Sneek Peek Monday!

Ok, so I'm already excited about Friday and it's still the entire week away. But, I have something really fun I'm working on, and have been for a few weeks, so I can't wait to get it out there for everyone to see - the whole four people who read my blog!

I am going to try to get pictures this time, and by Friday will have a new recipe, not a meal this time, but something definitely good for breakfast or on the go. Gluten free and sugar free, it's made with high protein, high fiber almond flour, eggs and the secret ingredient that's going to warm up your mouth!

Even though the northern states are going to start pulling out of winter soon, it's great for a cool morning when you're in a hurry or just don't want to cook. These taste AMAZING when they are precooked and stored in the fridge.

Here's your hint:

Sugar Free Frosting!

(this recipe has been adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/absolutely-sugar-free-frosting-123602)

1 package of sugar free cheesecake flavored pudding (jello brand works)

1 and 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

splash of vanilla

Whip all ingredients together until stiff peaks form. Use immediately or store in fridge, in a sealed container.

Ready to know what we're using it on??? =) Come back on Friday!

Purple on Free Friday!

Here is our next Free Friday! It's sometimes hard to deal with the gluten free sugar free life, and over this past week, I've found quite a few blogs (written light years more eloquently than mine) and more people who are reaching for no wheat. It seems I'm definitely not the only one who has realized that wheat should not be such a staple in our diet. Perhaps a facet of our diet, but certainly not the main show as it tends to be now. Refer to my first post if you'd like an idea of a 'typical' American diet. It's very wheat heavy. Nutrition experts encourage people to eat a varied diet to increase vitamin and mineral intake and maximize health benefits, with emphasis on colors. So, why do we insist on continuing the old government pyramid with 12 servings of 'grains' a day - this usually equals consuming breads, pastas, and any additives in sauces and foods you didn't really know about.

After cutting grains out of my diet, I was shocked at how much better I felt. Lethargy, grogginess, depression and join pains started fading. It was an amazing transformation which was not miraculous or extreme by any means, but enough to notice that this something different was a good change for me. This may not work for everyone, but imagine the next time you snack on a candy bar only to feel tired an hour later. The body is not designed to function on empty calories and sugar, but to store those when it has a chance because it's obviously a 'treat'. Our bodies know this and react accordingly.

Today's recipe will help combat that after dinner lethargy (or lunchtime sugar crash if you prefer!). And since I'm such a fan of purple, it's so fitting that today's meal actually IS purple. LOL.

To the best of my knowledge, this is my recipe. I have adapted it from a recipe my mother made for us as a kid, and I still make it today. No internet searches were involved in the making of this meal. =) My kids do not tend to like this meal much but do tolerate it well. If you have picky kids, perhaps this won't work so well, however, it's well worth the effort to freeze in containers and take when you're in a hurry. Also, this is perfect for a nice cold winter night.

Purple Soup

1 already cooked (leftover) ham - use the bone, meat around the bone and any extra you have, a few handfuls of leftover meat is great.

1 small head of purple cabbage

2 cans cannellini beans

1/2 onion

1/2 head of garlic

handful of chopped chives

Throw all the meat into a crock pot with the spices, add about 5 oz of water, put it on high, and walk away for about 6 hours.

Chop your cabbage into small chunks, about 1" cubes - add to the crock pot after the meat is falling off the bone and can be pulled apart easily. Also, add enough water to cover the meat and cabbage. Replace the lid, cook another 2 hours on high.

1 hour before serving, add the beans. They only need to be heated, but the longer they sit, the more purple they turn!

Salt and pepper to taste, serve hot. Goes well with a side of brie or sprinkled with some walnuts for some crunch.

Freezes wonderfully, put it in individual containers to pop in the freezer and grab when you're in a hurry but need a healthy lunch!

The perfect purple soup!

Introducing Free Friday!

Sooo, this is kinda an inspiration from somewhere else, but I figured this would be a good way to get me here, writing on the blog once a week - introducing free Fridays. Basically, I'll try to come up with a simple or at least creative meal for Friday. IF somehow I can't come up with any amazing recipe, I'll make sure I post something edible. I promise not to say shrimp cocktails too many weeks in a row.

