celiac disease

Big Bites BBQ in Quakertown is Awesome!

If you are craving some tasty barbecued pork or brisket and can’t decide where to go, head South to Quakertown along Route 309 below the 663 junction.  On the left you will find Big Bites BBQ in a small strip mall.   bigbites I read about it on FaceBook and had to give it a whirl.  I had been feeling the need for all the yummy goodness of BBQ and couldn’t imagine where I would find barbecued meat safe for me to eat.  I didn’t have to look any further; this place is run by a family with three members who have celiac or another wheat allergy.  So they definitely know how to cook and serve GF foods.

You can get regular wheat buns there which are tasty according to my man.  But they order their GF burger buns directly from Udi’s in Colorado to get them as fresh as possible.  All the bbq and the fixings are made gluten free. Safe, safe safe!

On my first visit I ordered a brisket sandwich as well as smoky baked beans, coleslaw and some GF cornbread that came with a small cup of honey butter. It was all delicious. There was a lot of meat in that sandwich and it was tender to say the least.  I added extra bbq sauce from a squeeze bottle on the table.  The slaw was some of the best I have ever eaten in a restaurant.  My dish of baked beans was indeed smoky with great flavor including some shredded pork. And the corn bread was lovely; tender, flavorful and sweet after I poured on some of the BigBites special butter.

Joe had a fat juicy pulled pork sandwich and the same sides as me.  He polished it all off and didn’t have a single negative comment.  I know he was glad I could relax and eat without worrying about food safety.  He took home a second sandwich for lunch the next day.

The service was pretty fast and the owner came over to check and see how we liked our meal.  BigBites only has counter service with maybe 8-9 tables for customers to chow down at.  As we ate people came in to pick up orders, turns out get takeout to eat at home is a popular option.  There is a cooler full of ice tea and other drinks to have with your meal.  The small restaurant is comfortable and cozy if not fancy.

I wrote this October 2013 but have eaten there 3-4 times since then.  I tend to get the same thing, the half a bbq’d chicken platter which includes a quarter rack of ribs and two sides.  The chicken is so tender and smokey I had hardly bear not to have it every visit. We took some friends with us last time and they loved the barbecue too!

I am longing to go back and try some more of the menu including a bbq parfait that a friend says is awesome.  It is not a huge menu but for someone who loves barbecue and all the sides, it is exactly the right size!

 

Microgreens are Mighty in Taste and Nutrients

Microgreens…what the heck are they?  Well…they are, basically, sprouts grown in dirt.  I got some from superseeds.com a/k/a Pinetree Seeds of Maine, a family business which has been around since 1979.  I have found it to be a great place for inexpensive, good quality seeds and plants.  I get most of my seeds there.

Going gluten free has lead me to continue searching for healthy food choices and I always loved sprouts so this past winter I bought a packet of these microgreens.  I chose the kitchen sink variety; a mixture of many greens and veggies.  I planted them 1/3-1/2 inch deep in seed starter medium.  Watered them well, and waited. In just 4-5 days the first shoots appeared.  I was thrilled with the more than 95% germination rate.  That meant that my pot was packed solidly with tiny shoots.  Maybe a tad too tightly……. I put them in the kitchen window sill.  Watered them almost daily and turned them around every other day. Some grew extra fast; pea shoots that were nearly 2 inches taller than the rest of the plants.

In less than two weeks I was getting out my kitchen scissors and snipping off a section of my shoots to toss on a just made salad. This boosted the nutritional value of my salad considerably.  Not to mention the interesting flavor of all those tangy sprouts!

Sprinkled on my salad they added lots of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.  They are a great flavor booster for your side or main salad.

Phytonutrients are what you say?  Well, one definition, courtesy of Wiki links is this:

The term is generally used to refer to those chemicals that may have biological significance, for example antioxidants, but are not established as essential nutrients.[1] Scientists estimate[citation needed] that there may be as many as 10,000 different phytochemicals having the potential to affect diseases such as cancer, stroke or metabolic syndrome.   From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytonutrients.  FYI: Wiki Links uses phytochemicals as a synonym of phytonutrients.

 

According to medterms.com:

Currently, the terms “phytonutrient” and “phytochemical” are being used interchangeably to describe those plant compounds which are thought to have health-protecting qualities.

Anyhow, definitions aside, microgreens are chock full of those healthy phytonutrients as well as crunch and flavor.  A small handful would be perfect in a spring salad or on top of a burger.

