Gluten Free Chicken Salad

It's got to be getting warmer somewhere in the world...just not in Salt Lake City. We have had the wild weather swings for the last two weeks, varying between balmy 68 degree weather and complete snowstorms. Usually at this point in the year I start trying to give nature little hints that I'm ready for warmer weather, like wearing no socks and rolling up my levi's, and making picnic food. My sister in law, Jennifer, makes this really great chicken salad for family get-togethers that will blow your mind, and she has given me the recipe, but it entails things like boiling chicken and using celery which make me sigh and wish she would just make it for me. But I've come up with a pretty good cheater recipe that makes me feel like I could get myself ready for a picnic and eat gluten free, too.

Gluten Free Chicken Salad

1 cup cooked rice

1 12.5 ounce can of cooked, cubed chicken (or use leftover cooked chicken and shred it)

3/4 cup-1 cup mayonaisse (I always use Best Foods--tasty and gluten free)

1 individual serving of mandarin oranges, with the juice

2 T slivered almonds

pinch salt

pinch pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Serve over lettuce or spread on Udi's Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread.

Happy eating!

Proceed with Caution

A few weeks ago I received an email from someone named Paul Jackson, who is a fellow celiac and writer living in California. He had happened upon my blog and informed me that in my recent post about Old Spaghetti Factory I may be leading some of you astray. Paul actually wrote an article (which is posted on a Yahoo! group site, so you will have to log in with your Yahoo! account if you want to read the entire article; it's much too long to post here.) about the Old Spaghetti Factory and how it may not technically be a gluten free environment. He brings up a good point. One of the hardest parts of being a celiac, as we all know, is eating somewhere where we don't prepare our own food. When we can't see the kitchen and see the pots and pans they are using, we all take a risk. Paul gives some evidence making a case for the Old Spaghetti Factory not being reliable in their commitment to gluten free food. He reminded me to pass on to you all that if you choose to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory, that you ask for them to cook your (albeit gross) DeBoles pasta in clean water in a clean triple-washed pot. I must admit, the thought had never crossed my mind that there may be a chance that a restaurant would use the same water for two types of pasta, however, it's our responsibility to ask for these types of accomodations when we eat out. We can't ever assume that a server or a chef knows the ins and outs of cross contamination with wheat and we have to be vigilant. (That reminds me of Mad Eye Moody in Harry Potter, "Constant vigilance!")

He also asserts that because he lives in the fast-paced California world and I live in the quiet, rural world of Utah (did you watch the 2002 Olympics? I'm just wondering...) that we have more reliable staff who are hometown types that try harder to help out us celiacs and stay at their jobs longer and get to know the clientele. To that, I say this: Good for me!. That's one of the reasons why I like living here. However, I think he's got his logic a little off. The problem isn't with the servers. I wouldn't necessarily say that waitstaff in Salt Lake City are any less transient than those folks in California, but I would say that being kind and friendly to your server is tantamount to any bit of experience they may have with gluten free food. A good server should be able to educate you about the food in their restaurant and also be able to communicate with the kitchen to get you what you need. I've eaten in restaurants all over the West, and every time I step into a restaurant, whether I've eaten there before or not, I pull my server aside at the beginning of the meal and ask them about the food. Why? Because that's my responsiblilty as a celiac. Some places have a gluten free menu and even have a gluten free part of their kitchen to make food. It never hurts to communicate with your server in an approachable, nice way. I've even consulted with a restaurant on how they can organize their kitchen to make more of their dishes gluten free and given ideas of simple things they can offer their patrons. Restaurants want our business, and sometimes something as simple as speaking up and asking questions is enough to get them to include gluten free eating in their offerings. As I tell all of them, gluten free customers are the most loyal customers in the world. If they feel safe eating there, they will come back again and again.
Happy (and careful) eating!

Tree Street Grains Gluten Free Waffles

So I wrote a while back about my lovely encounter with Tree Street Grains, and since Wednesday night is always breakfast night at my house, I thought I'd share my waffles that I made from their mix so you can get excited about breakfast night at your house. I must be honest and say that I think I like these better as waffles than as pancakes. Could it be the homemade raspberry jam and Cool Whip that tipped the scales? Maybe.

I love the whole grain texture of these waffles and especially the flax. I don't know what it is about flax, it just makes me feel like I'm eating healthier. Maybe it's the texture--chewy and nutty. Mmm, mmm, good.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Ham and Chicken Divan

When I was a kid I remember two things about my mom: 1) she was always reading, and 2)she always let me choose what was for dinner. My mom is about the most avid book reader I think I've ever met. She is always reading something. As a former English teacher and librarian, I think it's sort of hardwired into her. She used to read the "Spenser" novels by Robert B. Parker, and one night she told me that she had read about Spenser making a ham and chicken divan that sounded really easy, so she was going to try it. It was one of my favorite things she ever made, rich and creamy with broccoli to boot.

