Excellent Egyptian Rice

In my early adulthood, I spent almost every weekend in NYC with friends. What ends your night out better than some greasy food? My friends would eat pizza, gyros and other things I couldn't eat,  I was constantly on the quest for something delish at 3am. In NYC, there are food carts on virtually every corner day and night. These carts often carry foods from around the world, many of which use no wheat. This quickly became my favorite part of my nights out (sorry friends!). I found a new cart of street meat one night. It was Egyptian food, it was different and they didn't use wheat so I was down to try it. It was AMAZING! I found myself questioning the cart owner on the rice recipe, wrote it on my hand and made it the next day. Here it is!

Egyptian Cinnamon Rice

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked rice, Brown rice or Jasmine works best

2 TBSP of Olive Oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small yellow onion, chopped

½ tsp of cinnamon   

½ tsp of cumin

¼ tsp chili powder

½ salt

Directions

1.     Heat olive oil in a sauce pan until hot and add onion and garlic, cook until browned.

2.     Add cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder into pot and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

3.     Remove pot from heat and add rice and salt, stirring until combined.

Food for Thought

·        Swapping plain white rice with brown, jasmine or basmati is a great way to up the nutritional content of your rice dish.

·        Cinnamon has been cited as helpful to people who are trying to keep their blood sugar stable.

Polenta Pizzas and Sausage and Peppers

                                                                     

If you haven't tried polenta, it's a MUST try. It is a cornmeal mixture that is so versatile to cook with. And its inexpensive which makes it a pantry staple. Sausages are one of those things that can be scarey for us gluten free peeps. They are usually a mixture of who knows what wrapped in a skin made of it's anyone's guess. You can enjoy sausages and be gfree, just the right kinds. You can buy pre packaged ones that clearly state they are gluten free or you can buy fresh from the meat department at your local grocery store. Just ask for the store made sausages and ask for the ingredients. Not only are these freshly made but they are usually few ingredients and almost never contain those mystery ingredients that scare us! This is a meal that is very kid friendly also! Kids generally love pizza so the polenta version is a no brainer. I used purple basil because, well, its purple and that's awesome! Your kid will probably find it awesome too. Also, the brightly colored peppers tend to be a draw for kids. And this I can not say enough, if you want your child to eat something, have them cook it with you. Kids are much for likely to eat something they made themselves!

                                                      

Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients

1 lb of g free chicken sausages

4 peppers (various colors) sliced

½  medium yellow onion sliced

TBSP of fresh parsley

Pinch of salt

Directions

Place sausages in a deep skillet and brown on all sides.

Put sliced peppers and onions in the skillet with the sausages and pour in ½ cup of water.

Cover and allow to cook for 7 – 10 minutes over medium heat.

Add parsley and continue to cook uncovered to allow liquid to cook down.

Once liquid turns thicken (sauce like) it ready! 

                                                                                

                                                                                

Polenta Pizzas

Ingredients

1 package of log polenta sliced into ¼ inch pieces

Fresh basil leaves (about 12)

1 cup tomato sauce

½ cup shredded mozzarella

Garlic powder to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray baking sheet with olive oil and lay polenta slices in a single layer. Spray the tops of the slices with olive oil.

Bake 10 – 15 minutes until polenta becomes firmer and golden in color.

Place a basil leaf on each slice and a cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella.

Bake for another 3-5 minutes until cheese is fully melted. Sprinkle with garlic powder to taste.

                     

Easy Mac and Cheesy

I am not a fan of gluten free boxed mac and cheese. Maybe I am just spoiled from my childhood memories of creamy boxed mac and cheeses. Looking back, what I was consuming was probably just chemicals and dyes but it was good and that what counts right? Ok, now I'm starting to sound like childhood me!Anyway, I can really get down with some good mac and cheese. Here is my recipe, feel free to get down with it as well.

Easy Mac And Cheesy 

Ingredients

1 bag (12 oz)  of prepared gluten free macaroni of your choice

1 1/2 cup of fat free milk 

2 cups of shredded low fat cheddar cheese 

1 tablespoon of butter

2 TBSP of cornstarch 

Directions :

1. Prepare pasta of your choice as directed. Strain all water and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from continuing to cook.
2. In a medium sauce pot, melt the butter over low heat.
3. Add milk and stir. Allow milk to heat through but not boil. (about 4- 5 minutes)
4. Add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until all the cheese is melted.
5. To thicken sauce, combine 2 TBSP of cornstarch with cold water and stir until the cornstarch is melted. Slowly add the cornstarch to the sauce whisking it in little by little and stopping when you reach your desired consistency.
6. Stir in pasta and salt and pepper to taste.

Thank GAWD its not potatoes!

