Entertaining Gluten Free

I don't usually delve into this topic too frequently but today I want to talk about entertaining gluten free. I tend to focus on this more when I visit my parents' home as my little studio apartment isn't conducive to having large groups of friends over at one time. Couple that with the fact that until the beginning of the month I didn't have a great set up for hosting people and I left the hosting to friends with bigger apartments and more seating options. Until now, that is.

While I still have lots to do with this blank wall and a few other minor updates, here is a peak at my apartment's "new do:"

New comforter and shams (I just need a purple throw blanket for across the foot of the bed):

New sofa and throw pillows:

Table for dining, homeworking, etc.:

I have also been dying to host a get-together for friends on the rooftop of my building. Sadly, while we had planned to take advantage of the great view and a deck furnished with tables, chairs, and chaise lounges the roof was closed. Boy was I glad to have my expandable table when we made that discovery on Friday! Our meal ending up being nice and cozy :)

My friend Staci and I worked on creating a menu that met everyone's dietary needs yet would be fun and festive. On the menu:

• Spinach salad with strawberries, pear, pecans, and feta cheese
• Stuffed bell peppers
• Roasted green beans
• Baked apples

Here are a few highlights from dinner on Friday. Over the week I'll be updating you with the recipes and tips I used to feed my friends a delicious meal that was naturally gluten free and vegetarian.

Enjoy!

Weekend Recap Thus Far

Hi friends! How has your weekend been? Mine has been going swimmingly for the most part and I'm just now getting a chance to check in.

Friday night I hosted 8 friends for a little dinner party to celebrate the fall. T'was lovely and more to come on that this week including recipes for everything that was served!

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling not quite on my A-game after a few glasses on wine the night before. There was no time to wallow though because I had things to do and people to see.

I had a lighter breakfast of half a large pear chopped up and topped with a bit of almond butter and a little egg sandwich on Udi's whole grain bread with a light schmear of Trader Joe's roasted red pepper spread.

I then made my way to Sweet Green for a blogger meet up. Emily just moved into the area and organized this gathering of 20+ bloggers and readers in the area. I enjoyed chatting with people and making new friends! I'm always amazed by the community that is built around blogging - what an unexpected yet amazing bonus!

I was all decked out in my Texas gear in honor of our biggest rivalry game of the year. Texas was playing the University of Oklahoma and I was hoping for a beat-down...

before that though I had a bit of shopping on the agenda. In need of some fall items I found great success at the Gap.

Then, it was game time. I met up with Lauren (Fred) for our traditional lunch and game watching at Champps. I got the BBQ Chicken salad with about 100 modifications to make it gluten free and made it through half before calling it quits. I also feasted on this plate of waffle fries (x5) - I finished breakfast around 11:30 and it was 4 - 4:30 by the time I ate this. I was hangry!

Sadly Texas did not play its best and we were not victorious. There's always next year once the freshmen get their acts together... I hope...

By the time I got home I was bummed about the game and tired so I called it a night. I never really got hungry for dinner but I did snack on some leftover roasted veggies and rice.

This morning I headed out to to the farmers market first thing for a couple of things. I was out of fruit so I restocked on apples and pears. Yes, I love my Envitote and no, I don't have any regrets about looking like a hot mess on my way to the market. It's Sunday morning people!

I had a simple bowl of hot cereal with blueberries and chia seeds mixed in, topped with 1/2T peanut butter, cinnamon, and crushed almond slices. My body wanted nothing fancy this morning.

Now I'm working on blog stuff, procrastin getting ready to tackle some homework, and dragging my butt to the gym if it kills me. I am craving activity and am fed up with exercise falling by the wayside!

Do you go through exercise slumps? How do you pull yourself out? What's your favorite sports rivalry?

It's all about cravings

Today I let my stomach guide my meals as I had some cravings that popped up as I considered what to eat throughout the day. I guess after a fast week of thinking about so many things it was nice to not have to make extra decisions :) Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday though!

