Sunday, September 22, 2013

Gluten free Belgium Waffles!


{RECIPE for waffles} 

1 cup Brown Rice flour 
1/2 cup Potato starch 
1/4 cup tapioca flour 
2 tsp {Cf safe} baking powder 
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 Cup of coconut oil {melted) 
1 tbs butter melted 
2 eggs 
1+1/2 cups of 2 % milk or milk substitute (coconut is yum w/this!)
1 tbs brown sugar (or reg, I prefer brown or coconut) 
1 tsp (cf safe vanilla) 

Mix, pour into waffle maker. Makes about 5-6 waffles! 
I like a little bit of butter, fruit and agave syrup for dipping to top these off. So fluffy and yet crunchy along the sides.


{GLUTEN FREE! FOOTBALL FOOD!}It's been quite a while!!!


Wow it's been quite a while. I've been up and down since my RA diagnosis late may but on my good days I've been cooking up a storm. Today especially I've had quite a bit of fun making some football yummy's for my hubby {and my 9 month preggo self!}

 Learning how to cook or eat with a corn allergy and being celiac has not been easy, or fun. But when I find ways to move around those {BIG} obstacles I feel like I've moved mountains! 

This morning was one of them! All my food is from scratch {gluten & corn free of course too} which I prefer. It tastes so much better, is fresher and is way healthier for you. Even when it's something bad. 

Today I woke up too energized which makes me feel like this baby is a coming soon. I made gluten free/corn free Belgium Waffles. So delicious, they've been a staple the last couple of weeks. I found a recipe that I tweaked to my preference and taste. So good! 


I will post recipes separate from this post 
:-) 
Next up since I can't have bagged fries or safe fries anywhere for that matter thanks to the corn additives and the cross contamination of oils and breaded junk I resorted to making my own from scratch in a personal deep fryer. What what! SO GOOD. I can not say that enough. 

Turkey chili was next, then hot wings!! My husband decided chili cheese fries was a good football snack so he's devouring those now. Hah! 



What a good food day! It's gonna be yummy! Turkey chili, fries, waffle and hot wings recipes to follow!!! 




Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Update I suppose..

Sorry to anyone who might have been looking for GF recipes or anything fun on here as of late...(I'm sure there's been no one but haha) 
About 3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It's been quite a pill to swallow with everything else I have to deal with medically. And quite frankly I have little to no support during this time. 
Sometimes I should pat myself on the back for the things I've gone through and continue to go through daily. But I don't. Instead the lack support has put me in a downward spiral of anger and sadness. I'm so tired of friends and family only coming to me about them especially when I'm suffering so badly. No one listens, everyone compares and in the end all the conversations are about them. And bc I don't bring what I'm going through up its my fault. 
I guess sometimes I want people to know me well enough to push through me saying "oh I'm fine" or my constant smile. Because truly I'm not smiling on the inside and I feel like I'm wasting my days lately. And truthfully life is seriously to short to feel like this. I feel helpless. I'm tired of people only saying "I'm sorry you have to deal with all of this." 
I liked it back in the day when people gave a damn. I liked it when I had friends and family that cared. I liked it better when people cared more about people not only about their job or money. Being an adult sometimes is shitty. But at the same time there's barely a time I'd rather go back to because my life has seriously been so messed up. 
I wish I could make my health problems disappear. I wish I wasn't in physical pain constantly. I wish I was not letting my cards I've been dealt dictate who I am inside. Ugh.... 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Take time Tuesday

What a sunny week or two it's been!! It's amazing! The sun really makes a difference in everything :-)

I'm thankful I got a fun date night with the hubby this last week. We went to the Tigers/Twins game! A little spousal rivalry!!!

Also I made some yummy dishes too! Homemade GF granola bars, yummy breakfast sandwiches and chicken lettuce wraps. Good food is always something to be thankful for!

I also got my Mother's Day gifts early from my hubs. He's so good to me. And knows me so well. Love him! Cool new kicks and a bag full of cute maternity clothes. All picked out by him and a total surprise. He did great too!

Lastly I have been in so much physical pain lately and my pt session today was super helpful. They found that yet again my hip has gone back into its upslip. It kills but now I know why my leg and hip have been almost unbearable lately. Unfortunately they couldn't fix it today, but I have to go back so they can so that's good!!

