Sweet Pea

New Look!

2012-01-09T00:51:00.000-08:00

So excited! Thanks sis for the great new blog design. I've been lacking on posts lately due to holidays, news of my new naval career and because I couldn't post on something so ugly. I'm excited to get back online and get things rolling! Happy new year! In less than 30 days I'll be headed 3000 miles to start my new career as a Naval Officer in the Nurse Corps. After 5 weeks of training in Rhode Island I'll head to Virginia where the Portsmouth/Norfolk area will be my new home. Can't wait! Hoping to continue published my food adventures, especially those in the military. Wish me luck!

Allergy Free Thanksgiving Part 1

2011-11-25T16:40:00.001-08:00

I tried out Udi's Gluten Free Stuffing Recipe. It worked out great. I cooked it with a cornish game hen and another dish of extra stuffing. It was delicious. I'm really glad I made the hen, it made the stuffing extra-fantastic. I used almond creme as my dairy free substitute. I'm enjoyed the fennel. This was great recipe.

Udi's Gluten Free Stuffing Recipe
Serves: 10-12
Preparation time: 20m
Cooking time: 1hr 10mIngredients

• 1 loaf of Udi's Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread
• 1 loaf of Udi's White Sandwich Gluten Free Bread
• 1/4 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tbsp of fresh sage
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 cup of unsalted butter
• 2 onions (or 1 large onion)
• 1/2 cup of chopped fennel
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
Lightly butter each side of Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain and Udi's White Sandwich breads then broil until slightly brown/toasted. Allow bread to cool completely on a wire rack.

Place toasted, cooled bread in a Ziploc bag and break into bread crumbs (or pulse in a food processor). Place bread crumbs in a bowl and add parsley, sage, salt, and pepper.

Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat; add onions and sauté until onions are softened. Add fennel and celery, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft. Transfer vegetables to the bowl with the toasted Udi's gluten free bread crumbs, parsley, sage, salt, and pepper. Add eggs, stock, cream and gently toss.

Transfer mixture to a buttered shallow baking dish. Bake, covered, in middle of oven for 30 minutes at 325°F.

To brown the stuffing, uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Review

2011-11-15T09:14:00.001-08:00

I happily found a new gluten free vegan cookie dough in the freezer section at Whole Foods. I was delighted to find such a label design. Forgive the ugly background (the dirty countertop at the beach cabin). This fantastic packaging was just... deceiving. The dough smells bad and tastes bad. It has a cardboard/plastic bag smell and taste for that matter. I guess these 'fake' cookies are really just too 'fake.'

Cheers to the cute label, boo to the product.

Homemade Waffle Ranchero!

2011-11-12T08:22:00.001-08:00

My favorite dish at the Gluten Free Waffle joint, Cafe Rio Co. is the waffle ranchero. It's a delectable combination of huevos rancheros and waffles. A waffle topped with egg, cheese, sausage/bacon, avocado, and salsa.

Cafe Rio Co.'s version:

Cafe Sweet Pea's version:

I took the easiest route possible for this as I had just gotten done working a night shift and was headed to bed.

Ingredients:

One Van's Gluten Free Eggo Waffle, toasted

One fried egg, over easy

Fried proscuitto

Avocado

Salsa

Dairy free cream cheese

Highly Recommened. I like Cafe Rio Co's better because I don't have to do the dishes! :-)

Gluten Free Onion Rings!

2011-11-12T07:35:00.001-08:00

One of the many cravings in gluten free diet. Onion rings! A great way to get a non-greased onion ring is with the oven-baked method. Less messy and more healthy. I used Glutino's gluten free bread crumbs which is made from milled corn. They turned out great and I can't wait to do it again. Inspired by the Wooden Nest's recipe for oven baked onion rings. Thanks Lindsay!

Ingredients:

-Big, round onion

-Brown rice flour

-Egg (or dairy free milk)

-Glutino's GF Bread Crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Remember for onion rings you cut the onion the wrong way. Instead of cutting from top to root you'll slice it through the middle. Cut onion to desired thickness. The thicker the onion the longer it will need to cook.

3. Coat the onions in brown rice flour. I used the ziplock-bag-shake method.

4. Set up your station: once floured, dip in egg or milk, coat with bread crumbs and set on parchment lined cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 15-20 min they start looking nice and crunchy.

6. Enjoy with fry sauce. :)

Butternut Squash Soup!

2011-11-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, another round of allergy-free butternut squash soup. I made this with my sister Rachel and friend Britney the other night and it was quite a hit. I'm lucky I jotted down the recipe with their help because I would have never remembered all we threw in. This was a collaboration of us standing around the stock pot throwing in what we thought was best. It was a very fun night!

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash peeled, brushed with olive oil and roasted 30 min
4 cloves of garlic (we like garlic)
2 TBS earth balance buttery spread/butter
2 shallots, chopped
1 zuchinni, chopped
4 cups gluten free chicken broth
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp curry
1 tsp oregano
dash cayenne
dash nutmeg
dash paprika
pinch of whole coriander seeds
Garnished with:
Almond cream
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Proscuitto

1. Cut the butternut squash length wise and peel. Brush with olive oil and put in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Chop up as best you can, it will be blended later so no need to be perfect.
2. In a stock pot, add butter and turn heat to medium. Saute the shallots, zucchini, and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add butternut squash, salt and pepper, cumin, curry and oregano.

4. Add 4 cups chicken broth (less for a chunkier soup). Add the dashes of cayenne, nutmeg, paprika and coriander seeds.
5. Allow to boil for 15-20 minutes and then blend using immersion blender.
6. Our soup needed another 20+ minutes to simmer after this. It needed this time to thicken up and get even tastier.
7. For garnish I added a dollop of almond cream and some fried proscuitto and pumpkin seeds.

YUM!

More appetizers!

2011-11-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

Time for hummus again. I headed to a family party with some filling food in hand. This is the 'potluck' dish I bring in case I can't eat anything. :) Easy to pair with chips, veggies or some GF flatbread.

Gluten Free Flatbread Recipe
1 c. brown rice flour (maybe 1/2 potato flour and 1/2 all purpose)
1/2 c. corn starch
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. water
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. canola
2 eggs (or flax eggs)

1. Mix all dry ingredients in medium size bowl.

2. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Grease two 8 in. square baking pans and dust with brown rice flour.

4. Spread half of batter evenly into each pan. Use the back of a wet spoon if the dough is sticky.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes, or until bread pulls away from the sides of the pans.

Substitution Notes: Tapioca starch or potato starch can be substituted for the corn starch. Flax eggs are 1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp. water.

Roasted Garlic! Yum!

Roasted Red Pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to BROIL. Cover the pepper in olive oil, I use my hand and swirl it in a bowl

2. Place on a cookie sheet

3. Use tongs and oven mitts to pull the rack out and turn the pepper. Keep your eyes on it! Don't leave this unattended.

4. Hmmm watch out for the parchment paper, use foil!

5. Important step: place the pepper back in the oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap so it can steam.

Hummus:

Ingredients:

-2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and juice SAVED

-1 roasted garlic head, skinned

-1 roasted red pepper, seeded and chopped

-1/2 a lemon, juiced

-Salt to taste

-2 TBS olive oil

-Garbanzo bean juice if more liquid is needed

-Paprika to garnish

BLEND!

YUM! Great eats!

More food at Brasserie!

2011-11-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

Matt and I headed out for a fancy Saturday night dinner. I wanted to wear high heels and drink champagne so I we use my dinner groupon to Brasserie Monmarte. We had a wonderful night of great food and fun.

I felt very comfortable ordering allergy-free. I told the waitress I was gluten free and dairy free and started to describe what that was and she told me not to worry. At first I was not sure but she said that all she needs to know is no diary and no gluten and the chefs know what to do. I trusted this and had no issues! Very nice. Great service. Gluten Free Entree: Idaho trout with chanterelles and spinach. Yum!

Matt went for the not-so-allergy-free special. Rib-eye sandwich with mashed potatoes and onion rings. He was very satisfied. :-)

Live music in the bistro so we sat there. Have yet to sit in the dining room but oh well. Great food and great night. This may be in my top ten favorite places.

Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup!

2011-10-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

I had the crud last week and so I made my own chicken noodle soup. It was a great success and I happily ate it all week.

Ingredients:

-chicken sausage, pieced

-3 cloves garlic, minced (a natural antibiotic)

-2 stalks celery, chopped

-2 carrots, peeled and chopped

-1/2 onion, chopped (anti-inflammatory)

-1 cup frozen sweet corn

-4 cups chicken broth

-1/2 box quinoa pasta

-1 tsp oregano

-1 tsp basil

-1 dash of tumeric (anti-inflammatory)

-1 dash fo cayenne pepper (decongestant :-)

-Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

-Saute the onion and garlic. Add the chicken and cook through.

-Add other vegetables.

-Slowly add in broth and pasta, bring to boil for 8-10 min. and then allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes

The soup was delicious, hearty, spicy, and perfect for the winter cold. Highly recommended.

Classes at Portland's Culinary Workshop

2011-10-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

Last week I signed up for two classes at the Portland's Culinary Workshop. I took the Four Course Gluten Free Meal and Gluten Free Baking. Both were excellent! The chefs were great: Melinda and Susana both ex-instructors at culinary schools. The classes were small, hands on, and relevant to my cooking. I hope to go back soon!

Four Course Gluten Free Meal
Menu:
Arugula Fennel Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Dijon Vinaigrette
Zucchini Fritters with Charmoula Sauce
Roasted Chicken
Squash Gratin with Poblanos
Chocolate Tart with Pecan Crust

We sat and feasted at the end of the night!

Roasted butternut squash for the au gratin.

Shredded zucchini for fritters.

Ingredients to the charmoula sauce

Blackened poblanos for the au gratin, yum!

Frying fritters!

Ingredients for the chocolate tart: agave, coconut butter, avocado, cocoa powder

Our FEAST:

It was all fantastic and I can put up their recipes eventually or per request. Class made me realize how much I LOVE to talk about food. I could do it for hours. :)

Gluten Free Baking
There were only four of in the class so we each picked some items and went for it. They turned out pretty good.

Menu:
Crackers-I hadn't had a cracker in two years!
Focaccia
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Sandwich Bread
Pancakes
Fresh Egg Gluten Free Pasta
Chocolate Cake

This was certainly my first go at gluten free pasta from scratch. It worked great. It even made it through a pasta slicer. The pasta does taste like egg but that's ok.

Testing out two types for a plate of fun.

Mom came too and made sandwich bread.

\

Wow it looked great! Good work mom!

Focaccia bread

Recipes are available per request. Class was great. I loved cooking class and can't believe I don't do it regularly. I recommend the classes at Portland's Culinary Workshop for fun, laid back cooking.

