Pickled radishes

Delightful.

These are tasty, crunchy, colorful, and, easy to prepare. You can find the recipe here. (The link is wonky at the moment. If you are unable to access the recipe and are interested in acquiring it, let me know and I will e-mail it to you.)

I'd never had pickled radishes before. We received some in our CSA share last week and it was cool to be able to use them all.

Some truth

Confession: I have been eating G (gluten) and C (casein) occasionally.

I am on a continual, for two-plus years now, journey with Vinny (my TCM healer). Opening channels, unearthing "stuff", working through layers...ultimately, raising awareness and aligning myself with Joy and Now.

Increasing awareness builds and plateaus and then builds and plateaus again. For me, anyway. And during the building phase, things can get uncomfortable.

I'm at a place now where I can pretty easily identify and equate the "uncomfortable" as a message. Which is useful. Because that perspective shift can change the discomfort from a negative to a positive...or a potential positive, anyway :-)

Though I have faltered in my resolve to be GFCF for 365 days, these side trips to consuming gluten and/or dairy have led to new information. My body has sent me some pretty clear messages.

Gluten = headache.

Casein = hives and bloat.

These aren't be all end all messages. Body chemistry, the flow of Qi, there are a lot of factors which come into play at any given moment. But, I know, more than ever before, that the G and the C do not help me. They really aren't my friends.

And so it goes.

Roasted chicken

I love the Dutch oven.

Today I roasted my very first chicken. How simple...and easy. And it smelled all sorts of amazing while roasting.

The chicken is from a local farm...I buy through our CSA (the same farm from whence the pastured eggs come).

I modified the Nourishing Traditions Roast Chicken recipe slightly.

• I used a Dutch oven with the lid on instead of a roasting pan (I removed the lid for the last 5 minutes of roasting.)

• Next time I will add lemon, garlic, salt and pepper to the cavity.

• I used olive oil instead of melted butter...and was lazy and did not brush it on. I drizzled.

• I opted for fresh oregano this time.

• I am not making the gravy this time, but will enjoy the onions and garlic carpeting the bottom of the Dutch oven.

ETA: This chicken was DELICIOUS! Both kids loved it. This would make great road trip fare, cold, the next day.

Baked pasta

Cells are shivering and bouncing and rubbing up against each other.

I remember baked pasta dishes very fondly. Especially lasagna and baked ziti, my mom's go to Italian fare (in addition to spaghetti) when I was growing up.

When GFCF Kid was diagnosed with his food allergies/intolerances, all thoughts of baked pasta flew out the window. And, for the most part, I've never looked back.

I do occasionally order lasagna when eating out, and enjoy it thoroughly. But, when I'm GFCF, I've gone without. Mainly because GFCF Kid has no interest in, or taste for, things "cheesy". The other reason is that there has not been a tasty CF cheese on the market that melted like the real thing.

But, now there is: Daiya cheese. I had a bag of rotini that's been residing in the pantry for a few months so I picked up some ground turkey, a jar of Newman's marinara sauce, and a bag of Daiya cheese. I had peas in the freezer so added those for color and "vegetableness".

While I cooked the rotini in salted water, I sauteed and seasoned the ground turkey in a bit of oil. When the turkey was cooked, I added the tomato sauce to the turkey. I defrosted the peas in a colander.

Once the pasta was done, I drained it and put it into a baking dish. I added the meat sauce and peas and cheese. I covered the dish with foil and baked it at 350º for about 25 minutes. I uncovered it and baked it for 5 more minutes.

(I added a dollop of homemade basil-pine nut pesto to my bowl...yum!)

Simple, old school, not totally from scratch, baked rotini. GFCF Kid wouldn't touch it, The Omnivore couldn't tolerate the rotini shape, I relived my past and loved it :-)

(Good thing Red Sox Daddy is coming home tomorrow, he'll help me finish the pan. Next time I'm making it meatless!)

