The Noodle Gods Have Aligned!

I am able to eat my favorite breakfast gluten free! Noodle Soup. I add rice noodles to un-chicken broth and make a gluten free, vegan soup. Paired with a fruit smoothie and this girl’s HAPPY! The rice noodles are a bit different but after they’re in the broth for awhile they’re really good. Thank you oh great, magnificent noodle gods!

I’ve been trying to find something gluten free that actually feels like I’m eating an entrée instead of a group of side dishes. Last night I felt like I had my first official gluten free meal. The entrée was Cheesy Potatoes and they were fabulous. Here’s the recipe:

Take two small or one cooked large russet potato, cubed, ¼ cup Daiya cheddar cheese, 1 tsp. Earth Balance butter, salt and pepper to taste. Put the potatoes in a dish, add the Earth Balance and microwave until hot and butter has melted. (2 minutes) Add salt and pepper and toss. Sprinkle on the Daiya cheese and return to the microwave until Daiya melts. (45 seconds)

I added a salad of green leaf lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, dressed with light vinaigrette, and finished with a heavenly orange-berry –chocolate sorbet. It was a delicious dinner!

A couple of notes: I like to steam or slow cook my russets because I don’t like them dry and mushy. To save time, energy and for ease of meal preparation, I cook several at a time and have them ready in the refrigerator. Also, I have a 900w microwave. Your times might vary. I plan on trying this on the stovetop in my cast iron skillet. Daiya is available at Whole Foods and in Kansas, at HyVee. If you can't find it near you, click on the image.

What? Ahh … you noticed the orange-berry-chocolate sorbet? Yeah … it was heavenly … What? You want the recipe for that right now?! Hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt? Far be it for me to stand between you and your chocolate!

The sorbet is basically my smoothie recipe frozen to the consistency of soft serve ice cream with shaved chocolate added. Here it is: ½ to ¾ cup of light cranberry juice, 1 orange, peeled and quartered, ½ cup of frozen blueberries, 3-5 frozen strawberries, 2” chunk of frozen banana. Blend well and pour into an ice cream freezer until it reaches the consistency you like. Toss in 1-2 tablespoons vegan chocolate chips. Enjoy! Chips can be shaved, chopped or whole. (Makes 2 servings)

I have a Donvier with a bowl that stays in the freezer until ready for use. It took about 6-7 minutes for the sorbet to get to the consistency I like. I put my leftovers in the freezer and then soften in the microwave, so if you don’t have an ice cream freezer, you could probably just put the smoothie in the freezer and soften it in the microwave prior to serving. Add the chocolate chips at the end.

When I run out of strawberries and blueberries, I’m going to try a tropical sorbet of oranges, pineapples, banana and coconut; and chocolate of course!

The biggest problem I’ve had with the switch to gluten free is how much food will hold me until the next meal. I used to eat a big breakfast knowing exactly what worked when lunch was going to be five hours later without an opportunity to eat between the two. The Weight Loss Challenge’s plan is to eat three meals and one snack per day while eating to satisfaction but not fullness. We are rating our hunger level, with a goal of staying between 4/hunger awakens and 7/completely satisfied on a scale with 0 being ravenous and 10 being sick.

I find that the foods that get me to 5 and 6 (neutral and satisfied) just don’t last as long as the heavier, gluten grains, so I’m pushing myself to 7 and even 8 (full) so that I am not ravenous an hour before my next meal.

I plan to sit down with a couple of gluten free cookbooks and really learn a bit about the grains that are available, choose some recipes, shop for the ingredients, and prepare them. Hopefully I’ll find some gluten alternatives with staying power. With this drastic change in foods, I also need to figure out my average calorie intake. Nice! I have some projects for this weekend!

Happy Birthday, B-Man! The journey continues.

Monday Morning Ramblings

A gluten free vegan journey is a different trip. I’m not sure what to call this blog since I still occasionally eat seafood. It’s not vegan, although my intent is still to eat a vegan diet. So, I’m leaving the name and working through the confusion and difficulties that surround food choices. That’s the purpose of my blog; to work through the challenges publicly in support of anyone trying to improve their health, animals’ lives and the health of the planet.

The conversion to gluten free is one of those challenges. The reduction in allowable foods has left me with little variety although I recall feeling the same way when I quit eating meat, dairy and eggs. My goal is to follow through on making new recipes each week.

I rarely ate potatoes and now they are a staple making their appearance on my plate at least twice a day. Saturday I made a pot of blackeyed pea soup in my slow cooker and I decided to throw in a few whole russets to let them cook along with the soup. They were delicious! I’ve eaten all four (they were small) topped with a teaspoon of Earth Balance and coarse ground salt and pepper. Yum!

Another favorite that I can still enjoy is my morning smoothie. Combine a half to three-quarters of a cup of cranberry juice with one peeled and quartered orange, two frozen peach slices, three or four frozen strawberries, a couple of chunks of frozen bananas and a small handful of frozen blueberries. After you make it a couple of times you’ll know exactly what quantity works best for the thickness you desire and for the strength of your blender.

If you’re trying the new Weight Watchers Points program, the only thing you have to count is the juice. Use light cranberry juice for very low points!

The smoothie is easy to change depending on what you have available. When I have fresh spinach on hand I like to throw a handful in, and often throw in a few carrots. You don’t taste the spinach or carrots at all. If you have kids who resist healthy eating, make them a green shake, put on a Shrek video and tell them it’s all Shrek will drink for breakfast! A healthy way to start their day!

This weekend friends and I went to JC Wyatt’s in Saint Joseph, Missouri for dinner. The restaurant is owned by two guys from New York, Jim (front of the house) and Jeff (chef), who go out of their way to please. This place is magnificent! It is a restored Victorian home that’s so beautiful it takes your breath away. I gazed at the ceilings all night. Jim created wonderful designs out of period-correct wallpaper.

We had an email discussion relating to diet a few weeks before our reservation, but since the addition of the gluten free happened rather quickly I decided to have the maple glazed salmon rather than ask them to prepare a gluten free vegan meal at the last minute. The food was divine!

The table is asked to limit their choices to two entrées from their menu of the day. They keep it small so that everything is prepared to perfection. The entrée price includes a first course, (ours was a choice of soup or salad), dessert, iced tea and coffee. You are welcome to bring in your own wine or beer. It is so worth the drive to St. Joe’s!

Since we have plenty of snow on the ground, I am going to forgo the gym and workout by shoveling snow. I love shoveling snow when I don’t have to do it right away to get to work. I can pick the time and enjoy the beauty of nature while working up a sweat! Even snow haters have to admit that the first day of a snowfall is beautiful.