Peppered Alfredo

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces of GF Penne Pasta
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch of asparagus, cut
  • 1 bunch of broccoli, cut
  • 2 chicken Jalapeño sausages, cut
  • 1/2 jar of GF Alfredo sauce
  • 1/2 grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Sprinkle with parsley, chopped

Boil a large pot of slightly salted water to boil. Add GF pasta and cook for about 8 to 10 minute, then drain. In a separate saucepan, put olive oil and onions on medium heat. Cook until onions are translucent. Stir in garlic, asparagus, and broccoli. Cook for two to three minutes. Then, add in sausage. After sausage is cooked, pour on the Alfredo sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bring to a simmer and stir constantly. Stop after five minutes and season the sauce with crushed red pepper, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into the sauce and sprinkle over with parsley.

Baked Camembert with Mango Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 1 8 oz. wheel of Camembert cheese
  • 1/3 cup mango chutney
  • A dash of cardamom powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut off one side of the rind. Bake the Camembert for 8 minutes. Take the cheese out and put all the mango chutney on the center of the Camembert. Bake again for 4-6 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

*The baked Camembert is great with gluten-free crackers!

Brussels, Belgium

This is a picturesque city with an exquisite cuisine. My family and I adventured across the city by foot and marveled at the wondrous Grand Place (pronounced “Gran Plazz”). We were taken aback by the beauty of being trapped inside a square of four gilded, Renaissance-esque buildings. It was a real treat, especially when the buildings were lit up after the sun had set. The only slight disappointment was the much-famed Peeing Boy or Manneqen Pis. The little feller was less than a foot tall! But we had the pleasure of watching him be dressed in robes campaigning a brand of Belgian beer! We saw many other sights such as the Royal Palace and Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, but in addition to the historical spectacles, Belgian has great food!

At the “Gran Plazz”, we found many overpriced, touristy cafes and waffle stalls bordering the square. But if you venture through the side, cobblestone streets, you will find more authentic and reasonably priced food. Here we discovered a chain health store with gluten-free choices that is comparable to Au Bon Pain. It was called Exki. I got a delicious “glutenvrij” chocolate muffin that had melted Belgian chocolate in the center! Another great place just a few minutes walk from the “Gran Plazz” is Australian Homemade Ice Cream. Yes, I know, I was in Belgian eating so-called Australian ice cream! However, if you do choose to have a leisurely meal at one of the touristy cafes for the scenery, you will find a variety of gluten-free salads with smoked salmon, Flemish ham, or smoked trout. If you have a bigger appetite, you can order Moules-Frites (mussels with world-famous Belgian “frites”, or fries). Mussels are well-known in the Belgian cuisine. Just be careful to order your mussels “natural way”, because sometimes the sauces have wheat in it. This is a traditional meal always served with frites. The Belgian frites are something you must try before leaving the country! They are double fried to a crispy perfection.

As for tea time, if you’ve settle down at a coffee shop, you will realize that all drinks are served with a little brown biscuit called “speculoos”. This is similar to gingerbread cookie come cinnamon thin. These are not gluten-free. But if you visit a local health shop, you can find gluten-free speculoos! The particular shop I visited was located in Ixelles (southern Brussels). I bought gluten-free raspberry tort, orange almond cake, Belgian chocolate chip cookies, and of course, speculoos! Unfortunately, we were unable to find any gluten-free Belgian waffles during our trip.

One last piece of advice, eat plenty of Belgian chocolate when visiting! Whether its white, milk, dark, pralines on the inside, or hazelnuts on the outside. I suggest visiting Leonidas for some of the best chocolate. Also, the marzipan is gluten-free! So try some while you’re at it.

