The Gluten Bigot: January 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013

GF Vegan Meal: Grilled Orange Tofu with Veggies

Whenever my husband is away, I take the opportunity to make food he wont typically eat. This usually means I am going to have tofu. If you would like to try to make this delicious and veggie packed dish, read on.


During his last trip I decided to make grilled tofu with vegetables. I wanted a nice refreshing  flavor as this was a post - gym work out, so I decided to make a citrus-y marinade for the tofu and have asparagus, red peppers and cucumbers as sides.

Start by preheating your oven to about 400F. Cut an orange in half and juiced both sides into a bowl. Add juice of 1/4 of a lemon. To make a darker sauce and add a bit of sodium, add about 1/2 tbsp of San-J GF Tamari into the marinade, mixed and added sliced tofu into the bowl. Season the top of the tofu with some salt, pepper, tumeric and oregano for flavor. 


While that marinades, chop up half a red onion (or a whole for two servings), and prep a few pieces of asparagus. If you'd like to take the chopping op, you can cut up some cucumbers now as well. 

Once the tofu has marinaded on both sides and your veggies are ready, place all into a grill pan. Spray asparagus and red peppers with extra virgin olive oil, and top with salt, pepper and oregano if desired. You may also choose to add more of the tofu marinade on top of the tofu once it's in the pan. 

Cook for 10 minutes, flip all and cook another 10 minutes. Serve with the raw cucumbers. 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Gluten Free Life | "It's not that hard"

This should say 'gluten intolerance.' Good gluten
bigots know gluten allergies are completely different.
Unintentionally being part of a new diet craze has certain perks - for example the increase amount of celiac-friendly products that don't taste like cardboard or chalk is nice. It is also nice when ordering in a restaurant that no one assumes I'm on the Atkins diet (which always really irritated me as I'm very opposed to Atkins). 

However, I must say it is not without its drawbacks and annoyances. Now when ordering in a restaurant servers assume I've chosen a gluten free diet. 

As you know, I will not judge anyone who chooses the gluten free diet for whatever reason they choose it. In fact, welcome to the gluten bigot club! However, I do find annoyance in one by-product of this. And that annoyance was funny because it goes two ways:

First, people who have tried a GF diet will pity those stuck with it. "I tried it for a month and it was so HARD! How will you do it FOREVER!?" Umm, thanks for that. Upon resolving to adhere to my compulsory GF diet, I definitely had a mourning period. However I do not find it to be detrimental. Thanks to my diet I live an active, healthy and happy life - something that was not always attainable on a gluten diet for me. That is certainly worth more to me than a bagel ever would be.

Next is actually the flip side. "I tried it for a month, and it was so eat. No bread? So what? They have gluten free bread." I do agree the diet is very easy once you become accustomed to it. However, it is not easy at the get go, and you will always encounter challenges. If you choose to give a GF diet a go, and you have some hidden gluten or your food was cross contaminated, no big deal. You will never even never even notice. However, if you are gluten intolerant or celiac, you're probably going to have some sort of reaction (unless you are not symptomatic). There is a different level of diligence required when the diet is mandatory, so lets give our celiac/gluten intolerant friends that one. Also, when you have not chosen the diet you mightn't be so well prepared to give up bagels.

How did you end up on a gluten free diet? Did you find it or did it find you?

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Gluten Free Croissants (Crescent Rolls)

Gluten Free Croissant
Gluten Free Chocolate Croissant
Since going 100% gluten free there has only been one thing which I have missed which I have not been able to find a GF version of - croissants. These were actually my favorite pastry, nothing could beat a cafe au lait with a croissant (preferably chocolate) on the side. 

Since my quest has never returned a GF croissant did not yield any I could buy in a store I turned to my google machine for a recipe, which I found here. Despite the amount of effort to be put in I decided this weekend it was going to happen.

