La Cocina de Michelle

Menu Swap - Quinoa

2009-09-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am hosting this week's menu swap and have chosen Quinoa for my ingredient. Now that I think about it, I think that I choose that one regularly; I simply love quinoa.

A common misconception of quinoa is that it is a grain. In actual fact, it is an amino-acid rich seed that is related to those tasty leafy greens that we all love so much (or try to love). In its uncooked form, quinoa is loaded with manganese, magnesium, iron, tryptophan, copper, and phosophorus. Because of its magnesium content, quinoa can be beneficial for those who suffer from migraine headaches. Magnesium is known for relaxing the blood vessels, which in turn, prevents the dilation that is common in migraines. Riboflavin, aka vitamin B2, is also found in quinoa; this increases the metabolism within the brain and muscles cells, also assisting in the prevention of migraine headaches.

Another health benefit of quinoa is its antioxidant protection. Both manganese and copper are cofactors of an antioxidant that protects the mitochondria from oxidative damage. Cardiovascular health can be included in this beneficial category too, going back to the magnesium content which relaxes blood vessels and decreases hypertension. One final added bonus is the lysine content; lysine is essential for tissue growth and repair.

However, when we cook quinoa we do loose a fair amount of the nutritional value and I have to say that I am very guilty of that. A great way to eat quinoa in its RAW, natural form is to sprout it. I have used sprouted quinoa in place of bulgur to make tabouli or sprinkled over my salads; I love sprouted it! There are also recipes for RAW energy bars that can easily be made with this added treat mixed in for some added crunch, wrapped up individually, and stored in the fridge. This is great for an on-the-go snack and much healthier than those found in stores (sorry, but the sugar content in some of those things is very disturbing to me - although I do keep those ones in mind for emergencies). I do love larabars, but I find them to be really sweet, so one will last me about a week. Much better to make my own. There use to be a great RAW energy bar recipe posted, but I can't seem to find it; I'll keep looking. For now, that's my RAW foods spiel.

Again, I have another busy week ahead of me with work, training for my new job, and my student-teaching practicum (I haven't even included the homework into this schedule for fear of having a nervous break down at the site of it). This is also the last week of summer. Again, I am hosting this week's menu swap, so if you have a menu to share, leave me the website and I'll share it with everyone, with a link back to your site. Many thanks to our Temporary Headquarters of the Menu Swap, Cheryl over at Gluten Free Goodness for her wonderful organization.

My Menu: TBA (ooops! I am still waiting on RAW foods portions)

Sunday
Breakfast – Creamy Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Lunch – Turkey Wrap & Dill Borscht
Dinner – Garlic Cod over Green Salad (sprouted quinoa sprinkled over top)

Monday
Breakfast – Fresh Orange Juice & Fruit
Lunch – Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
Dinner – RAW Red Chard Slaw with Asian Pear & Cashew Dressing

Tuesday (early AM meeting & student-teaching day)
Breakfast – Fresh Orange Juice & Fruit
Lunch – leftover RAW Chard Slaw (if there is any) & a RAW veggie wrap
Dinner – Quinoa & Black Bean Salad over green salad

Wednesday
Breakfast - Fresh Orange Juice & Fruit
Lunch – Veggie Wrap
Dinner - Quinoa & Grape Salad (RAW FOOD REAL WORLD)

Thursday
Breakfast – Blueberry Peach Smoothie
Lunch – Quinoa & Grape Salad

Dinner –

Friday
Breakfast – Blueberry Nectarine Smoothie
Lunch –
Dinner –

Saturday
Breakfast – Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Lunch –
Dinner -

I hope that everyone has a great week!

Kimberly over at Gluten-Free is Life also enjoys quinoa and mentions that she has made veggie burgers with it. Her menu also has another one of my favourites... squash, which sounds like it will be filled with a delicious stuffing. Enjoy your "date" this weekend!

Book of Yum has a beautiful picture of herself and 2 month old "Baby Yum" along with a tasty sounding dairy-free spinach pie recipe. She is also planning on using cashew in place of ricotta cheese, which sounds delish!

Gluten-Free in Salt Lake City joins us this week with a great sounding menu. She is craving fruit this week and planning on inventing a zucchini "lasagna" (a great idea - I did this back in August and it was fabulous!); keep your eyes out for the recipe.

WendyGK is trying out a new crust recipe from a GF cookbook this week and has a pizza night planned - mmmm, pizza night. Check out Celiac's In the House to see some pictures from this past weekend.

Angela's Kitchen is busy this week, but she will still be in her kitchen cooking up some delicious meals. She will be in her garden picking lots of fresh veggies for her stirfry over quinoa this week; something that I should really think about doing.

Manda, over at Asparagus Thin, has posted some very interesting finds; particularly one regarding iPhones and the Glutenfreepassport. I shall also add Manda to my growing list of quinoa lovers and must commend her new attempts in the RAW foods world. Goodluck with your teaching this week and in the baking contest!

Check out Heather over at Celiac Family. Not only has she posted her menu, but she has also added little notes about her preparation. There's also a link to Indian Quinoa that sounds really good - Yum!

Green V-Neck joins us this week with a vegan menu that sound tasty. Deb has a couple of my favourites on the menu such as sweet potato fries and lentils. I would love to hear more about the coconut chutney as I have become addicted to coconut lately.

Gluten Free Goodness has a week with out her DH and is excited for the quinoa ingredient. Cheryl has been intent on making a challah for Rosh Hashana and has a new post for a flourless chocolate torte that definitely needs to be checked out; it's gluten-, dairy-, and sugar free.

Menu Swap - September 7, 2009

2009-09-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

Aaaahhhhhh, back to life I guess. It has been a wonderful 4 weeks of doing whatever I felt like with very little cooking or baking involved. However, my summer break is over and I must return to school & work, plus get ready to start my new part-time job.

I have spent the past 2 weeks trying to eat a diet that is 90% RAW Living foods; I was successful the first week, but last week, well, I didn't do quite as well as the first. I did, however, discover a delicious salad dressing which really isn't a dressing at all. For the past few months my mom has been putting EVOO on her salads with a splash of GF soy sauce (San-J brand) and cayenne pepper. I finally broke down and tried it; it was delicious! We've also been adding some cod fillets into the mix (that's been my filler). We also went out to Milestones Restaurant for dinner one night and each of us had phenomenal salads that were jam packed with some tasty treats... and they were GF! The manager himself discussed the options that were available and was the liason between our table and the kitchen. I will definitely be adding that restaurant to my short list of places to go (my mom had the California Spring Salad sans the pecans and I had the Grilled Seafood Salad with fresh fish - no marinades).

That's only a touch of my RAW adventures, but really, that's not why I'm here. As I said, I am returning to my busy schedule and I am intent on maintaining a regular menu for this semester. The past 2 semesters have been so hectic with work and school that my healthy eating habits dropped, and I'm not too happy about that. Of course, this week's menu leaves a lot to be desired, but I am only getting back into the swing of things. I'll have to work on it.

This week's Menu Swap is being hosted by Manda over at Asparagus Thin. She has chosen cassava (or yucca) as her ingredient since she has a bunch in her freezer. This is a root vegetable that is more commonly known as tapioca. Tapioca flour/starch is a common ingredient in GF baking, and it is this root that is ground up to produce one of my baking staples. There is so much more that you can read about, over at Asparagus Thin, regarding this interesting root vegetable, and I have to thank Manda for choosing it because I had no idea where my tapioca flour/starch came from. I think that I would also love to move into Manda's for the week too - her menu sounds delightful!

