breaking gluten free

veganish taco dip! dip! as vegan as you want

2020-11-07T14:43:00.001-08:00

VegN Taco Dip Needs: large skillet, and deep serving dish

! Package of tempeh

1T brown sugar

1T liquid aminos (Trader Joes or Whole Foods)

1 T ground cumin

1T chili powder

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 c chopped white onion

1 c salsa

1/4 each salt and pepper

1 C sharp cheddar shredded (you do you, vegan of reg)

8 oz sour cream (also vegan or reg)

2 green onions sliced on the bias

3 T chopped cilantro

1 chopped, roma tomato

1 avocado

Bag of chips

In a small sauce pan combine 3 c water, brown sugar, liquid aminos, and sliced tempeh. Bring to a boil for 10 min. Drain tempeh from liquid. Let cool. Crumble. Heat a skillet with cooking spray or oil. Add crumbled tempeh, black beans, garlic and onion and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cumin, and chili powder, add salsa as beans and tempeh cook. Cook for 5-7 min.

While you cook the tempeh, chop avocado, or add avacado to 8 oz of sour cream and blend.

Assembly. In a nice deep dish, layer beans and tempeh, on top of that cheese, on top of that sour cream, (avacado if you didn’t blend together0, green onions, cilantro, chopped tomato. Serve with tortilla chips

Veggie Fries

2016-03-09T12:34:00.003-08:00

Here's a frozen convenience food that I can get behind. I don't usually opt for prepared foods because once I give the ingredient list a look, I can't. But these!!! These Veggie Fries are different. They have taken potatoes and paired them with other veggies and beans to make crispy, tasty, fast, fries. It's everything that I love about french fries - finger food that is a sturdy vehicle for dipping - plus added nutrition and flavor from some of my other favorite veggies. Here's why I'm digging them: Short list of ingredients comprised of things that I could buy separately (if I wanted to), they taste really good (Broccoli Potato is my favorite), and Non GMO, and gluten free, nut free, dairy free, soy free, and crispy outside, warm and soft inside, and they're not oily or soggy, and they taste wholesome and natural, and (gasp) they're easy. What do the kids say? Mic drop?

Chickpeas, red pepper, potatoes

Broccoli, potatoes

Carrots, potatoes

Kale, Tuscan beans, potatoes

To find your freezer section Click Me

Lemon and Cayenne Tea

2016-03-07T09:33:00.001-08:00

More than ever, I am mindful of what goes into my body. I eat with a cause now. Not obsessively (been there done that) but I am aware of the pros and cons of what I ingest. My body was pure chaos not long ago and now, through nutrition, I'm slowly calming the storm.

Some of my big, apparent problems have been circulation, and toxicity. My fingers still turn white and cold, and my feet get hot and red. That's just what I can see. If my blood is sluggish, I'm sure my insides are feeling annoyed too. A slew of symptoms also point to an issue with toxicity. Which came first-the mold or the trouble my body has with the detoxification process? (I'm currently reading into this and hopefully will have more fun facts to share).

A simple aid for both of these issues and several more is drinking a warm mixture of clean water, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Add maple syrup and you have what is called The Master Cleanse, made famous by Beyoncé. I skip the syrup and instead of only drinking this for a period of time, I drink it in conjunction with health supportive foods.

Why?

Stimulates circulation and detoxification

Aids digestion

Lowers blood sugar

Alkalizing

I personally, find it to be refreshing, energizing, and an appetite suppressant, as well. It Wakes me up without the jittery, uneasy feeling that I often get from coffee.

Lemon Cayenne Tea

8-12 oz clean water

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Pinch cayenne, quality, organic

Warm water, stir in lemon and cayenne. Drink 30 min before a meal.

Homemade Fast: Breakfast

2016-03-04T08:37:00.001-08:00

My breakfast break down

3 eggs, organic free range

1 clove garlic, minced

Sea salt

Couple kale leaves, cleaned and torn

Shredded red cabbage

Sea salt

Drizzle of olive oil

Sliced avacado

Cilantro

This is my favorite breakfast. Eggs whisked with minced garlic and sea salt. Poured into a hot non stick frying pan. I mix the eggs around as they begin to cook. Reduce heat to med low and leave them alone to set. While eggs cook, I tear up washed kale, season with salt. Flip my egg pancake finish cooking on opposite side. Top kale with shredded red cabbage and drizzle with olive oil. Plate the eggs and top with avacado and cilantro.

I find that this combination fills me up, balances my blood sugar, and fuels me for hours. It makes me happy.

Gluten Free Meatloaf

2016-03-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

Meatloaf Gluten free and Dairy free
Cook time: 1 1/2 hr. Prep time: 20 min.
Need: 9x9 loaf pan
Feeds: 4-5 hearty appetites
preheat oven 350 degrees

Just a note: try to use humanely raised animal products when and if possible. It's better for the animal, the environment, and you.

2 # ground beef
1 # ground pork
1/3 c rolled oats, a trusted GF brand
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
2 T tomato paste
1 tsp fennel seed, crushed
2 tsp dried rosemary, chopped
2 tsp dried sage, chopped
2 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper

tomato topping
4 T tomato paste
1 T ketchup
1 T balsamic vinegar
splash of hot sauce, optional
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the tomato topping, stir and set aside. Place all of the meatloaf ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands (remove rings) or a large wooden spoon, mix all of the ingredients together. Place in a 9x9 loaf pan and top with the tomato topping. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs. During baking, you may need to use a turkey baster to remove some of the drippings from the pan. Remove pan from the oven and let sit for 5-10 min before serving.

