Pizza Pizza

I was feeling adventurous last night, with a sudden craving for pizza. A few weeks ago I bought a package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix, but for some reason it took me almost 3 weeks of procrastination before I finally turned on the Kitchen Aid and whipped up the dough.

I had no idea what to expect with the gluten free crust, for all of the GF pizzas I have eaten (either frozen or at a restaurant) have had a really thin and gluten-less tasting crust. And believe me, there is nothing worse than a flavorless pizza crust that breaks apart in your hands, that can't hold any toppings and leaves your mouth feeling dry and coated in rice crumbs.

However, my pizza creation was delicious. The crust was thick and slightly chewy. It didn't fall apart and just had the certain pizza-crust taste that I really can't explain. Maybe it came from the yeast used in the dough, or maybe it was the Bob's Red Mill recipe. Whatever the reason, this was by far the best pizza I have ever eaten in my entire life and I am never going to peel away the cellophane from those over priced, measly little frozen pizzas again!

For my pizza I used the following ingredients:

• Muir Glen Italian Herb pasta sauce ( I know, it says pasta sauce, but it worked perfectly for this)
• Sliced tomatoes
• Sliced sweet yellow pepper
• Goat cheese
• Fresh basil leaves 

This recipe called for baking the crust for 7 to 9 minutes before putting any toppings on it,which worked perfectly. After I baked the crust for 7 minutes, I spooned on the sauce and spread it evenly over the crust. Some of it began to soak in which made for really great flavor once the pizza was fully cooked. I then spread the goat cheese on top of the sauce. * I microwaved the cheese for about 30 seconds to make it spread easier as this was not a shredded cheese.* 

I then placed the tomatoes and peppers ever so artfully on the pizza. I placed it back in the over for 15 minutes and once I had 5 minutes of bake time left, I decorated the pizza with the basil leaves. I probably could have cooked the pizza for another 2 minutes to get a little bit crunchier crust on the bottom, but the flavors were so tasty that once I started eating I didn't even care about having that little extra crunch. 

As you can see, my pizza was not round but rectangular! I had to used a cookie sheet as I don't have a round pizza pan, but I honestly enjoyed this shape of pizza. It was easier to cut and eat and the pan was the perfect size for the amount of dough. 

I will say that even my mom said the house smelled wonderful from the cooking of my pizza, which means it was a true success! And again, cooking this pizza was a great way to release the stress and anxiety from my day. I listened to music and even danced around a bit in the kitchen while I made my pizza. A new Olympic sport perhaps...synchronized dance-cooking in the kitchen?

Anyways, not to sound like a really bad advertisement, but I really hope all you gluten free and dairy free eaters out there will try Bob's Red Mill. They truly make amazing products that are easy to prepare but taste like real food. I will definitely be buying their pizza crust again. And now I really want to learn Italian...

Buon appetito a tutti 

A Stir Fry-a-Thon: Part 2

So I promised you I would share my new found gluten free teriyaki sauce for a complete Asian stir fry. And here it is:  San-J's gluten free Teriyaki Sauce! 

Here is their website: http://www.san-j.com/default.asp

This sauce had a mild, but still true teriyaki flavor. It was slightly sweet, yet still salty and I sauteed the veggies and shrimp in it but also mixed it in with the rice and veggies once I had the meal all ready on my plate.

For this stir fry I sauteed red bell pepper, carrots, peas, scallions, water chestnuts and shrimp. It truly reminded me of eating at an Asian restaurant and with the bed of short grain brown rice, the meal was really satisfying, warming and just delicious! 

This teriyaki sauce is going to become a regular in my shopping cart and pantry. It is really versatile and really does have a delightful but not over bearing flavor. A great addition to any gluten free foodie's kitchen!

