A pause for reflection

I have been a bad blogger. I haven’t posted anything in a number of weeks. My little baby chicks are pretty much chickens. I wish I could tell you it’s because I have been scurrying around my gluten-free kitchen, producing wonderful treats- but I haven’t.

In the six weeks since I last blogged, I have baked a grand total of two cakes. I have eaten simple, basic gluten-free food. Pretty  stuff though: nothing that would make you want to fire up your computer to see what I’m up to.

I will continue to blog. I leave for France soon, and that will generate some wonderful things to share. I heard a story on NPR a few weeks ago talking about how I-Phones and digital cameras have changed the way the chefs look at food. We see a cool plate presentation or an interesting combination of textures, and out come the cameras. It’s sort of a have-my-(photo of)- my-cake-and-eat-it-too. When I flipped open my phone to look, and guess what- yup- over a dozen photos of plates of food.

I hope to be inspired and to share it with you soon.

First Signs of Spring

Hold tight! Spring will be here soon. We saw a newly emerged Robin yesterday. And my hubby went to the feed store on Monday- and brought home some babies (Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rock pullets).

We already have seven hens- Barred Rocks, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds and an Aracana, a Rooster (who was supposed to be Buff Orpington Hen) and a Guinea Hen. The RI Reds are my favorites- the hens are friendly enough to eat out of your hand. All of our critters will be brown egg layers- except the Araucana, who lays blue eggs.

What to do with all of those eggs? Well, GF baking takes lots of eggs. Omelets, of course, but also wraps (thin omelet wrapped around a filling), frittatas, and egg cups. I got an off-blog question from Dianne wondering about the egg cups on my lunch menu last week. They are easy, reheat well and fit in a lunch box. 

In Spain and Italy, eggs like this are more likely to show up as a lunch box item than a breakfast one. It's also a great way to use up bits and pieces of leftover rice, pasta or veggies.

Portable Egg Cups

Makes about 12 muffin-sized cups

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1 Tablespoon salsa

1/4 cup ham, turkey or salmon (leftovers are great here- and meat is optional)

3/4 cup shredded cheese (any variety)

1/2 cup "starchy" cooked leftover (dice potato, cooked pasta or cooked rice)

1/2 cooked, frozen spinach (or other green veggie, cooked and drained, if necessary)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup (or two 6-cup) silicon muffin pan, teflon coated muffin pan or regular muffin pan lined with foil muffin papers.

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. All of the vegetables and starches are interchangeable- use what your family likes or what you have on hand. I have actually used 1 1/4 cups of frozen mixed veggies, thawed in the microwave, in place of the assorted vegetables in the recipe

You may sub reduced fat cheese, soy cheese, or if you prefer, no cheese.  You may want an extra egg if you opt to go cheeseless.

Divide all of the mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes until set in the middle. You can freeze or refrigerate them, and re-heat in the microwave, if you wish.

 

Gluten Free CIA Book

Oh my, have I been out of the loop! I received my Alumni Magazine from the Culinary Institute of America today- and Chef Richard Coppedge (all around nice guy and Certified Master Chef) has a gluten free cookbook. My things are a changin' since I was a student there. 

I will be placing my order tomorrow. Has anybody seen it? Used it?! Tell me all.

I adopted Simply Gluten-Free

This week, I am participating in the “Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger” event hosted by Book of Yum. I adopted Simply Gluten Free, and did her Spoon Salad and Lemon Tahini Dressing.

Simply Gluten Free is a very visually attractive site with recipes that appeal to my food philosophy; good quality fresh food, simply prepared.

I chose the spoon salad because I just love my food processor, and to get to shred pounds of vegetables? How fun! 

Her idea of doing enough for four or five days of salad eating is brilliant: my kitchen looked like I had been mulching garden leftovers by the time I was done. But a crunchy, fresh salad base is there, in my fridge, just waiting for me to finish however I want. I have been known to just skip salad rather than hauling out the cutting board and the knife, especially at lunch.

I’m glad she considered the recipe to be a guide, because despite my good intentions, the vegetables listed on the recipe weren’t the best that my supermarket had to offer. I ended up using swiss chard, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower and a little basil.

