Christo's

My husband loves diners. He hunts them down. One of his more recent finds is in College Park on Edgewater Drive. Just south of Princeton, Christo's is a kicking little place that offers great food at great prices. And, while nothing on the menu is specifically gluten free, there are several items that are by their nature. The staff is well informed and willing to work around allergies and learn more about them. I have had a great experience there every time I've gone. I've ordered the tilapia plate twice, both times with different seasonings, collard greens, and potatoes, and I've ordered corned beef hash with eggs over medium and cheese grits. The fish can be a bit overseasoned, but it tastes fresh, which is rare for Orlando fish. I haven't gotten sick there yet, even when many people in my part have ordered glutinous things like pancakes and toast. They are open until 9pm, participate with the Buy Local card, and are available through Doorstep Delivery. It's a great place to go after church. Just don't expect an easy seat. Other people know how good it is, too!

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Gluten free at UCF

Wow. It has been too long since I've posted anything. I've been so busy with school! And speaking of school, it can be kind of tricky finding gluten free food on a college campus. I have managed to find a few options, though. There is a Chic Fil A Express on campus with a grilled chicken salad, grilled chicken sandwich (without bun, of course), and GLUTEN FREE WAFFLE FRIES! Yep, that's right! The fries are cooked separately, and are safe! There are also fruit cups and carrot salad available as well as several sauces and salad dressings. I was thrilled to find that the Polynesian sauce was gluten free!

There are also some gluten free options at the campus book store. There is a Starbucks that has several gluten free beverage options. It also serves salads, some of which are gluten free. I get the strawberry walnut salad with Kens raspberry vinaigrette. I haven't been disappointed with it yet. The bookstore itself has a few snack options like flavors of Lays potato chips (avoid the barbecue) and a large selection of candies.

Beyond that, I'm not sure what other options there might be directly on campus. Does anyone know? Please feel free to comment! If these choices seem limiting, there are several restaurants close to campus that are accommodating. Chipotle, Pei Wei, Tilted Kilt, Buffalo Wild Wings, First Watch, Green & Grille, and a Wendy's are all on the strip of University Blvd. approaching the campus. And, of course, there is always the brown bag approach, too.

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Egg Rolls!

Alright, folks! I finally did it! Gluten free egg rolls are a success in my house tonight! It takes a little time, but it is really easy. Here's the recipe:

1lb ground pork
shredded cabbage and carrots (I used a bag of slaw mix)
soy sauce to taste
ginger to taste
pinch of nutmeg
lemon juice to taste
salt to taste
rice wrappers (about 10)

1) Brown the ground pork in a pan, mixing soy sauce and seasonings.
2) When the pork is almost completely cooked, add the cabbage and carrots. Cook until vegetables are tender.
3) Fill plate with water. Submerge rice wrappers, one at a time, in the water for a few seconds to soften. Submerging too long with result in a wrapper that falls apart.
4) Place softened wrapper on a second plate. Add about two tablespoons of filling, and roll tightly. Put aside.
5) Place egg roll in about two inches of hot oil (about 375 F) until wrapper is opaque and slightly browned. Place cooked egg roll on a plate to cool.

It's important throughout the process that you do not let egg rolls touch each other, as they wrappers will stick together, even when cooked. The wrappers will also stick to paper towels and paper plates. The rice wrappers are much more delicate than traditional, wheat based egg roll wrappers, so they are harder to handle with tongs. In the past, I used metal tongs and ripped the wrappers, exposing the filling. Tonight, I used flat, silicone-tipped tongs that worked very well.

The filling had a good flavor, though I wish the wrapper would have been slightly more crispy. I think that the consistency is due to my lack of skill. For a first successful attempt, though, I am incredibly pleased with my result.

Ali Baba

Today for lunch, my friend and I were in Longwood, and she suggested we go to a Turkish restaurant. She called to see if they had gluten free food, and they assured us that they had a lot of gluten free options. Plus, we had a coupon. So, we collected our husbands and had a double lunch date. :) When we were being seated, I mentioned my gluten allergy, and I was concerned because the food for lunch is buffet style. I was assured that most of the items on the buffet were gluten free and labeled. When I reached the buffet, I saw that was the case. Though some of the signs were missing, the ones that were there listed all the ingredients, and it's dietary attributes (gluten free, low sodium, low fat, vegetarian, etc.). For those items without signs, I asked the staff. They were able to tell me exactly which items did and did not have gluten. There were tons of choices for me. There were at least three salad items, two types of rice, lentil soup, chicken and rice soup, babaganoush, kabobs, a beef and bean stew sort of thing, and chicken. The food was delicious, and I hate to admit, I over-indulged a little. The restaurant also sold items near the register such as Turkish delight (also gluten free). Hookah was available as well. While no one was using it, there was a stage in the restaurant, and dancers perform sometimes. The staff was friendly and accessible, and the restaurant was clean and had a pleasant environment. It is, however, quite pricey, so I wouldn't go all the time. In fact, I wouldn't go without a coupon. But, it was a nice treat!

