Soup made from greens aka Green Soup

For the next few posts I will share what I've been eating for the last year. As a bonus we will have all these wonderful recipes in one place. No worries to the recipe originators, I always give credit where credit is due if I know the source. 

I first discovered a simple recipe for this soup in the January 2013 Reader's Digest. It's from Anna Thomas and her book, "Love Soup". The basics of the soup is using greens to make it. I use a combination of kale, spinach, Swiss chard (regular or rainbow), turnip greens and even collard greens. Just make sure you start with clean greens. If using collards, make sure you cut out the tough stems before using them. This soup is very tasty, good for you, a bowl has 2 or more servings of veggies per day and it's easy to make. The rice gives it a little body. The lemon gives it some brightness and the olive oil garnish is the last bit of added perfection. I'm not sure I will ever give this soup up. 


The basic green soup:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 3 cups water, divided
• 1/4 cup arborio rice
• 1 bunch green chard (about 1 pound)
• 14 cups gently packed spinach (about 12 ounces), any tough stems trimmed
• 4 cups vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade*
• Big pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
  
  

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 30 minutes.

 

2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard (save for another use, such as to add to a stir-fry or other soup). Coarsely chop the chard greens and spinach.

 

3. When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook for 10 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the rice along with the spinach, broth and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.

4. Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in batches (return it to the pot). Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil.

 

To make ahead: Prepare through Step 4 (omitting the lemon), cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reprinted from Eating Well by Anna Thomas. © 2011 Eating Well, Inc.

* To make homemade vegetable stock- Save tops and pieces from carrots, onions, celery, etc. Make sure they've been washed and are now clean. Add to 6 qts of water along with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off heat and strain. Nothing you'll find in a box or can will ever come close to tasting this good. 

Almost a year.....

I'm so behind on my blog that it's been almost a year since I last posted. Does this mean that I've stopped eating Gluten Free? No. Now I have 'been wheated' many times in the past year and occasionally have done so to myself. I know you other g/f people out there must do the same. You see someone eating something you miss. Something you just haven't been able to figure out how to cook as of yet. Maybe something a friend makes that you remember was "to die for" and you just had to have a bite or two or the whole darn thing. Then comes the week after and you remember why you went gluten free to begin with. This year I have been treated to several fine recipes and made a few adjustments to my favorites. One recipe that I used to make was a chocolate trifle. Just cake; layered with chocolate pudding and whipped cream and topped with a shaving of dark chocolate. I adjusted it. I took the basic chocolate cake, made from almond flour that I found on Elana's Pantry. It's in her book of almond flour recipes and it's awesome. Here's the link to the recipe in the book: Elana's pantry Chocolate Almond Flour cake   It's awesome. I loved it. I bought the book so I can make it even when the internet is down. That is not a good thing when a lot of your favorite foods are on the web in some folder.

So, back to the recipe. I made this for Thanksgiving one year (now it's a requirement) for turkey day at my mom's. It used to be a regular chocolate trifle but now it's been renamed. My brother John has renamed it to

Chocolate Sin

For the cake.....follow the recipe above from Elana. I promise it's good. I'm picky about my food so I won't steer you wrong. After the cake is cooled, cut it into cubes. About 1 1/2 inches square. They don't have to be exact. After all, nobody will even see them but they do need to be about the same size and too big makes for dry trifle and too small makes for chocolate mush. The end of it gets to be that way a little bit but it shouldn't start that way. Back to the recipe....

Whipped cream. Use the real stuff. The stuff that comes in tubs in the freezer section is gross. It's oil mixed with a lot of sugar, some water, some fake flavoring (yep, they don't even use real vanilla), and preservatives. 

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream- keep it cold

sweetener- I use 2-3 packets of stevia

1/4 tsp clear vanilla

I use my Kitchen-Aide stand mixer but you can use the one you hold in your hands too. Just make sure the bowl and the beaters are cold too. I pop them in the fridge or freezer for at least 45 minutes before whipping. I start off by whipping the cream alone. When it starts to get fluffy but isn't totally whipped, I add the sweetener and the vanilla. Then I finish whipping. Set the bowl aside in the fridge until you're ready.

