Balsamic Green Beans with Garlic, Red Onion and Almonds

I love buying local during the spring and summer seasons. There's something about being outside in the sunshine as you stock up on fresh veggies and fruit. Andrew and I recently took a stroll down to Pittsburgh's Strip District, which is home to the famous Wholey's Seafood, various odds and ends shops as well as fresh 

produce and meat markets. We got a little excited about how much fresh vegetables and fruit we could get for a very reasonable price.

One of our over zealous purchases was green beans. I enjoy pretty much all vegetables but green beans was one I was not familiar cooking with. I'm all about steaming with salt and pepper but we wanted to get a little creative with it. Needless to say, we'll be making this dish again soon.  

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2- 2 cups fresh green beans, ends cut off and washed

- About five chopped almonds

- 1-2 tbsp olive oil

- 1/4 medium sized red onion, diced 

- 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 3-4 tbsp balsamic dressing

Recipe:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Sautee in a large pan the olive oil, garlic and red onion until lightly browned. Add the chopped almonds and 1 tablespoon Balsamic Dressing and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes. 

Place washed green beans in a shallow, oven-safe pan. Add the sauteed mixture, stir and then add 1-2 additional tablespoons of Balsamic Dressing. 

Bake 10 minutes, remove to stir thoroughly and then bake for an additional 10 minutes. 

A few recommendations: 

- We didn't add Parmesan cheese but I'd recommend it for the cheese lovers. 

- Mushrooms may also be a delicious addition to this dish

- It will compliment a red meat dish well 

Rice and Beans - Time and Money Saving Lunch

Lunch for the week prepared on Sunday. Time and money saved.

Buying lunch while you are at work is a huge money suck, not to mention that the food is usually over-priced for the quality that you get.  For our first week in Pittsburgh, I did a great job of making salads the night before work and was extremely healthy.  That quickly turned into whatever leftovers we had in the fridge. And that quickly turned into scrambling in the morning to find something to bring with me.  Not the ideal situation to eat healthy and avoid eating crappy food, plus I would end up "supplementing" my lunch at the cafeteria.

To combat this, we started making a large batch of rice on Sunday that could be taken for  lunch every day of the week. What's that you say? "I want something interesting and rice is boring?"  There my friend, you are wrong.

We add the basics to the rice and then spice it up throughout the week.  Here is our basic recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked brown rice (or white - brown has more fiber and is a little heartier)

1 can sweet corn - drained

1 can chick peas (or black beans)

1 cup chopped jalapenos

1 cup choppen onion (red, white, whatever)

1.5 cups cooked chicken (roasted*, sauteed, whatever)

Seasonings

Recipe:

Put the beans in a small pot over low heat and cover.  Let them cook slow and low.

Heat up some olive oil in a LARGE pan - we use a wok like thingy.  

Throw in the onions, cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add jalapenos and corn.  Add seasonings such as garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano; cook for 2-3 minutes.

Drain the beans of their liquid.

Add chicken, rice, and beans to the vegetables - mix thoroughly.

Season as needed.

Multiple Colors = Multiple Flavors = Happy Tastebuds

*Our chicken cooking trick - pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees.  Throw the chicken on a pan lined with foil and season both sides (may we recommend some Montreal Chicken Seasoning?).  Cook for 17 minutes.  The chicken with be slightly crispy on the outside and very juicy inside.  From there, we will finely chop the chicken and add it to the rice mix.

Potential additions to the base mixture include finely chopped ham (left over from Easter dinner), a small can of crushed tomatoes, any other of your favorite vegetables.  

How to keep it interesting throughout the week:

Use the full arsenal of your refrigerator.  Add salsas, hot sauces, soy sauce, whatever you can think of to add a little zing.  Our finding is that flavor is very important in how satisfied we are after lunch.

Easy Homemade Hummus

We go through a lot of hummus. It's a great snack that we eat regularly, if not daily. Problem is though, it can get expensive quickly. 