The first step is to add all flours together. In typical gluten bigot style I subbed for what I had on hand:

  • 1 cup sorghum flour
  • ½ cup chickpea flour
  • ½ cup millet four
  • 1 cup white rice flour
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 4 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
I scooped out one cup of the dry ingredients into a smaller bowl and added one cup of warm water and 1 egg and 3 tbsp egg whites (again, working with what I had) and beat those with my handheld mixer. Then I added one stick of melted butter and mixed some more until it was all nicely blended. 

Gluten Free Croissant
That brought me back to the dry ingredients where I cut in one stick of cold butter used my pastry blender until the butter was pea sized. 
Gluten Free CroissantThe next step was easy, add liquid ingredients into dry and mix. I attempted this with my handheld mixer but abandoned that effort and used a spatula due to the amount of dough. 

Once it was all mixed I formed the dough into one big ball and covered my mixing bowl. Then I covered it with saran wrap and refrigerated it over night.

Gluten Free CroissantIn the morning I cut the bit ball into three equal parts. One at a time I rolled of the third into a circle and cut into eight equal pieces (tip: a pizza cutter does a nice job here). The original recipe said to flour the surface, etc but I didn't as the dough was not very sticky and when I did flour the surface I found the dough became too dry.
Gluten Free Croissant
Once cut, I simply rolled the dough. Most I left plain, but for a select few I decided to add Ghiradelli chocolate chips t some to create the above noted chocolate croissant. Once they were rolled I placed them directly onto a baking sheet where they remained for about 90 minutes as they rose. Then 15 minutes in a 350F oven and they were ready to eat. 

Gluten Free Croissant
I know you're dying to hear the results... as I was to see/taste them. Honestly, I was disappointed as they are not the nice flaky croissant I miss. Instead I would describe them as being like Pilsbury crescent rolls. This isn't a bad thing, I do quite enjoy the result, but if you go through the trouble you definitely have to have the right expectation. Both the normal and the chocolate one meet my and my hubby's approval. The yield is 24 croissants so I have some to freeze so my day+ journey to make them seems worth it.

Gluten Free Croissant

Monday, January 28, 2013

Curried Turkey Burritos

Curried Turkey Burrito

Do you ever get strange cravings? Apparently I do, for something very specific which I had never actually had. One day at random, I decided I wanted a curried turkey burrito. 


Say Whaaaat?



Yes, my mind decided it needed some strange combination of Mexican and Indian to be delighted. So I got in the kitchen and went to work!



First, I started by putting some volcano rice on the cooker and pull a GF flatbread out of the fridge or freezer. With that started I started to chop by vegetables for inclusion with the ground turkey. I used:

Gluten Free Curried Turkey Burrito
Cook vegetables of your choice

  • One small white onion
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 2 carrots
I chopped them up into little bits and cooked them with about 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil for about ten minutes.


Gluten Free Curried Turkey Burrito
Spices/additives
Then I needed to create the curried-Mexican flavor. To accomplish this I added:
  • 1 tbsp-ish Red Curry Paste
  • 1-2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tsp garlic
  • 1/3 cup marina with hot peppers
  • 1 lbs-ish ground turkey (you could sub tofu for make vegetarian)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Gluten Free Curried Turkey Burrito
Cook well
I added all the above at once into the frying pane with the vegetables. I cooked this for about 10 minutes making that chopping motion that you do when cooking mince meat (side note, I once had dinner at a friend's house who was making tacos. They did not realized you needed to kind of chop the ground meat while it cooked. The outcome was disastrous). 

Once the turkey and rice were done, I placed both onto the flatbread. Whenever I have a wrap or burrito I always wrap it with tin foil; this keeps it from falling apart and me from making a mess of my table and myself. 

