Gluten Free Adventures: Broiled Sesame Shrimp and Peppers and other Tasty Treats

Michelle and I went on our somewhat annual Best Friend Vacation to Florida a couple of weeks ago.  It was a glorious 5 days of chilling in the sun and reuniting with a good college friend of ours that lives down there. Derek went to college with us our freshman year, and even though he transferred out, we always kept in touch. After he moved to Florida to work permanently, I started making my pilgrimages to the sunshine state. Michelle joined me after my first visit after she saw all of my happy pics and stories, and she's been hooked.

After we disclosed to Derek our plans for cooking for him, he dropped a bomb: he was allergic to gluten. The last time we were in FL, Derek was complaining of stomach pains he'd been having for a while, and...other issues that are less decorous to share. The pains were complications due to his body saying "NO BUENO" to gluten.

Now, I know we hear the term gluten and have no friggin' idea what it is. Basically, gluten is a protein found in wheat that makes bread chewy and toothsome. Unfortunately there are people who are really sensitive to it, with the most severe case being celiac disease. Derek's case wasn't that serious, but, it was serious enough for him to make some changes to his diet and to start drinking gluten-free beer (my verdict: it's not bad!).

Most of the things we thought about cooking for him flew out the window. Could I make a gluten-free meal that we all (me, Michelle, Derek, and his roommate, Jesse) could enjoy? I used a couple of different resources, and I think everything turned out pretty damn splendidly.

Broiled Sesame Shrimp & Peppers

This recipe I got with the help of Tasty Kitchen's Special Dietary Needs section! They're sitting on a bed of gluten-free spiral pasta...I forget the brand name, but it's made of rice flour instead of the regular kind. I would have preferred rice noodles though..and if I had looked hard enough through Derek's pantry, I would have found them. WHOOPS. This was light, tangy/sweet, and delicious.

Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Mac n Cheese and Roasted Carrots & Asparagus

Okay, I know most of people (including myself) find Rachel Ray REALLY irritating. But, she does have some really good recipes, and this one was really easy to make gluten-free. Easily found the gluten-free chicken broth at Publix, and made a substitution. Unfortunately, the mac and cheese was the Kraft kind, and Derek couldn't eat it...which is why I roasted veggies (400 degrees, toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper, and desired fresh herbs...I used thyme) on the side. Since Michelle isn't a huge veg fan, she was happy with the mac. The rest of us ate it ALL. The only thing I would change about the recipe is maybe using less chicken broth. I probably used a little too much oil in the sauteing of the chicken as well. I really wanted a tight glaze and I got a somewhat liquid-y consistency. Otherwise, this came out really good as well.

On the baking front were these two delights:

PW's Orange Marmalade Cake and Toll House Choco-Chip Cookie Bars

For the baked goods, I used two regular recipes and just substituted gluten-free flour for the regular kind. I made the cake, and Michelle made the cookies. The cake and the glaze are both made with yogurt, and made good use of the big ass jar of orange marmalade I bought. The cookies are the regular Toll House recipe, put into a rectangular pan so we wouldn't be scooping out cookie dough all night. I noticed that the flour swap made for a denser product with a slightly browner crumb, but other than that, everything tasted amazing.


And here is proof:

Please not that those chunks they cut, they thought were appropriate serving sizes. Boys are just animals, aren't they? :-)

What I Did On My November Vacation: Re-enacting Man Vs Food Pittsburgh!

I love being a New Yorker...but sometimes I just gotta get the hell out. See some sights. Visit some friends. And I did just that earlier last month, when I decided to visit my friend Lauren and her family, who live right outside of Pittsburgh.

Lo and I have been friends for going on 5-6 years now; I met her randomly on Friendster and we've been buds ever since. I hadn't seen her since she had her son, Connor, 2 years ago. Since work was burning me out something fierce, I figured that visiting her, the hubby, and toddler Connor was the right thing to do.

In the days leading up to my trip, I tweeted that I was flying into the Pitt area, and asked if there were any suggestions on where to chow down. Whilst fussing about on Twitter I realized that I was only 10 or so followers away from 100. And then I started thinking about ways to get it up there...and then I started thinking Man vs. Food.

Basically, I said that I would eat an order of Quaker Steak's Atomic Wings (Which Adam does in the Pitt episode of MvF) if my follower count got to 100. I was reasonable secure that it wouldn't happen...but my silly self went and posted this little challenge on Facebook. And then my lovely, lovely friends made very sure that this would happen. Creepers.

I could have very easily opted out of it, but I have a massive love of buffalo wings and Adam Richman. So, off into the hot sauce I went.

Me and Lauren hit the Quaker Steak for dinner on my second night. I must admit...I cheated a little.

I also covered my lips in balm. I must have looked like a lunatic.

I ordered real food beforehand, because I didn't want the wings to be my only dinner. I had a chicken sammy with cheese and bacon atop a garlic butter roll. On the side, homemade chips with GUINNESS CHEESE SAUCE. I could have drank this with a straw.

Me holding up the menu in abject fear:

The waitress didn't fail to point out that they now had SUPER Atomic Wings, and would I like to try those? Hell no woman! Just give me the regular Atomics so I can get this foolhardiness over with!

They came to the table packed in a mini egg carton , garnished with what looked to be like pickled jalapenos. Super cute. I could smell their evil-ness though.

First bite:

HATCHI MATCHI (points if you know where that's from)! A strong stinging sort of heat blanketed my whole mouth. It wasn't like a scotch bonnet pepper, where the heat is insanely uniform and punishing. More like a mean vinegar tang. It did taste good though, even though I would preferred them to be saucier and more buttery.

In the end, it was the wings that won; I could only eat three of the five. Even with the milk I ordered on the side, my mouth was sore and hurting. Oh well. I'm really glad that I got through them at all!

The other two places in that episode were Primanti Bros. Sandwich Shop and Deluca's. Since I've already been to Primanti's, Deluca's was our next stop.

Deluca's is  in the Strip District in downtown Pitt, which is home to a lot of different flea markets, cool cafes and restuarants, and nifty murals like this:

Best breakfast in town? We'll see about that!!

The menu was pretty huge, and everything sounded delicious. The place was bustling, and everyone looked so happy and full...I wanted to be like that too!

In the end though...I think I made the right decision...Strawberries and Cream buttermilk pancakes..

Eggs, fresh sausage, hashbrowns and bacon...

And biscuits. For good measure.

Obviously, it was a little too much food, but I did my best.

 

Verdict? Absolute deliciousness. Everything was extremely fresh, and the portions were huge for the price. I was pretty crazy about the sausage, which usually isn't my go to breakfast side, and I was in love with the fluffy pancakes with the fresh toppings.

Oh, and to end with some shameless cuteness, Lo's son Connor playing with the Sweet N Low packets. He's such a little prince.