I really like this spice.)
1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning to taste.

I soaked my peas over night, but I've read that you do not have to do this with Black-Eyed Peas because they are so small. I'm cooking mine in the slow cooker. I have a 3.5 quart cooker.

Add the soaked beans to the cooker. Add the vegetable stock.

In a pan on the stove heat the oil over a medium high heat cook the onions and garlic until the onions are transparent. (always be careful not to burn your garlic, I always start the onions cooking while I'm preparing the garlic, you want the garlic tender, but burnt garlic is not tasty.)

Add the onion and garlic mixture to the peas.

Add seasonings.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours. (I bought mine from a bulk bin and I think they may have been a little old because after 5 hours on high they were still a little crunchy. I know if beans are old they take much longer to cook. These beans shouldn't have taken this long.)

Fried Collard Greens

1 Bunch of Collard Greens (my bunch was about 8 HUGE leaves.) Wash and remove the steams, then cut or tear into pieces about an inch square.)
4 slices of Bacon (I used Boar's Head thick sliced bacon, it was all I could find at Kroger that was uncured with no Nitrates with less sodium.) *Note: All Boar's Head Meat is Gluten Free.

I just chopped up the bacon into pieces about 1/2 inch wide, then put it in my wok and cooked it until done.

I added the Collards and tossed to cover with the bacon and the bacon grease (I was amazed that this bacon really didn't make that much grease). I cooked the greens until they were wilted and bright green. I turned off the heat and covered the pan so they would steam a little more.

We used left over rice.

Stuart said this was very good. I was disappointed that the beans were still a little crunchy, but the flavor was great.

I hope everyone is having the start of a wonderful New Year!

I'm happy that I got a lot accomplished today:
Cooked up a typical Southern New Year's Day dinner.
Cleaned out our Pantry of all expired items and things we just won't eat.
Put up most of the Christmas decorations.

A great start to 2011!

Spinach and Cheese Scramble - Dark Days S.O.L.E. food

2010-12-30T20:43:00.000-05:00

This is just a simple scramble I made this morning, but I used all S.O.L.E. (Sustainable, Organic, Local, Ethical) ingredients. As you probably know by now (unless this is the first post of mine that you are reading), I'm unofficially following the (not so) Urban Hennery's Dark Days Challenge to create a meal a week during the winter using as many S.O.L.E. ingredients as possible.

I guess the following isn't really a whole meal for many, but it was for me.

Spinach and Cheese Scramble

Olive Oil Spray (I use a sprayer that you can fill with your own oil, the oil I used is organic but not local).
A huge handful of spinach, washed with the ends trimmed off (the Spinach is organic and local from Tiny Farms in Hillsborough, NC.)
2 eggs (I had local and organic eggs from cage free chickens).
1/4 cup or less of grated cheese (I used local cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery called Hickory Grove. Chapel Hill Creamery's owners have the philosophy of raising "cows that are healthy and happy and improving the quality of the land").

Spray your pan with the Olive Oil and heat to medium. Throw on the spinach and let it wilt. I just cracked the eggs and put them straight on the spinach and pan scrambled, but you could whisk them up in a bowl first and then add it to the spinach.

Place the scramble on a plate and cover with cheese.

That's it. I've made this before with cheddar cheese, and I've added a few more spices before, even a little sauteed onion is good. However, this time, I really wasn't crazy about the cheese. The cheese guy at Earth Fare said it was buttery with a little bit of a nutty flavor. I asked him if it would be good in a quiche, and he assured me it would. Well, when I think of buttery with a little bit of a nutty flavor, I think of something like Gouda. This was very stinky cheese. I didn't taste the buttery, nutty flavor. It was way too strong for me to taste much but an over powering stinky cheese taste. I know a lot of people like strong stinky cheese, but I'm not really one of them. I like some of it, with some things; like a good sampling of cheese with good wine. But not with my breakfast. I'm sure this is a great cheese for some things, but not for my eggs.

I often make a scramble with left over veggies like broccoli and asparagus too. It's a great way to get in a serving of veggies. I often just use the egg whites because I really need to watch my cholesterol. (My triglycerides are too high.) I like Egg Beaters, but they have sodium in them, and I'm on a low sodium diet. I choose where I have my sodium carefully, and in my eggs is not one of those choices.

We used to just buy regular eggs. What ever was cheaper was ok. Now, that we've been buying Cage Free eggs for a few years, I was really surprised to taste the difference when we visited my father and made eggs there. He just had the normal white eggs. The first think I noticed was that the yoke wasn't as yellow. Then we started eating, and I was shocked by how little flavor they had compared to the Cage Free eggs we normally buy. (We also try to buy local eggs as much as possible. We can find them at the Farmer's Market for about $4.00 a dozen, but I can get them at Earth Fare for about $1.99 a dozen, and at Weaver Street Market for about $2.00 for 18.) Yes, I try to buy local, and organic, but I do shop around and try to get the best deal for the money.

One great thing I've found buying produce at the Farmer's Market is that is seems to last so much longer. I could buy the same thing at the grocery store and it would be bad in less than a week. I've had the spinach I ate today in the refrigerator from my last trip to the Farmer's Market on December 18th. That was 12 days ago, and it still looks great.

Next up. Hop'N Johns. Well, Black Eyed Peas cooked with bacon, Collard Greens, and Rice

What else would a Southerner eat on New Year's Day?

Happy New Year to you all!

Bean Burgers, Greens, and Baby Turnips

2010-12-29T19:16:00.106-05:00

After I made the pot full of Field Peas for one of the Dark Days Challenge meals I've been making, I had a lot of beans left over and decided to try and make Bean Burgers. (I actually made this on December 22nd, I just forgot to post it.)

I actually got started a little late with the Dark Days Challenge, so this can be my make up recipe. : )

This meal is also made primarily of S.O.L.E. (Sustainable, Organic, Local, Ethical) ingredients.

This is a very rough recipe because I just kept adding things until it smelled really good and it would hold together while cooking. Here's pretty much what I did:

Bean Burgers

3 cups cooked beans of your choice (I used the field pea mixture I made on Dec. 20th, because that's what I had on hand. My beans happened to have some sausage in them, but you could easily make this vegan by leaving it out. I really didn't see where it enhanced the flavor of the beans much anyway.)
3 slices of frozen GF bread (I used the stray pieces of bread that were in the freezer, mostly end pieces.)
a hand full of Greens. (I'm not sure what kind of greens I used, I think I used Broccoli Greens.)
1-2 teaspoons of Cumin (I just love Cumin, but you can use your favorite flavor. After I added some of the other ingredients, I'm really not sure I needed it.)
About a Tablespoon of Chipotle Seasoning Mix (I used Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Mix. I've heard some GF people have had reactions to Mrs. Dash seasonings, but I never have.)
Liquid Smoke to taste (I probably used a tablespoon or so.)
GF Worcestershire Sauce (again I probably used about a tablespoon, I just kind of dribbled it in there.)
2 Tablespoons of GF flour (I put this in when the above ingredients simply wouldn't hold together and form and burger that wasn't smushy. I'm not sure it did any good. I tried to make another burger after adding this and it still didn't stay together very well.)
1 egg (when I added this the burgers started to hold together.)
1/4 cup flax seed meal (let this sit in 1/2 cup of warm water for a while - if your mixture is thick you can use more water, mine was too runny. I used the flax seed meal like this to try and get more adhesiveness without adding more egg. I think it worked, they really started to form into burgers then.)

As you can see this was a trial and error recipe. If you eat eggs, you can probably add 2 eggs and leave out the flax, if you don't eat eggs I'm not sure if just the flax will do it, you may have to use an egg replacer.

Simply put everything in your food processor and make it into a thick mixture. It will not form into burgers in your hands like meat does. You will have to spoon it out onto a griddle. (or you can bake them, I did both.)

They take a long time to cook on the griddle, and this recipe makes a lot of burgers. So I put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and baked them at 375F for about 15mins, or until they were a little firm. Do not try to remove them from the parchment paper until they are cooled, they will just come apart. I pulled the paper off on a cooling rack and let them sit. When they were cooled they came right off of the parchment paper and they were much firmer than when I first took them out of the oven. I froze most of these and when I use them I put them on my griddle to warm them and brown them on the outside. The baked ones don't really look very appetizing. You really need to either grill them or cook them on a griddle or something like that right before you serve them.

