Recipe Book?

I've been thinking it might be a good idea to print out some of my favorite recipes so that they're easy to find, and people who cook for me don't have to think through what needs to be altered in a recipe so that I can eat it. I've gotten to the point that I can replace eggs in just about any recipe on the fly in a variety of ways. But not everyone who wants to prepare a meal for me is able to do that. Having recipes written down that are delicious and "Sean friendly" might be helpful when my Mom says "What can't you eat" I could say, and here's a few things we can make for you to try while I visit. Plus Mom enjoys when I cook, so I can bring it with me to cook from, or maybe leave her a copy of her own.

 The other day I was feeling better (I've had some nasty stomach bug that's lasting FOREVER) but I had a couple days off from it (apparently common with this bug) and while I was feeling just so/so and not horrific, we made a trip to see one of my doctors, and then on the way home we stopped in at the new Goodwill down on Baseline and 19th Ave. I got three 8x10" picture frames for about $4 to frame my altered photographs for the upcoming art show at The Firehouse, and this awesome book about writing recipes for just $1.99! This makes me feel like I could write a recipe book that is truly useful to others, at least in my extended family, if not outside that small circle.

Then today, as if receiving a sign that this was a doable project I should actually take on, I ran into this site where one can upload and print their own recipe book for just a few dollars. http://landing.blurb.com/fbcook?ce=fb_display_nanigans&utm_source=Q22012&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=msmith_media I think I'll read the book I got at Goodwill (shown above) and then work on creating a recipe book I can print out. Maybe I'll make one for my kitchen, one for my mom's.

Fried Polenta Sandwhiches

Yesterday Carlie opened the fridge and noticed a tube of polenta. What shocked me was that she had never tried polenta before. What kind of Italian has never tried polenta?!? I teased her about it, but insisted she had to try the stuff and she agreed.

It was such a nice day. I had several delicious gluten free meals. In fact, a friend asked if I'd gone 100% gluten-free. I haven't, because I'm hoping to get tested for gluten intolerance and celiac disease along with food allergies this coming Wednesday. But I had almost no migraine all day, and was able to sit outside in the shade on the patio enjoying time with Carlie and some educational reading.  She admitted that she had been avoiding my gluten-free cooking because she knows we're going to go gluten-free soon and she's enjoying the "bad stuff" as long as she can. I told her I had been trying to ease us into this new lifestyle and that I was worried it would be even harder for her if she didn't start eating gluten-free now and then.  


I opened up The Gluten-Free Italian by Jacqueline Mallorca and read parts of it to her.We enjoyed some of the ideas so much, that we couldn't help but put together our own version of her fried polenta sandwiches. Here's what we ended up making:


Fried Polenta Sandwiches:
1 tube ready-made/formed polenta
Thin slices of Italian cheese (we have some amazing cheese selections on hand due to Patch working at AJ's deli) 
deli sliced ham
gluten-free flour
1 egg
gluten-free bread crumbs 


You can buy pre-made gluten-free bread crumbs or you can make your own.


Slice Polenta into 1/4 inch slices. slice cheese into thin slices with a mandolin slicer or potatoe peeler. lay cheese and ham slices on a piece of polenta then lightly press another piece over it, and repeat until several sandwiches are put together.

Dip each mini sandwich into gluten-free flour. Beat the egg and then dip each flour dusted sandwich into the beaten egg mixture, and then into the panko-style gluten-free bread crumbs. Then fry till each side is golden brown.


This recipe left us with an awesome crispy outside, and a warm and soft inside to the polenta. It made me think of a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich somehow. Next time I'll have to try this with the cheeses and prosciutto recommended in the book! Meanwhile Patch bought the ingredients for an Italian recipe I thought we'd all like, and Carlie has decided to go through the book herself and mark the recipes that call to her. Plus we're in the search of a good gluten-free lasagna so that she can make her family recipe of lasagna which is SOOOOOOO good.


Obviously this is not a vegan nor even a vegetarian meal, but it could easily be made into one by replacing the ham and/or cheese in the recipe with some sliced vegetable you like such as tomatoe, mushrooms, eggplant, etc. 

By the way, I loved these fried sandwiches so much I could see them becoming a frequent fixture on the dinner table. I'll have to take a picture of them then, because they smelled so good that when Carlie handed me the plate I just wolfed them down without stopping to take a picture of their golden-brown goodness.

