not gone!!

i know it's been a while, but hey- i've been busy :)

hopefully more updates in the next few weeks.

Throwing a Green Dinner Party

Now that spring is here, it’s time to start thinking about warm weather activities with friends and families. One of the most popular things to do once the temperature goes up is to host a delicious dinner party filled with food and décor that are inspired by the colors of the season and the fresh flavors that remind us of spring. To make things a bit more creative, consider planning your dinner around a theme to make the color scheme, table décor, and menu options tie in nicely together. A popular design idea for 2009 has been to go green by investing in eco-friendly product alternatives from the food we serve to our guests to the furniture we place in our home. With that being said, whip out your dinnerware collection and get started on your green dinner party today!

A dinner party wouldn’t be the same without invited guests but we want to stay away from sending out a pile of printed invitations and envelopes in the mail in order to reduce paper waste. It’s time to take advantage of the internet and send out personalized invitations via email to get an idea of the number of people that can attend your eco-friendly event. Next, consider making a conscious effort to be kind to the environment and plan your menu around locally grown ingredients such as fresh greens for your salad, or wild berries for dessert. Incorporate nature into your table décor by using organic materials for centerpieces or to decorate place settings. This is a great opportunity to include a fresh bouquet of flowers grouped together in a clear vase to create the perfect spring accent for your dinner party.

According to Planet Green, it’s a good idea to consider sticking with a vegetarian menu or one that includes sustainable seafood options instead of meat. Meat production has made a significant impact on climate change and the large amount of water that goes into producing even a pound of beef will leave you speechless. If you’re committed to throwing a green dinner party, stay true to the rules and apply the same green mentality to your dinner party menu. As mentioned above, purchasing locally grown ingredients will put you in the right direction as you are supporting your environment and you know exactly where your meals are coming from.

Easy Truffles - Go Ahead Honey February

february is a big month of celebration for us, with birthdays, valentine's, and Ayyam-i-Ha, and as such, involves just a bit of dessert :) for this month's 'go ahead honey' i decided to make something simple, healthy, and tasty for my sweet for valentine's. i was thinking about making truffles a few months ago and never got around to it, so i dove in for this month's theme of 'sweets for your sweetheart' hosted by kelly at the spunky coconut.

i must say, the recipe is really simple, but can be played around with. i just put what i was in the mood for since it was my first time experimenting with them. i've added in the end a couple of additions you may want to add to yours if you decide to make them. and by the way, i made these in about ten minutes, so it's not very time consuming!




Easy Chocolate Covered Truffles

3 Medjool Dates
2 Tbsp Chocolate Chips (I used Enjoy Life Foods Chocolate Chips) or your favorite chocolate
2 Tbsp Artisana Organic Raw Coconut Butter
1/3 cup Cashews
1 tsp Cocoa Powder (I used Green & Black's) - optional
2 drops clear Stevia

Directions:

Melt the chocolate chips and coconut butter together on low in a small saucepan.
While they are melting, add the cashews and dates into a food processor and pulse until they are completely cumbled and stick together. Mix in the cocoa powder and stevia if you're using.
Take out a teaspoon at a time of the mixture and press to form a ball. It should easily stick together.

Gently roll your balls in the chocolate mixture and place on wax paper. Refrigerate until they are cool and firm- it shouldn't take too long. Enjoy!

Other optional additions: add a 1/4 tsp vanilla, some chili powder, raw cacao nibs, or other nuts for fun. You could also sprinkle some pistachios, coconut, or other nuts on top of the wet chocolate.

Khoresh-e-Fesenjan - Persian Pomegranate Stew

to continue my posting on 'food from my childhood' and things that remind me of home, i decided to post probably my favorite dish from childhood up until today- a persian stew made with pomegranate paste, called khoresh-e-fesenjan, or simply, fesenjan. i really must say, it is definitely not the most appetizing thing to look at, but the flavor is where it's at... a rich, hearty, and healthy stew; it is generally served over rice, but i don't see why it can't be over a potato or quinoa or something like that. alone it's a bit strong and acidic, so would be a bit much to eat totally alone, but of course it's up to you.

