Salty almond butter and chocolate rice crispy treats

Posted on November 17, 2011 | 3 comments

Regular rice crispy treats are one of my favorite things. They’re gooey and buttery, and I can eat about 20 of them in a sitting.

This is a dressed up and more decadent version that was inspired by these salted marcona almond bars from spabettie.

Almond butter and chocolate rice crispy treats

2 T butter
1 bag of marshmallows (mine was 7 oz.)
1/2 c. almond butter
5 cups of rice cereal (I estimated this, but so each kernel is just coated)
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt (my almond butter wasn’t very salty)
1/2 package chocolate chips (I had semi-sweet on hand)

In a large saucepan on low heat, melt butter, adding almond butter, vanilla, and salt, and stirring until completely melted.

Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add cereal, one cup at a time until incorporated. Press into prepared pan, let cool.

Melt peanut butter a bit in the microwave and spread over top. Let cool.

Cut bars into squares. Melt chocolate and drizzle or pour on top of each bar.

Try not to eat ten at once.

Enjoy!


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How to date someone who’s gluten free

Posted on November 16, 2011 | 4 comments

After reading Gluten Dude’s post about the importance of spousal support when you have Celiac’s, I started thinking about the similarities/differences when you are still in the dating stage with someone who had to eat gluten free. Since you haven’t pledged to be around “in sickness and in health” yet, how accommodating or supportive do you need to be?

So, here are a few “Do’s” and “Don’ts” on how to successfully date someone with Celiac’s – or at least not completely piss them off.

1. DON’T feel like you have to be an expert in gluten free food.
Especially when first dating someone, I wouldn’t expect them to know that I can’t eat say, malt extract.That’s for me to know.

2. DO know the basics.
It is pretty easy to remember that I can’t eat anything with flour in it, or the word “wheat”. Plus if you know the basics I won’t have to give you a blank stare when you pass me the bread basket at dinner.

3. DON’T mock me.
If you think it’s funny to make overly exaggerated “mmm” sounds, or wave a bagel in front of my face. It’s not. Really… it’s not. I get it, I can’t eat yummy food. You can feel free to enjoy it, and even tell me how much you’re enjoying it, but just don’t make fun of me that I can’t have it.

4. DO let me smell your food.
Yeah, I know it’s weird. But smell is seventy to seventy-five percent of what we perceive as taste, so it’s the closest I can get to eating some foods. I might be fooling myself, but sometimes just taking a whiff of something is enough to give me an idea of how it tastes and allow me to enjoy whatever it is I’m eating.

5. DON’T speak for me.
There are some times I really don’t feel like answering questions or talking about Celiac’s. So if we’re at a party, don’t just randomly announce that I have it. “Oh, she can’t have that, she has this DISEASE.” Unless I’m starving to death, and give you some kind of signal that I’m going to pass out, I’m okay. I’ll bring it up if necessary or I feel like it.

6. DO be willing to try new things.
If I want to make you a gluten free pancake breakfast, or go out to a random vegan/gluten free bakery, don’t turn your nose up at it. Try it: if you hate it we’ll go get you an Egg McMuffin or something. I promise gluten free soy sauce tastes the same, and most of what I make will be so delicious you won’t care it isn’t the “normal” way you’re used to having it.

7. DON’T fawn over me.
This kind of goes along with #5. I can take care of myself, and I don’t need special considerations made for me at every turn. Sure, I won’t be overly ecstatic to go to a deep dish pizza place for dinner with your friends, but I’ll deal. I’ll feel worse if every one else has to go somewhere they’re not stoked about, and won’t enjoy myself anyway. Of course, if there’s a logical substitution (ie: there’s a place that’s equally as good that carries gluten free crust) then by all means, suggest it.

8. DO be understanding, and make an effort.
Sometimes having Celiac’s can be really frustrating. I can get grumpy if I can’t find anything to eat somewhere, or have to eat a salad when I really want something hearty. It’s not you, it’s the gluten.

Extra points if you make some kind of effort to be overly understanding – pick up a gluten free cookie you see at the store, take me to a restaurant I haven’t heard of that’s gfree-friendly, or make dinner. It’s not too difficult and I’ll love it way more than flowers.

