The Gluten Free Italian

avgolemano!

2012-01-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

I am eating this soup RIGHT NOW and did not want to waste another second before posting it. It is delicious and can be ready in about 30 minutes with some convenient subs like rotisserie chicken. This is the recipe that I made, which is a riff on a fantastic Cooking Light recipe they featured in their most recent issue. This soup is purportedly a fantastic hangover cure as well as a delicious

Queen of Dips has returned from her holy hiatus.

2012-01-07T22:45:00.000-05:00

Someone bestowed the above title on me on New Years Eve when I proudly displayed four variations of dips for my party guests. I shrugged. Mostly because I've only transcribed one dip recipe and generally just wing it and taste, taste, taste until it goes somewhere I like. Here are the four I made for NYE that are perfect for football playoffs, awards show parties and a bevy of other occasions

thank you, foodnetworkhumor.com

2011-11-27T22:35:00.002-05:00

Field Trip: Goya

2011-10-31T22:53:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot about you Meatless Monday, pledge. But today is the 31st. Still October. Still made it. I keep going back to Mexican recipes for my Meatless Monday round up. But its for good reason. I really never miss meat in Mexican food. And these enchiladas are no exception. I like to throw mushrooms in with this combo, but the original is so perfect no rewriting is really fair. I

This has nothing to do with being gluten free.

2011-10-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

Tomato Gratin with Arugula Walnut Pesto

2011-10-23T20:04:00.001-04:00

The wonderful Karina (one of my absolute favorite gluten free bloggers) inspired this recipe with her Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin, which I have made and LOOOVED. Perfect use for those amazing waffle bread crumbs and for your favorite pesto. Recently I've also experimented with a roasted red pepper pesto over salmon. This was my first attempt at a straight up arugula pesto and it was pretty

Stuffed Peppers

2011-10-16T23:24:00.000-04:00

I adapted this recipe from October's Cooking Light. Theirs is for poblanos, which I am sure would be amazing, but I couldn't find any big enough to do the stuffing justice. I also killed the bulgur for quinoa, which I have not used nearly enough lately. I don't know if you all have gotten the memo but stuffed peppers are totally trending. And by totally I mean that one of my friends made

Green Quinoa Pie

2011-10-09T19:48:00.014-04:00

I almost forgot about my Meatless Monday recipe pledge. But I remembered just in the nick of time. And simultaneously remembered this recipe, which I will be making in the very near future. This recipe satisfies crunchy and creamy cravings while still filling you up with plenty of fiber (from the flax) and protein (from the quinoa). I'm actually attempting to make stuffed peppers using

HUMMUS!

2011-10-04T23:53:00.000-04:00

Anyone catch the subtle Pearl Jam reference in the title? In the process of sorting all my recipes on the handy dandy recipe page, I realized that I have quite a few vegetarian recipes up here. I was thinking back to how it all started. At first it was a few Meatless Mondays here and there. Who am I to defy Yoko and Paul's twitter directives? Then I was eating Meatless Monday leftovers on

Garlicky Green Gratin / the case for kale

2011-10-02T14:44:00.000-04:00

Cooking Light featured this recipe in their cheap eats section in October's magazine. Here is how to make it gluten free and ramp up the flavor with bitter greens and prevent the watery results many testers got from making this recipe per their original directions. I like Kale any ol' time, but it is harvested in the fall (through LATE fall) since it is super hearty and can survive frost,

Everyday Taco Salad

2011-09-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

I got an email from South Beach diet the other day with a recipe for taco salad that sounded amazing. Except it was full of expensive shit I didnt have on hand or intend to drop money on. So this recipe was born from that idea. Taco salad with ingredients on hand. Deeelicious. Especially the beans, which I will make again as a side for sure. 3/4 lb lean ground beef or 2 1/2 cups soy crumbles 1

... Crab Cakes ...