Udi Wows Again - This Time with Hamburgers!

Tonight I had a lovely dinner - a "hamburger" with all the fixin's (well, a lot of them, anyway) and a side of sweet potato fries! I started with some Udi hamburger buns. Tonight was the first time I tried them, and I was very excited. Previously, I had to use Kinnikinnick buns, which had a hard, oily texture and a strange aftertaste and were not pre-cut, so I was very excited when my Publix started carrying the new Udi brand buns. Udi's buns are pre-cut (yay!), and are soft, with a texture very much like regular hamburger buns. I am hooked! Never again will I settle on a lack-luster hamburger. I topped my Udi hamburger buns with an Amy's Gluten Free Bistro Burger, a slice of Kraft 2% American cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce, and French's honey dijon mustard. It was tasty! For I side, I had some Ore Ida sweet potato fries. I am so grateful for the ever-growing line of delicious Udi products. In addition, I am awed by how many mainstream brands are available for those of us with Celiac disease. I am also grateful for the massive selection available at my local grocery store. Thank you, Publix for making this dinner a possibility!

Popeye Would Be Proud

In an effort to tone up my body, I am focusing on a high-protein, low(er)-carb diet. For my mornings, this means eggs. Lots. of. eggs. And while I make lovely eggs, there's only so many times you can make a recipe without getting bored. I decided something with spinach would be nice, so I scoured the internet for a recipe that involved spinach and scrambled eggs. I found a recipe entitled Scrambled Eggs with Spinach on About.com that I quite enjoy, though I did modify it to use the ingredients I had in my kitchen already. Also, I quartered the recipe so that it made only one serving. Here it is:

12oz package of baby spinach leaves
2tbs olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced (I used garlic powder)
4tbs heavy cream (I used 2% milk)
8 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste (I used red pepper for a little kick)
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves (I omitted these)
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Coarsely chop spinach leaves. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet and cook onion and garlic until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is tender, about 5-7 minutes.

In small bowl, beat cream with eggs, salt, pepper, and thyme until foamy (the milk did not get foamy). Add the egg mixture to the skillet, stirring to allow the eggs to scramble with the spinach, about 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Having less food, I chose a small skillet, and the cooking times were lower. The recipe was delicious, though I think the garlic made the flavor a little darker than I was anticipating this morning. The new recipe was a nice change in my morning routine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ma! The Meatloaf!

Sometimes a girl needs her comfort food. Sometimes that comfort food is meatloaf. This week was one of those times for me. I recently acquired a copy of The Gluten Free Bible, which is an amazing resource for gluten free cooking. It has tons of recipes of varying cuisine with a wide range of ingredients that are reasonably accessible. One of these recipes is for Southwestern meatloaf, and it sparked a serious craving. Aaron and I cooked it last night, though with some modifications. Here is the recipe and my critique.

1lb ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup shopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (4oz) chopped mild green chiles, drained
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (I used a peppercorn medley grinder)
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce, divided
2 tbs ketchup (I used Sweet Baby Rays Chipotle Barbecue sauce)

1) Preheat over to 350F. Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Combine beef, onion, cornmeal, cilantro, chiles, egg, cumin, salt, pepper, and half of tomato sauce in large bowl; mix well. Combine remaining tomato sauce and ketchup in small bowl.
3) Shape meat mixture into 6x9-inch oval in prepared baking pan. Top with tomato sauce mixture. Bake 55 minutes or until cooked through (160F).
4) Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Makes 4 servings

This is a pretty good recipe! I like the twist on a traditional favorite. I substituted the pepper because that is the pepper we had. I think I would prefer the original black pepper, as some of the peppercorn bits were still too firm and messed up the texture. I substituted the barbecue sauce for the ketchup because I loathe ketchup. It gave it a nice punch of flavor that I quite enjoyed! The recipe was straightforward, easy to follow, and yielded nice results. The only minor complaint I have is that the meatloaf came out a little dry. I think this is because of the cornmeal. Next time I may try GF breadcrumbs. The recipe also needs a bit more salt. To combat this, I topped it with some fresh barbecue sauce, which worked beautifully.

I served the meatloaf with some Southwest corn from Birds Eye. While the recipe claims to feed four, we had quite a lot of food, and I think it could easily feed more, providing no one wants seconds. We have a substantial amount of left-over food to eat now!