Homemade fast

2016-02-26T13:40:00.001-08:00

Beet Greens and Kale sautéed with olive oil, garlic, turmeric and chili powder. Squirt of lemon and a sprinkle of nori and sesame seeds. Some sweet potatoes fries on the side!

Nutritional Response Therapy Saved Me

2016-02-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

In August I was admitted into the hospital. After all day in the emergency room, I was admitted and given a room on the psychiatric floor. I don't remember much of that day, or that month, or the first few days following. When I woke up Monday morning I thought the neighbors had broken into the house and installed cameras in my bedroom. I thought that they had snuck in my house through hidden passages, beat me up, and stolen my purse. My right eye was crossed; I moved slowly, I couldn't put on my shoes by myself. My boyfriend gave me something to wear. He gave me a sweater that was ripped and had a stain and I pulled it over my messy tangled hair. I looked like someone living on the streets. But I wasn't. I was a baker from Ohio, with a college degree, culinary training, a family that loved me, a boyfriend, and a roof over my head.

The only parts of that whole weekend that I remember are things that didn't really happen. There was a huge party outside of my house honoring the dead. There were floats, people, music, burning incense, people leaving gifts on my front porch, ghosts crossing through the walls. I tried to find the story on the news. I called my brother and left him a voice mail. Part of the weekend I thought my phone was in Spanish, and couldn't use it. I saw mice, dogs, and cats running through the house. I tried to keep count of them. They must be coming in through the fireplace. I swatted at the mice with a broom and threw my shoe at the black cat. I tried to ask the people in the kitchen for water but they ignored me. I was so thirsty. My mom and brother stopped by, but they had to catch a bus to the airport so they just waived from the window. A woman dressed in black, with long gray hair stole my bike. She just walked out with it. All the people were just trashing my house. I called the police because the neighbor was pounding on my door screaming at me but when they came they couldn't find anyone. By that time I could tell myself not to say anything about what I was seeing around me. I didn't know what was real. It all looked real and sounded real, but nobody else could understand what had happened to me, see what I was seeing, or hear what I was hearing. I could barely walk. Each step took so much thought. I can only remember parts. I remember sitting in a room in the emergency room and having to go to the bathroom down the hall often. My boyfriend wheeled me down. I liked going through the food court. My brother was there eventually. I saw my brother's friend too but he had two heads. They, eventually, took me to a different room. My mom came from Ohio the next day but I don't remember. I saw my aunt and cousin at lunch though. I had to see a doctor but I spilled my purse on the floor and left. I pulled my i.v. out because I had to hide from the people trying to break into my room. I yelled at a nurse and my boyfriend. I couldn't eat my soup because I couldn't get my hand to pick up the spoon. My mom had to feed me. My boyfriend, had to wipe me. The sheets were so scratchy. I hated that hotel. "No one will ever want to stay here." They had mice too.

Day three, I finally made it through a day without a hallucination. I could answer the questions about where I was and who the President was, but I still couldn't name the Vice President. I could touch my nose with my own hand. I had to have a sponge bath and a bedpan. I couldn't walk on my own. I didn't know what was happening but I had a sense of relief. Nobody was spying on me or trying to hurt me. My mom says that she could almost see me thinking, constantly trying to compute what was happening around me. I use to compete in triathlons, ran a marathon, exercised intensely every day, graduated with honors but now my body and mind were failing me.

A year prior to that weekend, I had started to get red blotchy rashes on my forearms. Then, I started to get the same rash on the side of my face, along my hairline. I started developing hives everyday. The itching made my job impossible. I was a baker. I had to be physically and mentally able all day. I spent all day on my feet, moving, doing math in my head, remembering what had to come out of the oven when. I had to direct my fellow employees, and make sure we were ready for the next day. I tried to figure out what I might be allergic too. I had had problems all my life with eczema and rashes. I thought maybe I was having an allergic reaction to lemon juice.

One afternoon I was on the bus going home and my heart started to feel funny, my vision was distorted, it sounded like I was in a tunnel. I tried to breathe and stay calm. I didn't want to die on a bus. I knew my legs weren't going to work when I stood up. I tried to get my phone and call my boyfriend but I couldn't get a grip on the phone and it fell into my lap. My hands were cramping and curling. I stumbled off the bus at my stop. I held on to a chain link fence as I walked around the corner to my house. The stairs up to the front door looked so steep and my legs were so heavy. My boyfriend got me inside and gave me juice. I couldn't speak. I slowly, started feeling better. That sensation kept coming over me at work; clamminess, cramping, racing heart, shortness of breath. When I started to feel it coming on I would drink juice and push through. One day I couldn't push through, I had to go out back and I pace in the alley until I could speak again. I had to go home.

My bowl movements had been erratic for months. I often had loose stool and had several bowl movements a day. Sometimes I would feel very ill, and shaky after I would use the bathroom. Then, I was constipated for days at a time. One evening there was blood in my stool. Blood in my underwear. I was falling apart. I thought it would stop but when I woke up at 4:30 am there was still blood. I called in sick. I didn't have a doctor in San Francisco. I hadn't gone to a doctor for any of these problems that just seemed to be getting worse. I found a doctor and got an appointment that day. The doctor didn't spend much time with me, thought maybe the skin rashes had something to do with an allergy, and recommended a partial colonoscopy. I had the colonoscopy and the technician said he found internal hemorrhoids. It didn't make sense to me. They gave me suppositories and told me to drink more water.