2011-08-31T21:23:00.000-04:00

It is very hard for me to use the word or ingredient CRAB seriously. Mostly because my darling Andrea and I have been calling eachother crab for the last few years after a brief obsession with hermit crabs. This recipe and post is for her, obvs. I needed a quick meal tonight and remembered I had a few cans of crab meat in my massive suburban pantry. (Don't tell Ina Garten that I used canned

FRITTATA FRENZY

2011-08-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

I have seriously been neglecting the original content portions of this blog. To make up for it, I bestow upon you all a frenzy of frittata recipes. Frittatas are easy midweek meals to throw together and serve with potatoes or a great salad. I also love them for lazy weekends since one will get two people through breakfasts with a little to spare. The first version I made below was created

Cooking Light goes Gluten Free!

2011-07-31T21:36:00.000-04:00

On August 2nd, Cooking Light magazine is releasing a Gluten Free cookbook! I am a huge fan of Cooking Light. I like their recipes and their focus on health and balance versus dieting, so I am psyched. You can read more about the release here. There are a few reviews up on Amazon already which are not good. One star was given in each, in fact. And the complaints are typical. Between seeing

Gluten Free in... New Jersey?

2011-06-28T21:33:00.000-04:00

Yes, folks. I have moved across the smelly river back to the much less smelly than everyone thinks land known as Dirty Jerz as of May of 2011. While I am still slightly ambivalent about how this plays out for many of my closest friendships, my career etc, I see this as a great thing for this blog, as gluten free friendly restaurants don't seem to be nearly as obvious/lauded outside of cities,

I am so in favor of this article.

2011-06-05T19:48:00.000-04:00

Looking for a Plan B? Make it Gluten Free http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/fashion/gluten-free-bakeries-and-cafes.html?_r=1&hpw I do like to bake. But I like being lazy and wandering into a bakery and being able to eat something a whole lot more. NY Times is all over the Gluten free shtuff this week. Earlier, an article touting how so many gluten free products are now completely delicious.

the curse of pine nut mouth

2011-05-16T23:24:00.000-04:00

Okay. Confession time: I am a bit of a hypochondriac. (Note: this may be the largest understatement ever made.) So its not terribly unusual for me to google symptoms as they happen and diagnose myself with the bubonic plague, lupus, brain tumors etc etc etc. I also recently made a joke that if I had a television show it would be called I Always Think I'm Pregnant. This in mind, I successfully

Encourage the Girl Scouts to sell an allergen free cookie!

2011-05-12T13:49:00.000-04:00

My wonderful friend Nikki saw this and sent it to me. I couldn't resist passing it on. I would probably consider committing light treason for a gluten free Samoa... http://www.change.org/petitions/encourage-the-girl-scouts-to-sell-an-allergen-free-cookie overview of petition from change.org: It is that time of year again for Girl Scout cookies. It is also Celiac Awareness Month and Food

Comfort by Chicken

2011-04-04T21:02:00.002-04:00

I've noticed something interesting while eating in restaurants amid recent laziness. It isn't necessarily hard to avoid more obvious forms of wheat/gluten like pasta or bread. Where things get tricky lie with breadcrumbs, thickened sauces and the like, which affect a celiac's ability to eat quite a bit of restaurant foods. I missed chicken cutlets the most of all out of the breaded foods, so

What to expect when you're...getting an endoscopy

2011-03-27T21:16:00.000-04:00

Relax, Mom. I'm not pregnant. Note: My mother went to a psychic a few months back who told her someone close to her is going to get pregnant this year and I was her first thought. Thanks, Mom! I wish the the above titled book was as widely distributed as the played with title I referenced. I initially went to a GI doctor in February after waiting 6 1/2 months for an appointment, as he was

Gluten Free Cooperstown!

2011-02-25T12:00:00.005-05:00

Well, folks, I braved that which lies beyond Westchester and Rockland County. I went UPSTATE (gasp). During the WINTER (horror). And I lived to tell the tale... without so much as even getting cross contaminated. Granted, I'm sure this is horribly ethnocentric of me, but I fear eating outside of NYC. In a place where waiters have seen it all and heard it all, many are well versed in food

Risotteria aka Gluten Free risotto heaven

2011-02-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has been so long! You can tell how much cooking I've been doing lately... After a weekend adventure in Cooperstown, where I discovered that yes, Virginia, the suburbs DO have gluten free surprises in store (more on that in a post to come), I was back on a restaurant kick which motivated me to venture below 14th Street (something I rarely do) and hit up Risotteria which will be known

A little POM to wake up the winter palate is a WONDERFUL thing.