I finished an art project too! A vintage chalkboard for our kitchen! Woot woot :-)

Hope everyone has a GREAT week!!

-M
Live Half Full















Tuesday, April 23, 2013

What I ate Wednesday

Excited to share a yummy and super easy gluten free and corn free meatball recipe on this what I ate Wednesday! I paired it with homemade marinara sauce and we made meatball sandwiches with it last night. They were SO delicious :-)

For the sauce:
1 32 oz can of tomato purée
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
4 gloves of garlic minced
1 shallot minced
1/2 cup of minced carrots
1 cup of minced onion
1/2 cup of minced mushrooms
1/2 cup of fresh basil chopped
Season w/
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Thyme
Rosemary

Add purée, paste, diced tomatoes, and seasoning in pot and let boil. When boiling turn to low for 20-30 minutes. While that is getting started sauté the veggies, garlic and shallots until they are sweating, add to sauce and cover.

Meatballs:
1 LB ground turkey
1 LB ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup minced onions
1/2 cup minced mushrooms
1/2 cup minced carrots
1 cup of GF breadcrumbs (EASY recipe below)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
1 shallot minced
4 garlic cloves minced
Season w/
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
Oregano
Crushed red pepper

Mix everything together thoroughly and form meatballs on baking sheet (I use tin foil on a sheet) bake at 400• for 25 minutes.

So since I have found out about my corn allergy on top of my Celiac I have not been able to find any breadcrumbs that don't contain corn. Well, no big deal because homemade breadcrumbs are literally EASIER THAN ANYTHING to make!! You just need a toaster and a blender or food processor!

GF/CORNFREE breadcrumbs (just enough for the recipe!)
4 butt ends of your favorite Gf bread
(I have mine made at a Gf/cf bakery other than that majority of the Gf bread on the market contain corn)
Toast bread until crispy (you have to sit and watch bc it can burn easily!)
Chop up in chunks and throw into processor and blend!

Boom! So east right?! I'll never buy or search for Gf/cf ones again. Just save your small and butt end pieces and set aside!

Oh p.s they're also baby approved!!! ;-)










Take time Tuesday

I'm so thankful the bipolar weather here has decided to be more springlike! It's such a huge thing for my mood. I think most people could agree. I've been able to workout outside and go to the park, even started a refinishing project!

I think my hypermesis is cooling down too! I have had days where I'm not so nauseous and not throwing up all day. That's been a blessing. It's been a rough 14 weeks before then. We got to see the baby last week too and got a great picture! That was exciting.

I was really thankful to see some of my friends last week and this past weekend too. It seemed like and really had been forever since I felt good enough to see anyone.

Lastly I'm thankful my work has decided to finally let me switch my schedule since my "two weeks notice" has now been well past a month now. So until they find a replacement I only work 2 days a week now. It's overall helped my outlook on the whole situation in general.

Until next time!

<3
Live Half Full






Thursday, April 18, 2013

Take time Tuesday (Thursday!)

I missed Tuesdays take time, but I got word it was still open! So I'm taking the time on this rainy Thursday to be thankful.

After seeing the events that occurred in Boston, just like any of the other similar events over the last few years, no matter if your directly effected or not, it is no doubt scary.

I sat and watched CNN glued for hours just tearing up and scared. I'm scared to raise children in the world we live in today, but as my husband reminds me constantly (I am a huge worry wart) you can not live everyday in fear, then they win. Which is so true. I however can not imagine the people directly effected. My heart truly goes out to them and their families. It breaks my heart.

With that said Tuesday morning I was so thankful to hear my baby's heartbeat. That does put things into perspective. You have to move forward and come together.

I'm thankful to be safe and have my family, as always. And I am truly thankful I have a cousin with such a big heart. She immediately started up a charity 5k for Boston. That's the true definition of getting up and doing something. She makes me proud! And I can't wait to take part in the run! Even tho my preggo butt will be walking! :-)

I'm thankful on this Thursday to be going to see my new baby too! We get to go for an ultrasound and its better quality then the regular ob's office.

One of my best friends unexpectedly lost their father this week, his funeral is today. I am so sad for her loss.

Overall I am just thankful, no matter how hard my physical days can be, in thankful for my family and everyone around me being safe. While there are people out there aching from their loses, I do have mine and that is 110% worth being thankful for.

