So So Salad

First things first, happy 3rd birthday to my baby girl, Iivana. I had intended to make her homemade treats, but I was lazy and bought her a bone instead. I did fill up her pool from last year for her to play today. However, she wasn't too interested in her pool.

I love this picture that I took of her last week. She was out of food, so I went to the commissary to buy her some dog food and they had 2 dollar off coupons. Then I noticed that it was only 11.99 for a huge bag. We normally pay close to forty dollars a bag for her Nutro Dog food! I bought all they had stocked because it was such an awesome deal.

For dinner tonight I made a watermelon and goat cheese salad. It had a citrus vinaigrette that you make from 3 tablespoons of EVOO, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

I used mixed salad greens for the base. Although I wish I had chosen more of an arugula and spinach blend that had a little more flavor than romaine. I topped the salad with watermelon chunks, red onion, and goat cheese. Then I poured some of the vinaigrette.

I had some left over steak that I cut up and topped the salad off with. Overall the salad was okay; I think I had built it up more in my head. I think I would do with out the lettuce and try a different dressing next time. It wasn't horrible, but not something I will probably make again the same way. I'd be happy just eating watermelon and goat cheese. Maybe some basil and a balsamic vinaigrette would be better. But this was an easy and filling summer salad to make.

Gluten Free Pasta Salad

Two weekends ago I went to a barbecue at my neighbor's house and there was a pasta salad that look amazing. It used tri-color noodles was loaded with chunks of cheese and meat along with veggies and of course wheat pasta noodles. I became inspired to make my own version to eat through out the week.

I had ordered some GF veggie noodles when I bought that Living Social deal in February. I had in mind a pasta salad when I ordered them, but I didn't know I would come up with this one. I also used Boar's Head pepperoni, a green pepper, broccoli, a cucumber, red onion, and Colby Jack cheese. The vegetables were diced up and the cheese and pepperoni where cut in chunk-like cubes.

After I cooked the noodles according to the directions on the bag, I ran some cold water over them. Then I mixed all the sliced add-ins with the noodles.

I added Wish Bone Italian dressing. (You might want to save a little, because the next day a lot of it soaks into the noodles.)

This salad lasted me the whole week. Some days I packed it in my lunch and other days I ate it for dinner. I liked making it because it was simple and I could eat from it all week.

V-day at Home

I can't believe last year was my first GF Valentine's Day. I feel like I've been GF for years, so for any newbies out there: it definitely gets easier.

For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to tutor after the class Valentine's party today. (What was I thinking? candy + cupcakes + soda = a not focused tutoring group.) I waited around for kids to be picked up. Then I prepared sub plans for tomorrow because I have some training all day. I knew I would be home late and told Justin I just wanted to eat something at home. My hubby is seriously the best!

I came home to roses!

I also received a card and a special dessert. Can you guess what the dessert is?

A (small 6") Sweetheart cake from Little Aussie!

 Justin made some tortilla chips from left over frozen corn tortillas.

He also made some homemade humus! Both recipes are from the Simply Sugar & Gluten Free Cookbook. A perfect treat to fill my hungry belly while the rest was being prepared.

Then he made a Greek salad with fresh tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers, red onion, feta, olive oil, oregano, and some lemon juice. It was so fresh, light, and flavorful.

Finally he made some baked tilapia with fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, and onion.

There was dessert too! Doesn't it look so decedent?

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, and oh yeah gluten free too. Got to love Little Aussie's cakes!

Served with a little ice cream and more left for later.

Hello Couch, I Love You

Today the plan is to sit on the couch and enjoy football and TV all day! I slept in today and feel wonderful. Last weekend we were in Michigan for a wedding and arrived home late Sunday night. Justin and I had worked the entire week, plus I had class two nights. Which means the days I didn't have class this week, I completed my homework for class. Needless to say, the weekend couldn't come soon enough.

With time to sit and do nothing, I can recap on last weekend.

