Vegan Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Corn Chilaquiles

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Deanna

It’s Cinco de Mayo – a holiday that’s celebrated more in the U.S. than in Mexico. But, hey, I’m in the U.S., and I love Mexican food. So, to me, it’s a reason to celebrate! So, we invited a couple of friends to come over for an informal Mexican fiesta of food – vegan black bean, sweet potato and corn chilaquiles and a vegan, gluten free tres leches cake. The chilaquiles were a major hit, definitely worth sharing. The cake? Meh. It needs some work. My kiddo & hubby and the guest all claimed it was delicious. And, it looks fairly nice, right?

Tres Leches cake - needs work

Tres Leches cake - needs work

But, it needs some tweaking before it’s ready for recipe sharing. Watch for it in a future installment. For now it’s all about the Chilaquiles. They, on the other hand, did not photograph well. Not so gorgeous…see?

Ugly, but Delicious

Ugly, but Delicious

Just trust me on the yumminess, though, okay? They’re a little fussy to make, requiring a few components. Let’s break it down, shall we? First we need a couple of roasted poblano peppers. To roast them, either pop them under the broiler or hold them (with tongs) over an open flame until the skin all around is blackened and blistered. Toss them in a paper bag to “sweat” then peel all the skin off. You’ll need on for the  tomatillo sauce and one for the filling.

Tomatillo Sauce

1 t. oil
1 yellow onion, diced
6 large tomatillos, cleaned and quartered
4 cloves of garlic
1 roasted poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 T. salt
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and tomatillos. Cook for 5 minutes, until onions and tomatillos soften. add broth, salt and poblano peppers. Boil until the tomatillos begin to break down. Remove from heat and blend ingredients with an immersion blender (or use a regular blender and return blended sauce to pot). Add lime juice and simmer over a low flame until sauce is reduced by 1/3 – approximately 45 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Corn Filling

1 T. oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 t. whole cumin, ground
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can-full (use the empty black bean can) frozen corn
1 roasted poblano pepper, diced
1 t. salt (or to taste)

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, sweet potato, and cumin. Saute until sweet potatoes begin to brown and onions are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for approximately 5 more minutes.

Tortillas

Now normally, you’d fry some stale tortillas for chilaquiles. But, since we’re trying to be healthy around here, I took 12 stale tortillas and broiled them until crispy. Your choice. Fry or broil.

Assembly

Whew – got all that done? It’s time to assemble and bake. This is the easy part. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a 9 x 13 pan, lay down 6 tortillas (they’ll overlap some). If they’re not flat, just press down on them. It’s okay if they break. Add 1/2 the filling, and 1/3 the sauce. Make another layer with the rest of the tortillas, the rest of the filling and the rest of the sauce. If you’re not a vegan, or enjoy vegan cheese, feel free to throw a cheese layer in there. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

I served this with Cilantro Lime Cashew Cream.

Posted in beans, Mexican, sauces, vegan | Leave a comment

Flavors of Spring: Ramp, Cashew & Asparagus Pesto Pasta

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Deanna
Properly Processed Pesto

Properly Processed Pesto

We in Wisconsin are a tough bunch. At the first sign of spring we cast aside our winter coats and hats, come out of hibernation, and reclaim the outdoors as our own. But, spring really arrives with the start of the outdoor Dane County Farmer’s Market, a weekly obsession for locavores, families, and even occasionally the random still half-drunk college student looking for spicy cheese bread and strong coffee. The Farmer’s Market starts in April, and discounting the hoop house spinach and the hot house tomatoes, some of the first local produce to show up includes sorrel, watercress, asparagus, and ramps. Asparagus and I are old friends, but not so much the rest of that crew. This year, I decided to do something about that, and, without knowing what I’d do with them, this Saturday I bought ramps. Ramps are wild leeks, with a taste that leans more to garlic than leek, but not nearly as sharp and pungent. They have beautiful jewel green leaves and small white bulbs. And, I can now report, they are darn tasty.

Meanwhile, I stumbled across this week’s “Blogger Secret Ingredient” post by Aubree Cherie of Living Free. And the secret ingredient is…. cashews! I’d not seen the Blogger Secret Ingredient challenge before. But, I love cashews, and it sounds like fun. And the possibility of winning the Maison Creole seasoning mix? Even better.

