Pitiful Paris

Just returned from a glorious trip to Brussels, Paris and London.
As a celiac my least favorite place was Paris because it's just bread everywhere.  Without much variation.  Luckily across from my hotel was an organic (in french: "bio") food store with a minuscule gluten free (french: "sans gluten") section.  A couple loaves of bread, flour, muesli, and sweets.  Of course, we didnt' discover this until the 2nd to last day.  Really, I survived on rice cakes and cheese - there could be worse things.  But, my mouth just drooled over the bakeries with their baguettes, patisseries, sandwiches -- constantly seeing this everywhere I looked, nothing could satisfy me unless it involved a croissant or a crusty baguette.

Maybe if I had planned a little better, I would have done a little more research into gluten free establishments in Paris.  To be honest, the american celiac travel websites that I looked at before leaving were less than helpful.  If you know a little bit of french, I would highly recommend looking at France based websites (.fr) using "sans gluten" as the keyword.  Here is a discussion about gluten free Paris restaurants with some suggestions.

Since we had limited time in paris, we chose to spend our time visiting the sights instead of traipsing around town looking for gluten free food.  It's just unfortunate that there aren't very many "naturally" gluten free foods around Paris. 

Up next: my report on eating in London.. and pictures!

Spanish Rice with a Kick

Spanish Rice, originally uploaded by lesserones.

Lunch today was from the Joy Of Cooking (my go-to cookbook).

Instead of bacon, we used hot dogs to keep it kosher.
Added a kick by using jalepenos plucked from the garden instead of a bell pepper
Saute onions, garlic, pepper and onions in a pot until the onions are golden.

Add 1 cup rice and mix to coat.
Add 1 3/4 cup chicken stock, canned tomatoes, 1/2 tsp paprika and bring to a boil. Once boiling, give it a stir, cover and stick it in the 350 degree oven. Bake for 25 min, then let sit uncovered for 5 min.

We had some extra sauerkraut left over from another hot dog dish, and used that for an extra flavor complex.

PIZZA

Cold Cucumber Soup

Dill-y deliciousness.

Cheddar Cornbread with Roasted Jalapenos

I am obsessed with the Joy of Cooking.

If you do not have this cookbook in your kitchen, well, you are missing out.

Whatever you can dream of making, more than likely it's in there.  And no it's not a "celiac" designated cookbook, and it doesn't need to be.

This morning, I picked 12+ jalapenos from the plant growing on our deck.  What on earth can you do with this many uber-spicy peppers?  I like spicy, but even that is a bit extreme.

After googling around, I debate making jalapeno jelly or relish.  Jelly requires liquid pectic and Relish called for mustard seed - both would require a trip to the store.  

But, oh! What's that I see in my Joy ?  A recipe for Southern Cornbread - which is strictly corn meal, no other flours necessary.  And the suggestions for additions?  Roasted Jalapenos!  

My oven is emanating this beautiful spicy smell of cornbread.  I am now pleasantly full. 

Pickled Green

DSC_1955
Originally uploaded by beckstrr

We've making pickles! Fresh cucumbers from the garden were smushed into a quart jar with brine and some various spices. Now we just have to wait... and wait....

We're growing!

Vegetables ...that is!

We've got the seedlings for cucumbers, yellow squash, green beans and jalepenos.  Also growing is a tomato and strawberry plant. 

I love fresh veggies and could just sit there all day smelling the tomato plant. 

Basil, lavender, rosemary and cilantro are also returning for the 2nd season...

Can't wait for the crop!

Great mid-morning snack sandwich

Cream Cheese, with hummus between two Rice cakes

Dining experience - Nebo

Had a fantastic 3-course meal at Nebo Pizzeria, an Italian restaurant in Boston's North End.

And best of all - gluten free!

My hubby and I shared these dishes and our thoughts
sale e pepe • sea salt and white peppercorn marinated chicken wings
a hearty portion of crispy wings with a tangy dipping sauce


caprese • fresh mozzarella, vine ripened tomatoes, evoo, basil
a traditional dish with large slabs of mozzarella mingled between tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil and basil.  nothing dainty about this

carciofi • fresh ricotta, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, mozzarella
i'm picky about my pizzas, but the crust was buttery with a crispy soft taste.  i wish the toppings had a little more flavor and did miss a tomato pizza sauce on there. 

We were surprised that for a Friday evening, the place was pretty quiet.  And the dessert menu was pretty disappointing - in fact, they didn't even have a gf specific menu.  The waiter was willing to point out what was and wasn't gluten free. 

Our meal plus two bottles of wine cost roughly $70 per couple

All in all, we would go back. 

The gluten free menu. [pdf]

90 north washington st
boston, ma 02114
617.723.nebo (6326)

Chocolate Challah

This was another delicious homemade loaf of bread - I made it for shabbat dinner on Friday.  I bet you could make it sans cocoa for a regular challah that would be just as yummy.  As you can see, this large loaf has not lasted long....



I added raisins and pecans to this one.

Today's Lunch

Inspired by the London lunch staple of jacket potatoes, I had a baked potato topped with smart balance, parsley flakes, spinach & artichoke hummus and feta cheese.

So yummy.  The hummus really gives it the creamy texture and is a healthier substitute to sour cream. 

Lunch at work hints:
Pack the potato with the butter and parsley in one container
In a smaller container, combine the hummus and feta cheese.

When you are ready to eat your lunch, put the potato container in the microwave for 2ish minutes and once heated throw the hummus & feta cheese on. 

Voila, a deliciously healthy lunch to go!

Pasta e Fagioli

I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks and the only modification to prepare it is substituting in gluten free pasta. 

It's an easy dish to prepare and doesn't require any random ingredients. After the first few steps during which you need to be nearby to add items,  it simmers and little supervision is needed at that point. 

We like ours hearty.  This is quickly becoming a staple dinner in our kitchen.


Sauteeing the onion, carrot, celery and parsley


And 30ish minutes later, ready to eat:

A New Year, A New Adventure

Hi all!

I've been having some technical difficulties that has severely limited my amount of posting and pictures... but its a new year and lots of new recipes to experiment with! 

Tonight, hubby made steak fajitas with soft tacos aka corn tortillas.  Naturally gluten free to boot!

Goal for this weekend is to make fudge.

Stay tuned for a renewed blog with recipes, pictures and adventures!