Happy gluten-free Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and gluten-free Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday! This was my first (knowingly) celiac Thanksgiving and it went really well. I hope more people will learn that it's so easy to make gluten-free dishes that your celiac friends and relatives can enjoy - there are many side dishes that are normally gluten-free or can be so easily adjusted that non-celiacs wouldn't notice a difference. Bottom line: just talk to us.

This year I was really craving stuffing, so I made my own. I used up several loaves of GF bread I had in the fridge or freezer (Udi's, Rudi's, and Food For Life) and Trader Joe's Stuffing Starter Mix (chopped celery, onions, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme). I toasted the slices of bread in the oven, let them sit out for a day to harden, then broke them into crouton-size bites. I sauteed the veggie/herb mix in olive oil, then blended them with my croutons and some water. I pressed the stuffing into a sprayed 9x13" pyrex and baked for an hour at about 325, covered with foil. Next time I would probably use broth for more flavor, or I'd recommend doing something to season the bread. I would also bake it for longer, or take the foil off towards the end. But it smelled heavenly and the texture was great (for my first stuffing attempt)! Craving satisfied, almost exactly how I remembered it.

The other dish I've been craving: sweet potatoes! I didn't measure my ingredients, but here's basically what I did. (Also, if I'm cooking small portions, I use my toaster oven since it's so much faster & less electricity than heating up the big oven.) Preheat oven to 350. Peel 2 sweet potatoes & cut into small pieces. Melt about 1 tbsp of dairy-free margarine (or butter) in the microwave. In a large mixing bowl, pour melted margarine and about 1 tbsp of canola oil over potatoes. I added some orange juice, ground nutmeg, cinnamon, a packet of Sugar in the Raw (or brown sugar, or omit), and a pinch of kosher salt. Mix it up, making sure the potatoes are evenly coated. Pour them into a foil-lined pan and bake for an hour, stirring once or twice. In the last 5 minutes, I added some marshmallow pieces on top. They were the absolutely perfect blend of gooey and crispy with an amazing caramelized, citrusy flavor. Really, this couldn't be easier or more delicious at any time of year.

Thanksgiving is also my favorite holiday because it's my birthday weekend. :D We celebrated with a trip to Padi, a new Thai/sushi fusion restaurant in Hockessin, DE from the owners of Wilmington's very yummy Rasa Sayang, another favorite of mine. Located in Lantana Square Shopping Center, Padi has a nice, modern vibe with a sushi bar and big modular booths. The service was attentive and the food was DELICIOUS! I ordered spicy tuna and salmon rolls for starters, drunken noodles with shrimp, and my beloved mango sticky rice for dessert. Our server was very understanding and the kitchen made my noodles without soy sauce. I brought a bottle of wheat-free tamari to use with the sushi, and when the manager came over to check on us, he noticed my soy sauce and asked if I'm gluten-free! He then commented that he's been trying to find a commercial-size container of wheat-free soy sauce so they can keep it in the kitchen, and said he has a number of friends who are gluten-free, so they are very aware and happy to make accommodations. Well, that's what it takes to sweep me off my feet, folks - fresh & tasty sushi, outstanding Thai/fusion entrees, and gluten awareness. I can't wait to go back - Padi is definitely a new favorite. (No links, as the restaurant doesn't have a website. Call for reservations - 302.239.1800.)

Udi's coming to Trader Joe's?

I've just learned via Facebook that Trader Joe's will soon be carrying Udi's products. Udi's is well-known and very popular in the GF crowd for their remarkably normal sandwich bread, bagels, muffins, and mini pizza crusts. And even if this is just a cruel rumor, you can find Udi's in the Delaware area anyway at both the Giant and Shop-Rite on Concord Pike, Wilmington and occasionally Newark Natural Foods on Main Street, Newark, or at Whole Foods (not in Delaware). Great to see that Udi's is becoming easier to find.

Last night I threw together a very easy and delicious pot of GF chili-mac, which made for a super tasty lunch at school today! Here's what I did (sorry, no pictures):

- about half a pound of cooked ground beef
- 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes w/ green chilies
- about half a bag of rice noodles - cooked, drained & rinsed (I strongly recommend Trader Joe's brown rice penne or rotini)
- half an onion, chopped
- to taste: chili powder, ground cumin, oregano

Failproof instructions: saute the onion in some oil. Add everything else and mix it up til it's all warm. I used roughly 4 shakes of chili powder, 1/2 tsp of cumin, and just a dash of oregano. Yum! (You could also add corn, beans, chickpeas, etc.)

Rice Chexie treats & cozy GF soup!

