Serious Salads - Light Summer Meals for Hot Summer Nights

Summer is finally in full swing... after what seemed like the longest, hardest winter in memory. The farmer's markets are expanding from the meagre spring offerings to stalls filled with a wide selection of fruits and veggies, and our salads are improving with each week. 

We eat a lot of fresh veggies at our house... and started moving into fresh over cooked early in the season. After a winter of cooked greens, we started eating our kale raw. We started looking for ways to add crunch and zest to our plates.

A few tricks for keeping hot summer meals easy on week nights is to prep food on the weekend - often fresh from the market. First, I wash all of the greens and keep them covered in a bowl in the fridge. This means picking up a handful and placing it directly on a plate when I need it. I don't bother dressing greens anymore - instead I place a number of (often pre made & pre dressed) heartier salads on top of the undressed base of greens. 

I've tired of sloppy big green leaves and find myself preferring everything chopped small and fine. This makes for denser, crunchier salads. An added bonus is that these types of salads age, store and travel well too. Two important tools have been the mandolin slicer (for super fine slices of fennel or cabbage) and the grater - for carrots and beets.

Some salads store very well for a few days - bean salads (provided not too wet), slaws, and salads made from heartier veggies like fennel. I make a few salads at once, and rotate them over the next couple of days - and take them for lunch too. These dense salads make fantastic simple sides or dinner in and of themselves, particularly when one or more includes a form of protein like beans, nuts or cheese. Here is a sampling of some of our summer standards. I've included the classic caprese which requires little more than slicing a tomato. 

Carrot Beet Salad
Grate peeled organic beets and carrots
Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar and celery seed (optional).

Celeric Slaw (no image) 
Wash and peel celeriac root. Using a mandolin slicer make long thin strips of this crunchy white vegetable. Toss with finely chopped fresh parsley, a small amount of mayonnaise, dijon mustard and freshly ground black pepper. Celeric is available all year and makes an excellent winter side too!

Red Cabbage Slaw
Using a mandolin cut red cabbage on the finest slicer and then use the teeth to make thin crunchy strips of carrot. Toss with olive oil, apple cider vinegar and celery seed. You can use a knife and grater to make a less delicate looking, but just as tasty version of this salad. 

Black Bean & Radish
Rinse black beans until the water runs clear and place in a bowl. Add radishes chopped into little cubes about the same size as the beans and lots of chopped cilantro. Sprinkle a light dusting of cayenne pepper, a dollop of good olive oil and squeeze in the juice of a fresh lime.

Caprese Salad
Finely slice fresh tomatoes and assemble on a platter. Slice bocconcini (fresh baby mozzarella) and place on top. Add chopped fresh basil and dress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Finish with a dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Simple Arugula with Walnuts and Olives
Fresh baby arugula (or larger leaves chopped) with fresh walnuts (toasted or raw) and salt cured olives. Sprinkle good olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a light sprinkle of salt. 

Pesto & Corn Potato Salad

mix fresh pesto (read labels on store bought pesto!),corn cut from roasted cobs, chopped fresh basil leaves, salt & pepper

and the tiniest fresh baby potatoes (boiled and cooled). 

For a post on a number of variations on potato salad click HERE.

If you're wondering what the heck this post has to do with "gluten-free"... well, absolutely nothing. In fact - there are so many good foods out there that have nothing to do with gluten... perhaps that is the point :). 

Winter is a season of pasta, and starchier comfort foods, but I've always found summer easier because fresh and lighter foods are more appealing when it's hot. 


May your summer be full of foods so fresh and delicious, that you think about abundance more than lack. Add a glass of chilled vino bianco and celebrate virtuous and easy summer meals!

