Bringing It All Back Home: Chicken Chile Verde

One of the things I love about gluten-free eating is the variety of foods I’ve discovered by exploring the foods of various cultures around the world. While a GF diet can be challenging, I think it also encourages me to explore foods more broadly than I once did.

Of course, sometimes that exploration takes me right back home. As a native of California, I have Mexican food in my blood. When my husband and I travel, the first food we crave is Mexican (and those cravings have lead to some very, very interesting meals in various countries of the world). Generally, our first meal at home comes in the form of tacos. Continue reading “Bringing It All Back Home: Chicken Chile Verde”

Chicken Chile Verde

Chile Verde is a green, tangy tomatillo-based salsa or sauce. While you can certainly use the sauce for dipping chips or chilaquiles, I love simmering chicken or pork in the sauce for a quick weeknight stew. I love the addition of jalapeno to the sauce, but it can be omitted if your prefer your food less spicy.

(You can also ramp up the heat by using additional peppers or adding a few dashes of red pepper flakes or chipotle powder.)

There is no need to add a thickener to the salsa — the tomatillos have lots of pectin to do the job.

Frittata Ideas for Weeknight Meals

I don’t know what your schedule is like, but mine definitely needs a lot more room for free time. Even those days when I am particularly virtuous and get up at five to exercise seem like they don’t have enough hours. By the time I get home from work at night, there aren’t many hours until I’m supposed to hit the sack.

One trick I’ve mastered is making fast meals. As I’ve mentioned before, so often, going out to eat feels like a huge burden — if it’s a new place, I have to determine which menu items fit into my gluten-free diet; if it’s a familiar place, the foods I can eat lead to a repetitive (and sometimes boring) dining experience. Cooking at home lets me explore the variety of foods I love.

But, like I said, it’s gotta be fast. It’s gotta be easy. It’s gotta be delicious. And if it’s a recipe that delivers leftovers as well, then bonus points all around! Continue reading “Frittata Ideas for Weeknight Meals”

Those Weird Cravings Blues

I was minding my own business, driving and listening to the radio. Along came a story that was ostensibly about one thing, but focused on another. Specifically, Cubanos, the amazing Cuban sandwich made from ham, cheese, pickled, and crispy pressed bread.

At the end of the piece, all I wanted was this delicious sandwich. Weird because I’m not that crazy about ham. Moments later, another food-related story caught my attention. This time, loving attention was paid to bagels. Cue cravings. Then I saw a billboard for a Big Mac…

I haven’t eaten a Big Mac in, oh, twenty years. I’ve never really thought they tasted that good. Suddenly, it looked delicious to me. Continue reading “Those Weird Cravings Blues”

More on Recipe Management

Last week, I discussed Plan to Eat, a website I am using for recipe management, meal planning, and a shopping guide. This week, I wanted to explore a few other options that friends on Twitter use to manage their food lives.

Ultimately, the system you use depends on your own lifestyle. I collect recipes and cook a lot, so having a system that manages both the aggregation of recipes and meal planning is essential. Another key feature for me is the ability to get pretty granular with cuisines and key ingredients. Continue reading “More on Recipe Management”

Menu Planning and Recipe Saving Using Plan to Eat

Though I like to pretend otherwise, my recipe management techniques are a disaster. I have the best of intentions, but I tend to leave the organization part of management until “later.” If only I had a clone to handle all the things that fall into that particular life category.

For various reasons, including my decision to get serious about my diet, I’ve been working on getting all the recipes I have stashed in various places under control. These include: pages ripped out of magazines, various and sundry recipes bookmarked over the decades via different browsers, recipes pinned and clipped into various programs. Continue reading “Menu Planning and Recipe Saving Using Plan to Eat”

Sorta, Kinda, Non-Committed Gluten Free

Recently, two friends have been told by their doctors that they should try a gluten-free diet to see if it helps alleviate certain health issues they’re facing. One has cheerfully embraced this challenge. The other is treating it like a chore.

Based on what they’re saying, it’s clear who will be more successful (and the one who has embraced a GF life is feeling so much better!). Continue reading “Sorta, Kinda, Non-Committed Gluten Free”