GO GREEN!.....CABBAGE, THAT IS

Here's a recipe I whipped together for Christmas dinner. It's a super-easy simple salad using green cabbage.

Go Green Cabbage Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

1/2 c. finely diced walnuts

12 oz. cooked peas, chilled

4 oz. honey mustard vinaigrette such as Annie's Naturals

1 packet (.035 oz.) Stevia

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Serve!

A TASTE OF AUTUMN

One thing I love about autumn is the variety of squash that become available.  Since I will be hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year I have been experimenting with squash to create a new dish to serve.  Here is one that turned out great the first time!  Hope you enjoy it!

Autumn Squash and Rice Medley

Ingredients:

1 c. rice, half long-grain white and half wild rice

1 3/4 c. water

3 Tb. olive oil

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 med. acorn squash, cut in half and cleaned inside

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1 1/2 Tb. fresh mint, chopped fine

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:  Add water and 1 Tb. olive oil to a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil.  Add rice and turmeric, stir and cover with lid.  Reduce to a simmer and cook 25-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, place the squash halves on a microwave-safe plate, pierce several times with a fork and cook on high for 8-10 minutes, until just tender.  Place in refrigerator to cool.  Once cool enough to handle, use a peeler or paring knife to remove skin.  Cube the squash and place in large bowl.  Add pecans, mint, and salt.  Add cooked rice, cinnamon and then drizzle with the remaining 2 Tb. olive oil.  Toss gently to combine.  This can be served warm, room-temperature or slightly chilled - tastes great!

SALMON FOR 2

I love salmon!  It's such a great source of protein and omega-3, not to mention it's yummy.  Here is a quick and simple dinner for two featuring salmon....

Salmon with Rice and Cucumber-Dill Sauce

(servings: 2)

Ingredients:

2 c. cooked rice

2 salmon steaks

1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

1/3 c. Grey Poupon dijon mustard

2 Tb. olive oil

1/2 c. plain yogurt

2 Tb. cucumber, chopped fine

1/2 tsp. dried dill weed

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

lemon wedges

Directions:  Prepare rice as directed (I used Jasmine rice and cooked it in vegetable broth for extra flavor).  In a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, dill weed, and lemon zest. Set aside.  Rinse salmon and pat dry.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly and rub into the fish.  Spread the dijon mustard over each salmon steak evenly.  Heat frying pan over med-high heat, add olive oil.  Place salmon skin-side down in pan.  Cook 3-4 minutes.  Turn heat down to medium.  Turn salmon over and cover with a large lid.  Fry until just cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.  Serve on a bed of rice and with a dollop of cucumber sauce.  Place lemon wedges on each plate.  Enjoy!

NEW PRODUCTS ABOUND

I'm quite pleased to say that there are more and more gluten-free products becoming available in regular grocery stores!  The other day at Smith's, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a new gluten-free, whole grain bread sitting on an end display by the natural foods section.  It is an Udi's Gluten Free Foods product.  The grains and other main ingredients included in this bread are brown rice, tapioca and potato starch, teff and flax seed.  This bread is also dairy, soy and nut free.  It is quite tasty!  I made a mock garlic bread by toasting it and slathering on a spread made from Smart Balance, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  For more information on Udi's other gluten-free products, visit their website at: http://www.udisfood.com/

TASTE-TEST

I'm not usually a fan of microwave meals but I saw a new gluten-free brand of frozen entrees at the grocery store and decided to give it a try.  The brand is called Gluten Free Cafe' and the entree is the Lemon Basil Chicken - "Zesty chicken with garlic and herbs in a lemon-basil cream sauce over rice."  It was quite good!  The chicken wasn't hard or dry when cooked and the sauce wasn't over-powering or goopy.  For more information on this brand of frozen entrees go to their website at http://www.myglutenfreecafe.com/.

Happy Eating!

Celebrating Oktoberfest!

Autumn is my favorite season and Halloween my favorite holiday.  What better way to get in the mood for Fall than to have an Oktoberfest feast!  Here is my version of kielbasa and cabbage.  Enjoy!

Oktoberfest
Kielbasa & Sausage


Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1 onion, diced
1 head of green cabbage, shredded
2 medium-sized Idaho potatoes, sliced
1 1/2 lb. GF kielbasa, fully cooked (I used Fresh & Easy brand)
3 Tb. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. water or red wine
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:  Saute onions in butter over med-hi heat in a large pot until onions soften, about 3-4 min.  Stir in cabbage and potatoes and saute until cabbage wilts, about 5-6 min.  Add kielbasa, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.  Cover and cook over low heat until the kielbasa are heated through, stirring occasionally, 15 min.  Pour in water or wine and cook, covered, for 10 minutes more.  Serve!

Watch Those Carbs!

