A Favorite Recipe

Today for our Easter family cookout I made one of my favorite salads. It is easy and a complete meal all by itself. It is fresh and crisp and if you make your own mayo (I do) it is also Paleo!

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

1 head of Broccoli
1 head of Cauliflower
1/2 to 1 C of Mayo
6 hard boiled eggs chopped (include 3 of the yolks)
1 lb uncured bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
ground black pepper (and salt if you want) to taste

Chop all the veggies and toss in a bowl with enough mayo to moderately coat. (You don't want the mayo to overpower the other flavors.)
Add in the egg, bacon and pepper and mix well.

You can also add:
Cherry tomatoes, halved (or grape tomatoes)
1 Tbs of Horseradish
1/2 C chopped red onion

 

With Spring upon us and the beautiful days ahead, why not enjoy this salad and some grilling outside? Gluten-free doesn't have to be boring! 

 

A Melting Experience: Restaurant Review

This past week I had the pleasure of a night out with some of my girl-friends from college, K & M. Because I have Celiac's, choosing a restaurant can be a bit challenging as you can imagine. I had passed by Melt several times when shopping at Easton and checked out their menu online. I was elated to find that they had Gluten Free options, so the girls and I decided to go check it out.

The atmosphere is eclectic and welcoming. It was busy and lively with lots of kitschy things to see on the walls and behind the bar with vinyl sheathes from decades past as the menu backs. The staff was friendly and reminded me of the crowd I tend to run around with. Artsy and alternative types welcome with a smile and eye-contact as they genuinely ask how you are doing today. This was a welcome change from what is usually encountered when entering an establishment; cold, don't want to be bothered to be there and insincere welcomes.

Our server was Ian, who welcomed us and immediately got us water and brought K a sample of 2 of his suggested beers for her to try. Ultimately she chose one called "Two Brothers". When M got there, she ordered a margarita and we dove into the large menu. Ian was ever present, not in an annoying "hurry up and order" way but in a helpful way. He answered questions that I had and made sure that I knew all the options available to me with my restrictions. I didn't have to ask about a dedicated fryer for their french fries, he offered that information right way. Unfortunately, fries were out of the question in my case, but someone who doesn't have an issue with cross-contamination could have them.

I ordered the "Bushwood Club", which was LOADED and overflowing with goodness. The coleslaw is a vinegar base with a bit of a kick of spice to it and it was delicious. I suggest having them put it on the side though as it can make the bread of the sandwich soggy. They do not skimp on portions at all. Half my plate was coleslaw and the other half was sandwich, and the plates are quite large. I got a whole sandwich but probably should have gotten a half. With the gluten free bread option, the slices are a bit small so they give you two sandwiches when you order a "whole". I had planned on taking one home and having it for lunch the next day, but with the coleslaw sauce making the bread soggy, I ended up pulling out the insides of the sandwich and eating it.

Bushwood Club with Coleslaw

Look at all the goodness shoved in there!

Seriously a ton of food!

If you miss a good grilled cheese sandwich, filled with Smoked turkey, hickory bacon, rosemary onion aioli, romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, provolone...then the Bushwood Club is for you, and you can have it Gluten Free!

MELT gets an enthusiastic seal of approval from me. I will definitely be back...there are still a good 12 sandwiches I want to try on their menu. (Of course I will have questions regarding some ingredients, but they sound delicious.)

 If you have a location near you, go check them out!

Recipe of the Day: Paleo Chili

Welcome back! It has been a while since I posted, sorry about that. From here on out my goal is to post much  more frequently.

It can be tough to come up with delicious and easy meals to prepare when you need to adhere to a Gluten Free or Paleo diet. Often when  people discover that you will be serving a "special dietary meal" they seem to go running for the hills or immediately assume it will be flavorless and odd. This is most certainly not true, at least it doesn't have to be.

In my household, I am the only one that requires a gluten free diet. I choose, because of various health conditions, other than my Celiac's, to stick to a Paleo diet. However, there is no reason to make two separate meals for my family, or when I have friends over.

I LOVE crock pot meals! They are simple, easy to prepare and simmering all day helps to marry the flavors together.

Paleo Chili

Gluten free, Dairy free, Grain free, Soy Free and Sugar free but NEVER flavor free.

(serves about 10)

3 pounds of ground beef (go for grass-fed, organic)
1 large onion (or 1 Tbs of onion powder)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs Chili powder
2 tsp Cumin powder
1 Tbs hot sauce or 1 tsp red pepper flakes
24 oz diced tomatoes and their juice (I like to use the ones from my garden, which I can myself.)
8 oz diced mild green chili and their juice. (Again, if you have fresh or home-canned available, use those.)
24 oz tomato sauce
2 cups of water
1 tsp salt

1. Brown and drain ground beef (brown to ALMOST done. There should be just a small amount of pink left on the meat. This will cook the rest of the way in the crock pot.), and put into the crock pot.

