The Gluten-Free Assistant

A New Direction

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 14:00:00 +0000

     Over the last couple of years my time investment in The Gluten Free Assistant has dramatically dropped off. This is not for lack of writing or interest, however. When I first began writing about my gluten free experiences almost 7 years ago, I did so mostly to share information I was learning and to get involved with the online food community. Over the years I often found myself wanting to share other facets of my life, but would always hesitate. ‘This is a food blog,’ I would tell myself, ‘not a life blog.’ Besides, talking about camping trips, family adventures or the interesting lecture I attended are not topics that seem to fit alongside a cookbook review and an enchilada recipe.

     Now, things have shifted.

     Seven years ago, my life was primarily engulfed with new foods and living gluten free. Now in 2015, I have a fantastic family, a job I love that I have been at for just over 6 years, I have moved across the country twice, and taken three amazing vacations.

     I have had so many welcome changes and wonderful things happen in my life, and the desire to share some of that with my audience has never gone away. Not writing about these new interests seems as if I am being untrue to myself. For me, writing is a struggle that I love to endure. Forcing myself to stick to such a limiting scope as my current blog offers makes the process all the more difficult and much less enjoyable.

     To help remedy this situation, I have decided to take my writing in a more general direction that will allow me to more comfortably include the topics that I want to write about. To do this I am branching out, so to speak. You will now be able to find me writing at Well Stocked Life in addition to my writing here as The Gluten Free Assistant.

     As I continue to write, topics that are more general will be posted over at Well Stocked Life while topics that are focused more on food or gluten free living will be posted at both sites.

     Not much will change around here, but along the way you will probably notice some references to The Well Stocked Life. I hope you enjoy this new journey with me and join me at the new site.

- Patricia

Gluten Free Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Fri, 15 May 2015 14:30:00 +0000

Cookbook Review: Tassajara Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 23:00:00 +0000

     A couple months back I picked up a new cookbook at Powell’s in downtown Portland I randomly came across while browsing. The book is from the early 1970s, but doesn’t have the kitschy 1970s cookbook feel to it. More of a guide book, this is quite the un-recipe book, to be honest. There are no pictures, but it does offer a good variety of hand-drawn illustrations that show you how to chop a particular vegetable or just a simple image of a kitchen inspired still life.

     Tassajara Cooking is named for the world famous Zen training center founded in California in 1967. The book was a combined effort of the residents, family members, and friends of the Zen Center.

     The back of the book just might be my favorite cover of all time:

This is a book to help you actually cook – a cooking book. The recipes are not for you to follow, they are for you to create, invent, test.
It explains things you need to know, and things to watch out for. There are plenty of things left for you to discover, learn, stumble upon.
Blessings,
You’re on your own.
Together with everything.

     Created by the folks at the San Francisco Zen Center and published by Shambhala, the book is fully vegetarian and divided into five main sections: Beginning, Cooking Vegetables, Other Basic Ingredients, Pumpkin Isn’t Always Pie, and Good Friends.

     The first section offers tips on caring for your kitchen knives, how to tackle some basic cooking techniques, and also offers a brief rundown of common vegetables, grains, and herbs used around the typical vegetarian kitchen.

     Next up is a good section on vegetables – potatoes, leeks, garlic, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, corn, and on and on. This section is broken down into warmer and cooler weather with an oddball section for other stuff. Overall, there are tons of ideas and very basic outlines for a variety of recipes.

     The third section of the book, Other Basic Ingredients, covers fruits, nuts, beans, seeds, dairy, eggs, grains, and pasta. There are some unique ideas on fruit here, so it’s not to be overlooked. The bean and legume area is just as important as well, how to not split your beans while they’re cooking, and cooking times for pressure cookers as well as just an open boil on the stove.

     Pumpkin Isn’t Always Pie takes a slight detour from the rest of the book which focuses more on simple flavors and showcasing the ingredients in their own right. Here, we are given more complex and strong flavors for salads, dressings, soups, stocks, and sauces.

     Lastly, we are given a briefing of some of the true work-horses of the kitchen: our cutting boards, bowls, pans, and the like. Talk about care and storage is brief but loaded with good information like don’t use your kitchen sponge on the floors or your dish towel on your face and hands. Cleaning and care are mostly discussed here with a reminder that ‘cooking makes cleaning possible and cleaning makes cooking possible’.

     What I enjoy most about the book is the emphasis to create simple meals using just what you have on hand before acquiring any additional goods or produce. I’ve leant some cookbooks and recipes out to friends in the past and I heard back they weren’t able to make anything because they were missing one or two of the ingredients. I try to offer advice to substitute things out or just make the dish without, and this is a radical concept to some folks. I feel that the guide book style of cookbooks, like Tassajara Cooking and The Flavor Bible, are best suited for these individuals. Everyone’s comfort level is different in the kitchen and this is a great way to learn to cook rather than learning to follow a recipe.

- Patricia

Sushi - Easier Than You Think

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 19:29:00 +0000

     Sushi can be ridiculously expensive when you eat out, even at the cheap little sushi-go-round places that are becoming more popular these days. To combat this dilemma but still get our sushi fix, I’ve been making it at home for probably 5 or 6 years now. When talking to friends or family about dinner options and I mention sushi, they often wonder if I’m being serious about making it at home or if just referring to ordering take out.

     It seems when you mention making sushi, people often conjure up images of a serious-faced man behind the counter in a white ensemble with a ridiculously sharp knife and decades of experience. While I do not dispute this is probably a badass sushi spot to imagine, the reality of making it at home is super easy and much less intimidating than this imagery.

     Just to be clear, we still go out for sushi every great once in a while. We usually go out so I can enjoy the salmon or tuna rolls and Thomas can enjoy some tempura vegetables. Saki is usually a given, as well. Being pregnant, however, the raw fish and Saki is off limits to me for a while, so we pick another fare to grub on.

     Making sushi at home requires only one essential tool: a very sharp knife. We find that using a serrated bread knife, not a steak knife or serrated utility knife, is the magic trick for us. We use the Victorinox 10-1/4-Inch Fibrox Wavy Bread Knife . Thomas does the cutting and I do the rolling, but the handle on this knife is made of Fibrox, a great material to keep your hand from slipping around if it is wet or has some grease on it. Our go to kitchen set of knives all feature this handle and we love them.

     Beyond the sharp knife, you need to know how to cook some sushi rice. No brainer here, you can search around for some tips and tricks, or if you have a rice cooker, it is super easy for you. Otherwise, I’ll give you my sushi rice cooking rundown. Water to rice ratio should be 2:1, so 2 cups of water for 1 cup of dry rice. We just make one cup of rice for the two of us and usually get about 5 or 6 rolls. Bring your water to a boil, dump in your rice, stir it well and turn it way down to low-medium and put a lid on it. I have an electric stove with a 1-10 dial system and I put it around 2.5. Don’t peak at your rice. Don’t do it. You might have a little bubble over or some spitting from around the lid, but this is normal. If it’s pouring out, I’d turn it down even more. Low and slow is the key here. It takes about 10 minutes or so, give or take a couple to finish the rice. Turn the heat off when it has finished.

     If you want to season your rice, do it when the cooking has finished. For one cup of rice, I use 1 tablespoon each of rice vinegar, tamari (gluten free soy sauce), and sugar. Swirl this around in a bowl or cup to help dissolve the sugar then dump into the rice and fluff with a fork. Let the rice sit with a lid on it while you finish up the rest of the prep work.

     Rolling the sushi seems to be what intimidates folks the most. I use a cutting board or my counter. No fancy bamboo mats or paddles, just my hands and a clean, dry flat surface. Get out a sheet of your nori (the seaweed wrap for the sushi) and lay it down on the working surface. It usually comes as a rectangle, and you’ll want a short side toward you. I use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop rice out for consistency. Spread your rice around to almost the edges with a fork, leaving about a 1” – 1.5” space at the side closest to you for placing your fillings.

