Avocado Margaritas

I love avocados so much I think they should be their own food group!  But when our friends said they had a recipe for an avocado margarita, I have to be honest, I was skeptical. 

 

Avocados in a drink? I didn't believe it could be good. 

 

But, boy, was I wrong! These margaritas are sublime.  The avocado lends a creamy smoothness that does not overwhelm.  So delicate and refreshing, I am now an avocado margarita believer!

 

Here's the recipe from The Mission restaurant in Arizona:

 

1 1/2 oz. of Cruz Reposado

1/2 oz. Triple Sec

2 oz Sweet and Sour

1 oz Lime Juice

1 oz Orange Juice

Splash of Agave Nectar

1/2 oz of Grand Marnier

1/2 an Avocado

 

Cut out and mash avocado into a martini shaker.  Top with ice and add other ingredients to shaker. 

 

Shake vigorously until thick and creamy.  Strain through a fine mesh and pour over crushed ice in a short glass.

 

Arriba!

Fried Eggplant, the Gluten FreeK Way

 

Dish three of Eggplantapalooza: 

 

I bring you gluten free fried eggplant at my family's request. 

 

The starting place for all eggplant dishes is to start with a male eggplant.  No gender discrimination here; just fact that boys have fewer seeds and will be less bitter.  Look for an eggplant with smooth, un-bruised skin.  I like the big boys, so I try to find one that is heavier than it looks.  This tells me it has nice, firm flesh.

Leaving the skin on, slice both ends off and then slice the eggplant into sticks that are about as wide as your index finger.  The edges will be odd shaped, but that's ok.

 

In one bowl, mix the ingredients for the egg wash. 

 

In another, combine the ingredients for the breading.  A few  notes on the breading: 

 

My favorite gluten free bread crumbs are ones that I make from Gluten Free Houston's Sourdough Millet Bread.  I save the ends and grind into crumbs in my Vitamix.  The crumbs can be frozen.  They may freeze into lumps but a quick spin in the Vitamix or food processor will break them apart again. 

 

My favorite Italian seasoning is Instant Gourmet's Original.  My father-in-law knows the owners and they have assured him it is gluten free (I also have a non-biological Celiac nephew!?!)  This spice blend makes great garlic bread and is salt free!

 

Now you dip the eggplant sticks in the egg wash and then dredge in the breading mix one at a time.  Sometimes I have to press the breading onto the eggplant to be sure it sticks.  Place the breaded eggplant on wax paper to wait for frying. 

 

The breading does not stick well to the skin.  I like the skin to show some, but if you want those end pieces to have breading, then do the egg wash and breading a second time.

 

Use one hand for the "wet" bowl and the other for "dry"mix. 
This will minimize having big gooey globs of breading on your fingers by the end of the process.
 

I now have the luxurious Emeril deep fryer, thanks to my Canadian friend who didn't want to transport it north of the border. Never touched by gluten, this fryer has taken all the worry out of deep frying. I fill it to the line and preheat to 356°F. 

 

If you don't have a deep fryer, these can be made in a deep fry pan.  You will need enough oil in the pan to cover the eggplant sticks at least half way.  A thermometer is the best way to tell if your oil is between 350-365 °F.  If you don't have a thermometer, a wooden chopstick or wooden spoon can be inserted into the oil.  If the oil bubbles steadily around the chopstick, the oil is ready.  If the bubbles are too vigorous, turn the heat down slightly.  Few to no bubbles?  The oil is not hot enough and your food will soak up too much grease. 

 

Some will suggest dropping water into the oil to see if it sizzles.   Hot oil and water do NOT mix safely!  The oil could possibly pop and hit you in the eye or face. 

 

Fry the eggplant sticks a few at a time so as not to crowd them.  Crowded fryers yield soggy food.  Use the chopsticks to help turn them over once one side reaches a toasty brown color.  Allow to cook on the other side.  Remove from grease and hold over fryer and allow to drain.  Place the eggplant on paper towels to absorb additional grease. 

 

Serve freshly hot.  If you need to put them on hold until eating, place in a warm oven on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. 
Dip these aubergine dreams in marinara sauce... or better yet, some creamy cilantro dip!

If you want to make Eggplant Parmesan, slice the eggplant into 1/2"  rounds and follow the same breading and cooking method.  Cover in your favorite red sauce, mozzarella cheese and then bake at 350 °F until warm.

 

Caponata

I've gone through many of my cookbooks and marked the recipes that are naturally gluten free. I love the cookbook Ciao Y'all. It combines the traditional dishes of Sicily with Texas, Southern, Cajun and Creole flavors. Many of its recipes need little, to no, adjustment to be gluten free.
 

Summertime brings an eggplantapalooza to my house and the Carrabba/Mandola cookbook comes out for their eggplant relish; which is both refreshing and filling. Caponata blends the sweetness of caramelized onions with the sour of vinegar in this Sicilian version of ratatouille.

Caponata can be served room temperature as an appetizer or main course. For either purpose, it's always better the next day. If you have time, make it a day in advance to give the flavors time to 'marry'.
 

This dish comes together fairly quickly if you gather and chop all the ingredients at the beginning.  Remember to buy a 'male' eggplant so you don't have to salt and rinse to take the bitterness out before cooking.

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on high until it sizzles. This only takes a few minutes.

2. Turn the heat down to medium and add the eggplant cubes. Leave the eggplant on one side without stirring. Let it cook for about four minutes.

3. Stir the eggplant for four to six minutes until it becomes very soft.

4. Remove the eggplant from the skillet.

5. Add the onion and celery to the skillet and saute until tender and translucent.

6. Return eggplant to skillet with onion and celery.

7. Add tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, water, tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste.