Grain-free Muffins - Almond & Coconut Flour

I'm on day 38 of the specific carbohydrate diet. Ok - for 3 days I fell off the wagon (my birthday - and the two days following, because Lee baked delicious chocolate cupcakes and left 4 at my house!). I moved through them quickly in order to get back on the wagon :)

I'm not sure how much longer I'll stay on this diet, and I'm not recommending that others try it (unless the gluten-free diet isn't helping you manage all of your symptoms). It hasn't done much for mine, but I will say that my energy is much better, my mind feels clearer and I'm sleeping like a log. That, for now, is keeping me off the grains. The first 30 days, I stuck to the diet verbatim - but now I'm letting a few items like beans slip into my diet (I mean come on!!). 

Today, I baked using the SCD rule book for the first time. As usual, I made up my own ad hoc recipe (after cruising the net to get a sense or ratios using new flours). I came up with a super simple combo that led to delicious muffins that are high in protein and highly satisfying.

In a food processor with the paddle I put the wet ingredients in, pulsed and then the dry: 

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
4 eggs
1 small banana
1 cup ground almonds (with skins on)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup soaked and drained currents
1/8 cup dates chopped fine

Pour into muffin liners. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. This recipe made 8 muffins. 

Sending thanks to my Mum - who sent me home with these two new "flours" to try from her pantry. You can use almond flour (this was whole almonds ground with skins on). When you bake with almonds the whole house is lovely and fragrant.

Coconut flour requires plenty of liquid (eggs, fruit or other) as it absorbs like a sponge. These turned out wonderfully - but I'll likely keep experimenting to keep it fresh. 

I'm kind of stuck on my chickpea flour (forbidden on the SCD diet)...and also a great high protein/fibre alternative. You can read more about my super easy and forgiving muffin making technique HERE. I've also written about muffins with ricotta cheese, which can be found HERE. 

If there's a drawback to almond flour - it's the price. That said, a muffin is no longer a muffin but an extremely satiating food item that provides hours of energy. Almond flour doesn't have a long shelf life so - buy as needed and keep it in the fridge. Some might consider another drawback the fat content - but I'm a big fan of healthy oils and believe that they do the body good. 

When I start introducing grains back into my diet, almond and coconut flour will certainly add some new flavour, texture and variety to my repertoire! 

Specific Carbohydrate Diet - makes the gluten-free diet look like a cake walk!

I'm on my third week. No gluten-free pasta, bread, cookies, muffins... you know, the good stuff! Not a potato, not a grain of rice, not even my simple buckwheat porridge. The first 5 days I was ornery. With two weeks under my belt, I'm starting to get the hang of it. 

You might ask why someone who is already on a deleterious diet might consider taking things a step further. I ask the same question. This has been prescribed to me by my naturopath, because, despite being strictly gluten-free, I'm not without ongoing health issues due to other autoimmune conditions. 

The specific carbohydrate diet (or SCD) was designed by Elaine Gottschall who wrote the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle; Intestinal Health Through Diet. Essentially, the diet omits any sugars that are not monosaccharides, or single sugars such as those found in fruit, honey and certain vegetables. There are zero grains (including rice, potatoes, corn, quinoa... our gluten-free go-to carbs). There is no maple syrup (a recent addiction). There is no milk or yogurt. This also meant pulling off my milky-tea habit. 

I'm in no way recommending this diet - it's a temporary move on my part to see if it can help alleviate some symptoms and give me my energy back. If you operate well on a gf diet - I'd go no further. If you'd like to read up on the SCD diet, I've linked to the official website HERE. 

I'm writing about this experience because it has really helped me, once again to see that I get into a rut, and that there are some easy places to cut back on my sugar intake (like those enormous chocolate bars I'm magnetically drawn to in the grocery store). It's also always good to be reminded that there are others living on a more restrictive diet through necessity - and that gf (especially now) is pretty simple to adhere to. 

Todays menu will give you a sense of what this diet looks like in action: 

Breakfast - a smoothie made of spinach, a banana, frozen cherries and pumpkin seeds. I was having this for breakfast a lot last summer, but lost interest in the winter when warm carb-filled offerings were more appealing. 