So, if you are not much of a gardener but want fresh salad stuff that is cheaper, fresher and healthier for your body than you can buy just about anywhere, get some packets of microgreens and start planting!  If you want to learn more Pinetree seeds has a book for sale called Microgreens by Eric Franks and Jasmine Richardson.   Image

If you don’t have any pots lying around most any container with drainage will do.  Actually, I used a half and half container scrubbed clean and laid on its side with the uppermost side cut off and a few holes punched in the bottom.  I filled it with potting soil.  Do avoid soil mixtures with “miracle grow” in them.  Get plain soil, preferably organic. This is as easy as gardening can be. I promise that in a few short weeks you will be able to cut and enjoy your own super sprouted greens. Go forth and sprout!

Gluten Free Dog Treats…Yummy for Him and Safe for Me!

For a long time I have debated about feeding my dog wheat dog treats. I used to occasionally buy them and I used to make several kinds of homemade dog cookies. Chesse loved them all.

But I worried about contaminating my hands and touching my lips which would be not good at all. I also was uncomfortable with baking wheat products in my kitchen. I had to clean up (a lot!) after each time I made wheat based dog cookies last year.

After much thought I decided to change what snacks I fed him as his dog cookies are held in my hand, unlike they dry dog food which I use a scoop to gather the appropriate amount.  Image

Gluten Free Dog Biscuits

Ingredients:
• 2-3/4 to 3 1/2 cups of wheat and gluten free flour (I use a mixture like this: 1 cup sorghum flour, ½ cup cornmeal, 1 cup white or brown rice flour and 2/3 to 1 cup gf old fashioned oatmeal. You can use whatever flours you prefer

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
• ½ to 3/4 cup of milk, 1-2 percent
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of mild olive oil or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (Optional, I have made it both ways)
• 2 gf stock cubes (any flavor you chose) dissolved in
• 3/4 cup of boiling hot water
• 1/2 cup of grated or finely chopped carrots (1 medium carrot)
• 1 egg

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300 F
2. Combine all dry ingredients and add the rest of the ingredients and mix them well either by hand or in a mixer. If it is really sticky add up to ½ cup more of any gf flours you have.
3. Using a large spoon scoop out cookies; approximately 1-2 tbsp.
4. Place onto non-stick baking sheets, smooth the tops with damp fingers and bake for 30 minutes. This recipe usually fills 3 cookie sheets for a total of 38-40 cookies.  I generally leave them in the oven for 30 minutes more after I turn the oven off and crack the door to release some of the heat.Image

Let cool before storing in an airtight container. I like to freeze most of the cookies; leaving out a 4 day supply. The will otherwise spoil before my doggie can eat them.

Now I can serve dog cookies without worrying I will be contaminated while making or handling them. No preservatives and healthy ingredients for your favorite pooch!

Gluten Free Granola to Grin Over!

I recently purchased some gluten free granola that Aldi’s sells; their own brand.  It had freeze dried bits of strawberries and raspberries in it.  I ate some last night as a snack, covered with milk.  It was okay but really kinda pale and bland.  I had not planned to re-post my granola recipe so soon but I really think you can make your own gf granola so easily that it is almost criminal to buy the blah, teeth breaking stuff that stores carry for a premium price.  So I am reposting my recipe.  I myself seldom add much fruit to it; it has so much flavor and crunch just as it is that it rarely occurs to me to throw in the dried fruit.  If you are a dried fruit lover; by all means, add it in!  Image

Finding decently tasty and safe-for-me granola seemed impossible once I went gluten free. I have tried a few gf kinds and they were all less than impressive: tough, lacking in flavor and devoid of any fruit. So, in desperation, I took the recipe that my sister makes all the time and modified it slightly. You can change it to suit your pantry and your tastes. It is lovely with milk and frankly divine sprinkled on Greek yogurt or over unsweetened applesauce!

Homemade GF Granola

4 cups old fashioned GF rolled oats

2 cups shredded coconut, (the sweetened kind that comes in a bag)

1 cup sliced almonds or broken pecans/walnuts

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

¾ cup canola oil

½ cup good quality honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the oil and honey in a small bowl. Mix the four other ingredients in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Pour over the oil/honey and mix well. Pour onto a full size sheet cookie tray (one that has sides). Spread out to fill the sheet. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, stirring it up a few times, until it is an even golden brown. Remove tray from oven and cool, stirring it occasionally. Store in an airtight container. Note: if you don’t care for sunflower seeds use 2 cups of nuts in any proportion you like.  Be sure to get decent quality honey, I like to get mine at Bechdolt’s Orchard just south of Hellertown on Route 412.  Great flavor and it is the real deal, not watered down or adulterated.