Cheers,

Anika

Easy Cheesy Enchiladas

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken, cut into small pieces
  • 1 onion, cut into long strips
  • 1 green pepper, cut in long strips
  • 1 can black beans, cooked
  • GF Taco Seasoning
  • GF Enchilada Sauce ( we used Frontera from Wegmans)
  • 6 GF brown rice tortillas
  • 1 cup mexican four cheese, grated
  • 3 tbsp cooking oil
  • Oil spray

Cook the chicken in oil on high heat. Add onions, let them sauté. Then add the green peppers. Add taco seasoning to taste. Sauté until fully cooked.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large baking pan, spray cooking oil spray. Prepare one tortilla at a time. Place a single tortilla in a plate. Place small amount of chicken, onion, and green pepper mixture in the middle. Top with black beans and cheese. Fold both sides of the tortilla to the middle. Place the filled tortilla in greased pan with the folds facing down. Repeat this procedure with remaining tortillas. Place tortillas closely in the baking pan. Pour enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese across the the tortillas. Bake enchiladas for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Moussaka

Meat Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground turkey breast
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions until brown in a medium- large pan. Add garlic, meat, tomatoes, and all spices. Cook until the meat is dark brown. Takes approximately 15-20 minutes.

Vegetable Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized eggplant, cut into thin slices
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Cover baking pan with aluminum foil. Place sliced eggplants and zucchinis on the foil. Spray olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until browned.

Bechamel Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 stick of unsalted butter (8 tbsp)
  • 1/2 cup GF multi-purpose flour (we used King Arthur Flour)
  • 2 cups of milk, warmed
  • 4 egg yolks, whisked
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Melt butter over low heat. Add the flour while consistently stirring the mixture. Stir until light brown. Add warmed milk steadily while stirring. Turn off the heat and add the beaten egg yolks and nutmeg to the mixture. Turn heat back on and continue stirring until yolks are blended and mixture is thick.

Other Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup mozzerella cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup GF breadcrumbs (I used Schar)
  • Oil Spray

Putting together the Moussaka:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large baking dish (about the size used for lasagna), spray the oil spray and sprinkle breadcrumbs across the bottom. Place one layer of eggplant and zucchini. Top it with the meat. Sprinkle grated cheese layer over the meat. Then, place a second layer of eggplant and zucchini, followed by the bechamel sauce. Spread sauce evenly, to the ends, and down the sides of the baking dish. Cover top with the remaining grated cheese. Put moussaka to bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Allow time for dish to cool before serving. Enjoy!

Bistro D’oc

After touring the capital city on segways, we had built up quite an appetite (it was most likely the heat)! But nonetheless, we were hungry after a day of exploring and decided to dine at a French restaurant in the touristy area of DC. Although there was no gluten-free menu, our server being French new the contents of each dish back and forth. For starters, we were rather adventurous in ordering Cervelle D’Agneau. Simply a fancy, French way of saying lamb brains. I will spare you of excruciating details, but it was excellent. For my entrée, I ordered the special: mussels in a garlicky white wine base with pommes frites, and a side of creamed young spinach. Everything in my entrée was delicious and very authentic. However, the portions were closer to American standard size rather than French. As for dessert, I indulged in a dessert special, a chocolate mousse with orange peel ice cream. The mousse was unlike anything I had before. The texture wasn’t airy, but neither was it too rich. And the ice cream was house made. The flavor was delicious!

I recommend this restaurant to anyone in DC looking for some great French food!

Cheers!

Anika

Ruby Foo’s

Ruby Foo’s

On our last day in New York City, we grabbed a quick bite at Ruby Foo’s for lunch, an upscale Pan-Asian restaurant conveniently located next to Theater District. We had tickets to a matinee showing of Wicked that afternoon at the Gershwin Theater, which was just around the block! This was not my first time dining at Ruby Foo’s- it was actually my third. They do have a gluten-free menu (the link will lead you to the Menus and Food tab, click on “Ruby Foo’s Full Menu” and the ninth page of the pdf file has the gluten-free menu), but none of their sushi are listed. So, if you are interested in sushi, do ask your server and he or she will be able to identify which ones are gluten-free. I had vegetable roll, which consisted of cucumber, avocado, and asparagus. And upon request, I was a gluten-free soy sauce. For a quick dessert (we were in a hurry to get to the show), I had a scoop of Vietnamese coffee ice cream. As far as I recall, this is the best coffee ice cream I’ve had. It’s even better than Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino Ice Cream, which is really saying something!

