Friday, September 25, 2015

Not in the mood...but need some food...Hurry up scramble eggs!

Hey everyone. Its another day starting, and although I would rather still be tucked under the covers with my cat, I gotta push myself and get up...I haven't been in the mood lately to cook, guess its the changing season. I'm sure there are others out there who feel the same.

I know I have to eat, so I brought out one of my quickie recipes to share,  Hurry up scrambled eggs.
These are quick, easy, and just right for a total of 1...

Ingredients:

1 egg and 2 egg whites
dash of water
dash of hot sauce , optional
chopped chives, optional
salt & pepper to taste
cooked ham chunks, optional
shredded cheese, optional
fresh spinach, optional
Directions:

Whisk the eggs and water together. Add chives, salt & pepper, cooked ham chunks, shredded cheese, fresh spinach, the sky is the limit. Pour into a mug lightly sprayed with Pam.

Microwave for 30 seconds, check to see if done, cook in 30 second increments if needed until done.
This is a quick meal, quick cleanup, and pretty filling, even on those hectic days. I like to top mine with a scoop of cottage cheese and some salsa. Yum.

This has saved me many times from eating something bad when I was hungry and in a hurry to eat.
So I hope you enjoy, and will leave a comment as to what  you like to add to yours.

Till next time....have a great GF week!!!
Sharon 

Friday, September 11, 2015

Roasted Vegetables over Quinoa... Yummy, yummy to the tummy!



                                                                        

Good morning everyone. Wow....I am feeling pretty good this morning, I must have gotten up on the right side of bed", as the saying goes. Life lately has been a little hectic to say the least, but I am trying desperately to get myself, and my life back on track.

I had signed up for a Gluten Free Wellness conference being held last night and had woke up yesterday not feeling so well and I almost blew off attending. I am so glad I didn't. I have to say it wasn't the biggest seminar I have attended over the years as it was local, but I was surprised at the knowledge and experience I walked away with.

I met a few new friends, Carol being one, and gained more knowledge in those few hours than I have over the past months. I got to watch two cooking presentations, listen to two knowledgeable  Doctor's in the field Celiac disease speak....well I actually listened to one as the second cooking demonstration overlapped with the second speaker, and I was more interested in the FOOD...

I acquired pamphlets pens, a tote, and got to taste various products from companies who had traveled hours to attend. There were soups from Full Flavor Foods which I didn't try as I was too full at the time but looked absolutely delicious, and from the comments of others attending the seminar they were a big hit.

Our local Aviva Brick Oven was on site with delicious gluten free pizzas. So yummy. My husband and I had eaten at their restaurant this summer and not only is the gluten free pizza delicious but the atmosphere  with the outdoor tables felt like we were at a ocean resort...If you are ever in the area of Route 19 in Wexford Pa stop in and see them.

Sunny Bridge Cafe did a great presentation of making Roasted Vegetables Over Quinoa which was absolutely out of this world! If you have never tried quinoa before you are missing out. It has a great nutty texture and is on the list of the top 10 foods you should be eating.  I will post the recipe at the end for you to enjoy. They are located in McMurray Pa. You can check out their web site at SunnyBridgeNaturalFoods.com This was absolutely my favorite cooking demonstration.

GF Chang' were there with samples which made me want to go back for more, but being as nice as I am and not wanting to be greedy I moved on to the next table.

Edible arrangements was also there and I have to say the chocolate covered strawberry was out of this world!!! The arrangements they make to look like flower arrangements are beautiful, and if you are allergic to flowers like me, this is a great alternative for those special occasions from those you love. Hint...Hint...
The last cooking demonstration was from Grandma Whimsy at http://GrandmaWhimsy.com Although they are working on the new site and it may not be up for a month or so please check them out. She offers a gluten free brown rice flour blend with no added gums...I was impressed with this! She told us this blend can be used cup for cup in any favorite recipe you might have. Although her flours are not found local at this time, and she is over 3 hours away I did buy a bag of flour to give it a test. If your in the mood for waffles, pancakes, cookies, cakes, then bake away, however this is not a good flour for baking breads.

I love sampling new products and "paying it forward" as it were. I just made a bread from a new mix this morning and will give a review on it later this week.....

However here is the recipe I promised at the beginning of the post...

Roasted Vegetables Over Quinoa

1 large head broccoli, chopped, no stems
2 red peppers, julienned
2 medium zucchini, julienned
1 large red onion, julienned
1/2 cup gluten free balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup oil
2 tsp. garlic salt or garlic powder
Course black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Cut all vegetables accordingly and place in a large bowl. Add the garlic salt, balsamic vinegar, and oil to the vegetables and toss with your hands until all are well coated. Add the black pepper.
Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes. Stir the mixture several times through the baking process or the broccoli will blacken if not rotated.

To make the quinoa. 

1 cup red quinoa
1 cup white quinoa
4 cups water salt to taste

Add both the water and quinoa in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the salt to flavor.
Cook for approximately 15 minutes on med for approximately 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed.

Place the quinoa on a plate and top with the roasted vegetables, top with crumbled feta cheese,  and enjoy! This is absolutely a warm inviting dish...

I hope you enjoy the recipe and will come back for more. Until next time, have a great gluten free week.
Sharon




 

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Sugar Cookies...Ho, Ho, Ho...Christmas is coming!


                                                                              





The other night my grandson wanted to spend the night, and since he loves pizza I took him out to our local Pizza Hut. OK....ya caught me! No I didn't have pizza, but opted for salad instead, so I am just a wee bit proud of myself. Can I pat myself on the back now???

When we got home I decided we ought to make cookies to occupy some time. Its really hard to keep a 10 year old boy who's full of energy at my age,  and I thought this would be a rather tasty diversion. With that being said, and being to tired to make cookies from scratch as I normally do, I opted for a box mix.

Several weeks back I had received several mixes from Cherrybrook Kitchen to review so I opted for the easy way. The mix calls for melted butter, rice milk, vanilla, and the box mix. Well I didn't have rice mix on hand so I used regular 2% milk, which is always on hand.

I am a stickler with following directions, my daughter swears I  have a slight case of OCD  ..think that's what she said...Oh well, I just like things done a certain way.

When I assembled the mix it was more like a crumble that you might put on top of a coffee cake. Oops... The directions say you are suppose to roll the cookies in balls before you bake them. If I would have done this they possibly would have turned out ok, but being who I am I didn't want to take the chance of having to throw everything in the garbage. So I did the only logical thing I thought I should do, and that was to add a egg.

The dough at this point actually resembled cookie dough, so I scooped them out with my cookie scoop, flattened the tops just slightly with the back of a spoon, and baked.

I have to say these really surprised me! They tasted exactly like a sugar cookie should, rose nicely, and were tender and moist. Oh, did I tell you I added a sprinkle of sugar to the tops before baking?

I have no idea how they would have turned out if I hadn't added the egg, so for that reason alone I can't give a honest review, as I didn't follow the directions on the box....Sorry Charlie.

But I can say this... if you want to give this product a try, then be sure and add a egg, unless you are adventurous and want to follow the directions exactly as stated on the box! If you do I would love to hear back from you as to how they actually turned out.

Until next post, have a blessed gluten free week!
Sharon
 

Buckwheat - Gluten Free -- Grass Free

 Buckwheat, which is actually not in the wheat family at all, has somehow gotten a bad rap over the years. I personally have avoided it basi...