BBQ

After living in our home for over a year, we finally had a few friends over for a BBQ last night. We spent some time cleaning up, I worked in the garden, and of course I had some work to do in the kitchen.

We had BBQ Chicken Breasts (bone-in) and the BBQ rub from my last post won rave reviews. One friend even took home a copy of the recipe.

We also had homemade Maui-style ribs and although I vary the recipe a little bit each time I make it, this time was one of the best; delicious, juicy and of course Gluten-Free. Please note, I generally cook by feel (especially for marinades), so the quantites in this recipe are approximate at best, definitely take the time to adapt the recipe to your families taste buds!

The first thing to note is that I have stopped using my expensive gluten-free tamari for marinade, I am now using the super cheap, non-fermented soya sauce available at Safeway (look for the cheapest bottle at your local store, I was amazed to find that there was no wheat ingredients). I would never use it on its own as it is not all that tasty, but it works great in a marinade.

Secondly, I wanted to point out the addition of 7-up to the marinade. This is something I have long used for Chicken Wings, and although I have often thought of it, this is the first time I actually used it in a beef marinade. I am confident this really helped with keeping the meat sweet and juicy!!

Gluten-Free Maui Rib Marinade

ingredients (amounts are approximate):

• Beef Short Ribs, thin cut (maui-style)
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1.5 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp Braggs GF seasoning
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1/4 cup Gluten-Free Soya Sauce
• 1/4 cup 7-up

Combine all ingredients (except ribs) and mix well. Place in an airtight container with the ribs for 4 hours to a few days. Cook them on the BBQ and enjoy!!

 

Smoked Paprika

In the midst of my food journey, a friend of mine mentioned the secret ingredient of her allergy-free life; smoked paprika. Her battle with foods has been ongoing since I met her and when she described this single spice as smoky and robust, rich and flavourful, a perfect compliment to simple cooking, I knew I had to find some.

I think she got hers at Stong’s, but I was happy to discover some, for only a few dollars, on a trip to my favourite store, Galloways. In truth, my Mom was never much for cooking, and although I’ve learned to bake from cookbooks and can muddle my way through nearly any recipe, the delicate art of spices is relatively new to me. That being said, I have made a number of dished using smoked paprika as the primary flavouring.

I made amazing chicken burgers; home-ground chicken breast, finely diced onions and smoked paprika. Cooked on the grill, these juicy burgers shrunk little, and had the authentic taste of smoke and grill. So easy and so delicious. I think these are all I ate for the first 3 meals of my camping vacation.

I’ ve been enjoying the flavours of rice pasta as of late; complimented on one occasion by a seafood white sauce, complete with shrimp, scallops and the delicious flavour of smoked paprika. More recently, I made a traditional meat pasta sauce, however the addition of smoked paprika to my browning ground meat, added a depth and dimension to the meal that was hard not to enjoy.

Finally, last night, I made a roast, using a recipe I found in a recent issue of Real Simple Magazine for a homemade BBQ Rub. I haven’t had much experience with rubs and this particular one was intended for BBQ-ing steaks, chicken or ribs - but it was incredibly easy and yielded a delicious roast. Unfortunately, despite my best searching efforts, I cannot seem to find the recipe and accompanying article online, but due to the simplicity and wonderful flavour I will post it here.

Barbeque Rub
(Taken from Real Simple Magazine, June 2008 )

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp Paprika (I recommend a smoked paprika)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp ground coffee
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• 0.5 tsp pepper

Directions:

• Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl - mix well.
• Drizzle up to 2 pounds of meat with 1 tbsp Olive oil.
• Sprinkle rub on meat and press it gently to the food.
• Flavours will intensify if you apply the rub to meat ahead of time.

*note: this made enough rub to cover two small roasts with extra to spare - I froze the second roast after applying the seasoning, and still had a small amount leftover to use on another occasion.

*note: include the ground coffee regardless whether you are a coffee-drinker. It enhances the flavour and provides depth. My husband doesn’t like coffee and he didn’t even notice it was there!

 

Going Gluten-Free

This Thursday was a big day for me;
June 19th marked my 1-year Gluten-Free-Anniversary.