For this week, I will not be focused on eating RAW Living foods, but they will definitely be making an appearance. Sadly, there will be no raw cassava as it must be cooked prior to ingestion. I have never noticed this vegetable, but I will be keeping my eyes out for it. For now I'll just have to settle for using it as a flour/starch in my baking.

MENU - September 7

Monday
Lunch – Starbucks Frappucino (really bad, I know!)
Dinner – Chunky Chili with cheesy peppered cornbread

Tuesday
Breakfast – Peach Blueberry Smoothie & Banana Blueberry Muffin
Lunch – Turkey Wrap
Dinner – Basa fish mixed in a salad

Wednesday
Breakfast – Fresh Orange Juice & Fruit, Banana Blueberry Muffin
Lunch – Turkey Wrap
Dinner – Sushi??? (I have class this night and it’s a potluck)

Thursday
Breakfast – Fresh Orange Juice & Fruit, Cheese Scone & homemade jam
Lunch – Vegetable Wrap
Dinner – Soup & Salad

Friday
Breakfast – Peach Blueberry Smoothie
Lunch – Vegetable Wrap
Dinner – Green Salad with some GF Pasta Salad

Saturday – class today
Breakfast – Fresh Orange Juice & Fruit, Cheese Scone & homemade jam
Lunch – GF Pasta Salad & veggies
Dinner – whatever’s leftover!

Excellent! Don't forget to check out Asparagus Thin for other menus!

BANANA BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

2009-05-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
3 ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Biscuit & Baking Mix
2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add bananas and eggs, then mix together with electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, sift the baking mix and baking soda together. Mix in the salt and cinnamon.

Add dry mix to the banana/butter mix. Once both mixes are blended together, gently fold in the blueberries.

Using a 1/4 cup, scoop batter into prepared muffin tins.

Bake for about 20 minutes.*

*time could vary depending on how full the muffin tins are. Mine were completely full, and they took about 30 minutes to bake. Next time I plan on only filling them about half way as they do rise a fair amount.

Hearty Millet...Stew?

2008-08-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

Last fall I took a GF cooking class at Choices Market in hopes of learning how to cook GF. Not only did I try 4 delicious meals, but I also received 8 different recipes that included some wonderful soups. At this time I was still pretty new to the whole GF diet and trying to figure out how to survive the winter. I had spent the whole summer trying new recipes, but nothing that I really wanted to continue making. I was still living off of Kinnikinnick breads, which were delicious at the time (and still are great for emergencies) but just not cutting it for me. Thankfully this class introduced me to some grains other than rice such as millet, buckwheat, and quinoa.

I don't know about you, but whenever I make home-made soup the broth is absorbed by the rice or millet turning it into a stew (if I'm lucky). I would have to say that this is the first soup that I don't mind having it like a stew. I only have to add some water, salt, & pepper; heat it up; and viola! This is now my favourite soup. I think I also liked that it is simple to make and I discovered a new herb - fennel. Yep, you can bet that that is going to be one of my ingredients some time in the very near future of Menu Swapping...just wait and see!

Once again, I probably sound crazy because I am making soup and chili in the summer, but if you have been in the lower mainland these last couple of weeks you know that it sure doesn't look or feel like summer. If feels like the middle of fall...only without the wonderful smell of the season. That's how I know we still have a little bit more summer weather coming our way, but I can't wait to smell the cool change in the air that will be heading our way soon.

HEARTY MILLET SOUP/STEW
1 Tbsp. EVOO
2-4 small white onions
2-4 carrots, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced
1 cup of millet (uncooked)
1-540 ml can of cooked lentils, drained & rinsed
1-398 ml can of chick peas, drained & rinsed
5 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 tsp. salt & pepper

Saute onion, carrot, and fennel. When lightly browned add millet, lentils, chick peas, and vegetable stock.
Bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour (or until millet is cooked). Add salt & pepper.

*Sometimes I will add baked spaghetti squash if I feel like have some "noodles".

This is great to freeze or just to have as leftovers with some crakers. I love that I can choose whether it will be a soup or a stew by the amount of water that I add when re-heating it.

I'll add a picture as sonn as I take one...hopefull I won't eat it all up first!

Potato Salad

2009-08-06T17:29:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year, summer BBQ's and lots of fireworks or camping trips. A perfect time for potato salad, or any salad for that matter.
My Favourite Potato Salad:

3 large russet potatoes
3 medium carrots
2 dill pickles
½ - 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 pinches of cayenne
¼ - ½ cup mayonnaise
2 green onions
salt & pepper
small chunk of Vidalia onion

Peel and chop the potatoes, boiling them until they are soft. Mash them and let them cool. Peel and grate the carrots, then add them into the potato salad. Chop the pickles, Vidalia onion & green onions very fine and toss in with the carrots and potatoes. Add mustard, cayenne, & mayonnaise (I like mine to be creamy). Mix together. Add salt & pepper to taste, as well as any extras that you might like.

As usual, this is a recipe that is based on taste. I'll more than likely change my measurements the next time that I make it because my tastes will be different. At the moment, I'm thinking of trying it with grated beets - YUM! My mom's friend did that and it was delicious.

Enjoy!

Quiche

2009-08-08T00:56:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! This quiche is delicious!!! And even better, the fact that I made the whole thing from scratch. I'm won't bore you with the details of quiche. Nope, instead I'll just get to the good stuff... the recipe.

ZT&B Quiche (Zucchini, Tomato, & Basil)
I have used coconut milk in place of cream to decrease the amount of dairy. This could probably be made without cheese as well to make it dairy free.

1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
¾ cup cheddar & mozzarella cheese blend, grated
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
½ - 1 cup of zucchini, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh basil
1 cup of coconut milk
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch + some extra for sprinkling
¼ tsp. pepper
2 large eggs
1 9-inch pie crust (recipe below)

Dice onion and sauté it with crushed garlic clove. Remove from pan and sauté zucchini slices until they have softened slightly. Remove from stove. Slice tomatoes thinly and chop fresh basil (fresh basil is the key).

In a blender, mix together coconut milk, cornstarch, pepper, and eggs.

In prepared pie pan, sprinkle cornstarch around the bottom of the crust (this is to prevent the crust from getting soggy). Then spread onion & garlic on the bottom. Sprinkle grated cheese over top. Layer with tomato slices, followed by chopped basil. Top it off with the zucchini slices and then pour coconut milk mixture over top.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Let sit for about 10 minutes, then serve.

*I used only a ¼ cup of basil – it’s still good, but I think that more basil is needed to add to the flavour

*Next time I am going to alternate the zucchini and tomato rows together so that there is a more colourful presentation.

*Great to cut up and freeze for lunches or quick dinner runs – that’s what I plan on doing before the summer is out. This way, while I’m in my work/school craze I’ll have instant meals.

GF Savoury Pie Crust

1 cup of basic flour mix
2 Tbsp. sweet rice flour
½ tsp. brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. dried basil *I like to add a spice mix to the crust for added flavour based on the filling

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into a ball and wrap with saran. Chill for 1 hour. Roll out between 2 sheets of parchment paper (sprinkle white rice flour on parchment paper and on top of dough if sticky). Be sure to gently pull parchment paper away from dough and check stick. When ready, pull parchment paper off on both sides. Leave rolled out dough on one sheet and place pie pan over top of crust. Quickly flip the crust and pan over. Gently remove parchment sheet and pat crust into pan.