     Once you have your filling in place, place your fingers near the top of your fillings and scoop up the edge of the nori with your thumbs. Now that you’ve got the roll started, just use your fingers and thumbs to walk the roll up the rice covered nori, tucking in any loose filling that shoot out the ends. Transfer seam side down to a plate or another cutting board for cutting.

     Filling options are fairly open-ended here and where your creativity (and random leftover veggies) comes into play! We’ve used cream cheese (vegan or regular), match-stick sliced carrots, cucumbers, pickles, green onions, red onions, avocado, sesame seeds sprinkled on the rice, lettuce, spinach, kale, hot mustard smeared on the nori under the fillings, and radishes just to name what I can think of right now. It really is open to whatever you want to put in there.

Generic Sushi
Serves 2

Ingredients
Toasted nori - look for this in the International food isle or in a specialty store if you have one nearby. Amazon also has good options.

For the rice:
1 cup dry sushi rice
2 cups water
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs tamari

For the filling:
(Filling options are endless, but here are some suggestions based on my favorite fillings)
Cream cheese
Green onions
Avocado
Red onions
Cucumbers
Pickles
Carrots
Sesame seeds
Lettuce
Spinach
Kale
Radishes

Method
First... Boil water, add rice, stir, reduce heat down to low and cover. Cook for around 10 minutes. Mix the tamari, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl before adding to rice after cooking is done. Fluff with fork and let sit for a few more minutes while you finish prep work.

Then... Prep your filling choices, cutting them into match-stick shaped pieces. They don't have to be uniform or pretty, just a general shape so they roll easier.

Finally... Place a sheet of nori onto your working surface, place 1/3 cup of rice in the middle, and smooth out to near the edges, leaving around 1" - 1.5" at the bottom end to place your ingredients. Roll the sushi, using your fingers to stabilize the filling and your thumbs to flip the end up, and walk the roll to the top of the nori. Transfer seam side down to a plate for cutting.

One of the things I didn’t mention here is how great of a couple’s activity making sushi is. There is a good bit of prep work involved with all the cutting and various little things to do. It is something that I look forward to making a couple times each month with my spouse, even though we almost always make dinner together. We both really enjoy the meal, thinking of new filling ideas, or just noshing on sushi and Saki while we watch a movie together.

Enjoy!
- Patricia

Artichoke & Lemon Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 20:46:00 +0000

There isn’t too much more that I love than a simple bowl of pasta dressed up just slightly with a little something special. It is the ultimate in comfort foods for me and I could eat pasta almost every day for lunch at work with no regrets. I would make it more often at home, but the spouse isn’t the biggest pasta fan and tires on it rather quickly, so I try for maybe twice a month or so.

This pasta dish is a quick throw together lunch for one, or you could easily double or triple it for dinner for the family or for several lunches during the week. It comes together so quickly, that I’ll sometimes make it in the morning while I’m scurrying around the house getting ready for work. I try to heat up my lunch and store it in a thermos so I can avoid the lines at the microwave in the break room and the awkward conversations that brings. It is also super convenient to just grab my thermos and walk over to a local park and eat lunch outside – it makes for a great change of scenery.

Artichoke & Lemon Pasta
Serves 1 hungry person

Ingredients
1/3 – 1/2 Jar of marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 bag Trader Joes Brown Rice Pasta
1/2 Fresh lemon

Optional Toppings
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can zest a bit of the lemon into the pasta
For a creamier pasta dish, add a bit of non-dairy salad dressing. I like Drew's All-Natural Salad Dressing and 10 Minute Marinade, Roasted Garlic & Peppercorn, 12-Ounce Bottle

Method
First... Boil your pasta according to bag instructions, drain, and return to pan. If you want this to be a cold dish, which is equally delicious, rinse your pasta in cold water for a minute or two.

Then... Remove the artichoke hearts from the jar and cut into quarters. Separate the layers and add to pasta. Squeeze the lemon, being careful to avoid seeds, into the pasta.

Finally... Stir well, adding any optional toppings you want, before serving immediately or packing away for lunch.

- Patricia

Major Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 19:51:00 +0000

Since my last post at the end of August I've had a whirlwind of activity in my life. Sadly, not all of it has been positive; all of it, however, has generated an even deeper appreciation and thankfulness for those around me.

September started out beautifully with a visit from Thomas’ mother. She’s a travelling wonder and will hop in the car at the drop of a hat and drive across the country on a whim. All the way up from Texas to Oregon she trekked with a great friend of hers and they stayed with us for just over a week. Always the traveler, we couldn't stay indoors for hardly any stretch of time and were able to explore Symons State Park on the Oregon coast, the Tillamook cheese factory, the Oregon Zoo, and Munson Creek Falls near Tillamook. Both Thomas and I love being outdoors and thankfully his mom is also keen for hiking and the outdoors.

After we said our good-byes and got back to some sort of normal after all that activity, I became violently ill about three weeks or so later. I thought it was a horrendous stomach bug that caused me to vomit at the drop of a hat, but then the fatigue hit me. I had pneumonia about ten years ago and still remember how staggeringly tiring it was to get out of bed and use the bathroom and go back to bed. This fatigue was like that – possibly worse, but no respiratory issues. After about a week, Thomas noted that I was also late for my monthly cycle. I think I had known this, but was so horribly ill, I probably pushed this to my last of my list of shit to care about. Thomas was scheduled to leave town for several weeks on 21st October, so I quickly scheduled a doctor appointment for a prenatal checkup. They don’t actually see you for several weeks, but this allowed me to queasily make my way to the clinic for a blood draw. This was the morning of the 21st and the doctor called me the following day saying I was very pregnant. Whoa nelly.

     With Thomas out of town for the next several weeks, I was able to become a hermit in the house and take care of myself the best I could manage to. He didn’t return until 7th November and I was still pretty ill at this point. I lost 20+ pounds during this one month period and was thinking why the hell do people do this willingly? Thankfully, we have grocery delivery available to us here from Safeway and I did a couple nights of takeout when I had the stomach to face solid food.

     The funny thing about the timing on this was during the time Thomas’ mother was here, she was even prodding us about having children. Neither Thomas nor I are over the moon to have kids in a hurry, it was always something ‘we’ll do later’. Like ten years later, even after being together for nearly 9 years.

     Regardless, it happened now and we’re pretty okay with it. I’m not excited, per se, but I am looking forward to all it will bring our lives and I couldn’t imagine a better person I would want to have such a close relationship and impact on my children than Thomas. Our relationship is amazing and it’ll be interesting to see how it goes over the next handful of years.

     The middle and end of November was pretty horrible for both Thomas and me. I lost one of my sisters on the 16th to heart failure. She had just turned 59. Because of our age difference, we were not the closest of sisters, but my heart still mourns for her and the loss her children must be facing. To follow that up, our beloved 13 year old Manx cat, Genghis, became suddenly ill on 19th November and passed away peacefully in our bed, where he loved to sleep with us, on 22nd November. Our hearts are truly heavy, even now, with everything going on and changing in our household.

December has been fairly positive for us thus far. I’m not nearly as ill, starting my second trimester, and Thomas has been called back to work for his seasonal job and I’ll follow in January. We’re holding each other up and doing a pretty alright job of it.

Thanks for letting me catch up on non-food related news with you! I’ll be posting a Thanksgiving recap here in a couple days and hopefully get some more recipes and cookbook reviews up for you guys.