It has been 1-year since I willingly, chose to eat a piece of toast, a slice of bagel, a muffin or a plethora of other food. It has also been 1-year since my body stopped hating me - since I stopped running to the washroom within an hour of every meal, since I had stomach pains and cramping so constant they weren’t even worth mentioning when someone inquired how I was feeling.

I’ve come a long way since that first day, when I was filled with frustration, anger even over the constant battle that I hadn’t even known I had been fighting. I was filled with doubt, uncertain that removing a long list of my favourite foods could possibly result in improving the current state of my stomach. This is understandable of course, my doctor had previously diagnosed my pain as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and when I followed the diet and took the medication, the symptoms did subside somewhat, however as soon as STRESS reared its ugly little head, both the diet and meds showed themselves to be utterly useless for me.

As I mentioned on my ABOUT page, within approximately 5 days of stringently following a gluten-free diet, my stomach cramps started to subside, my irritation and frustration began to decrease and I started to feel functional and human again. Not to say it was easy, for the first month all I ate was rice, chicken breast, vegetables and rice crackers…and I continued to be hungry and angry, asking questions such as why me, what am I supposed to eat and will I ever be able to eat out again? I think this blog is helping me to address my previous frustration and share my answers to those questions.

Fortunately, support was not far away. My direct supervisor’s husband has Celiac Disease and she has been wonderful to have around; providing tidbits of information, suggestions for gluten-free meals and as a wife that chooses to eat GF the majority of time, she has been a source of inspiration that a family can function with a gluten-free parent.

I had a dream last night. I remember very little, except for the fact that I was at some sort of function, a dinner party perhaps, and the food was delicious. When dessert came around there was this lovely chocolate cake, layered between fudgy chocolate icing. I ate about half of the piece of cake, before suddenly realizing that it was certainly not gluten-free. I swear I had stomach cramps in my sleep and that’s why I remember this portion of the dream so vividly.

It’s only been a year, but I know that at this point in my life, I would never eat baked goods without assurance it was gluten-free, I’m happy and healthy living the Gluten-Free life, but it turns out that says nothing about my dreams and my sub-conscious mind.

 

easy quiche

I haven’t been writing much…or cooking much…or baking much, to be honest.  I’ve just been so tired.  We had a friend and her baby over for a week, it’s softball season, which takes up a minimum of 2 nights a week and when you add in my part-time job one night a week, there really just hasn’t been any time or energy.  In fact on Friday I managed to step out of work early and was home by 3pm, and instead of baking up a storm or something else deliciously fun, I fell asleep and had a very restful nap until almost 5pm.

Of course this means I have been eating out a little more often than I like, and thus potentially exposing myself to gluten…but as of yet, I have made careful choices and avoided any undesirable episodes.

The one thing, I have been making is quiche, and lots of it.  As I mentioned in my last post, I have been using Cassandra’s Baking mix and continually making my favourite Quiche recipe.  Note the recipe is mine (from my old blog), but the link uses the traditional bisquick.  I used rice milk in the last batch and it turned out delicious - this is a very forgiving recipe - do try it if you have a weakness for quiche.  

Personally, I love quiche and can eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner - sometimes even consuming it for two out of my three meals of the day. 

note: GRrrrrrrrrrrrr I’m having trouble with my IE and inserting links…I will try and update the links later in the week. a

 

pre-mixed?

I have reservations about gluten-free flour mixes, I have since the onset of my gluten-free life. On one hand, I love experimenting with unique flour mixtures; searching for the perfect blend of gluten-free flours, searching for the texture, the taste and the flavour that I crave. On the other hand, sometimes I’m lazy - isn’t everyone?

With the internet at our fingertips, it’s easy to stumble upon multitudes of mixes, sworn to give perfect results, each and every time. I have a few that I like - one of my favourites seems to be a garbanzo-fava bean flour, potato starch and arrowroot mixture that I gleaned from some of Erin McKenna’s recipes.

Prompted by the mouth-watering photos over at Delightfully Gluten Free, I recently tried out Cassandra’s biscuit mix. Although my biscuits were a little tough, I’m fairly confident that was of my own doing; I still have more mix and I plan to try the recipe again soon. Having the pre-made mix on hand, has also given me a chance to make my favourite “bisquick” recipe, a crustless quiche, now conveniently Gluten-Free, mmmm delicious!