Basic Flour Mix:
Adapted from one of Rebecca Reilly's flour mixes in Gluten Free Baking
1 ½ cups brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
½ cup tapioca starch
½ cup almond meal

Sift flours together and mix in almond meal. Makes 3 cups. Refrigerate leftovers for next pie crust.

*Carol Fenster's Rice Flour blend also works.

Blueberry Salsa

2009-08-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here's another party favourite (or atleast, it would be if I had recorded my alterations the first time round). I'm posting the basic recipe. I'll have to make it again and play around with it. This was made a while back and it was to die for, but alas, there was no record of the changes that were made. Let me know what you think.

Blueberry Salsa

4 cups Blueberries
½ Vidalia Onion
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper
¼ cup Fresh Cilantro
¼ cup Fresh Lime Juice
1 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper

Coarsely chop half of the blueberries. Combine the chopped and whole blueberries in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Cover and let stand for 1-2 hours so the flavours can blend.

Sorry, no picture at the moment :(

Fresh is Best!

2009-05-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

I love the smell of spring, but mostly I love the great selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs! Last week my mom came home from a friends with some leftover salsa for me. At first glance I wasn't too impressed as it looked nothing like what you get in the stores, but I couldn't stop eating it. I decided to replicate it with a few extra touches of my own, it was that good. There's a great farm market on my way home from work that sells produce grown without sprays for amazing prices, and when I saw their cilantro selection I couldn't resist. It also helped that they have all peppers on for .75 cents a pound! It was meant to be!!! Also quite fitting as this is the week of Cinco de Mayo, so in honour of that I made sweet pepper salsa and Chunky Chili using all fresh fruits and vegetables (except for the tomato sauce - had to use some kind of sauce).

SWEET PEPPER SALSA

1 sweet yellow pepper
1 sweet orange pepper
1 medium tomato
1/2 a small onion
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
juice of 1/2 a small lime
pinch of salt

Chop the peppers and onions very fine. Chop the tomato and cilantro and add to peppers and onion. Add lime juice and salt. Mix it all together and chill for at least an hour.

Serve with rice crackers, tortilla chips, or RAW bread/crackers (recipe to follow shortly).

This makes a great snack!

Menu Swap - February 9 - 14

2009-02-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

“Chocolate is heavenly, mellow, sensual, deep, dark, sumptuous, gratifying, potent, dense, creamy, seductive, suggestive, rich, excessive, silky, smooth, luxurious, celestial. Chocolate is downfall, happiness, pleasure, love, ecstasy, fantasy … chocolate makes us wicked, guilty, sinful, healthy, chic, happy.”

- Elaine Sherman

I cannot possibly describe chocolate any better than Elaine Sherman has above. I must admit that I am not exactly a big fan of chocolate, but, once upon a time, I was a choc-a-holic. However, as with many things, the GF diet has shown me that I really don't care for the taste. But, because this is the week of Valentines, how could I not choose chocolate.

Chocolate has long been used as a gift, after all, it is Theobrama Cacao, food of the Gods, as it's scientific name implies, and what a better way to say I love you than to give such a gift. I don't think we have seen such a versatile gift as chocolate. I can't think of anything that you cannot use a box of chocolates for; congratulations, I'm sorry, or get well soon. The gift of chocolate can be traced back to the Aztecs who prized the cacao bean so highly that they used the beans as currency. However, it was actually the Mayan culture who cultivated the gem as the Aztecs were did not live in an environment conducive to its growth, thus they acquired the beans either through trade or war. The Aztecs even went so far as to have their Emperors collect the cacao beans as taxes. Both the Mayans and the Aztecs enjoyed drinking the chocolate after fermenting the RAW cocoa beans, a drink known as Xocolatl. The Aztec emperor, Montezuma, is well known for drinking Xocolatl golden goblet while repeatedly saying, "The divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food." When Emperor Montezuma was defeated in 1519 by the Conquistadors, rather than finding his filled with gold and silver, or other treasures, they found it to be full of cocoa beans!

It was the Conquistadors who began adding sugar and vanilla to Xocolatl, or Chocolate as it is now known as. The first chocolate factories were opened in Spain and eventually led to the exportation through out Europe. However, the Spanish never shared the secret source of the drink until the English buccaneers found a ship loaded with cocoa beans instead of treasures in 1579 and thought they were "dried sheep droppings," thus they burned the whole ship!!!

I could go on and on. Who would have thought that chocolate would have such a fascinating history?! However, I would rather share some wonderful chocolate recipes with you instead.

RAW Living Chocolate

Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brownie Cookies in a Jar
Happy Halloween Chocolates (served at a party for Maroon 5)
Healthy Chocolate
Cacao Pudding (scroll down for a few recipes)
Sour Cherry Fudge (even better without the sour cherry icing!)
Organic Chilled Chocolate Fudge
Marbled Chocolate/Orange Tavoletta
Cacao Pistachio Florentine Mint Ice Cream Sandwich

This is shaping out to be yet another busy week, especially since I have my first day as a Student Teacher this Wednesday and I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I won't be spending too much time in the kitchen because of this and my zillion assignments. My apologies for posting this so late, I have been in Alberta as my grandmother passed away last week.

GF Menu - February 9-14 *planning on having leftovers and sandwiches for lunch this week

Monday – not too sure yet…

Tuesday – Wild, Wild Rice Salad

Wednesday – RAW Sunburgers wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves

Thursday – Ginger Baked Tofu with Agave Peanut Sauce & green salad

Friday – Rice Wraps with Ginger Peanut Sauce (Trivial Pursuit Night)

Saturday - ??? (I have a full day of class so it depends on how tired I am)

Yummy Treat: Brownies, both RAW and cooked.

This week's Delicious Menus:

Fresh Ginger has a delicious menu planned for the week, and I have to agree with her on the movie Like Water for Chocolate - a must see with the Spanish subtitles. I am so evious because she has homemade pizza on the menu this week, something that I have been trying to make myself but has yet to work out - I hope that you enjoy your wonderfully planned week!

Asparagus Thin is also having pizza this week and has yet another ethnic selection of meals. She is still excluding Asian food in order to explore other cuisines and is planning on baking a "character" cake, which we will all have to wait and see exactly what that is. I love the chocolate spread picture, very suggestive of the pasts chocolate elixir!

Book of Yum joins us this week with yet another amazing sounding recipe that you'll have to check out. She and her husband are in Florida until Wednesday, enjoying the sun from the looks of it, but that hasn't stopped her from planning some wonderful meals with chocolate fondue and fresh fruit for dessert - Enjoy!

The Lilac Kitchen is planning a week of her stocked up freezer as they may be expecting some more snow, thus she doesn't plan on getting out too much. She has a wonderful picture of last weeks frittata made with her frozen vegetables that you can't miss!

Cheese cake pops dipped in dark chocolate and heart shaped cupcakes for her family are planned for Angela's Kitchen this week. She has a menu filled with training walks and some very lovely dinner plans. I especially like Thursday's plan to have Daddy cook - that is a great idea!

Celiacs in the House is very organized with her notes on when and how she will be starting her meals. However, she has also made a point of keeping pizza night in order to avoid any complaints - good plan. Definitely stop in here to see her Fruit tacos with a chocolate pizzelle taco shell (this is one that I will be trying right away).

