My friend, Carrie (aka Ginger Lemon Girl), sent me this quote. Isn't it funny? I guess we really don't cook from scratch! I guess it's all in your perspective! :)
Enough with the smoothies, right? Tired of reading about them on Fridays? Well, okay, I hear ya - and I've got just the kinda recipe that you're going to love!
When my sweet friend, Carrie, asked me to test a recipe for her, I was excited and on board immediately! I just love Carries recipes! She is a fab baker and chef. When she told me it was a CF/SF/YF cheese sauce, I got really excited! There are a few CF/SF cheese sauce packets or mac & cheeses out there - but they all have nutritional yeast in them! That doesn't cut it for this GDSYWP-free girl! But Carries, now that covers it all! :D
After reading the recipe, I thought, hhhmmm, blend huh? Then heat in a pot? I bet the Vita-Mix can do it all at once! And sure enough, it did! Boy, do I love this thing! :)
Here's the recipe as I made it (stuff in bold is tweaked a bit):
Carries Cheesy Imposter
2/3 cup unsweetened hemp milk
4 tablespoons cooked chickpeas
1 heaping tablespoon tahini
3 tablespoons cashews
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
3/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
scant 1 tablespoon diced pimiento peppers
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Now, instead of following her directions, I put all of it into the Vita-Mix, slowly went from Variable 1-10, then to high and let it run for 3 minutes. Perfectly blended AND warm! Wonderful! I love it when the Vita-Mix makes life just that much easier! :)
I had some last night on some oven-roasted deli turkey and am having it today for lunch over a baked potato. But, I can see this recipe in so many different applications - over steamed broccoli, a dip for tortilla chips, and dare-I-even-think-it, on pizza! Yay! :D
You've GOT to try this recipe - especially if you are CF/SF and even more so if you're YF too! :D
Enjoy!
The other night, I made this potato salad.
It was my first time making potato salad and it was GOOD! The only changes I made were:
I halved the recipe for just Hubby and me
I left out the parsley since I didn't have any
I added a sprinkle of granulated garlic (of course)!
This recipe had a super yummy in flavor - but I messed up on the texture and temperature. I didn't cook the potatoes long enough and they were a bit hard on the inside. And, I didn't let it chill long enough (I only did 30 mins or so), so it was still a bit warm. Hubby and I agreed that we like our potato salad COLD. Next time, I'll probably make it a day in advance to let the flavors mesh together and to give the salad time to get really cold.
So, lessons learned! But hey, the good news is that I now have a yummy recipe to add to my repertoire! :D
When I read this quote, I literally laughed out loud! It reminds me of when I tell people about all my food intolerances. They almost always say, "Geez, what CAN you eat?" Well, I can eat rice and potatoes (which always surprises people - they tend to confuse "gluten" with "carb"), all vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, etc), all fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, pineapples, pears, etc.), all nuts except walnuts (cashews, peanuts, almonds, pecans, etc) and so forth and so on. I guess it surprises people because so much of the American diet revolves around wheat and dairy. grilled cheese, mac and cheese, cheeseburgers, hamburger helper, cakes, doughnuts, etc. I reassure them that I am certainly able to eat plenty and do not go hungry! ;)
When I saw this at my local Roots Market, I thought, cool! GDSYWP-free! Then, I gave the package a little squeeze (I know I shouldn't do that - ssshhhh, don't tell!) and was shocked when the cookie actually gave! No rock hardness! Wow! I looked at the flavors: Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Fudge and Ginger Molasses. I figured I could make a kick-ass chocolate chip oatmeal myself and a yummy chocolate cake, but what I hadn't had in a year is a good molasses cookie - which are one of my favorites! So, I decided to give the Ginger Molasses a try.
Seriously, I can't say enough good things about this cookie. Yummy, Yummy in my Tummy! Seriously, this might be the BEST GDSYWP-free pre-made, packaged and bought that I have ever had! YUM-O The only bad thing I can say is that there was WAY too much ginger on there for me - I picked off all the large pieces that I could and it was still too spicy for me. But then, take into consideration that I'm not a big ginger fan and therefore don't eat it much. But, the texture was PERFECT - soft, not crumbly and moist. The flavor was good, I'd prefer more molasses and less ginger, but it wasn't off-putting or anything like that. Seriously, a GOOD cookie.
The other thing is they are kind of expensive. I paid nearly $4.00 for 2 large cookies - but they were decently sized (a bit larger than my palm and about 1/2 an inch thick) - and had high quality ingredients, so it isn't a terrible cost. I wouldn't get these for everyday or anything, but for a treat, or if I saw them when I was traveling or if I needed a grab-and-go kind of thing, these were GREAT. I think I need to try the other two flavors ... all in the name of reviewing them for this blog, whad'ya say? ;)
Okay, so this looks an awful lot like the Strawberry You-Won't-Taste-The-Spinach Smoothie. I know. But! It tastes completely different! I promise. First of all, there isn't a single strawberry in there ... or a drop of spinach, for that matter! Today's smoothie is a Kale and Pear smoothie from the Vitamix website.
Anyway, I made this recipe and it was GOOD. Yum! And you won't taste the kale at all. I promise. Hubby does NOT like kale, not one bit (well, except in this recipe, but you can't taste it then either - it's covered in bacon! hahaha) I'll definitely be making it again - and you should totally give it a try. After all, kale is a super food!
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Kale and Pear Smoothie
from Vita-Mix: http://www.vitamix.com/household/health/green_smoothie.asp
Yield: 4 cups
Time: 1 1/2 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup green grapes
1 orange, peeled
1/2 Bartlett pear
1 banana, fresh or frozen
1 cup kale
1/2 cup water
2 cups ice cubes
Directions:
Place all ingredients into container and secure the lid.
Select VARIABLE speed #10, then to HIGH for 1 ½ minutes. Turn machine off.
Serve immediately.
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Enjoy!
When I first started letting chocolate back into my diet, I was thrilled to have it, but I was so missing my milk chocolate. I have never been a fan of dark chocolate and was not adapting well. It was so bitter, strong and harsh to me. It took a while to find some that I actually liked that were also GF/DF/SF! So, today I'm going to share with you my 2 favorite chocolate bars! Personally, I don't think they taste at all like dark chocolate, but they are so you get all those good antioxidants and flavonoids, and of course, get to avoid the dairy!
This stuff isn't always easy to find, but when you do, it's so worth it! It is completely GF/DF/SF but it is DELISH! I think it's light on the tongue and melts beautifully. It's really creamy and just a bit nutty - so good! I couldn't believe this was dark chocolate when I first had it. I kept checking the package!
I have always been a fan of the chocolate and mint flavors together and this bar just takes it to another level! The mint is crisp and bright! I love that the mint is in chips, crackling just a bit under your teeth and tongue. The chocolate is mellow, a bit creamy and "levels out" the sharpness of the mint. It's not at all bitter to me! I just LOVE this bar. And, even the packaging is appealing! Doesn't it just draw you in and make your mouth water?
This is SO how I do things!
I am such an amateur baker (as in only started when I went GDSYWP-free and still only do it when I must), so I always very closely follow the directions. I am so scared to mess something up! I just don't know what I'm doing or the science behind baking enough to tweak anything! I'm a wuss with baking. I always check with my Gluten Free Recipes Yahoo Group before I even try to convert a "regular" recipe to GF!
However, when I cook, I feel so much more comfortable! I have no problems adding this or leaving out that or whatever. I totally cook by taste! I really love to get creative with a dish! It's fun for me and I love when I come up with a yummy result! :D