Finally, I decided to serve it with a small side salad which was simply spinach with a lite spray of extra virgin olive oil from my Misto and a touch of salt, pepper and oregano. The result was exactly what I was looking for, and surprisingly delicious. This made enough for four meals for me, I even just had the turkey and rice on a couple of occasions and it was nice on its own as well.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

GF Product Review | Mary's Gone Crackers

I am not a massive fan of crackers, however I do enjoy them occasionally with cheese or a dip of some sort. While I was on my detox diet I noticed my grain intake was a bit low and was wandering around my local grocer looking for a good grain product to pick up, and I remembered that some colleagues had recommended I try Mary's Gone Crackers. I found them (they are easy to find in any of my favorite Manhattan grocers), and picked up a box of both the onion and the original.

I must say I am a big fan of both. I've been enjoying the onion version with bean dip, soup, or on their own. The plain ones go nicely with peanut butter. If you're looking for a healthy grain so snack on definitely give these a try!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Gluten Free Healthy Snack | Roasted Chickpeas

Do you ever have those cravings where you are just dying for something crunchy? Of course, that always leads to chips which are not always the best option, especially if you are trying to maintain clean eating habits. In my quest for a crunchy satisfying snack, I decided to make roasted chickpeas. There are loads of recipes, but I decided to add my own twist. 
Roasted Chickpea Recipe
The finished product
First, preheat your oven to 425F. Then assemble and mix well:
Roasted Chickpea Recipe
  • One can of chickpeas (strained and rinsed) 
  • 1 tsp-ish extra virgin olive oil 
  • 1-2 tsp chipotle pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Once mixed, put on greased baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes. Stir and bake another 15-20, keeping an eye on to ensure they don't burn. If they do (I totally burnt mine), no worries they still taste delicious! I love this recipe because it requires little added fat, just ensure the chickpeas are not dry when mixing. 

Then enjoy as needed! They store nice for a few days in an airtight container once cooled.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Gluten Free Comfort Food | Baked Potato

There is probably no easier meal than a baked potato, which is why it's one of my favorite take-alongs to work as well as for an easy to make dinner. 

Of course, baking a potato is simple, so why is this potato special? It's special because of the toppings of course. This is a hearty vegan/clean diet/detox friendly baked potato full of protein and good fats. Of course, potatoes are full of potassium. If you use a sweet potato extra bonus points.

Since butter was not an option on my detox (or if you're vegan), the first thing I topped it with was butter bean dip. This provided nice creamy flavor and texture, as well as much needed protein. Then I topped with a guacamole type topping. It consisted of:

  • 1/2 ripe avacado
  • 2 slices medium onion diced
  • cilanto, salt, and pepper to taste
  • about 2 tbsp of lemon juice
To create my guacamole-ish topping I just mashed those items together and put on top of the potato. As I side I had carrots and celery as pictured. This could also be a nice side dish for a chicken or beef main if you're looking for a more substantial meal.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Gluten Free Upper West Side - Nice Matin

My frittata
If you follow me on tumblr, you have seen me profess my fancy for the odd brunch. I like all types of brunch (greasy, boozey, etc), and when I am looking for a bit of a nicer/fancier brunch one of my go to places is Nice Matin. I was recently there, and thought it merited a post. 

Their first win is having a gluten free menu - that got me in the door. Once in the door I fell in love for a) their lovely decor which reminds me of a Parisian cage and b) in nicer weather their fantastic outdoor seating which is perfect for enjoying both a nice day and people watching. However, their huge win is their solid brunch offering. 

My last visit I had the artichoke and leek frittata. I'm typically not a massive fan of eggs but really enjoyed this one. They serve it with a nice side salad and spiced potatoes which are tasty. Oh, they have a nice mimosa as well. 

Icing on the cake is good service with servers who are knowledgeable about gluten free diets. If you are looking for a cozy place in the neighbourhood, I definitely recommend you check it out!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Gluten Free Options Where There is None

Wait, what does that title even mean? I happen to be attending meeting on the road this week, and don't have to option of making my own food or going out for every meal - and when I do go out gluten free options are not always easy to find. 

