Gluten & Milk Free Oven-Baked Haddock

Trying something new, something different from how my husband bakes fish, I decided to see how a gluten free coating would work on some Haddock we had on hand.

First we tend to purchase our fish individually wrapped, so that our menu can be flexible with who is at home for supper. Sure, we do purchase fresh fish as well, but since I don't travel out daily for our protein source, we have staple items available ready to bake.

                                                                                                       INGREDIENTS

2 serving size pieces of Haddock
1/4 c Brown Rice Flour
1 tbs Olive Oil
1 egg
salt & pepper
1/4 c Gluten/Milk Free bread crumbs.  You can also create your own bread crumbs by using your homemade bread, and putting through the food processor on ground.

Place flour in bowl/on plate and coat your fish completely with the flour.  It provides a base for the liquid egg mixture to adhere to.

Combine the Olive oil with the egg, and mix together.

Take the flour coated fish, and dip in the egg mixture and cover the coated fish completely.

In the breadcrumb mix, add salt & pepper and Italian seasonings.  Take the egg & flour covered haddock and coat completely with the bread crumb mixture.

Place your fish on a coated baking pan (use cooking spray or coat with milk free butter or olive oil.

Place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

While baking, prepare your side dishes to enjoy your fish dinner.

This dish doesn't come out like the fish sticks one would find pre-made in the freezer section of your grocery store, but you will enjoy a delightful dish that has great flavor and texture, knowing that you are eating a healthier version of fish.

Tonight we enjoyed Gluten/Milk free coated haddock, with a side of broccoli and grapes.   A very simple, yet delicious meal.  ENJOY!!

Leftover Spaghetti Squash With Tortilla Stuffer

Well, today am to make a decision, do I make another delightful green salad with vegetable yumminess, or do I avoid allowing the leftover spaghetti squash from two nights ago to sit idle in the refrigerator.  Since I'm not one who enjoys throwing things out, wasting food that God provided, I decided that have it for lunch.  But, there wasn't much sauce left so I decided to use the "emergency" staple of the Old El Paso Garlic Chili Chicken Tortilla Stuffer.  Yes, this product is both gluten and milk free, so I can't go wrong!  Plus, even alone I find it delightful.

So today, I served out a warmed up serving size of spaghetti squash and a couple scoops of heated Tortilla stuffer, placed on top of the squash.  I wasn't sure what my response was going to be, but hey, both are foods I enjoy so if needed I could separate the two in order to enjoy this healthy, balanced meal.

Well, I found this lunch to be so good I had to resist going for 2nds.  Yes, the combination was delicious!  And now I know what will be my lunch for tomorrow.



Now those of you who read my post from the other evening, know that my husband was not fond of the spaghetti squash dinner I had prepared, although he ate it completely.  Since he loved the gluten and milk free bread so well for sandwiches, I ended up making another loaf yesterday so that he could bring a sandwich to work today.

...now, what will be for supper??

Enjoy healthy foods, enjoy healthy living!!

Need a Little Sweet Pick-Me-Up?

There's no denying that even though we are eating healthy with less cravings for the sweet and salty snack type foods, there are moments that our taste buds desire something with a slight sweet flavor.  Plus, when there is a product available that fulfills that need, and there is no time to experiment on finding or creating a recipe, it's nice to have some ready made products available.

Last night, was just type of moment, prior to settling back to watch a movie together, that we wanted something simple but "rewarding" for our healthy eating.  So, I brought out the Schar, Gluten and Milk Free Table crackers along with natural jelly.

The Hero brand Cherry Jam was perfect to top off two Schar crackers.  

It was quick, simple and tasted great!

My husband chose to top his off with a honey spread that we picked up at Dakin Farm in VT when we were out that way on our "get-away" from phones and other technology.  I did sneak a small bite, and I will have to agree, that was pretty yummy on these crackers as well.

As much as I like to cook, and bake the items we eat, it's nice to have a few quality products that don't cause us to gag upon indulging due to a sawdust taste, as many gluten free bread products have.  

Schar Table Crackers are great and are highly recommended by my husband and I as well as one of our daughters who purchases all their products!

Enjoy!!

Spaghetti Squash With Homemade Sauce

This evening I took the spaghetti squash and baked it in preparation for this evening's dinner, along with defrosting the spaghetti sauce I had previously made from garden vegetables and store bought mushrooms.

One dilemma in watching one's diet for gluten and milk products is that sometimes the sauces on the market actually have gluten and/or milk products in them, so we find it safer to make sauce from what we have when the garden provides it.  Otherwise it's fresh veggies from the farm stands or produce markets.

A few weeks prior I made sauce from tomatoes, garlic, seasonings, etc., along w/purchased fresh mushrooms.  I don't have that recipe on hand, but the sauce that I froze was the topping for tonight's meal.

I don't make spaghetti squash often, as it is not my husband's favorite vegetable.  But, in light of our trying to focus on nutritional health, as well as omitting gluten from our diets, I tried another approach to the squash, by adding earth balance butter replacement on top of the squash when I was done.  I thought it added a nice touch, but it didn't really make a difference for David.



