G-free Breakfasts in a Hurry

I know, I know... you're in a hurry! You're on your way out the door and you really don't have time to create some sort of gluten-free masterpiece for breakfast.

Sure, sure, it's the most important meal of the day. Sure it is. So it has to be healthy, as well as good. But most of all, it has to be FAST!

Of course, it would be cool if it was yummy too! I mean, sure, you can throw some g-free cereal in a bowl and slosh on some sort of milk, and maybe a spoonful of sugar. But will that stay with you till lunch? Or do you risk the embarrassment of the tummy growl during that important meeting? Ah... you need some sort of protein in there to keep away the growlies. I do too.

So here's some of my faves: Have you discovered brown rice cakes yet? Yeah, they aren't the be all and end all, but they're crunchy, sometimes melt-in-your-mouth if they're really fresh, little puffs of rice all stuck together into a "cake." Kind of dry and not that tasty by themselves, but they have great potential with something on them.

When I first went gluten-free, I simply adjusted my usual fried egg sandwich in the morning, to a 1-egg serving of egg salad on a rice cake. Just use gluten-free mayo, a little g-free dijon mustard, sea salt and pepper... a little hungarian paprika if you like a bit of a kick in there to start your day. Only takes a couple of minutes if your eggs are hard boiled ahead of time. Then you just need to peel, mash and mix in a small bowl, and spoon it onto the rice cake.

Alas, I can't have eggs anymore and I really miss this breakfast.

But I found some good replacements. There's a plethora of nut and seed butters available out there. Choose from among the all natural and gluten-free and check them out. I like sunflower seed butter myself, so I spread that onto a rice cake and have it with a banana. Sure, you can make it prettier by slicing the banana delicately over the nut butter.... or, if you're in a hurry, you can just peel that banana and set it on the plate next to your nut-buttered rice cake.... and consume.

You can also have an apple, or indeed, some jam or marmalade is good too, as long as it's g-free. Anyway, it only takes a few minutes to throw this together, then you're out the door, the glorious taste of breakfast lingering, and it will tide you over till lunch. Healthy, filling, yummy.... good to go.

Sinfully Good Bad Food

Yes, yes, white food is bad. I know, I told you all about it. The thing is, it's also good. I mean, you know.... it's yummy. :)

The main reason potatoes should be used in moderation is because they're loaded with starch and this can impact on the blood sugar if this is a concern for you. I know someone having trouble controlling his blood sugar. His doctor told him that 3/4 of his plate should be covered with vegetables. Potato is a vegetable, right? So he loads his plate with mashed potatoes, tells his doctor that he's following orders, and wonders why his blood sugar continues to soar, despite his meds.

So, potato is a starch. So is corn, by the way. As such they enter the blood stream very much like simple carbs, such as white wheat pasta, white bread, etc. ~ as simple sugar. That's why a diet high in these foods will impact very badly on blood sugar. The impact of starches and simple carbs can be worse than foods with refined sugar, so they should be consumed in moderation. But take heart ~ potatoes at least are high in nutrients and fiber. (This is something that can't be said of, say, white bread, where 24 nutrients have been stripped from the white wheat flour in processing and refining, and only 4 have been returned, enabling companies to put the word "enriched" on their product. Just so you know.)

Anyway, a few mornings ago, I awoke during a dream about mashed potatoes and broccoli. No, I don't often dream about foods. Trains, boats, flying, and trying to dial 911 on a phone where the 9 doesn't work, yes. Food, not so much. So naturally I figured I really needed to have mashed potatoes and broccoli. And here it is.

Of course, a lot of the nutritional value in potatoes is in the peel, so if you're going to indulge, you're better to bake them and be careful to not serve them with too much fat. (aka butter) This, of course, is for good heart health. Hummus is good with baked potato, by the way. ;o)

But mashed potatoes with the peel? I think not. So I peeled and boiled same. But to give the potatoes some redeeming protein nutrition, I mashed them with dairy- and gluten-free soy creamed cheese, along with some garlic olive oil and raw baby spinach. I served my potatoes with not just broccoli, but other veges as well, and some of my own lemon/dill hummus (recipe on another post).

No, this isn't something I'm going to have often because, yes, I'm watching my blood sugar. But I think I pulled it out with the creamed cheese and veges so it's now on my list of "occasional treats." :) I mean.... it was just really goooood.