Hm…ramps and cashews…cashews and ramps…. Oh, and asparagus. What to do. I know – pesto!

Ramp & Cashew Pesto with Asparagus

Ramp & Cashew Pesto with Asparagus

Ramp & Cashew Pesto with Roasted Asparagus

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 8 hours & drained (divided)
3.5 oz ramps, washed and roots trimmed
.25 oz basil leaves
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. nutritional yeast
1/2 T. lemon juice
1/2 lb fresh asparagus
1 T. olive oil
course salt
1/2 lb gluten free pasta (I like the Ancient Harvest Quinoa.)

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Drop the ramps in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them and shock them under cold water. (This doesn’t really change the taste, but it does keep the ramps a brighter green. You can skip this step, but you’re going to need a pot of water for the pasta anyway, right?) Place the ramps, 1/2 of the soaked cashews, the basil, the 2 T. olive oil, the lemon juice, the nutritional yeast, and the 1/2 t. salt in the bowl of  your food processor. Pulse until mixture is ground, but not until it’s completely smooth. (See picture.)

Preheat oven to 375°. (I actually used my toaster oven, which has a convection setting. You may want to go with 400° if using a conventional oven.) Place asparagus on an oven safe pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle with 1 T. olive oil and spring with course salt. Put 1/2 of the soaked cashews on the pan with the asparagus. Try to keep the asparagus and cashews on separate ends of the pan. Roast for approximately 10 minutes, turning once or twice, until cashews are toasted and asparagus is crisp-tender. If either is cooking faster than the other, you can remove the one that’s cooking faster. You DID keep them on separate ends of the pan, right? I cook my asparagus whole, and then cut it into bite size pieces when it’s done. It just seems easier that way.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with the pesto and asparagus. Plate servings and top with a few toasted cashews.

Serves 4-5.

Posted in asparagus, cashews, pasta, vegan | Leave a comment

Rhubarb Almond Apple Galette

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Deanna
Preparing the Galette

Preparing the Galette

The other night I realized that we had too much pizza dough for the amount of pizza we wanted to make, and we had diced rhubarb in the fridge waiting to be turned into something. And, I’ve been meaning to try to use coconut flour and almond flour together. So, I started plotting – what could I make with leftover pizza dough, rhubarb, and a couple of delicious flours…. Voila! Galette. For those not in the know, a galette is just a fancy word for a free-form pie or tart. I’ve made dessert galettes before with leftover pizza dough. It works fine, as long as you’re not one that puts herbs and spices in your dough. (Then again, rosemary could pair nicely with some sweet flavors.) Sure, it’s not quite a pâte brisée. But, it’s functional, and I’m frugal. So here goes:

Adding Streusel Topping

Adding Streusel Topping

Rhubarb Apple Almond Galette

leftover pizza dough or tart dough to make about a 12 inch circle
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 1/3 cups rhubarb
2 T. agave syrup
1/2 t. almond extract

In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the apples, rhubarb, and agave until the rhubarb breaks down and some of the moisture simmers off. Take off the heat and stir in the almond extract.

Topping
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 coconut flour
2 T. coconut oil
3 T. palm sugar
1/4 cup almonds

Mix the flours, coconut oil and sugar with a fork in a small bowl until mixture is crumbly.

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread the rhubarb apple mixture your rolled out piece of dough, leaving a border of about 1 1/2 inches. Sprinkle rhubarb with topping and then with almonds. Lift and fold the border to make an edge on the galette. Bake for approximately 18 minutes, or until crust and topping is lightly browned.

(Time may be different for you – my oven may have been hotter than 350, as I’d previously been making pizza and the baking stone was still very hot.) Serve with a scoop of your favorite non-dairy ice cream. (We like coconut ice cream.)

Posted in apples, desserts, nuts | Leave a comment

Everything Waffles for Breakfast in Bed

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Deanna

This month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free theme is breakfast in bed. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had breakfast in bed. That’s not the kind of girl I am. I’m the get up and run five miles before breakfast kind of girl. On my laziest of days, I’m a get up and curl up on the couch with the Sunday paper kind of girl. Breakfast in bed? It’s just not appealing.