For those who have never made spaghetti squash before, you want to be sure to select a nice yellow squash that has no soft spots.  I cut off the ends, then cut the vegetable in half lengthwise.  Scrap out the insides and compost.  I did save some of the seeds for planting next year.  Once scrapped out, place in a glass baking dish, cut side up and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.


Once baked, I spread the Earth Balance spread over the cooked squash and covered with tinfoil until the sauce was heated through.

When I was ready to serve, I used a fork to scrap the squash from the shell, which creates the spaghetti look.


One half shell was sufficient for two meals, leaving another shell for two meals for another day.

We topped the spaghetti squash with the homemade sauce.  I personally can tolerate parmesan cheese, which I've been told that some hard cheeses are okay for those who suffer from digestive issues from milk products.  So, on with parmesan cheese for me tonight.  Otherwise I would have topped it with the Daiya that is a cheese substitute and quite yummy!!

My husband decided he would prefer to have sliced muenster cheese with his, along with a slice of the sandwich bread that I baked two days ago...yes, he loves it and is eating it daily with lunch and dinner .  Now, with the spaghetti squash, David is still not fond of it, but that's okay, because he was still able to tolerate the meal.  I think I will be having spaghetti squash for lunch this week or leftover dinner night, but I'm thinking of using something different for a topping.  We'll just have to wait and see what I come up with.

All in all, tonights meal was good.  Not David's favorite, but at least nutritious, which I'm sure was the reason he didn't complain too much.  And the other benefit was that the meal was not dry.  Whether one is on a gluten and milk free diet or not, those who enjoy squash, will probably enjoy this meal.

Enjoy!!

Rice Flour Fried Chicken by Laura D. Field

Well, tonight's dinner was another experiment while making another gluten free dinner my husband would enjoy.  I originally was going to make a dish with spaghetti squash, but I got caught up working on the new kitchen curtains I am making that I lost track of time...oops :-)  But, make no mistake, there is no time for oops when your goal is to share with your husband that eating gluten and milk free isn't all that "tasteless".  Now with just the two of us at home, it makes my life much easier when I only have to plan one meal, versus trying to incorporate his and her likes.  So far, the mission has been successful.

This evening, since I had already defrosted the chicken to go along with the spaghetti squash, I decided to try something new with the chicken.  Again, creating a new recipe from what I thought might taste good, yet also be less boring than coating the chicken with BBQ sauce or Italian dressing and baking, I decided to make a rice flour coating to cover the chicken so that I could fry in the pan.  Don't worry, the frying aspect is still healthy as I used coconut oil, and wanted to try something other than olive oil.  So, here's my experiment:

Rice Flour Fried Chicken
2 serving size pieces of skinless chicken, best if organically raised (tender and tasty)
1/4 c of Rice Flour
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbls Italian seasoning
2 tsp Granulated Garlic (I would also recommend ground garlic, but I was lazy this evening)
2 tsp Chia seeds
2 Tbls coconut oil

1.  Combine rice flour, paprika, black pepper, Italian seasoning and granulated garlic in bowl

2.  Wash chicken, cut small slits into chicken so that it cooks through, then dip in flour mixture.

3.  Melt Coconut oil in pan until completely melted.

4.  Once oil is melted, place the coated chicken into the hot oil and top with 1/2 the chia seeds.

5.  Turn when the first side is brown from cooking in the oil.  Once turned, sprinkle the remaining chia seeds on the second side while cooking.

6.  Once the second side is browned, turn to the other side to cook a little more, yet cutting slightly in the  middle to check to be sure the chicken is being cooked through.

7.  Turn one last time, so that both sides are evening cooked.

8.  Remove from pan and place on dish with a side of rice and a vegetable.

The rice I added Earth Balance butter substitute for flavoring.  Since I had plenty of greens at lunch, I had thinly sliced tomatoes from the garden as my vegetable.  David chose to have peas as his vegetable.  Mind you, I'm not a connoisseur of peas, so it has never been a first option for a vegetable, but it is David's favorite.  So, that is the area in which some of our meals we will have different vegetables on our plates.  But, knowing that green vegetables are a must in everyone's diet, I do fill up on plenty of spinach, lettuce and other green vegetables throughout the week.  I don't think my body missed that little vegetable on my plate this evening.

Enjoy!!

A Delightful Salad with NO Dressing

Nothing was more exciting when I decided to top my summer salads with the crabmeat, seafood salad that can be purchased ready made at the grocery store, and made using your own healthy ingredients.

Today's lunchtime salad starts with the basics of all my salads:
Spinach and Iceburg Lettuce
I fill the bowl with 1/2 spinach the other with lettuce. When I have romaine, I use that, as I like to always mix things up a bit in order to have a little variation.