Stuart and I both liked these burgers, (he's convinced I'll never be able to make them the same again, and he's probably right, but I bet I can make some that are just as tasty.) The Chipotle seasoning really came through. Stuart said they tasted like they were barbecued. He's really a meat man, so this was a great complement coming from him. He also said, this recipe was a keeper....that is if I can do it again. : )

Here's a picture of the first one I made, I ate it simply with a little mustard, and some Homemade Sauerkraut that I made.

In the first picture we had the burgers with Stir Fried Greens and Turnips.

I'm not sure what kind of greens I used. I think it was the rest of the Broccoli Greens.
I didn't cut them into small pieces like I usually do and they came out a little tough, actually a lot tough, but they had a good flavor.

I made the turnips first.

Baby Turnips in Butter and seasoning

Butter - enough to cover the bottom of your pan. I think I used almost 2 tablespoons.
Baby turnips washed and cut into thin rounds. (Baby turnips do not need to be peeled simply wash them and trim off the ends.)
Garlic and Herb seasoning. (I used a mixture I made up, Mrs. Dash makes a good Garlic and Herb seasoning, or you can just use your favorite herbs and spices.

Heat the butter in a flat sautee pan. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the turnips in a single layer. Sprinkle with seasoning. After about 2 minutes flip all the turnips over. You can add some more seasoning if you like. Cook until the turnips are tender, this will depend on how thin you sliced your turnips.

Both Stuart and I loved this. I rarely ever cook with butter but found a few recipes that used turnips and butter together and decided to give it a try. I will probably use Earth Balance Buttery Spread next time.

Stir Fired Greens

I cooked these in the same pan I made the turnips in. So first, remove the turnips and place aside.

1 bunch of greens (I used a small bunch of Broccoli Greens, at least I think they were broccoli greens, because there is just the 2 of us, and it was all I had left.)
a little bit of wine (a couple of splashes)
a couple of tablespoons (I didn't measure.) of Mirin (a sweet Japanese rice wine, you can usually find it in the oriental cooking section. You could use any sweet wine, or Rice Vinegar with a little bit of sugar.)
2 teaspoons of minced garlic (to make this much easier, I keep a big jar of minced garlic in my refrigerator. If I've run out of fresh garlic, or I'm simply in a hurry, I use the jarred stuff.)

Heat the pan over a medium high heat, add the garlic and start it cooking. When the pan starts turning brown, this will probably be pretty fast, put a couple of splashes of wine in the pan and deglaze it. (that means to scrape all the yummy good brown stuff off into your sauce.)

After deglazing the pan, add the greens. I found there was not enough liquid so I added some Mirin. This was a great idea because it really cut the bitterness of the greens. (just like in the Stir Fried Collard recipe I posted a couple of days ago. See a link to it under the recipe tab at the top.)

Mix all of this up so the greens are completely covered with the sauce. (I used my silicone tongs for this and just keep grabbing and twisting.) Cook until the greens are wilted and a pretty green color. You may need to cover and let them steam a little. I usually turn off the burner at this point.

With this recipe, I pushed all the greens to one side and added the turnips back to the pan, then covered and turned the heat off. This warmed the turnips back up.

We were very pleased with the flavor of this whole meal. However, I suggest cutting the greens up into small pieces before cooking. (and always remove the stems. If they have thin stems just cut off the bottom part, but if you are making Kale or Collards remove the stem all the way up through the leaf. This can be a very bitter piece, and when stir frying it will not get done as fast as the leaves.)

What ingredients that I used were S.O.L.E. ingredients?
The Field Pea mixture.
The Organic Greens in the Bean Burgers and the Stir Fry (they were in my Box from Tiny Farm, located in Hillsborough, NC. Just a few miles from where we live in Durham.)
The Organic Baby Turnips (also from my Tiny Farm box)
The egg I used in the Bean Burgers (Organic and Cage Free Eggs from Latta Farms in Hillsborough, NC)

I hope you are enjoying these S.O.L.E. food recipes as much as I'm enjoying making them.

Against the Grain Frozen Nut-free Pesto Pizza

2010-12-28T18:46:00.000-05:00

I've eaten Against the Grain breads before, but I haven't tried their frozen pizza. (The rolls are great as hamburger buns, but quite expensive; and the baguettes are wonderful too, but also expensive.)

I saw the pizza at Earth Fare, but I didn't buy it for quite some time. It cost $10.99 for a 12 inch pizza, and frankly I haven't been very happy with any Gluten-Free Frozen pizza that I've tried. I kept hoping it would go on sale so I wouldn't feel too bad trying it. Today I saw it and I decided, what the heck! I know I like their bread, and the price really isn't bad for a GF pizza that big.

They had 2 flavors to choose from: Three-cheese, or Nut-free Pesto. I chose the Nut-free Pesto. The first thing that really impressed me about this pizza was the that there is a huge window in the box so you can actually see the pizza you are getting. No more getting home and opening a box and thinking, "Boy this sure doesn't look like the picture on the box."

Then I got it home and couldn't wait to try it. This is the FIRST frozen pizza I've ever bought that I didn't feel like I needed to add more cheese! I cooked it on a perforated pizza pan, it did take longer to cook than the instructions said, but that could be my oven. I think next time I will cook it right on the rack, like they suggest, for a crispier crust. When I bit into this pizza it tasted like I was eating a pizza from a pizza parlor. I am so pleased with the pizza. It was well worth the $10.99. After all when if I got a pizza from Zpizza with pesto and mozzarella cheese it would cost me $10.25 for a 10" pizza. That's a smaller pizza for about the same amount of money, and I don't have to drive all the way to Zpizza. (You see it's not very close to our house.)

All in all, I'm very pleased with the Against the Grain Frozen Nut-free Pesto Pizza. At least 4 stars, maybe even 5, but I'm not sure if it the time it says on the box is the right amount of time to cook the pizza.

http://www.againstthegraingourmet.com

S.O.L.E. Food 3. Roasted Chicken, Collards, and Blue Sweet Potato Fries

2010-12-26T21:56:00.003-05:00

Roasted Chicken, Stir Fried Collards, and Baked Blue Sweet Potato Fries

As I've mentioned before, I've unofficially taken on the 4th Annual Dark Days Challenge from the (not so) Urban Hennery.
The challenge is to make a meal a week during the winter using S.O.L.E. foods (Sustainable, Organic, Local, and Ethical).

This week we got a local Chicken, and I roasted it in the slow cooker. I had collards and a blue sweet potato left from our last trip to the Durham Farmer's Market and thought they would be a good addition to the Chicken.

Roasted Chicken in a Slow Cooker

(this is my take on Shirley's Crock Pot Rotisserie Style Chicken recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking)

1 chicken (I used a local, all Natural Chicken) that will fit in your slow cooker easily. Mine was about 3 lbs.

4-6 whole cloves of garlic

Seasoning of your choice. (I used McCormick's Montreal Chicken Seasoning *Note - be careful using this seasoning if you are gluten-free, the company no longer states that all the ingredients are gluten free! this time. I often use a Garlic Herb seasoning blend, but I've used a Jerk Seasoning blend and a lemon pepper seasoning with sliced lemons too. It just depends on the flavor you want.)

Remove the Chicken from the wrapper, remove any giblets if there are any in the cavity, and rinse the bird inside and out.

Sprinkle the whole bird with your seasoning mixture. You can even rub it in if you want.

Place the Chicken in your slow cooker breast side down.

Toss in a few peeled garlic cloves.

Cook for 4-5 hours on high, or about 8 hours on low.

It took my bird about 4 hours on high, cooked in a 3.5 quart oval cooker.

This is the easiest way I've found to cook a whole chicken.

*I just found out that you can place a few balls of tin foil in the bottom of your cooker to lift the chicken out of it's juice and it will get crispy all over! My husband said this is unnecessary because he loves it as it is, but I think it's neat that you can have an even roasting all over!

