Cruising Baltimore

This weekend my boyfriend and I are going to Baltimore to be part of a surprise for his parents' 40th anniversary. This will be my first time meeting his family- parents, sister, two brothers, and everyone's respective spouses and children. I am so excited! This will be a busy weekend, but very fun.

Saturday we are going on a luncheon cruise around the harbor. The cruise website for The Spirit of Baltimore reads: "With advance notice, we can accommodate requests for kosher meals, and we can arrange special meals for guests with allergies." I called the customer service line, and was left on hold for 20 minutes while the lady tried to (I guess) figure out the solution to my request. I was at work, and it was our second super-busy time of the day, so I hung up. I called back after the afternoon rush came to a close, and spoke to someone *gasp* helpful who was supposed to fax me a piece of paper for me to sign and fax back. The cruise line's "accommodation" turned out to be an unnamed percentage of my ticket price off and me bringing my own food aboard.

I don't feel like that is actually arranging a special meal to accommodate my needs, as stated in the FAQ part of the website. I've become accustomed to accommodating my G-F food needs. That is not the point. The point is that they false-advertise. I am glad we will be stying near a Whole Foods. How else are out-of-towners supposed to find G-F food? Obviously I am not going to boycott going, since this has been planned for weeks and weeks.

At work I teach my physically disabled patients to advocate for their needs in the community. I will be advocating for myself and writing them a letter.

And you know what? They never even faxed what they said they would.

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

Wildfire

Wildfire has a high-class atmosphere that feels both comfortable and modern.  Their gluten-free menu is a page long, with a selection of appetizers, entrees, and deserts.  

I had a gluten-free roll before my salmon steak dinner.  (Did you see that?  I ate bread before dinner.)  My salmon was very tender, moist, and somehow crispy on the edges.  My broccoli was wonderful- just steamed to perfection, with butter herb sauce.  I left full and happy, after good service and an enjoyable meal, with a piece of flourless chocolate cake in hand.

The cake? Rich, moist, delicious, and 2/3 left in the fridge for a treat...

Tap Gastropub

Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry:	gastropub
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	a bar offering high-quality food
Example:	The non-fried foods and microbrews made the gastropub enormously popular.
Etymology:	1996
Usage:	British

What did I think about Tap? Our waitress was mostly a ditz, drink service was slow, and the food was lacking in the G-F food department. I ordered my burger to my G-F specifications, with a side salad, and asked for oil and vinegar on the side. I received a cheeseburger and no oil and vinegar. It took asking 3 people before I got oil (note: no vinegar).

Thumbs down for me.

Paprika Chicken With Organic Strawberries

About once a year, I whip out this recipe. It is really good, easy, and reminds us that, despite the rain, summer is here. I clipped it out of Natural Health magazine two years ago. (They have fabulous recipes, by the way.)

I cooked for my boyfriend. Both of us are feeling borderline under the weather- we picked up a throat bug at the Alicia Keys concert on Wednesday. Thankfully, this man in my life takes really good care of himself anyway, but especially when he is sick- healthy food is a must.

Our Menu:
* strawberry chicken
* spring greens mix salad
* baked sweet potato


Paprika Chicken with Organic Strawberries
Strawberries are one of the crops most heavily sprayed with pesticides, so it's worth the extra expense to buy organic. This chicken dish artfully camouflages the imperfections in a scrumptious fruit. ...

4 boneless organic chicken breasts or large thighs (about 5 ounces each)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups thickly sliced strawberries, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided

1. Rinse the chicken under cold running water, and leave it slightly moist. Toss with paprika and thyme, and season generously with salt and black pepper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat; add the chicken and brown for about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Add half the strawberries, along with the sugar, and 1 tablespoon chopped chives.

3. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Add the remaining strawberries and cook for another minute, to just warm.

4. Remove the chicken to a large platter or 4 plates. Spoon strawberries over the chicken, garnish with reserved chives, and serve.

