I am thankful for... Pt 2

Happy Black Friday everyone,

Hope everyone got the deals that you were looking for. I on the other hand avoided the crowds and am spending at least one more day sharing what I am thankful for before jumping right into the holiday hustle and bustle. As I mentioned last week, even though my restrictive diet can seem difficult to deal with I am very thankful that it continues to get easier with time. I am thankful for the number of things that I can eat, and that my allergies are not worse. I am so grateful that I don't have a severe or life-threatening reaction and that, even though they can be aggravating, they do not cause more permanent damage to my health. I briefly mentioned how much it means for someone to take the time to answer questions, double check ingredients and make exceptions for me. But when friends, and coworkers go out of their way to try to understand and accommodate and include me instead of disregarding my allergy it doesn't go unnoticed.

I am also thankful for this experience of blogging and being able to document and share my journey. The recipes I have created are dishes I have prepared for myself and it keeps me creative and I hope maybe someday I can help make someone else's journey a little easier too. It can hard enough to be inspired to cook a single meal, or find heathy recipes, while staying on a budget but throw in a even shorter list of ingredients that you can use and the task can seem downright daunting. However, I am living proof it is not impossible! Sometimes it can even be fun, and turn out pretty tasty.
Overall I am thankful that I feel healthier and more in control of my body than I have in the past. For me, not knowing what foods were affecting me (or even if it was food related) or how each ingredient played a role was much more frustrating than making an effort to avoid a few items now.

I hope you'll continue to join me as kept learning and moving forward on this journey.

I am thankful for... Pt 1

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I have decided to spend a couple posts sharing a few things I am thankful for.

I am thankful that I have been able to discover how food affects me and am continually learning new way to avoid the adverse affects. I am grateful that I live in a time when food allergies are beginning to be taken more seriously and are becoming increasingly recognized. Even a few years ago it would have been much more difficult to maintain a gluten free diet. Now because of a greater awareness and more proficient labeling on most food products it is manageable. I am also thankful that I live in an area of the country that keeps up with food trends and offers options to people with restrictive diets. Having worked in food service, I understand how annoying modifications can be sometimes, but for those who do take the time to double check ingredient lists for me or allow substitutions I really do appreciate it. I also am glad to have access to a growing number of resources for tips and recipes. Speaking of which, I just purchased a gluten-free cook book which I am looking forward to trying out and sharing the results with you in future posts.

Next week I will be posting part 2 of this article. Until then please feel free to share any shout outs or bits of thankfulness that you have relating to your own journey with healthier eating, solo dining or cooking for people with allergies.

On being Gluten Free

As I was thinking about this week's post I realized it has already been just over a year since I committed to a fully gluten free diet. I have learned so much and dramatically altered my eating habits to avoid the grains wheat, rye, barley and spelt. While it hasn't been an easy process, it is worth noting that it has been significantly easier than I than anticipated, or than most people would expect.

I've found that cutting out an entire food group altogether (whether due to allergies or just as a choice) provides much less temptation then simply trying to cut back. It's also amazing how much I don't really miss gluten filled items in my diet. And while it does take some careful planning, and at times a little research, to find substitutes or naturally gluten free options I can say, that at least for me, it has been well worth it. The discovery process has not been without its hiccups, and therefore set backs (my latest slip up being Red Vines... Who would have thought that wheat would be a main ingredient?!?) but each lesson learned pushes me forward and reminds me to be diligent in reading labels and carefully inspecting ingredient lists instead of assuming what may or may not be a "safe" food.

If you have any questions about starting a gluten free diet please feel free to leave them in the comments below. I hope everyone continues to enjoy my recipes and tips... Here's to starting another year gluten free!

"I'm Stuffed" Peppers

Here's what you will need-

1 green bell pepper (helpful if you can find on that is even on the bottom, so it will sit flat in the oven)

Non-fat refried beans

White or Crimini mushrooms

Brown rice (cooked)

Salt and pepper

Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)

Margarine or butter


Let's get started- thoroughly rinse the green, pepper. Cut off the top, remove the seeds, and rinse again. Sit pepper on baking sheet or pie tin (covering the pan with aluminum foil makes clean up a breeze) and bake in 350 degree oven (about 10 mins) while prepping the remaining ingredients and any desired side items.
Rinse and chop mushrooms, lightly sauté in small amount of butter.
Remove pepper from oven and drizzle a little Tamari inside. Carefully layer the rice, beans, and mushrooms alternating ingredients and seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. The top layer should be brown rice, over which you can pour a little more tamari if desired.
Allow to finish baking (about 20-25 mins) and cool briefly... Enjoy!

