Early summer indulgences

Some days, it's a challenge to create menus that both excite and satiate my non-GF boy (how many ways can I prepare rice, potatoes, and corn?) However, we've been remarkably creative and Alex has been a good sport. It often means making dual dishes- one pot of wheat pasta and one pot of rice pasta for our homemade pesto, for example- but this recent menu was a supreme hit for all parties.


Darling Polenta Pizzas
We used pre-made polenta, purchased before we started making our own, so this was an ideal way to use it up and take advantage of the firmer texture of the store-bought variety. These would probably be even better with homemade polenta, packed in a loaf pan or spread onto a cookie sheet and left to firm up overnight. You can add any toppings you like, but we kept it simple since the polenta was already flavored with mushrooms and onions.

1 package (18oz.) mushroom and onion polenta, cut into 1/2" rounds
2 Tbsp olive oil to coat polenta
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup tomato sauce (we used leftover homemade sauce)
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup other cheeses of your choice, diced to 1/2" pieces- we used a creamy Greek feta and a nice French brie (each pizza had one or the other)
1/4 cup washed, chopped basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 375, per polenta package instructions. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the polenta slices on the sheet. Brush the polenta with olive oil and sprinkle with the oregano, to taste.
2. Bake the polenta rounds about 15 minutes, till firm and slightly crispy. Meanwhile, grate the mozzarella, chop the basil, and slice the cheeses.
3. Spoon about 1 Tbsp of sauce atop each round. Sprinkle with mozzarella and the other cheese, top with basil. Bake another 5-8 minutes until gooey and melted.


Arugula Truffle Salad
It was a muggy late-June evening, so the chevre melted and slid to the bottom of the bowl, coating every leaf in gooey cheese flavor. I love the nutty tang of arugula, it adds a nice spice to a salad and complements the pecans really well. The lemon juice and green grapes are so cooling and evocative of summertime, and the grapes are a nice mild backdrop to the truffles. We finished off the entire bowl in one meal.

4 cups organic baby arugula
2 ounces Truffle chevre, crumbled (a new find at the Coop, but any chevre will do)
1 cup green seedless grapes, washed and halved
Handful of toasted pecans (baked in a conventional or toaster oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, watch to be sure they don't burn)

For the dressing:
1.5 tsp truffle oil (ours is an infusion in olive oil, so it's cheaper and less truffley)
Juice of one lemon (about 1 1/2 Tbsp)
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tsp)
Cracked black pepper to taste
(this will be pretty tart and lemony, so you can dilute with white or infused vinegar, more oil, Dijon mustard, or use less lemon juice if you prefer it milder)

Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl and pour over the salad. Toss and enjoy!

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter has to be one of the greatest joys in life. When I was running 5+ miles a day, I would go through a whole jar in one week (that's eating it straight, with a spoon). Then I discovered a delicious twist: throw dark chocolate chips in the jar and scoop them out, letting each sticky sweet bite melt in your mouth.

Last night, I created a cookie version of that snack, basing my recipe on a variation of these PB cookies, and I have to say I prefer them to the floured variety I grew up with. These are so chewy and moist, but flaky too. The only problem with them is trying not to eat the entire batch at once.

Black-eyed Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 3 dozen 2" cookies

1 cup good peanut butter (I used crunchy organic)
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash cloves
(dash of salt if your PB is unsalted)

Extra white sugar to coat (if you please, it's extra sweet)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cream together the peanut butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in the baking powder and egg until well mixed. Add the vanilla and spices, combine.

3. Shape the dough into approx. 1" balls, gently toss in extra sugar (if desired, they will be really sweet), then place on prepared cookie sheet. Flatten each ball with a fork. Press 1 large chocolate chip in the top of each cookie, if desired.

4. Bake about 10 minutes, until golden on the edges. Cookies will be very puffy and soft to the touch. Let cool 5 minutes on the pan before transferring the parchment to a counter to cool another 10 minutes. (This cooling process is crucial for letting the cookies firm up, and the wait is worth it.)

Enjoy!

Starting out

Let me start at the beginning:

6 weeks ago, I was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity and, as a vegetarian, I immediately revolted against the reality that I would have to give up seitan, fake meats, baguette, pizza, scones, cakes, cookies...you see where I'm going. I lay on the couch and scarfed a bowl of whole wheat pasta, drank my last Corona, and lamented, "This is the beginning of the end, I will never enjoy food again!"

6 weeks later, I am incredibly happy with my decision to cut out gluten, incredibly healthy, and having far more fun in the kitchen than in years prior. A vegetarian since age 8, I've gotten used to making special requests at restaurants and the awkward dinner party, and I assumed this would be another, much larger, headache. Thankfully, due to my incredibly supportive partner, the abundance of good food available to me, and reading GF blogs (thank you Shauna!) and cookbooks online, it is an exciting journey and I am eating better than before! Coupled with this, my boyfriend and I moved in together just a month before my diagnosis, so I have a great incentive (and awesome encouragement) to keep trying out new recipes and refining my culinary skills. It was at his urging that I began this blog, and it will be to his benefit as well :)

I hope this can be a celebration of delicious "foodie" as we call it in my family, a resource for others with gluten sensitivities, and a fun diversion from the less-pleasurable things in life. I am just learning the art of blogging, so please bear with me, but hopefully this can be user-friendly and a feast for the eyes (and tummy). I decided to start this because I couldn't find many exclusively vegetarian GF blogs, and I think the more we can concentrate and share our food ideas, the better. So please enjoy! Recipes coming soon.