Per serving: 345 calories, 31% fat (12 g, 2 g saturated), 17% carbohydrates (15 g), 52% protein (45 g), 2 g fiber, 42 mg calcium, 2.5 mg iron, 110 mg sodium.


Salad
buy a box or bag (or mix your own!) of Spring Greens. Top with our favorite dressing- I got mine from the Farmer's Market!


Baked Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar and Chives
Bakes sweet potatoes
Brown Sugar
Chives
Butter

1. In and oven pre-heated to 450 degrees, place the potatoes on the middle rack. Below them, place a piece of tin foil over a second wrack. Bake until they are sqeezable.

2. Garnish with butter, brown sugar, and the remaining chopped chives.

Ritters

When trying new restaurants, even if the people at the restaurant say they can accommodate my G-Fness, I'm always skeptical, if not mildly anxious.

Ritters is another place I know I can go without a problem. It's my boyfriend's discovery. I've been there twice now with him. The first time I thought steak couldn't get any better. This time, I had the special- a smoked/brown sugar sauce action piece of pork served over fingerling potatoes with veggies on the side.

Let me start with this: the waiter knew what is naturally G-F on the menu. Brilliant! This time around for the pork special, the chef informed the waiter that the sauce he had made wasn't G-F this go around. So the waiter comes back, suggests a few dairy-containing sauces. I tell him I have to 86 the dairy. The waiter goes to consult with the chef. He comes by once to fill our water glasses, and I'm waiting for the sauce update. None. The second time he comes by, I ask. The waiter tells me the chef is whipping up a special G-F sauce.

My meal was incredible. I've been talking about it for the last week and a half.

Five of five stars!

Two-fer Tuesday

Part One: A delicious Mediterranean-inspired dinner

Part Two: A pot of veggie broth for future dishes

Since both parts are very simple, making it a Two-fer Tuesday was quite easy:

1) Marinade chicken breasts in Italian dressing (I use Drew’s dressings from the store) the night before, that morning, or at least 2 hours before baking

2) Start vegetable broth

3) Make the veggies

Vegetable Stock

Keep jars of this flavorful stock in your freezer and you’ll always be prepared.

3 quarts water

1 tablespoon salt

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

4 celery stalks, leaves left on

4 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

8 dill seeds

8 whole peppercorns

1 large tomato, halved

1-2 bunches fresh herbs of choice (thyme, majoram, savory, etc.)

2 teaspoons dried herbs of choice

Leek leaves (leftovers from your veggies) – optional

1 tablespoon butter

1) In a non-stick skillet, melt about 1 tablespoon of butter in your skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, and sauté until onions begin to become transparent, over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

2) Add all of the ingredients and the onions and carrots to the pot. Bring to a simmer slowly, cover with a lid, and let the mixture cook for 2-3 hours. Move the stock into the refrigerator to let cool.

3) Strain the stock through a fine strainer or mesh and discard any solid materials leftover. Transfer liquid into mason jars or other tightly sealed containers and freeze.

Sauteéd Baby Squash with Basil and Feta

This simple preparation yields delicious results in a versatile side dish. If baby pattypan squash* are not available, substitute four cups of thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash.

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups baby pattypan squash, halved (about 18 ounces)

2 cups sliced leek*

½ tablespoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat; heat 20 seconds. Add squash and leek to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in salt and pepper. Transfer squash mixture to a serving platter. Sprinkle with cheese and basil. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup).

CALORIES 61 (43% from fat); FAT 2.9g (sat 0.6g, mono 1.6g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 2.3g; CARB 7.5g; FIBER 1.7g, CHOL 1mg, IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 253mg; CALC 30mg

Recipe from Cooking Light, April 2008, p. 142

* Since I have never knowingly laid eyes on a baby pattypan squash, and I couldn’t find one at the Farmer’s Market, I picked 2 little zucchini and one yellow squash.

** Since I had never cooked with a leek before, I just got one leek, and the dish turned out great. If you are like me, and don’t know how to prep a leek, go to this helpful website: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_dm_fruits_vegetables/article/0,1904,FOOD_19000_1729784,00.html