I also make my own chocolate pudding. I know, it's horrifying that in today's day and age that I make my own. Trust me, it's worth it. If you're short on time, get the large box of sugar free cook n serve chocolate pudding. Instant isn't good enough for this dessert. Don't do it. Plus....you know your own is gluten free and hasn't been cross contaminated. Also, you can control the type and amount of sugar/sweetener you use as well. 

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

1/4 cup cornstarch or tapioca flour

dash salt

1/3 cup agave syrup or 12 packets of stevia or 1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup of heavy cream

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate- chopped. I use the squares. If you use bittersweet you'll end up with a sweeter pudding. 

1 TBSP vanilla-use the real stuff

Using a double boiler or a smaller pan set into a larger pan of simmering water, mix together the cornstarch and salt. Then add your milks and sweetener. Stir over medium heat until there are no lumps. Once the milks come up to warm, add your chocolate. Stir frequently while it melts. Once it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the vanilla. Continue to stir while it thickens. Remove from heat. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl to remove any lumps. Lay plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding to prevent pudding skin. Set aside until cool enough to work with.

Set 1/2 cup of whipped cream aside. Layer in trifle dish or other bowl/dish with tall sides.Starting with the pudding, layer like this: pudding, cake cubes, whipped cream. Be sure to spread evenly over cake. Repeat with remaining ingredients.  Top with reserved whipped cream. You can pipe a design on the top, use chocolate shavings or fresh fruit to decorate. Chill 2-3 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Amazing Tres Leches Cake

One of the things I really miss in this gluten free life is my ability to throw together a cake in nothing flat. I've always been an amazing cook and an amazing baker. Doubly blessed. I'm always hearing how this chef or that one has the talents to create wonderful savory delights or amazing desserts but nobody says they can do both.

Maybe I don't have the skills of a Top Chef but I have the God given talents to create a wonderful meal from appetizer to dessert. Yes, I've worked as a Sous Chef. Yes, I've done Garde Manger work too. That term refers to the person in charge of the cold dishes and salads in a restaurant. Yes, I've been a baker for the last umpteen years too. I've taken the private classes for sugar and chocolate. I've taken the Wilton method classes for all levels of cake decorating plus some for gum paste and fondant. I also have an Associates in restaurant management. So the skills are there. I just work from home mostly now. Sometimes I still get a chance to perform in someone else's kitchen too.

This gluten free lifestyle I'm in has really cut back on what I can eat without getting sick. Being sick is no fun. So cakes of the usual style are out as well. I've been experimenting with various cake recipes I've found online. There are hundreds of cakes out there. Some I'd almost go shopping for the ingredients right now (after midnight) if the stores carried what I need (more almond meal).. However right now, I have the 2nd layer of amazing cake in the oven. Cake one came out nice and spongy and too small. So I used the rest of my almond meal and am making a second layer. This cake has no flour, no egg whites, reduced sugar and tons of flavor. I'm making it into a Tres Leches (Three Milks) cake. Tres Leches is made by mixing 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk or 1 1/2 cups whole milk together. When cake is fresh from the oven, poke holes in it with a fork and pour the milk over it. Let it soak in. When cake is cool, ice with fresh whipped cream. Garnish with fresh fruit. I like to use strawberries and kiwis but you can use whatever your favorites are. I also used peaches on this one. Tastes great and it's beautiful too!

To make 1 layer of sponge cake

Oven to 350

Prepare 9 inch round pan. Grease with oil and dust with almond meal

In mixing bowl-

10 egg yolks
1/4 cup agave
6 packets stevia (I used Stevia in the Raw)
1 Tablespoon clear vanilla
2 Tablespoons water
3 tablespoons oil (I used Butter flavored grape seed oil from 'Wildtree' but a good olive oil will work too)

Blend until well mixed.

In separate bowl mix dry ingredients-

2 cups almond meal (you can also use almond flour-blanched and gives a nicer finished product appearance)
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt

Add to wet blend and mix well.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake until spongy to the touch. About 30-35 min.

The Gluten Free way to type 2 diabetes

I've been watching the shelves. I've seen big changes to the gluten-free diet. However it's gone overboard. In an effort to gain back some of the market losses from people who aren't eating gluten, the food industry is continuing on its path to create more and more diabetics.

