Gluten-Free PB&J The Way The Big Girls Do It

Switch out fresh fruit for the jelly

My mom turned me on to this gourmet version of a PB&J. Simply toast your favorite gluten-free bread (I use Udi's) and top with a natural chunky peanut butter, sliced fresh strawberries and a drizzle of raw honey. It's light, healthy, and a wonderful way to start the day. I had this with my coffee this morning and it was a real treat.

I've also used bananas and blueberries, and my daughter has used sliced grapes. Someone else suggested blueberries and I'm thinking even sliced peaches, apples, or pears would be great. The sky's the limit when it comes to fresh, in-season fruit. Have fun.

The Pizza Quest Continues

Naked Pizza in my car, oh yeah!

Still on my quest for the best GF pizza, Daughter and I took a long trek out to the northwest of Phoenix to try Naked Pizza. They boast a gluten-free crust and all precautions for cross contamination including changing gloves, separate area and separate toppings for GF pizzas. Watch this video on their page (right side of the page) if you’re interested.

But, bottom line, how did it taste? If any of you remember Pizza Hut’s thin crust pizza (from pre-GF days), this comes closest to that. The texture is chewy and thin, like a thick cracker, but better. It is beautifully lacking in that gluten-free funny taste that so many GF items seem to have. It’s crispy, chewy, and light, making it much too easy to eat an entire ½ of a pizza in one sitting. (What? Shhhhh)

Unfortunately, there are no tables in these pizza joints. There are a few around town, all of which are too far from me for a quick bite. Without inside seating, that means you have to find somewhere to eat it. Now if you live close by, that’s not a problem. Take it home and enjoy it in front of the big game. But if you’re traveling about 30 minutes on the freeway to try it, (I know, crazy huh?) that leaves a dilemma. We ended up finding a pleasant spot and sitting in the car and eating it. That was actually quite fun, I might even eat another pizza in my car (shhh).

Although pizzas come in multiple sizes, GF pizzas are only one size (12"). They start at $9.99 and toppings are additional. One pizza with ½ pineapple and ½ mushrooms, a bottle of water, and a soda came to about $17 (including tax). Sounds about right for a GF pizza these days. Much less than making it yourself or even a frozen pizza, but a fresh pizza comes at a cost. And, we’ll never have a $5 Dominoes special anymore will we? But then again, would you really want that?

I’m giving this one two thumbs up as far as crust goes. But I suppose it’s better for us that it’s so far away. Any closer and I’d be spending a lot more on pizza.

Ahhhhh, Fluffernutter

You know, I try to eat healthy every day. There are tons of recipes on here for kale, veggies, salads, etc. But some days, we just wanna' be bad, right? And when that feeling hits, go with it. Don't suppress it, don't deny it. It will only eat away at you.

And there are times when the kid in me comes out. I bake cookies, eat pizza, eat ice cream, etc. But the true kid in me emerges when I see a container of Fluff at Cost Plus World Market. If you're from anywhere east of the Mississippi, you know what a Fluffernutter sandwich is. For those of you who don't know, it consists of loads of peanut butter and marshmallow Fluff on white sandwich bread. Nothing else. Oh yeah.

Ahhh, the makings of a Fluffernutter assembled

Now don't scoff, I hear you. Some of you eat meat and I don't compain, do I? Give me a little slack. This is sweet and salty, somewhat like a chocolate-dipped pretzel or even a s'more. The Fluff is sweet and creamy and the peanut butter (which must be chunky) is salty and crunchy. A great combination for a fabulous treat. Eat it quickly, the Fluff has this beautiful way of oozing out of the sandwich slowly, creating a gooey waterfall of marshmallow. It takes me back to my childhood when my mother would give me one of these when I was especially good.

I introduced my girls to this when they were young. Yes, they thought I was crazy at first, until they tried it. Now, it's a treat about twice a year and oh, do we love it.

Gluten-free, Vegetarian Fluffernutters make me happy!

But I would be remiss if I didn't thank Udi's for making my Fluffernutter dreams come true once again. For so many years after my switch to gluten-free living, this was off limits. The gluten-free bread out there simply was no good unless it was toasted (you know what I mean, right? So many GF breads out there must be toasted just to make them tolerable). A Fluffernutter does not work with toasted bread, I repeat, it does not work.

Finally, Udi's emerged with a gluten-free white sandwich bread that mimics the soft, sweet, and chewy consistency of the kind I remember as a kid. (It even tastes great with just butter, right out of the bag, but Shhhh on that one.) Yes, you can put your Fluffernutter on whole grain bread if you feel the need to put something of nutritional value in there (the peanut butter has protein...) but why bother?

