pancakes.

I can never find my pancake recipe. I have made pancakes since going GF at least a dozen times and yet, every time the craving strikes I end up spending half an hour trying to track down the recipe I liked after the million I read through before combining a few of my favorites.

I went through and read recipe after recipe. Searched my email. My hard drive. Nada. Then, darling boyfriend said "Don't you have the recipe on your blog?" I didn't. But I did have a grain free waffle recipe that was delicious and easy. Remembering the bisquick days of yore, I figured it couldn't be much of a stretch to turn one into the other.

Grain Free Coconut Pancakes (serves 4)


Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 - 1/2 cup water (as needed)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil + more for greasing griddle
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 - 2 tablespoons shredded coconut (optional)
1 cup almond meal
3 egg whites
3 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (optional - to help egg whites set up)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar (brown sugar is fine too)


Grab two bowls - one medium to large mixing bowl one medium to small.


Separate your eggs, putting egg whites in the smaller bowl and yolks in the larger. Set whites aside.


Stir egg yolks. Add vanilla and coconut milk. Stir some more.


Add flax, almond meal, coconut flour, shredded coconut (if using - adds a great flavor and sweetness but does make the texture a bit grainy), a pinch of salt, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar. Stir. The mixture should be pretty thick.


Whisk egg whites with a bit of cream of tartar until they are frothy and beginning to set up. If you can get them to peaks, that is bonus points but not really necessary. We just want to beat them enough to get some air and bubbles in throughout. Add 1/2 the egg whites to batter and fold in until just combined. Add the rest of the egg whites and combine well.


At this point we want the batter to be juuuuust pourable. If yours isn't pourable (mine was not), add a splash of water at a time until it reaches a point where it is loose and just pourable. Not as wet as traditional pancake recipes (or my pizza recipe, lolz) but pourable none the less.








Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Add coconut oil and heat.


Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop pancakes onto griddle.







Leave them alone for about 2 minutes, until half the bubbles formed in the pancakes are popping then FLIP with confidence. Cook for 2 more minutes and set aside, covering until you serve.








Dig. In.

Gluten, Grain and Dairy free Brownies

No matter how much planning or googling I do, Father's Day always throws me for a gift giving loop.  It seems that the more creative I get the less likely my dad is to actually use or enjoy whatever I get him.

So what do you get for the man who has everything? Food. I chose food that my mother doesn't make (or particularly like).

Brownies.

These brownies are so rich and decadent it is a bit ridiculous. But they will hit the spot for any chocolate craving.  You can use milk or white chocolate if you prefer.  My family is chock full of dark chocoholics, so that is what I chose for this go around.  

If you prefer cakey brownies, add a few dashes of extra arrowroot starch and less melted chocolate.

12 oz GF chocolate (I used 3 oz of Enjoy Life Semisweet and 9oz of Sunspire 65% Cacao Bittersweet)

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (cornstarch is fine (and suggested by Martha if you do grains)

1/4 cup cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder (cacao will be slightly less sweet/chocolatey)

2 extra large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon espresso or instant coffee

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup coconut sugar, brown or white sugar (if using honey or agave, I would use 1/2 cup max)

1/3 and 1/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

coconut oil for greasing and melting chocolate

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a large microwave safe bowl, add chocolate (chop roughly if using bars), 1/3 cup of coconut milk and a few tablespoons of coconut oil.  Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring well and then microwaving again. Add more coconut oil if needed to get a smooth mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cinnamon, cacao powder, arrowroot, espresso and salt. In another small bowl, beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup coconut milk.

Grease pan well. You can do this in an 8x8 pyrex, metal pan or in a round pie dish. I use parchment paper as well, leaving at least 2 inches sticking out on each side so that I can lift the brownies out without incident post.

Once chocolate is melted stir in sugar. Next add egg and coconut mixture in thirds, stirring to integrate.  Then vanilla extract. Add dry mixture last and stir vigorously for 90 seconds. If you opt for cakey brownies, stir until the mix starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.  The brownies should be set but oh so very slightly wet in the middle when you're finished.  Turn off the heat and put the brownies back in the oven for 5 more minutes at this point.  Undercooking just a little bit keeps the brownies fudgy in the middle, so again if you prefer cakey, tack 5 minutes on to the bake time.

Allow to cool and cut with a wet pizza cutter or (pro tip from my Aunt who made the BEST brownies ever:) plastic knife. Optionally top with a sparse sprinkling of a coarse salt (my favorite is Alaea that I picked up on a Hawaiian vaca).

Indulge.

Gluten Free/ Primal/ Paleo Savory or Sweet Waffles

Sometimes, I wake up on the weekend and know exactly what I want to eat.  This morning, however, I wanted four different things that didn't make sense together. I wanted something that felt carb-y, something sweet, something savory, something crunchy... one of those mornings.