Scallop and Seaweed Snackers

This week's recipe is for a tasty little treat called Scallop and Seaweed Snackers made with a honey mustard glaze. Ready in under 8 minutes, they make a great appetizer or snack.

To get started you will need:

6-7 Roasted Seaweed strips
4oz package of frozen scallops
About 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
About 1 Tbsp mustard
Sea salt
Black pepper
Olive oil

Directions-

Pre-heat skillet to medium heat, lightly greased with olive oil

Cook (frozen) scallops for 4-5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper

Set aside seaweed snacks

Combine the mustard and honey (to taste) to make glaze

Once scallops have finished cooking (to a light golden brown) divide equally and spoon onto seaweed strips, drizzling with honey-mustard glaze

Enjoy!

Note: this recipe make about 6 Snackers (one serving), but is easily multiplied if you are serving guests.

Fiesta Shrimp

Happy Friday everyone!

This week's recipe is a great way to use some left overs in combination to create a whole new dish.

Left me briefly explain what I mean.

This past week I had the pleasure to attend a small birthday celebration (a picnic on the beach) where I provided chips and salsa. Instead of buying salsa I decided to make my own by chopping tomato, onions, bell peppers, jalapeños with juice and seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper (typically I add cilantro as well, but the store was out on this particular day, so I omitted it and tossed in a few parsley flakes instead). I ended up making more than we needed, and while the chips were gone, I had a bit of leftover salsa. Since I didn't want to buy a whole new bag of chips I decided to find another way to use the salsa.

Also I should explain, that while rice is simple enough to make I find it to be more time consuming than the rest of the prep for most dishes. Since I don't have a rice maker, I typically find myself making at least double amount of rice each time I do cook it just to avoid having to repeat the process more often.

Okay, enough with the explanations and back story and on with this week's recipe...

Fiesta Shrimp:

You will need-

Frozen salad shrimp (rinse under cold running water for about 3 mins)

One serving brown or golden basmati rice

2-3 generous spoonfuls of salsa

Lime juice

Salt and pepper

Dash of hot sauce

Directions-

Cook or re-heat rice and set aside
In small pan heat salad shrimp, adding a couple squeezes of lime juice, the hot sauce and salt and pepper.
Plate rice and shrimp together. Top with salsa and enjoy!

Please feel free to leave comments below and share your favorite leftover favs.

Pas ta Deux

In today's post I am including, yet again, not just one recipe but two! Or, perhaps more accurately, two variations on the same recipe.

Let's begin with the ingredients that both recipes have in common...

Gluten free pasta

Spicy marinara sauce
(I used Wolf Gang Puck's
Arrabbiata sauce with red
peppers)

2-3 cloves, minced garlic

Handful of coarsely chopped white
onion

Salt and pepper


Recipe 1: Pasta with Tofu and Squash

(in addition to the above ingredients you will need)

1 small Italian squash (sliced)
Equal parts yellow squash (sliced)
6 oz. silken tofu (crumbled)
Italian seasonings
Olive oil blend

Directions -

Cook about 2 servings of gluten free pasta of choice (according to directions on package, about 8-9 minutes). In separate skillet, lightly coated with olive oil, sauté the squash, onions, garlic and spices. When about half way cooked add crumbled tofu and finish cooking. Lower temp and add about 6-8 oz of marinara sauce until heated, stirring occasional. Pour over drained pasta. Divide into two servings (saving the second portion in a microwaveable storage container, for a future meal).

Recipe 2: Twice Baked Pasta

This is a great dish for sharing a group of friends.

(in addition to the above ingredients you will need)

6-8 whole mushrooms (or equivalent amount of mushrooms pieces) - sliced
1/4 yellow bell pepper - chopped
Mozzarella cheese - shredded
Parsley
Margarine

Directions - cook about 4 servings of gluten free pasta of choice (following package directions), drain and set aside. In same sauce pan, over low heat, combine about 1 tbsp margarine, garlic, onions, and peppers. Allow to cook for a few minutes then add the mushrooms until all ingredients are fully cooked. In medium glass baking pan layer cooked pasta, then evenly distribute veggies, topping with 1 can marinara sauce (about 12 oz). There is no need to preheat the sauce at this point. Sprinkle entire dish with parsley flakes. Cover and aside/refrigerate until about half hour before ready to serve. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and allow to bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 mins until thoroughly heated and cheese is completely melted. Serve with choice of veggies (I used California mixed veggies when I made this dish)

What are some of your favorite gluten- free or vegetarian pasta dishes? Feel free to leave comments or suggestions :)



- Pictured below: Recipe 1 -