But I digress, while on a weekend getaway with my husband a few months ago, I picked up a package of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix and have been waiting for a chance to try it ever since. Last weekend I finally found myself craving a hot breakfast, but also feeling lazy and not up to the task of preparing pancakes from scratch (I usually use Shauna’s Recipe which, at the least requires a little bit of time to allow the batter to settle).

I prepared the pre-mixed pancakes with vigor!

Unfortunately, that was not enough. The pancakes texture, though fluffy, was heavy and crumbly, yet still sticky in my mouth. And despite being low on the ingredient list, I couldn’t escape the cornflour which was evident to both my sense of taste and smell. To say the least, I was disappointed - but that’s not to say I won’t find a way to use up the rest of that mix.

Any suggestions?

 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

It is with great pleasure that I write this post - I just finished installing a brand new hard drive (courtesy of my warranty) in my 8-month old laptop. I hope that for the first time in its short lifespan, it may actually function properly.

I want to start off by adding to my previous post. I awoke the next morning, only to realize that I had forgotten to mention that I had managed to find some P.A.N. (pre-cooked white cornmeal), and as such had a chance to make some Arepa’s. I think I added a “glug” too much oil, as my arepa’s were consistently slightly goopy in the middle despite longer cooking and/or baking time. Regardless, they were delicious - in fact I may just make some more tonight.

I’m home alone tonight, and softball has been canceled due to rain. I’m trying to decide whether to bake or just chill, at this point, I’m leaning towards the “do-nothing” option, but time will tell. I did in fact, once again, bake up a storm this weekend. In celebration of Mother’s day, I baked a double batch of gluten-free Biscotti for my Mom (who can eat gluten, but loves them), I baked a supposed-to-be-fluffy (but mine wasn’t) gluten-free sponge cake that I layered with mangoes soaked in maple syrup and whipped cream and after “stealing” some over-ripe banana’s from my mother-in-laws, I also made another batch of banana bread.

Then, yesterday a co-worker plopped a container of hemp hearts and a recipe for Flourless Peanut Butter Hemp Cookies from a magazine, in front of me. Although I can’t find the recipe on the website, the recipe was courtesy of http://www.poweroffood.com . Of course, I made those too and boy were they easy to make and delicious!

But I digress, after promising in my last post, I am finally ready to share my Banana Bread Recipe.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted from Erin McKenna’s Cinnamon Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Garbanzo-Fava Bean Flour
• 1/4 cup Potato Starch
• 2 Tbsp Arrowroot starch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp xantham gum
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tbsp milk or non-dairy substitute
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 over-ripe bananas (mashed)
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the Oven to 350 F and lightly grease a large loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
3. In a large bowl mix together all of the wet ingredients (except the mashed bananas and chocolate chips).
4. Gently fold the bananas into the wet mixture.
5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; just before all of the dry ingredients are moistened, fold in the chocolate chips. Do not over-stir, it’s ok if the batter is lumpy.
6. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for approximately 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Allow the banana bread to cool a minimum of 20 minutes before turning out, allow to cool completely before slicing.

 

Baking Machine

I have been cooking like crazy for the past week…

 It started last Sunday, when I eagerly tried out Ginger Lemon Girl’s, Delicious Gluten Free Belgian Waffles.  After craving the soft, yet crispy decadence of Belgian Waffles smoothered in whip cream and fruit for months, I finally gave in and purchased a Belgian Waffle Iron and began searching out Gluten-Free recipes.  I was ecstatic to discover Carrie’s recipe; the waffles were easy to make and tasted delicious, just like the waffles I remember.  In fact the recipe made enough waffles that I froze the excess in ziploc baggies and was able to enjoy this amazing treat all week long.  If you’re curious they crisped up wonderfully in the toaster.  Now I want to try the second recipe Carrie posted, Kelly’s Fast Whole-Grain Waffle “Sandwich Bread”, but first I’ll have to make her GF Master Baking Mix.