My performance at work was suffering. The bosses suggested that I see a friend of theirs'. She was a chiropractor that specialized in holistic medicine. She told me that all of these problems seemed related to an autoimmune disorder and that it was most likely related to my job…..the gluten. All day everyday, I was surrounded by and covered in flour. This made perfect sense to me. I thought maybe I was having some sort of allergic reaction, and I had studied Celiac Disease and gluten intolerances, previously. I had been a gluten-free baker for years, before moving to San Francisco, and had studied health and culinary arts at The Natural Gourmet Inst. I had stayed away from eating gluten for years. Now, I was eating it, had my hands in it, and was covered in flour dust everyday. Finally an answer with an easy solution. I quit my job, a job that I really enjoyed, but if that would stop the itching, bleeding, bloating, and panic attacks, then that was a easy decision.

I found a serving job. I had been a server for years and years but this job seemed hard. I was still having bowel problems. I was still getting shaky and having strange vision problems around the times that I would have a bowel movement. I was having trouble concentrating; brain fog is a good term for how my head felt. Every now and then I would have a good day that reminded me how bad I was feeling every other day. I got fired, but I wasn't really surprised because I wasn't doing a very good job. I got another serving job. I was having the same problems but now my feet were killing me too. I bought new shoes. I couldn't remember the complicated menu but I was hoping it was just because it was traditional Thai cuisine. What was happening wasn't right, I studied so hard but I still had trouble. I had trouble with math. One night I threw up in an alley on my way to the bus. The staff meal must have made me sick. I started throwing up often. I couldn't eat much; only small amounts or I would throw up. I got demoted to food runner, and then fired. My boyfriend, who I was living with, was mad. I didn't see him much. He said I wasn't trying. I got another serving job but had all the same problems. I had a horrible time remembering the descriptive menu and seasonal specials and cocktails. Everything was making me sick, food, cigarettes, alcohol, smells. I had been having issues with my menstrual cycle for years but I took a pregnancy test, just in case. I had no appetite; the only thing I wanted to eat was gluten-free pizza. One morning I ate half of a piece of cold pizza and it made me throw up. I threw up all day. I thought it was the flu. I called in sick the next day and the next day and the next day. I was throwing up all day, everyday. I got fired again. I didn't have insurance anymore so I went to one of those quick emergency clinics. It was too expensive so the woman there recommended that I just go to the emergency room. I called a cab and went to the emergency room, by myself. I told them what had been happening. They did an ultra sound of my gallbladder. It was inflamed but he didn't know why. My liver counts were off. He gave me a prescription for anti-anxiety medication and anti-nausea medication. I found the bus stop, got a Happy Meal and went home.

I kept getting sick. I was fine for a few days but then it would start again. One night my heart was pounding, I couldn't catch my breath. I was home alone, so I tried to calm myself down but it wasn't working. I was sweaty and cold. I called 911 and they told me they would send the paramedics and they would assess if I actually needed to go to the hospital. I did. My heart rate was out of control. They hooked me to an I.V. and watched my heart. I had called boyfriend but he was at work. I called my brother and he was in Oakland. Boyfriend came to the hospital on his way home from work, but he was hungry so he went home. They released me in the morning and I took a cab home. When I got home, I was sitting on the couch and I saw a short person standing on the utility pole across the street. When I woke up in the morning my brain kept dreaming but I was awake. My balance was off. I kept falling into things. When I had to use the bathroom, I had to hold onto the walls and furniture to make the walk to the bathroom. Then the kids that lived behind us had a party, and I could hear the music pounding. I saw them sneak into our backyard then I heard music from the apartment below us. They broke in because the family that lived there was out of town. I called the police but they didn't come until the next day. The neighbors could see the light from my phone when I called and they yelled at me. There was a car parked across the street for days and a man and a woman sat in it all day. They had a dog too and he would sit on the sidewalk. I know now that none of that, except my fear, was real. I was alone-nobody snuck in, watched me from the roof across the street, stole my things, or harassed me. I couldn't leave the house because I couldn't walk down the stairs, which was for the better. I didn't know where Boyfriend was. It felt like it had been days since I had seen him. I thought the neighbors had taken him and they were keeping him in their basement. He was there that morning I went to the hospital though. I think that's why I yelled at him in the hospital. I didn't remember much but I remember him not being home.

They kept me in the hospital for 7 days. I felt like they wanted to keep me longer but they had done every test, and I had seen every specialist. They each seemed perplexed when they would visit me. Nobody knew what was happening. My heart rate was extremely high so I was connected to a machine constantly. They took blood multiple times a day and collected my pee in jars. I had scans, x-rays, spinal tap, suction cups on my head. My nurse was nice. We spent everyday together but I can't remember her name. My mom spent every day sitting in uncomfortable chairs, watching me try to eat by myself, giving me sponge baths, and helping me walk up and down the hall, as I got stronger. My brother brought me outside food and movies. I could tell he was uncomfortable visiting me but that was ok. Boyfriend would come for a little bit each day but I was always in and out getting tests and he was uncomfortable around my mom. I started to hate it in the hospital. I could never sleep, people were always coming in my room, machines and alarms were always going off. One nurse came in at 5 am and took 8 vials of blood. She had told me to keep sleeping but she kept dropping things and her shoes were squeaky. I think she took too much blood. After seven days, they had thrown around several names of disorders and diseases that could have put me in this condition but they couldn't say for sure. They did know that I was deficient in Vit D and B, my blood cell counts were weird and other organs were operating under par. My optic nerve was inflamed too.

