Make it Gluten Free

Ella's Wood Fired Pizza

2012-02-12T08:24:00.000-05:00

This delightful spot is in Chinatown, DC. It is located on F street on the otherside of the Portrait(ure) gallery! Ella's carries Still Riding Pizza gluten free crust and cooks it in their wood fired grill. You add a $2 charge to the listed price of any pizza (menu located here).

We loved the ambience of Ella's. We were there at lunch and they were attentive, and understanding of hurried lunch schedules. As we were leaving we noticed a pretty awesome happy hour deal: 4-7pm (7 days a week!): $3.50 sangria, $1 off American drafts and $5 pizzas (I assume you still add $2 for gf).

My grade: B+ (it was good, not a lot of cheese though, and the toppings easily came off the pizza due to a lot of sauce).

Planet Pizza & Subs

2012-02-07T18:28:00.000-05:00

Planet Pizza & Subs is a small Rockville, MD pizzaria. It is located on Hungerford Dr (MD 355) across from Montgomery College. They carry Still Riding Gluten Free Pizza crusts in 10 and 12 inch sizes. We loved their pizza because the homemade pizza sauce was phenomenal. Our only negative was that there was ham but no pineapple-- so no Hawaiian pizza!

They are affordable, and deliver within a 5 mile radius of the location. The proprietor is wonderful and eager to help you get a great pizza. We love the convenience and quality of Planet Pizza.

My grade: A

Cranberry Dip

2012-02-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

This holiday dip has an unorthodox assortment of ingredients but I PROMISE it is delicious. We couldn't stop eating it. We paired it with Glutino gluten free crackers.

Cranberry Dip
Ingredients

1 package fresh cranberries
1/4 cup onion, diced (can be green onion)
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon corriander
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese

Preparation

Roughly chop the cranberries (you can throw them in a food processor for a few seconds)
Mix, by hand, all of the other ingredients with the cranberries
Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours
When ready to serve: Spread (room temperature) cream cheese on a plate and spread a layer of the cranberry dip over it
Serve with your favorite gluten free crackers

Red Robin (Yum!)

2012-02-05T16:34:00.001-05:00

Royal Red Robin Burger

Red Robin, purveyor of gourmet burgers now carries gluten free buns! Unbelievable right? Doesn't that look amazing??? They carry Udi's gluten free buns, and man are they delicious. Red Robin toasts up the bun for you and we found ourselves making sure that we had a gluten free bun. Red Robin + Udi's = amazing.

There is an additional $1 charge for the gluten free bun (this is not mentioned anywhere, but neither are the buns). Needless to say it's a worthwhile charge.

Here is their gluten free menu (it looks so sad and doesn't even SAY they carry the buns). Red Robin could do a lot better if they marketed the buns better. I don't know how long they have had the buns, but it was not mentioned ANYWHERE. It would be great if they would expand their appetizers so at least the nachos were gluten free. Also, some press on this awesome development would be great!

My grade: A-

Thai Peanut Chicken

2012-02-01T13:36:00.001-05:00

This is SO delicious. It's really not spicy though- so if you want to spice it up add more of the Red Chili sauce. It reheats really well. Now, we use most of these ingredients (red chili paste, rice noodles, frozen peas, onions) almost all the time. I was excited to see that most of the ingredients were already in the house.

Ingredients

1/2 onion diced
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup peppers, diced (I used frozen pepper strips cause it's cheaper and less cutting!)
3 chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch (or smaller) pieces
1 can chicken broth
3 (heaping) tablespoons peanut butter (I used freshly ground honey roasted)
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
1 tablespoon ginger
2 tablespoons red curry paste (seriously this stuff is spicy--but didn't stay spicy, so add more!)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 can light coconut milk
1 cup frozen peas
peanuts, chopped (again I used honey roasted)
cooked rice noodles

Preparation

Place onions, carrot, and sweet pepper in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Top with chicken.
In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, peanut butter, lime peel, lime juice, soy sauce, tapioca, ginger, curry paste, and garlic until smooth. Add to cooker.
You can cook immediately, but I prepped overnight, and that turned out great too.
Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Stir in coconut milk and peas.
Let sit on warm while you prepare the rice pasta according to the package.
Serve over rice pasta, and top with chopped peanuts.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

2011-12-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

Barely adapted from Minimally Invasive

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It is easy, fast and delicious. As long as you like rosemary, this fabulous! The lemon in this recipe is amazing. I bought a huge package of chicken thighs in my grocery's freezer aisle and have been defrosting them as I go. To defrost, simply remove the chicken thighs from the freezer, place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator. I defrosted these for over 24 hours (I took them out of the fridge at 8 pm on Tuesday and cooked them at 6 pm on Thursday).

