Just Like Pamela Says

It's Amazing!

A few years ago, I tried this gluten-free bread mix at my mother's house.  Being that several of us are gluten free in our whole family, she took great pains to feed us food that was safe the whole time we visited.  One was this incredible bread made from Pamela's Wheat Free bread mix.  The whole house smelled of a yeasty, wheaty bread the whole day.  I was certain someone was trying to torture me with that scent - fresh bread is something I yearn for to this day.  You can imagine my frustration when I returned to the East Coast and could not find any packages at any of my local haunts.

Just Friday at my local Whole Foods, I found the package - just one.  As if it was just sitting there waiting for me.  Oh wow, did I grab that package fast and get to the checkout!  Considering a loaf of rock-hard, frozen, gluten free bread costs close to $7, and lasts us about a week, I was thrilled to pay the $4.99 for the bag.

Last night I had the opportunity to make the bread mix.  We had our very good friends over for game night, and I served gluten-free/dairy-free lasagna and herbed pork chops.  They brought french bread for the glutinivorous folks, and I needed something to satisfy the rest of us.  I opened up the cupboard and I swear a light shone down onto my little package of Pamela's bread mix.  I made rolls within just a few minutes, let them rise and baked them into the sweetest little breads you can imagine.  In fact, they were so wheat-like that my husband (also gluten-sensitive) avoided them for most of the dinner.  I had to say - "Go ahead, honey.  They're safe."  He was smitten after the first bite.  An added plus was that they held their shape without crumbling overnight (oh so common with gluten-free foods), and turned out great for breakfast with jam and honey.

I think I need to go back to the store and stock up.  It would be crazy not to.

Summer's Over Tostadas

Had to - just had to come up with a new recipe for the blog. (And oh, by the way - you're getting four with this post tonight!!) It's been weeks since I last gave you a mindful dose of cookin'. I was reading the article about Jennifer Aniston's cooks who made this super-yummy looking tostada and salad meal. I was really inspired to use kale in my tostadas, as I am always looking for new ways to get my kids to eat greens. What follows is my rendition, which is why I can name it. Please let me know if you make it, and tell me what you think.

By the way - many weeks ago, I asked for your recipes to put into a menu plan. I haven't forgotten, still have what you sent, and welcome more additions. This project asks for more time than I was able to give it this summer to complete it, but I'm almost done with a 2-week trial for your perusal. Feel free to send me more ideas!

Summer's Over Tostadas

Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Brush olive oil over one side of 18 corn tortillas. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes on a cookie sheet (I had to do mine in batches) or until browned. You may want to turn them over, but you will not need to brush more oil on. Remove from over and let sit.

Topping:

2 cans black beans

3 scallions, minced

2 T feta cheese (optional)

1/2 C chopped greens (I used swiss chard because that is what I had on hand. You could use chard, kale, bok choy, or other leafy green)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 C monterey jack cheese, shredded

Put all ingredients except monterey jack cheese in a large bowl to mix. Spread 2T bean mix over each baked tortilla. Put back in over and bake until cheese melts and bean mixture is hot.

Top with salsa verde, guacamole, sour cream. Serve with Enchanted Salad.

Salsa Verde

12 tomatillos, husked and chopped

4 scallions, minced

1 large handful cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3T Apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

To make this salsa the easy way, put everything in the food processor and pulse until somewhat chopped and uniform in texture to your taste. Refrigerate after using. Makes about 1 cup. Use to top tostadas.

Enchanted Salad

3 Cups various salad greens, torn into bite-sized pieces (I used Organic microgreens)

1 red pepper, chopped

1 avocado, cut into small slices

1 blood orange, peeled, cut into large chunks

Mix all ingredients, putting avocado and orange pieces on top (they look pretty there!).

Dress with Cumin Dressing, below

Cumin dressing

1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 T cumin

Mix all ingredients and pour over salad. So good. So, so good. Mmmmmm.

Ambrosia Delight

(in honor of my mother)

Fill a large drinking glass (16oz) with ice. Pour in 1/2 cup both pineapple and guava juice. Fill the glass with Seltzer (or Sprite) and mix with a spoon.

* Double check that the juice you use for this drink is only juice - no sugar, additives, etc. Sometimes the guava nectar is only fruit and gives the drink a nice, smooth texture. Ah yes, 'Ambrosia', my mother would say.

Jeweled Pasta

Another night I didn't feel like cooking.  I've been eating more 'raw', fresh food lately, and honestly, I've been cleansing... um... just a bit much, so eating wasn't top on my to do list tonight.  However, I do have a family, and they do need to eat, so off to the kitchen to create a new dish to please everyone.

What I ended up with was something I call Jeweled Pasta.  I have been drinking as much kale and chard as my little taste buds will allow (in the form of green drinks), so I thought tonight I would do a bit of sauteing instead.  What came about was truly inspiration!

