Stuff Your Face with Gluten Free Cannoli!

Seriously, you will not be able to stop - these things are amazing! When I was in Venice earlier this year I was completely jealous when my husband got to enjoy some fantastic looking cannoli (I just food porned it). I also swore it would be my mission to learn how to make them at home. And that I did. 

Shells:

I found an excellent recipe to start from for the shells on the Gluten Free Recipe Box. 

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp GF vanilla extract 
• 3.5 tbsp cold water 
• 1/2 c while rice flour 
• 1/4 c tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup potato starch 
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum 
• 1 tbsp organic raw cane sugar
• A crank of two Pink Himalayan Sea Salt 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• 3 tsp butter
• egg white for brushing
• White rice flour for dusting
• Cannola oil, or oil of your preference for frying

Beat together egg, water and vanilla. In a separate about mix together all the dry
ingredients. Cut in butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix together. Dust a clean surface with rice flour (or other flour), and roll out dough. Start pre-heating oil in a frying pan (about 1-1.5 inch oil, medium to medium-low heat) I did this after quartering the dough (whatever was left went into the next quarter. Roll and cut out with 3 inch or larger circle cutter (I used a 3.5). Wrap the circle around a cannoli roller (I got mine on Amazon). Then fry. You'll have to turn them about. Fry until golden in color all around. Place on a cooling rack which has been covered with paper towel or kleenex if you ran out like I did. Use tongs to move about. Repeat until they're all cooked.

TIP: Cannoli roller will be burn your fingers off hot. Since that is not fun, wait a minute after taking it out of the oil. Hold cannoli and hammer cannoli roller with tong to loosen. Then use tong to extract it from the cannoli. Let it sit a few minutes before you handle again to make the next cannoli. 

Filling

Next up - the filling! I drew inspiration from a few recipes, primarily this one on cooks.com:

• 750g(ish) part skim ricotta cheese - I actually used one smaller container plus one half of another one.
• 1.25 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp GF vanilla extract
• 1/4 chopped chocolate [chips]
• OPTIONAL: Icing sugar and carob/cocoa powder for dusting

First, strain the ricotta cheese for about half an hour. Then combine it with all other ingredients. Put into a ziploc bag, or icing bag if fancy-pants, and fill the shells. Fill only the ones you will consume immediately - this keeps the shell pastry crispy and flaky. I filled a few immediately and then refrigerated the rest and filled as we ate. Dust the tops as you go as well.

Have you ever made cannoli? What's your favorite recipe?

Were you Always Gluten Intolerant/Celiac?

Image Source: http://www.someecards.com

I am sure this a is a question that has been asked many a time to the celiacs and gluten intolerants/sensitives. "How long have you been celiac?" or "How you always been gluten intolerant?"

It always bothers me. I know no one means harm by it. And no one knows especially for the celiacs out there that you've had it your entire life but probably didn't find for a long time. 

Retrospect is always 20/20. I was talking with my mom when I visited home a few weeks ago, and now it's pretty easy to see my immune system sucked - probably because it was constantly compromised. And years of doctors and specialists didn't notice that.

So my answer is always this - my whole life, I just didn't know about it until __ years ago. I could just say __ years ago. But why not take the time to educate others about this disease? 

Just like the ecard (I heart someecards!) above, I didn't pick it, it picked me - and it probably did before I was born.

Product Review - Foods by George

I feel like it has been forever since I did a product review! I have been buying loads of things and am all excited about blogging about them, however other posts have taken my attention for some reason. So anyway, finally I am getting back to them!

Last weekend I was shopping in G*Free NYC and was delighted to see a few new products since my last visit a few months ago. Once of those products was Foods By George DF/GF pizza. It was individual sized, which made it really convenient to make for myself for lunch, and it is dairy free which most things aren't and I am trying to avoid dairy. 

Sold.