HAPPY VALENTINES!

GF Menu Swap - January 26

2009-01-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

First, I have to thank Asparagus Thin's Manda, our lovely host this week, for choosing licorice as our flavour of the week. I discovered the wonderful flavours of fennel last winter and have been in love ever since. She has given me the perfect excuse to make my beloved Hearty Millet Soup, and believe me, with the sudden drop in temperature this week, I'm going to need it! I would love to share all of the great things about fennel with you but I don't think I could sum it up any better than Manda, so I'll just leave it for this week. (For those of you who are looking for something refreshing, you might be interested in an Orange-Fennel Salad Dressing.)

I'm rather excited about the upcoming weeks. I was at the library the other day and signed out a bunch of cookbooks to try out. I wasn't too impressed with Shreve Stockton's Eating Gluten Free initially but after going through it I have found a bunch of recipes that I can't wait to try out and the same goes for Bette Hagman's The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods. I already have stickies scattered through out both books. I also have some Rachael Ray books that I thought might help me with some new dinner ideas, so be on the look out in the next few weeks for some of my experiments (my first one will be tomorrow for Tasty Tuesday). I'm also really excited because I will be student teaching in just over 2 weeks and can't wait (although I'm also shaking in my booties at the thought!).

Well, I guess that about wraps it up. I am currently sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to find out if the weathermen have it right and it really is going to snow, and waiting to find out if my bread creation is a go or a bust...it's just cooling down now. Okay, I'm about to start rambling now, so, I guess I should take that as my cue to share my crazy menu!

GF Menu Swap - January 26 - 31 (holy cow! is it really the end of January?!)

Monday
Lunch – Amy’s chili (not something I would recommend)
Dinner – Roasted Portabello Mushroom spaghetti

Tasty Tuesday (I promise to post last weeks Tasty Tuesday this week)
Lunch – Cold Noodle Salad (Eating GF by Shreve Stockton)
Dinner – Crispy Pretzel Chicken Nuggets (recipe to follow)

Wednesday (night class)
Lunch – Hearty Millet Soup
Dinner – Cold Noodle Salad (Eating GF by Shreve Stockton)

Thursday
Lunch – Hearty Millet Soup
Dinner – Tofu Cauli Curry (Eating GF by Shreve Stockton)

Friday
Lunch – leftover Tofu Cauli Curry
Dinner – Pizza (I passed this up last week for dinner at my Dad’s)

Baking for the week:

bread

blueberry flax muffins (Complete GF Cookbook)

quinoa raisin cookies

Don't forget to head over to Asparagus Thin to find out what everyone else is eating this week!

GF Menu Swap - January 19

2009-01-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

This week's menu is being hosted by Sea Maiden over at Book of Yum. She has chosen Dal (or lentils) for this weeks ingredient and has some great recipe links. Lentils are a great source of dietary fibre and have high levels of protein. There are so many different types of lentils that the nutritional values vary. I think the last time I had lentils was as a soup; Split Pea Lentil soup to be exact. This was when I first went GF and wasn't really sure what I could eat, so I pretty much lived off of stews and salads for about a month - hahaha!

GF Menu - January 19 - 24, 2009

Monday
Breakfast – rice cake with PB&J
Lunch – Split Pea Soup
Dinner – Savoury Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf with shrimp (The Best GF Family Cookbook)

Tuesday (Tasty Tuesday)
Breakfast – fresh apple-cranberry juice & a muffin
Lunch – leftover quinoa pilaf
Dinner – Mediterranean Dolmas with green salad (RAW)

Wednesday (night class)
Breakfast – fresh apple juice & a muffin
Lunch – Italian Pasta Salad
Dinner – Mediterranean Dolmas with Amazing Avocadoes and green salad

Thursday
Breakfast – fresh apple-cranberry juice & cinnamon raisin toast
Lunch – Italian Pasta Salad
Dinner – Crispy Pecan Chicken Fingers with green salad

Friday
Breakfast – fresh apple juice & a muffin
Lunch – Italian Pasta Salad
Dinner – Red Lentil Dal (I hope - thanks for posting this one Sea!)

Saturday (long day of classes!)

Breakfast - fresh apple juice & cinnamon raisin toast

Lunch - Crispy Pecan Chicken Fingers with green salad

Dinner - GF Pizza!!! (not sure if this will be cooked or if I will try out a RAW recipe)

Don't forget to head over to Book of Yum for this week's menu round up and for some amazing recipes!

TASTY TUESDAY - Pot Pie

2009-01-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize for not posting this sooner, I was beyond exhausted last week and didn't get a chance. For my first Tasty Tuesday I have decided to make the classic Pot Pie using my favourite pie crust. I tried to make one last summer but it was sadly disappointing. This one however, was more than TASTY, it was DELICIOUS! I used Heather Butt and Donna Washburn's Chicken Pot Pie filling for my recipe (found in 125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes, Pg. 44) but I was lazy and used a store bought chicken broth instead of making my own and I also added more carrots and onion than they called for.

I think what I really liked about this recipe (aside from the fact that it was great for leftover lunch/dinner) is that the leftover filling (vegetable stew) worked perfectly mixed in with some cooked split peas to make Split Pea soup. I think that I can safely say my pot pie craving has finally been fulfilled.

PIE CRUST
Single Crust:
1 cup basic mix *see below
2 Tbsp. sweet Rice flour
1 tsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. cane sugar
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter
1 egg
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
¼ tsp. spice mix (sweet or savoury depending on the pie your making)

Mix all ingredients together (I use my Kitchen Aid). Once a ball of dough has formed wrap it up in saran and chill for an hour at least (freeze for 20 minutes). When ready, roll dough out for pie, quiche, or tart.

Bake accordingly.

*BASIC MIX
1 ½ cups brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
½ cup almond meal/flour

This pie crust is great for anything. Depending on what it is that I'm making the crust for, I add a spice mix that is similar to the one used in the filling to give it some extra taste.

Sorry to say that there are no pictures because the pot pie didn't last long!

Menu Swap - January 12

2009-01-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well, last week was definitely interesting and very educational. I have discovered that I cannot function without having a set menu plan for each day of the week. So, with that in mind this week has been planned right down to the last detail.

I have officially started my final stretch of school and will finally be a teacher as of April 2010. I am so happy that my module is full of a really nice and fun group of people, that has made it so much easier and has taken a load off of me. Now if I can remember to breath when ever I think of my teaching practicum starting up in February I'll be doing great!

But with all of this in mind, I have decided that I am going to start of a Tasty Tuesday plan (if anyone is interested in joining in let me know - you don't have to make the dish on Tuesday just post it by then). Every Tuesday I will make some sort of casserole or stew, or something, so that I can have leftovers for Wednesday night (I won't be coming home from work on these days as I have class at 5:30). This week I have decided to try out a Chicken Pot Pie recipe, just sans the chicken and the chicken broth, so I guess it will be more like a Vegetable Pot Pie. This should be perfect as this week Fresh Ginger is hosting our Menu Swap and has chosen Locally Grown as our ingredient - so I'll have to add lots of locally grown vegetables! I also plan on stuffing my sandwich with loads of fresh produce because I am dying for some good fruit and veggies!

