What I Ate This Week

No, no, fear not, this is not like in the tabloids where celebrities share that they ate a (brown) rice cake and half a grapefruit.  I am sharing what we ate for dinner because this week we went gluten free.  

Why gluten free?  That is a good question... In part because there are some murmurs that a gluten free diet can be beneficial to your health and also because by changing up the diet for one week forced me to be more conscientious about what I was eating, and how.

Here is what I ate and also some tips to survive...

Monday: Roasted Carrots + Potatoes and Lean Beef (from Mark's mom)  It is always great to be able to start the week with some pre-prepared meals and roasted carrots and potatoes are a low-prep item that allows you to take care of other things while they bake.

Tuesday: Ham + Eggs Omelet and Asparagus.  An omelet with a slice of ham folded inside adds a lot of flavor and extra protein when I was making a dinner for one.  Quickly blanched asparagus is a healthy and fast way to get some greens.

Wednesday: Quinoa + Collard Greens with Balsamic Grilled Chicken.  This is a favorite new way to prepare chicken: skinless breasts, pounded thin and then covered first with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and then 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Cooked for 5-6 minutes on each side in a large pan. 

Thursday: Curried Coconut Carrot Soup with Mary's Gone Crackers Herb Crackers + Quinoa with Artichoke and Spinach.  Quinoa is the fastest way to get that starchy, filling feeling on a gluten free diet and that is why late on a Thursday night I made this again, instead of risotto as originally planned.  This soup was a huge, HUGE hit.  Recipe is below.

Adapated from Chow.com

Ingredients: 1 onion, 1 cup of chopped celery (about 4-5 stalks), 1 box of chicken or vegetable stock (4 cups), 1 can of light coconut milk, 1 cup water, 10 large carrots (peeled and chopped), 2 tsps of curry powder, 1/4 tsp tumeric, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 cumin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  

Drizzle a bit of olive oil.  Saute onions, celery until softened.  

Add the chicken stock and coconut milk and water.  

Add the carrots, boil covered until carrots are softened.

Blend.  Serve.  So simple - beyond, beyond, beyond good!

Image from Chow.com

Friday: Baked Salmon + Polenta + Grilled Eggplant  - Success is pending, but this is an old faithful recipe, so I am pretty confident.

What I learned: not being able to grab a piece a bread while I cook, or a handful of cereal, (or cookies!) made me slow down to think about what I was eating, how I was cooking and what I really wanted.  I worried it would be difficult, but it was fun and a worthwhile mental exercise and cooking challenge.

Ultimately there was nothing that I made that was outside of my repertoire but there was also no hitting the easy button with a box of pasta, or pizza.  Did I miss cookies?  Yes, sometimes, but I also loved the fresh oranges, apple slices, grapes and dates that very healthily filled that void.

This was a great challenge and I would be open to trying more food challenges in the future.

Are there any foods that you could not give up?

Holiday Shopping: Gifts for Your Favorite Foodie

The Holiday countdown is 40 days and 16 days until Christmas and Hanukkah respectively - what are you waiting for?  Often on the blog I share recipes, and I do so because cooking and baking for me is fun, it's an adventure, it's therapeutic, and this Holiday season it is something to celebrate.

When you treat your guests to something extra it is noticed, and when you treat the cook to something special it makes any meal that much more of an experience, memorable and a gift worth giving. 

Open publication - Free publishing - More kitchen gifts

For someone whose  passion is cooking or baking, often what they make is a gift, this holidays season give them things to make the experience of cooking, serving and dining a delight.  

This is what I love: the ceramic farmers' market baskets; Food Rules by Michael Pollan - his books are a must read for anyone who enjoy cooking and eating food;  the twist on the classic cognac glasses, they are like dreidels for adults; the matching mother-daughter "Carly" aprons - seriously that is the name; the tasting plate is a delight, where are the dips?; the baker's set of spices is a must have for the baker building a collection; and the Italian bakewear is a great counter-to oven-to table!  

I would love to give or receive any of these gifts.  Happy Gift Giving!

It's Easy Being Green

Moving has really made me think about what we use, and how we use it.  We have always been  very conscientious about not overusing paper towels, recycling, bringing our own bags to the store and shopping at our local farmer's market so we have produce without packaging.  

But, now that we live in a bigger house there is even more to be aware of and I am thinking twice about what items we buy to equip our new kitchen.

We got the Bamboo Cutting Board with Colander as a shower gift and it has proven to be a great item.  It is a space saver by not having two have two separate pieces of equipment and the bamboo serves as a great cutting surface while also being a more readily renewable resource.

Moving to DC meant no more tap water, this is something I hope is resolved in time, but in the interim we are using the Brita Green Grand Water Filter and Pitcher.  This eliminates the use for bottled water which is a major save for the environment - plus the green is so cute!

If you're heading to the store in DC you'll be wise to bring your own bag and save the $0.05 tax, and of course by bringing your own you help the environment too.  This Envirosax "Planet Green Series Bag"  is a great green option, while also being compact and chic. 

Now this canvas tote I couldn't resist, since our new neighborhood is called Bloomingdale (not Bloomingdale's) I thought the "In Bloomie's We Trust" Recycled Cotton Canvas Tote would be a great bag to bring to Bloomingdale's Farmer's Market; I'll show some neighborhood pride and be acting green.

Something else to consider when planning a greener lifestyle is length of use.  I apply this thinking to my fashion choices as well.  I prefer to spend more on an item that will last me years and years that and won't soon end up in a landfill or worse the ocean, and won't contribute to our general collection of excess stuff.

These are great investment pieces that will pay dividends:

As you know I am an avid baker and every time I bake I put a piece of tin foil, wax paper or parchment paper down on the pan.  Those days are over!  As a housewarming gift (thank you!!!) I got a new Silpat mat, these French pastry mats are time tested and will last nearly forever, saving lots of foil and paper.

The Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Cookware might be the holy grail of cookware.  These pieces are built to last and therefore not need to be replaced for a very long time.  We also got a few of these pieces as a wedding gift and are happy to get cooking.

Each of these choices are based on what works for our lifestyle.  But for me, just like when I cook I want to use the best ingredients I have access to, I want to use the best equipment and tools too.