Rosemary Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 package new potatoes (red for color!)
- 2 lemons
- 1 package baby portobello mushrooms
- dried rosemary
- red pepper flakes
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tablespoons garlic
- olive oil
- chicken thighs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450
Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with well seasoned water (that means salt it!), boil for 8 minutes
Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of rosemary, juice from 1 lemon (reserve the half), garlic, red pepper flakes to taste (I did about 1 teaspoon), salt and pepper to taste-- mix by hand, or quickly blend in your food processor
In a large frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat to medium heat
Brush chicken thighs with rosemary paste and place skin down in the frying pan
Cook until skin is brown (I covered it), about 5 minutes
Flip the chicken and cook another 3-5 minutes; remove from pan
Slice the potatoes and place sliced side down into the skillet
Add mushrooms to the pan
Fry until potatoes they are lightly browned
Add potatoes and mushrooms to a baking pan
Place the chicken on top of the potatoes and mushrooms
Pour the remaining paste, and the juice from the 2nd lemon into the chicken dish
Place the lemon halves in the dish
Bake for 20 minutes at 450!

Lemon Meringue Pie

2011-12-04T07:40:00.001-05:00

Lemon meringue pie. Scary right? Last year I attempted to make one for a friend, with disastrous results. The filling didn't set! I was so disheartened. I used a recipe that Alton Brown had posted. I felt betrayed.

Little did I know (if only I had asked!), my mother in law had a wonderful, trusted, easy and delicious recipe. Here it is!

Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of (white granulated) sugar; AND 6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsps corn starch
1 tbsp flour (I used Pamela's)
2 1/4 cups boiling watter
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp grated lemon peel
6 tbsp lemon juice
3 egg white
1 cooked 9 inch pie pan (you can make your own crust, or buy frozen gluten free pie crust; bake with pie weights on top--this can be uncooked beans on top of parchment paper--just don't try to cook them later!)

Preparation

Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt in a saucepan
Gradually stir in boiling water.
Cook and stir over medium heat, until comes to a boil, is thick and clear.
Stir a little of this hot mixture into egg yolks (this is called tempering)
Return tempered mixture to saucepan.
Cook and stir 2 minutes longer
Remove from heat, add butter, lemon peel and lemon juice.
Poor into a cooked baked 9 inch pie pan
Beat egg whites until frothy; gradually add 6 tbsp sugar, beat until stiff but not dry.
Seal egg whites to crust
Bake at 425 about 5 minutes, until brown.

Make Ahead Note

To make ahead, simply follow the instructions up until step 8 and refrigerate. When you need to make the meringue you can do so and pop in the oven! It turns out great either way you make it!

Vegetable and Chickpea Coconut Soup

2011-10-26T13:23:00.000-04:00

This easy to assemble dish is intensely flavorful and filling. The rich flavors mask the vegetables if you have picky eaters in the house! I served mine with gluten free naan.

Vegetable and Chickpea Coconut Soup
Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 large can (I think it was 24 ounces) chickpeas/ garbanzo beans
1 medium baking potato, cubed
1 lb green beans, trimmed and halved
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 can light coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 package Tasty Bite Good Karma cooking sauce
garam masala
curry powder
corriander
garlic powder
salt
pepper
ginger powder

Lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation
Ahead of time (if prepping overnight):

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and carrot and saute until light brown and fragrant
Remove from heat and add that mixture to the slow cooker
Add chickpeas, potato, green beans, green bell pepper, frozen peas, tomatoes

Ready to cook

Add water to the above mixture and season with the cooking sauce, and spices to taste
Cook on low for 6-8 hours
Add spinach and coconut milk in the last 40 minutes- 1 hour
Serve with lemon wedges

Against the Grain Three Cheese Pizza Review

2011-10-25T20:20:00.002-04:00

Behold! Against the Grain, formerly known mainly for their delicious rolls and baguettes, now is making PIZZA! They have a Three Cheese variety as well as a Nut-Free Pesto variety. We picked up the Three Cheese pizza at our local Whole Foods in their freezer section. It cost us $9.99 (but it was listed for $11.99).

