0 Quick and Easy Apple Walnut Salad

Hey everyone! So its that time of the year that gets super crazy between end of the year work events, holiday parties, and the rush to get and deliver presents to everyone you care about.

This past weekend I went to a work holiday potluck, so I decided to make a good gluten-free salad that all could enjoy. Apologies for not including a picture, I was in a bit of a rush when I made it this past weekend that I didn't have time to properly take one.

Hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to use a gluten-free dressing (yes, there's salad dressings out there that have gluten in them. It's a sad occurrence....

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 10 people

Ingredients
2 bags of pre-washed mixed salad greens
2 apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup of gluten-free honey mustard dressing

Steps
In a large bowl, (preferably one with a lid) add the salad greens. De-core the apples, and slice the apples into 1/8th inch x 1/8inch shoestrings. Add the apples, walnuts, zest, salt, pepper. Toss the salad to mix the ingredients around.

By 1/8 cup at a time, add the dressing to the salad. After each instance of adding dressing to the salad, put the top on the bowl and give the salad a good shake to coat the salad with the dressing. You'll want the salad to be lightly dressed with the dressing, If you think it needs a little more dressing, add a little bit at a time until your desired coating.

I hope you enjoy!

0 Gluten Free Product Review: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

This past week I received a free sample of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to try. I read on Twitter and food blogs about how to cook with coconut oil and how to substitute it in recipes. 

How to use it in recipes? 

At first glance virgin coconut oil is very peculiar. I was confused when I opened the delivery box and discovered that the oil was solid, similar in appearance to shortening. This is because virgin coconut oil solidifies at a relatively low temperature, 75F. Therefore, coconut oil can be used as both a substitute for shortening and for oil. Also, from what I've read virgin coconut oil is high in antioxidants and is a good alternative to butter and other oils (more details on coconut oil can be found here). 

I like the flavor that coconut oil provides as a substitute because it has a fragrant coconut smell. To substitute for shortening or butter, simply use it at room temperature (assuming you don't live in a hot climate). If you want to use it in pie or cookie doughs, I recommend using half coconut oil and half butter/shortening in the recipe (thanks @JulesGlutenFree for the tip!). Example: If a cookie asks for 1/2 cup butter, substitute with 1/4 cup solid coconut oil and 1/4 cup butter. 

Coconut oil is also a great substitute for oil when frying or grilling, but only if you want a slight coconut taste to it. Don't use more than a tablespoon of coconut oil as a greasing agent, as it infuses a surprising amount of coconut flavor into your food.

Final Thoughts.

Virgin coconut oil is a great oil to add to your pantry as another oil to use in your everyday cooking and baking. It is high in antioxidants and is rather flexible to use as either a shortening or an oil. However, I'd only use it in recipes that are either tropical in nature or recipes that would benefit from the sweet accent of coconut. Otherwise you'll get an overwhelming sense of coconut where you wouldn't expect it. 

If you want to try virgin coconut oil, use this link while purchasing it to receive a complimentary copy of a Virgin Coconut Oil book. When purchasing, choose "Referred by a friend" and enter the code 7574415 and the book will be added to your order for free. 

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

2 Gluten Free Coconut Berry Smoothie

Before college, I never really enjoyed drinking smoothies. Most of the time it was because I enjoyed junk food a lot more as a kid, but once I went to college and exercised more I grew to absolutely love smoothies. Not only are they wonderful beverages to cool you down after exercising, but they're so much healthier than ice cream or other frozen treats. 

In this recipe, I include coconut oil (its the first time I've used it in a recipe!) for the flavor and almond meal for a healthy alternative to protein powder. This was my first venture into using coconut oil in a recipe, and I really enjoy the taste that coconut adds to the smoothie. I'll be posting more on coconut oil later this week. I hope you enjoy!

Yields: Approximately 3 glasses of smoothie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk, (2%, soy, or coconut)

5 oz frozen strawberries

5 oz frozen blueberries

5 oz frozen pineapple pieces

3 tablespoons almond meal

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Steps:

1. In a food processor, grind the fruit into a course mix or powder. Pour into a blender, into a bowl if you are using an immersion blender for the next step.

2. Blend the fruit, meal, oil, and milk until smooth and at the consistency that you prefer, adding additional milk if needed.

0 Gluten Free Product Review: Bye Bye, Gluti Products

This past week I had the opportunity to try out some products from Bye Bye, Gluti, and I wanted to review them for all of you!

Bye Bye, Gluti creates gluten free varieties of breads, pastas, and desserts with high quality ingredients. Many of the products I ate were made with some combination of corn, almond, and potato starches and flours. The awesome thing about Bye Bye, Gluti's products is that all of their products have 5ppm (parts per million) of gluten, while the guideline for food to be labeled as gluten free is 20ppm. I really liked that it is a company that takes pride in trying to make their food as gluten free as possible.