Today is for comfort food. I think I had a hard few days and decided that when you're worried about food all the time, it starts to weigh on you instead of being a good thing. Decidedly yesterday was one of those days nothing looked good. Insert reach for pasta here. Now every person out there with sugar and wheat issues knows pasta is not a great choice. There are a lot of different gf pastas to choose from: rice, quinoa, corn, amaranth. Pick a pasta you like the taste, texture and isn't too strong. Some people find quinoa to be too strong, but I really like the flavor and love the texture, it's as close as I can get to wheat. I'm so addicted to the texture of wheat - I'd never eat it again if it lost it's nice smooth, elasticky, rich texture. Ohya. I'm not supposed to eat it ever again anyway. I digress.

Watch portions of pasta very carefully, in regards to sugars. A single serving of quinoa corn pasta can have 46g carbs and that means a nice sugar crash 45 min later. Pair it with steak or shrimp, AND (yes I said and) some strong leafy veggies like kale, spinach or escarole. If necessary only have 1/2 serving. I'm a pasta fiend. I could eat a whole box in one sitting and have nothing more than garlic, butter and salt on it. yum.

So here's today's recipe (I'm going to super cheat here on ingredients so you can see how easy this would be to pick up and toss together - some work necessary but you'll be so glad you did.)

Craving pasta!

Cook 1 serving (for each person) of your favorite GF pasta

1 bottle of your favorite spaghetti sauce (yikes! or if you have your own use it but try to make it ahead so this is available!)

1/2 bag of frozen mixed veggies like squash, zuccini, carrots and whatever fun blend you want to use, red peppers, green peppers (whatever is already chopped!)

Couple handfuls of chopped kale

1 crock pot or rotisserie chicken (check labels for wheat used as a stabilizer in the marinade for these chickens)

Ok you have your pasta done in the sink with butter melting all over it. Take those frozen veggies and kale and omg /gasp (microwave them till soft) - no one heard me say that. Just get them unfrozen asap!

Open up the jar of sauce, pour into a pan or (yes you can microwave that too.) Toss the softened veggies/cooked kale in a food processor and pulse till you cannot recognize it for much more than baby food. =)

Pour into the tomato sauce.

Heat.

Place pasta on a plate, top with sauce, some cheese of your fav variety (I like mozo) and then a few slices of chicken on top.

Voila. Comfort food for the SFGF crowd. Everyone will love it. The sauce texture is amazing, the flavors pop and the balance is beautiful for when you're really craving pasta!

I realized today I have no real pictures of any of these foods or anything resembling a nice plate of wholesome foods... but I have a lot of pictures of Johnny Rzeznik. /sheepish grin. Does that help a food blog? Oh yes, I love good scenery while I eat. Ahem.

(Thank you J for your picture contribution, that is my favorite guitar of all time.)

Have Your Cake!

After a long holiday season, a move and some vacation time, I'm back! For a bit there it was overwhelming with all the things going on and food is always a big chore to figure out but things have settled and I have a new recipe today!

The move went smoothly and we arrived back at the house with little issue. After arriving at the house however, found the washing machine to be broken. Since I was leaving a few days later and needed to do laundry, there was a mad before Christmas dash to try to find a washing machine. I found one, was very happy with it, and left with clean clothes.

Tropical vacation awaited in beautiful Costa Rica. The itenerary was full of amazing things like sightseeing and enough walking to trek across a mountain. Started at Arenal, went across the lake, over to Monteverde, back to the city and then onto Manuel Antonio Beach - which also included a hike through the jungle. It was great fun and as much as I worried about having nothing to eat, I was really surprised at how easy it was to find things I could eat and how generous people were with finding things for me and accommodating my ridiculous diet. I'm completely addicted to plantains now. And yes I know they're bad for me! Plantains happen to be chock full of starch, you might as well eat a white potato, but the first day there, I woke up to some of the best plantains I've ever had. I believe they were roasted in the skin, so they weren't really dry and had a lot of flavor. Served with 'sour cream' (which I'm convinced is the same thing as plain yogurt) and the local white cheese, it was beyond words. My mouth was watering for days after that just thinking about it. I tried it at another place and they unfortunately - were very grand - but their plantains did not quite make the pass as well as the others.