We also picked up some deli pepperoni from Whole Foods which was gluten free. (Additionally, Boar's Head makes regular sized pepperoni as well as deli style pepperoni that is gluten free, and is usually our first choice.)

I LOVED this pizza. It was so delicious! Like the rolls and baguettes, the combination of tapioca flour and cheese in the flour was reminiscent of the delicious Chebe rolls and the rolls you get at Fogo de Chao. Of all the GF frozen pizzas (and non GF frozen pizzas) this has to be number one! I loved it. Obviously, since it's blank you can add any of your favorite toppings, and I would imagine some lovely sauteed onions and peppers would be DELICIOUS on the Nut-Free pesto!

My review: A+ (++++++)

Find it in a store near you!

Spicy Chicken Florentine

2011-09-17T14:10:00.004-04:00

Unfortunately, I am not back on a daily basis, but we have tried a couple of recipes and I wanted to make sure to share them!

This is a delicious, easy way to use leftover chicken. We used leftover Barbeque Chicken which sounds like an odd combination, but it was delicious!

Spicy Chicken Florentine
Ingredients

- olive oil
- SmartBalance cooking spray
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 3 cups chopped fresh spinach
- ground black pepper
- red pepper flakes
- 1 (16 oz) package of cottage cheese
- 3/4 of a bag of Tinkyada gluten free pasta
- 2 cups of chicken breast, diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 can of gluten free cream of chicken soup (I always use this)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta, and set aside

2. Set oven to 425

3. Coat a large skillet with SmartBalance spray, and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

4. Heat olive oil over medium heat, and add onion and bell pepper, saute until tender

5. Add spinach and black pepper, red pepper flakes and saute until spinach wilts

6. Place cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth

7. In a bowl combine spinach, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, milk and soup

8. Sprinkle remaining cheddar and parmesan cheese as you layer the mixture in a cooking-spray coated baking dish (you can also season with more red pepper flakes to make it more spicy)

9. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Sorry!

2011-08-22T23:51:00.001-04:00

Please excused my unintended extended absence, I promise to come back soon! Currently am working a between jobs-job and it does not leave me a lot of time to experiment in the kitchen. I promise new recipes/ reviews in September!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2011-07-22T20:44:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite dinners to get when we go to PF Changs is Sweet and Sour Chicken... which is not gluten free there. I decided it was high time (and great for not studying for the bar) that I make sweet and sour chicken!

If you are feeling SUPER authentic, you can make sweet and sour sauce on your own.

Tonight I was not up to that, so I used La Choy Sweet and Sour sauce (which is gluten free).

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients

2 chicken breast, diced
3 tablespoons of yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon of garlic, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 can diced pineapple (8 oz)
ginger powder
La Choy Sweet and Sour sauce
sesame oil
gluten free soy sauce
corn starch
cooked rice
cooking oil (I used SmartBalance)

Preparation

Combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of sweet and sour sauce, 2 tablespoons of gf soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and mix to create a paste (add more soy sauce if needed until it is easily mixable)
Add chicken to cornstarch paste and mix to coat. Let sit for 15 minutes (an excellent time to do all the veggie chopping)
Heat a skillet to very hot (or electric skillet to 450), and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
Quickly cook the chicken, stirring frequently to avoid burning, until no pink is visible on the outside (5-8 minutes)
Remove the chicken and set aside
In the same skillet add 1 more tablespoon of cooking oil
Saute the garlic, onion, and bell peppers
Add 3 tablespoons (or more to taste) of sweet and sour sauce
Sprinkle with ginger powder
Add chicken and mix to reheat and coat
Add pineapple and 1/2 of pineapple juice
Serve over freshly cooked rice

Amy's Gluten Free Burrito

2011-07-10T20:20:00.001-04:00

At $2.50, Amy's line of gluten free burritos are more affordable than a lot of their other frozen meals. They make these burritos in Cheddar Cheese (it has rice and beans in it as well) and Non-Dairy varieties. I was really pleased with the flavors, and the ease.

