Eat Your Cruciferous Veggies! Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

Summer never fails me. I always crave fresh fruit and veggies all season long, and they happen to always be available. Funny how that works! I also never want to eat anything hot for dinner, which is actually a problem because I only know how to make hot dinners. I'm not saying this salad could replace dinner, but it's a pretty good way to fill up your plate. Also: my favorite kind of recipe as well...naturally gluten free! I'm giving credit where credit is due for this recipe, which comes from Traci's mom, who recited the whole thing to me without blinking an eye. She has made it that many times. It's pretty easy, and it makes a lot, so if you need to take something to a pot luck or family reunion, this is a good one.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

3 stalks of fresh broccoli, cut into small florets (bite sized)
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets (bite sized)
1/2 to 1/4 red onion, minced
1 pound cooked, crumbled bacon
8 ounces shredded mozzarella

Dressing:
1 1/2 cup Best Foods light mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Mix dressing together until sugar dissolves. Assemble salad ingredients and pour dressing over the top. Mix well and cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to give flavors a chance to meld.

Happy eating!

Simple Gluten Free Low Cholesterol Salad that uses Leftovers...An Unsimple Name for a Great Lunch!

Since I am now reading not one but two ingredients on every food label I come across, I have been extra conscious about having healthy foods that are low in cholesterol as well as gluten free. It's actually not that hard. I want to say there's a whole other process of food selection, but I'd be lying. You just read the label like you always do. Since chicken is fairly low in cholesterol but not completely cholesterol free, I have wanted to use zero cholesterol sauces and toppings just to not add any extra to the chicken. I found this gluten free, no cholesterol Bull's Eye barbecue sauce at the grocery store and decided to try it since I had no idea what a Carolina barbecue sauce tastes like. It has a hint of mustard in it, so it's a little sweet and tangy at the same time. I had some leftover chicken, so I decided to chop it up and add it to a mixed greens salad with pistachios (nuts help lower cholesterol), and English cucumbers. English cucumbers are those long skinny ones that usually come wrapped in plastic in the produce section. I added a simple dressing of balsamic vinegar and olive oil (which also helps lower cholesterol.) I ate it with my leftover sweet potato. I love the crunch of the nuts alongside the crunchy cucumbers. It's nice to use a simple dressing and not have to think of anything fancy when you are rushing to eat lunch. And, I ate up the leftovers, which is every cook's dream. No wasted chicken for me. I'm sure this will be on the menu for dinner next time we have leftover chicken.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Superfood Salad...The Jury is Out

I have been reading up a lot on nutrient-dense foods, and the same few foods keep coming up in the articles. Kale, cranberries, edamame, quinoa, and other deep, dark foods are high on the list for vitamins, protein, and fiber. Some even go as far as to call them "superfoods." And kale must be really high on the list (or really trendy), because almost every food magazine I've looked at in the last six months has had at least one recipe with kale as an ingredient. I'll be honest. I've never tried kale before. It's not that expensive and it looks really great in the produce aisle. The epitome of a dark, leafy green. But really, kale is gross. I sauteed it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, which would make any vegetable I've ever eaten taste delicious. Kale? Not so much. It basically tastes like dirt. This is coming from a girl who loves brussels sprouts, people. But it's supposed to be so good for you! Now I know how people who hate broccoli feel when their mom makes them eat it. One day I was in the kitchen and I thought I'd experiment a little bit with some quinoa because it is such a great grain to eat. I thought I'd make some up and eat it for lunch throughout the week. A brainstorm that included kale ensued, and here is the saga as follows:

1. I put 1 1/2 cups quinoa and 1 can of chicken stock + enough water to get it to the "2" line into my rice cooker. On top of that I added a handful of chopped kale and diced onion.

2. After it was done cooking in the rice cooker, I added some frozen edamame and let it steam in the rice cooker with the lid on for a few minutes, just enough to get it thawed and warm.

3. When I tasted it, it was pretty good, but I thought that the unexpected addition of some dried cranberries would round out the dish.