Lunch - tuna with green onion, parsley, olive oil and chopped avocado wrapped in radicchio leaves (image above). These were strangely satisfying and will stay on the roster long after I move off this diet. Lettuce wraps are an excellent solution when you can't get gf bread. Simply mix up tuna or egg salad and wrap into little spring rolls. Radicchio is lovely and bitter which adds a different dimension than typical greens.... plus, they look so pretty!!

Dinner - tomato and meat sauce with onion, spinach and parsley on top of spaghetti squash. While I prefer pasta, this was certainly satiating. Simply cut the squash in half, scoop out seeds and place face down on a tray in the oven for 35 mins at 375 degrees. 

Remove from oven and scrape out the spaghetti like strands onto your plate and top with sauce (or just butter and parmesan cheese). 

Snacks - organic apple sauce (almost everything I'm eating these days is organic), medjool dates, toasted almonds, apple slices with cheddar cheese (which is strangely allowed) - as is WINE! 

When the doctor told me that wine, cheese, nuts and olives were allowed on the diet, I figured it wasn't as torturous as some others I've been on. Regardless of how this all turns out in the end, it's been an excellent reminder to think beyond the bun, pizza, pasta, muffins... and grains in general. I always eat pretty healthy - but tend to cram a decent amount of unhealthy sugary carbs in between the healthy stuff. 

If nothing else, this experience will help me understand if there are foods beyond gluten that cause my system distress. 

Of course - I'm chomping at the bit for gluten-free cookies. Luckily, I know I'll be able to find them pretty much everywhere these days when it's time to start slowly re-introducing foods into my diet. 

Summer Potato Salad

We don't eat much pasta, grains or bread in the summer months. Summer spells potato salad. Take a look at these ADORABLE BABY POTATOES! 


We eat a lot of salad here. Shopping at the local organic farmers market over the last few years has helped open my mind - and my stomach to lots of new veggies and kept us keeping it fresh by following what's available by season. There has been a lot of asparagus, strawberries and rhubarb on our plates over the last months. I'm looking forward to moving into summer tomatoes so we can start using more of the basil that's taken off in our patio garden.

Potato salad is a great side for the BBQ, handy for the potluck - and always safer when you skip the mayo found in many classic recipes. Here are two of our current summer favourites:

Green Potato Salad (image at top of post)

3 tbsp salt cured capers

lots of chopped fresh parsley & basil

3 green onions chopped

1/4 cup freshly grated parmeggiano cheese

dash of olive oil and vinegar (white/red wine or balsamic)

salt & pepper

about 1 lb of the tiniest organic potatoes you can find

Pesto & Corn Potato Salad

1/4 cup fresh pesto (read labels on store bought pesto!)

1/2 cup or more corn cut from roasted cobs 

fresh basil leaves 

salt & pepper

about 1lb baby potatoes 

In both recipes, cook the potatoes in salted boiling water with skins on until tender. If potatoes are of varying sizes, cut the larger ones to the same size as the smaller ones so that they cook evenly. Drain and toss with other ingredients. So easy! Both of these keep well for a few days in the fridge, so make extra for the hot days when you don't feel like cooking!

gluten-free felafel... it's super easy, delicious and good for you!!

felafel - gluten free and delicious!!

My friend Doug shared a version of this recipe with me years ago. I was shocked at how easy (and cheap!) it is to make your own felafel at home. This traditional recipe is naturally gluten free, but you'd be hard pressed to find a box of mix in a grocery store that does not include wheat. (One exception is the Australian brand Orgran). This version below will cost less than a dollar and would easily feed 4. An excellent vegetarian option as it's high in protein (not to mention fibre!).  

You do need a food processor - and to plan one day in advance to soak the beans.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried fava (broad) beans

3/4 cup dried chick peas (garbanzo beans) 

1 small onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

generous pinch cayenne pepper

3 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

1 heaping tsp salt

oil for frying

Soak beans overnight in lots of water. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Grind raw soaked beans in the food processor with onion and garlic until finely minced and stir in cumin, salt, cayenne and coriander. Give it another good whirl in the processor to break down the greens. The consistency should be a thick granular paste. Make into patties a little smaller than the size of a flattened golf ball. 

