Easter 2011
This is an email that I just received this morning from myGlutenFacts.com
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Adopt a GF Blogger: Celiacs in the House
Where has the time gone?! For some reason I thought that I had until the end of the week – yikes! Good thing I have a giant calendar on my desk because it is time for Adopt a GF Blogger, which was started by Book of Yum as a way to get to know other members of the virtual gluten-free community and trying out their recipes. In fact, it is because of this wonderful carnival that I have discovered the delicious world of a gluten-free kitchen and treats.
Wendy of Celiacs in the House recently changed her blog and added some new touches. One of the things that I really love about Wendy’s site is that the majority of her recipes are quick and easy, and the fact that she uses recipes as a starting point and makes them her own. She has recipes that use flour mixes, incorporating them into non-gluten recipes, something that I have always feared trying, and shares her family’s gluten-free travelling experiences. You can also find the Top 10 GF Favourites of Wendy and her two children, a page that has become a quick reference for me. I always see different gluten-free items on the market or receives messages from friends and family, but because of my experiences with some horrible GF products during my first months gluten-free I have been very leary of trying new things. I am much more willing to try products out if I hear from others on a gluten-free diet.
As usual, I had a hard time deciding what I was going to make because all of the recipes sounded and looked so good. In fact, I have a recipe file full of bookmarked recipes to try and sadly I had to add some more from Celiacs in the House collection. The first recipe that I made was Tamale Pie. I had a freezer full of ground turkey that I needed to use and this recipe was perfect, particulary as I have been craving food with mexican flavours and as soon as I saw the word adobo in the recipe, I knew that I couldn’t pass this recipe up. Yum! My fiance and I love it. In fact, I didn’t get too much because it quickly became my fiance’s work dinners. I have officially added this recipe to our work meal collection. It kept well in the fridge (for the few days that it lasted). Please note that I just used my own pie crust recipe for the base.
I also made the Asparagus and Prosciutto Quiche, but with a mashed potato crust. I also used coconut milk in place of the heavy cream just because I had it on hand and we rarely ever use dairy milk. This was perfect as I always make a vegetarian quiche but my fiance has been asking for a quiche with some meat in it. I saw this and realized that it met the necessary requirements – meat and asparagus, one of J.’s favourite vegetables. It was a hit and I have second on cut up in the freezer for meals in a pinch.
Sadly, because I goofed on my deadline, I haven’t had a chance to try the pumpkin muffin tops with cheesecake filling or the kale pesto and feta shells, but I will have to add them in later.
GF Menu Swap: citrus
This week’s menu is being hosted by Celiac Family and the theme is citrus. Personally, I think that this couldn’t have come at a better time as I was just thinking that I need to get back into my fresh orange juice habit and bought a case of fresh oranges the other day. I love citrus fruits. We always have oranges, lemons and limes in our fridge (or cold room). It is also the perfect time for me to return. My fiance has been working nights and, in all honesty, I just needed a break from my kitchen. I have taken the past weeks to just relax and really focus on my own health and rehabilitation. It has been very nice break, but time to return to my kitchen.
This week I am really focusing on the food that I am eating. I went to a lecture yesterday about optimizing digestion and had the pleasure of enjoying some amazing foods, such as squash & carrot soup as well as RAW chocolate pudding. I even enjoyed the green smoothie! It was a great lecture and reminder about the importance of whole foods. What I really liked is that the nutritionist discussed food combining, something that my fiance and I tried to do back in the fall. It went well and definitely helped cleanse our guts, but it was very hard and felt limiting. I think that it was because we didn’t have a variety of recipe books to guide us and failed to use our imaginations. This lecture helped give me some ideas and reinforced what I know that I need to do. Ultimately, this lecture was the precursor to May’s cleansing lecture, which will be start with a detox yoga class and then move into a discussion about cleansing foods – I can’t wait!
MY MENU
DINNER:
- Kale Avocado Salad over quinoa with Squash Carrot Soup
- Chicken Fajitas
- Steak & Spinach Salad
- Savoury Crepes
- Leftovers (I’ll be on my own this night)
LUNCH:
- Squash Carrot Soup
- Chickpea Salad
- Kale Pesto and Feta Shells
BREAKFAST/SNACKS:
- Fresh Orange Juice
- Green Smoothies
- Sweet Lime Hummus with veggies
I will be back tomorrow with my Adopt a GF Blogger posting…Celiacs in the House – yay!!! Dont’ forget to head over the Celiac Family for more menu ideas!
For all of you Dog Lovers!
I just read this article via the company that is making my wedding cake – it’s fabulous and a must read!
Adopt a GF Blogger: Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
I am writing this a little late for a few reasons. The main one being that I have not been feeling well these past few days. Another one being that I do not feel that I have done justice to Amy of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free.
Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free is a wonderful site that I discovered this past summer. There are so many reasons to add Amy’s blog to your favourites:
- Informative articles for those who are looking for sugar alternatives or or how to choose your gluten-free flours to create your own blends
- Resource list of items that Amy uses herself
- Delicious recipes that are sugar- and gluten-free
These are only a few things that I love! Amy also shares her story for choosing a sugar and gluten-free diet as well as many other stories about her life (her dogs, schooling…) and, right now, her joy with the upcoming release of her cookbook – Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free Meals in 20 Minutes.
I, for one, can’t wait for this book to come out! I have already added it to the top of my wishlist (although, I’ll probably buy it as soon as I see it!).
However, going back to my Adopt A GF Blogger plan, I adopted Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free because there are so many recipes that I have been dying to try out! They all look and sound so lovely. Sadly, I didn’t get around to trying out any of her desserts, but my dogs did get to check out her Pumpkin Dog Biscuits and I think that it’s safe to say that they loved them (they’re really big as I didn’t have any smaller cookie cutters – but I do now!). I have one dog in particular who is probably the worst food critic and she was looking for more! The best part is tha tthese biscuits were quick and easy to make. This is a recipe that will be made over and over again.
I also made Amy’s Perfect Gluten-Free Bread, but I have yet to find Bob’s Red Mill garfava flour and didn’t have any garbanzo flour to substitute with, so I ended up replacing it Bob Red Mill’s All-Purpose Baking Flour which is bean-based. I, personally, found the bread to have a bit of a strong bean taste, but I am pretty sure this is because of my substitution. Otherwise, this bread rose fabulously (I’ve never had a loaf of bread rise so well) and it was moist! I could cut the bread and only had to clean up a few crumbs – no crumbly chunks falling off of this loaf. Great for sandwiches. I will definitely be trying this recipe again as soon as I find the flour that it’s suppose to use.
I also made Amy’s yummy Garden Turkey Burgers with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. These were even a hit with my fiance’s son who is very particular about his food. He was very excited when I told him that I was making these again this past weekend. This recipe is incredibly quick and easy! It was the perfect meal because I was able to whip it up in no time with my back spasms and all. I have made these twice now and both times they have been gobbled up before I could get a picture (I think that there may be a couple leftover in the fridge though, so I’ll have to snap a quick pic before they’re eaten later today). The second batch we made (the picture) had melted cheese on them. Sadly, I was missing the buttermilk ranch dressing the second time around too. They tasted so good with that dressing on them…yum!
I thoroughly enjoyed every recipe of Amy’s. My family thoroughly enjoyed ever recipe. And I still have a list of recipes that I will be trying in the future, such as her homemade ketchup. As usual, this was very fun and successful Adopt a GF Blogger (January 2011)!