There are TONS of great websites with GF recipes. I like to cook, but I've got a handful of my favorites that I go to again and again and they please me very much. Sometimes I go on-line to find a new recipe that fits the ingredients I have in my house, and a new favorite is born. Such was the case when my India-born boss gave me my first bag of red lentils. I found a terrific recipe for Spicy Red Lentil and Kale stew which I've modified enough that I can call it my own, so I'll share it in a future post. For now though, I'm sharing my completely made-up recipe I've cleverly named Spicy Edamame Black Bean Roasted Corn Tomato Salad because of a FaceBook conversation about ideas for cold lunches for school. Spicy Edamame Black Bean Roasted Corn Tomato SaladBag of frozen shelled edamame
Can of black beans, drained and rinsed Cup of Trader Joe's Frozen Roasted Corn (or regular frozen corn, if that's what you have around) Can of Rotel Lime and Cilantro Diced tomatoes with juice (or a can of regular diced tomatoes, but you'll probably want to throw in a small can of green chilis too to make it more interesting and to live up to the "spicy" claim) Tbsp of Olive Oil Salt and pepper (I use cayenne) to taste Boil and drain the edamame. Combine with all of the other ingredients. Eat. It really is better with the Rotel tomatoes and the roasted corn. When I've made it with the substitutions, I keep adding more and more salt and pepper, and it never quite gets there. If you are a better cook than me, I'm sure you will have some ideas! Feel free to share in the comments. I've also thrown in other ingredients, like cauliflower and broccoli and used pinto or kidney or garbanzo beans instead of black. Its advantages are that it makes enough for multiple meals, has enough interest to be a lunch I look forward to, it's fast to make, and it's healthy. Here's a pic of my son clowning around with a slice of gluteny pizza. In the foreground is my GF spinach pie, made with care by people at Carmen's in Delaware County, PA. They really truly get it. All I want in a dining experience is to be able have what I want and the people I'm with have what they want. At Carmen's, my son gets delicious pizza, and I do too. I'm not "settling." I'm not ordering the salad and hoping they took me seriously when I say "no croutons, dressing on the side." I'm treated like a regular person and beyond asking for the GF menu, I don't have to ask all of those annoying questions. I don't feel a bit self-conscious there. My energy can go to having an excellent, very fun time with a great non-celiac kid rather than fretting about whether the food I ordered will be made with care to insure that I won't get sick. This is my desire for all of us who need to live a happy, healthy, gluten-free life.
I'm traveling for work and thought I'd demonstrate my approach to happy GF traveling. Go here to see it:
http://www.youtube.com/user/clairebakerOK#p/a/u/1/Heu3xsldmWE Then come back and tell me your travel tips (or any on-camera tips, like make sure you aren't standing near a mirror so that everyone can see that you are shooting the vid yourself on your iPhone...) I work at a place where celebrations are fairly common-place. And the celebrations usually involve food. There are birthdays and wedding and baby showers and retirement parties and congratulations on your new job parties, and Yay that project went well and now it’s over parties and staff potlucks and holiday festivities and more. We are always celebrating something. And mostly I just know that I will have a cup of tea and remind myself that my pants will thank me later for not making them fit tighter. If I’m really wanting to join in the eat-fest, I break out a gf cookie from my stash in the freezer at work. (I know that not everyone works at a place where there is a freezer that you can stash a dozen cookies, so this may not be a solution for you.) After a number of over-the-top apologies from co-workers about there not being gf desserty food at a celebration, I have empowered them to get one of my cookies and put it on a plate and give it to me to enjoy while others are eating cake. For some reason, this doesn’t sit well. The people I work with are generally very sensitive and caring and really want me to be included, so they go out of their way to get or make gf treats for the party. This usually turns into extra time and money spent on little ol’ me, and I confess that the caretaker in me doesn’t want them to make a fuss. And, the gf stuff is usually IN ADDITION TO the regular food, so there's a lot of it with only me eating it. I end up eating way too much gf cheesecake or some such because I know it’s especially for me and I don't want to be rude. And honestly, I LOVE to eat and I don't have a very good off-switch once I get started. I recently shared my website with a friend and colleague who reports directly to me who has in fact purchased expensive gf desserts or mixes on my behalf (hi TL!). She suggested I put together a list of “What to make your gluten-free boss for the office party.” Excellent idea! I will list a few ideas here, and expand on them with recipes when I add that page to the website. My goal here is to note things that are comprised of ingredients that people are likely to have around anyway or are readily available. Before preparing anything, make sure you wipe down your counters (I use Clorox wipes) to make sure any errant crumbs or wheat flour particles don’t accidentally contaminate the gf foods you are taking such pains to make. In terms of planning, wipe or wash down everything that you will use to create the party food and do your gf food prep and wrapping before you start any regular baking. Some folks are very sensitive to even the trace amounts of gluten that might find its way into the gf product by way of flour in the air. So, here are a handful of ideas for party food made from ingredients that are readily available: Sweets: Custards and puddings; crustless pies; baked fruit with chopped nuts on top; crustless chocolate cake things (I don’t eat chocolate, but I know I'm in the minority!); I've seen plenty of peanut butter cookies that have no flour in them. I just googled up this tasty looking flan. Yum. Salty/savory snacks: GF Chex mix (regular recipe but leave out the Wheat Chex, sub in GF pretzels and leave out the bagel chips--and I'd use GF tamari sauce since worcestershire sauce isn't a vegetarian product); nuts; peanut chili dip (made with tamari instead of soy sauce) with carrots; tortilla chips and salsa; crudités with hummus and other dips. On the fancier side, one of my colleagues recently brought stuffed endive leaves to a party. I'm not a meat-eater, but I note that people will wrap bacon around anything -- I saw dates, prunes, apricots and more on a quick search. Leave a comment with your favorite regular ingredient party food ideas! Got this on a recent visit to a farmers market. Yum! Thanks to everyone who took a few minutes to answer my survey. I'd love to hear your story too. Take my survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9ZGDJC3
Here are a couple of responses about people's experiences with/relationship to gluten. "I was dealing with a lot of GI issues, so starting 2 years ago I started making changes to the way I was eating." "Husband is celiac, I just get crippling migraines." "I never realized that gluten had such an adverse affect on sufferers of epilepsy- no esteemed doctor ever made me aware of this fact. However, since eliminating gluten from my diet, I have felt a marked improvement in my health and over all well being." "During an elimination diet, I experienced significant digestion problems and joint pain when I reintroduced wheat and cow dairy products." "I am somewhere between Celiac and Intolerent. The older I get the worse the intolerence becomes, to the point that I know have developed other auto immune disorders that are a function of digestive side effects." "I believe in switching up grains, and providing more variety to myself and my family. 'Balance in everything.'" "I'm also gliaden intolerant." |
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