Doing my usual google dance for a good recipe using ingredients I have on hand, I found this awesome recipe for waffles, courtesy of 17 Recipes, which was the perfect base. I made some changes per my tastes and wanted some extra body to the waffles via the coconut flour to stand up to the savory filling. Which was still deeeelicious topped with some good maple syrup.

Happy hodge podge breakfasting to you.  Maybe it IS possible to have it all... *cough* for breakfast.


Gluten Free/ Primal/ Paleo Waffles (makes 6 waffles)

Ingredients
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil (for sweet) or butter/ghee (for savory), melted
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 cup almond meal
3 egg whites
3 egg yolks
pinch of salt

for sweet waffles:
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar

for savory:
1 tablespoon low sodium Adobo seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I like Organic Valley's Raw Milk Jack Cheese)
2 tablespoons of chives or green onions, finely diced

Directions:

Preheat your waffle iron.

1. Separate egg yolks and whites into two bowls.
2. Add milk, almond meal, coconut flour, flax and a pinch of salt to bowl with egg yolks and combine.
3. Melt fat of choice and add to almond yolk mixture, stirring to combine well.
4. Beat egg yolks until very frothy or peaks form. Fold in 1/4 to 1/3 of egg whites into almond - yolk mixture at a time until all of the egg whites are integrated.
5. Add sweet or savory ingredients to mix.

Batter will be thick and appear somewhat mealy if you add in shredded cheese.

You can use refined coconut oil, melted butter or the fat of your choice that holds up to high heat for greasing. Using an1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop waffle batter into center of greased waffle iron.  Cook until desired done-ness.  Top with fruit, maple syrup, honey and/or butter of your choice.

Gluten Free Superbowl!

Need some last minute superbowl help? Finger foods made gluten free are a friggin' snap, guys.

I already have a post of naturally GF dips waiting for your click, found here:

Black Bean Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Caramelized Onion and Shallot Dip and Garlic Shrimp Dip

And also feel I should mention this deliciousness courtesy of my spirit animal, Ina Garten:

Tuna Tapenade

The following recipe is something a little different that happens to also be very very very easy to adapt GF:

Artichoke Bread

I usually substitute a loaf of Joan's GF Great Bakes Italian Bread for the bread listed in the recipe. It holds up very well.  I'm sure that any of my Against the Grain favorites would work wonderfully too.

You can also use pretty much any dip as a sub for the Artichoke Dip if that is more your fancy. I used a fantastic crab dip the last time that was kind of like crab rangoon on a loaf of bread.  Also known as heaven, even for this heathen.

Lastly, a two new ones!

Gluten Free Crab Rangoon Dip

12-16 oz jumbo lump crab, drained and picked over for shells

2 green onions, chopped finely

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of gluten free soy sauce (tamari or coconut aminos)

1/2 tsp of lemon grass or 1 tsp of lemon juice

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

4 oz sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Mix it all together and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Optionally top with a layer of a parmesan to create a crust on the top.

If you'd prefer to make this mix into actual crab rangoon, you can make the exact same combo, subbing additional cream cheese for the sour cream

Rick Bayless's Winter Guacamole

3 avocados (they are ripe when they gently yield and mush to pressure)

1/4 cup of finely diced red onion

1/2 cup of finely diced sun dried tomatoes

2 fist fulls of cilantro

juice of 2 limes

1 - 2 jalapenos or serranos (if you are a spice hater -  sub a roasted poblano for smoke without heat)

S + P to taste

Mash avocados with a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients, finishing with the lime juice, salt and pepper. To change it up, you can add a few slices of bacon, drained canned crab or sauteed shrimp.

Lets go Jets..... in somewhere around 2020.

Baking Conversion Chart

Oh MAN was I excited when I saw this! I used to bake constantly, partially because my wonderful roommate was always an eager audience for my cookies, cupcakes, muffins etc etc etc.  Also because it was damn easy with wheat flour.  Which of course, I never appreciated until after I couldn't eat it anymore.

Once I learned about the Celiac/allergy/intolerance (depending on who you ask...), I scoured the internet for baking conversion charts after many failed experiments with trying to directly replace wheat flour with AP blends.

At long last, here is that chart!  Kudos to Udi's, who posted it on Facebook and Pinterest.

Herbed Baked Eggs

As much as I love summer, the days on the beach, getting out of work when there is still daylight to spare etc, I am more excited about Fall than I thought I was.

Exhibit A. I have busted my velour pants out of seasonal retirement.

Exhibit B. Craving savory, warm baked eggs when I woke up this morning.

Herbed Baked Eggs

(serves 2)

4 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon of butter (salted or unsalted is fine)
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of bleu cheese
2 - 3 tablespoons of finely diced green onions
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon or a large pinch of coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

You can bake this in a small pie dish or in two individual ramekins. I used two ramekins, which is reflected in the directions.

