Using Rotisserie Chicken for Fast Gluten-Free Meals

Yesterday, I did a half marathon, leading to the inevitable questions about my sanity. These remain unanswered. Still, I finished with my best time ever. Sure, it was a mere thirty seconds faster than my previous best time ever, but it’s the little victories, right? After the race, I gorged on french fries and a burger (sans bun, but I was all about the meat anyway). Today…

My muscles are a bit tired, my left hip is suggesting a trip to the spa, and my mind is saying it’s time to resume healthy eating. Last week’s carbo loading may have started a bit early, if you know what I mean. Continue reading “Using Rotisserie Chicken for Fast Gluten-Free Meals”

Variations on Gluten-Free Fried Rice

In my city, the only restaurant that offers gluten-free fried rice is P.F. Chang’s, and I order it every time I eat there. Unfortunately, I cannot always count on this when the craving hits, and, you know, making fried rice is the work of minutes if you have cold, leftover rice in your fridge.

And that is the key: cold, leftover rice, or “overnight rice”, a description I read that charms me to this day. Warm rice is too wet to fry up properly. Leftover rice, after a night or so in the refrigerator, is drier. It hits the wok with a sizzle and fries perfectly. Continue reading “Variations on Gluten-Free Fried Rice”

Gluten-Free Product Review: Mission Soft Taco Tortillas

I’m just going to say it up front: I have found the gold standard for gluten-free flour tortillas. They are soft, they wrap around food without a problem, they smell amazing when you heat them, and, yes, they last for over a week on the counter (sealed up tightly in their original packaging). For a GF product, this is an amazing feat!

(Before you get much further, I don’t see this product listed on Mission’s website. I’m hoping it’s just due to slow updates, but here’s a link to their contact page so you can encourage their efforts to make more products gluten free.) Continue reading “Gluten-Free Product Review: Mission Soft Taco Tortillas”

Filipino Garlic Fried Rice with Vinegar Sauce (Sinangag-Style)

First off, this is not an authentic Sinangag. When I discovered this fried rice dish, I also discovered that every household in the Philippines has its own spin on the traditional breakfast dish. Some use garlic and rice only. Some add soy sauce.

Many serve the vinegar sauce on the side only. As I played with variations on the recipe, I felt the rice needed a bit liquid while stir frying. I hit upon this approach after misreading a recipe in Saveur (http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/filipino-garlic-fried-rice-with-vinegar-sauce-sinangag). Adding the sauce to the stir fried rice mellows the vinegar and garlic a bit, while incorporating heat from the red chile flakes.

If you prefer, omit the sauce while stir frying. You’ll still need a good amount of garlic, remembering to reserve some for a crunch topping. It will be delicious either way.

Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping, Part Two

Last week, I offered up a primer to all the possibilities your grocery store offers when it comes to gluten-free grocery shopping. This week, we explore the interior of the store!

After you’ve taken that first deep breath and toured the safest spots in the store, noting all the foods you can eat, expand your horizons. Wander the other aisles. Look, rice! Not that over-salted prepared stuff, but plain rice. White rice. Brown rice. Forbidden rice (which, well, isn’t so forbidden after all). Perhaps even quinoa. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping, Part Two”

Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping, Part One

I’ve gotten some questions about facing the daunting task of grocery shopping while maintaining a gluten-free diet. Conventional wisdom holds that a gluten-free lifestyle requires lots of expensive, special food. This cannot be further from the truth, and as I explore grocery stores for a couple of weeks, I want to start with the basics.

The day you’re told (or you decide) you have to be gluten free is weird. It’s scary. It’s overwhelming. All you know is you need to start now, this minute. Go. Eat. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping, Part One”

(Mostly) Easy Gluten-Free Cookies

(Updated 1/19/2015)

A friend of mine toured the Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free facilities and was so enthusiastic about what she learned, she bought a very large bag of Bob’s gluten-free all-purpose flour. For the record, my friend is not gluten free. Some marketing messages are very powerful.

She went home and baked up a batch of chocolate chip cookies using her own tried-and-true recipe. Needless to say, the cookies were not good (her description of her family’s reaction is much more colorful!). She had to dump the whole batch. On the plus side, I was the grateful recipient of the rest of the bag of gluten-free flour. Continue reading “(Mostly) Easy Gluten-Free Cookies”