- Patricia

Cookbook Review: reFresh Contemporary Vegan Recipes From the Award Winning Fresh Restaurants

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 02:19:00 +0000

I initially came across reFresh several years back at the local library where I brought it to the table along with an armload of other books to browse through. Along with this gem, I had also grabbed The Flavor Bible. You can read about my love affair with that book and how it changed my entire cooking world here. These two books really stood out to me and I ended up circling back around to them both in the following years for either purchase or at the local library once again.

     Published by John Wiley & Sons out of Canada, reFresh: Contemporary Vegan Recipes From the Award Winning Fresh Restaurants is written by Ruth Tal and Jennifer Houston, co-owners of Fresh. Jennifer is the main influence behind the recipes it seems, with Ruth providing more insight into the food and stories behind the recipes. At the heart of their book is an earnest wish for people to more often seek out healthy food choices and for this to be viewed as normal rather than fringe.

     To accomplish this, the authors present simple recipes that build on a few basic meal ideas. For example, they take a bowl of rice and dress it up in seven drastically different ways to show how such a basic item can be used to help stretch your budget without making you feel like you’re eating the same thing every night.

     The beginning of the book presents an essay on the approach to food and cooking, followed by a few kitchen pointers and tips, before easing right into herb blends and a few light recipes.

     One of my favorite dishes out of the book was Spicy Tomato with Chipotle and Spinach. I usually end up fudging recipes from not having everything on hand and even with omitting the roasting of the red pepper, it was still delicious. I also subbed out chipotle in adobo sauce for ½ a dried chipotle pepper plus some house-blend Mexican seasoning.

     While the book is not actually divided into sections, the last half of the book is dedicated to smoothies and juice blends you can do at home. You could probably get away with using a very nice blender, but having a juicer will keep the blender you own from burning out and will also provide you with a much finer consistency in the liquid, reducing chunks and clumps. I’m not a big juicer, but these recipes are presented in a way that is very consumer-friendly with easy to follow directions and recipes that taste delicious.

     You can find the book on Amazon for $6.00 as of this writing, and I’m sure it will stay under $10 for quite some time. This would make a great reference book for new cooks, those starting on a healthier lifestyle, or anyone looking to get out of a cooking rut.

     Let me know if you’ve read this and what you enjoyed about it. Any recipes or ideas that were winners for you?

- Patricia

Baked Avocado

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 02:00:00 +0000

     One of my all-time summer favorites to make is my Southwest Salad. It requires zero cooking, very little prep time, and provides an excellent refreshment to hot summer afternoons. The star in that salad is a ripe avocado.

  You see, the plan was to make this salad for lunch last weekend. After our breakfast and coffee were finished Saturday morning, I ran out to grab a few things from the store including the avocado I needed to make lunch. While choosing my avocado, I sneakily used that trick where you remove the little brown stem-thing and see what color it is underneath. Green is perfect and brown is too ripe, supposedly. I got a green one, first grab. Super score.

  What ended up happening as I excitedly cut into the avocado was encountering something like a force field below the skin. I did manage to get it halved with all of my fingers intact, but the mother of all unripe avocados was now sitting before me. Ugh.

  I searched around trying to find some quick fixes, but none were feasible considering I wanted cubes, not mush. I asked my spouse for input and he suggested baking it. I resisted at first because I’m eating as little milk as possible these days and he doesn’t eat eggs, and most baked avocado recipes out there are all about sticking an egg in the middle of it and adding cheese. We decided to just slice up the avocado, bake it, and eat it alongside pintos and some leftover Mexican Rice.

  I was over the moon with this new dish after my first bite! The avocado was quite firm prior to cooking and it developed a delicious outside skin and a smooth, warm inside that was still just a little firm to the bite. I paired this lunch with 2Towns BrightCider and it was an outstanding accompaniment to the baked avocado. I have been raving it about it every few day since we ate this. I highly recommend you try it. We topped this with diced sweet onions and he added some shaved smoked cheddar.

Baked Avocado
Serves 2

Ingredients
For the rice & beans:
1 ¼ C water
1 C salsa
1 C white rice
1 can beans of choice (pintos, black, or red would work really well here)

For the avocados:
1 firm avocado
Drizzle olive oil
Black pepper
Salt
Cumin
Chipotle powder
Paprika
Thyme

Optional toppings:
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Diced green/white/red onions

Method
First... Preheat your oven to 350* and line a heavy baking sheet with parchment or foil.

Then... Slice a halved avocado and remove the skin. Place avocado pieces into a bowl and top with a drizzle of olive oil and a few dashes of each of the seasonings. Toss around to coat evenly, transfer to the lined pan, and bake for around 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven. Test doneness with a fork periodically.

Finally... While the avocado is busy in the oven, get the rice and beans started. Bring water and salsa to a boil, then add rice and stir. Open can of beans and drain in colander, rinsing well. Cook rice until water is absorbed, add beans, and fluff with fork. By this time, the avocados should be about to come out of the oven. Take care of any toppings you want, such as shredded cheese or diced onions.

- Patricia

Southwest Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 15:45:00 +0000

     Today marks the first day of summer for the Northern Hemisphere and temperatures are starting to heat up here in Oregon. While the heat is not what I endured in Texas, it does seem to be compounded by the lack of indoor air conditioning. In addition to making the house uncomfortable during a good part of the afternoon and early evening, the heat often makes cooking a laughable notion.

     Genuine no-cook options for dinner are scant, so I mostly stick to low-cook or slow-cook foods that keep the heat output to a minimum. Soups made from canned beans or frozen vegetables are good, as are tacos or homemade pizza.

     One of the very few no-cook recipes I make on a regular basis is inspired by cowboy caviar, a salad of black-eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, onions, and the like, that I would often have at office parties or family events down south. I’ve been making this updated version for about two years now, about as long as I’ve lived away from Texas, and one of the reasons I go back to it time and time again is the versatility. Half-used bell pepper in the fridge? Toss it in! One jalapeno and some sad looking cilantro? Perfect additions. This is a great salad that can help you use up produce odds and ends.

Southwest Salad
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
1 Ripe avocado
½ Red onion
1 Can black beans
Frozen or fresh corn
1/3 Bunch cilantro
½ - 1 Jalepeno
Ranch dressing (I use Drew’s Roasted Garlic & Peppercorn Salad Dressing)
½ Lime
Paprika
Cayenne
Cumin
Salt

Method
First... Peel and cube the avocado, dice fine the red onion, jalapeno, and cilantro, and rinse the black beans in a colander. If you are using fresh corn, now would be the time to cut that away from the cob. Don’t worry about defrosting the corn, just toss it in as is. Toss ingredients into a mixing bowl as you chop your way through.

Then... Pour 2 or 3 tablespoons worth of the ranch dressing into your bowl, then sprinkle around 1 teaspoon each of the paprika, cayenne, and cumin on top.

Finally... Stir well to combine all ingredients before adjusting the seasoning to taste and salt and lime juice.

- Patricia

One Pot Meals

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 04:21:00 +0000

One of the pitfalls about moving across the country with only two suitcases and a carry-on is the extremely limited amount of space you have to shove your entire life into. I've gotten one box shipped to me since I moved, but that still does not grant the luxury of bringing all my precious kitchen gadgets I love (garlic press, I miss you) with me to this new home. But being the savvy and crafty person I am, I improvise!

I have made breakfast, lunch, and dinner with nothing but the following:

1 - 2.5 Quart covered shallow sauce pan from Calphalon (love this thing)
1 - 5 inch Victorinox mini chef's knife
1 - 4" x 10" bamboo cutting board
1 - Swiss Army knife
2 - fork, spoon, and butter knife
1 - sometimes borrowed plate from roommate
4 - 2 cup plastic storage containers
1 - 24 oz Thermos

     My daily routine is somewhat bland as far as cooking goes. I'm no longer cooking for two, so the motivation to make a nice meal that we both enjoy is gone for the most part. I do still get up the edge to cook, but it has to be thought out. I've only got one pot to do everything in! This makes my meal planning even more essential

     While this certainly poses its own unique challenges, I looked at it the same way I looked at going gluten-free - 5 years ago this month. While you are limited in some aspects, a whole new world opens up. And it does not involve a lot of dishes, thankfully!