Let sit for 30 minutes. You can make balls - but will need more oil to fry them in. The flatter versions will cook through evenly in much shallower oil. After they have rested for 30 minutes, fry in batches in a large skillet. Test one first to make sure that the oil is adequately hot (you want it to sizzle). Flip after about 3 minutes - or when golden brown and crispy looking. Cook another 3 minutes or so. Keep batches warm in the oven on a plate with paper towel to soak up any excess oil. 

You can serve these many ways - with rice, a gluten free rice wrap, with quinoa.... but last night we had them with a simple spinach salad, carrot salad, sliced tomatoes and avocado. I happened to have some tahini (sesame paste) which made a nice accompaniment. This recipe made 24 felafel - plenty of leftovers for lunch this week!

Super Simple Carrot Salad:

(amounts depend on how many carrots you want to grate!)

grated organic carrots

diced red onion to taste

sprinkle of celery seed to taste

drizzle of olive oil & apple cider vinegar to taste.

Final note: while many felafel vendors do make gluten-free felafel - many also include some wheat flour to help hold them together... OR fry other gluten-laden items in their fryer. Gluten is in no way necessary to make these work - but, as always, I implore you to ask before you order out. Once you try making these  - you'll discover how easy it is to have this great dish safely at home.

roman tomatoes with risotto and basil

tomato flesh and liquid is mixed with risotto rice, basil, oil, salt & pepper before being put back in the tomato

In the 70's stuffed peppers were pretty trendy. Yuck. They kinda ruined any interest I might have in any other vegetable being stuffed - especially with rice. That is, until I learned how to make this classic Roman dish. Seriously, you are so going to love these.

This is how it's done. Cut the tops off of some good sized seasonal tomatoes (round and firm work best) and scoop out the innards (see above) and place in a bowl mixed with 2 heaping tbsp of uncooked risotto rice per tomato, lots of chopped fresh basil, 1tsp of olive oil per tomato, salt & pepper. Mix the ingredients together in the bowl and reload the tomatoes. Pop the tops you cut off back on like little hats to enclose. Bake in a glass ovenproof dish for 1 hour at 350 degrees). You can wedge these in the dish with potato wedges, which will roast alongside your tomatoes and keep them tightly packed in place.

In Rome, this is a summer dish often cooked late at night or in early morning when it's still cool outside. The dish is served at room temperature later in the day when it's simply too hot outside to cook. I do up a load and have them over the course of a few days. We've got a lot of hot days like today on the way... These are so good you'll find yourself wanting to make them all summer!!

risotto: easy gluten-free entertaining

mid way through cooking, slowly adding liquid...

Making risotto is one of the easiest dishes you can make. A lot of fuss can be made around perfecting this dish... but trust me, it's pretty hard to muck up. 

Here's how I make a super simple spinach or kale risotto.

Saute a finely chopped onion in good olive oil, when onion is clear, toss in a cup of risotto rice (arborio is the most common type). Coat rice with the oil, when heated through, toss in a small glass of white wine (optional), when the liquid has cooked off toss in a full bunch of chopped greens and stir until wilted. Add boiled water from your kettle slowly until it covers the ingredients. I toss in a gf bouillon cube too. Keep stirring. Add more water until the rice is cooked through (but not mushy). 

At the end you can either stir in some butter and parmeggiano cheese to taste. Alternatively, stir in some butter or oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice. 

There are umpteen variations on this dish (seafood, mushroom, etc.) Essentially it's all about the order in which you cook things. Veggies like asparagus or anything that you don't want cooked too much can go in closer to the end. 