Gluten-free cereals, cake mixes, etc. are popping up on the grocery shelves. Unfortunately, they are in the form of white rice flour (ground white rice), tapioca flour, etc. These are high glycemic and raise blood sugar faster than a candy bar. Wheat is out and now people are eating corn, rice, millet, sorghum by the pound. It's nice to have a treat now and then but these are just that, a treat.

 At first these helped me get away from my wheat cravings but they made my blood sugar rise. So I backed off and only use these occasionally. I avoid all white flours, including white rice flour. I most use almond flour (made from blanched almonds) or almond meal (made from whole almonds). Almond flour makes a better looking product. Almond meal makes for a better for you product. I eat a lot of veggies, I eat fruit, and protein.

A gluten-free diet has improved my lifestyle. I feel much better. I look better. I've lost weight, I've lost inches. I had to get new clothes. Then I started slacking off and eating the so called healthy gluten-free foods on the market shelves. Not a good idea. My blood sugar got high and I started not feeling so good again. So I'm back to the basics and will save the extras for treat time. For a good life and health, I'll stick to the rainbow of foods out there and not the fruity cereal rainbow either.

Gluten Free Thin Mints

As a Girl Scout leader, I really miss all those wheat filled cookies we sell each year. I have to rely on other people's taste buds to tell me about the new flavors. So I'm happy as can be to discover that someone has managed to come up with a recipe to make one of my favorites, Thin Mints. While I cannot say that I created this recipe- I did not. I did, however, test this recipe. The cookies taste good! Yeah! The one thing I will say is , if you decide to use peppermint oil, use less. The oil is stronger than the extract and can be overpowering. So, I know you all want to try this out so here goes: the link to the recipe.

http://bakingbites.com/2011/06/homemade-girl-scout-cookies-gluten-free-thin-mints/


Make them, then enjoy. Try not to eat the whole batch in the first day.

30 pounds and lots of inches down!

Last week, I was out for a walk and decided to leave my purse in the car and just take my phone and keys with me. I put them in my pocket and my pants fell down. I'm so glad nobody saw me....how embarrassing! So now I have to get new clothes. So I went shopping. I discovered that I can wear a size 20 top (I was in a 2-3X, depending on the cut and style). My pants have gone down too. Still not where I want them to be but I'm working on it.

I'm so excited! When I weighed myself I couldn't believe my eyes. I've been on one kind of diet or another for forever. Add 1 wheat allergy, a gluten free diet, a little walking and Viola! Somebody said to me the other day about what I was going to do after I didn't need the gluten free diet anymore. What!? I'm staying on it. My skin is clear, I have energy, my mouth isn't burning, I no longer have GERD or IBS. No surgery. No meds for those either. I'm hoping that I can also get off insulin for my diabetes. It would be totally awesome if I could be a diet/exercise diabetic.

That hasn't happened yet but hopefully it will. For now, though, I will eat broccoli soup, beef stew made with tapioca flour, and lots of other tasty GF foods.

Wedding Blues

Last night we went to a beautiful wedding. The venue was very nice and everything was gorgeous. The bride was stunning, the groom handsome. Just as it should be. We found our seats at the tables and waited for the wedding party to take photos. TONS of photos. They had a open bar and we got a soda and sat with other guests at our table and waited for food to arrive. A basket of bread, it smelled nice. I always have to smell before I pass it along. Then salad, all covered in Italian dressing. Sometimes dressing isn't safe but I was starving. The servers cleared the table and brought an assortment of dishes for us to pass, family style. There was pasta with red sauce, sliced turkey with gravy, stuffing, rice with peas and carrots, sausage with peppers, roasted potatoes and a veggie mix. I think it's called California Blend; carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. So I skipped the gravy, the stuffing, the pasta and the rolls. The potatoes were seasoned and I bet they had more wheat than the pasta. They also probably had red dye #40. It's the only thing that I can figure had it. They were red. I thought it was paprika. I may have been wrong. So, a few bites into dinner, I had to excuse myself. Then, when I returned, I had them clear my plate. A few minutes after that, we ended up leaving. I really would have enjoyed talking some more and maybe having a dance or 2 but it didn't work out. So for the next few days, I will have to go back to basics. Lots of water but no tea, sodas, etc. Steamed veggies, poached fish or chicken, and kefir. Basically no oil, spices or anything fun that I've added to my wheat free diet. I really hate watching what I eat and still having to do this because people put all these additives into our food.