So, I get home and am bent on trying to replicate these plantains, but good luck on the cheese. I have seen it in the store and it makes me cringe. I'm not sure what they think it's supposed to taste like but I want the real thing!

Up next, I found a recipe on about.com for a sugar free gluten free cheesecake. I usually take things like that with a grain of salt knowing that for the most part they are either disgusting or so odd they don't quite taste the same. After reading the ingredients and figuring I had nothing to lose I gave it a shot. OH. MY. GOODNESS. If you haven't been off sugar for a while, you will be able to taste the sugar substitute. If you have not had sugar for a long time, you're going to take one bite and realize this is the dream cheesecake you've always wanted! I find the flavor to be almost identical to a New York cheesecake. Very rich and flavorful, made from a base of nuts and cheese, how could you go wrong? I have this one for breakfast! Just like the coconut cream pie... that's another story for another day.

I do love cheesecake very much and finding this recipe was a God send. However. When was the last time I got a recipe and DIDN'T upgrade it just a bit? I changed the sweetener in the crust, converted it all to ounces (WHERE ARE YOUR SCALES!?) and basically got some nice tips to keep your cheesecake looking pro!

On my soapbox of using a scale I will say this: I ruined a cheesecake yesterday. How? Well, I had the ingredients perfect but I overbeat it and then overbaked it. Two of the worst mistakes you can make. I will admit I was using a new pan, but the laws of physics don't change. Usually. Ok, mostly in this case! Imagine had I not had a scale and perhaps only overbeat it. I would have had a very hard time figuring out what had gone wrong. From knowing my measurements might be slightly off to if my oven is running high... which still could be a possibility. This way at least I know I was spot on with my ingredients, that was not the cause of the downfall. By the way, it's really painful to throw an entire cheesecake into the trash.

The picture was the only one I had, with my igadget. If I get a better one, I'll be sure to post it here.

Enjoy!!

Gluten free, sugar free, New York Cheesecake

You can use a springform pan. I use an 8x8 square stone baking dish. The heat distributes more evenly and seems to make a great texture. If you want to be able to release the cake, simply line the pan with parchment and have someone help you lift it from the pan to the serving dish, I have NO guarantees this will work as the crust is fragile. However, baking it in the stoneware makes for pretty presentation and no one will mind at all.

Ingredients:

Filling:

3 packages of cream cheese 1.5lbs (softened)

4 large eggs (room temp)

1/2 oz of vanilla

1/4 oz of lemon juice

2 oz of sour cream

1/2 to 1/3 oz of NuNaturals stevia (ONLY this brand!! It does NOT get bitter but using too much can cause a bit of an aftertaste)

Crust:

8 oz almond flour

3/4 oz flax seeds

3 oz melted butter

2 oz of sugar free maple syrup

Heat oven to 375 (place an unglazed paving stone on the bottom rack of the oven while it preheats.)

Mix ingredients for the crust in a bowl and press into the bottom of your springform pan or baking dish moving it up the sides a bit, until it's evenly distributed.

Prick the bottom with a fork. Place in oven for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browning on the edges.

Meanwhile, take softened cream cheese and beat in a mixer for a few minutes to make sure it is smooth. Mix in sour cream, then add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice. Do NOT overbeat. Once the eggs are in, they will continue to fluff as you beat the mixture. Overbeating will cause dryness and cracks. If you'd like to eat a cheesecake with a spongecake texture - go ahead, keep beating until it's super fluffy. For the rest of us that akin cheesecake to a fine type of créme brulée, well this cheesecake is going for that kind of texture - don't over beat it. Smooth, creamy, almost pudding, but not.

Put your cheesecake in the oven and drop the temperature to 200. What you're doing now is basically simulating a water bath, without all the hot water. The heat should start out fairly warm, around 350 but drop to 200 over the next 25 minutes or so. Watch it carefully, the cheesecake is done when the center still wiggles when you shake the pan. If it's solid, you've overbaked it. You may get a few cracks coming out of the oven. Sometimes it's helpful to cover it with a towel so it doesn't take the shock of the cold air and shrink - resulting in cracks. If you do not care if your cake is cracked as long as it tastes good, well wait a second. It will continue to cook as it sits on your counter. Allow it to finish setting and then when it reaches room temp, put it in your fridge overnight.

