Eating In: Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

As a gluten-free eater, there are several sacrifices that need to be made. Cake, cookies, warm bread, and ooey gooey cinnamon rolls. It is my goal to find gluten-free replacements for these items that actually taste good. There are several options out there...most of them disgusting. It is my goal to find the yummy ones.

I woke up Saturday morning with a extreme hankering for a delicious, full fat, hardcore cinnamon roll. One problem, I have gluten intolerance. I searched the web for recipes that I wanted to try. I had the energy and gumption to slave over a hot stove to find that ultimate dessert/breakfast item.

I came across the Baking Beauties website. Jackpot! This is where I found the most delicious recipe, and this was my result!

The recipe had lots of steps, and was pretty in depth, but it was all worth it. My non gluten-free eating boyfriend LOVED it. He couldn't tell it was gluten free. It made a huge batch, so I froze half of it for later. I did do things a little different than the recipe.

Changes to the recipe:

I added cinnamon and left out whipping cream to the topping. 

I also left out the vinegar and it was fine. (I didn't have any)

Eating In: Kielbasa Nachos (Leftover creation)

This was a leftover meal creation. I made kielbasa, bell peppers, onions, and spicy brown rice for dinner one night. I had sauteed kielbasa, peppers and onions left over. I know this meal sounds weird, but man oh man was it yummy!!

Kielbasa Nachos:

• Scoops style corn tortilla chips
• Gluten Free Kielbasa (1 package)
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 red, yellow OR orange bell pepper sliced
• 1 clove of garlic minced thinly
• Red pepper (flakes or cayenne pepper to taste)
• Salsa 
• Mexican style shredded cheese

To make kielbasa meal just toss kielbasa, onions, bell pepper and seasoning in a hot skillet drizzled with olive oil (wait till the last 5 minutes to add garlic so it doesn't burn)

Once kielbasa stir fry is finished cooking, mix in with salsa to taste. I added 1/4 cup of salsa.

To make nachos, cover plate in chips. Top chips with kielbasa stir fry and sprinkle with cheese. Put in the microwave for 1 minute, or until cheese is melted.

Now you have a left over creation!!

Eating Out: Chick-Fil-A

I just LOVE Chick-Fil-A. I miss the chicken sandwich so much. As a gluten eater, it was one of my favorite places to eat. Good news, there is still TONS of things you can eat that are gluten free. Luckily, they now have grilled nuggets, which make gluten free eating a cinch! You can visit the Chick-Fil-A website for more information, but here is my cheat sheet!

Entree
Chargrilled Chicken Filet (no bun)
Chick-fil-A® Grilled Market Salad
Grilled Chick-fil-A® Nuggets (8 or 12 count)

Sides
Fruit Cup
Side Salad
Cole Slaw
Chick-fil-A Waffle Potato Fries®
Yogurt Parfait
Breakfast
Bacon slice
Egg
Sausage patty
American cheese slice
Hash Browns

Kid's Meals
Grilled Chick-fil-A® Nuggets (8 or 12 count)
Buddy Fruits® Pure Blended Fruit To Go applesauce

Desserts
Icedream®
Chocolate Syrup

Dipping Sauces and Dressings
Barbecue Sauce
Honey Mustard Sauce
Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce
Polynesian Sauce
Buttermilk Ranch Sauce
Chick-fil-A® Buffalo Sauce
Spicy Dressing
Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
Zesty Apple Cider Dressing
Light Italian Dressing
Fat Free Dijon Honey Mustard Dressing
Reduced Fat Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Chick-fil-A® Sauce

Condiments
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayonnaise
Apple Jelly
Grape Jelly
Mixed Fruit Jelly

Eating Out: Wendy's

Wendy's is my favorite drive through fast food restaurant to eat gluten free.
I was super impressed when I went to their website and saw a section fully devoted to gluten!
Check out the Wendy's website for more information.

My favorite is the Chili and Cheese Baked Potato. Another good idea is the Chicken Fillet with bacon and cheese on top.

Here is my Wendy's cheat sheet:

POTATOES
Bacon and Cheese Baked Potato
Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potato
Cheese Baked Potato
Chili and Cheese Baked Potato
Plain Baked Potato
Sour Cream and Chives Baked Potato

SIDES
Apple Slices
Chili

SALADS
Apple Pecan Chicken Salad (no pecans)
Baja Chili Salad
Chicken BLT Cobb Salad
Garden Side Salad (no croutons)
Tortilla strips

DRESSINGS:
Avocado Ranch Dressing
Classic Ranch Dressing
Light Ranch
Creamy Red Jalapeno Dressing
Fat Free French Dressing
Italian Dressing
Lemon Garlic Caesar Dressing
Pomegranate Dressing
Thousand Island Dressing

MEATS:
Apple-wood Smoked Bacon
Hamburger Patty
Ultimate Chicken  Grill Fillet

FROSTY:
Caramel Apple Frosty Parfait (no granola)
Caramel Frosty Shake
Chocolate Frosty Shake
Strawberry Frosty Shake
Vanilla Frosty
Chocolate Frosty

Eating out: Jersey Mike's Subs

I miss eating yummy subs. Good news, Jersey Mike's has gluten free options. Bad news, no bread. You can order any of your old favorites, but in a "tub" instead. Click below for the full menu on the Jersey Mike's website: Jersey Mike's Food Allergy Menu. Look below for my cheat sheet. 

I chose the BLT in a tub!

I hate searching through the entire allergen list online, so here is the first of many cheat sheets. Everything on this list you can have.

SUB IN A TUB-

You can get your old sandwich favorites without the bread! Just a sandwich in a tub!