My Favorites of Allergy-Free Portland

2011-10-19T03:38:00.000-07:00

After attending my first cooking class at the Portland Culinary Workshop (which I will post about soon), I realized I ought to make a master list of the best gluten free restaurants, food carts, etc. So here is my quick version of my Gluten Free Guide to Portland:

1. Cafe Rio Co.
Gluten Free Waffles (Dairy free options): My favorite is the waffle ranchero!
21st and W Burnside

2. Corbett Fish House/Hawthorne Fish House
Gluten Free Fish and Chips: My favorite is the halibut fish and chips!
5901 SW Corbett or 43rd and SE Hawthorne

3. Mississippi Pizza and Pub
Gluten Free Pizza (Vegan options): My favorite is the GF Vegan pizza crust with red sauce, no cheese, canadian bacon, pepperoni, mushroom, and black olive. Classic!
NE Fremont and Mississippi

4. Por Que No?
Mexican-they use corn tortillas, chips, etc (Dairy free options): My favorite is a Brian's bowl with chips!
46th and SE Hawthorne or NE Fremont and Mississippi

5. P.F. Changs
Gluten Free Asian cuisine (Full menu). My favorite is the GF lettuce wraps and the scallops!
11th and NW Couch or Tanasbourne

6. The Dog House Food Cart
Gluten Free Hamburgers. My favorite is the GF sweet potato tots!
21st and NE Alberta

7. The Gluten Free Chef Food Cart
Rotating menu-corndogs and chili (not many dairy free options)
20th and SE Everett

Other Resources
Gluten Free Food Carts
Gluten Free Portland

A Great Happy Hour!

2011-10-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

My sister, friend and I were out vintage shopping and decided to stop at Brasserie Monmarte for happy hour. To our surprise it was utterly fantastic. It was chic, classy, and delicious. It was also surprising allergy free even though the French cannot could without crème.

Here are some of our dishes:

Les Frites flavored with duck fat and rosemary with garlic aioli. These were rich and fantastic. I can't wait to try the other ones: Pork belly and tarragon and truffle and black truffle. Yum!

Mussels frites: Chorizo, padrone peppers, piments, broth. These mussels were huge! This was honestly the first time I had ordered just mussels and I'm so glad to start with these.

For heaven's sake I had to post this Croque Madame that a friend ordered. Not in any way allergy free but beautiful none the less. I believe is was a grilled pork belly and gruyére sandwich topped with a fried egg and béchamel sauce. Sinful.

Well if anyone wants to go here just call me and I'll meet you there! I'll be going back soon. :)

Eating in Vegas!

2011-10-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I headed to Las Vegas for a weekend to attend a wedding. I looked up this Celebrity restaurant weeks in advanced and was excited to have dinner with my friend Fran. Spanish cuisine was of course what I was interested in. Italian is a silly endeavor for one with gluten allergies and I miss Spain after living there in college. Julian Serrano's restaurant in the Aria Hotel was my pick.

Charcuterie

Aceitunas

Paella Marinera

Bacon wrapped dates that unfortunately came out breaded but still very beautiful.

It was a splendid meal with splendid company!

My first crock pot experience!

2011-10-12T00:53:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to sis I recently attained a crockpot for the first time in my life. I decided to try it out the other day and this is what I came up with.

Turkey Chili (recipe adjusted from LauraKKH)

-1 lb ground turkey browned and drained
-1 can of kidney beans, drained
-1 can of black beans, drained
-1 can of tomato soup
-1/2 an onion, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced (YUM)
-2 TBS chili powder
-1/2 TBS ground cumin
-Fresh tomatoes, chopped
-Salt and Pepper

Let cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. This is another great dish where you can use what's in the fridge! Zucchini, onion, celery etc. Throw it in and leave it. What a great experience. I look forward to more!

Making Appetizers!

2011-09-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Headed out to the Sandy River to see friends I decided to bring bruschetta and ceviche. I know it sounds amazing and it was! It was my first time making ceviche and it turned out great! I used an adapted ceviche recipe from Simply Recipes and the bruschetta recipe was my own!

Ceviche Ingredients
1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined (mine were cooked but there's instructions on how to cook them in the link-I'm sure they didn't soak up as much flavor but, it was still pretty good)
1 pound bay scallops
2 Tbsp salt
3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced (it could use more heat, you could barely taste it)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

I used Gramma's electric juicer. She used to make grapefruit juice with it. It works perfect!

Clean as whistles!

Chopped serrano, now it really wasn't spicy. I was expecting some more kick and would do something different next time.

1 Put cooked shrimp in dish and add the lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.

2 Mix in the chopped red onion and serrano chile. Refrigerate over night or at least an hour.

3 Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and avocado.

4 Serves 4-6. It seems that one could add tequila to this mixture as well. Hmmm.

YUM!

Now the Bruschetta:
4 garden tomatoes
Some cherry tomatoes because they were available
1/2 Sweet onion (or less)
Red bell pepper
Fresh basil
Salt and Pepper

Finished product! I think the bell pepper adds a great taste and would be sad without it.

Great delicious surprise!

2011-09-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Matt and I are only getting better in the kitchen. This week Matt wanted tater tots with out ritual artichoke and champagne. Yum! YAM TATER TOTS rocked our socks and we are so excited to cook up some more varieties. I used the ingredients from Apron Strings and then just did what sounded OK.

Ingredients:
3 yams
1 tsp salt
1 TBS GF AP flour
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (it's so fun to have this!)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Boil the yams for 20 min.

Peel and grate/mush then add ingredients.

First you rooollllll it up.

And throw it in the pan. I let them get pretty brown and crunchy. They could be taken out earlier per taste. I also wonder about using breadcrumbs. They don't seem like they need them.

FANTASTIC. We experimented with the last few and put in some Daiya cheese, those 6 were ever MORE amazing. We can't wait to try some with cheese and jalapenos or bacon!

Our addiction: steamed artichoke and secret sauce (aka fry sauce)

Matt picked out pink flowers and pink champagne. :)

And this is what happens when you leave your camera and your boyfriend in the kitchen.

Welcome CAFE RIO CO!

2011-09-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

I fell asleep on the bus one day and woke up suddenly, looked over and saw a Gluten Free Waffle Cafe right on Burnside! I new that's exactly what I needed in life and ended up there for breakfast on my way home from work. Cafe Rio Co!
Aaron and Chelsea started this place about 2 months ago, it had been there 7-year dream. They have a very cute cafe little cafe. A counter, an espresso machine, some hot plates, a few seats and food! They use all organic ingredients and have meat, vegetarian and vegan options. They also serve high quality coffee and tea. They have pastries brought in from New Cascadia Traditional Bakery, another of my frequent stops.
I've been there twice now and can't wait for more. I haven't been able to get beyond the waffle rancheros. Matt has had the Hunny Nut Banana and the Ham and Cheese. I'll work on branching out. :) I highly recommend this place. Even if you're not an allergy-free person (like Matt). It has a great vibe, very homey, very friendly. 22nd and Burnside, if you need a date you know who to call.

Here's Chelsea HAND SQUEEZING my order of OJ. It's the best I've ever had!

Ham and Cheese Waffle

Waffle Ranchero YUM!

Some good dishes of the month:

2011-09-06T01:48:00.000-07:00

Safeco Field goes gluten free? Go Mariners! That's right GF fish and chips served at the Hit if Here Cafe behind right field. We went to watch the Red Socks sadly lose. But it was a great game with great food!

My man Matt got what would be my number one non-allergy-free choice: The bacon wrapped pulled pork hot dog with sweet apple chutney. Yum!

For my homecoming after 2 weeks away, what better than strawberries and bubbly.

Just another dish we made at mom's. Grilled corn, tomato salsa stuffed in tostitos and covered with Tapatio!

Wedding Potluck: Stuffed Bell Peppers

2011-09-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's the day of the wedding for http://awoodennest.blogspot.com/. For the potluck I'm making stuffed bell peppers. Originally I had planned on making fajitas this week so I had everything I needed.

Quinoa/Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers
4 bell peppers, any colors
Quiona, chicken broth, bay leaf
Italian sausage (I used sweet but spicy would be good)
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley
salt and pepper

-Gut and cut the peppers, either top off or length-wise so they will fit in an oven-safe dish. Boil them for about 5 minutes.
-Cook quinoa according to directions. I used chicken broth instead of water and added a bay leaf
-Oops, breakfast is in the picture too :-)

-Brown the Italian sausage with onion, garlic, add parsley and remove from heat

-Cook quinoa like rice, until water is absorbed, remove bay leaf

-Add quinoa to Italian sausage so it will soak up the juices. Mix them and stuff into peppers. I stuffed pepper and then put the rest of the mix in the bottom of the dish so not to waste

-Here's the cute oven dish I used-thanks Gramma!

-Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Serve warm. Add parsley to garnish. Yum!

This is where the reception is, beautiful. Off to work!

The Riverview Restaurant

2011-08-30T21:42:00.001-07:00

Forgive the lag in posts. They'll be coming back. This was our July Birthdays Feast, we went to the Riverview Restaurant in Troutdale, Oregon to celebrate four birthdays. It was a fantastic night with amazing food. Scroll down to find the allergy-friendly dish they made.

Smoked Steelhead & Mascarpone Spread

Won Ton Shumai

Calamari

The allergy free dish they prepared: Seared ahi tuna with grilled vegetables and chutney
The tuna was sesame-crusted. Of course I could have the steak but, I love tuna. I told them of my allergies and they found this for me. They had to pull a steak out of the next days catch because they marinade it in soy sauce. The service was great and the meal was exactly what I wanted.

Crusted Chicken Breast

Pacific Crab with Three Cheese Ravioli

Bacon Wrapped Bistro

Birthday surprise

Banana's Foster for Chantel of course

The end to a wonderful night with friends.

Pizza night at Ari's

2011-07-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

I got distracted and didn't take many photos but these one's are too great not to share. We made 2 allergen pizzas for the normal people and one allergy-free for me. Of course, we started it out right, Ari made margaritas with fresh squeezed lemon/lime juice, tequilas and grand marnier. The best!

Micah practiced his new rolling over moves while we cooked. Go Micah!

Pizza dough is rising.

Fish bait or caramelized onions? Kinda hard to tell.

Chantel made a great looking pepperoni pizza!

Yum!

Ari and Matt made a mushroom extravaganza pizza with all types!

Sooo pretty.

Of course I forgot to photo my pizza made with Namaste's pizza crust. It had olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, caramelized onions, Italian sausage, mushrooms and some Daiya cheese. Great pizza night!

Craving Risotto (Allergy Free Of Course!)

2011-07-09T08:03:00.001-07:00

Everywhere I go I see risotto on the menu. The cheesy, white wine, rice concoction I just had to make it! I picked up this package of Vigo arborio rice at Freddies and went for it!

I couldn't wait to break out my new spices: smoked Spanish paprika and saffron.

