Recipe Review: Tom Ka Gai

I LOVE LOVE coconut milk. I've been craving it a lot lately. So when I saw lemongrass in the grocery store on sale, I just had to make this Tom Ka Gai recipe. Yummy!

Like most Thai food, this recipe is naturally gluten-free, so there really isn't adjusting you have to do. Finding fish sauce isn't the easiest thing in the world, though (unless you live near an Asian market). Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce is gluten-free and is the one I've always used. Now, I specifically recommend this brand because if you are a true American-born gal like me you don't want to buy any sort of sauce with little fish heads staring back at you. Ew.

Best way to get the most out of the lemongrass flavor is to throw it either in a food processor chopping it slightly or to grind it in a morter & pestle. The food processor is easier, so that's what I did. ;) Makes tiny little pieces of the lemongrass, but since lemongrass is calming on your stomach no big deal. When you cook the lemongrass, the smell will be significant, so make sure to turn on your vent on the stove before you start.

Note to sensitive stomachs: Two things you might have to do to adjust the recipe. Crushed red pepper isn't great on stomachs recently healing from the a new gluten free diet, so I recommend removing that if you are in that boat. Also, bok choy is a member of the cabbage family and therefore can cause significant bloating. So, if that is ever a problem with you, I would replace the bok choy with slivered carrots, snow peas, and/or bamboo.

Note to non-Gluten free peeps: If you are making this for a gluten-free person, make sure that don't have cross-contamination by using new seasonings. If you've used a measuring spoon in a spice container after you've measured out flour with the same spoon, then you will make the person sick. This usually isn't a problem with the seasonings in this recipe, because you normally don't use flour and cumin in the same recipe so the likelihood of you've ever getting flour in the seasoning is small, it's just important to note. Also, never chop the food on the same cutting board you've used to slice bread products on. Make sure all your cooking utensils are thoroughly washed.

Overall, it's a great naturally gluten free recipe to try. Something a little different. :)

Booze!

Found this website "Gluten free Drinks" that gives recipes for Gluten-free cocktails. Not too bad!

Recipe Review: California Chicken

California Chicken - All Recipes . com

Tonight was the second time I've made this recipe. The first time I made it with Pepper Jack cheese instead of the Monterey Jack cheese that the recipe calls for. This time I used Provolone. Honestly, I like the Pepper Jack the best... but I like food with a kick, so there you go. Also, this time I added garlic, and for as much as I love garlic, I don't think it really added. Many people recommended lime juice, but I'm out.

The recipe is naturally gluten free, so you don't have to worry about changing anything.

Note to newbies: If you have onion powder, make sure that you've never dipped a teaspoon that you might have just dipped into flour in a previous recipe. If you are worried, I think you could totally replace the onion powder with chopped onions that you discard.

Tip: If you have avocado left over, make sure to store it with the avocado pit. The pit keeps the avocado from turning brown.

Enjoy!

Recipes

Sorry for the long time in between posts. I've had a lot going on lately: getting engaged, traveling, and working on two demanding productions... so needless to say, life has gotten in the way of the blog posts.

One thing that I've noticed lately is that friends and family of mine have been asking me for good naturally gluten free recipes for them to cook when I'm coming over (with the engagement and all). I realize that I don't know what to tell them! I try so many recipes, but I hardly do them more than once, so I forget about them.

Now, I can cook, but I don't claim to be a chef. There are a TON of wonderful gluten free blogs out there that have original recipes on them.

This is NOT one of those blogs.

Instead, I've come up with the idea of posting recipes that I find online that I liked and telling you how I modified them to be gluten free. Honestly, some of the best meals I've made were recipes that contained gluten where I replaced a few ingredients. It's normally easier than trying out a gluten free recipe that no one but the blog poster has ever made.

So, I hope this helps!