Friday, August 30, 2013

Gluten Free Friends


One of the many things I love about being gluten free is being part of the gluten free community. Living this lifestyle can be tough, frustrating, and downright annoying sometimes, but the love and support that I feel helps make it a little bit easier. I have met some amazing people the past few months and found some helpful sites and blogs to make living gluten free easy as pie, gluten free pie of course.




Thursday, August 22, 2013

Gluten Free Calendar Event


Check out this awesome event happening this weekend right here in San Diego! I will be there helping out with some of the booths so come hang out with me! Not to mention the fabulous Chandice from Gluten Free Frenzy and the wonderful Erica from Celiac and the Beast 

This event sounds awesome! Admission is only $5 and kids under 7 are free! 
The first 200 people get to take home a goodie bag that includes a full size bag of GF pasta from Vivianna foods and issues of Delight Gluten Free and Gluten Free Living magazines. 

Once you are inside, there is GF cookie decorating for the kiddos (who am I kidding, I plan on decorating cookies) Samples from tasty vendors like 2Good2B Bakery, Udis, Glutino, Beanfields and Nutrasumma.

Hope to see you all there! XO

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Jessie and Jilly's Jazzy Jambalaya


This spicy and flavorful dish transports you right down to N'awlins! I had never tried to cook a Jambalaya before (and never eaten an authentic one) so when I saw this recipe in The Gluten Free Table I had to try it. Once I ate it, I knew I had to share it with you! It was so easy to make, tasted delicious, and of course Gluten Free. 

Featured in The Gluten Free Table by Jilly Lagasse and Jessie Lagasse Swanson
(Serves 8 to 10)
1 pound fresh medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 TSP Emeril's Original Essence Seasoning, or Cajun seasoning of your choice
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 pounds GF andouille sausage, sliced into bite sized rounds
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
3 bay leaves
2 TBSP fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 TSP dried oregano
1/4 TSP cayenne pepper
4 cups vegetable stock or water
1 can (14 ounces) diced or chopped tomatoes
1 tsp celery salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

-In a small bowl, combine the shrimp and Essence Seasoning. Coat all sides evenly. Set aside.
-In a large (10-quart) stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sausage and cook for 5 minutes to allow the sausage to brown, stirring occasionally. 
-Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and cayenne and stir well. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
-Add the stock, diced tomatoes, celery salt, and salt/pepper to taste, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes
-Add the seasoned shrimp to the pot, cover, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
-Add the rice to the pot, stir well, and bring the mixture up to a gentle boil over medium-high heat uncovered. 
-Once the mixture is boiling return the heat to low and cook 25 minutes covered, until the rice is cooked through, stirring frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
-Uncover, add about 3/4 of the green onions, reserving the remainder for garnish, stir well, and cook a final 5 minutes.
-Taste and re-season if desired. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes.
-Remove the bay leaves, if possible, before serving in bowls. Garnish with the remainder of green onions.

Enjoy! Make sure you try this recipe and check out all the other delicious recipes in Jilly and Jessie's cookbook. Keep your eyes peeled for more Gluten Free Table and Annie's Gluten Free Grub! 


Friday, August 9, 2013

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Coconut Milk Salted Caramel



I love when failures turn into sweet and salty success. Sometimes, I make things on a whim. I originally went to make coconut milk whipped cream but didn't prepare by putting the coconut milk in the fridge overnight. So my coconut milk whipped cream just stayed as coconut milk. I didn't want to waste it and needed a topping for my cupcakes and that's how this became one of the best vegan dessert topping ever and a staple in our house.

1 Can Coconut Milk 
1/2 Cup Coconut Palm Sugar
1 TSP Sea Salt
2 TSP Vanilla

In a small saucepan, over low heat, add your ingredients. Slowly raise the heat...slooooowly....
It will start to bubble and then lower heat and let simmer.
Keep stirring and stand close. Do not let your sugar burn!
Let simmer until it has reached your desired thickness.
Remove from heat and drizzle over your favorite desserts or eat it straight from the jar!
Store in a mason jar and keep in the fridge.


I love when failures turn into sweet and salty success! 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Book Of The Month: The Gluten Free Table


For the month of August I will be featuring the delicious and tasty gluten free cookbook by Jilly and Jessie Lagasse. I am so excited to share with you one of my favorite cookbooks. I met Jilly and Jessie a few months ago at a GF expo and not only are they two of the nicest girls but their cooking and kitchen skills run in their genes and they prove it with their first cookbook. There is such a great variety of recipes in the book, including the signature Lagasse Creole-Style cooking, not to mention the mouthwatering gluten free desserts! 


"Imagine growing up with a father known for his rich, Creole-style cooking, who instilled a love and appreciation of food from the very start. Now imagine not being able to eat most of his dishes anymore. That's what happened to Jilly and Jessie Lagasse when they were diagnosed with gluten allergies in 2001 and 2004, respectively. So they learned to adjust, changing the ways they cooked, ate, and used ingredients." - The Gluten Free Table



These recipes look amazing! I am so excited to cook them all and share some of my favorites with you. I mean Jalapeno Corn Bread? Yes Please! Keep your eyes peeled for some Lagasse Girls recipes coming up! Head over to their website and check it out! Get ready for cookbook number 2! Jilly and Jessie are working hard these days in their test kitchen creating some more delicious gluten free cuisine. 
Twitter- LagasseGirls