GotNoThymeForGluten

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    • It’s Hard When Multiple Food Restrictions Pop Up

      Posted at 5:35 pm by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      May 31st

      Focaccia Used As a Base for Pizza

      Food restrictions are tough. It makes it difficult to eat out. You may find a few trusted places to eat, but even those are a risk. The possibility of cross-contamination is always there. The knowledge that one change of the menu could take away the only option you have at the restaurant. It’s frustrating.

      Having multiple food restrictions makes it really hard. I’ve talked before about my wife having an issue with both gluten and rice. She didn’t know there were other people that had problems with rice until last week when a reader commented that they, too, couldn’t eat rice. It made her feel not so alone about it, that was a nice side effect I never thought about when I started this blog. Thank you for your comments, it makes our world just a little bigger.

      So…. if food restrictions make it harder to eat out, what options do you have? Pre-packaged meals or cooking. Pre-packaged meals are often expensive and not too tasty. Cooking, for some (my bride included) can be overwhelming. When you have multiple food restrictions it can be difficult to even find a recipe. I can instantly find pages of gluten free recipes with a simple google search. When I add rice free into the search the options dwindle greatly.

      Recently, we wanted to make a gluten free and rice free pizza. I know we have done a pizza post before, but this is not (exactly) a pizza post… just a suggestion of pizza. Anyway, I was looking though the inter webs for a pizza crust that had neither rice or gluten. Not too many recipes came up. I looked further and found a few, but they looked questionable. I decided I was going to have to make my own.

      I referenced a focaccia bread recipe I have used in the past, for some ratios, and jumped in. I experimented with several flours to see what we liked best. I will include the recipe we ended up liking best. We top it with some sauce, cheese and toppings and enjoy pretty tasty pizza (see Notes following recipe). You could also top it simply as a more traditional focaccia would be.

      Gluten Free Rice Free Focaccia
      1 1/8 C  Buckwheat Flour
      1 1/8 C  Quinoa Flour
      3       T  Buttermilk Powder
      1        t   Baking Powder
      1 1/4  t   Salt
      1 1/2  t   Xanthan Gum
      1        T  Granulated Sugar
      2 1/4 T  Instant Yeast
      1 1/2  C Lukewarm Water
      3       T  Olive Oil

      Place warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for a few minutes or until yeast activates, you should see some bubbles or foam.

      Mix remaining dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer (if you do not have a stand mixer see notes at the bottom of this recipe).   Blend dry ingredients together until mixed well. Add activated yeast mixture to bowl. Add olive oil to bowl. Mix well. Now beat this mixture on medium high speed for 4 minutes. The mixture should look smoother and fluffier after the four minutes.

      Cover bowl and rest dough, on counter, for about 30 minutes.

      Preheat oven to 375.

      Butter or grease a 9 x 13 pan (you could also use parchment paper), I use a lipped cookie sheet. Gently spread dough out in pan. Bake 20 – 25 minutes until the top springs back when gently pressed. Let rest for a few minutes and enjoy!

      Notes:
      *If you do not have a stand mixer you can still make this recipe. They texture will be a bit more dense, but we enjoyed it that way for years. To get the lighter texture you really do need to use a stand mixer, that can not be done by hand.
      *If you are using this for the crust or base of a pizza I recommend baking for about 12 minutes, removing from oven, adding your sauce toppings and cheese and then baking for a 15 or until cheese has browned. Also, for pizza we use two 9 x 13 pans preparing one as a pizza and the other as breadsticks or a dessert pizza. For dessert pizza, we top with butter, cinnamon and sugar. The crust can be made thick or thin depending on your preference.

      Posted in Foodie Talk, Recipes | Tagged Celiac Disease, Food Restrictions, Gluten Free Bread, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Rice Free Baking, Gluten Free Rice Free Bread, Rice Free, Rice Free Baking, Rice Free Bread, Rice Free Food, Rice Free Living
    • Gluten Free Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

      Posted at 9:51 pm by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      May 21st

      I remember LOVING broccoli rice casserole as a kid. It was probably the side Item (or main dish) I asked for the most as a kid. If it was on the menu at a restaurant, I was ordering it. I still enjoy eating it, I usually add in a protein and serve it as a main dish when I make it these days. Luckily, my other half loves it as much as I do, so there are no complaints when it ends up on the dinner table.