I stayed at my brother's apartment with my mom for 5 days before I could fly. My mom took me back to Toledo, Ohio. I said goodbye to Boyfriend in the doorway of my brother's apartment. It broke my heart, I love him and didn't want to leave but I couldn't take care of myself. I still couldn't think clearly. I was slow to react emotionally, physically, and intellectually. My skin was itchy, my feet burned, I had numbness in my limbs, and I couldn't see well out of my right eye. Standing in the shower took everything that I had. I couldn't walk but a few blocks. After a few follow up appointments in San Francisco, which still lead to no answers, I flew nervously back to Toledo. I couldn't walk up stairs well, my balance was still off, my handwriting was awful, my hair was falling out and my memory was bad. I was too confused to care about anything. I cried a lot. I still do sometimes. I had flash backs of the hallucinations or dreams or whatever that mental state was. I remember it so clearly. I start to sweat when I think about what the people at all of those jobs that I was fired from must think about me. Hopefully they quickly forgot about me.

After being back in Toledo for a few weeks I was referred to The Nutritional Healing Center in Ann Arbor, MI. Nothing else was working, and traditional doctors had no answers. I had seen a neurological obstetrician to figure out why I couldn't see but he just told me to come back in a few weeks. I had really given up on doctors but this approach to healing had my attention. For a long time I had believed in using food as medicine, I am against Big Pharma, and I had nothing to loose so we made my first appointment. I had to fill out a simple but long questionnaire about what ailed me. The most shocking thing was the results of my heart test, which showed that I had the health of someone between 80 and 90 years old. I guess it wasn't that shocking but hard to see on paper. I definitely felt 90.
I spoke with the Dr. and he asked me typical questions about lifestyle and work. Rewind: When I first started feeling worse and worse, I still wasn't feeling great after quitting my job, so I started thinking about other environmental triggers that could be doing me harm. In the bedroom I slept in, there was a large window with mold around the frame and in between the panes. There was mold on the wood molding along the exterior wall and behind the bed. Our shower was quick to mold, despite how much cleaning we did. I had Boyfriend help me get rid of the heavy drapery from the bedroom because it had mold growing on it as well. I had concerns about that mold and when the doctors in the hospital asked me endless questions about toxins in the workplace or in the home, I would tell them that we had reoccurring mold in the house. They asked if anyone else in the house was sick but nobody was so the conversation would end there. This Dr. was different. He seemed to have an "ah ha" moment after a long line of questions, when I mentioned the mold.
He started the response testing to find the weakness in my body. For example; I had trouble with my heart so I would place one hand over my heart and he would test the strength of my extended arm in the presence of different substances. He didn't give me a diagnosis as you might expect from a doctor specializing in western medicine. He didn't say, "Kristen, you have heart disease" but he could tell me that I had leaky gut, and issues with my nervous system, immune system, circulation, and toxicity. I was still mentally slow so I tried to absorb as much information as I could but it wasn’t easy. He started me out on a few supplements and a strict anti-Candida diet, dealing with the most uncomfortable and serious issues first. I needed to detoxify, heal my gut, and strengthen of my internal systems so they can effectively do there jobs.

Fortunately, my culinary training left me well equipped to take on such a dramatic eating plan. No sugar, fruit, grains, nightshades, dairy, or fermented foods. Organic meat, some fish, green vegetables, some nuts and legumes, olive oil, organic eggs, organic tea, were o.k. The list of "ok" foods was much shorter than the list of "no" foods. It was easy to stick to when the alternative is living in the body of a 90 year old. Within a week I started feeling and sleeping better. The fog started to lift. I went back to see him every week and he chipped away at the symptoms. I started seeing improvements in my balance, and motor skills. The itching went away and my memory improved. Numbness started to fade, my feet stopped hurting as much, and my heart returned to a normal rate. My handwriting returned to normal and my hair started growing back. I started doing yoga everyday and I could walk up the stairs without holding on. I started driving and jogging again. Last week I had my period again for the first time, without taking birth control pills, in 14 years. My vision and circulation are also improving. I have been using this therapy for 6 months and I feel healthier than ever. I can't even express how grateful I am. I went from hospitalization with no diagnosis, hallucinations, confusion, bleeding, rashes, irregular heart rate, and loss of motor skills to healthy again with out any procedures or medications. It blows my mind when I talk about were my health was 7 months ago. 7 days in the hospital and they could not do what my Dr. did in the first visit.

So why did I share this? The fist thing I did when I started feeling sick was Google my symptoms. I continued to do so through out my fight, looking for someone that had the same problems in hopes that they had found a cause. My symptoms were vague and while putting myself on an anti-Candida diet crossed my mind a year ago, I turned to medical doctors to tell me what was wrong but they couldn't. In writing my experience down and putting it out there on the internets, maybe somebody with a similar struggle will find it and it will give them hope or shed some light on a possible cause or treatment. I also want to share that it's not all rainbows and roses now. I have my physical health back but I haven't worked in a year, I have very very little money to my name, some new debt, I live in Toledo, Oh in my mom's house (I love mom but didn't think we'd ever be roommates again), Boyfriend is 3,000 miles away, I'm starting over from nothing at 34. It crushes me when I think about what my family and Boyfriend have gone through too. Some days it's too much. Recovery is exciting but an uphill struggle. When I get upset I start to feel guilty, like I have no place feeling bad, I should be grateful and happy. The guilt makes the disappointment and frustration even worse, and I can’t imagine that I’m alone here.

