Crockpot Eats and a New Product

I'm pretty obsessed with Pinterest right now.  Not only is it an excellent source for DIY inspiration, but it's also a search engine for gluten-free meals.  Just search for "gluten-free" and see all the photos of potential foods.  Check out my food board to get a jumpstart, I have a ton of gluten-free ideas along with many easily converted dishes. 

Hearty Crockpot Meals I've Made Lately

 

The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup 

Easily my favorite Pioneer Woman recipe, because it is almost exactly the same as my mom's Chicken Tortilla soup recipe.  I suppose you could stand by the stove on this one, but I throw all the ingredients in my crockpot.  I switch out the Rotel for a can of diced tomatoes and a can of green chilis., and I also throw in a whole bag of frozen corn.  Delicious, gluten-free, and so simple.

 

Crockpot Pernil and Puerto Rican Beans from SkinnyTaste

This is my favorite Pinterest site discovery.  I love SkinnyTaste!  When I saw all of her Latin recipes, I knew I had to make some.  Last year Matt and I went to Puerto Rico for a wedding, and have missed the food greatly.  The pernil and beans hit the spot, and I've labeled this recipe as "comfort food" in my recipe folder. 

Crockpot Moroccan Chicken from What's Cookin, Chicago?

Yum!  This was a bit more effort to make in the morning but simple nonetheless.  If you prep your spice mix and chopped ingredients the night before, it actually goes together quickly.  It's sweet and savory, thanks to golden raisins and olives, and I served it on top of basmati rice (quinoa would be so good too!). 

New Product (aka UM DUH, Why Didn't I Think of That?)

I found this little box of treats at my local Super Target today.  GoPicnic is the smartypants company that created ready-to-eat meal boxes with gluten-free ingredients*.   I got the Turkey Stick & Crunch meal, which includes an Old Wisconsin Turkey Snack Stick, Popchips BBQ chips, Niagra Natural Fruit Bites, Sweet Perry Orchards Baja fruit and nut mix, and an Enjoy Life cookie.  They have a variety of meals and are low calorie (my box is 330 calories).  I think these would be perfect for road trips, sporting events, or to keep in your desk at work. Awesome job, GoPicnic!

*Some meals contain gluten, such as the Peanut Butter & Crackers meal...be sure to check the box!

New Gluten-Free Finds

Yummy new products!

Click the picture to see a larger size.

On the left is a box of Dark Chocolate Dreams packets from Peanut Butter & Co.  They are perfect for on the go snacking, or to throw in a lunch box with apple slices.  My mom sent these to me in a care package and I have been taking them to work with me. 

The fig cookies on the right are from Jovial, a new company that I haven't tried before.  I went to a Celiac support group meeting last week at Pizza Fusion in Fort Myers, and received these cookies and some brown rice pasta samples.  Well, I can assure you, if you miss Fig Newtons as much as I do, you will love these!  A little more cakey than true Fig Newtons, but the taste is all there.  I haven't tried the pasta yet but will report back! (Casein-free)

I've been a huge fan of ThinkThin bars since getting diagnosed with Celiac because they are so easy.  I used to always carry one in my bag in case of emergencies, and now they have made it even more convenient!  These are the 100 calorie bite bars.  They have a few different flavors, but I have always liked the cookies and cream ones.

Isn't the Smooze package so cute?  I first had a taste of these at the South Florida Gluten-Free Food Expo in West Palm Beach.  They are creamy little frozen treats with tropical flavors.  I picked up a box of the Coconut & Passion Fruit flavor, and they are delicious.  (Dairy-free)

I was surprised how good these chips are!  They are by a brand I hadn't heard of before, Flamous, and are specifically made for hummus.  The scent is very roasted chickpea-y, and they have serious crunch (but not the kind that rips up the roof of your mouth...ugh, hate that!).  The chips were such a good pair with my hummus today at lunch...I'm thinking about going back and buying the rest of the bags at the store!  (Dairy-free)

And here's the best part...several of these products were bought at my local HomeGoods store!  You can score tons of great gluten-free foods there.  The ThinkThin bars, Smooze, falafel chips, and some agave syrup (not pictured) were all purchased at HomeGoods.  What a deal!