So, don't knock it till you've tried it. And if you're a fellow Easterner, go ahead and indulge. Nobody's looking and besides, you're a grown up and that means you can do what you want, when you want, which includes eating a Fluffernutter for dinner!

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Experiment #4

Pizza Crust No. 4 is a Winner

If you've been following the blog, you already know that I'm on a quest to find the easiest, tastiest pizza crust to make at home. Yes, I know I can buy a frozen one quite easily, but aside from the astronomical costs of these things (I took out a home equity loan for a GF pizza party), I think the flavors are just not right. Either they taste like cardboard or they are overly seasoned to cover up the bean-flour taste. There has to be something out there, right?

So, continuing the quest with #4, I decided to find out if a simple, quick crust can be made. This time I had no recipe (yes, I threw away the bag already) and just went with it. I had one cup of Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust mix in a bag from a previous attempt that was just begging to be used. (I know I used this mix in a previous test, but it was mixed with another flour and I wanted to try it on its own.) The rest was improv, and wow, it's in the top 2. This crust is light and crispy around the edges, slightly chewy toward the middle and has a mild taste. Daughter said it tasted better than numbers 1 and 3 and I have to agree. I think this one is my favorite for two reasons: It is the easiest by far and it has the most basic pizza crust flavor. I can see adding all kinds of toppings and it would work with all of them. You could even bake it with cheese first, then top it off with whatever you like. This made a large 10-inch round pizza with eight nice-sized pieces. It could feed two to three hungry people easily. This makes it the most cost effective also since there are at least three-four cups of mix in each bag.

Quick, Easy Pizza Crust
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt/oregano/basil/pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until blended well. Use a fork, it will get very thick. Knead it a little with your hands to smooth it out a bit.
3. Turn out onto a greased cookie sheet and spread it out with your fingers.
4. Cover the dough with wax paper and roll out to a pizza-crust thickness (about 1/4 inch). Don't forget to create a bit of a crust edge with your fingers.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Cover with marinara, cheese, etc. and put back in the oven for 10 minutes.

The big difference in this recipe is that I did not use the yeast packet that came with the mix and instead added the baking powder. I have used yeast in two of the four crusts and aside from the fact that neither one has risen much, I'm not sure it adds much to the mix and I don't like the flavor. The recipe also calls for water but I had a little bit of milk left and decided to give it a go. That was also a good choice. Daughter asked me to make this one again for dinner so I'm checking this one off as a keeper.

Next time, I'll do this one with added Parmesan in the crust for flavor and a bit more saltiness.

Enjoy!

Scottsdale's 5th and Wine warms my GF heart

One of my favorite places in the heart of downtown Scottsdale has to be 5th and Wine, a restaurant/wine bar with a comfortable atmosphere and a GF/vegetarian salad I keep coming back for again and again. Not only do they have an extensive wine list, there is a lovely patio in the heart of the arts district with live music and comfy seats that create the perfect conversation areas. Inside there are soft, leather cushy chairs just meant for chatting and relaxing over a glass of wine and house-marinated olives.

5th and Wine's Yummy Veggie Salad

First on the menu is the Veggie salad filled with avocado, white and green beans, grape tomatoes, jicama, and mozzarella tossed with a light herb vinaigrette. The dressing doesn't overpower the salad, which is light, fresh and filling. You can even order half a salad if you're not that hungry, but trust me, you'll want more.

The Strawberry and Gorgonzola salad is also beautiful. I tend to order it with goat cheese instead of Gorgonzola, but that's just my preference. It's still wonderful and sweet.

Roasted marinated olives

If you're just having a glass of wine (happy hour is just $5 a glass til 6 and watch for occasional $2 days), order the house marinated roasted olives with orange peel, fennel and red pepper flakes. Oh, yum. I've been known to just eat the olives while everyone else around ate burgers. I didn't feel deprived at all, they are that good.

The menu also has burgers, salads, fries and even fried pickles for the non-GF eaters in your group, which makes my husband very happy. I've been brave enough to eat the salad and olives only. Since I'm not a meat eater, that leaves few options in these trendy downtown eateries most of the time, luckily I'm a salad lover and finding a great salad I can go back to again and again is a great thing. Thank goodness 5th and Wine has created a salad and olives I'm in love with.

The wine list is superb and if you're not sure about what you want, just ask. They are knowledgeable and I haven't been steered wrong yet. I prefer a nice white wine blend with this salad and each time I get something a little different.