How did it get to be November?! It's that time of year when a girl's thoughts turn to outlines, memos, final exams, and stress stress stress. And cozy comfort food that's perfect for fall. Just a quick post tonight but I wanted to share two easy recipes I've enjoyed recently.

Rice Chexie treats!

By all rights Rice Krispies should be gluten-free but they contain malt flavoring, which comes from barley. No go. I am cuckoo for rice krispie treats, but the great news is that you can make a GF version that's just as good, if not better, using Rice Chex, which are thankfully gluten-free. Here's what you need:

* pan (8x8 or 9x13, greased with cooking spray. I use Pyrex baking dishes.)
* 2-3 tbsp of butter or margarine
* 1 bag of marshmallows (check the ingredients to make sure they're GF. Also, minis melt faster than the big ones)
* 6 cups of Rice Chex cereal
* optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract (again, check ingredients)

Spritz your pan. Over low heat, melt your butter/margarine and marshmallows, stirring constantly. The second it's smooth, remove from heat - don't overcook. Add vanilla and stir. Add your cereal and stir it through the goo; this is always the annoying part. Dump the mixture into the pan. It helps to use waxed paper, the back of a wet spoon, or dampen your hands to press the mixture flat. Now comes the hard part: waiting. Cut into squares or shapes and enjoy! They are amazing and taste just like the real thing. (Note: I have previously tried using organic brown rice krispies. Feel free to try it for yourself but IMO it tasted like cardboard. Rice Chex are about 100x better for this purpose!)

Cozy Comforting Potato-Leek-Veggies I Found in my Fridge Soup

On a cold fall day potato-leek soup hits the spot. I made a big batch of this soup, but it didn't last long. I brought it to school for lunch and received two compliments from passers-by who said it looked delicious. Oh, it was! I based the soup on this great and easy recipe for Cream of Asparagus Soup. I didn't take any pictures, but here's what I used, as far as I can remember:

* 1-2 tbsp butter or margarine (olive oil should be fine too)
* 2 leeks (Trader Joe's, pre-trimmed - chopped & rinsed)
* 2 potatoes, peeled & chopped (I used russet; yukon gold would be delicious too)
* about 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
* about 1/2 pound of asparagus, chopped into 1" pieces
* 1 carrot, sliced into rounds
* 2 cups of Pacific organic chicken broth (1 small box, which is what I had on hand. If you have more broth, omit the water. Of course you could also use veggie broth. It should be a total of 3 1/2 to 4 cups of liquid.)
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 1/2 cup goat milk (Whoa, GOAT? Okay, yes, here's where I got crazy. This was an experiment. Goat milk can be found at Trader Joe's and is supposedly easier to digest than cow milk, so I gave it a try. I wouldn't drink it by itself, but if you like the pungent, tangy flavor of chèvre, it's a nice stir-in for soups or mashed potatoes. While I'm still not on great terms with dairy, this milk seemed to be okay with me. You might prefer to use regular milk, Lactaid milk, or heavy cream.)
* kosher salt & pepper to taste

In a large soup pot or saucepan, melt butter/marg or heat olive oil over medium or medium-high heat. Sauté leeks til they soften. Add broth and/or water, potatoes, onions, carrots, and asparagus. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover & let simmer about 10-15 minutes til your veggies are nice and soft.

I have - and LOVE - an immersion hand-blender, which is absolutely ideal and so easy for pureeing soup (and it's dishwasher-safe). If you have a hand-blender, use that or transfer soup in batches to your regular blender and process til smooth or whatever texture appeals to you. Return soup to the pot. Add your milk and re-heat over low. Season with salt and pepper; serve with a little shredded cheese on top if you like (or perhaps a dollop of sour cream?). Deeeelish. I can't wait to make another batch!

Gluten Free Torts.

Being a first year law student means you have very little time to breathe, let alone recognize life as you previously knew it, attend to your blog (ahem), or, you know, eat. Stress and celiac disease are not a winning combination. You don't have time to eat as healthfully as you might; your stomach is going to react to your emotions; and of course being celiac already makes things a little more challenging. There's nothing I can really eat on campus, and there's only one day a week when I have enough time to go out and grab lunch between classes. Fun! Somehow I am figuring out how to get by, although it often means eating while studying or standing over the kitchen counter. Long gone are the days of experimental 3-course dinners for one.

