Roasted Vegetable & Chickpea Salad

A little new business. You might've noticed this site has been through a little revamping. The layout has literally had a 180 degree swap, making it more readable and there's even a search bar to make ingredient / recipe / eatery inquires that much easier for you.

Course, that's not the exciting part. Okay, it's one of the exciting parts, but it's not the most exciting part. You see, I get lots of emails from people asking me where they can eat when they visit Cleveland. Which is very cool by me (thanks people!), and I always do my best to toss out some new ideas (or give them directions to one of those cross country, gluten-free friendly chains) in addition to sending them a direct link to the restaurant label on the this site. Admittedly, I feel a little silly doing this, but as my best source, most consolidated form of information, it's the most helpful...right? That plus the fact that sometime life intercedes and I miss responding to some of the nice people who want to know where to get a bite to eat made me realize this site was in need of a bit of an overhaul to be even more of a user friendly resource.

Ta da! The "Essential Gluten Free In Cleveland" was born (ie, that nifty list of links on your left). Hope this helps streamline things, folks, though don't think this is closing the door on emails, I'm still just a mouse click away.

Anyway, back to the food....

I know there's been a lot of talk of baking 'round here, but I eat actual food, really I do. Vegetable filled, good for you, savory dishes. In fact, in some circles, I'm known for 'em. ....And by circles, I mean anyone whose showed up to the same holiday pot luck I have, wrinkled their nose at my surprisingly unattractive dish, only to ask for the recipe by the time I catch them scraping the remnants from the emptied bowl.

With the perfect blend of lemony acidic tang, sharp garlic, and smooth olive oil complementing beautiful summer veggies, this roasted vegetable and chickpea salad is a crowd pleaser - even if those crowds include people who don't particularly love vegetables or chickpeas.

I came across it two Christmases ago - apparently trying to make the most Sephardic Jewish dish I could possibly bring to a decidedly non-Jewish occasion - while flipping through my favorite cookbook, the now out of print Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook. While, sadly, this book evaporated somewhere between post college pack up and moving back to Cleveland, this recipe, at least survived the move. Good thing, too, because from Christmases, Passovers, and Fourth of July barbecues, this recipe has served me in serving up a yummy dish. (There are used version of the book available on Amazon, and buying one is always on the bottom on my to do list. ...Though I suppose singing the virtues of this book and directing you all where to get it ought to inspire me to get my copy while I can....)

Because it yields so very much food, it really is a perfect bring-it-to-a-party dish. This salad is so good, you certainly don't need a special occasion to make it. Plus, it keeps in the fridge for a good three days. Besides, with it finally just now getting warm this summer, who couldn't use another amazing summer salad in their repertoire?

Roasted Vegetable & Chickpea Salad

From The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook

1 lb butternut squash cubed
2 red pepper, halved

4 slender eggplant cut in half, lengthwise
4 zucchini cut in half, lengthwise
4 onions, quartered
1 Tablespoon olive oil (for brushing)

2 10 oz cans of chickpeas
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley, divided
1/3rd cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice, more or less as desired
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a baking tray with baking spray and arrange the vegetables evenly over the surface. Brush evenly with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes or until they are tender.
Brush baking tray w/ oil and arrange vegetables brushed with oil evenly. Bake 40min or until Remove from the oven and let them cool until you can handle them.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/3rd cup olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and half of the parsley. Set dressing aside.

Remove the skin of the peppers and chop; chop remaining vegetables into bite-sized chunks. Mix into the chickpeas, toss with dressing, and let sit for 30 minutes. (This is actually super important, do not skimp on the time!) If bland, season to taste with an additional tablespoon of lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper; the acidic zing will quickly spark your salad, honest. Sprinkle remaining parsley over the top before serving.

Eat as is, or enjoy over toast. (I prefer Whole Foods Gluten Free Bake House's Prairie Bread, how 'bout you?)

POM Wonderful Pomegranate Pancakes

Writing a blog about food does strange things to my imagination. The curled gray matter of my brain has long been past fire code, so stuffed to the brim with characters and stories, it's a wonder I manage to take in any new information without some of my thoughts leaping from my ears, just to free up the space. And yet, writing this site makes me think about, talk about, and dream about food. Sure I might look busy, type type typing away at my desk or relaxing on the couch watching the day's 3rd episode of Law & Order, but no, if you could see the cogs of my mind a-spinning, you'd know really I'm wondering... If lemon zest tastes great in pasta, what about orange zest? What kind of fruit cobbler would pair up best with the chocolate peppermint I'm growing outside? Can I make a homemade veggie burger with the ingredients in my cabinet?

But now the, well, wonderful people at POM Wonderful have given me a new flavor problem for me mull over while you think I'm listening to you speak. (Well, that is, if your my parents or the secretary in my doctor's office...Just kidding parents! I always listen when you're talking! That secretary though... ) Since receiving a case of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice last week, my mind's been busily working out a plan for each and every bottle - that is, aside from the ones I have already straight up consumed a beverage. (I can't seem to drink it on it's own - it's too sweet and strong for my water drinking palate - but mix a few tablespoons it to a great big, ice cold glass of H2O and you'll have good, good stuff. So good, you almost won't want to cook with it. Almost.)

To me, the obvious thing to do with POM Wonder is make some kind of cake. Lemon-Pomegranate cake. Pomegranate poppy seed pound cake. Chocolate pomegranate cupcakes. Oh my. Sure it sounds decedent, really decedent, maybe too decedent, but if the 3 pages of information on the cancer fighting, heart healthy antioxidant proprieties of their juice POM Wonderful sent me along with their product mean anything, its that consuming this juice is good in whatever chocolatey package you hide it in. (So, I tell myself, and you, anyway...)

Still, at the time I received the POM juice, my fridge continued to harbor that 1234 Cake. I'm not going to debate the merits or demerits of having one to many cakes, but regardless, a stale cake is no ones friend. So with fear of wasting perfectly good cake, I was forced to be a little more creative than a typical sweet. Lucky for me, I had my new favorite baking & cooking inspiration to turn to....

Joy the Baker. I absolutely love her. I love everything about her site. It's so darling, she's so positive, her food is so delicious. And Joy loves pancakes. And I love pancakes. And POM Wonderful Juice. And so POM Wonderful Pancakes were born. They're so spectacularly delicious, I know you'll love them, too.

