The Gluten Free Dude's Surf & Turf

Living in California has it's benefits like the weather , able to go to the beach and the snow in the same day. Even your food options are greater in California compared some parts of the U.S.. Californian's have a luxury that we may take for granted. We are able to buy fresh fish (wild caught) everyday.

The other day we were at Whole Foods on a Friday and as we were making our way through the store we came up on the meat and seafood counter. They had a worker out there trying to direct the shoppers to their Friday specials. One special was fresh or frozen shrimp, another was halibut. Both caught my attention so I was hooked. I get some shrimp and a 14oz halibut steak. Finished up at the fish counter trying to make our way towards the pasta/rice aisle then another worker shouted out "Organic New York Strip $9.99 per lb". My head spun around and I made a B line over to the meat counter. This was no regular deal, this was a steal. It was a grand opening for this particular Whole Foods which is why it was priced so cheap. Normally organic grass feed New York Steak is $21.99 per lb.  I of course bought 1lb and made my way through the store to finish the rest of my shopping. On my through the non dairy, freezer section and bakery I found myself staring at this huge end cap full of Udi's products and one shelf at the bottom with EnrG bread. I was really impressed. The pasta and rice aisle had a "gluten free" section designated to gluten free pastas. While down that aisle I found some arborio rice. Arborio is an Italian short grain rice that is often used for rice pudding or risotto. So my dinner is coming together nicely. I have my "surf" halibut, my "turf" new york steak and my side arborio rice. 

Preparing this meal was fun. I used my signature spice mixture (paprika, cumin, oregano, thyme, garlic powder) to season the halibut and steak. Decided to add sprouts to the arborio rice to add a vegetable to the dish.

I start off by bringing a medium pot of water to a boil adding in one cup of arborio rice. Take a medium sauce pan and add water to fill the pan one half inch and bring to a boil. Grab about  6-8 large sprouts, de-bud them,  slice in half then make 1/8" slices lengthwise. This should give a shredded look to the sprouts.  Toss the sliced sprouts into a boiling water for about 7 minutes. While the rice and sprouts are boiling cut the 16oz steak fillet into two 6oz fillets and one 4oz or something close to it. Store the 4oz steak for another meal. Start coating the two fillets with The Gluten Free Dude's spice mix (recipe below). Cut your halibut in half giving you two 7oz fillets, now coat with seasoning. Once that is done take a large pan drizzle some EVOO over med-high heat. Add the steak fillets and cook each side for about 8-10 minutes depending on thickness or desired preference. After 6 minutes add the halibut fillets and cook each side for 5-6 minutes. 

While the meat and fish cook drain the sprouts and add to rice. Add 2 tbsp. of earth's balance butter and mix with sprouts into rice. Once meat, fish and rice are cooked you are ready to eat.

(click on picture to enlarge)

The Gluten Free Dude's Spice Mix recipe:

1 tbsp.- Paprika

1 tbsp.- Cumin

1 tsp. - Oregano

1 tsp. - Thyme

1 tbsp.- Garlic Powder

  

Eating an appetizer doesn't mean it can't be healthy

Not too many people think about an appetizer as something healthy unless you count vegetables, but then you are dipping it in some kind of ranch dressing.  When you go out to eat the first thing out of the waiter/waitresses mouth is: "Can I start you off with a drink or appetizer". When did it become so normal to snack before your meal? Wonder why America is the obese capital of the world, it's because we eat these carb loaded fattening appetizers. Now I am not speaking against anyone who orders these because I am one of them. I just feel if there were options for us to order appetizers that were flavorful and healthy we would order it.

In California one of the most popular appetizers is guacamole or "guac". Guacamole is made from avocados. (duh! but had to put it in there just in case someone was born yesterday and was unaware) The United States is the world's third largest avocado grower (behind Mexico and Brazil) and California is the U.S.'s largest avocado producer.  Not only are avocados tasty but they are good for you too. Can you believe that one avocado has 4g of protein, 13g of fiber and you get 23g of unsaturated fats plus 4g of your omega's as well. They are very healthy for you. I am not a nutritionist but I doubt you can find one that will tell you eating an avocado is bad for you.