My grade: B+

Barbecue Chicken

2011-06-27T09:19:00.001-04:00

This meal is really easy and super flavorful. We made it on a weeknight, I prepped the chicken and Colin popped it in the oven while I was at bar prep. Ours was a 3 lb chicken, and we cooked it for almost 3 hours, but just use a meat thermometer to be sure!

Ingredients

1 3-5 lb whole chicken
salt
pepper
poultry seasoning (you can use a premade seasoning or add your own, I did both, and in addition to Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic, I used McCormick's chicken seasoning, and thyme).
1/2 stick of butter
1 nectarine

Preparation

Skin the chicken. Gross, right? But if you have a good pair of kitchen shears it's surprisingly easy, and quick (just be sure to take the trash out immediately!).
Place the chicken, breast up, in a baking pan
Season the chicken to taste
Cut the nectarine into pieces, and insert into the cavity
If you are not immediately cooking the chicken put it in the refrigerator, covered with a sheet of plastic wrap
When ready to cook, insert the meat thermometer in the chicken taking care that it is not against a bone
Preheat the oven to 350
Cut the butter into pats, and place on the chicken
Bake the chicken until it reaches 170 degrees, remove from oven
Brush your favorite gluten free barbecue sauce on the chicken (we used Jack Daniels)
Continue to bake the chicken, re-basting with additional barbecue sauce if you need to, until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees

Fish Cakes with Spicy Tomato Salsa

2011-06-23T08:49:00.000-04:00

This recipe is inspired by Polenta-Crusted Fish Cakes with Spicy Tomato Sauce from May 2011 Food and Wine Magazine. I made some changes just because of ease and also made the entire meal ahead of time.

Spicy Tomato Salsa
(F&W ingredients in black; my changes in red):

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (the kind you can buy pre-chopped!)
1 large fresh red chile, minced; omit, see below
4 large plum tomatoes, chopped; 1 can chopped tomatoes with chiles and celery
1 tablespoon of tomato paste; 1 small can of tomato paste
1 tomato, medium, diced
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
salt

Follow the directions to make the sauce, and refrigerate if you are making ahead.

Fish Cakes
(F&W ingredients in black; my changes in red):

- 3/4 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut in 1 inch chunks; not having a scale, I just kind of eye-balled this, and ended up cutting up 4 medium/small sized potatoes (for two people this entire recipe made leftovers)
1/3 cup instant polenta; I just used yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 pounds skinless cod, or halibut fillets, cut into 1 inch chunks; I used 1lb cod
4 garlic cloves, minced; I substituted 2-3 teaspoons of minced garlic from a can
2 tablespoons chopped parsley; omit
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro; I used 1 tablespoon, but we know how I feel about cilantro...
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil

Follow directions to make fish cakes. I was super excited because my 3 cup food processor which I had thought was on the fritz worked (it was user error), and I was able to make the fish cake "batter" using the 3 cup food processor in two batches. Form into cakes (warning, your hands will smell fishy all day) and cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator.

When ready to heat, follow the skillet directions, and serve hot.

We had ours with a Greek side salad

Lomo Saltado

2011-06-21T13:25:00.000-04:00

This dish was inspired by a recipe in Food & Wine magazine. (May 2011) It is quick, cheap, easy, and super tasty. I added 1 sweet red pepper to the recipe and added it when the recipe calls for the addition of the tomato.

Since I am doing bar review right now, I did all the prep work ahead of time:
- slicing the red onion
- cutting and marinating the skirt steak
- cutting the red pepper
- cutting the potatoes
- cutting the tomato

We don't eat steak very often, but you will be pleased to know that 1 lb of skirt steak was $6. I also couldn't find pickled jalapeños so I just used some of the sliced ones that you can find with the taco kits.

Also, since I was making this at about 10:15pm, I microwaved the potatoes, with olive oil, covered for 4 minutes before putting them in my electric skillet. (Be careful removing the saran wrap, because I burned the crap out of my fingers with the steam!)

Also, since I am REALLY not a fan of cilantro I halved the amount called for, and it was still delicious!

Gillian's Foods Gluten Free Pizza Dough

2011-06-16T08:51:00.000-04:00

I found this pizza dough at Whole Foods in their frozen gluten free section. We used it to make deep dish pizza in 9 inch cake rounds (you guys are going to think all we do is eat pizza!). We really liked the crust, it cooked up really well, and was easy to use. All you do is defrost it in your refrigerator (put in there the night before you plan to use it) roll it out (I suggest using wax paper), or just use your fingers, and load it up!