Breakfast this morning was a hot bowl of cereal. Last night I just didn't have the time to prep overnight hot cereal but it suited the pleasant morning we had. This bowl contained:

• 1/4c Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty GF Hot Cereal and buckwheat
• 1/4c unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2c water
• 1/2T chia seeds
• 1/2T almond butter
• 1/4 apple, diced
• ~1/4c frozen blueberries
• a few crushed almond slices
• cinnamon
• splash of vanilla

It was the perfect fuel for my morning at the office.  I made my way home for lunch and for about the hour before and my entire walk home, I couldn't think of anything else besides tomato sauce. Weird, but I went with it. I whipped up a thin crust pizza on a Food for Life brown rice tortilla. I toasted the tortilla first before topping it with tomato sauce mixed with wilted greens, basil, oregano, and garlic powder. Hit. The. Spot. Plus a small salad on the side.

That lunch kept me full for a good 3.5 hours which was great and kept my mind focused on my work at hand. I had a small snack towards the end of the day of the remaining 3/4 of an apple drizzled with some TJ's peanut butter.

I had a couple of errands to run after work and then spent some quality time in the kitchen. I cooked lunch for tomorrow and prepped a special dinner for tomorrow night before the holiday begins. Here's a hint of what's to come:

It's been raining since the late afternoon and that coupled with the lack of natural light and more cool temps had me craving some fall and winter comfort foods for dinner. I had the last serving of the TJ's black bean soup with 1/2c of black beans mixed in and topped with a pinch of cheese. On the side I had a baby red potato, 1/4 of a sweet potato (both leftover from tomorrow's dinner prep) and some steamed broccoli with a clementine for dessert.

Now I'm heading out to celebrate my friend Suzy's 24th birthday! Here's to a bit of fun on a dreary Thursday night!

Food for Thought

One of the things I love about my friends is our ability to engage each other in real, honest, and thought provoking conversations. Of course there's fun thrown in there too. Yet I always find myself appreciative of the opportunity to challenge my assumptions and become a better person.

After reading this Mama's post about how a movie enforced her decisions to not eat animals (among other things - it's a good read!) my wheels started spinning. Add to that a new-to-me thought about the eggs I purchased at the farmers market and have been eating this week and all of the food learning I've engaged in over the past three years. At dinner tonight I shared my thoughts and reactions with my friend and we moved on to more fun topics. Later another topic came up that prompted this thought: Is it enough to make ethical decisions solely about food or solely in interactions with colleagues in the workplace, etc.? If not (which I believe it's not),where do you put your foot down?

Without going into the conversation we had let's just say that my mind is deep in thought about letting some things slide when one takes such a strong, ethical stand on so many aspects of life. I've added a new dimension to my previous assumptions and am trying to decide how I feel.

What do you think? Can some parts of life be more ethical than others? Do your friends ever provide good food-for-thought?

On to the eats!  This morning I got to enjoy my second oats in a jar this week. Am I lucky or what?? This time the jar was crunchy almond butter with flax (~1/2T) with the standard mix with blueberries and cinnamon. Delish! I always get so sad when I finish this breakfast because I know I have a ways to go before the next one gets to be enjoyed.

The morning flew by and before I knew it, lunch time had arrived! I had a salad with roasted veggies and chicken breast with some grapes on the side.

Then things got interesting. Mid-afternoon a colleague on my floor walked through and told us we needed to evacuate the building because of a gas leak. I grabbed all of my things and headed out the door. We first stood across the street and then moved to the end of the block when emergency response blocked off the entire street and Haz Mat arrived. It was quite intense!  We camped out in another meeting and my stomach grumbled as it was snack time. I managed to pick up this salad with veggies and a few chips with hummus to hold me over.

Shortly thereafter we were given the all clear to enter our building. It turns out that someone turned on the boiler on the roof after it had been off for a while. They didn't think to warm it up first or open windows and it emitted high levels of CO2. Luckily everyone was ok and we finished out the work day.
 