Of course, if it's an intimate conversation, take it outside if weather permits (which it does most of the year here in Phoenix). It can get quite noisy inside when it gets crowded. Walk the shops in the area and stop in for a glass of wine and a salad, you won't be disappointed.

(By the way, I'm not affiliated with the restaurant and receive nothing for this review. Just sayin')

California Pizza Kitchen's new GF Pizza fills a void, and my tummy.

CPK GF Margherita Pizza

California Pizza Kitchen has long been a favorite place for our family. The kids loved the pizzas and pasta when they were young and I loved the salads and pizza. When we were sidelined by the GF lifestyle so many years ago, we didn't stop going, just stuck to salads and soup. We didn't want to deprive the rest of the family, but no more pizza, although we watched everyone else indulge.

How thrilling it was to see that CPK had a new GF pizza on the menu. First order of business was to call and find out how it was prepared. I was assured that all utensils were color coded and not shared with wheat items and the pizzas were cooked in a separate place on separate foil. Yipee! We headed out.

After once again getting reassured by our server of the precautions, we ordered one Margherita Pizza (tomato, mozzarella and basil). When it arrived, I pulled out my camera to take a few shots, which piqued the interest of the manager. "I've never seen anyone take pictures of our food except PR people," he said. I told him about the blog, and how excited we were about the pizza. He said his wife had also tried it and was quite pleased. He was curious to know what we thought since not many of the pizzas had been sold yet.

I respect him for mentioning that although the pizza crusts are pre-made, there is flour in the kitchen and cross-contamination can occur, although they try very hard to avoid it. That's the case in any restaurant and I appreciated him repeating it. Make your own choice if you decide to go.

Now, on to the pizza... Yummy. The toppings were the usual cheese and tomato with fresh basil. The crust is light and crunchy. Although I would have liked a little more flavor to it, I will be trying it again. It's perfect with spicy or strong flavors since it doesn't have much flavor of its own, much like a lot of GF crusts. It tasted a lot like the Udi's Pizza Crust, although with a little more flavor. It's a blank slate for any toppings.

The crust is about the same size as the regular pizzas, which was so nice to see. So often, the GF pizza is more expensive and smaller than the regular pizza, right? That is so frustrating. These are the same size as the CPK regular pizzas and cost the same, which is even better. There are two pizza toppings that are not GF and they are listed clearly at the bottom of the pizza listings.

Although it was crisp on the edges, it was a little soft in the middle. I recommend ordering it a little overdone, which I'll be doing next time. Since it's on foil and not on the stone with the rest of the pizzas in the oven, it's easy for it to stay a little soft and not crisp up as nicely as the regular pizzas. For that reason, tell them to leave it in a few more minutes. FYI, we took it home and heated it up in a frying pan with a little olive oil for dinner. Much, much better. It's amazing what a little olive oil and heat can do. One pizza was enough for two of us for lunch and dinner. Fancy that!

Bottom line...I'm glad they have a new GF crust and are taking precautions to make it safe for us. I had no reaction and neither did my daughter, so we'll definitely be back. Each time a restaurant tries to accommodate the GF lifestyle, it's one step closer to making life a little easier. Make your own decisions and always be careful when eating out.

Now, when will they have GF pasta? Soon, I hope.

Enjoy

Simple, Rustic dish

This is probably more of a winter dish, but since I wasn't feeling well I wanted something comforting and soothing. Warm, hearty dishes do that for me. This was inspired by my good friend Maegen, a wonderful chef and friend who gave me the wonderful smoked paprika on my last trip out to California.

Rainbow Chard with Garbanzos

1 bunch of Rainbow Chard, chopped (stems and leaves)
1 large clove of garlic to two smaller ones, chopped
1 can garbanzos, rinsed
1 TBS grapeseed oil
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 C golden raisins
About 1/4 C shredded Romano (optional)
1 tiny pinch of smoked paprika (a little goes a long way)

1. Heat large saute pan with oil. Add galic and cook for a minute.
2. Add chopped chard and saute for a few moments, giving the chard time to wilt.
3. Add beans, salt, pepper, raisins and broth.
4. Saute till everything is warmed through and chard is cooked through.
5. Add paprika and cook for just one more minute.

Serve with shredded Romano. The smoked paprika gives it a warm, smoky taste. Just what I needed to warm my tummy. If you don't have smoked paprika, which I never did before, this is still delicious on it's own without it. I tried it before adding the paprika and it was wonderful.

Enjoy!