I had it for lunch the other day. I was remarkably excited for it. As soon as it was done I eagerly dove it. The verdict? It was really good. The crust was a fantastic texture, even though I probably needed to cook mine a little bit more.  The pizza comes on cardboard (as most do), but mine wasn't centered on said cardboard so I think that contributed to it not cooking as nicely as it could have. It was a good size for one person. The tomato sauce was good. However, I think my next purchase of it will be the dairy version. The cheese is Daiya, which I typically like, it just didn't act like I expected - but that just may be me being odd. Also I usually go a bit light on the Daiya on pizza as the texture it doesn't act like normal cheese so I found myself picking it off.

But all around, I think it's a great product. It was $3.75 if memory is serving me correctly, so while not cheap, it's certainly more reasonable than eating out for lunch.

Spicy Garlicy Cauliflower Goodness

A few months ago my husband brought me to Buddahkan, where I enjoyed a really nice cauliflower dish which they cooked for me with oil and chili flakes. It was spicy and divine. I swore I would dupe it at home, but alas, I was a bit lazy. In need of easy lunches to grab and eat for work (which are also good for me), I finally went for it and make it on my own.

It's so easy to make. I started with a 1.5-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive and threw in about a teaspoon of chili flakes. I let it sit for a few hours so the oil would absorb some of the spiciness from the get go. Ideally this would sit out overnight, however the six or so hours I left it did the trick.

When it was time to cook it I chopped up an entire head of cauliflower (they call it a head right?). Then in a large frying pan (a wok would do nicely here as well), I put in the chili marinated oil with the chilis and a couple teaspoons of chopped garlic (2 garlic cloves press would do nicely). I heated the over a high heat oil with the garlic and chili so it would absorb the favor. Before the garlic burned, I added in all the cauliflower and stirfried it for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower was nice and cooked. 

The results were delicious! It made about 4-5 servings. Super easy to grab, has a good fat in it. What's not to love. 

I've Said It Once, I Will Say it Again - I Heart Risoterria

My love affair with Risoterria has been a long one. It started not long after I moved to Manhattan, and I have been excited each time I get to share the joy of this place with gluten bigots and 'normies' alike. In fact, it is actually so good that I have not brought anyone there who did not love it. It's a tiny place on Bleeker in the West Village. It does not take reservations and 9 times of of 10 I have to wait at least 30 minutes for a table. But I assure you it is worth it!

An easy favorite to anyone with food allergies, they have gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan offerings. Each is actually good. They are really accommodating with dietary restrictions, I have overheard someone ordering who had a garlic allergy (thank GAWD I do not have that one!).

I am obsessed with the breadsticks. They are gluten free and better than any breadstick I have ever had. Ever. I always keep asking for more. And they always kindly oblige. You can even buy the mix to make them at home. My husband and I have fallen into the routine of sharing the GF bolognese risotto and a mozzeralla gluten free pizza. I of course enjoy dousing my pizza in chili flakes (as pictured right).

They do have gluten free sweets on hand if you fancy dessert. I did have a red velvet cupcake once, and while it was good it was not the most amazing cupcake ever, so I usually opt for frozen yogurt afterwards instead (probably a good choice after all the breadsticks).

They also have an excellent selection of gluten free beer, which I have noticed has grown in recent months. I was really excited to see Omission there, which is one of my favorites. I also noticed a few brands last weekend that I haven't tried yet.

If you live in NYC or will be visiting NYC, ensure you go. Immediately or sooner. It will be one of your favorite restaurants too!

Roasted Potatoes & Stretchy Pants (AKA- the Greek Feast)

The last touch for a big ol' Greek feast is roasted potatoes. Greek roasted potatoes are probably one of my favorite versions of potatoes. To make mine, I used:

• 3 yukon gold potatoes
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• a bit of salt and pepper.

With my oven at 425-450 (I was cooking the chicken souvlaki and pita at the same time), i put all the liquid and spice type things into my la creuset casserole dish and mixed, then added cleaned and chopped potatoes. I won't tell you how you should chop your potatoes. Long quarters, chubby quarters, halvies, you're wild girl and you do what you want! Just make sure you put them into that dish (or pan) and roast for about 40 minutes. I flipped mine once half way through.