Carrot tofu scramble

This is a longtime favorite of GFCF Kid's. The recipe came to us via my sister who got it from The Vegetarian Times Cookbook. If you have a food processor it's pretty quick to put together. It's great over white rice. This is the only way, so far, that GFCF Kid enjoys tofu. I've made this for various people who have always really liked it.

Carrot Tofu Scramble

2	Tbs vegetable oil (I use safflower oil)
1	lb carrots, grated
1	lb extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1/3	cup Bragg's
1/3	cup sesame seeds
1	tsp dark sesame oil

Directions

1. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the carrots, stirring, for 15 minutes.
   
   
2. Add the tofu and cook, stirring, until the carrots are soft, about 5 minutes more. (I put the block in whole and mash with potato masher.)
   
   
3. Add the Bragg's and sesame seeds. Cook 1 minute more.
   
   
4. Stir in the teriyaki sauce.
   
   
5. Serve hot.
   

Vegan Scoop

Picked this up at the library today... I can't justify buying yet another book at the moment so I will peruse and see where inspiration strikes. Peanut Butter and Jelly ice cream? Watermelon sorbet? Earl Grey ice cream? Yum!

Burger on a bun

Tonight was kind of special: GFCF Kid has his first burger on a bun.

I've been sitting on a GFCF burger bun recipe for a long time and have yet to make it. (This particular recipe calls for the dough to rise which is an additional step to the process...for my ADDish brain this has been enough to lose focus again and again. Some day I will make these buns.)

Tonight, he enjoyed his turkey burger on a bun I ordered from The Gluten-Free Mall. I rarely order from GFM, but I was there to buy red licorice sticks recently and noticed the buns were on sale so I put them in my virtual cart. (At $5 for 4 buns I am thinking of ordering some more to bring on our upcoming extended family trip to Williamsburg.)

The verdict? GFCF Kid thought it was okay. He didn't like how big the bun was. The Omnivore, who has enjoyed a variety of gluten buns ranging from Elevation Burger to supermarket to diner, loved his burger, unequivocally.

Me? I wasn't sure I'd get a bun, but GFCF Kid was full after his first, so I had myself a guacamole turkey burger. It was satisfying. The bun was pretty remarkable. It was soft but had some bite. It's small by American standards, but really, just right for a homemade burger at home. It had a vaguely processed quality to it which did not interfere with the enjoyment of consuming it.

'Tis the season for grilling and the like. If you don't have the time or confidence yet to make your own, these might just be the ticket to enjoying the Summer.

Ice cream cones with sprinkles

The kids have been enjoying soy ice cream cones with sprinkles lately. The weather has turned quite summery and our new reality has most definitely pointed us in the direction of air conditioners, lemonade and ice cream.

With Red Sox Daddy away now for over two weeks, we three are starting to seek comfort in small and deviant ways. So, during our last trip to the market, when The Omnivore piped up that he'd like his ice cream on a cone (I'd just loaded up the cart with three different flavors of soy ice cream: vanilla, chocolate and strawberry), we went looking and found GFCF cones.

The GFCF sprinkles I had picked up a couple of weeks ago...for a reason I no longer remember.

It's a simple pleasure, that frankly, I had forgotten about. Ice cream on a cone with sprinkles.

Granny Choe's Kimchi

click to embiggen this one.

It's as intense as it looks (and it's GF and vegan). Incredibly fresh, like nothing else, kimchi...yummy, kimchi. You can order yourself some here.

Home fries

Home fries are one of GFCF Kid's favorite things that I make. It's truly a homegrown dish that I've improved on by picking up tidbits of info here and there. It's hardly a 'recipe' but I will share with you how I make them.

