Gluten Free Pasta: Homemade

Yeah,  that's right. I made this meal for Girl's Night, and shared it with my non-weird-diet friends! Also.. disregard the overcooked (aka, flattened) ziti.  Still tastes awesome!

My new favorite meal is homemade gluten free pasta.  I have a Cuisinart pasta maker that mixes the dough and expels it out of a die, which makes the whole process super simple.  It should be possible to roll out the dough and cut strips without a pasta maker, too.

I've been using THIS recipe from GlutenFreeGirl. (Scroll down to the recipe in the box.)  I've use garbanzo bean flour instead of garbanzo-fava, and also tapioca starch instead of potato starch.  I did use a baking scale to measure by weight for the flours.

I usually have large eggs (not extra large, as the recipe calls for) at home, so the second time I made the pasta I used 4 egg yolks from large eggs, and 2 large eggs-- it came out the same.  Either way, just adjust the oil and water amounts if it ends up too wet or too dry.

Oozing out of the Cuisinart!

Plate of uncooked pasta.

Seriously, this pasta is delicious.  I eat it with some Spanish olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little basil. --Delish!

~~~~~~

Also:

I found this at my local Healthway:

Conte's frozen gluten free potato gnocchi.  Cooked up in under 10 minutes... I don't get insta-meals very often, so this was awesome. Pretty darn good, too!

Garden Tilapia

What I'm eating NOW!

No, this fish isn't from a koi pond-- but the fresh herbs are from my backyard garden. This is a fast, easy, and satisfying meal that I've been eating quite frequently lately!

THE RECIPE:

1 fish fillet- I recommend tilapia
~ 4 large fresh basil leaves
~10 fresh lavender leaves
1/2 tsp capers (~6-10)
~1/2 tsp lemon juice
~1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Warm olive oil in skillet over medium heat until just hot enough-- "enough" = when an herb thrown in sizzles. While it's heating, roll lavender into basil and chiffonade. Add a dash of salt.  Place fish fillet (thawed) into oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and a dash of garlic powder. Throw in herbs. Dump in a bit of lemon juice. Cook until fish has turned mostly opaque (the center can still look a bit raw), then flip. Sprinkle on capers. Cook for a few more minutes, then eat! Use the herb-infused oil as sauce. :)

Coconut Shrimp: Gluten Free, Lectin Free*

 * I don't really know what a Lectin is. I just know I'm not supposed to eat them right now. I also know that shrimp, coconut, and olive oil are all on my "OK" list, and therefore do not contain significant amounts of lectins.

So, I've pretty much been in a food funk since the start of my new anti-leaky gut diet restriction, BUT this recipe kicks ass because it's the only thing I've been inspired to make-- AND it's absolutely delicious.  I've been making it for dinner on Fridays, then finishing it up for brunch over the weekend.

THE RECIPE:

raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, (tail on is ok)
3 tbs coconut flour
3 tbs shredded unsweetened coconut
pinch salt
smaller pinch pepper
coconut oil and/or extra light olive oil, for frying

Combine coconut flour and coconut in equal parts in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat a frying pan / skillet with enough oil to cover bottom of the pan, over medium heat. Throw a couple shrimp in the bowl of breading materials, and toss to coat. (Optionally, you can dip the shrimp in egg first to help the breading to stick.) When oil has heated, place breaded shrimp into pan- they should sizzle and begin to fry!

When the shrimp turns from clearish blueish (uncooked) to look whiteish pinkish (cooked), flip each to brown the other side. Remove when the breading on this side is golden brown. Keep cooking until you've used up all your shrimp- make sure that there is oil in the pan at all times, since this helps conduct heat into the shrimp PLUS adds deliciousness. If the oil gets "dirty" with bits of burned breading, wipe out the pan and heat fresh oil to continue.

Tapas Espanolas

Mmm Tapas! What are tapas, you may ask? Well. Let me tell you a little story.

