Tag Archives: Gluten-free

Tribute to Gluten Free Chex

Posted on June 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

Over Memorial Day weekend, in a giant Giant supermarket in Easton, PA, I found my long-lost hidden friend – CINNAMON CHEX!!  I haven’t been able to find them in Queens or Manhattan, and there they were!

These must have been recently re-engineered, because they are more delicious than ever (seems like they put more of the chocolate or cinnamon flavor on the chex).  I love that they are certified gluten free, I love that they are crunchy and snackable, and I love that there are four whole varieties that you can mix and match and make into recipes!

Chex Pumpkin Pie Crunch, Lemon-Rosemary Crunch, Deviled Chex Mix, Buffalo Chex Mix….
The possibilities are mind-bogglingly endless!!  Get some gluten free Glutino pretzels, or some nuts, or some popcorn, and you can run WILD!

CHEX RECIPE INDEX

CHEX GLUTEN-FREE INDEX

My favorite – Chex Muddy Buddies (or puppy chow, as I like to call it :))

Breaking news – just saw that there are STRAWBERRY CHEX!?!?! Maybe they got discontinued, I sure hope not.

I MUST GET SOME NOW!!

And the hunt begins…

**Update: strawberry chex were discontinued in February.  Why do bad things happen to good people?!

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It takes two to Bistango

Posted on May 23, 2010 | 4 comments

After deliberating for days over where to go out to dinner on Friday night, we settled on Bistango on 29th and 3rd.  After meeting up with some people at the rooftop at Red Sky for a few overpriced drinks, we headed over to try out some gluten free Italian.  We sat outside, right across from the kind of seedy Tonic bar, but Nick could catch glimpses of the Mets game, so it worked out alright.  

To start, I got to eat bread!  Woot!  Usually I get to just sit there and stare at the bread basket, maybe taking a whiff just to taunt myself even more.  I’m not going to rave about the bread, as it really didn’t have that much taste.  If I could have slathered it with butter and jam it probably would have tasted pretty darn good.  But it was bread, and I could eat it, so I won’t complain. 

Nick and I split an appetizer of scallops with grilled pineapple: 

The scallops were good – cooked perfectly.  But for $13 I expect an army of scallops, not three little babies.  Wouldn’t get this again.

But then, the main event.  

I just had to get the gluten free ravioli.  Because, hello, it’s GLUTEN FREE RAVIOLI.  Hot dog!

I got the mushroom and ricotta ravioli with pink sauce: 

mamma mia

So delicious.  Nick confirms that you can’t tell that these are gluten free.  The pasta is perfect, not chewy or slimy, just perfect al dente.  The filling is cream and yummy and cheesy.  I could have had seconds and thirds.  

Now I’ve just got to find out where they get those ravioli, or how they make them.

Bistango, for the win.  

Get some tonight: 

Bistango, 29th St. and 3rd. Ave

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Product Plug – Foods By George

Posted on May 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

My local natural store in Astoria, Sai Organics, just started carrying a few products from Foods by George.  The company is based in Mahwah, NJ, so their products should start showing up in more stores in the area.

First on my list to try were the Cinnamon and Current English Muffins.

First of all, I was stunned by the low calorie count in these babies – only 220 for a HUGE muffin.  This thing is like two hockey pucks stuck together – only much more delicious and less hard and plastic.  They were $5.49 for four muffins, but sooooooo worth it!  They have the exact texture of English muffins, only BIGGER!

I’m sure these would be pretty simple to make, because they only have a few ingredients, but it’s the guar gum that gives them that great chewy bite.

I made some honey cinnamon butter and slathered it on a toasted muffin.  (2 T softened butter, 2 T honey, 1 tsp cinnamon).  I also tried one with peanut butter, and one with normal butter, and I’m thinking of putting cream cheese on the last one I have.

Sai Organics also started carrying their little personal-pan pizzas and pizza crusts.  I hope they get the crumb cake in though.

Yumyumyum.

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Go Mets!

Posted on May 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

This Friday I took Nick to the Mets/Giants game at Citi Field.  Our pre-game meal was barbeque shrimp and creamy pasta salad.