A can of chick peas is cheap and a container of tahini goes a long way. There are a lot of recipes online (most pretty similar) and the ingredients list on our favorite brand is pretty short. One difference between the two is cooked vs uncooked chick peas. We made it both ways. And cooked is definitely what we prefer. It's creamier with more flavor. We add whatever flavors we happened to have a lot of at the time- garlic, jalapenos, hot sauce, onion, etc- and seasonings. Mix it in a food processor/blender or even mash yourself. And that's pretty much it. We usually double the recipe and it lasts anywhere from 1-3 weeks, depending on our carrot supply. We also usually make ours with jalapenos (shocking) but you can substitute with something else or eliminate. 

Ingredients:

- 1 can cooked chick peas

- 2 tablespoons tahini

-  Seasonings to taste: salt, pepper, cumin, garlic

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice*

- 1/4 cup jalapenos chopped*

*Sometimes we'll add jalapeno juice instead of lemon juice. 

Recipe:

Cook chick peas (do not drain) on low for about 30 minutes or until soft. Add to blender, or mash yourself (which is easy if cooked enough) until smooth. Add remaining ingredients (add the olive oil slowly to get your preferred consistency). Taste testing is the best method to determine appropriate amount for each ingredient. 

Enjoy with your favorite snacks! 

Fresh Chunky Salsa

We've previously stated our affinity for Tex-Mex fare. In addition to being made gluten free easily, it is also usually cheap. But sometimes you get what you pay for and salsa is one of those items. The tastiest salsas are usually chunky and fresh and expensive.

We don't let that stop us. We are cheap and resourceful. We make the most out of canned foods and cheap ingredients to come up with a delicious salsa.

Careful with the jalapenos or your friends won't like you.

Ingredients:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn
1 cup chopped pickled jalapeños
1 medium onion chopped
Chili powder
Crushed red pepper
Salt
Pepper
Cilantro

Recipe
Combine all of the vegetables and stir. Add Seasonings to taste.

Note - adjust the jalapeños and crushed red pepper to taste for your palate.

Note - cilantro is a nice addition, but not 100% necessary.

Potential additions:
Bell pepper
Cucumber
Shallots
Crushed tomatoes (if diced are not available)

Gluten Free Go-To - Trader Joe's Hash Browns

Go-to - This can refer to any item or object which is the most commonly used or which you use without having to think about it, such as a food, bag, facial expression, etc. Your 'go-to x' is the 'x' that you will resort to most commonly when you don't have the inclination/time to come up with something more original, or else that you will just go to automatically - via Urban Dictionary (the definitive source for slanguage).

Everyone has go-to foods. The kind that you can always pull out of the fridge or freezer and whip together in a few minutes.

Peanut butter and jelly.
Grilled cheese.
Frozen pizza.
Mac and cheese.
Common theme - gluten (and to a lesser extent - dairy).
So what do we keep in the house as go-to items? We're glad you asked!

Breakfast is the easiest meal to make gluten free with eggs and breakfast meats fitting the gluten free profile. But what happens when you are out of bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and salsa? Scrambled eggs are boring - but hash browns can add a twist in only a few seconds.
We keep a stash of Trader Joe's Hash Browns in the freezer for special occasions, just like Easter Sunday Brunch. They cook quickly and add a lot of flavor without any gluten.

We hope you enjoy them too.

 *We must thank Brittany's sister Brandi for introducing us to them.

Spicy Popcorn!

There is a large variety of snacks out there to choose from, including at least fifteen Doritos flavors, five SunChips varieties as well as a lengthy list of potato chips, just to name a few. Regardless of which ever snack you prefer, most are not gluten (or dairy) free.

I'll admit it, I can't complain about not being able to eat most snacks. I would much rather be able to eat fruits and veggies than processed baked goods. Although, that doesn't mean I don't crave a salty or sweet snack every once in a while.

One of the best purchases since our recent move was an $8 popcorn bowl from Target. It's not only healthier to make fresh popped popcorn but also cost efficient. Even after movie nights, making chex mix and occasional snacking, 6 weeks later we're still on our first, small container of kernels.