Have you ever dated someone who did a really good job of supporting you, or a really bad job of it? What tips would you give to someone dating someone with Celiac’s?

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Dino

Posted on November 14, 2011 | Leave a comment

This weekend I finally used my Living Social deal to Dino in Cleveland Park. Even though the outside is unassuming, I’d heard good things about it, and their menu is marked with gluten free/”can be made gluten free” items.

For an appetizer we got the spinach soup and a radicchio/arugula salad.

Shaved grana cheese and hazelnuts.


The spinach soup might not win any food beauty contests, but it was great. Really… spinachy?

Then as an entree I got the Autumn risotto. I love anything with squash in it, but this was really good.

For dessert we got the “Nico”, which I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of. Probably because I was too busy getting high on chocolate endorphins. It’s basically a fancy gelato layered dessert – bittersweet chocolate gelato with chopped chocolate, hazelnut gelato with toasted hazelnuts, chocolate sauce, and amaretto whipped cream.

I will definitely be back to Dino – the menu is huge and seasonal, they have reasonably priced bottles of wine, and they have the best dessert I’ve had yet in DC. So, win/win/win.

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Snickerdoodle blondies

Posted on November 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

My coworkers are lucky people. I’m bringing them these snickerdoodle blondies today AND they get to work with me on a daily basis 😉

Gluten free snickerdoodle blondies (Adapted from Chocoloate-Covered Katie)

  • 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained and rinsed) (250g)
  • 3 T almond butter
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • heaping 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used the half Splenda blend, so you can up to 3/4 cup)
  • 1-2 T milk (I used almond)
  • 1/4 cup ground flax (20g)
  • 2 and 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients except milk in a food processor, then add in milk until it’s very smooth. Scoop into a greased (or tinfoil-lined) 8×8 pan (I used my weird IKEA pan). Bake for 35 minutes.

If I could make these again, I would have never baked them. The dough was so crazy delicious, and no raw eggs. The blondies are good, but the dough – I could eat with a spoon all day. Would be great mixed into vanilla ice cream too I think.

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Ian’s cookie buttons – eat like a kid

Posted on November 8, 2011 | 1 comment

Even though I have a grown up job, I still tend to eat kid snacks throughout the day. When 3pm rolls around my brain gives me a couple of options: 1) eat about 50 jelly bellies from the communal jar 2) sit around and whine about how hungry I am until I go home 3) find a snack. Lately I’ve been loving the cinnamon cookie button pouches from Ian’s. They’re single serving packs of little crunchy cookies that satisfy my need to munch.

The cinnamon and ginger in them gives them a ton of flavor, and while I wouldn’t exactly say they’re packed with nutrients, they’re definitely better than the Jelly Bellies.

Next up on my list to try are the not-so-healthy chocolate covered wafer bits.

Something I’m NOT going to try? These weird-looking egg and maple breakfast sandwiches. No thank you.

But the cookie buttons? Yum!

Ian’s: All Natural Allergy-Friendly Foods

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Cafe Green – bad service, good cheesecake.

Posted on November 7, 2011 | 3 comments

It’s a shame that when you’re looking for brunch places in DC with vegan and gluten free options, there are really only a handful of places that come immediately to mind. Cafe Green is always top on the list because of their menu and central location, but they’re also notorious for having bad service and being a bit discombobulated.

When I met up with Katelyn (New Kid on the Vegan Block) there this weekend, they were certainly true to form. The first mistake was our bad – we assumed they served brunch on Saturdays, but it’s only on Sundays. The rest were their bads.

There was a mix up with our food order, we didn’t get our “superfruit” cocktails until after our meal, and they kept trying to take our coffee away.

Either way, their “famous” veggie burger was pretty darn tasty, and the coleslaw was great piled on top. I love daiya cheese for its Velveeta-like creaminess, and the peppers were also a nice touch. You can see Katelyn’s tempeh sandwich on her post.