Another popular appetizer is this artichoke and spinach dip. (olive garden and applebees) It contains the good stuff, cheese, wheat and a lot of saturated fats. Elephant Bar has one of the best artichoke dips. (NOT GLUTEN FREE) It has over 1200 calories 100g of carbs and 76g of fat. WOW! I know you share this with others but that's not counting the chips you eat it with either. So I thought why not make something that was healthy tasty and trendy? I created a gluten free, dairy free Artichoke Spinach Guac. I was surprised to see El Monterey already had something similar after I came up with this idea. My version of course is 100% authentic and gluten free.

1- Avocado
4- fresh artichoke hearts chopped
1- 8oz chopped spinach
1/8c- lime juice
1-tbsp garlic powder
1-tsp of cumin
1-tsp paprika
1-tbsp salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl serve with gluten free chips or crackers. To make this a creamier dip add 2 tbsp of gluten free sour cream. Just as a reminder adding the sour cream will up the fat content and make this a less healthy choice.

What's for breakfast?

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is in my opinion a great gluten free option for breakfast. Men's Health Magazine calls it "The Top-Secret Superfood". Packed with protein, loaded with fiber quinoa is one the most nutritious foods on the planet.

It wasn't too long ago that I didn't know what Quinoa was, where it came from and how versatile it is to cook with. About 3 years ago (right before going gluten free) I was sitting in the lunch room where I used to work with two fellow co-workers eating lunch. Coworker #1, he was already gluten free and  had chicken for lunch. Coworker #2 is a pescatarian on a gluten reduced diet, meaning he wasn't allergic but chose not to eat an abundant amount of gluten. CW #2 was eating a spinach salad with Quinoa in it. CW #1 looked over and asked "What was that brown stuff in his salad?" CW #2 replied it's "Quinoa". CW#1 "What's Quinoa". I should probably tell you now that we worked at a Health Care Facility that specialized in gluten intolerance amongst other health concerns. CW #2 explained to both of us that Quinoa is an ancient South American grain that is naturally gluten free. I was very intrigued about this new food (to me).  A few weeks later I was shopping at Trader Joe's and saw a box of Quinoa, I grabbed it and thought that I can find some use for it. Coincidentally I picked up a Men's Health magazine and it had this article. After reading it I was determined to use it in my new diet.

I learned later on about the nutritional facts of Quinoa. I was shocked to learn that a bowl of oatmeal boiled in water was 20g higher in carbohydrates than quinoa which has only 39g per cup.  When the article said it was "loaded with fiber" they weren't kidding 5g per cup. The best part about being gluten free is that when you have to find an alternative to certain foods you often find something that is healthier than what you were eating, in some cases a sugar free or lite version is not necessarily healthier.  Well look no further for your "lite" breakfast meal. It is a cup of Quinoa which has 85 calories less than a cup of plain oatmeal. I could not find nutrition facts for a gluten free oatmeal but I am sure it is close to the same. I obtained the nutritional information at http://nutritiondata.self.com/. Here is an exerpt from that article:

"Quinoa is a true wonder food," says Daniel Fairbanks, Ph.D., a professor of plant and animal science at Brigham Young University. "It has about twice the protein of regular cereal grains, fewer carbohydrates, and even a dose of healthy fats." Plus, it's considered a "complete" protein, which means that, like meat, eggs, and dairy, it packs all of the essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle.

Last week on my facebook page I posted "Quinoa the best alternative breakfast you can have". I figured a lot of the gluten free community was already aware of Quinoa but are they aware of how healthy it is for you? I put a few messages out there to see if any of the gluten free bloggers (the one's with cookbooks) used it as a breakfast meal. I didn't receive anything back other than the option to use quinoa flakes (like cold cereal).

Quinoa is simple to make especially for those rushing around in the morning. You can boil it in juice, water or milk. Add some fruit, cinnamon or if you would like some brown sugar. Depending on how many people you are making this for you only need about a 1/2 cup per person. At first you might look at it and say "this is going to fill me up?". Yes, this will fill you up. I boiled some organic apple juice (no sugar added) tossed in the quinoa and as I brought it down to a simmer for 20 minutes I tossed some fresh cranberries so they would burst open allowing the juices to flow throughout the Quinoa. After about 20 minutes with some light stirring I let cool, poured into a bowl and sprinkled some cinnamon on top. For added extra flavor you can  peel and dice some gala apples or bananas. I am a berry fan, so naturally I took some fresh organic blackberries and put them on top.