I can't say I know for sure that this was ALL caused by mold in the house I was living in, but it was a piece of the puzzle. Response therapy has worked for me in conjunction with cleaning up my lifestyle, dealing with stress, eating extremely well, and taking supplements as directed by my doc. You are your best doctor if you can stop and listen to all your senses before you spiral out of control. I encourage you to do what you can through diet and lifestyle to preserve your health in the present and never underestimate the power of the basic building blocks of your life. Look in the mirror, literally, and look objectively. Food, shelter, environment, and relationships are our most basic needs. I let the quality of the basics slip and the rest fell apart. I had let everything in my life take off into a tornado. It could have ended worse than it did. I came out of it with a new appreciation for my instincts, appreciation for my life, and a deepened respect and compassion for the mentally ill. I can only hope that I can draw upon this experience to help others in the next chapter of my life.

Namaste

Kristen

Gluten-free Chili

2016-01-14T12:01:00.001-08:00

So I'm back in Ohio right now. It's warm today (30). The cold isn't gone for long though. It will be back down to 0 before you know it and you might like to try this recipe.

The name of my cooking game these days seems to be "Make what you can with what you already have." It's actually working really well. I ditched my car when I moved to SF. Not a problem, I actually loved it when I was in the city, but in Ohio it's difficult. I would walk to the store but it's cold and slippery and not pedestrian friendly. Throw my lack of money in the mix and it's just depressing. These hurdles have lead to extra time in the day and some good meals.

A quick learning moment: Always remember to check labels. A number of store bought broths or stocks contain gluten. Why? Fillers and additives.

Gluten-free Chili

1 T Olive oil

2 lbs. Ground turkey or beef

2 T garlic, minced

2 c onion

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 c. celery, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

3 T chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayene

4 oz tomato paste

2 15 oz cans of Kidney beans

3 c diced tomatoes

3 c broth/stock

salt and pepper

Start by chopping your onion and garlic, and place it in a bowl. Next prep the pepper, celery and jalapeno, placing it in a separate bowl. Heat olive oil in a large pot over med/high heat. Brown meat and then season with salt. Add the chopped garlic and onion, and cook until aromatic. Stir in tomato paste. Add the celery, red pepper, and jalapeno. Stir in the spices. Add the diced tomato and broth/stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Taste, add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30-45 min. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, chopped raw onion, or cheese.

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

2016-01-06T12:34:00.001-08:00

Cold, fat, and broke after the holidays? Make soup. Tasty, filling, simple soup. I made this with what was in the house and it was great and there's leftovers. I developed flavor on the fly by roasting the squash and onion in the oven, first.

Butternut Squash Soup

Gluten-free, dairy free

2 c. Stock or broth or water

1 c. Almond milk

1 lrg. Butternut Squash

1 medium white onion

1 small pear

1 tsp.Turmeric

1/2 tsp. Ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Line or oil a baking sheet. Peel, remove seeds, and chop the squash. Place on the baking sheet. Peel, remove ends, and quarter the onion. Do the same with the pear but also remove the core. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle veggies with olive oil and salt. Place in oven to bake until soft, about 20 minutes. While veggies and pear are roasting, get out your blender, make a salad, then put the broth/stock/water on the stove to boil, in a med/lrg pot. Add turmeric, nutmeg, and ginger to the water. When stuff in the oven is done, add it to the boiling water. In batches, blend the boiled stock and veggies and almond milk until smooth. It won't all fit in the blender at one time so have another pot or bowl at the ready. Add salt and pepper, to taste, stir, and serve.

Simple Gluten Free Dairy Free Brownies

2015-12-20T12:16:00.001-08:00

These are perfect brownies to make on the fly. Too much shopping, decorating, cleaning, cooking, caroling, wrapping, and you need something to take to that party!!!! Everyone likes brownies and you probably have all of these ingredients at home.

Simple Gluten Free Dairy Free Brownies

Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 25-30 min

Preheat oven: 350

1 3/4 c. Natural cane sugar

1/4 c. Maple syrup

3 Eggs

3 T. Oil

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Xanthum gum

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1 c. AP Gluten free flour (Bob's Red Mill)

1c. Cocoa powder, unsweetened.

Grease a 9x9 baking pan. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the salt-cinnamon. In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light and foamy. Add the syrup, oil, and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix slowly, just until combined. You could mix in chopped nuts, chocolate chunks, or candy at this time. Don't over mix. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Citrus rosemary roasted chicken....gluten-free

2013-03-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

As you may notice from the above picture I roasted my chicken face-down. I don't know who decided that the breast was suppose to face up, but I feel like they were wrong. If the breast is up all the juice is just going to drain out of it as it cooks, right? Basting doesn't really do anything because the juice just runs off the crispy skin back in the pan, right? As I learned from my mistake, if you cook the breasts facing down as I did, they stay moist and extra flavorful from resting on the herbs, onions, and citrus. Now, the breast skin wasn't crispy but i don't care about that. You could probably flip her over and broiler her for I bit for some color and crunch.