Cold Subs:
#1 BLT in a Tub

#2 Jersey Shore Favorite in a Tub                        

#3 American Classic in a Tub                                                                                                                                                        

#4 in a Tub                                                                                                                                                                                          

#5 Super Sub in a Tub™                                                                                                                                                 

#6 Roast Beef & Provolone in a Tub                                                                                                                                         

#7 Turkey Breast & Provolone in a Tub                                                                                                                                   

#8 Club Sub in a Tub™ (with Mayo)                                                                                                                                          

#9 Club Supreme in a Tub (with Mayo)                                                                                                                                   

#10 Tuna in a Tub                                                                                                                                                             

#11 in a Tub                                                                                                                                                                                        

#12 in a Tub                                                                                                                                                                                        

#13 Original Italian in a Tub                                                                                                                                                          

#14 Veggie in a Tub        

Chicken Salad in a Tub

Hot Subs: (basically everything except chicken breast and meatballs)
#17 Steak Philly 

#43 Chipotle Steak Philly

#19 BBQ Beef Wheat

#20 Pastrami & Swiss
#20 Reuben 
Sausage
California Cheese Steak

Soups:
Creamy Tomato Bisque

MAKE YOUR OWN TUB

Cheese:
American Cheese, Pasteurized Process (white & yellow)                                                                                              
Parmesan Cheese, Grated                                                                                                                                                           
Pepper Jack Cheese                                                                                                                                                                       
Provolone Cheese                                                                                                                                                           
Swiss Cheese

Condiments and toppings:  (everything but Teriyaki sauce)
Banana Peppers                                                                                                                                                                           

Blended Oil                                                                                                                                                                                         

Buffalo Sauce
Chipotle Mayonnaise                                                                                                                                                                   

Dijon Honey Mustard                                

Dill Pickle                                                                                                                                                                                             

Green Peppers                                                                                                                                                                                 

Hot Cherry Pepper Relish                                                                                                                                                             

Jalapeno Peppers                                                                                                                                                                            

Lettuce
Mayonnaise                                                                                                                                                                                       

Onion                                                                                                                                                                                    

Red Wine Vinegar                                                                                                                                                                            

Sauerkraut              

Spaghetti Sauce

Tomato

Meats:
Bacon                                 

Ham, Boiled                                 

Ham, Cappacuolo 

Ham Proscuittini Peppered

Pastrami                                                                                                                                                                              

Pepperoni, Deli                                                                                                                                                                 

Philly Chicken (Supposedly the chicken breast has gluten but the philly chicken doesn’t. I would just stay away from the chicken to be safe)

Philly Steak                                                                                                                                                                                         

Roast Beef                                                                                                                                                                                          

Salami, Hard              

Sausage, Italian                                                                                                                                                                                 

Sausage Patty, Breakfast                                                                                                                                              

Tuna Fish Salad                                                                                                                                                                                 

Turkey Breast, Oven Roasted

Dressings
Blue Cheese                                                                                                                                                                                     

Caesar                                 

Chipotle Mayo                                                                                                                                                                                  

Golden Italian                                                                                                                                                                                    

Italian Family Recipe Packet                                                                                                                                        

Italian Light (Packet)                                                                                                                                                                       

Italian Fat Free                                                                                                                                                                  

Ranch                                                                                                                                                                                   

Russian

Eating In: GF Flourless Chocolate Cake

It is so hard to find a yummy cake that is gluten-free. However this incredibly rich, fudge-like cake is a great option for get-togethers, birthdays, romantic date nights, or just a mid-week escape!

This night I had a slice of Trader Joe's version. I fancy cut some strawberries and drizzled some strawberry syrup to bring the fancy factor up a notch. It takes to seconds to present this dessert in a beautiful way...so why not!?

When I cook and shop, I am only doing it for two. I have some nice tricks to make gluten free food last a little longer. When I brought this cake home from the store, I cut it into slices, then put the entire cake in the freezer. Now it will last even longer. It's great for a 2 second fancy dessert too! Just grab a slice, plate it and top it with strawberries, and add the drizzle of your choice (chocolate, strawberry, caramel, etc). If you don't have syrup, just heat and water down some jelly!

Here are some other flourless chocolate cake options from celiacdesease.about.com

http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/desserts/tp/FlourlessChocCakeList.htm

Eating In: Toasted Coconut Brown Rice

This Thai side dish is is low fat, gluten free, SUPER, exotic and sure to impress your dinner guests.

I used mine as a side to Thai Basil-Lime Chicken

Toasted Coconut Brown Rice
1 cup of brown rice
1 cup of water
1 cup of milk
1 cup of sweetened coconut
Salt
Tablespoon of olive oil

Bring milk and water to a boil. Stir in rice. Add a pinch of salt, and olive oil. Return to a boil. Once it returns to a boil, turn to lowest possible temperature and cover (stir occasionally).

While rice starts cooking you need to toast the coconut. Put coconut in a nonstick pan on low heat. Continuously stir to ensure no burning. Continue until most of the coconut is LIGHT brown. Do not burn.

Once your coconut is toasted, put 3/4 of the 1 cup in with the rice. Once your rice is fully cook you will garnish the top with the remaining toasted coconut.

Rice usually takes 30-45 minutes to cook.
Feeds 4-6

Eating In: Thai Basil Lime Chicken

I love trying new dishes. This one was similar to a Rachel Ray recipe that I love to cook (Thai Stir fry). I just love the rich sauce that goes on top with yummy fresh basil.

I used the recipe below, but changed it up a bit.
Goodeness Gracious: Basil Lime Chicken

Changes:

• It cut the recipe in half, because I was cooking for two
• I didn't like the extreme lime flavor, so next time I will leave out the zest
• Added more garlic!!
• Thai food includes all palate flavors (sweet, savory, spicy, and as our) so next time I will add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the sauce.

This was my result (complete with Toasted Coconut Brown Rice and frozen Almond Green Beans)