Pork Chops with Apple Pan Sauce

A few years ago I went to the Rachael Ray show with a bunch of newly married women I met on The Nest while wedding planning.  A few months after my daughter was born, one of the women organized a trip for us to see the show and it was a lot of fun.  While we missed out on any huge giveaways and any celebrity guests, we each got a copy of Rachael Ray 30-Minute GET REAL Meals.  There are some decent recipes and I use a variation of the Pork Chops with Apple Pan Sauce frequently.

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops
2 apples, sliced
1 cup gluten free chicken broth
1/2 stick of butter
A few sprinkles of cinnamon and nutmeg
A pinch of thyme
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
Season pork chops with salt and pepper.  Melt 1/4 stick of the butter and add pork chops.  Sear on both sides.  Remove the pork chops, the melt the second 1/4 of butter and add apple slices.  Depending on how much you like cinnamon and nutmeg, add more or less.  I do several “sprinkles” of each.  Let the apples cook for a few minutes and then add 1 cup of gluten free chicken broth.  I use Pacific Natural Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth and I love love love the 1 cup serving size they offer.  How many times have you opened one of the big containers and it sits in the fridge for too long and then you open a new one because you aren’t sure if it is still good?  1 cup servings are perfect!
Let the apples cook in the broth for about 5 minutes and then add the pork chops back in until they are cooked through (about another 10-15 minutes on low-medium heat).  You don’t want them to get over cooked.  Pork chops come out tasty and tender.  Serve with either rice or mashed potatoes.  I am a potato girl so that’s my #1 choice but either work well.

My favorite food: Buffalo anything

I anticipate there could be a whole series of foods based on hot sauce.  I love buffalo chicken, buffalo shrimp, you name it.  I admit one of the things I miss the most are some nice fried buffalo chicken tenders at a restaurant.  Those and grinders, but I’ll get to those on another post.

The good news is that buffalo chicken is easily adaptable to a gluten free lifestyle and non-fried chicken is a wee bit healthier.  Yesterday was a cold and blustery day in New England so warm, comfort food was in order.

I dug out an old recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pasta.  Chicken could easily be substituted with shrimp.
I was inspired by this recipe but made a few alterations.  I don’t use onions because the husband doesn’t like them.  I also had no celery so didn’t use that.

Ingredients:
1 box of gluten free penne ( I used De Boles), cook as directed
3 boneless chicken breasts
2 tsps of minced garlic (I have a jar in the fridge)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 cup hot sauce
1 cup of milk
3/4 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of blue cheese dressing

Directions:
Saute the chicken in the garlic and olive oil.  Sprinkle black pepper, salt (I use sea salt), and just a shake of crushed red pepper.  When chicken is half cooked, add the hot sauce.  The recipe called for 1/2 cup, but use more or less based on how hot you want the dish to be.  John does not like things to hot so I didn’t use too much.

Meanwhile, mix the milk, mayo and blue cheese dressing in a separate bowl.  I always taste it, add more blue cheese or mayo if it is too bland.

When the chicken is cooked through, add the dressing mix.  Let that cook for a bit until it smooths out and is warm.  When pasta is done, toss everything together.  I sprinkled a little more more black pepper over the top the end.

Dining with friends

My husband and his two best friends from high school all married women named Jennifer (Jen and Jenn).  When my husband met me, they knew it was meant to be that he finally found his own Jen.  We dine with them several times a month, generally at Jen’s house.  They love to host and our kids love going there.  Win win situation.

Dining over at a friend’s house can be tricky at times, explaining a gluten allergy/sensitivity is difficult at best.  There is a fine line between being a guest with dietary needs and pushy and ungrateful since they are cooking a meal for you.  So many items that we take for granted have gluten, salad dressings, marinades, soy sauce…..certainly companies have made so many more gluten free options available and it is much easier than it was a few years ago but if people don’t know about it you will end up with a belly ache by the end of the night.

When I first started eating gluten free I wasn’t quite as proactive as I am now, but I am also more sensitive than I was before.  Would I eat the meat surrounding the stuffing now?  I would really not be comfortable with that.  I would say something.  Or at least explain nicely “I am only sensitive so I will likely be ok, but my cousin would be vomiting”.

Fortunately for me, our host for last night, Jen, has embraced gluten free cooking since I eliminated it over 2 years ago.  She only uses gluten free broth now, makes sure her delicious chicken marinade is safe for me and always has Glutino crackers on hand.  I supplement with a gluten free dessert that is enjoyed by all.  Recently however, she did an elimination diet and cleanse and realized gluten doesn’t work so well for her either and is now eating gluten free too.  She says her stomach pains are gone as well as the “fog”.  Sounds familiar.

