Yoplait's GF Labeling

So I was just sitting here eating my yogurt. When I bought it in the store I made sure to read the ingredients, like everything. But this time when I turned it around to read as I ate, I saw on the side: GLUTEN FREE. Bad ass man. So I guess now Yoplait now puts that on their yogurts that are gluten free.

I get excited when I see that written on packages. :o)

Lundberg Rice Chips

click the picture to go to their website

My mom picked these up at Whole Foods. She came home, plopped the torn-open half-eaten bag on my desk and said, "Find these in bulk." In other words, she loved them. I like them too.

The chip itself is sturdy and thicker than corn chips or potato chips. It could definitely hold up to a dip, although it doesn't need one. The chips are seasoned just right; not too much, not too little. They've got a good crunch and don't feel greasy. I would definitely buy them again.

I've also tried the honey dijon flavor and liked it. I was bummed because it was at the beach and they got sandy so I couldn't eat the rest.

Alfredo Sauce

A couple of weeks ago Dayna mentioned she'd like to know how to make alfredo sauce. Well, I learned! I was intimidated because I've heard cheese sauces are tricky but it's super easy.

There are 2 versions I've tried: a regular one and a lower-fat one that was less rich but still tasty.

For the regular one, use:

1/4 c. butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 clove of minced garlic or a shake of garlic powder
1 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. mozarella cheese

I heated the butter, garlic and cream on med-low heat until the butter melted, then stirred in the cheese until it melted. Threw in a bunch of cracked pepper, a few shakes of salt, and a splash of the wine I was drinking. I let it heat for a minute, while stirring, and served it over penne rice pasta, since those are the only noodles I had. I sprinkled some parsley over it one time, and some italian seasonings another time. Both tasted good.

For the lower fat one, I used:

3 T. butter
2 T. GF flour
1 c. milk
same amounts of garlic & cheeses

I melted the butter, then stirred in the flour until it formed a paste. I slowly stirred in the milk and heated that up for a minute. I threw in the cheese and other ingredients the same way as before. If you are drinking wine (as I do when I cook), splash a bit of that in too. The wine will help to keep the mixture smooth. Since it's a white sauce I would use a white wine. Put it over pasta and enjoy!

P.S. A small hunk of cream cheese will help make the second version thicker as well

Pizza Fusion

This past weekend I went to San Diego, California and through some research I found Pizza Fusion. They serve a gluten free pizza. So, of course I went. Houston has crap for GF pizza options so I was excited to try it.

It's a very eco-friendly trendy place, located in Hilcrest and in my opinion it's a great area.

I walked in, asked about the gluten free pizza, and our waiter was very helpful. He told me the flours they used, and pointed out another girl that was there for the GF menu, eating a pizza. She heard him say that and gave me a thumbs up. Sweeet. While we were there another group came in wanting the GF pizza. Ah! My own kind! It felt great.

Now, I'm a doofus and was so mad that I forgot my camera. But, I ordered a pepperoni and it came as an oval-shaped pie, available in thin-crust only. About 10 pieces, It was great. It tasted just like any other pizza I've eaten, but I think I would have liked a thicker crust better. I wanted to give it the "next day" cold breakfast pizza verdict, but I was a doofus again and forgot my to-go box on the table. It did come with a great sticker that said, "This pizza is GF."

I did not, however, forget my chocolate brownie. The brownie was a little on the dry side, and not as sweet as I would have liked. But it was so great to walk into a restaurant and order something postively gluten free without grilling the waiter or making special requests. They actually KNEW with gluten-free meant. That right there made my whole day.

Cheese Ravioli

I had the day off work because of a "hurricane," which I think is ridiculous how everybody overreacts to what normally turns out to be a simple rain storm. But there are some good things about that:

1. my car gets clean.
2. it's about 15 degrees cooler!
3. my rainy day off = cooking!