      This is a VERY adaptable dish. The protein I use just depends on what I have on hand. I usually have chicken or ham, so those are the two I usually use for this dish. I am sure any protein you like would work with this dish. I have not tried beef in it, but I could see it going well in it. You could even change out the vegetable, for that matter. I have used asparagus in place of the broccoli, and it was great. You can change things out to fit your own personal palate. Add more cheese or different kinds of cheese according to your preference. That is the fun thing about cooking for yourself, you can change it to fit how YOU want it to taste.

      As I have mentioned before, my wife feels better when she doesn’t eat a lot of rice so I cut it out where I can. Several years, after she had been exposed to gluten at a restaurant (and was in quite a bit of pain), I tried making the casserole with quinoa instead of rice. We loved it and it is now how we make it each time. The quinoa adds nuttiness to it that the rice doesn’t. It adds another level of flavor.

      Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

      1 1/2 C Quinoa (cooked)
      1 Chicken Breast (cooked and diced)
      3 C Broccoli (chopped)
      4 oz Velveeta Style Cheese (something creamy that melts easily)
      1/4 C Water
      1 t Onion Powder
      1/2 C Shredded Cheese (of choice, I use cheddar or Colby Jack)
      Salt & pepper to taste (go easy on the salt as the cheese can be salty)

      In a sauce pan combine the Velveeta cheese and water. Cook on stove top until cheese is completely melted. Stir in the onion power, salt and pepper. Stir in chopped broccoli and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the broccoli starts to soften. Add in the chicken and quinoa, stir to combine.
      Pour mixture into a casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.
      Bake at 350f until cheese has browned, 15 – 20 minutes.
      Enjoy!

      Posted in Foodie Talk, Recipes | Tagged Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Casseroles, Gluten Free Comfort Food, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Foodie, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Free Recipes, Living Gluten Free
    • Gluten Free Product Review: Ming Bings Plant-Based Cheeseburger

      Posted at 10:43 pm by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      Apr 22nd

      For most of our meals we cook at home. Sometimes we have elaborate meals… most of the time we have pretty simple meals. Even cooking simple meals take time to prepare. If I’ve made a simple chicken and quinoa dish, that’s still going to take (at minimum) 15 – 20 minutes for the quinoa to cook. Sometimes you need to eat a bit faster than that. Those times are when having a few real quick things in the pantry or freezer come in hand. We just found a new one to add to our freezer.

      A few grocery trips ago we stumbled upon ‘Mings Bings’ in the freezer section. Neither of us had noticed them before. They were marked gluten free so we thought… why not? They are plant-based, though that is not why we got them. It said cheeseburger, that’s why we got them. I mean… yum. They had air frying instructions on the box and cooked in only 16 minutes. We added them to the cart.

      When we got home, we popped them in the air fryer, not really knowing what to expect. If you have eaten pre-made, mass produced gluten free foods for very long you know they can, at times, be… questionable, at best. There are some scary pasta and bread offerings out there, and we have tried a lot of them. So we were anxious to try and see if our new find was a treasure, or a dud.

      After sixteen minutes in the air fryer, they came out crisp and piping hot. So hot that we had to let them sit for a bit and cool down. The outer wrap was really crispy. The filling was peeking out from behind the wrapper. We were sharing the first one so we cut it in half. The filling smooshed out of the side a bit when cutting it, but it cut pretty easily. Since some of the filing was out I decided to try that first. It was a little oily, but had an excellent flavor. The next bite, with filling and wrapper combined, was delightful. The crisp of the wrapper against the softness of the filling made for a great bite. The filling is very flavorful. I would not have guessed it was plant-based if someone had just handed it to me. I mean, I didn’t think I was eating a cheeseburger but I enjoyed it very much.