Live Half Full



Sunday, April 14, 2013

Flour less 5 ingredient GF peanut butter cookies

I found this recipe from a GF blogger I follow @GlutenAway and tonight I was feeling like a sweet!

http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/5-ingredient-gluten-free-flourless-peanut-butter-cookies/

So easy, I was shocked with such little ingredients how moist the batter was. The only things I did different were I added chocolate chips to half of my batch (for the hubs) and I used crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy. I've done this before and it dried out the cookies, however without having to use flour they stayed super moist and turned out awesome!!!

This is probably my go to GF peanut butter cookie for now on! :-)

So GOOD! Seriously.



Thursday, April 11, 2013

GF Shrimp Scampi

So this past weekend we got fresh seafood from the butcher. I ended up having left over shrimp Monday and decided to try something new rather then having boring old spaghetti (which I love) so I decided to use the leftover shrimp and do shrimp scampi!

What you need:

1lb of GF pasta

1/2-1lb shrimp up to you how much you like

For the sauce:
Butter 1/2 stick or your choice of spread
Fresh Lemon juice (about 1/2 cup)
Fresh garlic cloves (I think I cut up about 4-6)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
Fresh parsley

Parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta, as that's boiling, in a sauté pan melt 1/2 of the amount of the butter and throw in minced garlic. Cook for a minute or two and throw in the shrimp. Add 1tb of oil and half of the amount of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Rinse pasta and set aside. Start to add the other 1/2 of the butter. As its melting throw in the pasta and toss around. Add in the rest of the olive oil, lemon juice and chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly! Season a little again.

Top with Parmesan and a little parsley.

So good, so simple! If it seems to dry up, add a little more oil and lemon juice. My GF noodles were tricky but it worked out well.

ENJOY!

I also did homemade GF garlic cheesy bread...super easy. Take slices of your fave GF bread butter, season with garlic, top with shredded mozzarella and top with parsley. Cook in oven at 350• for about 5-7 minutes!

Next up, roasted duck!!! :-)



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

What I Ate Wednesday

Well this is has been quite a test for me emotionally but I managed to come back for my second WIAW and I am very excited! Along with this I am going to post a few of the recipes from what I ate this week after!

{They include gluten free shrimp scampi and roasted duck with homemade gluten free/corn free tortillas!}

I have been really craving smoothies as of late, it started last week. I suppose I won't complain the baby could be wanting junk but I'm thankful "it" doesn't :-) So I've been doing my own smoothie making this week and not only do I like them, my 22 month old loves them! We had a strawberry, banana, raspberry that was so yummy for early breakfast!

For lunch I was craving something yummy and I happened to be close by to exactly what I was craving...Chipotle!! For a pulled pork Gluten Free burrito bowl. So very worth it!!

For a snack I had a simple veggies and hummus! Light and nutritious :-)

For dinner we made gluten free shrimp scampi in a light butter garlic sauce topped with Parmesan cheese. I also made homemade gluten free garlic cheesy bread! Yum, yum, yum!!!












Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Take time Tuesday

Well today is a nerve racking day but a good day. Big dr's appointments for hopefully some long awaited answers. Currently I've gotten through my 1st rheumatology appointment and now I'm waiting to get through some of the tests they're putting me through.

First it was blood...10 tubes of blood to be exact. Thought I was going to pass out! 18 X-rays, then 2 ultrasounds. I was supposed to go to neurology after this but they rescheduled it to a week from now because of all the tests they wanted to run today are taking up too much time and some of the answers might get answered through them first. Then I'm headed to my endocrinologist.

I'm so thankful after seeing literally 5 dr's that I found two who referred me to a rheumatologist. It took a lot of patience and persistence to get anyone to listen to me, but I never lost hope. I've been here before with my hashimoto's and celiac. No one would really listen, they made me feel like I was crazy, but no matter what I listened to my body and pushed on.

When I got here today as I sat in the room waiting in my gown I wondered "will this dr really hear me?" "Is this going to be the final dr who finds what's really wrong?" "Is this going to be a waste of time and more money?" "Am I crazy?!!?"

