19 posts tagged “gluten-free”

yes, i'm still here, still cooking, and still on a tight budget.  last week, the challenge was to dig through the pantry and freezer and see what i could create.  easiest option for lunches that week was certainly chili.  i didn't feel like following any of the couple dozen recipe's i've tried, so instead, i stood at the stove and winged it. 

best. chili.  ever.

kelly's pantry chili

'pantry' chili

heat up about 2 T of olive oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven. turn off heat and drop in 2 jalapenos (i did seeds and all for a real kick) and 4 cloves of garlic finely diced to infuse the oil while you finely chop 1 very large red onion.

turn the heat back on to high so that the chiles and garlic start to sizzle and drop in the onion. give it a quick saute until the onions start to become translucent. add 1 pound ground beef and break up with a wooden fork. add salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and a healthy splash of worcestershire sauce. continue to stir and break up beef until pink is few and far between.

add:
1 can tomato paste
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomato
1 can each black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans, all undrained (or drained if you want a really thick chili)
about 1/2 a can of refried beans. i used amy's refried pintos with chile and lime.

get fun with the flavors by grating in a healthy dose of cinnamon. chop up some extra bitter (82% pure cocoa) chocolate. have no idea how much i added -- enough to darken the red tomato base and give just the faintest hint of sweetness before the heat starts to warm around the tongue.

bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. check seasons and adjust to taste let simmer as long as you can stand before grabbing a quick bowl and getting all warm and cozy with some corn chips and the leftover refried beans.

i know, i know, i've been quiet.  but things have been rolling along mostly without incident.

mostly.  last week, i was getting glutened everyday at lunch.  which is annoying because i MADE my lunch (my favorite sante fe chicken soup) and knew there was no gluten.  the only thing i could put my finger on was perhaps the high amounts of corn -- both in the soup and the tortilla chips it is served over.  i've been known to have a corn sensitivity in the past.  and now with wheat out of the picture, i was going to get might cranky if corn has to go, too.

yet when i had the soup on the weekend (both sunday night when i made it, and the last bit on saturday), no stomach problems.  so i'm befuddle by it.

but on top of the stomach issues, the fatigue was back big time. 

this week's lunch was a cheapo, not my fave by any measure fare: veggie enchilada caserole.  basically, lots of canned tomatoes, beads, some corn tortillas cooked in the slow cooker.  again, i allowed myself a scant helping of corn chips on the side (because this recipe is just 'mere sustenace' -- not my usual 'i love food' foodie fare).

stomach is still rather fritzy, but with no prediction. 

so i'm trying to plan out groceries for tonight (money still squeaky-tight) and seeing if i can kill the corn for a week.  so i think i'm going to do a risotto.  mmm, creamy with cheese and i have peas and pancetta in the freezer i can toss in there.  i'll see if any meats are on sale that i can pick up, but if all else fails, i picked up some pork loin fillets last week on sale.  i was hoping to save them for katsudon (japanese style pork and rice bowl).

my favorite from last week was the mix of romaine and baby greens salad with a new dressing (cindy's kitchen roasted garlic and rosemary vinaigrette -- yum!), shredded roast chicken and crumbled goat cheese.  i cannot tell you how anxious i was to get home each night, run on the treadmill and then settle down with a big plate of salad. 

The Gluten Free Pantry continues to rock my socks.  another batch of brownies for my treat each night (perfect will Eddy's limited edition peppermint ice cream), and i made up some corn muffins (to try and torture my stomach more).  as will most gluten free bread/cake items, the muffins are crumbly, but very good.  i also ordered a case of their coffee cake mix on amazon since my WF doesn't carry that flavor mix.  that will be cooked up this weekend.

still searching for a GF chocolate chip cookie recipe that doesn't involve 33 ingredients.  i'd rather it be a mix when it comes to baking.  cooking is one thing, but baking is a pain in the butt IMO.

and making dough and deep frying is where all the mess comes in.  but i was craving craving craving samosa this week!  i will admit an unnatural addition to WF samosa and red onion chutney (which they need to bottle), but alas, i can no longer partake.

or can i. . . .

i decided to do some serious mucking about in the kitchen, and after checking our various recipes for samosa, decided the filling alone would do me.  but we'd give it *my* twist.

so here are my wrap-less samosas (or, "samosa guts", if your are feeling cheeky)

