Well here we are in the year 2008, most likely wanting to shape up for the rapidly approaching summer season, a wedding or 2 you may be attending, or perhaps you just want to get healthy and feel better about yourself instead of looking in the mirror everyday and saying..."Really Jess...put down the god dam fork"? I choose D. all of the above! Recently, I have decided to try and watch what I eat, loose a few "lb's"and feel better about myself. Although one would think that eating right is easy and all you really have to do is make a few adjustments, that unfourtunetly is not the case for the Gluten Free peeps out there.
Weight Watchers is what I am doing at the moment and it has been working quite well, there is no set food you have to eat, and it's a lot easier to follow then one might think. The only problem I have been having is this "Whole Grain" party train that every nutrisitionist, dietiton, doctor, and crazy health freak at the gym is pushing...not that i go to the gym LOL...Anyways a lot of reicpes talk about how whole wheat pastas, barley, oats, rye, bulger wheat bla bla bla are good for you, and I know that they are great for the gluten tolerant but for the rest of us it totally sucks! So I wanted to share a few recipes from my up and comming cookbook "Cooking Against The Grain". These recipes are easy, gluten free, healthy, and most importantly tasty! Also I have listed some great replacement for the following whole grains that may help you substitue the gluten items for non gluten items and help keep the integrity of your dish!
Whole Grain Party Substitutes
Wheat-Buck Wheat
Flour (cooking)-Use Cornsarch for a thickening agent
Flour (baking)- Bob's Redmill and Whole Foods 365 have
All purpose Baking Flour that works like a charm
Oats- Brown Rice, Flaxseed
Pasta: Brown Rice Pasta, Quinoa (great in soup)
Excerpts from my cookbook: Cooking Against The Grain
(For sale this Spring)
Breakfast: Rice Pudding
Serving Size: 4
WW Points: 5
Ingredients
2 cups of Fat Free Skim Milk
1 Tbsp Butter substitute
1 large Egg
¼ tsp of Salt
1 tsp Xanthum gum (optional)
1 ½ cups of Quick Cooking Brown Rice
1 Tbsp of Splenda
3 Tbsp of Brown Sugar Splenda
½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg
½ cup of Almonds
¼ cup of Raisins
What to Do:
Combine milk, and salt on medium heat; bring to a simmer. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with ½ cup of milk mixture to warm up the eggs and add them into the pot on the stove cooking on low heat till a pancake like consistency occurs (7 to 8 minutes). Toss in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugars mixing well. Add in the brown rice and cook on low to medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring frequently. About 5 minutes into the rice cooking process, take your raisins and almonds and add them into the mix as well. Serve hot or cold…either way it’s mighty tasty! Enjoy fresh berries or fruit with the pudding for no extra point!
Lunch: Greco Chicken Salad with a Dill yogurt Dressing
Serving Size: 2
WW Points: 4
Ingredients
1/2 Fruity White Wine
¼ cup of Lemon Juice
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp Pepper
¼ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Lemon Peel
3 cloves of Crushed Garlic
1 ½ lbs. of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
What to do:
Mix all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware and marinate as little as 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This is best cooked on a grill but it can be cooked in the oven as well. Once the chicken is cook, throw it over a romaine salad
Salad
Romaine Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots, Red Cabbage (optional)
Cucumber Dill Yogurt Dressing
Serving Size: 2
WW Points: 1
1 cup of fat free plain yogurt (Greek if possible)
1 tbsp of Scallions, finely chopped
¼ cup of cucumbers, finely chopped
¼ cup of Fresh Dill or 1 tbsp of dried dill pepper
Pinch of Salt
What to Do: Place all the ingredients except the dill into a food processor until smooth. Then add in the dill and let it stand in the fridge covered for about a half hour, enjoy over chicken.
