Animal crackers in my soup...

I'm guessing most people don't know the rest of that Shirley Temple song, it's one my little sister used to sing when she was about four years old and had a peanut belly. We had a VHS of Curly Top that we'd play over and over, fast forwarding to the dancing scenes. My sister was perfectly suited to the roll.

I was inspired by these delicious little cookies, Animal Crackers!, which I thought I'd never be able to eat again! Hurrah for Mi-Del and their gluten-free line of delicious little snacks. I do intend to start posting my own concoctions just as soon as I'm home and settled in from my trip, but in the meantime, I think it's important to share my latest GF product discoveries.

Dunking these crispy, sweet, vanilla cookies into a cold glass of milk is just the kind of Friday afternoon comfort food I need to get through the home stretch at work. They have a great *crunch* and are thinner than traditional animal crackers, but are just as satisfying and delicious. They do have eggs and milk, which is fine for me, and don't contain garbanzo (chickpea) flour, which really upsets my stomach, so they're practically perfect in every way....wrong musical. On a rainy afternoon, I highly recommend kicking back with a tall glass of milk and a bag of these goodies.

A Note on GF traveling

As I mentioned yesterday, Larabars are my new favorite nourishment when stranded without sympathizers or those knowledgeable about the issue (like my waiter last night who said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure the flourless cake is gluten-free; we don't make it in-house, but I would guess it's fine because it says 'flourless.'") I'm learning on this trip--my first extensive travel since going GF--that guesses are not enough to keep me healthy. So what do I recommend eating when on the go and without a refrigerator?

Keep in your bag:
*Larabars- especially the Cinnamon Roll and Ginger Snap flavors
*Roasted nuts, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit (be sure to check the labels, especially if they are flavored because they can contain malt extract, "natural flavors," wheat starch, or other additives).

*Fresh fruit!!! I bought a jar of PB to keep in my room and slather on bananas (no refrigeration required). Pick things with a glycemic bang since you may have to subsist on it for a while before returning to healthy home base...

*Potato chips, corn chips, vegetable chips (again, check the labels carefully for flavorings and additives, stick with those labeled "Gluten-Free").

*GF cookies! I love Pamela's Pecan Shortbread Cookies, they are so buttery and flaky, you would never know they were "missing" anything. Alex loves them too.

Look for at restaurants:
*When in doubt, order a salad. Be sure there aren't croutons and that the dressing doesn't have additives (to be safe, ask for oil and balsamic or white vinegar- malt vinegar is made with barley).

*Risotto, polenta, paella, tofu and rice (no soy sauce, but tamari is OK), soups made without roux, and cheese plates are good fillers.

*Mexican food (get corn tortillas) is a good bet, but always check with the server to be sure. Hopefully yours will be better informed than mine was.

*French fries, potato wedges, baked potatoes are good, unless the fries are coated with flour before cooking (fast food restaurants in particular may do this, but many have menus inside with allergy information).

*Wine and tequila are usually fine. Here's a better list of safe alcoholic drinks.

Watch out for:
*Waiters and cooks who don't know what gluten is or who don't seem responsive to your questions.

*Most processed and pre-made foods, in delis and at restaurants.

Real true delicious pizza!

,

After the first agonizing two weeks without wheat, most of my painful cravings ceased and I adjusted to my new diet. In the first few days though, I was a mess to be around; all I could think about was the food I couldn't eat, and when I closed my eyes, I actually saw buttery crackers, foccacia bread, coffee cakes. I went cold turkey and didn't have any supplements yet, so I was pretty hungry to boot. It wasn't until I trekked up to the health food store a mile north of our apartment and discovered a box of GF cookies that I found some relief. Needless to say, they were gone by morning!

Having mostly adjusted to the realities of my diet and embraced all my options, I still find myself craving the chewy-crisp texture of good bread soaked in olive oil or steaming with melty butter. When Alex made me this pizza last week from the Whole Foods mix, I felt guilty with pleasure. The crust is so perfect---either thin or as a deep-dish pie--with its tender inside and firm crusty exterior (which I promptly soaked in excellent olive oil). We topped it with some homemade tomato sauce, a combination of mozzarella, parmesan, and manchego cheeses, and fresh tomatoes and basil, but anything would be amazing on this base.

Alex's pizza:
Makes two medium pizzas (serves 4)

1 package Whole Foods GF pizza crust mix, prepared
2 cups homemade tomato sauce
2-3 cups grated cheese of your choice (we did 1/2 mozz, 1/4 manchego, 1/4 parm because that's what we had in the fridge)
1 sliced tomato
1 cup fresh basil, washed

1. Prep dough, let rise 30 minutes.

2. Make tomato sauce (see below)

3. Arrange dough in a 9" cake pan for deep dish (above) or spread onto cookie sheet for thinner crust (top image). Spread half sauce across dough, to taste, and add cheeses, then arrange tomato slices and basil on top.

4. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until it's ooey and bubbling. You do not have to pre-bake the crust, so it's a pretty quick meal from start to finish. Devour immediately!

Bountiful breakfast

In continuing my ode to fresh summer berries, I must post this incredible and simple breakfast from last weekend. These Lifestream wildberry buckwheat waffles are my favorite GF variety because they have a really crispy exterior but a velvety inside that melts in your mouth (with tons of berry bits inside). I had them with peach yogurt, my alternative to butter for pancakes and waffles, and piles of fresh summer fruits. It was truly indulgent, the kind of meal that is best on a leisurely morning when you can really savor each bite. In contrast, during the week I often eat these babies plain and slightly frozen as I walk to the subway. I definitely do not recommend that method! So here's to the weekend, even when it seems so far off, for there are little indulgences awaiting.

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!