     Recently, I came across this wonderful site. The Art of Manliness has quite the selection of simple, mostly one pot dinners that are made in a snap. I tried out one of the recipes for salmon, asparagus, and roasted sweet potatoes and it was delicious. Not to mention ready in a snap and easy clean up! You can find the recipe in the previous link. Here's a terrible picture of my final product:

Other recipes I've been relying on include the standard potato soup with or without broccoli, roasted potatoes with soft polenta, pasta with various toppings, and vegetable stir fry with tofu. This coming week, I'm going to try out baked tofu, stir fry with scrambled egg added, and polenta coated sweet potato fries. Recipes to follow soon!

- Patricia

Perfect Pizza.

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:30:00 +0000

     Ladies and gentlemen, I have done it.

     After months of tweaking various recipes I've found all over the internet and trying pre-made mixes, I have settled on a pizza dough recipe that we both enjoy. I have made dozens of pizzas with this recipe. There are air pockets in the dough, it takes plenty of toppings without getting soggy, and is crispy on the bottom. It's good.

     During this experience I have truly seen the light when it comes to baking by weight. Because two flours weigh differently (sometimes drastically different), using ½ cup of a 'similar' flour or starch interchangeably will result in a different end product. It can really screw things up – prevent your crust from browning, make the crumb too doughy, or cause too little moisture for a dry dough that is hard to work with.

     This recipe is heavily based on the trial and error of both myself and others. I studied recipes, poured through books that explained the fundamentals of baking with gluten free flours and starches, and started with a dough recipe that was already highly rated by others in the gluten free world. Because Thomas and I are pretty picky about what we eat, I modified the recipe quite a bit to get it to our preferences. Feel free to do the same. Experiment until it tastes good. You'll still have pizza in the end, and pizza is good. Homemade pizza is ten times better.

Perfect Pizza
Serves 1 or (2)

Ingredients
For the crust:
15 g dry yeast
40 g melted vegan butter
1 3/4 Cups mildly hot water, around 110*F

120 g potato starch
120 g tapioca starch
120 g millet flour
120 g corn flour
dash salt

Optional crust add- ins: crushed red pepper, herbs, basil, sun-dried tomatoes

Pesto or tomato sauce

Toppings: spinach, artichoke, cheese, onion, mushroom, basil, tomato, pineapple, olives

Method
First... Prepare ingredients by melting butter over low heat, weighing out flours and starches into a large mixing bowl along with salt and crust add-ins, and preheating the oven to around 200*F.

Then... Mix 1 cup hot water into the melted butter, sprinkle yeast over the mixture, stir to remove any lumps, and set aside for 5 to 7 minutes.

Then... Pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring well to incorporate. Sprinkle the remaining water into the dough as needed to obtain the proper consistency.
***You want dough that holds together, but is slack like warm silly putty. You won't be able to make a ball that holds a smooth shape with it, but it's not watery and does not stick to your hands. The mixing bowl shouldn't have anything in it but some oil residue at this point.

Then... Let dough sit in middle of mixing bowl for one hour, draped with a towel, near the cracked oven door.

Then... After rising, increase the oven temperature to 425*F, remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto one sheet of parchment with another on top before rolling or patting flat. Slowly peel back the top layer of parchment in the opposite direction. Leave the crust on the bottom parchment paper and transfer this to a heavy baking sheet or a pizza pan.

Finally... Add toppings and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.

     During the tweaking of this recipe I discovered several nuances about it. Too much sauce can keep the crust from crisping on the bottom, so roll it out a bit thicker than normal to keep the sauce from making the dough soggy. Using foil is a bad idea. You'll be picking foil chunks out of the underside of the pizza for several minutes before eating. However, if you don't have parchment, you can roll the dough on foil, just transfer it to a lightly floured pan. The flour might burn in the oven with the high heat, so keep the vent hood on if you have to do this. If we use a baking pan that is not heavy bottomed, the crust does not crisp as well.

     Like I said before, I've made dozens of pizzas with this recipe. I've really made it mine and we are both happy with it every time I make it. We don't change the toppings much from one pizza to the next, but we do change the cheese and sauce which gives us just enough variety. Onions, spinach, artichoke hearts, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and cheese are our standbys.

     Pizza was my last gluten meal. I had a Papa Johns on the way to the house when I found out I had Celiac. I cried, ate the pizza, and got over it. That day I really thought I was giving up all bread, beer, and pasta forever. It was the very first day for me and I had no clue that sorghum flour or millet flour existed, much less what sorghum or millet was to begin with. I've come so far since then. This January is four years gluten free and I've never felt better. The first couple of years of baking were difficult for me, but with patience and persistence I've really been able to conquer gluten free baking.

     If your first pizza is a flop, don't give up! Just make notes, put the bad experience behind you, and keep tweaking and adjusting until you find what works for you. There are books and websites devoted to help you and guide you, take their advice and build on it.

- Patricia

Here's to 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:42:00 +0000

     2011 went by much too fast, don't you agree? I accomplished most of what I wanted to and enjoyed the time I was able to spend with family, but I was so busy most of the year that it was hard to enjoy the moments as they happened. 2010 was kind of a miserable year for me that was capped off with a shitty end, so I was determined to make 2011 much, much better. I think it was a success.

      Not only was I able to come back to work for my old employer in February (the one I quit so that I could move to Portland, Oregon at the end of 2010), but I landed a great job with them in a department that I have wanted to work in for a while now. I started that position in November and am enjoying the new challenges and increased customer interaction.

      During the summer I was able to travel around Texas a bit with Thomas and his family. We visited Colorado Bend State Park, Longhorn Caverns, Inks Lake, and went tubing with friends in Gruene.

      I started school up full time this past fall and pulled in all but one A for the semester. This past fall we even had a new kitty join our household! She adds spice to the mix and is always looking for mischief. She's a beautiful cat. 2011 was the year I was determined to make it happen, and I did. I'm even saving for retirement!

      With January 1st rolling around, I have been thinking of ways to make 2012 just as successful as last year. Two clear goals came to mind. The first is to break 1,000 miles on my bicycle this year. I was just shy of 900 miles for 2011, so I think with a bit of effort I could do the 1k! I'll keep you updated on my progress for that goal. The other goal is finding ways to trim our grocery budget this year without trimming out fresh produce, the most expensive part of our diet. This one will be more challenging for me because in the last year I have seen the price of a half gallon of soy milk rise from $2.10 to $2.89. We use just shy of one gallon per week. That's an extra $5.53 per month in milk from one year ago. Add that to the extra few cents per item here, a bad peanut crop there, and the next thing you know your grocery budget has risen by $50 per month. It's just two of us and we can feel it, I can't imagine what it's like for a family of four or five. I'm having to come up with different strategies for saving.

      One of the ways I've already been able to cut down on grocery costs is keeping a spreadsheet of prices. This may seem odd, but knowing where to get the best price on a pound of rice or a loaf of gluten free bread is a powerful piece of budgeting. Buying some things in bulk on Amazon, like my favorite cornbread mix, is nearly $1 cheaper per item than in the store. I would not know this had I not had a record of what I've paid for the item in the past. This accounting method also makes you aware of any price changes. The cookies Thomas likes are $2 cheaper at the grocery store down the street rather than the Walgreens across the street.