A Stir Fry-a-Thon: Part 1

Stir fry. Vibrant vegetables and savory shrimp (or chicken) topped with tangy sauces on a bed of warm rice...sounds delicious doesn't it? Well, I think so. I don't know why I have suddenly started making it again, but stir fry was a weekly meal in my home when I was in high school. My mom and I ate together every  night and since I got home a lot earlier than her, I was in charge of most meals. I think that is when my passion for cooking really started to come alive though. I would get home from school, walk our dogs, begin my daily homework and then I would begin chopping, boiling, sauteing or baking away in the kitchen. I found such joy from chopping all the vegetables and arranging them in the wok; a splash of radiant colors against that black canvas. The sweet fragrance of the jasmine rice simmering on the stove filled our house with an exotic but warming aroma and when mixed with the tantalizing teriyaki sauce, my mom and I were able to enjoy a healthy, flavorful and delicious meal. The best part was enjoying it together though. For as I have said many times before, sharing a meal with the ones you love is the most satisfying part of cooking. 

You may be wondering what all this reminiscing has to do about my current cooking adventures in the kitchen. The answer, is that I had a sudden craving for stir fry the past week and after adding some variety and color to my shopping cart, I was able to concoct several stir fry variations. And were they ever delicious! 

Here is my first venture: 

Chicken Stir Fry 

• short grain brown rice
• red and yellow bell peppers
• peas
• carrots
• scallions
• freshly cooked chicken ( I was lucky enough to still have dark and white meat left over for a rotisserie chicken)

 After chopping the carrots and scallions, and slicing the peppers, I added the frozen peas to the pan. I sauteed them in some olive oil on a low heat.

Here is the chicken I pulled from the breast and thigh. I usually am not a fan of dark meat, but it was a nice addition to the stir fry. 

 I added the chicken to the vegetables just before the vegetables were ready to be taken off the heat. I only wanted to warm the chicken and let it soak up some flavor from the vegetables.










And below is the whole meal, ready to enjoy! I sprinkled some dried basil leaves on top to give it a unique flavor. Obviously this was not a typical Asian stir fry what with my use of olive oil and basil leaves. But I still thought it was delicious. On my next post though, I will let you in on the best gluten free teriyaki sauce I have ever experienced. And this time, I did make Asian stir fry.

Falafel Feast

Oh Chick Pea Cafe of Bozeman, how I have missed you so! Your falafel, hummus, and basmati rice topped with kishmish were always my favorite.   The flavors were bold and bright and the presentation of the food was beautiful as well. Recently I was wondering if I would ever again experience a meal of that exotic and scrumptious Mediterranean cuisine. Well, this weekend, I did!

Adam came to visit this weekend and I wanted to try my hand at reinventing the Chick Pea Cafe meal, complete with hummus, falafel, rice, fresh veggies and the socca. Eating at Chick Pea has been one of our favorite places to eat together and I have a lot of wonderful memories from that little cafe on the corner. And while our meal at my dining room table wasn't quite the same as dining out, I can say the experiment was a success and Adam and I really enjoyed our meal sitting side by side at my dinner table.

Using the recipe for falafel and socca in this cookbook: (available at Barnes and Noble) I created a memorable and very tasty meal full of love and care and precision.

Here are the ingredients for the Socca:

• chickpea flour
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• olive oil
• water
• dried basil
• dried rosemary

I can not reproduce the recipe from the cookbook here (copyright laws and all that). But I know there are lots of recipes available online. The bread was very easy to make and tasted great dipped in some hummus or marinara sauce. Or as Adam discovered, a mixture of hummus and marinara!

And here is the completed product:

And here are the ingredients for the falafel:

• cumin 
• garlic
• egg
• lemon juice
• 2 cans of garbanzo beans
• rice flour
• onion
• parsley
• olive oil

And here is the falafel straight out of the oven:

I had left over falafel for dinner last night and I placed it under the broiler for about 5 to 7 minutes and  it browned up very nicely and had a wonderful crunch to it. So when I make this again, I will broil it after baking it. It adds another level of taste and texture and makes it look so.....professional ;)

And here was our delicious spread:

As you can see, I sliced fresh tomato and cucumber to dip in the hummus. I also cooked up a large pot of short grain brown rice which was a great addition to the meal as it lent a neutral flavor among all the herbs and spices in the socca and falafel.

