Deal!

I just have to say I am now a big fan of Kroger. Despite all of its many undesirable features, you can really get a deal there. In fact my deep freeze is now fully stocked with poultry. All natural, antibiotic and hormone free. I was looking for ground lamb, but the first Kroger didn't have any in stock anymore-- instead they had the previously mentioned chicken for $1.99 lb for boneless skinless chicken breast. So swooped in and grabbed almost all they had. By the way if you do this other shoppers will gather, you must be decisive in what you want or they will decimate the supply of whatever sale thing before you make up your mind. While I was there I did a bit more looking around and found roaster chickens also on sale, again all natural hormone free. This particular Kroger also had the cage free, grain fed eggs on sale too. I think I am misleading you when I say on sale, these are all manager specials meaning that my total at the end was equal to the YOU SAVED part on the bottom of your receipt.

After not finding the ground lamb, I finally ventured over to the local butcher. My sister in tow for support. The first venture into something new requires support. They are very nice. Their prices are not great. They had no lamb.

This butcher is by a different Kroger, so I thought perhaps I would check there, since the other Kroger was just out of stock. They also had the fabulous chicken sale, BUT marked down again for 1.49 lb. This chicken looked old, I'm a fan of a good deal, but if you would have to cook this asap, it wouldn't have kept in the freezer. It had started to get all of that extra juice in the package, those are not the best packages to choose. Instead I bought two of the all natural, hormone, anti-biotic, cage free turkeys. The regular ones were even more on sale, but the whole point of stopping our Sam's Club membership was to get more of the natural organic meats and produce. AND yes they had ground lamb, on sale: 1.99 lb.

Bread Cache

I have been hoarding these recipes, and I am tired of keeping up with the tabs so I am going to group them here, and share pre-tested:

Pizza Crust
Irish Soda Bread
Bread Machine Bread
Focaccia

Sadly I STILL do not have all of the necessary flours, but wonderful things happen like this morning's muffins when I just make do. Pizza crust is a go, but I have already planned the weeks menu, as for the rest 1) I lost my bread machine paddle and am too cheap to pay for the replacement-- I am waiting to find it at a thrift store and 2) millet flour. I have heard good reviews on millet flour, and have even held a bag of it in my hand. But no, alas, I have 5 gluten free flours (7 until this morning when I used up all the white rice and buckwheat flours) and 3 different starches and xanthan gum, but not millet. Heh. So my hesitation over whether or not I had it a home I believe is excusable.

Yummy Muffins

I finally have a successfully made from scratch gluten free recipe. I decided to wing it and just substitute what I had on hand and add a dash of xanthan gum.

GF Yogurt Coffee Cake Muffins*
1/2 c butter substitute
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c yogurt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 c rice flour
1 c buckwheat flour
1 t xanthan gum

topping:
1/2 t cinnamon
2 T sugar
1 T brown sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well. Combine baking soda, baking powder and flours. Add to wet mixture. Scoop into greased muffin tins, layering topping between dollops of mix. Sprinkle topping over each muffin. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes. Yield: 1 dozen muffins

This was so good, that my test subjects said: "You can eat these?!"

Yes. I. Can.

For you see my dear, these too are gluten free and delicious.

*Original Recipe: Finer Things In Life

Menu Planning

I am not a menu planner. I buy what is on sale and only when it is a good price. But I am going to give it a try, combining the two: sale items with staple items. Mainly as an attempt to clear out my pantry and fridge. Especially since my fridge is now freshly stocked from the Dekalb farmer's Market, and super sale buy from Nu Pak grocer. I don't want any of the yummy-ness to go to waste, and this would be a good opportunity to plan out when to use all of the unusual spices, and dig through the large collection of cookbooks I have acquired.

Saturday:
Roasted Aubergines- Curry Cookbook, North India Recipe pg 71
*marinated Eggplant and Mushrooms overnight for tomorrow

Roasted Aubergines
2 Large Eggplant
3 T veg oil
1/2 t black mustard seeds
1 onion finely chopped
1 1/2 c mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 crushed red chili
1/2 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground tumeric
1 t salt
1 can chopped tomatoes* I substitute frozen roma tomatoes here*
1 T cilantro

Bake eggplant 440F for 30-35 min, or until soft.
Fry mustard seeds in a large pot with veg oil.
Add onions, mushrooms, garlic, and chili.
Add spices and tomatoes.
Mash roasted eggplant and add with cilantro to the pot.
Boil until thickened, garnish with cilantro.