      It is a tasty pocket sandwich, of sorts, and we have had them several times since that first one. Just today, for lunch, we had one each with a pickle and some carrot sticks. It was a delightful little meal. So, if you are looking for something quick to pop in the air fryer, I think you might enjoy these. They come in several flavors, but this is the only one we have had so far.

      I do want to add…. we are not getting paid for this review, we just genuinely like them and thought you might, too. It’s hard to navigate the world with food restrictions when so much of our society revolves around food. We like to spread the word when we find good eats!

      Now… go eat!

      Posted in Foodie Talk, Product Reviews | Tagged Celiac Disease, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Food Review, Gluten Free Foodie, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Free Living, Gluten Free Plant-Based Foods, Gluten free Product Review, Gluten free Quick Food, Gluten Free Vegan, Living Gluten Free
    • Gluten Free Panna Cotta: Egg Free Custard

      Posted at 11:40 pm by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      Mar 26th

      The first time I had panna cotta was in culinary school. We were tasked with making it. I had never even heard of it. I followed what my instructor had shown us and when it was ready I took my first bite. I loved it! It was light and refreshing. It is very similar to a custard but uses no eggs, I was amazed by that. I found it is somewhat of am empty canvas. You can play around with the flavors and really make it taste exactly how you want. I love those type recipes. I am into versatility when it comes to cooking. I enjoy being able to take a recipe and really make it my own. My wife jokes about the fact that I never fully follow a recipe. I always change it up a little until I get it just how we like it. A recipe is not meant to be written in stone, it is a guideline. Take from it what you need and change what you’d like. Baking is a bit different, as you need to keep the ratios the same, but you can play with the flavors.

      After making the panna cotta at school I went home and told my wife all about it. I described the texture and flavors in detail. She wanted to try it. The recipe I used at school took over eight hours, so it wouldn’t be dessert that night, but I made it a few nights later. She loved it, too! I didn’t love that it took so long to make, but it was worth it. It was delicious. About a year later I was looking through recipes for some research I was doing and came across one for my dear old friend… panna cotta. Per that recipe it only had to sit for about an hour. That was MUCH faster than the preparation I made before! I set out to try it that night. I was a bit leery as to how it would turn out, but I gave it a try anyway. It was a winner. Just as delicious as what I had made before without the long wait. I have changed the recipe up a bit over the years, and it has become one of our favorite desserts.

      Feel free to play around with the flavors a bit. The picture included with this recipe is of a honey lavender version I made. The recipe I am posting is just for a vanilla version so you can just add whichever flavors work for you and the people you are cooking for. If you need tips on how to add your own flavors, just ask!

      Gluten Free Vanilla Panna Cotta

      3 tsp Gelatin (unflavored)
      4 tbsp Cold water
      1/4 cup Sugar
      1 tsp Vanilla Extract
      1 cup Milk (full fat)
      1 1/4 cup Heavy Cream

      In a small bowl, soak gelatin in water until soft.
      In a pan, heat milk, cream, vanilla and sugar. Bring to simmer. Add gelatin and remove pan from heat. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Pour mixture in four ramekins (or small bowls, or even coffee mugs) and let cool. Refrigerate until set, at least one hour.
      Enjoy!

      Posted in Foodie Talk, Recipes | Tagged Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Dessert, Gluten Free Desserts, Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Foodie, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Free Panna Cotta, Gluten Free Recipes, Living Gluten Free
    • Sometimes you just need a “quick” and easy gluten-free meal…

      Posted at 12:30 am by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      Mar 22nd

      Sometimes you have a busy or challenging day and just can’t shake it. Most people call them Mondays. I jest, any day can be a challenge. Sometimes it starts out questionable and just never gets better. On days like that, especially on days like that, the last thing you want to think about is cooking a meal. You just want to pull in the closest drive thru and be done with the day. The drive thru is not always an easy option when you have food restrictions. In a town full of fast food there may only be a couple that you can safely eat at, and most likely only a couple of the items off the menu you can have or even like. That can make an already frustrating day even worse.