Stir Fried Collards

1 bunch of organic collards (I bought mine from the local farmer's market)

2 tablespoons or less of olive oil

3 teaspoons of minced garlic (More or less depending on how much garlic you like.)

1 small red onion (I bought a very large organic red onion and this was the last bit of it.)

a couple of large splashes of Mirin. (probably about 1/8 of a cup or a little more)

Remove the stems from the collards. I cut the whole center part out, the stems can be pretty tough and I like the leaf part best. Stack the leaves and cut them in small strips (about 1/8 inch wide). You can roll up a bunch of leaves at a time and cut them into strips, it's much easier to cut that way, and it doesn't take as long.

Heat the olive oil in a wok or sautee pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent (I've always thought it was funny that they say "translucent", you still can't see through them, but they are much clearer than when you started.) Don't let the garlic burn, reduce heat if necessary.

Add the Mirin (this is a sweet Japanese cooking wine, it will cut the bitterness from the collards and give them a slightly sweet taste.)

Add the collards, and start mixing it up. I use silicone tipped tongs to cook this, I just keep grabbing a bunch and twisting it around in the pan so the greens get completely covered with the mixture. Cook until the leaves are wilted and a pretty green color.

(I never thought I'd like winter greens, but since I've been experimenting with different ways to cook them, I've found they can be quite tasty and satisfying. Plus, winter greens like Kale, Collards, and Spinach are high in calcium.)

You don't have to use Mirin, I know it's a specialty item that a lot of people won't have on hand. You can use a sweet wine, or rice vinegar with a pinch of sweetener. Or if you don't want it to have a slightly sweet taste, just use rice vinegar. I find this very good too. Some greens are more bitter than others. The Broccoli Raab is very bitter, and I think the Mirin would do wonders for it.

Blue Sweet Potato Fries

1 large Blue Sweet Potato (mine was organic and came from the local farmer's market)

Spray Olive Oil

sea salt

Preheat Oven to 400F.

Cut the Blue Sweet Potato (you can use a regular sweet potato if you want, that's what I usually do.) into french fry shapes. (the faster you want them to cook the thinner they should be. You can also cut them in rounds like potato chips.)

Spray a Baking Sheet with Olive Oil, place one layer of sweet potato on the sheet and spray them with oil too.

Cook for about 15-25 minutes depending on how thick your fries are. When the potato is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside they are done.

Sprinkle with sea salt, or other seasoning of your choice. Or just eat them plain.

Stuart gave this meal a big thumbs up and said the flavors went very well together. (I liked it too.)

This challenge has been very interesting to me. Most of the time I normally figure out my meal plan for the week, then go shopping for it. With this challenge, I go out searching for S.O.L.E. ingredients and then make up a meal that goes with what I find. I'm really enjoying it. I do wish there were more S.O.L.E. ingredients available in the winter, but that's where the challenge comes in isn't it?

Chili with Ground Turkey

2010-12-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the Chili I made on Christmas Eve. It was devoured so fast, I didn't have a chance to get a shot. I'm sorry.

However, it was very tasty and I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Chili with Ground Turkey

a couple of tablespoons of olive oil (or you could just spray your pan)
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 medium white or yellow onion chopped.
2-4 teaspoons of minced garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)
1 15oz can Kidney Beans (or 1.5 cups made from dried beans)
1 15oz can Cannellini Beans (White Kidney Beans) (or 1.5 cups made from dried beans)
1 28oz can Crushed or Pureed tomatoes (you could used diced if you want more chunks of tomatoes, we simply prefer not to have the chunks in ours)
1 tablespoon (or more) of Chili Powder to taste. (start out with 1 Tbs or less, then taste if after it has cooked a little while, and add more if you want.)
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or just oregano)
1-2 teaspoons of Cumin (I often use even more because we just love Cumin, again this is a flavor you should add a little then let the chili cook for a little while and add more if you want.)
1-3 teaspoons of Chipotle seasoning. (I used Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning mix. (this flavor sneaks up on you, but it adds so much. This is one reason I would start off low on the Chili Powder and build up the taste, because if you prefer the Chipotle seasoning you may want to add more of it instead. Stuart thought the chili was great, I thought it needed a little more umph, so I added more of this seasoning to my individual bowl. Of course, Stuart also likes to add red chili flakes to his chili and I don't like it that hot.) This seasoning will also give it a little bit of a smoky flavor.

I started this in a pot then transfered it to my slow cooker so the flavors could meld all day.

In at least a 2 quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onion and garlic, cook until the onion is almost translucent, but don't let the garlic burn (turn down the heat if necessary). Add the ground turkey and brown the meat. (Ground turkey does not have a lot of fat so you don't have to worry about draining it.) While the meat is browning I add the rest of my seasoning, this way the meat gets a great flavor. When the meat is browned thoroughly add the tomatoes.

I let it get warm, then transfered it to my slow cooker and cooked it on low for most of the day. After an hour or so give it a taste and adjust the seasoning according to your taste.

Remember, you can always add more seasoning, but if you get it too spicy you really can't take that out.

*A note about the beans. I use both red and white kidney beans because I think it makes the Chili prettier. You can use all red Kidney beans if you want, or you could even use Black Beans. Which ever bean you choose to make your chili be sure to check the sodium content. Some canned beans are loaded with sodium. Also check the sodium content on your canned tomatoes. I always used unsalted goods. If someone wants to add salt at the table, that's fine, most people don't because there are so many other seasonings in this that it simply isn't needed.

I like to add grated cheddar cheese on my Chili. I also made up a batch of sweet corn bread, but I wasn't crazy about the recipe I used. Stuart and Vincent liked it, but I thought it was a bit too cakey.

PF Chang's for Christmas Dinner

2010-12-25T20:25:00.000-05:00

I know, I would normally post some wonderful Christmas recipes that I've made myself for a scrumptious Gluten-Free Christmas dinner, but this year we decided to have a very relaxed Christmas and ordered Chinese from PF Chang's Gluten-Free menu. What a wonderful idea that was, especially since I've had a migraine most of the day.

It has been a very nice Christmas. We've had a quiet Christmas here at home with a dear friend.

We ordered the food from PF Chang's on Christmas Eve and just warmed it up today. It was delightful. I do think we will be eating on it for a number of days though.

There is only 3 of us eating today and we ordered so much food!
Egg Drop Soup
Chicken Fried Rice
Buddha's Feast
Ginger Chicken with Broccoli
Lemon Chicken
Moo Goo Gai Pan
Dali Chicken

And all of it Gluten-Free!

I did make a pot of Chili on Christmas Eve, with corn bread. My husband made up a great batch of Pamela's Chocolate Chunk Cookies. It has been a swell Christmas.

I'll post the updated recipe for my Chili tomorrow. For those cold winter nights, it's a great way to warm up.

S.O.L.E. Menu - Field Peas, Broccoli Raab, Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2010-12-20T20:14:00.000-05:00

I've unofficially taken on the 4th Annual Dark Days Challenge from the (not so) Urban Hennery.
The challenge is to make a meal a week during the winter using SOLE foods (Sustainable, Organic, Local, and Ethical). This is much more of a challenge during the winter than during the spring and summer when there are lots of fruits and vegetables we can get locally. But that's why it's called a Challenge.

This week I experimented a little.
We went to the Durham Farmer's Market on Saturday and picked up some Field Peas (they look a lot like Black Eyed Peas) and onions from one farmer, a box of goodies from Tiny Farm, including Broccoli Raab, Baby Turnips with greens, Broccoli Greens, and Carrots. We also picked up a White Sweet Potato, and a Purple Sweet Potato from another farmer. We bought some local breakfast sausage and eggs from Weaver Street Market (a local co-op) in Hillsborough, NC.

My SOLE meal this week consist of Slow Cooked Field Peas, Sauteed Broccoli Raab, and mashed White Sweet Potatoes.