Here's what I did right with the salad: a) I used really delicious versions of highly nutritious foods. b) I steamed the heck out of the kale, which made it actually palatable (the chicken flavor was probably the reason). c)I love edamame in any dish, and the tangy cranberries were a great surprise.

Here's what I think this recipe needs to be stellar: a) This dish tastes really salty to me. I think less chicken stock would solve that problem. I'm just not sure how much yet. b) I'm sure the steaming of the kale for so long removed any possible trace of nutrition from it, so what's the point of adding kale? c)Although I was really proud of myself for adding these ingredients together because they are so good for me, the flavor is incomplete in my opinion. It needs some sort of herb/spice mixture added to the mix, or red peppers or Mrs. Dash or something. It's a work in progress.

All in all, it wasn't a total loss. I did eat it, reheated, for three days for lunch, so that's saying something! What about you? Have you cooked with quinoa or kale and come up with a winning recipe, if so, leave a comment telling us about it. I'm sure all of us would like to try it!

Happy eating!

It's Summer, It Must Be Potato Salad Time

Every summer it's the same thing: I get so tired of the hot kitchen that I just make up a huge batch of potato salad on a weekday and keep it in the fridge to go with whatever we are grilling that night. Something about eating something cold but savory in the summer really makes me happy. And I'm here to tell you that lots of folks out there like my brand of potato salad. Wanna know why? I don't put anything crunchy or weird in it. I really hate biting into a nice, creamy bite of potatoes and eggs and mayonnaisse and finding...bacon? Or celery? Pickles? Or red onion? Or red pepper? No! Crunch does not go with chunky creamy, okay? That's why so many people hate potato salad, I think. There's a little too much wierd going on inside. Don't get me wrong, I love bacon, red onion, pickles, and the other kinds of crunchy things in other dishes. Just not in my plain potato salad. This is one of those things that my mom used to always make while I was growing up, and eating it when it's hot outside makes me remember the days when life wasn't so busy and all I had on my mind was what I would wear to the parade on Saturday. She knew I didn't like all the crunchy stuff, so she made it just the way I liked it. I'm so spoiled. So if you're feeling like a walk on the tame side, give this dish a try.

Mom's Potato Salad

6-8 baked potatoes (You can cook them either in the oven or microwave, it doesn't matter)

6-8 hard boiled eggs (I try to do 2 less than however many potatoes I'm using)

1 cup Best Foods Light Mayonnaisse

2 T yellow mustard

pinch of pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp onion salt

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaisse, mustard, and spices and set aside. Let the potatoes and eggs cool until they are easy to handle. Peel and cube the potatoes. Peel and dice the eggs. (I like to use an egg slicer for this, it makes it so easy.) Layer half the eggs and potatoes in the bottom of a large bowl and add half the mayonnaisse mixture. Layer the second half of the potatoes and eggs and the rest of the mayonnaisse mixture. Mix well. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours so flavors can meld together.

Happy eating!

Harvest the Crunchy, Enjoy the Friend

Oh, the joys of being friends with Mo. I have the good fortune of being friends with a fellow food blogger who also happens to be a fabulous photographer. And once you go over to her blog I know you will all come back here snickering at my photos, amateurish and semi-lame, but it's a chance I'm willing to take because you have to see this recipe she's come up with.

I harvested my first radishes of the year out of my garden, and I immediately knew what recipe I was going to use them for: Radish Chop Salad from Mo's blog, Fare to Remember. It's a great recipe that could easily take the place of a coleslaw side dish (perfect for those summer barbecues) and there's only one ingredient you would need to use a substitute for: soy sauce. I would use either San-J's Tamari sauce or LaChoy Soy Sauce, both are gluten free. So, not even a substitution, just a brand preference I guess. Try to make your diced vegetables all about the same size so that the salad looks appealing. Too many different sizes can make the food look like a mish-mash. You'll notice that my salad is missing the celery component because I think raw celery is the devil. I also left out the fish sauce, simply because I didn't have any, and it was still super delish. Mmm, she's so good with the flavors. Check out all of Mo's photos, and you'll be hungry by 10 a.m. for sure!