Now I will commence a rant on Udi’s bread:

I really need to stop ordering sandwiches at places with Udi’s bread. It’s not good, I end up paying extra for it, and it’s small and not flavorful. Why don’t more restaurants have local gluten free bread? Or at least attempt to make their own? The bread that comes out of my breadmaker is approximately 900 times better than Udi’s. I get that Udi’s is probably the cheapest option for restaurants, but it’s just so…lame.

K, rant ended. My hatred for Udi’s bread grows stronger every time I eat it though.

My recommendation for going to Cafe Green? Don’t go with someone who is going to complain about the service, only easy going people who don’t mind waiting/dealing with weirdness. Also order the mac and cheese and the cheesecake. They’re the best things on the menu. Also make sure if you want brunch you go on SUNDAY.

I brought home with me some chocolate banana cheesecake (amazing), and some of Katelyn’s homemade granola bars! (also amazing). I know she’s been working on perfecting her recipe, but I can’t imagine them getting much better. They’re my favorite kind of granola bars – moist, flavorful, and addictive.

Now I still have to go back to Cafe Green for brunch at some point, because they have a few pancake/french toast plates that sound delicious. Maybe I’ll bring them some of my bread so they can think about replacing that Udi’s with something more…edible.

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Five tips for eating gluten free during the holidays

Posted on October 28, 2011 | 6 comments

Around this time of the year, tons of holiday diet tips articles come out. Most of them tell you the same things – don’t stand near the food table, avoid high-calorie drinks like egg nog, have healthy snacks before a party, keep your will power strong.

Well, when you have to eat gluten free, things tend to go a bit differently. So here are the things that I’ve learned about eating during the holidays without getting sick, and still having fun!

1. Focus on the festivity
Sure, a lot of holidays revolve around the food we prepare, serve, and eat during them. However, it’s not everything. Even though you may not be able to eat grandma’s famous Christmas cookies anymore, you can definitely still make grandma a killer Christmas gift, or spend some QT with her while everyone else is in a sugar coma from the cookies. By focusing on the other aspects of holidays, you’ll still get the same amount of enjoyment out of them, maybe even more.

2. Eat what you can, whatever it is
Sure, you could stick to plain veggies and shrimp cocktail. But if you’re not trying to lose weight, then eat whatever is gluten free!

Fattening casserole? Yes!
Cheese platter? I’ll try one of each.
Ice cream? Double scoop please!

I’ve found that I usually can’t eat most of the “bad-for-you” foods at parties like rich desserts, pies, pizza, and appetizers. So, if there are things that I can eat, I’ll go for it even if it’s not something that fits into my usually healthy diet choices. There are enough times I have to say no, so if I can say yes, I will!

3. Bring something and be proud that it’s gluten free
I’ve made the mistake before of bringing something that’s gluten free and letting it sit around incognito. Then I realized that if I didn’t say something about it being gluten free there was a big chance for cross contamination (ie: you bring a dip and corn chips, and someone grabs a hunk of bread and dunks it right in the bowl). It also will help other guest who may have food allergies, and may even spark a discussion that could lead to someone discovering their own gluten intolerance.

Even if it’s not homemade, bringing a box of gluten free crackers, chips and salsa, or a bag of nuts even, will ensure that you have something around to keep you from starving.

4. Scope out the scene before the party
Hopefully you know the host of your party, and can ask them casually what’s on their menu (or ask them if they need help, can bring something, or offer a great recipe you have). If they’re planning on serving turkey pot pie for dinner, cookies for dessert, and beer to drink, then you know that you should probably BYOB and bring something substantial to eat (or eat more ahead of time).

If you don’t know the host well, then don’t bank on them having a full array of gluten free items for you to eat. Have a yummy mid-sized meal beforehand and then you can focus on having a few drinks, socializing, and having a few nibbles. Not every party also needs to be a feast (I have to remind myself of this one sometimes).

5. Be a good sport, but also take control

If someone gives you a cookie tin as a gift, for godsakes just take it! Give it to your mailman or something. There’s no worse feeling than having a gift rejected, so just be thankful. There is so much going on during the holidays that your gluten allergy is probably not high on people’s priority list. So, be a good sport and keep your holiday cheer up.