BBQ shrimp and pasta salad

First, let me say that I was underwhelmed with the pasta salad.  It just wasn’t creamy enough – I think I may have gone a bit overboard with the vegetables, and a little underboard with the mayo, but it ended up tasting like your basic pasta salad.  Which isn’t bad, necessarily, just didn’t blow my mind.  Next time I’ll probably make grits or polenta fries to go with these shrimp, since they were scrumptious.

Creamy pasta salad with veggies

1 c. gluten free pasta

1 bell pepper, diced (I used half green and half red)

1/2 c. broccoli florets

1/4 c. diced red onion

1/4 c.  mayo

1/4 c. balsamic dressing (I used Wishbone)

1/2 c. five cheese shredded blend

salt and pepper

Boil the pasta until al dente, adding the vegetables in when there is about 3 minutes left.  Drain well and rinse under cold water.  Mix in mayo, dressing, cheese, and seasoning.  Chill until ready to serve.

Barbeque shrimp

A lot of shrimp

Cajun seasoning

Barbeque sauce (we use Naturally Delicious, which is the first bbq sauce I’ve found that’s gluten free)

Put 1-2 T. oil in a saute pan, sprinkle in cajun seasoning.  When the oil’s hot, put the shrimp in and cook 1-2 minutes.  Flip them over and brush each one with barbeque sauce.  Cook another 1-2 minutes.

After dinner we headed off to the game, where we sat in our seats for about 15 minutes before we went off in search of some snacks.  I knew that they had Redbridge beer at their Big Apple brew station, but for food we settled on some fries from Box Frites.  We went back and forth over the sauce to get the whole time we were in line, but settled on the chipotle ketchup.  My choice was the ballpark mayo, which I wish we would have gotten.

Box Frites with chipotle ketchup

After that we walked around the field level for awhile, when we came upon this shining mecca:

Tadaa!!

A whole gluten free stand!  Now, all that they serve at this stand are gluten free hotdogs, hamburgers, and Kozy Shack.  So, I wouldn’t want to eat anything here anyway (especially when there are Cracker Jacks, Carvel, and french fries that you can have).  Either way, pretty neat.

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GW Fins inspired salmon

Posted on May 8, 2010 | 3 comments

 

Salmon with creamy sweet potato and corn hash

I tried to recreate the salmon dish that I had at GW Fins in New Orleans, and I think I did a pretty good job!

Dijon Salmon with Creamy Sweet Potato and Corn Hash

2-3 T. dijon mustard

1 T. gluten free soy sauce

1 small sweet potato

1 ear of corn

2 T. milk or cream

1 T. butter

2 T. parmesan cheese

Set oven to 350 degrees and bake sweet potato for 30 minutes.  As the potato is baking: mix together the mustard, soy sauce, and olive oil.  Spread this mixture on top of the salmon and put it in the oven when the sweet potato is about 20 minutes into the cooking time.  

Take the sweet potato out of the oven when it’s almost finished cooking, let cool until you can handle it, and dice it into little cubes.  Cut the corn kernels off of the cob.  

Melt the butter in a saute pan, add corn and sweet potatoes.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes to cook the corn and heat the sweet potato.  Add in the cream or milk, salt and pepper to taste, and add in the parmesan cheese.  

By this time the salmon should be ready (about 15-20 minutes).  Pile the sweet potatoes and corn on the plate, and place the salmon on top. 

Serves one.  

This is better than it sounds – really simple, but delicious.  This might be one of my favorite ways to eat salmon.  It definitely wasn’t as good as the butterfish dish I had in New Orleans, but it’s great for a quick and healthy meal.

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Guess what I got in Chicago?

Posted on May 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

Garrett’s Popcorn!

Usually I go for the Chicago Mix (half caramel and half cheese), but this time I got the Pecan Caramelcrisp.

Best part is that all Garrett popcorn is made without gluten!  Plus they give free samples 🙂

Buy some for your mom for Mother’s Day?

Or for yourself?

I don’t know, but you should get some.