Note that I don't go too much into measurements. This is a dish where you use your instincts to deliver a consistency that appeals to your palette. Ideally, it should be just soupy enough that it "sets" in a shallow dish. Leftovers are going to be goopier... more like an oatmeal consistency. Tasty all the same. After you've experimented and get comfortable with this dish, I'm sure you'll find it an excellent option when entertaining.

gluten-free dinner for one

rapini with rotini rice pasta and cured black olives

For years I lived alone and quickly learned that the trick to cooking for one, is not to. I cook things that work well over a few meals. Two or three nights of making dinner is all I need to have a few dishes on rotation for lunches and dinners over a week. 

There are lots of foods that work well this way - some obvious ones are chili, soups or lasagna,which all freeze well too. When I make these, I freeze a few portions that I can add into my rotation of meals in future weeks.

Rapini is hands down my favourite vegetable. When Bill is away on road trips, I tend to eat it up to 3 nights a week. A large head of rapini ensures that I get a good dose of greens in a week too. Check out my post HERE on how I cook rapini (which is great on its own!) and toss it with pasta and olives. When it cools I dole up what's left into sandwich bags and take it to work to heat up for lunches.

betty crocker gluten-free cake mix

This is a piece of Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Cake made from their mix. The kind of cake that I drooled over in the 70's as a little kid. The kind of cake that was completely forbidden to me, until recently. 

I haven't changed my tune. Baked goods made from scratch with fresh ingredients are certainly my preference, but I'm not a big baker myself. It's nice to know I don't have to be. 

We made the chocolate cake for my Dad's birthday party. We served half of this cake at the dinner - the other half I devoured over the next 24 hours. Sliver by glorious sliver. The icing is Duncan Hines (also gluten-free, although not always marked as such). Ingredient list is frighteningly unhealthy... but let's not kid ourselves, this is junk food.

One of my final memories before diagnosis, was of toddler cuisine - tiny concoctions made from Betty Crocker "Easy Bake Oven" cake mixes. Soon after, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. This cake made me feel like I'd come full circle. The world of mass market junk cake mix was back at my disposal. Yum. 

Soprano's baked ziti - gluten free alla famiglia!

Baked ziti... brings out my inner Carmella. I have an urge to poof up my hair, glue on some fake nails, put on every piece of jewelry I own and yell "Dinna's ready!!". 

When I first watched the Sopranos I kept wondering why they were always pulling a baked ziti out of the oven... until my Sopranofile buddies Bennett & Angela bought me the official Sopranos cookbook. Madonna... the mystery of mafia dinners were suddenly unveiled. 

Baked ziti is not something I ever came across in my adventures across Italy - but in Jersey I believe this is a staple. It's so easy... and makes the best leftovers on the planet. Not that there is ever much left over. What I particularly like about this dish, is that gluten-free pasta works just as well as "regular"... we have fed hoards of unsuspecting teenagers the gluten-free version of this dish.

Here's how it's done: Boil a large pot of water. While you wait, remove the meat from the casings of a few hot Italian sausages and fry the chunks of meat. Boil rice penne shaped pasta until ALMOST al dente (not as soft as you'd normally serve). Drain and put back in the saucepan. Stir in a jar of healthy tomato sauce and the sausage meat. 

Pour half of the pasta mixture into a large glass baking dish. Scoop teaspoonfuls of fresh ricotta cheese and scatter evenly across the dish. Spread the remaining pasta over top and sprinkle with a generous amount of grated mozzarella and parmigiano cheese. Essentially, it's a super easy version of a lasagna. Bake in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove and let sit for a few minutes.  Cut into squares as you would a lasagna. Mamma mia... you gonna be so happy. Buon appetito!

gluten free guidance - a copebook for beginners

I just posted Living Well With Celiac Disease: Abundance Beyond Wheat & Gluten on my Etsy site. Click HERE to go to the claudinescalling page where you can order it directly from me. As always, it is also available on Amazon. Simply click on "the book" link at the side to of this post. Reviews for the book can be found on my "contact" & "guidance" pages.

