The inspiration for this recipe was a serious eats post entitled, “12 Brussels sprouts dishes we love in NYC.” I was scrolling through the photos, and stumbled on the one linked above: roasted Brussels sprouts with whole grain mustard, parmesan, and crushed almonds (apparently from Back Forty for $8). They weren’t sharing recipes in this post, just dishes, but I was inspired, to say the least.

Without further ado, here’s my adaptation of Back Forty’s brilliance:

pan-roasted Brussels sprouts with mustard, parmesan, and toasted almonds

1 lb. Brussels sprouts
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

4 tsp whole-grain mustard
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1-2 cloves, finely diced/crushed)

1/8 c. grated parmesan (or to taste)
1/4 c. chopped almonds, toasted (at 375 for about 5-7 minutes)

Remove the tough, bitter stem from the Brussels sprouts and cut in half. Pour 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, place Brussels sprouts cut-side down in the pan, and let cook until browned/slightly charred, about 3-4 minutes. Stir and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl (preferably anything but plastic).

In a small bowl or glass jar, whisk together mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic powder. Pour over Brussels sprouts and stir. Add grated parmesan and almonds; stir, serve, and enjoy! They’re not quite as tasty the second day (although still up there in the favorite dishes department), so eat up!

I wasn’t disappointed by the visit, either. A friend and I split a gluten-free pizza with artichokes and mozzarella, mussels in a spicy tomato sauce, a lovely Montepulciano, and some vanilla bean ice cream with espresso for dessert. The pizza crust was tasty; it had a lighter texture than most I’ve tried, and the toppings were delightful.

The best part of the night, though, wasn’t the food. It was the moment I walked in the door and the hostess (possibly the owner?) asked, “Would you like the gluten-free menu or the regular menu?” Like music to my ears.

This is a pretty simple recipe, one inspired by a salad at a favorite local coffee shop. It’s been my dinner twice this week, mainly because it’s so easy! I’m sure it exists elsewhere on the interwebs, but here’s my take on it:

goat cheese & cranberry salad
Serves 1

2 handfuls spring mix or spinach
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
your favorite dressing (I made some balsamic: 1 part balsamic, 2 parts olive oil, 1/4 part mustard, and fresh ground black pepper to taste, whisked and poured over the prepared salad!)

Assemble the lettuce on a plate; sprinkle with cranberries, pecans, and goat cheese. Pour dressing over the top and serve!

(not my photo!)

I made this *excellent* pasta dish tonight that I discovered on serious eats, a really great blog with mostly-simple, almost-always-tasty-looking recipes. It was totally worth the midday trip to the grocery store, and the extra work I went to to make a homemade chicken stock for it.

Here’s the link again if you missed it before!

check out this super-cool Nature article. It’s not remotely related to gluten-free (aside from being about food), but I liked it/thought it was cool. If you want to check out the full-sized versions of the graphics, and their super-detailed explanations, click here.

h/t FlowingData

While I was home, one of my brothers made me this tasty, lightly-grilled sandwich. It was super simple and incredibly tasty! I recommend Udi’s gluten-free multi-grain bread; this stuff blows my mind with how good it is, even straight out of the fridge (where I keep it to make it last longer than three days).

cheddar, bacon, and Portobello sandwich
serves 1

2 slices bacon, pan-fried
2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
2 slices gluten-free bread
1 medium Portobello mushroom, sliced
red wine vinegar

Pan-fry the Portobello mushroom over medium/medium-high heat in a little bit of olive oil (or butter!) and a few splashes of red wine vinegar. When soft and browned, place one slice of gluten-free bread in the pan, top with cheddar, bacon, and mushroom, then top with a bit more cheddar and the second slice of bread. Cook for 2 minutes; flip if you want it browned on both sides, otherwise, serve it up and enjoy!

I learned about this recipe from a friend, who made the gluten-full version; I immediately decided to try and adapt it. Here’s what I found!

gluten-free spiced pumpkin cheesecake with caramel bourbon sauce
adapted from fine cooking and epicurious

gingersnap and pecan crust: 
1 1/2 cups gluten-free gingersnap cookies, crumbled (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
1/2 cup crushed pecans
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

spiced pumpkin filling:
2 lb. (four 8-oz. packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
2 tsp masala chai spice (blend of ground black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, clover, ginger, and cardamom)
1/4 tsp table salt
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tbsp gluten-free vanilla extract
2 15-oz. cans pure solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), drained*

*to drain the pumpkin, cover a medium bowl with a cloth towel and paper towel (peels off easily). Dump the pumpkin on top of the paper towel and let sit for an hour.

caramel bourbon sauce:
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled

instructions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Make the crust: Pulse the cookies, pecans, and brown sugar in a food processor until well combined and the crumbs are uniform. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the melted butter. Combine thoroughly, first with a spoon and then with your fingers, until the mixture is evenly moist, crumbly, and holds together when you squeeze a handful. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill for 5 minutes and then bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Make the filling: Heat a kettle of water. With an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat the cream cheese until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, masala chai spice, and salt. Add this mixture to the cream cheese. Beat until well blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, making sure each is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next, and scraping down the bowl after each. Blend in the vanilla and pumpkin.