On that same note though – take control of the holiday season! Have your own gluten free party! Gluten free graham cracker gingerbread house making party? Gluten free cookie swap? Hot chocolate, popcorn, and Christmas movies? Throw a get-together yourself and you can run the show.

Hope you find these tips helpful! Also would love suggestions on anything that you do during the holidays to stay gluten free and also have a merry time!

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Hail Merry almonds and tart review

Posted on October 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

I saw Hail Merry’s tarts at Yes! Organic Market a few weeks ago, but didn’t actually get one. This time I decided I needed to try one, and picked up the Meyer Lemon Miracle Tart.

It was pretty amazing. Like a lemon bar with a big bang of lemon flavor. The filling was creamy, the crust crumbly and flaky. I’m sure that the chocolate tarts are great too, but I feel like it takes more finesse to get a lemon dessert right. I’m saving the rest until I can pick up some whipped cream, since I think that’s the only thing that would make this tart better.

I also picked up a pack of the Vanilla Maple almonds. Unfortunately they were expired, so not as crunchy as they should be, but the flavor was still great. This is one of those things that you should probably make yourself, but it’s nice to have someone make for you.

I love Hail Merry products because they come from a company that really seems to care about the gluten free community. Their blog and attitude toward gluten free products, plus their approachability, makes them a company I feel good giving my money to.

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Gluten free at Grey Market DC

Posted on October 23, 2011 | 2 comments

Yesterday I went to my first Grey Market. It was way-the-heck up in Columbia Heights/Petworth, and also in a small basement of a corner store. It kind of felt like the Dirty Dancing set where all of the workers danced, but filled with food vendors.

There were mostly baked goods up for sale, with adorable mini pop tarts, cupcakes, and Halloween-themed cookies. So, not much for me to sample. On their products page, it looked like there would be a few gluten free vendors there, but I only saw one: Sweet Nuttings. Maybe I missed the other ones in the chaos…


This place has a great bakery concept: focus on nuts, and let them each shine in their own dedicated cookie.

I got one of each.


The pistachio one was my favorite I think, but they were all delicious. They had a rich, buttery texture, and tasted like an amplified version of the nut.

How gorgeous is that cookie? I wish I’d bought a dozen.


Sadly I can’t find a website for them, but they have an email address: sweetnuttings@gmail.com.

After Grey Market, we headed over to The Heights, which I’m only mentioning because they had the most delicious Maple Squash and Sage soup ever.


It’s vegan and gluten free, and tastes like Thanksgiving. I guarantee that this will wet your whistle for Turkey Day. The Heights also has an amazing happy hour with $4.25 glasses of wine (dangerous).

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Polish Kapusta

Posted on October 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

The second there’s a chill in the air, all I want to eat are piping bowls of X, Y, or Z. Oatmeal, soup, chili, thai food, you name it. Last night I had a pregnant-lady strength craving for kapusta.

Kapusta is a traditional Polish dish that my grandma used to make. It’s kind of like golabki (stuffed cabbage), only without the meat. Plus you don’t have to do any of the work of stuffing and rolling the cabbage, it’s a one pot meal. Well, meal for me, probably more of a side dish for others.

There are a ton of different versions of kapusta – some are sauerkraut-based, some have mushrooms, and some have salt pork. Our family’s version is more tomato based, with tons of onions and cabbage.

Polish Kapusta

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 head of green cabbage, cut into chunks
  • Some kind of tomatoes (you could use diced, fresh, stewed, anything but sauce)
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  •  1-2 T. sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 T. butter + 1 T. oil
  • 1 c. water
  1. Saute onion and garlic in butter/oil until transparent
  2. Add in cabbage, water, and tomatoes. Liquid should just about cover the cabbage.
  3. Turn the heat on low, let simmer for about 20 minutes.
  4. Add in sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.
  5. Let simmer for another hour or so (until the cabbage is tender and the liquid has thickened)


I served mine with greek yogurt (usually it’s served with kielbasa and sour cream). And I ate about four bowls. And it was amazing. Such a simple recipe, but it’s one of my favorites.

 
The best part about kapusta is that it stays good for at least a few days to a week, and it’s like chili in that it just gets better after sitting in the fridge.

Na zdrowie!

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