2. Add all other ingredients and stir well.

 

3. Put the lid on the crock pot and allow to simmer on LOW for at least 4 hours. (I set mine in the morning around 8am and it is perfect by 5-6pm)

*if you find that the mixture gets too thick, add a cup of water to thin it out just a bit.)

Sever over baked sweet potatoes  or over sweet potato fries/tots and top with sliced avocado. (for Paleo)

For non-Paleo or non- Gluten Free, serve over regular baked potatoes, fries or tots, top with cheese etc.


I serve this hearty chili with a side salad and a Paleo friendly dressing.

Enjoy!

Plan, Plan, Plan!

I don't know about you, but I'm busy. Really busy. Between school, kids, husband, household and still wanting to have a little fun I often find it hard to get substantial food on the table. Often, I resort to "Make your own meal Monday" or "Find your grub Friday"....even cans of soup or in a last ditch effort Fast Food. To avoid accidentally eating gluten through cross-contamination, eating processed foods (which I try to avoid), or overly fattening and bland foods I plan ahead. I find that if I do this, even preparing the meal up to the baking stage, I can get some delicious foods on the table without over-stressing myself.

Last night, we had Shepherd's Pie. I prepared everything up to step 12 (in the recipe below) and then had my teenaged daughter do the egg wash, sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and then put it in the oven. That way, by the time I got home from school, and my husband was home from work dinner was ready and all I had to do was gather the family around the table. Sure, I still prepared it, but I was able to move that time to earlier in the day so that my stress level wasn't all at then end of the day.

Shepherd's Pie is a complete meal in one dish! Loads of veggies, protein and a starch all in one dish! This recipe serves 12 easy...so make the full pan and then freeze/refrigerate leftovers for lunches or another dinner. I like to freeze left overs in one serving portions. That way, when the kids have to be two different places at the same time, and there isn't any time to prepare a wholesome and delicious meal, we simply reheat individual portions of the leftovers we each choose.

This Shepherd's Pie is rich and decadent. You can use less or more of the various veggies to meet your preferences. My husband and son don't like onions, so I often use less onions or use onion powder when I can. In this case I used the diced onions and sauteed them until golden brown.

Shepherd’s Pie

serves 12 (1 cup servings), prep 20 min, cook 40 min

• 2 tbsp oil, divided
• 16 oz white mushrooms thinly sliced
• 8 oz red wine, divided
• 1 cup carrots julienned
• ½ to 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground lamb or beef
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
• 2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup chicken or beef stock
• 3 medium zucchini julienned
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 cups mashed potatoes (you can always use instant if you need to!) (Note: Try mashed cauliflower or mashed Parsnip in place of the potatoes if you want to avoid white potatoes)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Butter a large casserole dish.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat.  Add sliced mushrooms.  Sauté mushrooms until soft and brown.  Add 2 oz red wine to the hot pan, stirring and scraping the pan.  Remove mushrooms to a plate.
3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to pan and heat to medium.
4. Sauté onions until beginning to soften, then add carrots and garlic.
5. When carrots are soft add ground meat and brown, breaking meat into large chunks.
6. When meat is browned, season with salt, pepper and thyme.  Add mushrooms, peas and 1 tbsp butter.
7. Sprinkle mixture with corn starch and stir.  Then add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and remaining 6 oz wine.
8. Cook and stir mixture for several minutes.  Add stock and simmer until sauce is thick and somewhat reduced.
9. Remove from heat and stir in zucchini.  Season to taste.
10. Pour meat mixture into the prepared casserole.
11. Drain and mash potatoes with butter and cream as needed.
12. Spoon mashed potatoes over meat and spread and smooth the top.
13. Brush potatoes with a beaten egg and sprinkle with Parmesan.
14. Bake casserole 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling and potatoes are browned.  Cook time will be longer for a cold dish.

NOTE: If you want to make this recipe ahead of time, after spooning the potatoes on top, cover and refrigerate. (At the end of step 12)

Fried Rice!

Ok so who doesn't like fried rice?!? It never fails, we go to a Chinese restaurant or to the Japanese steakhouse and they ask, Fried or Steamed? You forgo the Fried thinking it is too fattening or even worse, you could get Glutened! Fried rice has soy sauce, which has wheat unless you have access to gluten free soy sauce. Restaurants usually don't have gluten free soy sauce available so it is much easier to just avoid it.....or is it?

Pleasing the kid pallet and avoiding gluten can be difficult sometimes when you are trying to stay on a budget and don't want to just eat broiled chicken and steamed veggies. You don't have to give up this comfort food at all! All you have to do is make it at home!

