I'm Back!!!

So, after a year of multiple doctors appointments and multiple tests to find out if I am truly Celiac, I am back on my gluten free diet.  It is a very tough to go from eating gluten back to going gluten free. 

I spent about 6 months with a great doctor in dallas testing to figure out if I am a Celiac and there are still not conclusive results!  So frustrating!  I am a carrier of the gene for celiac and I am sensitive with all the symptoms of celiac disease.  I have been eating anything I have wanted for the past 6 months and I am feeling just like I used to with a foggy brain and added weight. 

My vitamin levels are finally almost to the normal range, which really makes me happy!  But with all the knowledge I have now, I am going to begin my lifelong journey in the gluten free lifestyle.  Here it goes!  I am excited, but it is also so hard to hold myself accountible all the time.  So here goes nothing!!! 

Green Bean Casserole

This being my first holiday and birthday gluten free it has been very time consuming finding recipes that work.  I spent a day in my kitchen and came up with one of my favorites! 

Dairy Free Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole

8 ounces mushrooms, minced
2 tablespoons Earth Balance dairy free butter
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup almond milk (plain)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cans green beans
1 cup of Gluten Free potato chips

 Melt the margarine in a skillet and add the mushrooms, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stirring often, cook til mushrooms begin to soften and exude their liquid, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour and cook a minute.
Add the chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Add the almond milk and simmer til sauce thickens, about 10 – 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Mix soup, pepper, green beans, and 2/3 cup potato chips together and place in a casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir.
Sprinkle with the rest of potato chips and bake for 5 more minutes.


Enjoy!  The only issue I had with this casserole is that the chips get soggy if you dont enjoy the same day.

Emily

My Pineapple Tribute!

This weekend I could not get Pineapple off my mind, so I decided to create a wonderful new dish, Pineapple Cranberry Chutney. I have always written off pineapple, until the past few months. It is decided it’s officially the most amazing fruit ever! I love how it has such a thick outer skin and such a sturdy core, but then the flavor is so surprisingly sweet. As a matter of fact, I strive to be more like pineapple ( a strong outside, firm core beliefs, and yet incredibly sweet), it has the best combination of characteristics!


Today I was pondering dishes for Thanksgiving, since this is my first gluten free and dairy free holiday. I have been slightly frustrated with the fact that I will not be able to partake in all the amazing food that my family makes each year. So I have turned my frustration into creation. To begin my countdown to the holidays I chose this chutney. It is a very non-traditional accoutrement to turkey, but it is VERY tasty! This dish turned out so delicious, with a slightly spicy and tart flavor. It went really well with the Cornish Game Hens that I baked.

Pineapple Cranberry Chutney

1 Pineapple, cored and cut in bite size pieces

2 Oranges

1 Jalapeno, seeded and cut into small pieces

1 cup Cranberry, fresh

½ Red onion, sliced thin

¾ cup Sugar

½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Zest 1 tablespoon of orange rind into a large pot. Cut up both oranges and remove the pith. Place pineapple, oranges, jalapeno, cranberries, red onion, sugar, and apple cider vinegar into the pot.

Cook the fruit on medium heat, cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve warm with turkey, chicken, or ham. Yields 4 cups of gluten free, dairy free amazingness!

ENJOY!

~Emily

Lucy's Chocolate Cupcakes

This week was Lucy's 19th birthday and we had a great dinner with family to celebrate. I made some gluten free cupcakes so that I could also partake in the birthday cake festivities. They turned out amazing!!! These cupcakes have the same texture as regular cake and are low carb with the only sugar being in the icing. They are lightweight and fluffy like cake should be. I gave several of my gluten loving friends a cupcake and I got two thumbs up from each one!
The cupcake recipe is one that I came across at Elana’s Pantry. She did a really good job with these cupcakes.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing

• ½ cup Coconut Flour

• ½ cup Cocoa Powder

• ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 6 eggs

• ½ cup of grapeseed oil

• 1 cup honey
Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Mix all of the wet ingredients together. Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Line the cupcake pan with paper liners. Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes at 375°.

This recipe yields 2 dozen cupcakes.

Chocolate Icing

Here is my modified butter cream icing recipe. This is a non dairy gluten free recipe…with TONS of sugar!

• ½ cup Crisco shortening

• ½ cup Earth Balance margarine

• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• ¼ cup almond or rice milk

• ¼ cup of cocoa powder

Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and cocoa then beat for about 3 more minutes.

Add the vanilla and almond milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.

Then frost your cooled cupcakes and ENJOY!

Van's Gluten Free Dairy Free French Toast Sticks!

Fabulous French Toast!  These are one of the most amazing breakfast foods on the fly!  I love Van's gluten free waffles, but these take the cake (or the breakfast food)!  They are dairy free and egg free, so they work perfectly with my restrictions.  They taste just like my mom's french toast!  As soon as they start toasting my kitchen fills with a warm cozy cinnamon smell...mmmmm.  I just put a little Earth Balance dairy free soy free butter and a little syrup on top and they are good to go.  These french toast sticks are ridiculously great!  I bought them at Central Market last night and they were on sale for only $3 for a box of 6.  Finding amazing conveince foods like these really help with my busy lifestyle.

The Great Sandwich Search!

Ever since my diagnosis I have been missing the ever so amazing basic sandwich.  My first Gluten Free trip to Central Market I bought a loaf of gluten free bread.  I made a sandwich with the bread when I got home, but the texture and the taste really dissappointed me.  However, as time has passed my craving for a sandwich has just astronomically increased, so I have continued on my search for amazing gluten free bread.  

I have finally found the best tasting and the best texture gluten free bread. French Meadow Bakery makes the best Gluten Free, Lactose free, and peanut free bread.  My favorite is the Honey Multigrain Bread, because it is made with quinoa and flax which gives it a great texture. It  So last night I created the best gluten free sandwich.  It was HEAVENLY!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

     This week I have not been very productive in the kitchen.  I have had a battle all week with Mr. Flu and I am winning at the moment, but it has been a very difficult fight!  I have been munching on my fail safes, which means I have had a HUGE stash of Larabars for quick lunches.  Dinners have been pretty plain....baked potatoes with BBQ sauce and chicken has been my favorite.  I am a sucker for comfort food and as the holidays get closer I find myself craving more and more comfort foods.   With that in mind, I have been spending free time dreaming and planning of wonderful gluten free treats. 

       I have been looking for the hidden silver lining of this new food lifestyle and the biggest (and most rewarding) one that I have found is my realization that the healthcare industry is my calling.  I am craving to help people.  With that in mind, I have spent the better part of the week researching schools in this area.  I am getting so excited!  I have planned to go visit a few schools this week.

After having many problems getting motivated to make some great foods this past week I am implementing a new plan.  Starting tomorrow will be my Sunday cook day!  Every week after church with Grandma, I will sit down and plan out my foods as well as jump into the kitchen and make my weeks worth of grub!  I have found that being single I have a  more difficult time creating meals and eating at my table.  So here I go....there will be lots of recipes to follow starting tomorrow!   Happy Halloween Everyone!!!