GF Menu Swap – FOOD AS LOVE
Gluten-Free Goodness is hosting this week’s menu swap and the theme is Food as Love in honour of Valentine’s Day. I have a busy week ahead of me filled with lots of yoga and physiotherapy. Menu plan may be changing for this week as last night (Sunday) my tummy started feeling funny and my fiance texted me to say that he’s not feeling so great either. Crossing my fingers that it’s just something I ate over the weekend and I will be much better after taking it easy for a day.
SUNDAY – Rotisserie Chicken, steamed chard, broccoli, carrots & salad
MONDAY – Food as Love (postponed) Chicken Soup (stock is brewing right now)
TUESDAY – Thai Chicken Curry Wraps (Jenn Cuisine) with the Spunky Coconut’s tortilla wraps
WEDNESDAY - Mount Fuji Stirfry (Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook)
THURSDAY – Citrus-Soy Glazed Black Cod (Martha Stewart) & green salad
FRIDAY – Sirloin Steaks with veggies & salad
SATURDAY – TBA (fiance’s son has hockey tournaments all day)
SOUP OF THE WEEK: Chicken soup
GF Menu Swap – chia seeds
I am going to throw this up really quickly because I see that everyone has their menus up already! I am in the middle of playing catch-up after having a rough weekend with my back, but I am feeling much better thanks to my first (of many I think) yoga classes. The difference this one class has made is amazing!!!
I am the host for this week and I have chosen chia seeds because of their nutritious benefits. I have only just discovered these lovely little seeds that you may remember from the “Chia Pets” commercials and I have to say that I quite enjoy them. I have heard of them off and on from other blogs, but it was Angela of Oh She Glows and her Vegan Overnight Oats (I linked up to her breakfast selection) who really got me onto these. Sadly, I can’t have too many of her overnight oats (gluten-free, of course) as I do have tend to have reactions; I am hoping that maybe with time and gradual exposure I will be able to enjoy them more often as I find them to be a great breakfast – something that I am not usually a fan of.
I have also been adding chia seeds to my cereal (on my oat-free mornings); I simply put a teaspoon of seeds into my cereal bowl, pour in some nut milk so that it is just covering the seeds and leave it to sit for about 20-40 minutes (if using regular milk you may want to refrigerate). Then I pour my cereal in, mix it up and add some more nut milk. It is delicious. However, I have been reading that you can also use chia seeds in baking recipes to replace half of the butter or oil that is called for (I haven’t tried it yet, but I read it somewhere…I just can’t seem to find where).
Another one of the reasons that I chose these seeds as my ingredient is because they are suppose to be very beneficial to building muscle and tissue, something that I am in desperate need of and are jam-packed full of minerals and essential fatty acids!!! They are also great at assisting with hydration. I am just going to share one last thing with you (I could go on but then I would never get to the menu plans!) and that is that they are great at helping with acid reflux. I read about it, but it was my fiance who tried it and he found that it made a huge difference! There is so much more information out there, and I know for a fact that Cheryl of GF Goodness has an article of her own that gives much more detail than I have.
MY MENU:
SUNDAY – Dill Baked Cod with Caesar Salad
MONDAY – Citrus Infused Prawns with Miso Noodle Soup
TUESDAY – Organic Beef Tenderloin Steak wrapped in Bacon & Caesar Salad Oops! change of plans! free-for-all of leftovers and last minute dinners out
WEDNESDAY – Chili (my fiance needs to master his recipe for the Tacoma Chili Cookoff in March)
THURSDAY - Thai Vegetable Curry with Lemon Grass Rice (Eating for Health: Foods That Heal)
FRIDAY – Organic Bacon wrapped Beef Tenderloins & Caesar Salad
SATURDAY – Greek Food (Dinner out for Valentine’s Day)
The Roundup:
Cheryl of Gluten-Free Goodness shares some of her recipes that she has used chia seeds in as well as the article that I mentioned above and another one on baking with chia seeds – definitely have to check that one out! She has quinoa with kalamata olives on her menu for this week, which sounds wonderful – I love kalamata olives!