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Pala Pizza

Posted on April 25, 2010 | 2 comments

Based on the recommendation of some helpful Yelpers – Nick and I hiked down to the Lower East Side to try out Pala Pizza.  I didn’t mind the trip though because we got to see the sights and sounds of Washington Square Park on the way. 

Washington Square Park

 

We started out with the arancini, which are risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese and spinach, then they’re fried in a dedicated fryer.  There are a ton of other options for appetizers as well, but according to all the reviews, these are a must-have.  They were like a more sophisticated mozzarella stick…crispy outside, arborio rice that sticks to your teeth, and a sweet tomato sauce to dip in.  My only complaint about this dish is that there weren’t more of them!  $4/risotto ball is pricey no matter how you cut it.  

Then the big decision on pizza – Nick loves meat toppings, of course, but they wouldn’t let us get a half and half, so he left it up to me to choose 🙂  I picked one with spinach, ricotta, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic and parsley pesto.

Now this…was a pizza.  The best gluten free crust I’ve had.  Not to diss my old-faithful, Risotteria, but this pie really takes the cake.  For a second I panicked, thinking that they gave us the wrong pizza because there was no indication that it was gluten free.  This crust has the slightly crunchy/chewy bottom, takes some effort to pull apart (in a good way), and has yummy written all over it.  The creamy ricotta, fresh tomatoes, and stringy mozzarella were just right.  

They also put a bundle of oregano on the table, so you can sprinkle it fresh right on your pie:

Somehow, after finishing the pizza, we still had room for dessert.  So we got the apple tart:

Apple tart with vanilla ice cream

 

The tart was…alright.  Although I don’t think I’ve tasted anything remotely like pie crust in years, so I was satisfied.  The crust is kind of like a shortbread, then there’s boiled apples with cinnamon on top.  They also had an almond cake with chocolate sauce, that I’m regretting not getting in retrospect.  

Ah well…the pizza made up for it. 

Thanks for the recommendation!  I will definitely be back!  

Try it yourself:  Pala Pizza – 198 Allen Street.

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GF Mac and Cheese two ways

Posted on April 24, 2010 | 1 comment

 

Zucchini and roasted pepper mac and cheese

 

The inspiration for this dish came from when we went to Sangria in Royal Oak, MI for tapas with some of my friends.  Nick and my cousin shared a plate of chorizo and manchego cheese – and he had to figure out a way to make this small plate into a full blown meal.  So, we made gluten-free macaroni and cheese with manchego – Nick added chorizo and roasted red peppers to his, and I added zucchini and peppers to mine.  

Manchego Mac and Cheese

2 oz. chorizo 

or one small zucchini

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced

8 oz. gluten free macaroni (I used Tinkyada)

3 cups grated Manchego cheese

2 T. butter

2 T. gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose mix)

2 c. milk

1/4 t. paprika

salt and pepper

8 slices of gluten free bagel

1/8 c. parmesan cheese

Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan and saute the sliced chorizo (or zucchini). Remove the chorizo and saute the green onions and garlic in the chorizo oil (I just threw in the garlic and green onions with my zucchini). Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until the pasta is just tender. Once it is cooked, drain the pasta and then add the chorizo, green onions, garlic, and the piquillo peppers and mix everything together.  I rinse my pasta in cold water after draining to make sure it doesn’t stick together.  We split up the macaroni into two batches to keep the veggie part separated.  

Mmm...cheesy

 

To make the cheese sauce, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and let the roux cook for a few minutes while continuing to whisk it together. Slowly whisk in the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, making sure to get out the lumps.  Season the sauce base with the paprika and let it gently simmer, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in 3 cups of Manchego cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and mix everything together.  Pour into a greased pan, and top with the slices of bagel (I sprayed them first with olive oil spray).  Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top and put into the oven. 

Bake the macaroni and cheese in a 350 F degree oven until the croutons are browned and the cheesy top is bubbling. You can put the broiler on for the last few minutes to really crisp up the top.

Nick's Chorizo Mac (mine's up top)

 

The only downside to this dish is that Manchego cheese is pricey (about $8 for a block).  You could use cheddar and it would be just as good.  The croutons really make the mac and cheese interesting and add a crunchy treat to each bite.  