 

A Little Taste of the South...mmm Ya'll want some?

When ever you think of southern food what comes to mind? Barbecue, greens, deep fried, spicy food, sweet potato and cornbread. There are so many more dishes that can be associated with the south I took some of the more popular ones combined them, made a gluten free version and then added a little twist.

Here it is middle of October, leaves are falling, it's getting dark earlier, the weather is changing....WAIT! What?! Well in California we are still getting weather temperatures from the high 80's to low 90's  So it still feels like summer. Of course this time of year I am wanting some warm comfy food. The type of meal that will just take that cold weather edge off. Yea well that's not happening today but even if it's warm I am still going to make some "comfy" food.

It's 4pm and I am siting in front of my laptop, in a warm house trying to figure out what I am going make for dinner. I know I want chicken so I take 3 small breasts out of the freezer to defrost. I look around for something to make with it, I see a bag of Kettle Sea Salt chips.  I start thinking barbecue immediately. So now I look to see if I have the ingredients for my barbecue sauce, I have garlic powder, brown sugar, paprika and of course agave sweetened Organicville Ketchup.

Looking at the chicken, the chips and the ingredients for the bbq sauce I felt something was missing. Ahh a vegetable, looking in the fridge I see some tomatoes, onions, lettuce, poblano peppers nothing that is really speaking to me yet. Again I glance over at what I have out so far, I notice there is nothing green. Start heading over to the pantry but for some reason I still don't feel excited about making this meal. I grab a can of organic green beans and stand there pondering, wondering if I can create something new and different.

I have to pause here, I never envisioned myself as a writer not even a blogger. It's just not me to make a meal or cook something for the first time and have the blog on my mind. Now as I am posting to facebook, twitter and the blog it makes me a little more conscience of what I am making and if it would something other people would One, want to eat and Two, if they would want to read about it.  So now I am thinking of all of you before every meal. Back to the meal.

Last weekend we had a huge craving for fried chicken and it dawns on me to make chicken fried steak with green beans. But what to do with the bbq sauce? You are probably thinking he went from bbq chicken to fried chicken and he is worried about the bbq sauce he hasn't made yet? Well yea, I decided to use the potato chips as the "breading" for the chicken and to make it unique I was going to brush on the bbq sauce. So we add the greens and one more side. I think salad but again we are going for NEW and UNIQUE.  Grilled tomato salad is what I come up with.

To make the fried chicken, I needed 2 eggs, 1/4 cup almond milk, 3 cups of crushed potato chips and 1 cup of Bob's red mill gluten free all purpose flour. Taking a large pan turn stove to med heat, coat the bottom with sunflower oil and let the pan heat up. Take the chicken put it in the flour bowl followed by the egg bowl let sit for about 30 seconds each side, then transfer over to the crushed potato chip bowl which I seasoned with paprika, oregano and cumin. Be sure that the whole chicken is covered before setting it in the pan. Cover pan and cook each side for about 8-10 minutes depending on thickness of the chicken. While the chicken was cooking I took a medium pan drizzled some EVOO and tossed about 1/4 of a roughly chopped medium yellow onion and let it sit to caramelize. After about 3 minutes I took about 7 thickly sliced tomatoes seasoned with salt and garlic powder put them in with the onions and turned heat down to simmer. After about 18 minutes of cook time I had a southern meal.

Dine in Gourmet $20 or less.

Living here in the Bay Area your options for eating out is overwhelming with a wide variety of ethnicity. You have your choice of American, Chinese,Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, South American, French, Mexican/Spanish and much more. Some gluten free friendly restaurants like In & Out, PF Changs, Maggiono's, Claim Jumpers and Grill on the Alley provide the variety we look for. Whatever your price range is there is a gluten free friendly restaurant you can eat at. Of course there are the major chain restaurants that provide a gluten free menu as well, On the Border, Outback, Elephant Bar and Olive Garden. Any of those can be appealing but sometimes you want something over and above what the "normal" eating out experience brings you. You start looking for those "gourmet" restaurants that you know average $50 a plate NOT including alcohol or appetizers. That's when you start looking in your wallet......

With everyone on a penny pinch especially when it comes to the extra expenditures it just seems hard to find the need to go out. Then to top it off you are on a specialty diet so that starts limiting your options.