Sea Maiden of Book of Yum is joining us this week with her multicultural themed meals; Chinese, Italian, Indian and American. She is also sharing a vegan, dairy-free, soy-free chocolate frosting recipe that she made. I have to say that I thought I had my fill of cake yesterday trying to find a wedding cake flavour, but those cupcakes and frosting pics are looking mighty tempting!
Wendy of Celiacs in the House is recovering from a really bad flu bug last week, but thankfully she is feeling much better. She didn’t get a chance to do last week’s menu so she is going to try it out this week instead. She has also kindly shared a link to GF Girl & the Chef who have been using chia seeds in place of gums in their recipes. I am so glad that Wendy is on the mend!
G-Free Mom has been soaking up the sunshine for her vitamin D content and has made sure that her menu for this week has some good sources of vitamin D and calcium. She will also be testing recipes for the Whole Foods Kitchen’s upcoming cookbook. Her menu, like Wendy’s, includes chicken fingers, and like myself, she is going to make a chili.
Over at In My Box Scrumptious is experimenting with a couple of new recipes this week in order to check out these chia seeds. She is planning on making GF Goodness’s pear skillet bread and trying out some vegan overnight oats for breakfast. She also has plans to finish the week off and start the next week fermenting foods in her Culture Club, that sounds like a fabulous time and I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Beyond Rice and Tofu is working on using what’s in her cupboards for her menu this week, a wonderful idea and one that I should adopt for our house! She has some very yummy dinners planned for this week, such as teriyaki tofu stir-fry with rice and homemade tamales (she has even shared the link for her recipe)!
My sincere apologies to the Celiac Family as I missed their post in my roundup! As usual, Heather has a great menu lined up for this week, including mexican chicken pizza and indian chicken. Heather has also started to play with chia seeds this week by adding them to her bread mix and found that they didn’t change the taste or texture so she’s going to add them to her pizza crust as well!
Don’t forget to stop by our Gluten-Free Menu Swap/Plan Headquarters over at Gluten-Free Goodness to see who’s hosting next week or if you want to host!
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)!
Butter(less) Chicken: dairy-free
I absolutely love East Indian food! In fact, I am still in search of a gluten-free samosa recipe, but until then I will settle for things such as curry chicken and butter chicken (or butter-less as the case was tonight).
A few years ago there was a lady at my mom’s workplace who would make butter chicken for everyone during their Wednesday night dinners. My mom use to work the late shift and I think that some of them started getting together and making dinners on certain Wednesday nights. Well, my mom brought her leftover butter chicken home one night and I finished it off – it was the best thing I had ever eaten! At some point I started going depending on what they were having and joined in. Of course, this was all before my gluten-free days.
My mom’s friend was kind enough to share the recipe with us, but I never did get around to making it until last spring when my fiance couldn’t stop talking about how much he looooooves butter chicken. We finally got around to making the recipe and really enjoyed it, but I found it to be a little bit hard on my tummy because of the dairy. While we were eating it I came up with the plan to substitute coconut milk for the whipping cream – it was fabulous! There was only enough leftover for each of us to have a little bit in our lunches the next day. However, tonight I made this up with no oil or butter what-so-ever in my Saladmaster 5 Qt. pot.
That is one of the things I love about my Saladmaster. I love the way my food tastes and that I can cook it with little-to-no oil or water. I can ACTUALLY taste the vegetables, although I digress as the only vegetables in tonight’s dish were onions, garlic & ginger! My fiance was quite shocked when I told him that there was no butter and very little salt in this dish, but loved it anyway. I believe his exact words were, “this is exactly how I like it.” I guess I can’t argue with that. I must admit that I did not use the full amount of chicken because I am not really feeling that into meat right now.
I think that the key ingredient to this dish is fresh cilantro. I love cilantro. I love how it smells and I love the taste. Any recipe that calls for fresh cilantro is usually a hit with me, but I alway double, triple and sometimes quadruple the amount. I personally don’t think that you can go wrong with this fresh herb and I am so grateful that we have a farmer’s market in our area that sells this all year round. The second key to this recipe is when you add the cilantro. You want to time it so that it doesn’t actually cook in the sauce and become wilted, but you also want to put it in early enough that there is time for it’s flavour to blend in with the mustard seeds and tandoori that are also in this - a wonderful combination that plays with your tastebuds!
