As I sit at the library Tuesday afternoon, we are still without electricity at home after Hurricane Irene hit Saturday night. We had no damage to our house or yard, and there were fewer trees and large branches down in the neighborhood than I expected. We got over 5 inches of rain which made falling trees likely once the high winds started.
We’re managing just fine without a generator. My refrigerator has been emptied and had a thorough cleaning! We’re also enjoying beautiful weather and great family time. Our power company had over 1 million customers lose power. They expect to have everyone’s power restored by 11:30 pm Friday. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. It is a little harder to be patient after the other side of our street got their power back Monday night. 🙂
Update: Our power came back on about 2:00 this morning. Yay!
Thanks for coming by to join this weekly carnival. I hope you will add a link and visit a few.
Giveaway: This week Bon Ami is giving away some natural cleaning products that are great for keeping your kitchen clean.
Monthly Theme: Augusts’ theme is fruit desserts. Next week I’ll highlight those recipes that linked up this week. September’s theme is apple recipes and starts next week.
Last Week’s Highlights:
Coconut Panna Cotta with Peach Coulis – Wheat Free Meat Free
Apple Cranberry Crisp – Bizzy Bakes
Easy Berry Sauce – Cozy Home Scenes
Apple Crisp with Soaked Oats Topping – Recipes to Nourish
Raspberry Cupcakes – Sugar & Spice
Grape Cake – Carolyn’s Recipe Box
Pears with Cinnamon Cream Sauce – Easy to Be Gluten Free
Figs and Peanut Butter – Stuff I Feed Brian
Blueberry Buckwheat Cobbler – Stuff I Feed Brian
Banana Cream Custard Pie – The Willing Cook
Lime Meringue Pie – Hanunyah’s Sweet Creations
My Submission: My submission this week is a low carb pancake.
The Carnival: Please read!
- Keep the links to gluten-free eating ideas (recipes, reviews, menus)
- If you’re new, please read the guidelines.
- Leave a link back (I will not highlight any recipes that do not link back.)
- Thanks for participating!
Hi,
I was “stranded” in Aruba due to the storm so I am behind on my blogging. But here is my entry — String Bean Salad.
Cheers to you for making the best of a bad situation! I hope you get everything back on track soon.
Hope you get your power back soon. So impressed with your zen approach to no power!
Thanks for hosting!
I posted about freezing green peppers, with two methods depending on the size of your crop.
Thanks for hosting and for highlighting my Apple Crisp w/ Soaked Oats Topping! I am honored 🙂 I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying the weather and family time. Hope your electricity comes back soon. Take care. This week I shared a super yummy Chocolate Fudge Sauce (w/ vegan-option). Thanks again 🙂
Hi, I just found your blog! I linked to an easy sauteed Coconut Chard recipe! Thanks for hosting this!
Thank you so much for featuring my banana cream custard pie! This week, I linked up my pistachio, cherry zucchini muffins that are gluten, dairy, egg, soy and corn free.
I hope you’re able to get your power back up soon. After a while, it can get very trying. You’re a trooper for staying on top of your blogging!
Glad to hear your power is back on. We only had a few branches down also. Thanks for hosting this party each week.
I shared: Lea’s Easy Creamy Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream, and Lea’s Easy Peachy Cream Ice Cream.
Glad to hear your powder came back on! I was prepared for loss of power, but only had a couple of quick flickers. We’ve a number of trees down in the neighborhood, though.
Thank you for hosting another wonderful event!
Thanks for sharing!
I’m sharing our experiences about going grain free and the amazing difference I noticed in my youngest son.
Confessions of a Starch-a-holic:
I sometimes feel like I am in a multi-step rehab program. Why I have changed to gluten free recipes is one of simplicity. I was a Starch-a-holic for most of my life; my new recipe testing for my cookbook “In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks” brought me to a realization that this could be as good for me as it was easy to perfect.
Living with teenage girls has brought a lot of dining fads to our household. After my daughter insisted we turn vegan and, after living the lifestyle for a little while, I felt generally better overall. I also found that my years of living with acid reflux was caused by eating red meat. It never hurts to try new things in your life!
