Tallahassee Trip #3

This weekend we desperately needed an escape, so we drove down to Tally for the weekend to visit Casa Buchanan. We headed down on Friday afternoon with some random clothes thrown into a bag and the barkers. Since Desi and Sean love and relaxing as much as we do, this was destined to be a great weekend.

Friday night we hit up Siam Sushi, a Thai and sushi place, a recommendation from Desi's parents. Their menu was huge and inspiring. I could have eaten muscles for an app, red curry, and a hand full of rolls on the menu safely. What I ended up doing was ordering two rolls and being (sadly) very full. I guess this means we'll have to go again to find out what the Thai side of the menu tastes like.

Saturday we all went out on the boat for a beer-drinking, beach-dancing, fast-tubing, scenery-seeing good time. We were thankful to not be baking in the 90 degree heat next to any alligators. The overcast, mild day seemed more like an Floridian October. The lack of blazing sun just meant we could hang out eating egg salad and chicken salad sandwiches and goofing off. One of our friends that we were boating with recently started eating GF, due to her rheumatoid arthritis. She's feeling quite a bit better. I introduced her to Redbridge beer, and she introduced me to her peanut butter balls.

When we came home on Saturday night, we were starving. Sean fired up the fryer full of canola oil for wings and sweet potato fries. After cooking up a massive pile of chicken wings, we covered them in a mix of hot sauce and Sweet Baby Ray's. The mandoline-sliced sweet potatoes, naked when they were fried, came out perfectly crispy and sweet. A little Kosher salt on the fries made me think we'd died and gone to heaven.

Each morning, Saturday and Sunday alike, we took our time to lay around in pj's and make breakfast food. We cooked up bacon and GF Bisquick pancakes for breakfast on Saturday, sweet potato home fries and GF pancakes on Sunday. Sean and Desi both really enjoyed the GF Bisquick, which makes me believe it tastes "normal." (At this point "good" and "not-GF-normal" are no longer synonymous.)

Sunday afternoon we headed to the flea market for perusing, book hunting, and produce buying. There were quite a few farmers selling their veggies at the open air market. Sunday night we grilled burgers with Angus beef fresh from the farm. Our sides were made with the fresh veggies from the flea market. I fixed up a batch of guacamole, and Desi grilled a squash medley and potatoes drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.


Christy's Peanut Butter Balls

You'll Need:
Peanut butter (PB) (best if slightly chilled)
Peanuts/nuts
Dried fruit, such as cranberries, cherries, etc.
Dried coconut

How To:
It's not very measurement-dependent. Prep your area by taking out a mixing bowl and a small plate. Lay out a few large pinches of coconut on the plate.

You take a large scoop of PB (about 1/2 cup), and slap it into a bowl. You add a large pinch of the nuts and dried fruit- these help hold the balls together. Mix.

Take the PB mixture and form it into 1" balls. Roll the balls over the coconut. Enjoy!

Smoked Chicken, Red 'n Rice

We had another whirl-wind weekend. Friday night we balloon-bombed some friend's bedroom before they came home from Paris. (They a couple's room that just got engaged.) Saturday we dropped the barks off with their "Aunt Sarah" and headed up to Athens for a co-worker/friend's wedding. The wedding was a lovely intimate event at the Foundry Park Inn. We woke up late

this morning and headed back into town to get ready for Nick's parents coming into town later this week.

After so much activity, I am glad to have a simple dinner. While I smoked a rosemary chicken, I cleaned the house. Now that I'm done cleaning, I am cooking the red beans and rice with staples from the pantry and fridge.

Smoked Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 small white onion
1 clove garlic, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Paprika
salt

1. Clean and rinse the chicken. Remove the innards.

2. Stuff the chicken with rosemary, onion, and garlic.

3. Rub the outside of the chicken with EVOO. Next, rub the chicken with paprika and salt.

4. Put into your smoker. Cook at 264-300 degrees Farenheight for 1.5-3hrs. (My 4 pounder took 1.5hrs exactly.)


Red Beans and Rice
thank you, Foodnetwork.com for this recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and small diced
• 2 (1-pound) cans red kidney beans
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Saute garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper until tender. Stir in kidney beans, onion powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and let mixture simmer slowly while you cook the rice.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and stir in rice and butter. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes without removing the lid. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Fold rice and beans gently together and transfer to a serving dish. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Mexican Chicken Soup

It's been a long weekend. On New Year's Day, we picked my sister and her boyfriend up from the airport. After their five day journey in Europe, they planned on staying in Atlanta for the night, fixing brunch, and heading back to Jersey. What really happened was that Tiffany and I (me being the su chef) cooked lunch. And by "lunch" I mean a meal with five different dishes served at around 3:30. We ate a lamb roast with sides of browned rosemary potatoes, green beans, asparagus, and baby bok choy. For dessert, we lounged in front of the end of some action movie with cups of hot cocoa.