POLENTA: Gluten-free, easy, versatile and comforting!

I spent a year living in Cineto Romano, a small village with 300 full-time residents in the mountains 52km north east of Rome. As is the custom with many small Italian villages, there was an annual festival associated with regional food. Imagine my gluten-free delight when I learned that the festival in my new hometown was polenta... and that this festival took place each winter in the piazza right outside my balcony.

Basic recipe: In a large heavy pot, add one part cornmeal to 4 parts boiling salted water (or broth) in a slow steady stream... stirring constantly with a long handled wooden spoon for about 20 minutes. Optional: add butter and grated parmigiano cheese at the end as it thickens and starts to pull from the edges of the pot. 

 I've made this the traditional way umpteen times, but concede that I frequently opt for the 'instant' version where the corn has been pre-cooked to some extent. It seriously takes ONE minute.

Serving suggestions: Endless... but start with the "grits" style right from the pot - pouring it into a shallow bowl (it will quickly start to "set") top with good quality tomato sauce and perhaps a grilled sausage or two. The ultimate comfort food on a cold winter night.

Pour what you aren't eating immediately into a dish and spread flat. Refrigerate and cut up to grill or broil the next day as an awesome side for anything. I've used it in this manner for mini pizza style dishes or polenta lasagna (using the polenta layers to replace the pasta). The gluten-free variations are endless. It's also a great way to cook something up ONCE and make loads of meals out of it throughout the week. I would love to hear your favorite ways to use this amazing gluten-free staple!

elevate the everyday with an easy gluten-free staple

Sometimes one ingredient can make a mundane everyday food spectacular. Pesto is like that. Add a drizzle of pesto over a sliced tomato or even a boiled potato and you have something pretty heavenly. It's getting to the time of year where it will soon be hard to find big bunches of fresh basil. Get your hands on some while the going is good!

uber easy pesto 

• lots of basil (a big sprig - see photo!) 
• 3/4 cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic 
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano (parmesan)
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or walnuts)

I prefer recipes that start with 5 ingredients or less that are flexible with ratio/quantities. Make it your own. Toss all in the food processor and whirl it around until you have a lovely green puree.

We just made extra and froze it in ice cube trays. Once solid, the lovely little green squares are tossed into a freezer bag. Thaw out a couple as you need them. If you've got some thoughts on using pesto - would love to hear them....Buon appetito!

best gluten free baking blogs - the top 5

don't worry - this cake is not gluten free!

I've said it before - this is not a blog for people who want to bake gluten-free sticky buns. There are a few reasons that I am not focusing on baking on this blog. 

1) I can bake, but I'm no pastry chef 

2) I try not to bake often, because a lack of willpower has me eating entire cakes in one sitting.

3) There are AMAZING blogs that can deliver really great baking tips and recipes.

I'd like to introduce you to the gluten free gift top 5 blogs for baking & inspiration in the kitchen. They are not in a particular order - I've chosen them to share with you as each delivers something unique in way of recipes, voice and aesthetic. 

Karina at glutenfreegoddess is a writer, poet and artist. An awesome read, visual feast and great looking recipes.

Shauna (and Danny, her husband the chef) at glutenfreegirl
will take you on an uplifting culinary voyage... every day at their house is a celebration. 

Jeanine of thebakingbeauties has an extensive list of recipes that include ambitious goodies like scones and cinnamon buns.

Elana at elanaspantry uses unique ingredients.. and thanks to the efforts of my friend Angela, I've tested the outcome of her recipes first hand.

Meg... ooh la la... glutenfreeboulangerie is a seriously gorgeous blog.

I like to drool over these blogs... and on occasion I'll pull out the mixer and give a recipe a whirl... but more often than not, I'll run out and buy a good bar of chocolate and use the time saved to play in my art studio. 

For those who like to bake (or want to send a link to a friend who might bake something for them!) I'd bookmark these great blogs. If I've missed another winner - please feel free to share it here!

EREQ6V9BRVD8