Well after meeting her, talking and her explaining what she thinks may be going on an her plan for the next few weeks I was put at ease. I'm nervous about the possibilities of what's going on, but I feel like maybe I might be getting the answers--- finally. She hopes to diagnosis me in the next 3 weeks after all re results are reviewed by her and her team. She thinks there's a great possibility that I have RA, lupus or another auto immune inflammatory arthritis disease. She seems sure she can find the answer tho. So I am positive and hopeful. The neuro wants to retest me for MS as well so I'm hoping this is the last of the testing. It's been 2 long years.

I am thankful I have insurance and a supportive few people in my life. I am thankful I am still here with apparently 9 lives, like a cat. I am thankful for having all the specialists I do have that have been pushing through trying to get to the bottom of this. And lastly I'm thankful for for being able to stay positive through this whole process.


Live Half Full

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Take time Tuesday

Well let me tell you!! I woke up this morning refreshed and well rested because after 21 LONG months my little nugget FINALLY slept in his own bed through the night!!!! And let me tell you I am THANKFUL!! Hahaha....I hope it wasn't a fluke and he truly has been excited about his new big boy full size bed like he tells us, and we are on our way to a baby free mommy and daddy bed!

I am thankful for being brave enough to meet up with a new "mom friend" for a play date yesterday. I'm always hesitant to meet new people and open up with the things I've been through, but lately I have been missing the connection of having a good friend. We had a good time, I don't think it was a friend connection for us moms, but we got along good and our boys really liked one another! So it's good to know even if its for the sake of the kids, we have a new friend for Caleb. Also during last week we tried out many new things and places for Caleb and I to make new mommy/baby friends. I'm really proud of myself because as of late I really have been to anxious to put myself out there, but when I do I see how happy Caleb can be so its worth it!

One other thing I'm really thankful for this week is I finally put my two weeks into my job. I have only had it since the end of September but ever since thanksgiving I have had more and more flare ups and medical issues that have really made it hard to work. I hate confrontation and quitting a job I really enjoyed, but with advice from my cousin I was honest with my boss and I am leaving on more than good terms. And I'm back to staying at home with Caleb and taking care of myself and the new baby on the way, with much support from my wonderful husband. I am thankful everyday for the support I have in him. No matter what.

I'm 3 months now, and only 2 weeks away from starting my 4th month! It's already going by so fast!! :-)
Live Half Full





Sunday, March 31, 2013

GF {w/DF option} Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

Holy GF banana ice cream batman!!!

So anyone who really knows me, knows that I am not an ice cream fan but when I discovered Coldstone's banana ice cream I about fell in love many years ago. I haven't actually had it in probably 3-4 years now because of the celiac and the heaviness of it never agreed with my stomach, but I have never forgotten about it!
I originally saw a recipe on the night time mom bleeps on the Disney channel for homemade banana "ice cream" that was just frozen bananas and I re-saw a few different recipes on Pinterest that really made me want try it. So tonight I did!!

I made a version of the coldstone concoction I LOVE. Banana split decision :-) made with banana ice cream, fresh strawberries, melted fudge and roasted almonds bits. You can easily do a plain banana, strawberry banana or try one like this! It was really tasty and minus the chocolate it would be totally dairy free too!

All you need is a ninja or a food processor, frozen banana chunks {I used two large bananas}, a handful of frozen strawberries, around 1/4 cup chocolate of choice {I used dark, melted} roasted almonds, and a few fresh strawberries.

Place frozen banana, frozen strawberries and melted chocolate into the ninja or processor and use the blade attachment first, after a few pluses and you see everything chopped up into small pieces {it looks dry, but it's not!} switch to the attachment that has no blade. Pulse and watch the ice cream create!!! It's fun as it turns to see it coming together :-) scoop out and top with fresh strawberries and almonds! So easy!! I'm sure too if you did like it creamier you can add a splash of milk, cream or dairy alternative. Just not too much bc you don't want to water it down.

This made about 3 servings, but I find, when making it you only want to make enough for 1-2 times eating bc it is fresh and I don't think it freezes and re-eats like it does the first time. But your choice totally!

The best part of this, it's super low cal, fruity and yummy, and you do NOT have to feel bad about splurging bc it's not real ice cream that's heavy and full of junk!

The only thing that has dairy I used was the milk in the chocolate but you can use DF chocolate too for a full DF.