Citrus Rosemary Roast Chicken

350 degree oven

4 servings

4 lb. Roasting Chicken...get yourself a nice free range, natural guy

2 lemons

1 large orange

1 medium red onion

6-7 sprigs of rosemary

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 big T butter

salt and pepper

Slice 4 thin slices from the orange and one lemon. Slide the citrus and two sprigs of rosemary under the chicken's skin. Quarter the remaining fruit and onion (reserve a few chunks for the cavity) and spread in the bottom of a roasting pan, along with remaining rosemary. Place the chicken, breasts down, onto of the fruit and onion in the pan. Shove the remaining fruit quarters, and garlic in the cavity. Put blobs of butter on top and generously salt and pepper the chicken. Place in the preheated oven. Roast for 1 hour at 350 degrees then increase heat to 450 degrees and bake another 20-30 min. You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature or wiggle the wing bone. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 min.

This picture if extra sad when you think about his back getting all sunburnt.

Gluten-free peanut butter and jelly brownies

2013-03-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

I saw a brownie at Molly Stone's the other day and I wanted it so badly. I didn't buy it though as it was not gluten-free, it was way over priced, and I knew it would be disappointing. I would much rather eat a brownie that I made but I couldn't rationalize making a whole pan of brownies. I had a little (actually big, it felt very big) dancing brownie in my head for days. And then it happened, "National Peanut Butter Day." Finally an excuse to make brownies! All I had to do was make up a recipe that combined brownies and peanut butter and I could have the brownie I'd been waiting for. I have been thinking a lot about jam these days as well so, what the hell, let's make it a pb&j brownie.

PB&J Brownies
preheat oven to 325

12 oz chocolate (Trader Joe's semi-sweet choc. chips are GF)
12 oz unsalted butter
11 1/4 oz Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour (yes, oz. I'm doing you a favor. Measuring this way is way more accurate. Get yourself a scale)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs
1/2 cup sucanot
1 1/2 cup cane sugar
4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 jar of natural peanut butter (room temperature)
1/2 c jam

Spray, or butter a 9x13 baking pan.
Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler (a bowl set on top of a pot of simmering water.) You could also use a microwave, I guess.* Set the melted chocolate aside and measure out all of the dry ingredients (flour-salt) and sift into a bowl (annoying but you don't want flour and cocoa lumps.) Set that aside and in a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and bubbly. Next, add sugars and vanilla to eggs and beat until thick. Now, add a small amount of chocolate to the eggs and beat a few seconds. If the chocolate is still warm this will prevent the eggs from scrambling. Add the rest of the chocolate and beat until combined. Next, slowly dump in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Pour peanut butter over the batter. You don't want to try to cover all the batter, think Jackson Pollock. Plop the jam on top in a similar fashion. Pour the remaining batter over the pb&j layer. Spread it out evenly if you need to. Now, run a knife horizontally, then vertically, through the batter to "swirl" the pb&j through the brownies. Bake for 30-35 min. Remove from the oven and cool. The cooling part is very important because, take my word, hot jam is like lava.

*I find that method annoying. You have to keep opening and closing the microwave and stirring, and it's way easier to burn the chocolate in the microwave.

Gluten-free happy hour

2013-02-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

Lately I haven't been able to wrap my head around the idea that there is gluten in alcohol. I just didn't understand where the gluten could be in a bottle of vodka. How can gluten make it through the distillation process? Why does every list of foods to avoid on a gluten-free diet include alcohol? I needed answers.

Apparently I was right, technically, gluten would not pass into the final product when the fermented base for the alcohol is distilled. Distilling turns alcohol into vapor which is then turned back into liquid. The alcohol passes into a new vessel and the gluten stays behind. So, if you were to make some moonshine in your back yard and thoroughly distill it, even if you used grains, you shouldn't have a reaction to it. In theory, distilled alcohol is gluten-free.

Here's the catch.....sometimes stuff is added to alcohol after it is distilled to enhance flavors and color. That's where things might go horribly wrong for you if you have Celieac disease or a gluten intolerance. The bad news is that the labeling on alcohol is not very helpful. The good news is that there are safe options so you do not have to say good-bye to happy hour.

Here's a few go-to brands. Cheers!
Tito's Vodka
Ciroc Vodka (thanks Diddy)
Patron Silver Tequila
Jose Cuervo Tequila
Beefeaters Gin
Jagermeister
Maker's Mark Bourbon

*the brands listed above state that their products were gluten-free at the time this list was created. To ensure your best health, continue to do your own research. Yeah, that means don't try to sue me.

Gluten and Allergen Free Expo is Coming to San Francisco

2013-02-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Two days of gluten-free fun is happening February 9th and 10th in San Francisco. Vendors, cooking demos, speakers and it's all gluten-free. I am most excited about the prospect of free samples but what are you looking forward to?

"The Gluten & Allergen-Free Expo Vendor Fair will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Saturday, February 9 and Sunday, February 10, 2013 at the San Francisco
Marriott Airport Waterfront Hotel. The cost to attend the Vendor Fair is $20 for
adults and $5 for children ages 3 – 12. Early admission tickets (9 a.m.) are
available for an additional fee online. General tickets are available online or at
the door. The ticket price also includes an allergen-free arts and crafts area for
kids, as well as staged presentations related to gluten-free living and cooking.