So yummy.  We ate the whole thing.  And I’d do it again. 

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Lunch Spot – Blue Dog Cafe

Posted on April 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

This is what I eat for lunch on Fridays.  Why only Fridays?  Because Fridays are for treats, and it gives me something to look forward to for the whole week:

Falafal from Blue Dog Cafe

 

Blue Dog is a mainstay for a lot of people in my office, and they have a daily rotation of fresh salads, soups, and sandwiches.  I’ve never seen the same dishes there, and they use seasonal ingredients which keeps everything feeling new and exciting.  My two favorite are the baked falafal salad, and the baked polenta salad.  Both have these little balls of baked falafel or polenta (both are gluten-free, I’ve asked) and a ton of veggies.

The falafal salad has roasted carrots, asparagus, celery, tomatoes,  zucchini, chickpeas, and arugula.  I opt in on the black olives and feta cheese, but say “no, thank you” to the croutons.

At $7.07 for a small salad, it’s a bit pricey for an everyday item, but for once a week, I’ll take it.  The portion is very filling, and I usually end up putting some in the fridge for a mid-afternoon snack.  

Blue Dog Cafe – 101 West 25th Street (between 6th and 7th Ave).  No website – just go there. 

My usual lunch?  Whole Foods salad bar.  All of the ingredients are listed and organic – and I usually end up paying under $5 for a nice, filling portion.  Spinach/romaine, salmon, beets, some kind of Asian slaw, almonds, quinoa = super salad. 

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Central Park and Gluten Free Crab Cakes

Posted on April 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

Saturday was the first day in a couple weeks that I’ve had to just relax: go to the gym, explore the city, and cook in with my hunny.

Central Park was in full bloom, and the people/dog watching was great.  All of the good rocks were taken though…sigh.

Orlando Bloom

 

After visiting the park, we went to the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle for dinner ingredients.  And miraculously, it wasn’t a total zoo.  On the menu: crab cakes with remoulade and dijon vegetables:

I made the crab cakes based on the recipe on Hey, that tastes good!

Crab Cakes

1/2 lb lump crab meat, picked over for shells

1/2 onion, minced

one big carrot (I used about 6 baby carrots), grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

2T Dijon mustard

2T horseradish

2T mayo

salt and pepper

a little less than 3/4 cup gf bread crumbs (I used Ener-G Breadcrumbs)

1. Cook the onion, carrot, and garlic in 1T of butter until softened.  Let cool on the stove as you mix the other ingredients together (save the breadcrumbs).  Add the breadcrumbs in 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is not too wet, and comes together into a ball.  Divide mixture into 6 balls (ours made seven).  Coat in a little more breadcrumb.  

Heat 1T butter and 1T oil in a pan.  Cook cakes for about 3 minutes on each side, until they’re brown and crispy. 

Dijon Vegetables

2 potatoes, cut into half moons (we used Russet, but you could use red-skin too)

2 cups broccoli florets

carrots (as many as your carrot-hating boyfriend will let you put on the pan)

4T olive oil

5T Dijon mustard, or stone-ground

1T basil/oregano/garlic blend

salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Stir together oil, mustard, and spices.  Add to vegetables and stir to coat.  Spread vegetables on a greased baking sheet.  

Bake for one hour.  

 

This meal was a definite win.  The vegetables are a great side dish, and so easy to make.  You can stick them in the oven while you prepare the rest of your meal, and they’re done right on time.  

And what’s in that pinkish lumpy sauce, you may ask? 

I’ll give you the recipe, but I’m not going to vouch for how good it is, because it wasn’t perfect.  

Remoulade sauce

1T chopped capers

1T lemon juice

1/3 cup mayo

squirt of ketchup

squirt of mustard

Stir it all together.  Then you’re done. 

 

Nick put hot sauce in his, which I think was a good call.  I mistook cornichons for gherkins in the store, and added those yucky bitter pickle things into mine, so that didn’t really help my case.  

I’ll let you know if I come up with something better.  For now, I’ll say just use tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.

Also, don’t even think about watching the movie 2012.  Nothing can spoil the taste of gluten-free crab cakes like John Cusack and bad special effects.

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