Corn Chowder for a Rainy Day

Despite the aches and pains I get, I love the rain. More accurately, I love staying in on a rainy day and eating comfort foods like corn chowder. However corn chowder, as much as I love it, does not love me back. Until today that is.

Today we pulled out the Gluten-free Vegan Cookbook by Susan O'Brian and made her corn chowder recipe. YUM! It was pretty labor intensive what with chopping up potatoes, butternut squash, leeks, onions, garlic and more, but Lauren filled me in on the tips and tricks to which produce can be bought at Trader Joe's already chopped up and ready to just toss in the pot. Next time I may do that, because WOW, if Lauren hadn't helped me chop veggies I would not have been able to make this meal. Patch or Carlie could, but for me just walking around the kitchen  was pretty much enough to wipe me out even with rests sitting on the island chairs. Luckily for me, by the time I ran out of energy the food was ready to kick back and enjoy.

It was tasty, warm, slightly salty, slightly sweet goodness. Still, we both agreed it was missing something. For one thing, protein, plus we wanted just a bit more green and a bit more bite. We would add lentils and green onion stalks to the recipe. I think it would really make it perfect. I'll try it out in the near future before it gets too hot for a good chowder and let you know.

Still, I could see using this recipe as the base for many a good meal to come. Later this morning I am making buttermilk pancakes with fruit for my friends, and some baked red potatoes and butternut squash on the side. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised at the vegan, gluten-free faire. 

Side note, I have had an itchy red rash on my face for DAYS and it's really annoying. I'm going to try a cold compress with some baking soda on it see if it calms down a bit. Hopefully it will be less bothersome in the next few days, but perk back up in time for my appointment with the doctor so she can actually see it in action. this is one of those weird symptoms I get that doctors rarely see the damn rash or hives or whatever it is. Much like a car no longer making that weird noise when you take it to the mechanic, it likes to fade away in time for doctor appointments. I'm hoping the changes of diet I'm starting to implement will eventually take care of this annoying symptom.

Tuberous Treats

Recently a friend of ours took us up on the offer to come over for a visit. She happens to be a vegan who is gluten intolerant with latex allergies. For those who don't know, latex allergies coexist with a slew of food allergies including peanuts, bananas, melon, mango, and more. I have never been able to cook a meal for her, because there are so many things she can't eat that she usually finds it safer to bring her own food with her. 

Still, I know there are many things she can eat, and I have felt deprived of being able to feed a loved one. So when she said she might be coming over, I became excited. Maybe this could be an opportunity to play with recipes from The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brian. I ran off a list of ingredients in some meals i'd been thinking of trying, found out which things on the list were out, and adjusted the menu. I'm not vegan myself but several of my friends are so I've been doing research. Here's an article from Weight Watchers and getting proper nutrients as a vegetarian. If you're wanting a bit more protein tofu or seitan could easily be mixed in to Patch's Amazing Tubers.

I decided to make various Tuberous Treats* including Patch's Amazing Tubers, Corn Chowder, and maybe Stuffed Butternut Squash. Just sounds like a hearty, warm, meal of comfort food doesn't it? 

* Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction.^[1] Two different groups of tubers are: stem tubers, and root tubers. http://www.foodsubs.com/Tubers.html

Amazing Tuber  Recipe:
Ingredients:

olive oil

2 cloves garlic

sea salt 

pepper 

sage 

savory

6 carrots

2 red potatoes

2 purple potatoes

2 sweet potatoes or yams

1 parsnip

1 leek

1 white onion

1 red onion

1 zuchini

1 small butternut squash

1 sunchoke

1 celery root

Cut tubers and roots (except the onions and potatoes) into chunks, boil in lightly salted water for 5-10 minutes, until slightly soft and flavors have partially combined. 

Slice onions, mince garlic and caramelize with leek in 1 tablespoon olive oil 

In large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, pepper and sage to taste. peal and cut potatoes and add to bowl. Strain tubers and add to large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 garlic onion and leek mixture, and stir all together till all is well coated with sage mixture. 


Spread the coated "Tuberous Treats" in a baking pan and bake at 425 for 35 minutes stirring 2 or 3 times to keep mixture coated. When all tubers are tender, mix in remaining garlic onions and serve warm. This is a great way to use up those locally grown CSA vegetables because you can put in whatever produce comes in  that week's share!


*note: Seitan, while delicious in vegetarian meals, is not gluten-free. Thanks Lynn for pointing that out :)