Slow Cooker Field Peas

1 lb Field Peas (bought at the Farmer's Market)
Vegetable Broth to cover at least 2 inches (I used Kitchen Basics Unsalted Vegetable Broth, I didn't have any of my homemade made up right now.)
3 links of local Breakfast Sausage broken up (cook this before putting in slow cooker)
2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary (I got this from Tiny Farm last week)
a small bunch of fresh Sage (I also got this from Tiny Farm last week)
1 small onion (from the Farmer's Market)
a couple of teaspoons of minced garlic (I don't remember where I got this, but I think it's organic)

Put all ingredients in your slow cooker (I used a 3.5 quart cooker), cook on low for about 8 hours. I cooked it on high for 1.5 - 2 hours then turned it down to low for 3 hours. (my beans were still a little crunchy, I should have cooked them a little longer) Remove the stems of Rosemary at the end, you can also remove the larger leaves of sage. The flavors from these herbs have been infused, and I just don't like to bite into them. (especially the rosemary)

Sauteed Broccoli Raab

1 large bunch of Broccoli Raab (pronounce Rob), also called Broccoli Rapini, Broccoli Rabe, or Turnip Broccoli (in our box from Tiny Farm)
1 small onion (from the Farmer's Market)
2-3 teaspoons minced garlic (depending on your taste)
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup liquid from Field Beans (or vegetable broth)

Every recipe I read about Broccoli Raab said to Blanch it first, (you know put them in boiling water for a couple of minutes then in an ice water bath to halt cooking) well I didn't see the need for this. I cooked the garlic and onion in the white wine until the onion started getting tender. I added the Broccoli Raab to the pan (I used a large sautee pan for this.), I tossed them in this mixture to sautee for a little bit (until the greens just started to wilt), then added the liquid from the Field Peas turned the heat to low and covered so the Broccoli Raab would steam.

Mashed White Sweet Potato

1 very large White Sweet Potato (purchased at the Farmer's Market, I'd never seen a white sweet potato before, it was not as stringy as a regular sweet potato, and it was sweet!)
a little butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
a little milk (I used Lactaid, because I had it.)

Peel the White Sweet Potato and cut into small cubes. Boil potato until tender. Drain off the water and add butter and milk and mash. These were the sweetest mashed potatoes I've ever had. You could add whatever you usually add to mashed potatoes or for variety you could add cinnamon.

I tried to make these into sweet potato patties but I used too much liquid, I think, and they wouldn't form. Different recipes I saw to make patties said to add flour, but I didn't want to do that so we just had them mashed.

The Broccoli Raab is known to be a little bitter, but I liked that. However, eating the Broccoli Raab with the Mashed Sweet Potatoes took away any bitterness and made the cut the sweetness, which I liked a lot.

I think the Broccoli Raab should be placed right on top of the Mashed Sweet Potatoes the next time I make this.

I love going to the Durham Farmer's Market because I know that all the farmer's that bring their goods there use sustainable, organic measures and ethical measures. Plus, they are all within about 50 miles or less of our home.

The only items I used that were not SOLE ingredients were the Kitchen Basics Vegetable Broth, the Garlic (but I think it is organic.), the white wine, Earth Balance Buttery Spread, and the milk.

Using those packets of take out sauce.

2010-12-15T17:29:00.001-05:00

Do you go to a certain restaurant that gives you little packets or containers of sauce that you like (and is gluten-free of course)?

I love Pei Wei's Gluten Free Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls, but they always give me two containers of sauce and I only use one, so I save one. I looked in my refrigerator drawer the other day and realized I had 9 of these little sauce containers. I decided I needed to use up some of this sauce, and I was looking for a different way to cook chicken in the slow cooker. Here's what I did:

Chicken with Pei Wei's Sweet Chili Sauce

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast cut in large cubes. (the larger the cut, the longer it will to cook)
10 oz of Pei Wei Sweet Chili Sauce (10 oz is about 5 of the little containers.)
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsps GF soy sauce (or substitute of your choice, I used Coconut aminos- it doesn't have gluten or soy in it and tastes a lot like soy sauce)
1 tablespoon of dried minced onion

Place the chicken in the slow cooker (I used a 3.5 quart slow cooker, but you could use anything from 3-6 quart I think).
Add the remaining ingredients and stir well until the chicken is evenly coated.
Cook on high for 1.5 - 2 hours. (it took a little over 1.5 hours for mine)

This recipe was so easy, and you could use any number of sauces, just vary what you add to them. I really didn't have to add anything to the Pei Wei Sweet Chili Sauce but I wanted it to be a little less spicy. If you get the little packets of mustard, you could add honey and ginger. Packets of Duck sauce, you could add some citrus and GF soy sauce (this could make a nice lemon or orange chicken).

I served my Chicken in Sweet Chili Sauce with brown rice, and stir fried veggies. (I had some fresh broccoli and Savoy Cabbage that needed to be used but it wasn't quite enough so I some of Kroger's Asian Style Frozen Veggies. I put some olive oil in my wok, added some red onion and garlic, cooked until the onions were turning clear, tossed in the veggies and drizzled some GF soy sauce on them and tossed until heated through.) Stir-frying is just so easy! I could have added some of the Sweet Chili Sauce, but it gets a bit spicy and I didn't want for my whole dinner to by spicy. Sometimes I add wine to my stir fry, or rice vinegar...just what ever sounds good that day, and I think will go well with what I'm cooking.

During the winter greens are a big staple to our diet and I love them in a stir fry or sauteed in garlic. But forget cooking them the old fashioned way with pork and cooking them to death. Cooking until they are just wilted makes them so much more flavorful. I never thought I'd like collards or turnip greens, but cooking them with garlic or an Asian sauce, I can eat and eat them.

What food do you eat now that you never thought you would like?

My first try at making Pupusas

2010-12-13T19:01:00.000-05:00

We found this wonderful little Mexican/El Salvadoran restaurant near us and I discovered Pupusas for the first time. I love these things! They are a little pocket of goodness. It is an El Salvadoran stuffed flat bread. It is served with Curtido, an El Salvadoran type of slaw, with Salsa Roja on top. This salsa isn't the spicy kind of salsa we are used to in Mexican cuisine, it's more of a tomato sauce. It has onion, garlic, tomato sauce, and oregano in it. (you can also add a little chili pepper of some kind in there if you want).

So one day we were eating at this establishment and I said, I bet I could make this....so I did a lot of research and tried my hardest, but I think making Pupusa's takes a lot of practice. I just couldn't keep the filling inside. They didn't taste all that bad, but they sure weren't like the ones I've eaten at El Cuscateleco.

My Curtido wasn't as good as their's either, and my Salsa Roja was a bit too thick. I even made home made refried beans, and a Mexican rice. (I couldn't find a recipe for an El Salvadoran rice, but the rice we have at El Cuscateleco is different than the rice at most Mexican restaurants. It doesn't have any peppers, it has an orange tint, and has carrots in it. I just love it.

So I tried to make Pupusas, if you read the instructions it sounds easy, but it's not.
Here's the recipe I used:
Pupusas

2 cups Mesa Harina
1 cup warm water (add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture is firm but moist. When you press down on it you don't want it to crack.)

Roll the dough into a cylinder shape, divide into 8 equal parts. Form a ball with one of the parts, press your thumb in the middle to make a large indention, add filling, and close carefully, then press flat by clapping in your hands.

Now doesn't that sound easy....yeah, not so much. They didn't close very easily, and when I tried to flatten them the filling squeezed out everywhere. I ended up with pupusas with nothing really inside.
Later I read that this is the more advanced way to make them. If you are a beginner, like me, you should take your ball of dough and separate it into two smaller segments. Then press those flat like you would a tortilla, but they are a little bit thicker. Place the filling in the middle of one half, and cover with the other half and seal the edges. (Sounds a lot like making ravioli.) I can see where this would be much easier.

You then cook them on a hot griddle or in a flat pan, (It said not to oil it, but I did, there isn't any oil in this mixture so it would have stuck if I didn't spray the pan.) cook them for about 2 minutes on each side until they are browning.

You can make many different kinds of pupusas. I made Pupusas de Frijoles Refritos (refried beans) and Pupusas de Queso (cheese). Pupusas Revueltas (made with a mixture of pork in tomato sauce with refried beans and cheese are a favorite at the restaurant we go to.

Please see whats4eats for more information about Pupusas, and you can see the exact recipe I used.

I also got my recipe for Curtido and Salsa Roja from that site.

