I don't go all out for company ;0)

 I forgot to tent it with foil, so it go a little dry...

But, it took me exactly the time it took the oven to preheat to put this dinner for 6 together and only about 45 minutes to cook.

You guessed it - a Boar's Head roast Beef from the deli, I sliced it into thick pieces and then dumped a bag of frozen "Stew" vegetables in.  There are small potatoes, onions, celery and carrots in the mix.  It was really good!

Hot Chick salad aka a pound of spinach

So, I read this book and I would recommend it.  It got some mixed reviews - lots of haters out there. But the general philosophy is worth checking out. Plus, it's pretty funny and uplifting. Every single girl everywhere should read it.

And of course after a day of eating nothing but cookies, ice cream and Fritos, I had to have my pound of spinach with a ton of Parmesean cheese, Balsamic Vinegar and NO EVOO!! As prescribed in the book.

It was delicious.

So, you'll notice me incorporating more of their tips into my rotation. 

Like how to build a salad (chapter 2) and 10 things that are secretly magic (page 51).

Have you read this book? I know it's old...but sometimes old advice is good advice. Let me know what you think!

Fake Restaurant Food

I was thinking about things GF that restaurants serve and how easy it is to do at home. So here are a few things I did.  What are your favorite restaurant meals?

Tuna spring rolls $3 per person 2 WW points per roll.

Yes I used canned tuna (it was ok). Thai Kitchen makes 2 yummy sauces - mango and sweet red chili, they go great in shot glasses for easy dipping!

I love them with carrots (shredded or baby), green onions or scallions and avocado.

$3-4 per person. Ever notice how a salad seems better at a restaurant? I think it's because they make them fancy/pretty. I've started buying pre-washed organic greens ($3 for a tub that serves generously 4, conservatively 6), baby carrots ($3 for 16 z bag), tomatoes ($3 for 4 romas) and sweet peas ($2.50 9 oz bag). 5 minute salad, baby! Add cheese, nuts, fruit etc...pretty soon you're stuffed gourmet style at a fraction of the cost and time.  0 WW points

Pizza always seems fancier at a restaurant too. I threw some baby spinach on my $8 Amy's GF cheese pizza and it was lovely (I may have toasted it a little too long though). Serves 2, 10 WW points each.

I like to think I make a good argument for not eating out. Between waiting 15 - 45 minutes for a table...10 minutes to get your drinks and another 20 to get your food, given they don't make any mistakes or take a longer time...you can easily eat at home, cheaper, cleaner and faster. The only draw back is that you have to clean up after...and that's what paper plates are for, ya?
Also, you know what you're eating for sure without having to grill a wait person or chef for ingredients. Whether you're watching food allergies, high blood pressure or your calories, it's a pain worth eliminating - in my humble opinion.
What are your tips for an easy meal?

Look Ma! I made bread!

Welcome to installment 2 of Cocoa's slide show instructions :0)

Step 1. Put the ingredients in the bread machine pan.

Step 2. Put pan in machine - don't push down too hard or it will get permanently stuck and you will have to pry it out with tools - which is not the manufacturer's intent.

Step 3. Choose option 9, if you have my machine. It lives under the cupboard so I had to use a mirror to get some light on it for the picture.  

Step 4. Close the lid. Don't forget to press "Start"...yes, I went to check on it an hour later and was stupefied.

Step 5. Store in airtight container.

When I make this bread I remember how much I miss Macaroni's Grill bread, then I remember it's not the bread I missed from Macaroni's - it's the dipping and go drizzle some evoo and balsamic in a plate with a dash of S&P and I'm happy again.

  What do you miss?

"I fake it homemade and I'm proud" roast ala Chez Cocoa

$12.49/ pound. That is how much my roast cost. Then I put 

in in a pan and served it, see?

Ok, so maybe I cut it out of the wrapper first and let all the bloody juice puddle around it.

Kind of hard to imagine it's fully cooked and this is what the deli slices up for you, eh?

Slicing it up makes it "cook" faster.

Tenting it with foil helps the "gravy"

Good alone or smothered in BBQ sauce.  
Also featured instructions on how to procure said roast here: http://cocoasglutenfreeplace.blogspot.com/2012/04/look-i-made-roastand-fab-gf-find.html
Have a nice weekend!