And here's a variation on the potato theme that keeps that nutritious skin intact. I nuked this Russett potato, dressed it with fresh and dried herbs, chopped red pepper and chopped leek in garlic olive oil, and served it with a giant salad with g-free sesame dressing. After this picture was taken, I added a spoonful of my own hummus dip. Mmmmmm.... with a nice glass of dry red wine, an altogether heart healthy and delicious meal.

Grow Your Own Food ~ Yes You Can

Well, some, anyway. :)

It’s that time of year (here, in this climate) when I’m going to indoor plant some of those all important “crops.” In fact, I’m late. But somehow, this year, this feels right, and I have long learned to trust my instincts. So using some of those yogurt cups I kept out of the recycle bin, I’ve just started some Thai peppers, and some tomatoes: Beefsteak and Sweetie.

If you're a beginner at this, here are some tips:

These yogurt containers are roughly the same size as a #3 pot and if you eat yogurt, they’re free. They are made with a recyclable plastic (5), but they are going to be recycled in another way before they hit the blue bin. To make them into starter pots though, you need drainage. I use an old ice pick to poke holes in the bottom of the cups... 3 or 4 holes does the trick. Use a nail, a small skewer or whatever you have to do this. Just remember that the holes go in the bottom of the container, not in your hand. ;o)

If you don’t have yogurt cups, there are other alternatives to buying starter pots. Egg shells spring to mind. You just save any good egg shell halves when you have eggs, wash them out and save them till you have enough to do your planting. If your eggs come in clear plastic cartons, these can be used as an incubator for your starting plants... at least until they sprout. (If you leave them covered too long, they can develop molds.) But just the cardboard cartons work too, leaving them open of course. When you plant your wee sprouts into a larger pot, or into the garden, just crack the shell a little to make it easier for the developing roots.

Another option is making your own newspaper pots. It doesn’t take long. Just cut out rectangles of newsprint (from a paper that uses natural, vegetable dyes, which I think most do now).

Cut slits the size of pot you want. Fold the middle flap first, then fold everywhere else too, wrap the end flaps around the middle flap, and staple.

Voila! A great starter pot that you can plant right into the ground. In fact, the collar of newsprint around your fledging plant will help protect it from cutworm. I usually tear a little hole in the bottom when planting, just to make it easier for those young roots. But just making sure it's good and wet when you plant is probably good enough. No, I don't worry about the staples. I very consciously removed most of them the first time I did this. But I noticed that the ones left just rusted away.

Set your starter pots in a bright window and/or get an 18" plug-in fluorescent light to place on wall or ceiling over your trays of plants. It won't use very much energy, but will provide that little boost of light for your plants.

Fill pots of choice with sterilized planting soil of course ~ a nice light mixture is preferable. Plant a few seeds in each, cover with earth, water lightly. Check them daily. Using a spritzer to water is a good idea to prevent over-watering. When I water my plants, my husband says I just "tease" them. But they love it, because the plants should be kept moist, not wet.

More to come! But this gets us started on the coming garden season!

Chicken Strips with Wedges and Coleslaw

Ok, so we don’t go out to eat anymore. In fact, it’s been a long, long time since we darkened a take-out place’s door. But occasionally the foods typical of take-out are missed. Chicken strips with wedges is a family fave:

Creamy coleslaw: I buy prepackaged coleslaw veges for a meal like this because there are two kinds of cabbage in it and it doesn’t make sense for me to have two cabbages on the go in my family. Of course, if you have cabbages and carrots in the house that you want to use, just put chunks of cabbage and some carrots into the food processor and pulse, just to chop it to the desired bits. Then just make the dressing by combining g-free mayo, some brown sugar and a splash of alternative milk. Whisk well. Then add a little white vinegar and whisk again. A little salt and pepper, and some celery seed seasons it. A little g-free dijon mustard gives it a kick if you like. Then add the slaw veges and mix well, or pour the dressing into the food processor and pulse some more. Cover and place in the fridge. It should chill for at least 20 minutes before it’s ready to serve. This softens it and makes it yum. (Tip: It's important to add the milk to the mayo and sugar and mix, before adding the vinegar. This acclimatizes it to the mayo. If you do it in the wrong order, you'll sour the milk... even a milk alternative.)