the actual preparation is quite simple, but the flavor will really depend on your pomegranate paste. this time i used a brand called Sadaf (produced in Lebanon), but Golchin is very good, and many others that are based only on pomegranates. a combination of sauces is also a great strategy, because they can definitely differ in flavor. the brand will also effect the color of your stew. it is usually a deep chocolate brown, but this one that i made with the Sadaf came out more light brown. note my "other options" at the end of the recipe- you can make it vegetarian and play around with the recipe a bit to your liking.

one other note- i use grated butternut squash in this recipe. my mom started adding it in for a couple of reasons- it's healthier, a natural sweetener, and it helps thicken the stew while it cooks. you don't really taste it at all, and it kind of melts away while it cooks. i love adding it in. i've also added in fresh baby spinach leaves as well on occasion for another vegetable option.




Khoresh-e-Fesenjan
Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Stew


2 pounds chicken breast, cubed
1 Tbsp + 1.5 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 onions, chopped
1.5 cups walnuts
3/4 cup pomegranate paste
2 cups chicken broth and/or water
1 cup grated or shredded butternut squash
2 Tbsp agave nectar, or to taste**

Directions:

-Brown your chicken in 1 Tbsp oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and some oregano. These spices are different than the ones listed above.
-Set chicken aside and heat the remaining oil in the same pot.
-Add chopped onions and sauté until soft.
-Add ground walnuts and continue mixing until light brown.
-Add pomegranate paste and let simmer a few minutes.
-Add your broth or water, the spices, and the butternut. Bring to simmer.
-Stir the chicken back in, bring to a boil, then lower to simmer for an hour or so. Taste and season again if needed, and add agave if you too sour.

**depending on the sweetness of your pom paste, you might want to add a sweetener. i ended up adding 2 Tbsp of agave to mine because it was pretty sour, but we still like it fairly tart. you should adjust it to your preferred flavor.

a few other options-

meat: i use chicken breast in my fesenjan. you can use a whole chicken chopped up, or just your favorite parts. many persians like to make small meatballs, brown them and then add them in.

vegetarian: you can take the meat out and instead add some fried eggplant in- the flavor is great. another veggie options is to instead of grated butternut, add cubed butternut squash, brown them, and add where it says to add the meat.

nuts: walnuts are traditional, but you can always try mixing walnuts, cashews, almonds, etc. for a different type of flavor if you want.

More GF Travels - The GF Cruise

it's been a crazy crazy month that has gone by quickly without blogging! following a series of family illnesses, running around, and a lovely week of vacation, i'm finally ready to catch up on a few posts i've had sitting around.

but first about that vacation... :) we took a three day cruise with royal caribbean recently, and it was our first cruise experience. i wasn't sure what the food situation was going to be, but i checked on their website and was pleased to find they had email addresses for those with Celiac and food allergies. although i can't use them, they also noted that they provide lactaid milk and soy milk if you request it.

so anyways, i am happy to say that they did a fantastic job of catering to my multiple food intolerance requests. by the end i realized a number of things i could have done to make it easier for myself, so i'm going to give my recs below.

but here is what they did do-- at each meal they provided me with three slices of GF bread. this was a surprise. they said they bake it each day, but it was a bit cold when they brought it out. i actually don't eat a lot of bread, but i felt guilty not eating it because they were so happy to provide it :)

our waiter in the main dining room AND the head waiter would come numerous times throughout the meal to check on me and see what else i needed. each night they took my order for the next day to ensure that it could be accomodated. they also worked with the kitchen to modify any meal selections that i had for the following day based on the menu and my dietary requirements.

it was a little trickier eating from the buffet, but mostly because i had to track down a chef and ask them what i could eat. but once i did that, pretty smooth sailing.

so here are my recommendations for gf/food allergy/intolerance cruising:

1. plan in advance- email the cruiseline in advance so that they can prepare

2. when you arrive on the ship, go speak with the chef in the dining room to make your arrangements for your first meal.

3. pick where you're going to eat for each meal the day before- it's a pain, but they need advance notice in order to accommodate you.