Pretty reasonably priced at about $6!

My grade: A

Gluten Free Grocery

2011-06-09T12:45:00.000-04:00

These are all items I found at the grocery store today that are gluten free! Always check labels to ensure that products remain gluten free, and to check if new products are gluten free! More and more products are specifically labeling as being gluten free.

Cape Cod Kettle Chips- Sea Salt and Vinegar are gluten free and delicious! Check the labels on the other flavors.

Tasty Bite's Chicken Marsala Simmer sauce is gluten free! Check their website for other gluten free sauces!

Truly Indian Poppadums (cumin) is also gluten free! They are a great snack filled with fiber!

Massel 7s Chicken Stock cubes are gluten free. Easy to use for cooking!

Search Bar

2011-06-09T12:34:00.002-04:00

Quick note: I had to remove the search bar yesterday because it was acting up, but it's back up today and working fine! Happy eating!

Brick Oven Pizza

2011-06-08T11:52:00.001-04:00

Brick Oven Pizza is a pizzaria located in Fells Point in Baltimore Maryland. They have a wide variety of pizzas, and any pizza can be made on a 12 inch gluten free pizza crust furnished by Still Riding Pizza.

The pizza itself is good, the crust is a bit chewy, and not as crisp as you might like. Also, there is no indication that they have more than one main brick oven, so be sure to ask them, if you are super sensitive and can't handle a little cross-contamination. We were really impressed by how accomodating they were, and the mere fact that they offered it as an option (so convenient!). However, the cost of the gluten free pizza crust is added on to the regular cost of the pizza, so the pepperoni pizza we got was $17. This was an issue that we experienced at Kavanagh's as well (they also use Still Riding Pizza crust), but I guess it is just part of gluten free going mainstream.

If we are keeping track I would say that I prefer Pete's Apizza, Lilit and Zpizza to Brick Oven, however, it was extremely convenient for us when we were hanging out in Fells Point last weekend!

My grade: B+ (mostly for the crazy cost!)

Brick Oven Pizza
800 South Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231

PS- They were featured on Diners, Drive In's and Dives!

Soy Sauce

2011-05-31T13:27:00.000-04:00

In response to a comment here I wanted to make sure that I was very clear about soy sauce (and any commercial product you use frequently): always read the label. Many brands of soy sauce, and many sauces that use soy sauce (such as commercial barbecue sauces) do contain wheat. I ALWAYS suggest that you read allergen labels carefully, especially because gluten labeling is in a state of uncertainty and flux. Furthermore, recipes can change, making the allergen list change as well. Contact the manufacturer if you are in doubt and know your limits. I do my best to write "gluten free" preceding any reference to flour or soy sauce, but sadly I sometimes forget. Therefore, any time soy sauce is referenced on this blog it references any one of the following gluten free soy sauces:

There are several brands of soy sauce that are made entirely gluten free:
San-J has gluten free soy sauce as well as several gluten free cooking sauces (Thai Peanut, Szechuan, Teriyaki, Sweet and Tangy, Asian BBQ, and Orange Sauce), and salad dressings (Tamari Sesame, Tamari Peanut, Tamari Ginger). I have been able to find their products at Whole Foods, Giant, and Earth Fare. This is also the brand of soy sauce that P.F. Changs uses in their cooking and also gives to you when you order gluten free take out.

Kikkoman has also released a gluten free soy sauce. I have yet to try it, but I assume it is just as delicious as other soy sauce.

La Choy soy sauce is gluten free, according to their customer service representatives. They stated to me that they participate in truth in labeling and neither their soy sauce nor their caramel color has gluten/wheat in it. Here is the test of the email they sent me:

Thank you for your email concerning our La Choy Sauce.

We understand how important it is for people who have been medically diagnosed with gluten sensitivity to obtain accurate information about our food to help plan their meals and diets. And we continue to look for ways to meet the dietary needs of our consumers.