My new emphasis on dining healthier now comes from the daily barrage of requests by guests at my current post as the chef of Bimini Boatyard (on 17th Street Cswy. in Fort Lauderdale). Starting about a year and a half ago, I was getting requests from my guests querying whether or not my menu recipes were gluten free and because I developed a majorly of the menu cooking over a wood fire grill, my answer was “yes of course”.
Since the 1990’s, all of my new recipes have been based on heart-healthy Spa Cuisine inspired yet, I never planned on creating a gluten free menu. It naturally coexists when you cook with all natural ingredients, and using wood-fire grill.
Starting with food in their most basic form and adding very little in the way of fillers led to produce a gluten free diet. I have found that when you start off with raw foods, not pre-packaged foods from the marketplace, you control the final outcome of your dinner.
Planning for family meals seems simple if you are looking to cook gluten free. Stay away from fillers and (sauce) thickeners. Check labels on the things you buy – which save cooking steps in your kitchen. Most times fillers are hidden in the prepared food products. An example is occasionally an inferior soy sauce is brewed with wheat to counteract the harshness of soybeans that are processed in a quick fermentation process by the manufacturer.
Naturally, if you buy a convenience product: frozen entree, pre-cooked and ready to warm and serve, it might have been gelled or cooked with an addition of gluten-rich thickener; or paired with another food product that has gluten. Check labels on canned and jarred foods, gluten hides in the simplest of places. Your favorite ice cream is sometimes even made with an addition of flour that is used in the ice cream base as a thickener for the frozen treat.
Rather than buying out of the prepared food aisles, go straight to the produce and fresh fish aisle.
Recipe to help you on your way to a tasty gluten-free dinner:
CHAROLETTE AMAILE WAHOO
SERVES: 6
SIMPLY ELEGANT AND ITS DEPTH IN TASTE EQUALS THAT OF THE PORT FOR WHICH IT IS NAMED. THE RECIPE IS IN TWO STEPS. THE SAUCE, SIMPLY MADE IN A FOOD PROCESSOR, CAN BE MADE DAYS AHEAD OF TIME AND KEPT IN THE REFRIGERATOR UNTIL YOU WANT TO USE IT.
INGREDIENTS:
3 LBS. WAHOO, EVENLY DIVIDED INTO 6 PORTIONS
1/2 CUP CARAMEL MOP, SEE RECIPE BELOW
AS NEEDED SALT AND WHITE PEPPER, 5:1 RATIO-MIXED
2 TBS. THAI PEANUT SAUCE DRY MIX, FOUND IN ASIAN MARKETS
1 CUP PLANTAIN CHIPS, FOUND IN LATINO GROCERY MARKETS
AS NEEDED OIL
3 CUP YUCCA PIECES, 1/2 INCH CHOPPED, BLANCHED IN BOILING SALTED WATER, DRAIN
1 EACH RED BELL PEPPER, ROASTED AND CHOPPED ROUGHLY
1 EACH SHALLOT, CHOPPED
2 EACH GARLIC KERNELS, FINELY CHOPPED
2 BUNCH PENCIL ASPARAGUS, BLANCHED IN SALTED WATER
DIRECTIONS:
DUST THE WAHOO WITH A LITTLE OF THE SALT AND PEPPER MIXTURE. LET REST IN THE REFRIGERATOR, WHILE YOU ARE DOING THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS RECIPE. GRIND THE PLANTAINS INTO A MEAL WITH A FOOD PROCESSOR. ADD IN THE THAI PEANUT SAUCE BASE MIXTURE. MIX WELL. USE ON TOP THE WAHOO AFTER GRILLING AND GLAZING.
OVER HOT COALS, GRILL THE WAHOO FILLET FOR 3 MINUTES PER 1 INCH OF THICKNESS ON ONE SIDE AND THEN FLIP AND COOK 3 MINUTES MORE ON THE OTHER SIDE, GLAZING WITH THE CARAMEL MOP AFTER IT COOKS. DUST WITH THE THAI PEANUT-PLANTAIN MIXTURE ON THE TOP OF THE FILLETS OF WAHOO AFTER THE SECOND SIDE IS COOKED. KEEP IN A WARM OVEN.