I am never sure how Tiffany and I manage to cook for so long in our mother's kitchen. My mother's two bedroom townhouse is adorable, but the kitchen is truly a 1-butt kitchen. We don't always time the preparation of the dishes just right, and cooking seems to be punctuated by other random activities like showering, wii breaks, drama, and grocery store runs. Maybe I should change my statement to I am never sure how Tiffany and I cook so much food together in such a small space in such a short amount of time. Ha.

After returning from Mom's house, Nick and I settled into watching The 7 Year Itch over a bottle of prosecco and a few late night snacks. Today was the last day of the NFL's regular season, so we piled up cooking supplies and headed to a friend's house for the game. After using most of my cooking skills up on Saturday, I thought soup might complement my energy level and warm up the 30-something-degree day outside. I made this recipe after combining it with a few recipes I've tried. I am not sure what makes it "Mexican," but I am sure it has something to do with the cilantro and the warm spices.


Mexican Chicken Soup

* 1 package (around 1 lb) chicken breast
* 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
* sea salt
* ground pepper
* 2 average sized onions chopped
* 1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
* 2 carrots if large or 3 carrots if small, chopped
* 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 1 box of GF chicken stock
* 1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
* 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
* 2 tablespoons chili powder
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
* 1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
* Optional for serving: sliced avocado, corn tortillas, grated cheddar, tortilla chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts to taste, and place on a baking pan, covered with aluminium foil. Bake until cooked through, about 30-35 minutes, while prepping the remaining ingredients. Shred the chicken once it has finished cooking.

3. Heat the EVOO in a saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion softens.

4. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.

5. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with puree, jalapeno, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and coriander. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

6. Add the chicken and cilantro. Serve hot.

Baked Wings Part II

Georgia Tech played a surprisingly nail biter of a game on Saturday. GT won, which is great, but they sure had a few moments where we just were not sure if they'd pull through. Wake Forest scoring at the start of overtime made me nervous. So, there the three of us were on the couch, biting our BBQ laden fingernails in those last few moments.

During the game, Nick and I started a new batch of wings. This go around, we tried out the delicious Bone Suckin' Sauce. Now, if were smarter, we would plan ahead and let the wings soak in the chosen sauce for a few hours (or a whole day). Instead, we tried two different batches of wingage. The first batch was doused in sauce, and then pan fried in EVOO until seared. The wings were transferred into a pyrex pan lined with aluminium foil and placed into a pre-heated oven set at 350. We let the wings cook for 30 minutes, while we started batch number two.

For the second batch, we pan fried the wings in EVOO until just a bit past seared. Next, we transferred them to another lined pyrex and doused them in sauce. We started round three the same way. The difference between batch 2 and 3 was the type of meat. For bathes one and two, we used drumsticks. For bath three, we used actual wings. Since the wings are a more substantial size, we let them cook for about 15-ish minutes in the pan, until the skin was ever so slightly browned. Then, just like in round two, we transferred the big wings to the pyrex and doused them in sauce. We let these guys cook for 25 minutes before upping the heat to 450 degrees and letting the wings cook for 10 more minutes.

The taste testing was unanimous. The first batch was "okay." The second batches were more flavorful, juicy, and had more crispy skin. These were definitely the winners. While we could buy a deep fryer and get them super crispy, I have to say that this slightly healthier alternative was really good. I think we will cook our next batch of wings the same way, with the same savory sauce, but let them marinate for a little longer.

Any other ideas? Let me know!

6 Years of GF Goodness

Last night I celebrated my 6th year of gluten-free living. I am firm believer that we all have our own choices, our own paths. A person can choose to let things happen to them, like a rock pummeled by waves, or a person can make choices based on the current and sail through more interesting waters. Living gluten free is a choice. I am not a victim of Celiac Disease. This did not just happen to me. I made a choice to move with the flow; every day I wake up and choose my healthier gluten-free life.