Anyways, if you are dining with friends or family who are nor restricted to a gluten-free diet, I know my family enjoyed the dim-sum.

Cheers!

Anika

Rue 57

Here at Rue 57, a breakfast, lunch, and dinner joint in New York City, we enjoyed a late breakfast after a long morning. We had been standing in line for the Good Morning America Summer Series Concert since around 6 am. We had the pleasure of seeing Imagine Dragons perform at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park! Although we had to be up bright and early, every minute of sleep lost was worth it!

Now, breakfast can be a tricky meal for those of us who are gluten-free. When ordering a la carte, it’s hard to find a dish that is completely gluten-free. So, just ask for one or two ideas to be swapped here and there to create a meal of your choice. In simpler terms, just improvise. The dish I ordered was originally smoked salmon and capers on a whole grain bagel served with cream cheese. I simply asked for the bagel to be substituted with grilled tomatoes. When searching for gluten-free substitutes, a good place to start is the eggs, breakfast sausages, bacon, potatoes, cold cuts, fresh fruit, and yogurt. Now, I can’t guarantee all of these options will be gluten-free at every diner, but it’s a starting point to identify what you may wish to ask if it truly is free of gluten.

Anyways, breakfasts and brunches tend to be easier when it is buffet style, but it is possible to find options a la carte as well! Hopefully that gave you some insight as to eating breakfast out on a gluten-free diet, and I would suggest catching one of Good Morning America’s concerts before summer slips out from under our feet!

Cheers!

Anika

Molyvos

After a long day of roaming in and out shops in Times Square, we all agreeded to dining at Greek joint called Molyvos. This typically busy restaurant was having a slow evening because of the fireworks for the Fourth of July! Our intentions were to grab a bite and head back to Time Square and towards the pier to see the renowed fireworks. Unfortunately we didn’t make it because we were enjoying such a great meal!

There was no gluten-free menu, but the waiter was well informed and double-checked everything with a superior. I started out by having a cured salmon tapas (bite-sized) followed by grilled apricots with haloumi cheese, which was shared by the family. The apricots were rather exotic, well at least that’s what I thought until I ordered my entrée. I decided to be adventurous and ordered an appetizer portion of grilled octopus! I do wish it was minced or at least cut up a little, but it wasn’t. I will spare you the details. However, the sucker was surprisingly delicious! And last but not least: dessert. I had an ice cream taster that consisted of two scoops of almond praline and one of honey vanilla. I would go back just for that almond praline ice cream!

I would strongly encourage you to dine at Molyvos if you are in NYC and particularly in Times Square. The restaurant is located in Midtown West so it’s not much of a hike from the bustling touristy areas. Please check it out!

Cheers!

Anika

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

I’m back! But unfortunately not for long. After a very long Fourth of July weekend traveling about the east coast, I am departing for camp tomorrow morning! I will not be able to post for three weeks, but I’m going to try my best to fill you in on my travels before I depart once again.

So, first stop, New York City. Despite the horrid smell of trash in the streets, the boiling summer sun, and people crammed against each other in the touristy Times Square, I return many times each year. And I love it.

We took the train in on the Fourth of July and headed straight for Times Square. There we enjoyed a meal at a family-favorite: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

If you are unaware, the restaurant is based off of a classic movie: Forrest Gump. The walls are lined with memorable quotes from the movie such as “Stupid is as Stupid does” and “Life was like  a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”. The entrance has a gift shop filled with movie paraphernalia sporting the restaurant’s name or the famous words of Forrest Gump. From the movie-based décor to the fun trivia questions asked by the waiters, the restaurant is a must visit. And there are many locations; I have previously been to one in Orlando as well as the one in Times Square once before.

Now besides the family-friendly atmosphere, they do have gluten-free options! They have a gluten-free menu (sadly it’s not online), which is very helpful. I ordered a refreshing watermelon lemonade and the Pear and Berry Salad. They did have four other entrees in the gluten-free selection and another salad; so there was enough variety. Overall, the food was pretty good, but nothing special. However, I would definitely return time and again for the Forrest Gump-esque atmosphere.

Cheers!

Anika