Happy eating!

Chef Carl's Quinoa and Cranberry Salad

Remember when you used to go with your dad to the store before a barbecue to get the hot dog buns that mom forgot to buy and some extra charcoal and you'd always stop by the deli and get a few "extras" from the deli, like that jell-o parfait and potato salad? If not, you missed out. Those were some of my favorite little jaunts with my dad. We'd always come home with some little treat in a plastic lidded container that would round out the meal perfectly. Those trips can get a little scary these days, as you know with celiac's disease you must be extra precise in reading the labels of the foods you eat, and sometimes, at a deli, you can't read the labels because chefs protect their recipes. Unless you shop at Harmon's.

I was at the deli the other day buying lunchmeat, and since I always buy the same kinds of lunchmeat that I know are gluten free, I never really ask about other foods. But they had samples of a cranberry-quinoa salad there and I asked if it was gluten free. The deli man started telling me all about this salad and it's nutritional benefits, and I must say, I was blown away. First of all, it's made with red and white quinoa, cranberries, bell peppers, red onion, corn, black beans, red wine vinegar, and honey. It's a super food or a super snack, whichever way you eat it. It's got a ton of protein in it as well as vegetables and complex carbohydrates. It provides as much energy as two cups of coffee in a 4 oz. serving, and it also has a complete amino acid protein profile. It's definitely a super food, right? It's got a great, unexpected taste, and of course I bought my own little container of Chef Carl's creation and ate some with my lunchmeat and fruit that day. It just fills you up right and you feel healthier eating these lovely foods all mixed together. I wish I could say I had come up with this fabulous recipe on my own and that I had a recipe to pass on to everyone for it, but I'd rather tell you to run over to Harmon's in Draper and buy from Chef Carl. Any chef that will concoct something delicious and then tell you exactly what's in it deserves some praise! And the jaunts for the perfect salad to complement the barbecue can resume.

Happy eating!

Everyday Food...Where Have You Been All My Life?

I recently got a subscription to Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine, which is a little half-sized treasure trove of recipes and food ideas. Every time I flip through a food magazine of any kind, the question that amazes me the whole time I am reading is this: where do they get all these recipes? Am I the only one who wonders how magazines can come up with 40-50 new recipes a month? I'm lucky if I come up with 5! Everyday Food is no exception. Not only is it filled with 40-50 new recipes every month, they are all simple, easy, and quick and it's got the Martha flair with the photography and design that makes it deliciously easy on the eyes. How's that for fitting the bill for today's cook? The latest issue I recieved has about 14 dog-eared pages of recipes that I want to try. This one is one of my new favorites because you all know how much I hate lunch. It's a quick, easy, nutritious lunch and I've made a few little additions to the basic recipe to make it the way I like it. And how's this for journalistic integrity? I have searched my house high and low for my May 2010 copy of Everyday Food and can't find it anywhere. In fact, it may even be the April 2010 issue. I just spend 15 minutes searching the Martha Stewart site for the recipe to link it for you, and I can't find it on there, either! What is with me today? So, pretend you all know that Martha made this recipe up and I just halved it and added two or three ingredients. Journalistic integrity, indeed.

Warm Tuna and White Bean Salad

3 T olive oil

1 can cannellini beans (Italian white beans)

1 clove minced garlic

pinch of salt and pepper

1 can tuna, drained

2 cups baby spinach

1 tsp red wine vinegar

6 green olives, halved

1 T capers (less if you don't like them, but how could you not like them?)

2 T freshly grated parmesan cheese

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and add beans and garlic. Cook until beans are warm, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add tuna and toss all together. Place 1 cup spinach in two bowls and top with half of the tuna/bean mixture. Sprinkle red wine vinegar, olives, capers, parmesan, and lemon juice over all. Toss well. Makes two large salads.

I will usually make this for me and just put half in the fridge until the next day, but if you have a surprise friend pop over for lunch, this is a quick and easy meal you will both enjoy.

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!