The other night when I was searching the fridge for something to make for dinner, luckily I remembered Spenser and his divan when I unearthed broccoli, leftover ham, some cheese, and one of these:

It's my new favorite ingredient. I do a lot of cooking with sour cream and sometimes I feel guilty using it because it's a little fattening. But plain Greek yogurt has twice the protein of regular yogurt and tastes like sour cream when used in recipes, so it seems like I may have a new best friend in the fridge. Here's how I made my version of a childhood favorite:

Gluten free Ham and Chicken Divan

2 crowns of broccoli, cut into florets

1 can of white meat chicken

about 4 ounces of diced ham (could also use deli sliced ham)

2 packets of Lipton Creamy Chicken Soup

3/4 cup water

1 6 oz. package of plain Greek yogurt

1 cup cheddar or colby jack cheese, shredded

1/4 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp dried minced onion

1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer the broccoli florets in the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer ham and chicken over the broccoli. Place the two packets of soup into a medium bowl and whisk with the water. Microwave for two minutes, stir. Add yogurt, cheese, mustard, and onion. Mix well and pour over the chicken and ham. Sprinkle the top with paprika and bake for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Thank you Spenser and Happy eating!

A Simple Salad with Gluten Free Vinaigrette

Ina, oh, Ina! Why aren't we best friends? Or at least next-door neighbors? Every time I watch anything with Ina Garten I want to sit in that fabulous kitchen and have her make me some beautiful, simple meal that is classic, delicious, and flavorful. I guess that's why she has a show and I don't.

Anyway, Ina is always making very simple salads and giving them delicious homemade dressings, which I happen to think is a great skill for a celiac eater. You can figure out which bottled dressings are gluten free, but sometimes it's easier and safer to make your own. This vinaigrette is no exception. It's so simple I don't even think any of you will think I'm serious when I tell you what's in it.

The other day I was really hankering for a good set of flavors for my salad, so I settled on good old Romaine lettuce (nice and crunchy), mushrooms (nice and meaty), and shaved Gruyere cheese (nice and tangy). I tossed them all together and drizzled Ina's lemon vinaigrette over the top. My mouth could not stop eating.

Lemon Vinaigrette from Ina Garten

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Zest the lemon and juice into a small bowl. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil while pouring it in a very small stream to emulsify with the other ingredients. Pour over washed, dried lettuce so the vinaigrette will stick to the lettuce.

That's it! So basic, so easy, so Ina. Classic ingredients never go out of style. What's your favorite homemade salad dressing? Leave a link in the comments section so we can all share!

Happy eating!

Happy St. Patrick's Day To You

What do you do when it's St. Patty's day and you have 5 kids? Green Eggs and Ham, baby.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Lemon Shrimp and Pasta: How Easy is That?

You may have noticed that I never post about seafood on this here blog. There is a very good reason for that: I hate to cook seafood. I mean, I really really hate to cook seafood. I will gladly go to a restaurant and order a slab of halibut, some salmon, or the shrimp cocktail, but as far as cooking it in my own home, I vote no. But then I realized most of my blog followers and tweeps probably love fish, and I am neglecting a whole food group that most people eat all the time. I decided to try making a lemon shrimp pasta, since I love it and there are about a billion recipes for it and it seems pretty simple. Believe me, I could not stand it when I tried this recipe and found out how easy it was to get a delicious dinner on the table. Get ready for some name-dropping, and see if you can follow the trail of famous cooks to my first successful seafood dinner. There will be a quiz at the end to see if you counted how many famous cooks I'm drawing from! Just kidding, but not really.

I was reading an article in the April Rachael Ray Everyday magazine called "A Fish Hater's Guide to Loving Fish" and it listed all the reasons people hate to cook fish. I realized that I was one of those non-fish cookers. And I had almost all of the symptoms of a fish-hater: I hate the smell, I hate the feeling, I hate the eyes looking at me, I never know how to season it, and I think it's too expensive. The article had lots of great tips on how to get fish into your diet. Really, I do think it's so good for you and I want those benefits, but I'm just unwilling to make it myself. Then I was watching Giada, as I usually do, and she made lemon shrimp pasta and just used the frozen shrimp that come in a bag. She dumped them right in the pan from the bag. Genius! Then there's no touching, no smelling and no gross factor. Then I was watching Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa yesterday, as I recently have started to do, and she roasted the shrimp for her lemon pasta. There is a bit of touching, but you don't have to stir the shrimp and it looked so easy. She coated the shrimp with olive oil and salt and pepper and roasted them at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes until they were done. So easy.

I'd like to say I made up this recipe myself, but really, I based it on watching and reading three cooks whom I admire. All of their methods were so similar that I can't really tell whose part of the recipe comes in where. And it is one of those naturally gluten free dishes, and all I had to change was substituting my Tinkyada noodles for regular pasta. So here's how I did it:

Gluten Free Lemon Shrimp Pasta

1/2 package Tinkyada spaghetti

1/2 minced shallot

3 cloves minced garlic

1 1/2 T olive oil

2 T butter

12-13 frozen shrimp

1 lemon

1 T white wine

2 T chopped parsley

pinch salt

pinch pepper

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Mince the shallot and the garlic. Melt the butter and the oil together in a large skillet, add the shallot and sweat for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the frozen shrimp, and arrange in the skillet so they are all flat and cooking on one side. Let cook for about 5-6 minutes on one side, then flip over each one with tongs and cook until they are pink and cooked through, about another 3-4 minutes. This seems like a long time, but they need a bit longer to cook because they are frozen. Add the zest of the lemon and juice from 1/2 of it. Add the wine, parsley, salt and pepper and stir together to coat the shrimp. Add the drained pasta right into the skillet and toss to coat pasta.

I'd say this was a total success, one, because I actually made seafood that was edible and safely cooked so that no one would die of botulism; two, because my husband ate it and actually said it was good; and three, because I'm planning on making it again for lunch today. Yay me.

Happy eating!