Fruit Additives:

Any combination of the following in these or your own proportions:

1 cup each, diced dried apricots, raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, roasted unsalted cashews or any other dried fruit (figs and dates come to mind) totaling about 4 cups. I like to store it without fruit and add them when I am eating it. This way it stays crunchy. I had some this morning with sliced bananas and milk, just a bit of dried cherries added: fabulous flavor.  This batch was made with pecans but any nuts would work well.

I made a batch early this week and put some in a sturdy Tupperware container and froze it. I am not sure how many weeks it will keep on the counter without preservatives but honestly, if real deal granola is sitting around I will be compelled to munch it so I felt it best to store half safely in the freezer out of easy reach! It is rather addictive even all by itself.

Of course, you who can eat gluten just use any old fashioned oatmeal and you will have a fantastic granola for your family to crunch on. Far better than any you can buy and not that expensive compared to store granola especially if you leave off some of the added fruits and nuts. So whip up some granola, it is easy and wickedly tasty.

I found that it kept well in a sealed jar and the rest of it froze fantastically. After my original posting I read somewhere that freezing half your batch is a good idea as it will go stale even stored in a lidded jar.

Originally posted January 2014 on Patch. 

Pear Split….the New Fruity Ice Creamy Dessert

Who doesn’t love a banana split? I remember when we were first dating Joe and I would often share one for dessert.  I like them not too gunked up with sprinkles and the like but hot fudge is a must on my banana split.  

Sometimes I am not in the mood for bananas and I looked for other fruit to make into an ice cream duet.  One that seems to pair well is the pear! I think a ripe bosc pear is fantastic split in half and made into a modified banana split, sans the banana of course.  Other types of pears would work, just make sure they are at the peak of their flavor and texture.  Image

Here is how I do it.  Take one large ripe pear, cut it in half and then into quarters.  Remove the hard seed area in the fat part of your pear.   You can use a melon baller for this process or a sharp paring knife.  I lay the pear wedges in my chosen dish.  I happen to have a couple of elongated frosted glass dishes with low sides that were made for banana splits. 

Top with 2-3 balls of ice cream.  I like to use vanilla or vanilla fudge but strawberry is also a great choice and if you are a chocoholic, indulge by all means!  Friendly’s makes a fantastic ice cream called “Banana Split” which is three flavors: banana with fudge ripple, chocolate with walnuts folded in and strawberry with flecks of crushed pineapple.  I am guessing it would go rather well in my pear split.

I heat up some hot fudge; there are a number of good jarred hot fudges out there.  Read the label if you are concerned about GF issues.  It would be sad to get sick from such a fantastic dessert.  Put a couple of dollops of it on there.  I also like a delicate stream of Hershey’s chocolate syrup poured over the top.  Image

If you are a lover of nuts; throw on some lightly salted peanuts or what ever floats your boat! Again, check the label for GF safety.

I don’t generally put whipped cream on it anymore, counting my calories but if you must: whip up some heavy cream, add a spoonful of powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla extract (GF of course) and spoon it on top.  I am not a fan of maraschino cherries but put one on if it is important to you! 

Note: if your pear is kinda firm you can poach it in some liquid; cider or wine, even cranberry juice; just until soft.  Cut in half and remove core and slice and use as the recipe suggests.

The quality of your fruit really matters.  Don’t use mushy or hard fruit and if it looks sub par, cut up, cook it and use as a sauce on your ice cream or make it into a cobbler.  I wouldn’t use it in this recipe. Same goes for ice cream.  Don’t use less than the best.  I personally love Turkey Hill, great mouth feel, the sweetness level is where I like it and the flavors are perfect.  Image

I couldn’t take a picture of my first pear split as my camera is missing in action and I didn’t think of using my cell until I had devoured the whole split!  This second split (one day later) is okay, it is missing the wonder of hot fudge…I am all out.  Bummer, although it was still tasty.

The beauty of this dessert is that you can enjoy some ice cream relatively guilt free as you are having fruit too! Plus, if you are not a banana lover this is a great option for a split.  I have even made it with peaches or nectarines in the summertime. Give my pear split a try, why should bananas have all the fun? Image