      Another way I've been able to cut down on prices is to reduce the amount of produce I purchase per week. I think this is another way of saying 'only buy what I am really going to use.' I hate to waste produce, but sometimes it just goes bad before I (or the rabbit) get to it. I combat this by planning my meals to incorporate the items sold in bunches (carrots, spinach, green onions, herbs, leeks, etc) several times throughout the week with the single-use items (broccoli / cauliflower head, bok choi, avocados, tomatoes, etc) to be used close to the start of the week. Because I was already used to meal planning, with just a little extra planning, this was no sweat. I still have my weeks where I am tempted to just eat soup or tots every night, especially with full time work and school, but I know that will just make my body feel tired and run down with low energy intake.

     These strategies and some others that will really save you money on a grocery store trip are found in a book by Jennifer Maughan called “100 Meals for $5 or Less.” You can find the book here. This is a great book that has tips for everyone including the first time 'serious' grocery shopper and the avid couponer. There really is something for everyone in this book. It's a weekend read that you'll want to keep around for reference and future ideas. The first half of the book is tips and advice (bring a list and stick to it!) and finishes with tons of recipes. While the book is not geared for vegetarians or the gluten free, it does have the basic tips that we can all incorporate to make a cheaper trip to the grocery store. With just a few simple substitutions in the recipes, many of them become workable. If you've been vegetarian or gluten free for any period of time, you're used to substitution in cooking.

      I already have several food and recipe books lined up to share with you in 2012! I got Thomas a Kindle for his birthday last summer and we've been reading constantly since then. This year Thomas is challenging himself to read 52 books. He read 22 since getting the Kindle in July, so I think that is a do-able goal for him. This year I am also going to try and stick to being as dairy-free as possible. I have always talked about how unhealthy it is for Celiac patients to be off their diet. I know that milk can be tolerated again after a period of time, but my body just doesn't do well when I intake large amounts of it. Say, a pint of ice cream or a pound of giant holiday-themed candies. I've got a weakness, what can I say?

I'll keep you updated on the progress of my goals throughout the year. I'm hoping to tackle this semester with grades just as good as last semester, cut down on the dairy, increase the miles on my bike, spend less on groceries this year than we did last year, and spend more time enjoying the time in between all that. This is going to be a busy year!

What are your goals for the year?
- Patricia

Cookbook Review: Babycakes Covers the Classics

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 04:23:00 +0000

The boyfriend's birthday is next month and that means that birthday planning starts now. There are a couple of surprises up my sleeve this year and this year I am determined to keep this a surprise until his birthday. I'm sure if he guessed anymore than twice he'd know what I was getting for him, but I like to let myself think that I'm clever and awesome about gifting, however far from reality that may be.

Beyond gifts and surprises, birthdays also mean cake! There isn't much that gets me more excited for an event than the prospect of fresh-out-of-the oven cake. However, summertime in Texas makes me dread using the oven for an extended amount of time, especially since our AC duct into the kitchen is blocked somehow. The plan for an ice cream cake hatched at work while I was talking with a woman I sit near about cake in general. The conversation turned to ice cream cake and when I mentioned that I'd never had one she nearly fainted and insisted that I eat an entire one as soon as I am able. With a birthday coming up, I figured why not make one? The hunt was on for a recipe of some kind to guide my way through a vegan and gluten free ice cream cake.

I hunted around and found Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna, a gluten free and vegan cookbook devoted to desserts, and wouldn't ya know, there's a recipe for ice cream cake in it! It's as simple as I thought it would be, consisting of a basic chocolate cake, two flavors of ice cream layered, topped with another chocolate cake, and drizzled with chocolate sauce before being frozen. While I won't follow the directions exactly, the basic principle will be the same. I'll post about it, complete with pictures, when that goes down, because it will be spectacular!

Besides the ice cream cake recipe, Babycakes is filled with amazing recipes to tempt you into giving your sweet tooth more pleasure than you'll know what to do with. There are so many amazing recipes in this book from one of my childhood favorites, pineapple upside down cake, to cake donuts, bread pudding, German chocolate cake, and even crispy rice squares! There are a couple of appetizers thrown in, as well, to balance things out. Everything is vegan and gluten free, and the recipes are simple to follow with well written directions, easy to find products, and a few pictures of the finished products spattered throughout.

Something I hardly ever mention about a book is the index, and who the heck really cares, anyway. This book, however has a very well laid out index and it's rather in-depth. In addition to the index is a store listing of where to buy the ingredients online. This is amazing and exciting for those of us who live in smaller than average towns and who sometimes have to drive and drive and drive to reach any kind of decent grocer.

Enjoy the book and let me know what you think about it!
- Patricia

USA Today Article Insults Those With Lactose Intolerance

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:45:00 +0000

Painted dairy cows by Flickr user susieblackmon

Recently my mom e-mailed an article to me out of USA Today that really puzzled me. I will link you here so that you may have the pleasure of reading it, as well.

Beyond the title, “Lactose intolerance may sometimes be in the head, not the gut”, which itself is abrasive to those with lactose intolerance issues, I think the article is slanted against women. I am far from a feminist, but I think it unfairly categorizes women into discriminative, unstable, and overly emotional stereotypes with the use of a “questionnaire about somatization, anxiety and depression”. The USA Today article then uses a short paragraph to explain what somatoform disorder is, stating that,

“Those with somatoform disorder often report multiple problems in different areas of the body, such as faintness or weakness of a body part, Basilisco said, but no physical cause can be found.”

They conveniently fail to mention that the other part that makes up somatoform disorder is deliberately exaggerating symptoms for secondary motives, pain in multiple parts of the body with no apparent reason, and/or sexual dysfunctions of any kind.

Secondly, the results of the research were not given in plain English. While the article states that “patients with altered somatization are four times more likely to report lactose intolerance”, it does not state how many of the patients exhibited altered somatization. The researcher stated that 33% (about 24) of the 72 females and 29% (about 5) of the 25 males that made up the study were found to actually have lactose intolerance or malabsorption issues. With current lactose intolerance rates around 60 – 80% of the world's population, the numbers of occurrence in this study were comparably small.

Lactose Intolerance rates around the world.

Lastly, and the biggest slap in the face, by far, was how the article was ended:

“Patients can then focus on the real root of the problem and get back to eating dairy, she added.That's important because not eating dairy products raises the risk of calcium deficiency and osteoporosis, the researchers noted.”

Not only does this falsely state that living without dairy raises your risks of calcium deficiency and related disorders, but it's an unbelievable insult to those of us who suffered silently for years without seeking a doctor's help because of the scorn we knew our myriad of symptoms would draw.

Those of us living life without dairy due to a damaged gut from Celiac, a vegan lifestyle, or from lactose intolerance will all tell you that calcium is everywhere. Oatmeal, spinach, soy milk, tofu, salmon, molasses, and many others. While the bio-availability of these foods may not be as great as a glass of cow milk, the point is that it is more than possible to get the daily required amount of calcium while living a dairy free lifestyle.
- Patricia

Claiming Celiac Related Medical Expenses on Your Taxes

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:11:00 +0000

Tax season is behind us for this year, but preparation for a successful filing season next year should start now if you are interested in taking a medical credit on your taxes. This is a bit of a touchy subject for people, so I have to say that I am not, nor have I ever been, a tax expert or professional. My advice should not be taken at face value and research should always be done on your own, especially regarding legal advice (and money matters!). The IRS staffs real, live people that are available to take your calls regarding the tax laws and they can actually help! As with all call centers, it might be hit and miss with the operator you get, but overall they want their money and are more than happy to tell you how to file your taxes.