4. bring a few of your own snacks/desserts along as well so that you're not stuck eating fruit every meal. don't get me wrong, i love fruit, but depending on the length of your cruise, this could get tiring. a lot of the fruit on our cruise wasn't ripe (pineapple, melons, etc) so it's nice to have other snack options.

5. ask a lot of questions and double check that they have the right intolerances for you, because it's easy to forget. apparently at a table close by to me a woman had soy and gluten issues, so the head waiter kept confusing me with her and forgot i couldn't have dairy as well.

6. kind of obvious, but thank the staff numerous times and tip them well- it's a great service considering that traveling with food restrictions can be one stressful event and they're making it possible.

7. enjoy your time off from cooking! :)

i would love to hear from anyone else who's gone on any other cruise lines and how they were treated, so please share!

Product Review - TJ's Tom Yam Rice Snacks

it's been a month or so since i've been to Trader Joe's, and I was excited today to see all of the new GF items that they have in the store! They've always had them, but now the new products all have a little "g" for gluten free and a "v" for vegan. they just need one for the soy and i'm set ;)

among them, i quickly grabbed a "rice snack" called Tom Yam Rice Snacks. They're great little individually wrapped Thai snacks (10 to a bag). Flavored with lemongrass, kaffir lime, and chili, topped with cashews, they're definitely great if you like thai food!

oh. and did i mention they were only $1.69?

anyways, this little treat i give two thumbs up

.

Food From Your Childhood - The 'Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free!' November Roundup

i am so happy to host this month's 'go ahead honey, it's gluten free!' i announced a little while ago that this month's theme would be: "Food from Your Childhood" - and oh my - people did not disappoint! we have a great roundup this month as always with nine tasty treats. the submissions allow you to take a step into some of our neighbors' homes from around the world to get a glimpse of some of their favorite dishes from back in the day. be sure to visit the individual sites for the full stories!

First up, we have Lauren from Daring to Thrive with our appetizer -

Lauren shared memories of tasty marinated 'Chinese Chicken Wings' that her mother used to make when she was a child. There were never any leftovers, and i can imagine why! (These are especially exciting for me because they're even soy free!) When you check out the recipe be sure to participate in Lauren's survey for her dissertation!


My gluten-free cousin Sholeh at Sliding Thoughts shared her recipe for Butternut Squash Soup.

This rich and creamy soup has some tasty additions to it that could warm you on those cold winter days!

Vittoria from Deliciously Gluten Free wanted to share a 'special occasion' meal from her childhood and that she did!

Presenting her gourmet skills, she recreated her great grandmother's Veal Scaloppini. This recipe replicated her early memories of home with reminders of working in the kitchen with her mother.

Kelly at The Spunky Coconut brought us a classic side dish with a totally new twist. Looking for a healthier, minimally processed gluten-free, casein-free version of the dish, she incorporated local organic green beans and onions, as well as homemade cashew milk for her Green Bean Casserole.

Like her mother did, she plans on making this dish every year. Green bean casserole has never sounded so good (look out Campbell's Soup!).


Sarah shared her Pumpkin Whoopee Pies with Cream Cheese Filling using the handy Google Documents application (good idea for anyone without a blog!)

These whoopee pies reminded Sarah of her days of eating Little Debbie's Oatmeal Creme Pies before going gluten free and were a big hit!


A truly creative dish from Nick the Peanut Butter Boy is his Peanut Butter Bird's Nest Cookies.

A vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free treat, Nick's mother used to make these treats for Easter. Bringing together the flavors of peanut butter and coconut, these easy to make treats remind Nick of his childhood.

Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness reminisced of her grandpa who loved rice pudding when she made her Spiced Forbidden Rice Pudding:

Blending Chinese Black Rice with coconut milk and fragrant spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and a touch of ginger, this dish has a warm and comforting feel to it.


And now for the wonderful Naomi of Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried, the creator of 'go ahead honey'...

Naomi took us back to her childhood with her secret delight of Magic Lemon Pudding. The airy sponge on top with the lemony creamy goodness below sounds irresistable. Without the flour, milk and sugar of her childhood, Naomi was able to recreate the magic to share the recipe with her own son - much like her own mother had with her.


Finally, here is my own submission at For the Love of Food! - my grandmother's Sweet Potato Pie.