We flew in Friday afternoon, Dave and Amanda were our gracious chauffeurs. We were able to stop at Noodles & Co. in Grand Rapids, so I could enjoy a GF lunch. (Plus, Noodles is part of our past...Justin and I met while working at the one in East Lansing during college.) Whenever we get the chance in Michigan, we like to enjoy some noodles. It's almost like we crave it, especially since there aren't any in Texas yet. I ordered the pesto cavatappi, of course with rice noodles. I originally ordered chicken too, but they came out later to explain that it was made on the same grill with the parm chicken, so it would be cross contaminated. I appreciated them coming to check...when I worked at Noodles, I wasn't GF yet and they didn't sell the parmesan chicken. Although it looks a little silly with rice noodles, it was amazing. It was hot, and tasted better than I remember it made with gluten filled pasta.

Friday afternoon, we spent enjoying a few brews at some local bars in Muskegon. I was surprised when I asked at both bars that they had a gluten free beer! Both had New Grist, so of course I had to order it. Justin ordered BadAss Ale by Kid Rock and his was the same price as my GF beer.

At the second bar Pints and Quarts, I enjoyed a Strongbow out of the tap. Strongbow is a hard cider so it is GF. It's not often that I can order something from a tap, so I had to take advantage of it. We were able to enjoy the patio on a gorgeous day too.

Then came the rehearsal dinner at a very nice restaurant, Tony's. I was searching for a link to Tony's online to find a link, but I think I remember someone saying that they are only open for private parties. I couldn't find a link. I think they are owned by the same people who own Pints and Quarts. But I will be honest about what happened during the rehearsal dinner.

When we sat down for dinner, I wondered what would be served. First came out salads, so I asked for one with out croutons and ate it without dressing. I was hoping there would be something I could eat for dinner as well. I looked over and saw an oven that pizza was being pulled out of, delicious looking gourmet pizza. I would not be able to consume the pizza, so I took some peanuts out of my purse and began to nibble on them.

One thing I still need to work on after a year is being more assertive about asking if there are any GF options. Normally we do research before we enter a restaurant, but it is reality that there are moments when you go to a place for an event and don't have a choice if they are accommodating or not. I never want to be the problem person and make a scene. Everyone at my table was encouraging me to ask if there was anything gluten free they could bring me, but I didn't want to. Amanda was my voice and told the waitress about my dietary needs. She knew right away and offered to go to their other restaurant down the street to get me something!

I was brought to tears. The whole weekend was emotional for me for several reasons, and I couldn't control these tears of joy. She brought me the most amazing salad. It had edamame, red onions, and a delicious vinaigrette. I literally kept saying, "This is the best salad I've ever had." I pretty much devoured the whole plate, it was much more flavorful than my salad without dressing that I ate when we first arrived.

After that I had my own personal veggie GF pizza. I ate all of that too! The crust was so soft and doughy. I repeatedly thanked the waitress for going down the street.

Tears came back again when she brought me my own dessert. Everyone else was served cannolis and she brought me the filling in a mason jar. This was seriously one of the best dinners I ever ate! Justin and I are terrible with having cash on us, so we borrowed some from a friend to offer her a generous tip for going out of the way for me. (I have not forgot to pay you back!)

On Saturday, the wedding was beautiful and reception was gorgeous. 

The reception was located on the water with a priceless view.

I found my table assignment with a little "G" in the corner. Ah, relief I knew I would have something GF to fill my belly.

A nice piece of meat and some vegetables for dinner.

Why is it the majority of the pictures I take are of food? At least I was able to get one photo of the hubby and me. The wedding was so fun. Congratulations Jeff and Megan.

Eating Well + Ninja

We got a new toy, our Ninja Kitchen System. What that means is, that we search for recipes to make in it. Not only do we frequent the Eating Well website, but the commissary actually carries monthly copies.

We made a southwestern type of salad with black beans, cherry tomatoes, corn, avocado, and chicken.

I followed the recipe for creamy cilantro-avocado dressing from the magazine, which I also found here. I used Greek plain yogurt instead of just plain yogurt. The cilantro flavor was the most prominent in the dressing; I would've liked a little more of the avocado to come out. 

The salad was super healthy, and tasted that way! Some cheese would've been a good addition to the salad. The salad was incredibly filling, plus it's always fun to use the Ninja!

Ninja Blender

About a month ago, while we were flipping channels we came across an infomerical for the Ninja Kitchen System 1100. At first, I thought it was the infomerical for the $500 blender, the Vitamix which I've seen demonstrations before at Costco. But Justin noticed it was a different because the price was way cheaper! While this is not the infomerical we saw, here is a short clip about the Ninja.