Preheat oven to 450.

Crack eggs into a small bowl. Set aside.

Place ramekins on a baking sheet.  Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of coconut milk to the bottom of each ramekin.  Put the baking sheet in oven for approx 5 minutes to melt the butter and heat both liquids so that they can combine easily.

While the butter and coconut milk are heating up, chop green onions and combine with herbs and parmesan.

Remove baking sheet from the oven. Working quickly, stir the liquids together and add two eggs to each ramekin.  Add one tablespoon of bleu cheese to each ramekin. Then, cover the top of each ramekin with the herb, green onion and parmesan mixture, akin to the way you might top a casserole with bread crumbs.

Return baking sheet to the oven and bake for 8 minutes at 450.  Then, turn the ramekins 90 degrees and return to the oven for 2 minutes.

Now, the eggs should be set, which you can test by rocking the ramekin slightly.  There should not be much of a jiggle except in the middle of the ramekin.  Remove baking sheet from the oven.  The eggs will continue to cook slightly out of the oven in the warm dishes.  Allow the eggs to sit for 2 minutes and serve.

Cold Sesame Noodles

Okay. WHO AMONG YOU KNEW THAT YOU COULD COOK A SPAGHETTI SQUASH IN THE MICROWAVE IN TEN MINUTES??? Ya'all are assholes, keeping that secret from me, knowing my deadly serious spaghetti squash addiction, letting me spend 45 minutes waiting for the oven timer to ding. Sheesh.  I see how it is. Anyway. Hostility aside. Now that I know this, there is no turning back.  I am slightly skeeved by microwave cooking but am also colossally lazy, so guess which self state won? 10 minutes vs 45 minutes.  Ding ding ding.

Boyfriend and I had sushi for dinner last night.  My first time eating rice after doing a Whole 30.  Except I don't know how I tolerated the rice since I got freaking glutened by there being tempura crunch flakes in a roll that did not advertise having them.

((Blegh. I never learn my lesson with sushi, which is my single biggest culprit when it comes to accidental glutening.  I will never understand why restaurants seemingly list all the ingredients of their dishes except for the ones I'm allergic to.  Particularly sushi joints who painstakingly list tuna, salmon, caviar, cucumber and avocado in an inside out roll of rice and seaweed.  Why the shit wouldn't the crunch also be listed? I digress....))

SO eating sushi gave me a taste for one of my favorite crappy Americanized Chinese food dishes - Cold Sesame Noodles.  I happened to have a good set of ingredients on hand and consulted Martha Stewart's recipe, making edits and improvements below so everything is pretty paleo (I used Tamari, which some consider a no no) and gluten free.

You could substitute gluten free spaghetti, egg noodles or shirataki noodles for the spaghetti squash. I happen to love the al dente feel of spaghetti squash and think it goes perfectly the flavors of the sauce. Great with a side of broccoli.  Madam Martha threw in scallions, but I didn't have any on hand so its not included in the below, though I do think it would be a nice touch.  I also have seen other recipes for this dish that included shredded carrot and cucumber too, also an interesting variation that ups the crunch and the color.

Paleo Cold Sesame Noodles

1 spaghetti squash
6 tablespoons sesame paste, stirred (tahini)
2 teaspoons of coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
3 tablespoons of tamari (gluten free soy sauce) or coconut aminos
a few dashes of hot sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chinese five spice
1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil (sesame or peanut oil would taste great here too if you prefer)
2/3 cup water

Cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out goopy strings and seeds.  Place face down on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 10 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Take out a medium sized serving bowl.

Mince ginger and garlic.  Add coconut oil to a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add ginger and garlic once oil is hot and sautee for 2 minutes.

While ginger and garlic sautee in oil, spoon tahini into bowl.  Once ginger and garlic are lightly browned, pour contents of sauce pan into the bowl and whisk.  Add tamari, hot sauce, five spice and coconut sugar whisking again.  Add 1/3 of a cup of water.  Taste and check consistency.  If still too thick, add the remaining water. It should be the consistency of a cream sauce and no longer that of peanut butter. Set aside. Unless your spaghetti squash is gigantic, there will likely be some sauce left over, which would be tasty on chicken or veggies.

Using a fork, remove flesh of spaghetti squash, forming "noodles."  Add half of the tahini sauce and stir.  If it coats to your liking - eat! If not - add more sauce! Rocket science, here.

Yum! Exactly the brunch I had in mind today.

Smoothie, take 1.

I have always been a lover of smoothies and milkshakes.  In college, I spent pretty much all of my flex dollars (read McShane Money akin to Toys R Us Geoffrey Bucks) on smoothies from "The Grille."

