Restaurant Review – Ruggles Green in Houston Tx

When on a recent trip to Houston, I tried a place suggested by one of our party and touted as having lots of gluten-free options.  We showed up at the jam-packed Ruggles Green in the Rice Village area.  The line to order was out the door…which caused a bit of anxiety due to the rainy weather.  When I got the menu, I immediately noticed the wealth of gluten free options…tacos…pizza…burgers.  I had a hard time deciding but settled on a fish taco, cream brulee and house shiraz.  After we ordered, we struggled to find a place to sit in the bustling restaurant.  We finally found a spot tucked onto the covered patio.  We were lucky as it started pouring rain not to soon afterwards.  The food was amazing.  My tacos had a lightly spicy chipotle sauce and radish sprouts complemented them nicely.  The shiraz was really good and the cream brulee was presented well.  This stop will defiantly be on my list next time I make it down to Houston.  Check out their website for more awesome options. 

Cooking the African way

One of my favorite things to do is to find different ethnic markets and explore them looking for interesting and new ingredients.  I was very excited to find that we had an African/Caribbean Grocery here in Austin!  I started wandering through this small market one Saturday and found such treasures as cans of akee and even bottles of Ting and Peanut Drink.  It was then that I spotted the box of Fufu.  I was so excited and curious to learn how to use this manioc and plantain mash.  I had eaten fufu years ago at an African restaurant in Austin.  It was served as the starch base for a tomato and beef stew.

I brought home the box of fufu and read the recipe on the back eager to make something similar to what I had all those years ago.  The box explained the philosophy of African cooking. “Traditionally, the African way of food preparation and cooking is based on the use of one’s’ imagination, creativity and flexibility, which cannot be subjected to any rigid ways of quantifying the ingredients involved.”  I found it interesting and sort of laughed at the vague recipe that followed.  At the same time I found it liberating.  It validated my own process of modifying and changing up recipes.  When I modify things, my family now jokes that I am just cooking the African way!  I then took the recipe from the back of the box and fixed it in a crock pot.  I added red bell pepper, lots of garlic and cardamom pods.  It was quite good.  I served it all with a chopped salad that closely resembles tabbouleh…but without the wheat or parsley.

Shrimp Coffee Rice with Parsley Shrimp Tomato Sauce

From Zainabu’s African Cookbook by ZainabuKpaka Kallon

I was intrigued by this recipe when I saw the title.  It is so simple to make and so very good.  I only made one modification to the original recipe which was the addition of peanut butter.  Please make sure and stir it in well otherwise it can burn if it stays in a clump on the bottom of the pan.  If you are in a food rut or are curious about how the rest of the world eats, I encourage you to try this book.  There are a lot of great recipes and stories.  One important note: African cooking is about creativity and therefore many recipes are vague about quantities or cooking times.  I have added in the cooking times for the rice below.

Shrimp Coffee Rice

4 T vegetable oil

2 cups uncooked white rice

1 large white onion (thinly sliced)

2-4 Tbsp ginger

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup strong brewed coffee

1 -2 tsp red pepper

4 Tbsp peanut butter*  (my modification…not in the original recipe)

Salt to taste

3 cups water

1 lb peeled shrimp

Put oil, rice onion and ginger in a 4 quart pot over medium heat.  Mix with a wooden spoon for about 6 minutes.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp.  When the mixture comes to an active boil, lower heat and put on a lid.  Cook until the rice absorbs about 2/3 of the liquid (approx 15 min).  Stir in the shrimp, cover and cook over reduced heat until the rice is done (approx 5-10 min).

 

Parsley Shrimp Tomato Sauce

1 lg can chopped tomatoes

½ cup fresh chopped parsley
1 chopped white onion
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
1-2 tsp red pepper
1-2 Tbsp ginger
1 chopped bell pepper
Salt to taste
1 cup fresh chopped shrimp
4 chopped green onions

Put all ingredients except the shrimp and green onion in a skillet.  Stir frequently for 6 minutes.  Stir in the shrimp and green onions.  Cook for 6-9 more minutes until shrimp is cooked through.  Serve over the shrimp coffee rice.