What do you think of Rice Cereal?

 I keep a box of Cream of Rice cereal in the cupboard but I hardly ever cook it...I have mixed feelings that stem from the fact that if you try to make it in the microwave it will boil over, no matter how careful you are, plus...cooking! I don't dig cooking in the morning.

Weekends are different though. I can cook breakfast like a mad woman - mostly because breakfast on Saturday is always after 11:00 AM.

 I went nutty today and made 4 servings, in an attempt to have prepared breakfast for the next couple days. Since it's a nightmare in the micro I made it on the stove in the biggest pan I had, just in case it was prone to boiling over. It wasn't...because the directions are different...which I found out afterwards when I decided to read the instructions! Ha ha. Boil the water then add the rice...but it works if you do it all at once. Evidence:

Big pan, little blob of cereal, but 4 days of breakfast - so Yay!

It is surprisingly filling and I found that it really doesn't require as much syrup as say...grits or oatmeal, to taste sweet enough. Probably because rice itself is fairly sweet.

So, I'm on the fence about it. I kind of prefer my instant packet of grits for simplicity but there is just something nice about a soft bowl of warm goo in the morning.

What do you think?

Favorites!

Today I made collard green wraps and I thought, "I love collard greens!"

I can't help it- they make me happy. With tuna salad or hummus rolled up, I think it might be the perfect food.  So I started thinking about the things that I always keep in stock...my favorites...my staples.  Everybody has staples. Before Celiac (bc) mine were ramen noodles, frozen vegetables and precooked chicken breasts. Now they look a little like this:

 Chocolate chip cookie dough Larabars - I have one for breakfast almost every day. When King Soopers runs them for $1 each, I clear the shelf.

Apparently, I have a thing for gf cookie dough...this is dairy free too and seriously heavenly.

 Parmesan pancakes - simple and go with everything. You can break them up for "croutons" in a salad or eat them like chips or toss them in with popcorn. 

Raisins...well, they go in lots of stuff and keep forever! I've taken to putting them in my tuna salad (goes good in those collard wraps!) and I find them to be a great snack with a handful of walnuts and chocolate chips - sort of trail mixy.

 A banana a day makes me happy - frozen and pulverized to creaminess is divine!

 Spinach may be one of the most perfect foods. I try to eat a pound a day ala Hot Chicks.

 I keep these in my drawer at work - so much better than a coke for that afternoon pick-me-up. Simple carbs = simple energy, no sugar/caffeine jitters then dragging. 

Expensive? Yes. Delicious? YES! Better than peanut? I think so...

What are your staples and must-haves at your house?

Look! I made a roast...and a fab gf find!

Mmmmm...looks good right? I made it all by myself with a little help from Boar's Head and King Soopers.

 Now, you do have to put on your big girl panties and be brave if you're going to do it... but here's how you fake a homemade roast for your next dinner party:

Step 1: 

Go to the deli counter where they carry Boar's Head meats. Pick out the roast you want in the window based on how many people you're feeding and what seasonings you want. Go here to pre-shop, if you're so inclined: http://www.boarshead.com/digicatessen.php

Step 2: 

Tell the deli person that you'd like the whole roast "un-cut, un-opened". They will weigh it, as usual, and put the label on it with price etc. I chose the All Natural, Cap Off Roast Beef because it comes in a smaller chunk (around 3 pounds) and it's organic, cruelty free etc. I'm sure any other type of roast would be good too and they come in various seasonings.  The best thing is that Boar's Head brand are all gf so you don't have to grill the deli person on ingredients.

Anyway, I have done this a couple times and find that a man give you a tentative stare, smile, slap the sticker on it and wish you a nice day. A woman will ask you what you're planning to do with it. Be prepared to say "Eat it." and smile.

*Bonus* Getting it unopened will also protect you from any cross-contamination issues that run rampant in a deli.

Step 3:

Take it home, cut it into thick slices or chunks (like you'd do any roast), tent with foil and put it in the oven to heat. 400 degrees for 30 mins or so will do it. You could put it in the microwave but then you'll miss out on the drama of taking it out of the oven and the authentic roasting smell. :)

Step 4:

Once your guests are assembled around the table, take it out of the oven with great panache and serve with flair. 