I made the mistake of picking up a savoy cabbage by mistake and used it for the Curtido, it really needed regular cabbage. I read other recipes and some of them called for oregano, I will say the flavor really perked up after I added the oregano. I think the restaurant we go to uses the pineapple vinegar that is traditional with this dish, but of course I didn't have any. I used 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (again, because of reading other recipes). This dish is much better if you let it sit over night on the counter. It ferments a little and the flavors have time to really mix together. (this wasn't bad, but it wasn't the wonderful curtido that I eat at El Cuscateleco.

I made wonderful refried beans in the crock pot.

Non- fat "Refried" Beans (slow cooker recipe)

I made a pot of pinto beans in my cooker over night. (1 pound of dried beans cleaned and picked over, cover with 2 inches of water above the beans, and cook on low for at least 8 hours.)

The next day I took out some of the beans and left the amount I thought we'd eat. I added some thinly chopped onion and minced garlic that had been sauteed until the onion was translucent.
I left some of the cooking liquid in the pot. I used my immersion blender to mash up the beans until smooth.

They were so good. Next time I will probably add the onion and garlic to the beans I while they are cooking over night. I love that flavor in my beans anyway.

The Mexican Rice really wasn't all that great, so I won't even bother sharing that recipe with you.

I will let you know when I attempt to make Pupusas again, and if they turn out any better!

S.O.L.E. Food

2010-12-12T21:52:00.001-05:00

I saw a challenge on (Not so) Urban Hennery's site. The challenge is called Dark Days Challenge. The Challenge is to create one meal a week from Dec. 1, 2010 - April 15th 2011 that focus on SOLE (Sustainable, Organic, Local, Ethical) ingredients. This is a huge challenge during the winter months, but I'm going to try. I didn't find out about the challenge in time to join it officially, and I'm getting started a little late, but I'm going to try to follow it through.

This week we went to the Durham Farmer's Market on Saturday and picked up the goodies to start this challenge. We found the most beautiful baby turnips with the greens attached, a bunch of collards, a bunch of Asian greens of some kind (I'm really not too sure what it was, kind of like bok choy, but more tender and greener), a bunch of herbs including: rosemary, sage, parsley, and oregano, and some mild bison sausage.

The great thing about our farmer's market is that you know everything there is grown organically, the animals were treated ethically and feed a good diet... It's so nice to know that I can just go right down the road and visit the farm my food is coming from. (and I have too.)

The meal I made is much like the last meal that I posted, but different.

Stir Fry with Bison Sausage, Greens, and Turnips

3 links of Bison Sausage removed from casing and separated unto smaller pieces
1 Bunch of Baby Turnips with Greens (wash turnips and cut the ends off, slice into matchstick pieces, wash greens and cut or tear into pieces)
1 Bunch of Greens (this can be Asian greens, collards, Kale....I used the Asian greens I bought. Wash and cut into pieces including most of the stems.)
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh Oregano
3 Tablespoons of chopped fresh Sage
4 Green Onions cut into small slices, including the green part.
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Add the Bison Sausage and Olive Oil to a hot wok, start browning. When it is mostly brown add the onions, garlic, and turnips. Cook until the turnips are starting to get tender. Add greens and cook until the greens begin to wilt, stirring constantly. I use tongs to keep turning the ingredients in the pan to mix the flavors together well.

This whole cooking process doesn't take very long.

All the ingredients I used were SOLE ingredients, except for the Olive Oil, Green Onions, and Garlic. I know the Olive Oil and Green Onions are organic, but I'm not sure about the garlic. I can't remember where I bought this last bunch of garlic. It may have come from the farmer's market, I just can't remember.

I served this with brown rice. It was organic, but it wasn't grown anywhere near here. Our local farmer's market does have a vendor who sells flours and corn meal, but the flour is Whole Wheat, and I'm afraid to buy the corn meal knowing that they also grind Whole Wheat flour.

I was originally going to braise the turnips separately, and serve the greens and sausage beside them, but there simply weren't enough turnips.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, I will be working hard to figure out what I should make next week.

Next post: My First Attempt at making Pupusas (an El Salvadoran stuffed flat bread)

Sausage Stir Fry

2010-12-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

This was one of the easiest meals I've made in a long time, and most of you know, I don't usually make very complicated meals.

It was one of those days where we were about 2 days over due for a trip to the grocery store; I looked through the refrigerator and found I had a bunch of baby bok choy, I then searched the freezer and found some Aidells' Cajun Style Andouille, and some frozen brown rice. (I often make up a big batch of brown rice and then freeze some in little freezer bags, if I need rice in a hurry, it only takes a few minutes in the microwave and Voila, we have hot brown rice.)

Sausage Stir Fry

-Sausage (just about any kind will do, I had Aidells' Cajun Style Andouille)
-Vegetables of choice (again, I think you can use what ever you happen to have on hand, I had a bunch of baby bok choy.)
-A splash of Vegetable Broth (or you could use Chicken broth, juice, wine...anything you want to cook with that will complement the meat and vegetables you have selected. I didn't think tamari would work with cajun.)
-I also added a very small splash of rice vinegar, simply because the smell said I needed something with a little tang to it. If I had been cooking with wine or something like that I probably wouldn't have thought I needed this.

I heated the vegetable broth (just enough to steam your veggies in the wok, but it should mostly evaporate while you are cooking. Literally, just a little splash.)
Add the vegetable(s), in my case, the bok choy.
Add the sausage.
Cook until the veggies are done to your desired tenderness. With the bok choy, until the leaves have wilted and the stems are getting a little tender but still crunchy.

My husband loved this! The sausage gave the meal a wonderful spice, and I was surprised at how well the bok choy and the sausage complemented each other. We've been eating much less meat lately, so this was special. Unfortunately, I can't find any gluten-free sausages. (If I have found any they were almost all soy, and I just can't eat that much soy in one sitting, it doesn't sit well.)

I think I'm going to make up a veggie burger soon that I can use as a meat substitute in a few things, just give some dishes a different texture and flavor (instead of all veggies, beans, rice, or pasta).
Any vegan gluten-free cooks out there who want to share some recipes that aren't over loaded on soy?

This week I will be making Pupusa's for the first time. A pupusa is an El Salvadorian dish that I've simply fallen in love with! I'll share the recipe with you in a few days.

Gluten Free Fenzy is having a HUGE Giveaway. Every Day in December!

2010-11-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

25 Days of Christmas Giveaways, Gluten Free of Course! Event...FREE, EASY way to snag some gluten free swag!!! :)

When: Dec. 1-31 2010

Where: www.glutenfreefrenzy.com

What: During this AMAZING event we will be doing gluten free (and much more!) giveaways EVERY day!!! We know that gluten free living isn't always cheap and especially at this time of year we thought all of our amazing readers deserved a little gluten free TLC!

A new giveaway will be introduced EVERY day but all giveaways will be open through the end of December. Entries for these giveaways will be one or two EASY steps. Winners will be drawn the 1st wk. of January.

The Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Turned Out Pretty Good.

2010-11-30T15:20:00.000-05:00

Since we were going to have a guest join us for Thanksgiving dinner, we decided to get 2 turkey thighs to add to the boneless turkey breast we already ordered. I have a 3.5 qt oval slow cooker and I borrowed another oval slow cooker, so we divided the turkey and had half the breast and one thigh in each of the two cookers. Stuart checked the temperature of the turkey over an hour after it had been cooking (actually closer to 2 hours) and it didn't reach any where near 140F so we thought it was going to take much longer for the turkey to cook than we originally planned. Then about 1 1/2 hours later Stuart went to check on it and it was done!

Well, that snuck up on us, so we decided not to cook the veggies in the slow cookers. I already had one full of stuffing (I must say I like my stuffing much better cooked in the oven, it's too soggy in the slow cooker, even though we added less liquid), 2 cookers full of Turkey. and one full of Chex Mix.

I used a recipe for Chex Mix that will be coming out in Kathy Hester's upcoming new cookbook. You can see some of her recipes on her blog: Healthy Slow Cooking. You can find also find some other Chex Mix recipes from the Chex Mix site. They have a lot of Gluten Free recipes at the Chex Mix site, but I bet you can figure out how to change some of the other recipes to make them gluten free too. Or just get creative on your own.

