Monday, July 29, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Gluten Free Shepherds Pie
I like easy things. I don't know about you, but I have a full time job, a 10 month old baby boy, a hungry but supportive husband, and there never seem to be enough hours in the day. So when it comes to preparing dinner for myself and my gluten free family, I want something fast. I want something fresh and tasty. I want something easy peasy.
(yes, I realize I said "easy peasy").
Shepherds Pie absolutely fits that criteria!
All it takes is the following:
2 cans of Mixed Veggies (there's no reason this should cost more than $1.50)
1 lb of hamburger (I only use half of this - saving the other half for another meal)
3 medium sized baking potatoes (I like Russet, but you could also do 6 red potatoes)
1 cup cheddar cheese. (more if you want, but I usually use 1/2 of a 2 cup bag)
(optional 2-3 heaping Tbs sour cream, 1-2 Tbs butter)-for potatoes
(Dairy Free: GF Chicken broth-just check your labels)-for potatoes
*a note about hamburger: Make sure that it is 100% beef. You could use other meats too- lamb, ground turkey, etc. But you have to be careful to make sure that your meat is Gluten Free.
ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LABELS!!! If it says "spices" or "modified food starch" (and does Not say 'from corn') then don't purchase it. Chances are, you will be fine. However, if they added "seasonings" but don't want to tell you what they added, you can't know for sure that the "spices" were not contaminated with gluten.
Please, ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LABELS. seriously.
Back to work. Set your oven to 350 F.
Fry up your (safe) hamburger. Season it fantastically. (try garlic salt, onion, oregano, parsley, whatever you want!) After you drain the hamburger, use the same skillet to warm up your veggies.
*you could buy frozen or fresh veggies, but I'm going for speed and convenience here, so I just drain the water from the cans that I buy and toss the veggies in the pan to simmer. There's really no need to cook these, I just like to get the hamburger juices and spices all over and toss them around with a spatula.
At this point, I would grab your potatoes and rinse them off. Always rinse your potatoes, because ew. They grew in the ground after all.
Poke a bunch of holes in them with a fork. Here's where I take the super easy way out: I microwave mine. You can peel and boil yours or bake them for an hour if you feel like it, but listen here, Ain't nobody got time for that.
I microwave mine (just hit the potato button a couple of times). They will be just as cooked. I promise. When they are done, let them cool a minute.
Grab a baking dish. Spread your meat and veggie mix evenly. By the way, if you feel like adding some cheddar to this mix, I think you should follow your heart. I encourage that.
In a bowl, mash your potatoes up. I like to use a spoon and give it a rough mash one potato at a time. These suckers are hot! As I mush them, I slide some of the skin off. There is no good reason to do this except that I don't particularly like the way they taste. Obviously I'm super healthy.
I once heard @ReeDrummond, the #PioneerWoman say that peeling potatoes is against her religion and she likes to keep the skin on. (I adore her). Anyway, this is sort of my lazy mashing process:
(yes, I realize I said "easy peasy").
Shepherds Pie absolutely fits that criteria!
All it takes is the following:
2 cans of Mixed Veggies (there's no reason this should cost more than $1.50)
1 lb of hamburger (I only use half of this - saving the other half for another meal)
3 medium sized baking potatoes (I like Russet, but you could also do 6 red potatoes)
1 cup cheddar cheese. (more if you want, but I usually use 1/2 of a 2 cup bag)
(optional 2-3 heaping Tbs sour cream, 1-2 Tbs butter)-for potatoes
(Dairy Free: GF Chicken broth-just check your labels)-for potatoes
*a note about hamburger: Make sure that it is 100% beef. You could use other meats too- lamb, ground turkey, etc. But you have to be careful to make sure that your meat is Gluten Free.
ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LABELS!!! If it says "spices" or "modified food starch" (and does Not say 'from corn') then don't purchase it. Chances are, you will be fine. However, if they added "seasonings" but don't want to tell you what they added, you can't know for sure that the "spices" were not contaminated with gluten.