Marinated Eggplant and Mushrooms
1 eggplant
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic mashed
salt and pepper
12 mushrooms
1/2 c diced celery
1 t fresh rosemary
1/2 c olive oil

Sunday:
Marinated Eggplant and Mushrooms, Passover pg 58
Savory Baked Chicken, Passover pg 157
Quinoa

Savory Baked Chicken
Chicken pieces
juice of 3 lemons
6 T olive oil
salt and pepper
2 t ground cumin
1 t ground oregano
pinch of allspice* optional
1/2 t cayenne pepper

Toss and coat chicken with ingredients.
Bake 450F, 1 hour

Monday:
Fruit Salad
Potato Tortilla, Spanish pg 104
*soak beans overnight for Tuesday

Potato Tortilla
3 potatoes
1 onion
3 T veg oil
4 eggs
garnish with parsley or tomato wedges

Thinly slice potatoes and onion, saute until potato slices are tender, 20 min.
Remove from heat, mix eggs and spices, pour over potatoes and onions.
Cook 5-8 min, setting bottom and lifting edges to allow uncooked egg to go to the bottom of the pan. Invert on plate, slide back into pan. Cook until golden brown.

Tuesday:
Mixed Bean and Aubergine Tagine with Mint Yogurt, One Pot pg 226

Mixed Bean and Aubergine Tagine
1/2 c dried kidney beans, soak overnight separately
1/2 c dried black-eyed peas, soak overnight separately
2 bay leaves
2 celery sticks, halved
5 T oil
1 eggplant, cubed
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 red chillies, crushed
1 t paprika
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4c stock
1 T each chopped parsley, cilantro, mint
salt and pepper

Drain beans, add more water and boil separately 10 min.
In large casserole add 2 1/2c water, bay leaves, celery, beans.
Cook 375F 1 1/2 hours. Drain.
In pan cook eggplant until softened.
Add garlic, onion and chillies onion is cooked.
Add to casserole, along with paprika, tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Cook 1 hr.

Mint Yogurt
2/3 c yogurt
2 T mint
2 scallions, chopped

Wednesday:
Meat Loaf-- recreate Irish Meatloaf
Cabbage and Potatoes

Thursday:
Garlic and Kale

Friday:
Chicken with Lemon and Garlic, Spanish pg 184
Salad with grapefruit

Chicken with Lemon and Garlic
Chicken pieces
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t paprika
juice of 1 lemon
2 T chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Stirfry chicken, onion, garlic, and paprika.
Add lemon, parsley, salt and pepper just before serving

Next Week Possibilities:
Chickpeas with Spiced Potato Cakes, West India Recipe pg 131
Beef Biryani, CurryBook pg 146 with Red Lentil Pancakes pg 150
Rice Tortillas, Spanish pg 138
Spiced Lentils with Spinach, South India Recipe pg 113
Menestra, Spanish pg 130

Rainy Days

I really enjoy a nice rainy day. The birds still sing, did you know? And all of the wonderful growing things in the yard are getting quenched, or maybe just drenched. But nevertheless this is a marvelous thing, a reason to celebrate. Celebratory Breakfast:

Baked Amish Oatmeal (easy and delicious!)
1 1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c milk or milk substitute
1/4 c butter or butter substitute
1 egg
1 t baking powder
2 t vanilla
1 pinch salt

Bake in small greased baking dish at 350F for 25-30 min.
I like to top mine with fresh fruit (especially peaches) and yogurt, but you can cook it with fruit or nuts already added.

Enjoy!


P.S.
Gutters are a pretty good substitute for the sound of rain on a tin roof.

Who Doesn't Like Apple Pie?

One more last minute dinner for company this week:

Alice's Spring Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
GF Apple Pie

Alice's Spring Chicken
Honey Mustard Marinade:
1/2 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Topping:
2 cups sliced mushrooms (10-12 mushrooms)
salt and pepper
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 cup shredded cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Marinate 2+ hours, sear in pan, cook in oven.
Top with mushrooms, bacon, and cheese. Sprinkle with parsley.

GF Apple Pie
Pie Crust
1 1/2c rice flour
2t honey
1/2t salt
1t xanthan gum
2/3c butter or oil
(4T water)

This is supposed to be enough for a double pie crust. Instead you omitt the water and plop the wet sand mixture into a pie shell until it resembles a bottom crust, and then take the remainder and shape it into a 3 leaf clover for st.Patrick's day (only 3 leaves because I'm just not feeling that lucky) sprinkle with green sugar and bake. It looks pretty but is still inedible despite the sprinkles. Just remember to NOT MAKE this crust in the future.