Since I couldn't find fresh Brussels Sprouts, we decided to order some Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with caramelized onions from Earth Fare. They were very good. Even Stuart and Vincent ate some, and neither like Brussels Sprouts. I love them, so of course, I got to finish off the left overs. : )

I keep saying we, but really Stuart did most everything. I wasn't supposed to get up much that day after having the spinal fluid leaks patched the day before. However, I did get up for just a few minutes and made a got bacon type dressing to cook the Green Beans in. They were very good.

Green Beans with Bacon Dressing

1 lb green beans cleaned and ends cut off, with the bad ones discarded
4 pieces of bacon cut into small pieces - Turkey Bacon is fine.
1/2 medium red onion cut into very thin small pieces.
3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar. (I think I will use white wine if I do this again.)
1-2 Tablespoons of cane sugar
enough toasted Sesame Oil to make sure you have a total of about 2 tablespoons of oil between the bacon and the oil.

(Please note, I really didn't measure anything, I'm just guessing on amounts.)

Cook the bacon and add onion before the bacon is all the way done.
Add additional oil if needed (be sure to use a toasted oil, like toasted sesame oil so you will still have a smokey flavor)
Add Vinegar or wine and deglaze the pan. (Deglaze means to scape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with the added liquid.)
Add sugar and stir until melted.
Add the green beans, stir until well coated.
Lower the heat and cover letting the heat from the liquid cook the beans.
We like our beans to still have a crunch, so just cook until the tenderness that you like.

I changed the recipe for the Cranberry Sauce a little. Here's what I did this year, and it turned out great!

Cranberry Sauce in the Slow Cooker

12oz fresh cranberries
1 Cup Orange Juice (I think you could use Apple Juice, but it would make this much sweeter.)
1/2 Cup water
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup Agave syrup

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker (I used a 3 quart cooker, but I think a 2 quart cooker would be fine.) Cook on high for 2 hours. Let cool, then place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. I prefer to let it stay in the refrigerator over night. (This year I made this on Tuesday afternoon for dinner on Thursday, since I was having surgery on Wednesday.) This is a very fruity and thick cranberry sauce, it is sweet but still maintains the tartness of the cranberries. The cranberries burst open and release all their wonderful goodness during the heating process. My husband put this on his cheese cake and just loved it!

The Cheesecake in the Slow Cooker turned out GREAT!

I don't have a 6 quart slow cooker so I had to divide the recipe between 2 slow cookers. The crust made from Mi-Del Arrowroot Animal Crackers turned out much better than I anticipated. My husband said he liked it more than a graham cracker crust. I still miss graham crackers, but this was very, very good.

Remember, I found this recipe in Stephanie O'Dea's Make it Fast, Cook it Slow cookbook. You can also find it on her website: A Year of Slow Cooking.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I'm happy to say that I'm recovering nicely from the procedure I had on the 24th, and it looks like it may be giving me some relief from the vertigo, and horrible headaches. It seems to have also allowed some of the hearing to return in my left ear. Hopefully things will continue this way.

Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dinner, More Details

2010-11-21T19:04:00.000-05:00

You will have seen some of this in my last post, but a couple of things are changing about the menu, and I thought I'd share everything with you in one place. Not only are we having Turkey Breast, but we are also having a couple of thighs. I haven't been able to find any fresh Brussels Sprouts, but I still really wanted some, so we have put in an order for Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts at Earth Fare. I did buy some asparagus today, so we may be having another vegetable. I don't think you can have too many vegetables.

I thought I'd put in detail how things will be cooked.
I'm including the recipe for what I was going to do with the Brussels Sprouts, just in case someone else wants to give it a try.

Turkey in the Slow Cooker

Bone In Turkey Breast - about 6 pounds. (Ours will be from a free range, organic Turkey)
Olive Oil, or Butter
Seasonings (this is completely your choice. You can use a mixture of herbs and spices, such as Rosemary, Sage, Thyme...) I really think the Sage will be good with the Apple.
Onion sliced
Apple or Lemon sliced

We will be using a 4qt slow cooker for this, because I think that's the biggest one I'll have. I may use my 3.5 qt. crock, since it is oval, if the breast will fit in it. (I will be making the Thighs the same way, I'll just put them in another crock.)

Cut any excess skin from the turkey, this isn't necessary, but it will cut down on the extra liquid that ends up in the crock, and I just think it looks better.
Pat the breast dry.
Oil the breast with olive oil, or coat with butter. Season the breast with your desired seasoning, like thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic and herb... I may mix the seasoning with the butter before rubbing the turkey down.
I'll put some onion on the bottom of the crock....and.... I was going to add some lemon zest, or even put some lemon rind or slices on the bottom, because I've put a lemon in a chicken and a turkey before when roasting and it make it so juicy, but not too lemony. However, since the breast doesn't have a cavity, I don't think I'll use lemon.....maybe some apple. The apple should give it a nice smooth flavor and give it a little more moisture.
Add the Breast to the crock Breast side Down. Put some more onion and apple (or lemon) around the sides and in the rib cavity.
I won't add any liquid because the vegetables and the bone and skin of the breast will add a lot of liquid to this dish, and I want a roasted Turkey breast, not Turkey Stew.

Cook on high for 3 hours and check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. It should be over 140F to be out of the danger zone. Cover, and probably cook for 1 or 2 more hours, you need to have an internal temp of at least 170F in a few places to make sure it's done. You can cook it longer if you want, or if you need to keep it warm.

Carefully remove the turkey from the crock, wait about 15 minutes before carving. If the turkey doesn't look as browned on the outside as you would like, simply transfer it to a baking pan and broil it for a few minutes.
**now I haven't done this before, but from what I've read on the Butterball site and on Stephanie's A Year of Slow Cooking site, this should work.

GF Stuffing (or I guess I should say dressing since it's not going to be in the turkey)

I love using the Sundried Tomato with Roasted Garlic Bread from Whole Foods Bake House. However, you can use any dense bread you may have. 1 large sweet onion chopped
1/2 Cup Butter
1 small bunch celery with leaves chopped
3 TBS of Fresh Sage minced (or 3 teaspoons dry)
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 TBS Fresh thyme minced (or 1 teaspoon dry)
Poultry seasoning
1 Cup gluten-free low sodium chicken broth (I use Kitchen Basics Unsalted)

I'll probably be using a 4 quart crock pot for this one, because that's the biggest one I think I'll have around. I may make a smaller batch of stuffing than I usually do, I want to make sure it can be stirred while it's cooking so it won't be all soggy in the middle.

Toast the bread, just put the slices on a cookie sheet and broil until dry, but not too brown. (or you can bake it at 300F) Then turn over and do it again. I won't say how long this takes, because it varies depending on what type of bread you use, and what your cookie sheet is like.
Cut the toast into about 1/2 inch cubes. You can do this early and put in a zip lock bag if you want. (I plan to have this done before hand, and store in the fridge because it is GF bread after all, my husband may have to spread the cubes on a cookie sheet and heat for just a little bit to make sure it's nice and dry.)
I plan to have all my veggies cut up and ready before Thanksgiving day, If you are doing this on the day, just cut everything up while the bread is toasting, but if you do that, I suggest you bake the bread instead of broil...broiling always seems to sneak up on you and will burn in just a second if you aren't watching. (remember non-GF bread toast faster than GF bread)
Add the vegetables, seasoning and melted butter to the slow cooker. Stir well. Add toasted bread cubes to crock and mix well. When the bread is coated nicely add Chicken Stock a little at a time while mixing with bread mixture.

Cook on High for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

If the mixture is dryer than you like add a more stock a Tablespoon at a time. You don't want it soggy. The edges and top will be drier than the center, it make it more uniform make sure to stir it while it is cooking.

This should keep warm for about 2 more hours. Or you can warm it up later if needed.