Yes, diagnosis is shocking. Changing the way you eat, live, is difficult. At first it seems impossible to incorporate gluten-free guidelines into your busy schedule. I know for me, every day of my first two years after diagnosis, I woke up feeling better than I did the previous day. Looking back, I can see that I was really sick. Sick is never a word I would have ever chosen to describe my state of being, but it is a statement of truth. The choice to make myself whole seemed like an undertaking. That choice six years ago helped me to find out just how strong I am, and gives me the energy to tackle new goals and projects.

What did you choose today? I chose to be whole. When you are whole you can put your whole self into every relationship you have and everything you live.



I kept this year's anniversary dinner simple and tried a new recipe, paired with a glass of Diseno malbec, one of my favorite [less] expensive wines.
Chicken Thighs and Sweet Potato Sighs
* 4 chicken thighs (they are best with skin)
* 1 sweet potato, cut into thin (1/4 in.) strips
* 1 red onion, sliced
* 2-3 sprigs of rosemary, broken into smaller pieces
* Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to drizzle on the veggies
* Salt and pepper over the veggies and chicken, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 while you are cleaning the chicken and cutting the veggies.

2. Fill a baking dish (optionally lined with aluminum foil) with the veggie slices. Toss them with salt, pepper, and EVOO (enough to lightly coat). Add the chicken and rosemary to the pan.

3. Cover with foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. For crispy skin, uncover for the last 5-10 minutes.

Wings and Football in Tallahassee

Friday night we went to the uh-mazing Kings of Leon concert at Phillips Arena. Having previously seen KOL at the intimate Tabernacle, I did not think I would enjoy such a big venue for their show. Their show was a solid well-attended success; however, I did wish we were in a smaller setting so I could be closer to the band. After the concert, my boyfriend and I headed to Tallahassee.

This round of Tallahassee time was to visit Desi again, but this time for the Florida State VS Georgia Tech game. Nick and I stopped in Albany on Friday night. We stayed in a dingy seedy hotel for $35. The room was a great price, but we definitely got what we paid for. As soon as we pulled into Desi and Sean's driveway, we said our hellos and ran straight for the shower.

We packed up an incredible tailgate at with two other couples that have FSU season tickets and parking passes for tailgating. The tailgate consisted of two tents, a high def tv, and Mexican food. Although it monsooned after we pitched tent #1 at around 3pm, the weather was flawless the rest of the tailgate. We visited with other friends and family, including (but now limited to) Nick's aunt, uncle and cousin, and one of my friends from high school.

The 8pm game started with each team scoring on back to back possessions. And then came the rain delay. After the rain delay, FSU and GT fought it out over a long long long game. With points being scored back to back, and amounting to about as much as a low-scoring basketball game, GT finally eaked out a win. We were thrilled. Our friends? Not so much.

Sunday we had a day of recovery and more football. Before the 4pm Falcons game we all decided on wings for lunch/dinner. While Desi, Sean, and Nick all ordered from a local wings joint that was not not GF friendly (with my sanction), I cooked up some wings of my own.

With the help of Google, I found a few BBQ sauces that are gluten free:
* Sweet Baby Ray's (found on a GF forum post but unconfirmed via the co.'s website)
* Cattleman's Classic, Smoke House, & Sweet and Spicy (confirmed by their website)
* Bone Suckin' Sauce Regular, Hot, Thicker, Hot Thicker, Mustard, Hiccupin' Hot, and Seasoning Rub (verified via their website. Their sauce comes complete with a GF section of their website)

At the local Winn Dixie I found Cattleman's sauce and some chicken wings. Now, I've never successfully made wings before. (My prior attempt at GF wings were a fail because the sauce was disgusting.) I did some guessing (we had time constraints with game time) at how to make them. The wings turned out great and were ridiculously easy. Here is what I did.

Emergency Game Day Wings
* GF BBQ Sauce of your choice
* Wings
* EVOO

1. Heat enough EVOO in a skillet to sear your wings in. Preheat the wings to 350 degrees.

2. Fry the wings in the EVOO until the outside of the wings are cooked (seared).

3. Place wings in a baking dish and cook in the preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (or until the wings are cooked through, and you do not desire them to be crispy). Up the heat of the oven to broil, and bake until the outsides of the wings crisp a bit, for about 10 minutes, if desired.