Gluten Free Menu Swap - January 11 - 16

Sunday
Lunch – Tomato Avocado Sandwich
Dinner – Salmon Salad

Monday
Breakfast – Fresh Apple Juice and a Mighty Tasty Muffin (recipe in Shelley Case’s Gluten-Free Diet)
Lunch – Tomato Avocado Sandwich
Dinner – Ginger Almond Nori Rolls (scratch this - if someone could share with me how I put that line through that would be great. Changed to Cashew Kreme, Carrot, Pepper and Nori)

Tuesday (Tasty Tuesday)
Breakfast – Fresh Apple Juice and a Mighty Tasty Muffin
Lunch – leftover nori rolls
Dinner – Vegetable Pot Pie (Tasty Tuesday)

Wednesday
Breakfast – Fresh fruit and a muffin
Lunch – Falafel Salad Sandwich with Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Dinner – leftover Vegetable Pot Pie

Thursday
Breakfast – Fresh fruit and a muffin
Lunch – leftover pot pie
Dinner – Ginger Peanut Stir-Fry

Friday (RAW Dinner)
Breakfast – Fresh fruit and a muffin
Lunch – PB&J Sandwich
Dinner – RAW Zucchini and Green Zebra Tomato Lasagna and Coco Kream Pie with Carob Fudge on a Brownie Crust

Ginger Peanut Sauce with Rice Paper Wraps

2009-01-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

Ever since going gluten free I have pretty much stayed out of the local bakeries and delis, but I was in the Safeway deli area a few weeks ago and happened to pass the Vietnamese Rice Wraps with Ginger dipping sauce and almost died. I absolutely love these but I don't dare touch them because the dipping sauce has wheat in it. It has taken me a while but I have finally taken it upon myself and created my own rice wraps. In my opinion these were 1,000 times better than the plain vietnamese rolls because they had only a spoonful of rice noodles and LOADS of veggies. I didn't put any shrimp in these ones, but I think that they would taste even better with that little addition. But the best part was the dipping sauce. I had originally made the sauce I found on FoodTV but with a few adjustments because I was lacking a few ingredients, but my mom suggested adding peanut butter and ginger to spruce up the flavour and she was right. The sauce is quick and easy and very useful to keep on hand. It would go well on rice noodles for a quick meal or even as a stirfry sauce.

So, to start off 2009 I am going to post the dipping sauce and rice wrap recipes because they are going to be a weekly staple in my lunches. I think that these will also come in handy for my Saturday classes and my Wednesday dinner run between work and classes. I hope that you enjoy these as much as I do!

Ginger Peanut Dipping Sauce

adapted from FoodTV's The Cookworks recipe

½ cup Orange Juice, freshly squeezed, undiluted
3 Tbsp. Honey
2-3 Tbsp. GF Tamari
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Tbsp. EVOO
1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
¼ - ½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
½ - 1 tsp. Salt
2-3 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
1 heaping Tbsp. Ginger, grated

Place all ingredients into a blender and mix together. Let sit for 30 minutes at least in order for the flavours to blend (room temperature or in the fridge if not using right away). Serve with Rice Paper Wraps or as a stir fry sauce.

Note: If you don't want to go to the trouble of using a blender, you can simply place all ingredients into a jar and shake them together (I really hate scraping extras out of a blender and prefer to "shake, shake, shake my silly's out" when making this)

Rice Wraps

Grated Carrot
1 sliced Bell Pepper
Fresh lettuce leaves
Fresh mint leaves (or other fresh herb)
Thinly sliced Celery
Shrimp (optional)

1-2 squares of rice noodles
Sushi Vinegar (or Rice Vinegar and sweetener)

Rice Paper wraps
Pan of warm water

Cook up rice noodles and then add Sushi Vinegar (or rice vinegar and sweetener). Set aside. Wash and cut/grate all vegetables.

Place warm water in frying pan (works well because it is flat and shallow). Then soak 1 rice paper wrap into the water and let sit for about 10-20 seconds or until the rice paper is softened. Remove from water and place on a clean dish towel. You can either transfer it over to a plate or add all filling while on the dish towel. Roll up nice and tight, with the sides tucked in. Repeat until you have all the wraps that you need.

I usually wrap these up in saran wrap and refrigerate for my lunch.

Serve with Ginger Peanut Sauce.

Menu Swap - January 4

2009-01-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

The first week of January 2009 has arrived. Back to work and back to school...sigh. I am so excited to get back to school but at the same time I could really go for another week or 2 off. But knowing that I have created a quick and easy menu of my favourites. I think that this week I will just go with the flow rather then setting up meals on certain days. I always find the first week back to be tiring and would rather have the option of hanging out in the kitchen or not, plus it will give me a chance to figure out when I will have time for baking/preparation.

I hope that everyone has a great week back to work/school.

Lunch

Turkey sandwich
Tomato avocado sandwich
Nori rolls
Rice wraps
Falafel sandwich
Soup
Veggie burger (leftovers)

Dinner

Nori rolls
Salad (x2)
Rice wraps
Soup
Veggie burger

Don't forget to head over the Gluten Free Goodness for some other delicious sounding menus! This week is soup - perfect for this cold, snowy weather.

Menu Swap - December 28

2008-12-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

Wow!!! Only a few days left of 2008 - it seems a little unreal. I've had lots of time to look back on the year this past week (I've been snowbound for way too long!) and can honestly say that it's the first year in a long time that I felt well enough to go out with friends. I have learned so many new things this year, both professionally and personally, and now I am starting a new adventure in 2009 - literally. I am so excited and yet very nervous for 2009 to begin because I will be starting my Teacher Certification program while minoring in Counselling and Human Development. In Spring of 2010 I will finally be a teacher and can't wait.

My 2008 Highlights

learning to bake my first loaf of bread from scratch WITHOUT a breadmachine
Surfing in Oregon (well, more like body surfing attempts)
Returning to running
creating a behavioural plan and implementing it
Special Needs gymnastics studio with my kindergarten student

I could sit here and add my New Years Resolutions but in all honesty they change so often that there's no point. I simply plan on being very positive about the upcoming year.

Now, onto the GF Menu Swap. This week I am hosting and I have chosen leftovers rather then any particular ingredient as I'm sure that there are many leftovers from Christmas dinner and will be even more after New Years. This week is looking to be another busy one for me as I hope to create slews of dry mixes to freeze as well as muffins. I am also waiting on my sourdough starter so that I can attempt to make a loaf of sourdough for my mom's delicious spinach dip which I plan to take over to my friends for New Years.

GF Menu December 29 - January 3

Monday
Lunch – Rice paper wraps with orange dipping sauce
Dinner – Falafel wrap

Tuesday
Breakfast – Cinnamon Raisin Toast
Lunch – Falafel Wrap
Dinner – Leftover rice wraps with salmon salad

Wednesday
Breakfast – Cinnamon Raisin Toast
Lunch – Probably snack on homemade goodies
Dinner – Bombay Chicken with Coconut Rice (? – not sure as I have a party to go to)
*taking Spinach Dip with GF sourdough & Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Bars; and for myself I’ll have a Falafel Wrap on hand and my friend has picked up some crackers and cookies for me too

Thursday
Lunch – Leftover Bombay Chicken with Coconut Rice
Dinner – Green Salad

Friday
Breakfast – Cinnamon Raisin Toast
Lunch – Leftover Spinach Dip Dinner - ??? whatever I have leftover

Don't forget to check out some other delicious Menus!