5 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, boiled whole until soft
1 bag frozen green peas
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 jar Taj Ethnic Gourmet Dehli Korma Simmer Sauce*

drain the cooked potatoes and let cool enough to give a rough chop to about 1 inch cubes.  and yes, i left the skins on, that'swhy i went withteh yukon gold.  i don't beleive in peeling potatoes, and the yukon gold skin is nice enough to leave on for any mash you are making. 

toss potatoes back into cooking pot, and pour over Simmer Sauce and put on low flame while chopping the onion to add, and stir in the frozen peas (i used about 3/4 a bag, but could have used a full bag -- go on your own preference).  some of the potato chucks will hold together nicely, and the rest will cream in with the sauce.  check seasoning and adjust as needed.

this was the perfect comfort-food lunch all week -- seven serving easily!  a little peice of chicken and some steamed broccoli on the side made a very full meal.  i'm keeping this one in mind or quick, easy and cheap!

*note that this is gluten-free but does contain light cream.

so tuesday's adventure out, actually turned into two adventures out.  but more on that later.

so as i mentioned, vinny t's had been called ahead of time and knew i would need a gluten-free meal.  i had basically settled on the ceasar salad with grilled chicken, no croutons obviously.  i handed over my dining card when i arrived (after all my co-workers passed it around read it, asked questions, or explain, "hey, my niece has that!" or "oh, i have a friend who has that."  all in all, very positive), placed my order, and the waitress was very careful and clearly understood what was going on.

when the food arrived -- naked romaine with the chicken on top with a wedge of lemon, cheese on the side (and i did ask for the dressing as well, though the chef wasn't convinced i could have dressing, even though i had checked on the dressing ingredients and it was okay.

but, despite all the precautions, i took a bite of chicken and instantly realized it had been marinated.  in soy.  ::sigh::  so i took another tiny bite (i was so hungry!) and pushed it to the side.  one of my co-workers suddenly asked, "k, why is your face all bright red and splotchy?"

welcome to the phenomenon i have always experienced when eating, something i was acutely embarrassed of as a kid, and the reason i would refuse to eat in front of other people for years and year (hello eating disorders!).  i always thought it was a reaction to sugar.  i guess not.

and then within 10 minutes, my new low-level i can function fine headache blew into a level 8 kill-me migraine.  within an hour, my stomach joined the fray, holding protest marches that echoed through my entire digestive system.

this is all the proof i need i'm doing the right thing.

of course, i ended up actually going out to dinner that night as well.  (migraine put in chains with amerge and tummy started to settle down.)  luckily, we ended up at chili's so i had my handy gluten-free menu from chili's, and an extra dining card.  our server was an older woman, sharp, on the ball, and totally fascinated by the dining card and menu.  she talked to the cook who knew immediately what was going on and even had a special spot on the grill to cook my bun-less mushroom and swiss burger.  absolutely no problems with that meal.

the only lingering effects seemed to have was the return of what had been my "normal" insomnia, which i picked up on early enough to knock myself out with an ambien.  felt a bit like crap waking up on wednesday morning, with congested sinuses and uber-achy joints.  but after another couple days of being "back on the wagon", i'm feeling good again.  i really noticed this morning as i was showering how i am more alert and awake int he morning, and a lot of the pain and stiffness i have always had is not there.

i have a lot of thoughts on this whole "Answer" i have discovered, and what it means to me.  in a lot of the celiac communities, i've noticed so much anger and resentment, and hatred and depression at diagnosis, and i just don't get it.  yeah, i can't have a piece of pizza or a piece of bread.  but my entire life and what it was to be human has been changed.  how can i be angry?  i want to shout from the rooftops the joy i have, the utter excitement and relief that the mysteries, all of them that i have insisted for years have been connected, are solved.  the loss of pizza is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  so get to be a pain in the butt if i go out to eat.  big whoo. 

friends support this, my family is overjoyed, constantly commenting on how good i look.  my dad actually got choked up last week talking to me, saying he couldn't believe he was looking at me, and not seeing that look of pain, in my face, that haze over my eyes, that he had always seen.  that alone makes me cry.  i always tried to hide things, tried to hold in my frustration and pain and tiredness.  i never knew how clearly things had been written on my face. 

this diagnosis has been the best thing to ever happen to me.

so tomorrow a group of us from work are going out for lunch to say goodbye to one of our favorite friends who is moving to PA.  the restaurant chosen?

