Celiac Handbook

Marha Pörkölt – Hungarian Beef Paprika Stew from The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Chris — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:30:21 +0000

Every post from Tori Avey of The Shiksa in the Kitchen is like going back to school for Jewish studies. It’s really a treat to get a little more in depth into where some of our favorite recipes originated. While a beef stew has origins in many cultures, this one was particularly interesting to me as my kids maternal grandmother was Hungarian and full of stories and traditional recipes. While she’s no longer with us, I’d love to make this recipe in her honor. Some alterations I might make would be to swap out the canola oil for olive oil and use some cauliflower rice in place of the white rice shown here. Whichever way you decide to make it, know you’re in for something hearty and delicious.

Marha Pörkölt translates from Hungarian to “Beef Stew.” What sets this dish apart from other beef stews is the paprika. Hungarian cooking is all about paprika; the spice is used liberally in many dishes. This particular paprika dish is quite common in Hungary. It originated with cattle herders, who made the dish in the fields in cast iron kettles and cooked it over an open fire. Marha Pörkölt is similar to another dish you may have heard of – goulash – which has the same origin and ingredients, though the texture of goulash would be slightly more soupy. You can actually make this recipe into a goulash by adding more liquid for a thinner sauce and adjusting the seasoning to taste…

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Grain Free Sausage Stuffed Pancake Bites (Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Soy Free) from Real Sustenance

Chris — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:56:23 +0000

I’m usually not one to reminisce about food that I used to eat — in fact, my mantra is usually to embrace things that are new. I will finally give and say that this post for Sausage Stuffed Pancakes from Brittany at Real Sustenance really put a smile on my face. It immediately took me back to my childhood and stuffing my face at IHOP with their signature, “Pigs in a Blanket” breakfast. While that was truly an awful (but delicious) breakfast in terms of healthy ingredients, seeing Brittany’s awesome recipe with great ingredients (although for me, I would ditch the sugar/stevia and simply use a real maple syrup after the fact) made me smile even more. This is without question going to be next Saturday’s breakfast. I really can’t wait :)

If you want to try something new and fun- try pouring the batter into a greased muffin pan and bake them like popovers. I would try cooking them at 400 until cooked through.

I have had a number of readers make this recipe with great success replacing the eggs with either chia or flax gel. I have not yet tried this myself, but do suggest you give it a try if you need to avoid the eggs…

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Chocolate Blackberry Mille-Feuille from Gourmande in the Kitchen

Chris — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:07:38 +0000

Let me start this post by saying that I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. Overcrowded restaurants, overpriced flowers, and most of all, I’ve always questioned why February 14 is supposed to be something special for my wife and I. For us, it was always April 18 — that was the day we met back in 1995 — so that was the day we would celebrate our love. That is the day, that we would adore each other with gifts. She still likes her flowers and I still like my food and things really don’t deviate much from what Valentine’s Day typically means to most folks. It’s our tradition and we love it.

Whether you’re celebrating a traditional Valentine’s Day on February 14, or if you’re someone who has created your own special day to celebrate your love for your significant other, then this Chocolate Blackberry Mille-Feuille from Sylvie of Gourmande in the Kitchen is perfect for anyone looking to surprise their special someone with something sweet — BUT not too sweet. It’s all about simple ingredients, and best of all it’s only sweetened with honey and fruit.

Do yourself (and your loved one) a favor, buck the trend, ditch the store bought chocolate and better yet, ditch the store bought concept of Valentine’s Day and create something special — it will be something you remember and cherish for the rest of your life.

I was also really happy to read Sylvie’s views on Valentine’s Day (somewhat similar to mine), she seems to get what it’s all about :)

This all-chocolate mille-feuille blends the velvety softness of the center of a chocolate truffle with the intensity of dark chocolate, both melting and melding beautifully in the mouth. The slightly bitter edge of the dark chocolate is tamed by the sweetness and tang of blackberries in three different forms: liqueur, jam and fresh. Please be sure to choose a chocolate whose flavor you love, because it’s the star here.

Enjoy on Valentine’s Day with the one you love or any day of the year you’re feeling romantic.

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Featured Recipe: Honey Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Dipping Sauce from Gourmande in the Kitchen

Chris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:36:04 +0000

I haven’t been following Sylvie of Gourmande in the Kitchen for very long, but with recipes like this, I know exactly why I do. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to me when I see someone who appreciates subtlety in flavor — especially when it comes to desserts. So many desserts — especially those that are gluten-free — have so much sugar and in my opinion are barely edible. The same holds true for most recipes for macaroons and even more so for the store bought versions.