On fastpaleo and other sites, I constantly see banging smoothie recipes.  Many of which have banana in them, which is unfortunate because I cannot get my boyfriend to even be in the same room with me when I am eating one.  So try to camouflage it all you want, dude knows.  Its his spidey sense.

I felt like getting creative today.  And it was 3:30pm.  And I hadn't eaten anything.  And even though I wasn't particularly hungry, I knew my body needed a little fuel for cleaning.  Got a little creative with fridge contents, and here we are. You can definitely sub another fruit should you desire.  Or chia for flax. More flax/chia for the raw coconut.  And I think this would be great with almond, dairy or hemp milk too. Whateva. Mix it up, baby. Just remember: NO BANANAS ALLOWED.

Smoothie # 1
2 avocados, super ripe
1 champagne mango, diced
2 1/2 cups of coconut milk like Silk Pure Coconut
4 ice cubes
1 tablespoon of flax meal
1 tablespoon of raw coconut
1 teaspoon of organic wildflower honey (optional)
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon of organic, sugar free vanilla extract

Add avocado, 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk, flax, coconut and lime juice to a blender and mix until well combined.  Add ice cubes, mango, honey, vanilla and remainder of coconut milk and blend again.  Slurp with a straw, obvs.

You may want to add more milk or even some water to get it to your personal desired texture.  My mango was super juicy and my avocado very soft so I didn't need any more liquid.

sweet potato fries aka indulgence

*crickets*

I suck at posting.

Now that THAT is out of the way....

Here's the deal. I haven't been feeling so hot lately or since like the beginning of this year.  Sluggish, unmotivated, foggy headed.  Kind of akin to the glutenous days of yore. I tried to pay attention to whether I was getting DL glutened in restaurants, or whether one of my regular favorites had changed ingredients or suppliers. Nada.

I started to panic after a few weeks, recalling the words of my awesome, awesome, AWESOME GI (more on this later) about how I should probably do a total elimination diet to cross check for other sensitivities and food allergies.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, or if its been evident bc every single fucking recipe that I create has cheese as at least an ancillary component, but I am coo coo for CHEESE. So much so that one of my dearest friends made this, in my honor (inspired by the amazing Hyperbole and a Half):

Eat all the cheeses? Well, okay. If you insist.

So as of today, I am on day five of eating NONE of the cheeses. And am kind of going out of my mind between that and what must be some kind of sugar detox hangover.  Boyfriend and I are doing the Paleo thing, for a while at least.  I'm hoping to be pretty strict for a month, at least, and then start to add things back in to see how I do.  So for now, I've needed to get creative to feel like I'm getting my fix of the foods I love that don't love me. And am going to make a better effort to post recipes... without my beloved cheese.

Installment number one?

Sweet Potato Fries 

2 medium sweet potatoes, jewel yams, garnet yams, what the fuck ever your store has

1.5 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1.5 teaspoon of dried oregano

1/4 cup of coconut oil (or 1/8 cup olive oil and 1/8 cup coconut oil, which will keep the olive oil from burning)

*Preheat your oven to 425.  Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up.

*Chop up your sweet potatoes.  You can do wedges, if you like. Or steak fry sized larger pieces, if you prefer.  I like smaller fries and went for that. Your best bet is cutting the potatoes in half lengthwise, putting the flat side down on a cutting board and cutting small slivers, which I then cut again to desired fry width. SCIENCE. Not really.

*Add the coconut oil to the baking sheet and place in the oven, removing it once the oil has melted.

*Combine your herbs, tossing well.

*Add the potatoes to the baking sheet, coating well with the coconut oil. 

*When the potatoes are coated, liberally sprinkle herb mixture over the top, reserving approximately one third of it.  Toss the potatoes again to coat evenly with herbs. Use reserved herb mixture to hit spots you miss or just sprinkle it evenly over all the fries again and toss lightly.

*Bake for 20  - 30 minutes (20 being on the softer side, 30 with a bit more crispy bite)

Let them stand for 2 - 5 minutes to reduce the likelihood of burning yourself. 

And then, ya know, EAT. Perfect side to a steak and veggies, to a lettuce wrap burger or even a salad.

leek madness

When I was grocery shopping last week, GIANT leeks greeted me in the fresh produce aisle at my local store. I am talking freakshow leeks. So I couldn't resist picking up two, figuring I would improvise my way to something great after making potato leek soup, which I have recently become obsessed with.

Emeril's recipe is fantastic and naturally gluten free.  I've also made it with green onions when leeks weren't available and it was different, sure, but still great. I've made it with and without bacon as well as with creme fraiche vs cream.  The creme fraiche adds a bit more tanginess, but can you reeeeally go wrong with cream? No.  This makes the perfect sized batch to get you and your plus one through a week of easy reheating.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/potato-and-leek-soup-recipe2/index.html

But leeks are great for far more than just potato leek soup. I used them in a stir fry and in omelettes.  And still have another cup or so in the freezer in a ziploc. Perfect in a quiche or a frittata too.