The best part about this meal though was sharing it with Adam, the man I love with all my heart. It meant so much to cook and prepare all this by hand and scratch and have the opportunity to share it with him. Nourishing the body, mind and spirit by sharing a meal with the ones you love....nothing compares to it. It is true that our bodies and minds and spirits need food, but our bodies and minds and spirits need love and care and devotion too. And I was able to give and receive all that just by preparing and sharing this meal with Adam. It doesn't get any better than that.

Shrimp Saute

Some precooked frozen shrimp, a red bell pepper, a yellow onion and some dried basil leaves. Saute all that in a pan with some olive oil and voila, you have a marvelous, healthy and very tasty dinner!

I have to say I am not feeling super inspired to write this morning. So I apologize for this bland, ho-hum excuse of a writing post. But at least you will have some pretty pictures to look at, right?

Here is what I cooked up with my experimentation last night:

• 10 to 12 precooked, frozen shrimp
• 1 red bell pepper 
• 1 yellow onion
• some dried basil leaves
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1/2 cup frozen peas 

And the methods of my experiment went as so: 

1. Place the shrimp in a bowl with some water. Once they have thawed, remove the tails and place back in the bowl. 

2. Slice the pepper and onion into rings, then slice the rings in half.  * I used the entire bell pepper and half the onion* 

3. Place the onion, pepper, and shrimp in a pan with some olive oil. Sprinkle the basil leaves on top and saute on low to medium heat. 

4. While the vegetables and shrimp are cooking, poke some holes in the sweet potato. I baked mine in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Let it sit on your plate a minute before you peel the skin away. 

5. Place the peas in a small, microwave safe dish, add some water and cook for 2.5 to 3 minutes. 

6. By this time the shrimp and vegetables should be done. The onions should be clarified and the pepper should be soft. 

I honestly didn't know quite how this dish was going to turn out, but it was really tasty! The basil and olive oil were a great flavor combination with the shrimp and the sauteing of the onion and pepper brought out their sweet and succulent flavors. As with anything in life, you don't know unless you try and are willing to give something a chance. You can't let your fear of cooking a bad meal or your fear of starting over let you stop yourself from experiencing life. For life is all about the journey and letting your fears be surpassed by the "I wonder" or "I wish" or even "I want!" that swim inside your soul. At some point you have to let go and just live. 

Pasta Salad

My mom has always been an amazing cook, baker, and inspiration. For as long as I can remember I have been her shadow in the kitchen. As a child I watched her brown roasts and chop potatoes for cozy Sunday dinners. I helped her bake and frost countless cupcakes and sugar cookies for school birthday parties and holiday celebrations. She taught me the importance of sharing food with the people you love   and the gesture of devotion and care that comes with that.  So when she suggested that I should try making a gluten and dairy free pasta salad, I knew she was onto something. And she was right. For once I altered her recipe to fit my dietary needs, I able to indulge in another addition to my burgeoning recipe collection.

Here are my ingredients:

• One jar of Annie's Naturals Tuscany Italian dressing 
• 1 medium sized red bell pepper
• 3 bunches of scallions
• 1 box of Ancient Harvest Gluten Free Garden Pagodas pasta
• olive oil 
• goat cheese (optional)
• soy nuts (optional)

My cooking went as so: 

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil; add some olive oil to keep pasta from sticking together

2. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and follow the cooking directions

3. While the pasta is cooking dice the red pepper and scallions. You will want to use just the top 3 inches or so of the scallions. Once the stalk begins to split is a good stopping point for the amount of scallion you will want to use. 

4. Place the pepper and scallions in a small mixing bowl. 

5. Once the pasta is done cooking, strain and then rinse with cold water. Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl. 

6. Add the peppers and scallions to the pasta and carefully fold all ingredients together. 

7. Finally, add the italian dressing and mix well. Transfer to a tupperware dish and store in the fridge. Chill for a few hours or save for later. This should hold up for about a week in the fridge. 

* When serving the pasta salad, feel free to add some goat cheese and soy nuts, or any other toppings you would like! Pasta salads are fun dishes to add variety too, so feel free to add any ingredients you would like!

The final step of mixing the dressing in.