Quinoa Taco Salad

1 cup dry Quinoa
2 cups Veggie Stock

Add Quinoa and Veggie Stock to a Rice Cooker and cook.

To the cooked and fluffed (with a fork) Quinoa add:

1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (to taste)
1 diced anaheim pepper (seeded and membranes removed)
1/2 onion diced
Pepper to taste
1/4 c of chopped cilantro
1/4 to 1/2 c of Salsa Verde
3 roma tomatoes diced

Add above ingredients and combine. Top with a bit avocado.

Serves 3 well. Share & Enjoy!
This is my take on a GFCF recipe I found on Gluten Free Goddess.

Sauted Veggies & Hummus Pasta

10 stalks of asparagus - in 1 inch peices and ends trimmed
1 cup of diced mushrooms - I used baby bellas
1 stalk of celery diced in 1/2" peices
1 carrot - diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
Olive Oil
S&P
1/2 tsp paparika
1 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper


Add carrots to oil and saute about 5 minutes over medium heat. Then add asparagus, celery, garlic and spices. Cook with lid on for about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 more minutes.

Toss with homemade Hummus (I used SunDried Tomato) and pasta (I used GFCFSF Quiona Spaghetti Style Pasta).

You could not tell that it wasn't regular pasta! This makes for an easy and creamy alternative to red sauce or Alfredo sauce :)

Salsa Verde (Heather Style)

30 tomatillos (peeled and rinsed)
1 bunch cilantro
5 cloves garlic peeled
3 seeded jalapenos
2 limes juiced

Add everything to the food processor and puree. Easy, Easy Green Salsa to be used in many different things...

Tomatillo Enchilada Casserole

2 onions sliced
2 large green peppers sliced
2 jalapenos, cleaned and diced finely
1 anaheim pepper, cleaned and diced finely
1 tsp garlic
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
2 cups of Salsa Verde (recipe listed on the site)
6 corn tortillas
1/4 c shredded Diaya Vegan Cheese (Mozz Style)


Add the onions, green peppers, jalapenos, anaheim and garlic to a pan over medium heat. Start the saute and then add the Salsa Verde. Cook on low, stiring occasionally for about 25 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro and stir. Add some of the mixture to the bottom of the casserole dish and then layer with torn tortillas. Then add another layer of the veggie mixture. Add Daiya Vegan Cheese to the top and bake for 30 minutes on 350 until bubbly.

Label Reading...

I have learned so much in 2 weeks of eating GFCFSF... I have been doing great on the GFCF part but the SF is quite difficult. For those of you who know me, you understand that Mayo/Miracle Whip etc does NOT ever get found in my home. I can't stand the stuff... but since I am at a loss of what to eat, I have been eating Tuna out and it is made with Mayo. But did you know, that almost ALL Mayo is made with Soybean Oil???? I didn't... and just thought I was doing well. So as a result of all of this... Tuna, plain, no Mayo on salad. That will be my go-to food while I figure out the rest of this.

I have also found that despite my apprehension to open my new Cooking Light, I was quite surprised to find that there were some recipes that I could eat (without modifying them). YAY!! I also found that there were some that I can make minor modifications to and still eat them! That makes me feel great!

I also learned that trying to find a salad dressing at the grocery store that I can eat is much harder than I thought since a main staple of these is Soybean Oil... Yep, even though it says Olive Oil... it is mostly Soybean Oil! Be careful what you buy without reading the label!

I have also found that I am quite fortunate that I LOVE to cook and have the Farmer's Market(s) available to me! I did not realize that I have already been eating well and now I just have to take it one step further! That is not a bad thing except when I travel and since I do this quite a bit for work... and to places that don't have many options, I end up at Subway! They at least have a salad I can eat.

Greek food has been my savior! I found a locale Greek place called Athos on Western Ave in Albany... and it is WONDERFUL! Not only did they understand GFCFSF they don't cross contaminate because they actually have quite a few people who come to them because of this. Andy my waiter was great and I am so excited to have another option. Sherry Lynn's Gluten Free in Latham, NY (just down from work) has a great small market with boxed things that I can buy as well as a local small restaurant where I can get something to eat when I am desperate!

Thanks to everyone who has spent countless hours helping me research this and to find products that I can use. Also, a big thanks to Cristina for being patient when traveling with me... trying to find something I can eat is quite trying sometimes :)

Brazilian Fish Stew adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into chunks (I used COD)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 large bell peppers, diced (I used 2 red and 2 green)
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes, drained
1 (16 ounce) can coconut milk (I used lite)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
S&P


Stir together the lime juice, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the tilapia and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes, up to 24hours.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Quickly fry the onions in the oil 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add the bell peppers, tilapia, and diced tomatoes to the pot in succeeding layers. Pour the coconut milk over the mixture. Cover the pot and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro and continue cooking until the tilapia is completely cooked through, another 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Homemade Salsa

25 roma tomatoes
3 jalapenos - cleaned and seeded
2 limes juiced
4 cloves of garlic
1 onion
1 bunch cilantro
S&P
Crushed Red Pepper

Add the tomatoes to boiling water for 1 minute and remove. Put a slit in the end of the tomato and hold on to the top and peel the skin away. Add tomatoes and rest of ingredients to the food processor and puree. You may have to add more salt at the end. Enjoy!

Hummus

1 large can of Garbanzos (Chick Peas)
1 Lemon Juiced
5 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 c Olive Oil
S&P
Crushed Red Pepper

Add garbanzos, lemon juice, garlic cloves, tahini, S&P and crushed red pepper to the food processor. Turn on and drizzle the olive oil in. You might need a bit more so that it is not super thick.

You can add: Roasted Red Pepper (1 small jar drained) or 1 bunch of washed cilantro or extra garlic and jalapenos. Anything you like almost you can add to this. My favorites are Roasted Red Pepper and Cilantro! Enjoy

Time to rethink my food journey...

As most of you know or have seen on Facebook, as of Monday October 11, 2010, my diet has changed DRASTICALLY. I saw the GI doctor on Monday and he has limited, yet again, what I can eat... so I am working on a plan of attack. First thing is to remember that if I do this then I will feel 1000% better - and that my friends, is a great thing!

Next, is to remember MIND OVER FOOD!! You always here people say Mind over Matter... in my case, I have to remember how BAD I felt when I ate everything I wasn't supposed to. Lastly repeat every day that I need to, so that I don't forget how bad I feel!

For those of you who are more interested... I no longer will be eating: Meat, Dairy, Soy, Gluten, Sugar (processed foods and candy)... So what is left??? That is the question of the day! According to my handy dandy list from the GI doc the following are good for me:

Cold Water Fish (Cod, Salmon, Tuna)
Eggs
Nuts
Natural Nut Butters
Veggies/Fruit (Avocado, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Garlic, Green Beans, Green Leafy Vegetables - Lettuce etc, Lemon, Limes, Mushrooms, Onion, Peppers, Tomatoes, Berries, Cantaloupe, Cheries, Kiwi, Peaches, Apples, Artichokes, Pears, Pineapple, Plums)
Oatmeal
Olives/Olive Oil

In Moderation Foods:
Rice (Brown preferably)
Lentils
Peas
Red/Sweet Potatoes

That pretty much sums it up! But hey, it is more than I though. When checking my condiments I have to check for dairy/casin/whey and also gluten/msg!

Hope this finds everyone doing well! More info and hopefully recipes to come!