Since wheat is a major food allergen, if it is used in the product it would be listed in the contains statement following the ingredients list. The flour used in many of our products is wheat flour and you should avoid these products if you have gluten sensitivities. If any ingredient in the product includes rye or barley, it will be listed in parentheses immediately following the ingredient. Oats do not contain gluten, but they frequently have been exposed to wheat or barley and are not recommended for celiac patients. If Natural Flavors, Artificial Flavors, or Spices listed in the ingredients list contain wheat, rye or barley, these ingredients would be listed in parenthesis immediately following the ingredient. Some fermented or distilled products such as vinegar may be derived from wheat. Most of the vinegar in our products is distilled and through the distilling process protein gluten is removed.

Our Caramel Color is an ingredient made from the controlled heating of a carbohydrate such as dextrose, sucrose, sugar or corn.

We always advise consumers who may have sensitivities to recheck the ingredient list on each package. Products are oftentimes reformulated and the ingredients may change. If you have additional questions about your personal dietary needs, please consult your doctor or a registered dietician.
Thanks again for your feedback. We're listening!

I hope this was illuminating and made some of the directions on the blog a bit more clear. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

Soy-Lime Glazed Meatballs

2011-05-18T08:41:00.002-04:00

Not only do these turkey meatballs cook remarkably fast but they are super tasty. We had them with chicken fried rice (ours was leftover from Monday.) To "refresh" your chicken fried rice, add 1 tablespoon of butter to a large fry pan, when that is melted add the leftovers and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a little soy sauce and stir for about 3 more minutes, serve hot!

These meatballs can be made large as a dinner compliment, or small as an appetizer. I personally do not like cilantro, but if you do, feel free to add more.

Soy-Lime Glazed Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2-3/4 cup of gluten free bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon diced garlic
2-4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons diced cilantro
3 scallions, diced

Glaze

4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 scallions, diced

Preparation

Combine all ingredients for meatballs in a large mixing bowl
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
Roll turkey into meatballs (about 1.5 inch in diameter for dinner, and .5-1 inch in diameter for appetizers)
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, turning after 10-13 minutes
Combine ingredients for glaze, and drizzle glaze on each meatball in the last 2-4 minutes of cooking time
You will have some left over glaze (or just make some more) which can be served with the meatballs as a dipping sauce

Celebrity Gluten Free Dieter Update

2011-05-18T08:31:00.000-04:00

I wanted to direct your attention to the Yahoo Sports article about Novak Djokovic who found out he was allergic to gluten last year!

Sausage Pesto

2011-05-17T11:13:00.001-04:00

This is a quick and easy dinner that reheats really well. It is cheap and easy to make so perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!

Sausage Pesto
Ingredients

3/4 bag of gluten free pasta (I use Tinkyada)
1/4 cup of pesto
2 cups fresh green beans
1 cup cannellini beans
1 cup frozen peas
chicken sausage, fully cooked, sliced into medallions (I used Hillshire Farm Hardwood Chicken Smoked Sausage)
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/4 small yellow onion, diced
olive oil
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

Cook the pasta according to the package, adding green beans and peas during the last 3-5 minutes of cooking
Drain, reserving 1- 1.5 cups of pasta water
Heat 2-5 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet, add onion and garlic
Add sausage and cook sausage until browned
Add pesto, pasta vegetables, beans and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to the skillet, adding more water as necessary to give the pesto a creamy texture
Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (and parmesan)
Serve hot

**omit sausage to make vegetarian**

Melanzana

2011-05-14T08:48:00.000-04:00

Melanzana is a rich and creamy eggplant puree. I had never heard of eggplant puree, short of something you might see on Top Chef until we attended a banquet for Colin's law review. They held it at Tabaq on U Street, and the lamb shank was served in a delicious, creamy eggplant puree. We were so astounded by how delicious it was, we stopped a waiter to confirm what it was and that it was gluten free!

Little did I know that making it was fairly easy! We initially had it with turkey (as you can see in the picture) where it felt kind of heavy and satisfying, but last night I served the leftover eggplant puree with tilapia and it was light. I suggest trying it with many different foods!

Melanzana/Eggplant Puree
Ingredients

3 eggplants
1/2 cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Preparation

Place eggplants on a covered baking sheet and bake for one hour at 400 degrees
Heat a small amount of the olive oil and lightly cook garlic and onion
Remove eggplants from oven and allow to cool
Halve the eggplants and gently remove flesh from skin, discarding the skin
Pour olive oil, garlic and onion into a food processor, add eggplant
Pulse until smooth, add sour cream and parmesan cheese and pulse until smooth and creamy
Reheat and serve