I recently returned from my honeymoon. A week away from my celiac safe kitchen and trusting perfect strangers to prepare my 3 meals a day (I suppose it was really like 5 meals a day but who's counting?) Hello celiac anxiety! For the amount of meals I ate, I did pretty well if you don't count the day I didn't leave my fabulous five star bathroom, but I'll spare you the details! Anyway, I tend to stick to potatoes when I go out to eat and after a weeks worth of eating potatoes, I am done with a capital D! So I de - tatered myself when I came home. I experimented with other sides and came up with some yummy stuff I can't wait to share with you. Hopefully, absence makes the heart grow founder and I will be able to eat a potato soon. In the meantime, enjoy my roasted turnip recipe. A turnip is basically a big ugly (sorry turnips!) root vegetable that is high in vitamin C. Turnips are also really affordable and have a long shelf life for storing.

Parmesan Roasted Turnips

Ingredients

4 medium sized turnips peeled and cut into sections

 1/8 tsp of paprika 

1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg

2 TBSPs of Olive Oil

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. 
• Combine the turnips with all the ingredients and toss well until evenly coated.
•  Spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden brown on both sides. 
• Cook about 30 minutes and flip turnips half way through.

Slick Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken enchiladas, in my opinion, are a guilty pleasure. Basically they are high cholesterol wrapped in a corn tortilla. However, I lightened the load by using Laughing Cow Cheese instead of regular cheese. It is creamy and mixes nicely into the meat. Its only 35-45 calories per wedge versus 100 calories for the same amount of regular fat cheese. I thought that little calorie saving trick made me pretty slick. Try it at home and you can be slick too!

Slick Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts/ cooked and shredded

1 can of enchilada sauce (16 oz)

10 corn tortillas

2 wedges of laughing cow cheese

1 bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese (make sure the ingredients do not contain flour as an anti caking agent!)

Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat up enchilada sauce in a pan.

Put chicken, laughing cow cheese, half of the shredded cheese, and salt and pepper in a bowl and combine ingredients.

Place several tortillas at a time on a paper towel and microwave for about 15 seconds until they are pliable.

Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up. Place the enchiladas seam side down in a baking dish.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake until all of the cheese is melted (about 25 minutes) .

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

A gluten free summer can be bitter sweet. We look forward to BBQ’s as much as the next guy but who knows what lurks in that barbeque sauce! The majority of store bought barbeque sauces contain so form of gluten so steer clear. Here is a recipe that is not only easy, its economical. Use a pork shoulder roast an inexpensive cut of meat with tons of flavor.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients

One to two lbs of pork shoulder

1 cup of ketchup

1tsp minced garlic

2 TBSP honey

½ tsp of Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp of paprika

1 TBSP brown sugar

Directions

Cut slits in your roast all over to allow the sauce to get into the meat.

Rub a layer of the sauce over the entire roast.

Dump the rest of the sauce over the top of the roast in a slow cooker.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours. Meat  is done when it is easily separated with a fork

Ragu Pasta Bake

One of the many things I was diagnosed with over the course my Celiac journey was lactose intolerance. This was devastating for me, I could survive on cheese alone. Once I received my Celiac diagnosis I was relieved that I could still eat cheese. But, then I realized, what do you eat cheese on? Bread, crackers, macaroni ,all things I could no longer enjoy. I set out to find gluten free options for my favorite comfort foods. This recipe is a great substitute for the lasagna I can no longer enjoy. I am yet to find a gluten free lasagna noodle that can stand up to my meaty ragu. A ragu is an Italian sauce that has meat in it and usually served over a thick pasta.  Traditionally, it is made with pork or beef. I used Butterball Sweet Turkey Sausage which is gluten free and incredibly flavorful! Sneak some veggies in there! I put a whole 10 oz bag of spinach in mine. Peppers and mushrooms are also easy to sneak into this dish.

Ragu Pasta Bake

1 lb of gluten free pasta

1 ½  cup of shredded mozzarella

1lb package of Butterball sweet turkey sausage

2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce

10 oz bag of spinach

8 oz package of button mushrooms

1 TBSP of Olive Oil

1 tsp minced garlic

Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

1.         Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.        Cook your pasta until al dente, basically just a little firmer than you would want it to be.

3.        Heat oil in a deep sauté pan and cut sausage out of the casings (make a slit with a knife and the sausage and peel the casing off). Add garlic, mushrooms and the sausage to the pan and cook until the meat is browned. Break the meat up into smaller pieces with your spoon while it cooks.

4.        Add your favorite tomato sauce, spinach, salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 10 – 15 mins.

5.        Combine meat sauce and pasta. Put half of the pasta into a baking dish and sprinkle half of the mozzarella on top. Add the other half of the pasta and top with the remainder of the cheese.

6.        Bake until the cheese is melted and edges begin to brown.