I usually don't crave something until my family cooks it or I see it in the store. This time it was ravioli. I used to LOVE cheese ravioli and haven't eaten it since way before the diagnosis. This was not as labor-intensive as I expected it to be, probably since I finally bought a rolling pin. Although they are not exactly like normal ravioli, I ate them right up.

Pasta:

1/4 c. tapioca starch
1/3 c. corn starch
2 T. potato starch
3 T. brown rice flour
1/2 t. salt
1 T. xanthan gum
2 eggs
1 T. oil

Put a pot of water on to boil. Add salt and a few drops of olive oil.

Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet. Add the wet to the dry and mix into a dough. Roll it out (flouring all surfaces with rice flour) and cut it into equal-sized squares.

For the Filling:

Mix 1 c. ricotta cheese, 1 egg, a handful of shredded cheese (I used a pre-made italian mix of parmesan, romano, mozarella, etc), a few shakes of italian spices, a small dash of garlic powder, and some salt & pepper. [Note: this made way more than was needed for the recipe. Either double the pasta recipe or halve it using an egg substitute. I plan to use the leftovers with some penne and bake it into a mac & cheese type of thing]

Anyway, next plop a bit of filling onto a square. Wet the edges and layer another square on top. Pinch the pillow closed with your fingers, then press the edges with a fork to make it look pretty and further seal the pasta.

Boil the pasta for 5-7 minutes, depending on how big you make the ravioli. Drain and top with a red pasta sauce (my favorite, but it's really whatever) and gobble them down.

Chocolate Chip Cookies... Good Eats!

A friend of mine just messaged me: "Alton Brown just made gluten free cookies!!" I'm totally bummed I missed the episode. There's a rerun at 2 am. Hmm *scratches chin*

I am a huge fan of Alton Brown's tv show on Food Network, Good Eats. Not only does he explain why he does things in recipes, but uses scientific explanations that appeal to my lab coat-loving side. He can get corny at times, but that's part of the charm.

Here's the recipe for the cookies. I don't care for chocolate chip cookies so I probably won't try the recipe, but if it's from Alton Brown it HAS to be good. If anyone tries it, I'd love to hear how they turn out.

toaster pastries

Trips to the grocery store always fuel my newest "I need to make that!" episodes. This was no exception. The man and I were in the store late one night looking for snack-y foods and right there at the end of an aisle was a display of Pop Tarts. I've never really craved them or anything, but I haven't seen any gluten free pop tarts in the stores. That means recipe time! This is very simple, adapted from an old pie crust recipe.

They turn out really good. The dough and the overall taste is not so overwhelmingly sweet like "real" Pop Tarts. I ate one right away, warm from the oven, but I'll try to keep my hands off the rest so I can give them the 'morning after' scrutiny.

toaster pastries:

1 1/2 c. GF flour mix
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, softish
3 T. cold water

Cut the butter into the flour and salt. Add the cold water and form a dough. I refrigerate my flour mix so the dough was cool enough to roll out without problems, but if it's too sticky throw it in the fridge for 30 min or so.

When it's ready, roll it out into a square/ rectangle. Make sure the surface is floured or it will stick when you try to lift it. [heh, live and learn!] Cut the dough into an even number of pop-tart-shaped rectangles. Place rectangles on a cookie sheet. I greased and floured mine because I was paranoid that they'd stick.

Spoon any kind of fruity jam in the center of each rectangle, leaving room on the sides because it will spill over as it bakes if it's too close to the edge. Top with another rectangle and seal the edges with a fork.

Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes. When they come out and cool a bit, spread some icing and sprinkles, if you'd like.

Like I said, these are really good, much better than those store-bought ones. I'd make these again, even for company.

And, because I was in the privacy of my own home and the jam spilled out when I ate one warm, I licked the plate. Mmmm. ;o)

*morning after update*
I popped one in the toaster. These things heat up QUICK. Only about 30 seconds and they're warm. They're slightly crunchier, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I still enjoy these a lot.

Oh, and Tony, I changed Pop Tarts to "toaster pastries" so you don't sue me, haha