Leek Stir Fry

2 bags shirataki noodles, rinsed well under cold water

1 1/2 cups of leeks, white and light green parts only sliced thin

1 zucchini, sliced into thin match sticks

1 red pepper, sliced into thin match sticks

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of minced ginger root

1/3 cup reduced sodium gluten free soy sauce

1 tablespoon tahini or peanut butter

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

optional: tablespoon of minced lemongrass (like gourmet garden) or a tablespoon of lime juice

Chop and mince away. Once everything is set and the shirataki noodles are rinsed and set aside (you can sub cooked rice noodles or spaghetti) heat a large skillet over medium heat. Right before the skillet begins to smoke, add coconut oil.  Once the coconut oil melts, add leeks, sauteeing for one minute.  Add ginger and garlic, stirring with leeks and sauteeing for one minute more. Add the rest of the veggies, sauteeing for three to five minutes or until veggies start to brown and are tender in the middle. add soy sauce, tahini/pb, lemongrass and red pepper flakes and stir well so that it forms a sauce. When sauce is formed and vegetables are cooked to your liking, add shirataki noodles and stir frequently, cooking the mixture for a few minutes until the noodles are warmed through. If you need more sauce to cover, try a few splashes of broth or some more soy sauce.

Leek Omelette for Two

1 cup of leeks

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms

4 eggs

3 tablespoons of milk

1 tablespoon herbs de provence

pinch of kosher salt

black pepper grinder

shredded gruyere

Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add a tablespoon of coconut oil.  Once melted, add leeks and sautee for three minutes or until they begin to wilt and glisten. Add mushrooms and sautee until both are cooked to your liking but still have a bit of bite. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper, tossing and setting aside.

Mix eggs, milk and herbs de provence with a whisk until slightly frothy. Add remainder of coconut oil in a small skillet. Once melted add egg mixture.  Push in on the edges to allow the liquid to go around the outside of the omelette so that the egg cooks equally.  Once it is firmly set throughout, flip the entire mixture over.  Cook for one minute and add shredded gruyere, leeks and mushrooms.  Fold over and serve immediately. 

So fronch. Yum.

I am SO pro Against the Grain.

So, gluten free friends, let me tell you about a little company called Against the Grain Gourmet.  At first I saw the name on a few bags in the Whole Foods freezer section and thought - whoa thats a strong statement.  I'm also a little weary of frozen breads.  They just never seemed to get to a texture that I loved. And then I started trying Against the Grain products one by one... and fell completely, utterly in love.

I was first introduced to Against the Grain Gourmet through their Rosemary rolls, which I used as buns for grilled mushroom cap burgers, cheeseburgers and as bread in delicious egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches. I ate them plain after 30 seconds in the microwave. And after sitting out on the counter for 30 minutes.  And with earth balance spread. And cream cheese. I was freaking hooked. Then, when I went back for more, I saw they had baguettes in original and rosemary flavors. Unbelievable.  To me, the baguettes have the best texture of all their products. Squishy, stretchy, chewy bread was but a distant memory before buying this stuff.

A friend and I were recently at a dinner party trading stories about loaves of store bought gluten free bread that were better suited to be doorstops when I pulled out Against the Grain's Rosemary Baguettes for her to try. Even the gluten friendly friends were tasting it and oohing and ahhing. Even though they had "real bread" on the table to choose from, they were going back for more of my baguettes. I've never seen anything like it with a packaged, frozen, gluten free product.

After realizing that I owed this monster of a company a blog post for all their deliciousness and convenience, I wanted to try a few more things. I tried their sesame and original bagels. FINALLY a chewy gluten free bagel. I have found nothing that comes anywhere close to that texture in a gluten free baked good.  Even those I bake myself are often delicious, yes, but crumbly and lacking in that unified, chewy consistency.  Not these bagels. Not this baguette.  Not these rolls.

I also noticed a new product - a frozen pizza shell - which had cheese baked right into the crust. I snatched up immediately as it was the last one in the A&P freezer case. Despite my now well documented love of everything else of theirs that I brought home, I was still skeptical.  But this crust blew every other frozen pizza, both gluten free and otherwise, completely out of the water. They now also manufacture and sell whole pizzas.  No other ingredients needed for an easy, tasty, weeknight meal. I also saw that they are now selling pumpernickel rolls, which I have been freaking clamoring for since giving up my beloved NY bagels.

I know you'll be skeptical... I was too.  But take a leap of faith against the grain with these guys.  They really know what they're doing. And no, I'm not being paid to write this.  Though if anyone is listening, I'd prefer to be bought with baguettes and bagels. Check out the website to look for a store locator, to read about ingredients (I haven't seen any dairy free products yet), sourcing, and to see the variety of stuff I haven't stumbled upon yet.  You'll be happy you did.

