jamaican jerk-rubbed pork, black beans w/ mango, and rice

This was a big meal.

Pork tenderloins are packaged in twos, and I always forget that when I bring the package home and throw it into the freezer. Then I end up defrosting two and having to cook two at the same time, giving us way more leftovers than we can possibly eat. And until recently, I only had one really good tenderloin recipe, and even the best food will get boring if you have too much of it.

Searching for something else to do with pork tenderloins led me to this spice rub on Recipe Source.

Jamaican Jerk Rub
4 Tbs ground allspice
1 Tbs dried thyme
1 Tbs paprika
1 tsp ground red pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Mike sliced one of the tenderloins into little medallions and spice-rubbed them. The other went into the fridge for a couple days (it will be tonight's dinner--my other tenderloin recipe). In order to keep them from slipping through the grill, he put foil over the grill but made little indents and poked holes for the grease to run off. This was to ensure they were grilled rather than pan-fried.

For the side dish I was thinking something with rice. Eventually I decided on black beans, and then I was inspired to add some mango. I searched around Recipe Source and Mollie Katzen Online for ideas on exactly how to cook black beans. I ended up sauteeing in olive oil about a tablespoon of chopped white onion and 3 cloves minced garlic. I added a can of black beans, including the water. When it started simmering I added one diced mango and a few leaves of fresh cilantro. It simmered on the stove top for about 15 minutes until the liquid was down. I thought it could use a little extra seasoning, but Mike thought it was perfect, so I added a dash of salt and pepper once it was on my plate.

I don't know how we lived before we had a rice cooker. Started it up first thing and forgot about it until it was time to plate and eat.

felafel

In an amazing burst of energy yesterday I decided to take my first crack at making felafel. It's so easy, I don't know why I didn't try it sooner! I could make the batter whilst feeling energetic, then fry the patties later for a quick hot meal. We were both feeling pretty exhausted by dinner time and took turns frying, but the spicy little patties did wonders for our congestion!

I used the recipe in Moosewood, halving it and using one 15-oz. can of chickpeas and Bob's Red Mill GF Baking Flour for the small amount of flour called for. I probably could have used any of the flours I have on hand, like potato flour, or my gf bread crumbs also.

So, chickpeas, fresh garlic, cumin, tumeric, salt, onion or scallions, parsley, water, lemon juice, cayenne. For the quick version, throw it all in a food processor. For the longer version, mince and mash everything by hand. (I opted for the quick version.) Then mix in the flour. At this point you can put it in an air-tight container and store it in the fridge for a few days. When you're ready to cook, heat up some oil in a deep skillet and drop spoonfuls of the batter, flattening them out a little when they hit the oil. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until crispy on the outside and hot on the inside.

Taste-wise, these turned out fantastically. I need to work on my batter consistency and frying time though. They were a little too crispy on the outside and a tad gooey on the inside. I think I should have used more flour and slightly less-hot oil.

We had these in combination with the leftover tabouli from the night before and a bit of plain yogurt* and a hummus I'd bought at Safeway that turned out to be not as good as the fresh stuff we buy at farmers' market. (I was desperate and I took a chance. We bought the good stuff at farmers' market this morning and as much as we're trying to be economical with our grocery budget these days, sometimes you have to know when to just toss something out and move on.) Mike also had pita with his. (I didn't have the energy to try making my own pitas yesterday, although the hot air on the balcony would have been great for dough-rising.)

Oh, and the yogurt turned out to be vanilla! I wondered why my meal was oddly sweet. I thought it was my cold, or the weird-tasting hummus. Why do they use the same color container for vanilla and plain?

We have a small amount of batter left that I'm thinking will be a nice hot lunch for me one day soon. Maybe after I've bought some plain yogurt.

*For vegan, omit the yogurt on the side.

pizza and beer in edinburgh

Run, don't walk, to Mamma's in Edinburgh. It's an American-style pizzaria that offers a gluten-free crust, plus other gluten-free entrees, desserts, and beer alongside all the "regular" food. It was delicious. It was just like regular pizza. And it was such a mental pick-me-up, to be able to sit down and order pizza and beer just like everyone else.