The first half of the week passed as per normal, feeding myself, feeding my husband; but on Thursday, I was a “baking machine”.  Friday was my five year old nephews, long awaited school Carnival/Fundraiser.  I of course, offered to make a cake for the cake walk, and my sister-in-law promptly requested her favourite - carrot cake. 

I work a part-time job on Thursday evening, and since I have known for months that I would need a fresh cake for a Friday, I made arrangements to have my shift covered.  I also decided that since I would be baking any ways, I would also bring in the treats for “Friday Morning Tea” in my office.  Last time I brought treats, I brought a carrot cake and half of a Gluten-Free Ponderosa Cake for my other GF friends.  Turns out everyone was intrigued by Gluten-Free and wanted to try it out, so this time I decided to only make Gluten-Free treats.

This Thursday, instead of working until 10pm, I baked until 10:30pm.  I made a carrot cake for my nephew; I do make his with flour, but I mix it all by hand and in the farthest corners of my kitchen, away from my food and my equipment.  At the same time, I also made my first attempt at adapting said recipe, yielding an amazing, moist gluten-free carrot cake. 

But that’s not all.  I also made Erin McKenna’s Allergen-Free Brownies again, this time using cane sugar instead of Agave Syrup (I noticed very little difference in taste - both were yummy!).  Finally, I made Chocolate Chip Banana Bread; an adapted version Erin McKenna’s Cinnamon-Banana Bread.  I’ll try and share the recipe soon.

I did not manage to get pictures of any of these treats as my office mates scarfed them down in record time - many commented how delicious the treats were and some even asked for the recipes.  In my books if gluten-eaters enjoy my Gluten-Free treats, I’ve definitley done something right.

 

naturopathic enzymes

Back in November, I started to see a naturopath and was amazed at the level of attention and care that I received.  I no longer felt rushed in and out of the doctors office; I’d become used to being quickly dismissed as a “healthy young person”, regardless of my ailment.  My naturopath actually listened, talked to me and believed there may be something wrong with me.  And as an environmentalist, I much prefer the thought of putting natural remedies into my body rather than synthetic chemicals.  Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Dr.Allison in a few months, and we certainly have more issues to work through, but the truth is I know when I go back, I will be welcomed and not scolded. 

But I digress, my point here is that one of the issues we were able to identify, was that I have low acidity in my stomach, which of course means that the food I consume is not necessarily being broken down to the greatest extent possible before it begins the digestive journey.  Combined with my Gluten-sensitivity, which one has to imagine would be aggravated by gluten that had not been maximally broken down, Dr.Allison provided me with digestive enzymes to assist in the breakdown of my food and improve the health of my gut. 

I try to keep a handful of enzymes in every bag or purse that I carry, and I take one before each meal that is prepared by anyone but myself.  If I suspect contamination, I will also take an additional enzyme after the meal.  It’s hard to say exactly how effective the enzymes are, but at the least they provide me with peace of mind and best case scenario, they minimize my symptoms.  Although they were initially associated with low acidity and gluten-intolerance, I’m fairly certain I will still continue this regime once I get my stomach acidity in check.

NOTE: I am not a naturopath or healer of any type.  
This is merely my personal experience and opinion.

 

Cooking it Chinese

 I met a girl, living the Gluten-Free life while at a forum for work this week.  I could tell she felt awkward, but she asked me about my ethnicity.  You see I am half-Chinese, but often mistaken for full.  She couldn’t resist asking; from her observations, over the past 7 years, she has noticed a trend toward individuals of Irish or Native American descent being Gluten-Free. 

Although I certainly do have some Native, and likely some Irish from my mother’s, Caucasian, side of the family, I firmly believe that my Dad (who suffers from symptoms very similar to my own) may actually be the genetic source of my problems.  As to be expected, I get a lot of things from my Dad, not the least of which, is my love of food, of cooking and preparing a meal, of creating baked goods that intoxicate the nostrils with their deliciousness.  Suffice it to say, much of my cooking abilities are a result of hours spent watching/helping my Dad cook. 

I have previously alluded to my love of Asian food, but recently realized I haven’t shared any of my recipes.  This is at least partially due to the fact that there really is no recipe; my Dad taught me to cook, the way he was taught, using the senses - touch, site, smell.  Despite this, I was eager to attempt to share my Gluten-Free adaptation of one of my favourties - the Beef and Broccoli my dear old Dad taught me to make. 