(All photos credit to Against the Grain Gourmet)

avgolemano!

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, warming meal at any time of day.

Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Egg soup)

2 cups of cooked chicken, diced or pulled (I used a garlic rotisserie chicken)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup of shallots or onions, sliced and diced (whatever you have around works, I prefer shallots)
7 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of quinoa (red looks best!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh
1 tablespoon of dried tarragon (optional, but i looove the flavor)
2 tablespoons fresh italian flat leaf parsley
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
2 eggs
4 - 6 basil leaves, torn
salt and mixed color peppercorns in large grinds, to taste (I used McCormick's garlic pepper grinder)
1 tablespoon of EVOO

Add EVOO to deep sauce pan on high heat.  After it heats for 60 sec, add shallots and sautee for three minutes. Add garlic, dill and tarragon (if using) and sautee for one minute more.  Add quinoa, tossing in oil, and shallot mixture, sauteeing for two minutes.  Add chicken broth and reduce heat to medium, stirring frequently as it simmers.  Meanwhile, add eggs and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Combine and whisk in two teaspoons of cornstarch, and salt and pepper to your liking.

After the broth, quinoa etc have been simmering for 15 minutes, or when quinoa is tender and about to be done, add egg/lemon mixture in three sections, whisking nonstop so that the eggs do not cook in clumps when they hit the broth.  If you'd prefer you can remove the soup from the heat for this portion.  When egg mixture is completely added, put it back on the heat and whisk for 60 seconds.

When the mixture reaches a solid simmer, add cooked chicken, stirring well.  Cook mixture together for 2 - 3 minutes or until chicken is heated through and quinoa is cooked to your liking.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4!  Great with a salad for dinner, on its own for lunch. You can also sub long grain white rice, basmati brown rice or arborio rice for the quinoa if you'd prefer.

Queen of Dips has returned from her holy hiatus.

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 that will be coming up in the next few months.

To lighten up the below, use lower fat cream cheese or tofutti soy cream cheese in place of full fat cream cheese or creme fraiche and consider 0% greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  Keep the ratios the same.  Daiya's super stretchy cheeses are great in the black bean dip in particular, to keep it vegan friendly.


Black Bean Dip

2 cans of black beans with their liquid
3 green onions, thinly sliced from root to tip
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
8 oz extra sharp cheddar
8 oz creme fraiche
1/2 cup of salsa verde

Preheat oven to 350.

Reserve a small handful of sliced green onion, a pinch of cilantro and about an ounce of cheddar for the top of the dip.

Add black beans + liquid, salsa verde, creme fraiche and remaining cilantro, onions and cheese to an 8x8 baking dish. Mix until combined.  If you have an immersion blender, puree mixture in baking dish until at least half of the beans are creamy.  If you'd prefer a creamier dip, you can certainly continue. I like to leave some beans whole for texture and presentation. Otherwise, you can use a potato masher for a rougher consistency or use a blender. Before baking, top with reserved ingredients.

Bake for 20 minutes or until top is browned and dip is heated well throughout.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

9 oz box of frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry of water
9 oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, or 2/3 jar of marinated artichokes, chopped
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
pinch of salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until dip is browned and bubbling.

Carmelized Onion and Shallot Dip


2 medium to large onions, thinly sliced into long pieces
2 shallots,  thinly sliced
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon hot hungarian paprika (or 1/4 tsp cayenne and a tablespoon of reg paprika)
1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons of butter
1/8 cup vegetable oil

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet.  Add onions and seasonings and sautee for 10 minutes over medium heat.  Lower heat to low or medium low and cook until the onions are browned and caramelized (about 20 minutes).  While the onions cool, place cream cheese, sour cream and mayo in the bowl of a mixer and beat until all three are one cohesive mixture.  Add onions and mix well.  Optional: bake for 15 minutes at 350 to combine flavors.

Garlic Shrimp Dip

16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of shrimp
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 green onions (or 1 yellow onion), chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add shrimp and sautee.  After first turn of the shrimp (once one side is pink), add in yellow onion (if using), red pepper flakes and garlic.  Sautee until shrimp is cooked and then roughly chop. Add chopped shrimp mixture (scrape the skillet for extra flavor!) to a baking dish with room temperature cream cheese, herbs and parmesan cheese.  Stir well to combine.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 and serve hot.

All of these can be served with your favorite veggies, chips or crackers. I love Mary's Gone Crackers black pepper crackers in particular with dip. I also love using left over black bean dip as a spread for sandwiches or on toast as a snack.