      So… what to do? Some days you will absolutely go for the one drive thru near you, other days you will go home and make do. What does “Make Do” look like? Around our house, sometimes it looks like a frozen pizza and some Ben & Jerry’s. Other times it looks like a simple recipe. Something quick and easy. I try to keep ingredients around to pull from to make an easy meal. (I used to have a friend that would give me a hard time if I ate out or made something simple because, “You are a chef, you should be cooking gourmet dinners!”… not even a chef wants to cook big elaborate meals every day. Quick and easy recipes are important for anyone to have in your back pocket.) Pasta is always good to have on hand for a quick meal. You can throw anything in pasta. Experiment with it. The other night we made pasta with butter and parmesan cheese, that’s one of our go to easy meals, and the wife said, “Would these work in there?”, holding up a jar of ricotta stuffed peppers in oil. Truthfully, I was not sure if the flavor of the oil they were soaked in would work and the peppers can get quite strong. We are a pretty food adventurous family, so we decided to give it a go. It was delicious and we will definitely be eating it again. Experimenting can help you find some of your new favorite foods. Just always make sure to check labels to make sure it is safe for you to eat.

      One easy meal we love is roasted potatoes and sausage with veggies. It is so easy to make and is completely adaptable to what you have on hand. For instance, if you don’t have potatoes you could use any kind of, or a mix of, root vegetables. We’ve made it with sweet potatoes a handful of times and loved it. You can trade out the sausage for a different type of meat, if you would like. Just be aware that with this recipe the meat is going in precooked. You can also trade out the vegetables included, we do that often depending on what we have on hand. The adaptability is one of my favorite things about this recipe. You can use your favorite seasonings and herbs. You can use fresh, frozen or canned ingredients. Make it fit your tastes. This recipe, as written, is how I prepare it for my family… feel free to change it up and make it your own!

      When you look at the cooking time you will say, “Now, Jeani, I thought you said this was a QUICK and easy meal.” I will argue that it is both, kind of. It cooks for about an hour, but it goes together very quickly. Your hands on time is quick. I have used frozen vegetables for quick prep in this recipe.

      Roasted Potatoes and Sausage with Veggies

      3 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes (diced)
      2 links Sausage (cooked and diced)
      1/2 C Corn
      1/2 C Carrots (diced)
      1/2 C Green Peas
      1/2 C Shredded Cheese
      2 t Dried Thyme or Dill
      1 T Onion Powder
      1 T Garlic Powder
      2 T Olive Oil
      TT Salt & Pepper

      Preheat oven to 400f
      Dice potatoes, add to large mixing bowl. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil, stir to coat. Add seasonings to potatoes, mix well. Add sausage, peas, carrots and corn to the potatoes, stirring everything together. Pour mixture into a baking dish. Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until potatoes are tender. Remove foil and top potato mixture with cheese. Cook and additional 12 minutes or until cheese has browned a bit.
      Enjoy!

      Posted in Foodie Talk, Recipes | Tagged Celiac Disease, Easy Gluten Free Cooking, Easy Gluten Free Foods, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Comfort Food, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Foodie, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Free Potatoes, Gluten Free Recipes, Living Gluten Free
    • Breakfast: Grits, Diced Ham & Egg

      Posted at 9:49 pm by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      Mar 9th

      They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That makes sense, it starts your day. I, admittedly, am not a big breakfast person. It’s not about the foods, I love breakfast food. It’s more about the time of day because I’m a night owl. Give me a piece of toast and a runny yolk and I am in heaven… but don’t forget the bacon.

      Gluten free breakfast at home is pretty straight forward. There are many gluten free cereals available (I love Nature’s Path Gorilla Munch because it reminds me of Corn Pops cereal). Eggs, bacon and potatoes are all gluten free, in their unadulterated state. If you are using liquid egg or any processed foods make sure to read the labels for gluten.

      I was raised in the south, where grits are a breakfast staple. There are may opinions on the “proper” way to eat grits. Some think salt and pepper is the way to go. Others feel butter and sugar are a better option. I’m a foodie… I like both a savory and sweet preparation. If I am eating them plain, I prefer butter and sugar. If I am eating them savory, I like to load them up with cheese and yummy goodness.