Note, I have not included quanties for either the meat or the broccoli.  A small pack of flank steak from the grocery store should do, a little meat goes a long way in Chinese cooking.  With regard to the broccoli, traditional Asian recipes use lots of veggies, but I say use a little, use a lot, do what feels good - make it the way you (and your family) like it best.

 

Gluten-Free Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients:

• Flank Steak
• Broccoli
• 1 medium onion
• 3 Tbsp GF Tamari
• 1/4 cup Braggs seasoning
• 3 tsp dried and salted black beans*
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1.5 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup of warm water

* available at an Asian Grocery store

1.  Slice flank steak, across the grain, into long strips - set aside in a medium bowl.
2. Cut top and bottom off of onion, cut in half so that you have 2 half circles.  Slice onions lengthwise (they shouldn’t look like rings) and add to the flank steak.
3. Cut broccoli into small pieces - set aside.
4. Mix together the remaining ingredients (except vegetable oil, cornstarch and water) in a small bowl.
5. Pour sauce over steak and onions - stir until all meat and onions are coated.  Cover and allow to marinate a minimum of 1 hour.  (Leaving it overnight, or even two nights yields delicious results!) 
6. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. 
7. Once the oil is hot, add the meat mixture.  Cover with a lid, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened and the steak is no longer pink.
8. Add the broccoli and stir until coated with sauce.  Cover with a lid, stirring occasionally until the broccoli is bright green and cooked to your tastes.
9. Stir cornstarch into warm water and mix well.  Pour into the Beef and Broccoli and stir well.  Once sauce has thickened, Immediatley remove from heat.
10. Serve in a bowl with steaming hot rice and chopsticks.  Enjoy!

 

Eating out - what’s for lunch?

I have been eating out a fair amount lately.  For the most part, it has been unplanned impromptu lunches with the girls from work.  They are incredibly understanding about my food limitations and always take them into consideration when choosing restaurants.  In addition to ensuring that I have my enzymes handy, I try and make careful food choices and ask questions when necessary.  Although we can’t go for soup and sandwiches at the little shop in our building, we do manage to eat a variety of delicious food.  It seems that ethnic food is generally much safer for those of us trying to live the Gluten-Free life.

Although many of my favourite Asian foods, such as chow mein, are out, I am fortunately still able, to consume sushi.  As I mentioned in my last post, I am extremely sensitive to fermented soy, so unless I have planned ahead and brought some wheat-free Tamari with me, I usually enjoy my Japanese food sans-soya sauce.   Now, you may be thinking “but sushi has seaweed - doesn’t that have soya sauce?”. 

In short, the answer is yes.  I have read package, after package of seaweed and they all list soya sauce in the ingredients.  Exactly how much is not entirely clear, although in many cases it is close to the end of the ingredient list.  In general, I have been able to eat sushi without any problems, however I have found that at a few discrete locations, I get an upset stomach after consuming my meal.  In these cases, or when eating somewhere new, I will bypass the seaweed altogether, instead choosing to eat sashimi.  If you’re Gluten-Free and like sushi but haven’t been eating it, it may be worth a try.  I caution you however, imitation crab is made with wheat, so unless your restaurant can confirm that they are using real crab, stay away from the California rolls and such.  Personally, I like to get salmon maki, negitoro and edamame - delicious!

We also discovered a delicious Indian Buffet, less than a 10 minute walk from the office, where I can consume every item on the buffet.  The items that appear to be made with flour, are actually made from chickpea flour and thus safe for consumption (of course I still ask the waitress to double check every time).  In general, Indian food seems to be a safe bet.  Like much of the local population, I love butter chicken and matar paneer (peas and cheese) - I have even found a recipe for the latter that I can’t wait to try.

The third ethnicity on our celebration rotation is Thai.  Although I can’t eat the spring rolls, that come with the lunch specials, I can eat the salad and the hot & sour soup and those come with the special too.  Most of the curry’s are Gluten-Free but I can’t resist the Pad Thai. Mmmm!

And when I go to a standard steak & pasta joint with my Husband?
Why, I eat the steak of course!