Too Hot To Cook? Make a Lettuce Wrap

I love lettuce cups and garden wraps- so fresh and light.

Too hot to cook and you're contemplating going gluten-free to boot? Try a greenwich on for size. Garden fresh lettuce wraps make for an ultra-easy lunch that is perfect for sizzling summer days. Wrap or cradle your favorite sandwich filling with tender Boston lettuce or crisp romaine. Stuff smaller cups with your favorite salad or use larger leaves to wrap and roll a layered classic.

One of the first recipes I started with on my gluten-free journey years ago was the simple idea of wrapping various sandwich fillings in crisp washed lettuce leaves. The possibilities are endless.

Boston lettuce (aka butter lettuce) leaves make deliciously tender wraps. Romaine is sturdier; fill it lengthwise- like a boat- and simply fold it, rib on bottom. When fillings are messy, wrap the wrap with a piece of wax paper, plastic wrap or foil.

Lettuce wraps are great fun for kids. Set up a buffet style Greenwich Bar- with all the fixin's- and let them choose from an assortment of fillings to design their and wrap their own creations.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

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Pinon Rice Bake with Artichokes and Goat Cheese

Brown rice with artichokes, roasted corn, chiles, pine nuts and goat cheese.

Here's a favorite make-ahead rice dish recipe with Mediterranean flavors- artichokes, plum tomatoes, pine nuts and goat cheese. Entertaining made simple. And there are never any leftovers.

Having someone new over for dinner always sends me into a flurry of activity fueled by nervous energy and worry. I obsess over obscure details (like an iTune playlist), change my mind about the menu (wait- enchiladas or lasagna?), forget ingredients (dagnabbit! the green beans are still in the car). So I've learned (yes, the hard way) to always make a few key dishes ahead of time. Then dinner is basically done.

And I'm not stuck in the kitchen spilling olive oil on a new silk shirt.

I can relax (well, sort of). And- goddess willing- I won't set the oven on fire because I'm too busy discussing the yummy Anderson Cooper and sipping my second vodka martini to a Diana Krall tune.

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My Top Ten Gluten-Free Products

Gluten-free baguettes made with Pamela's mix.

My Top Ten Gluten-Free Favorites

These quickie reviews of my favorite gluten-free products are not sponsored by the manufacturers. I accepted no free samples, coupons, or other please-blog-about-us incentives.

1. Pamela's Amazing Gluten Free Bread Mix with sorghum and millet flour is the best tasting gluten-free bread mix by far. Seriously. I've made it with eggs and without eggs. Both ways are delicious. I've even made killer rustic baguettes with Pamela's (pictured above).

2. Next up: Gluten-Free Pasta One of my favorite gluten-free pasta noodles is Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta, Spaghetti Style, Supergrain. It's non-starchy and has the bite of a good Italian linguine- perfect for those of you who prefer  your pasta al dente. For those unable to do corn, Tinkyada Brown Rice pasta is also excellent. The Tinkyada White Rice Spaghetti is smooth and creamy. And the Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna with Rice Bran makes light, delicious lasagna.

3. Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix is the best all-around all-purpose baking and pancake mix. Why? It features buttermilk and almond meal. Beginners can use Pamela's mix as a one-to-one sub for wheat flour in gluten-free baking. For those who need a dairy-free vegan mix try Namaste Gluten-Free Waffle and Pancake Mix.

4. Highly regarded Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free milled flours and mixes has finally added a gluten-free polenta and cornmeal to their esteemed line of products. Lucky us! For those who love polenta and care about quality- we now have Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Corn Grits + Polenta. Look for the GF symbol on the package.

5. Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes is a hot breakfast cereal rich in vegan protein and calcium. I enjoy it as a warm bowl of comfort drizzled with maple syrup. And I absolutely love using it in baking- especially in cookie, muffin, and cake recipes (especially nice when oats are called for). Browse my quinoa recipes here. I also enjoy Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa as pilaf, tabbouleh, and  a high protein alternative  to rice. 

6. Gluten-free flours blends taste different. Less sweet than wheat. One trick I like to do? Use the best vanilla extract- Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. Rich, deep vanilla flavor. No icky fillers (like corn syrup).

7. My new gluten-free flour favorite is Bob's Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour. It adds moisture, flavor, and a subtle sweetness to GF flour blends. Not to mention, protein and fiber. A little is all you need- add a tablespoon or two for added moisture and texture, or sub out a half cup flour in your usual flour blend with a half cup coconut flour.

8. Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil makes gluten-free baked goods rich and buttery. It's my new favorite vegan butter and shortening replacement in baking recipes. Great for cookies, cakes, biscuits, and scones.