Dinner: Cheesy Escarole Pasta
Serving Size: 4
WW Points: 9
Ingredients
1/2 lb of Pasta or 3 cups of Brown Rice
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 oz Thinly sliced Pancetta or Bacon coarsely chopped
1 large Garlic clove, minced
1 Shallot, minced
1 pound of Escarole, cut into 1-inch strips
10 wedges of Laughing Cow Cheese
Salt & Pepper
What to Do:
Salt the water and cook the pasta till it is just about al dente. Then drain the pasta and reserve 1-½ cups of the water. Meanwhile in a large skillet heat the Olive Oil and cook the bacon on high heat until lightly brown, drain the 80% of the fat. Then add the Garlic and Shallots and cook for 1 minute or so, until the smell has taken over your kitchen. Add in the Escarole and season with salt and pepper and cook until the escarole is wilted. Add the pasta to the mixture and 1 cup of the water with it. Unwrap the laughing cow cheese and add to the skillet. Cook this over medium high heat until the cheese is melted and the sauce is thick and creamy; if it is to thick add the rest of the water to thin it out. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately Mangia.
Serving Size: 4
WW Points: 5
Ingredients
2 cups of Fat Free Skim Milk
1 Tbsp Butter substitute
1 large Egg
¼ tsp of Salt
1 tsp Xanthum gum (optional)
1 ½ cups of Quick Cooking Brown Rice
1 Tbsp of Splenda
3 Tbsp of Brown Sugar Splenda
½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg
½ cup of Almonds
¼ cup of Raisins
What to Do:
Combine milk, and salt on medium heat; bring to a simmer. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with ½ cup of milk mixture to warm up the eggs and add them into the pot on the stove cooking on low heat till a pancake like consistency occurs (7 to 8 minutes). Toss in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugars mixing well. Add in the brown rice and cook on low to medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring frequently. About 5 minutes into the rice cooking process, take your raisins and almonds and add them into the mix as well. Serve hot or cold…either way it’s mighty tasty! Enjoy fresh berries or fruit with the pudding for no extra point!
Lunch: Greco Chicken Salad with a Dill yogurt Dressing
Serving Size: 2
WW Points: 4
Ingredients
1/2 Fruity White Wine
¼ cup of Lemon Juice
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp Pepper
¼ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Lemon Peel
3 cloves of Crushed Garlic
1 ½ lbs. of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
What to do:
Mix all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware and marinate as little as 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This is best cooked on a grill but it can be cooked in the oven as well. Once the chicken is cook, throw it over a romaine salad
Salad
Romaine Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots, Red Cabbage (optional)
Cucumber Dill Yogurt Dressing
Serving Size: 2
WW Points: 1
1 cup of fat free plain yogurt (Greek if possible)
1 tbsp of Scallions, finely chopped
¼ cup of cucumbers, finely chopped
¼ cup of Fresh Dill or 1 tbsp of dried dill pepper
Pinch of Salt
What to Do: Place all the ingredients except the dill into a food processor until smooth. Then add in the dill and let it stand in the fridge covered for about a half hour, enjoy over chicken.
Dinner: Cheesy Escarole Pasta
Serving Size: 4
WW Points: 9
Ingredients
1/2 lb of Pasta or 3 cups of Brown Rice
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 oz Thinly sliced Pancetta or Bacon coarsely chopped
1 large Garlic clove, minced
1 Shallot, minced
1 pound of Escarole, cut into 1-inch strips
10 wedges of Laughing Cow Cheese
Salt & Pepper
What to Do:
Salt the water and cook the pasta till it is just about al dente. Then drain the pasta and reserve 1-½ cups of the water. Meanwhile in a large skillet heat the Olive Oil and cook the bacon on high heat until lightly brown, drain the 80% of the fat. Then add the Garlic and Shallots and cook for 1 minute or so, until the smell has taken over your kitchen. Add in the Escarole and season with salt and pepper and cook until the escarole is wilted. Add the pasta to the mixture and 1 cup of the water with it. Unwrap the laughing cow cheese and add to the skillet. Cook this over medium high heat until the cheese is melted and the sauce is thick and creamy; if it is to thick add the rest of the water to thin it out. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately Mangia.
Hope you enjoy!!!