Dinner at The Park

I had the most wonderful vegetarian, gluten-free experience and I just had to share with everyone. My dear friend, Maegen Loring, is chef/owner of The Park restaurant in beautiful San Luis Obispo, CA. With another dear friend, I traveled there to spend a wonderful weekend filled with wine tasting, girl talk and feasting. For our first night there, Maegen planned a fabulous gluten-free, vegetarian, 5-course meal. At a fine-dining establishment like this, it was so much more than I had ever asked for. I'm so grateful to Maegen, her husband, Jeff, and their wonderful staff for making our night such a culinary experience. I've documented it as well as I could, but remember I was trying to eat it as fast as it came out at times, as well as drinking the wines that were paired with everything...remember this is wine country!


First course: Grilled red pepper with a pesto and pine nuts on top. Drizzled with a wonderful vinaigrette. Just the perfect start to a beautiful meal.


Second course: Chickpea soup with carmelized onions, smoked paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. I had never had smoked paprika before and it was so lovely. The wonderful smoky aroma, mixed with the firm texture of the chickpeas was heavenly. Having a friend in the business is great since Maegen even gave me a bag of the paprika to take home. I can't wait to use it. I love garbanzos and cook with them often.


Third course: Fava bean puree with fennel, topped with zucchini, grapes and a red pepper coulis. Wow, the crunchiness of the zucchini and the creaminess of the puree were just perfect. I have never eat fava beans and they were fabulous. I know they are difficult to prepare and take a lot of time, but I can see now that they are worth all the effort. The grapes gave the dish just a touch of sweetness that made it complete.


Fourth course: We're on our second bottle of wine and making our way to the dish I've been waiting for all night: the beet risotto. I love risotto and although I make it infrequently, I just love the rich flavor and creamy texture. Maegen's is made with beet puree added at the end to give it a brilliant color and taste, as well as grilled asparagus, a touch of creme fraiche and a dash of mint oil. Wow! My taste buds were in heaven. I was getting pretty full by now, but I had to eat the entire dish because I wasn't sure when I would have this again. It was incredible and now one of my top five favorite dishes.



Finally, dessert: To put a perfect end on a delightfully perfect meal, we start with a glass of La Vie late harvest Chardonnay. A sweet, dessert wine with a touch of honey flavor. Lovely (I brought a bottle of it home also, Thanks Jeff!). This is paired with an apple cider sorbet topped with fresh berries and fried sage leaves dusted with powdered sugar. Beat that! The flavors were tart, sweet, mellow and bursting in your mouth. It was the perfect ending to a dinner I did not want to end.

The weekend of feasting was not over since my dear friend continued to cook for us with fresh produce from the local farmer's market over the course of our stay. If you don't already have a friend who is a gourmet chef with a restaurant, I highly recommend it! And if you're in or near San Luis Obispo, stop in at The Park restaurant, I know you'll love it.

We're heading back soon with my husband in tow since I told him all about The Park's Wednesday Burger Night...complete with homemade buns, homemade fresh ketchup, thick fries cooked in duck fat and an array of gourmet burgers. Of course, I won't be eating any of this, but I know my husband will love it enough for both of us. Maybe there's some of that beet risotto left???

Visit The Park at the link to your right.

Thanks Maegen!

Tofu Parmigiana

I've been missing eggplant parmigiana for awhile now. I know I can make it without the breading and it's still pretty good, but it's just not there. Being a vegetarian, I can't just use chicken, etc. so that leaves a dilemma I have finally solved. What about using tofu? Yes, I know you're going to say that I use tofu in everything, and I probably do. But luckily, I love it! And there are so many ways to use and enjoy it. And using the very firm tofu products gives it a great "meaty" texture.

This meal was something I decided to try since I had everything in the fridge, what the heck. Daughter and I scarfed it up last night and made it again for lunch today, so you know it was a hit. We spent the afternoon on a simulated archeological dig, then came home and set to cooking a feast in 10 minutes. What fun, I love homeschooling!

Tofu Parmigiana
It all depends on how much you want to make, but it's just so easy. I use Wild Wood High-protein, super-firm tofu that I found at WholeFoods. It has a great flavor and crisps up great in the pan.

Slice the tofu into 1/4-inch squares and dust with a mixture of sweet rice flour, garlic powder, salt and dried basil. I put just a pinch of each, but use whatever you desire for flavor. After coating both sides, drop gently into a hot pan with olive oil. Fry each side on medium heat until brown on each side. Then just spoon tomato sauce (we used leftover sauce, but any sauce will do) over the top of all the squares. Now top those with slices of fresh mozzarella and a little more basil. (I love fresh mozzarella from Trader Joe's.) Turn the heat off and cover the pan for just a moment so the cheese melts. Viola--all done. Quick and tasty.

Enjoy.