Cooking with Vinegar

Via a link in my Twitter feed, I read a blog post that indicated rice vinegar is not gluten-free. This statement gave me pause because, by definition, rice vinegar is absolutely gluten-free. The author of the post was trying to figure out why her son became sick after eating sushi, and she used bad research to determine rice vinegar has gluten.

The culprit was almost certainly not the rice vinegar in the sushi rice (it was more likely the wheat in the fake crab meat). As I researched this issue — thinking maybe I was crazy — I saw there was a lot of confusion about vinegar. This makes me sad as vinegar is a fantastic ingredient to add to your gluten-free kitchen. Continue reading “Cooking with Vinegar”

Grilled Romaine Halves with Caesar Dressing

During the summer, it’s natural to throw everything on the grill, and salads are no exception. Sure, you can do fantastic grilled veggie salads tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. Or you can impress your guests with this unexpected grilled Romaine salad.

Just brush the cut halves of Romaine heads with a bit of olive oil (I have a lemon-flavored oil I use for this) and grill for a few minutes on each side while your meat is resting.

The traditional Caesar dressing can be made in the blender or food processor (or by hand if you’re feeling energetic). Don’t skip the anchovies — they add incredible flavor and nobody (but you) will know they’re there.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try this with Iceberg lettuce to make a very different kind of wedge salad.

Online Grocery Shopping

I am lucky to live within a short distance of a Whole Foods Market, a Trader Joe’s, and a Von’s that has exhibited an exciting commitment to stocking gluten-free products. With three great grocery experiences available to me, I have it pretty easy when it comes to purchasing GF food options. Of course, easy isn’t the whole story.

Each of these stores stocks a limited number of gluten-free foods. Yes, I would argue, they all stock far more GF items than it seems on the surface; I would love more food producers to label their foods “Gluten-Free” — and Trader Joe’s does a great job of using a label to identify items that are gluten-free. However, in certain instances, the options are…sparse. Continue reading “Online Grocery Shopping”

Easy Turkey Enchiladas

I started making turkey enchiladas many years ago as a way to use up turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving. They are amazingly fast to pull together, meaning you’ll impress family and friends with something that seems complicated but is super-easy (don’t tell!). And these enchiladas are naturally gluten-free.

If you don’t have turkey, substitute leftover chicken. Or make them vegetarian with grilled or roasted vegetables. While I like to do the traditional rolled-up version of enchiladas, sometimes, I substitute what I call an enchilada pie: I layer tortillas, sauce, meat or veggies, and a bit of cheese (sort of like a lasagna). When made like this, the end result reminds me of chilaquiles.

Be prepared to work assembly-line style by having all your ingredients lined up and ready to go before you get started.

A note about store-bought enchilada sauces: to my surprise, many of the sauces I see on market shelves are not gluten-free. In this recipe, I use tomatillo salsa with some green chiles in place of green enchilada sauce — I love how it adds tanginess to the dish. For enchiladas made with a red sauce, I start with my own Red Chile Sauce, adding flavors to suit my mood.

Freezing Foods for Later

As I write this, I have a big pot of Bolognese sauce simmering on the stove. It smells incredible. Normally, this isn’t a sauce I’d make in the middle of summer, but I had a large number of tomatoes ripen while we were out of town. I believe they wanted to be turned into sauce.

I have two plans for this sauce. First, a mid-week lasagna. Since I use no-cook gluten-free noodles, I can throw it together pretty quickly. Dinner will take about an hour total (including time to let the lasagna sit after baking). Having the sauce made in advance means the hard part is done. Continue reading “Freezing Foods for Later”

Cravings: Traditional Macaroni and Cheese

Like most children, I was exposed early and often to the wonders of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. To this day, I can conjure the weird orangey-yellow (or is it yellowy-orange?) color of the final dish in my mind…and, with a little work, I can sort of recall the flavor. It is a food perfectly designed for finicky nine-year olds and broke college students.

I don’t know when I stopped eating boxed macaroni and cheese, but I do remember when I started making my own. It came after a meal at the Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill in Austin, Texas. They make a fantastic mac and cheese dish, and I was hooked! Continue reading “Cravings: Traditional Macaroni and Cheese”

Larb, or Ground Meat Lettuce Cups

While you may not have heard of larb by that name, you are likely familiar with the variation known as “lettuce cups”. Lettuce cups often feature Chinese flavors while larb tends to be spicier, with flavors of Thailand and Laos.

This ground meat dish features lime juice, fish sauce, chiles, and herbs. You can use any type of ground meat, though chicken seems to be the most traditional. Serve in lettuce cups and make a little extra sauce for spooning over the completed dish if you’d like.

Once interesting ingredient in this dish is ground toasted rice. It can be optional, but the rice powder adds a bit of crunchiness that is surprising, so I suggest going for it. You can toast the rice on the stove, but I prefer the oven method because it’s less hands-on — I do all the other meal prep while the rice is browning away!