For the dressing, the only substitution I made was using gluten free soy sauce rather than tamari. Tamari has sweeter undertones and less harshness, and I think that would have made a difference in this recipe. I liked the brightness of the dressing, but felt that it needed a touch more sweetness in the overall balance- but that was likely my soy sauce. I will add this to my regular recipes that I use, it is a good break from the vingairette rut that I get into. My hubby suggested a touch of grated fresh ginger as well.

This was a wonderful salad for the kids- I treated it like a green salad, letting everyone put on whatever dressing they liked. The kids added shredded mozzarella cheese and ranch, my hubby did the tahini dressing with some toasted sunflower seeds, and I had just a little dressing and the salad. Even my most veggie adverse teenaged boy had seconds.

Great blog, good recipes, lots of fun- thanks Simply Gluten Free!

What's for Lunch?

I was talking with someone who is just starting out on a gluten-free diet. Aside from the shear overwhelming nature of the change, the whole idea of breakfast and lunch without bread really had her stumped.

Lunch is really tough for gluten-free folks. The most American of lunch items, a sandwich, is challenging with gluten free bread. GF breads just don’t travel as easily as their wheat containing cousins.

It’s easier if you have access to a kitchen, or at least a microwave. For those looking for some ideas, I have added a “Lunch this Week” feature.

My lunch schedule varies quite a bit during the week- since I am an Instructor, I have a couple of days a week where I eat on the run out of a cooler, a couple of days where I have access to a kitchen and one or two days a week that I am never sure about. I have  one day a week where I often eat breakfast, lunch and dinner on the road. Three days a week, the preschooler and I are home (or on the road) together at lunch time, and she eats what I do. 

When I have it “together” I prep a couple of days worth of quick eats into storage containers and freeze or refrigerate them. This is really helpful because I have a hubby and teenager who pack lunch most week days as well. 

I really am flexible about what I will eat for lunch: I can eat a cold bean salad or leftover chicken leg and be perfectly happy. I know that some people (my lunch-packing teenager, for example) who cannot deal with last night’s leftovers in a storage container without a microwave to heat it up.

My food choices are usually pretty simple at lunch, and I don’t rely on many gluten-free products.  I don’t often run into monotony problems, because I use lunch to rework leftovers when I can. 

What are your favorite lunches? What packs well and is easy, tastes good, and contains at least a little nutrition?

Nothing Noodles aka Shirataki

Shirataki is Japanese yam noodle. It’s a little weird- it seems to have nothing in it if you look at the nutrition facts. 

This is good news! It is a blank canvas waiting for the cook to add any assortment of flavors and textures.

The low carb count is good for dieters and for people, like me, who do not tolerate the massive amount of refined carbs that can creep into a gluten free diet.

There are two kinds of Shirataki; the one pictured (JFC) is the variety most readily available to me. I get it at an Oriental Grocery Store. It contains water, yam flour and hydrated lime.

The other variety, “House Foods” is actually labeled “Gluten Free” on the package, and has more specific cooking instructions. Both varieties are vegan.

I avoided trying these for a while. I am suspicious of anything having an Internet advertising link to it titled something like “Miracle Noodle”. Being the geek-chef that I am, however, curiosity eventually won out and I researched them a little bit. That, and they looked pretty benign sitting next to the tofu at the Whole Foods Market.

There is a process to handling these- otherwise they smell like garbage can after you left a tuna can in it overnight. I have no idea why. When you open the package, rinse them thoroughly, then blanch them for 2-3 minutes in boiling, salted water. Drain the water off, and continue as you would with any noodle. At this point, they really have no flavor or odor. Strangely, these do not easily get mushy, especially the House Foods variety.

These are great for making a noodle salad to pack in a lunch box. The recipe I have below is actually leftover curried chickpeas and tofu that had lots of “sauce”. I tossed the saucy curry with the blanched and cooled noodles, and topped with chopped cilantro.