It's Saturday night, you and your significant other want to go out and have a nice meal together. You find yourself making decisions based on the price rather than the atmosphere, meal and over all quality of service. I always say that the whole enjoyment of going out is the atmosphere and being waited on. If you can find a way to put that aside I can show you how you can make a $80 dinner for less than $20 for two.

Typically when I go out I like to order a nice steak. Fillet Mignon is one of my favorite cuts of meat (Psoas major or tenderloin). At a french restaurant this can run anywhere between $36 - $52 per person with ONE side. I made 2 4oz fillets with TWO sides for less than $10 per person.

Fillet Mignon with caramelized mushrooms topped with Balsamic Syrup, 

Herb Seasoned Mashed Potatoes and Sprouts.

  Ingredients:
2- 4oz Fillet Mignon steaks ($11)
2- russet potatoes ($1.80)
12- green sprouts ($1.75)
1- cup of Balsamic Vinegar ($1.25)
3- tbsp organic Agave ($0.75)
2- tbsp EVOO ($0.20)
1- tsp tarragon dried ($0.15)
2- tbsp garlic powder ($0.60)
1- dash of salt ( to small to count)
1- tbsp fine herbs dried ($0.15
4oz sliced mushrooms ($1)
1- cup of Original Unsweetened Almond Milk ($0.30)

Meal Total: $18.95 (estimated and not exact)

Fine Herb Mashed Potatoes:
peel and cut potatoes. Fill a pot with water toss potatoes into pot turn stove on med/hi and bring to boil. Cook until potatoes become soft. Drain potatoes and put back in pot add milk, 1-tbsp garlic powder and fine herbs. Mash until desired texture.

Sprouts:
Wash and cut sprout in half place in a medium sauce pan filled 1/3 with water place sprouts in pan cut side down. Bring to boil and cover. Cook until desired softness. Take out of pan season with salt

Balsamic Syrup:
in a small heavy sauce pan pour balsamic vinegar and agave into pan. Turn stove to med/hi and cook for 10-15 minutes until sauce reduces to about 1/3 cup. Stir occasionally. Poor over fillets

Fillet Mignon:
Take fillets and rub the EVOO on them. Season with tarragon garlic and salt. Place in pan on med heat cook each side evenly for 7 min. After the first 7 min add sliced mushrooms. Cook until meat is pink in middle and mushrooms have softened and turned a brownish color.

Megan and I truly enjoyed this meal. I know that going out would have been fun but I was able to create a more enjoyable time at home. Sometimes thought and effort means more than how much you are pulling out of your wallet. We did go out to ice cream and a movie (Wall Street 2).


Please leave a comment if you tried any of my recipes. I would like to know how they turned out for you.

GF Monday Night Football

You ever wonder what America would be like without Monday Night Football? All my life I have experienced football on Monday nights during the months September to December. If you are not a fanatic or you are just not into the entertainment value of football like so many are, then I guess you wouldn't understand MNF meals. The best part about MNF meals is that you can go out to a sports bar, tailgate, dine out or dine in/bbq at home.

One of my favorite things to eat for football would be anything bbq. The other day Megan and I were in Whole Foods doing our normal shopping and she came across this Thai jasmine rice from Thai Kitchen. She showed it to me and said "you can make this". It was green chili and garlic jasmine rice. I thought about it and convinced myself that if I can create any dish gluten free I can definitely do this.

So a week goes by and I am still trying to figure out what I am going to make with this rice and when would be a good time to make it. Then I came up with the idea of Thai bbq chicken. The simplicity of making your own bbq sauce along with how simple rice is to make made this the perfect MNF meal.

 

Thai BBQ Sauce:

1/2-cup Organicville Ketchup 

2 tbsp Honey

1/8 cup brown sugar

1 pinch of cayenne pepper or red curry powder (I used 1/2 tsp)

1/2 tsp of paprika 

pinch of salt

Thai dipping sauce:

1 Roma tomato finely chopped
2 tbsp fine chopped red onion or scallion
1/4 cup red win vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp dried cilantro flakes
1 tsp sea salt

Celiac Awareness Day meal...LASAGNA!!!

Today, September 13, 2010 was National Celiac Awareness day. A day we should be educating our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family that suffer from like symptoms of celiac disease. Now don't go diagnosing them and making this a big theatrical scare. Just educate them and encourage them to go get tested. It is a very serious disease that shouldn't be taken lightly.