The next day you should pull out a beautiful, delicious, rich and creamy, New York sugar free, gluten free cheesecake!

Chips and Dip

Since yesterday was Thanksgiving and since mostly there's not a whole lot of people benefiting from my no recipes SFGF blog...then I didn't post anything yesterday but I came away with quite a bit of insight and some topics for today.

First of all, Thanksgiving is about the worst forms of selfishness and gluttony. Hee hee. Ok so that was a harsh start. Secondly, there is very few "traditional" foods for Americans to enjoy if they are SFGF. Lastly, I am going to post a recipe which was a huge hit but I'm still working out conversion kinks.

Let's start with the first topic. Thanksgiving was traditionally a time that we would recognize our good fortune (specifically as it had to do with coming to the 'new world' and shaking the cloak of tyranny off our backs. I wasn't there when this happened but I'm told that's the basic principle. Current day we have an abundance of everything - and it's great we have all we need but at some point it becomes a bit ridiculous. Especially when the papers and news and neighbors can complain and whine about how things are tight and money is inflated and doesn't buy what it used to - but you'll still see them watch their fancy 55 inch LED TV and buy an over priced Christmas tree with all the lights and trimmings. Holidays are supposed to be for bringing family and friends together over a special meal they all share or contribute to while spending time in a relaxed setting and enjoying each other's company. If there is ONE single person ever in the history of the world that would describe the holidays as "relaxing, enjoying family, and sharing" I'd like to meet them. Most people are hurried, rushed, panicked, stressed, taking on too much at a time all while muttering about "what is mother going to say this year in front of the kids?" It's anything but relaxing. Then you either show up at someone's house for dinner, or you throw a dinner yourself and there's two or three days worth of prep, cleaning, cooking, and work. Everyone leaves and you collapse, spent and exhausted. Another proof of gluttony - and a focus on the overabundance and excess. Like being mowed down in Walmart for today's hottest deal, or two people fighting over the last turkey at the grocery store. Don't we have something better to focus on than hullabaloo? This isn't typical for everyone - in my house there tends to be a lot of company in the kitchen - but good luck getting a decent comment or kind word. It's like a bevy of maids all bustling to do their chores. I have enough work for me, get out of my way so I can be done.

Here is a list of this year's T-day meal (I had the opportunity to go elsewhere and decided that was for the best for everyone involved)

Turkey

gravy

white dinner rolls

white mashed potatoes

green bean casserole (with the fried onions on top)

cranberry sauce (canned)

pumpkin pie

sweet potato pie

ice cream

whipped cream

I'm fairly sure I heard a collective groan from all the people I can imagine reading this blog who are GFSF and read that menu.

Basically, it's starch, gluten and sugar. In a nutshell. At first I was thinking, ok I can work with that, I can have turkey (if it's not stuffed) and maybe umm ... water? There was a ton of food; an overabundance if you will. There was enough for about five families and there were three present. People eat until they are sick and can't eat anymore. There's relatively little self control and even more complaints (yep yours truly) about how things were not what they wanted. Well... something had to give. Complaining doesn't change anything and being upset about it isn't exactly going to contribute to the family get together atmosphere we all crave from holiday artwork.

The day before, I decided what I wanted to eat which equaled what I would cook and bring with me. And I know you're thinking, "WTF, they invited you, can't they provide a decent meal? HOSPITALITY AND ALL!!" Oh, well, yes of course! I would think a caring or thoughtful person would definitely take some considerations and do their best to be helpful or provide something for you. But not everyone can be that way, or thinks that way and especially not everyone is as well informed of your condition as you are, so there has to be some leeway. It may very well be a learning experience for people around you or even a conversation starter - nothing brings people together like a meal, and being creative with your meals can really be a positive thing.

After brainstorming, the menu then included:

Spinach artichoke dip

deviled eggs

sauteed green beans

upside down sweet potato pie

pumpkin pie

cheesecake

And the panic again! Wait! Lots of those things are loaded with sugar! Nope. I found some spectacular sugar free recipes and definitely, they not only came out delicious, but no crash at the end! I was the only one awake after dinner!

