Gluten-free fried fish

 

Every summer my family would drive up to Good Harbor beach or Cranes beach in Massachusetts to bathe in the sun, swim in the freezing cold water 'till we were blue in the lips, and build castles in the sand.  My parents were judges for the annual sand castle competition at Cranes beach, where professionals, families, and even kids could compete (yes, my sister and I won the kid's category one year!)  I remember the professionals building the Eifle tower, or castles big enough for me to walk into, or humongous dragons that looked like they were swimming in the sand.  At the end of the day, after all the blue ribbons were given out, everyone would go to Woodman's in Essex, Ma.  

This old seafood restaurant is extremely popular with lines out the door.  We would feast on their fried full belly clams and fresh lobsters.  I have always been a seafood junkie, and would order the fisherman's platter- which was overflowing with fried fish, fried shrimp, fried clams, fried scallops, and french fries- and finish then entire thing by myself (not that I didn't get a slight stomach ache on the car ride home)!  Since going off gluten, it's been a long time since I had some fried clams, and also a long time since I've had a beach day like I did when I was a child.  This July, though, my family and I returned to Good Harbor beach.  Just like old times my sister and I splashed in the big waves together like we did when we were kids, and then we all stopped at Woodman's for dinner.  

I was craving some fresh New England lobster that you just can't get in San Francisco.  But to all of our surprise, my sister noticed they had a gluten free option for all their fried dishes.  I was so excited that I ordered not only a lobster, but the gluten free fisherman's platter (granted this time I shared both with my brother.)  It was amazingly delicious- reminding me of when I was a kid chowing down all that fried goodness.  My brother, who eats gluten said it tasted great- just the same, only slightly lighter.  By the end of the dinner I was covered in lobster juice and grease. I took off my plastic lobster bib, looked out to the sun setting around the marsh, and sighed in such gratitude for this delicious gluten free meal.

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I Eat New York

New York City is a delicious place.... I couldn't eat this piece of gluten/sugar/dairy free banana bread from Babycakes fast enough!  It had slices of bananas in it and was so moist and flavorful.  Whenever I am in Manhattan I always make sure to stop by here and buy a box of cupcakes, brownie bites, and other goodies for me and my gluten-free friend, Eliza!




But to be honest, I really can't eat cupcakes all day long.  I need my fix of green vegetables and brown rice, too.  That is why I go to Souen, the macrobiotic restaurant in New York City that serves iced kukicha tea, vegan desserts, and uses only wheat free tamari in all their dishes.  This last time I went to Souen, I opted for a simple meal of sauteed veggies and salmon sushi.  This is a meal I could easily make at home (and often do), which some people would say is a waste of money. But when I am traveling, a dish I can and would make at home is exactly what I crave.  Most restaurants pack in sugar, butter, and all kinds of unhealthy ingredients into their dishes to make them "taste good."  But when I go to Souen, I know that every ingredient used is one that I would choose to cook with for myself.  It's not only healthy to eat like this, but comforting as it reminds me of my kitchen and my home, many miles away.








A gal like me can always count on a vegan place to have lot's of dishes that I can eat.  The V-Spot (love the name), in Brooklyn has agave sweetened lemonade, vegan tacos, and gluten free labels all over their menu!  I tried the curried kale and quinoa which was hearty and flavorful.  I also ordered the kale tostadas with my friend Anna.  They were delicious, but of course broke apart immediately as they are made with toasted corn tortillas- sin gluten, thus prone to falling apart.  Nevertheless, I picked up the pieces of avocado off my skirt and continued eating this yummy mess!



  
My friends Eliza, Liz and I spent a Sunday at Far Rockaway beach, soaking in the sun (maybe too much as I got sunburned) and jumping in the waves.  It was a magical day, especially when we ventured to the Rockaway Taco stand.  Hipsters flock from Williamsburg to munch on fish tacos from this place.  The fish tacos were wheat battered, but despite their business, they quickly and kindly changed my taco order to chorizo and carne asada!  The tacos were the perfect size, filled with well cooked meats and toppings.  My favorite though, was the fresh watermelon juice I sipped on!  Also, speaking of Far Rockaway Beach, I just found out that Babycakes is now serving waffles and other delights at this beach, too!  I only wish I had known before we went...oh next time I'll have to go.  Luckily, for me, there will always be a next time in New York!  See ya next summer NYC!