Sophistication for When You're Just Not Feeling It.

1 package of chicken
cashews, crushed (we used Trader Joe's honey sesame cashews)
Mrs. Dash lemon pepper seasoning
scallions, chopped
EVOO
lime, cut into 4 wedges
serve with rice and a side salad or veggie of choice

1. Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, season the chicken with a generous amount of Mrs. Dash.

2. Cook the chicken until it's done, about 10 minutes.

3. Serve with your sides. Top with cashews and scallions. Squirt a little lime on top and call it dinner.

Erica's Italian "Slop" aka Pasta-less Italian

I walked into the break room on Monday to the scent of fragrant Italian food. Lasagne? I wondered. The only person in the room was Erica, a nurse I work with who has been on the Atkins diet for months.

"What is that intoxicating smell?" I asked.
"Slop," responds Erica.
I give her a quizzical look. "Slop? What do you mean?"
"Slop," Erica begins in her Rhode Island accent, "is pasta, without the pasta."

I took a few notes and then made it the following night. The extra prepared chicken I threw in the freezer for the next time I need something easy and low-cal Italian.

Erica's Pastaless Italian Slop
about 1 lb of chicken, cut into bite-sized morsels, seasoned with salt and pepper
*1 jar of pasta sauce
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 large crown of broccoli, cut into small bite-sized morsels
1 can of olives (with a few reserved for eating while cooking), cut in halves (optional)
Ricotta cheese
salt & pepper to taste
EVOO

*If you don't have pasta sauce handy, take a can of crushed tomatoes, add 1 big pinch basil, 1 pinch oregano, salt, pepper, and a dash of thyme.

1. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a frying pan for the chicken.

2. While the pan is warming, dumb sauce, garlic cloves, broccoli, olives, and red pepper flakes into a sauce pot. Turn on medium and cover. Be sure to stir occasionally while cooking the chicken.

3. Cook the chicken stir-fry style. When it's finished, the sauce should also be finished. The broccoli in the sauce is the litmus for "done."

4. Serve the chicken smothered in sauce, and add a dollop of ricotta cheese. Enjoy!

Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowl

When I first was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I had no idea how to put foods I found in my refrigerator together to make something palatable. One day I "invented" fried rice- peas, rice, leftover chicken, some odds and ends to make a sauce, and whallah! I thought it was the best thing in the world. Fried rice was easy. It was tasty. I went back to see Bernadette, my CD food guru, and handed her my food diary. Page after page she found entries with "Dinner: _____ (insert country name) fried rice." (By this point, I had "invented" Italian fried rice, South American fried rice, Caribbean fried rice, Chinese fried rice, Japanese fried rice, and Inidan fried rice. I was a genius.) While Bernadette was excited that I'd figured out how to cook something, she now spent her session explaining why diversifying your daily intake of nutrients was healthier.

Now that I'm "all grown up," sometimes I still get into a cycle of inspiration foods. The purpose of this blog is to publish simple, healthy recipes. Right now pasta is a simple, delicious food that can be served 1,000 different ways. So here's to healthy carb-containing recipes, and here's to my former love, fried rice.

Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowl*
2 Tablespoons very finely chopped scallion
1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoons sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
2 ounces Pad Thai-style rice noodles
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
1 tablespoon lime juice
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons peanuts, coarsely chopped

1. Heat your oven broiler while you are prepping your ingredients. Start a saucepan of boiling water for your noodles.

2. In a prep bowl, mix the scallion, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon of oil, and salt. Coat the chicken with the mixture, on both sides. Place the chicken on a broiler-safe pan and cook about 4-5 inches away from the heat for 12 to 15 minutes (until the chicken is cooked). When they are finished, thinly slice the chicken breasts and set aside.

3. While the chicken is cooking, cook the noodles until they are tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. Snip noodles into short lengths.

4. Combine the lime peel, lime juice, and remaining oil in a medium-sized bowl. Add the noodles, cilantro, and chicken. Toss together. Serve, garnishing with peanuts.
*Inspired by a recipe in Fitness Magazine

Thai Noodle Bowl

Atlanta is cooooooooold right now! It was 17 degrees when I work up this morning. Imagine that. I dream about moving back to New England, but I don't think I can survive the cold. Maybe I'll just have to settle for a summer house.

Until then, I'll be looking for a warm lunch. Here is a simple, quick dish to throw together at lunch or as a quick dinner.