      For a hearty breakfast I like to make cheese grits with diced ham topped and a fried egg on top. You can prepare the egg any way you like, but I must say… a runny yolk really takes this dish to another level. When it mixes in with the grits and ham. (Chef’s kiss)

      This is a very adaptable recipe. It’s more of a guideline. Feel free to change it up with what works best for your tastes. I like this recipe for breakfast because it goes together pretty quickly, it’s easy and it’s hearty enough to stick with you until lunch. If you have trouble finding grits in your area, you can order them online. They are not easily available in the area we live now, so I order them and have them shipped to my doorstep. Just keep in mind that not all grits are labeled gluten free, check the label.

      Grits, Diced Ham and Eggs

      2 C Grits (prepared per package instructions)
      4 Eggs (large)
      2 oz Ham (diced)
      1/4 C Parmesan cheese (optional)
      1 1/2 t Butter (optional)
      To taste Salt and Pepper

      Prepare grits according to package directions. Once prepared add butter and cheese, if opting to add them. Set aside. In a skillet cook diced ham until browned (I like to get mine pretty dark, but cook to desired doneness). Add to prepared grits and stir. In skillet fry eggs to desired doneness (I love a runny yolk, especially in this recipe, but feel free to cook the egg to your liking).
      In each bowl, add the grits/ham mixture and top with eggs. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to each bowl and serve.

      Posted in Foodie Talk, Recipes | Tagged Celiac Disease, gluten free breakfast, Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas, Gluten Free Comfort Food, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Foodie, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Free Foods, Gluten Free Grits, Gluten Free Recipes, Living Gluten Free
    • In the Gluten Free World, Pizza can be a Challenge…

      Posted at 3:59 am by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      Feb 21st

      My wife loves pizza. I mean… she LOVES pizza. She could, and would, eat it every day given the chance. We have looked for good gluten free pizza for many years. We gave up finding it and just hoped for pizza with a crust that didn’t taste like it was made from cardboard. It’s definitely a challenge. We have lucked out a few times. Once in South Beach, Florida we lucked into the best pizza (La Leggenda Pizzeria) either one of us have had. When I say it was a great pizza, I don’t mean it was great for a gluten free pizza, I mean it is a GREAT pizza. It was phenomenal. Chewy crust. It was perfect!

      Since we do not live in South Beach, we came back from that trip with a renewed hope in finding a truly great gluten free pizza where we live. We found some good pizza, but not great pizza. When we didn’t find it in the restaurants around us I looked at countless recipes to try to make a great pizza. Countless attempts, countless disappointments. They were good, but not great. I settled on a focaccia bread recipe that was pretty good and used it for our pizzas.

      One day I heard of a gluten free cookbook that focused on pizza. I read the reviews and people were raving about it. I researched the book a bit and found that it was written by a couple that has the same love for pizza that my wife has. They had traveled the world in search of the best pizza. Then the husband was diagnosed with celiac. They decided to travel the world again looking for the best pizza, but this time one that the husband could safely eat.

      To say their cookbook is a game changer in the gluten free pizza game is an understatement. Be it the New York Style, Detroit Style or the Chicago Style they are exquisite. People would never guess they are gluten free pizzas. The crusts are chewy, airy and have a delicious flavor… and that is before you add toppings! We have not had one yet that was not good. If your house enjoys pizza as much as our household does, I really do recommend No Gluten, No Problem Pizza by Kelli and Peter Bronski. I do not know the authors, I have never spoken to or met them, but the book really is a game changer.

      Disclaimer: As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made though links in this post. 

      Posted in Foodie Talk, Recipes, Travel | Tagged Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Cookbook, Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Foodie, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Free Pizza, Gluten Free Recipes, Living Gluten Free
    • Changes…

      Posted at 1:23 am by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      Feb 9th

      Hello, my gluten free foodies! We have been out of the loop for a long while, but we are back!