Hope you'll all enjoy them as much as my guests do.  My boyfriend is salivating just watching me write this post, if that is any indicate of what is in store.  Cheers to your next gathering!

thank you, foodnetworkhumor.com

Field Trip: Goya

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 have a standby enchilada sauce recipe that I will share at some point (if I haven't already... Did I already post it? No idea. Lolz.) but wanted to try something different so I <gasp> actually followed the directions rather than substituting my most comfortable standby sauce.  Except for my sub of dried oregano because unfortunately my name is not Ina Garten so I do not have herb bushes in my backyard in the Hamptons.  BOO.

Okay.  Field trip time. You do need to go out and head for the "ethnic foods" aisle near the Goya section to find some dried chiles. It will be worth the extra two minutes it will take to find them, randomly squeezed in hanging on the side of the shelf between lentils and recaito, where it definitely does not belong.  Go forth and get thee some ranchero sauce. Don't substitute.  Get the damn dried chiles.  Mine were "New Mexico" chiles and perrrrrrrfection.

This is another fabulous Cooking Light recipe. Seriously the best 13 bucks I spent so far this year.  I get an average of 5 meal ideas per issue.  Their new Thanksgiving double issue is also aweeeesome. You've been warned.

~ *Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce* ~


Ingredients

2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups organic vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican-blend cheese, divided
3 thinly sliced green onions, divided
Cooking spray
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
6 tablespoons light sour cream
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine chiles and 2 cups water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Drain chiles in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add onion; saute 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and salt. Cook 5 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through cumin); cook 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
4. Pour onion mixture into a blender; add chiles and reserved liquid. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid. Blend until smooth; stir in lime juice and red pepper.
5. Combine the beans, 1 cup cheese, and half the green onions in a bowl. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 3 tablespoons bean mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over filled tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining green onions; serve with sour cream.

This has nothing to do with being gluten free.

Tomato Gratin with Arugula Walnut Pesto

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 darn tasty.  And after my last pesto obsession ended in a case of pine nut mouth, I went with walnuts for this one.  Omit the parmesan for vegan/casein free pesto.

And you should know that both my boyfriend and I are not the biggest tomato fans.  We both have serious texture issues with the gushy inside and tend not to feature them like this in a recipe.  So this preparation style for them is just THAT good. Another meatless monday, easy peasy. This probably takes a total of 30 minutes once ingredients are gathered, since the prep work is quick and pretty effortless with the help of your food processor.

Tomato Gratin with Arugula Walnut Pesto

Tomato Gratin
4 cups sliced roma tomatoes (1/2 inch thick slices)
1 cup gluten free bread crumbs mixed with a 1/2 tsp of parsley and oregano and 1 tsp of thyme and basil

balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
EVOO, for drizzling
parmesan cheese (thin slices of fresh mozz would be great here too)



Pesto
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of walnuts
4 cups of arugula, stems removed
1/2 to 3/4 cup EVOO

Preheat oven to 375.

Begin my making pesto, using a food processor.  Add garlic.  If adding whole cloves, process until minced.  Or add minced garlic.  Add arugula, parmesan (if using) and walnuts and process on high, slowly pouring EVOO until mixture reaches desired texture, adding at least 1/2 a cup.  Set aside.

Spread a thin, even layer of pesto in the bottom of a 11x9 baking dish.  Press half of tomato slices into pesto. Drizzle with balsamic and EVOO.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  Top with 1/2 of the bread crumb/herb mixture.  Press other half of tomatoes on top, layering. Spread another thin pesto on top of tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic and EVOO.  Sprinkle with parmesan and top with bread crumb/herb mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and tomatoes are cooked through.

Delicious over pasta with half the remaining pesto and a big splash of lowfat milk or fat free half and half , or simply prepared risotto rice again mixed with half the remaining pesto.  Also lovely as a side to grilled fish or chicken.

Stuffed Peppers

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 them this week and another one verbalized a desire to after hearing about both of our delicious dinners. So hop on board.  This recipe should leave you with plenty of leftovers to get you meatless way beyond Monday.

I'm not sure that prior to making this I had ever made or eaten stuffed peppers.  But I will be eating them again, probably soon, thanks to the yum you will find below.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

8 bell peppers, kept intact, tops cut off, deseeded

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of vegetable broth

2 15oz cans of pinto beans

1 4oz can of green chilis, undrained

1 cup of chopped onion

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 oz goat cheese

2 tablespoons cumin

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Add two cups of vegetable broth to a medium saucepan.  When it begins to boil, add quinoa.  Cover and reduce to medium until quinoa is cooked, adding water if needed to soften further.

2. While quinoa cooks, prep peppers, chop onions, mince garlic etc.

3. Add oil to a large skillet.  Sautee onion for 3 minutes.  Add garlic.  Brown for 1 minute.  Add beans, chilis, cumin, tomatoes and lime juice and cook for at least 5 minutes, up to 10 until tomatoes and chilis are browning/blistering slightly.  Stir in cooked quinoa.