But, if I WAS a breakfast in bed kind of girl, I’d imagine I’d want someone to be a kitchen slave for me – to make something I don’t particularly enjoy making myself – like, for instance, waffles. I’ve never really been big on waffles, either. My dad was the weekend breakfast chef in our house, and pancakes and waffles were in heavy rotation. I always voted for pancakes; my sister always voted for waffles.  Somehow, I ended up with a kid that votes for waffles, too.  How’d that happen?

Anyway, since going gluten free, I’ve been working on a waffle recipe to appease the ever hungry kiddo. I set up a few rules for myself. Obviously, it needed to be gluten free. But, I also wanted it to be vegan. One of the things I’ve always hated about making waffles is whipping the egg whites and folding them. Meh. Not my thing. I also wanted it to be without starches or gums. Pancakes don’t need them, so why should waffles, I reasoned. And, I wanted it to be full of fiber and good for the growing boy.

I’ve been working on this recipe very Wednesday morning for the last couple of months. And, finally, I think I have something worth sharing. The kiddo said to me this morning, “Mom – this is your best batch yet.” Whew.

Waffles on the Iron

Waffles on the Iron

Everything Waffles

Preheat your waffle iron.
In the bowl of a food process, combine the following:
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup gluten free oats
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup almonds slivers
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup corn flour
1/4 t. salt
2 t. baking powder

Pulse until almonds, oats and nuts are finely ground.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the following:

1 1/2 cups rice milk (I would imagine any milk would work)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 t. apple cider vinegar

Add the dry ingredients to the whisked wet ingredients.

Oil your preheated waffle iron generously. (These stick if you skip this step.) Pour batter onto hot iron and cook until they stop steaming (or until  your waffle iron indicator alerts you).

Posted in breakfast, oatmeal, vegan | Leave a comment

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Deanna
Humble cookies

Humble cookies

My husband and I agree on a lot of things. We both think a drive in the country is a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. We get sucked into PBS shows on random topics. We hardly ever argue about how to raise our son. And we both love cookies. About all these things we agree.

However. (You knew there was a however, right?) We disagree about these cookies. I like them. A lot. They’re not overly sweet. They’re not very assertively flavored. They’re not very pretty. They’re comfortable and homey. I think they fit right in with the theme of Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays from Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

My husband, on the other hand, thinks they are boring and not sweet enough. I guess you’ll just have to decide. What say you? Good, bad or indifferent?

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups GF oatmeal
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 T. maple syrup
2 T. walnut oil (can use olive oil, too)
1/2 cup rice milk or almond milk
2 t. vanilla
1/2 cup sorghum flour
2 very ripe (we’re talking black) bananas
heaping 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dairy free, gluten free, of course)

Combine all ingredients except bananas and chocolate chips in the bowl of a food processor and let rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Add bananas to food processor and pulse until a dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips. (I found it’s easier to do this if I dump the dough into a bowl first. The dough will be somewhat wet, depending on how ripe your bananas are. Use a cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon to drop dough onto greased baking sheet. (I use parchment.) These cookies don’t really spread, so they can be somewhat close together. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Over baking these leads to tough cookies, so be careful.

These cookies were inspired by the “Oatmeal Bowl to Go” cookies from Enjoy Life’s Cookies for Everyone – a book I highly recommend.

Posted in bananas, chocolate, cookies, oatmeal | Leave a comment

Road Trip to Disney World

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Deanna

I just got back from a 4 day trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Now, I am not shy about saying, “I am not a Disney girl.” I would never choose to go to Disney on my own. But, I am a participant in a 4-part leadership development program, and this session was at Disney. I was fairly nervous about going. This was my first major road trip since figuring out that I’m gluten intolerant. Would I be able to find food? Would the conference organizers be able to handle my food requests?

I had contacted the conference organizer a while back, and requested gluten free vegan meals. He assured me it would be no problem. I was doubtful. So, the weekend before we left, we made a little trip to the Gluten Free Trading Company, a nifty little store in Milwaukee where absolutely everything is gluten free. I stocked up on some bars and snacks and found a ready to eat meal that I’ll tell you about later. I packed it all in my suitcase, packed a lunch for the first day, and hit the road.