Please, ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LABELS. seriously.
Back to work. Set your oven to 350 F.
Fry up your (safe) hamburger. Season it fantastically. (try garlic salt, onion, oregano, parsley, whatever you want!) After you drain the hamburger, use the same skillet to warm up your veggies.
*you could buy frozen or fresh veggies, but I'm going for speed and convenience here, so I just drain the water from the cans that I buy and toss the veggies in the pan to simmer. There's really no need to cook these, I just like to get the hamburger juices and spices all over and toss them around with a spatula.
At this point, I would grab your potatoes and rinse them off. Always rinse your potatoes, because ew. They grew in the ground after all.
Poke a bunch of holes in them with a fork. Here's where I take the super easy way out: I microwave mine. You can peel and boil yours or bake them for an hour if you feel like it, but listen here, Ain't nobody got time for that.
I microwave mine (just hit the potato button a couple of times). They will be just as cooked. I promise. When they are done, let them cool a minute.
Grab a baking dish. Spread your meat and veggie mix evenly. By the way, if you feel like adding some cheddar to this mix, I think you should follow your heart. I encourage that.
In a bowl, mash your potatoes up. I like to use a spoon and give it a rough mash one potato at a time. These suckers are hot! As I mush them, I slide some of the skin off. There is no good reason to do this except that I don't particularly like the way they taste. Obviously I'm super healthy.
I once heard @ReeDrummond, the #PioneerWoman say that peeling potatoes is against her religion and she likes to keep the skin on. (I adore her). Anyway, this is sort of my lazy mashing process:
If you are a "Type A" individual who likes perfectly smooth mashed taters, that's lovely. I encourage you to grab a mixer and set it to low and have at it. But that's not my style. I only save that effort for baking or special occassions, like Thanksgiving.
So let's fast forward. If you go the dairy free route, this is where you should put in the chicken broth. Pour it 1 Table spoon at a time until you acheive desired creamy-ness.
If you choose the sour cream path, mix in your sour cream and butter and some salt and pepper.
After your potatoes are mashed and adequately seasoned, spread a thick layer over your dish of meat and veggies. Finish it with the remainder of your cheese.
Bake it for 20 min, or until the cheese has a little brown around the edges.
I could have kept this in there longer, but I am impatient and hungry.
I hope this easy version of Shepherd's is tasty and satisfying to you as well. It has certainly become one of Our household favorites!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Pizza-Pizza!
I use Bob's Red Mill to make Pizza dough. There are several options out there of course.
We used to buy the Udi's circular pre-made dough (found in the freezer section at Bi-Lo and Harris Teeter- Publix no longer carries them, to my knowledge). And while those were delicious, it was $5 for only 2.
So now, we buy Bob's version. It can be made without egg and it only needs to rise for 20min. But here's my favorite part: It makes up to 4 personal pizzas!
Here's how:
For this Pizza demonstration, I have already followed the package instructions given by trusty Bob. {Add the yeast to some warm water/ let it sit 10min...mix in egg, olive oil and Bob's mix and stir....make 2 blobs of dough and cover for 20min}
Decide how you would like to lay it out. I like to spread it out all thin into two large rectangle pizzas. (that is the most convenient baking sheet I have on hand but you can use whatever you have)
When you spread it out, Keep your hands wet with water. Unlike when you work with Regular gluten-filled floury dough, this stuff is extra extra sticky. Keep your hands wet when you spread it out.
Bake it preemptively for 8min at 425F.
After this, you can put whatever toppings you want on it!
When you are satisfied with your toppings, go ahead and bake it for another 15 or 20min!
I made this one with portabello, mozzarella, onion, chicken, mushrooms, and basil-pesto base...Yummy!