NEXT, SAUTE THE SHALLOTS AND GARLIC QUICKLY, ADD THE YUCCA AND CONTINUE TO COOK ABOUT THREE MINUTES. TOSS IN THE PEPPERS AND SAUTE (”TO JUMP”) TO DISTRIBUTE THEM IN THE PAN. PRESS THE YUCCA INTO A 4 OR 5 INCH RING MOLD IN THE CENTER OF THE PLATE (SEE PICTURE). REMOVE THE MOLD AND SET THE WAHOO ON TOP. ENCIRCLE THIS PRESENTATION WITH MORE OF THE CARAMEL MOP SAUCE. ARRANGE THE ASPARAGUS AROUND THE YUCCA, POINTING OUT TO THE EDGES OF THE PLATE LIKE THE HANDS OF A CLOCK.
2ND PART OF THE RECIPE:
CARAMEL MOP
SERVES: 25
ONE OF MY FAVORITE “MOPS” FOR GRILLED NY STRIP STEAKS AND RICHLY FLAVORED FISH FILLETS LIKE MAHI MAHI, WAHOO, ESCOLAR AND SALMON. MAKE THIS LARGE RECIPE BECAUSE YOU WILL FIND A LOT OF OTHER FOOD TO USE IT ON.
INGREDIENTS
12 OZ. COCA-COLA, REDUCED TO A SYRUP
4 OZ. ESPRESSO
4 OZ. GARLIC, ROASTED, CHOPPED
6 OZ. SHALLOTS, CHOPPED
2 OZ. APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE
3 OZ. KAHLUA LIQUOR
3 OZ. SOY SAUCE
2 OZ. BALSAMIC VINEGAR
1 OZ. FRANGELICO LIQUOR
1 OZ. TRIPLE SEC
5 OZ. PICK A PEPPA SAUCE, OR CAN FIND IN ANY LOCAL CARIBBEAN MARKET
2 TBS. BLACK PEPPER
2 TBS. SEASALT
2 TBS. XANTHAN GUM
INSTRUCTIONS:
IN A SMALL PAN, BRING 12 OZ. OF COCA-COLA TO A BOIL AND LET THIS VOLUME REDUCE BY 2/3. ADD THE NEXT 10 ITEMS TO THE POT AND LET SIMMER FOR 5 MINUTES. REMOVE FROM THE HEAT AND COOL. PLACE IN A FOOD PROCESSOR AND GRIND WELL UNTIL EVERYTHING IS PULVERIZED INTO A SLURRY. ADD THE THICKENER SLOWLY TO THIS MIX AND PLACE IN A SQUIRT BOTTLE.
TO USE:
DRIZZLE THIS “MOP” (SAUCE) OVER TOP ANY GRILLED POULTRY, PORK, BEEF OR BABY BACK RIB AND BRUSH ALL AROUND THE FOOD AS IT IS COOKING ATOP THE GRILL.
IT IS USED HERE ON WAHOO….SEE PICTURE.
Taken from Chef Michael Bennett’s cookbook: “In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks”, ISBN: 978-0615-29778-1. A 180 page, 125 plus gluten-free Caribbean-inspired recipe cookbook. Available at Amazon and on Chef Michael’s website: http://www.foodbrats.com
I can’t believe you were without power so long!! You poor thing! I love backpacking in the wilderness, but the thing that drives me nuts is not have my kitchen to work in and I suppose you felt like you were camping the past few days!
That’s right! One of my kids posted a Facebook update that said, “To everyone without power, it helps if you just think of it as camping in a really nice RV.”
Hey Linda, I’m linking up my non-recipe for a pasta skillet supper–my entry for Go Ahead Honey. (The roundup will be up tomorrow.)
I’m so glad your power is back on; that’s never fun. You had a great attitude about it though. 🙂 I’m happy to be in Bermuda right now and hoping the other storms will stay away!
Hugs,
Shirley
Thanks for the highlight from last week! Linked up a couple more recipes to share and enjoy! Thanks for hosting Gluten-Free Wednesdays!