Once upon a time, I spent a summer abroad in Granada, Spain. I stayed with a Senora who made the most delicious crepes; walked two miles a day in dizzying heat, skinnydipped in Nerja, hiked los Cachorros, tasted chocolate croissants from every pasteleria in town, watched the sun rise over the Alhambra from club Camborio, tried late-nite shawarma post-Chupiteria 69, learned the difference between "de puta madre" and "puta madre," and of course, went for tapas (or, "tapateando").

Tapas are snacks sold at bars in Spain, and usually of the deliciously greasy bar food variety. One of the highlights of Granada was that at most bars, with your first drink you got a free tapa. To go "tapateando" takes advantage of this-- we'd go out for tapas instead of dinner, bar-hopping from place to place, ordering a drink at each one and getting the free tapa that comes with it. The fun part, of course, is that one generally ends up getting drunk before getting full in the process.  (Did I mention I first got really sick after returning from Spain that summer? Wonder why.)

Some notable tapas that I encountered in my journeys:

Tortilla - the Spanish tortilla is a thick, dense omelet with potatoes and onions mixed in
Croquetes - Fried blobs filled with mystery ingredients! (cheese? meat? who knows!)
Berenjena Frita con Miel de Cana - fried eggplant with sugarcane molasses

Espinacas con Garbanzos - sauteed spinach with garbanzo beans; I think I first encountered this in Sevilla last year, and it was a nice "healthier" alternative at the time.

and, on the other hand, I once received little bread slices topped with an inch of may, sprinkled with bacon bits. TAPA FRACASO! (= tapa fail!)

 And, what to drink with said tapas? My personal favorite was the Shandy- beer mixed with lemon soda. If the place didn't have Shandys, then tinto de verano (red wine mixed with lemon soda) was the way to go-- or, a good old sangria. (Or there was that one bar that had their specialty "orgasmo" mystery drink...)

But alas, the days of Shandys and shawarma and guitar-clapping, sangria-sharing are over.
But that doesn't mean I can't make my own healthy tapas!

Here are the (only slightly gringo-ified) diet-acceptable versions of three of my favorite tapas:
(and sorry for inexact (/nonexistant) measurements 0:)

Espinacas sin Garbanzos  (make it "con" garbanzos by throwing some in- I was lazy!)

Spinach!
Paprika!
Salt, white pepper!


Tortilla Espanola -- here, the idea is that you want enough egg to nearly fill whatever pan you're using. This time I made a tortilla-for-one and used a little baby 6-inch(?) "one-egg" pan:

2 eggs
1/4 - 1/2 boiled potato, thinly sliced -- officially these slices would be fried first with some chopped white onions -- or use leftover french fries. (I used leftover baked home-fries)
dash of onion powder (or chopped, sauteed white onion)
salt
white pepper
little dump of Spanish olive oil (/EVOO)

Mix all ingredients in a measuring cup. Heat pan with a dash of olive oil. Pour in mixture and cook until set. (To be honest, I haven't mastered the art of cooking a perfect tortilla... mine has ended up a bit mishapen!) Cook until set and slice into wedges.

Berenjena Frita con Miel de Agave
eggplant, sliced into ~1cm rounds
almond meal / flaxseed meal
salt, pepper, coconut sugar
agave


Slice eggplant; coat each slice in almond meal (or just sprinkle it on top). Arrange slices on a cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil cooking spray, sprinkle on salt and pepper to season, and optional coconut sugar, if desired. To serve, drizzle agave nectar on top.

BBQ Sauce

I forgot to take a picture of this sauce or the chicken on which it was barbecued, so instead you get random BBQ flames.

Also, I'm pretty behind in posting, since I made this for the 4th of July. My dad grilled the whole family's chicken with this sauce, and everyone loved it!


THE RECIPE:

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup green onions, minced
2 whole tomatoes, pureed
1/4 can frozen concentrated orange juice (or ~1 c fresh)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Warm oil in a saucepan over low heat, then add garlic and onion; cook until softened. Add all other ingredients; simmer ~15 mins, stirring frequently. (It will taste pretty vinegary straight, but is perfect after it's cooked!)