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A San Francisco Day

The other day I was a tourist in my own city.  I went to the SFMOMA to see the Stein collection and then wandered downtown until I found myself at the Ferry Building.  It was Tuesday so the farmer's market was  hopping.  At that point I was hungry from all the art watching that morning, so I stopped at the Indian stand where they sell Naan and delicious dips like fire roasted eggplant and..... gluten free spinach chickpea bread! This bread by Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Food is so savory and delicious- look for these guys at other Bay Area farmer's markets:

I bought a pack of the bread and the eggplant dip and sat along the water noshing on my goodies.  I was surrounded by tourists speaking French, Japanese, and German around me.  Though I am not a tourist in San Francisco anymore, that afternoon I did feel the same sense of anonymity in a new place.  I rarely go downtown, as I work in different neighborhood, so on a relaxing day off I could truly appreciate my surroundings like a tourist:  basking in the sun reflecting off the very clean pavements, admiring the view of the Bay Bridge, and enjoying the novelty of the Ferry Building's decadent treats.  And laughing when one 4 year old girl in a pink dress asked her sister, "Why don't you call it ice cream?  Why do you always have to say gelato?"  You know you're in San Francisco when 4 year olds are arguing about gelato....

Gluten Free English Muffins/Happy Father's Day

Food for Life makes some of the best gluten free products.  I love their brown rice tortillas, their gluten free breads, and now their gluten free english muffins!  I toasted those babies up and spread some blueberry jam (sugar free only fruit sweetened) on them and fried up some organic eggs for breakfast.  It reminded me of one of my favorite comfort foods from childhood: a toasted english muffin with margarine and orange marmalade.  I loved the contrast of the sweet and tangy marmalade with the soft and buttery english muffin.  I also remember as a kid, when I was sick my dad would toast pita bread and spread some soy cream cheese on it for me.  Sounds weird maybe to you, but it was exactly what I needed.  He always cooked the most perfect dishes for me.  Thanks, Dad!  Happy Father's Day!

Easy Brown Rice Pilaf

 

I've gotten into the very good habit of cooking a large amount of basic ingredients on Sunday night to use for the rest of the week.  For example, I'll cook a pot of quinoa, steam a bunch of kale, and bake some chicken and then during the week I mix and match these basic ingredients with other fresh ones to have a different meal every night.  Monday night I'll cook an Italian pasta dish with pieces of chicken and kale and portabella mushrooms; on Tuesday night I'll make chicken tacos with quinoa, avocados and tomatoes; Wednesday night I'll make a chicken salad with quinoa and apple chunks; Thursday night I'll cook an Asian inspired stir fry with kale, chicken, snow peas and shitake mushrooms and serve it over the rest of the quinoa, etc.... This last week I made a pot of brown rice that served as a delicious rice cereal for breakfast- with cinnamon, cardamom, maple syrup and rice milk.  For lunch I made a brown rice sushi roll with cucumber and avocado, and then one night I turned the rice into a pilaf with fresh veggies and chickpeas. Since the rice was already cooked- it was so fast to make this dish- I would say 20 minutes!  Having basic ingredients like cooked rice ready to go, saves time during the week when you've just gotten home from a long day of work, then a yoga class and are starving for some homemade food.  Try this recipe out, and-as always- please take the liberty to change up the ingredients!

Ingredients (will make 3-4 meals)

• 3 cups of cooked brown rice (1 cup of uncooked rice will make about enough)
• 1 cup of crimini mushrooms, sliced 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large green onion, sliced thinly
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 1 bag of arugula, washed
• 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 a lemon
• 1 handful of parsley, mint, or your favorite herb, chopped finely
• Olive oil, salt and pepper

Directions

1. Sauté mushrooms in a large pan with olive oil over medium/high heat until they begin to soften.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic and the white parts of the green onion.
3. Mix in the brown rice and chickpeas, and about 2 tsps of salt and pepper. Cook for another few minutes to let the flavors blend together. 
4. Turn off the heat and throw in the arugula and peppers at the end to allow them to just wilt. 
5. Add the balsamic vinegar and squeeze the lemon on top.
6. Sprinkle with the herbs and the rest of the green onions and enjoy!