I came home, snacked on an apple with cinnamon and some PB and took care of a bunch of things before meeting said friend from the start of my post for dinner.

I had a Groupon to a Greek restaurant named Zorba's that I've been excited to use. Tonight was the night. I had actually been tweeting with them about the addition of gluten free beer and Greg, one of the managers (?) had offered to buy me my 1st beer when I came in.

I met Greg who was very nice and helped guide me through the menu of what was safe to order and what was not. He made sure the cooks knew that my order was gluten free as well so that there wouldn't be any contamination issues or anything. He also stayed true to his word and served me up my first beer! I was clueless and poured it straight into the glass only to be laughed and yelled at by my friend to tilt the glass. I'm a total newbie! I had some of it over the course of the night but it's definitely a very acquired taste. I thought it was like bitter, fizzy water O:-)

Friend and I split the Fire Roasted Feta which I got with sliced veggies instead of pita bread.

My entree was the Fasolia Plakee which had white beans baked with onions, tomatoes, parsley and other herbs, served with Greek salad, a house-made roll and two dolmathes. Instead of the roll I got double salad which was a perfect substitution!

And for dessert, rice pudding which is a favorite indulgent dessert.

I ate a small portion of the feta, half of my entree, and just a few bites of the pudding and left perfectly full and happy. It was another great meal at Zorba's (it's one of my family's favorite places to go in DC) and of course, great conversation with a great friend.

It's time to get to bed - just one more day stands in between me and the weekend. I can't wait! G'night!

Say Yes to the Dress

I knew that all of those nights of watching TLC's Say Yes to the Dress would pay off one day! Today I got to spend time with my friend Bethany, 2 other bridesmaids, and Bethany's future mother-in-law shopping for dresses. Our mission was to find a bridal dress as well as the bridesmaid dress we will be wearing come Memorial Day Weekend 2011.

My wake up call was earlier than a usual Saturday's but I bounded out of bed and got ready for the day. I knew that fuel would be important as no one likes a hangry bridesmaid so I whipped up something quick, filling, and delicious. I had an egg sandwich with one egg white, red pepper spread, spinach, and a bit of Cabot 50% sharp cheddar on a Food for Life gluten free English muffin.

We met at Bethany's which meant a quick Metro ride over to her part of town. However today there was a huge Tea Party rally on the National Mall which added a lot of stress, fantastic people watching, and aggravation to an otherwise pleasant Saturday morning. I finally made it though and it was time to shop!

I'm excited to say that Bethany found her dress. It was truly a great moment and I loved being part of the dress shopping. While I won't show you what she chose, I can promise you it's nothing remotely close to this:

We were ravenous by the time we left the store and decided on the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I was in the company of a few other hangry folks so we were in no mood to debate where to eat. We started with the chips and guacamole and I had a few.

I loved my main course - the Fresh Vegetable Salad with the cheese and dressing on the side. I ate about 3/4 of the salad and was perfectly content.

Then it was on the bridesmaid dress shopping, round 2. We have narrowed it down to 2 options and now are waiting for the Maid of Honor to try on her dress so we can decide. She lives in South Dakota so she couldn't join us today.

After our shopping I had a quick errand to run and was hungry again. I popped into Whole Foods for a little snack of carrots, peas and corn topped with a bit of black bean soup and feta cheese plus Moroccan chick pea salad. It totally hit the spot.

Its 6:30 and I just got home a bit ago. I don't think it'll be too exciting of a night. Everyone seems pretty tuckered out and this lady has some business homework to do before Monday!

Dining Out - Always an Adventure

**Disclaimer: I'm really not that hard to eat out with. I swear. You just have to have an understanding that for gluten free folks (and those with other allergies) dining out at restaurants asking questions, modifying dishes, and being extremely careful is how we make sure that we stay healthy and safe. (I've bolded some of my tips for eating out at restaurants with allergies)**

Tonight I had plans with a few friends to enjoy Restaurant Week here in DC. I've actually never participated in the foodie holiday before as many of the restaurants don't allow diners to modify the special menu, I've been traveling for work, or simply didn't have time.