** While we're on the subject of breakfast food: Thanks to hottipper and generally great source of gluten-free information Denise of the Rasin Rack, I've become aware that Van's new brand of GF Pancakes and French Toast Sticks not only have barley in them, but are not being recalled. What? What, what? You heard right. Easy peasy toaster pancakes and french toast sticks sound wonderful - but please be cautious when buying these products; read the ingredients... twice! They plan on releasing new, reformulated, barley-less products, but for now, buyer be aware when it comes to the pancakes and french toast sticks.

But who needs Van's pancakes when you have these...

Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Pancakes

adapted from Joy the Baker's Chai Spice Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup GF flour blend (I use Mr. Ritts, with xanthum gum already mixed in)

1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (I bet brown sugar would be fantastic, too)

1 egg

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup of skim milk (I didn't have buttermilk, but I can't imagine how using it would be anything but delicious)

1/4 cup of Pom Wonderful juice + 1 table spoon

2 tablespoons earth balance, melted

cooking spray, butter, etc for frying (I used olive oil spray and was surprised at how normal it tasted)

Temper a beaten egg into melted butter, then mix in milk, juice, and vanilla. Next whisk in flour, (xanthum gum if you need it), salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar, and mix until smooth.

Joy reccomends you let your batter rest a few minutes - I trust her on this. In the mean time, I heated up a frying pan (I lack a cool griddle pan) and sprayed it with my cooking spray. Make each pancake about two tablespoons of batter and let cook until the pancakes start to bubble and set. Flip, cook a few more minutes, and then keep your pancakes warm in a 200 degree oven whilst you make the rest (to avoid eating them, mainly).

Makes 12 -14 small pancakes. Serve with cherries, yogurt, or Ohio made maple syrup.

...And speaking of syrup, POM Wonderful has a recipe for Pomegranate syrup - it looked amazing, and also like something I'd probably get in trouble for getting stuck to the inside of a pan. If you make it, let me know how it goes!!

Spaghetti Aglio E Olio with Broccoli

Do you want to know a secret? Doo-waaa-doo Let me whisper in you ear. Doo - waaa - dooo Oh, Oh Closer. Doo-waa-doo. Do you promise not to tell?

I have a secret. A fully awesome secret. I found the greatest gluten-free pasta in Cleveland, Ohio. And I found in the most unlikely, yet most likely of all places. An Italian grocery store. You know, the kind of place you wouldn't even think of going into because wall to wall pasta and cannolis are more than you can take. Yeah, that kind. 

Like most things in life, the simplest answer, the easiest solution to your problem is always right under your nose. Italians have the highest rate of celiac disease of any ethnic population. Italy is the home of great pasta. Ergo, Italians know how to make great gluten free pasta. Wonderful if your a celiac in Italy, lousy if your one in Ohio. Or...is it? 

Friends, I'm planning a full on reconnaissance mission to said grocery store tomorrow (as when I bought the pasta, I shrugged and said, eh, we'll see how this goes and neglected to talk to anyone or take pictures, foolish, foolish), so I don't want to spill the details yet. But I will leave you with the fruits of my perfect pasta labor, the best plate o'spaghetti I've had in a long, long time. 

Spaghetti Aglio E Olio with Broccoli 

adapted from Food Network Kitchens

1 bag of Scotti Spaghetti

1/4 cup of starchy cooking water (from cooking above spaghetti)

1/2 cup good olive oil (I had Greek on hand)

3-5 cloves of minced garlic (depending on your garlic taste)

1 tablespoon kosher salt (plus salt to salt the pasta water)

a dash of pepper

at least 2 Tablespoons of chopped flat leaf parsley 

zest of 1/2 a lemon

grated Parmesan cheese (optional, I mean, kinda optional, but when is cheese ever optional really? Unless you have a food allergy. Then it's forbidden.)

2 heads of broccoli

Bring a pot of well salted water to boil. Cook Scotti spaghetti (or other, lesser pasta) for amount of time directed to ensure al dente pasta, drain and reserve 1/4 starchy cooking liquid, setting it aside. Put another medium sized pot on a burner, bringing the water to a boil. 

Meanwhile, in a medium pan, heat the oil, garlic, and salt over a low / medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic browns and softens. 

As the water in your second pot boils, plunge a head of broccoli into the water, holding it there for 60 or so seconds (that is to say, blanch your broccoli). You will notice how the stalk and buds turn a lovely vibrant green and become considerably softer. After approximately 60 seconds, remove the broccoli, set it aside, and repeat with the other head. Pull apart (or chop if your not into using your fingers as kitchen tools) the heads into bite sized pieces. 

Mix the oil and garlic into the pasta, adding in the cooking liquid, and zest the lemon over top. Throw in broccoli pieces, parsley, dash of pepper, and salt to taste. Add cheese as desired. Enjoy your simple and simply delicious meal. 

Gluten Free in Quicheland

After you're first diagnosed, in that moment you realize things are about to change in a very real way, the whole of your dietary life flashes before your eyes. 

All those morning of pancake breakfasts, of Norman Rockwellesque lunches of grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell's tomato soups, of fried chicken (if you ate that sort of thing...I guess it was tofu, for me) appear to you all at once, clouding your vision in a sea of surprisingly hungry despair. 

And when you try to think of what doesn't have gluten in it, some how all your mind can conjure up is a head of lettuce or some shriveled up, forgotten carrot in the back of the fridge. Prisoners get bread and water. But us celiacs? We only get the water. 

I find it truly amazing how deeply our minds choose to deceive us at that moment. It's as if celiac disease itself takes hold of our sense memory, purposefully blotting out images of wonderful, naturally gluten free foods we've enjoyed for years, as it desperately tries to keep it's cannibalistic stranglehold of our GI tracts. 

Admit it it. Among the joy of summer's first sweet, juicy peach, the refreshing power of a cold glass of milk, and the crunch of a good ear of Ohio corn, you've enjoyed some truly great, naturally gluten-free meals in your day. And haven't you always felt the better for it? Fresh whole foods, rich in vitamins and minerals (the kind you actually get to absorb into your body now that's your system's filled with gluten-free goodness), yes, with a meal like that, you hardly miss the gluten at all. 

After my diagnosis depression - you know, those first six months when I whined a lot and nothing but rice and fruit - I started to think about meals I ate as a kid and how I could adapt them. When I remembered how often we'd made a naturally gluten-free, crustless quiche, booked it to the grocery store, rolling my eyes all the while for how long wallowing in celiac self pity had kept me from eating delicious meals like this. While the traditional version involves heavy cream, cups and cups of cheese, and a buttery, flaky crust, with me and my tender tummy in the house, we always made a significantly pared down version of this rich dish. Who knew that with weekly dinners of crustless quiche and salad, I'd been eating gluten-free for years? And why my memory chose not to offer me up a slice of THIS on diagnosis day, I'll never understand. 