2011-01-24T12:00:00.001-05:00

I miss summer produce. I am definitely still getting my fill of winter veggies, but mannnn do I miss summer fruits and all their bright flavors. Regardless of where in the world you are, you can get a dose of bright fruity flavor by getting yourself some POM juice. Great in reductions and salad dressings that need a wake up. So, I turned to this recipe, Rachael Ray's initially, reworked

Turkey Greek Loaf, a food of compromise

2011-01-17T12:00:00.001-05:00

This recipe came about after I wanted turkey burgers and greek food and my boyfriend wanted meatloaf. So. freaking. good. Turkey Greek Loaf 1 lb ground turkey breast 4 oz light feta cheese 10 oz frozen chopped spinach 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 egg 1 slice bread (I used Glutino's flax and brown rice bread) 1 1/2 tbsp skim milk 1 medium onion, diced (red or white/yellow is fine) 3

Shake Shack goes gluten free!

2011-01-14T23:47:00.000-05:00

http://shakeshack.com/mobile/menu/glutenfree.php Reposted here for your convenience (and mine!) Gluten-Free OptionsGo bunless! Enjoy a ShackBurger®, Hamburger or Cheeseburger (single, double or triple) sans the bun. This option goes for all our burgers except the 'Shroom Burger, which has breadcrumbs in it. Try any of our dogs – just lose the bun. Drag 'em through the garden too, if you're

Gluten Free (and yeast free!) Pizza at Home

2011-01-12T20:24:00.002-05:00

I have been up to some spectacular things in my kitchen and have been sooo looking forward to sharing. Happy 2011! Anyway... When I tell someone about my celiac, pizza comes up quickly on their horrified list of "YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T HAVE _________ ? OR __________? (Because what's really awesome, people, is being reminded of shit I can't eat. Reaaally special.) OH MY GOD! OH MY GOOOODDDD! HOW DO

Indian Latkas

2010-12-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

So this recipe was born out of a total KITCHENFAIL!!11!! but the end result was amazing none the less. I had started out trying to make samosas, but as I've previously chronicled, baking and I were not on speaking terms when this recipe came about. Gotta get creative. These were the filling for samosas, revamped. I have been told by several of my chosen friends that calling these latkas is a

Baking: Revisited plus THREE cookie recipes

2010-12-15T20:09:00.000-05:00

I write this triumphantly. I give you... COOKIES ! Baked with gluten free flour (sweet rice flour or white rice flour, to be exact, I know the recipes say white rice flour, but I swear I had sweet rice flour. Whatever.). That taste delicious. In that mix we have peanut butter cookies, butter cookies and sugar cookies. All delightful and exactly what I've been craving of late. Sugar Cookies

UGH and other tales of gluten free baking.

2010-12-08T09:48:00.008-05:00

I have had it, friends. The holidays are practically here. I need to bake some cookies. Except the last three things I've baked have been capital A Awful. With my family's annual cookie baking fest happening at my Grandma's house this weekend, I feel resigned to watching them bake delectable treats while I pout. I'll help, mostly because I find baking cathartic if nothing else. But I need to

Italian Pussy.

2010-11-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to the person who found this blog today by googling "italian pussy." Love.

EAT IT, FRENCH'S.

2010-11-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

AKA HAPPY GLUTEN FREE THANKSGIVING to all. I had been dreading the holidays even more than usual. And even more than my birthday, which must be a record of some kind. I wasn't particularly concerned about Thanksgiving, though. I don't really like stuffing. Give me my mashed taters and I'm a happy woman. Italians must eat pasta before the meal on every holiday, naturally, which ups the ante

MORE SQUASH

2010-11-15T15:40:00.000-05:00

I am legit obsessed. I warned you. MORE SQUASH. I have one more squash recipe that I'm going to throw at you all and then I'll lay off. I swear. Squash Risotto 1 squash skinned and diced (acorn or butternut, 1 prepped package from the supermarket is a-okay) 1 cup arborio rice 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon EVOO 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced and diced 1/2 cup dry white wine (