4. Divide quinoa/bean mixture among peppers evenly, layering with a few crumbles of goat cheese throughout.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until peppers are cooked through and blistering.

6.  Top with salsa, if desired.  Or two more chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup of red onion, cilantro and a dash or two of lime juice, salt and pepper.

Green Quinoa Pie

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 quinoa in a few minutes and may use that as next week's post if all goes according to hare brained plan of the day.



Green Quinoa Pie


Ingredients
3/4     cup quinoa
2       oz goat cheese
1/4     cup shredded swiss cheese
1       lb frozen spinach
4       tablespoons diced shallots
5       oz arugula
2       tbls extra virgin olive oil
4       tablespoons flax meal
2       tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
3/4     cup egg beaters


Directions


  1. Rinse and drain quinoa. Heat small saucepan and add quinoa,
turning frequently to toast 2- 3 minutes.
  2. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, lower heat to medium and cover. Stir
frequently, adding more water for ~ 15 minutes or until quinoa is
tender. When quinoa is cooked, preheat oven to 350.
  3. While quinoa cooks, add frozen spinach to a hot pan with 2 tbls
water. Add shallots and cover, stirring frequently until shallots are
translucent and soft and spinach is thawed/cooked. Add spinach/quinoa
mixture to a strainer and squeeze remaining liquid out.
 4. Heat pan and add arugula, stirring frequently to wilt evenly.
Remove after 3 - 5 minutes.
  5. Add wilted arugula, spinach, cooked shallots and cheeses to
quinoa mixture, stirring to integrate.
  6. Lightly whisk egg beaters until slightly fluffy. Add to
quinoa/veggie mixture.
  7. Put 1 tbls EVOO to 9 inch pie pan and put it in the oven to heat
for 5 minutes. Remove and add mixture, patting down.
  8. Mix flax meal and parmesan in a bowl and sprinkle liberally over
the top of the pie, covering well. Press down.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes. Drizzle last tbls of EVOO over top and bake
for another 20 minutes.
 10. Chow down.

HUMMUS!

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 Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Plus, my default lunch of choice when I didn't bring food - the giant bodega sandwich - was no longer an option after going gluten free.  So pretty soon, I wasn't eating meat during the week and saving it up for the weekends.  This is largely what I shoot for now, though I am far from perfect.  There are times I seriously consider going full vegetarian, but I am really held up by not being able to eat many veggie/vegan meat substitutes like tempeh, seitan and many tofu products. I have yet to find any commercially available veggie chicken (though my favorite vegan lunch spot which also has gluten free bread and AMAZING gluten free wraps has some!), soy crumbles etc.  I used to swap meat out of many Mexican dishes in particular (two veggie taco recipes coming up for next week!) for those awesome proteins and haven't quite overcome not being able to use them.  I also still have the occasional bad day where I feel totally limited with food choices because of my allergies, and adopting a stricter vegetarian outlook would probably bring those about more often.

I have had great success utilizing mushrooms run through the food processor in place of ground meats, though.  And found a fail proof grilling formula that will make you crave 'bellas like they are a truly fantastic burger.  AND realized that I could top it with daiya cheese (IT MELTS!) and not miss a beat.  Woo-hoo.

So whether you are doing so for your health, the health of our planet or intially just because Paul and Yoko said so, I'm going to try and offer my support by posting recipes on Sundays/early Mondays for MEATLESS MONDAY at least for the rest of October.  Let's see if I can keep up...

Hummus is a perfect Meatless Monday pick that can stretch out way beyond .  You can use it in wraps during the week (I like mine with arugula, cheese and tomato/cucumber) for lunch, as a topper for chicken and salads.  Chickpeas are naturally high in protein and fiber.  They also provide a healthy carbohydrate profile for people with Diabetes or blood sugar issues.  I scarfed mine up in a wrap, simply with some Mary's Gone Crackers Curry Twigs, with Trader Joe's sweet potato chips and baby carrots.  And I'm sure there a million other applications I haven't been creative enough to consider.  Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Hummus

2 cups of canned chickpeas
3 roasted red peppers (totally optional but awesome for taste and texture)
3 cloves of garlic (you can roast garlic in the oven for 20 minutes before mixing in if you dislike raw garlic)
1/3 cup tahini
juice of 2 lemons (at least 6 tablespoons or to taste)
1/4 tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
reserved liquid from can of chickpeas or warm water (at least 2 tablespoons)

Mince or press garlic. Add tahini, chickpeas, 6 tablespoons of lemon juice, roasted red peppers, salt and pepper to a food processor and combine well.  Add reserved liquid from can of chickpeas and additional lemon juice until it reaches your desired consistency. De - freaking - licious.



Enjoy!