For those of you who hem and haw that a quiche just isn't a quiche without a crust, worry not, Gluten-Free Pantry has you covered. Armed with perhaps my favorite of gluten-free mixes - GF Pantry's Quick Mix - and easy quiche with spongy - but not heavy - crust is just minutes away. Paired with oven roasted red potatoes, you've got a meal to chase away even the most persistent of gluten-filled memories. 

(Note: While there's been a recent slump in Gluten-Free In Cleveland activity, rest assured this site is gearing up for a full throttle comeback. In addition to misplacing my digital camera's charger, I've been suddenly afflicted with a substantial lack of appetite. So much so that eating anything, much less writing about food, has been a sincere struggle. Poor kitchen's been abandoned for weeks now, and I hardly think my muffin tins know what to do with themselves.

Thankfully, I've recently received some great tips about GF friendly people and places in Cleveland from wonderful readers and, while I'm on the road of reminding my body that food is good and dehydration is bad, I am really excited to share this information with you. As such, I want to extend a friendly invite any and all readers who think their favorite gluten-free spot, store, or recipe has been over looked to shoot me an email and be included in some pretty exciting upcoming posts!) 

 

Spinach-Broccoli Quiche

 

3 eggs

3 -4 Tablespoons of egg whites (or a 4th egg)

1 and 1/2 cups of shredded cheese (Cheddar, Monetary & Colby blend, etc.  Use 2% 

milkfat cheese if you like) 

1 cup skim milk

1 cup baby spinach

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1 teapsoon sea salt

1/2 scant teaspoon nutmeg 

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup and 1 Tablespoon GF Pantry Quick Mix, divided (optional, leave out for crustless quiches) 

GF cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Spray a quiche pan or small / medium casserole dish with GF cooking spray. (If making crust variation, sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of Quick Mix as evenly as possible over the bottom of the pan.) 

In a small bowl, mix together spinach, broccoli and, and cheeses and spread out over the bottom of the pan. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, egg whites, spices (and quick mix) until well combined. Gently pour the liquids over the cheese and vegetables. You may want to sprinkle the top with an additional shake of nutmeg. 

Carefully place pan in oven and bake for 40 - 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean (though, careful not to let the top become too browned).  LET SIT for at least 10 minutes. I know it's beautiful, I know it's tempting, but it's so much better having had a chance to rest, trust me on this. (During this time, the neurotic quiche bakers among you will notice the quiche's puff with fall ever so slightly. Don't fret, it's fine).  

Serve with salad, fruit, or roasted red potatoes and enjoy naturally gluten-free greatness. 

 

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

 

10- 12 small red potatoes, well washed

2 Tablespoons of olive oil 

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

2 Tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese

freshly diced scallions 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, placing a small casserole dish on the top rack. 

Boil the potatoes for roughly 15-20 minutes, or until they're tender. Carefully! remove hot dish from the oven and transfer potatoes into it. Gently twist a fork into the flesh of each of the potatoes - letting it open up hopefully without breaking it in half, though, if you do, that's okay, too. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, sprinkle spices and top with cheese. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes and serve with sliced scallions. 

Gluten Free PSA #10: April Celiac Events, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bob's Red Mill GF Pizza Crust...And News Thrown In For Good Measure

If there ever were a time for indecision, it's April. 

Not quite spring, yet not quite winter, April is a month brimming with ambiguity. If you need further proof, look only to the fact that temperatures soared to nearly 60 degrees earlier in the week, later there was a nose dive in temperature and an accompanying unexpectedly picturesque blanket of snow covering my lawn, and then today rain, so much so, opening day at Jacob's Field (or what "progressive field? are we really supposed to call it that?) was rained out.

Oh April. You do enjoy playing rough, don't you? 

And speaking of rough, I don't talk about it much, but for me, celiac disease has always been my "fun" autoimmune disease. Those five other autoimmune conditions that have constant turf wars in my body? Yeah, they don't really lend themselves to clever blogging or excuses for baking, and as such, they rarely have any reason to be written about here. (At least not yet, and when there's a way to treat connective tissue disease with muffins, believe you me, my blog will be the very first place in the world to report it!) 

I guess I bring these other illnesses to say, I apologize for the slow down in posts. All this screwy weather has screwed with my rheumatism and when I don't feel well, all of my cooking senses melt away faster than the snow we had last week. While I continue to make attempts at greatness in the kitchen, I'm sorry to say that the brownies and muffins I made left something to be desired, good, but not great, and so aren't quite reading for generally blogging consumption. 

Till my cooking karma returns, I give you April Celiac Updates and a few yummy things that have been taking up space on my digital camera: 

Gluten-Free Things to Do This April

April 13 - Gluten Free Pasta Class at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking (click here for registration information) 

Mid April - The Greater Cleveland Celiac Association meets at the Solon Public Library, please contact Cindy Koller-Kass for details

April 26 - Celiac Disease Conference and Vendor Fair! Perhaps the most exciting gluten-free event of the spring season, this event will have programs for all ages, speakers, doctors, and of course, a sampling of delicious gluten free food from many great vendors. Click the link for registration information and mark your calenders! 

Carrabba's Italian Grill

Carrabba's gluten-free menu is pretty much common knowledge around celiac circles, and well, if you're savvy enough to use the Internet to find my little piece of gluten-free Internetland, you've probably heard of their GF menu or even made use of it yourself. 

But in case you haven't....

Carrabba's Italian Grill is one of those prefabbed chain restaurants that's about one indoor gondola ride away from being a theme restaurants. Pictures of large Italian families on the wall, fake trellises with faker vines and grapes hanging over head, wine glasses standard on every table - it's like Italy, if Italy came at $15.00 a plate. 

All that said, there's a reason Carrabba's dot the Midwestern countryside. The food is good. The menu is good. The ambiance, though fabricated, is good. (Though I've always thought the shrubbery atop the roof was more than just a little silly.) And they have a gluten free menu, a good one. 

Of course, the only vegetarian celiac thing on are a few salads. But still, they're good salads. I'm really partial to the grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, artichokes, and hazelnut encrusted goat cheese atop mixed greens salad. Oh, it's a good as it sounds. Drizzled in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, it's the kind of salad that actually is a great GF dinner salad, not just some lettuce on a plate. 