Quickie Post: What I'm Into Right Now

Just a few things that I have been looking into!

Veggies
I have been mostly eating vegetarian lately!  When Matt goes out of town for work, I am just totally uninterested in cooking meat, which has ended up being a great thing!  Stuffed mushrooms, squash soup, cashew fried rice...everything has been so tasty and so much healthier.  I made portobello quesadillas one day that were so delicious that I've been craving them since!

Fruit
Apples, guys.  It's all about apples.  While I try to eat a good amount of fruit (I've always been more of a veggie fan, but I'll never turn down a mango), it's a conscious effort.  I read recently in a magazine (and here in this article) that apples can help prevent colon cancer so I've been eating one a day.  Specifically Pink Lady and Red Delicious!

Books

It's great.  Seriously.  Matt's brother, Graham, recommended it to me and he even refers to it as The Bible.   It is a great reference guide along with cookbook.

I love Filipino food (yum and yum) and this has been a great source of inspiration for me lately.  There is even a recipe for soda adobo.  I am so there.










Blogs
Maangchi
Korean food instructional videos!  Now I am really hungry.

Gluten-Free Dirt Cheap
Just found this one...seems good so far!

http://www.college-masevaux.org/menus.htm  Not a blog but an amazing inspiration source.  This is a menu of the lunches from a school in France.  Use Google's document translator for the PDF.  This will make you cry about America's current school lunches. (If you are further interested in international lunches, like I weirdly kind of am, here is an article from Time about French school lunches and a video clip of a piece from CBS, and a photo list of lunches from 20 countries around the world).

Gluten-free Seafood on Sanibel

 
Yummy! For lunch today, Matt and I went to a new (to us) restaurant on Sanibel Island called Gramma Dots.  It's on a marina and is nearly surrounded by waterfront views. It was on the small side and reminded me of restaurants back home in Pensacola. 

Check out the view!

Watching the boats (impressive-sized yachts and catamarans) come through to the marina while we waited on our food was a treat.  The fried food, of course, is off-limits, which would include their homemade potato chips.  They have chicken salad, lobster salad, broiled grouper, peel-n-eat shrimp (the best kind of shrimp!), and a few other items you could ask to be modified gluten-free.  Here's the menu!

I got the broiled scallop spinach salad, which comes with a ton of veggies like yellow squash and zucchini, and vinaigrette on the side.  The scallops were bite sized and delicious!  And I am kind of a sucker for orchids as garnish.  If you get the chance, stop in at Gramma Dots; you can't really beat the view or the fresh seafood!

Restaurant Review: Zushi Zushi on Fort Myers Beach

Don't you just love a positive restaurant experience?  For non-Celiac people, all that requires is good service and good food.  For Celiacs, a great experience requires trust and understanding, on top of good service and good food!

I had one of those experiences last night at a new restaurant on Fort Myers Beach called Zushi Zushi.  What's even more exciting about this is that I forgot to call ahead of time, because I had a safe meal without having to go through all the warnings.  Usually I will call a restaurant to let them know I can't have any gluten and I will be in at such-and-such time, just a bit of a heads up.  The perks of this are that not only do you usually get a reservation, even if the place doesn't take them, but you also have a good chance of being paired up with a knowledgeable waiter/waitress.

With Zushi Zushi, I totally forgot to do this.  I also completely forgot my restaurant cards from Triumph Dining.  The only thing I managed to remember was my new little spray bottle of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  This is a great natural alternative to soy sauce, but what really drew me in was the spray bottle.

Now I don't have to carry a mini tupperware of tamari with me, and have the surprise at the end of the night that it leaked all over my bag.  With Bragg's, I can just throw it in, and spray my sushi instead of dipping.  It worked like a charm, and this size (6oz) was only $3.89 at my health food store.

Back to Zushi Zushi!  The restaurant itself is very modern, with an industrial vibe.  We were seated by our waiter, Ray, who was extremely helpful the whole meal.  We ordered drinks (hot sake! It's the only way to go) and an appetizer of edamame.  While Matt ordered a green salad (he is in love with carrot ginger dressings), I ordered the Tom Kha Goong, a Thai soup with shrimp, coconut milk, mushrooms, and a lot of aromatics.  But first I asked our waiter to check if there was any flour or gluten in the soup, which he immediately did without hesitation, and then I remembered to ask if there was any soy sauce.  He checked for me and there wasn't! 