The first item I tried was their gnocchi. The gnocchi is really quick and easy to make, as it does not have to be thawed before cooking, and only takes a few minutes in boiling water to cook. The gnocchi came out light and plump, which is something that surprised me about frozen pasta. I sauteed them in some butter and tossed them in tomato sauce and Parmesan and they were really tasted. I definitely recommend them. Rating: A-

I also tried the Margarita Pizza earlier this week, and this was one of the better frozen gluten free pizzas that I have tried. The dough is mainly made out of corn, but has a nice fluffy texture in the middle and a firm, crunchy crust. Out of the box the pizza has some sauce and pizza on it, so I recommend topping with additional pasta sauce, cheese, basil, and any other pizza toppings you may have. I left one slice of it to microwave the next day for leftovers, and was surprised by how well the crust held up in the microwave when reheated. Definitely recommend. Rating: A

So I may or may not have fallen in love with their focaccia. The most difficult time I've had with gluten free diet is finding a good bread. I have tried one or two brands, but have pretty much totally removed bread from my diet. the GlutenOut focaccia is everything bread should be; light and fluffy on the inside and crisp golden on the outside. I'm not sure how they make this with gluten free ingredients, but its  amazing bread. Best way to prepare this is to thaw it out and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes at 350F. Serve as part of a sandwich, or with some butter and mozzarella cheese. If you get anything from this post, I totally recommend this. It could fool anyone into thinking it was made with wheat. Rating: A+

The last thing I tried was the chocolate cake. All you have to do is thaw it out on the kitchen counter, no baking necessary. Mostly I ate this as is, without adding any frosting to it. The cake is good on its own, but also tastes wonderful with fresh strawberries or raspberries. This has a nice chocolate taste without tasting too dry. I've also had it out at room temperature for 2 days now and haven't noticed any of it turning stale. Rating: A

Overall, I fully recommend anyone on a gluten free diet to try out some of these products. Bye Bye, Gluti prides themselves on the ingredients they use and the strict adherence to the phrase "gluten free." Also, I said it earlier but their focaccia is to die for. You can purchase GlutenOut products at http://www.byebyegluti.com/home.php

0 My Own Culinary Challenge: Eating GF on Travel

UPDATE (I moved all the details of my week under the jump break)


Here I am at Saturday, traveling home after a week of working in Florida. I gave myself a Culinary Challenge at the beginning of the week to continue eating gluten free, and to use the tricks in my books to work around the difficulties of eating gluten free in the South without a kitchen. Cliffnotes: 

I had a successful week of eating gluten free out of a hotel, and for those who don't want to read the in depth details of my food endeavors for the past week, here's my advice on achieving what is seemingly impossible:

• Breakfast tips: Keep it simple and try to eat things you know can't include gluten; fruit, yogurt, bacon, eggs. Avoid oatmeal. Be weary of omelets, they can be made with pancake batter or other ingredients that include gluten. Which leads to the next tip...
• Don't be afraid. If you're at a restaurant and are unsure whether something is gluten free, ask you waiter. If they give you a weird look when you use the word gluten, ask them if the food includes wheat or flour. 
• Avoid all battered foods.
• For lunch, go for items such as salads or grilled fish or chicken. Not only does it avoid gluten, but it won't weigh you down for the rest of the day. 
• Dinner. Enjoy it, but aim for menus that have vegetables, rice, or proteins that aren't fried. 
• Blue Bell ice cream. BEST ice cream in the south. Except for flavors like Cookie dough. 

I hope this helps anyone else who has to eat gluten free, but travels for work or vacation. Happy weekend!


For deeper details into the foods I ate this past week, follow the JUMP.

0 Health Benefit of the Week: Chocolate!

Chocolate desserts are possibly my favorite. To me there's nothing more than biting into a forkful of pie or cake that pairs the distinct aromatic flavors of chocolate with other interesting flavors and textures. It wasn't until this past year that I heard about the potential health benefits of eating chocolate. But honestly, how healthy can a sugar packed, cream filled chocolate bar be?

Tasty yet functional?

A Short History of Chocolate

The cocoa bean is native to Mexico and Central America, and has been used in food and drinks for thousands of years. Aztecs and Mayans used chocolate in drinks such as tea, or as a fermentation agent in alcohols. Central Americans also utilized chocolate medically to cure ailments such as fatigue and diarrhea. 

After the Americas were conquered by Europe, settlers first harvested cocoa  for the royalty, and eventually for common European citizens. It wasn't until the 19th century and the Industrial revolution that cocoa was processed into the solid chocolate we are familiar with today.

Are there any health benefits to eating chocolate?

Yes, but a lot of the net benefits of chocolate depend upon what type of chocolate you eat.

• The consumption of cocoa and dark chocolate benefits the circulatory system, specifically by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.
• Chocolate contains antioxidants, with cocoa containing the highest percentage, followed by dark chocolate, and milk chocolate in a distant third.
• Some research has shown that chocolate can help reduce migraines. However, this effect does not exist as much in milk chocolate due to its high sugar and fat content.
• Other research has shown that dark chocolate helps stimulate the mind.

In general, the rule of thumb with chocolate is that dark chocolate is the healthiest of chocolates, due to its low sugar and fat content (since the sugar and fat content in milk chocolate can lead to obesity if over-consumed). Also, a tip for if you want to absorb the maximum amount of antioxidants in dark chocolates, some research has shown that drinking milk with the chocolate prevents the body from absorbing the antioxidants.

Hope that y'all enjoyed this article, and more recipe posts to follow today and tomorrow!

0 Health Benefit of the Week: Apples!

An idea spurred by one of my friends Jimmy, I decided to start a weekly post about a variety of foods, and their health benefits. So I'd like to start with the mythical fruit that's supposed to keep you from ever needing to enter a doctor's office: the Apple.

No, not that Apple...

• Stronger bones: Apples contain chemicals and elements such as Boron, which are proven to increase bone density.
• Helps prevent asthma
• Helps prevent heart disease: Apples have a chemical that lowers "bad" cholesterol, which helps your heart and other body functions work better.
• Helps prevent lung, colon, liver, and breast cancer
• Helps you lose weight
• Good source of vitamins and antioxidants
• Recent research shows links between eating apples and the prevention of Alzheimer's.

Hope this is a useful tidbit of information! Please let me know if you think this is a good idea, or any other food's you'd like to see various health benefits of. Happy Thursday!