The pies were to die for, and sugar free to boot. The sweet potato, I made one for me and one for everyone else with regular sugar and it was phenomenal. No more worries about what to eat at a family meal, you have ideas above! Keep that in mind for upcoming Christmas festivities. None of these are very difficult and I'll include their recipes as we go.

Here's the first! (bear with me while I try to deal with conversions, I am still relying on my cup for the most part!)

Upside down sweet potato pie

1-2 large (cooked, peel removed) sweet potatoes - mashed

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

3 oz. sugar free maple syrup (plus a little extra if needed)

1/4 oz ground nutmeg

1/4 oz ground cloves

1/2 oz ground cinnamon

1/4 oz ground ginger (powder form works best)

1/3 oz vanilla

10 oz crushed/chopped walnuts OR pecans

2 oz butter - melted

3 oz dried cranberries (OPTIONAL! these typically have sugar added to them)

In a bowl mix sweet potatoes, cream, 1 oz syrup, all the spices (reserve 1/2 oz of cinnamon aside) vanilla and mix well. I used a mixer for this but hand mixing works fine. Pour into a well buttered baking dish. In another bowl, mix nuts, rest of cinnamon and the rest of the syrup, (cranberries if you like) and butter until it will form a ball. If you find it's not sticky enough, add a little more syrup. Your nut mixture should be able to be formed, but somewhat sticky. Crumble this evenly over the top of your sweet potato mixture and bake until brown and crispy on top, 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

This is an original recipe which I came up with at 9pm the night before Thanksgiving. That's not to say it doesn't exist elsewhere or someone else made it first. I just didn't do any kind of internet searches so I have no reference for my idea other than I wanted sweet potato pie, LOL.

Enjoy!

Sushi

There are a few odd bird people out there who just do not like sushi. At all. Some people like different forms of sushi and that's fine, and some people have never even tried it but turn up their noses at it. I don't understand this much. There are a lot of foods I don't like but I'm willing to give it a shot first. I hate hot spicy foods but I love chili (mild) hot tuna rolls and hot wings. There may be more hot foods out there I will like one day but at least I can say I will give it a whirl.

Back to sushi. This is a grey category for someone who is gluten free. It's even more grey for someone who needs to watch their blood sugar (white rice has a VERY high glycemic index.) I have decided to compile a "Survivor's guide to sushi" for all those out there who are GFSF. This list is in no particular order other than I just thought about it or have already been thinking about it.

1. Never order anything 'tempura.' Just don't. Tempura is supposed to be rice flakes (similar to bread crumbs) but most tempura is made from wheat. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but unless you're going to do tempura at home and sub this out, don't go there.

2. Bring 'tamari' sauce. Real soy sauce is actually made with wheat. Yeah. Bummer. So avoid ordering anything that has eel sauce on it (made with soy sauce) or anything that doesn't have soy sauce on the side. Bring your own wheat free sauce or tamari sauce. It tastes better and has no wheat.

3. Americanized sushi is your friend. Yes, the Japanese chefs are not only cool to watch, many of them personable and eager to put on a show and definitely authentic - they will not know how to roll a sushi roll without rice. It's just against every moral fiber and code ingrained in them. Sushi chains and specialized restaurants may have a better ability to roll sushi without the rice. Basically you pick your sushi - salmon, cream cheese, avacado, and cucumber - these are rolled together in a seaweed wrapper and then plated. There is no rice. I cannot rave enough about this roll. Not only is it filling and delicious, but it has zero worry. Some places will note their rolls as available "riceless." Do not confuse this with "sashimi." That's a whole other bird, ahem, fish, altogether.

4. Go for the sashimi. If you are a true die hard sushi lover and enjoy a nice block of fresh fish right out of the water, go for it! Sashimi is delicious and "pure." No additives, no sauces (unless specified) and it comes in an array of fishes. Yellowtail is one of my favorites along with escolar (which has the texture of room temperature butter). If it is served on rice, simply eat the fish without the rice. Dip in your tamari sauce. Enjoy.