Baste over desired meat (I did chicken thighs) and refrigerate for 1-3 hrs to let it marinate.

Grill it up!

Pizza!

drooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool....

What goes best with (my just-posted) chocolate chip cookies??? That's right... PIZZA!!!

The quest for quality gluten-free sugar-free yeast-free pizza crust continues. In this version, I've come up with a highly delicious pie-crust-y crust. In other words, it's a bit more dense and less bread-y than the real deal, but still makes a darn good pie. Next time, I'll try adding eggs to make it rise.

THE RECIPE:

1c millet
1/4 c brown rice
1/4 c garbanzo
1/2 c tapioca flour
1 sprinkle stevia
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp guar gum
1 tbs flax meal

~3/8 c light olive oil
1 egg
~1/2 c almond mlk --or until sticky/dough consistency (NOT pie crusty)

spray a large pizza pan with a healthy non-stick spray (or grease manually)
shape into a large circle (makes one ~12 inch pizza)
sprinkle w/ 1/2 tbs flax seed

Top it! I used:

Prego Veggie Smart pasta/pizza sauce
Mozzarella soy cheese, grated
Fresh basil, chopped
Fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced

Spray exposed crust with oil spray.

Bake at 350 for ~20-30 mins, or until cheese melts and crust begins to brown.

Sweet Eggplant Pilaf

Sweet and savory eggplant pilaf, made with brown rice. I got this recipe from epicurious.com. The listed proportions make this a primarily rice dish-- but rice proportions could certainly be decreased to make it heavier on the vegetables.

THE RECIPE:

small eggplant (1/2 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill   (optional)
1/4 cup shelled natural pistachios, coarsely chopped (optional)

(Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Eggplant-Pilaf-with-Pistachios-and-Cinnamon-105030#ixzz1CrEpdrm1 ):

"Cover eggplant with water in a bowl and add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt. Soak 30 minutes. Drain eggplant and squeeze handfuls to remove excess moisture, then pat dry. 

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté eggplant, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 7 minutes. Cool eggplant. 

Cook onions in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add rice and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, raisins, remaining 1/2 tablespoon salt, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered and undisturbed, until rice is tender, about 12 minutes. 

Fluff rice with a fork and gently stir in tomato and eggplant. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover and cool 10 minutes. Stir in dill, then transfer pilaf to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with pistachios" -epicurious

It's delicious!

Egg and Cheese Crepes

Over spring break I was in Paris for a few days. My overall experience there may have been slightly sub-par, due to a vomiting/grumpy boyfriend, mediocre weather, and sugar-induced fatigue from a downward spiral into Hagen Daas waffle-eating. However, my crepe (and gaufre, and baguette, and Eiffel Tower!) experiences were superb. I never knew that crepes could be a fast-food, sold on street corners in the Latin Quarter.

So, the one and only Parisian crepe that I consumed was this junk-food-esque crepe, filled with egg, cheese, and chicken. It was SO, DARN, GOOD.

And the coolest part? The crepe chef poured out the crepe batter onto the griddle. (and smoothed it around with the crepe spreader dealy.) And then, he broke the egg RIGHT ONTO THE COOKING CREPE. And it cooked itself straight up through the crepe-- awesome. Then sprinkle on cheese, chicken, and fold into a quarter-wedge... hold like and sandwich and bite in.

So anyway, I can now replicate the yumminess pretty well:

RECIPE:


egg
cheese

Batter:
2 eggs (if you don't care about it folding well, just one egg is fine)
1 tbs extra light olive oil

1/2 cup fake milk
1/2 cup (millet + garbanzo + all purpose baking) flour
dash of salt

--> basically, you want the consistency of this to be thinner than pancake batter, but still "batter-y"; aka, thicker than milk or water or any other liquid alone.

Directions:

Heat a nonstick large skillet. To really make sure crepe won't stick, you can spray with a non-stick cooking spray first, but this shouldn't really be necessary.