Serve with the rest of your Greek fixin's including tzatziki and greek salad. Ideally whilst wearing stretchy pants.

Oh and be ready to smell a lot like garlic.

Because Pita Bread is Awesome, Let's Make it!

An essential to a Greek meal, and the thing I am to this day jealous of when dining out for Greek, is pita bread. Dough and greasy and sooo good. I have bought frozen pita bread at G*Free NYC, but at $12.50 for six pieces it is a bit dear. So I thought why not be a renegade and make it on my own. Lucky for me, I found an excellent recipe on LIvingwithout which I updated to suit items I had on hand:

• 1 package active yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 tsp raw organic cane sugar
• 1½ c brown rice flour
• ½ c tapioca flour
• 1 c sorghum flour 
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• Few cranks of my Pink Himalayan Sea Salt grinder.
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 egg (or sub flaxmeal and water to make it vegan!)

Before you get everything together, start by assembling the warm water and yeast in a small bowl. When the yeast has dissolved, add the sugar and let sit for 10-15 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix together. Then add yeast mixture and egg and mix. Slowly add lukewarm water whilst mixing the whole time. Grease bowl,  cover, and let the dough sit in a warm place for 2-3 hours (until risen).

Once risen, it's rolling and cooking time! Preheat oven to 500F (or if cooking other things like me, 425-450 and put on lower rack). Cut dough into pieces. The original recipe says it makes 10-12 pitas, I squeezed out 16. Flouring the surface and your rolling pin, roll out each piece into a circle. If OCD like myself, use large circle cutter to make perfectly round. Place onto cookie sheet which has been sprayed with extra virgin olive oil. Repeat. Maybe spray some olive oil on top when all sorted as pictured (top). Use multiple cookie sheets or oven rounds if need be.

Cook on the first side for 4 minutes. Flip and cook another 2. Serve immediately. Goes nicely with tzatziki and hummus, or make a sandwich. They stored well in fridge for about 2 days, reheat in oven preferably, but stove top in frying pan also works. They also freeze nicely. 

I'll Skewer You - Chicken Souvlaki

My favorite thing to eat at a Greek restaurant is Greek style ribs. 100%. However ribs are not my forte (at least not yet), so I make my second favorite dish - chicken souvlaki! I prefer poultry, but if you wanted to make pork or lamb, you can easily sub it out. 

The pain in the ass with souvlaki is the marinating time. I am not always amazing at meal planning and usually sort it out when I go to cook. However, since my Greek meals take a bit more than that, I usually remember/get my act together with sufficient time for the chicken to absorb the goodness. It should marinate over night, I usually do it for a few hours the day of the meal to great results though.

And by goodness I mean: extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup), garlic (at least 3 cloves, again I go 5), oregano, and salt and pepper. Oh, and you'll need a couple chicken breasts.

Start by combining the marinate (everything but the chicken). Trim the chicken and cut into what I describe as two bite pieces. Put into the marinate as you go along, ensuring each piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before cooking, ideally overnight.  

You can cook on a barbecue  or if you're in an apartment like me, in your oven. If cooking in the oven preheat it to 375. Soak some wood skewers in water so they don't burn. Then skewer chicken. I usually do 5-6 pieces per skewer, you can do more or less if you want to - remember, you make the rules! Cook about 10 minutes per side until cooked and not salmonella pink inside. Enjoy immediately!

And sorry for the lack of photos this post! I was a bad blogger and with my chicken hands I neglected to take photos. Raw chicken is unappetizing anyway.

Healthy Snack & Side - Tzatziki & Hummus

I love Greek side dishes, and specifically for this post anything I can dip bread or chips into. I hate coughing up money to buy pre-made things in the store, so I now happily make tzatziki and hummus at home! Both are super easy! When I'm making these for a Greek dinner, I usually make them the night prior so the tzatziki can marinate.