Curry Noodle Salad

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side

Coconut milk- (1) standard can. You can use “lite”, but your sauce might curdle

Beans- your choice- if you use canned, rinse first- 1 cup

Tofu- firm or extra firm- 1 cup, diced (or cooked, diced chicken or shrimp)

Fish Sauce- check label for gluten- 1 teaspoon or to taste

Sugar- 1 tablespoon

Ginger, fresh, grated, 2 teaspoons

Green Curry Paste, 1 teaspoon, or to taste

Cilantro, fresh, chopped, 2 tablespoons, divided use

Shirataki Noodles (spaghetti shaped), 8 oz, rinsed, blanched and drained

Combine all ingredients except the noodles, scallions and 1 tablespoon of the cilantro in a large saute pan. Simmer for 10 minutes or so. Taste and adjust flavor. Add noodles, scallions and rest of cilantro. This is best at room temperature or cool.

 

Lovely Lunch and Field Trip to Ann Arbor

My hubby and I decided to get out of town a few days ago, and went to Ann Arbor, MI. While it is not the hottest of vacation destinations, it is a pretty cool town. It also has the all-important combo of Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market. 

Even though I was pretty much out of all of my “staples” (we live in a fairly rural area, so I do stock up on some of my favorites when I can), we really weren’t sure we wanted to do the two-hour drive. I’m glad we did.

Some chef friends of mine had raved about a restaurant called “Paesano’s”. I’m always excited to try a new place (chef side of me) but also leery (the celiac side- who hasn’t been glutened since last December!) As a last minute thought, I checked Paesano’s website. Guess what? They do gluten free. So off we went.

We had a knowledgeable server who was attentive and accommodating. The food was nice presented and full-flavored.  The pre-schooler was happy and well taken care of. I would definitely go again. When I do, I will order more food- I think portion sizes take into account the bread basket, which was off limits too me. It’s too bad I was going shopping for food afterwards...

Check out their website- www.paesanosannarbor.com- and support your local independent restaurants. If we want choices, we need to work with local chefs when we can. As the slogan at one of my county’s indy restaurant goes, “Friends don’t let friends eat at chains!”

Pretty Good Sandwich Loaf

Fresh from the Chef Silly Test Kitchen; a “Pretty Good Sandwich Loaf.” This is the grill-cheese-able loaf that Erin requested. It is loosely based on my Italian Daily Bread which is loosely based on a couple of other recipes.

It is richer than the Italian Daily Bread, but goes together just as quickly. If you are organized, you can have it out of the oven in about an hour. It doesn’t crumble, although  it is not fully “bendable”- I am not willing to suffer through a hearty amount of xanthan gum to attain that quality. I added the cardamom to give it a little of that “something” that   sometimes is missing in gluten-free bread- you don’t want to have it stand out.

I baked this in a wide bottomed, glass loaf pan. It would rise a slightly higher in a narrow metal pan. The texture is good either way. I wrapped it tightly in film wrap, and kept it in the fridge. It was tasty with butter the first day, and toasted off beautifully for several days after that.

Pretty Good Gluten-Free Sandwich Loaf

Yield: Two Standard Loaves

 

Yeast, active dry - 2 Tablespoons

Sugar- 1 Teaspoons

Milk; 2%- 1 1/4 cups (about 110*F)

Honey 2 Tablespoons

Eggs, large- 2 each (room temperature)

Potato Starch- 1 1/2 cup

Chebe Flour Blend 1 1/2 cup (you may sub other xanthan-free gf blend of your choice)

Xanthan Gum- 1/2 Teaspoon

Guar Gum- 1/2 Teaspoon

Baking Powder (GF)- 1/2 Teaspoon

Salt- 1 1/2 Teaspoon

Butter (soft)- 1/3 cup

Cardamom- 1/8  Teaspoon

Cider Vinegar- 2 Teaspoon

Butter, melted- to brush on top, optional

This bread goes into a cold oven: no need to pre-heat. Spray the bottom of your loaf pans with a flourless pan-spray, avoiding the sides to give your bread more “traction”.

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk; set aside. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle; add the eggs, butter and cardamom and turn the mixer on low. Add the milk/ yeast mixture and mix on medium until ingredients are barely combined. 