Hold handle of skillet in one hand (non-dominant). Hold cup of batter in the other hand (dominant). Pour a small pancake-sized amount of batter into skillet, then quickly swirl the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter out, letting it run to the edges of the skillet, while maintaining a circular shape. This skill may take a couple of tries. The smaller the crepe, the easier it is to cook and flip it, but the less satisfying the result. Ideally, you will succeed in making a super-thin, skillet-sized (9 inch? 8 inch? How big is a big skillet??) crepe.

Let the first side of the crepe cook. If you were a genuine crepe chef, you would have a super-hot griddle which would cook your super-thin crepe so fast it would cook both sides at the sampe time. If, like me, however, you are an amateur using a teflon pan that can't be heated above "medium", you will need to flip your crepe.

To do so, loosen around the perimeter of the crepe, then slide the turner under and go for it. After the flippage, crack an egg on top of the cooked side. Use the turner to gently scramble it, trying not to puncture the crepe or make the egg spill too much over its edges. Then cover the skillet with a lid to trap the heat so that the egg will successfully cook.

When egg is cooked, sprinkle some fake cheese on top of it. Slide crepe onto a plate. Fold it in half twice to get the easy-to-handle quarter shape.

OMG cheese. And yes, shoutout to Almond Breeze in the background.

Mac 'n' Cheese

Just look at that soft, stringy, cheesey deliciousness.

Mac and cheese is quite possibly the best comfort food in the world. It may seem daunting to create, for someone who can't eat mac and can't eat cheese. However, it really isn't difficult at all. So, bring on the cold, grey weather, and get eatin'.

Recipe:
Big handful of brown rice macaroni/penne pasta (I used this kind)*
Big handful of shredded fake cheese (I used a yellow/mozzarella combo)**
Little bit of almond milk (~1 tsp)
1-2 leaves fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions, with some salt in the pasta water. Drain and transfer to a new pan. Heat on medium, add cheese, milk, a fair amount of salt, and pepper if desired. Stir frequently. When the cheese is melted and gooey, and milk is incorporated into the mixture, break up the basil leaves and add them to the pot.

Eat it straight from the pan, if you dare.

That's it! Really, shouldn't be too difficult.

* Beware: some pasta (Tinkyada, for example) takes 20 minutes to cook. If you're looking for a quick meal, make sure you have a fast cooking pasta.


 ** My favorite shredded fake cheese is Veggie Shreds by Galaxy Nutritional Foods. It melts super well- although the cheese in these mac pics was something else, aaand I don't remember the brand. I actually haven't found any shredded cheezes that I don't like.

Sesame Tofu

OMG chinese food!!!! Also, my entry for the SOS Kitchen Challenge: October! Also, first in my series of Food Around the World! (just wait, it will be great...)

Seriously, this is pretty much restaurant-worthy sesame tofu.

The Recipe:

Use extra-firm tofu: either buy a brick and drain, blot between paper towels, and chop into bite-sized cubes, or if you can find it- use the pre-cubed variety.

Lightly bread tofu cubes in potato starch (/flour of your choice). I did this by dropping tofu into a ziplock bag with a few teaspoons of flour, and tossing until breaded.

"Fry" tofu by sauteing it with sesame oil on a frying pan until lightly toasted. (Or, deep fry in sesame oil if you dare!) Also, be careful if you throw a ton of the cubelets on a small pan-- the breading will make them stick together! So keep stirring/chopping them apart.

The sauce:

1.5 tbs agave nectar
3 tbs bragg's liquid aminos
2 tps powdered ginger
~1-2 cloves garlic (I used a dash of garlic paste instead)
4 tsp red chili powder (I used a dash of red pepper hot paste)
2 tbs sesame oil
1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1.2 tsp potato starch (optional-- I tried to thicken it a bit, but it didn't do much!)

Pour sauce over tofu, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Eat, and finally satisfy that chinese food craving-- minus the sugar, MSG, and other unhealthy mystery ingredients!