The hotel where I am staying has a Starbucks, so I just wanted to share a few options which you can easily find in Starbucks as they are highly available in North America. Certain tazo teas are gluten free. There are a few which apparently are not, however I stick to either refresh (peppermint) or China Green. 
Next, you can find Kind Bars at basically any Starbucks. In Indiana, I can typically find Two Moms in the Raw bars as well which are fantastic. I also have enjoyed their fruit cups. 

I have also had to concede to not dining exclusively in GF menu environments. Unfortunately that does lead to interrogations, but I have reduced these by having salad dressing on the side (and quite oftenly not using it), removing at 'at risk' ingredients, etc. as part of my order. So far so good on that front!

And of course preparedness has been key, when I was in all day and all night meetings a couple of days ago I was super thankful for the food that I brought as a failsafe. 

What strategies do you use to create GF options where there are none?

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Gluten Free French Onion Soup Recipe

Gluten Free French Onion Soup
The final result 
During the winter months, I can't get enough soup. There is something so nice and comforting about a hot soup on a cold day. My favorite by far is French Onion soup, it combines three of my favorite things - onions, carbs, and cheese! It can be tricky to find a GF version, luckly it is quite easy to make!

You just need a few ingredients to make the actual soup:

  • 4 white onions
  • 2 32oz containers gluten free beef broth (sub with vegetable broth for veggie/vegan)
  • Some red wine (optional)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Other spices to your liking - I like to add thyme and a bit of parsley personally.
  • Extra virgin olive oil
Gluten Free French Onion Soup
While its cooking
Start by chopping up the onions and garlic. Using the biggest pot you own, caramelize the heck out of those onions using a bit of extra virgin olive oil over a medium heat, it should take 15-20 minutes. Add garlic, then pour in about 1 cup of red wine if you're using it. Add spices. Bring it down to a simmer let it do its thing until the wine is mostly absorbed - about 30-40 minutes depending on how much wine you added (I probably went overboard with mine). Then remove the bay leaf and add the beef broth. Make it hot, then let it simmer for about half an hour.

If you are making it right away, toast some gluten free bread and grate some guyere cheese while its simmering and pre-heat your oven to broil. Once the soup is done, fill french onion soup bowls (oven safe), then put toast in and top with cheese to your liking. Broil 5-10 minutes. The cheese should be nice and melthed. Then Enjoy, just try not to burn your mouth!

What's your favorite soup? Do you have a French Onion soup recipe you love?

Monday, January 21, 2013

Gluten Free Travel | Bringing Food Along

I'm on the road again this week, this time for the duration of the work week for a company even. Although I did indicate I require gluten free food I never count of food being available, especially since if it is buffet style you can't count on anything being gluten free. So I am being a good gluten bigot and bringing some food with me when I go. I have posted before about bringing food, but I thought it would be fun to post what I actually brought. 

Energy bars are a staple wherever I go. You can typically find one in my purse as a 'just in case.' This time I am also bringing some peanut butter and crackers for an easy lunch. My homemade corn muffins are also handy as they are quick and easy to grab. When I arrive I will probably try to go to the grocery store to grab some fruit and veggies to keep in the fridge in my room, and hopefully they will have loads out for me to grab throughout the day!

What food do you like to bring when you travel?

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Lazy Sunday Post | Detox Update/Conclusion

If you have been following me on Tumblr, you'll know that I decided to start off the first quarter of the year with a few diet challenges. The first was a 19 day detox. If you would like to read about my diet based cleanse, feel free to do so in my tumblr post.

Today is the last day of my detox, so I wanted to update you on how it went. As I mentioned in my original post, the first few days were rough, however, after that I have felt great. I've had loads of energy even without coffee and my stomach has not had any other troubles. I closely monitored my nutrition during this detox and it was better than in general - I suppose that is a by product of eating so clean. 

I dropped a few pounds during it. I don't know if it was real weight, water weight, or toxic weight from my terrible habits in December. It's a nice by product, but just feeling better in general was the big win. It is also going to lead me to explore if I am lactose intolerant as I seem to feel much better without dairy in my diet whenever I remove it.