That being said, I wanted to give you a rough break down of how to go about claiming your medical expenses related to Celiac Disease. For the 2010 filing season (that was April 2011), in order to claim medical expenses they had to total more than 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). So if Jane Doe had an AGI of $34,567, she would have needed more than $2,592.53 ($34,567 x .075) in unreimbursed medical expenses. This can be a lifesaver if you are uninsured, like myself. These medical costs, which I will tell you how to go about calculating in just a bit, are going to be entered into a Schedule A that you can download and print out to attach to your regular 1040.

The most important part of being able to claim the medical deduction is that you need proof that a gluten free diet is medically necessary for you to remain healthy. This can be accomplished by a letter from your doctor, signed and dated, stating that your diet is needed. This is also the case for any other illness that you are going to claim – a bad back needed back braces that you have to purchase on your own or something of that nature. I know that this can be frustrating for people who have not been officially diagnosed by a doctor, but have just done the elimination diets on their own. It's a roadblock, but you have to get that statement from your doctor. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Once you have the letter in hand, you can officially claim your medical expenses and food costs. This might sound amazing, but there is a formula you have to use. A normal loaf of bread retails for $3, but gluten free bread is $6, you can claim the $3 difference per loaf of bread. Your 5lb bag of gluten free flour is $8, while a 5lb sack of wheat flour is $3, you are able to claim the $5 difference. Soy milk vs cow milk is the same. This is a bit of a pain in the ass, I will admit, but if you have two or more people in your household that are gluten free (or on a medically prescribed diet of another kind), this is really helpful in the end. Keep your receipts, but they do tend to fade over time, so make monthly copies. This will allow you to go through and calculate how much you're spending on gluten free items vs. conventional items.

While I shouldn't have to mention this, I sadly have to: If you are on a gluten-free diet for weight loss or because you just think it makes you feel better and have had several negative tests for Celiac, you do not qualify for this write off. It's like trying to write off a tummy tuck. Also, if your child has Autism and the diet has not been medically prescribed, you cannot claim this either.

Over all, just remember that there has to be two important parts to properly claiming your additional food costs for Celiac – 1) you need a doctor's directive for it, and 2) you can only claim the difference between gluten free and conventional items totaling beyond 7.5% of your AGI. Keep in mind that these tax laws are always changing, and again, please research this yourself and find the best route for your personal situation.
- Patricia

Traveling and the Importance of Easy Meals

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:32:00 +0000

One of the only downsides about biking everywhere is the lack of long distance transportation. I can easily ride 10 miles on my bike to go somewhere, but that is about the upper limits of my abilities when time is taken into consideration. It's not too convenient beyond that.

The end of this past week and the beginning of the weekend were spent mostly in San Antonio with my lovely niece I had not seen in three years. She was able to catch up with her boyfriend and his family while Thomas and I were able to take in the sights of San Antonio. It truly is a beautiful city with a bit of old world charm. Because we had to be in town so early we were able to see it as few people get to, nearly empty.

By the time we got home, we were all exhausted and wanted to do nothing more than go straight to bed. Dinner, however, needed to be dealt with. Two bags of 10oz frozen corn and a couple of potatoes to the rescue!

Corn Chowder with Roasted Potatoes
Serves 3

Ingredients
For the chowder:
2 - 10oz bags of frozen sweet corn
Handful of cilantro, washed, stemmed, and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
Olive oil for frying
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp chili powder
2-3 cups water
1/4 - 1/2 cup soy milk
Salt, to taste

For the roasted potatoes:
2 or 3 small to medium potatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
Olive oil for coating
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne

Optional Toppings:
Shredded cheese
Diced green onions
Sour cream
Diced cilantro

Method
First... Preheat your oven to 350*F while you prep the potatoes by washing them well, then dicing into bite sized pieces. Nothing fancy here, just keep them a uniform size. Toss together in a bowl with the diced onion, coat with the olive oil, then add the salt and cayenne before mixing well. Toss the potatoes in the oven on a foiled or parchment-lined baking sheet for around 25 minutes or until fork tender.

Then... While the potatoes are baking, you'll make the corn chowder. Start by heating oil in a soup pot and adding the onions to fry for around 5-6 minutes. Add the salt and other dry seasonings and mix well. Add the frozen corn and enough water to cover before bringing to a simmer. Carefully transfer around 1/2 of soup contents to a blender and blend, using the remaining water for easy blending. Return contents of blender to soup pot, add cilantro, and continue simmering. After 10 minutes of additional simmering, add the milk and turn heat off.

Finally... Remove the potatoes from oven. Ladle soup into bowls, top with roasted potatoes and any optional toppings desired.

Because this recipe is so basic, there are many ways that you could make it your own. Try adding some salsa or chili garlic paste to the blender for a spicier touch, a can of chopped tomatoes with green peppers, or use a can of black beans instead of the second bag of corn for a slightly different soup. Make it yours!
- Patricia

How to Meal Plan, Made Simple

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:36:00 +0000

My seasonal job has started back up for the year and as a result I've been a bit extra busy these last several weeks, so posting has been a bit sparse. I've been trying to keep posts scheduled so that things aren't too barren around here, but that's just how it goes.

With my new, mostly nocturnal, schedule I've been keeping the cooking down to simple one-dish meals that are easy and quiet to prepare at 2AM. Here's a sampling of what I've been cooking as of late:

The top right photo features Corn Chowder with Roasted Potatoes. This is a new dish I am making that is inspired by the method I use to make black bean soup. I have not posted about that black bean soup because the pictures of it seem to come out poorly, but I won't let that be an excuse to keep such a simple and quick recipe from you. Both the corn chowder and the black bean soup are very simple and can be made in under 30 minutes! Bottom right is the beginnings of Lentil & Brown Rice Soup, with just an onion, seasonings and a lentil blend in the pot. The final picture is of Berbere Mixed Vegetables which I featured last month, along with what is pictured in the top left photo, Kale and Zucchini Stir Fry.

I'll be posting the recipes for the Lentil & Brown Rice Soup as well as the Corn Chowder with Roasted Potatoes over the next week or so. Also coming up will be a Wokin' Stir Fry Recipe! One of my birthday gifts this year included a wok and I couldn't have been more surprised. It was used within the week and we took lots of pictures that I'll post along with the recipe.

The thing about making these 'easy' meals is that it is make possible with a meal plan diligently created each week before we grocery shop. While meal planning isn't exactly exciting - it's quite far from it, actually, and can start arguments you wouldn't normally have about broccoli vs cauliflower - it does need to be taken care of. I've made a small system to help with that time of the week. First, I made a document on my computer that includes dishes that I make on a regular basis broken down into pasta, rice, and vegetable based dishes. When it's time to meal plan for the week I open up this list, grab a cookbook or The Flavor Bible, and maybe open up a few good websites to browse (I like Open Source Food as of late). I use some loose leaf paper to make three line sections where I'll fill in a rough breakfast/lunch/dinner schedule as follows:

As you can see, I've got kale, zucchini, and lentil soup, chili & corn bread, Mexican casserole, pesto & white bean quinoa (seen in this months' Vegetarian Times), lasagna rolls, pizza, and a black bean avocado taco superevent on the menu for this week. I don't really worry about making Thursday's meal on Thursday, we're pretty flexible on when that happens and sometimes you just don't feel like what's on the meal plan, and that's okay. The real point of having all this is so that I know that when I go to the store with the list based off this meal plan, that I will be purchasing enough food to theoretically feed myself and the boyfriend for however many days I've planned for.

It might be a bit overkill. Do I really need to fill in oatmeal, waffles, and eggs for breakfast every day? Yes, I do, because I will forget to put them on the grocery list to buy. Sometimes we'll shop for just dinner stuff and think we have some extra money to splurge on a bottle of something and then we realize we have no lunch or snack stuff available during the week. Lame.