Jeweled Pasta

1 package pasta, any shape (I used gluten-free rotini)

1 bunch organic kale, cut in bite-sized pieces

4 leaves chard, cut in bite-sized pieces

1/2 tomato, sliced in 1" pieces

10 garlic cloves, sliced

olive oil

salt and fresh pepper to taste

This one's pretty easy:

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

Saute the garlic in the olive oil over medium to low heat.  The higher the heat, the more the chance of scorching the garlic, making it bitter.  Once the garlic turns lightly translucent, add the greens, stirring often.  As the greens begin to turn bright green, add the tomato, cover and take off the heat.  You do not want to overcook the greens - let them stay bright green.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and add more olive oil if necessary.  Pour greens over pasta and serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese, if you like.  Tasty!

I think we don't eat enough greens, typically, in our very SAD diet.  It's a shame, since greens hold the highest count of calcium in the plant world.  You also get plenty of vitamin K which is tough to get elsewhere.  Folic acid - a brain fuel chemical is available in greens as well.  And they're just beautiful as they grow, don't you think?  All that beauty AND brains too!  

Do you have a favorite way to fix them?  Please share it here for everyone to learn how to add these highly nutritious foods into our diets.

Mmmm. What shall we call it?

I love it when I make something up and it tastes good too!  I was at a loss tonight when looking through the cupboards for what to cook.  I had a package of gluten-free bread mix, some beans, chicken chili, coconut milk, and many greens leftover from Saturday when I cooked a Vietnamese dinner.  I also found 2 pieces of organic pepperoni, which had been a full package until my husband and oldest son attacked it.  I found cheese, olives and mushrooms, and I always have onions.  So I made a rolled up pizza-like thing that tasted amazing.  What shall we call it?  My guys said 'delicious'.

MindfulMama's Delicious

1 package gluten free bread mix, or any other bread mix, or 1 recipe for bread/pizza, prepared as usual.

2 C shredded cheese - mozzarella, monterey jack or other mild cheese

2 C assorted ingredients - I used sauteed onions and mushrooms, pepperoni and sliced black olives

Olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Whichever bread recipe or product you use, make it according to individual directions, then spread it out on a cookie sheet which has been covered with parchment paper.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Take the dough out of the oven, spread the entire top with toppings - cheese last.  Using the parchment paper to assist, begin to roll the dough up, encasing the toppings, beginning with the short end.  I was only able to make one full fold.  If you have less toppings or more dough, you could probably go a bit further than one turn.  Make sure you do not fold the parchment paper inside!  You can either keep the paper on the pan to continue cooking, or pull it out.  Keeping it on the pan will ease cleanup after, though.  So after folding the filled dough, put the opening side down on the pan and cover the top with olive oil and parmesan cheese.  Pop it back in the oven for around 10 minutes - or until browned.

Let sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes, then slice and serve.  Mmmmmm delicious.

East Asian Trout

Last night, I made something I had never made before.  I was making breaded pork for myself and my boys, but my husband, the almost completely vegetarian, was going to have fish.  I think baking it with lemon and dill (the way he does it) can get boring (though I suppose I should not judge as I don't eat it and he likes it this way), so I decided to make something new.  As I often do when improvising in the kitchen, I looked around at what I had in the pantry.  I decided that lemons and limes with onions would do.  Then I thought it would be interesting to throw in some coconut cream on top.  It was really a guess, as I can't stand the taste of fish.  But it sounded good.  I leave for Vietnam in a few days, and I think some part of me must be thinking about the cuisine I will find when I get there.  But when all was said and done, my husband devoured it.  So here is the recipe for you to enjoy:

http://sportfishing.mynovascotia.net/fishpics/trout.gif

East Asian Trout

1 lb boneless trout, rinsed and patted dry

Olive Oil

1 lemon, sliced

1 lime, sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 can coconut cream (coconut milk is fine)

Salt to taste

Cut the trout to fit your baking pan.  Drizzle olive oil all over the fish.  Layer lemon, lime and onion slices over the fish.  Pour the coconut cream over everything and cover with foil or lid.  Place in 400 degree oven until fish flakes easily.  Season with salt to taste.

Bombs Away!

Ok, so not my best attempt at baking gluten-free bread.  I used my bread machine, and my own (meaning in my head) recipe and ended up with a flop.  But, you know, I'm ok with that.  Do you know that cookbook authors typically have at least 10 flops before they get their winner?  And to top it off, mine IS edible - I had some lovely toast from it for breakfast.  It just doesn't look so good.  Following a recipe for bread machines would certainly help, so I will do that later today.  I found 2 good ones in Carol Fenster's Gluten Free cookbook.  

I think once life settles down a bit, I will package up my gluten free mixes to make my baking run smoother.  Something that overwhelms me a bit when I face cooking from scratch is the amount of time I spend mixing these gluten free flours and ingredients.  I've been gluten free for almost 2 years, and I still have trouble being patient with all the new ways I have to cook.  It was so easy with plain old flour and water, yeast and salt.  So making my own mixes for cookies, muffins, bread and pancakes will ease my life considerably.

Do you have a favorite cooking tip?