When I Went Gluten Free...

This is by far one of the funniest, greatest, most amazing Tumblrs ever created. I have to share it with my gluten free foodies out there. Enjoy this Tumblr and the beautiful day outside! XO 

When I Went Gluten Free

When a new Gluten Free product comes out

When Gluten enters my intestines

When someone asks me if I miss bread, pizza, pasta, etc..

When I go home for the holidays

When the bread basket arrives 

When I hear someone else profess their love for Quinoa

Chili Beef and Broccoli

Asian food is one of the biggest gluten traps out there. Sadly, the majority of dishes are off limits. The funny thing is most of the time, it's a simple switch from soy sauce to tamari. I am surprised that more asian restaurants haven't jumped on the gluten free train. There are some great chain restaurants like PF Changes and Pei Wei that have a dedicated Gluten Free menu but most authentic asian restaurants have yet to make the switch. Since eating out can be difficult and breaks my budget, creating delicious asian recipes is what I strive to do. Enjoy this sweet spicy beef dish with some sticky rice and don't forget your chopsticks and sake!

4 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Pound Beef, Your Choice of Cut

*I have made this recipe using different types of beef like skirt steak as well as a cheaper cut of beef. 

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 TSP Ginger, Minced

1/2 Cup Tamari (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1/2 Cup Water

2 TBSP Brown Sugar

1 TBSP Heinz Chili Sauce

1/2 Onion, Sliced

1 Crown Broccoli, Cut into Florets

Rice Flour

*You can add other veggies too!

In a small skillet, heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add broccoli and onions. Sauté until onions are almost translucent. Set aside

Using the same skillet, Heat 2 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger. *Keep an eye on your garlic so it doesn't burn. Quickly add tamari and water to cool it down slightly. 

Next, add your brown sugar and chili sauce until dissolved. Turn the heat a little lower and let simmer for 1-2 minutes while stirring. This will thicken your sauce a little.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the beef! Cut beef into 1/4 Inch strips against the grain. Toss with rice flour. 

In a large skillet or preferably a wok, heat 1-2 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add your beef and cook for 3 minutes until edges turn darker. 

*If there is a lot of excess oil, drain the oil.

Toss in your broccoli and onion and cook for 1 more minute. 

Then add your sauce and cook for 1 more minute.

Serve hot with rice and enjoy! xx

Good Day Sir.

Vanilla Quinoa Pudding

My love for quinoa was taken to a whole different level this weekend with this sweet treat. Using nutty quinoa gives this take on rice pudding a different sweet twist. Substituting quinoa for rice adds extra nutrition like 3 extra grams of protein and more immune boosting iron. Serve it hot and enjoy this comforting dish.

1 Cup Quinoa

2.5 Cups Vanilla Almond Milk 

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1/4 Cup Sugar or Stevia

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

1 TSP Cinnamon

Rinse your quinoa well for at least 1 minute under cold water.

*Make sure to rinse your quinoa well as it will have a more dirty earthy flavor if you dont.

In a large skillet or saucepan (I used a large skillet) mix together with a whisk the almond milk, cream, sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Do not let it boil. 

Add quinoa.

Turn down the heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Stir frequently because a film will form on top.

The longer you simmer the thicker the pudding will be. 

Serve hot and enjoy! xx

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

The worst part of the week is going through your fridge and seeing how much produce was wasted. My goals for the year was to save more money and waste less food. It has been a refreshing challenge trying to create new dishes before our fresh veggies and produce go bad. This dish all started with a bag of cabbage. The cabbage stared at me for a week saying "maaakeee something with me." I have never been a big cabbage fan, and seems like the only way I eat it is with fish tacos (I end up picking off most of the cabbage too) Well friends, here it is! An amazing, delicious way to eat cabbage. I made it two nights in a row because it was so satisfying, and because it was a huge bag of shredded cabbage. 

This quick and easy side dish is a great addition to any asian themed meal. 

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1/2 Onion, Sliced

3/4 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, Halved or Quartered

2 TBSP Rice Wine Vinegar

1 TBSP Sambal Oelek (Chili Garlic Sauce)

1 Zucchini, Cut in Chunks

8-10 Ounces, Shredded Cabbage

In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP Olive Oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes until onions start to turn translucent. 

Add the cherry tomatoes, zucchini, rice wine vinegar, cabbage and sambal oelek and sauté for a few more minutes until cabbage is tender.