I pretty much used the recipe on the back of rice bag which turned out fine and added my own extras.

Ingredients:
-2 cups chicken broth
-2 TBS butter
-3 TBS onion
-1 cup Arborio Rice
-1/3 cup dry white wine
-1 pinch saffron
-1 cup water
-1/2 cup grated cheese, parmesan or whatever you got :)
Extras:
-1 tilapia filet
-1/2 zucchini
Directions:
1. Heat the broth in the microwave.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add onion until it's transparent.
3. Stir rice into the butter and add wine and saffron. Stir until wine is absorbed.
4. Add enough broth just to cover the rice and continually stir it in. Continue this with just a bit of broth each time. You may need to add water too.
5. Rice is done when it is tender yet firm, about 20 minutes.
6. On the side I prepared some chopped zucchini and flaked tilapia fillet in some butter on low and added it at this time.
7. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Salt to taste. Creamy, moist, and delicious!

Thanks for the perfect pan mom!

Yum yum yum!

Weekend in Seattle

2011-07-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

Rachel, James and I headed to Seattle for the Fremont Fair. It's a huge outdoor street fair and it was a lot of fun. We started our trip at the Reddoor.

Allergy-free chicken burger and fries with lots of avocado!

Rache's BLTA

James ordered mussels

And a roasted beat, walnut salad. Yum!

This was Rachel's booth with all of her product. We spend many-a-hours here.

The parade!

What a fun weekend!

'Calzones' and an Artichoke

2011-06-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

Matt and I decided to try and make 'calzones' the other night. We kind of just went for it which, may have been a poor choice but oh well. This one falls under the 'mishap' category.

First we made the dough with brown rice flour, an egg, and some cold water. I don't have a rolling pin but I always have an extra bottle of wine. Put parchment paper on the dough and roll away!

We threw in our favorite toppings: marinara sauce, mushrooms, onions, red pepper, zucchini, Italian sausage and some Daiya cheese.

Folding them up was tricky and they're not pretty but, it's our first try.

Sprinkled with polenta.

Bake for an hour at 350 and watch old office episodes in the mean time. This is the finished product.

Throw some sauce over it and you're done. Honestly, the dough was crappy. We should have made it in advance, with yeast, and let it rise because it tasted just how it looks, like cardboard. I ate the ingredients out of the middle and was done. Nice try!

Our side dish/dessert was an artichoke. Ooooh artichokes, I love you. I eat them as often as possible and with the giant ones now at the farmer market I now also eat large quantities. So here's how to do it.

-Cut the stem off the bottom and then cut some of the top off so steam can get in and cook it through. You'll need you're best serrated knife. It's beautiful!

I use my fantastic garage-sale-find mini Black & Decker steamer but I've also used a pan with 1.5 inches of water in the bottom, cover, and put the stove on med-high. Put the artichoke in face down and put the timer on for an hour either way. If using a pan periodically check to see that there is still water in the pan or you'll have a burnt pan and a burnt artichoke.

The artichoke is done when you can pick an outside leaf and scrape meat off half of it with your teeth. Serve with two bowels, one for waste and the sauce of your choice. When you peel off all the green leaves, and the purple/white leaves, and are left with a furry mistery, use a fork to scrape off the top layer of 'furry-ness.' Whatever is left is the soft heart and is all edible. Dip into some sauce and eat up!

Sauces:
-Melted butter and minced garlic
-Ketchup and mayo

YUM!

If you don't pick an artichoke off the plant when it's ready to eat, it turns into this awesome purple flower. I want a garden of artichokes!

More great Ohio Eats!

2011-06-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

In Columbus, Matt took me to the North Market. An awesome indoor market. We picked up some excellent lunch and fun finds!

FOOD!

Raviolis!

Vietnamese

Pho! The best allergy-free hangover cure! So glad I can eat chili pepper now.

MMM!

Jenis ice cream! Great flavors like: goat cheese and cherries, rhubarb, lime and cardamom, and whiskey and pecans.

Their dairy-free sorbettos were great: riesling poached pear and cherry lambic. Wasn't sure how to feel about it at first but I wish I could have it every day!

Matt had some sort of meaty sandwich.

He seemed to like it just fine.

I picked up some specialty finds: smoked paprika and saffron. Not super cheap but fun to get here. Can't wait for paella!

Out to HAIKU! Matt's brother Jeromy was our server. Rated on allergyeats.com. I asked for a drink that matched my hair :)

Per recommendation after the allergy conversation, I had LakasaAyam Vermicelli Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables in Rich Curry Sauce. Fun to have a white sauce (coconut milk). It was fabulous.

Not entirely sure what my friends had but it all looked fantastic!

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Spicy Beef Broth with Rice Noodles and Beef

General Tso Battered Chicken Tossed in a Spicy Sweet and Sour Sauce

YUM!

What a great night!

Ohio Eats!

2011-06-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Matt and I headed to Ohio for a week-long vacation. Matt is from Ohio so we met up with his friends and family. First we hit up Mt. Vernon with his friends and then headed into Columbus to meet up with his brother. After a couple nights of partying in town, we headed back to Mt. Vernon and had adventures: in the pond behind Matt's house, Warrior Dash in Logan, OH, and Cedar Point Amusement Park. Here's some of the food I hit up on vacation.

This is how to start vacation: a margarita at Fiesta Mexicana in Mt. Vernon, OH.

Matt's brother lives in the Short North area of Columbus (the best). Veggie chili and fritos appetizer at Surly Girl in Columbus, OH. I rated the restaurant at allergyeats.com.

Chili nachos that Matt and his brother had, lots of jalapenos.

My favorite at Surly Girl was the pulled pork tacos with mandarin orange slaw. MMMM!

Matt had a spicy peanut butter and banana sandwich with chocolate milk and marshmallows on the side (yes it's an entree on the menu). They're all shook up! These were so good we came back for the same thing the next day!

Late night fries with whiskey and midori at the Rossi. The fries were delicious, well done. Not much allergy worries here.

My victory after defeating Cedar Point.

Cutesy Mexican place, Casa Fiesta in Sandusky, OH rated on allergyeats.

Sizzling fajitas for dinner!

Sizzlin!

This is how vacation started, this is how it ends. Margarita at Pappasitos in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. They had the BEST allergy service and I rated them on allergyeats.com.

Most of these places did an IMPRESSIVE job catering to my food allergies. Glad to know I can survive traveling.

New Camera

2011-05-25T01:21:00.000-07:00

My old Nikon of 6-7 years has endured 2 Europe Trips, college and camp nursing. On my last beach trip I asked a stranger to take a photo at Cape Lookout and it got dropped on the rocks. :( Goodbye Nikon. Hello Canon. I was unsure, until I uploaded a photo. Holy Crap! What have I been doing all this time. It's incredible. 7 years really changes things. I can't wait!

Cheers to the end of jimmying my laptop to be my camera.

Just look at that avocado!

Cuisson!

2011-05-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

This lovely Sunday afternoon, well, this dark, gray, and ugly Sunday afternoon has been spent in the kitchen. Old french music is playing and the butternut squash that's been sitting on my counter all week is glaring at me. I decided to simply search 'butternut squash' on my google reader-it searched through all my favorite food blogs and came up with two keepers. I decided to combine two recipes: Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce from The Pioneer Woman and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup from Gluten Free Gigi. To make Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Pasta. :) Unfortunately, my six-year-old camera had a tragic accident last weekend and I had to jimmy my laptop to take these photos-the photos from other blogs are much better. Camera will be replaced this week. :)

Ingredients:
1 whole butternut squash, roasted* see GlutenFreeGigi
olive oil
1 whole red pepper, roasted* see ThePioneerWoman
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup red onions
salt and pepper
1 box of quinoa shell pasta
1 cup of hemp milk (or heavy whipping cream)
Dash of cayenne pepper
To make it a lasting meal for the work week I added:
1/2 Andouille turkey sausage (Did you know Andouille means imbecile in french?)
1/2 large zucchini

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for about 3 minutes.

Blend the roasted butternut squash, roasted red pepper, garlic, onion, and a tsp kosher salt to make the pasta sauce.

Oh, with all this roasting going on, I decided to make some hummus as well (above on the Left).
1 can of garbanzo beans, drained 1/2 way
2 Tbs Olive oil
1 slice of roasted red pepper
1 spoonful of cooked garlic and onion mix

Blend it and put it in the fridge to set before work!

Pour sauce into pan and add hemp milk. Add a dash of cayenne pepper. In the mean time, boil the pasta and gently fry the sausage and zucchini just until lightly browned and before it tries to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add sausage, zucchini, and pasta to sauce and let sit on warm before stirring/storing to let ingredients settle.

Quite delicious. The cayenne is important because the squash is so sweet. It certainly tastes different than your average pasta sauce.

When there's 'nothing to eat' x2

2011-05-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Opened the fridge and there's nothing to eat. So I whipped this up. I think it's a stoup (stew/soup). Turkey Lentil Soup.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 cup lentils
2.5 cups chicken/veggie broth
1 can diced tomatoes
chopped mushrooms
1 bay leaf
cilantro

Directions:
-Heat up a large saucepan and brown the ground turkey. Drain if needed. Add onion, garlic, and spices.
-Add mushrooms and cilantro. Let cook up until it smells really good.
-Add canned tomatoes, lentils, broth and bay leaf. Bring to boil.
-Reduce heat and let simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Tasty, healthy, filling, and good to make at the beginning of a long week.

Love you too Mom!

2011-05-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

It's an Easter flashback to times of white tights and white hats. The times we will forever ask: "Mom, why did you do this to me?" I seem to be having a good time despite the tights riding up my diaper. Cheers!

(Alex, Me, Rachel)
Oh those tights.

(Rachel)
Ready to go!

(Me)
I'll find that egg.

(sis and I)
Hats... really? And more tights.

(sis and I)
Where did the tights go? :) We wised up.

Never been one for brownies but...

2011-04-18T13:36:00.001-07:00

My family didn't make brownies much. We had a hard time getting past the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. But Betty Crocker, the woman who defines yellow cake with chocolate frosting inspired me to give it a go.

Why gluten free? A co-worker of Betty apparently, was diagnosed with Celiac disease. This opened her eyes to the challenges people face. No one wants to miss a birthday cake or homemade cookie after a game. So here it is! GF Betty Crocker products made in a GF processing facility. (via the box)

Add eggs (flax) and butter.

This is where it gets hazy. I have no idea how to bake brownies but this just doesn't look right.

Nor does this. :-/ It looks like Hexxus from Ferngully.

10 minutes later out of the oven, Now they look burnt, but they're still gooey. I want to let it sit in the oven with the door open after the timer goes off so it can 'set' and not just be a mess.

Not sure what the trick is. Obviously, one can still choke down some crunchy/gooey/chocolaty-ness.