Chicken "Fried" Rice

2 cups uncooked rice, steamed as normal
4 eggs, scrambled, cooked and set aside.
1 Tbs Sesame Oil
1 Can Chicken Breast in water 
1 package frozen peas and carrots
1/4 tsp dried minced garlic (or one fresh clove minced)
1 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbs gluten Free Soy Sauce (I buy the store brand because it has no wheat and is cheaper!)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Steam the rice as directed on the package.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot, add garlic and saute until fragrant.
3. Add in the chicken, veggies, ginger, 1 Tbs of the soy sauce.
4. When the rice is done and the chicken/veggie mix is hot, add the rice and egg to the chicken one cup at a time, mixing well after each cup.
5. Add the last Tbs of soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.


(Serves 6-8 depending on the serving size. I usually do 1 cup per person and freeze the leftovers in single serving baggies for easy  lunches.)

I like to serve this with salad and miso dressing.


This is better than what you get in restaurants because it isn't loaded with fat or MSG and you won't have to worry about making two meals to keep from getting Glutened AND still pleasing everyone else!

Weekly Recipe: Korean Beef Bowl

I love to try new things and experiment with food. I'm not partial to any one genre of food either. One of our favorite foods in my house is this Korean Beef recipe served over rice and with salad on the side.

• ⅓ cup  brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup Gluten Free soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Onion, thinly sliced

1. Mix together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and ground ginger in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Brown ground beef in a non-stick skillet and drain, reserving 1 TBS of grease. Sauté onion in reserved grease until slightly browned. Add garlic to skillet and sauté until fragrant. Add beef and sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes until well coated and heated through.  Serve over rice with Salad or steamed vegetables on the side.

VARIATION: Sometimes I make this with cubed beef in the crock pot. When I do it this way I allow it to simmer on low for 4-8 hours. This makes sure that the beef cubes end up so tender that they are basically falling apart they are so tender.
ENJOY!

What's to Come, Things to Consider and an Easy Recipe

I have  PCOS as well as Celiac's. For me this means that I am "insulin resistant" and do not process carbohydrates well in the first place. Usually I restrict my own carbohydrate consumption because of this. When I do I find that I have more energy, I crave less sweets and though it is still difficult to lose weight, I actually do see some weight loss...albeit little. That being the case, beginning in February I will be reverting to my Paleo diet I did last year. No, I will not only offer Paleo recipes on the blog, however I will offer several that I find that I love. The nice thing about Paleo is that you eat REAL food AND that real food is GLUTEN FREE. I won't be 100% Paleo, because I really miss cheese and yogurt when I cut it completely, and I *might* have Quinoa sometimes just because I LOVE it and it is so beneficial to your health.

I started drinking pop again and starting next month I'm going back off the stuff. Honestly it just jacks up my system and irritates my digestive system. I find that a lot of people with Celiac's, Crohn's, IBS etc have issues with it as well. So if you haven't thought about cutting it out yet, you might want to consider it. I highly encourage you to not only cut out pop, and the obvious gluten, but to also watch that what you aren't doing is simply replacing all the wheat products with "gluten free" versions of them. Another thing that you need to be careful of is corn. It is very tempting to just consume a lot of corn based products to get that "carb fix" but this can actually be dangerous because corn can be difficult to digest for some people, and it is easy to over consume. Plus, it is possible that if you have one type of "bowel reaction" to gluten, consuming substitutes *can* cause the opposite issue. (Just a little necessary TMI... FYI)

Cutting out anything, either by choice or necessity, causes cravings and withdrawals. At first you will feel deprived, replace those foods with something else. I like to eat raw nuts when I'm craving something (not peanuts) or a boiled egg (protein helps) and have a large glass of water. Once you are used to eating no gluten, it becomes easier and easier to not eat. Honestly, 2 years later I don't really miss it at all. Remember, this is a major change in your life, diet and way of thinking about food.

That being said, today's "recipe" is:

Quiche

 6 Eggs
1c Cheese
Salt
Pepper
(Basil)
(Thyme)
(Sage)
Spinach (a nice large handful of fresh stuff)
Bacon (browned and drained)
Mushrooms (diced)
Onion (diced and browned)

Preheat your oven to 350ºF, grease a muffin pan
Scramble the eggs as you normally would
Pour some egg into each muffin form (remember they will rise so only 1/4 full)
Add the fillings you want (veggies, meat etc)
Add some cheese (only about 1 Tbs per quiche)
-I like to "fluff" each one with a fork a little bit to incorporate the ingredients.
Salt and Pepper (add other herbs) as you like
Bake until the egg is no longer jiggly when the pan is tapped.
-(I check at 10 min and then every 3 min after)
*Two are a serving*

Put the rest into baggies and freeze or refrigerate

Served with avocado slices, sliced fruit and raw nuts  with some black coffee or plain water, this meal is not only gluten free but Paleo (except the cheese technically...which can be omitted to be entirely Paleo)

No need to starve....just eat GOOD food!