This recipe for Honey Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Dipping Sauce has been masterfully created using honey as a sweetener, eggs, coconut, and vanilla (for the macaroons) — that’s it — the way it should be. An even greater surprise is that the chocolate dipping sauce is made from coconut milk and simply sweetened with honey. The result is nothing short of sheer bliss and something that easily competes with anything the best French pâtissier could possibly come up with.

For me, this recipe hits all the marks; it’s grain-free, it has no refined sugar, and it has the simplest of ingredients. This comes as close to perfection for a dessert that you can get.

I hesitated to call these coconut macaroons because we’ve all had at least one bad experience with those misshapen, heavy, tooth-achingly sweet confections that pass for macaroons sometimes. The kind whose cloying sweetness hits you over the head at first bite and whose flavor is barely reminiscent of coconut. A good macaroon is quite the opposite.

The French call their coconut macaroons rochers à la noix de coco or congolais and they are an altogether different breed from the tooth-aching varieties. Baked until lightly golden on the outside, but still creamy white on the inside they are bites of pure coconut goodness.

A good coconut macaroon strikes a fine balance; it’s at once creamy yet light, chewy but still tender. It is a little crispy around the edges but with a soft and moist interior and a pure clean taste, just lightly sweet…

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Curried Coconut Flake “Chips” (Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegan) from Real Sustenance

Chris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:19:07 +0000

Coconut flakes are so incredibly versatile (as is a coconut in general) and are equally as delicious. While this recipe from Brittany of Real Sustenance is for “Chips”, I also posted an idea from Coconut “cereal & milk” from Roland Denzel back in June of 2011 which also showcased how versatile and great tasting they can be. Back to the “Chips” — this is a great option for a healthy snack in the afternoon or at a party. Even though Brittany is calling for some sort of granulated sweetener, I would like to experiment with raw honey or real maple syrup as opposed to the stevia, but as always, that’s your call.

Snack food is typically the first thing that has to get thrown out the window for those with a long list of food sensitivities. While I typically don’t crave carbs anymore- I was pretty thrilled when I came up with this little recipe idea. These crunchy little morsels are the perfect combo of sweet and salty.

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Raw Cacao Truffles from Zenbelly

Chris — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:41:49 +0000

This is a wonderful little sweet treat from Zenbelly that you can eat anytime without fear of over indulgence (I guess that depends on how many of them you eat though). Great ingredients including honey or maple syrup as a sweetener and you’ve got a winner. I’ll take these over a Snicker’s Bar any day, thank you.

These right here are some no joke chocolate snacks. And have you ever read through countless bars of dark chocolate looking for one without soy lecithin? I have. Without any luck.

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Pork Chops Agrodolce from The Cilantropist

Chris — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:14:15 +0000

Pork chops is a childhood favorite for me. I grew up eating the classic Brady Bunch “pork chops & apple sauce”. The pork chops my parents made wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it was good enough to create a long lasting memory. Fast forward 30+ years and I find myself always looking for new ways to prepare pork chops and I love using sweet ingredients to make the dish interesting and needless to say, my kids love anything that’s sweet. The last time I made it, I was playing around with cayenne pepper with real maple syrup and it turned out fantastic (one of these days I’ll put the recipe together and share it). This version titled Pork Chops Agrodolce from The Cilantropist looks amazing — balsamic vinegar, honey, and thyme sounds like a perfect combination for the sauce and something I’m going to be experimenting with soon. As always, I love simple ingredients — for me, there is no other way to cook.

…Now that I have effectively split hairs regarding the price of the pork for this dish, I hope I can convince you to try it by telling you how incredible this Agrodolce sauce tastes. “Agrodolce” is an Italian word meaning ‘sour’ and ‘sweet,’ and this sauce gets its sour flavor from reducing balsamic vinegar, and the sweet flavor is from honey. The vinegar and honey are simmered together with fresh thyme, which gives the sauce a slightly floral and earthy taste that is subtle enough to go unnoticed except by the most discerning palates. The sauce is also made richer by the addition of a little bit of broth and butter, and the final product is reduced to a thick and velvety consistency with the absolute perfect balance of flavors. The pork is partially cooked in this sauce, but at the end you can drizzle the sauce over the top and also over any vegetables or noodles you choose to eat with it…

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Root Vegetable Chips from Mastering the Art of Paleo Cooking

Chris — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:15:09 +0000

I used to be a chronic snacker and still do love something salty in the afternoon. Instead of grabbing potato chips or cheese puffs like I used to do, I’m pretty quick at throwing together some sort of vegetable chip, my favorites being parsnip chips and eggplant chips. I usually will slice a bunch up before hand and keep them in a container in the refrigerator to help cut down the time they take to make when I’m hungry. All in all, it’s a very quick and healthy treat with nothing more than the vegetable, a little olive oil, and salt.