Over at Book of Yum, Sea has a great menu starting out with a Mexican theme and finishing off with Japanese Avocado Rolls. You'll have to stop by to see her kitties enjoying Christmas.

Manda at Asparagus Thin is planning to try some new recipes out this week as she has some new cookbooks. Her menu sounds great with to of my favourites, pad thai and quinoa.

Living Free with Kimberly returns this week with a yummy sounding low-carb menu. Her Turkey and Vegetable soup sounds tasty and is giving me some ideas. All the best to you!

Fresh Ginger has some great meals planned for this week and is prepared with hangover comforts on New Years Day. Her thai green curry sounds delicious, especially with the bamboo shoots!

In My Box joins us this week with her new slow cooker and some great reviews on the recipes that she has tried this far. Some of my favourites are on her menu for the week such as butternut squash and burritos.

Angela returns with Slow Cooking Thursday and Free-zer Friday this week but also plans on taking it easy in the kitchen so that she can spend time with her family. Her mango-papaya chutney sound delish!

Gluten Free is Life is taking a break from baking this week as she has many leftover goodies already but it sounds like she may be planning some very delicious meals in the near future with her new GF cookbook.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

2008-12-22T19:46:00.000-08:00

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

by Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

GF Menu Swap - December 21

2008-12-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all!

I love this time of year, although I must say that this year I am sadly lacking in some Christmas spirit, but I am enjoying the snow and some GF baking - I'm just not too sure who is going to eat all of my Christmas baking. One good thing about GF baking is that you can always freeze it for later, which is probably what I'm going to have to do if the snow keeps up. Late last night my mom and I took the dogs out to the park across the street from us and let them play in the snow. My Husky/Malamute thought it was great, but I think that my German Shepard prefers being inside the house; but at least they got out for a bit and I was able to get some fresh air after a day filled with baking.

I was unable to get any baking done last week because I crashed-not literally, just mentally and physically- after spending the past 3 months on the go. I finally finished my final exam and was left with 1 week of work, so I pretty much needed some down time. It didn't help that we had snow on Wednesday forcing me to spend 2-3 hours on the road commuting home and between job sites. However, I survived it all, just as many others did. Therefore, my baking spree started yesterday. I baked a lot but at the same time it doesn't seem like very much.

After talking to my Dad the other day about bringing my own stuffing to bake in the oven next to the turkey, he has decided to use my stuffing to stuff the turkey and is going to bake the non-GF stuffing separately so that I can have some turkey with everyone else. But now the pressure is on for my stuffing to taste good, so I had a test run last night and can safely say that with a few changes, the stuffing should be delicious. This year I am using Washburn and Butt's Poultry Stuffing Bread which works like a charm. Unfortunately for me I used the whole loaf of bread rather then half, so now I have a lot of leftovers which I plan on adding to my Popover recipe to make Savoury Pudding, a family Christmas classic - these will be my dinner rolls.

I also made Butter Tart Bars, Shortbread cookies, and Apple-Cranberry Chutney for the stuffing (I think that this would make a great addition for gift baskets next year and it's super quick and easy to make). Even though I'm not hosting Christmas dinner, I decided that I needed to bake some goodies so that when it's my turn, I'll have some yummy recipes to choose from, but until then I now have some goodies that I can enjoy other then cookies.

The plan for this week (if the weather cooperates) is for my Mom and I to have dinner with my best friend's family on Christmas day where my friend's Mom makes a delicious dinner that I can enjoy with a rotisserie chicken separate from the turkey; and then I will be heading over to my Dad's on Boxing day to join my brothers and their families for yet another delicious dinner. However, if the weather does not cooperate the back-up plan is for my Mom and I to make our own Roast Chicken Dinner with Quinoa Stuffing on Christmas day and have a movie marathon.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope that Christmas day finds you and your loved ones well.

This week's Menu Swap is being hosted by Angela over at Angela's Kitchen who has a wonderful Christmas theme added to her blog.

Here is this week's dinner menu only as I am off on holidays and plan on eating whatever leftovers I have for lunch.

Sunday

Poultry Stuffing Bread test run with Apple-Cranberry Chutney

Monday

Garlic shrimp over rice

Tuesday

Chana Masala (Chickpea curry)

*this was really good last week, but my Mom and I want to tweak it just a little

Wednesday - Christmas Eve

Home-made sushi rolls

Thursday - Merry Christmas!

Christmas Dinner with friends - rotisserie chicken with savoury pudding, poultry stuffing and gravy, and of course, apple cranberry chutney

Snowbound dinner - Roast Chicken with Quinoa Stuffing

Friday - Boxing Day

Turkey dinner with GF poultry stuffing and gravy and my Dad's special mint peas (I'm sure there will be much more here, but that's what I know for sure) and a GF Spiced Cake (I think)

Saturday

Chicken/Turkey leftovers (if I'm still hungry after so many feasts!)

Don't forget to head over to Angela's Kitchen to join in other Christmas celebrations - I can't wait to check them all out!

GF Menu Swap - December 14

2008-12-14T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hip, Hip HOORAY!!! I finally have time to think and most importantly, BAKE!!! These past few months have been crazy but the worst part was the lack of time for baking. I was finally able to have a fresh homemade loaf of bread the other day rather then the store mixes (which are good) and it was delicious. But I must also thank Pamela for her yummy bread mix also as it is what I have been living on for the last little while. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make anything today due to exhaustion, but this week will be filled with Christmas baking.

I am excited to return to the Menu Swap this week and it's perfect timing too because this weeks host, In My Box, has chosen nuts & seeds - yum! I was originally planning on doing half cooked and half UNcooked this week, but due to the FREEZING temperatures I have decided to change this. There are so many wonderful reasons to eat nuts & seeds, such as the high protein content, but they also make great snacks while hiking. There are so many other great things but I don't have the brain power to input that into my blog today - I'm really tired. So on that note I will post my menu. Stay tuned for some Christmas surprises and a Vegan Nog (I can't say anymore then that without giving it away) and I will also be sharing my Apple Pie recipe too.

GF MENU - December 14 - 20

Sunday

BREAKFAST - leftover sushi rolls

LUNCH - toast

DINNER - Chana Masala

Monday

BREAK - PB&J Toast

LUNCH - Chana Masala

DINNER - Spaghetti

Tuesday

BREAK -Pumpkin Seed Bread (125 Best GF Recipes)
LUNCH - Tuna Avocado Bagel Melt

DINNER - Ginger Almond Nori Rolls

Wednesday
BREAK - Pumpkin Seed Bread (125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes)
LUNCH - Ginger Almond Nori Rolls
DINNER - Home-made Split Pea Soup

Thursday
BREAK - Pumpkin Seed Bread (125 Best GF Recipes)
LUNCH - Tuna Avocado Bagel Melt
DINNER - Crispy Pecan Chicken Fingers (The Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook)

Friday
BREAKFAST - Cinnamon Bun (Pancake Breakfast at work)
LUNCH - Crispy Pecan Chicken Fingers (The Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook)
DINNER - Xmas Shopping/Movies/Cactus Club

Saturday
BREAKFAST -Cactus Club leftovers
LUNCH - Split Pea soup
DINNER - Pizza with a Tomato Basil Biscuit Crust (125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes)

I am now hungry even though I just ate a big bowl of spaghetti earlier...must be all that Christmas shopping earlier and the amazing menus that have been posted.