We'll see how the next batch goes.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

2011-04-15T01:12:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Williams and Sonoma website (my favorite store). It was great! I skipped some of the steps, like toasting the spices and adding the garnish. It was great all the same. The video on the website is quick and simple. I'm really going to be looking there for inspiration. Here's the ingredient list so you could get an idea of how great it is but, the website is really well done. Check it out!

Ingredients:
-2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets (about 10 cups)
-1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
-½ leek, white and light green parts only, diced (about ¾ cup)
-2 large carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
-¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-½ teaspoon coriander seeds
-½ teaspoon cumin seeds
-½ bunch cilantro, chopped (about 2 cups)
-¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
-½ teaspoon mild curry powder
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-8 cups vegetable stock
-¾ cup plain yogurt
-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

My favorite part:

Yum!

Happy Birthday Gramma!

2011-04-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I told Gramma that I was coming out to the farm for her birthday and that we should have a party. That's exactly what happened. Everyone showed up, there were kids, grandkids, cousins, and close friends. This was my favorite photo from the party of my mom and her best friend Linda. Friends for 40+ years.

For this feast I made quinoa pasta salad!

Ingredients:
quinoa pasta, boiled and drained (it's tougher and will never be really 'al dente' but its better)
kalamata olives
sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
olive oil/juice from the sun-dried tomatoes
salt and pepper

I prefer to serve it when chilled. It's easy, pretty, and filling.

Salad anyone? I love parties.

Mmmmmmmm

Mom made pineapple rum, ricotta cheese pie. Which, is not allergy free but it is fantastic!

Matt made this amazing chocolate cake for Gramma, also not allergy free. Chocolate with chocolate frosting (secret ingredient is mayonnaise).

THEN I picked up cupcakes from the New Cascadia Traditional GF Bakery. These gluten-free, vegan cupcakes were awesome! Chocolate with vanilla frosting and carrot cake. I have been craving carrot cake for a year so it just hit the spot!

My cousin and I, allergy twins. Important support to have.

Alex and Trevor with Matt and I.

Those goofballs on the ends are the little brothers, Dan and Colton.

Gramma and Lorna, friends for 40+ years too :)

My second favorite picture, guess how many times this has happened before?

Saturday Night of Food and Fun

2011-04-11T13:06:00.001-07:00

Mmmm! So good. A night of great food, a great show by Tacocat, and more great food. I made pork chops, broccoli and cheesy sauce to start.

Spiced the pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Covered them in brown rice flour and fried them in a covered fry pan on medium heat until no longer pink in the middle.

Then crank up the heat to really brown the outside. YUM!

Steam the broccoli just until the color changes.
Cheese sauce:
1 cup rice milk
1 cup Daiya Cheddar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and Pepper

Let simmer and the cheese will melt down. Add more milk/cheese as needed.

On the way to the show!

I just found these goons in the hallway, not sure what they're up to.

Yeah yeah :)

We got back from the show and had a steamed artichoke for dessert. We made more garlic cheese sauce to dip in. SO good.

Dinner at Gramma's

2011-04-05T15:21:00.001-07:00

Here's our quick and easy dinner at Gramma's on Sunday. Scallops with bacon and wilted spinach. Cooked the bacon first and removed from pan. Then we used brown rice flour and home made cajun seasoning (paprika, oregano, salt and pepper) to coat the scallops (via the ziplock shake) and cooked them in the bacon grease. Chop the bacon, throw in a bag and a half of spinach (still not enough) and cook it down. Mom made some wild rice to go with it. What a fun, easy, and tasty meal! Highly recommend it.

Thursday night dinner!

2011-04-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

Quick! Let's throw something together! Matt and Jackie came over for dinner and so I made this up. I'm glad it turned out great.

Especially with Simon and Garfunkel on vinyl :)

I started with some stir-fry steak that I had bought that just looked like a good idea. I was not sure what to do with it tonight because Jackie is not a fan of Asian food so actual stir-fry was out.

Pseudo stir-fry:
-3 heads of broccoli, put in fry pan with 3 TBS of olive oil and a 1/2 cup water (enough to cover bottom of pan), cover, and steam until brightest green and remove cover
-Add more oil if needed
-Add 1 sweet onion, diced and
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-Add 1 tsp Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste
-Once sauteed, add meat and allow warm veggies to cook it (not too much-medium-rare)
-Once meat is cooked reduce heat and add 1 cup of non-dairy milk and 1 cup of Daiya cheddar cheese.
-Let ingredients simmer. Sauce should thicken and cheese melt.

I loved help in the kitchen. Thanks Matt!

I was craving sweet potatoes. Yum!

Ingredients:
-one large sweet potato
-olive oil
-oregano
-salt and pepper
I wanted them quick so they weren't quite cooked right. They needed 30 minutes in oven at 350 degrees. I cooked them for 10 minutes and then broiled them to crisp them up quick. :)

Sweet potato 'fries'

Spinach salad with carrot, red onion, and Briana's Strawberry Vinaigrette (Gramma's idea)

This was kind of the first meal where company and I sat and ate at the table.

What a special night. Looking forward to more! Come on over.

GFEFDF Postickers! x2

2011-03-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

My first potsticker post was in fall of 2010. Instead of repeating, I used a new recipe from Gluten Free Gobsmacked. I was really nervous about this endeavor. I've only made them once before and just never feel prepared. I had a hard time getting started and deciding what to do first. Kate @ Gluten Free Gobsmacked had a list of tips that were really helpful and I had some great help from Ari, Chantel, and Matt. Thanks guys! Success!

Gluten Free Potstickers – Chicken Filling *adjusted by me for allergies and supplies

Ingredients:
2 chicken thighs, deboned, skinned and trimmed
3 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons GF Soy Sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil (or toasted sesame oil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 stalks of green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

If you can, it's easy to food process everything (Everything EXCEPT the green onion and cilantro) OR if you're me you have to chop and chop and chop. :)
Stir in by hand cilantro and green onions.
Set aside a make the potsticker wrappers.

Gluten Free Potsticker Wrappers
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cold water + 1/4 cup cold water (added tablespoon by tablespoon and more as needed)
*(1 egg hisked in to 1/2 cup cold water) I just used more water instead
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch (and more for dusting)
1/3 cup corn starch
1/3 cup sweet rice flour (and more to avoid sticky dough-works really good)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon gelatin

Directions:

Blend all of the dry ingredients together in the bowl of your food processor.
Make a well in the flours and slowly add the water, mixing by hand.
Roll out about 1/3 of the dough (keep the remaining dough under a damp paper towel) between two sheets of parchment paper if you have it. Or if you use me, a cutting board and rolling pin and a lot of sweet rice flour.
Roll the dough to 1/8 of an inch. (No thinner than 1/16″ or the dough will rip while cooking.)
Cut into 3.5″ wide circles (we used a martini glass).
Cover prepared/cut wrappers with a damp paper towel.
Work quickly to roll out and cut remaining dough... if you can. :)

Assembly:

Into each circle place a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half of filling (NOT TOO MUCH otherwise they are too difficult to seal)
Dip your finger in water and slide it along the half the potsticker wrapper as glue. Fold the dough in half, matching the edges.
Crimp the edges by folding and tucking the edges as you would for a pie crust. (Try to make sure they are fully sealed or they will not cook right-we had a hard time with this).
Once the potstickers are assembled, there is no reason to cover them with a damp towel.

Chantel and I rolled them out and assembled. Matt jumped in to help too.

Cooking Potstickers:

Heat 2-4 TBS of vegetable oil in a pan. Add 1/2 cup water.
Cover and steam the potsitckers for about 10 minutes. The water will boil off.
Add more oil as needed and pan fry the potstickers until they reach desired crispiness.

Note: this is too many potstickers in one pan but, we were hungry and I didn't want to deal with two batches.

We threw the leftover filling in a pan with more Bragg's sauce.

Ari cooked away!

These guys were a good help too! And just very cute!

Work complete!

What a plate of delicious hard work!

The best way to start the day: Breakfast of Champions x3

2011-03-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is one hefty BLT. I went to Bob's Red Mill last week and picked up the GF vegan loaf from the freezer case. It is AMAZING. It tastes so good I've re-read the label several times to make sure I can eat it. I HIGHLY recommend the trip to Milwaukie, OR for a loaf (or 2 or 4). Bacon, spinach, a good red tomato (they're slowly getting tastier), vegannaise and a pickle. Also not to forget a cup of English Breakfast tea in a cup that has been handed down in the family. :)

My first guest blog

2011-03-27T01:16:00.000-07:00

My pantry of flours made it on to the My Own Labels (C) blog called My Own Ideas. The flours look so pretty. Thanks for the photo-shoot Rache and thanks Gramma for the fabric and scissors! Check it out HERE.

I want stroganoff.

2011-03-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

It's a bit of an odd craving but its the truth! I wanted stroganoff. I didn't debate ideas much, I just went for it. I had some leftover steak as I made some for breakfast to go with my waffles the day before. :)

Ingredients:
cooked steak, chopped
1/2 bunch celery, chopped
1 red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup sherry
splash of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp rosemary
1/4 c Daiya mozzarella cheese (optional)

Serve over white rice or rice pasta.

Saute the onion in olive oil on stove top at med-high. Add garlic.

I really cooked down the onion and then added the celery.

Throw in cooked meat and rosemary spice. No need to cook it up more or the meat will get chewy.

Lower heat to medium. Mix the milk and cornstarch together, then add with all other liquids. Stir consistently as it could get sticky at this point (if it does, lower heat). Cook until sauce thickens. Add Daiya cheese and allow to melt if wanted.

Once fully cooked. Pour over white rice or pasta to serve.

Delicious! Made great leftovers, I wanted more and more. It was a very satisfying allergy-free meal.

Breakfast of champions! x2

2011-03-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

The first breakfast of champions was a tomato sandwich. This second one is a sweet potato/zucchini hash with toast and a cup of tea.

Ingredients:
Zucchini
Sweet Potato
Onion
Jimmy Dean Sausage
Garlic cloves, minced

With a piece of tapioca bread and vegannaise... mmm (close enough). And a cup of English breakfast black tea, my favorite. Cheers to another great start to a day!

EPIC Pizza!

2011-03-20T00:11:00.000-07:00

The attempt of the week: Epic Pizza. This entails Matt insisting that we make allergen-free deep dish pizza after watching Man vs. Food in Chicago. So we went for it.

Ingredients:
Namaste Pizza Crust
1 flaxseed meal egg
Sauce:
one can diced tomatoes
one can tomato paste
minced garlic
chopped onion
Italian seasonings
1/2 cup Merlot
Toppings:
sausage
pepperoni
sun-dried tomatoes
minced garlic
spinach
Daiya mozzarella cheese
prosciutto
fresh basil, chopped

The crust was Namaste Pizza Crust mix. It is the best GF crust I've found. It has some herbs and spices in it and cooks decently. It takes one egg-one flaxseed meal egg, and water. Divide in two and but one in the bottom of a 9x13 and the other on a cookie sheet. It's a sticky mess and can be a pain to spread out because it's very thick. I recommend wax paper.