Thai Noodle Bowl

2 ounces uncooked white rice pasta
1 tablespoon GF peanut butter
1 tablespoon lime juice (lemon works well, too)
1 garlic clove, grated
1 one inch piece of ginger, grated
2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables (I chose Bird's Eye broccoli florets, carrots, and water chestnuts)
1 tablespoon chopped peanuts
2 scallions, sliced
1 chicken breast cut into bite-sized morsels
1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

After prepping your ingredients, start the pasta.

Next, warm the EVOO in a large skillet. Cook the chicken niblets until there is no pink in the center, drain the juice, and set aside on a plate. Wipe the pan out with a paper towel.

Saute the garlic, ginger, lime juice, and peanut butter on medium heat in the same pan as the chicken. Add the veggies and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are no longer frozen and are tender.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste, top with scallions and peanuts, and enjoy!

Chicken Soup for the Burnt Soul

The burns are better today, but they are in such an annoying place. Despite the gauze/giant bandaids, my scrub pants still create some friction when I walk. And I'm exhausted. I guess that's what happens when you burn 2% of your body. I'm so happy I only had to work for 4 hours today. (Tomorrow and Wednesday will be another set of 12-hour stories.) I just don't feel like myself.

I decided chicken soup would help revitalize my being. I looked up some recipes for chicken soup, but most of them required a whole chicken. Now, really. I am so not into moving, so there is no way I am going to cook anything involving a whole bird. The recipe below is what I came up with.


Easy Chicken Soup

10 whole black peppercorns
2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, plus more roughly chopped for garnish
1 sprig thyme
1 dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 leek, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced and washed well
8 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock
1 whole skinless and boneless chicken breast
3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3/4 cup long-grain rice (optional)

1. Make "bouquet garni"... or bundle the peppercorns, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf in a cooking sachet or cheesecloth secured with kitchen twine. Start the rice, if you are adding it.

2. Heat butter in a small stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and leek, cooking them for about 5-7 minutes or just before they become soft and translucent. Add the carrots and celery, and cook for another 5 or so minutes more.

3. Add stock and spice sachet, and chicken. Bring the mixture to a simmer and poach the chicken, uncovered, until it is cooked all the way through (about 15 minutes).

3.5 If you are adding rice, add it at the end, so it doesn't bloat and soak up all of your soupy goodness.

4. Serve and enjoy... maybe add a piece of G-F toast with butter on the side

Lunch it Up

Monday means cooking for work. I am glad to have Mondays off as a way to put space between wonderful weekends and the push through 12 hour days at work. This week, I chose something healthy and spicing to load up my lunchbox.


Chili Honey Lime Chicken

* 2 tablespoons chili powder (not pure chili powder)
* 1 tablespoon mild honey
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* Chicken breasts, strips, legs, thighs, or wings

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Line the bottom of a baking pan with foil.

Stir together chili powder, honey, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a prep bowl. Smear the chicken in the mixture until it is completely covered.

Place the chicken in that baking pan, arranging in 1 layer. Bake, turning over once, until cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.

Martha, Martha, Martha!

Okay. I'm out. I love Martha Stewart. The recipes on her website always turn out incredibly well for me, and are usually pretty easy. Chicken and soup certainly can warm you up on a cold night, so I concocted two of Martha's dishes. They turned out so well! Enjoy.

Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chicken-thighs-braised-in-white-wine?autonomy_kw=chicken%20thighs%20braised%20in%20white%20wine&rsc=header_2

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs (about 2 3/4 pounds)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 thin slices, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid, arrange thighs, bone side up; season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, wine, and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook, 30 minutes.
2. Turn chicken over. Place a lemon slice on each piece; cover and continue simmering until tender, about 15 minutes. Leaving garlic and liquid in skillet, transfer chicken and lemon slices to a platter. Cover tightly with foil to keep warm.
3. Bring liquid in skillet to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Add butter, parsley, and lemon juice; stir until butter has softened and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with sauce and, if desired, rice.

