Gluten Free Italian

     Since going gluten free I have found pizza and pasta to be much less enjoyable. Recently, I found a fresh spinach linguine from Whole Foods that is awesome! Costco also sells a brand called Felicia which I also like. This brand is a corn, rice, buckwheat and quinoa mix. I personally think all-rice pastas aren't very good. Lately, I've really enjoyed having gluten free linguine with homemade marinara sauce or garlic and oil. 

      This past weekend I visited Boston for the first time! I stayed in the North End which is a  "Little Italy" type of area. I have never seen so many restaurants in one place. There has to be at least 100 Italian restaurants, 1 Mexican restaurant and 1 Chinese restaurant. My friends and I had dinner at Benevento's. Not only was everyone's food delicious, they offered both gluten free pasta and pizza! I had the option of at least 6 different sauces served with gluten free pasta and about 12 pizzas. I was in gluten free food heaven!! I chose the "Vodka Classic" pizza. One of the waiters recommended choosing vodka sauce because it would balance out the sweetness of the gluten free dough. I think the pizza would have been delicious regardless of what was on it. I also liked how my pizza was cooked on a disposable aluminum tray (avoiding cross contamination). And of course, their beer options included Redbridge - one of the best gluten free beers I've tried. 

*Update 7/13/13* This post was written early on in my gluten free life. In the future I would be more cautious of the vodka used in the sauce. Not all vodkas are gluten free therefore it's important to discuss this with your server. 

Honey Tequila & Lime Shrimp!

My first post- college blog post! I actually made this meal the first weekend I came home, but haven't got around to sharing it until now. This dinner was so quick and easy - a perfect start to summer! Grilled shrimp marinated in fresh honey, lime and tequila with brown rice and homemade guacamole. 

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp (I thawed frozen, de-veined shrimp)
- 1/2 cup of tequila
- 1 tsp of lime zest
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 lime, to serve on the side
- 1 tbsp of pure honey
- 2 cloves of garlic, miced
- 1-2 tbsp of cilantro, finely chopped
- kosher salt and fresh black pepper

Click HERE for my guacamole recipe!

Directions:

Whisk together all of your ingredients in a large bowl then add in the shrimp. Make sure all of the shrimp is coated in the marinated and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes. I used a grill pan on my stove; the shrimp quick fast, so keep an eye on them. You'll known when the shrimp is done when they begin to curl up (probably no more than 3 minutes total). Serve with fresh lime slices on the side, brown rice, homemade guacamole and gluten free corn chips!

*My best friend is allergic to shrimp, so I used the same marinate for grilled chicken.

Lunch Frittata

A simple and healthy lunch or breakfast! Saute mushrooms, broccoli and baby spinach in olive oil in an oven safe pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next, add 2 eggs and 1 egg white (scrambled). Shift the pan around so the egg is evenly distributed, but don't mix! Cook on medium heat for about three minutes. You should be able to see the outer edges solidifying. Add shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese to the top. Next, place pan in 350 degree oven for 6 minutes. 

Rice Krispie Treat Nests!

This weekend I not only celebrated Easter, but also my blog's first birthday! Whether my posts are regularly read or not I have enjoyed adding to my blog since last spring. For Easter I made special Rice Krispie treats! Here is how to make my Rice Krispie treat-nests:

Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons of butter

- 4 cups of mini marshmallows

- 6 cups of Rice Krispie Cereal

- Peanut M & M's

- 1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

Melt butter in a pot completely then add marshmallows. When the marshmallows are completely melted take the pot off the heat and add in the Rice Krispies, mix thoroughly. Spray 2 cupcake tins with cooking spray and spoon in mixture. Use parchment paper to press the mixture into the tins. Try to make each treat cave concave so the M & M's will stay put. Melt chocolate chips in a double broiler on the stove then add a little bit to the center of each nest. Last, add 3 M & M's to each nest and place in the fridge for a half hour.

Chocolate Cupcakes & PB Icing

Over spring break I made delicious chocolate cupcakes with peanut-butter icing! I used Ina Garten's (the Barefoot Contessa) recipe.  It was actually easy to follow. When making cupcakes it is very important to sift the dry ingredients in order to prevent lumps and heavy cake. You also need to remember to let the dairy products warm up to room temperature. If the dairy products are too cold you won't be able to mix your batter thoroughly.