I am adding this post to this week’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesday over at Simply Sugar & Gluten-free.
BUTTER(LESS) CHICKEN -adapted from my mom’s friend’s recipe
1 Tbsp. butter*
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil*
2 large onions (cone #2)
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 bulb of garlic (cone #1), finely chopped or crushed
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger (cone #1), finely chopped or grated
2 tsp. red chili powder
2 Tbsp. tandoori masala
4 chicken breasts, cubed or sliced (I prefer cubes/chunks)
Salt
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
¾ cup plain tomato sauce
4 cups (1 can and a bit) of coconut milk
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
Rice
1. Chop onions and toss into a pot that is approximately 5 qt. and has a lid. Add the mustard seeds and gently saute until the onions are tender (lid off).
2. Add garlic, ginger, chili powder, tandoori masala and chicken. Mix it together. Add the salt and then cover (medium-click-low**).
3. Stir every now and again to blend the flavours. There will be some excess water when the salt is added, extracted from the meat. Cook until the water has evaporated. You may need to remove the lid in order to help it evaporate.
4. Add tomato paste and tomato sauce (medium-click-low**). Reduce the heat and let cook.
5. Once the paste and sauce has blended in with the other ingredients, add the coconut milk and simmer on low heat. Should be done in a matter of minutes.
6. As the sauce starts to thicken, stir in the cilantro.
Serve over rice (and garnish with whole cilantro leaves if you want to get fancy!).
*If not using Saladmaster, you will need to melt the butter and heat the oil before putting the onions and mustard seeds in, thus making it Butter Chicken (if you know a secret to lessen or exclude this completely, please let me know).
VEGETARIAN/VEGAN OPTION:
- This can easily be made vegan/vegetarian by excluding the chicken completely and using tofu instead or just make the sauce!
- Exclude the butter completely and only use vegetable oil to saute the vegetables
BUTTER(LESS) OPTION:
- Decrease the amount of butter used and increase the amount of olive oil (Ex. 1 tsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. olive oil)
GF Menu Swap: nuts
Another week, another menu. This week is hosted by Heather of Celiac Family and she has chosen nuts as her ingredient.
There are so many amazing things that you can do with nuts. They are great in RAW recipes in place of flours. Personally, nuts and I have a love-hate relationship; if I eat too many they upset my tummy, but I can’t always stop eating fresh, RAW cashews or pistachios. There are so many ways to enjoy nuts; as a base in RAW foods, nut milks and trail mix. You can also enjoy them in baked goods (not always one of my favourites, but my fiance loves nuts in his brownies).
Some of my favourite nut recipes:
- Sour Cherry Fudge (RAW)
- Ani Phyo’s Ginger Almond Nori Rolls
- 4 Ingredient Dark Chocolate Almond Butter (Oh She Glows)
- Dark Chocolate Pecan Butter (Oh She Glows)
Celiac Family also has a list of some of her yummy nutty favourites, so don’t forget to check them out as well as this week’s Menu Roundup!
SUNDAY – Dinner out
MONDAY – Butter Chicken (dairy-free)
TUESDAY – Rice Wraps with Ginger Peanut Sauce
WEDNESDAY – Macaroni & Cheese (leftovers for lunch)
THURSDAY – Pork Roast, gravy & carrots (with some potatoes too!)
FRIDAY – Leftovers
SATURDAY – Turkey Burgers (We loved them so much, including my fiance’s son) with salad
SOUP OF THE WEEK: Chili
LUNCHES:
- Turkey Sandwiches
- Mac & Cheese
- Butter Chicken
- Rice Wraps
Dinner…
Enchiladas Con Calabacitas - Recipe found in Rebar, p. 201
Gluten-Free Smiles
- Easter 2011 April 19, 2011
- GF Menu Swap: greens April 10, 2011
- Adopt a GF Blogger: Celiacs in the House April 6, 2011
