The Simple Things: GF Fried Clams

Every so often, when someone discovers I can't eat gluten, they ask me what I miss the most. It's a hard question to answer. For one thing, it changes depending on my mood and, for another, I don't like to dwell on the foods I miss- it's hard enough already sticking to a GF diet! The foods I miss change depending on my mood. Often I really miss donuts, Boston Creme was my favorite. And I definitely miss pie crust, I'm still working on perfecting a GF version. Another is chicken nuggets (stay tuned for the results to my search for the best GF chicken nuggets!) and - well, I guess I could go on and on . . .

This summer I was really missing fried clams. I grew up in coastal Maine and fried clams seem like an integral part of summer. There's something about Maine, summer and the ocean that demands fried clams- or lobster rolls. I'd contemplated asking Santa for a deep fryer this Christmas, something that would help with the fried clams and the donuts (something I'm definitely still considering!), but we stumbled upon a more immediate solution. At my brother's graduation celebration dinner at the Kennebec Tavern in Bath, we discovered they use a rice flour batter for their calamari. That got our wheels turning and we decided to ask the kitchen staff if they could make me some gluten-free fried clams. The answer: yes!

So, a few weeks ago, I finally ate some gluten-free fried clams. They weren't quite as good as the gluten-full original (always the case), but they were a pretty good substitute and I was completely thrilled to enjoy something as simple as fried clams again. I'll definitely be calling ahead to order these again.

A GF Adventure: Hiking Mount Katahdin

I have been a very bad blogger.

The academic year has started and I'm still trying to figure out how to balance a full-time job, a graduate course and my hobbies. Unfortunately, blogging has been neglected. I'm hoping to be better in the future!

Over a month ago, Joe and I climbed Mount Katahdin. It was a once in a lifetime experience- because no amount of cajoling will ever convince me to go back (Asthma, a twisted ankle and running out of water did not make for a happy hiker)! Well, maybe not. Women have a hormone that helps them forget the pain of pregnancy and perhaps I have a similar hormone that helps me forget the pain of hiking, a month later it doesn't seem so bad. The feeling of accomplishment reaching the submit (and reaching the parking lot- I've never been so happy to see Joe's ugly car) and the views were amazing - none of my pictures do them justice.

Luckily, I packed plenty of GF treats to keeping me going and I needed the snack incentive when the going got tough!

Here's the recap:


We started out bright and early, but not early enough and Hunt Trail was the only option.


Snack #1: Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar! I'm a big fan of Larabar for their gluten-freeness and yummy flavors. I especially love how I can always count the ingredients on one hand, so rare and so much easier label reading. For instance, the Peanut Butter Cookie bar contains peanuts, dates and salt. So simple. So good.

The scenery really was gorgeous. This is about half-way up. Please note the cloud shaped like a duck.


Snack #2: The old standby, Luna Bar, in Toasted Nuts and Cranberry. Like the Larabar, I enjoy Luna Bars for their gluten-freeness and yummy flavors. I also like reading the back of my bar for some inspiration. Favorite flavor: Chocolate Raspberry!


None of my pictures do it justice, you might just have to climb Katahdin yourselves!


My summit sandwich. Thoughts of this declicious sandwich concotion kept me going the whole way up (I guess Joe helped a little too, maybe) and it's probably the best sandwich I've ever had. Turkey, goat cheese, cucumber and spinach on GF Bakehouse Sandwich Bread.

There aren't any pictures for the way down, because I really wasn't having any fun anymore and didn't feel any picture inspiration. After we left the summit, it didn't take me very long to twist my ankle and the rest of the way was very slow going. I'm starting to remember why I swore I wouldn't do it again . . .

Product Review: Liz Lovely Gluten Free Cookies

Last Friday I came home to this beautifully presented package from Liz Lovely. It wasn't exactly a surprise, I had been obsessively tracking the package since I placed the order and couldn't wait to get home Friday night to open it! It was worth the (very short-they're amazingly speedy!) wait, these cookies are delicious!

I discovered Liz Lovely's gluten-free cookies on the blog Gluten Hates Me, when I went to the website and looked at the product, I couldn't wait to place an order! The only problem was: which cookies to order. Liz Lovely offers an mouth-wateringly diverse selection of GF cookie treats, from the classic Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle and Peanut Butter to the more exotic German Chocolate Cake covered in coconut. Lucky for me, Liz was having a sale. I ordered the Gluten-Free Cookie Sampler and saved myself the agonizing decision of picking just one or two cookies to order.