BAKING FOR THIS WEEK

Pumpkin Seed Bread (125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes)
Gingerbread House
Nanaimo Bars (125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes)
Cinnamon Buns (Complete Gluten-Free Cookbook)
Shortbread (125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes)
Vegan Mincemeat Tarts - recipe to come later this week
Butter Tart Bars (125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes)

I wish you all a very Merry Shopping week!

1st to Give Back

2008-10-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

In 2007, a good friend's sister had a baby girl in Royal Columbian Hospital and it was thanks to "the expertise of its caring and professional staff" that their daughter is here today. This year, on Madelin's 1st Birthday, Melinda and her husband have decided to raise money in order to donate a Co-bedding crib to the hospital.

Please check out Melinda's website at http://www.the1sttogiveback.blogspot.com/ for more information and updates on how much money they have raised so far. As of today, Friday October 24 they have raised $2061 and there goal is $8,165.

Melinda will be CBC Radio at 6:50 am and you can listen at http://www.the1sttogiveback.blogspot.com/ by clicking the map on Vancouver.

For anyone in the Lower Mainland area, they will be selling chocolate covered almonds in front of the LOUGHEED PLAZA LIQUOR STORE on Friday October 31 from 2:00 -8:00 pm and again on Saturday November 1 from 12:00 - 8:00 pm.

Goodluck Melinda!!!

Just a quick note...

2008-10-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to drop a quick note for everyone. I know that it has been about a month since I last posted but I haven't forgotten, I am just bogged down at the moment with school work and because of that I haven't really been doing too much other than working, studying, and eating - and even the eating is not all that great as it's based on prepared GF food or quick and easy meals. I do have some wonderful recipes that I would love to post as well as some product reviews, but I just don't have the time to give my blog the detail that is needed.

I will be back in Early November with menus again and a couple of recipes that I have discovered.

All the best!!!
M-Elle

Menu Swap - September 21

2008-09-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ummmmmmmm, just smell that crisp, fresh air (or as fresh as "fresh air" gets when you live in the city). I am so happy that it Autumn has arrived. I know that many of you are probably thinking, "what?! Is she crazy?!" And my answer would be YES!!! because I love the Fall weather. I have to say that Autumn is my all time favourite season. There is just something about the smell and the chill that comes in. When I was living in Alberta I thoroughly missed this season. If felt like there were only 2 seasons, winter and summer. As much as I love wearing my flip flops (which I could do all year round with those funky socks that my sister loves), I really love watching the seasons change over, and best of all is that Thanksgiving, Hallowe'en, and Christmas are a whole lot closer! I love to decorate for these holidays, I think that this year I will actually find some hay for my front porch and make a real scarecrow instead of my newspaper bodies. I loved (and hated) going to the corn maze in September and the pumpkin patch in October with my students (hated it because we always ended up there during the biggest down pour and left covered in mud). Bales of hay, cobs of fresh picked corn, barn animals, great big pumpkins - how can you not love Autumn?! Of course there is the down side of Autumn such as rain, clouds, storms, darkness, daylight savings...hold on a second, for all of you who know me I love all of those things. I guess you get the idea now, I LOVE AUTUMN, so I'll stop going on about it now and get to the good stuff...the GF Menu Swap.

I am hosting this week's swap and I have chosen apples for my ingredient, after all, 'tis the season for apples to be harvested. There are so many things that you can do with apples:

apple crisp
apple pie
apple sauce
apple fritter
apple strudel
apple juice
apple compote
caramel apples
candy apples
bobbing for apples (although that's not exactly considered safe anymore)
apple cider
apple wine
apple butter

And the list goes on. Apples are also great with other fruit such as cranberries...ummmm, apple-cranberry juice, or cranberry apple pie. I think that I had better stop because I am making myself hungry and I have none of these things lying around to eat at the moment.

Here are some interesting Apple tidbits:

During the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, apples are eaten with honey as a symbol of a sweet new year (September 29, 2008)
the goddess Iðunn is portrayed in the Prose Edda (Norse Mythology) as giving apples to the gods in order for them to have eternal youthfulness

one of Heracles' 12 labours in Greek Mythology was to travel to the Garden of the Hesperides and pick the golden apples off the Tree of Life growing at its center

Paris of Troy awarded an apple inscribed Καλλιστή (Kalliste, translated as the most beautiful one) to Aphrodite after she bribed him with Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful woman of the world, which led to the Trojan War

Hippomenes used 3 golden apples to distract Atalanta so that he could win her hand in marriage (Greek Mythology)

And let's not forget the famous story of Eve luring Adam into the Garden of Eden with an apple in the Book of Genesis

the apple is believed to be the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Snow White bit into a poisoned apple and fell asleep, only to be awoken by her handsome Prince

apple tended to be the word used for generic fruit in Olde English tales
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This adage is most likely the result of farmers trying to counteract the bad rep the apple was given in the story of Adam and Eve in order to sell their product

the larynx is called the adam's apple because it is believed to be the forbidden fruit sticking in the throat of Adam

WOW! I can't believe all of the different references to apples through the ages...no wonder I love apples so much as I'm familiar with most of these tales. Maybe there really is something to subliminal messages after all. Well, it's a good thing that apples are also a good source of fiber. I love making fresh apple juice, especially when I have had some intestinal upset. They say that apples have little vitamin C compared to other fruits, but because of their fibre content they are great for bowel regulations, heart disease, weight loss, and controlling cholesterol.

Sunday
Breakfast – fresh fruit
Lunch – toast and quinoa salad
Dinner – veggie burgers (sol cuisine)

Monday
Breakfast – Apple-Cranberry juice & cheese scone with jam
Lunch – leftover veggie burger
Dinner – green salad & salmon

Tuesday
Breakfast – apple sauce & cheese scone
Lunch – sandwich
Dinner – green salad & salmon

Wednesday
Breakfast – apple sauce & cheese scone
Lunch – quinoa salad
Dinner – spaz-ghetti

Thursday
Breakfast – apple sauce & cheese scone
Lunch – leftover spaz-ghetti
Dinner –

Friday
Breakfast – fresh fruit
Lunch – sandwich
Dinner – something delicious as I will be getting paid!!!

For more great recipe ideas check out the following links!

Sally over at Aprovechar (love that name!) is excited to be entering her final week of work and then moving on to her dream of writing, Go Sally!!! Her meals sound delicious, especially her dinners. She has kindly shared the link to Sunday's dinner of warm sweet potato salad, which I will definitely be checking out.

Gluten Free Goodness is baking up a storm with her "cranky ankle." I wish her all the best in her search for a good Honey Apple Cake and hope that she shares the recipe with us because it sounds like something I would love to add to my apple list. But for now I am more than happy to settle for her lemon poppy seed bread - yum!

Book of Yum has shared her spaghetti squash mac 'n' cheese recipe with us, which has me drooling. She also has a great menu planned with Indian, Mexican, and Vegetarian themes as well as a housewarming menu plan. Don't forget to stop by and check out this months Adopt-a-GF Blogger; it is a Lunchbox Recipe edition in hopes of creating a resource list.

Manda has yet another great menu over at Asparagus Thin, which she plans on enjoying before her crazy work schedule kicks in. She will be making a yummy sounding chili as well as a quinoa dish that is after my own heart (hopefully she'll share the recipe). I hope she enjoys watching the Wizard of Oz soon!