ENJOY!!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

WIAW

So today is my first WIAW and I have been inspired to do so by my cousin whose been actively pushing me to pursue my goals. I feel we help one another to do so all the time! It's great to have her in my life :-)

So today for my first WIAW I wanted to post my dinner from last night! Ever since I was diagnosed with a severe case of celiac disease last April I have been missing my favorite foods. I haven't had too many cravings, but now that I'm almost 10 weeks pregnant the cravings for all the things I simply cannot have, have been kicking in like crazy!

One of my favorite foods since I was in middle school is chicken lo mien. Love, love, love Chinese food. In past blogs posts I've done pork pot stickers from scratch and they were AMAZING and although I've made stir fry and lo mien before it just hasn't hit the spot like the REAL thing till last night.

I think I nailed it this time. And mostly due to the change in noodles. I had been using Thai rice noodles prior and I decided to try brown rice vermicelli by the brand Peacock instead, and WOW I impressed myself again.

For the veggies this time I used:
Water chestnuts
Red peppers
Green peppers
Onions
Carrots

{I also like use sprouts, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots but stuck to what I had on hand last night.}

For the sauce and marinade I used:
Tamari GF soy sauce
Orange juice
Water
Ginger paste
Ginger powder
Garlic powder
Minced Garlic
Salt
Pepper

And the noodles were brown rice vermicelli

So good!!

Gluten Free cooking has been an adjustment for me, but not giving up and trying again and again till I hit perfection has been key. Don't give up new Celiac's! There is hope :-)





Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Take time Tuesday

Lately I have not had a lot to be thankful for. Sounds harsh but I've had quite the ride the last few years with my health. Especially the last year in particular. But through it all I do have a few things I can say I'm thankful for.
Last week after dealing with most of my hair falling out I decided it would be best to cut it all off and start fresh. My dr's still aren't exactly sure why it's been falling out but hopefully in the coming weeks there will be some answers. Anyways I was terrified to cut all my hair off. I've had long hair for about 3-4 years now. So I picked out some photos and found some really cute cuts. Much to my surprise I REALLY loved the end result! I was so comfortable in my long hair routine but when it started falling out rapidly it looked like death there were short pieces and long looked bad. But I'm loving the low maintenance of my new do and the many compliments I've been getting from people who see me regularly!
Also being 9 weeks pregnant has not been easy on me, but I'm thankful for my healthy bean growing and our family expanding. So many people have had a hard time getting pregnant and I feel lucky (even being told I would be infertile.) I have not had any issues getting pregnant this time or the first. We have been truly LUCKY.
With that being said Cj and I had quite the bath time fun on Saturday. He can be a handful but gosh is he funny and full of life. I love him so very much. Absolutely thankful for him and my husband everyday.
Lastly although the snow keeps deciding to fall down we were lucky enough to have some sun and in the high 30's Sunday so the family and I took a nice few mile walk and it gives me hope spring is around the corner and my winter blues are coming to an end!! Thank goodness!!! :-)

Live Half Full






Monday, February 11, 2013

Allergy Testing

Soooo I started allergy testing two weeks ago. Was pretty interesting. Started with all the environmental factors. Then this week starts the 48hr process of food testing. Little nervous for the food stuff, but very excited to start a new chapter in my life, hopefully with a new agenda on what I can and can not eat besides gluten. The dr was amazing and one of the best I've had so far. Caring, understanding, sympathetic... Everything I was looking for. She went over my extensive medical history and kept calling me fascinating and one of a kind. And that's not the first dr, and I know it won't be the last. I should be dead, literally. But I'm not. I'm here fighting daily.

Anyways.... :-)

During my first session I got a glimpse into the reality of my allergies. I've always had seasonal allergies. Started when I was about 12, ironically that's when my milk intolerance started. I always remember how sick I would get each season with no help from Allegra, Claritin, and Benadryl. It kinda all makes sense now after talking to the dr. On a scale from 1-4 I was a 4 on everything except dogs I was fine, and cats I was a 3. But apparently I am a 4 on 4 different seasonal trees, grass, ragweed, mold, mites and 3 other things. They are going to go over all of it on Thursday.

When I was getting pricked with the needles..by the time he got to the last one the MA said "WOW! You're what we call dermagraphic!" I then replied "and that means??!" He explained it meant either I had really sensitive skin or I was allergic to everything and chuckled. But went on to say "but that's highly unlikely."