Cranberry Sauce

Last year I made home-made cranberry sauce for the first time, I used Elana's recipe from Elana's Pantry. I plan to use the same recipe this year, but I might substitute of orange juice for some of the water, and as I did last year I will add more Agave than she calls for. I don't know how much I added, I had a squirt bottle and just kept adding until I thought it was sweet enough to satisfy my guests. : ) I plan to make this the day before my procedure since it needs to be chilled. Last time I just made it the night before we ate it and it was delicious. I'm sure one more day won't hurt.
I plan on making a smaller batch than the original recipe calls for, and I'll be cooking it in the 2qt. crock.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar and Red Onion

2-3 Cups Brussels Sprouts (preferably organic)
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Red Onion - thinly sliced Cut the Brussels Sprouts in half.

Cut the Brussels Sprouts in half.
Add to slow cooker with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, mix well.
Add the thinly sliced red onion, mix well.

Cook on High for about 2 hours. Stirring occasionally, so they will cook evenly. Cook longer if necessary.
I will use either a 3qt or 4qt crock for this.

Roasted Green Beans and Garlic

1 lb Fresh Green Beans (preferably organic)
Roasted or Raw Minced Garlic - I didn't put an amount because people really like different amounts of garlic in things. We like a lot of garlic, so I'll probably add 3-4 Tablespoons. I am roasting some garlic, and I may simply add some cloves of roasted garlic to the beans instead of using minced garlic. (when I made a small batch of this today I used the minced garlic and it was very good, but the garlic was still crunchy when the beans were done)
Olive Oil - just enough to coat the beans. (a couple of tablespoons should do.)

Cut the end off of the green beans. I try to make the all about the same size so they cook at an even rate.
Add the Green Beans, Olive Oil, and Garlic to the crock. Mix well.

Cook on High.

The small batch I did today in the 1.5 quart crock took less than an hour. You want the beans to still have a little crunch. I'm sure since I'll be cooking a larger amount in a larger crock they will probably still take only about an hour. I did stir these about every 15 - 20 minutes. The small batch I did today turned out very good.

Crock Pot Cheesecake

This recipe will come straight from Stephanie's A Year of Slow Cooking. Crock Pot Cheese Cake Recipe.
I'm really looking forward to trying this!

We may also be having Asparagus, but I'm not sure how I'll fix them yet. I'm thinking we will just steam them, then I'll have a dressing that I've made to pour over them (or not if you don't want.) I'll either make an Olive Oil Vinaigrette, perhaps my Orange Muscat Champagne Vinaigrette, or a Hot Bacon Dressing. I'm leaning toward the hot bacon dressing. I'll make it ahead of time and just have my husband warm it up. I'll let you know later what I decided and how it turned out.

As a bread we'll be having Cheese Biscuits from Whole Foods Bakehouse, this was a spur of the moment purchase when we were buying the bread for the stuffing. These biscuits are delicious, but they aren't very good for you.

The Mashed Potatoes, are purchased, they are just Simply Potatoes Traditional Mashed Potatoes, and the Gravy is Imagine's Roasted Turkey Gravy. I wasn't going to make my husband make Mashed Potatoes, and Simply Potatoes Traditional Mashed Potatoes are pretty good. (Even if they do have more sodium that I like to eat in one serving.) I don't really eat gravy, so I told my husband he either had to make his own (hahaha) or he could buy some. We had a coupon for Imagine Gravy, and Imagine is a good brand, and it's also Gluten-Free so if I do decide to taste it, there are no worries.

So there's my menu, and how we plan to have a real Thanksgiving Dinner, the day after I have a spinal patch.
Our dear friend Vincent will be joining us on Thanksgiving, and helping Stuart pull everything off. (You are one of the things I'm most Thankful for this year, I love you my friend.)

GF Thanksgiving Dinner in the Slow Cooker

2010-11-16T20:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, I plan to make my entire Thanksgiving Dinner in Slow Cookers. You see I will be having a spinal cord patch the day before Thanksgiving, so this way I can have everything cut up and ready on Tuesday, with detailed instructions for my husband, and we will be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner fit for company.
And that's good since we will be having a guest for dinner. : )

So in one pot will go the Turkey Breast. (actually, I keep changing my mind about this, we may cook it on a cedar plank on the grill and have smoked turkey)
Also on the menu is GF Stuffing (or I guess it should be called dressing, since it's not going to be in the bird).
Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with onions, Roasted Green Beans with garlic, and Cheese Cake. Not from a slow cooker we will have Cheese Biscuits from Whole Foods Bakehouse, and Mashed Potatoes, (these will also be bought, I thought it just too much trouble for my husband to attempt.)

Do, do you want the recipes now? Or do you want me to wait until I've tried everything out before posting them?

I will say, my stuffing will be the same as it has been the past couple of years, but I will be doing it in the crock pot like Stephanie did hers on A Year of Slow Cooking.

The cheese cake will come from Stephanie's A Year of Slow Cooking.

The cranberry sauce will be from Elena's Pantry. But I will be adapting it to the slow cooker, and I know from last year I will be adding more Agave than she called for in the original recipe.

The Brussels Sprouts - I will use 2-3 cups of Brussels Sprouts, coat them in about 3 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Also I will thinly cut up red onion and put in the bottom of the slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients and cook for high for 2-3 hours.

I haven't decided exactly how I'm doing the green beans yet.

And as I said earlier, I'm not exactly sure about the Turkey either.

So I guess I gave you most of the recipes anyway. There will be some adaptation to some so they can be make in a slow cooker, but I don't see any problems.

What are serving for a GF Thanksgiving Dinner?

I'm Back! With Quinoa Pilaf

2010-11-09T19:22:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I am just posting way too many recipes on my new blog not to share them with all of you who would like to keep getting my recipes, but don't necessarily want to read all about my journey to get healthy.

Quinoa Pilaf - photo by W. Holcombe

Today I decided to experiment with Quinoa. (keen- wa)
I’ve made quinoa before, but just plain and I really didn’t care for it that way. I often use quinoa flour in my baked goods, but I haven’t tried my hand at making quinoa in a long time. It turned out very good. My husband said to make this one as a “Keeper”.

Quinoa Pilaf

2 Tablespoons – Grape seed or Olive Oil (I have a spout on my bottle so I just do a couple of swipes in the pan)
1/2 cup or 3 medium carrots, diced small
1/2 cup or 2 large stalks celery, diced small (remove the big tough ends at the bottom of the stalk, and the greens from the top)
10 – Green Onions, sliced thinly, use about half the green part too. – (I had a big bunch and used about half)
1/2 cup Baby Portabella Mushrooms (this only took about 4 mushrooms)
2 Tablespoons Coconut Secrets Amino Acids (This is GF and Soy Free but if you aren’t avoiding soy you could use GF soy or Tamari sauce)
2 teaspoons of dried Basil
1 Cup Quinoa
2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock (I used unsalted Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock, but you could use Vegetable Stock or Broth to make this vegetarian.)

Heat oil in sauce pan. Add Carrots, Celery, and Onions in pan, sautee for about 5 minutes or until the carrots start to get a little tender. (they will continue to cook with the quinoa so don’t worry too much about it) Add the Amino Acids (or GF soy sauce), and basil, then add the Mushrooms and the Quinoa and sautee for 3 more minutes. Add the Stock or Broth, bring to a boil, then cover pot and lower to a simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until all water is absorbed. (at least that the time it said on the box, mine took much longer for the liquid to be absorbed. I ended up taking the top off the pot so the liquid would evaporate some.) You can tell the quinoa is done when it turns translucent in the middle but it has a little ring around it.

Here’s some interesting information about quinoa.

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. It is a species of goosefoot like beats, spinach, and tumbleweed.
Quinoa is higher in protein than any other grain. Quinoa’s protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal.

You can find out more about Quinoa at Wikipedia, and Ancient Harvest’s Quinoa Corporations.

So if you are like me and have only tried quinoa plain, give it another try, you might be surprised.

365 Days to a Healthier Me

2010-10-20T18:19:00.000-04:00

I've decided to start a new blog.

365 Days to a Healthier Me is a day to day journal about taking control of my life and working to get healthier!

This is not a journal about being Gluten Free, however, I'm sure I will be talking about that too.

First I will be doing an elimination diet to try and find out what in my diet may be causing my GI problems.

Come join me if you would like. http://365daystoahealthierme.wordpress.com/

maybe goodbye

2010-10-19T14:48:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all of my readers for your support and loyalty over since I started this blog.