To purchase tickets or obtain additional information, including vendors,
presenters’ bios and the full schedule of classes and stage presentations for
each day, visit www.gfafexpo.com."

Oh, and don't forget to bring some cash so you can scoop up gluten-free stuff at the vendor fair.

http://gfafexpo.com/

2013-01-31T15:57:00.001-08:00

gluten-free gingerbread cake

2012-12-29T17:54:00.002-08:00

I usually post an enticing picture before the blurb and the recipe but I thought I had a little explaining to do first. First you can rest assured that my gluten-free gingerbread cake is just as tasty the week after you make it. I had a wonderful week full of procrastination and couldn't find the time to photograph this amazing cake, untouched. Since I hate posting a recipe without a picture, I figured what the hell, a picture of stale gluten-free gingerbread cake is better than no picture at all.

So what happened was a lot of holiday parties. I gave most of the cake away but the rest did stay in the pan and when I woke up hungover I chiseled pieces off. This is what is left. Happy Holidays!!

gluten-free gingerbread cake
time: not too long
Soften your butter, get your 9X13 pan out, and heat your oven to 350 degrees

1 stick of butter, softened
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. boiling water
2 tsp baking soda (bs)
2 1/2 c. all-purpose gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1 T + 1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp xanthum gum
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 c. molasses
2 eggs

Spray or butter your 9x13 pan and dust with cinnamon and flour. Combine water and baking soda, and put it out of the way. In a medium bowl combine flour through baking powder and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and well until everything is combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the molasses and mix lightly. Next, add the water and baking soda mixture and mix slightly on low. Now, it's time to add the flour and mix on low, just until combined. Pour the batter into your prepared pan, place in the oven and bake 30-35 minutes. I don't know what to tell you to do next since I left mine in the pan for a week. I would recommend slicing into squares and arranging on a wintery tray.

Gluten-free pumpkin yogurt

2012-10-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was shopping at Trader Joe's and pumpkin yogurt caught my eye. Ah! I was so tempted and so close to putting it in my basket, but I knew better. I went straight to the nutrition facts and sure enough, 24 g of sugar. And right back on the shelf. Then I picked it up again just to see what was in in. It was just pumpkin puree, yogurt and lots of sugar. Trader Joe, thanks for the idea but mine will involve way less sugar.

Pumpkin yogurt

yields one serving

1/2 c. Greek yogurt

1/2 c. pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

stevia or your healthier than sugar sweetener of choice

cinnamon

nutmeg

Put pumpkin and yogurt in a bowl. Add sweetner according to your taste, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg. Stir until combined.

Gluten-Free beer!!!

2012-10-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free beer that tastes like beer. I would like to recommend that you drink Omission while watching the MLB play offs and Sunday football.
I've had more varieties of beer than I should admit to and I've also had many a gluten-free beers. I do believe I could pick the gf beer in a taste test, sad face. There are however, some good gf beer options and Omission is a really great one. Added bonus, the people behind the beer are pretty awesome too. I had a chance to meet several of them here in San Francisco a couple weeks ago. Drink it, love it, feel like a normal beer loving person again. Cheers!!

Omission. They have a pretty great merchant finder on their website.

Gluten free pumpkin chocolate cheesecake

2012-10-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting that it's Fall. All the signs of Fall that I'm use to don't exist in San Francisco. There's no annoying Ohio State v. Michigan banter, I have yet to see an inflatable Brutus, no leaves to rake, and no change in temperature. My only reminder is the giant bin of pumpkins at SafeWay. Fall equals pumpkins everywhere.

p.s. People visiting from Asia like taking pictures of the pumpkins at SafeWay. I think it might even be a stop on some tour.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake
serves: 12ish

Crust:
2 c. shelled walnuts
1/4 c. evaporated cane sugar
3 T. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 T butter, melted

Filling:
2 c. low-fat cottage cheese ( I recommend organic, it tastes way better)
2 8oz packages of reduced fat cream cheese
15 oz pumpkin puree (canned is fine but if you use homemade you'll feel like Martha Stewart)
2 eggs
1/2 c + 3 T cane sugar
1/2 c sucanot
1/2 tsp salt
1 T cinnamon
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
4 oz dark chocolate, melted
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray with cooking spray, a nine inch spring-form pan. Combine the first four "crust" ingredients in a food processor and process for 1 minute. Add melted butter and process just until combined. With clean hands, press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the greased pan. Bake the crust for 12 minutes, then set aside to cool.

Clean your food processor, then process the cottage cheese for 2-3 minutes, until smooth. While the cheese is processing, melt the 4 oz of chocolate, stir in cinnamon, and set aside. Now, add the cream cheese, sugar, sucanot, and eggs to the cottage cheese, processing until combined. Scrape down sides. Next, add the pumpkin-ginger, pulse a few times to combine. Place 3/4 c. of the filling in a bowl and rapidly stir in the melted chocolate. Pour the rest of the filling over the baked crust. Drop dollops of the chocolate/filling combination in the pan. Drag a knife through the filling, being careful not to hit the crust, to create the chocolate swirl. Place the pan in the heated oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and with a sharp knife go around the sides between the cake and the pan. Allow to cool, release the sides of the pan, then refrigerate for 6-8 hours or over night is even better.