Gluten Free Restaurants

I guess I'll continue to be amazed what some people think of the gluten free world out there. I never knew there were so many people who needed to watch the gluten in their foods. Also high on the list of food allergies are: corn, soy, dairy, and sugar.

So anyway...back to restaurants. I've been both pleasantly surprised and have gotten rude awakenings when it comes to what restaurants are willing to do for their customers. For instance, I have yet to meet a McDonald's employee who could care even the tiniest bit about my allergy to wheat. They simply must have enough other customers that it simply doesn't matter. My daughter loves them...so I keep asking. I should just give up. On the other hand, Burger King has been wonderful. I ordered a kids meal and they served my burger in a salad bowl and put my mayo, tomato and lettuce on the side. They also upgraded my fries to apple fries. Those are simply apples cut into the shape of fries and are served in a box that looks like a fry box. Most family style restaurants local and chain have something I can have. They offer salads, breakfasts, steaks, etc and that's always a go-to for me. What I love are the places that go above and beyond. The Italian place with gluten free bread sticks, pizza, or pasta. The Mexican place that has a dedicated fryer for frying corn chips only and separate appliance for heating flour tortillas vs corn ones. The chain restaurant that has a multiple allergen menu and there's actually quite a lot you can have. So places I have discovered that are large chains that have a gluten free menu are: Taco Bell- they use chicken instead of beef and serve you chips and corn tortillas. Olive Garden- yes, I was excited too since my family LOVES Italian food- They have gluten free pasta, steaks, chicken, and salads. It's awesome. Applebee's has a pretty decent cross section. They have something for every taste and hunger level. Salads, an appetizer, a couple entrees, and a good old hot fudge sundae...or dish of ice cream if you want. Culver's cooks their buns on the grill next to the burgers but they cleaned the grill for me and switched my fries to mashed potatoes (they use real potatoes) with butter instead of gravy. One place that really surprised me was Red Lobster. They only have 3 wheat free things on the menu. Those are: lobster, lobster tail, and crab legs. Even the fresh veggies are served with some sort of seasoning with wheat in it. They also didn't seem to care about my plight. Several chain buffet restaurants have offered to cook my food separately and serve it directly to me. I hope that one day, the people who don't care will realize what they're doing is bad for business but until then....we can have Olive Garden!

Father's Day Meal

It's Father's Day and I like to make one of my husband's favorite meals. My husband is a meat and potatoes man so you vegetarians will have to skip this one. This is the first year I'm doing it gluten free. This year I'm serving meatloaf, green beans with red potatoes and chocolate mousse. This is the same mousse I made for Valentine's day. The recipe can be found in a blog post around that time. I'm using fresh green beans and child labor to snap them. I prefer to use the smaller B size red potatoes. I wash them and cut them into quarters. Then I cook them together with salt, pepper and chicken broth. Sometimes I add a little seasoning ham but I don't have any today. The recipe I'm sharing today is for the meatloaf. I just mixed it up and it's chilling. I will post a picture later when dinner is ready.

This recipe only needed to have a few adjustments but it's amazing. My family really loves it and I'm hard pressed not to have family show up if they discover it's what we're having for dinner. So I always make more than we need. Leftovers are awesome if we don't get extra dinner guests. I use a good quality hamburger. I prefer 85/15 for the best flavor. Too much higher fat content and there's not enough meatloaf to go around. Plus you really don't want all the extra fat floating at the bottom of the pan. Before I went gluten free, I used to put a couple slices of bread in the bottom of the pan to absorb the fat. I tried that once with gluten free bread. I didn't work. So I won't be doing that again. The other way is true also. You don't want too low of a fat content because fat gives meat it's flavor and who wants flavorless meatloaf?

Mom's Famous Gluten Free Meatloaf
1 1/2 lbs hamburger 85/15
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium onion (I prefer yellow or Spanish), finely chopped
1/4 cup milk- anything but skim
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup gluten free rolled oats
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.The night before or early in the day. Add milk and some pepper to the meat and mix well. Chill overnight or for at least 2 hours.