I was craving a spicy, salty snack and came up with this popcorn. It's now my favorite popcorn, plus it's super easy and quick to make!

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup popcorn kernels

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2-3 teaspoons Garlic Powder and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes*

- 1-2 tablespoons Franks Red Hot*

- Few dashes of salt*

*Adjust seasonings to taste.

Recipe

Prepare kernels per popcorn maker directions. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder and crushed red pepper in a small bowl, drizzle over the popped kernels and mix with a large spoon. Microwave for 45 seconds and mix, repeat 1x. Next, add a few dashes of Franks Red Hot over popcorn, mix and then microwave for another 45 seconds. Mix one final time, allow to cool and enjoy!

Yum!

Mozzarella Sticks

Who doesn't love mozzarella sticks? I couldn't tell you the last time I enjoyed the delicious appetizer. Noble Pig, a website favorite of mine, posted a recipe similar to this one but using won ton wrappers, unfortunately not a GF food. However, I was able to find Vietnamese spring roll wrappers that substituted very well! Trader Joes makes a block of soy mozzarella cheese that is one of my favorite cheeses. Combine that with pepperoni, roll it in a spring roll, pan fry and serve with a side of marinara sauce! Yum!

Ingredients:
Mozzarella Sticks
- Blue Dragon Spring Roll Wrappers
- One block of Soy Mozzarella Cheese (from Trader Joes)
- Pepperoni Slices (3-4/stick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

Marinara Sauce
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 large splash red wine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion
- Seasonings: oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt and pepper

Marinara Sauce Recipe:
I sauteed the onions in olive oil until lightly browned and added the can of tomato sauce. I added one to two large splashes of red wine and the seasonings and let simmer while I prepared the mozzarella sticks, stirring occasionally.

Mozzarella Stick Recipe:
I sliced the block of mozzarella cheese into 6 1/4" slices while letting the olive oil and wok get hot. I placed one spring roll wrapper in the shallow tupperware filled with hot water for 10-15 seconds until completely soft. Once soft, I placed it on the large plate, put the mozzarella slice in the middle and the 3-4 pepperoni slices on top.  I crossed one side of the wrapper to the other, tightly against the pepperoni, folded up the ends and then rolled it to close the wrapper. Next, I placed it in the wok until all slides were browned and repeated.


Easy and delicious!

We enjoyed ours with a salad and glass of Pinot Nior! 

Kale Chips

Spinach has always been my green leafy vegetable of choice. I had leftover kale from a quinoa dish I made. I googled different ways to cook kale and sauteed, stewed and baked were amongst the popular options.

I was intrigued by the idea of kale chips. They ended up being extremely easy to make and surprisingly very delicious. I will think twice about buying regular potato chips again (maybe a little dramatic, but they were that good).

Ingredients:

- One bunch of fresh kale

- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1/2 tbsp salt and pepper

Recipe:

We washed and cut the stems off the kale and chopped the leaves into small pieces (about an inch in size). We mixed the chopped kale and olive oil in a bowl, making sure to lightly coat each piece. Next, we added the seasonings and mixed thoroughly. We spread the seasoned kale on a cookie sheet and baked at 275, turning a few times, for about 20 minutes. We allowed them to cool for a few minutes and then they were gone!

Avoiding Sneaky Gluten- Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Ketchup

Fries are one bar food that could be easily shared with a group of people and would usually not bother me if eaten in small amounts. That was until recently. I was told by a restaurant manager that fries are no longer GF, even if fried in a separate fryer. Apparently they fry better after being rolled in flour and this trend is becoming more popular within the restaurant community.

We decided to bake our own version at home to go with turkey burgers we made. And what goes best with fries? Sriracha ketchup! We used one large sweet potato, sliced into wedges and tossed in seasoned olive oil. The olive oil was seasoned with cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder. The fries were spread out on a cookie sheet and a little more garlic power and red pepper flakes were added. The Sriracha Ketchup was made with ketchup, few tablespoons Sriracha, cumin and red pepper flakes. Honestly, taste testing the ketchup was best for determining proper amounts of each ingredient. 