Potato wedges: Russet potatoes work best for these. I buy organic, then I look for the biggest, longest potatoes in the bag, wash them, and cut them up into large wedges. No need to peel them. They’re nicer with the peel on, and that’s where a lot of the nutrition is. Place them into a large baking pan and dress them with a little garlic olive oil and some Tex/Mex spice. (Get gluten-free if you can, but I use the Club House brand because it doesn’t bother me. Can’t say the same for all their spices, but the Tex/Mex seems to be fine.) Toss ‘em ~ using your hands, it works better. Spread them out and bake them in a 350 degree oven (preheated) for 40 - 45 minutes.

After you get those in, the chicken strips: I buy organic chicken pieces, in this instance, the boneless breasts. These are expensive. Really cool when they mark them down 30% a couple days before the best before date. :) Cutting them into chicken strips makes them go as far as they will. Just cut each breast up into thin pieces and bread them.

Gluten-free Breading: I use gluten-free corn/flax flakes put through the blender. I put this into a bowl and add a little g-free flour, such as whole bean, just to smooth it out. The flavour is in the herbs and seasonings: Rosemary is very important ~ and yummy ~ and some dried parsley, sweet basil, a little sea salt and pepper all makes it fine. Don’t be too heavy-handed, but flavour is important. Mix well.

Beat an egg with a little water or alternative milk. (I used a little soy milk.) Beat well. Dip strips of chicken into breading mix first, then egg, then back into breading mix, coating well, but... you know, not too thickly. Place breaded strips onto cookie sheet. (There is no need to grease it.) When the potatoes only have 17 - 20 minutes to go, slide the chicken strips into the oven. Turn them over half way through. (Taters too at this point.)

Ok, I know the coleslaw and dipping sauce are missing from this, and that's what gives it colour. But I have to be quick with pics, because the food disappears fast. Anyway, if your family doesn't dig coleslaw, a side salad, carrot and celery sticks, sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes dressed with a little vinegar.... it's all good! Have what you like!

Serve with gluten-free dipping sauces of your choice, or make the dipping sauce by combining honey, lemon juice, tamari sauce and garlic put through a garlic press. Add a little warm water to thin it out if neccessary, and/or heat it up a bit in the microwave. Just a bit. I wish I could give amounts, but I don’t measure when I make food like this. For a cake recipe it’s kind of necessary to stick to exact amounts, but for a meal like this, it all depends on how many you’re cooking for, the taste that appeals to you, how the spirit moves you, and the consistency you desire. So go fearless into it and experiment. You can always add a little more milk alternative to the egg mixture, or a little more g-free flour to the breading mix, or a little more mayo or mustard to the coleslaw dressing. Make it the way you like it.

Cost: One thing I can tell you is that I get about 4 servings of chicken strips out of a package of 2 chicken breasts. These packages usually run around $12. - $13. each here, but if I time it right at the store, they’re around $8. - $9. with the discount. Just make them up pretty much right away. So that’s only around $2. a serving for the chicken. The potatoes and slaw (and incidentals) might set you back another buck per serving. Even paying full price for the chicken, this meal is much cheaper than going out to a take-out place for strips and wedges, and much, much healthier than anything you’ll get out. I know, part of going out is to give the cook a rest. But the smiles and smackin’ lips make this very much worth the work. Serve it on recyclable paper plates. Sure, there’s still dishes, but they can wait till later. ;o)

Blueberry Muffins!

I miss bread goods sometimes, so here's a great treat, especially if you have blueberries in the freezer!

1 & 1/4 cup whole bean flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup sugar (substitute molasses, honey, agave or maple syrup if you're refined sugar-free, but you don't need as much... maybe 1/3 cup, but to taste)
2 tsp. g-f baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 to 1 cup blueberries
1 egg, beaten
1 cup organic lemonade (or for sugar-free, just squeeze a lemon into a cup and add enough water to make the 1 cup)

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the sugar if using it. If not, add alternative after stirring dry ingredients. Add blueberries, beaten egg and lemonade. Stir to a batter. Add a tiddle more lemonade if needed to make a smooth batter. Spoon into greased muffin cups and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until browned.

Now I have to go make some, because I've gone a made myself want 'em. ;o)