We used to buy the Udi's circular pre-made dough (found in the freezer section at Bi-Lo and Harris Teeter- Publix no longer carries them, to my knowledge). And while those were delicious, it was $5 for only 2.
So now, we buy Bob's version. It can be made without egg and it only needs to rise for 20min. But here's my favorite part: It makes up to 4 personal pizzas!
Here's how:
For this Pizza demonstration, I have already followed the package instructions given by trusty Bob. {Add the yeast to some warm water/ let it sit 10min...mix in egg, olive oil and Bob's mix and stir....make 2 blobs of dough and cover for 20min}
Decide how you would like to lay it out. I like to spread it out all thin into two large rectangle pizzas. (that is the most convenient baking sheet I have on hand but you can use whatever you have)
When you spread it out, Keep your hands wet with water. Unlike when you work with Regular gluten-filled floury dough, this stuff is extra extra sticky. Keep your hands wet when you spread it out.
Bake it preemptively for 8min at 425F.
After this, you can put whatever toppings you want on it!
When you are satisfied with your toppings, go ahead and bake it for another 15 or 20min!
I made this one with portabello, mozzarella, onion, chicken, mushrooms, and basil-pesto base...Yummy!
This one is my husband's favorite: Red sauce base with mozzarella, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, etc.!
Here, I'm showing it before and after pepperoni (because I am a pepperoni Freak!)
The crust is perfectly crisp and the dough itself does not taste gritty! Love this stuff!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Stir Fry- Chicken Style!
My favorite weeknight go-to meal just happens to be Stir Fry.
I could go on and on about how simple it is to make! My poor husband says that he loves it but I can sense that once a week is probably too often to be serving it. But it is so very tasty! I just can't get enough.
I love rice noodles. I really consider them a gift directly from the far East to the gluten free community. Unlike other gluten free foods, mixes and substitutions, rice noodles Happen to be gluten free. To me, that is the best and most convenient thing! Because no one had to play around with the recipe or experiment with them, there is no "gritty" texture (*for those who haven't discovered yet, many gluten free substitutes for noodles, breads, etc. receive the complaint of having a gritty consistency). I have been able to find them in the "Asian foods" sections of Walmart and Publix. The most I have paid for one bag is $2.10. I'm definitely a fan :)
My favorite brand is called Mai Fun.
Ok, so here's what you do:
Grab some chicken (I like boneless, skinless for reasons of laziness)
You grab your rice noodles and whatever mix of veggies that you like. I tend to flock toward the frozen food section. In the vegetable door, you can usually find a stir fry vegetable option. (Remember to always check your labels!) This usually costs me less than $2
Finally, you get some gluten free soy sauce.
Wait a minute, soy sauce isn't gluten free? But it's made of soy! .... Right?
Wrong. :-( I was personally pretty outraged when I discovered this as well, because Chinese food was a convenient and delicious (although naughty) part of my diet.
Unfortunately most soy sauces you find in America are great pretenders. They are in fact wheat-based with soy added in there too. Also found in "Asian food" sections of grocery stores is GF soy sauce. It runs about $2.79 at Publix. One bottle can easily last through 4 separate times of preparing this stir fry (and we use it liberally!) *At the Publix in West Ashley at Northbridge, you can find regular GF as well as low sodium GF soy sauce.
Back to work: so chop up your chicken into small pieces and then brown it. We choose to use our George Forman grill usually and chop it up after because it cooks so fast. We have also been known to do butter (or EVOO -extra virgin olive oil- for dairy free times) in a frying pan to brown the chicken. Whatever you prefer is fine, but make sure you cook it all the way!
Next, I fill up a big mixing bowl with very hot (not boiling) water. And I dump the noodles in. All you have to do is let them soften for 10 minutes. (Super easy, right?)