Now sure, it's a bummer you can't have pastas (but if you're not vegetarian, you can have your choice of some 10 beef, fish, or chicken dishes), but this salad really wont make you feel like you're going without. 

Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust

I like pizza. I like it's smell. I like it's texture. I like the sauce, the cheese, and boy to a like a good chewy - but not too chewy - crunchy - but not too crunchy - crust. Yyyyyum. 

But finding a great GF crust is as much of an art as making a perfect topping to cheese to sauce ratio (for the record, I like spinach, garlic, and eggplant, you know, in case anyone is planning some GF pizza fan mail...). I've done the whole foods pizza crust mix (great for thick french bread pizzas, but not quite an every day crust), I've made use of the little 6" glutino crusts (they puffy up beautifully and are wonderfully crunchy, but really don't yield that perfect pizza slice), and I've even recently tried Joan's GF pizza crust (good, pre formed and rolled out makes for incredibly easy use, but the middle took forever to cook, and considering you have to special order it's not something I'd do again). 

But what mix really gets my pizza needs going? Bob's Red Mill. Oh Bobby - or Roberto i guess if we're going to be Italian - you do make a great crust. It doesn't taste like rice, or potatoes, or weird tapioca pudding. It tastes like pizza. It bakes like pizza. It chews like pizza. 

Because the bag comes with it's own package of yeast, when you decide it's pizza night, be aware you're going to have left over dough for another night. Ah well, pizza twice in one week -- yeah, I don't hear any complaining either. 

And finally...

I wanted to take an opportunity to thank wellsphere.com for naming me one of their top health bloggers and adding me to their ranks of featured bloggers. (Look for the new badge, with my picture, on the side bar.) Wellsphere has a wealth of information on a variety of wellness, health preservation, and disease related topics, so it's an honor to be counted among some of the truly great blogs (many of them in the celiac disease community!) who are featured there.

If you still haven't had enough of me and my gluten-free writings, look for my article on Celiac Disease and the Jewish Community in an upcoming issue of the Cleveland Jewish News (it should appear by then end of April) and check out my recipe for gluten-free mandel bread. ...Though you might not want to try it out 'till the end of passover. And let's forget that I posted about pizza during pesach. Oy. 

And finally, finally, if you've had enough of all things celiac disease and gluten free related for one sitting, I invite you to check out my friend Kali's site and her quest to raise enough money to bring her service dog home to her. Kali, a young lady with elhers-danlos syndrome, is a brilliant and determined future lawyer (look only to how forcefully she pushes her way through law school despite her condition) and her love for the dog she has never met is quite touching.  Hers is a great story, an inspiring read, and a worthy cause. Should she be able to raise enough money to bring Hudson, the adorable service dog paired up with her, home, her quality of life will improve dramatically. Best of luck to you, Kali! 

Matzo Brei

This is the bread of affliction...

For anyone with celiac disease, that phrase is somewhat redundant. When gluten causes an autoimmune reaction in your tummy, all bread is the bread of affliction. Pain, discomfort, misery, all these words go hand and hand with bread, gluten's favorite hide out. 

And yet, Jewish homes across the world, we annually lift up a piece of matzo from the table and brazenly name it the bread of affliction. Meshugana. 

Okay, sure, there's loads and loads of history, tradition, and midrash behind matzo being the bread of affliction, but I have to tell you, being gluten-free, one of the foods I truly do miss is matzo brei (or fried matzo, for the Yiddish challenged among you). Nutritiously vapid, completely heart unhealthy, childhood favorite. I love matzo brei. And who doesn't? It's fried. It's salty. It's crunchy. It's delicious. 

Matzo itself I miss, sure, but when I came upon Barkat's Matzo Crackers at the Raisin Rack my brain (and salivary glands) went straight to matzo brei. But would these little crackers stand up to the test? 

Yes and yes. While not quite as crunchy as I remember - something I blame more on my rusty fried matzo cooking and my reservations to use as much butter as my father did when he cooked this for us on Passover mornings - this matzo brei really, really hit the spot. 

Barkat's Matzo Crackers aren't kosher for passover, but if you want to make matzo brei for your family you can follow Carol Fenster's recipe for homemade matzo as posted by Gluten Free Steve or buy some gluten-free oat mazto from the Shemura Oat Matzo website or at Unger's Kosher Bakery on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. 

Bread of affliction? Feh! Surprisingly delicious crispy, fried goodness? Well, now you're on to something...

(If you're pre-planning your gluten-free passover, make sure you check out Manischewitz's Gluten Free Product List - how cool is that??!) 

Completely Unhealthy, Amazingly Delicious Matzo Brei

9 - 12 Barkat Matzo crackers, broken in half

1 egg

2 - 3 Tablespoons of butter

salt to taste

Soak matzo crackers in a hot water bath for 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, beat an egg in a separate bowl. Drain the matzo, pressing it down, squeezing as much moisture from the

crackers as possible. Mix the egg into the matzo until thoroughly combined and coated. 

In a medium pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Once it's melted, spread the matzo mixture evenly and thinly in the pan. Sprinkle the top with salt. Let cook until it browns (about 3 -4 minutes) and flip the matzo cake, either as one large slab (nearly impossible) or by breaking it into smaller, more manageable pieces. Break the matzo into desired amount of pieces, as the other side cooks, becoming brown and crispy, and salt again. 

Serve with fruit and yogurt to assuage some of the fried fruit guilt and enjoy. 

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I think we'd all agree that January and February are rather dreary months - especially where food is concerned. 

Snow, ice, and bitterly cold temperatures aside, there is no quintessential winter vegetable to cook with, no holiday to get creative for for. (That is, unless you count Valentine's Day, but really, in the heart of February, I think we'd all agree any piece of chocolate will do.) 

To make matters all the more complicated, we're wadding through the wake of the post-holiday food season,  a time when every calorie counts as we lament over tightened jeans and sweaters that are the door prizes of all those holiday parties, while desperately trying to keep ourselves warmed from the inside out. What sounds better on a cold winter's evening than something hot, thick, and filling? The conundrum of winter marches on...

I've got news for you folks, winter isn't going away any time soon (Punxsutawney Phil backs me up here) and, unless you're going to make oatmeal a three times a day ritual, it's time to get creative. 

I generally hate cooking for just me and, with my mom at work and my boyfriend in Michigan, I resigned myself over to freezer food for dinner. There's a bit of me that always scoffs at prepackaged frozen food - after all, is it really that difficult to make a casserole? - but when there's an option of quick, organic, and gluten free...well, who am I to pass that up?