Ingredients:

- 1 large sweet potato

- 2-3 tbsp olive oil

- Seasoning: cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder

- 1/4 c ketchup

- 2-3 tbsp Sriracha

- Seasoning: cumin and red pepper flakes

Recipe:

We combined all the spices with the 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a large bowl. We added the sweet potato wedges to the seasoned olive oil, tossing them around to make sure they were all covered. They were spread across a cookie sheet, added additional red pepper flakes and garlic powder and then baked them at 450 for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While they were baking, I added the Sriracha, ketchup and seasoning in a small bowl. This made a lot but I will never let ketchup go to waste. I put it on a lot of foods.

Buffalo Pulled Chicken

Gluten free Buffalo-goodness

Chicken wings are always a favorite treat for a weekend with friends. The obvious problem is that they are frequently breaded and the frying process is a huge problem due to cross-contamination.  How do you please the crowd while still maintaining your gluten free diet? Simple, use the greatest cooking invention since the oven - the crock pot!


We started with about 5 pounds of chicken, including both breast and boneless thighs for that nice dark meat flavor. We added a large onion (chopped) over the top.  The cooking liquid consisted of about a half cup of white vinegar and a half cup of apple cider vinegar.  You can adjust that to make sure your chicken has a little liquid to cook in.  We cooked the chicken low and slow for 8 hours.

When it came time to shred the chicken, we "pulled" it with two forks, but it really just fell apart with very little effort. We added a small bottle of Frank's Red Hot and that was it.

This chicken just falls apart.

In the past, we have used wing sauce and experimented with adding things like red pepper flakes, brown sugar and barbecue sauce.  This time we went very simple and it turned out better than ever.

We had rolls for the non-gluten free among us and we served it on corn chips for the gluten free folk.  We have also served it on corn tortillas and rice in the past.  This one is guaranteed to please all of the wing fans in the house.

3 pounds boneless chicken breasts
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
1 medium to large onion, chopped
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 bottle hot sauce (about 12 ounces)

Combine the chicken, onion and vinegar in a crock pot.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Shred the chicken with two forks.  Add the hot sauce and let it cook for a little longer to allow the hot sauce to cook into the chicken.

[Easy] Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches!

I decided to make a batch of each gluten-free and gluten-filled chocolate covered peanut-butter pretzels during a weekend trip to the Poconos with a group of friends. You can never go wrong with a combination of pretzels, peanut-butter and chocolate.

Ingredients
One small bag of Gluten-free pretzels
One larger bag of regular pretzels (I chose a shape that allowed me to make a sandwich with peanut-butter)
2 cups skippy peanut butter
(Skippy because it was labeled gluten-free)*
One bag of semi-sweet chocolate chip

*I previously made these but added powered sugar and butter to the peanut-butter. To be honest, I couldn't tell a difference without the extra sugar and calories.  

Recipe:

I lined two cookie sheets with wax paper and began to melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler. While they were melting, I placed two pretzels together with a small amount of peanut butter in between. I started with the gluten-free ones so I didn't contaminate the chocolate or peanut butter. I filled up about a half of one cookie sheet with the peanut-butter gluten-free pretzel sandwiches. By that time, the chocolate was melted (I had to stir the chocolate every once in a while). I dipped the peanut-butter sandwiches in the chocolate, while also using a spoon to help drizzle it onto the sandwiches, and then replaced them onto the wax-papered cookie sheets. I repeated until all gluten-free peanut-butter sandwiches were dipped in chocolate and then moved onto to doing the same thing with gluten-filled pretzels. Using the gluten-filled pretzels, I filled up the entire cookie sheet.



I allowed the pretzels to cool on the counter before placing in two separate containers. They were quite delicious and didn't last long at the Poconos!