soup's on

A few weeks ago the weather here in Telluride started to change... nights got colder then BAM- winter hit. That's what Colorado is like, one extreme to another, t-shirts to long underwear and fleece.

It's the kind of change that makes you want soup- warm, hearty and welcome winter soup.

I revisited this soup but added some ginger and used almond milk instead of soy. It came out well and huge! I doubled the recipe without meaning to and it made for one large soup- thankfully I was able to get some office mates to help me finish it off.

saute the onion and ginger

add the softened carrots...

blend with squash and non-dairy milk for winter goodness

Glutened.....

Last night we hit up one of my all time favorite restaurant's for a friend's birthday. I ordered the same dish I always do in the exact same way- but after dinner my stomach twisted and I felt the evil coming on. I regretted forgetting my pepto at home and tried to fight through the discomfort. We went home and I zoned out while the gluten ravaged my body. This morning I can still feel it lingering. I put my ski boots on for the fourth morning in a row but they felt off. My feet felt contorted inside the hard plastic shell- nothing had changed with my boots from the previous 3 days to today. It was the gluten- my joints are achy, my head is in a fog and I can't get out of my funk.

From Droid for Campchaos

Even the elk crossing the ski trail couldn't do it...

popeye the gluten free chef

I've been feeling like Popeye may be a long lost relative and have been eating spinach like it's going out of style. I only learned how to saute spinach a few years ago and each fall go through my Popeye phase of eating. Dave's begun snowmaking and working late each night so I can eat what I want and play around a bit more. There's been some great creations, some just average and some flops that have potential.

Chicken, Spinach, Mushrooms and Rice

This was a winner. I sliced the chicken thin and marinated in gluten free soy sauce then topped with San-J Sweet and Tangy over rice with sauteed mushrooms and spinach. Simple, easy and tasty.

Brussel Sprouts

Brussel sprouts were a leap off the deep end for me. I've never cooked them before and only had them prepared once where I really liked them. I should have steamed them first before the saute as they didn't really cook the entire way through. I tried to reduce some maple syrup at the end to add flavor but in all this was a FLOP.  It had potential but I really need to learn how to cook these bad boys. Dave was glad he didn't have to suffer on this one.

Garbanzo Beans

I saw Garbanzo beans in this month's Living Without- they cooked them for snack time. I cooked  them for about 20 minutes at 350 in a bit of EVOO until they were steamy then paired with rice and this month's prerequisite mushrooms and spinach. It was good but something was missing- what flavor would you add?

Quinoa Pasta

The Quinoa pasta version was a good basic meal that made me wish for a big smattering of cheese- Parmesan would have been perfect.

risotto

 I got Dave to eat mushrooms with this one. I live at 9,545 feet and it's a labor of love to make good risotto and this came out good. I sauteed chopped onions and mushrooms (small pieces for dave) then slowly stirred in warm chicken broth a cup at a time for the next 40 minutes- thankfully risotto bulks up so it's good for a few meals.

Rice Noodles

The rice noodle dish was tasty with chicken and a good all around dinner. It's similar to my street noodle creation but just a bit different. Simple noodles, chicken and veggies with a quick toss in the pan with toasted sesame oil and soy sauce.

It's been fun playing around with dinner and having enough variations of the same veggies to be able to polish off a whole bag of spinach on my own but I think I may be over spinach for a while...

Sugarloaf, Maine Gluten Free Options at the Rack

When we lived at Sugarloaf, you could find us at the Rack at least once a week but usually more often, we had mugs there and loved the selection of Maine mircobrews. It's the local brew pub and the owners are good people and pretty avid skiers and snowboarder's- one even has a few gold medals to his name.  I knew they had Woodchuck so I didn't have beer envy but had resigned myself to a night of salad as I was pretty familiar with the old menu. I was beside myself upon discovering that they had GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA! Say what?

Yes, they partnered with the Portland Pie Company to carry GF crusts.

I had pizza three times in one week (thankfully after the wedding) and it was honestly the best crust I've had in a resturant. It was a thin crust that reminds me of New York Style Pizza.  I don't say this lightly but I was impressed. I thanked the owners and asked Chase why they did it. It turns out there's a demand so they listened to their customers and came up with an option for them.