This pie meant a lot to me growing up, as my grandmother taught it to me at a young age. I make it each year in her memory and is a favorite in my family on both sides. I love it for dessert or breakfast :)


So thank you to everyone for allowing us to have a glimpse into your childhoods and your homes... it is truly an inspiration how creative and diverse each of these dishes are!

***For information about next month's theme: "Foods that bring good fortune" - please visit Heather at Life Gluten Free who has posted more on the theme and the deadline.***

Sweet Potato Pie (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Agave Sweetened)

well i have finally decided on my 'go ahead honey' submission for this month... it was a tough call, but i've decided it's actually going to be the first of a three part series of 'my childhood+home.'

so growing up in my household was an adventure, and food was and is a huge focus. and good food. for my last submission i posted a recipe for the slow cooked food challenge that was persian- from my mother's homeland of iran. this month i wanted to pay homage to my other half- my african-american side. the story goes something like this... when i was fairly young, i'm guessing around 8/10 years old, my grandmother took me on a grocery shopping adventure because she wanted to teach me how to make some of her dishes. she was known for her pies, rolls, corn pudding, fruit cake, caramel cake, and more - all from scratch. the idea of using a boxed mix was unheard of and something that i carried on. her north carolina roots taught her real southern baking without measuring, but rather an eye that she wanted me to learn by watching and doing alongside her. and learn i did- she wouldn't have it any other way. she was an incredibly strong and beautiful woman, mother to nine wonderful and unique children, and i remember her each thanksgiving when i make her sweet potato pie.

i felt the real challenge of making this pie would be recreating it in a way that was 'healthier' and suitable to my diet (no refined sugar, crisco in the crust, gluten, or dairy) while still capturing the rich and tasty elements of it. i warned my dad about these changes at thanksgiving, and he acknowledged that it might not taste as good. then after he took his first bite he smiled and told me that the taste was not sacrificed and it was still 'good.' :)


so anyways, the recipe is really not that complicated, and the taste can be as strong or simple as you like it, depending on the spices and sweetness of your sweet potatoes. to me, it's more of the memories that come with it and remembering how proud it made my grandmother that i learned her recipes, and how proud i felt to stand by her side.

Annie Mae's Sweet Potato Pie - Adapted

*note- this was my first time trying to measure the recipe, so it actually turned out as two and a half regular pies, or it could be two deep dish ones.

5 1/2 cups cooked sweet potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
5 Tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup hemp milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mace
1.5 tsp saigon cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp orange juice
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
optional: 1/4 cup sucanat (if you want it sweeter)

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare your pie crusts. I used my crust recipe from my Apple Pie but used a stick of butter chopped up instead of the oil.

While still hot, peel and mash your sweet potatoes. Add the rest of your ingredients and mix with a stand mixer. Taste and adjust spices if you wish. If you're opposed to tasting raw egg, you can add everything except that, taste it, and then add the beaten eggs in. The flavor of your sweet potatoes will change the flavor of the pie, so i recommend organic sweet potatoes with a strong, bold, and sweet flavor.

Pour pie filling evenly into crusts and bake in oven for approximately 45 minutes-1 hour, depending on oven, etc.

Eat warm as dessert, cold for breakfast, with coconut milk ice-cream as a snack... ;)

PS--- Don't forget to get your submissions into me by December 5th!!!

Apple Pie and Apple Topped Steel Cut Oats

i actually came up with this recipe before i decided on the theme for this month's Go Ahead Honey, and felt conflicted... because i think apple pie really represents the american "home" and "childhood" aspect... however, it wasn't really my home, so i'm not going to have this as my submission :) i'm still trying to come up with something though.

anyways, we received a huge bag of apples from my in-laws who went to west virginia, so i was making apple everything for a while-- some recipes better than others (such as my undercooked apple cake which you shall not see here.) one of my favorite quick and easy apple recipes was a topping for my steel cut oats in the morning. i just put sliced apples with some cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a dash of agave in a pan and simmered for a few minutes. i added some pecans sometimes as well. anyways, after cooking my oats i just topped it with the apple mix and it was fantastic.