I first sampled the Chocolate Chip, figuring the old standby was a good starting point. And, honestly, doing a squeeze test, I thought it felt a little harder than the other selections. I also wanted to get the cookie with the slight hockey puck feel out of the way first. The cookie had great flavor, but I wasn't impressed with the texture. Too dense and crumbly, probably a result of the rice flour. It was a good cookie, as far as GF cookies go, but I wasn't blown away.


The Snickerdoodle, however, blew me away! So soft, moist, pefect Snickerdoodle flavor- love that combination of sugar and cinnamon- I was amazed it didn't have any butter in it (Liz's cookies are also vegan). I can't say enough good things about this cookie, I hope the others I have yet to sample are as good. I'm especially looking forward to the German Chocolate Cake and Ginger Molasses. I will let you know the verdicts!


I definitely recommend heading over to Liz's website and placing an order. Join the Fanclub and get a little discount!

Liz Lovely's GF Cookies make cats happy!

Gluten Free Recall: Vans All Natural Wheat Free Homestyle Pancakes

Check your freezers! Vans All Natural has recalled a batch of their Wheat Free Homestyle Pancakes for undeclared gluten, wheat, egg and milk. I'm a fan of Vans' products (I just tried the french toast sticks and they were great), and I agree with others that it is very responsible of the company to announce this recall and offer customers a full refund, BUT I have to wonder: how did contaminated products get to consumers? This is what the company said:

“Our customers have trusted Van’s with their special dietary needs for more than 20 years, and their health and safety are our first priority,” said CEO of Van’s International Foods, Eric Kufel. “Van’s has immediately implemented advanced quality procedures above and beyond what we already have in place to ensure the continued safety of our products.”

The voluntary recall was initiated immediately after a packaging operator error, limited to one shift, was discovered. The company has immediately reinforced its Quality Assurance and Packaging procedures and believes that the problem was a one-time incident. Consumers who are allergic to or have sensitivity to wheat, gluten, milk or eggs, should not consume this product. Consumers should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund or send the box top with the printed lot number to the address below to receive five free coupons for any Van’s waffle, pancake, or French toast stick product 12.4 ounce or smaller.

I hope no one gets sick- getting gluten-ed is zero fun.

More information here: Philadelphia Gluten-Free Examiner and at the Vans All Natural Website

Kitchen Experiments: Shrimp with Grits

I was skeptical about grits. I was extra skeptical about the combination of shrimp and grits. But, my skeptical-ness was misplaced- this meal was delicious!

The first and only time I ate grits previous to this experiment was a family vacation to Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg, VA. Our hotel in VA served a continental breakfast and, ever the adventurous eater, I tried the grits. To say they were completely disgusting is putting it mildly. I also wasn't impressed with biscuits and gravy and decided to abandon Southern cooking. Then I started dating Joe, who grew up mostly in Georgia and enjoys things like sweet tea and grits. And since I was feeling more than a little guilty about disregarding foods disliked by Joe in other meals. So, I set out to learn how to make grits and when I stumbled across this recipe for shrimp and grits, I figured it was perfect. I made a few small alterations, but the recipe below mostly follows that printed in Duke Magazine.

I was surprised, but I actually really enjoyed this recipe. The shrimp mixture was deliciously flavorful and the grits, which mostly tasted like cheese, provided an excellent foil. One word of caution, make sure you use gluten-free grits. I accidentally grabbed a package of Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits and I have the rash to prove those were contaminated with gluten. It was a good lesson, I should know better than to grab without looking. And now Joe has a nearly full bag of grits all to himself!

Shrimp and Grits
(Serves 4)

• Cheese grits (recipe below)
• 1 lb fresh shrimp
• 6 slices bacon
• olive oil
• 2 cups sliced white button mushrooms
• 1 cup sliced scallions
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• fresh lemon juice
• Tabasco sauce
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Prepare the grits and hold in a warm place.
Peel shrimp, rinse and pat dry.
Dice bacon and cook until barely crisp, set aside on paper towels.
Add 1/8 inch of olive oil to the pan. When hot, add shrimp in an even layer to the pan. Turn shrimp as they color, add mushrooms and saute, while stirring, for about four minutes.
Add scallions and garlic, heat and stir hot a minute more. Season with lemon juice, a dash or two of Tabasco, salt and pepper, and parsley - to taste.
Divide the grits among four plates. Spoon the shrimp on top, sprinkle with crumbled bacon, and serve immediately.*

Cheese Grits

• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Corn Grits
• water and milk
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper
  
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• dash or two of Tabasco

Cook grits according to package directions, subsitute half of the water for milk to make creamier grits. Turn off heat and add remaining ingredients to sauce pan. Stir until combined.