Scrape the batter into the cooled crust. The batter will come up past the crust and will fill the pan to the rim. Tap the pan gently once or twice on the counter to release any air bubbles. Set the pan in a larger baking dish (a roasting pan is good), and add enough hot water from the kettle to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the top of the cake looks deep golden and burnished and the center is set (the cake may just barely begin to crack), 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The cake will jiggle a little bit when tapped. The top may rise a bit but will settle as it cools. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and run a thin-bladed knife between the crust and the pan sides (this will prevent the cake from breaking as it cools). Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill overnight.

Make the sauce: Bring sugar, cream, butter, corn syrup, and salt to boil in deep medium saucepan, whisking until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon, then pecans. Cool, stirring occasionally.

Cut cheesecake into wedges; spoon sauce on top and serve with your favorite whipped or ice cream. We used Becky’s cinnamon almond whipped cream!

This is an adaptation of a gluten-full and dairy-full nanaimo bar recipe a friend of mine found online. The bolded ingredients are the GF/DF substitutions, and the ingredients in parentheses are from the original recipe. The dairy free substitutions are delicious, but if you prefer butter over coconut and milk over almonds, make it with the dairy! I still used coconut oil in the crust to bring out the coconut flavor.

cookie crust:
1/2 cup coconut oil (unsalted butter, melted)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened (Fair Trade if possible!) cocoa powder
1 large egg
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
1 3/4 cup gluten-free sugar cookie crumbs (Lucy’s brand from Whole Foods is excellent! Or halve and substitute gf flour + zantham gum in this recipe)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

vanilla filling:
1/2 cup coconut oil (butter, softened)
2 cups powdered sugar, lightly spooned
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon gluten-free instant vanilla pudding mix
2-3 tablespoons almond milk (milk)

chocolate topping:
2 tablespoons coconut oil (butter or shortening)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together melted coconut oil (butter), sugar and cocoa. Stir in egg and vanilla. When smooth, add crumbs, walnuts and coconut. Press crumb mixture tightly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

In a mixing bowl, stir together coconut oil (butter) and powdered sugar, then beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in vanilla, pudding mix and almond milk (milk). Spread the filling over the cooled crust, then chill for about an hour.

Prepare topping. Melt the coconut oil (butter or shortening) with the chocolate chips. Pour over top of bars and chill just until the bars start to set. Before the chocolate gets too hard, score the bars into squares.

My pantry is running low on ready-made breakfast options this week, so last night I decided to make muffins in the morning. My friend, Becky, loves muffins, so I searched her site for a recipe that I could adapt and found this one for a fresh cranberry variety. I improvised a bit, but they turned out well! A little sweet because I’d already mixed in the sugar when I realized I was out of milk and had to use cider; but who doesn’t love sweets in the morning?

gluten-free cranberry chai muffins
adapted from A Kuk’s Kitchen

2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
1 tsp zantham gum
2/3 cup cane sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon masala chai spice mix (or 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cardamom, and 1/8 tsp ginger)
2/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Put the cranberries in a small bowl and cover with water. Let soak 30 minutes to soften before baking.

Sift together the dry ingredients (gluten-free flour through masala chai spice mix) in a medium bowl.

Combine the wet ingredients (apple cider through the egg) in smaller bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Drain water from the cranberries and fold into muffin batter. Divide evenly among a 12-muffin pan (greased or lined; I used liners because it’s easier to clean up).

Bake for 15-18 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool, spread with a bit of butter, and enjoy!

I love avocados. Growing up, we used to have “Mexican food” – burritos or nachos with El Paso-seasoned ground beef and black beans, sautéed onions and green peppers, Chi-Chi’s Mild salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, and guacamole – on a weekly or every-other week basis. Since I’ve been on my own, I make “Mexican” food less often – all the prep is harder to justify for one person on a regular basis.

I do, however, make a glorified version of chips and cheese rather frequently. This week, it was Tostito’s Scoops!, a sharp white cheddar, tomatillo salsa, and sliced avocado. Pop the chips, cheese, and salsa in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and top with avocado and – man alive! – you’ve got yourself a happy dinner. *Sigh*