Zucchini "Noodles"

 

Servings: 4 | Prep: 35m | Cooks: 10m | Total: 45m

 

 Today I thought I'd share a quick and fresh recipe. My daughters garden is really starting to produce, and she has an over abundance of zucchini which she has been sharing. I really like zucchini and find it light and refreshing during the hot summer days. This recipe is kind of like zucchini spaghetti, but without the sauce. It’s not very time consuming and just light enough that you don’t feel overly full when done eating. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

INGREDIENTS:

6 zucchinis

1 clove minced garlic

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons margin

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, can use Romano if preferred

salt and pepper to taste, or omit

DIRECTIONS:

1.Cut zucchini into thin noodle like strips. I use a regular potato peeler for this, but a mandoline works well also. Toss with 2 teaspoons of salt, and place in a strainer to drain for 30 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the zucchini, cook for one minute. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking process.

3. In a large skillet heat the margarine over medium high heat. Add the zucchini and minced garlic, cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle with Parmesan or Romano cheese and enjoy.

I find this dish pairs well with a light meat such as grilled chicken breast.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Calories: 141 | Carbohydrates: 10.4g  

| Fat: 9.9 g | Protein: 5.6g | Cholesterol: 4mg

Enjoy, 

Sharon

 

GF Bread Mix

 

 Hi everyone. Wow! Who would have thought such a small bathroom would take so long to refinish. It’s been a while since I have had the time to post on the blog, and for that I apologize. I finally got to make that loaf of bread I promised, and since I haven't had time to try a loaf from scratch, I used a mix by White Gold and want to give you my thoughts on it.

First the main flour on the ingredients list is white rice flour. I have been wanting to try more rice free flour mixtures, but a promise is a promise and at the moment this is all I had available so here are my thoughts:

The really great thing about this bread flour mix is that you do NOT have to have a bread maker with a gluten free setting because the directions call for the BASIC bread setting! First impression was good so far. It is also a certified Gluten Free mix.

Secondly the mix is already premeasured so all you have to do is add in the other ingredients which everyone pretty much has on hand. Milk, eggs, salt, apple cider vinegar, 1 envelope dry yeast, soft butter or oil, and sugar. Put the liquid ingredients in the pan, pour in the dry ingredients, set the basic bread setting and walk away till done. Excellent so far, I’m impressed!

OK. Now comes the best part. The taste test. If you have bought gluten free bread you probably know most are either very expensive, or very dry and tasteless. This loaf was bendable, moist and has a mild sweet taste. I did not taste any yeast at all. My husband who is a diabetic likes to try out the things I bake, and although he is not on a gluten free diet, he enjoyed the texture and taste.

It does have a somewhat moist, almost tacky feel to the touch which I have found to be true of most homemade gluten free breads I have tried. However, you probably know by now if you have been gluten free for anytime at all, that this is true of most gluten free breads you make from scratch.

If toasting you need to keep a watch on it as it will brown in the toaster fairly quickly. I found this to be true also when making grilled cheese sandwiches. However, the bread keeps its moistness during either of these processes and does not crumble nor become dry inside. I used my bread slicer so my slices were rather thick so I’m sure this needs to be factored in.

I haven’t tried making French toast with it yet but I am sure that with the texture of the bread that it will be a great success. My husband has tried it as grilled cheese sandwiches, toast with jelly, and really enjoyed the taste and he is a pumpernickel bread kind of guy so this is great praise for the loaf. I think the only thing I might try differently is to leave it inside the bread maker after is quits baking for approximately another half hour before taking out to set on the rack to cool. 

It freezes well and although the bag states that it can be frozen up to 2 months. The only drawback is that it does have a little more sodium in the mix that I would prefer since I do have CKD but with that said it was delicious in flavor and texture and so therefore, I give it a 4 1/2 stars.

You can purchase this mix from Amazon. It’s under $8 and I believe worth the price for a fresh home baked loaf. If you purchase it and give it a try, please leave a comment on the site and let me know your thoughts. 

Until next post. Have a blessed day!

Sharon

 

Trying for that perfection..

 Hi everyone. I know that a week ago I promised you a delicious bread recipe. Well Im still trying to find that perfect recipe, and loaf. Its been a very busy week here with having a new vanity installed in our bath along with laying a new floor and so my attention has been a little helter skelter to say the least. 

I promise to try and get back in the kitchen next week when things settle down to continue on my bread baking journey. Being off GF for over three years now and getting back on track is really like starting over. Im finding it alot harder then the first time around because now I also have to maintain a kidney friendly diet as well. Its like suddenly being in a foreign country and not speaking their language! There are many recipes on the site that I hope will keep you busy until then.

So till next post, Happy GF eating!

Lee

Getting Restarted:

 Hi everyone. Its been along time since I have posted for several reasons, years in fact. Four years ago I decided to quit eating gluten free for a number of  reasons. Since then I have lost weight, gained weight, had my gallbladder removed, found out I have had kidney disease for many years of which my Dr neglected to inform me, had panic attacks, and have now gained weight in my belly area. Its been a roller coaster ride to say the least and I am sick n tired of being sick n tired!

So its a new beginning. I will be restarting a GF diet to see if this once again will alliviate most, or all of my symptoms. I was diagnosed in my thirties as having a wheat allergy. I guess this may not mean that I have Celiac disease, but may be enough to give eating gluten free another try. So today is the first day of starting my new journey. 

I am digging out all my former GF recipe books, retrying some of my favorite recipes from the past on my blog, and moving forward trying some new ones to share with you all. Since its been awhile I am basically starting from scratch. If any of you have any recipes you would like to share on the blog just let me know. After all, we are in this togethor.

Since I now know I also have kidney disease most of the recipes will hopefully be low sodium, low potassium, and low phosphorus, a feat in its own. Juggling both types of eating is going to be a task but hopefully one I can master with perserverance. I hope you will stop by often and rejoin me on my journey.

I will be working on a bread maker bread today and tomorrow that I will be hopefully sharing with you by the end of the week. Until then, have a blessed day!

Apple Honey

 Hi everyone,  I'm back after a much needed rest

Gluten Free in South Carolina...

Well here I am in sunny South Carolina.  We are getting a new RV and will be homeless for a few days, so I have to use my notepad and the hotel Internet....bummer! With that said, I don't have much to write about since I have no oven to bake, nor stove to cook. Eating out each and every meal is something I'm not use to, and even though the hotel does have GF buns and bagels individually wrapped at the breakfast buffet, something made me ill the first two days here. So today I decided to avoid the free breakfast, and surprisingly I don't have a stomachache. Go figure... I guess when you have your own kitchen, and don't eat out a lot, there are not so many things to watch, or check for.

I shared with you in one of my last posts a low carb banana nut bread recipe which was a big hit with my husband. He really liked it so much that it will be added to my recipe collection. Since I am limited on what to eat until we are in the new RV, I am really going to have to read, and read, and read labels... I guess I will close this post and surf the web for a few new low carb, gluten free recipes to try in our new RV oven, when we finally DO get the new RV. So until next time, enjoy the nice weather of summer, wherever you are!

Sharon Lee