Grilled Veggie Kebabs

On this Memorial Day in the U.S., we hope you are having a wonderful day with sunshine! We grilled out and had some grilled veggie kebabs (with cucumber, squash, and onion), as well as some steak.

How to Toast Coconut Flakes

I recently finished reading a book that describes the story of my life, called Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food by Jeff Potter. Aside from all the scientific equations and principles, one of the beautiful things I learned about in this book, very applicable to creating appealing food, is called the Maillard reaction.

In short, the Maillard Reaction is the difference between perfectly toasted bread, just before it's smeared with strawberry freezer jam, and a pasty piece of white bread. The Maillard Reaction takes place most effectively at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (or 190 degrees Celcius), and then the top of your muffin turns deliciously golden-brown. The elusive, desirable golden-brown. Maillard makes it all possible by the heat affecting the water molecules and creating glycation.

So, what to do with this? Toast stuff. One of my favorites is toasted coconut. It's a little bit caramel tasting, a little bit toasty. By changing the structure of the sugars in the food, it becomes more appealing.

So, here's how to toast coconut. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (for a lower application of the Maillard reaction).

You can start with sweetened or unsweetened dried shredded coconut.

Measure the needed amount and spread it thinly on a sheet tray.

Put it in the oven for 5 minutes or less. If it starts to smell strongly, it's about 3 seconds from burnt! Watch it closely.

Pull it out of the oven when more than half of the coconut is toasted (don't wait for all of it to change color), and immediately transfer to a cool plate. If you leave it on the sheet tray, it will continue to toast.

Cool and use in your recipe.

Delicious Banana Muffins I Haven't Been Able to Top

I've made these muffins over and over and over. They get those little flecks of darker banana inside, and the walnuts are a nice crunch. They're the Gluten Free Goddess's Big Banana Muffins. I don't like to make them big, because, well, then they'd be gone faster. I make 12 of them in regular-sized muffin tins, and bake them about 20 minutes. I watch them close near the end.

I hope you enjoy them like we have!

 

Zesty Beef Short Ribs

Shortly after I returned home from my first visit to the indoor farmer's market on State Street, and a batch of muffins were in the oven, I heard a knock on the door.

It was my fiesty little 84 year old neighbor. Last week, she gave me some frozen peach cups and some canned vegetables, saying the food bank man had brought too much. After shuffling into the living room, she offered me two packages of Ramen noodles. Knowing it wouldn't be easy to explain to her giving, small town Iowa heart that we don't eat wheat, I piped up and turned down her offer for the noodles. I have yet to tell the pastry chef who lives to the other side of me that I can't eat the biscotti he leaves on my porch. Another day for that, I suppose. We talked about the weather, the flowers, the lawn, and the books she's ready. She leaned back into the overstuffed pillows on my couch and exclaimed that my "Davenport was so comfortable she might just fall asleep." The couch pillow almost looked as if it would swallow her in one bite. She stayed for her typical 15 minutes, explaining that it just gets so lonesome over there without anyone to talk to.

As she showed herself to the door, she told me about the Mother's Day dinner at the Senior Center she had last week. It was "some sort of rice with a bunch of stuff in it. And they have weird names for all the food. Like chicken who-sa-shin-sho or something like that. You never really know what you're getting." She told me it was the worst food she'd ever had, and then she mused to herself that everyone probably has different taste buds.


It's probably true. I see that reading all the food blogs, the food magazines, and hearing people mention what they cooked over the weekend. One of the managers at my work loves to cook, and he's famous for his flan and his croissants. My sweet neighbor told me how much she loves mashed potatoes and gravy. My boss is a vegetarian, and likes to refer to his cuisine as "the cardboard you're food comes in." The irony isn't lost on me. He's happier, healthier, and fitter than ever. He even showed me his weight and vitals tracking spreadsheet, with a clear line pointing upward reflecting his refreshed and healthy glow.


While my neighbor was sitting on my Davenport with her eyes closed, I pulled a pan of banana muffins out of the oven. The tops were perfectly rounded and a touch brown, and that roasty banana walnutty smell filled the house. I didn't explain to her that I was making short ribs for dinner. I wasn't holding out on her. I think I can be a little shy about my culinary point of view, my need for gluten free food. Every person likes their potatoes a little different, and it all seems very personal after I've spent so much time in the kitchen. I love sharing it, but I find myself hesitating if I'm not sure how the other person will feel. Chicken? I'm not sure. I think I'm just getting used to living on a street where the neighbors come over to chat. I wouldn't trade it though, that's for sure.