Japanese Soba Noodles

Whenever I am sick, all I crave is Japanese food: miso soup, fresh fish and rice, umeboshi plums, seaweed, ginger and wasabi.  It feels very clean and nurturing for my body.  So today, when my nose began to run from all this gloomy San Francisco weather, I knew what I wanted for dinner: a bowl of soba noodles (oohh now that I think about it, making a soba noodle miso soup would have been good too...next time...)  Most soba noodles are made from wheat flour and buckwheat flour (soba means buckwheat in Japanese.)  But in Whole Foods and some other stores you can find 100% buckwheat noodles (Mitoku and Eden brands).  Buckwheat, despite the confusing name, has no relation to wheat and is gluten free.  Check out my impromptu soba noodle dish:


Ingredients (serves 3-4):

• 1 package of 100% buckwheat/soba noodles
• 1 block of firm tofu
• 1 bunch of kale, or bok choy or spinach...
• 3 tbs of wheat free soy sauce
• 1 tbs of rice vinegar or umeboshi vinegar
• 1/2 tbs of sesame oil
• 1/2 tbs of maple syrup or agave
• 1 tbs of fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp (or more if you like) of wasabi powder
• 1-2 scallions sliced
• Sesame seeds and shredded nori (seaweed) for garnish

Directions:

1. Boil soba noodles in a pot for about 8 minutes until tender. Strain and rinse thoroughly with water. (Or follow the directions on the package of noodles.)
2. Wash and trim the kale, and steam for 5 minutes in a bamboo steamer (or any steamer will do.)
3. Cut the tofu into small thin rectangles.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, ginger, wasabi, and scallions.  (If it's too salty for your taste add a few teaspoons of water.)
5. Marinate the tofu in the sauce while the noodles and kale cook.
6. In a bowl, gently mix together the noodles, kale, tofu and sauce.  Garnish with some sesame seeds and shredded nori and enjoy!

Farmer's Markets

I love how farmer's markets transform lifeless spaces, like parking lots, into lush, vibrant, community centers.  Each farmer's market I have been to has it's own unique vibe and brings up joyful memories for me.  As a child, I looked forward to the farmer's market in my town outside of Boston, that happened every Thursday.  My sister and I would sample pieces of Gouda cheese from the blond curly haired lady and her mother, and buy honey sticks from the sweet old man a few stands down.  We weaved in and out of the crowds of other mothers carrying bags of basil, carrots, and fresh flowers.  

The Civic Center farmer's market here in San Francisco has a diverse range of vendors selling Japanese eggplants, bok choy, and lychee nuts to organic chard, apples and strawberries.   It is definitely the best priced farmer's market in the city. When I used to work in that part of town, I remember buying baskets of blueberries during my lunch breaks and eating half before I even brought them home.  

The Alemany Farmer's market takes over a huge parking lot with a plethora of organic/non organic vendors selling everything from tangerines to duck eggs to kale.  It's one of the oldest markets in the city with a strong sense of community.  My friend Jesse and I had a relaxing time there one summer day, sitting in the sunshine eating tacos and talking about life.  

The east bay has some great farmer's markets too, like the Grand Lake farmer's market in Oakland that is the perfect place to hang out on sunny day, drinking fresh watermelon juice and Thai curries from the prepared foods vendors.  The Temescal farmer's market in Oakland is also special- I have such good memories with my east bay friends there, strolling through on a Sunday morning, sampling the first persimmons of the season and buying some Donna's damn good tamales.

The new Mission market in San Francisco is small, but reasonably priced and has great live music- like the local band Santos Perdidos which plays latin and afro-latino songs.  I bought the most beautiful figs there once.  I love this market because I always run into friends, or friends of friends there!

I also adore the Castro farmer's market that happens on one of the prettiest corners in the city-Noe and 16th.  A corner I have lived near and walked by for years, but never knew there was a farmer's market there until last summer!  I love discovering new markets- they are certainly popping up more places nowadays.  Hopefully, someday farmer's markets will reach all communities in this country.