While you're at the store also pick up a package of pre-washed veggies like greens (organic), grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, baby carrots and toss together for a beautiful salad. I'd also recommend instant mashed potatoes with some sour cream stirred in and whatever other favorite sides you like.

So that's my secret to feeding a ton of people in 30 minutes or less without looking like you catered it.

In other news, I discovered a fab find. Gimball's candies! They are allergen free according to the website: http://www.gimbalscandy.com/allergen-free.html and so yummy!

The most pathetic lunch ever?

Seriously, when I have 15 minutes for lunch...this is what I come up with. Amy's GF dairy free mac & cheese (cook time 6 mins) and a can of tuna, not drained with S&P (5 second pop-top).
What's your fastest lunch idea?

I learned a little something

Leeks and fava beans...2 foods I've never actually seen in the raw before.  Want to know what I learned?
1. Leeks are full of dirt and must be sliced open and washed thoroughly!

 2. They are really pretty and when you slice them up they have this wonderful blend of colors:

 3. They make a great soup when you mix them with instant potatoes and about 2x the water called for + a little S&P, of course!

Then there are the fava beans.  They are ugly on the outside...

but cute on the inside.  

And they are kind of yummy too.
I only ate them plain, after I blanched them but I imagine they would be good in any kind of bean recipe you'd like to try them in.  Except maybe stews, I think if you cooked them a long time they'd just disintegrate.

 Did I pique your interest with the soup comment?  I'll share a little shortcut I have learned.
You can make any kind of potato soup with instant mashed potatoes.  Basically, just use twice the amount of liquid they call for and add whatever else you want!
I've done this with the sliced leeks (above) and it was the most elegant soup you could make.  
I've also made baked potato soup by adding cheese, chopped green onions, bacon and some sour cream (I know, dairy bomb but it was so good!).
Try it some time when you come home too pooped to cook...you could use chopped up ham (like lunch meat!) and any kind of cheese you have and have a really nice meal in about 5 minutes if you use hot water from the tap and nuke it.
Let me know how it goes.
Finally, I just had this picture of my freshly washed produce bowl and thought I'd share it.  Lovely, yes?
Have a great week!

Gluten Free Wraps

Have you ever tried your sandwich salad in Napa cabbage leaves? This was new for me and I loved it! I made canned salmon into salad about the same way you'd do with tuna or chicken and dabbed it into the soft outer leaves of a napa cabbage - no leaks :) Plus, Napa cabbage is very mild tasting - not as musky as green or red cabbage so it makes a lovely wrap.

You know how I'm all about eating gluten free in a really logical, natural way? You don't have to go spend a lot of money on gluten free prepared wraps and breads. Nor do you have to spend your life mixing flours and baking to get the right consistency. Just grab a cheap head of cabbage or leaf lettuce and wrap your sandwich innards up!

I do it with roast beef and mustard in collard greens or red leaf lettuce. You can make little hummus wraps like below, which are super cute and you could stick toothpicks in them and serve them at a party even!
It's totally simple. Just run a sharp knife down the spine of the collard leaf to remove the stem - it will slide along easy! Then drop a dab of hummus on whichever side is the least pretty.
Roll it up and you have a vegan, gluten free treat that anyone would like :)
Cute, right? See why I love collard greens? I get some every time Door to Door has them because they are so versatile and make a nice packable lunch for me too.
Well, darlings I have been up since the crack of dawn thanks to Alarmcat who thinks it is her job to get me out of bed and off to work every morning, Saturdays included. It's just too bad that she doesn't realize that my wake up call was set for 7:00 AM not 6:00 AM :( Every day, I tell ya...every day.

I'm going to go get some stuff done. I'm working on a little more of my remodel and taking down my fairy lights. Then, I'll need to start shopping for new lighting options in my office to replace them. It's amazing how much I get done on weekends now that I'm in a FLYLady cleaning routine.

Tah tah for now!

Weekend Breakfasts

I love weekends, partly because I get to sleep in and then make yummy eggs for breakfast. My toast might look funny to you, that's because I don't have a toaster so I toast it in the frying pan before I do the eggs. Dry pan - heated on high for a minute or 2, then add dry bread and watch it for the steam to let up, flip it until the steam stops - done!