After a couple of flights and a bus trip, we finally made it to our resort, Coronado Springs. It’s a beautiful facility, and it includes several restaurants. Much as I suspected, though, there was little to nothing at the quick service restaurant for me. While my traveling companion enjoyed a chicken wrap sandwich, I happily ate my pb&j on gluten free bread with a side of jicama sticks. Whew. One meal dealt with.

That night, we had a “cook out on the beach” as our opening reception. I walked up and the organizer immediately grabbed me to let me know my food was on the way. And then I waited. And waited. And waited. My dining companions had nearly finished when my food arrived, delivered by the chef himself. He was very apologetic, explaining that he’d missed the notice on his work order. He uncovered a beautiful plate of grilled tofu with a spicy sweet sauce, roasted potatoes, and heirloom carrots, baby zukes, and patty pan squash. Oh dear me, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. The food was beautiful, delicious, and safe! I had high hopes.

Breakfast brought the chef out for a visit again. He asked me what I would like and I asked him what they had. Turns out they had some gluten free cereal and rice milk, which was just fine by me. I really should have asked what the cereal was. I ate it for three days and loved it, but never did ask the name. It was cinnamon o’s of some sort. Anyone had some delicious gluten free cinnamon o’s?

Lunch was a stunning plate of beet greens topped with white beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and tofu bits in a garlic sauce, topped with white and green asparagus spears and baby beets. Again, delicious and drop dead gorgeous. But, in my last bite, I thought to myself. “Hm…that tofu seems awfully toothsome – more like seitan really. Oh oh.” Right after lunch I got a pounding headache, but no congestion. I figured maybe I just needed to drink more water. But, I was up during the night with a revolting stomach. So, I have a feeling that “tofu” wasn’t tofu after all. *sigh* Things had been going so well.

Dinner that night was on our own. I headed to downtown Disney and checked out menu after menu until I found my way to Bongo’s, Gloria Estefan’s Cuban restaurant. There were several things on the menu that either looked safe, or looked like they could be made to be safe. So, we went in and I talked to our server. She said the chef would be happy to come out and talk to me. We tossed around options and I would up with black beans and rice and a side of veggies. The veggies were plain – but well prepared. The black beans and rice were delicious. And, the experience was affirming. They handled my request gracefully and easily. Whew!

The final day we were scheduled for “brunch” at 10:00. I got up early and ran 5 or so miles. I knew I wouldn’t make it until 10:00 with no food. But, I’d brought along some Bakery on Main gluten free granola. So, I had a glass of that with apple juice. (Hey, there were no bowls handy.) Brunch came along and I was disappointed to discover that I had another bowl of cereal. *sigh* I was hoping for something a bit more substantial. Oh well.

Our flight out wasn’t until 5:15, but we were on the bus at 2:15. When we got to the airport, we decided we should eat before our first flight, because we had a really tight layover in Memphis. I’d scoped out options ahead of time, and knew my choices were really limited. Basically, I could get a pre-packaged salad with stuff I didn’t want, or a fruit smoothie. Neither sounded appealing. Luckily, I had brought along a St. Dalfour three bean and corn ready to eat meal. This was one of my finds at Gluten Free Trading Company. The great thing about it is that it’s designed to be eaten without heating, and it comes with a little plastic fork-ish thing. I wouldn’t call it gourmet. But, it was perfectly adequate – more filling than a commercial smoothie for sure. Yay to convenience foods while traveling!

Of course, I also had a stash of Lara Bars. I don’t go anywhere without those. And, I had some peanuts and raisins and some fruit. I came back with more food than I left with, as they were always bringing me special snacks (trail mix, bananas, etc.). Over all, the trip was a success (minus the one incident which I’m not sure was even an incident). Of course, I forgot my camera. So, you’re just going to have to imagine what stuff looked like, okay?

Posted in Travels | Leave a comment

The Kiddo’s "Killer" Banana Pancakes

Posted on April 10, 2010 by Deanna
Kiddo in the 'hood!

Kiddo in the 'hood!

I ask, “Do you want pancakes for breakfast?”