Emerald-Green Velvet Soup

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/emerald-green-velvet-soup?autonomy_kw=Emerald-Green%20Velvet%20Soup&rsc=header_1

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, pressed through a garlic press or minced
• 1 large Yukon gold potato, (about 8 ounces), peeled and diced
• 4 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 5-6 cups (from 1 large bunch) flat-leaf parsley
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Optional garnishes, (choose one): croutons, edible flowers, extra-virgin olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, or minced fresh herbs like chives

Directions

1. In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook, stirring occasionally until onion has softened, about 3 minutes. Add potato and broth, and raise heat to high; bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and cook, uncovered, until parsley is wilted, about 2 minutes.
3. Working in batches, puree mixture in blender until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Ladle into individual soup bowls and garnish, if desired, with one of the optional garnishes. Serve immediately.

Nick's Saturday Lunch

I am spoiled. If I made a resume for Nick on his credentials for being the best boyfriend, it would take days for anyone to read. Case in point: I came home after a crappy day at work to the dogs being walked/run, dirty dishes cleaned, leafy porch swept, and Nick plating lamb chops, potatoes, and salad as I trudged up the stairs. (Why was my day so ugly? I asked myself. Hhmmm... I can't remember.)

Saturday I woke up after a late night (my roomate's super-fun birthday party). Nick called and got me out of bed sometime just before 11, on his way over. He suggested a honey-glazed chicken breast on the grill. Maybe throw in some zucchini, a side of rice. The next thing I remember was rolling into the parking lot at the Farmer's Market.

Nick's sauce involved honey, chili powder, garlic, and shallot. The zucchini we painted with olive oil and sea salt. Let's just say, I wish I had leftovers.

Healthy Changes & Cashew Chicken

I noticed my hips spread right after I met Nick (circa 9 months ago), and bought a size bigger jeans. Fine, whatever, I though. Hips puts me closer to the feminine curviness of my Dominican cousins. A few weeks ago, I noticed how tight my jeans, my skirts, my everything had gotten across the butt/abdominal pooch. Okay, I said. Time to hit the gym. I also reevaluated my dietary intake, and realized that "waffles and wine night," a dinner I make when I'm exhausted from work and have no leftovers, was happening quite frequently. Overall, my protein intake was down a little bit, due to my infatuation with simple G-F carbs. And green things? Virtually non-existent.

My roommate and I got a gym membership together, so I have been burning energy 2+ times a week. I discovered pilates and how Aja, my pilates instructor can work out muscles I didn't recall learning about in my Anatomy and Physiology class. My food diet is a lot more balanced. At work, I have committed to eating a salad at lunch. I've changed the type of leafy-base, and added (thanks to Nick's inspiration) things like goat cheese, walnuts, and (my new addiction) dried cranberries. I'm back into my routine of protein at every meal. I feel 100 times better.

The purpose of my blog has always been to keep things easy, simple, and very delicious for the overly-busy Celiac. Working full time and doing long-distance school for a post-bacc certification has reminded me of the importance of living the most enjoyable, balanced, and healthy G-F life possible.

Last week I was going through the fridge, looking for what I had leftover from other "big cooks." Here is what I came up with



Bare Bones Cashew Chicken
* Note: this recipe is adaptable to what you do or don't have in your fridge*
* 2 green onions, chopped, using the bulb and the green
* part of a sweet onion (I used vaidallia, but this ingredient is optional)
* bell pepper, chopped into small pieces (I only had green.)
* cashew pieces
* 2 cloves of garlic
* oil- EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), peanut, or sesame
* chicken, cut into small bite-sized morsels, salted and pepped to taste

1. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan, over medium heat. Add the chicken.

2. When the chicken has been seared on the outside, add the remaining ingredients. (If you prefer your cashews to be slightly mushy, add them with the chicken at the start of the recipe.) Saute until the chicken has cooked through. If you are a soy-eater, I would assume you may want to splash a bit of soy sauce here.

3. Serve over brown rice. Enjoy! Take the leftovers to work with you the next day for lunch.

Pesto Chicken

I love the restaurant The Real Chow Baby, and their G-F pesto-peanut sauce. I haven't been to Chow Baby in *confession* almost a year. There is a strange curse with whoever I go with- I don't see the people I eat with (except for Melissa and Jamie, two of my best friends) afterward, as evidenced by:

1. Post my car accident, in May 2007, I went with Melissa and Crystal. Crystal and I didn't hang
out until the end of August, 2008.
2. Melissa, Derek, Lawyer Boy, and I went on a double date. Lawyer Boy and I stopped seeing
each other soon after (after just a few weeks), and Melissa just broke up with Derek a few
months ago.
3. Jamie, The Professor, Climber Man, and I went on a double date. A few weeks later, Jamie
dumped The Professor, and Climber Man and I split up. (Both were short-lived relationships.)