moving on to better recipes, here is my apple pie one... i tried improving my crust from my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie by taking out the butter and subbing it with grapeseed oil instead. i leave that option open-- one stick of butter will work, grapeseed oil, or organic spectrum shortening. coconut oil will work as well, and i think would go well with apple (i used it in my blueberry pie) but you have to be open to a bit of a coconut flavor. if you do want to do the coconut but not have it overwhelm, i would recommend half coc. oil with half of something else (butter, oil, etc.). anyways, mine came out a bit oily to work with but perfect baked at 3/4 a cup, so i'm going to recommend 1/2-3/4 a cup and you can check your consistency because different gluten free flours work in different ways, and you can always add more sweet rice flour to firm it up. now on to the pie.




Apple Pie

(gluten free, dairy free, soy free, agave sweetened)


Crust:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
5 Tbsp sweet rice flour (approximately 1/4 cup)
1.5 tsp xantham gum
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
1 tsp Saigon cinnamon
3 tsp agave nectar
1 egg
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
1/2-3/4 cup grapeseed oil (refrigerated works well)

-mix the flours together with a stand mixer. slowly add the oil in with the mixer running and mix until it is crumbled into pea-sized pieces.

-drop the egg and vinegar into the mixture while the mixer is running. once combined, drizzle the cold water into the mix a little at a time while the mixer is running. once it looks like dough, turn off the mixer.

-separate the dough into two balls and put each on a piece of parchment paper. place another piece on top of each ball and gently smoosh them down into disks. wrap the paper around them and refrigerate over night. remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes before using. if you can't refrigerate over night, a couple of hours will do as well.

Apple Pie Filling:

4 cups chopped or sliced apples (approximately-- i used sliced ones i made with an apple peeler/corer/slicer (Apple Peeler)
1 tsp saigon cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp vanilla or one vanilla bean
3/4 cup agave
1/4 cup cornstarch

-preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. mix all of the ingredients in a bowl except for the cornstarch. remove some of the liquid from the apple mixture and add it to the cornstarch to 'melt' it down. mix the cornstarch liquid into the apples and let it all sit while you prepare your crusts.

-roll out one pie crust and fit in dish. if it falls apart, simply press together again-- gluten free crust is good like that. pour the apple filling mix in and spread evenly.

-the second crust is trickier if it falls apart. i like to slide it off of the parchement paper by peeling away the paper as you slide it on (sounds confusing, but it's not that bad). if it does fall apart, you can still try to reattach it. if not, there needs to be steam holes/slits, so just let the cracks be the holes in the crust. if it did survive, make a pretty hole in the top or slits in the middle. ** if you want a shiny crust, you can brush the crust with egg white here. i left this one alone but have done it in the past.

(pie before cooking - without steam holes)

-bake the pie in the oven for 20 minutes at 400F, then lower to 350 for another 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. i know it's difficult, but let it cool for a while-- it helps the liquid inside solidify and is worth the wait :)

Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free! - November's Theme

I am quite excited to announce that I will be hosting the November 'Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free' roundup...

If you're not familiar, Go Ahead Honey was started by Naomi of Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried. Each month, a theme is chosen by the host and exciting and delicious gluten-free submissions are posted. Past themes have included breakfast, one pot meals, raw food, and more. I recently contributed my first submission to the slow food theme for September HERE.

So after much thought, I am pleased to announce that this month's theme will be: "Food from Your Childhood." To further elaborate, I was trying to come up with a theme that would capture winter, home, and comfort food... This could mean many different things to different people, but to me the idea of home kept reoccurring. So take some time and think about what food makes you feel at home, gives you that nostalgic feeling, or makes you warm and fuzzy :) It might just be from another person's home as well-- for instance, a childhood trip to grandma's house. Other examples can be a holiday recipe, a family tradition, tasty warm drink, or something your mom clipped out of the newspaper or from the back of a box like mine did. Naturally gluten-free, or one you've adapted. I love the creativity that everyone shares with the Go Ahead Honey themes and can't wait to see what everyone posts!

Please send your gluten-free submissions to me by December 5th. You can email me a picture of your dish as well as a link to your recipe at: nooshins [at] gmail [dot] com. I will post the roundup shortly thereafter!