Then a manager came over to me, and spoke with me about all the soup ingredients.  He also was interested in my bottle of Bragg's, and said that they were going to get some at Zushi Zushi due to the amount of gluten-free customers they have had.  Awesome!  Gotta love that.

Yum!  It was one of the best soups I have ever had.  Sweet and tangy, lemon-y and creamy.   Kinda wishing I hadn't ate it all, so I could have brought some home and had it for lunch again today!

I ordered a pretty simple roll, the Hamachi, with yellowtail and scallions.  I love getting yellowtail at Asian restaurants because it's such a clean taste that it is almost a palate-cleanser.

That is the JB roll, and behind that is the Alaskan King Crab roll (both were Matt's).  The reason you don't see mine is that I inhaled it before I took a picture.  But it was fresh and tasty!

I don't know how I was able to order dessert, but I did it.  And I ate it.  All of it.  And then I came home, put on stretchy pants and went to bed, because I was that full and that grossed out by myself!  I'm still wondering how I managed to fit so much food in my poor tummy, but it was so worth it.

Sooooo worth it.  Green tea ice cream with azuki beans on the side.  If I could have this in drip form, I would be hooked up to a green-tea-azuki-bean IV all day.

Thanks so much to Zushi Zushi for being awesome, helping gluten-free customers eat safely and well, and for considering adding gluten-free soy sauce alternatives.  I can't wait to go back!

Gluten-free Mac & Cheese With Veggies

First off, let me start by saying I am selfish.  The main reason I added veggies to this was because I wanted to save some of the pasta for a salad next week for work, so I had to bulk this one up!  Oh yeah, and sure, I thought upping the health factor might be good, too.

Dig around in your fridge for some veggies.  I found green onions (that were on their way out), a few baby bell peppers, and a handful of cherry tomatoes.  I also dug up a bag of spinach.  Perfect!

Make sure you have some cheese (dairy, soy, Daiya, whatever!) and some milk.

Check out your spices; anything good?  I used ground mustard, cayenne pepper, and paprika.  And a good amount of black pepper.

Ancient Harvest gluten-free quinoa pasta is my favorite!

Grate your cheeses and set aside.  I used sharp cheddar and parmesan, about a half cup of each.  Chop up your veggies and mince a clove of garlic.  Cook your pasta, drain and set aside.  Clean the pot and use it for the sauce, by first adding a splash of olive oil, garlic, and green onions.  Sautee for just a minute or two on medium heat, then add a healthy pinch of ground mustard (I didn't measure anything for this recipe unfortunately, so adjust all amounts to taste!), a smaller pinch of cayenne, and another healthy pinch of paprika (it will give the sauce a nice color).

Once the spices are fragrant, around one minute, add in a tablespoon of gluten-free flour.  I use Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour.  Then add 1½ cup of milk (I used fat-free, that's all we have!).  Bring it to a quick boil, then reduce the heat.  Stir for ten minutes.

 Add in shredded cheese and stir to melt, then combine the sauce with veggies and pasta.  Freeze any extra sauce...it will be yummy on a baked potato!

Before and after baking

Add all to a casserole dish and bake at 375° for 30 minutes.  I like to broil mine at the end to give a darker color.  This is a great dish to bring to a cookout, especially for people who aren't accustomed to gluten-free food (and how AWESOME it can be!).

Did you know....

Sabra hummus is now gluten-free!

I love this brand of hummus and am so excited to know that they are now certified gluten-free!  I had taken a break from Sabra hummus since my diagnosis, unsure of whether or not it was safe for me (the vast internet provided mixed results).  I have been eating this as a snack almost every day since I first picked up the new gluten-free package a couple weeks ago.

Here are a few of my favorite gluten-free goodies that pair well with hummus:

Baby bell peppers, sliced in half so that they are chip-shaped (easy for dipping!)

Celery sticks

I also occasionally use rice crackers, but most of the time prefer veggies!

 Baked lentil chips from Mediterranean Snacks.  These are kind of close to pita chips, and taste great with dips.

Hummus is also really great on a sandwich, and a great side to bring to a potluck.  I love it!