Serve hot and enjoy! xx 

Roasted Poblano Shrimp

Shrimp is my favorite seafood, possibly favorite food. When I was little, I used to eat so much shrimp that my older sisters told me I would turn pink. Well, I kept eating shrimp by the buckets and it never happened so I think I am in the clear. If I do turn pink, I hope my hair turns pink first. This shrimp dish is so easy and delicious. It uses fresh roasted poblanos for a smokey and slightly spicy twist. 

1 Pound Fresh Raw Shrimp, Deveined 

1 Poblano Pepper, Roasted

1/2 Small Red Onion, Roughly Chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, Roughly Chopped

1/3 Cup Cream

1 Zucchini, Cut in Chunks

1 Cup Mushrooms, Sliced

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

First, start off by roasting your poblano pepper. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Rub your poblano pepper with your choice of high heat oil. I used Grapeseed Oil.

Roast your poblanos for about 40-45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes or so. 

Your poblanos will turn darker and start to "blister" and peel.

This is my favorite part of the recipe because your house will smell so good and spicy!

Let your poblanos cool down and then peel the outer skin. The skin should come off fairly easy. If the skin doesn't peel off without effort, then you should roast it a bit more. Cut pepper and take out the seeds and ribs.

Wash, peel and devein your shrimp. Here is a guide to how to devein shrimp.

Deveining Shrimp

In a food processor or blender, combine roasted poblano, red onion, garlic and cream and blend. Add a pinch or two of salt. 

In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat.

Add the zucchinis and mushrooms, cook for 2-3 minutes and then add your shrimp.

Saute until shrimp are almost pink, turn down heat a bit and then add your poblano sauce.

Don't let sauce boil as the cream will curdle. 

Cook until shrimp are fully cooked and opaque.

Serve hot and enjoy! xx 

Since I Love Quinoa...

Oh Ryan.

Just a little Ryan Gosling to get you through your night. 

Enjoy! xx

Southwestern Quinoa Bake

Remember how I told you that I have a 5 pound bag of organic quinoa?

I am pretty sure that the quinoa keeps multiplying because there is barely a dent in the bag. Here is another quinoa recipe. You can never have too many quinoa recipes at your disposal. Quinoa is a supergrain! 

1 Cup Cooked Quinoa

1 Zucchini, Cut in Chunks

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1/2 Cup Corn, Frozen or Fresh

1/2 Small Red Onion, Chopped

1 Small Can of Green Chiles (4 Ounces), Chopped 

1 Jalapeño, Seeded and Diced 

1/2 Cup Black Beans, Rinsed

1/4 TSP Salt

1/2 TSP Cumin

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

Cook quinoa according to package or use plain leftover quinoa.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix.

Pour into an oven safe dish.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until zucchinis are cooked.

Serve hot and enjoy! xx 

Curried Cashew Green Beans

One thing I love about Indian food is the majority of it is Gluten Free. When I first became Gluten Free, it was tough. Changing my lifestyle from eating California burritos all the time to a Gluten Free lifestyle was a drastic shock to my carb loving system. I took a trip to San Francisco during the first few months of being Gluten Free, and was stressing that I would be the "difficult" friend. We ended up at an Indian restaurant in the Mission District. As a Gluten free newbie, I went straight to the manager and talked to him about my options (I still recommend talking to the manager or chef when eating out). The menu was huge. In my mind I was about to have a choice of two things. The manager then pointed out two things on the menu..."You can have everything but this and that" 

My jaw dropped and my stomach started grumbling. You mean I can have all of this?!?! That's when my love affair for Indian food started. I began trying Indian food restaurants and sampling different dishes and curries. I try not to eat out too often so creating satisfying Indian dishes was a goal. Here is a great little side dish to accompany an Indian style meal. I always prefer to get vegetables fresh and organic when possible. Skip the canned veggies and stick to fresh to obtain all the benefits and vitamins you can. 

Green Beans or French Green Beans, trimmed

1/2 Cup Cashews

1/4 TSP Salt

1/4 TSP Garlic Powder

1/8 TSP Ground Ginger

1 TSP Curry Powder

2 Egg Whites

Heat oven to 400 Degrees. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. 

In a food processor, add cashews and grind. Some small chunks of cashews are fine. My food processor doesn't get all of them!

In a bowl, mix ground cashews and all the spices. 

Pour cashew spice mixture on a plate.

In a different bowl, separate the egg whites and toss the yolk in the garbage.

"Bread" the green beans by dipping them in the egg white, then the cashew spice mix.  