So pictured above is my meal plan for this week, my grocery bill at Whole Foods came out to $68.50 and we bought juice, cookies, and a couple of personal items that weren't on the list. It is possible to shop healthy on a budget - even with a special diet!
- Patricia

Spring Mixer and a Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 03:33:00 +0000

Farmers Market Stir Fry

It's hard for me to believe that March is almost over. Very much an 'in like a lamb, out like a lion' year for me so far. As the year has progressed, the natural order of things has changed around our house as I returned to my seasonal night shift job and our schedule was turned on end as a result. We're eating and sleeping at much later hours than usual. I'm drinking coffee at 9:30 PM as I write this.

     I've been so busy lately reading, making meal plans that I want to share with you, finding new products, and trying out some new recipes. Finding the time for me to sit down and write about it all can be a challenge at times, so forgive the absence.

New Products
     I've come across a couple of new products I want to share with you. This first one is excellent prepared falafel from Falafel Republic. It comes in traditional and roasted garlic flavors and both are superb. Being huge fans of falafel, we have eaten and enjoyed both flavors. He eats them in pita pockets, while I just eat them plain with a dollop of hummus and a little chili garlic paste on top. They heat up in the oven in just under 10 minutes at 300. Our local HEB grocery was carrying them, but I think we may have bought them out. I hope they restock...

     The other product is Bob the Builder corn and rice pasta. I also found this at my local HEB but unlike Falafel Republic, I cannot find much information on the company. A Google search turns up mostly British results to stores where it is available for purchase. I don't know how common it is in the United States, but I can purchase it for $1.99 a bag. This is by far the cheapest gluten free pasta I've bought. It holds up to boiling and tastes good. Reheating does break the shapes apart, but it does not turn to mush. I do feel a little childish purchasing this at the store, but it's cheap and it's delicious.

Recipe
This springtime dish is the result of our weekly CSA box. We pretty much force feed ourselves vegetables in order to get our way through the box each week. I can't complain - we all need more vegetables in our diet. Simple vegetables are the key here - spinach can be subbed for kale if that is outside your comfort zone, and bell peppers could be swapped for the zucchini without any problems. Play around and find out what spring vegetables you enjoy most.

Farmers Market Stir Fry
Serves 2

Ingredients
3 handful kale, rinsed and ripped away from the stalk
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, washed and sliced
2-3 tbs water
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Herb blend of choice

Method
First... Heat oil in skillet, add onions and dash of salt, and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Then... Add vegetables, herbs, and water to skillet and stir well. Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender before adjusting seasoning to your liking.

Finally... Serve vegetables over rice and pour any excess water over rice for additional flavor. Add a dash of tamari for additional flavor!

Cookbook Review: Potato Salad by Debbie Moose

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:10:00 +0000

I got this book for two reasons; for one, potatoes and vegetarians go together very well, and two, potato salad is a great make ahead dish that can be kept in the icebox for several days and it still tastes good to just about everyone on the planet. I know some people are weird about leftovers (I live with one of those people) and being able to use the make-ahead method is great to help save time during the week.

It seems that in the potato salad world there are two camps, mustard and mayonnaise. Potato Salad, however, takes you beyond that school of thought and suggests pesto, yogurt, olives, tomato soup concentrate, olive oil, and even tahini as main ingredients for new versions of an old favorite. They all sound delicious, too.

The majority of the recipes in the book are naturally gluten free, but there are a few ingredients she mentions that may be up in the air such as vinegars, mustards, and dressings. Just double check before you buy something new and all should be well. As far as being dairy free or vegan friendly, the book offers a vegan mayonnaise recipe and any eggs called for can simply be omitted without much change to the quality of the recipe. Worcestershire sauce is called for a few times, and this contains fish if I remember correctly, but can be omitted for Bragg's or tamari.

Potato Salad does not stop at just salads, Moose has included more hearty dishes pairing the potatoes with crab, shrimp, tuna, and chicken. For the vegetarians, there are recipes for Tex-Mex style dishes with sweet corn and spicy jalapeños, other recipes are more simple calling for a simple olive oil and herb dressing.

Great book to keep on the shelf for reference. I was a bit put off at first by an entire book about potato salad. Really, how many ways are there? Apparently more than I ever thought possible, and now I'm craving a good curry potato salad!

Want to check the book out before you buy it? Click here.

Cookbook Review: Kids Fun and Healthy Cookbook by Nicola Graimes

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:34:00 +0000

While this cookbook is definitely not aimed at the gluten free community or at vegetarians, it is a fun book as the title promises! There are techniques and recipes in the book that are appropriate for children of all ages, so worrying about it not being for the right age group is not an issue if you're buying it as a gift. I would say it would be fine for kids up to 12 or so, depending on their personal skills.

I enjoy the fact that Graimes' book is readable (and enjoyable) by both children and adults. It gives plenty of safety advice, explaining things in a simple and calm manner while avoiding chastising reminders about hot stoves or making messes. I also enjoy the fact that Graimes discusses the different food groups and explains how each food plays a role in contributing to a balanced diet. I will say that the one thing I disagree with is that the book states that potatoes should not be considered as a serving of vegetables, while I think they should. Potato flakes, fries, potato chips, and the like are not considered servings, but real potatoes should be. Yams and sweet potatoes are great for you – there is no reason to not consider them vegetable servings.

All the basic cooking techniques are covered in the book, from egg cracking to whisking, stirring, basic sautéing, chopping, and peeling. The book itself is divided into sections for breakfast, light meals, main meals, desserts, and baking.

It is great to see a cookbook that is geared towards kids that both explains and utilizes fresh, whole foods in all the recipes. This book really pushes the fact that kids can accomplish many things on their own and should not be afraid to try to do new projects or ideas. The book is mostly plant based with a few dishes calling for meat thrown in. The use of eggs is pretty liberal throughout, simply because they are an easy to cook item.

For those of us on a gluten free diet, the majority of the recipes can be easily converted to suit our diet and the vegetarians and vegans can just substitute proteins and omit other ingredients to satisfy other needs. Some dishes, such as hard boiled eggs, would just be useless to the vegans, but there are relatively few of these instances.

Check the book out here before you buy it!

Happy cooking!

Morning Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:45:00 +0000

By the time the boyfriend and I get our coffee going and morning started, we've already been in the kitchen for about half an hour. I find it odd that considering this, I hardly ever make breakfast for myself. The boyfriend will toast these amazing-smelling toaster pastries we get him to hold him over, but I'm often left roaming the kitchen like some half-crazed, half-starved loon.

I've written before about how breakfast is that one meal I still struggle with to get some sort of consistency with. I understand that this is, technically speaking, not a difficult task to do. Bananas, cereal, oatmeal, eggs; there are tons of different foods available for breakfast time that are gluten free. For me, it's a combination of being a broke college student with a crappy part time job and a slight failure in the meal planning department I seem to be having. When I do my weekly meal planning, I often forget to get items for other meals besides dinner, so we'll end up eating the pasta I was saving for Wednesday night on Sunday afternoon.

The same thing goes for breakfast - I forget to pick up groceries for it. This is an exceptional pickle to place yourself in because it's a bit more difficult to convince yourself to eat pasta for breakfast. This got me thinking about a satisfying breakfast I could make with just what we had on hand.

We have rice. Mountains of several kinds of rice, and enjoy them all. We truly love rice. The grocery store nearest to our home has a great deal on 5lb bags of un-enriched Jasmine rice from Thailand we buy once or twice a month. So, this morning when I was trying to figure out what to make for breakfast, I naturally reached for the rice.

Hot Jasmine Rice Breakfast
Serves 1

1 C water, brought to a boil
1/2 C Jasmine rice
3 Tbs cane sugar
Cinnamon, to taste
1/4 C soy milk
1 Tbs vegan butter

Add rice to boiling water and stir well. This will cook a little faster than a normal serving of rice will, so watch it carefully to prevent scorching. When the water is around half absorbed add the sugar and cinnamon and stir well.
When the rice has finished cooking add the milk and butter, stir well, and enjoy!