Would I recommend it? If it's right for you, I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it. It's not extreme like a juice fast or lemon-cayenne-water diet. I find I find its good for helping clean up your eating habits. I definitely suggest spending two weeks on it if you try it so you can really notice a difference, as well I found that my cravings for sweets and processed food really diminished after the first 10 days. 

Have you tried a detox diet? Do you have one you would recommend?

Saturday, January 19, 2013

FAQ - What Do Celiacs Eat?

I'm sure you've been there a million times; you meet someone, maybe professionally, maybe socially, or maybe it's even family, and upon finding out your gluten bigoted status, they will ask, "So, what can you eat?"

I find this funny to answer, because I've gotten so used to being gluten free and have learned how to make anything I would have missed that my reply is simply - "Everything, except for things that have gluten." Sounds easier than it actually is. 

If you are in a position where you are having a celiac / gluten intolerant / otherwise gluten bigoted person over for a meal, or maybe you are new the the GF diet, and need suggestions, here are the things to not serve / not eat / consider/ what we can and can't eat:

  • No standard bread or pasta. Only the GF version. 
  • Rice and quinoa are fine.
  • All non-processed meat is fine. Processed meat should be marked gluten free.
  • All fruit and vegetables are fine.
  • Sauces may be okay. Read the label. Actually on that note...
  • Read every label. Look for any obvious gluten: wheat, barley, rye, oats (unless it is GF oats). Scan for the other titles gluten likes to cavort as. Or to make it easier if you're in the US, labeling laws mandate gluten must be noted. So look for either CONTAINS GLUTEN, or Manufactured on equipment that also processes wheat. If it says either of those things, the item is not safe for the gluten bigot.
  • Look for products marked 'gluten free.'
  • If you are having a GF-er as a guest, do not hesitate to ask them for suggestions. 
  • Use the internet, and my blog, to find recipes! Nearly everything can be made gluten free.
  • Invite the celiac / gluten intolerant to serve their food first if you will also be serving gluten containing dishes. This will reduce likelihood of cross contamination. Also, when you are preparing food ensure equipment is well cleaned and use separate equipment for GF items.
  • Also, don't be offended if a celiac / gluten intolerant brings their own food. Sometimes it is just easier.
If you serving someone, good luck! If you are new to the GF diet, welcome! I guess the point is, with some adjusting our diet is not limited at all, it just takes a little bit more effort.

Do you have any tips to add on hosting a gluten intolerant/celiac?

Friday, January 18, 2013

Gluten Free Healthy Snack | Bean Dip


Gluten Free White Bean Dip
My Mom's legendary White Bean Dip
Everyone loves a snack. I've been trying to choose healthful snacks, as well as increase my protein intake as I'm not much of a meat eater. Taking inspiration from my mom's fabulous white bean dip (which I basically rob whenever I go home and she makes it, refusing to share with anyone), I decided to make bean dip. However, the grocery store by me was out of white beans (it's a small organic grocer), so I decided to give it a try with what I could find - butter beans. 


Gluten Free Butter Bean Dip
Bean dip ingredients
The recipe to make bean dip is essentially the same as when you make hummus. I always like add a bit of a twist. You'll need:

          • A can of butter beans (or white beans, chickpeas, etc)
          • 2-3 tbsp-ish Extra virgin olive oil
          • 2-3 clovesGarlic (to taste, not pictured)
          • 1 tbsp Lemon juice
          • Salt to taste
          • Papprika to taste (not pictured)

Gluten Free Butter Bean Dip Notice I basically list everything as 'to taste'? I do that because it really is up to you how much flavor and of what you want to include. Once you have everything, all you need to do is throw it all into a food processor or blender and blend until its creamy. Serve right away or store in an air tight container.
Gluten Free Butter Bean Dip
If you made according to my recipe, each 2 tbsp serving will be 74 calories, 5g of fat (but good fat), 7g carbs, 1g sugar, and 2g protein. In addition it will give you about 19% of your vitamin C intake and 5% of your daily iron requirement. Plus, it tastes really good! Serve with chips, veggies, or use as a condiment!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Gluten Free Breakfast - Petit Blue Dog Cafe