Line the cashew "breaded"green beans on your baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until green beans are cooked and cashews are crispy.

Serve hot with sriracha and enjoy! xx

Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

This delicious low carb dish will satisfy your asian food fix while keeping your belly and booty happy. Cauliflower replaces the rice so goodbye carbs and hello benefits! Cauliflower has great antioxidant powers with Vitamin C and manganese. Not only is cauliflower high in antioxidants, it contains fiber, folic acid, vitamin B and potassium. This is a delicious way to get more veggies into children as well. They won't even know it's cauliflower and will be begging for a second serving! Try adding this great side dish to any meal and enjoy the sneaky benefits of Cauliflower fried rice!

12 Ounces Cauliflower Florets

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Green Onions, Chopped

1/2 Cup Peas, Frozen or Fresh

1 Whole Carrot, Chopped

1 TBSP Tamari (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1/2 TSP Sesame Oil

In a food processor, "rice" cauliflower florets. Pulse gently so that the cauliflower turns into little rice looking pieces. Do not puree cauliflower. 

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. 

Cook garlic, green onions, peas and carrots for about 5 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. 

When mixture is soft and aromatic, add cauliflower "rice"

Add Sesame Oil and Tamari.

Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve hot and enjoy! xx

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bake

Being Gluten Free may mean avoiding eating crispy hot wings and beer, but it doesn't mean that you can't satisfy that hot wing craving. This quinoa dish is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Bring it to your next sports party or for a delicious dinner on it's own. Protein packed quinoa is paired with spicy chicken and tangy blue cheese to make your mouth scream touchdown. All you need to go with this dish are some peanuts and crackerjacks. 

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bake

2 Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Cooked Quinoa

1 Cup Franks Red Hot Sauce

1 Clove Garlic, Minced

1/3 Cup Celery, Chopped

1/2 Small Red Onion, Chopped

1/4 Cup Crumbled Blue Cheese

Cool Creamy Dipping Sauce

1 Cup Greek Yogurt

1 Clove Garlic Minced

1/4 Cup Cucumber, Peeled and Diced

1/4 Cup Blue Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook Quinoa according to package.

In a glass dish, place chicken breasts and pour 1 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce over chicken.

Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until juice runs clear.

Cool and chop chicken breasts into little chunks.

In a large bowl, add quinoa, cooked chicken, blue cheese, celery, garlic, and red onion. Mix gently and add to large baking dish. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Drizzle with cool creamy sauce and a little more Frank's Red Hot sauce.

Serve hot and enjoy! xx

A Little Baking Guide

Baking can be tricky, Gluten Free baking is a whole different world. Here's a little guide I found on Pinterest to get you started.

xx

Roasted Blueberry Goat Cheese Quinoa

Goat cheese is one of my favorite cheeses. Well, actually all cheeses are my favorite cheeses. Pair the tangy goat cheese with sweet roasted blueberries and you have a winning combination. Head on over to Whisked for this original delicious recipe as well as others. I adjusted the recipe a bit to satisfy my tastebuds but I am sure the original is just as tasty. This cold quinoa salad would be great to bring to a summertime barbecue or a light lunch. Blueberries are a great fruit to put in to your weekly diet as they are packed with antioxidants, neutralize free radicals, and support heart health. Combine that with quinoa and you have a flavorful and nutritious dish. 

1/2 Cup Blueberries

1 Cup Cooked and Cooled Quinoa

1/3 Cup Goat Cheese, Crumbled

Fresh Basil, Chopped

2 TBSP Olive Oil

1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar

1 Small Shallot, chopped

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place blueberries in a single layer.

Roast in oven for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar and shallot. Mix well. 

Place quinoa in a large bowl and gently stir in blueberries, goat cheese and basil.

Add your dressing and gently mix.

Season with salt and pepper. 

Serve cold and enjoy! xx 

Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Crumble

Nom Nom Nom.

This is the most delicious crumble recipe ever. It's sweet and a bit savory with a hint of balsamic. The brown sugar crumbles up together to make little brown sugar bombs that burst with flavor in your mouth. The cashews add a little crunch and some extra protein. The roasted balsamic strawberries add a little something extra but you can use this crumble recipe with any berry or regular strawberries. Combine different fruits to make different varieties. Easy, Cheap and Gluten Free crumble coming at you!