Apple Pie Filling:
6 sliced peeled cored apples
1T lemon juice
3/4c sugar
2T rice flour
1/2t cinnamon
1/8t nutmeg

Crumb Topping:
1/2c oat flour
1/2c brown sugar
3T butter substitute

Process in food processor until crumbly. Top apple pie with this since your double crust top was a fail. I am beginning to think that oat flour is the best for baking.

Edible: Two out of Three

On the menu for our gluten free and dairy free dinner with friends:
Sausage and Kale over pasta
Brown rice bread
Vanilla Pudding

Sausage and Kale over pasta
3 Hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 head of garlic, chopped
3-6T olive oil
Dash salt, dash pepper
1 bunch of Kale, coarsely chopped

Sautee crumbled sausage and garlic, extra oil is added to ensure kale will be thoroughly coated.
When sausage is cooked add kale, toss to coat, cover pan with lid, cook until kale is partially wilted. Serve immediately over angel hair pasta with optional parmesean cheese.

This was great! Delicious!

Unfortunately we served it over multi-grain(rice,quinoa,amaranth but gluten free) pasta, which to give it credit and not to rate it as a total fail does taste like whole wheat pasta. But this stuff is sticky and while cooking managed to break into a billion little 1-2inch pieces. So it didn't really have the presentation of a mound of spaghetti noodles. If you want that with a bright yellow color and that taste like corn use the quinoa noodles. But as far as taste goes this worked out.

Brown Rice Bread
2c Brown Rice Baking Mix
2 eggs
2 T oil
1 T honey
1 1/4c almond milk

I used a mix (Fearn brand that is in the brown and gold box that looks like it came from a health food store in the 70's). I was unable to purchase all of the ingredients to make gluten free bread. No store seems to have all the necessary ingredients in stock at the same time. So I am one purchase of potato starch away from GF bread. Maybe even focacia

It was good even though it was rice, of which I am not very fond of in non-standard form.

Vanilla Pudding* (Or vanilla flavored silly putty, intend for kids that even eat their paste)
6T arrowroot starch
4c almond milk
1/2c maple syrup
pinch salt
2T vanilla
1/2t nutmeg

This was not consumable, even though I upped the vanilla to 2T. It was jiggly after being chilled and folded around your spoon and oozed around like almond colored snot. This was an absolute fail and I am seriously considering NEVER trying another bobsredmill recipe again. What were they thinking?! I will post a good recipe later, I know one exists. It uses EGGS and SUGAR.

Sigh, but we had good dinner companions, who only tittered a little at my pudding faux pas. And then politely asked for more of that yummy brown rice bread with some jam please. There was no leftover Sausage and Kale.

Cooking Gluten and Dairy free

Having been a recipe maven, I am now at a stand still as to what to cook. My most loved recipes need to be set aside for the time being or abandoned. So onward to a brighter future.

We may end up eating out again.

Not that eating out is much easier with my limited choices.

Back to the kitchen.

So over the past year, before discovering my gluten+dairy malady, I have cut out almost all processed foods. Which is a fun adventure in learning how to cook EVERYTHING from scratch, albeit time consuming and labor intensive. But I will have to pause now as I try to interpret what is needed to make a gluten free flour. I hadn't yet gotten to how to make vanilla wafers or pasta. And then there really is no good cheese substitute. But I have found that I prefer almond milk over rice milk, and there are some passable soy products. So instead of bread or pasta, the mainstay of my diet, I now have to figure out new cheese free potato and rice recipes.

Chinese food is a fairly easy conversion. You must keep in mind that a wheat free soy sauce will be needed and a butter substitute. Most breading is done with corn starch, but a fry gizmo is a must for dumplings and rolls.

Salads are a no-brainer, just remember to get wheat free and dairy free dressing when you are feeling especially overwhelmed and forget that you can make your own.

And the spanish tortilla. You make me beg for ketchup.

My big plans to grow beans this summer will hopefully still ensue-- so that I will have beans to make dried beans to make 'beans' instead of buying canned beans. Or I could just freeze them I guess, I'll get to that when there are beans to be had. But last years tomato saving was a success! When we were overwhelmed with 4 dozen tomatoes a week I was able to freeze them fresh and whole from the plant. Whew. So over the fall and winter and now I just take said whole frozen tomato and pop it into boiling water, to remove the skin, and then chop the still frozen middle and then add it to soups and pastas. I still I have an entire gallon freezer bag of tomatoes. By the way you want to do this with romas and eat your heirloom slicer tomatoes fresh. Mmm Mr. Stripey.

Recipes will follow.