Well after 10 minutes had passed (a total of 15 minutes for the test to fully set) he came into the room panicked, alarmed and very concerned. He screamed as he first came in. I knew what was up after feeling like I wanted to itch my skin off 8 minutes prior. He quickly started wiping everything off and cleaning my back. He said he need to get the dr and there was no need for the last 5 minutes, that it was already clear and I didn't need to be tortured any longer. He then got the dr and she did the same thing when she came back in...screamed a yelp as she first caught a glimpse of my back and came over quickly and started reading off my results...and she was chuckling as she was reading them..."well here we go...4..4...4...4...4...4...3...4" She also went on to say she hasn't had someone react like that in some time.

She said after everything I had been dealing with, with the celiac and EOE she wasn't surprised. And she said she anticipates the food ones coming back just as clear. Again, I'm looking forward to it! I'm so tired if being sick and being scared of 99.9% of things that enter my mouth.

Here's a few pictures from my experience .... The red one of my back was taken 15 minutes after everything was cleaned off and the swelling started to go down. Ouch!

My everyday

There are some days when I feel like writing something, then ultimately decide not to because I don't want to sound like a complainer...And there's another side of me that says "Why not? You could help someone!" Well...today I have some spare time while the bebe sleeps so I thought I'd get some frustrations out.
I haven't updated much as far as my prognosis and what is going on as of late, or maybe even at all. Most of the time it's because outside of my husband and a few select individuals no one gets my everyday, let alone my life.
About 3 months ago I had to undergo a endoscopy and colonoscopy after 7 months of gluten free and being diagnosed with Celiac disease late April. During that surgery I had nearly 10 biopsies done. That was about 5 more than originally expected. The result was that the Celiac disease really did a number on my intestines, probably from being undiagnosed for so long.There were white blood cells covering my esophagus, intestines and part of my stomach, as well as mucus. The dr also explained to me the mass amounts of damage to my esophagus. Which in turn lead to them finding Eosinophilic Esophagitis also known as EOE. An inflammatory disease usually caused by food allergies but is relitively rare in adults. My dr also was telling me, up until 2011 there were hardly any known cases of this in adults, only children. Which really makes me think. It is also a pretty hard to understand disorder. Go figure it had to be added to my list of issues.
I'm now going through crazy amounts of allergy testing because of it. Just a month previous my dr said I have Fibromyalgia as well. I was 'cleared' last year for MS, but as of recent, I have to go through the testing again. Along with further RA testing after my RA factor came up over the "normal limits."

So at this point I have:
Primary Hyperoxaluria type 2 (Very Rare, DX in 88') Currently have 3 kidney stones..
Hashimoto's (Auto Immune, DX in 09')
Celiac (Auto Immune, DX in 12')
Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease (DX 12')
Trochanteric Bursitis (DX in 12')
EOE (allergies DX in 12')
Fibromyaliga (DX in 12')
Corn allergy (dx in 13)

And in the reprocess of testing for MS and new testing RA and allergies.

Everyday I have symptoms for each and every one of these. Some days I'm in so much pain I can't get out of bed, but I have no choice. I know it could be worse but I wish people that constantly complained about trivial things took the time to say hey you know what, I've got my health and that's pretty solid compared to some people. And I also wish that some people I talked to about my struggles wouldn't compare them to something silly. Makes me cringe and really build a wall up. I wish the things I had we're temporary and silly, but they're not.
Vent done :-)

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Gluten Free & Vegan--Quick tofu and snap peas over rice

Fast and easy lunch, dinner or in my case---breakfast!! I'm a little odd, I like savory over sweet in the morning. I've never been a cereal person (except when I was pregnant last year!) never took to donuts, same with sweets. I like them here and there. So I oddly made this for breakfast yesterday morning :-)

What you need:

Tofu extra firm
Snap Peas
1/2-3/4 cup Jasmine Rice, also tastes great with brown rice. I usually alternate.
Ginger
Tamari 3 tablespoons
11/2 tablespoons of water
Garlic (optional)
15-20 minutes cook time
Season tofu after cubed and in pan

Start rice, then set aside.

