Garlic and Basil Pizza with Chipotle Shrimp and Feta Cheese

Hello all, I must apologize for failing to update my blog.  In the past few months, I’ve been consumed by rotations and exams.  To kick off my return to blogging, I made gluten free pizza with garlic, basil, chipotle shrimp, and feta cheese.

Pizza is an American necessity to me.  Not only is it full of cheesy goodness, but it also encompasses all the important food groups: carbs, veggies, meats, diary… and some fat (nutritionists may disagree with me on this). 

The best part about homemade pizza is the toppings.  This is where you can let your creativity run free.  In this recipe I use my favorite ingredients – fresh garlic and tomatoes with basil.  When preparing this dish, I like to bury the basil under the cheese so that it enriches the tomato sauce while it bakes.   The fresh garlic gives the pizza a rich aroma when it roasts in the oven.  I took the flavors an extra step by adding spicy chipotle shrimp with tangy feta cheese.  And to include a serving of veggies, I incorporated sautéed onions and green peppers for color and crunch.  The end result was delicious.

I did cheat on making the dough and used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free pizza mix along with a bread machine.  The bread machine is very handy; it provides the perfect temperature for the dough to rise.  Below is the recipe.  Bon appétit!

Thai Green Curry

I love thai food, especially coconut curries.  Thai curry is a good simple dish found at every thai restaurant.  Because of this, I believe how well a restaurant's curry is made reflects the quality of their other dishes.  My favorite is green curry, named obviously from its green color.  The rich color comes from green chillies and herbs.  This dish is usually made very spicy and prepared with meats and vegetables.  Luckily, for those with weak stomachs - like me, you can make this dish mild at home.

The basis of green curry comes from a curry paste.  Many stores sell ready made pastes, so all you need is to add coconut milk.  The pastes, however, come VERY spicy and contain wheat, along with msg.  When you make the paste yourself, you use fresh herbs and know what's going in.  The end product is refreshing.  The flavors are subtle and not overpowered by spiciness and msg.  You appreciate your senses more and can taste how the herbs play upon each other.

Korean Tofu Soup (soondubu jjigae)

One thing I miss the most with being gluten free is Asian food. Since being diagnosed with celiac’s, I’ve been scared to eat at any type of Asian restaurant. There is soy sauce in EVERYTHING and hidden wheat in many of the sauces. The worst part is I know how deliciously good the food used to taste.

My favorite Korean dish is tofu soup, also known as soondubu jjigae. Tofu soup is a traditional Korean stew, hearty and full of flavor. It’s usually made spicy with soft tofu that melts in your mouth. You can add seafood or beef, both equally delicious. Normally, there shouldn’t be any gluten in tofu soup. Every restaurant, however, makes their soup different, and my inability to speak Korean and uncertainty of knowing what ingredients they use makes eating too risky.

Luckily, I have a great Korean friend who told me how to make this dish and referred me to a handy Korean cooking blog: www.maangchi.com. The website has many Korean recipes and video instructions.

The recipe was simpler to follow than I thought and turned out fantastic. The flavor mainly comes from the anchovy base and the red pepper flakes, which give the stew a beautiful red color. The only thing I regretted was not adding enough red pepper flakes and tofu.

Braised Ribs: The Speedy Slow Cooker

It's test week, so I have little time to cook.  I actually should be studying instead of writing this blog, but procrastination is addictive.  I turned to my slow cooker this week for a savior from my hunger woes.  Through my internet search, I found a great recipe for braised short ribs from a 2008 Bon Appetit Post: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Braised-Short-Ribs-350091.

As in my usual style, I changed the recipe.  Instead of beef spareribs, I used pork loin ribs because 1) I like pork better than beef and 2) loin ribs are less fatty than spareribs.   But feel free to use which ever suits your taste.  I also added rosemary and fennel to add more flavor into the broth and carrots for a sweet component.  After 30 min, voila, I have delicious ribs.  Well, it actually took 8 hours to cook, but that doesn't count since I went to bed during this time.

When I had it for lunch the next day, I was surprised at how good it tasted.  The red wine really gives the ribs a rich flavor and the fennel adds extra depth.  The cooked carrots were also delicious, sweet and savory at the same time.  All the ingredients in this recipe should be gluten free.  But for those that are extra sensitive, double check all your ingredients.  Certain brands of wine may contain gluten from the production process.

Enjoy!

Food in the Fast Lane

Welcome to my food blog. My title may be a misnomer as I actually cook one big meal once a week for the whole week.  The purpose of my blog is to follow my food journey through my busy life.  Hopefully, my posts will be helpful to any busy bees out there gluten-free or non gluten-free who wish to have easy, fast, and healthier homemade meals.

My cooking method is "cooking for the masses", except I'm the only one eating.  This comes in handy, as sometimes I don't get a chance to cook during the weekday, so I'm thankful when I can reheat leftovers and have lunch or dinner ready in 3 min. This is a life saver at work, since I have trouble finding gluten-free food at the hospital cafeteria or nearby fastfood restaurant.

I always find some way to incorporate a good portion of veggies and fiber in every meal. This keeps my body happy. I usually base my recipes from random websites, blogs, and my cookbook collection.  I must warn you, however, I don't like to follow instructions. When I cook, I don't measure and I change ingredients. I call it "cooking with feeling"...sometimes it's a success, other times not so much. I, also, shop on a budget, so I only buy whatever fruits and veggies are in season and then improvise the recipes. I splurge only on certain items, like chocolate :o)

I hope you enjoy  my blog.