2.In a sautee or frying pan add the olive oil and butter. To this add the chopped celery and onion. Cook over medium heat until the onion is soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. Remove the meat from the fridge and mix it again. I prefer to use my hands. You will need to wash them several times during the process so keep a towel or napkin close by.
4.Add the egg and mix again. The mixture should be squishy and wet. Add half of the oats and mix again.
5. If the celery and onions are cool to the touch, add them and mix well.
6. Add the rest of the oats and salt and pepper. Mix well again.
7. Form into loaf and put into loaf pan or square cake pan.
Chill for a hour so that the flavors mix well.
8. Bake at 350 for approx 1 hour. Meat should be browned. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes before cutting. This will assure that the meatloaf should hold its shape and not fall apart too much.

Monday's Experiment

Every so often I get a taste for something fancy. Today I cooked all the veggies in the freezer. I had a bit of this and bit of that. Then I attempted to make Hollandaise Sauce. It's one of the few things I have trouble with. I can make homemade bread, a souffle for an entrée or dessert but the Hollandaise eludes me. I have made a mock sauce that tastes similar without the problems that tend to happen with the regular version. So tomorrow you can clean your freezer, eat and then go shopping for more veggies.



Remember to use the whole fat varieties as the low fat ones have gluten in them. Also make sure sour cream is 100% sour cream. I like Breakstone's or Daisy. I made a small batch but this can be doubled, tripled, etc to fit your needs

Mock Hollandaise Gluten Free
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1 teaspoon lemon juice- fresh squeezed is best
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, combine sour cream, mayo, and mustard. Turn heat on stove to medium low and heat mixture until warm. DO NOT BOIL . When warm, add lemon juice and stir until well blended. Add salt and pepper. Serve over veggies or poached eggs.

And Down it goes again.....

What is that? My weight. It's the middle of May and I've done nothing to my diet and exercise plan except remove wheat and gluten products. Oh and I no longer drink anything with saccharin or sucralose (Splenda)in it. I always liked Splenda but your body doesn't know what to do with it so it stores it. Your mouth gets the sweet taste which causes insulin to be released but there's nothing for the insulin to work on so it turns to fat.

So now I'm eating real ice cream, real sour cream and real butter. The lowfat/ reduced fat versions have wheat in them. They use a thickener to keep the mouth feel. Think of it as dairy gravy base. I'm also using stevia to sweeten things. I'm a diabetic so I don't eat sugar but if you're not a diabetic (or have hypoglycemia) then you should stick with plain old cane sugar. My Grandma calls that 'table sugar'.


I've been experimenting with recipes again and have discovered that making fried chicken with your favorite recipe and substituting corn starch or tapioca flour for the AP or whole wheat flour makes a very nice fried chicken. Just check the label of your spices for hidden wheat. Use plain spices instead of mixes or blends. You can mix paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder without adding wheat but apparently the food industry cannot.

So back to the numbers. Numbers don't mean anything. It's what is happening to my body. My face is slimmer and my pants are falling down. I have more energy and my skin looks good. Soon I will have to go shopping. I'm looking forward to it.

The Great Gluten Free Bread Debate

I've been talking to some people I've met along the way in this journey of mine. They want to know which bread I prefer. The truth is, I prefer the homemade bread recipe my friend Amy gave me. It's awesome and I've been able to make some adjustments to it. I would love to share it with you but, since it's not mine to give, I cannot. So back to the bread you can buy. The top two favorites are Rudi's and Udi's. To keep the consistency and fairness, I bought 1 loaf of each. I bought the same variety (whole/multi-grain), at the same time, with the same approx exp date, and kept under the same conditions.

Then came the testing. As far as flavor goes, they're both pretty good. They both toast really well and when toasted hold up pretty well for butter and jam.

I tried a wide variety of combos and this what I've learned:

Grilled Cheese- Rudi's: crispy on the outside, mush on the inside. Udi's: crispy on the outside, creamy cheese on the inside.

Vegan Sprout sandwich: Hummus spread, Alfafa sprouts, seed cheese. Udi's: Held up to the hummus spread. Didn't crumble too much while I was eating. Rudi's: Hummus made the bread soften and get mushy. Sandwich kept crumbling while I was eating it.

Peanut Butter and Jelly (PBJ): Udi's: Held up well tasted good. Sandwich stayed intact bite after bite. Rudi's Held up ok. The taste was there but the sandwich started to fall apart after I had taken a couple of bites.