2 Cups Strawberries, Cut in half or chunks

1 Cup All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1 TSP Cinnamon 

1/2 Cup Gluten Free Oats

1/3 Cup Shortening, like Spectrum Organic or Crisco

1/2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Cup Cashews 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut your strawberries. Toss them in balsamic vinegar.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place strawberries on there.

Roast for 3-4 minutes.

Flip and roast 3-4 more minutes.

In a large bowl, combine GF baking mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon. 

Add in shortening. With your fingers, roll the shortening into the mix to create little "crumbles" 

Get your whole hands in there and between your fingers rub the shortening and baking mix.

It will form little ball like crumbles.

In a food processor, grind cashews. Do not grind into a powder, keep it in little chunks.

In an oven safe dish layer strawberries on bottom.

Toss half the oats over the strawberries.

Next, add the crumble on top of that.

Add some ground cashews and more oats.

Bake in over for 35 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy! xx

A Gluten Free 25th Birthday!

What an amazing birthday! Thank you all for celebrating with me! 

Every Gluten Free foodie knows how difficult and risky eating out can be. I can't even count the times I have been told something is gluten free and then find myself sick later. Eventually, I just got used to eating out on rare occasions and doing tons of research before eating at restaurants. Make sure you always talk to your waiter or the chef before ordering something on the menu. 

I started my birthday with a little trip to Long Beach, California to head over to see the penguins and fishies at the Aquarium of the Pacific. 

After visiting my best friends, all this gluten free gal wanted was some french macarons. Of course, I did my research about the Long Beach area and its Gluten Free offerings and found a great little place that had a few Gluten Free baked goods as well as those colorful little french macarons. We headed over to downtown Long Beach and my heart sunk when we saw a big closed sign on the window. Oh no!!! I can't celebrate my birthday without indulging myself with some sweets! Thank goodness for Iphones. Within 2 minutes we were on our way to the next bakery and within 5 minutes...

Oh, hello there.

Hooray for french macarons, now if only I could get a lifetime supply. 

Head over to Babette Bakery in Long Beach California to get your sugar burger fix.

Although, they are not made in a dedicated Gluten Free kitchen, I inhaled 5 of them and felt totally fine.

Since my birthday is the whole month of February, the celebration continued with my best girls. I moved to North Park, California a few months ago and have driven by this restaurant everyday knowing that Gluten Free Chinese food is just through those doors. Of course, I got to choose the restaurant and I didn't even have to think when deciding.We headed over to Wangs in North Park. Finally! This girl was SO happy. Not only was I surrounded by my best friends, my heart and stomach were so happy from all of the Gluten Free choices. 

Seriously though, look at all those choices! 

I started with the Jalapeño Calamari for an appetizer. Crispy crunchy calamari oh how i've missed you. Wang's jalapeño calamari was so delicious. The calamari was cooked perfectly, and not a bit chewy. It was flavorful and spicy with all the bits of jalapeño and peppers surrounding the crispy calamari. I didn't really want to share it but of course I did and even my friends who aren't Gluten Free thought it was amazing. 

For my entree, I ordered the General Wang's Chicken. Any dish that uses the restaurants name has to be one of the best right?  OHHH man, take me back to last night. This was some of the best Gluten Free chicken I have ever ordered. Not just asian cuisine, it beats out every type of chicken dish. It was hot, crispy and flavorful. The chicken was smothered in delicious sweet and tangy sauce that made it hard to not want to lick the plate. I try to make asian food at home and I always think it's delicious but it never turns out this this delicious. As I sat there, scarfing down my gluten free chicken I realized I barely had any left. This is called black out eating. Where did my chicken go?

I am so happy and a little worried that Wang's North Park is walking distance to my house. The service was perfect and attentive, the decor and atmosphere was comfortable and hip, and the Gluten Free food was out of this world. The best part of it all, I felt fine! I did not get sick at all, meaning they known what they are doing back there in the kitchen. I will definitely be going back to indulge some more. According to my landlord, the owner or "Tom" as the waiter called him lives in my building. Hey Tom! Feel free to knock on my door 24/7 with Gluten Free Chinese food. I will make sure to eat it all...again.

Check out their website and head on over for some delicious Gluten Free Chinese Food

Wangs North Park

Jalapeño Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes are any gluten free foodies best friend. They go well with everything, super easy to make, and naturally gluten free. Hey, carbs are okay sometimes right? Here are two easy potato recipes to add some spice and flavor to any meal. You can make them and leave them as mashed potatoes or keep going and make them into little crispy potato cakes. Eat up and enjoy! 

