WHAT? That was good.

Tempura Shrimp

Ah! This dish was so, so good. I do have to give Duncan credit for coming up with the idea, but I did all the eating--naturally. It was gross how much I ate in one sitting, but I'm not ashamed. NEVER. The batter is really easy to make, you mix egg whites and rice flour and you're done with step 1. Step 2. roll the shrimp around in the batter and then 3. throw the shrimp into the frying pan for a couple of minutes. Step 4. Eat your face off. What, that is it? Yes, it is. You can eat them with a fork, but I sure as hell did not. I'm a monster--a hungry monster.

Duncan and I thought it would be a great idea to make our own pickles. No, we don't have an electric canner--just a pickle making dream. A pickle making dream that came true, I may add.

They came out quite delicious but not as crunchy as store bought pickles. No complaints though. Dunc put the homemade pickles on his sandwich and thought the extra garlic we put in really added a nice flavor.

Because I can't eat sandwiches--BOO-- I ate them straight up, that's right. It's a nice snack that is very low in calories. (If you're into that sort of thing. Not me.) Here is the recipe I followed from www.life123.com:

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe

Ingredients you will need:
3 cups sugar
3 cups vinegar
1/3 cup canning salt
2 tablespoons pickling spices
1 tablespoon turmeric
Cucumbers (sliced thin)
Onions (sliced thin)

Wash cucumbers, slice thin and layer with sliced onion in clean, sterilized jars. Combine ingredients and heat to melt the sugar. Cool and pour into jars. Cover and let stand at least 24 hours before taste testing. A jar of opened pickles will keep in the refrigerator for weeks without spoiling--awesome.

Oh, how simple.

Fish Tacos

One of my all-time favorite foods are Mexican fajitas. Since I've been robbed of my bread/wrap eating abilities, I had to switch to hard tacos. Hard tacos are made out of corn flour so gluten-freers are in the clear. But be sure to steer clear from wraps and burritos at Mexican restaurants because they contain gluten. To make tacos at home are easy and quick to make. If you don't eat seafood you can swap the fish for vegetables.

Here's what you'll need:

2 fillets of tilapia or fish of your choosing
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Avocado
Cheddar cheese
Sour Cream
Taco seasoning


Here's what you do:

Saute fish and sprinkle with taco seasoning. Cook for five minutes. Add all other ingredients and fish into taco shells and enjoy! Be careful, they're messy:)

Sunny-Side Up Eggs With Feta and Hot Peppers

If you're like me and can't eat cereal, here's an alternative. Sunny-side up eggs are a staple and kind of an art. It truly takes practice. Well, for me at least.

Here's how it goes:

For traditional sunny-side up eggs, melt 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Break open eggs into pan and immediately reduce heat to low. Cook slowly until the whites are completely set and the yolks begins to thicken, but are not hard. For over easy-eggs flip over for 15 seconds. Top with feta cheese and hot peppers.

Tofu Tahini Salad

I'm a big fan of Mediterranean food. I usually eat hummus in one of my meals at least three times a week. I switched it up this time and used the main ingredient of hummus, which is tahini. Tahini is simply grounded sesame seeds. Tahini is a good source of fatty acids for those who don't get enough of it in their diets and can be used as an alternative for butter or margarine. By pairing tofu and tahini this salad will be sure to fill you up if you're a vegetarian.

What you'll need:
2 tablespoons of Tahini
Romaine lettuce
Extra firm tofu
Tomato
1 tablespoon of feta cheese
Black olives
Lemon juice
Capers

What to do:

1. Drain tofu and saute tofu in olive oil on both sides. A few minutes on each side will do.
2. Cut romaine and add tomato, olives, and feta cheese.
3. Cool tofu and add to salad
4. Add tahini and capers. Squirt lemon juice to taste all over salad and enjoy.

Veggie Chili

Veggie chili is my staple protein food. It's so simple to make and you can throw in anything in your fridge that you need to use before it turns (this always seems to happen to me with my fresh produce.) It's super nutritious and hearty if you're missing meat out of your diet. I usually use portabella for its meaty texture but I didn't have it this week, instead I used various types of beans. Another good characteristic about this dish is that you can make a big batch of it and have lunch made for the entire week.

Here's what you'll need:

1 can of white beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
16 ounce can of tomato paste
1 small onion
1/2 green pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
hot sauce

add whatever vegetables you have in your fridge


1. saute onion and pepper in olive oil until tender.
2. Add diced tomatoes and beans. Stir in paste. Add in chili pepper and hot sauce.
3.Cook until hot and veggies are tender. Garnish with sour cream.

Gluten-Free Food Lists

I just wanted to make a quick post about safe gluten-free foods. I don't really get into explaining celiac disease on my blog. I just assume if people are searching through gluten-free foods they have some knowledge about gluten intolerance. The truth of the matter is I don't know that much about it myself. So, I wanted to post where I go to find out gluten-free facts. I mainly go to celiac.com and always look on the safe gluten-free foods list. I have spring break this week so I will have plenty of gluten-free ideas to come. Enjoy!