Bologna: Rudi's: Was okay until I decided I need mustard. This bread is just not good for adding anything wet to it. It crumbled almost as soon as I started eating it. Udi's: Tasted good. Held up to mustard and also to mayo.

Homemade croutons: I buttered and baked both breads and they both worked well in this instance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I will try more combos but, for now, I can say that I like Udi's hands down every time. It holds up to condiments and also works great as toast or as a dipping bread for eggs or soup. I can use it either toasted or plain which allows it to be my wheat bread substitute.

Rudi's only holds up when toasted.

Update Blog

Ok, I'm back to walking and can stand for 15 minutes at a time. So I will be back to cooking and creating recipes. Today I made the Quinoa Pilaf again. Ate some for lunch with leftover baked chicken from last night's supper. I'm making all the recipes from before so I can remember what flavors worked best together. While I've been off my feet, I tried several pre-made things and found them.....rather disgusting. I can't wait to get back to fresh flavors and no more boxed flavors. I'm going to try a cake this weekend. I made cupcakes with almond meal and they were wonderful. Hopefully the cake will be great too.


See you all soon

Missing food

Almost 3 months into my journey of gluten free and I really miss some of the things I used to eat. Every so often I try to convince myself that one bite won't hurt. Well, I'm wrong. It does hurt. My mouth tingles, my skins gets flaky and itchy, and my stomach doesn't react very well at all. All that from a small morsel of something containing wheat. Last week, I ate 1 bite of chocolate cake. Oh so good in the mouth. Oh so bad for the rest of me. Even the mouth didn't like it 2 hours later. Hopefully I'll get it one day and stop torturing myself. In the meantime some friends have passed along some great recipes for gluten free bread. I'm hoping to tweak something into hot dog buns. What I wouldn't give right now to hold (and eat without fear) a Vienna beef Chicago style dog with the works. When I say the works I mean poppy seed bun, cukes, tomatoes, glowing green relish and mustard. Not yellow mustard but a thick, hearty, German-style brown with lots of character. The other day I made a polish and served it on a green lettuce leaf. I got the flavor of the dog and the toppings but it was missing the poppy seed bread. As soon as I am out of this cast, I will embark on the task of making bread. No pictures today, just the ones in my head.

Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse

Valentine's Day has come and gone but I made this dessert for my honey. It's really easy and didn't require a lot of time on my feet. Just a few more weeks and I can have my ankle back. I can't wait. Okay, back to the task on hand.... Chocolate. I've made mousse before but this is the first time that I didn't make it with eggs and butter. Oh yes, there is a recipe out there with all of that as well. This one just has cream, chocolate, vanilla, and stevia. It requires a bit of patience but not a lot of work. You might ask why the recipe serves 3. It's because there are 3 people in my family. You can spread it to 4 by giving each bowl a little less. If there's only 2 in your household, then save the third helping to share for the next day or save it to eat by yourself with lunch

Chocolate Mousse

Serves 3-4

2 cups heavy whipping cream (I used 36% fat)
5 oz unsweetened chocolate squares- divided
Stevia equal to 1/2 cup sugar or 10 packets
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In heavy saucepan, heat cream on medium heat. When it's just warm but not bubbling, add 4 ounces of the chocolate. Stir constantly. You want the chocolate to melt into the whipping cream. You don't want the mixture to boil. It may get a few bubbles along the edge of the pan but not a full boil.

Add the stevia. Keep stirring until all of the chocolate is melted into the cream. It should look like rich hot cocoa. Once all the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat. Pour most and put into a glass bowl. Put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill. You should have about 1/2 cup of chocolate cream left in the pan. Add the remaining oz of chocolate, turn the heat back on and melt into the cream. This will look much darker than the first part. You can add another packet of stevia if you want a sweeter sauce. Once it's melted, set aside. Do not chill.

The bowl in the fridge should be cold to the touch all the way around and the mixture should also be cold. When it is, then whip the cream until it's light and fluffy. Do not over whip or you will have chocolate flavored butter. Add to serving dishes. Get the darker sauce from earlier. This is called a ganache (Pronounced gah- nahsh). Spoon some over the top in each dish. Store in fridge until dessert. Yes, you can wait that long. Besides you have a bowl, a pan, and the beater to try it all out with.