We went to the Grassmarket location. The website says it's take-out, but they had a sit-down restaurant. You can see their full menu online. Most of the toppings are gluten-free as well, but I didn't want anything fancy. Just plain cheese and pepperoni for me. Mike had a bite and thought it was comparable to his crust. He said neither pizza lived up to his New York standards, but both were superior to the pizza slop they serve in California.


(Clicking on the image will take you to vacation pics on flickr.)

it's great to be back in my own kitchen

While I didn't have a terrible time finding food to eat overseas, just like when I'm traveling in the U.S. it's still a relief to be home. Yesterday I made sweet pepper and black bean quesadillas for lunch and made quinoa tabouli for dinner. Yay for cooking at home again!

I had some food projects in mind before we left and I'm anxious to get to work on them, as soon as I get over this stupid cold. (Making the tabouli last night was my last official act before succombing to the germs. Now it's cereal and orange juice for a couple days.)

Eating in Poland

Just a quick note to say that the Polish restaurant card was extremely helpful. The waiters all seemed to recognize the problem. I received some sad meals (dried chicken breast and limp vegetables) and some curiously delicious meals (moist chicken breast topped with pineapple and strawberry preserves!) and I watched my husband and cousins eat some very tempting breads and cakes. But I got to try some of the local diary favorites (I love cheese and sour cream!) and I have survived Poland with my appetite in tact.

On to Austria tonight!

celiac travel

We're preparing for a 3-week jaunt through Europe (leaving in 2 days!) and while I'm very excited, naturally I'm a tad apprehensive about the gluten-free situation. I've stocked up on breakfast bars and hot cereals. I'm confident I'll be able to find plain fruits and vegetables wherever I go. I'll be relieved to get to the UK, where I'll be able to read the food menues and labels. (I've heard of a pizza place in Edinburgh that serves gluten-free pizza and beer!)

But for Poland, Austria, and Germany, I've turned to the help of Celiac Travel.com. While the website itself isn't terribly impressive or informational, there is one gem there. Restaurant cards in over 30 languages that you can download for free. I sent the Polish one to the cousin we're staying with in Poland and he said it's an excellent explanation that makes it very clear. So I'm hoping that I won't have any more trouble than I would in an English-speaking restaurant. My cousin also gave me the words for some foods I definitely can eat and some I definitely cannot. (PANIEROWANY means "breaded," for instance.) Mike speaks German and is familiar with a lot of the food we'll find in Germany and Austria, so with him plus my restaurant card I should be in good shape. (I've also already learned that reformhaus mean health food store in German, and if I see one I should be able to find gluten-free food there, just like a health food store in the U.S.)

Now as long as the airline got my gluten-free meals right, there should be no problem. Right?

pigs-in-a-blanket

This is a good "junk food" meal, when you need to take a break from low-fat and salads. I use Chebe bread and wrap the dough around hot dogs*. Easy, right? It's a comfort food that will make you feel like a kid again.

Comfort foods are important on this diet because you can't just run into a 7-11 and tear into anything you want to eat. I think we all spend a lot of time dreaming about our former favorite foods and the best ways to recreate them. And that's where the Chebe bread mix comes in. I love it. I mix garlic and herbs into it for pizza crust, parmesian cheese for breadsticks, chopped sausage or bacon for cheese-puff type things, and cheddar cheese for my pigs-in-a-blanket. It's been unusually chilly for the last few days and my mind has turned to all these cool-weather treats. (I think I've mentioned that recently.)


*Be responsible for your own hot dogs. I like Hebrew National, but they do not guarantee 100% gluten-free. They label wheat on their ingredients but not gluten and do not test for it in the "flavorings." From the ConAgra website: We are sorry to inform you that we do not have a source that lists the gluten content of our products. However, our product labels list common allergens, such as wheat, for those allergic to wheat gluten.
Hebrew National beef franks: INGREDIENTS: Beef, water, salt, contains 2% or less of spice, paprika, hydrolyzed soy protein, garlic powder, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, flavorings.