I was very proud of this as it took FOREVER. I may have used a can of Pam as a rolling pin

Pre-cooked for 30 min.

Here's the second layer of crust and my classy Pam rolling pin again

Top crust, pre-cook for 15 min, it will be crunchy but I liked it that way

Pizza sauce: we used one can of diced and one can of paste

Sauce ingredients:
one can diced tomatoes
one can tomato paste
minced garlic
chopped onion
Italian seasonings
1/2 cup Merlot

Topping number one: sweet Italian sausage, cooked

Times they are a 'cookin

Time to layer: Crust-sauce

Crust-sauce-sausage

Crust-sauce-sausage-pepperoni

Crust-sauce-sausage-pepperoni-sun-dried tomatoes-minced garlic

Crust-sauce-sausage-pepperoni-sun-dried tomatoes-minced garlic-spinach

Crust-sauce-sausage-pepperoni-sun-dried tomatoes-minced garlic-spinach-Daiya mozzarella cheese

Baked at 400 for 15-20 min. Mainly so things would cook down so we can add more.

Slice the prosciutto (Italian bacon)

Crust-sauce-sausage-pepperoni-sun-dried tomatoes-minced garlic-spinach-Daiya mozzarella cheese-crust-sauce

Crust-sauce-sausage-pepperoni-sun-dried tomatoes-minced garlic-spinach-Daiya mozzarella cheese-crust-sauce-Daiya cheese

Crust-sauce-sausage-pepperoni-sun-dried tomatoes-minced garlic-spinach-Daiya mozzarella cheese-crust-sauce-Daiya cheese-prosciutto

Crust-sauce-sausage-pepperoni-sun-dried tomatoes-minced garlic-spinach-Daiya mozzarella cheese-crust-sauce-Daiya cheese-prosciutto-fresh basil, chopped

Bake for about 30 min.

EPIC PIZZA!!!

It was SOOO good and although we made so much it was gone in a just a couple days. Highly recommend this pizza endeavor.

What am I doing?

2011-03-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

I have no idea. I got out of bed on my one day off and made this. Why? I don't know. It was somehow necessary. I think it may have been because I ate the last of the squash soup for breakfast and I don't want to go to the store to buy more food. I suppose this is the only solution: cook a crap-load of something so I can eat it anytime. Macaroni Casserole.

Recipe:
1/2 box spiral quinoa pasta
1/2 bag spiral rice pasta
1 can white, navy beans, drained and rinsed
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 tsp oregano*
1/2 tsp garlic salt (I may have gotten lazy here)
1 jar Classico Traditional Sweet Basil Marinara*
2 cups soy milk
1 bag Daiya cheddar cheese

*I originally put half those amounts and had to go back and add more. The sauce is not spicy enough for me and the pasta bakes up a little dry.

I boiled the pasta each differently. The main reason there are two is because I wanted more and ran out of quinoa. :) So why did I put beans in it? Because I wanted something green but didn't have it so I threw the beans in for fiber. It's a well-rounded dish.

Once the pasta was boiled I drained it and set it aside. Next I put the sausage, carrots, onion, butter and a swipe of bacon fat. Lol. I'm shy to put type that here but, why waste something so great.

Mix pasta and beans with meat mixture and marinara.

I cooked the milk and cheese in a saucepan until thick and creamy/cheesy. Pour over and mix.

Bake. I only baked it for 30 min. With the carrots and beans it either needs 1 hour or those ingredients need to be pre-cooked.

Yum! Go me.

Butternut Squash Soup

2011-03-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

I'm sure there is a recipe for this somewhere I just didn't use one. I had a butternut squash to be cooked so here it is:

Recipe:
1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup butter (earth balance substitute)
2 cups organic (GF) chicken broth
1 cup hazelnut milk
Salt and Pepper

I threw the squash in first for a bit and then added the onion and garlic.

Chicken broth can have a gluten additive in it so buying 'natural' or organic is the way to go just be sure to check the label. My mom picked up this hazelnut milk which is just so cool I had to throw it in. I could definitely taste that it was NOT soy milk but, it's hard to tell which nutty flavor is the milk.

Once the squash ingredients are about 75% cooked or so, add liquids.

Then get out that immersion blender! My favorite tool!

Someone from work mentioned that it has a baby-food consistency... which is true. It's healthy and so easy to eat. I may have downed a portion at work in less than two minutes as I worked late and worked through my break. I don't particularly recommend that kind of dining. The soup was great though. It's an easy way to use up veggies for a filling meal.

Bad idea...

2011-03-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

So last week was my friend Christopher's birthday which, as tradition for four years means I make him a whole batch of cookies. They were not made allergy free and the task was more daunting than I thought. Nannying and cooking for the kiddos got me used to the idea of cooking without munching but it's SO hard with the family cookie recipe: oatmeal chocolate chip. Inquire for amazing recipe.

I made it through but was nearly driven insane by the lingering smell of baked cookies with butter and eggs. So I ventured to New Cascadia Traditional Gluten Free Bakery AGAIN on my way home from a 12 hour night shift. Look at this awesome breakfast:

Multigrain toast and a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting. SO good. The bread is quite thick but has a high quality 'bready' consistency. I would vote that the sourdough loaf is the best at the bakery. The cupcake is such a condensed sugar/carb infusion I ate it over 3 days. It was glorious and the fact that I can stop at this bakery on my way home at 7:30AM is just a formula for a bad habit. :) Love those.

When there's 'nothing to eat'

2011-03-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

I had 'nothing to eat' so I cooked all this. :) To start I had chicken and celery in the fridge so guess what I made? Yes! I threw this together to take to work. The chicken had a little garlic salt on it but the celery was just salt and pepper. It was cooked in my fancy Rachael Ray pan, a gift from my mom. It has a grill-type bottom so after the chicken was mostly done I threw in the celery and it worked great. It was a very satisfying meal. Cleanup was easy as I emptied my kettle into the pan after making tea. No problem.

Late-night-after-work craving this week was mashed potatoed made with these cute little guys.

The finished product just looks like mashed potatoes... I did use my Gramma's potato-ricer tool which is amazing. I would have a photo but it's need some more steel wool action so it will be revealed in due time.
-Spuds, boiled until soft
-Almond and Cashew Mimic Cream
-Garlic, minced
-Daiya cheddar cheese
-S&P

This was my final meal made before the weekly shopping trip. I made a bucket-load to take to work and eat as needed for a couple days. It was a bit of 'everything left in the fridge.'

-Quinoa pasta, cooked
-Turkey hotdogs
-Broccoli
-The last bit of Mimic Cream
-Daiya cheese

Steam broccoli with a bit of water, throw in hot dogs, throw in everything else-it's a fry pan meal, my favorite type. I don't have set ratios for liquid/solid, I always add things as needed.

What a breakfast/dinner, whatever. It's 9AM gnight.

Breaking in the new place

2011-02-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

This was my 'breakfast' either before or after a 12 hour night shift this week. BLT.

Thursday I had a day off. Matt and I cooked up a storm to break in the new kitchen. I started it out with a bruschetta:
4 slices from a sour dough loaf from New Cascadia Traditional Gluten Free Bakery
4 swipes of Earth Balance buttery spread
4 pieces of proscuitto
Chopped tomato
Chopped fresh basil
Salt and Pepper

We continued the cooking adventure to make Shrimp and Artichoke Heart Alfredo: Divine.

Alfredo:
Quinoa Pasta cooked al dente
Cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp
One box of frozen artichoke hearts
Garlic cloves, minced
Almond and cashew Mimic cream*
Daiya mozzarella cheese
Salt and Pepper

So almonds are on my allergy list. However, via my hair dresser who has been living with similar allergies for 7 years, it may be the case that I am only allergic to the husks. The husks don't follow almonds into the milk/cream. I didn't die from it so we must be good to go. Yay!

This will definitely be happening again. Soon!

New kitchen cooking!

2011-02-22T11:25:00.001-08:00

Things have been painfully busy but loads of good cooking are on the way. I also have pictures of the apartment on my camera that is temporarily in an unknown location. I used my computer cam to capture something thrown together for a breakfast with a spinach craving.

Sourdough fried in a cast iron pan
Red/black quinoa polenta fried up
Chopped leftover meatballs thrown in
A hefty handful of spinach
And a good cup o' English Breakfast Tea

I picked up a loaf of sourdough from the New Cascadia Traditional Bakery at SE 6th and Market (much closer to me now-near Goodwill). It is an dedicated gluten free bakery with vegan options. I also picked up a GF vegan pizza with kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, and peppers on it. I ate it as I ran errands all afternoon. It was the fastest food I've had in a while, they had it ready and just warmed it up. I may have also picked up a cupcake, my oven is still out of service and I had wanted to bake last night. This cupcake was glorious, the most concentrated sugar I've had in months. It pretty much gave me a sugar migraine. So worth it. I forsee myself making more regular visits to New Cascadia.

Finally a bit o' posting

2011-02-13T22:14:00.001-08:00

Life took a turn for the crazy. I got a new job at a Mental Health and Detox Hospital which is keeping me on my toes but going great. The Red Cross is kicking things into gear and needing more volunteers. AND I'm 98% set to move into a new apartment on this Friday. I'm excited but exhausted. Things will keep on moving. Just wanted to fill in some of the food I've been eating. Recently my cooking has seemed like nothing to write home about: fajitas, pancakes, stir-fry, and chicken lettuce wraps are just so delicious I can't stop.

Superbowl Fajitas-so pretty

Corvallis Fajitas-so delicious

Recipe?-yeah sure (store bought taco seasoning can have wheat and too many additives)
Peppers, I like one of each
Onion
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 pinch cayenne
Garlic seasoning or crushed cloves

Allergy Free Macaroni and Cheese! (Dairy-free, wheat-free, egg-free)

It was amazing, I made it once at the beach and shared it with friends and then again at home. Sooo delicious and should be one of my staples.

Recipe
1/2 box quinoa pasta, cooked, drained and placed in baking dish
1/2 cup rice milk or other non-dairy milk
3/4 cup Daiya mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup Daiya cheddar cheese
2-4 Tbs nutritional yeast
salt and Pepper
3 zucchini
1 onion
sausage
2 garlic cloves, crushed

I first cooked the sausage and threw in the zucchini, onion, and garlic. Pour these over the pasta and cook the cheese sauce in same pan for sausage-delicious-ness. First add milk and yeast and slowly add cheese. It melts well and gets thick. Add more milk/cheese as needed. Pour over pasta and stir in. I baked it for 30 min to get it really good but if could be eaten more readily. Check out the awesome dish from the beach cabin. Highly recommend this recipe!