AWESOME VEGAN KALE SOUP! By Sara Myers

(I was originally just going to call this Awesome Soup, because it's so AWESOME, but I didn't think people would try it if they didn't know what was in it.)
It tastes meaty, buttery, and creamy. Need I go on? I CAN'T STOP EATING IT!
You won’t believe it’s healthy, gluten free, low carb, and vegan (but NOT fat free).
I made this with whatever I had in my fridge & pantry, and I made it up as I went along.
Soup doesn't need to be an exact science, so my directions and measurements are intentionally vague.

STEP 1: IN LARGE POT, SAUTE TILL ONIONS ARE SOFT
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil
1-2 onions, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
4 carrots, chopped
2 turnips, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1-2 tsp dried dill
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne powder
STEP 2: ADD TO SAUTE AND BRING TO BOIL, THEN SIMMER
6-8 cups of water
STEP 3: IN A MEDIUM SAUCE PAN, JUST COVER WITH WATER, BOIL, COVER & SIMMER TILL VERY SOFT, THEN PUREE
1-2 zucchini or yellow squash, chunked
1 head of cauliflower, no leaves, chunked
STEP 4: ADD TO SOUP ALONG WITH PUREE
2 bunches of kale, torn - leaves only, soaked and rinsed well
5-7 fresh parsley stems, leaves only
1 can Coconut Milk, unsweetened
Salt, to taste
STEP 5: IN A SMALL SKILLET, MAKE A MED-LIGHT RUE, STIR 2TBSP OF BROTH INTO RUE, THEN ADD TO SOUP
2 Tbsp rice flour, or whichever kind you use
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil

A Paradigm Shift of Sorts

I went to a Gluten Free Fair at our local Natural Grocers.  One of the sheets that we received was a sheet with a modified % of each of the food groups to eat daily.  I have realized that I eat a sad number of vegetables.  However, I saw a book called The No Grain Diet, and while I don't subscribe to all of the ideas adopted by the author, I have used this way of thinking to help me eat more veggies and cut out the need to make often expensive or time consuming "bread" decisions.  I have been thinking of "veggies" that can take the place of "breads and pastas" in meals.  I have made a pasta of sorts out of zucchini strips shaved thin on the mandolin and have used nori sheets as "wraps."  The new way of thinking has greatly increased the amount and variety of vegetables that have been incorporated into my meal choices.

Restaurant Review - The Original Brick Oven on 35th

I think she liked the IBC.

I have been wanting to try the gluten free goodies at The Original Brick Oven in Austin (near the Original Kerby Lane Cafe) for quite some time.  I decided to take my niece for a yummy adventure.  They have a pretty good sized gluten free menu.  We ordered a Kid's Pizza and a Artichoke Alfredo Pizza for lunch.  We both liked our pizza.  Both had a thin and crispy crust (which I loved).  We also split a yummy flourless chocolate cake.  It was nice to have the freedom to enjoy my meal without worrying about what was in it.  I hope to try some of their pasta next time.

Book/Website Review: Just Bento



My Recent Creation!



Recently I bought this book and over the last few weeks I have been testing it out.  While there are several recipes that use wheat, I find that I can make easy modifications with good results.

For example: In place of regular corn flakes, I used gluten-free Corn Chex on the Chicken Nuggets.  The important thing is to make sure is is crushed up quite a bit otherwise it falls off pretty easily in the hot oil.  I also added horseradish to the Crab Meat and Cabbage Slaw.  It is important to make sure you are buying GF Soy Sauce and other products.  Please read labels carefully.  I have been surprised by rather innocent looking products.  Be on the lookout for "Textured Vegetable Protein" or "Maltodextrin."

The best recipe in my opinion is the Sweet and Sour Pork and Shrimp Balls.

Just Bento