We do have a working blender, but it's not the best nor top of the line. But I still couldn't justify spending money on a new one. I was sold when I saw the food processor attachment, because we had been just talking about investing in a food processor to help reduce chopping time. I didn't instantly jump on the phone and order one though. We debated for a few days, and I was determined to find a promo code to get a discount. After several tries I finally found a coupon code good for almost $24 dollars off. So I bought ours for $135 instead of the $159 price!

Shortly after I placed the order, I received a confirmation email. I didn't even realize the company that makes the Ninja Kitchen System. It is made by Euro-Pro. Not ringing a bell? They make Shark products! Remember my love for my Shark mop? (found here)

Today I organized our tiny pantry shelves to make room for our Ninja Kitchen System.

So far we've tried a few things in the blender. We've made a smoothie, some salad dressing and fruit salad. Unfortunately we haven't tried the food processor attachment yet, but when we do I'll definitely let y'all know how it works. I bet it will make the guacamole process a breeze! There is also an attachment to make dough. This part may require some extra work to find a good GF recipe for bread.

The system even came with a cookbook. The first recipe we tried was the apple, cranberry, and gorgonzola salad. Of course I couldn't throw a whole apple into the blender, so I had to cut  up the apple and cucumber a little first.

It finely chopped/minced the apple and cucumber.

Then I added some dried fruit mix of cranberries, blueberries, cherries, and prunes. It also calls for walnuts, but we decided not to use any.

I rinsed the blender and made the dressing mix. It was composed of 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cream cheese,  2 tablespoons of milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

The apple mixture gets served in a cucumber thinly sliced the long way. A dollop of the gorgonzola dressing tops it off! Doesn't my presentation look superb? It only took me the whole cucumber to cut two good slices for our meal. We served this as a side with some tilapia. 

The recipe says it serves four but it seemed like it made way more than that! We ate up the left overs, but just served them in a bowl. 

Caprese Salad Roll Up

Justin and I love checking out the specialty cheese section at the commissary. Some of our favorites are fresh mozzarella, queso fresco, and goat cheese. On a recent shopping trip, Justin noticed an unusual fresh mozzarella.

You unroll it and fill with various goodies.

We already had fresh basil and tomatoes in our cart, so it was a must have! It would be a caprese salad with a twist.

Layer with fresh basil and sliced tomatoes.

Sprinkle with fresh salt and pepper. Then drizzle olive oil.

Tightly roll

Cut and enjoy!

I did find the circles a little hard to eat with out tomatoes or basil falling out. Maybe I needed to roll it a little tighter. I guess you know it must be good if it falls out while you eat!

Greek Salad

Tomorrow I need to go to the grocery store. Being on summer vacation allows one to have the ability to put things off a little longer. While thinking of dinner ideas for this week, here's one to share with you that we enjoyed last week.

Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken for two from where else, but Eating Well. I finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and red peppers.

The recipe wasn't too difficult. I boiled some chicken in water, onion, and garlic and allowed it to boil for a good hour until it was tender. This is our latest trick; we boil a whole pound of chicken breasts and use it for various recipes. Next time we do this, I'll take more pictures and give better directions.

The greek dressing was simple and tasted like one from a restaurant we would visit often before my diagnosis. I tossed everything together, to evenly distribute the dressing. 

Summer Salad

Since being off for summer, this has provided more time in the kitchen for me! I can actually take time to cook and enjoy it. We've been using a ton of recipes recently from Eating Well. I found this strawberry, melon, and avocado salad recipe that I wanted to try.

Cutting the fruit was a little time consuming. But the dressing was fairly simple to make, especially when I used my big Pyrex measuring cup to measure and mix. The dressing consisted of only 5 ingredients: honey, red wine vinegar, fresh mint, salt, and pepper.

Instead of making four servings, I divided it into two. I laid all the fruit in a circular pattern like the recipe called for. Justin suggested to just chop the fruit next time so it wouldn't take so long. 

Overall the salad was pretty good. It was definitely fresh and fruity. The dressing was really sweet and sort of clumped up depending where it was poured. As my husband said, "It's good in moderation." Every now and then you would eat a piece doused in dressing and it was almost too much. It was a nice change of pace and hit the spot on this sunny day.