      Some things have changed for us since we last saw you. At the beginning of this blog we were living on a farm in the rural southern United States. Now, we are city living in New England in the north eastern United States. Covid-19 has swept though the world since we last spoke, as well. The world is a much different place than it was when this blog started. It has been a rough several years for all of us, learning new ways to cope with the world as it is now. A lot of people have searched for a way to connect, a way to have a community through all this separation. The best way I know to bond with people, be it online or in person, is through food. I find food to be a great unifier.

      With all of this in mind, we are adding a bit to the page, so you may notice some differences.

      We will still be posting tested gluten free recipes. We have/will be adding some links to each recipe to help you find some of the ingredients we use to make it easier to replicate the recipes you find here. We want your food journey to be successful and we look forward to comments and questions!

      We also want to include some travel tips and recommendations for gluten free travel. We will talk about some of the challenges we have faced with it and some of the ways we have figured out to make it easier. We will also mention some places we have visited and recommend to eat. We will add our reviews of these establishments and let you know what we enjoyed about them. There are many great places to eat out all around the world when you are gluten free, but they can be tricky to find. We hope to help just a but with that. We will only be mentioning places we have first hand knowledge of, so we may not be able to suggest a place in a particular town or state, but we will try our best.

      Now, it’s been a while… allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Jeani. I am a classically trained chef that specializes in gluten free cooking. My gluten free journey started when I met my wife, a celiac. Gluten makes her very sick and I have spent the last decade making sure she has delicious food that is also safe for her to eat. It has been a learning experience, but we are willing to share what we have learned along the way.

      Join us at our gluten free table. Let’s eat, let’s discuss, let’s learn and most of all…. let’s have fun in the process! Welcome!

      Posted in Foodie Talk | Tagged Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Free New England, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Travel, Gluten Intolerant, Gluten Intolerant Recipes, Gluten Sensitivity Recipes, Living Gluten Free
    • Frito Pie

      Posted at 6:46 pm by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      Apr 18th

      20180418_134823Who doesn’t like chili, right? Everyone has a favorite style, and there are many styles out there. Maybe you like yours super spicy or vegetarian. Perhaps you only like your chili on a hot dog. In my house the question has always been: to bean, or not to bean? My other half loves a bean… any kind of bean. I grew up in a family of bean lovers, but I was not one of them. I don’t know why really, I was just never a fan. I have avoided them most of my life. Growing up in Texas you are taught that chili is beanless. Chili is meat, chilies, tomatoes, onions and spices. No beans. Even my bean loving family didn’t put beans in chili. I loved chili, specifically Wolf Brand chili with no beans. It was my favorite.
      The first time my better half and I were going to make chili, she wanted to put several different kinds of beans in it. I thought… BLASPHEMY! I believe I even said, “Um. Why would you put beans in chili?” So, we had our first discussion on what made a proper chili. For her it included three to four different kinds of beans. For me not even one. We have come to a compromise. When I make our normal chili, I add some chili beans, just chili beans no other. I do reserve the right, on certain dishes, to exclude the beans but it doesn’t happen that often. Love can make you do crazy things and it has lead me to add beans where there should be no beans. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
      Just as I had to learn that no beans were a regional thing, I have learned that a chili dish I mentioned in my last post is more of a regional dish than I realized. I grew up eating Frito Pie at fairs, carnivals and at home. It is kind of a staple in this part of the south. I didn’t realize it was just a regional thing. Allow me to explain this southern delicacy. Around here you can even find it at some fast food restaurants. It is a fast dish that can be as simple or as complicated as you would like it to be. Generally, if you order it at a fast food place or at a fair, it will consist of: corn chips (Frito style), canned chili, chopped onions and shredded cheese. Quick to throw together and not expensive to make. You can feed a crowd without breaking the bank. When you make it yourself at home, you can make it a little more to your specific tastes.
      First let me explain the structure of the dish. You construct it in your individual bowls. Corn chips (Frito style) at the bottom of the bowl, pour your favorite chili on top of that, add a little shredded cheese. Then, if you are so inclined, add some freshly chopped raw onion. That is a traditional preparation. You will find that all around this region. In our home we add a dollop of sour scream to finish out the dish, because I like sour cream with chili. You can add any kind of garnishes you would like. Some people add a little ketchup, because they like the flavor of chili and ketchup together. Some people add some freshly chopped cilantro and chopped tomato. You can really top it however you would like to make it your own. That is what is so great about it, it is super customizable. Each member if my family has something a little different in their bowl, and it tastes exactly as they like.
      If you have never heard of it, give it a try next time you make chili. It is great on a cold night, or when you are craving some comfort food.