Apologies for the shotty smart phone
quality on this photo.
I dislike standard breakfast most of the time. I enjoy pancakes at the weekend, and will tolerate an omelette for the purpose of a boozy brunch in the city, and have been known to get down with a breakfast pastry, but generally don't want the whole breakfast shebang. My husband however does. I work from home and he will as well the very odd time, and on those days I know he'll want to order breakfast, so I was really excited when some seamless.com searching brought Blue Dog Cafe to my attention.

The item the got me is pictured right, the GF Chocolate UFO. It was like gluten free breakfast pastry heaven, I knew I had to have it. Of course just having a calorie ridden chocolate UFO would be ridiculous so I also order a smoothie. Both were delicious. I can't recall the name of the smoothie I ordered here, but can say I seem to enjoy the Banana Latte best. A big pro- they options made with almond milk and coconut milk. Vegan/Dairy free win! The chocolate UFO was fantastic. It's hard to explain, the outer shell is somewhat crispy (very shell like), while the inside is some sort of molten semi-saucey semi-solid deliciousness. 

If you're in midtown and want a GF treat, I highlight recommend. And if you're in Hell's Kitchen/the Theatre District, you'll be extra happy - they deliver

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Gluten Free Perogies

Gluten Free Perogies
The final result - boiled and fried with olive oil.
First, welcome to the first post on my website! When I decided to start this website, I knew the first post had to be special, so I decided the first post would be about making gluten free perogies. Perogies were one of those foods I have really enjoyed since childhood. My parents have photos of my sister and I eating them whilst in out kiddie pool. When I got older my mom and I used to take a day to make big batches. When my gluten free diet was implemented, perogies was one of the first recipes I wanted to find a GF version of. 

And find one I did! I found a recipe for the perogy shell here, and made my modification (below) and used the same filling I always did. The result was fantastic, the perogies I eat now as practically the same as the gluten ones I grew up with. Read on for how to make them!

Filling: 
2 lbs potatos (I use russet or yukon gold)
16oz container of light cottage cheese (skip or sub for vegan)
3-4 green onions (scallions)
A bit of salt
Optional:
1 yellow onion - caramelized
bacon bits (omit for V/VE)

Start by cooking and mashing the potatoes; reserve the potato water. Add your preferred filings (or follow my favorites, above), salt to taste and set aside.

Shell: 

1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup +2 tbsp potato starch
1.5 tbsp sea salt
3 tbsp xanthan gum
6 eggs (for vegan sub 8 tbsp flax meal + 1 cup +2 tbsp warm water)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


Gluten Free Perogy

Mix together all dry ingredients. Then separately, beat eggs, then add olive oil. Put all ingredients together, you'll probably have to do some kneading. The result will be a nice doughy ball. Roll it out on a clean, flat surface. Using either a big circle cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out dough. Re-roll, cut. Repeat until the dough has all been cut. (Make additional batches as needed)


Gluten Free Perogy
I enlisted a ringer to help me
assemble perogies.
Now it's assembly time! I encourage finding a friend, or enlisting a spouse as I did, to assist with assembly as this is the most time consuming part of the process. Simply take a perogy shell, a spoonful of filling, and fold one side over the other to achieve the nice perogy shape. Make sure the sides are well adhered, I usually use the potato water to help (dip your finger in it and run along the edges before folding over. Place onto a wax papered and floured baking sheet for freezing. Stack as needed.

I freeze all mine right away, my last batch made about 90 perogies. When you cook them, simply boil until the rise to the top of the water, then fry with extra virgin olive oil and onion if you like. Then enjoy! They're nice on their own, or with some salt and light/vegan sour cream. You can enjoy them on their own, or as a side dish.

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