Cream of Mushroom for One

I'm the only one in my house that even likes Cream of Mushroom soup. I used to make a pot of it to share with a friend but she has moved away. So now I just make it for me. It was really easy to convert this recipe to gluten free. I think it actually tastes better. Sometimes when I used wheat flour, it had a grainy mouth feel to it. The new and improved recipe is made with tapioca flour and is smooth as silk. I might just have to double the batch next time. I make mine with white button mushrooms, garlic, onion, chicken stock and heavy cream. I like to see larger pieces of garlic in this soup but also like loads of flavor so I crush it a bit by laying the flat of the knife blade against the slices and hitting it really quick with the heel of my hand. You can also use the handle of the knife if you're not sure you want to hit the blade with your hand. The recipe adjusts as needed for your diet. I like the flavor from the butter but it's good with straight olive oil too. Once upon a time I used to use all butter. I prefer almond or coconut milk over soy when it comes to making it lactose free or dairy free. Vegans can add whatever milk or stock that they choose. Adding a cashew cream will make it a little thicker. I prefer mine to be a little thin but I'm including amounts for a thicker soup as well. Spoons at the ready.........

Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup for One
Serves one

1-2 garlic cloves; thinly sliced and slightly crushed
1/2 small onion, minced
4-5 white button mushrooms, sliced very thin
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon tapioca flour (for thin soup) 2 Tablespoons (for thicker soup)
1/2 cup organic stock (I used chicken)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Lunch is Served....

I'm so excited. I was able to go out to lunch with my family yesterday to a restaurant that offered things everybody wanted and wasn't a Chinese restaurant. We went to Third Coast Spice Cafe' in Chesterton, Indiana. The chef was very accommodating to my dietary needs. They have several bread options, including a gluten free bread. The taste? It was wonderful. I was so happy to have a sandwich that wasn't served on tasteless rice flour bread. My friend has given me a recipe that I can't wait to try. I'm hoping to make it later this week once I get the big cast off. Right now it's a little harder to get around the kitchen. So back to my lunch. Third Coast Spice Cafe offers cage free eggs. They utilize organics and local ingredients whenever possible. The food is fresh, looks great and tastes wonderful. I even caught my husband scraping his plate clean. I tried the Farmer's Market sandwich which had hummus and avocado as a spread instead of mayo. It had grilled fresh portabella mushrooms, fresh spinach and tomato. There were roasted red bell peppers and provolone cheese. I was in heaven. Side options were your choice of chips, French fries, or carrot sticks. I opted for the carrot sticks. They came along with a side of freshly prepared ranch dressing. I was also able to try out their Bloody Mary cream which is a tomato based mayo. It tasted faintly of blue cheese as well. I will definitely have to get that again. If anyone local wants to go try it out, I will be happy to meet you for lunch as soon as I can drive again. I've included a link to their menu. Trying a new place is nicer if you know what they serve ahead of time.All links are on the bottom of my blog. Just scroll down to view.

Seven Weeks Later....

I've had a lot of people ask me about my diet. They have lots of questions. So I will just save time and answer them all here.

• Do you enjoy the new diet?
  

  Yes, I'm really liking the new diet. I know where all my foods started from. That's really a bonus as I cannot eat most processed foods. So now I get to see what they were before I eat them.
  

• Does this mean you can't eat Oreos, Chips Ahoy, McDonald's, etc. anymore? What about dining out?

  Yes, but those things weren't good for me anyway. I have found a few fast food options that I can go to in a pinch if I'm out without food. I've also discovered that most Chinese food places are mostly gluten free. They have steamed rice and rice noodles with veggies. Sauces are thickened with corn starch. I just have to steer clear of the soy sauce because it's made with wheat. No sweet and sour combos or won tons either. I have plenty of food to eat. I just have to figure out what's on the menus. Some places are starting to offer allergen menus. Sadly most aren't up to par yet.
  
  

• How do you feel?
  I feel great. For the first time in years actually. I no longer have heartburn daily. I don't have a lot of headaches or muscle aches. The one thing that I do not miss are the constant yeast infections. It was so bad that I had a prescription on file. I could call it in myself. I used to always feel bloated after eating. Oftentimes I couldn't swallow. I had lots of gastronomic complaints. I don't have any of those anymore. Heck, even my skin isn't as dry and itchy as it was. It's winter and my skin is less dry than it was in the summer. I'm not even having panic attacks anymore. OK, I have those whenever I try to convince myself that just one bite of cookie or one taste of something else won't hurt. It always comes back to haunt me.
  