Gluten Free is Life has a very busy week planned with baking and enjoying family favourite dinners. Stay tuned for her homemade biscuit recipe posting later this week, but until then Kim has generously posted a whole bunch of her family favourite recipes just below this weeks menu - Thank you Kim!

Fresh Ginger is enjoying fresh picked apples from the farm and still making her way through cookbooks, which have inspired her for this weeks menu. She has a quite a range of themes like French and Thai, as well as a potluck dinner at work all planned out. Good luck harvesting, roasting, and smoking your chiles and jalapenos.

Angela has just returned from a Gluten Free Culinary Summit and is planning on having an easy menu week filled with family favourites as well as some of the things she learned while away. Keep your eye out for her upcoming post all about the conference as well as how she substitutes natural sweeteners for sugar in recipes over in Angela's Kitchen.

Menu Swap - September 7, 2008

2008-09-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

I am suddenly feeling a little stressed. On the plus side, I have been called in for a temporary assignment for the next 2-3 weeks, but I feel like what little time I have has just been cut in half and I have a lot to do...or maybe it just feels that way. I think the most pressing thing at this moment is that I have to find an apple pie recipe. Yep, you heard me, an apple pie. Since I have been making my own bread, wraps (thanks to Kate's creations), and many other things, there have been many people harassing me to go into cooking, but I don't forsee that every happening. Maybe a GF bed and breakfast later on in the future, but that's about it.

So, on that note a friend sent me an entry form for an apple pie contest taking place during the Harvest Festival on September 20 and for some reason I filled it out and submitted it without thinking about the fact that I have never made an apple pie...not even pre-CD, well atleast not on my own and not since I entered my twenties. However, I remembered that I just recently signed out Rebecca Reilly's Gluten Free Baking from the library and low and behold there is a pie crust recipe in their. So, I currently have a loaf of bread in the oven (so that I can have lunch tomorrow) and a variation on her pie crust recipe. I also plan on trying a couple of other crust recipes this week and then I'm going to take the different pies (if there are any leftover) to my dad's place for the "Chili Cooks" to try them out. Every year, around this time, my dad hosts a chili cookoff at his place and then we all finish it off by partying it up with a potluck dinner. Obviously I won't be able to eat anything other than my pie but no worries, it will still be fun.

Ok, that is only the tip of the iceberg of my stresses but I feel better already, so thanks for hearing me out. Now on to a fun topic...the GF Menu Swap. This week is being hosted by GF Mommy, who has a delicious sounding Ginger Flank Steak posting from her holidays. I'm going to have to check that out in the next little while. Her ingredient choice is tomatoes - and amazingly enough, before I even knew that I had already planned for a couple of tomato recipes.

Sunday

Breakfast - bananas and peanut butter

Lunch - Cheddar & Broccoli Risotto

Dinner -

Monday

Breakfast - bananas & strawberries

Lunch - roasted pepper sandwich

Dinner - mandarin salad with sweet & sour dressing

Tuesday

Breakfast - fruit salad

Lunch - leftover salad
Dinner - 10 minute pasta meal

Wednesday

Breakfast - Apple Cranberry Juice and strawberries

Lunch - roasted pepper sandwich

Dinner - Ginger Almond Nori Rolls

Thursday

Breakfast - Apple Cranberry Juice
Lunch - leftover Nori Rolls

Dinner - Fresh Tomato Leek Sauce with Prawns (over rice?)

Friday

Breakfast - Apple Cranberry Juice and toast

Lunch - lime quinoa salad with mint

Dinner - Shrimp Caesar Salad

Saturday

Breakfast - whatever fruit is leftover

Lunch - shrimp caesar wrap

Dinner - apple pie?!

I hope that everyone has a great week and don't forget to head over to GF Mommy's for recipe roundup!

Adopt a GF Blogger

2008-09-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

This was my first time joining in on Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger and I am sad to say that I went very wrong at some point in samosa making - talk about a flop! I decided to enter because I really wanted to try Book of Yum's samosas, something that I have been dying to have for months now but no clue as to where to begin in my creation. I should have searched for the chebe mix, but no I had to go with the scratch pastry idea forgetting that there was a reason I use to BUY the pastry pre-GF living.

On the plus side, the filling is fantastic, even if the onions were more singed rather than carmelized! I have leftovers that I'm going to bake up for either lunch or dinner today and have with some naan bread. I'm really not sure where I went wrong but I should have known that this was not going to work for me right from the start. First, I read the recipe wrong and was limited on some ingredients not to mention the fact that I was unable to find coriander seeds and cumin seeds, so I substituted the ground up. However, I think my down fall came when I forgot to pull the teff flour out of the freezer, or maybe it was because I was watching tv at the same time I was putting the dough together...who knows?! I plan on trying this recipe again, but that won't be for a while yet.

Some minor changes that I made:

1 cup of peas instead of 1/2 a cup. I love peas!
1/2 tsp. mustard seed added
used ground cumin & coriander in place of the seeds. I cut the onion up and mixed it in with olive oil then added the spices and mixed them together.

I look forward to making this again, next time with success!

Menu Swap - August 24

2008-08-25T15:17:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a really quick posting as I am finally doing what I should have done months ago...preparing bread and muffin mixes to throw into my freezer. Sadly, my summer holidays are coming to an end but on the plus side, that means a pay cheque! This week is going to be spent getting myself organized, both in and out of the kitchen. I thought that I had better get my menu up ASAP or else I might forget once I've gotten into my kitchen routine. There's nothing like baking and listening to some great music - all the better for dancing around the kitchen.

My plans for the week are to make up at least 4 of my favourite bread mixes, muffin mixes, 1 or 2 pita bread mixes, and a couple of sandwich wrap mixes. I also need to make at least 2 loaves of bread, 2-4 batches of muffins, and some falafels. All but 1 loaf of bread will be going into my freezer so that I am ready. This way I can spend more time on my studies and not have to worry too much about lunches. Hopefully this will get me through to the end of Septemebr (and if I'm really lucky, it will get me to Thanksgiving weekend when I can buy more supplies and mix up a storm). I also hope to get an inventory going of different meals that I can prepare so that I won't have to do too much scrambling. Oh, and I just remembered that I should get my rear-in-gear and some samosas for Adopt-a-GF Blogger. Phew! I'm exhausted just reading this...not too sure how I'll get it all together...

This week's menu is being hosted by Fresh Ginger, who has chosen eggplant as the weekly ingredient. I have never had eggplant before and have pretty much joined in with the majority of people who avoid it. However, since going GF I have discovered so many different foods that are delicious, I figure what's one more?! I will be making an eggplant dip with crispy flatbread tomorrow as a trial (my mom and LOVE dips!) and if it tastes as great as it sounds, I'll be doubly excited because I'll then have another appetizer for potlucks. I'm kind of thinking of trying out a couple of different mediterranean dip recipes that I found in an old vegetarian cookbook (I pulled them out because I knew they would have some eggplant recipes).

GF Menu - August 25 - 30, 2008

Monday
Roasted quinoa stuffed peppers (never did get a chance to try these out last week) & green salad

Tuesday
Hearty Millet soup (suppose to pour buckets of rain)

Wednesday
roasted eggplant pizza

Thursday
hearty millet soup

Friday
Veggie Burgers

I'm sorry to say that this isn't quite as organized as usual, but I really have no idea what else I'm going to eat...yet. I think that I'll just play it by ear and see where the food takes me.

Don't forget to head over to Fresh Ginger to see what everyone else has in store for this week.