* To make this recipe Joe-friendly omit all but the shrimp, garlic, bacon, salt & pepper, parsley and lemon juice.

New Recipe: Eggplant Parmigiana

I'm especially proud of this one because I invented it all by myself. Not the concept of eggplant parmigiana of course, but this particular GF version was my brain child. And best of all: it was fairly easy! Especially when one has their own personal sous chef and dishwasher. Another plus, because the eggplant is baked in the oven instead of frying, it's a lot healthier than the typical restaurant version and completely gluten-free!

The bread crumbs were nice and crispy with a subtle garlic flavor and the eggplant was just the right consistency, although Joe doesn't recommend discussing the seeds.

Eggplant Parmigiana

• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  
• 2 handfuls of fresh parsley, chopped
  
• Gillian's Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (Plain)
• Tomato sauce (whatever you like and have on hand should work fine)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• salt
  
• pepper
• two eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk

Once again, not really any measurements- I like to eyeball ingredient amounts when I'm cooking. Combine the garlic, one handful of chopped parsley and the bread crumbs on a plate. Beat together the egg, water, milk, salt and pepper. Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg mixture and then dredge in the bread crumb mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with all the eggplant. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, flip each eggplant slice and bake another 15 minutes. Layer the baked eggplant slices in a casserole dish, beginning with tomato sauce, then eggplant covered with tomato sauce and both cheese, more eggplant, more sauce, more cheese! Bake another 20 minutes at 350 degrees. In the meantime, prepare your pasta (remember the salt the water!). Serve the eggplant with pasta (here I used Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti) more grated Parmesan and the rest of the parsley. Serves four.

Joe was skeptical about the eggplant (as this picture clearly demonstrates!), apparently eggplant is very popular in Iraq and it isn't always prepared very well. But, he said while he never enjoyed eggplant before, he did like this- until the seed discussion. Victory nonetheless! This will probably become a staple- easy and delicious. Next time we'll see how my recipe works with veal.

I might be crazy, but . . .

Well, I've done it. I've placed this monstrous tome in my Amazon shopping cart and, if I can ever convince the USPS to deliver mail to my new apartment, I will be the proud owner of Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Inspired by Julie Powell's book Julie and Julie: My Year of Cooking Dangerously and the subsequent movie, Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams- I have decided to master the art of gluten-free French cooking. Well, let me modify that statement, somewhat master the art of gluten-free French cooking. I have no intentions of preparing all 524 recipes (I, for one, am perfectly content to leave aspics alone) or limiting this experiment to one year (between work, classes, personal life and hobbies I'm unwilling to abandon, I don't have that kind of time on my hands. But I admire Julie Powell immensely for her dedication and perseverance). I plan to start with a naturally GF Julia Child recipe and see how things progress from there.



It will certainly be an interesting experiment. Joe says he's prepared for some kitchen meltdowns, but I believe this is partially because we're still new and he doesn't believe there will be meltdowns. There will definitely be meltdowns. I figure I have one advantage on Julie Powell- I've successfully killed many lobsters in my time. I grew up in Maine after all.

Because I was anxious to get started, I decided to begin with something relatively simple- hollandaise sauce. I was inspired to make this partially by Julie and Julia and partially by a package of gluten-free hollandaise sauce I saw in Hannaford last week (major props to Hannaford for their excellent GF selection). I thought to myself, "how ridiculous. Hollandaise is definitely GF and why would you ever make it from a packet? It's just three ingredients!" So, thus challenged, I set out to make hollandaise.

Hollandaise Sauce

• three egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup butter

I was absolutely right, hollandaise is super easy and an excellent opportunity to build your wrist muscles! Just wisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat over extremely low heat and stir constantly. Add the butter 1/4 cup at a time, waiting until the first butter addition is completely melted before adding the second. Keep wisking until the sauce thickens. We enjoyed it over asparagus on toast and with poached eggs and ham in an Eggs Benedict sort of thing. Yum!