I've been trying to cut carbohydrates where I can and up my protein and it's been difficult to say the least.  I love eating chips and salsa, peanut butter on GF toast, rice or GF pasta with dinner, corn tortillas with cheese... Now if I have a craving for a sandwich I have decided to exchange the GF bread with lettuce.  There are all sorts of lettuce wraps these days in restaurants, usually with junk in them we can't eat!  Here is a sandwich wrap recipe I just invented, hope you like it!

Chicken Salad Wrap

servings: 2

Ingredients:

4 large Romaine lettuce leaves

1 (5 oz.) can GF chunk chicken in water, drained

1/4 c. plain yogurt

1/2 celery stalk, chopped fine

1/4 c. cucumber, seeded and chopped fine

1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp. dried dill weed or 1/2 tsp. fresh dill

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  Wash the lettuce leaves, pat dry and divide among two plates.  In a small bowl combine the rest of the ingredients except the avocado.  Place the sliced avocado on each of the four lettuce leaves.  Scoop out an equal amount of the chicken salad and put on each leaf.  Roll up and enjoy!

Apple-icious

I love making homemade apple sauce!  It's especially on my mind as autumn is soon to be here.  Apple sauce is so versatile and easy to make, plus, you can add other fruits to the apples to make an even more delicious apple sauce.  Hope you enjoy this version...

Plum-Apple Sauce

Ingredients:
4 red apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 plums, peeled, pitted and chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/8 tsp. allspice

Directions:  Combine all but the allspice in a medium sized pot. Heat on medium-high for 3 minutes.  Reduce heat to simmer and cover, cook for 20-25 minutes, adding the allspice halfway through cooking.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Puree in a food processor until desired consistency.

Hearty Healthy Chili

One thing about gluten-free eating is that you frequently have to modify recipes.  And it's a pleasure to find one that doesn't even need changing.  The following is one I found in Family Circle magazine, and although the ingredients don't need to be modified, the cooking instructions did.  Plus, I added a couple other ingredients I thought were necessary.  Next time I make it I think I will add another jalapeno - I like things spicy!  Hope you enjoy it!

Turkey & White Bean Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tb. olive oil

2 cans (15.5 oz. each) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 pkg. (20.8 oz.) lean ground turkey

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 tsp. cumin

3/4 tsp. ground coriander

2 c. GF chicken broth

3 Tb. fresh lime juice

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1/2 tsp. salt

4 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:  Set aside 1 cup of beans.  Heat a large pot on med-high and add olive oil.  Break up ground turkey into pot and cook until lightly browned.  Add onion, peppers and garlic and stir occasionally, cook for 5 min.  Add beans, 2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. coriander and chicken broth.  Stir to combine.  Place lid on pot and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook 1 hour.  Mash the reserved beans and add to the pot.  Also add 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/4 tsp. coriander, lime juice, cilantro and salt.  Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately.  Add a dollop of sour cream if desired (optional).

EGGS FOR BREAKFAST

There are so many unnecessary and harmful ingredients put in foods today that's it's no wonder they make us ill.  For a while I didn't eat eggs.  They seemed to make me sick at times.  Then I switched to organic, cage-free eggs and had no problem at all.  If you have local farms where you and the stores can get fresh, organic produce and meat products, then lucky you!  Switching out some of your chemically altered foods to organic is the way to go.  Here is a simple 3-egg omelet that is a good start to anyone's day - enjoy!

Southwestern
Veggie Omelet
1 serving

Ingredients:
3 organic, cage-free eggs
1 tsp. butter
1/2 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
1/3 avocado, chopped
1 Tb. shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat small pot on medium-low heat.  Add butter and coat the bottom.  Add beaten eggs and cook on low for one minute.  Sprinkle in the cheese and place the sliced tomatoes in the egg mixture.  Add a dash or two of salt and pepper.  Cook until almost firm throughout.  Quickly toss the omelet with a spatula to finish cooking, about 1 minute.  Sprinkle some more salt and pepper on this side.  Remove to a plate and add avocado to the top.  Optional:  add a little salsa on top.

Summer Salad

Going gluten-free is a journey of rediscovering food and appreciating what you put in your mouth.  Two of my favorite foods are shrimp and avocado.  Here I included them in a tasty salad that's great during those hot summer days.  Serve cold or room temperature.

Zesty Island Shrimp Salad
servings:  2

Ingredients:
2 c. cooked shrimp, shelled
1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 c. red onion, chopped fine
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2-3 Tb. olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1/8 tsp. each salt, pepper and ground coriander seed

Directions:  Combine all in a bowl.  Toss gently to mix.  Serve!

I Love Bananas

BANANA MUFFINS
(makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. organic turbinado sugar
2 eggs
2 large bananas, mashed
1 tsp. GF vanilla extract
2 c. Bob's Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place paper liners in cupcake/muffin tin.  Combine butter, sugar, eggs, bananas and vanilla in large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Blend flour, baking powder and salt and add to banana mixture. Mix until combined. Evenly distribute batter in twelve muffin cups.  Bake in oven for 20-22 min.  Add a cream cheese icing or spread with soft butter.  Enjoy!