My girlfriend Megan was diagnosed with celiac in 2003. Since then she has been an advocate to living a gluten free lifestyle. I myself am allergic to gluten and have been gluten free for 2 years.

Since I do majority of the cooking in the house, I always make sure I create something that she wouldn't think was possible to be made gluten free. It's funny how I never cease to amaze her. One of her favorite dishes that I make is gluten free lasagna.

As a kid I hated to eat lasagna. The worst was the Parmesan cheese that didn't melt so you had this crumbled cheese inside this moist noodle with plain tomato sauce.  I can't recall a good experience from childhood to adulthood  pertaining to lasagna. So I avoided it and never even had a thought of making my own until I met Megan. She told me one day that I should make lasagna. (mostly because she was craving it) So in my first attempt I made this mediocre version that she loved.

Megan is not easily impressed so I now had confidence in being able to create this wonderful lasagna that was gluten free and dairy free. Her birthday came and I made lasagna except this time I added some more creativity. Another success!!

Today I have challenged myself to create a lasagna that everyone would enjoy! Sometimes I can be lazy and get a jar of gluten free sauce and boil some water throw some noodles in and presto gluten free lasagna. Where is the fun in that? I wanted to make this meal spectacular!


I start off by making the meat for the sauce. I am using ground turkey meat to make a version of Italian sausage. You can use ground beef or pork I prefer a poultry because of how lean the meat is. I browned the meat using a little EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) add some spices (garlic, paprika, basil, oregano, thyme) After the meat starts to brown I pour about 1/4 cup or Petite Sirah and stir a bit.

While the meat finishes to brown I need to start on the sauce. To me it is the most important part to this dish especially since we aren't using any dairy. Start by pouring 2 tbsp of EVOO into a pan, add about 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions and green bell pepper. After the peppers start to soften and the onions become more of a translucent color add 8 oz of sliced mushrooms, 8 oz of rough chopped black olives, 2 tomatoes diced and 1/8 cup of chopped green onions or scallions.

Once all the ingredients are mixed let them cook for about 5-7 minutes on lo-med heat. While that is cooking start to boil 6 cups of water in a pot.





The lasagna noodles I use are Tinkyada brown rice noodles. In my  experience of cooking I have yet to come across of brand of noodles like Tinkyada.In my opinion there isn't a better brand of gluten free pasta noodles out there. The best part of Tinkyada is that I never feel limited to a type of noodle. They make almost every style of noodle I would want to use for my pasta.


So I look at my stove and I feel overwhelmed with all the pots and pans all cooking at once, now it's time to combine them . The turkey meat is already seasoned, the vegetables already produce a natural salt flavor so when adding the sauce just season with garlic for taste. I used one 16 oz can of organic tomato puree and one 12 oz can of organic tomato sauce.

Why this mixture? Puree doesn't have any additives to it and provides a nice texture. The tomato sauce that I used has no additives to it other than water. I used the tomato sauce to substitute the process of adding just water. This way you are still getting the ingredient that will thin out your sauce without losing any flavor.

Combine the meat, vegetables and sauce into one pot and let simmer until the noodles are fully cooked. While waiting the 8-10 minutes the noodles need to cook in boiling water, pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees, and get an oven safe baking dish out. I used two 8" x 4" x 2" oval dishes to make the serving size easier to measure. Once the noodles are done cooking drain and set aside on cutting board. Most noodles, if not broken :-), are 12" in legnth so be prepared to custom fit your noodles to fit the dish of your choice. Just follow the steps on how to prepare the dish to bake

Steps:

1. Put a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of dish
2. lay a layer of noodles on top then add sauce on top of noodles
3. repeat step 2 twice

Bake in the oven for ten minutes and let cool for five minutes before serving. I personally like to serve red wine with lasagna. We picked up this great 2006 Cabernet from a Napa Valley winery called Sequoia Grove. It's a nice smooth cab that goes well with lasagna. I suggest you go with something you are familiar with if you are not knowledgeable about wines.

This is a great meal to share with anyone. You can serve this at a dinner party or if you are trying to impress a special someone. I would definitely recommend this dish if you are entertaining mixed company (non gluten free).

Gluten Free Spring rolls at the Farmers' market!!!