He asks, “Do we have bananas?”

“Yes,” I reply.

“Yes!” he exclaims.

Off we go to the kitchen to whip up the kiddo’s “Killer” pancake recipe. Okay, okay, it’s my recipe. But, he dubbed it the “killer” pancakes. I’ve made these over and over now. They’re easy and forgiving. We prefer them with oat flour. But, we don’t always have gluten free oat flour in the house, it being something we have to order online. So, sorghum flour works (with slightly different proportions, noted below).

Today the kiddo decided that he was “mixer man.” So, I measured and he mixed. He was strict on that. I asked if he could whip up the flax seed, and he said, “I’ll mix it up. You measure it.” Okay then. It’s a partnership, right?

On with the recipe.

Banana pancakes with syrup

Banana pancakes with syrup

Kiddo’s Killer Banana Pancakes

1 T. ground flax seed mixed with 3 T. hot water
1 ripe banana
1 cup rice milk
1 T. maple syrup (or agave, or honey)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour or 1 1/2 cups plus 2 T. sorghum flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

Prepare the flax egg by mixing the ground flax seed with the hot water. Let sit. In a medium size bowl (I use an 8 cup measuring bowl), beat the banana with an electric hand mixer until thoroughly blended. Add the flax seed & water mixture, the rice milk, the sweetener, the oil and vanilla. Blend well. Add the flour, salt and baking soda. Lightly blend until just combined and no lumps remain.

Heat a greased griddle pan until a drop of water dances on it. Spoon batter onto griddle. When the edges are beginning to dry and bubbles have formed, flip the pancakes. Cook a minute or so more until the second side is browned. Remove from pan and keep warm in a slightly warmed oven or serve immediately.

Makes approximately 18 pancakes.

Posted in bananas, breakfast, vegan | 2 Comments

Sugar Cookies

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Deanna
The Kiddo with the Clown Nose

The Kiddo with the Clown Nose

Shhhhhh, don’t tell my kiddo. But, I really don’t like sugar cookies. I don’t like the over-the-top sweetness of them, or the crunch. Cookies are supposed to be soft, or at least soft on the inside. Sugar cookies never really are. Not in the same way drop cookies are. But, my son, he loves the things. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that they’re really just a canvas for spectacular sugar art pieces. When you’re 7, the aesthetic is “more sugar, all the time.”

Spectacular Sugar Art

Spectacular Sugar Art

But, since I love the kiddo, I oblige him. Most major holidays, and some minor ones (and some made up ones), you’ll find us in the kitchen rolling out sugar cookie dough. I roll; he cuts. That’s our deal. I’m also allowed to transport the cut cookies to the tray. But the cutting – that’s all him. So, when this gluten free thing came to be, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to find a recipe that would be kid-friendly enough. I worried that all the doughs would be too sticky and too fussy for a 7 year old to handle. Never fear.

I headed on over to the Celiac forum and found this recipe posted by Shotgun41. I’m never content to just do things as written, and I don’t do dairy. So, I had to tweak it a bit.  I was concerned about adding the milk. It seemed as though the dough was already going to be fairly soft and wet, and the only thing worse than rolling out something crumbly is rolling out something soggy. So, after subbing out Earth Balance for the dairy and dropping the milk and tweaking the process just slightly, here’s the recipe I wound up with. It was easy to roll and easy for the kiddo to cut out (though he did have to be slightly more careful than with other doughs). And shhhhh, don’t tell my son, but I kind of liked them. Just a little.

Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup Earth Balance Buttery Margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 t xanthan gum
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1-1/3 c sorghum flour
2/3 c cornstarch
1-1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

1. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

2. Whisk dry ingredients thoroughly and add to creamed mixture.

3. Chill at least one hour.

4. On surface covered with sorghum flour, roll out to 1/4 inch thick
and cut into desired shapes.

5. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet at 375 F for 7-10 minutes.