Awesome winter meal alert

2010-11-10T19:34:00.000-05:00

My name is Lauren, and I am addicted to squash from October - February every year. And then I promptly forget about it, until I see it featured in a seasonal veggie display and get far too excited while meal planning in my head. There are so many great uses for spaghetti squash, my fave of the gourdy bunch. I love it tender and tossed with fresh mint, cilantro, lemon juice and EVOO. I also

15 Minute, Not Really At All Homemade Meal

2010-11-05T13:54:00.001-04:00

As a tribute to the semi-homemade new first lady of New York, Sandra Lee, I present to you a fifteen minute not really at all homemade meal. I made this up in the aisles of the supermarket at 9:30pm while visualizing what was in my freezer/fridge. Kind of pisses me off that Madam First Lady has an entire show (and a magazine, I think) dedicated to her creations of recipes like these, but

MexiCAN

2010-11-02T11:28:00.000-04:00

Subtle Barack Obama reference in the title. Booyah midterm elections. The title also refers to how awesome Mexican food is for those of us with gluten allergies. Most sauces aren't thickened with anything artificial. Corn tortillas are in abundance in awesome dishes like nachos and enchiladas. Win - Win. I like making enchiladas but am supremely lazy and get annoyed rolling them out and

Sunday Vegetable Soup

2010-10-24T19:54:00.001-04:00

If my apartment wasn't 89 degrees right now, despite a box fan and an air conditioner fan running on high, I'd be eating this soup. I hope this post redeems me in some of your eyes. This came about in a fit of laziness. I had always been afraid of soups, or turned them into weird KITCHENFAILS!!!111!! so this was a pleasant surprise when it actually turned out well. I made this with the veggies

KITCHENFAIL!!!1!!11!

2010-10-22T13:46:00.000-04:00

Oh, man. I was working on comfort food posts this week. There's nothing I like more than something hearty thats still healthy. But as you may have guessed from the title of this here post, most of them were gigantic KITCHENFAILS. I have been having the kitchen month from hell, save for two meals I prepared last week for my boyfriend and I. One of which was great. The other okay. There will

I'm working on a Yelp list of gluten free restaurants!

2010-10-15T12:00:00.010-04:00

http://www.yelp.com/list/gluten-free-havens-new-york Will continue to update that! I am starting with those that are more blatantly gluten free and will work back toward editing places I go back to that can accommodate my allergy. Going to eventually move some of those reviews here on a separate page but that will likely wait until all of my patients stop showing up once it gets cold out and I

On Dreams...

2010-10-13T09:16:00.000-04:00

Because this post is as monumental as Freud's seminal work of the same title. Duh. Gluten is invading my dreams. I have had a few nightmares where I've woken up panicky since going gluten free ABOUT going gluten free. Literally waking up in a cold sweat that I ingested some wheat. Last night it was pretzels. Scene: The living room. Our author and boyfriend are in their usual position. Feet up

An easy midweek recipe makes for a very easy midweek post.

2010-10-06T12:00:00.003-04:00

I. love. to. cook. What? I really do. Except when I get home from work/therapy/class at 9pm or its 95 degrees outside. Or I am just flat out feeling lazy. And that is when having recipes like this one on hand bails me out. The below is about enough for you and leftovers or you and a lucky second person. Check out both links for shirataki noodles in the post to be introduced to these wonders.

OMGPEANUTBUTTERCHOCOLATECHIPCOOKIES!

2010-10-04T15:00:00.009-04:00

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. And they are naturally gluten free, no substituting or involvement of 12 separate types of flour which do not fit into my Upper West Side kitchen. Golden brown. Chewy. Mmmmmm. Straight from my Mom's kitchen to mine. Except I added chocolate. Which is kind of a no brainer, since I can't think of anything that isn't better with some chocolate. I

The One About Making Out... (and other cross contamination).

2010-10-02T23:42:00.000-04:00

When I was first diagnosed, my super supportive boyfriend said that he would gladly give up gluten with me. Until he realized that there was gluten in beer. Heh. This brings me to two weekends ago. My man and I were hosting a my friend Michael at our place. Michael and Frank were enjoying some beer and pizza. I was being well behaved and having some gluten free noshes of my own. As is the

THE GREAT SALAD POST

2010-09-29T13:14:00.000-04:00

Aaaaand I haven't updated in weeks. Thanks life! Anyway... on to the salad talk. I try to be a good girl and bring my lunch from home. Living in a fabulous city in a really fabulous zipcode takes its toll on my wallet. The restaurants nearby can also take a toll on the waistline. For that reason, on the days when I decide getting back in bed for a nap after I take a shower is a smart

Nizza should be called Stupefacente.