Pure Comfort Food!

2011-01-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

Happy happy weekend enjoyed with Jackie, Rachel, James, Mom and Rich (missed you Dan). This is all I wanted: taco salad and margaritas. If I had to have this every night, the world would be a better place. It was fantastic as always and highly recommended.

Recipe
Thousand Island dressing mixed with Taco Seasoning*
*Taco Seasoning: 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, pinch cayenne, sprinkle of paprika
Ground beef, cooked, drained, and seasoned with the same
Refried beans, warmed up
Kidney Beans
Lettuce
Cilantro
Tomato
Avocado
Salsa
Sour Cream (for those non-allergry-free folks)
-Could also add corn or substitute black beans.

New cookin' with lentils!

2011-01-17T14:37:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful night! A first time try that could not have been better. Spanish Lentils with Mushrooms recipe from herbivoracious.com. Goodness it was fantastic and I could eat it every week. Incredibly good for you, incredibly filling. Lentils are packed with fiber, protein, iron, folate, and magnesium. Folate has been shown to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in women and magnesium slows the release of sugar into the blood stream for steady glucose control and lowers CRP-potential heart damaging inflammation (via Living Without magazine, Full of Beans, Dec/Jan 2011).

Recipe found here

1 small white onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
extra virgin olive oil
2 cups French green lentils, picked over and washed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (such as pimenton dulce)
salt
sherry vinegar
1 pound crimini mushrooms, quartered lengthwise
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 big leaves of basil, chiffonade
black pepper

Took me a minute, but I'm peeling a butternut squash here. Thanks Jax. After looking at all the possible lentil recipes, I saw several with butternut squash. The squash did not make it into the lentils but we sautéed it with olive oil and brown sugar for a sweet addition to the lentils.

A beautiful mess

Delicious

Old Christmas Dinner

2011-01-13T00:10:00.000-08:00

It's old only because obviously I'm about 3 weeks late on this post but the photos are so cute. The family and I celebrated finger-food Christmas on the 23rd and then mom, Rich and I headed to the beach for a great, relaxing time.

Fresh live crab from ABC Asian market, looking awesome in mom's antique sink

Rosemary golden mini-potatoes and sausage stuffed portabella mushrooms

Rumaki! Bacon wrapped dates with chestnuts in a special sauce and then we also had bacon wrapped scallops, I don't know how that happened

Mmm, the mushroom was so good

Rumaki!

Christmas dinner at the cabin, that and margaritas

Our Christmas tree!

So cute!

What to do with 2011

2011-01-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

My New Year’s Proposition

-Fitness: Let’s get this over with. Since January 2010, I lost 10 lbs and 1.5 inches. I’m pretty proud. With all the crap that went down, that sounds just fine to me. My new plan is to loose a full 5 lbs by my birthday.

Routine now (since July 2010): Run 15-20 miles a week + push-ups and sit-ups.

New routine: Trade/add 1-2 weight-bearing routines and SWIM!

I had no choice but to swim for cardio after my motorcycle accident. It’s so hard! I really like the challenge, despite my fear of drowning, and would like to get back to it-even just once a week/two.

-Allergy-Free: I was going to attempt a food challenge of trying out allergy foods to see if I react to them but, I’m not ready. It took me a year to figure out how to eat allergy-free so perhaps this year I could accomplish some intestinal healing and not have a stomachache for more than half the year.

-Keep on a’cookin! I had a great time trying out new foods this year. Some other cuisines I want to attempt are: Indian, Moroccan, and Thai. These dishes already use less dairy, wheat, and egg than your average American dish. And of course I want to continue my baking attempts and love of Spanish food.

-Crafting: Try something new! Perhaps knitting, decoupage, or the dreaded watercolor.

-Blogging: Keep on a’posting! And it’s time for a re-design.

-Reading: College seemed to bite my leisure reading in the butt. I read TIME magazine this year and allergy-free blogs. So I hope to start up real ‘book’ reading again-even though all I want to read is cookbooks, perhaps I need to find some food narratives beyond Under the Tuscan Sun. :)

-Buying a car. Yes, it’s time to break down and buy something a bit more reasonable-something that can carry crap, maybe a passenger or two and drive in the snow. I AM keeping the motorcycle and I can’t wait for better weather!

That's quite a start for me and sounds like an awesome year. Can't wait!

To Gramma's House We Go

2011-01-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas at Grammas was two days early. We had it on Wednesday since we were going to the beach. I wanted to show folks these photos of Gram's awesome house. These are of the board room which used to be the garage. Been fixed up since then and is the hoppin' place to be.

Gramma found 100 year old sheet music that Dan and Colton were checking out.

We busted out the really old Christmas vinyl that hardly plays on the new machine-Bing Crosby.

One of Gramma's many many quilts.

'Woodstove' (it's electric)

Rich and Gramma

Grampa's got his Christmas shirt on for us! (Even though it's two days early)

Cousin and me :)

My first allergy-free holiday

2011-01-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I set out on my allergy-free, holiday baking adventure with enthusiasm. However, after 8 hours into the endeavor it was intimidating, nerve-wrecking and ended in several failures mainly due to me forgetting ingredients etc. I decided to still post this mainly to collect these mishaps so I can try them again when I'm less frazzled and maybe with help. For all the recipes I'm sure they would taste REALLY good if you added two sticks of butter and two cups of sugar but let's try not to overdue it. I attempted: snickerdoodles, rootbeer pinwheel cookies, flourless brownies, and sweet potato crumble bars.

GF All-Purpose Flour via VeganEatsAndTreats

1 1/4 cup white rice flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup GF oat flour (I didn't have this so I used potato flour)
3/4 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum

Allergy Free Snickerdoodles via Eat the Love, a food blog who's motto really speaks to my cooking-just eat the love out of my cooking and then you can throw the rest away. :) These snickerdoodles were the best of my cooking attempts and I actually fed them to others. Considering I never made pre-allergy snickerdoodles it was interesting and exciting.

(I was house-sitting at the time, yay for a kitchen-aid!)

Cute as buttons

Rootbeer Pinwheel Cookies via VeganEatsAndTreats, seemed to bake well and freeze well with the main dilemma being... where do you find rootbeer extract? I tried Fred Meyer's, Safeway, New Seasons, Whole Foods, and Kitchen Kaboodle. Ridiculous. So in order to make my first pinwheel cookie anyways, I used cocoa powder for the brown dough. I did wish they had more sugar and I frosted them when serving them to others. Turned out good but I will search higher and lower for that extract.

Flourless Brownies via Whole Foods Market, I had seen this recipe a couple times and thought I would give it a go. The 'flourless' version uses a can of black beans instead to flour and though you are not supposed to notice a difference, I thought it tasted like ground black beans. :-P They were gooey and never cooked in the middle at all. Mostly a failure that I don't plan on trying again-it went straight into the trash. Other bloggers claim these to be amazing but, I will have to do some more research. I do love my sisters food processor-thanks sis! Also, these are the only chocolate chips that are safe for me, that I can find-the Enjoy Life brand found at Whole Foods.

Sweet Potato Crumble Bars via Affairs of Living, was to be the big kahuna. A busy recipe that I was looking forward to. Unfortunately I saved it till last and was exhausted and intimidated. I ended up forgetting the milk which, was important and was the sugar additive. I wish it tasted as well as it photographed but it ended up tasting like bad baby food. I wanted it to have more maple syrup or sugar or something to make it more of a dessert. Once I recover from failure I would like to attempt this again with the forgotten ingredients.

Toasted oats

Baked sweet potatoes

Crust

Filling

Crumble

And so ends my first holiday allergy-free baking adventure, a little worse for wear but more informed about baking and my own limits of being in the kitchen.

Allergy-Free Restaurant Review

2010-12-18T12:13:00.001-08:00

Well, if I'm to do product review, I ought to do allergy-free restaurant review. Friday night, after obtaining mom's Christmas tree we went to Bridgeport Ale House at 36th and Hawthorne (Portland, OR). To my most pleasant surprise they had two vegan, allergy-free items on the menu. It rocked. I had the Hawthorne Vegan Bowl with organic quinoa, black beans, grilled tofu, mushrooms, kale, roasted sweet potato & spicy cashew sauce minus the sesame, with added grilled chicken and half an avocado. Oh my god it was the best new thing I've had in a while. So so good. Their other item on the menu was a black bean burger with vegan cilantro mayo. Obviously mine would be bun-less so I went with the bowl. Good choice. Highly recommend it. The non-allergy folk joining me had the mac n'cheese, catfish po'boy, a BLTA and a pitcher of Ebenezer. First GOOD AVOCADO I've had in a while. I'll be back!

The Lazy Allergy-Free Cook

2010-12-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

So when one has all these allergies it is often more work to eat. There's not a lot of 'quick & easy' options when you have to start from scratch every time. Lazy days happen when I'm never home, when I only get to cook for myself :-(, and when I really need to go buy some produce or when I'm sick of fruits and veggies for a couple days. My lazy day menu is: Gluten-Free Bisquick, meat, Amy's DFGF mac 'n cheese and applesauce. This can only happen so many times before I want something better-like a sweet potato fries and a burger with EVERYTHING on it or homemade stir-fry or really good fajitas. This post means-I'm cooking something good tonight and trying not to go to the store. Making something from nothing is what mom and I are good at. There's nothing in the fridge so lets make a homemade pizza with caramelized onions, prosciutto, and mushrooms or an awesome taco salad. :-)

Gypsy Soup, Again and Again

2010-12-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm re-posting previous recipes. I don't care. It was different this time. I made it and ate it with different people. I even made it in a different kitchen. :-) I was at my sister's new apartment with friends helping her get ready for Crafty Wonderland this weekend. Gypsy soup has been my dinner twice this week. The homey veggies and the spicy kick just can't be beat. For me, it's a throw-together recipe meaning that when I make it I usually have 'nothing' to eat and end up with this. I know not everyone keeps this on hand so if you need me to bring it and make it :-) just let me know. And so here again is my post though I'm only doing the ingredients which for me, change every time.

Gypsy Soup Recipe Link
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes (my goal for cooking is to make sure these are super soft)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (this is an anti-inflammatory agent)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper (I put too much but, I don't have much kick in my life with being allergic to chili)
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken stock (3 cups would NEVER be enough, I put more like 6, the broth is the best part!)
1 tablespoon tamari (it's like soy sauce but without the gluten-you could use soy sauce)
1 cup chopped fresh tomato (or canned diced tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (I wish they had been in longer-I'm not a recipe person & we were hungry)
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (I don't like green bell peppers... I used a red)

Cookin' away

Rachel made goat cheese garlic spread which, I'm sure is to die for. Sadly it was discovered post-allergies so I haven't tried it but with the ingredients you can't go wrong!