Naturally, I can't take Nick there. Well, maybe I will at some point, since I think we could break the curse. My pesto cravings would not subside last week, so I took to desperate measures and visited the Farmer's Market. Here is my pesto, minus the Chow Baby's peanut. I put it over chicken, mixed it with tomato sauce over pasta, ate it out of the container, and thought about dipping bread into it. Tell me what you do with yours.

Liv's Emergency Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 cup parsley
2/3 cup pine nuts
Extra Virgin olive oil, +/- 1 cup

Separate your ingredients into two batches. Put one half in the blender at a time until a paste-like substance is created. I used enough olive oil to barely cover the blades of the blender. If you like your pesto thick, I highly recommend titrating your oil.

Store it in an easily accessible container- this pesto is so good, you'll think about eating it as a midnight snack. You can also freeze it for future emergencies!

Grill Inauguration

Today we broke in my new red and black Aussie charcoal grill with:
* corn in their husks
* vidalia onions
* red and green peppers
* chicken seasoned with salt and pepper

We used the basket on the grill and it turned out so well!

The Quickest Greek Chicken Ever

I meant to post this one before I left for Baltimore.

I LOVE this recipe and it takes no time at all.


The Quickest Greek Chicken EVER
* Chicken Breasts
* Oregano
* Majoram
* Basil
* 2 garlic cloves
* 1 bunch of basil (About 1/2 cup coarsely chopped)
* 1 container of Goat Cheese Feta crumbles (I really like the ones with onion/garlic/herbs)
* 1 container of cherry tomatoes or about 4 Roma tomatoes
* 1/3 (+/-) cup pitted black olives (from the can)


Preheat the oven to 425.

Season chicken breasts to taste with the oregano, majoram, basil, and garlic.

Bake the chicken for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

After putting the chicken in the oven, pour the container of goat cheese into a prep bowl. Add tomatoes, olives, and basil, titrating to taste. When the chicken has finished cooking, use this mixture as the topping.

Bon appetite!

Go Green Chicken Sammies

Rachel Ray isn't my favorite television programs to watch, but the girl really can cook! I decided to give in and try one of her recipes. I've been playing with this recipe- the marinade is great for the chicken, baked afterward. The sauce I found to be too overpowering and spicy. Toning the sauce down would make a great salsa or sandwich topper. Find the recipe here:
http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=1853&r=1853,344,1774,1069,1538,340,1076,994,1482,1430,1125

Spur of the Moment Stir Fry

Sarah and I went car shopping today. She wants a hybrid, and I'm thinking of getting trading in my gas-enemy, bad-karma SUV. (I still love it, but, well, uh, it's complicated...) I fell in love with a Fit.

When we came home, I did a few small chores, caught up on last week's *new* episode of Grey's Anatomy (my only true tv addiction), and then realized:
a) I have one more day of work left
b) I have no food for dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow
c) I also need to make sure my laundry is done so I have clean scrubs and sheets

Obviously one of those was an immediate priority.

Here is what I threw together (literally) with the musical accompaniment of Van Morrison. I thought it was purdy good for a shot in the dark.


Spur of the Moment Stir Fry * About a pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized morsels
* 1 broccoli flower, cut into smaller pieces (yes, including the tree trunks AND leaves)
* 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into think 1" pieces
* 1/2 shallot
* 3-4 cloves garlic
* 1 teaspoon (+/-) red pepper flakes
* White pepper
* Black pepper
* Tumeric
* Dry roasted peanuts (cashews probably would have been better, but it's what my pantry had)
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 lime
* A nice warm pot of cooked rice
* Musical muse of choice

1. Turn on music of choice.
2. Wash the chicken, and pat dry with a paper towel. Season generously with white pepper.
3. Head 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
4. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and wipe the pan out with a paper towel.
5. Heat another tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onions, pepper, broccoli, garlic, and shallots to the pan. Start moving them around.
6. After about 3 minutes, add the teaspoon (or so) or red pepper flakes, sprinkle over some black pepper, the lime juice, and 2 large pinches of tumeric. Stir in well. Add peanuts proportionally to taste- I had somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup. (I think. This is spur of the moment, remember?)
7. Taste. Adjust spicing as necessary, then serve over hot rice.

* note: dancing like nobody is watching might help make this recipe better.