9. My favorite non-dairy milk to use in gluten-free cooking and baking is Native Forest Organic Classic Coconut Milk. Creamy good.

10. Organic Raw Blue Agave is a low glycemic natural vegan sweetener that is wonderful for subtle sweetening in sauces, beverages and baking.

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Mexican Black Bean Soup- In Memory of Sher

Sher's black bean soup recipe.

Sher and I never met. We were what people refer to as blogging acquaintances. We exchanged occasional comments on one another's blogs and admired each other's penchant for rustic Mexican recipes. Real food, with big flavor. Last Sunday lovely Sher passed away suddenly- from a heart attack. She was 59. Today food bloggers are joining in memory of Sher- and her enthusiastic love of good food- by posting one of her recipes. I suspect this would please her no end; as her blog title suggests, the first question asked by her family on any occasion is...

What did you eat?

Today we are collectively offering, One of your recipes, Sher!

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Penne Arrabiata with Brown Rice Pasta

Gluten-free penne arrabiata- spicy and easy

The last meal of our two-week honeymoon in Italy was in Rome- on the way to the airport. And I'll never forget it. It was penne tossed in a spicy red sauce. My first Arrabiata. Here's my gluten-free version- a simple and fast recipe perfect for a weeknight supper.

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Savory G-Free Waffles- for breadcrumbs & panini

Savory waffles for grilled sandwiches and gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Several readers have requested my savory waffle recipe- the base recipe I use to make those golden Crunchy Gluten-Free Breadcrumbz. And who am I to refuse such a worthy request? Average waffles these are not. Not only are these crispy vegan gems wheat-free and egg-free, they are infused with herbs and garlic, rendering them suitable not only for conjuring Italian style crumbs, but grilling up warm and melty panini as well. Use these like you would use sandwich bread.

So take this simple recipe as a blueprint, add your own creativity to the mix and do great things. For nothing is as noble as cooking something delicious and food allergy safe for those you cherish.

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Instant Peas Dhoklas

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh green peas
1 cup besan (gram flour)
4 tbsp rawa (Suji/Semolina)
1 tbsp Eno (1\4 packet)
4 long green chillies
1 small piece of ginger
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Ingredients for temper:
11/2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
6-7 curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida

Method:
Step 1: Grind the peas, green chillies and ginger in to mixer. Do not add water in this paste.

Step 2: Make a smooth paste.
Step 3: Take big vessel and add besan(gram flour) in it.Step 4: Add rawa, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and oil in it.Step 5: Mix all this ingredients very well with spoon.
Step 6: After that add crush green peas paste in it.Step 7: Add 1\3 cup water and mix this material very well. For water use same cup as you use the cup for besan.

Step 8: Spread the oil in those dish which you can use for steam.

Step 9: Lastly add the Eno. When you add Eno (1\4 packet) or fruit salt then you can see like fragmentation in flour.

Step 10: Mix very well.

Step 11: Quickly spread this material into prepared dishes.

Step 12: Steam this about 10 minutes.
Step 13: After steam it looks like this.

Step 14: Cut this into triangle shapes.

Step 16: Place it into another dish. When you turn on into another dish it is come out nicely.
Step 15: Heat the oil in a small vessel.

Step 16: Add asafetida, mustard seeds, and sesame seeds and curry leaves.

Step 17: Fry for a while and after that turn off the flame immediately.

Step 18: Pour this mixture over the dhoklas.

Step 19: Serve hot with tomato ketchup or chutney.:) If you like without oil than you can also serve as it is with tomato ketchup.:)

"God desires that his temples be built from LOVE.
Men raise brick-built towers to the sky above."
-Stray birds fireflies

Vegan Banana Ice Scream

Vegan banana ice cream.

I've been busy behind the scenes here at Gluten-Free Goddess -- but I'm never too busy to create a new dessert recipe for you. Her Awesomeness forbid. I wouldn't abandon you to steam in the summer heat, sweltering without respite, without a new frozen confection to cheer you up and cool you down. 

Not me. I'm not a remote and apathetic kind of goddess. Nope. 

I get you. I listen. And I feel your non-dairy gluten-free frustration. All the way out here in the hills of Ojo Caliente.

So what that means is this ice cream recipe is vegan- in other words, dairy-free and egg-free for all you lovely casein-free beauties out there.

I start with frozen bananas- because they're so creamy good when frozen. They jump start the whole homemade ice cream making process. So go fetch your ripe bananas and toss 'em in the freezer right now.

You'll thank me later.

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