Recipe
1 head of garlic (about 10 cloves) (Roasted in the oven)
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced (Carmelized)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
10oz goat cheese (I used an 8oz package and it worked fine)
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh basil (for garnish), chopped
Baguette
Olive Oil & Sea Salt

Result:

Dinah enjoyed the party too. Ahh, a good end to a hectic day.

Why aren't I cooking?

2010-12-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

I am cooking-I'm just not cooking anything new. And I had two pizza fiascoes, broke a dish, and spilled a whole glass of wine. Rough week in the kitchen. The pizza's had crust issues that seemed beyond the GF-ness. Both were the same Namaste brand and both were soggy and both I made other friends suffer through (sorry Jackie and Barbara). Thank goodness I put such good stuff on top they can fake it for me. One was soggy due to the bottom oven burner at the beach not working and the other one stuck to tin foil and was cooked in a roasty-ish pan, not a cookie sheet (parchment paper is a true investment). Improvising has not proven helpful. To smite my bad luck in the kitchen I have just been eating artichokes for dinner. Which is heavenly.

Christmas recipes are coming to me slowly but, surely. I want to bake for others but want to save them from allergy-free-ness and just throw a 2 eggs,a cup of butter and milk chocolate chips in but we will see.

The weekend in Seattle

2010-12-02T22:12:00.001-08:00

After chowing at Gramma's we headed to Seattle for Thanksgiving and it was awesome. Mom, Rich, Dan, me, Rich's twin brother Andy and his girlfriend Angie. We stayed in a house on the Sound in West Seattle. It was a mansion compared to where any of us live. It was incredible to spread out and not have 5 people in mom's parlor (seated for 3-4). Andy and Angie went out on the town on Saturday but we were completely satisfied with just hanging out at the house. Big screen, big couches, big kitchen, and a hot tub. What more do you need?

THIS is vacation. Hot tub and mimosa at 1pm. Yes!

Momma made turkey soup with leftovers from Thursday.

I made a GF pizza but look at that stove!

GF dumplings are a' cookin'. Made with GF Bisquick which rocks!

Everyone else's dumplings all done.

Dan caught me in a rabbit pose. Mmm basil.

Pizza ingredients: kalamatas and fresh basil,

sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms,

Prosciutto too! So gourmet.

Whoa, what else can we put on the table!

eating, eating, eating

Luxory! The weekend was absolutely glorious. Lucky us! :-)

Finally cooking is done, time to eat!

2010-11-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Mom, Rich, Rachel, James, Dan and I all went to Gramma's for dinner! First course:

Our feast: turkey, stuffings, potatoes, gravies, cabbage salad, cranberry sauce, beets.

VICTORY!!!

Thanksgiving Day Cooking!

2010-11-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

Gluten Free Stuffing recipe from Whole Foods

Ingredients

6 cups gluten-free bread cubes or 1 package Gluten Free Bakehouse stuffing cubes, already toasted
2 shallots, minced
2 onions, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) salted butter
2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup gluten-free chicken broth
4 tablespoons parsley

Method

Toast bread cubes carefully in a preheated 300°F oven for 20 minutes or until dried, stirring occasionally to promote even browning. If using Gluten Free Bakehouse stuffing cubes, skip this toasting step.

Sauté shallots, onions, celery and carrots in butter until they are soft and onions begin to caramelize. Add sage, thyme, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add wine and continue cooking over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half.

In a large bowl, mix sautéed vegetables with bread cubes, chicken broth and parsley. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 325°F. Serves 8 to 10

Tasted SOOO good with all the spices. But the bread is so dry I think it could use 3 cups of chicken broth instead of one. The parsley in the garden died in the snow so we just went without. Highly recommend this recipe.

Gluten Free Apple Pie, recipe from beyondallergy.com

1 1/2 cup flour (barley OR wheat OR a Non-Wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons fat (butter OR margarine OR equivalent)
3 or 4 tablespoons water
Sift all the dry ingredients together. This is important to give some lift to the flour. Cut fat in using two forks or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles clumps about the size of small peas. Add cold water, a little at a time, distributing the water evenly throughout the whole of the mixture. When the mixture sticks together, but is not doughy, roll out onto a table or pie mat dusted with flour. Roll until the dough is of sufficient size to fit into a 9 inch pie pan. Line the pie pan with dough. Bake at 425 F for 10 – 15 minutes. Fill with a cream filling. Makes one 9 in pie crust. This can be frozen and used like a commercial pie crust if desired.
It was difficult to role out, we used wax paper and just kind of pressed it in. It was dry and not very tasty, should have brushed it with sugar. I would try out another one next time with more flours, I just tried to do it simply. It was very very crumbly and needed something more to gel it together.
I decorated it with a palm tree because we should be in Hawaii right now. :-)

Gramma's purty turkey

Gramma's sweet yams with brown sugar/butter

Momma's Apple Pie

Momma's Punkin Pie

Cookin' the night before

2010-11-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

And so at 8PM on Wednesday it started. I don't know how hummus got on my list but it did, so I whipped some up. Along with mashed pumpkin/sweet potatoes, gluten free stuffing and a gluten free apple pie.

Allergy Free Hummus (aka, sesame-free)
1 can of garbanzos, drained and SAVE the juice
1 head of garlic, roasted
6 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes
6 kalamata olives
3 Tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

This is where I stopped but it's a bit thick so I also recommend:
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup of saved garbanzo juice

Gluten Free Stuffing
Started making the stuffing by toasting bread crumbs. I used a loaf and a half of Ener-G Brown Rice Loaf from Whole Foods. It worked great.

Toasting away, left them in the oven overnight to really dry out.

Started making the Pumpkin/Sweet Potato mashed. I used the recipe from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef who adapted it from Soul of a New Cuisine by Samuelssen.

Pumpkin/Sweet Potato Mash

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted fake butter
3 shallots, peeled and sliced (I'm such a crier)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
3-inch-piece ginger, peeled and sliced (didn't have this so I diced the ginger left over from sushi for lunch)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoons brown sugar
5 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed and fine chopped (ventured out to mom's garden to find it)
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
2-pound pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes (ventured to Gramma's to pick up the fresh punkin but, it was already cooked and mashed)
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock) (organic, gluten free-I found that many stocks have msg and hydrolyzed gluten, gross)
2 cups milk (soy milk)
pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 chives, fine chopped (another venture to mom's garden)

Preparing to mash. In a deep pot on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, thyme leaves, and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts, about 3 minutes. Throw in the sweet potatoes, pumpkin cubes, chicken stock, and milk of your choice. Bring them all to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook until the potatoes and pumpkin yield to your fork, about 30 minutes.

Making the mash. Drain the pumpkin and sweet potatoes, saving 1 cup of the liquid. So this part WOULD work if you use raw pumpkin. But I only had fresh mashed pumpkin. I couldn't waste it so I just put it in anyways and cheese-clothed-out the liquid. Throw away the ginger and cinnamon sticks. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes and pumpkin. Pinch in the nutmeg and salt. Taste. At this point I found that my chopped onions and garlic were huge pieces so it all went in the food processor for some pureed mashed potatoes. Season more, if necessary. Splash in a bit of the cooking liquid and stir, for an even texture. Before serving, sprinkle with the chives. Serves 6 or more.

Felt mostly like a failure but, I worked with what I had. I just couldn't bring myself to not use the fresh pumpkin from Gramma's garden. They tasted great-nice and spicy-not sweet like the brown sugar yams.

Back to the O.C.

2010-11-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

Jackie and I hiked down into old town Oregon City on Tuesday-as we were trapped by the snow. We had a couple close calls but, never ate ice on our way. It was very odd to be back and walking where we had in 7th grade.

The view from the Barker Bluff.

The Oregon City Falls that are 'really falling' meaning there's a lot of water.

By the time we got to the bottom, we were cold!

Allergy-Free Product Review #4

2010-11-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

Amy's new gluten free, dairy free rice macaroni with dairy free (daiya) cheese! It was FANTASTIC and incredibly satisfying. I couldn't believe it. Although I don't eat much frozen, processed food, I had to try it because it was a GFDF product. It was very exciting. High recommended 5/5 stars!

GFEFDF Postickers!

2010-11-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

I will say I was very nervous about this. About half way through doing it, I was insistent that it was an instant failure. Only to be proven wrong! They turned out fantastic! I served them to Mom, Rich and Ivan. Ivan even 'forgot' that they were actually allergy-free and all reported they tasted great! The wrappers were doughy when cooked, more bread-y than noodle-y. The filling was very tasty. Next time I won't forget the garlic!

Filling ingredients:
-Napa cabbage, chopped
-Green onion, chopped
-Mushroom, chopped
-Water chestnuts, chopped
-Carrot, chopped
-Ginger root, minced (I use a zester)
-1 Tbs Bragg's Amino 'soy' sauce-Normal soy sauce has wheat in it
-White pepper (desired amount)
-1/2 lb. ground pork sausage

Wrappers. It was very tricky to these make gluten-free and egg-free. I used a recipe from another blog called Li Loved David. It worked great! I of course have a hard time following it and should have done a better job. As I have issues with this I recommend using the original recipe if you attempt it.

Ingredients:
2 cups brown rice flour
2 tsp. xanthum gum
pinch of salt
3/4 cup hot water

I did not roll it out prior to letting it sit. It was a bit flaky and falling apart. Rolling out and then letting it sit makes sense. I wish I had a mini-rolling pin, it's pretty tough dough and needs some elbow grease. I also had issues with sticky dough so I used wax paper via Momma's suggestion. My coffee cup rolling pin was sufficient enough.

They didn't take long to fry up-even the meat one's were cooked all the way through. Ran out of wrappers because they were so thick and just threw the leftover filling in the frying pan. Yum yum yum.

This recipe was tried out with the Book of Yum adopt a blog post in mind.

My talented goddaughter... and I...

2010-11-16T00:36:00.000-08:00

So Debra plays the alto sax, the flute, and the bassoon! Super cool. I pretended to make a sound out of the flute and failed-never been my thing. The bassoon was super cool, I had never really seen or held one. It's like a giant oboe/clarinet. I did play the clarinet so it was fun to give it a go. She taught me a scale which is as far as I got. It's much more complicated than a clarinet. It was exciting to hear her play. Thanks for sharing Debra!

Go Deb!

Lake Tahoe Nevadadventure!

2010-11-15T09:23:00.000-08:00

Yes! I was fortunate to be taken on a Nevadadventure (coined by Rift). We went to Lake Tahoe during my time in Reno and of course it was beautiful! Some interesting information: Lake Tahoe is largest alpine lake in North America. The maximum depth is 1,645 ft. The maximum elevation is 6,229 ft. Lake Tahoe's water is 99.9% pure. The water is so clear that a 10 inch white dinner plate would be visible at 78 feet below the surface. There are also five 24-hour casinos in South Lake Tahoe. Important information. :)

My goddaughter/cousin Debra and I!