While the chicken is cooking and the noodles are getting soft, take your frozen bag of stir fry veggies and pour it into your frying pan. Warm them up on medium. Often, I sprinkle in some lemon pepper seasoning or garlic. After the vegetables begin to thaw, add a few shakes of the GF soy sauce. (I say a few shakes but I usually do about a tablespoon - maybe a little less.) Once your chicken is done, add it into the veggies. At this point I usually put the lid on the frying pan to seal in the steam and keep it from getting dry.
Now back to the noodles: drain the water. Usually I chop them up with my trusty kitchen scissors. Then shake some soy sauce into their bowl and stir them around.
Add the noodles to the frying pan and turn the burner off. Stir it so noodles, chicken, and veggies are all mixed evenly-ish. Put the lid back on for 5 min (just long enough to set the table and pour yourself a drink :)
I really hope you enjoy this super easy and tasty stir fry that just happens to be gluten free! I know that I do! It typically will feed 4 people who like seconds :) Let me know what you think..........
I could go on and on about how simple it is to make! My poor husband says that he loves it but I can sense that once a week is probably too often to be serving it. But it is so very tasty! I just can't get enough.
I love rice noodles. I really consider them a gift directly from the far East to the gluten free community. Unlike other gluten free foods, mixes and substitutions, rice noodles Happen to be gluten free. To me, that is the best and most convenient thing! Because no one had to play around with the recipe or experiment with them, there is no "gritty" texture (*for those who haven't discovered yet, many gluten free substitutes for noodles, breads, etc. receive the complaint of having a gritty consistency). I have been able to find them in the "Asian foods" sections of Walmart and Publix. The most I have paid for one bag is $2.10. I'm definitely a fan :)
My favorite brand is called Mai Fun.
Ok, so here's what you do:
Grab some chicken (I like boneless, skinless for reasons of laziness)
You grab your rice noodles and whatever mix of veggies that you like. I tend to flock toward the frozen food section. In the vegetable door, you can usually find a stir fry vegetable option. (Remember to always check your labels!) This usually costs me less than $2
Finally, you get some gluten free soy sauce.
Wait a minute, soy sauce isn't gluten free? But it's made of soy! .... Right?
Wrong. :-( I was personally pretty outraged when I discovered this as well, because Chinese food was a convenient and delicious (although naughty) part of my diet.
Unfortunately most soy sauces you find in America are great pretenders. They are in fact wheat-based with soy added in there too. Also found in "Asian food" sections of grocery stores is GF soy sauce. It runs about $2.79 at Publix. One bottle can easily last through 4 separate times of preparing this stir fry (and we use it liberally!) *At the Publix in West Ashley at Northbridge, you can find regular GF as well as low sodium GF soy sauce.
Back to work: so chop up your chicken into small pieces and then brown it. We choose to use our George Forman grill usually and chop it up after because it cooks so fast. We have also been known to do butter (or EVOO -extra virgin olive oil- for dairy free times) in a frying pan to brown the chicken. Whatever you prefer is fine, but make sure you cook it all the way!
Next, I fill up a big mixing bowl with very hot (not boiling) water. And I dump the noodles in. All you have to do is let them soften for 10 minutes. (Super easy, right?)
While the chicken is cooking and the noodles are getting soft, take your frozen bag of stir fry veggies and pour it into your frying pan. Warm them up on medium. Often, I sprinkle in some lemon pepper seasoning or garlic. After the vegetables begin to thaw, add a few shakes of the GF soy sauce. (I say a few shakes but I usually do about a tablespoon - maybe a little less.) Once your chicken is done, add it into the veggies. At this point I usually put the lid on the frying pan to seal in the steam and keep it from getting dry.
Now back to the noodles: drain the water. Usually I chop them up with my trusty kitchen scissors. Then shake some soy sauce into their bowl and stir them around.
Add the noodles to the frying pan and turn the burner off. Stir it so noodles, chicken, and veggies are all mixed evenly-ish. Put the lid back on for 5 min (just long enough to set the table and pour yourself a drink :)
I really hope you enjoy this super easy and tasty stir fry that just happens to be gluten free! I know that I do! It typically will feed 4 people who like seconds :) Let me know what you think..........
 |
| le finished product :) |
 |
| chicken/vegetable mix pre-noodles :) |
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Independent Barbeque!