My automatic go-to dinner in a pinch always involves sunshine sunflowerseed veggie burgers. Amazingly delicious and easy to make, between these burgers and salad from a bag, dinner may as well have been ready before I set foot in the kitchen. Well, almost. I had my vegetable, I had my protein, but a complete meal - much less a complete vegetarian meal - really does need a carb. 

There have been two sweet potatoes sitting in my kitchen, staring at me for weeks. I meant to eat them, really I did...and yet, there they sat, in the fruit bowl, supporting the apples. Maybe I didn't feel like cooking but a little kitchen experimenting? Yeah, I suppose I could manage that.

Besides, not actually being fried these fries are made out of the fantastically nutritional sweet potato. Rich in beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and dietary fiber, iron, calcium, and protein, the sweet potato was ranked highest in nutritional value among all other vegetables in 1992 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. (For more fascinating sweet potato facts, please click here...though I'm sure it's only half as interesting as actually eating one!) 

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries 

This is less of a recipe and more of a cabinet emptying, favored spice using experience. Have chili pepper? Love thyme? Throw it in, combine your favorite spices, and shake it up...

2 Sweet Potatoes

2 zip lock or otherwise sealable plastic bags (or one large plastic bag if making one type of fry)

1 pizza pan or cookie sheet

For savory fries...

1 TSP of Olive Oil

1-2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of pepper

1/2 tsp of garlic

1/4 tsp of rosemary (optional)

1/4 tsp of paprika (optional, instead of rosemary)

For sweet fries...

1 TSP of Vegetable Oil

1 tsp of salt

1-2 tsp of white sugar

2 tsp of brown sugar (add more as desired)

1 tsp of cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel, or leave peel on for more rustic looking fries. Slice potatoes length wise and then in thin strips, no more than a half inch thick. Place potato strips into bag and combine oil (1 TSP per potato), seal the bag and shake, making sure the oil thoroughly coats all of the fries by rubbing the fries through the bag. 

Open the bag and add in the spices (or sugars for sweet fries). Reseal the bag and shake again, ensuring the spices get distributed as evenly as possible. 

Pour fries out on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 30 -40 minutes, turning the fries over once during cooking time. 

Serves 1 -2 persons per potato. 

Baked Vegetables to Beat the Winter Blues

Brrr! Is it ever cold in Cleveland, Ohio!

To be fair, it's not just here. I don't know if you've stepped outside to check - and if you haven't, I couldn't blame you - but there's this horrible cold front sweeping over the whole Midwest and East Coast. With the wind chill, the forecast estimates tomorrow will be negative twenty-five degrees (Fahrenheit). That kind of number doesn't even make sense in my brain. 

As we inch closer and closer to absolute zero on the Kelvin scale, it's clear that a good meal is in order to keep our spirits up lest we fall victim to some serious winter weather blues. Something comforting, something well balanced, something to warm you from the inside out. They say if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, and if mother nature isn't going to provide the warmth, a homemade dinner will have to do. 

With the chill in mind, my boyfriend and I were trying to figure out a high veggie count dinner on our low budget. Potatoes, of course, were on the menu but what to go with them? He likes his potatoes mashed - I rejected, too fatty. Next he suggested stir fried - I rejected, takes far too long and the idea of a potato stir fry has never really sat well with my Asian cooking sensibilities. I suggest we shred them into that kugel - he rejected, he didn't want me to spend our evening hunched over in the kitchen, not to mention how I tend to smell like an onion for days after kugel baking. Finally he suggested we just plain bake the potatoes. 

Baked! A quick, warm, easy, cheap. Perfect. And while the cooking wheels in my head started to turn - I could top the potato with sauteed spinach, and red pepper, and garlic, oh and some goat cheese! - I began to worry that this potato meal was more of an overgrown side dish than something that would satisfy hungry tummys on a cold winter's night. 

As I milled about the market, worrying that this meal was going to leave us hungrily raiding the freezer by 9pm, I turned to see my boyfriend picking up a package of two precut portabella mushroom tops. Think you can do something with these, babe? 

Oh yes I could, and far far better than that rotten place we went to for New Year's. This dinner was nutritious, filling, warming, and oh so cheap (cost about $12.00 for all ingredients involved). Take that, winter weather blues. 

Spinach & Red Pepper Saute over Baked Potato

As remembered with the help

 of Rachel Ray

2 potatoes

1 bag of spinach - washed, and trimmed if needed 

1 red pepper - diced into bite sized pieces 

5 -6 cloves of garlic - minced 

1/4 - 1/2  teaspoon of nutmeg

2 Tablespoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 Table spoons of herbed Goat Cheese (check to make sure the added herbs haven't added any gluten, if not regular goat cheese and add any herbs you like - rosemary, thyme, etc - or none at all!)

Really, this is a method and a semi obvious one at that. Any veggies you have on hand, or ones you love, will do. Zucchini and yellow squashed sliced long and thin, a melange of peppers, broccoli florets, strips of mushrooms, really the list goes on and on. Garlic spinach is a favored dish of mine, but this simple food pairing - of potato meets sauteed veggie - welcomes innovation. 

Bake your potato as desired - in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about an hour (check it after 45 minutes, but ours took 75 minutes to cook!) or in the microwave for an easy-peasy 8 minute potato. 

When your potato is closed to being done, grab a small frying pan and either the largest frying pan you have or a large pot and heat the oil (2 T in the large one, the 2 ts in the small one) and garlic (4 minced cloves in the large pan, 2 minced cloves in the small one). Stir, and after a minute or so, add the diced red pepper to the small pan. Add about 1/3rd of the spinach to the large pan / bowl. (Rachel Ray tells you to remove the garlic before adding the other vegetables. I'm far less fussy and don't like to potential burn myself with hot oil, so I leave mine in.) 

Let the peppers cook about 5 minutes, or until done. 

Turn the spinach gently in the pan and as it wilts and reduces, add another 1/3rd in. Turn and add the last of the spinach. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. 

Grab your potato, cut in half and top with wilted spinach, red peppers, and goat cheese. So very good. 

Oven Baked Portabella Tops  

as found on whatscookingamerica.net  and then halved for our 2 person meal purpose

2 Portabella mushroom tops (cleaned and stemmed) 1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 

1 teaspoon dried thyme 

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Score the tops of the mushroom with a diamond shaped pattern, flip over, and on the gill side, cut a shallow "X" where the stem was once attached. Place - gill side down - on an oiled baking pan.  