3 Pounds Golden Potatoes, Peeled

3/4 Cup Sour Cream

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Jalapeño, Seeded and Diced (or more if you like them!)

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

1/4 Cup Vegetable Broth

Rice Flour 

Boil peeled potatoes until soft enough to mash. Mash potatoes. Add in sour cream, broth, garlic, parmesan cheese and jalapeño. Mix and enjoy! xx

Potato Cakes

Follow instructions for mashed potatoes. Let potatoes cool and form into cakes. Heat 1 TBSP grapeseed oil in large skillet. Sprinkle rice flour on both sides of potato cakes. Crisp until golden brown. Enjoy! xx

Blackberry Balsamic Ribs

Holy smokes! These ribs are so delicious. One negative thing about apartment living is the fact that we can't barbecue or grill on our tiny balcony. Someday, I am going to have the biggest fanciest built in barbecue, but until then it's time to get creative. These are the best oven baked ribs I have ever had. They are so juicy and tender. I am sure that these ribs would be out of this world on the grill so if you are lucky enough to have access to a grill, try it out. If not, follow my easy oven baked recipes and enjoy! Napkins needed, but you might as well wait until the end to wipe your face. 

1-2 Racks of Ribs (I used St. Louis Style Ribs about 2 pounds, but Baby back would be great too)

1/2 Cup Seedless Blackberry preserves

1/8 Cup Sriracha

1/8 Balsamic Vinegar

1.5 Jars of Heinz Chili Sauce

Preheat over to 300 degrees.

Mix blackberry preserves, sriracha, balsamic vinegar, and heinz chili sauce in a bowl. 

Cover bottom of glass baking dish with aluminum foil.

Place rack of ribs in dish and smother with sauce. Make sure you cover all of the ribs. Back, front, top, bottom, sides..smother it!

Cover the glass dish with more aluminum foil. 

Bake in the over for 3 hours. Remove the top of aluminum foil and continue baking for 1 more hour.

Cut up ribs and enjoy! xx

Spiced Lime Cashews

A perfect snack for an afternoon pick me up. These little cashews are bursting with tangy lime and smokey spices. 

1 Cup Cashews

1 TBSP Olive Oil

Juice from 1 Lime

1/2 TBSP Smoked Paprika

1/4 TSP Chili Powder

1/4 TSP Garlic Powder

Sea Salt for tossing

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss until cashews are coated with spice mixture.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place cashews in a single layer on baking sheet.

Cook in oven for 15-20 minutes until toasty brown color.

Shake around cashews halfway through cook time.

Cool and toss with sea salt. Enjoy xx. 

Toasted Cashew Butter

I try to grocery shop by what's on sale each week. I wait patiently every week until wednesday morning when I open my email, and see the new weekly sale flyer and do a little happy dance as I get to plan the weeks recipes. This week, cashews. For the first recipe, is this delicious Toasted Cashew Butter. This cashew nut butter is the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Toasting the cashews brings out their sweetness. They make your house smell heavenly too!

1 Cup Raw Cashews

1/4 TSP Sea Salt

1/4 Cinnamon 

3 TBSP Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Spread cashews in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 

Roast Cashews for 10 minutes, toss around at 5 mins.

Let the cashews cool (You can speed up the process by sticking them in the freezer for a few minutes)

In food processor, combine cooled cashews, sea salt, cinnamon and olive oil and blend until desired consistency. 

Spicy Rice Cakes

Being on a budget doesn't mean you can't create easy delicious meals. This side dish was less than $1.00 to make and would go great with a saucy fish or chicken or sautéed veggies. They are super quick and easy to make. 

2 cups cooked Jasmine Rice

1/8 Cup Tamari (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1 Clove Garlic, Minced

1.5 TBSP Sriracha

2 Green Onions, Chopped, green parts only

1/4-1/2 Cup Shredded Carrots (about half carrot shredded)

1 Egg

1/4 TSP Sesame Oil

1/4 TSP Korean Crushed Red Pepper

3 TBSP Grapeseed Oil

Rice Flour for sprinkling

Heat grapeseed oil over medium heat in a large skillet

Combine all ingredients and mix. Form into little patties and sprinkle with rice flour.

When oil is heated, place gently into oil and cook until golden brown. Sprinkle more rice flour and flip.

Drain on paper towels, drizzle with sriracha and serve hot. Enjoy xx

*You can test to see if oil is hot enough by sticking the bottom of a wooden spoon into your oil. If little bubbles start forming around the wood, your oil is hot enough to crisp items.