I've Missed You Too

From my backyard in Vermont.

I've been missing recently and it's because of a few different reasons.  First, this was my very busy season at work.  And let me tell you, it was a crazy summer.

Second, well, my brother and I have just about eaten our way through most of the gluten free restaurants in New York City.  Sure, there are some I haven't reviewed.  Some that I had nothing nice to say about.  And a few out there I'm still hoping to discover.  I've also been trying to avoid packaged foods because generally they are not as good for you, and while I'd love to eat them all, I'd also love to  fit into my "skinny" pants again.  The world is full of tough decisions.

Since May I've been to DC, Vermont five times, Montreal, Connecticut twice, Pennsylvania, a boat cruise around New York City at night, Long Island for a day at the beach, two weddings, and a baby shower in the Bronx where the mom had gone into labor the night before and missed her own shower.  I've also had my work emails synched to my phone and basically been working 24/7 since mid June.  There was also a small incident of not having a job and then having a job again a few days later.  Not only is life full of tough decisions, but it's also quite unpredictable.

But here we are again and I assure you, I have been eating all this time.  The nice man overseeing the food at the wedding I went to was able to get me a gluten free plate.  My parents make sure to have gluten free pasta and bread on hand when I get home to Vermont for the fresh pesto from the garden and sandwiches made with lettuce and tomato picked right in the back yard.

I went to my boyfriend's 5 year college reunion in Connecticut.  A college I also went to and then transferred from.  It was a lot of fun and my dear boyfriend called ahead to make sure they would have gluten free food for me.  It was about the nicest thing.  And sure enough, they did.  For every meal there were gluten free options, including a box of these on the table of snacks for the drunk people:

KinniKritters Animal Crackers

Acting like I was in college again, I proceeded to indulge in alcoholic beverages and then steal this box of animal crackers off the table meant for everyone and carry them around all night because I decided they had been bought special for me.  I'm sure they had.

Fast forward to this last weekend and said boyfriend took me on a picnic.  I've been asking him to go on a picnic for the last four years and Friday he suggested we go.  It was great.  I brought sandwiches made on Udi's bread, veggies and hummus, a fruit platter, cool ranch dorrito's, beverages, and more KinniKritters Animal Crackers.  This time I tried the graham style animal crackers, you know, to switch it up. 

Our picnic spread looked like this:

The graham style animal crackers looks like this:

I thought they were good but my boyfriend said, "These are different.  Most of the time your gluten free stuff tastes the same.  But these are different."  I disagree.  In my animal cracker expertise, the KinniKritters Animal Crackers are more like the animal crackers that used to come in tubs:

while the KinniKritters Graham Style Animal Crackers are more like the ones that used to come in the box with the handle:

See?  They each have a different taste.  Both are good, depending on your mood.  Phew, I'm glad I cleared that up.  And thank you for not mentioning that KinniKritters actually call their animal crackers "cookies".  I've been trying to ignore that.

Ok, enough for now.  As I write this I'm sitting on my front porch in Vermont.  I'm wearing long pants and a sweater.  Fall in definitely in the air.

Gluten Free Potluck and Asian Chicken Salad Recipe

I think I've mentioned before that I'm in the New York City Celiac Disease Meetup Group.  If not, I am.  Sunday night we had a pot luck in a nice building on the upper east side hosted by Delight Gluten Free Magazine.  There were lots of nice people and lots of great gluten free food.  Some of the options were fried chicken and biscuits, Mexican lasagna, calzones, various rice dishes, twice baked potatoes, and a plethora of desserts including muffins, cupcakes, cookies, cannoli, a layer cake thing, and coconut balls.  It was all delicious and I accidentally ate too much.

What did I bring you ask?  Since people were asked to RSVP with what they were bringing I noticed the menu was dessert/carb heavy.  There was a severe lack of vegetables so I wanted to bring something healthy but didn't know what until the day before.  Enter again my friend Morgan who mentioned an Asian chicken salad she had made herself.  Perfect.  It was healthy, delicious, and I think other people enjoyed it as well.

Asian Chicken Salad - (I think the recipe is originally from Bobby Flay?)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon (GF) soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (whatever that means)
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped
1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 lb snow peas, chopped (why is lb the abbreviation for pound?)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Directions:
Mix it all together

Ok so it sounds like a lot of work, all that chopping and all, but here's the trick - buy the pre-chopped stuff.  For real.  I bought the cabbage and carrots already chopped/shredded.  All I had to do was mix together the liquid ingredients, cut up the snow peas, cilantro, and scallions, and shred the chicken I bought already rotisseried at the grocery store.  Don't worry so much about how much of all the vegetables to use, just use what you have.  Easy.  And did I mention delicious?