Tzatziki

You'll need: 500g Greek yogurt (I use non-fat), a cucumber, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. First, grate one small-medium sized cucumber and using either cheesecloth or a paper towel squeeze the water out. Put rung out cucumber in a bowl with the Greek yogurt, chopped / minced / pressed garlic (3 cloves/tsps) and about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Stir well. You can enjoy right away but I find waiting at least a few hours makes it better.

Hummus

Just like my bean dip this takes moments to make and is healthy and yummy! Start with one can of chickpeas (garbanzo), empty and rinse well. Put them into your food processor or blender and add 2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice to taste (1-2 tbsp is usually good), at least 2 cloves garlic (5 is my magic number), and a bit of cumin. Puree. This is consumable immediate. Store in airtight container. 

Gluten Free Greek Week! Part I - Greek Salad

I heart Greek food. One of my happiest trips was to Greece, simply because I got to go to tavernas and order a table full of food! It certainly doesn't hurt that most of the food is naturally gluten free! So I thought I would have a series this week focusing on the things you can make (easily - I promise!) to have your own Greek feast at home!

The first thing I always make is Greek salad. I typically make it one day prior as it totally gets better on day two and day three. And it's really easy to make. You'll need:

• 2-3 cucumbers (I heart cucumbers, so I always use three)
• 1/2-1 onion of your preference
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 tomatos (I always omit)
• Olives (optional, again I omit)
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Oregano to taste
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Feta Cheese

Start by chopping up all the vegetables into bite size pieces. Modify the amounts based on your preference. Then pour in the olive oil and add spices and stir really well. If you aren't mixing it in the container you will be storing it in, transfer it now. Then top with feta and cover, leaving it at least 4 hours before eating.

It stays good for a few days in the fridge, and is a really nice side dish, or have a bigger portion for a healthy lunch!

The Gluten Free Glamour at Beauty & Essex

One of the lame things about being celiac or gluten intolerant is that you don't always get to go to the cool places. I mean, I know a lot of great places to eat in Manhattan, but they aren't always the hottest restaurant. I had my on Beauty & Essex for a while, and booked a table immediately after I found out they have a gluten free menu. Julie at Goodie Goodie Gluten Free has photos of the menu on her post.

You will certainly want to book a table long before you go, and you certainly want to dress stylishly to avoid feeling like an outside, but once there you will feel so glam in Beauty & Essex - it just has that kind of vibe. 

After waiting 20 minutes past our booking time (my only complaint) we were seated. We had a cocktail while waiting and another one later one. Our server was fantastic and really knowledgeable about gluten free. My husband and I decided to order the avocado and watermelon salad and salt and vinegar fries to share, and we each had a filet mignon for our main. All were fantastic. I will be duping the salad at home, fries we amazing, meat was very nice, and the sauces were all delicious. 

To finish, and purely as a food blogger, I had to have dessert. Stuffed from dinner my husband and I decided to split the Black Bottomed Butterscotch Pot de Crème which was gluten free. It was ridiculous. I wanted it to never end and would go back for that alone.

So, if you are in Manhattan and looking for a posh place to enjoy, highly recommend.

I Made Chicken Fried Rice!

I know, this is not a major accomplishment. I am actually very comfortable cooking asian dishes and have made many which are far more complex than fried rice, but I had never made fried rice before. So when I did last week, I felt victorious even though what I did was so disgustingly easy.

Step One: Rice

Cook rice. In whatever works for you: stove top, rice cooker, etc. As long as said rice is cooked.

Step Two: Meat

While rice cooks, cook chicken. Cut it up really tiny (think pea-sized). If you hate chicken use pork or beef or tofu. Cook in wok or frying pan with a bit of oil and garlic. I did not have garlic (gasp!) so garlic olive oil did the trick. Prepare any other vegetables you'd like to add. I put in carrots as it was all I had without a trip to the grocery store. Peas would be ideal/traditional as well. Cook those in the frying pan too.

Step Three: Put it all together

Put the cooked rice into the chicken and vegetable pan/wok. Put in soy sauce to your liking (2 tbsp is what works for me). I added some spinach because I did not have peas and felt it needed something green. Add an egg if you like. Fry while constantly stirring for a few minutes. Once done, serve immediately.