      Posted in Foodie Talk | Tagged Celiac Disease, Gluten Free, Gluten Free CHili, Gluten Free Comfort Food, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Food Prep, Gluten Free Foodie, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Intolerant, Living Gluten Free
    • What’s in your pantry?

      Posted at 2:51 am by Got No Thyme for Gluten
      Mar 2nd

      20180228_201454When I was growing up my mom was single with two kids. She was working to support the kids and putting herself through nursing school for a better future for the three of us. Money was tight. We might not have had a lot, but we always had food in the pantry. She made sure we were well fed. Every payday she would go to the store to stock the pantry and freezer. That is something that has stuck with me. I always make sure that there is food in the pantry and freezer. You can do without a lot of things in life, but food is not one of them. You gotta eat. When my budget is sparse, I may hit as many as five different grocery stores to get the best deals so I can to stretch my dollar as far as it can go. When my budget looks better, I try to stock up a little for when it dips back down.
      As important as it is to have food to eat, having a full pantry can also give you a little freedom in meal options. When I grocery shop I usually get things that can work for a variety of meals. That gives me some freedom to play with the menu a bit. There are times we want something specific and I buy the ingredients for just that meal, but usually I try to keep a variety of proteins, veg, grains and pantry items. Those are the things I have to pick from for our everyday meals.
      When I go into the kitchen to prepare a meal, I usually don’t have a full idea of what I will end up cooking. My first question is, “What protein are we going to have?’ Once I pick a protein I look in the fridge to see what fresh veg I have on hand and look in the pantry to see what else is available. That is when I start to build the meal. For example, we found a great sale on the ground beef we like to eat. Raised and butchered within 75 miles of our house. No antibiotics. It is lean, cooks up great and has a really good taste. It was a really good sale, so I stocked up. We have quite a bit of it right now, so it has been a go to protein for the last couple of weeks. I usually have a variety of beans in the pantry, both dry and canned. I pull the ground beef, grab a couple cans of beans, a can of tomatoes, luck out and see an onion on the counter. Boom, it’s chili time. If we are lucky and there are Fritos in the pantry too, it turns into Frito Pie night, a favorite at our house. We will get into the with or without bean discussion on a post for chili later. I am more of a fan of no bean chili, but my sweetie loves the bean… so I usually add beans to it.
      However, with that same pound of ground beef I could have grabbed a can of tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce and a package of dried pasta to make something Italian. My pantry gives me freedom to play with the menu. It gives me options.
      When you go to the grocery store… check out the clearance isle and look to see what’s on sale. The clearance isle is great! I have found a lot of things on clearance that I would never have thought to buy, usually because I didn’t want to pay full price for something that I might not like. When I see it for a fraction of the price, I grab it! I once found this box on clearance that said, “Restaurant Quality Plain Puppodums”, I had no idea what that was. It was marked gluten free and looked interesting so I picked up a box. We tried them and LOVED them. They are these crispy, crunchy things that I don’t even know how to describe. It is traditionally served with Indian food but oddly enough we love them with egg salad. Thinner than a wafer, kind of cracker like, but not really. Totally yummy. I went back and bought several more boxes! You really never know what treasures or deals you can find on clearance isles or on sale.
      Buy a couple of extra cans of something you use a lot. It will come in handy to have that extra little something stashed in the back of the pantry. You don’t have to go broke stocking up, just a few extra things here and there. You’ll thank yourself later!

      Posted in Foodie Talk | Tagged Gluten Free, Gluten Free Community, Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Food Prep, Gluten Free Foodie, Gluten Free Foodie Talk, Gluten Free Foods, Gluten Free Must Have Foods, Gluten Free Pantry, Gluten Free Pantry Staples, Living Gluten Free
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