Add the vinegar. Turn the mixer up to a medium speed and mix for about a minute, stopping once to scrape the bottom of the bowl.

Using a rubber spatula continually dipped in water, scrape the dough equally into the the two loaf pans. With the wet rubber spatula, or with a wet, small metal icing spatula, shape the top of the loaves with a slight mound on top, and put a shallow slit lengthwise in the top to give it that “butter top” look. You may brush with additional melted butter, if you wish.

Put immediately into the oven. Turn the oven on and bake at 425*F for 30-40 minutes until the center of the loaf reads 205*F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from pan and cool a bit before slicing.

Rainbows and Crustaseans

I have one of those husbands who can see beauty, and is quick to share it. Last night, while I was preparing dinner he phoned me and said, “Take a look outside!” It was a unusually warm, rainy day for a Midwestern February, so the preschooler and I went out to puddle stomp. 

My hubby’s “take a look” was a magnificent full-length double bow rainbow. And guess what? I could see the “end”. It came down in the field in front of the woods across the road from us. It seems a muddy field is at the end of the rainbow.

Anyhow, it was one of those nights where I decided to deviate from my pre-planned menu. Dinner tonight was stuffed portabella mushrooms, roasted shrimp and a “chop-chop” salad. The roasted shrimp was a take on a recipe I read somewhere earlier this week, and cannot find it again. “Splendid Table”?(hey- I am a chef I read a lot of recipes- ). So thank you to whomever I owe credit for the idea.

Roasted Shrimp

Peeled and deveined frozen, raw shrimp- any size

Extra Virgin Olive oil- as needed

Course salt- sea salt or kosher

Set oven at 350*F. Toss the shrimp with the olive oil and salt. Dump on foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes. There is a lot of room for error- it is hard to over-cook these, but not impossible. When they turn evenly pink, and lose their translucent appearance they are ready.

Olive Oil

I admit to being a bit snarky about the Food Network occasionally. Not because it’s bad- it isn’t- but it really misses the basic commandments of cooking. I would say that I don’t watch it- but that would be misleading, since I don’t really have television. 

I shudder a bit when I hear those words, “I always watch the food network!” Often, they are followed by a comment based on shaky culinary theory. And don’t get me started on reality shows in the kitchen: meanness for sport isn’t anymore acceptable in professional kitchens these days than it is anyplace else. It’s too hard to get quality staff to abuse them after they arrive.

Today, while  teaching a just-for-fun continuing education class the topic of olive oil came up. “I just don’t like it, and they cook with it all over on TV.” 

Upon investigating, the programs in question were sautéing with copious amounts of extra virgin olive oil. There are couple of fundamental problems with this: first, saute is a high heat, less-fat cooking method. Second, extra virgin olive oil specifically, and all “colored” oils in general, should not be used in high heat applications. They have what is called a low “smoke point.” This, as it sounds, is the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke. Oils like peanut oil, canola oil and even the lighter colored, second press olive oils are better suited to hot cooking. When you cook at high temperatures with the more flavorful oils, it changes the flavor of it, making it taste almost rancid.

I do cook with extra-virgin olive oil, but not when I saute or pan fry- in fact, I use commercial pan spray for much of my sautéing. If I do want the flavor of olive oil in a pan-fry, I mix it with peanut oil.

From a health standpoint, I think olive oil probably is healthy, but we Americans eat too much of everything. Remember, olive oil has 120 calories per tablespoon, just like any other fat. The savings comes in using less because it is so flavorful.

I don’t have a recipe today, as much as I have a shortcut.

I took this to what my hubby has dubbed my “geeky home-ec” party last week- a group of women who eat, stitch and solve all the worlds problems- but most of us are employed in higher education or other professional-level careers. We’re probably not conventional, but we had fun conversation.

Hummus in a Hurry

Tub o’ hummus (whatever commercially available Hummus you like)

Pine nuts (I actually bought hummus with pine-nuts, removed them and rinsed)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil- my standard household olive oil is the mild-tasting “Pompeian”

Marinated Artichoke Hearts (mine were from Trader Joe’s)

Jarred Red Peppers, sliced into strips

Assorted pre-cut veggies

Assorted GF crackers

Invert hummus into a pretty, shallow bowl. Put the package under something in the garbage, so no one knows your secret.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry saute pan on medium heat, tossing occasionally until they are golden brown. Nuts continue to cook after you remove them from the heat, so under-toast them a tad.