Gluten-free shiratake and wakame salad

2012-09-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

After you've eaten a pound of Giants garlic fries (see previous post,) you're going to want to eat this for a meal or two. It's very zen, ya know. So, these shiratake noodles I speak of can be found in most grocery or health food stores in the refrigerated section (usually with the tofu and other "healthy" things.) Most brands that I've seen are gluten-free but read the bag to make sure.

Gluten-free Shiratake Noodle and Wakame salad
Feeds: 2-3

1 package of gluten-free shiratake noddles (read directions on back, the part about rinsing etc. and do that. Don't make the fettuccine Alfredo though)
1/3 c. dried wakame (a popular sea vegetable)
1/2 of a cucumber or 1/3 of an English cucumber (they make them longer in England)
1/4 cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. mirin
1 tsp miso paste
1 tsp sesame seeds

While you follow the package directions for soaking the wakame, whisk together the sesame oil thru miso paste. Thinly slice the cucumber. Put everything in a bowl and toss together. It will taste better if you let it sit for 10 min. to soak up the dressing.

Gluten-free Giants garlic fries

2012-09-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

I went to my second Giants game last week but had my first experience with the garlic fries. They are totally worth the risk of smelling like garlic for at least 24 hours. A homemade version was in order.
*By stating that this recipe is gluten-free, I'm not saying that AT&T Park's garlic fries are gluten covered, I just like to point out that my recipes are gluten-free blah blah blah

Gluten-free Giants Garlic Fries
Feeds: 2 or 1 (no judgement)

2 Big potatoes
1/3 c. minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped parsley
olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cut potatoes to resemble fries. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with 2 tsp of olive oil. Line a baking sheet with foil (unless you like scrubbing baking sheets.) Dump fries onto a baking sheet and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with salt then place in oven. While the fries bake, combine the minced garlic, and 2 more tsp of oil in that large bowl (I also added a splash of vinegar but that's up to you.) Bake until crispy and browned, about 35 minutes-ish. Remove from the oven and toss the fries in the bowl with the garlic and oil, until all the fries are coated. Return to the oven for 7 min., sprinkle with parsley. Dig in.

Spicy Hummus

2012-09-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

For the last two weeks I have been obsessed with hummus, both eating it and making it. If I don't put hummus on something, I put Sriracha on it. Naturally, I ended up putting the two together. Yes, it's glorious.

That's a spicy hummus

1 can of chickpeas, drained

1/4 c. tahini

1 T Sriracha

2 tsp lemon juice

1 T olive oil

salt to taste

some water to achieve desired consistency

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Turn it on and let it go until it turns into hummus.

nectarine margarita !!

2012-08-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

Nectarines are delicious this time of year, and tequila and limes are delicious any time of year. I sure am glad I decided to put them together.

yields: 1 drink (depending on how big your glass is, mine was pretty big)
Run a lime wedge around the rim of your glass then dip it in salt. Make sure if you want a salted rim that you do this first, before you pour your drink in and make a lot more work for yourself

1/2 of a nectarine (taste it first, and keep tasting until you get a good one. You don't want to mess this up)

juice of 1 lime

splash of triple sec or Grande Marnier

Silver Tequila, how much is up to you

If you like things a little sweet add some agave

Combine all of the above in a blender and blend until combined. Pour into your salted glass, over ice. mmmm

If you fell off of your bicycle today, like i did, this is just what you need. Cheers!

Gluten-free blueberry basil muffins

2012-08-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free and Dairy-free Blueberry Basil Muffins
Preheat oven to 325. makes 12 muffins.

2 cups of All-purpose gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, thinly sliced

3/4 c. natural cane sugar
2 T honey
4 T coconut oil (melted, but not hot or you'll scramble your egg)
1/2 c. almond milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 pint of blueberries

Line a muffin tin with muffin papers, or spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine flour-basil. In a big enough bowl that you can whisk in without slopping milk and egg all over, combine sugar through vanilla and whisk together well. Now, add the sugar mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Next, gently fold in the blueberries. Gentle here, you don't want to smash the berries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups and place pan in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. Test with a toothpick to make sure they are done.

Gluten-free chocolate nests

2012-04-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

The classic coconut and chocolate nest filled with jelly beans seems harder to find these days. It might be even harder to find one with gluten-free jelly beans. Because these Easter treats hold a very special place in my heart, I set out to make them myself.

Chocolate Nests......makes 12

2 1/2 c. sweetened, shredded coconut
2 c. dark chocolate chips or chunks
salt
jelly beans
arm yourself with damp and dry towels to keep your fingers clean. Try not to get chocolate on the jelly beans.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Open the jelly beans and spread out or put in a bowl. Measure coconut into a large mixing bowl. Over a double boiler (glass or metal bowl resting ontop of a pot of boiling water) melt chocolate. Careful not to burn it as that would ruin everything. Add a pinch of salt to the melted chocolate and stir. Then pour the chocolate over the coconut and stir to combine well. The chocolate will stiffen up, so work quickly. With a spoon or scooper, drop mixture onto lined cookie sheet. A note about size: to yield 12 nests, use ping pong sized balls, but you can make them bigger or smaller as you see fit. Make an indent in the center and place jelly beans in the indent. You can use your hands to make the nest more circular if need be. If the mixture starts to get too hard, microwave it for a few seconds to re-melt and continue working. The more you do, the better they'll look, once you get the hang of working quickly and shaping the mixture. Place baking sheets in the refrigerator and chill until set.