8. Cook over medium heat for another five to ten minutes.

9. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients.

10. Put in a bowl and refrigerate.

The recipe from Ciao Y'all calls for green olives and pine nuts. To cut cost I excluded these from this batch of caponata. I also had to save time by using canned tomatoes.

For serving the caponata, I bought a Schär gluten free baguette. It looks like a baguette. It acts like a baguette. It tastes like french bread and it doesn't come frozen!

Not All Eggplants are Created Equal

 

As a kid, I loved going to the grocery store with my mom.  It was part adventure, part education, part scavenger hunt and pure art. 

 

My mother wasn't a woman of many words, because she didn't have to be.  Her words were chosen carefully and always counted.  'Prattle' was never something she did.

 

Groceries were selected as carefully and meticulously as her words.  Food was purchased based on merit; vegetables were examined, fish was smelled, meat was moved out from under the 'pink' light of the butcher case into the harsh fluorescent light to check for freshness. 

 

When I was young, I watched her every move, soaking up insight as to why one onion was chosen over another.  As a teenager, I would cringe when the butcher would go in the back to pull out his best cuts  for her; knowing she was going to take them and walk away from the counter to examine and smell the meat.  Even though I was embarrassed, as I developmentally had to be, I knew I was watching a master at work.  And I learned:

 

Meat needs to be slightly marbled.  Pineapples should be fragrant but fish shouldn't.  Never buy a dented can and always, always buy a male eggplant.

 

Wait.  What?

 

The boy eggplants, those are the ones you want.  They have fewer seeds and will be less bitter.

 

How can you tell the boys from the girls? 

 

It's easy.  Turn them over and look at their, scar/bellybutton/dimple on the bottom. 

 

 

 
The boys, you see, have a long, oval mark.

The girls are round.

Now, some eggplants are ambiguously marked.

If you look at one and you can't readily tell what it is, put it back.

Androgyny worked for David Bowie but doesn't make for tasty aubergines.

Someone laughed at me once for calling eggplants 'male' and 'female' so I did a slice test for him. 

 

The 'girl' was full of seeds and the boy had fewer, as you see below. 

 

Try it if you don't believe it, but be sure to salt the girl eggplant and let it sit for a while to remove some of the bitterness.  Rinse it and pat it dry before cooking.

Pick a 'boy' eggplant and you won't need to salt and rinse your eggplant to make it sweeter.



This is a boy eggplant.

 

 

 

 

Eggplant can be a versatile forgiving fruit once you learn to avoid the ones full of bitter seeds.  It can be made into a summer spread like caponata, fried as an appetizer or base for eggplant parmigiana or even sliced thin to use as lasagna noodles and more!

 

Enjoy!

You Say Potato, I Say I'm Going to Have a Break Down

Full schedule.  Hungry kids.  Hungry mama.  I buy delicious looking, pre-made scalloped potatoes at Costco.  All the ingredients appear to be gluten free but I take a quick look on the Reser's website to double check.

This is what I get: 

"...we cannot guarantee a 'gluten free' manufacturing environment for any single product."

Did I say I was hungry?  Well, now I'm hangry. 

My dear, sweet daughter said, "At least you can eat the ham?"

But I don't want JUST ham for dinner.  I want easy, cheesey, comforting scalloped potatoes.  I want something quick that I don't have to think about and prepare in advance.  I want to enjoy the same full meal my family is having. 

Tonight I don't want to have Celiac disease. 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow Roll: Eurasia Fusion Sushi

Pre-C (before Celiac diagnosis) eating at a sushi restaurant was a regular part of the dinner rotation. 

 

I haven't had sushi in a restaurant for over a year.  I've been too afraid; between the soy sauce and the fried food in many Americanized rolls, it's terrifying.   

This week I broke the seal. 

Stopping by a friend's house after work, she suggested we try a local sushi restaurant that has good reviews.  I tried to hide the panic I feel when faced with going to a new restaurant without the opportunity to call ahead.  She must have seen the terror in my eyes because she said, "Or we can go to Red Robin?"  (It is a dear, dear friend who is willing to trade sushi for a burger.) 

But I WANTED sushi.

From this point on, there's nothing I can say about the food that the pictures can't tell you.  It was divine.  What I can comment on is the gracious and attentive care I received at Eurasia Fusion Sushi. 

As soon as we were seated, the manager promptly came over carrying a bottle of gluten free soy sauce.  He assured me that he had other patrons who ate gluten free and then went through the menu with me to advise on what I should order.

A server brought over edamame, which we sent away because we hadn't ordered any.  The manager returned to the table with the edamame to let us know it was compliments of the house.  He then walked me through the special care they were taking with my roll preparation: clean surface, clean knife, clean everything. 

 

The staff at Eurasia Fusion Sushi made me feel like this:

It was an exceptional gluten free experience!*

http://www.eurasiasushi.com/

* I waited a few days after dining here before posting this, to make sure it was gluten free.  I've had no signs of being glutened! 

Salmon Salad

Like tuna salad, but with less mercury!  I think the potato helps to mellow the strong flavor of the salmon.

Add all your favorite gluten free tuna and potato salad fixin's to a can of wild caught salmon.   I topped mine with a dash of sriracha sauce.  I may try capers or olives next time!

Serve on baby kale or romaine leaves.

This recipe makes 6-8 servings.

Gluten Free BLT

Have I told you lately how much I love the Sourdough Millet Bread from Gluten Free Houston? 

Just look at it toasted for this bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich!  It got the ultimate compliment from my teenaged daughter, "This tastes like a REAL blt!?!"