When many Americans think of Independence Day, or the 4th of July, they think of Red White and Blue everywhere.
They think of gatherings and green grass and pool parties and....
Barbeque!
Ok, Ok, I'm American too. I had a craving for bar-b-q as well.
I said to my husband this morning... "Sticky Fingers!!!" Then I made a puckery lip face and he said, "You know that doesn't work on me."
"Fine," I said, pretending to be huffy. The truth is, I know that money is tight right now (for everyone, right?) And I LOVE to go out to eat. Even with my dietary restrictions, I still love the whole experience of sitting in a restaurant and leisurely ordering food. I love the leftovers I get to take home and eat for lunch the next day or (if we're being super honest) later that evening ;)
I have a lovely running list of all of the restaurants that I like to frequent in the Charleston area.
My favorite thing about this compilation of eateries is that when you ask for something Gluten Free, they don't Only offer you either a steak or salad.
That's my least favorite thing to hear when I ask for gluten free options: "We have salad!"
Yes, I'm sure you do.
But I was a pasta eater in my former life and that large part of my heart remains the same.
So Sticky Fingers (if you didn't already realize), is a chain restaurant that offers quite a few GF options. They have locations in downtown Charleston (on Meeting St), Summerville (on Main St, right by Target and Kohls) and Mt. Pleasant (on that frontage rd by Whole Foods and Trader Joe's) Every one of their delicious bbq sauces are Gluten Free!
side note: *Why would people ever think to put gluten in bbq sauce. Who are you helping? To those who don't know, Gluten is found in beer and flour. Many people and companies use one or both of these ingredients in their sauces, so Always Check You Labels!
So we happened to have some Memphis Original and some Sweet Baby Ray's (another GF friendly brand) on hand.
All I did was grab 2 (boneless, skinless) chicken breasts and a bit of sauce and the crock pot. I put them all together and turned it on High.
(this was at 9:30am)
Around 1pm I went to go check on it and boy oh boy! That was some tender chicken! Had it still been on the bone, it would've fallen right off!
So I cooked a box of GF fussilli pasta (Mueller's makes this for $1.79 at Publix, of all places!) and
some milk (just a splash -abt a tablespoon)
and cheese (1 bag -2 cups) shredded cheddar (the cheesier, the better!)
and ground mustard (one heaping teaspoon)
and whatever the heck else I wanted :) then I baked it at 350 for 25 min.
I had the most perfect mac and cheese with barbequed chicken for dinner! It was so tasty and tender and then warm and cheesy! It was a very very happy Independence Day in the Marshall house :)
Monday, July 1, 2013
What's the Point of All This?
I fell in love with the art of baking at the age of 20. I had just bought my first home when my amazing grandma (my Nini) called me up, asking if she could come over to teach me to bake bread. First, we had to make a shopping trip to Good Will- because that's how we do. :)
After she showed me bread, I was instantly hooked! (I found kneading very therapeutic) From that delicious classic, I expanded to cinnamon swirl raisin breads, pumpkin breads, cupcakes, and so forth. It was my happy pleasure to bake delicious and inventive treats for my friends and family.
In early 2011, I began a friendship with an extraordinary woman named Kathy. We met for tea and a chat and I offered to bring something baked and wonderful along. She politely said that as much as she would love that, she did't think there was any thing I could make that was safe enough for her to eat. Huh?
To me that seemed a bit extreme but I said ok :) While we talked, she shared with me what gluten is and how Celiac had effected the last decade of her life. As she described some of her symptoms to me, my wheels started turning.