First, drain your tofu, then press the excess water out, gently. I like to get a lot of the water out of mine so it has more of a dense feeling rather then a silky bit. Just a texture thing in the recipe, if you prefer a silky one, just simply cook it less time. I cube it and sauté it in a combo of Tamari GF low sodium soy sauce, ginger, pepper and garlic. I cook it flipping it occasionally for approximately 15 minutes.
While this is going on, steam the snap peas for about 5-7 minutes until the consistently you like. Crunchier about 5, softer about 7.
Around the last 5 minutes of cooking throw the amount if snap you'd like into the pan and sauté them together. It dries them out a little (still leaving them soft) and give them a good taste.

When done serve over jasmine rice and ENJOY! Simple easy and flavorful :-) hope you like!



Sunday, January 27, 2013

Gluten Free Asian Pork Pot Stickers {from scratch}

I was in a major medical funk today after some news from my one of my many dr's. So I asked myself today, what is something I miss eating that has Gluten in it? One of the first things that popped into my head was Chinese food, pork pot stickers to be exact. I love lo mien, but I'd like to consider myself a pot sticker connoisseur. No really....haha...

I've tried them all over the U.S. Detroit, Denver, Philly, Portland-OR {the best, Shanghai Tunnel!} Atlanta....ok you get the point. I really like them. So after hearing one of the many Celiac's I follow post a tweet about #celiacproblems and making them a #celiacsolution I felt inspired to try something {scary} and new. Make them from scratch.

I've had a transition challenge from gluten cooking to gluten-free cooking. Something that's kind of been frustrating because I had felt I had mastered the one and the other has so far been hit or miss, usually dealing with a texture/baking issue. Because the two are drastically different and a work in progress.

So today I was in a happy place thanks to seeing my BFF after a long time apart., and felt inspired so I made them from scratch!! Took almost two hours total between prep and cooking. So this isn't a quick recipe, but a good {worth it} recipe!

Plus, a bonus, you can easily freeze them after the first boil process for a later date and then reboil them as stated below and then pan cook till light/to preferred darkness. Then definitely a quick 30 minute meal perfect for the hustle and bustle of the week! :-)

I will say I have a little bit of cooking experience. A few years behind my belt with some training from an old roommate-chef and my grandma. Along with a lot of trails and errors over the years. I am 50 % Polish surrounded by a lot of 100% Pollocks so I have some experience making pierogi's from scratch so I found a great recipe I've used for GF pierogi dough and paired it with this and it worked perfect!!

Anyways ok finally the recipe--!

What you need/ what you need to do with it---
Insides:
1 lb of ground Pork
1 bunch of Bok Choy
1/2 of a onion
-Chop up bok Choy into small shreds and mince onion
-Mix in bowl with ground pork and season with below spices. Set aside.

Seasoning:
Sea salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper
Tablespoon of fresh minced ginger
Garlic
2 tablespoons of tamari (Gf soy sauce)
1 tablespoon of Coconut oil, to fry in at end

For the Dough:
2 cups tapioca flour
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 cup white rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
2-1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
Have an extra 1/2 of flour mixture for rolling out the dough and when it gets thin and or sticky.
approximately 1-1/4 cup water (you can substitute some of the water with a little gluten-free sour cream or Greek yogurt, I use about 1 tablespoon of Greek)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 large eggs, beaten seasoned with a dash of sea salt and pepper.

To make the dough, whisk all dry dough ingredients thoroughly.
Add oil, egg and water; and mix thoroughly to form a stretchy type of dough, the consistency of raw biscuit dough.
Add a little cornstarch, enough to allow you to handle without sticking to your hands.
Sprinkle a smooth surface generously with tapioca flour. Flour your hands and rolling pin, too. Roll out thin, but not as thin as possible, as this will cause the dough to stick to the surface and tear while filling.
Roll enough dough out so that you will be able to cut out 3 1/2 - 4” circles. I use a medium size cup to do the perfect size with a little water near by just in case it gets sticky, you can dip it before you make the cut out.
To each circle add about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling and close to form a half circle.
Pinch each pot sticker closed
Boil water in a large pot. Cook until the pierogies float to the top, about 8 minutes.
I prefer them sautéed them in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil after boiling them. Fry them until golden brown. I usually sauté them until they're crispy about 5-7 minutes. Check the insides to make sure the meat is fully cooked. Usually takes 15-20 minutes total for me.

I am so impressed with myself I won't lie. They tasted so good. I paired then with a simple homemade sauce.

A mixture of Ginger, crushed red pepper, Gf soy sauce and water. Yum!!

Hope you like!