2010-09-11T12:28:00.000-04:00

For the non eye-talians in the crowd, Nizza translates to nice. And stupefacente is somewhat close to amazing (Vittoria, correct me...). Which the restaurant in question, Nizza, certainly was. Nizza served up my best gluten free experience so far. They have a separate gluten free menu that you can request after being seated which was fairly extensive. Several pasta dishes, composed mains, lots

Sambuca - More than your Grandma's Hooch of Choice

2010-09-08T14:00:00.034-04:00

... If your Grandma is anything like mine, that is. I have walked past Sambuca pretty much every day in the two and a half years I have lived in my totally awesome Upper West Side pre-war elevator having apartment. You might think I'm bragging, but you would definitely not say that if you knew how much rent my broke social worker ass is spending to live in said apartment. Anystupid, I have

Take me out to the (gluten free!) ball game.

2010-09-07T22:43:00.001-04:00

I've had quite a few gluten free adventures since my last post. My, oh, my do I have some blogging to do. The first of which that is notable enough to mention (and rave about) was my experience at Yankee Stadium. Yes, the new address of greatness (Thank you for that gem, Michael Kay.) is quite surprisingly well equipped to deal with food allergies. Down in section 125, Famiglia Pizzeria

5 Napkin Burger, I think I love you... for helping me not crumble under the pressure of emotional eating impulses.

2010-08-23T14:42:00.001-04:00

I have happy news to report on the restaurant front. Another great place to add to proverbial gluten free lists! And a burger joint, no doubt. More on that... My mission is to find at least one good GF friendly restaurant within every cuisine I love (which is pretty much every cuisine in existence) so that no matter the craving, there's no need for a caving in to wheat to follow. I keep

I MADE BREAD.

2010-08-21T17:39:00.000-04:00

I MADE BREAD! See? The little teeny bit I tasted was delicious too. Recipe to come later.

Me Vs. The Server

2010-08-21T16:44:00.001-04:00

What I learned this week? I hate asking questions at restaurants. I've always despised people that made servers' lives hellish, despite the fact that a good friend of mine is infamous for this very behavior. For those of you who don't know about "the shrimps incident" consider yourself blessed. I prepare most of my meals at home. Most weeks I don't buy lunch at all. And if my boyfriend is

Gluten Free Banana Walnut Muffins

2010-08-16T17:02:00.002-04:00

This is generally more calorically dense than what I would choose for breakfast, even with the substitutions, but these should freeze well and served me well on days like today where I was craving a hearty, chewy break from the usual breakfast routine. I adapted this recipe from Bob's Red Mill. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: < 60 minutes Serves: 10 Yield 11 muffins (love when this

On the newfound joy/rage of eating gluten free in restaurants

2010-08-16T16:43:00.002-04:00

Saturday night was my first experience eating in an unfamilliar restaurant since taking the gluten free plunge. My little brother turned 23 this week, so the family was headed out to our annual celebration at Ruth's Chris Steak House. A little googling brought me to this site: http://gfrestaurants.com/ruths-chris-gluten-free-menu/#comment-811 which left me super excited, figuring this would be

Day One... Part Deux?

2010-08-11T16:32:00.000-04:00

So, as you probably guessed from the title of this post, yesterday was supposed to be day one. Note the italics... I learned a valuable lesson, which is that gluten is in many things aside from the obvious that resemble grains. After excessively patting myself on the back for ordering my favorite sandwich from Bottino's (#11 - marinated eggplant, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and arugula on

And away we go...

2010-08-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

Here we are. Let's start with the basics. I'm going gluten free for the wellness of my body, mind and soul.Or because my allergist told me that I have to, for the sake of my digestive tract and immune functioning... As a southern Italian who is very much in touch with her culture's roots (particularly through their starchy foods) the prospect of living gluten free is extremely daunting. What I