In a small pan heat garlic and olive oil for about two minutes - until the oil has been infused with the garlic - and the remove from heat. Remove a good deal of the garlic (you can use it in the spinach above!) and let the oil cool. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, thyme, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the mushroom tops and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the mushrooms over and bake for an additional 10 - 15 minutes, until tender. 

Simple. Easy. Filling. Unexpectedly amazing. 

Christmas Dinner - (Secret!) Mac & Cheese and Berry Chocolate Pie

Did you know Irving Berlin of “White Christmas” fame was Jewish?

You can’t really be surprised, can you? Who has a bigger mythos about the ideal Christmas than people who've never participated? Christmas is like this big crazy part of social consciousness that I have no part of, and no idea what it’s actually like – that is unless Norman Rockwell paintings, Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown, and The Santa Clause are accurate representations of the holiday, at which point I’ve got it covered.

In any event, introducing my boyfriend to Jewish holidays, traditions, and foods – or forcibly hoisting them upon him, as the case may be –means that I have to participate in his holidays, too. Namely, football Sundays and Christmas. My first Christmas with his family, I made a chickpea and roasted vegetable salad with olive oil and lemon dressing.

Before you laugh, it actually was delicious and everyone did eat it. But yes, it did look just a little out of place along side the honey baked ham and deviled eggs.

This year, I opted for more family friendly, less out there vegetarian foods. In addition to what has apparently become my signature holiday dish, the oven roasted Brussels Sprouts that are requested time and again (I thought a signature dish was supposed to be a casserole or a pie! Who’s known for their sprouts?!), I made one of my boyfriend’s favored dishes when it comes to my cooking. My (Secret!) Mac & Cheese.

There are two secrets when it comes to this dish. The first is its secretly low fat...okay, lower fat. It’s probably the lowest fat that mac & cheese can be. But the second secret blows the first out of the water; this is an adapted Paula Deen recipe. That’s right – a low fat adaptation of the first lady of buttery Southern cooking herself. But since you absolutely can't tell that this mac & cheese is low fat or  gluten free, these are the kinds of secrets you can keep to yourself while making the kind of dish you love to share.  

Of course, low fat adaptations aside, mac & cheese is still a dish comprised of cheese and milk and thus still kinda heavy. And, while it just wouldn’t be Christmas with out a pie (so says my Christmas education via Norman Rockwell), I thought it best to keep dessert as light as possible while still being memorable.

I made the pie recipe on the fly, and spent a lot of my day obsessing about how it would turn out. (I'm a rather nervous baker.) Inspired by a craving for this amazing raspberry tart I enjoyed in my gluten eating days - (from the best Chinese vegetarian restaurant, Peking Gourmet, that is before it got torn down in the name of Cedar Road progress), I grabbed up frozen berries, chocolate, and pecan pieces and set to work. But in trying to recreate it, I discovered the tart had a secret of its own: the layer of melted chocolate between the berries and crust in Peking’s tart served the double purpose of not only being delicious and chocolatey, but also protecting the pie crust from almost certain sogginess that the pie frozen berries would’ve caused. This pie turned out fantastically and is further proof you can adapt almost anything to great gluten-free fare. 

I had a frozen Whole Foods gluten-free pie crust left in the freezer from Thanksgiving (how great is it that they come two to a pack?) which made my pie baking – or rather, not baking – even easier. If you don’t have a gluten free pie crust, you can use a pie mix like I did when I made my amaretto apple pie or, if you’re particularly daring, making one from scratch.

So while it might not have been Charlie Brown and Sally or Tim Allen in a fat suit, but I’m coming to really enjoy Christmas. And holidays or not, these are recipes make for a great meal to share with those you love.

(Secret!) Mac & Cheese

1 16oz bag of Tinkyada penne or fusilli pasta (or favored bag of pasta)

1 cup of skim milk

1/2 cup of reduced fat sour cream

2 cups of low fat cheese (Trader Joe's has a great light cheese blend, but 2% sharp cheddar Kraft will absolutely do the job)

3 tablespoons smart balance / earth balance or regular butter 

2 eggs 

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta to just this side of done and drain but do not run water over it. Place pasta in a large bowl (or just back in the pot) and quickly mix in the cheese and butter. They will melt as they combine with the hot pasta. 

In a separate bowl, beat two eggs and combine them with the milk, sour cream, and spices. Add the milk mixture to the pasta and stir thoroughly. (It's important to do this separately fro

m the pasta or else the eggs will curdle and you'll end up with scrambled eggs and pasta.) 

Pour the mac & cheese into an 8 x 8 casserole pan (or a larger pan for a thinner dish) and bake at 350 for about an hour, or until the top gets crispy. 

If you have a little extra cheese on hand, sprinkle it over the top after 45 minutes. 

(No Bake) Berry Chocolate Pie

1 large bag of frozen mixed berries - or 1 -2 bags of preferred frozen berry

scant 1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 of a lemon

2 squares of Bakers' semisweet chocolate

2 tablespoon of water

1 tablespoon of cornstarch 

1/2 cup of pecans pieces 

1 gluten free pie crust, baked and ready to go 

(the whole foods pie crust bakes for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees and worked great)

The night before, place frozen berries in a strainer - and place the strainer in a larger bowl - to thaw them in the refrigerator (that is, please don't leave them out overnight). 

On pie day - and your pie crust has already been baked and is ready for filling! - melt the two squares of chocolate in the microwave. First, for 45 seconds, giving it a stir, and then again until melted (about 25 more seconds). Stir the chocolate until its completely smooth and the spoon it on to the pie crust. With the back of your spoon, sweep the melted chocolate evenly over the bottom and about half way up the side of the pie. Place the chocolate covered crust in the the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is no longer wet and cooled. 

When you're ready to assemble the pie, gently give your berries a final little push in the strainer, so as to remove any lingering juice from them without crushing them, and spoon them into your pie crust. --- Do not throw the berry juice away! Set it aside for the time being, please! --- Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the berries and give it all a gentle stir in the pie crust. Set aside.

In a pot on the stove, combine the berry juice, water, the sugar, and the cornstarch, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes, letting the mixture thicken.

Pour the liquid over the pie. Dot with pecan pieces and refrigerate - uncovered - for at least an hour. 

*Note: If your pie seems to full of liquid, its really easy to spoon some of the extra juices out and you wont be disturbing the taste at all, promise. 