I picked up a bag of Fuji and Golden Delicious apples at the indoor farmer's market, and was sold on the Canyon Meadows Ranch LLC natural beef short ribs for dinner. Short ribs are one of the tougher cuts of beef, I knew that, and are best when they're braised. This is a really simple way to braise them, and then grill them afterward. Ideally, they could be braised in a much more flavorful liquid, which would lend sweet bite to the tender meat after cooking. I think I'll be hitting the indoor farmer's market every week.

Last Year: Baked Coconut Tilapia with Apricot Dipping Sauce
Two Years Ago: Ant's Pizza (still our favorite crust)

These ribs are easy to make, even if you've never done it before.

First, make sure the ribs are no longer frozen.

 After trimming off any extra fat and separating them into serving size pieces, toss them in a preheated enameled cast iron Dutch oven on the stovetop. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour water over them, just enough to cover the ribs, and simmer them for one and a half hours. They will turn a delicate gray color, and smell wonderful.

Whip up a quick batch of the sauce for the ribs.

On the grill, set each rib out and brush with the sauce. For 10-15 minutes, continue basting and turning the ribs frequently, until they crisp on the outside and the sauce is darker.

Like this.

Enjoy!

Zesty Short Ribs
Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
[Printer Friendly]

3-4 pounds beef short ribs, cut to serving size and trimmed of fat

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder

Separate and trim the short ribs of any excess fat. On the stove, preheat an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Drop in the ribs, one at a time, and sear for just a few minutes. Season them lightly with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Then, lay the ribs flat on the bottom of the Dutch oven and pour enough water over the ribs to barely cover them. Get the water to a boil, then turn down to a simmer (medium heat) and braise them (cooking them slowly in liquid) for 1 1/2 hours.

While the ribs are braising, prepare the sauce by stirring together the ketchup, molasses, Dijon mustard and chili powder until combined.

Once the ribs are braised, pull each one out of the braising liquid and set on a plate. Prepare the gas grill on medium heat, and set each rib on the grill. Brush both sides with the molasses sauce, turning them frequently and basting with more sauce for 10-15 minutes. The sauce will cling onto the ribs, creating beautiful grill marks and a dry-ish saucy coating on the outside of the ribs. Serve immediately.

How to Actually Eat Gluten Free at a Restaurant: Part 2

If you haven't already, check out Part 1 of How to Actually Eat Gluten Free in a Restaurant.

Don't be afraid to not eat it. Months back, we had ordered lunch in for an all-day work meeting. What's cooler than free lunch? Well, we were ordering from Jason's Deli, which has those magical allergen statements on it. I ordered a salad with grapes and nuts in it, and forgot to ask them to leave out the cheese. I was already a bit disappointed having to navigate around the cheese (I had only take a few bites at this point), when I found a piece of marinated chicken inside my salad! Ding ding ding! I had read on the menu that the marinated chicken contained gluten, and so I graciously put the lid back on the salad, and moved on to Plan B. Starve? That's not Plan B. I have a better one for you.


Carry food with you. Whether you are traveling or just around the corner from home, it's very important to keep some safe food with you. This could be because you are driving past mouthwatering billboards and your stomach is growling, or because you order something at a restaurant that just isn't going to do the job. And if you're flying or on a car trip, it's smart to have food you know is safe in case you can't find anything in the airport or gas station. I like to keep fruit cups and Kind bars in my desk drawers at work, Lara Bars in my work bag and purse, a stash of nuts and other things in my car glove box, and those packets of tuna and some gluten free crackers with me when I'm flying for business.


So, does this ruin the mood? Ruin the magic of your dinner out with friends for a birthday, make you feel awkward with coworkers, or make your wonderful grandmother feel bad about spending all that money on you? I say: you and they will feel a lot worse if you get contaminated while eating out! It's worth it to cover your bases, being kind and gracious with your dinner companions and the restaurant folks, and you will have a great experience. Most people won't notice, and those who do won't mind!


Ask your friends and family to support you. If someone suggests you go out to eat together - whether it's your coworkers, parents, or real estate agent - pipe up and ask if you can choose the restaurant. I find that in Salt Lake, if they pick the type of fare (Mexican, burgers, Chinese, steak, vegetarian, Middle-Eastern), there are enough options that everyone can be happy. Frankly, this works most of the time. People who care about you are generally glad to try your restaurant suggestion, and they want to spend a nice evening with you without you being miserable or spending a lot of time in the bathroom during the movie afterward.

Eating gelato in Siricuza, Sicily.