Tonight was different. My friends and I picked a new-ish restaurant, Zentan, because of the wide array of options on the menu. I even took a look online a few days ahead of time and was excited for the special Restaurant Week menu.

Before I ordered, I let my server know that I had some few allergies and explained what they were. No big deal. He seemed like he understood. My friends are used to it and to be honest, even if they weren't, I would still do it to ensure that I didn't go home sick which has happened before. The waiter wrote down my allergies and my order and assured me everything would be safe and delicious. So far so good.

My first course - watermelon salad with feta, mint, and black pepper vinaigrette was presented beautifully. I've never had this combination before tonight and was quite excited.

This did not disappoint. The sweetness of the watermelon balanced perfectly with the salty feta and savory vinaigrette. The sprigs of mint lightened the whole dish more that I thought possible. I ate slowly and savored each and every bite. I ate half to save room for the rest of my meal.

I got the Curry Chicken as my main dish. It was served with polenta, tomato jam, pineapple, and almonds. I double checked how the chicken was cooked and was assured it was fine.

And then after a first bite, the chicken was too crispy to not be breaded. Unfortunately, this incident was the beginning of a downward spiral of our experience. I called the waiter over and explained the situation and encouraged my friends to enjoy their meals while they were hot. One friend did not receive her wine pairing she had ordered (and it didn't come until dessert silverware was placed on the table) but everyone was loving their food. I sat and watched.

After seeing that my friends had finished their meals, I lost my appetite. I was too hungry and too annoyed and hurt that I wouldn't be able to eat with my friends. 5-7 minutes after deciding then and there to cancel the rest of my order they brought out my entree as my friends' dishes were being cleared. I sent it back.

For dessert they had arranged a bowl of berries for me which was nice. But at this point, I'd had fruit for an afternoon snack, watermelon in my appetizer, and now more berries. I was beyond disappointed, even if they were fresh and flavorful.

Luckily, things turned up when the maitre d' arrived at our table per my request. Just as I began to calmly explain the situation our waiter, who there were other issues with, began speaking on my behalf, in front of me and his boss, to explain what my problem had been. Mmmkay... Let's just say that set me over the edge.Finally I was able to speak and somehow managed to calmly explain everything that had been a problem and the maitre d' did everything a good manager should do in this situation. He heard every word, apologized (which at this point, was all I wanted to hear since I was hungry and planning my uber late dinner in my mind), and immediately worked to correct the situation.

Because of him, my experience was salvaged and I would consider going back to Zentan. The truth was that everything my friends and I ate was presented beautifully, tasted amazing, and was meant to be a true dining experience. It was unfortunately soured by our waiter who made quite a few snafus tonight, beyond my individual experience. And I felt left out because I didn't eat what I had been excited about.

The maitre d' insisted I bring dinner home and I chose the Empress Chicken Sir Fry sans soy sauce. I portioned some out when I got home but put it back in the container after just one bite. I wanted nothing to do with that experience but for it to fade. Instead I nursed my disappointment with a small mug of hot cereal with my leftover berries mixed in and topped with peanut butter.

Not quite the Restaurant Week experience I was hoping for but it was great to see my friends and enjoy time together. I would maybe go back to Zentan to try a few dishes - the management truly made sure that we all left happy. I will not be back tomorrow, but one day. For now I have to let the dining adventure fade from my memory because there's nothing worse than not enjoying a meal because you had to look out for your health because of allergies while everyone else has a tasty experience.

Other than that it was a great day, despite the rain in DC!!

Are you known as the difficult diner amongst your friends and family? Have you ever left a meal at a restaurant disappointed because you couldn't eat / had a bad allergy-related experience?