I'm experiencing some health problems now that is keeping me from my responsibilities with this blog.

I think I will be walking away from this for a while. I don't know when or if I will start blogging again. I wish you all the best of luck, and if I can help any of you in any way please feel free to email me:
glutenfreegreenie@gmail.com

It's been an adventure. Thank you for sharing your time with me, I hope in some small way I was able to help someone out there who thought going gluten free was nearly impossible.

wendy

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Banana Bread

2010-10-17T12:00:00.001-04:00

This bread is a variation on the Flax, Almond and Quinoa Bread I posted about on July 17th.

GF/DF Banana Bread (with Flax, Almond, and Quinoa Flour)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Milled Flax Seed
2/3 Cup Blanched Almond Meal
2/3 Cup Quinoa Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/4 cup sugar (you could also use honey)
1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread Melted
2 eggs
3 extra Small Bananas mashed
1/4 cup walnuts
water to textured desired (see cooking instructions)

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F

Mix dry ingredients together. Gently beat eggs together, add to dry mixture. Add melted Earth Balance Buttery Spread (or you can use any oil you please). Add bananas, and walnuts. Mix well. Add water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency to pour thickly into your loaf pan. The more water, the longer it takes to cook.

I used a Pyrex bread pan with parchment paper, cooked 375F for about 45 mins.

I was impressed with the results from this experiment. I love using Quinoa flour, it has a texture close to wheat flour, and it's a complete protein. This bread has 7.2 grams of protein and 5.5 grams of fiber. However, it would be a little high in fat and calories. Next time, I think I'm going to try leaving out the oil and adding apple sauce. I also think it would be sweet enough without any added sugar. After doing those modifications I think this bread would be even better for you.

I'll try this as soon as I can and will revise this post to let you know how it turned out.

Cedar Plank Tilapia and Zucchini

2010-10-15T15:29:00.000-04:00


Tilapia cooked on Cedar Planks, with Zucchini also cooked on Cedar Planks, and Rice

We picked up some cedar planks on sale at Earth Fare, I've always wanted to try cooking on cedar planks so I just couldn't pass this by.

Cooking on Cedar Planks are pretty easy.

1. Soak Planks under water for at least one hour. (I soaked mine much longer. I was planning on using these one night, but it rained, so no cooking on the grill. I just kept them in the water until the next night.)

2. Heat grill to 350F. Add planks and close cover, heat for 3 minutes, then flip.

3. Add food to planks. Close cover and cook until done, no flipping required.

It takes longer to cook on cedar planks so make sure and allow this extra time.

Sometimes the planks do catch fire, just a little, so have a squirt bottle filled with water standing by. (or just a glass of water and sprinkle a little on the too hot plank with your fingers)

This was a delicious meal. You can cook fish, meat, poultry, and veggies on cedar planks.

Cedar Plank Tilapia

Ingredients:

-Low Sodium Gluten Free Tamari (I use San-J) - not measured, just sprinkle some on.

-Minced Garlic (about 2 cloves)

-Very finely grated fresh Ginger (I used too much, so probably a couple of teaspoons)

I simply sprinkled a little Low Sodium GF Tamari Sauce, minced Garlic, and finely grated Ginger on the Tilapia. I put a little too much Ginger, I simply used my microplane grater and grated the fresh ginger right on the fish, but I went a little over board. I had 3 medium sized fillets of Tilapia. I cut those in half, shown above is 2 halves.

Place on prepared Cedar Planks, cook until fish is white through. It took about 20 mins.

Cedar Plank Zucchini

Ingredients:

- Fresh Zucchini cut into rounds (you could probably slice them any way you want, but I thought they would fit better on my plank if they were just rounds).

- onion powder

- garlic powder

(I use a mixture of onion and garlic powder so much I've mixed them together and put them in a shaker, that way I get an equal amount of each easily)

I sprinkled a little onion and garlic powder on the zucchini. Placed the zucchini on a cedar plank. The were done the same time as the fish.

I served this with rice, it was very good, except for the fact that I put too much ginger on the fish. I simply scraped it off, and it was better. The fish was tender, moist, and tasty. The zucchini really took on the taste of the cedar and was very good. Actually, I was surprised at how good the zucchini was.

We had left over fish, and I could really taste the cedar more on the left over fish, so you may want to let the fish sit for a little while before eating.

I look forward to experimenting with more foods grilled on cedar planks.

CSN Stores, Products Review...

2010-10-11T15:02:00.000-04:00

www.csnstores.com

The kind people at CSN Stores.com contacted me and asked if I would review a product of theirs. They gave me a $45 gift certificate and let me pick out what ever I wanted.

It was a very hard decision, it took me days to narrow down what I wanted the most. Finally, I narrowed it down and asked my husband to pick one. It was between a food dehydrator, a rice cooker, or a group of 3 items (a cast iron reversible griddle, a pair of tongs, and a meat thermometer). He picked the group of 3.

I absolutely love my new tongs. I decided on the Progressive International Silicone Gripper Tongs. I've needed a new pair for a long time, I used to have two pair but one broke and the others are ok, but not great. My new tongs are Great! They have silicone gripers and they have the easiest lock ever (just pull the little hanger up and the tongs are locked as shown in the photo on left).

I can pick up just little things out of something, like a small bean, or I can pick up a big things, like a ramekin off out of the oven. These tongs are just so useful, I use them nearly every day.

The second item on the list is a meat thermometer.

The Polder Dial Meat Thermometer - 520.

I have a fancy battery operated meat thermometer that is great when you are cooking a turkey or something and want to put the probe in and leave it and have the read out on the outside of the stove. But when you just want a meat thermometer to stick in your steaks on the grill, well, it just doesn't work all that great.
However, the Polder Dial Meat Thermometer is exactly what I needed, I just stick the probe in and it tells me if my meat is ready. Perfect.

The last item we chose was a Bayou Classic - 14" Reversible Cast Iron Griddle.

I really should have researched this more before I chose this griddle. This is my first cast iron purchase, this griddle comes unseasoned, I didn't understand just how difficult it would be to properly season a cast iron griddle. I ended up smoking up my whole house, and the surface got all sticky, it looks just icky to me. Plus, it's very hard to season something that is reversible. The instructions that come with this griddle say that you need to:
Coat the surface with Solid Vegetable Shortening (not something you would normally find in my house. I bought Earth Balance Vegan Shortening that is not hydrogenated for this.)
Then you place in a 300F oven or on a gas grill for 1 hour.
It then says you should repeat this process 3 times.
(I've since read on other cast iron sites that you don't need to do this 3 times. Most say to season cast iron in a 350F oven for one hour and then leave the item in the oven until it cools. You only have to do this once, most places also say you can use liquid oil, it doesn't have to be solid.)

The Bayou Classics Company makes most things for outdoor cooking, but I did look around the internet about this griddle and it says on the Bayou Classic Depot that "The square version of Bayou Classic’s cast iron griddles fits perfectly on the stovetop, an outdoor propane burner or camp fire."
Well, it fits on the stovetop OK, but it never gets hot all around the edges. It only gets hot right in the middle where the flame is underneath.

We really wanted a cast iron griddle to cook eggs and pancakes on. Cast iron is one of the greenest and most economical cookware you can get. It will last forever, think about how many of your grandmother's had cast iron cookware, did they ever have to replace it? It doesn't stick, if it is seasoned properly and cared for properly. It's easy to clean, just rinse and clean with a soft brush or scrubby pad while the pan is still hot (but not too hot to touch). You don't even use any soap.

I am very disappointed in this griddle. It may work on the grill, but it doesn't work on my stove. : (

Thank you again to CSNstores.com for this opportunity to check out and review some of your products. With over 200 stores in one place, it's easy to find just what you are looking for.

Face Naturals Giveaway Winner!

2010-10-11T12:04:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to announce that Yolanda B. is the winner of the

Face Naturals Soothe Mask for Sensitive Skin Mask!

Yolanda has 48 hours to claim her prize.

If it is not claimed within 48 hours it will be awarded to another entry.

All winners are chosen by Random.org, random number generator.

I still love my Face Naturals products!

You can find all of their products at:

www.facenaturals.com