I've never had a problem with their hot dogs, but I can eat trace amounts of gluten and be okay. I know I should avoid it entirely and not take risks, but I'm a grown-up who can make her own decisions about eating something or not. When I have kids I'll probably change my tune.

cornish hens with lemon and herbs

My little hens* are in the oven right now. I got the recipe from Martha Stewart, Cornish hens with lemon and herbs, and have made just a few tweaks.

Before starting the hens, I prepare some fingerling potatoes. Cut up the larger ones, then tossed with herbs de provence and olive oil. They can sit in the glass baking dish on the counter and go in the oven with the hens.

My ingredients:
2 hens (for us that's one per person; Martha calls for cutting them in half to serve 4)
bunch of thyme
2 lemons
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper

Martha's instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place hens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 1 lemon half in cavity of each hen. Loosen skin from breast, and place remaining thyme and the parsley underneath. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. Rub butter all over hens. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast hens, rotating pan halfway through, until skin turns golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with lemon wedges.

I prepare my hens in the styrofoam tray they come in to keep the lemon juice from getting all over the countertop. Instead of a roasting pan I use a rimmed baking sheet. I use just thyme because we're not huge parsely fans. Martha calls for 3 tablespoons of butter but my hens have been just fine with 1. To keep raw hen juice from getting all over the kitchen I slice the lemons and put them and the thyme and butter on one plate before I start handling the hens.

The potatoes can roast at the same temperature as the hens, so depending on how much you're making and how crispy you like them, put them in the oven for the appropriate amount of time while the hens are in.

This is quite a meat and potatoes meal for us.

*Make sure the hens you get aren't injected with anything containing gluten. Today I used Foster Farms, but I get whatever looks good or is on sale.

stuffed peppers

We wanted a light dinner tonight, made from things we already had in the cupboard and fridge, and something warm since it's unusually chilly today. I came up with stuffed peppers. I made rice in the rice maker and for the last few minutes it was cooking I added some frozen shelled edammame. I halved a red bell pepper and filled the halves with the rice and edammame. For a crispy topping I sprinkled some shredded parmesian cheese* and Gluten-Free Pantry Herbed Crumb Coating. Placed in a glass baking dish and baked at 350 for 20 minutes. Yummy.

I love the herbed crumb coating. It's a great ingredient for some of the comfort foods you miss on a gluten-free diet. I use it for breading pork chops and eggplant before baking. I bread little cheese balls for frying. Mike uses it for weinerschnitzel. I sprinkle it on baked mac-n-cheese and stuffed peppers. I always have some in my cupboard, especially once it gets chilly enough for all these baked and fried comfort foods. You can also use it in meatballs and meatloaf in place of bread crumbs, so I've heard. I don't really like meatballs and meatloaf so I haven't tried it.

*Omit the cheese to make this vegan, obviously.

indian spice rub

This is a recipe I snagged from the Everyday Food magazine: all-purpose spice rub. Online they don't give the suggestions for making different varieties, but the print magazine does. In order to make this more Indian-inspired, replace the oregano and thyme with cardamom, ground ginger, curry powder, and tumeric.

Indian Spice Rub
1/3 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cardammom
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon tumeric

Put everything in a jar and shake it. Spoon out as much as you'll use for whatever you're coating, then put the jar away in the cupboard. Keeps for about 6 months.

I like to use this on chicken breasts, but you could use it for anything. (I'd like to try tofu cubes some day.) Per Martha's instructions, coat the chicken breasts in a little vegetable oil, then coat them with the spice rub, 2 to 3 tablespoons per pound of meat (measure out the spice rub beforehand and put what you'll need on a separate plate so as not to contaminate your whole jar). Let it sit for awhile to soak in the flavors or throw it on the grill right away.

In order to cool down the spiciness I pair this chicken with an apple slaw inspired by an episode of Everyday Food on PBS. Their full recipe is here, Tandoori chicken with yogurt sauce. It's really good and pretty easy, but sometimes on a hot summer evening you want something even easier that you don't have to light the oven for. To make the apple slaw I grate an apple or two, mix in some plain, nonfat yogurt, some lime juice, and some chopped fresh cilantro. Everything is "to taste" and dependent upon how much I want to make.

Make some rice and this meal is complete. And completely tasty and quick.