Arrange the artichoke hearts and red pepper strips around the edge of the bowl.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil, and just a tablespoon or so of the marinade from the artichokes. Top with the toasted pine nuts.

Serve with veggies, cracker or slices of Italian Daily Bread.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Winter Blues

I am very seasonal sort of person. I am sensitive to hot, cold, wet, gloom, humidity, and commuting 60 miles in an ice storm. I think the “commuting 60 miles to work” has a lot to do with it. Early every February, my gloomies and the Groundhog show up. While the Groundhog gets to go to back to bed for six more weeks, I just have to do the best I can.

I have discovered that anything right out of the oven helps to make it all better. Unfortunately, that usually contributes to my, uhm, “bottom line” as well. These Roasted Garbanzos satisfy the need for hot-from-the-oven without filling you out.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Canned garbanzos beans (also known as Chick Peas), drained, rinsed, and dumped onto a clean kitchen towel: 1 can

Extra Virgin Olive oil: about 1 Tablespoon

Curry Powder- any brand/ heat level you like: 1-2 teaspoons

Garlic Salt- to taste

Equipment: a zipper-topped bag, baking sheet, and parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Preheat oven to 400*F. 

To remove the papery skin on the Garbanzos; dump the rinsed, drained garbanzos onto a clean kitchen towel. Use a second towel to gently rub the top of the beans. Pick over them to remove the skins.

Transfer the skinned beans into the zip-top bag. Season with the olive oil, curry powder and garlic salt. Zip bag and shake everything together. Arrange seasoned beans on parchment-lined sheet tray in a single layer. Roast for 40-45 minutes until a little crunchy. Watch to make sure they don’t burn the last few minutes they are roasting.

Remove from oven and cool. Store in zip-top bag for two to three days (I think- these never last that long at my house).

2009 Gluten Free and Wellness Show, Goshen IN

Mark your calendars! I had a few requests for the following information:

The 2009 Gluten Free and Wellness show will be held at Goshen General Hospital in Goshen, IN on September 12 from 10 am-2 pm. 

I spoke at last year's show, and may speak again this year. This is a really nice group of people, so if you are local, come check it out!

Whadda want to know?

"Experimental" was my favorite class in Cooking School. Well, except for the part where it was a glass kitchen, as well as, the first stop for bus loads of grannies who would rather tour cooking schools than gamble nickels in Atlantic City. 

I really like to play with my food. You would think that as a chef, the switch to gluten-free would be an epic struggle. The joy of having my health back really has out weighed any other concerns. Besides, I was already eating rice noodles with peanut sauce before I every thought of gluten free.

I need to 'fess up, though: I am taking you for granted. I assume that your transition has been as smooth as mine. I live in a bit of "food bubble". Sure, I have days when the kids are lucky to get scrambled eggs for dinner- but my family is a little warped- the three-year-old wants to go to Thai restaurants the way other people's kids want the mac and cheese at Bob Evans. 

So tell me: what are your everyday obstacles? What would make your gluten-free life easier? What is that food that you had to give up because you just don't know what a good sub is for the conventional version? Is there a recipe that has totally eluded you? Are there ingredients that you see on the shelf, but want to know if they are worth $7.99 a pound? Tell me, ask your friends: have them tell me.

The Chef Silly Test Kitchen is officially open.

Less Lasagna

This is “less lasagna” because it has less of the two things that scare us away from lasagna: fat and work! It also takes less time in the oven than a conventional lasagna because it’s baked in loaf pans. It is great made as a vegetarian dish or you can add cooked, crumbled sausage to the sauce, but either way it’s pretty good.

For the cheese blend, I like to use my food processor. If you have never seen dry curd cottage cheese, it’s very different from the regular kind. It is a lot like ricotta, but doesn’t have as much sodium, stabilizers or the weird after taste. When I bought it here in the Midwest at Meijer, it was tucked away by the dips and tubs of ready-made guacamole in the dairy cooler.