It's great beside: a Feel Good Foods spring roll and/or gyoza <- I had mine with this combo. Stir fry of you liking. By itself for good old leftover lunch. Sweet and sour chicken.

Peach Blueberry Crumble with Quinoa Flakes

A few month I posted about making a gluten free apple crumble. Now we are moving into different seasonal fruit I wanted to make it with an update - peaches and blueberries. I also had quinoa flakes I wanted to give a try. I used:

• 3 white peaches (cut up)
• 1/2 cup-ish blueberries
• Dusting on cinnamon
• 2-3 tbsp water

Mix those all together and put into an pan or oven safe ceramic (I love my La Creseut for this). For the topping I used

• 1/2 cup-ish quinoa flakes
• About 2 tbsp organic honey
• About 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• Cinnamon
• A touch of sea salt

Once again, mix all together and then crumble evenly over peaches and blueberries. Bake at 375F for about 40 minutes. Serve hot, ideally with vanilla bean ice cream! Stores nicely in the fridge for a few days, just microwave to bring it back to it's hot crumble glory.

A New GF Addition to Hell's Kitchen

Not far from where I live is a little gastropub called Brickyard. My original interest was strangely because my surname is Brick. They happen to have good happy hour specials early and late even which has brought me in a few times - however what brought me most recently was their new gluten free menu.

Specifically, I wanted to try their gluten free build your own burger. I had mine with guyere, caramelized onion and chipotle BBQ sauce. 

When it arrive I was super excited as the bun looked amazing. The sauce came on the side which always makes me happy since I can control how much goes on (and I realize the irony of this when eating a hamburger). The actual burger was really good, very thick and tasty! The bun was mediocre, it was a little bit dry. Our server asked after how it was and told us that the menu and burger were still new and actually solicited any feedback, and my husband and I agree if they heat the bun a bit more it would be much nicer.

They also have Omission if you are looking to have a gluten free beer with your burger. Certainly a great place to stop in if you are in the neighborhood!

Is Burn Cream Gluten Free? and Other Kitchen Misadventures

Yesterday I had one of those 'I'm going to be super productive' days. I started by edited and sharing some family photos from an unexpected trip home, a lovely brunch with my husband, and then it was my planned blog time. I made something delicious, then started on diner with big plans of writing this week's posts after dinner. Everything was done and being pulled out of the oven, when, idiot me, decides to flip in the handle of the grill pan I had just removed from the 375F oven. Ouch!

I did a good enough job I went to buy burn cream. I had no idea if said cream is gluten free but I did dump it all over my hand immediately.

This is something that happens at least once a month by the way - cookie sheets are my most typical. 

I don't just burn myself in the kitchen. I have started small kitchen fires in the past. The most notable was probably setting my recipe sheet on fire in ninth grade. As I extinguished those flames the grilled cheese sandwich I had been tasked with making also burned (although the cheese was not even a little bit melted - my technique has improved since then).

I also have a propensity for cutting myself. Once I dropped a big kitchen knife on my foot - it landed pointy side down.

Basically what I am saying is, despite the fact that I now food blog for fun, I can be a complete wreck in the kitchen. Please tell me I am not alone.

PS this post was typed with one hand as my burned hand is holding ice trying not to hurt,

The Best Drunk Food

Pomme Frites is the best drunk food ever. Okay, so you don't have to be drunk to have it, but should you be in the area around 2am at the weekend most of the patrons are...

One of the things I miss most about living in Europe is having a chipper. There were two in downtown Vancouver (primarily for poutine purposes), but they aren't really a thing in New York for some reason. 

I have been here on several occasions, mostly because they have both garlic mayo chips and Irish curry chips (the holy grail of chips I swear). The chips are gluten free, the mayo is gluten free, sadly the poutine is not gluten free. I highly recommend as a cheap lunch when vintage shopping in the area, or as a late night snack when enjoying night life in the neighborhood.