I woke up this morning to a sunny clear blue sky and thought what a wonderful day to go for a walk. About 2 miles from my house is a small farmers' market located in downtown Santa Clara.  So I ask everyone if they wanted to go and of course it was unanimous.

We left the house mid morning (around 10ish). I wasn't as smart as everyone else since I did not eat anything for breakfast. So here I am going on at least a 4 mile round trip walk on an empty stomach not to smart. The first vendor we see is an assorted fruit stand. They had samples I tried very hard not to attack them. After purchasing some peaches that tasted sweet with a side of tart we walked by a vegetable stand. My stomach started to gurgle then my mind went into what am I making for dinner. So naturally my eyes became huge and I started grabbing. Ended up buying some green chard, green bell peppers, tomatoes and red potatoes.

Now I needed to rest so we took a seat next to a large water fountain for a break. I was very hungry now and being around a bunch of baked goods full of wheat I felt like I didn't have an option.

Megan pointed out that she saw a stand that said rice wraps. I was like they probably contain gluten or just isn't safe. Being as hungry as I was I felt it was worth the effort. As I approached the stand I read on their sign:

NO WHEAT
NO GLUTEN
NO MSG

GREAT! Naturally I asked if ALL the wraps were gluten free the man seemed very educated and explained to me that not all of them were and shared why. It's not everyday you come across a vendor or restaurant that are knowledgeable enough to educate the consumer, especially since most gluten free consumer's are hesitant to purchase pre-made foods. I bought two wraps, one shrimp roll and one spring roll (for me)

 
The shrimp roll had the same ingredients except they substituted the shrimp for the pork. It was delicious the lettuce was fresh, large pieces of the tiger shrimp, rice noodles were cooked to perfection. With the right amount of mint and cilantro it just made this snack so refreshing. I asked for a side of hot sauce. They used Sriracha sauce and Gluten Free soy sauce to make the mixture. 

After I finished I went and asked him where to get the particular wraps they used. He said any "Asian" store. He mentioned that they work well for any wrap including a burrito.



This was a clear winner in my book and even though I will go to this market again, I now know I can go there on an empty stomach.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Apple crumble

So for my birthday my wonderful girlfriend Megan asked me what I wanted. I told her I would love to have apple pie. I know a weird request for a birthday. The 2 1/2 years I have been gluten free I have NOT had apple pie. So we went to Whole Foods bought a pre-made gluten free crust, apples, brown sugar and the rest of the ingredients we didn't already have.

So Friday September 10th two days before the big 3-0 hits, Megan and Nathan (left) prepare for the daunting task of making me an apple pie. Now being gluten free does come with some restrictions and if you are not very creative good luck with enjoying food. Good thing we are very creative or at least think quickly enough for a suitable substitute when needed.

She made the filling with 4 Granny Smith apples, 3/4 cup dried cranberries (Ocean Spray mark theirs Gluten Free on the package), zest of 1 lime (but she used a lemon from our tree), 1tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/8 c of granulated sugar and 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. I was shocked to see that she only used 1/8 cup of sugar and it came out so sweet!

The nondairy crisp topping was so good. I will admit I was surprised. I am not a baker, I cook. I don't care for all the prep and waiting around to see how my creation turned out. I just don't have the patience. But this pie made me want to start. She used Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour mix, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vegetable oil (instead of cream) and the surprise of the night Kinnikinnick's graham crackers. If you haven't tried these go to Whole Foods and pick up a package you will not be disappointed.

After eating the pie, we weren't all that impressed with Whole Foods' crust and felt that that the filling could be a little more moist. It was definitely sweet enough. We might use a different fruit other than cranberries to offset the tartness of the apples. Adding orange juice to the filling would help for the moistness we were looking for and maybe brushing some earth balance butter over the crust too. We have some ideas for the next time we make it. (hopefully tomorrow) 

Don't be afraid to cook gluten free!

When it comes to cooking, doing it gluten free is NOT as difficult as one might think. You can create a gluten free meal out of any dish that you love. There is some preparation involved as there is with any other recipe, but ultimately you can cook a meal that won't make you sick. If you are just starting the gluten free diet, you know that there is a lot of research to do. You need to read ingredient labels, watch for cross-contamination, learn about safe handling practices in the kitchen, and all of this new information creates a steep learning curve. Many people who are new to the gluten free diet become frustrated. This blog is an answer for anyone who wants to cook gluten free, from the experimentalist to the idea-seeking connoisseur, to the frustrated newbie.