Since I had a bunch of mushrooms to eat up, I just sauteed them with onions for this spectacular dish. Actually, it was pretty plain - but satisfying!

It seems like weekends always start with a huge list of chores and end with only a slightly shorter list. Where does the time go?

I know...afternoon naps, reading in the sun and all those little distractions that come up.

I'm easily distracted. Just this morning I managed to get lost in flower arranging, recycling and some random infomercial (they make that stuff sound so good! Anyone ever use a "No!No!"? or that "set it and forget it" machine?) Lesson learned - never turn on the TV until it's time for your show. The European Grand Prix is on today - there is something too fun about it! Plus, races are pretty easy to watch while you do other things - on my list today: hang a shelf in the closet and pack another box of donations to send to charity.

How's your weekend been?

My favorite black bean chili ala Suzanne

Messy looking, right? But I promise, it is the best and easiest chili in the world.

It is actually just a little different from the recipe I got out of a Suzanne Somers cook book. Maybe the white one...I can't remember.

Anyway, it's super easy:

1 can black beans

1 can diced tomatoes and chilies

1/2 medium onion diced

a clove or 2 of garlic, minced

glug of EVOO

Basically, sautee the onion & garlic in evoo for a minute or so then dump in the cans of beans and tomatoes, get it hot and serve with warm corn tortillas.

This is about enough for 3-4 people, depending on your bean tolerance ;p

It is seriously one of my favorite go-to meals any time of year. It takes about 5 minutes, costs about $1.50 and is super comfort food without the guilt.

6/13 weekly menu

Hey y'all! I'm trying out a new routine - creating a weekly menu!!

This week's menu for one:

Monday:

Lunch: Hormel Beef au jus, mashed potatoes, simple spinach salad

Dinner: Green salad with tuna salad, carrots, tomato, walnuts, craisins etc.

Tuesday:

Lunch -Leftover beef from Monday

Dinner - Peppered Beef sandwich with pickles and carrot sticks

Wednesday:

Lunch- Leftover Tuna Salad on greens

Dinner- Scrambled eggs with spinach, onions, ham and cheese

Thursday:

Lunch- Peppered beef sandwich with pickles and carrot sticks

Dinner - Curried shrimp and veggies

Friday:

Lunch- Chipotle carnitas burrito bowl, guac

Dinner - snacks as needed after huge bowl from chipotle

Weekend:

Grilled steak, sweet corn and baked beans - snacks as needed :)Egg scrambles if I'm up for breakfast

Almost every morning I have a Larabar and a piece of fruit for breakfast. It's my super portable -take to work breakfast- that saves me time and gives me quick energy from the fruit and long lasting hunger control from the nuts.

Shopping list:

eggs

lunch meat

tuna

steak

corn

Getting my organics delivered really helps with the meal planning, part of the reason I don't do it regularly! I usually just wash everything up and it's pretty easy to match them up with some protein.

Cheers!

Possibly the best soup ever - Curried Butternut

I absolutely have to share this recipe because it is the best thing I've had in ages!

It was a totally simple recipe too - are you surprised?

Here goes:

Splash of EVOO

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1-2 tsp curry powder

2 cups chopped butternut squash

2-3 cups broth or water

S&P to taste

1/2 - 1 cup coconut milk

1 Tbl maple syrup

So you sautee the onion, celery and curry in the EVOO, then you add the broth (I used veg) and squash and simmer about 30 minutes until it's tender.

Then, you take it off the heat and spoon it slowly into the blender so it cools off enough not to explode. Then puree it and serve warm.

I absolutely loved it! And this recipe makes enough for 3-4 people, depending on how much you fill the bowls so no week's worth of leftovers. Yay!

It will be on my fall cooking list for sure.

Stewed Okra - WOW!

Nummy? Check! Vegan? Check! Almost instant? Check!
Ok, Okra is not one of my staples. In fact, I think I had it once - battered and deep fried, smothered with ranch dressing (ala Oklahoma). I didn't like it.

So, don't ask me why but I was at the store looking at the frozen veggies and decided to grab a bag of okra. That was a good 9 months ago and tonight I finally decided to cook it, as recommended by a true okie! The recipe is so simple, so fast and yes - delicious!