I Never Met a Potato My Boyfriend Didn't Like.... Or, (I Love) Latkes and Favorite Potato Kugel

In the past few weeks, I've made latkes and potato kugel. I've made a you-couldn't-tell-it's-gluten-free (and lower fat!) macaroni & cheese. I had an awesome dinner at Luchita's Mexican Restaurant. I've made two batches of everyone's favorite flourless peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. I've made a mixed berry pie. And I've taken pictures of it all. But for the past few weeks, my poor little blog has lain dormant and my food adventures have gone entirely unrecorded. Why? Four annoying little words: I. Have. A. Hernia. 

Seriously? A 22 year old girl with a hernia? I mean, if I was a champion weightlifter rather than an amature baker that might make some sense. Heck, I suppose I could've gotten a cooking related injury, if I was lifting some 50 lbs sack of (tapioca) flour, then at least there'd be a reason for this madness, but no such luck. Regardless of it's origin,  my mysterious hernia has left me somewhat bed bound, in serious pain, and much too frustrated to write about the joys of naturally gluten free Jewish cuisine or the difficulties of no bake fruit pies. 

But I'm sick of thinking about my hernia and you're not here for my gluten-free griping (I mention it simply for the "sorry I haven't updated in so long!" pity points), so on the good stuff, the food. 

I'd promised gluten-free Hanukkah recipes in time for the holiday and despite the leeway the lunar calendar provides, I missed my deadline. Sure, it's not technically Hanukkah anymore, but maybe you'd looking to extend your holiday to round nine days? Complete with a latke lunch? (Work with me people...)  And if you're questioning whether or not potato pancakes are midday food, I ask you to really question whether there's a time that you wouldn't eat a crispy, crunchy latke. Dig deep, be honest, you know there isn't. 

Despite my lack of timeliness as far as writing goes, I did make latkes on the Hanukkah's first night. 

 "So what....its fried potatoes and onions? What's the difference between the latke things and hash browns?"  my skeptical boyfriend asked. I couldn't quite answer the question. I mean...they're latkes, what more is there to say? Unable to verbally explain the difference between something that comes in an Ore-Ida bag in a local grocer's freezer case and a fried potato cake with 5770+ years of history behind it, I realized I'd just have to show him. Drat, latkes for us both. 

Though I generally use my dad's latke recipe, I googled latkes until I found a tempting looking version over at NYCnosh.com. Most recipes are basically the same potato-onion-egg-matzo meal mix, but this recipe was a departure from my father's in that 1) it subtracted an egg (my dad tends to use 3) and 2) you hand grate one half of the potatoes while pureeing the other half (contrary to convention, I grew up on latkes made solely of pureed potatoes and was pretty confused by the more popular grated potato cousin popular at delis the first time I saw them). 

I, of course, had to sub in all purpose GF flour mix for that traditional, Jewish matzo meal, but I changed nothing else - I mean, this recipe was offered up by New York Jews and was

 touted as mind blowing. Mind blowing. I mean, who knows Jewish food better than New Yorkers? No one, that's who. 

So latkes I made, and latkes we enjoyed - me with traditional low fat sour cream and cinnamon applesauce, him with a goyish topping I promised not to name. And how did the boyfriend like his introduction to Hanukkah food? "It's fried potatoes and onions, what's not to love?!" But upon asking if it tasted like hash browns, he answered a correct "definitely not". Well good, there may be hope for him yet. 

Having a little batter left over, and being too tired stand over the stove flipping and frying, the next night I baked the remaining mixture in a thin casserole pan and introduced my boyfriend to potato kugel. To my surprise, he liked it even better than the latkes, adding that if we kept eating like this, he'd be a Jewish convert in no time. A few days later, we were craving a home cooked meal and still had half a bag of potatoes left. I decided to try out the whole recipe as a kugel and I'm amazed to say that this produces the best potato kugel I've ever had. (Sorry Dad). 

(I Love) Latkes ...or Favorite Potato Kugel 

adapted from nycnosh.com

2.5 lbs of potatoes  (4 medium potatoes or about 8 smallish potatoes) 

1 large white onion

2 eggs

1.5 - 2 tablespoons of GF flour mix 

1/2 teaspoon of salt 

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of paprika (for kugel, though you could use it in the latkes)

 

vegetable oil for frying latkes (no olive oil please!!)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (for kugel only)

baking spray 

Peel potatoes. Cut half of the potatoes in to 1 inch chunks and boil for 20 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, grate the remaining potatoes and the onion in to a medium sized bowl. This mixture will be extremely soggy and you'll need to drain it as much as possible. I recommend straining it in a colander while pressing it down with paper towels. You may loose a few shreds of potato, but don't worry about it. If you have one, NYCnosh recommends placing the shredded vegetables in a cheesecloth and wringing it out (I don't think I know anyone who actually has a cheesecloth in their kitchen, but this sounds far easier than my strainer method, so perhaps its not a bad investment). Return the shredded onion/potato to a dry bowl.

Beat the two eggs in a separate bowl and mix them into the shredded vegetables. Stir in the spices as well. 

Drain the cooked potatoes and puree them in a blender or food processor. Sprinkle the mixture with the flour. Finally mix the puree into the shredded vegetables to complete your latke batter / kugel base. 

For The Latkes....

Cover your largest frying pan with vegetable oil,  1/4th to 1/2th inch thick (Oy! The oil! I know!). Grab a handful of your batter and make a palm sized patty about 3/4 of an inch thick. Gently - and carefully! - slide the patty into the oil and repeat until pan is filled. Cook for 5 -7 minutes on each side, flipping with a spatula and a fork, so as to prevent as much break

age as possible. 

When both sides have evenly cooked, place latkes on a plate covered in paper towels to drain the oil from them (patting the tops will also be necessary). Serve with applesauce, sour cream, or other favored topping. 

Latke Notes

* If your latkes are browning too quickly - 2 minutes or so on the first side - your oil is too hot. If your latkes seem like they're taking forever to cook, you'll need to turn up the heat. 

* Since you're using GF flour, the latkes are a little more fragile, so be careful when flipping them and make sure they're fully cooked before turning. 

* I didn't have any on hand, but a 1/4 teaspoon of xanthum gum may aid in firming the latkes up. 

For the kugel...

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch casserole dish with GF baking s

pray / canola oil (again, NOT olive oil). Pour kugel into the dish and bake for 45 minutes. 

At this point, the kugel will start getting crispy around the edges, but will still be quite white on top. Spray the stop of the kugel with the baking spray / canola oil and bake for an additional 20 -30 minutes, or until the top browns (looks crispy). 

Serve squares along side apple sauce, sour cream, or on it own. Enjoy! 