Last night she prepared this fantastic pasta dish, Shrimp with Brown Rice Spaghetti from Trader Joe’s.  A simple stir fry with red peppers, yellow peppers, cannellini beans, garlic, some diced tomatoes for taste, crushed red pepper and Shrimp.  Toss with the spaghetti and then she stirred in some goat cheese.  Yum!  Served here with white rice (cooked in gluten free chicken broth and a bay leaf) and asparagus roasted with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Olive oil
red pepper flakes
minced garlic
Shrimp (wild caught, raw, cut in half)
red/yellow/green peppers (use frozen since they cook up quicker)
petite white beans (goya is the only one I can find that sells these)
petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)
goat cheese
gluten-free spaghetti

Pan fry the shrimp in oil/garlic/pepper flakes until almost cooked through.  
Add some diced tomatoes and liquid, peppers and beans.  Once peppers are heated through, 
add the cooked spaghetti and tossed.  
Put it all in a bowl and add some goat cheese (you don't really need a lot) 
and toss until cheese melts.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I very much believe there is no need to recreate the wheel.  In the past few years there have been many new gluten free products available, some better than others.  I am a huge fan of the Betty Crocker mixes.  The cakes come out tasty and so do the brownies.  Unless told, people would never know they aren’t “regular” baked goods.

When I am attempting to diet and lose some weight, I won’t make gluten free for the kids to take to school but this wasn’t one of those days.  Happy to have a few extras for our V-Day dinner tonight (more to come!)
These are the cupcakes for my son’s preschool Valentine’s Day party.  Betty Crocker Gluten free chocolate cake with Betty Crocker Chocolate frosting (also gluten free).

Gluten free on Ash Wednesday

I am the first to admit that I do not follow the “no meat on Friday” thing during Lent, but I give it a good Catholic try.  If I accidentally eat bacon for breakfast, or a turkey sandwich for lunch, I am not convinced I am going to he double hockey sticks.  Fortunately we’re off to a good Lenten start with a classic Mac and Cheese with Shrimp for dinner.

I actually think Mac and Cheese is better gluten free.  De Boles Corn Elbows are perfect for it, adding an extra hint of flavor and texture.  You can use a variety of cheeses, but I’ve found simple is best.

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
3 tbsps of gluten free flour
1 1/2 cup of milk
12 oz mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 slices American cheese
1 box De Boles Gluten free Corn Elbows — cook as directed.
Salt & Pepper
Options:  Shrimp, Lobster, Ham, etc.
Gluten free bread crumbs (optional)
Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Prepare the macaroni.  Prepare the shrimp/lobster/ham, etc.  Today I used pre-cooked XL Shrimp (Buy 1 Get 1 at Big Y).  Defrosted under cold water and removed the tails.
To make the cheese sauce:  Chop the onion.  Melt butter with onion.  Add flour and mix in until it is smooth.   Add in milk.  Add salt and pepper for taste.  Cook on medium to low until the milk boils.  Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick.  Once it starts boiling, let it boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.   Stir in the cheddar cheese and then add the two slices of American.  Once the cheese mixture is smooth, add it to elbows and shrimp.  Add a little more salt and pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes.  If you want to add some bread crumbs on top, add them with 5 minutes of cooking time left.
Tonight I served this with sliced grape tomatoes topped with some shredded mozzarella cheese, sea salt, pepper and olive oil drizzled over the top.  Delish!

Where it all began: My new not-by-choice diet

Welcome to eat gluten free with me.  I figured I would start from the beginning.  This is from my personal blog, September 10, 2010.

Not sure if it’s going to help me lose weight, but it might.
I have been battling stomach issues for a while now….seems like forever, but I’ve definitely noticed a difference since Jack was born. By that I mean, I eat and I have to use the bathroom very shortly after….I won’t go into details. This past week I’ve been not right and I finally thought I should go to the doctor. Which was a hard decision because as much as I love the doctor, sometimes we avoid them so we can’t find out what we might already suspect. But I am sick of feeling sick, so off I went.
And she did what I expected….limit the diet and sent me for blood tests, one of which is for Celiac Disease, which means going gluten free. I also am going to see a GI Specialist in October. Obviously I just had the test done, but for now she suggested I go either gluten or dairy free for two weeks, and then switch if the first didn’t make a difference. Since Celiac runs in the family, I’m going with the gluten first. And I’m not giving up cheese yet unless I have to .
So we’ll see what happens…..I’m already craving a cookie. I think because I can’t have one. I’m going to need to find some gluten free goodies. My uncle lost a bunch of weight having to follow the diet though…that’s a positive, right?

I’ll add more about this journey in between my recipes and dining experiences.