6. Slide parchment off of cookie sheets on to counter, and leave cookies to cool.

7. Frost, sprinkle with colored sugar or whatever you like.

Posted in cookies | 2 Comments

Carlos O’Kelley’s Gluten Free Menu

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Deanna

On Monday, the kiddo had a day off of school and I had some vacation time to burn. So, I took the day off and we took a day trip to Dubuque, IA. Yah, yah, I know. Iowa (and Dubuque in particular) doesn’t exactly sound like a thrilling mecca to visit. But, as a day-long family adventure, I highly recommend it. Did you know that there’s a branch of the Smithsonian in Dubuque? Yep, it’s the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. We spent a lovely afternoon there, walking through old ships, watching otters play, touching sturgeon and crayfish, and checking out a bunch of lizards. But, I’m getting ahead of myself, because before we did all that, we ate lunch at Carlos O’Kelly’s.

Carlos O'Kelly's

Carlos O'Kelly's


For those not in the know, Carlos O’Kelley’s isn’t some strange combination of Mexican and Irish cuisine. It’s just a poorly named regional chain found in 10 states in the Upper Midwest. We used to have one in Madison. But, it’s been gone several years. Madison is blessed with a ton of excellent, local restaurants, and typically, I try to frequent the local places over the chain restaurants. But, Carlos (as it was called in our house) was a favorite guilty pleasure. This was back in my cheese and chicken and flour tortilla eating days. My favorite thing on the menu was the naked nachos – a plate of beans, chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and guacomole, served with a side of chips. Yum. Oh and their salsa? It’s crack, people. I don’t know what they put in it, but it’s ridiculously delicious. Anyway, Carlos has been gone a long time and we haven’t had any of it in years, but the kiddo still fondly sighs, “I wish we could go to Carlos.” So, when we were driving in downtown Dubuque and saw a sign advertising Carlos off of Route 20, we knew we had to go in search of it. I figured that if nothing else, I could probably get a plate of beans and salad. Mexican is usually a pretty good bet in terms of finding something on the menu that’s safe to eat. But, imagine my joyful surprise when we walked in and I saw this:

Gluten Free Menu!

Gluten Free Menu!

(Sorry for the glare there, I was trying to get a quick picture without looking like a total freak.)

It’s not a huge menu, and it’s mostly variations on their normal menu items. But for those of us eating gluten free, any time you find a restaurant that actually has a special menu for you, it’s a reason for celebration. Vegan-friendly it was not. In fact, most items were heavy on the dairy and meat. Apparently, their tomato-based enchilada sauce has wheat in it (a common issue). So I had to go off menu a bit. I decided to have the garlic chicken, since I will still eat chicken and turkey on occasion. I told my server that I couldn’t have dairy either, and asked her to make sure they left off the cheese sauce and all the cheese garnish. It turned out that my server is also gluten free, and she commiserated with me a bit about being both gluten and dairy free. The chicken was moist and flavorful. The pico de gallo was fresh tasting. The beans were your standard refried beans. Overall, the food was nothing to swoon over. But, just the fact that this small regional chain cares enough to create a gluten free menu makes me oh so happy.

Posted in Restaurant Review | 2 Comments

I Won!

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Deanna

I’ve been learning the ropes of the GF blogger community. I’ve been amazed at the generosity, personality and warmth of all the GF bloggers out there. One that I stumbled upon recently was Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. The author, Ricki, is a vegan gluten free dog lover. Hey, that sounds a lot like me! Ricki has been doing this blogging thing a lot longer than I have, though, and she’s got way more experience in the gluten free vegan cooking and baking arena. From just the little that I’ve read of her blog, I can tell she has a great spirit – zany and funny and upbeat.

Recently, she set out on a quest to get on the Ellen DeGeneres show. She’s having a blast doing everything she can to get Ellen’s attention. And, she invited all her blog readers and twitter followers to get in on the act. Well, sure, why not? Sounds like fun to me. There was also, of course, the incentive that if she gets on the show, everyone that helped will get the electronic version of her book, Sweet Freedom. She was also giving a way a few hard copies and ebooks just for participating. And, guess what? I won! I won a hard copy of Sweet Freedom. I can’t wait for it to arrive. You can be sure I’ll be sharing my thoughts on it as soon as I get it. And, if Ricki doesn’t mind, I’m sure I’ll share a favorite recipe or two as soon as I get a chance to bake from it. Yay!

Posted in Blogger Community | 1 Comment