Before this point, I sort of just considered myself a bit of a hypochondriac. I had all of these seemingly unrelated issues- strange weird peely eyebrows, and migraines that would take me out for 3 days, tummy troubles, and other things. Because of these issues (especially the skin and tummy stuff), I thought that perhaps I had a food allergy. I had started tracking what I ate and how it effected me with a food diary. But I had no insight yet. I didn't realize that something like Gluten could be in so much!
Kathy had planted the idea in my head and encouraged me to be tested as well.
In April of 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Although there is no cure for this disease, the solution to effectively treat it, is to follow a strict Gluten Free Diet. So on May 1, I began a completely gluten free diet. I found out quickly that there were Many things in my current diet that I could no longer eat. But I suddenly began to see things labeled as gluten free at almost every grocery store I went to! These items, though a bit more expensive, gave me hope. The more research I did, I discovered that you can create or purchase a gluten free version of just about anything
What's more, in just one short month of eating carefully, I felt like a brand new person! It was a long time until I had another headache. My skin cleared up, my tummy was happy, and any other symptom remedied itself. It is incredible how soon my body bounced back. After all, I wasn't born with the full-blown disease. It lay dormant in me until I had a stressful situation or a surgery (for some ppl, it's a pregnancy or emotional trauma, or extreme weight loss or gain) sort of woke it up.
But now that I'm here, now that I know how to fix it, I do whatever it takes.
I have an incredible husband. We were still dating when I was diagnosed. Without his support and encouragement, without his willingness to taste test my trial and error creations, I highly doubt I could have made it this far. He also knows how important it is to help our sweet son understand the challenges he'll face eating gluten free in this gluten-filled world.?
After she showed me bread, I was instantly hooked! (I found kneading very therapeutic) From that delicious classic, I expanded to cinnamon swirl raisin breads, pumpkin breads, cupcakes, and so forth. It was my happy pleasure to bake delicious and inventive treats for my friends and family.
In early 2011, I began a friendship with an extraordinary woman named Kathy. We met for tea and a chat and I offered to bring something baked and wonderful along. She politely said that as much as she would love that, she did't think there was any thing I could make that was safe enough for her to eat. Huh?
To me that seemed a bit extreme but I said ok :) While we talked, she shared with me what gluten is and how Celiac had effected the last decade of her life. As she described some of her symptoms to me, my wheels started turning.
Before this point, I sort of just considered myself a bit of a hypochondriac. I had all of these seemingly unrelated issues- strange weird peely eyebrows, and migraines that would take me out for 3 days, tummy troubles, and other things. Because of these issues (especially the skin and tummy stuff), I thought that perhaps I had a food allergy. I had started tracking what I ate and how it effected me with a food diary. But I had no insight yet. I didn't realize that something like Gluten could be in so much!
Kathy had planted the idea in my head and encouraged me to be tested as well.
In April of 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Although there is no cure for this disease, the solution to effectively treat it, is to follow a strict Gluten Free Diet. So on May 1, I began a completely gluten free diet. I found out quickly that there were Many things in my current diet that I could no longer eat. But I suddenly began to see things labeled as gluten free at almost every grocery store I went to! These items, though a bit more expensive, gave me hope. The more research I did, I discovered that you can create or purchase a gluten free version of just about anything
What's more, in just one short month of eating carefully, I felt like a brand new person! It was a long time until I had another headache. My skin cleared up, my tummy was happy, and any other symptom remedied itself. It is incredible how soon my body bounced back. After all, I wasn't born with the full-blown disease. It lay dormant in me until I had a stressful situation or a surgery (for some ppl, it's a pregnancy or emotional trauma, or extreme weight loss or gain) sort of woke it up.
But now that I'm here, now that I know how to fix it, I do whatever it takes.
I have an incredible husband. We were still dating when I was diagnosed. Without his support and encouragement, without his willingness to taste test my trial and error creations, I highly doubt I could have made it this far. He also knows how important it is to help our sweet son understand the challenges he'll face eating gluten free in this gluten-filled world.?
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