This post from Mastering the Art of Paleo Cooking caught my eye as it uses beets, rutabaga, and daikon radish, something I haven’t tried yet. It also includes garlic which sounds delicious — the possibilities of herbs and spices to add are really endless. I now have a list of more vegetables to buy this week and throw in the mix for my daily snack. Come to think of it, these would be perfect for the Creamy Chipotle Butternut Dip from Tasty Eats at Home that I posted yesterday. Who knew chips and dip could be so healthy, let alone delicious?

When I need questions answered, inspiration, or just a laugh, the first stop on my list is Whole 9. Dallas and Melissa Hartwig make up the dynamic team behind the growing Whole 9 empire. Their Whole30 program has empowered and changed thousands of lives. Their articles provide valuable nutritional information to the public in an easy to read, witty, and relate-able style. Needless to say, I was thrilled to spend a whole day learning from them at their Foundations of Nutrition Workshop at Team Crossfit Academy yesterday. Their workshop goes beyond just what to eat, and tackles the reasons behind the food choices (good and bad) that we make. They don’t skimp on the science, but don’t let that intimidate you- they use fun analogies to bring the concepts to life and make even the least nerdy of the group understand. If you haven’t been to one of their workshops yet, put it on your list. If they won’t be near you anytime soon, don’t worry- you can always buy their upcoming book It Starts With Food. When you do get the opportunity to participate in a Whole9 workshop, these Root Vegetable Chips make an excellent snack to bring along. Just make sure to bring extras- they will be gone quick!

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Creamy Chipotle Butternut Dip from Tasty Eats at Home

Chris — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:52:58 +0000

Are you looking for a healthy dip to serve at a party? As you know most dips are tasty, but are usually loaded with some really horrible ingredients. Here’s a great option from Alta Mantsch of Tasty Eats at Home. It’s a Creamy Chipotle Butternut Dip made from butternut squash, cashews, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and a few more fantastic ingredients, you’re sure to have something that will thrill your guests as well as keeping them healthy. Now the trick will be to give them something healthy to dip into it — I love Alta’s suggestion of raw veggies or gluten-free crackers — just be sure to keep it isolated if you’re also serving the regular stuff for your non-GF guests. One thing I’ve been noticing with dishes like this at parties where there are both gluten-free and non gluten-free items, the gluten-free ones usually run out first because they are so good because of the quality ingredients that are going into it.

It’s that time of the year – time to gather around friends and family and watch football! Superbowl is one of those events that draw football fanatics and non-football watchers alike. After all, it’s a big party that often includes booze and delicious-but-unhealthy snacks, and it’s an opportunity for people to get together and have fun.

But what if you are following a gluten-free or other allergen-free diet? Or are simply trying to eat healthier? What do you do to combat the beer, pizza, wings, and chips-and-dip-fest that occurs at a Superbowl party? Bring your own healthier, wholesome, nutritious snack, that’s what! This dip is creamy and slightly spicy, but packs a good amount of vitamins from the butternut squash, and healthy fats from cashews, tahini, and olive oil. It’s also addictive – I love it paired with gluten-free crackers, but it really works well with raw veggies, such as celery sticks.

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Roasted Cauliflower Soup from Elana’s Pantry

Chris — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:40:22 +0000

Simplicity always rules. For me, eating food made from clean and simple ingredients has been the easiest and best way to take control of my health and my life (forgive me if I sound like I’m preaching). Cauliflower is such an easy and nutrient dense food that is so readily available and so easy to use, that it’s been another staple in our house for years. I didn’t always like cauliflower (and still don’t when it’s served by itself an simply steamed), but with all of its amazing uses (search on this site for “cauliflower” and you’ll see what I mean), there are no limits as to what you can do with it. Elana of Elana’s Pantry has created a super easy, super simple, and super healthy recipe for a Roasted Cauliflower Soup. Five simple ingredients and your on your way. If only the stuff we buy in stores was this simple.

Soup is good food. Especially healthy soup made with a mere five ingredients.

This quick and easy Roasted Cauliflower soup recipe is one that I found in a recent issue of Bon Appetit. Except their recipe had butter and heavy cream; I’ve de-Paula Deened this recipe so that it is the pure delicious essence of a vegetable without all kinds of unnecessary other ingredients and flavors…

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