1 bag frozen Okra (about 14 ounces)

1-2 cups of pearl onions

1.5 tsp salt

.5 tsp pepper

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 Tbl EVOO

I sauteed the onions in the olive oil a little then added all the rest and simmered it on low for about 15 minutes.

I'm seriously surprised at how good it is and the okra is so plump and juicy and tender - nothing like the last time I had it. I might have liked a little more tomato in this - but I still recommend it with 2 thumbs up ;)

Review: Hormel Refridgerated Entrees

I've been eating one of these pretty much every week this month. I'm giving them about a 9 out of 10 for being a great food.

Pros:

cooks in 4 minutes in the microwave

don't have to open the package before cooking

totally tender and tasty without a bunch of (questionable) ingredients

goes with lots of side dishes

makes my life infinitely easier

Cons:

$7-8 for a pretty small hunk(s) of meat

pretty fatty sometimes

even after I tried to incinerate the leftovers, the package melted but the meat was still tender - this seems kind of wrong, but I ate it anyway!

So there you go, I'll continue to buy it because it is really awesome to pull out some veggies while the 4 minutes beef is in the nuker and have dinner and leftovers. I'm not afraid of the ingredients, the beef roast has 3 extra (water, salt corn starch and some preservative I can't spell).

Next, I'm going to try cooking it and then just stirring in some powdered potatoes to the au jus and see what happens :)

P.S. you can go here to see all the GF things Hormel offers. Makes my life easy! http://www.hormel.com/products/GlutenFreeProducts/default.aspx

Bon Appetit!

Ani Phyo's Donut holes

Here's another raw recipe I experimented with...

"donut holes"! I got the recipe from Ani Phyo's blog - check her out for a lot of other brilliant raw recipes. I dig it.

In case you can't find it though, here's the recipe - you have got to try them because they are the best thing I've had in a looooong time. Of course, they aren't like a cake - so don't expect that! Think chewy/sweet fruity snacks that are totally satisfying without the sugar rush/crash. I love them!

1 3/4 cups almonds (I used regular ones from a bag)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 vanilla bean, scraped

2 cups dried pineapple, chopped

2 cups pitted dates

1/3 cup + 1/4 cup shredded coconut

In the food processor place almonds salt and vanilla and process to a fine powder

slowly add pineapple and dates then coconut.

Use a scoop to make round "holes" and roll in shredded coconut.

Viola!! It takes like 10 minutes - tops.

You can tell I didn't roll all of mine in coconut and I used wet fingers to form the balls. Mostly because I don't really dig coconut and I hate washing dishes - fingers are lick-able!

So everyone I was willing to share these with loved them and ate 2-3 more, so if you make them be sure and stick a couple away just for you!

I have to say these are better than Larabars...and I love Larabars!

Mushroom gravy

I planned to make this mushroom gravy for weeks and weeks - finally did it last night! It was super fast, easy, vegan, gluten free, raw...NUMMY!!

It even looks like gravy, tastes a little better than the goopy, greasy stuff I remember though. Here's the recipe (I can't remember where I got it from! I wrote it down on a scrap of paper.):

1/3 cup olive oil

3/4 cup mushrooms

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp sea salt

Put everything in the blender until smooth.

Love it!! Wish I'd have made it in time to eat all my baked potatoes...as it is though I put it on instant mashed ;0) That's a little sauteed broccolini next to it, something new to me!

I cannot express how thrilled I am to have this little recipe. Even if you're not trying out vegan or raw recipes - this would be great with any regular old meal. And there are general health benefits if you're watching fat, salt or flour intake. I'm definitely going to use it for holidays...it was that good.

Spring Rolls

Look at these babies ;)

I got inspired to make spring rolls, finally and it was super easy! You should try it...

Basically I got some rice sticks, green onions, cucumber, carrots and pre-cooked shrimp. Put a little pickled ginger and Thai Kitchen sweet pepper dipping sauce on the side and tah dah!

It's also a good way to use up the leftover veggies too :)

Now, if only spring will finally get here!! It's been a long cold winter at Cocoa's place. I was so desperate for some sun I went and sat in my car so the sun could beat on me but I wouldn't be out in the cold wind! It was nice and I'm sure if anyone saw me they thought I was nuts. Don't care. I got warm ;p