Vinny T's of Boston.

i was secretly hoping for Chili's because they have an awesome gluten-free menu, as well as 8 other common food-allergies and seem to be really up on training and understanding food-allergies. 

so i checked out Vinny T's website, spotted the ceasar salad with grilled chicken and said i would still go.  i just asked G. who is calling to make reservations to confirm they can handle a gluten-free customer.  G. looked at me askance, "gluten-free at an Italian restaurant?"

yes, G., i'm crazy.  but i want to go out to lunch.  actually i pretty impressed G. knew what gluten free was! 

from what i goggled, Vinny T's seems to have a pretty good reputation of being accomidating, and in some cases, exceptional and knowledgable.  so fingers crossed the Seekonk location can handle this.  I've already printed out a great free dining card i found 

ah, i meant to do this last week.  last week's cooking adventures including the zucchini bread recipes i posted, and grilled chicken breast, quinoa pasta and a ginger-tamari sauce.

the zucchini bread is not quite enough for a loaf pan, and doesn't rise too high.  but despite the short stature of the slices, they were incredibly filling.  the change of flour is nice - it doesn't have a raw taste to it, which i have always noticed with wheat flour cooking.  and there was this hint of a crispiness to each bite, that i can always assume is the rice flour.  it was as if there were crushed rice krispies in there somewhere, giving a very subtle hint to taste and texture.

this week, lunch will be homemade baked beans*, and a quinoa salad:

1 c. quinoa
2 c. chicken stock

rinse and cook per directions.

i then chunked and sauted the remaining zuchini i had in some olive oil.  in a large bowl i mixed up oile oil and red vinegar, adding 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and salt, papper, cumin, and herbs de provence.  to this i added chopped up green onions, a green pepper, and two tomatoes.  added the now colled zuchini, tossed, and added the cooled quinoa.   i dressed it with a bit more olive oil, salt, pepper and the  juice of whole lemon.  toss well and chill

it. is. scrumtous! 

i have my next bring-to-a-party dish.

~~~~~~~~~~~

* and upon meeting up with Bob again friday night at Whole Foods, i decided to do them with a mix of navy beans and adzuki beans, which he suggested as they are known as a "healing food" for those with celiac.   he also assured me that my local WF bulk food area was safe for me to peruse for beans and rice.

from Bob's Red Mill  (home of all my new flowers and mixes!)

    1/3 cup Canola Oil
    2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
    2 large Eggs
    1 tsp. Vanilla
    1-3/4 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
    2 tsp. Baking Powder
    1-1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
    1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
    1/2 tsp. Salt
    1-1/2 cups Banana, mashed
    1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped
    1/2 cup Raisins (Unsulfured)

Serves 10.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
(per serving)

Calories 310, Calories from Fat 120, Total Fat 13g, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Cholesterol 40mg, Sodium 230mg, Total Carbohydrate 46g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 19g, Protein 5g.

this is one of my all time favorite comfort food (and i have no money for groceries!) foods.  i serve it over basmati rice.

1 c. yellow split peas (toor dal)
3 c water
1 tsp sea salt
1 chopped yellow onion (small to medium)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained*
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil**
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp Garam Masala

wash peas and soak in water for 10  minutes.  drain, rinse and place in a medium saucepan with salt and 1/2 of the onion.  bring to a boil and reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the peas are tender (about 45 minutes).

while the peas are cooking, heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the remaining onion with garlic and Garam Masala over medium hear, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden and add the diced tomatoes to heat through (10-15 minutes).

add the onion mixture t the peas, stirring to combine.  simmer 10 minutes r so to blend flavors

*"flavored" tomatoes with garlic or spices added work fine

**you can use ghee is you have access

or is it all in my head?  no need or caffeine yesterday, and my tummy seemed to be in good form which was so strange that i actually noticed a lack of cramps and ickiness.

my diet for this week goes something like this:

bfast:

peanut butter smoothie (sliken tofu, organic pb, banana, GF vanilla soy milk)

stoneyfield yogurt

midmorning:

1/2 larabar** with all the water i can drink

lunch:

grilled chicken breast with quinoa pasta

made extra marinade to create sauce for pasta - GF tamari, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger and honey

cucumber salad (chunked and marinated in rice vinegar,red wine vinegar, slat, pepper and various herbs)

1/2 larabar

2 slices fat-free cheese

piece of fruit

dinner:

romaine with GF giner dressing

handful or corn chips

blueberries for dessert

i've stopped obsession on calories, fat grams, points, and everything else, and am simpy eating GF as i need.  my body can't go loner than 3/12 hours without something in it, thus the constan snacking, and smaller meals.  but yes, doable quite easily.