Pizza - YUM!

YES, YOU CAN HAVE PIZZA! (you just have to know where to find it).  For me, one of the hardest foods to give up was pizza.  There wasn't a tasty gluten-free pizza in existence way back when I discovered my intolerance.  Luckily, there were people out there who listened to our demands and have created excellent alternatives.  There are now several different brands of gluten-free frozen pizzas in some grocery stores as well as online.  My favorites are the ones from Gluten Free & Fabulous.  I can even find them in my local Smith's store.  They have only two of the five choices right now, and they are:  Pepperoni and Pesto Margherita.  All other versions you can buy from their website.  Also available are gluten-free pizza dough mixes where you can make pizza at home.  I have yet to try it, but I will update you when I do!  In Las Vegas, I know of only two restaurants where you can order a gluten-free pizza.  One is Sammy's Woodfire Pizza and the other is Mark Rich's New York Pizza & Pasta.  Sammy's has more gourmet style pizzas while Mark Rich's has traditional kinds.  Lucky for me, they are both located less then three miles from my house - Yipee!  Check back for more taste-tested gluten-free fare....

Fruits and Vegetables

FRUITS AND VEGGIES ARE OUR FRIENDS!  Eating food in its natural state is more beneficial.  I like to roast whatever vegetables I happen to have left in my fridge at least once a week.  Here, I had baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and pea pods.  See instructons below.  Next recipe to come is Banana Muffins!

Roasted Veggies

Directions:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with foil - this makes for easy clean-up.  Spread out the veggies of your choice on the sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  You can use fresh herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme in place of the dried herbs if you like.  Toss the veggies gently and spread out evenly.  Roast in oven for 15 minutes. Done!

Be Sure To Take Your Vitamins!

One important addition to any gluten intolerant persons diet is a multivitamin.  Before figuring out that you had celiac disease, your body was unable to absorb the necessary nutrients from foods because of the damage the gluten protein caused in your intestines. As with anything you're ingesting, you need to read the label!  Some multivitamins may contain gluten!  Some specifically say they are free of gluten while others just list the ingredients.  If you're not sure, ask a representative at a health/vitamin store.  Most grocery store employees will unlikely know what you're talking about, let alone that there's something called celiac disease or gluten intolerance.  I've tried a GNC brand multivitamin for women but recently found a cheaper one at my local grocery store that specifically states it is free of gluten, among other things you don't want to be ingesting.  It's by Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems.  Check back later for more yummy recipes!

Some years after going gluten-free I noticed I was sensitive to other things as well.  I try to limit sugar and caffeine now.  In regards to refined sugar, it doesn't take long for it to hit my system and cause problems like migraines and general fatigue.  Here is a no-sugar-added smoothie I like to make.

PB & Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 frozen ripe banana, pre-chopped
1/3 c. plain yogurt
1 c. unsweetened almond milk
2 Tb. natural peanut butter
2 tsp. flax seeds
one or two dashes of cinnamon

Directions:  Combine all in blender and mix until smooth.  Add more almond milk for desired consistency.  Healthy and yummy!

One Day At A Time

Welcome to my gluten-free blog!  I've wanted to start one for a while but never got around to it until now.  Since I was a little kid, I've always had stomach issues and thought that was just the way I was.  I had to remind myself to eat slower and take small bites.  That's how I originally got my nickname, "Birdie," - because I ate like a bird.  Somehow, subconsciously, I knew I shouldn't be eating bread, because I would intentionally remove the bun from hamburgers and hotdogs and just eat the meat.  I led a pretty full and active life, despite all my discomfort.  When I reached my 20's though, things began to get worse.  The intestinal cramping and discomfort increased, I was extrememly fatigued.  I'm not sure how I made it through school being so tired all the time.  My hair was thinning and coming out,  my periods were getting worse - slight anemia, flu-like symptoms, and irregular.  At one point I lost a lot of weight and got down to 103 lbs.  I Finally went to the doctor when I felt so ill for a couple months.  As with many people in my situation I had the usual diagnosis of either irritable bowel syndrome or an intestinal virus.  I didn't believe it and was extremely disappointed.  At this point I stop eating dairy products, which did help a little.  In the meantime, I found some articles in magazines that described symptoms that were exactly what I had - celiac disease.  Eureka!  So I had to self-diagnose myself and start a strict gluten-free diet.  Within a few weeks I began to feel better, I was amazed!  Of course, it took me a good three years to be completely gluten-free as I became diligent with label reading, learned which fast food I could and couldn't have, and what choices I had at restaurants - not much!  I am glad to say that there are more tasty gluten-free products out today then there were ten years ago, and those newly diagnosed may not be as tempted to cheat.  Stop by in the future to see my own recipes and suggestions as this is just the beginning.