Nothing at all...

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:15:00 +0000

Hey guys! This entry is going to be about nothing food related - just a check in to say hi, really.

After the holiday break that the whole world seemed to take from Thanksgiving till MLK Jr Day, it seems like things are finally back to normal and going in full swing. I'm enjoying that very much because it means more hours for me at work and it's easier to get business taken care of when you need to.

I know I've been a bit quiet lately, but all is well here. I've had some general stress with me only working part time hours and the boyfriend trying to get his IT business back up and running after his layoff at the end of last year. I've also been having issues with my transcripts and financial aid from Portland transferring back to Austin. Just a general mess, but that is what makes up life and keeps things interesting.

So other than work and trying to get my schooling straightened out, I've been looking for a better job, reading, and knitting. I went to a processing session today for a federal position that I've held in the past and I'm pretty sure that will go through for me. I've been trying to open up on what I'm inclined to read and ventured into westerns and I even picked up a couple of historical romance novels that were pretty interesting. I didn't know they were 'romance' at the time I began reading them and thought they were some pretty dirty novels in some spots, but once I was filled in on the fact they were also romance in addition to being historical fiction, I better understood.

Oh, upcoming books I'll be reviewing will include Potato Salad by Debbie Moose, Kids Fun and Healthy Cookbook (I'm excited about that one and I don't even have kids!), and the Autism and ADHD Diet.

Keeping this short, so that's all for now. I'll be back in February with more reviews and hopefully a new recipe or two for you guys.

Cookbook Review: Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:16:00 +0000

This book review has been a long time coming. I received Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko back in August as a pre-release and have been holding onto it and thinking about it for quite a while.

I was not familiar with Boutenko's past with green smoothies and a raw lifestyle before I read this book. I thought it would be an interesting read, and I'm all for learning about new diet suggestions and the reasoning behind it. I do not buy into many of these prescribed “diets” because I truly believe that dietary habits should be part of your lifestyle, fitting in and complimenting your activity levels and personal needs.

That is another blog for another day...

Green for Life initially caught my interest because there are times when I crave greens as bad as I crave sweets! Lentil soup with tons of spinach and kale, kale chips, pureed spinach sauce over curried chickpeas and rice, and butter lettuce salads are some of the things I've been eating lately. I've been trying to find easier ways to get in larger quantities of greens in our meals and thought that this book would provide some ideas to grow from.

The book begins with a back story of her family and the medical problems they were plagued with, including hyperthyroidism, chronic rheumatoid arthritis, fatigue, arrhythmia, edema, asthma, allergies, depression, and diabetes. There is a triumphant turning point in which the author cries all night, dramatically changes the family's dietary intake, and they run a 10k three months later to celebrate their awesome health.

I have no doubt that this happened, but I do doubt that it was the raw and green foods that did that. I'm not saying that they hindered their progress to this point, either. What I would like to call attention to is the fact that any sort of dramatic beneficial change to your diet is going to have dramatic impact on your overall health.

My main issue with the book is that I feel Boutenko is trying to sell her particular path or way of doing things without recognizing that there might be others out there that will not benefit from the suggestions as described. For instance, there is an entire section in the book devoted to testimonials from people who have gone on a 30 day green smoothie drinking 'cleanse' and had success. This section is followed by a question and answer session from other participants outlining their energy levels, elimination habits, and overall wellbeing before, during, and after the 30 day trial. This makes it feel a bit gimicky to me, but that's just one opinion.

The Amazon page has many 5 star reviews of people who are thrilled with the book and have adopted drinking their green smoothies everyday.

I did enjoy the book and the few recipes they did give, but what's wrong with just eating 4 kiwis and 2 bananas with a huge salad and a glass of water? Again, I'm sure that's just me.

I'd save your money on this book, or just browse through it at the store to get the general idea. I wish there was more emphasis on greens in addition to your already healthy-ish lifestyle, rather than pushing a green smoothie lifestyle that can fix all kinds of issues.

Cookbook Review: The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley & Melissa Clark

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:15:00 +0000

I recently came across The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley & Melissa Clark while I was browsing Amazon and instantly added it to the wish list to buy it when my financial days are a bit sunnier. I knew I would love it from the reviews and the awards it has won. Thomas, the boyfriend, saw it on the wish list a couple of days later and got it for me as a late holiday gift from Half.com for much cheaper.

     Out of the roughly 400 pages worth of recipes, only about 55 to 60 of them are not useable by those with Celiac. And I love that! In fact, most of the recipes are vegan or can be quite easily made vegan. Again, I love that!

     The book comes with high reviews from Amazon users and the author's other books have also garnered high marks from readers. I can see why with such a useful, non-intimidating, and delicious array of recipes that are broken down by type and season. There are no pictures of the meals, a feature that I like as it does not give false expectations (or hope!) to struggling / aspiring chefs. The book does, however, feature zine-like illustrations that show particular preparation methods, mostly of dough preparation and vegetable chopping.

     The book is divided into sections – Soups & Stews; Seasonal Salads; Vegetables; Pasta, Whole Grains, Polenta, Risotto, & Porridge; Beans & Pulses; Tofu, Tempeh, & Seitan; Breads; Condiments & Sauces; Desserts; Seasonal Menus. Each of these sections is further divided into subcategories like seasons, hot or cold, side or main entree, and dips or spreads.

     I heartily recommend this cookbook to vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike. I have not had many chances to cook out of this book yet, but I've already tagged a couple recipes to try out and I'll be sure to let you know when I do. The ingredients are made up of basic items that someone who is living outside of a metropolitan hub can have a fairly easy time finding. A few of the ethnic ingredients might be more challenging to find, but 99% of the ingredients called for can be gotten on a basic trip to the grocery store making it quite practical.

     Another point I want to mention, although it has nothing to do with the quality or variety of recipes, is the layout of the book. It's quite a visual book despite the lack of photos. the typesetting is enjoyable and the layout makes it easy to keep your place when only half paying attention.

Cookbook Review: The Allergy-Free Cookbook by Eileen Yoder

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Eileen Yoder has serious experience dealing with food allergies. She states in the preface to her second edition of *The Allergy-Free Cookbook*, her family has five generations of known food allergies. Some allergies are the same for one or two people and other allergens vary. As you can imagine, this cookbook came about out of sheer necessity.

     Yoder's cookbook is laid out so that information you might be searching for is easy to locate. There are two parts to the book. Part one is planning. Here, a section on replacements for the common allergens such as eggs, milk, and soy can all be found in one place, a section for dealing with children and food allergies has its own chapter, and easy ways to start and maintain an allergy-free diet can be found in another place. Part two is the recipes and begins with menus and lots of tips with shortcuts and time savers. Part two ends with listings of foods and their families, a very handy chart for those who are allergic to whole families of foods such as nightshades or

     The only unexpected thing I noticed in *The Allergy-Free Cookbook* is that while the front cover states “How to avoid the 8 major food allergens and eat happily ever after”, some of the recipes include these very ingredients. I had assumed when I got the cookbook (which I got here, by the way) that all of the recipes would be free of these allergens.

     Its not a big deal at all, and the cookbook is still an invaluable resource that can save your sanity if you are trying to meal plan and avoid more than one or two food allergens.

     While not all of the recipes are gluten free, many are gluten free naturally or can be easily adapted. There does seem to be quite a few recipes that call for wheat, rye, oats or oat flour, and barley. While these grains are usually easy to substitute out with other grains or a gluten free oat in most of the recipes, there are a few recipes that might prove more challenging to convert than others.

Happy cooking!