Homemade Pizza...With A Little Help From Whole Foods Pizza Crust Mix

November conjures up a great many images in the mind. In early November, autumn is in full bloom, while in the later part of the month, the frost of winter creeps in with the season's first snow. One might imagine cornucopias filled with gourds, apples, and other fall fruits or pilgrims shaking hands with scantily clad natives. Perhaps the multicolored plumage of turkeys and uncomfortably early Santa Clauses posing for pictures in mall displays spring to mind. I could go on and on about what November usually brings, but this November is different. This year, November tis the season for pizza. 

On all of my recent trips, there's been pizza. All over the gluten-free blogosphere, thanks to the latest Daring Bakers' challenge, there's been pizza. And every time I talk to my gluten eating friends, there seemed to be pizza. A girl can only think about, read about, and travel for pizza for so long before the overwhelming craving leads to some kind of action. And I'm the action oriented type. 

But, if you're going to be determined about something, it may as well be pizza. 

Trouble is, thanks in part to the chill of November, I've also feeling a bit lazy. Pizza has always been a convince food, at least that's how I think of it. So spending time to make a perfect dough - mixing different flours, letting it rise, rolling it out - then, after baking, ending up with only mixed "it'll do" results? No thank you. That, I was not in the mood for.  

Enter Whole Foods 365 Organic Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix. With 2 eggs, an egg white, cider vinegar, warm water, olive oil, and a packet of included yeast, the guess work is taken out of pizza dough, leaving me with a surprisingly fast and relatively easy end product. Add to that pizza sauce from a can, low fat pre-shredded mozzarella cheese, and Trader Joe's frozen, precut sweet pepper mix and pizza is almost a convince food again. Almost. From start to finish the pizza making process still took over an hour and a half. 

The box makes 2 12.5 inch pizzas. Or, if you're like me and pizza pan-less, it makes 3 incredibly thick crust 8.5 inch pizzas, as made in a pie pan.  On the whole, I'd make this pizza crust again. Unlike the thin, foldable pizza crust I'm accustomed to, this thick, bready crust was more like a Chicago-style pizza crossed with a loaf of crusty french bread. "Chicago style pizza on steroids", my boyfriend mused (he ate his whole pizza in one sitting, mind you). But, if you're not a fan of dough an inch and a half thick, I'm sure following the directions - and using a pizza pan - would result in a much more manageable crust. 

While I doubt homemade pizza will take the place of mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie at my Thanksgiving table (though, never say never!), I think I rather like this new November tradition. Besides, I'm not sure if the pizza bug is out of me yet. And with so many variations to try, I can't help but hope it doesn't leave any time soon. 

As I go off to lick the crumbs from my plate, I leave you with a final question: Any favorite pizza crusts, sauces, toppings? Any suggestions for pizza goodness? Tried and true recipes? Strange but delicious combinations? Dig in, dish it out, and share in the pizza goodness. 

Spinach Ricotta Roll-ups in Pumpkin Sauce with a side of Gluten-Free News

I've watched newly famous actors on late night television marvel at their notoriety. There I was, putting filling up my pick up with unleaded 87 when this woman who'd been eyeing me for the past five minutes got this crazed look in her eye as she recognized me. She let out a big wail as she rushed me, asking for my autograph and if I'd father her next child. That stuff doesn't happen to me, I mean, I'm a regular Joe. And then Jay or Conan reminds them regular Joe's don't make multimillion dollar deals and star in movies with Jessica Alba. The star then laughs humbly, agreeing, but dazed...

My point is, you rarely get to determine if your a success, rather you know based on the opinions and actions of others. 

And while I've far from reached my celiac education and gluten free outreach goals, I'm glowingly proud say: Gluten Free In Cleveland was mentioned in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio's largest newspaper. The article was about celiac disease and, while I was only listed as a resource in the side menu, it's still pretty exciting to be counted as a valid source of information. Even without me, the fact that the Plain Dealer ran an article about celiac disease is pretty darn exciting. You can read about it here, and a special thanks to the reader who emailed me to let me know that such an article had come out and that I was mentioned. 

News item number 2 comes from the North East Ohio Celiac Support Group. Get your aprons and oven mitts ready for their 8th annual Holiday Cookie Exchange, November 30th from 2 - 4 pm in the Independence Public Library. Bring 2 dozen cookies per person attending and multiple copies of your recipe, too. For more information check out their website, and get baking! 

Also, and I know its seriously last minute, but the Mustard Seed Market is having a Gluten-Free Baking & Cooking Class tonight (Monday the 17th) at 6:30. It's $15 and registration is required so call 1-440-519-3663 to register, and call quickly!

And finally, I bring you the latest of my pumpkin crazed kitchen experiments: Spinach Ricotta Roll-Ups in Pumpkin Sauce. A mouthful I know. But lately, due to a new strange but true digestive system issue, my delicate little celiac system isn't tolerating lots of other foods, mainly fats. Now if spending my autumn elbow deep in canned pumpkin has taught me anything, nothing heartys up a meal like my favorite fall squash. As heavy as the name sounds, these little roll ups were surprisingly light. 

(Low Fat) Spinach Ricotta Roll-Ups in Pumpkin Sauce

1 cup low fat ricotta cheese 

1 egg

2 -3 cloves chopped garlic 

several handfuls of fresh spinach

1 box gluten-free lasagna noodles

3/4 cup vegetable stock

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch

1/2 cup skim milk

1/3rd cup canned pumpkin

1/2 tablespoon of butter 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon pumpkin butter (optional, I happened to have it)

1 medium sized casserole dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large pot, cook the noodles within a minute of being done. Rinse with cold water, drain, set aside. 

Meanwhile, cook the spinach and garlic down in a large pan until the leaves are wilted and the garlic browns. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. In a  food processor, blend the spinach, ricotta cheese, and the egg until just smooth. Over beating will cause the mixture to become runny. 

In a medium sauce pot, combine milk, cornstarch, vegetable broth, and butter. Simmer for 3 - 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin until it dissolves into the sauce. Add pumpkin butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper to desired sweet or saltiness. 

To assemble the roll ups, wash hands thoroughly and get ready for a bit of a mess. Cut a lasagna noodle in half and, on a separate plate, spread the spinach-ricotta mixture over the noodle. Roll up the noodle and carefully place it in the pan. Repeat, repeat, and repeat until the noodles are gone or you've run out of room. 

Smoother the roll-ups in the pumpkin sauce and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese and an adventurous attitude.