  I can go on and on but it just upsets me and that's not where I want to be. I'm just happy to be feeling good. I haven't felt this good in years. I can't see myself going back to my 'old diet'. It just goes to show that doctors don't always know what they're talking about. If I had followed the original plan, I would have had stomach surgery, still have been taking tons of pills, and despite every effort on my part.....gaining weight or at least not losing any.
  

• How about weight? Have you lost any?
  I sure have. All those years of yo-yo dieting. All that money spent on diet foods, pills, potions, plans, etc. They didn't work. I had to change me and my basic diet. I've lost 5 pounds in the past week and I've eaten ice cream every day. Yes, real ice cream. Yes, every day. I've even tried the vegan variety, the recipe is in this blog somewhere in the last 7 weeks. I made it with coconut milk and carob. It was awesome.
  

• What's available in the stores?
  Lots of stuff. There's gluten free stuff out there but the best bet is to 'Shop the walls'. Do this by sticking to the outer walls of the store. That's where the fresh stuff is. The produce, meat, and dairy are on the walls. The less processing that happens to a food, the less likely that wheat was added to it.
  

• What results does your doctor/s see?
  Well, I got some test results back the other day. I've been taking vitamin supplements for years and they're finally working. I'm not fighting their efforts with my diet. I just wasn't absorbing some of those minerals so the supplements were only staving off the end result. My vitamin D and B12 levels are higher now than they've been in a very long time. This means my bone density will improve. Which just might mean that I can walk longer without pain. My muscles will not feel weak and exercise will finally help me. Also that I will stop, hopefully, breaking my bones all the time. This is really getting old.
  

• Will this work for me?
  Only you can decide that. I have to eat this way or go back to feeling the way I was. I might miss the old food but I really don't miss the results. You can still have the old foods so it'll be harder to stick with the plan.
  

Smoothies

Well I'm off my feet for a few weeks, at least in the kitchen. So I'm trying some foods that are in the freezer section of the local grocery store. Today I tried the new Yoplait Smoothies. In their recipe, you use the whole bag of smoothie blend. I tried the blueberry pomegranate pack. It has whole blueberries and nuggets of pomegranate juice blended with yogurt. You add your own skim milk and blend. Since it's just me eating this way, I used half the bag. I also added the other smoothie ingredients I keep on hand. I have flax meal which is ground up flax seeds. You can buy it ground or grind them in your coffee grinder. I also have chia seeds. Yes, these are the same seeds you used to spread onto a pottery animal that you soaked overnight in water. As it turns out, these are really good at adding fiber to your diet. They have no flavor but they bulk up nice in water and helps keep you full longer. I added a full cup of milk to mine. It makes them a little thinner but the cold doesn't bother my teeth so much and the extra vitamin D is really good for you. Here's my version of the Yoplait Smoothie.

Altered Yoplait Smoothie
Makes 1 serving

1/2 bag Yoplait Smoothie Blend
1 cup milk. Their recipe calls for skim, I used 1%
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1-2 ice cubes (optional)

Throw all ingredients into your blender and blend until you are happy with the results. The ice will make it a little thicker if you like.

New Favorite Appliance

For a long time I've used a coffee grinder to grind my own spices. It allows them to stay fresher and also allows me to pick how course or fine I want them to be. The grinder was always in the garage but now I keep it close at hand. I am grinding my own flours. I've been grinding my own brown rice. It's so much cheaper than buying it. I have also ground almond meal and cashews. I just put in a small amount and push to grind.

Yesterday I baked a chicken and cooked a few veggies with it. The rest I boiled in a saucepan with some chicken stock. Then I added brown rice flour and some of the cooked chicken to the veggies. It made a nice stew. This gluten free diet isn't bad. I'm feeling a lot better and I've even lost some weight too. Plus I still get to eat ice cream on occasions without feeling too guilty.

I definitely broke my ankle so it's going to be a little while before I get back to full cooking and recipes every day. I will try my best to keep the tips up and share great recipes and ideas here as well.