So recently I decided to strike back with a crustless quiche - it's very quick to prepare on a Sunday, and then it's ready to reheat all week for breakfast or lunch. (And frankly, it's better for you than real quiche - without all those calories and fat from the crust and cream!) I adapted it from this recipe. It's super easy, phenomenally delicious, and you pretty much cannot mess it up. Here's how I do it:

Chop up some of your favorite veggies. (I chop veggies in advance when I have time and keep them in containers ready to deploy as needed. Or buy them pre-chopped at the store.) Some suggestions: peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, scallions, artichoke hearts, broccoli, asparagus, spinach. You could also do cubes of ham or bacon or cooked turkey if you're into that kind of thing.

Saute your veggies for a few minutes in a small bit of oil, til they're softened and the color is nice and bright.

Meanwhile, crack 6 eggs into a large bowl. (The original recipe calls for 5; I use 6 because my quiche is so loaded with veggies.) Add a little water and beat. Pretend they are your professors if necessary. Totally optional, but I add about 1 tbsp of Pamela's GF baking mix to thicken.

Stir your veggie mix into the eggs.

Cheese! Use a bag of shredded cheese, any kind you like. Depending on how cheesey you are feeling, put in the whole bag or half the bag or whatever. You could use shredded soy cheese too.

Mix it all up. Add some kosher salt, pepper, and (optional) some dried basil.

Pour your quiche mixture into a greased/sprayed 9" pie pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until it's beautifully golden on top. Voila!

Some of my other favorite things right now:
* Apple season is here! (I love fall so much!) Organic granny smiths with peanut butter.
* Annie's deluxe rice pasta & cheese is the best (worst) mac & cheese since Kraft! It comes with a squeezy pack of cheese sauce so it couldn't be easier and it is just so yummy. By far the best commercial GF mac & cheese I've tried. (why yes, the time crunch means I have pretty much given up trying to be dairy-free)
* Progresso lentil soup - yup, it's GF! So tasty on its own, or add some ground cumin & garam masala to make it even more amazing (or try pureeing it a bit with a hand-blender and throw in some basmati rice - very filling and Indian-inspired).
* Baked ziti casserole with Trader Joe's brown rice pasta, red sauce, & shredded cheese
* Scrambled eggs with green peppers, onions & cheese (basically the even-faster version of my quiche)

Hope that gave you a few ideas for good fast food! And now I'm very late for a date with my BFF, my bed.

Of stir-fry and Indian food.

(Why yes, I am addicted to redecorating my blog!)

Tonight, inspired by my friend Natalie's cooking, I made an awesome stir-fry with tofu, French green beans, locally-grown asparagus, baby bok choy, and onion. I hate mushy tofu, so I always use extra firm and then press it for as long as patience allows - just put the tofu on a dish and pile a few plates or something heavy on top of it; drain off the water as it squeezes out. I sprinkled the tofu with some wheat-free soy sauce and then sauteed it in a bit of canola and sesame oil. Once it's nice and golden-crispy, I added my chopped veggies, minced garlic, a little cilantro, and a few splashes more soy sauce. Light, yummy, and easy!

I'm also very excited about a new cookbook I recently purchased: The Indian Vegan Kitchen: More Than 150 Quick and Healthy Homestyle Recipes by Madhu Gadia. While I'm not vegan, this cookbook is a fantastic resource for anyone who loves Indian food but can't handle all the ghee (clarified butter) and cream you tend to find in restaurant dishes. It's not strictly a GF cookbook either, but the vast majority of recipes are GF and are labeled as such (obviously, they are all dairy-free and egg-free). Indian cuisine is a great match for GF people, since many dishes are made with chickpea flour (besan) or don't call for flour or wheat at all.

I have yet to test out any of the recipes personally, but they seem straightforward and totally tantalizing. My mouth is already watering for the Chickpea-Potato Snack (Chana-Aloo Chaat), Curried Potato (Aloo Tamatar) Soup, Quick Chickpea Curry, Lemon Rice Noodles (Neembu Savai), and Coconut-Mango Rice. (Is there a better dessert than mango sticky rice? Doubtful.) There are even a few gluten-free bread recipes - sorghum, millet-potato, and corn roti - for motivated cooks, of which I do not number myself, no matter how much I still pine for Indian bread. (On a sidenote, for a quick Indian food fix without having to cook, Trader Joe's frozen Chana Masala is GF and delicious, although it does contain ghee. It's great by itself or with rice.)

On Monday I'm off to the beach with my GF snacks in tow. I'll post the après-vacation gluten-free report when I return. Wish me luck!

When GF is a little too good for my own good.

My mom (who is also gluten-free!) and I were recently reminiscing about trips to France, and of course the memories included FOOD. I'd need a straitjacket to keep me away from French bread and fromage, despite the pain of le pain, but one thing I don't have to pine for is crèpes! I will always lovingly remember the crèpes sold by Parisian street vendors but the GF version is super tasty as well, thanks to the geniuses at Pamela's Products.

Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix is, to my knowledge, generally regarded as one of the best ready-made GF flour mixes on the market. Their recipe for crèpes is incredibly simple and cooks up very quickly. Since I generally cook for one, I halved the recipe, yielding 4 crèpes. They are a little more gummy and fragile than their wheaty counterparts, but the taste resemblance is so close that I think anyone would enjoy them. I stuffed one with sliced strawberries, one with organic wild berry preserves, and sprinkled the third with a packet of Sugar in the Raw. (The fourth didn't last long enough to make it to the plate!) Absolutely delicious and a nice treat for brunch when you've got the energy.

In other baking experiment news, I bought a box of the famous Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix a few months ago at Target (!) and was waiting for an opportunity to test it out. I had to make them with a stick of butter, since I didn't have any baking-friendly dairy-free substitute on hand. Not the best news for my stomach, but how could anything taste bad if it's got a stick of butter in it? The dough is crumbly and very stiff to work, but once the butter softens up, it gets more like regular cookie dough. I lined my baking sheets with parchment paper (I did not throw out my kitchen implements after my diagnosis, as many people do) and the cookies turned out beautifully.

I have to confess, I think they look better than they taste. The mix is so gritty, even if the cookies themselves are a perfect combination of crispy and chewy. I brought them to a get-together on Saturday night so I'd have something safe to nibble, and I gave everyone fair warning that these were not normal cookies. But to my surprise, non-GF people actually liked them - a LOT. Like most GF substitutes, once you get over your initial shock and comparison to wheat, these cookies really grew on me (literally. Hello, calories) and I like them better now than I did at first. All the same, I won't be making these often. I don't know how they'd turn out without butter, although now I belatedly see no butter instructions on the website (it would be nice if they'd printed it on the box!), and I really don't need the temptation since I'm constantly trying to lose a few pounds. (When I got diagnosed I thought, "Well, at least I'll lose weight." Yeah right. There's too much good food out there!) But thank you anyway, Ms. Crocker!

What's for dinner?

Some things never change, whether you have celiac or not: sometimes dinner means scrounging the pantry for anything edible, and sometimes I have the energy and initiative to cook something interesting. Tonight I made my first successful foray into the world of scallop searing and with this guide, it really couldn't have been easier.

Next time I will probably use my cast iron skillet to get more of that nice crispy sear, but they were tender and perfectly cooked. Just make sure you rinse them well and pat dry before cooking. For an alternative, coat the scallops in GF breadcrumbs and give them a quick broil. Or serve them in a wilted spinach salad, à la Macaroni Grill. I see a lot of pan-seared scallops in my future this summer, when using the oven is just too unpleasant.

I paired my scallops with roasted veggies - not as photogenic but they tasted great. I chopped up a small eggplant, green pepper, onion, and asparagus. Put them in a foil-lined pan (or not, but it makes cleanup easier) and drizzle everything with olive oil. Mix it up with your hands to make sure it's all evenly coated and season with some kosher salt and pepper, and if you are so inclined, a few garlic cloves and/or balsamic vinegar. Pop it in the oven at about 400-450° for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice. Super easy and extremely tasty.

On Friday I was in downtown Philly so naturally I had to drop by Sweet Freedom Bakery, a gluten-free, every imaginable allergen-free bakery on South Street between Broad and 15th. They have sidewalk tables and cozy indoor seating, where you can savor your GF treat and a beverage - or just bask in the heavenly aroma of baked goods you can actually eat. On this occasion I tried (only in the name of science and journalism, of course) the mint chocolate chip cookie and the strawberry-rhubarb oat cobbler. The mint was a bit overpowering for me, but the cobbler was the best thing I've tasted yet from SFB. It had a nice oatmeal cookie crust base with the sweet/tart fruity topping and oats sprinkled on top. A little oily and very sweet but I really enjoyed it. The cobbler and my willpower did not last long enough for a photo.

To complete my weekend wrap-up, I'd like to give a big celiac raspberry to Texas Roadhouse, which, in a rare turn for national chains these days, does not have a GF menu. I'm not sure what I expected from a restaurant that encourages patrons to drop peanut shells on the floor - classy! And the newly-added indoor caution sign is a bit "too little, too late" for those with severe peanut allergies. In my defense, it was close and I was starving. (I feel fine after having a sirloin sans seasoning, baked potato, and plain steamed broccoli, however.) I won't even mention the guy with the swastika tattoo. Check, please!