5. In the event that you are on a sushi craving and you cannot find any Americanized versions of your favorite rolls, and seems you left your spare bottle of tamari in your other Lamborghini, well you're still in luck. Some restaurants and sushi places will have the tamari, if not, expect to skip this step. You'll have to live without it a bit. As for the sushi, try to get a high protein version of whatever roll you like. Skip the veggie roll this time. In order to slow down the sugar bomb of the rice, choose a fish filled roll maybe with some cream cheese. Fat and protein are your friend for blocking the body's ability to binge on rice sugars.

And I too love a good saki. Who doesn't? I could drink saki all afternoon in a great sushi bar while eating before a Goos concert for which I had front row tickets. Oh ya. I did. That's not to say it was good for me. It's really best to skip the saki. Like beer and wine, it messes with blood sugar very very badly. If you want to spend the next week with sugar cravings - drink alcohol. Otherwise, yep you knew this - skip it.

So, this cooking blog with no recipes, how's that working out for us? Well. Since I just forbade all alcoholic drinks, I'm going to share one of my hugely popular drinks that might satisfy the soda freak in all of us. Sure you can order diet soda and I'm sure that's fine. You can pass on a glass of champagne and sip a glass of boring water (which is good for you!! don't give it up!) but if you're out and want something fun, see if the bartender will put this together for you, or easily make it at home.

I put no measurements - why? Try it yourself, see how you like the flavors, add more or less of each thing till you know how you like the taste. Some people need more sweet, some more hot. Play with it and pick your comfort level.

Ginger lime soda:

Carbonated lime flavored water

lime juice

grated ginger

liquid stevia

ice

put ice, stevia, ginger and lime in a glass and mix. Pour in the carbonated water and stir. Enjoy!

It's so easy, even I can't mess up that one (like I messed up the brownie recipe I was going to post today - /cry!) This is also considered a whole food and raw recipe for any of the foodies... I think I'm the only one reading this so far, save a few good hearted personal supporters.

I have a lot more ideas up my sleeve, so here's to more behind the times blogging! /cheers

UPDATE! I found an additional tip! Avoid imitation crab meat! Unless you are sure it's made with tapioca starch ONLY (as listed on an ingredient list) then don't eat it!

(the picture below is sushi called "lollipop" the wrap is cucumber! It's amazingly delicious)

Lose the Stigma

In the 80's my mother bought a food scale. It was to perfectly portion her meals so she knew she was eating an appropriate amount of food (not too little not too much... but it more erred on the side of too little.) She is a german woman and would never be built like a pixie, but I remember the scale being hidden when guests arrived. Suddenly, it was a weakness or negative to have a scale in the house. Like normal skinny people can control what they eat but larger and normal size people have to be told by a number.

I always swore I would never have a scale in my kitchen. No matter what, I would not rely on a machine to tell me how much to eat. Well....

Americans forget how easy it is to cook with a scale! I own no less than 8 measuring cups, 3 sets of measuring spoons and countless scored bowls etc showing me how much of everything I need for a recipe. Recipes are written with 3 cups of this and 2 tBsp of that. And one of my recent favorite websites (which has been taken down sadly) referenced this problem. Ever confused a tsp and tbsp? Happens all the time. Ever sifted 4 cups of flour only to find your mixture is too liquid? That's because the American measuring system is seriously flawed. According to said website that no longer exists - a cup of flour in a humid climate may very well measure more than in a dry one... simply because the water is taking up some more space. But weighing your ingredients gives you a very consistent amount every time.

So, I bought a scale. One recommended by above website. It seems to work well. It's been challenging to not reach for a spoon or cup to measure, but like finding a comfortable chord progression on a guitar, it seems too easy to be true. Suddenly, compulsion drives my reaching for a cup, but ease makes things quicker to just add to the bowl. 412 grams of this, 56grams of that. voila. Recipe.

What does this have to do with anything about sugar free or gluten free cooking? Glad you asked. You see, the sugar substitute I use is very thirsty. If the moisture is not evened out, good luck, you'll be eating crumbs with a spoon and a quart of milk. I can measure with a cup but it's not always going to be accurate. And I'm going to do my best to be posting recipes here which have been converted to weight.

Get rid of the stigma of a kitchen scale. It doesn't dictate how much you're supposed to eat (listen to your stomach for that one) and start enjoying the ease of whipping up a batch of GFSF brownies with mascarpone frosting (dh's favorite.)