For three years I worked for a medical center that specializes in gluten intolerance and celiac disease. I helped people who had already taken steps to improve their health through a gluten free diet. Little did I know that the advice I gave them would eventually help me too. Initially I refused to think I was reacting to something in my food. Eventually I realized that I suffered from many symptoms of gluten intolerance. In embracing my condition I learned how to help others beyond the confines of the doctor’s office by sharing my creative approach to gluten free cooking. 

Over a period of six years I noticed that my overall health had decreased significantly. I was calling in sick to work, and was actually sick! In my healthier days “sick” was nothing more than a day off. I suffered from weight gain, but only ballooned up around the midsection. I was informed by one of the doctors that I was probably gluten intolerant. He suggested that I go on a gluten free diet to see if I would feel better. After looking over the list of the things that I COULD NOT eat, I remember thinking, "I don't eat that much gluten". As naive as it sounds I really didn't! I noticed, however, that when I did eat gluten I had a way of making sure that it was ALL gluten. On a gluten-binge I would eat things like flour tortillas, pasta, pizza and desserts made from all-purpose flour. On a normal day, however, I seemed to prefer fresh vegetables, un-breaded meats, and other naturally gluten free choices.

My first attempt at the gluten free lifestyle was very half-hearted. I was afraid to substitute, to research for a gluten free version of the pizza, pasta, cake, etc… I did not experiment. My foods were either naturally gluten free (safe) or off-limits. I was the cook in my household and I didn't want to think of a creation, so I went for comfort. I stayed within the realm of foods that I grew up with, and whatever was familiar to me.

Because I was constantly sick and not getting better I decided to try going gluten free once more. And this time I promised myself to really try. I realized that you can make a naturally gluten free meal, as I had been doing, or you can get creative. For example, you can substitute rice and potatoes for bread crumbs. Once I created a few masterpieces I began to truly appreciate the art of gluten free cooking. When I cooked I didn't just cook a meal, I tried to create an everlasting meal, so that when you were finished it left you completely satisfied yet still yearning for more.

I often hear people complain that they can't eat X, Y, or Z, or they will no longer be able to eat their favorite dish.  It takes me right back to my first attempt at the gluten free diet. I think we all have a tendency to take the "easy" way out by labeling everything as either “safe” or “off-limits.” If you need some inspiration to tackle the challenge of cooking gluten free meals, then this blog is for you. You will find how gratifying it is to create, prepare and cook a safe, gluten free restaurant-quality meal.

 

Mexican foods are quite amenable to the world of gluten free. My version of Gluten Free Beef Tacos with Spanish Rice follows. The spiced organic ground beef mixed with caramelized onions blends well with the spicy zest of the diced green chilies. I top them with fresh tomatoes, lettuce and olives
 

Tacos

1lb. organic ground beef
4 whole green chilis (diced)
1/2 white onion (diced)
4oz diced olives
1/2 head iceburg lettuce (chopped)
1 roma tomato (diced)
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp paprika
1tbsp cumin
1tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of shredded cheese (optional)
6 corn taco shells (make sure to read the indgredients and for cross contamination) I use Trader Joes' brand since they are a gluten free and only $2

Spanish Rice

1 cup brown jasmine rice
1 16oz can of organic peeled diced tomatos
2 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 tbsp of Butter ( I use earth balance)
2 tbsp Cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oregano

In a large pan pre heat to meduim and add ground beef. Cook until brown and then drain excess liquid (fat, oils) add diced onions, diced green chilis, garlic powder, paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper.  Add 3/4 cup of water and stir indgridients together. Turn heat to low and let cook for 10-12 minutes or until water is gone. Heat up shells in oven. Stuff 1/4 of shell with meat then top with lettuce, tomato, olives and cheese (optional)

Pre heat a medium sauce pan add in oil and butter and cook until butter is melted. Turn heat up to med-high then add rice, cook until most of the rice is lightly golden brown. Once rice is golden brown add cumin, oregano and diced tomatos. Pour 1 1/4 cup of water and cook in boil for 1-2 min. Then turn heat down to low-med. Cook for additonal 15-20 minutes or until all liquid has been soaked into rice.  Once done season with salt stir and ready to serve.