I like dried herbs in Lasagna: the fresh ones are lost in the complex flavors.

Less Lasagna

Makes 10-12 servings

DeBoles Gluten Free “no-boil” Rice Lasagna Noodles: (1) 10 oz box

Low Fat Dry Curd Cottage Cheese: (1) 1# container (or the the closest package to 1#)

Egg White Substitute: 1/2 cup- or 3 egg whites

Shredded Parmesan Cheese: 1 cup (pre-shredded okay: the green cardboard can is not)

Part Skim or 2% Mozzarella Cheese 1 cup

Onion, peeled: 1/2 of a baseball sized onion, roughly chopped

Garlic, 2 large cloves, peeled- remove if there is a green sprout in clove

Frozen spinach: 12-16 oz, thawed and drained- vary amount according to taste

Sliced Mushrooms, sauteed- 1 pound.

Jarred or canned homemade tomato sauce: about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

Dried Basil and oregano

GF chicken- or- veggie base of you choice (optional): use about 1/2, by volume as you would to flavor broth.

Combine the cottage cheese, egg white substitute, parmesan, garlic, herbs and onion in the bowl of a food processor. If it doesn’t “spin” when you run it, add a little more egg white.

Spray 3 loaf pans with flour-less pan spray. Combine the base with the sauce, if you are using it. Layer sauce, mushrooms, spinach, cheese blend, more sauce, then noodles. You should have enough to repeat this twice in in each loaf pan. Top lightly with mozzarella cheese. I cover this and put it in the refrigerator overnight for the next day.

Bake at 350 degrees on a center rack until it is bubbly and golden on top: about 35 minutes: it should read 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the dish. 

Each loaf pan will feed a family of four, if you have other sides, such as salad and dessert. If you freeze it, before baking, wrap it tightly around all sides. Bake uncovered, mostly still frozen, at 325: it will take about 50-60 minutes. Do not pre-heat your oven. Especially if you use glass loaf pans.

And the winners are....

Chef Silly has has been quiet lately. My computer died, and I (finally) replaced it with shiny new one, and even set up the wireless router, all by myself.

What else have I been doing? I’ve set up online classrooms for the vocational classes that I teach, and I’m in the beginning stages of putting together a cooking series for another local college. Also, yesterday, I was the floor judge for a cooking competition.  The prize was a scholarship to study in France.

It was a “Mystery Basket”, which means the competitors don’t know what they are going to be cooking before they arrive for the contest.

Eight students were chosen, and nobody backed out when they found out that I was the instructor accompanying them to Provence for two weeks in May.

Because I was not a tasting judge, I didn’t taste any of the students’ food; this event was not gluten-free.

 

Here’s a sampling of what some of the students did:

Ode to my Rice Cooker

Bless you! Oh rice cooker
You truly save the day.

You bail me out when my
busy life gets in the way.

Bubbling and brewing
Simmering and stewing

Dinner is done
Oh joy, oh fun!

Okay- it is cheesy. Make fun of me if you must. I have a house showing tomorrow, a house full of extra kids and two who are recovering from having their wisdom teeth pulled. I also have a fridge full of leftovers that don’t connect.

Enter my rice cooker. A “top your rice” leftover buffet ties it all together. Some assembly required.

Fast Mama Coconut Rice

Rice cooker
Rice- I like basmati and buy it in 25# bags- use a cup for every 4 people
Water
Salt
Coconut Milk (I buy the little cans- 5.5 fl oz)- about a tablespoon
Butter-optional

Put your rice in the insert for your rice cooker. Rinse, swirl and drain until the water isn’t really cloudy anymore. Add water until it covers the rice, plus almost an inch (some people say if you stick your finger in to the top of the rice, your water should come up to your first joint- I just eyeball it.)

Stir in salt, coconut milk, and butter. Adjust your coconut milk according to taste. If you have an Asian, Indian or Pacific inspired topping, more is good.

Cook according to your rice cooker’s instructions.

Top and serve.

Be happy.