4 medium to large organic yellow potatoes
safflower oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder
cast iron skillet

• Peel potatoes and cube them.
• Boil potatoes in salted water for about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Coat the bottom of the skillet with safflower oil. Heat over medium to medium-high heat.
• As the oil heats up, add the potatoes to skillet. (Be careful, water droplets from the colander may send hot oil popping back at you!)
• Season potatoes with salt, pepper and garlic powder. (Add more spices of your choosing :-)
• Adjust heat and cook potatoes to your liking (brownness, crispiness, etc.)

Serve hot and savor. Ketchup optional.

Cold noodle salad

BFF Abe Lincoln made this cold noodle dish for me ages ago. And it was memorable.

Wow, it was such a long time ago that she was still consuming gluten.

Though I have carefully stored the small note paper sheet that holds the recipe, tucked into my binder for years, I had never made it because nothing clicked when I thought about subbing GF noodles in for the soba.

But then, on my last trip to H Mart, I picked up a bag of Sea Tangle. I had never heard of Sea Tangle before, but right on the package it said it was gluten-free. And clearly, it held noodle potential.

This cold noodle salad comes together in under 30 minutes using the Sea Tangle*. The grown ups all liked it, Sister and Bro-In-Law brought home leftovers enthusiastically.

* I plan on making this dish with Shirataki noodles ate some point.

Cold Noodle Salad (may be an Emeril recipe...)

1/4 c honey
1/4 c Bragg's or coconut aminos to make soy-free
4 tsp sesame oil
1 lb. Sea Tangle noodles
1/2 c thinly sliced scallions
1/2 c mung bean sprouts
1/2 c thinly sliced carrots
1/2 c cuke peeled, seeded, thinly sliced
1 c crushed toasted cashews or peanuts
3 Tbs chopped fresh cialntro (left out this time bc my mom cannot abide cilantro)
2 Tbs black sesame seeds (optional...I love the visual interest they add :-)

• Whisk together honey, Bragg's and sesame oil and set aside.
• Prep all the veggies: wash, rinse, peel, slice, etc.
• Prep cashews: toast and chop/crush.
• Prep cilantro: wash, dry and chop.
• Cut open bag of Sea Tangle. Rinse noodles in cold water and break apart as needed. Cut noodles, as desired, with kitchen shears.
• Mix together, well, noodles, veggies, nuts, cilantro, sesame seeds and honey mixture.

Strawberry soy ice cream

strawberry soy ice cream with grilled banana crumpets.

We've had an ice cream maker for years, but, somehow, its use has always been rooted in Red Sox Daddy's kitchen domain. With him away, and Summer pushing in on Spring 'round here, and a family holiday dinner upon me (my family likes to eat), I decided to go for it and make ice cream.

Strawberry is The Omnivore's favorite flavor. And I thought a fresh strawberry ice cream would go well with the grilled banana crumpets. (Red Sox Daddy can't eat bananas so this was a good opportunity to make these babies.)

In the past, the kids have balked at non-dairy ice cream made with coconut milk. They don't love it like I do. So, for this batch of ice cream, I searched for a recipe that did not use coconut milk. (Interestingly, I found this recipe which claims to mask the coconut flavor of coconut milk-based strawberry ice cream by upping the vanilla content. I may try this one in the future.)

I found this recipe and decided to give it a go.

Making ice cream with an ice cream maker is very easy. However, there's prep that you need to know about beforehand:

• The mixer bowl needs to be in the freezer for at least 24 hours before making the ice cream.

• The ingredients need to be pre-mixed (not in the ice cream maker mixer bowl), sometimes pre-cooked, and then chilled, preferably overnight.

• The ice cream takes about 25 minutes to become ice cream once the machine is turned on. You can almost ignore it during this time (it can appear to come perilously close to overflowing...)

• The ice cream is pretty soft, but in my opinion, wonderful, when freshly made (see pic above). It can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container and will be much harder once it's been frozen.

Everyone loved the ice cream. I used fresh, organic strawberries and vanilla Silk soymilk. The ice cream was a terrific complement to the banana crumpets if I do say so myself :-) I look forward to making more ice cream this summer!