Twisted tree over the lake.

Mountains behind the lake.

Some very dedicated, crazy jet skiers, it was probably about 45 degrees for the high.

Our mini-snowman.

Eagle Falls.

Here's Uncle Leo.

A great shot, lots of snow!

Allergy-Friendly Tahoe!

2010-11-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

The Fresh Ketch restaurant at the marina in Tahoe was incredible!

We walked in and sat down with a view of the marina. I alerted them to my allergies and they were immediately receptive. The manager came to our table and said that his girlfriend has Celiac disease so he understands the frustration and difficulty of going out. I handed him my allergy 'calling card' and he sought out to see what he could do. He returned with a variety of choices asking me what sounds good. They seemed just as excited to be creative in the kitchen and meet my needs-as I was to eat the food. It was an excellent meal and it's always nice to feel special and not... without (just like I did at camp :).

My customized dish of seared scallops laid on potatoes and broccolini with a passion fruit reduction sauce. The originial dish was: scallops with potato hash cakes (cheesey), baby carrots and passion fruit beurre blanc (creamy).

They ended the meal with something that they had 'tried out' earlier in the week. It is not on the menu and is a work in progress. Knowing I couldn't have other desserts, the manager brought out a cucumber, black pepper sorbet. It had an initial fresh cucumber taste and ended with a black pepper punch. It was fantastic. He even knew that black pepper has anti-inflammatory properties. He said he hopes to serve it as an appetizer-perhaps with oysters. It's a bit of a bang to have at the end of a meal but, I was excited to taste it for him.

Edna had salmon with broccolini and rice pilaf topped with onions and beets.

Debra had fettuccine alfredo with chicken. Very pretty.

Leo had cioppino (fish stew) with lots of fresh seafood.

Leo had to gear up for the shellfish.

Ready Set Go!

Off to Reno-Off to Tahoe

2010-11-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Reno Wednesday and we (Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin/Goddaughter Debra) headed to Reno on Thursday. Here is the California/Nevada state line.

Chiquita Bear? And Debra and I.

Casino (on the Nevada side)

The ice rink!

Snow drips off the rooftops. Watch out!

This is the Gondola ride up the mountain.

Jumped in the pool for an evening swim!

Having a wonderful trip!

Bro's Band Concert!

2010-11-10T10:32:00.001-08:00

Yay! We went to Dan's Veteran's Day Band Concert this week. Sooo awesome. Dan played all the best parts and rocked that tux!

Very busy.

Two-timing with his friend Will!

Dan plays the chimes? Whoa! Awesome!!!

The director reminded him to HIT it!

Champion tux time! (Where's your cummerbund Dan?)

Oh brother... :)

Take That Allergies!

2010-11-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Family took a walk to Russel Street Barbeque. It's two blocks from mom's house at Russel St. and MLK Blvd. Dan and I look a little... too related in this photo. And those are Dumdums-not cigs.

Oink!

The fam

Dan's favorite: BBQ shrimp appetizer (not allergy-free)

1/2 rack of Baby Back Ribs Pardon me, but damn!

Décor

Followed by family Rockband of course! The end to an excellent vendetta against allergies-eating things that don't have to be altered.

Delicious (Poinsonous) Spaghetti Sauce!

2010-11-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

So here is the spaghetti that posioned me. It ought not to poison you, unless we have more in common than you think. I've made some version of it as long as I can remember and never thought it anything special until I was cooking with college friends. ;) Housemate, Marie and I whipped this up Monday night.

Homemade Spaghetti
-2Tbs olive oil
-1-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 sweet/white onion, chopped
-1-2 medium zuchinni
-8 (?) mushrooms
-2 cans of diced tomatoes, no seasoning, no salt added
-1 can tomato paste
-1/2-1 cup red wine (preferably merlot)
-Italian seasoning: oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil
-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (important, and I always wish there was more)
-salt and black pepper to taste

Well, I don't really write down my recipes or directions so here's a list of ingredients and photos which, are way better anyways. I assume you can figure it out.

Letting it sit is important. Especially with the wine, especially if you want to serve it to kiddos.

Quinoa pasta is pretty much fantastic. It's tough, kind of tastes like it's 'not done' al dente, but it is. I think it's bit corny (ha) and it's yellow but great for scetty and pasta salads. Cools well.

Salad
-Spinach
-Red onion
-Walnuts (broiled, or slightly burnt in my case)
-Brianna's strawberry vinaigrette (first suggested to me by Gramma)

Mmmm!

What a fantastic feast! Go housemates!

Cauliflower Soup and Product Review #3

2010-11-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

Allergy-Free Cauliflower Soup
-2 heads of cauliflower, chopped to florets
-2-3 leeks chopped, white and light green parts only (or half red onion and half scallions)
-8 cups chicken stock
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
-salt
-1/4 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced
-1 Tbs. olive oil
-1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley (garnish topping)

Non-Allergy Version
-1/4 cup unsalted butter
-1 cup grated parmesan
-1/2 cup crème fraîche (or whisk 1 cup whipping creme and 1/2 cup sour cream)

Cut cauliflowers into florets to yield about 12 cups. Melt butter in large, deep pot (8-10+ qt.) over medium heat. Add leek and sauté, stirring until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add cauliflower florets, chicken stock and cayenne. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally, cover and let sit for 20 min.
Pureé the soup using immersion blender or food processor. Season with salt. Whisk in half of cheese and all of crème fraîche.
Slice the prosciutto and sauté in olive oil until crisp and browned, 4-5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with prosciutto and parsley. Sprinkle with rest of parmesan.
-LA Times Washington Post (a long long time ago)

Product Review #3
As seen above, I tried out a store bought pizza crust. It was GREAT! Maybe the best homemade gluten-free crust. I've tried making my own from scratch and using the Bob's Red Mill brand which requires an egg (fake egg) which, seems to really toughen up the dough. Namaste Foods (c) seems to be a great all-around brand. Pretty spendy but, you don't end up throwing away anything because it tastes like shredded cardboard (you think I'm joking? I'll serve you up some shredded cardboard any day).
For the Namaste crust you only add water and oil, it was pretty sticky and you spread it on a cookie sheet with a spatula (consistency of tomato paste). Absolutely follow the directions and pre-bake it for 20 minutes, maybe 25. It rose in the oven and tasted like 'thin crust.' . 5/5 stars for this gluten-free pizza crust!

Incredibly allergy-free! Free of: gluten, wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy and casein. Made with: brown rice flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, xantham gum, granulated garlic, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, Italian seasoning, granulated onion, ascorbic acid.

MEOOOOOOOW!

2010-11-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Creation of Catwoman:
Supplies:

-Pants
Old Leather Riding Pants that I no longer where (but now may consider)
Sparkle Yarn Thread
Awl (poker tool)
A BIG needle
A lot of time, piercing each hole with the awl then sewing takes a long time

Stitching of the pants, Michelle Pfeiffer style.

Attempt at black hair. Unfortunately my hair is dyed so I knew it would be a challenge. I left it in for 30 min. and blowed dried it (prolly fairly toxic).

It held a littttttle bit. Ok I guess for $8.

CLAWS! They fell off shortly after but, were nice for photos.

Catwoman and a kitty! (Thanks for being a prop Jynx)

-Mask
Black Sparkly Felt
Sparkle yarn thread
Two hair pins
I pinned the mask to my glasses which was nice for easy on and off!

Thanks for the top Barbara!

-Important accessories
Black whip (Thanks James!)
Deadly black boots
Hot motorcycle

Hiiisssssss!

Allergy Free SunButter Cups (Peanut Butter Cups)

2010-11-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

My Halloween Treat!
Take that Reese's! These pure dark chocolate (dairy free) and sunflower seed butter cups are pretty good. I didn't add the suggested sugar so they are very cocoa-buttery and sunbuttery. I also made them huge because I didn't borrow some mini-tins. 1/2 one is plenty satisfying.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Enjoy Life DF SF chocolate chips (expensively found at Whole Foods)
1 tablespoons palm oil shortening (Spectrum or Whole Foods)* (spendy, I used extra margarine)
1/3 cup Earth Balance No Soy margarine
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp. crunchy homemade sunflower seed butter or store bought Sunbutter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup organic sugar (feel free to use less)
1/4 tsp. salt
Shaped paper cups (for confectionery or mini muffin tin liners)

Directions

Melt chocolate and shortening in microwave on half power for 1 minute, stirring and then heating in 30 second intervals, stirring after each cycle. It only takes me one or two 30 second cycles. Baste your paper cups with a layer of melted chocolate on the bottom and sides. Put in refrigerator to cool and harden. Reserve enough chocolate to cover the top of your cups.
Meanwhile, combine margarine, sunflower seed butter, sweetener and salt in a pan and heat on medium-low, stirring frequently. When smooth and tasty, remove from burner and let cool, will harden.
To assemble fill each cup with your cooled sunbutter filling and then drizzle chocolate on top, using a spoon to spread it and smooth around the edges. Let cool and then enjoy as desired. Freezes well!

Note:

I doubled the batch-ish, making 24 cupcake sized cups. They will go in the freezer for later enjoyment. I may have also messed up a couple steps but, the general idea is pretty easy to follow. I didn't add in all the sugar because refined sugar ain't my thing. I wonder what homemade crunchy sunflower seed butter is like?

PS there is lots left so remind me share! :-P

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

LOVE Halloween. Costume photos are coming. My hair didn't dye, an $8 job won't cut it. Made allergy-free Halloween treats today. Punkin carving and soup making tonight. Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday (a new realization). The traditions of punkins, orange, costumes, parties, and less required family interaction makes this a great holiday. ;-)

(disney vault)

(aimchong)

(dashboard)

(Bedlam of Beefy)

Product Review #2 (sounds good)

2010-10-26T20:50:00.001-07:00

So here is the first of many to-be allergy-free product reviews. These are incredibly important to those allergy folks out there because many store-bought allergy-free items taste like... crap or shredded cardboard.

So for your viewing pleasure we have a customer review of Gluten Free Dairy Free frozen pizza. Yes, people that are forced to eat healthy crave processed food too.

I was pleasantly surprised with the lake of cardboard-ness. The crust was like a thin crust pizza. The lack of cheese was fine with the sweet onion sauce. The toppings were nothing to talk about. Could add prosciutto, sausage, real roasted peppers or sun-dried tomatoes. But for a late night snack after paper-chain making and working on a Halloween costume, it was satisfying. Rating 4/5 stars (mostly because of the crust).

Excellent pairings for this pizza: Sweet Baby Ray's which always adds something to any meal or whiskey. In my case I chose both. Yay for my Friday night on a Monday night!

New Hair Cut!

2010-10-26T18:36:00.001-07:00

(This post is for momma cuz she's not on facebook)

LOVE getting my hair cut off.