1/2 bowl of spinach
1/2 bowl of iceburg lettuce (or romaine, or mix all three or any of your favorite salad greens)
1 small cucumber with ends cut off, but sliced with green left on for texture & color
1 stalk celery sliced thin
1/2 c red grapes (for color - use green if that is your favorite flavor)
1/2 - 1c seafood salad
1/4 c of sliced almonds

The ingredients above are from today's salad.  I like to mix things up, and will sometimes add large chunks of apples, or strawberries as they are my favorite in this salad combined with the seafood mix.

What I enjoy about my salads is that they have eye appeal, color, texture, and flavor.  The seafood salad adds enough flavor that I do not use a salad dressing.  But, who needs salad dressing when the crabmeat combined with olive oil mayo provides sufficient added flavoring?

Enjoy!!

Baked Salmon w/Broccoli, by Laura D Field

Tonight's main dish was baked salmon, marinated in olive oil w/seasonings and coated with gluten free bread crumbs.

2 servings of Pink Salmon
6 TBSP of Olive Oil
1 garlic clove
Dash of Italian seasoning
Dash of Black Pepper
Gluten Free Bread Crumbs




1.  Combine the olive oil with crush garlic clove, dash of Italian seasoning and black pepper.







2.  Marinate your salmon in the oil mixture for 20-30 min.

3.  Bread (coat) your marinated salmon in gluten free bread crumbs (I used Glutino)





4.  Place coated salmon on aluminum foil on baking pan and wrap in order to keep the moisture within the salmon

5.  Place in 375 degree oven for 25 min, until cooked through








6.  Unwrap the salmon from the foil and remove from tray using a spatula

7.  Serve as is.






The bread crumbs added some texture to the baked salmon which was a nice touch.
My husband added salt for his preference

On the side we had fresh, steamed broccoli which we seasoned with pepper, garlic & sea salt.  I added a dab of milk free spread on mine.  In addition we had a thinly sliced gluten free sandwich bread that I made earlier in the day.  Water was our beverage.

To top it off, we had a few grapes for dessert.

The complete meal was filling, had color, texture and some added sweetness to finish it off.

Gluten & Milk Free Sandwich Bread, by Laura D Field

Ingredients:
1 1/2c warm almond milk (Occasionally I use the coconut, almond milk, yet one can use soy milk as well)
3 lg eggs (approximately 3/4 cup)
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (you can use lemon juice)
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbls sugar
1 Tbls xanthan gum
1 tsp guar gum
3/4 tsp soy flour
1 Tbsp potato flour
3 c. Gluten Free all purpose flour (I use Red Mill)
2 Tbls (1 pkg) active dry yeast

Have all ingredients set at room temperature.  After pulling all ingredients out, I went for a 40 min. walk, giving them time to warm to room temperature.  I also used my Kitchen Aid mixer.

1.  Measure out almond milk in measuring cup and let sit.
2.  Measure out eggs in cup and let sit.
3.  Measure out olive oil in cup and mix in cider vinegar, then let sit
4.  Measure out all dry ingredients in bowl (excluding the yeast) and gently stir and set aside.

NEXT:  Mixing Things Up

Now that the liquid items are at room temperature...
5.  Place room temperature eggs in mixer and blend at high speed until frothy (about 1 min)
6.  Add olive oil with cider vinegar, and mix at moderate speed
7.  Add the almond milk while continuing to mix at moderate speed.
8.  Add all dry ingredients, that were previously mixed together, immediately followed by the yeast, into the mixing bowl with the liquid ingredients, at a moderate speed until mixed through.
9.  Mix until the mix is a smooth texture.  It will stay together, yet loosely compared to regular, gluten bread. You will not need to kneed the bread.

Ready to Rise:
10.  Take your mixture and pour into your bread pan, smoothing out the dough so that it looks round like a bread load will look (well, as close as you can).  Use a spatula for this process, and if necessary, dip the spatula in warm water a few times to get the smooth look.
11.  Place plastic wrap over the load and place in a warm, draft-free place.  I place mine in front of the window where the warmth of the sun aids in the rising process.

Ready to Bake:
12.  Once the load has risen to the top, or over the top of the loaf pan (depends on the size of your load pan), preheat your oven to 375
13.  Once the oven has been preheated, remove the plastic covering on your loaf, then insert load pan into the oven and set for 30 minutes.
14.  After 30  minutes, brush the top of your load with a milk free butter or spread, then cover the top with an aluminum foil tent (I used the sandwich aluminum sheets I had on hand as it was a perfect size).
15.  Bake for an additional 20-30 min.
16.  Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 min., then place on a wire rack to complete the cooling process.

17.  ENJOY!!

NOTE:  By leaving a load of bread in the load pan, your bread will maintain too much moisture, so it's important to remove for a nice sandwich loaf.  If you leave it in a little too long, turn the loaf upside down so that it can complete cooling as well as dry out the bottom.  It should still taste delightful

NOTE:  You do not have to brush the milk free butter or spread over the top of the bread if you don't want that flavoring, but you do need to continue to bake the additional 20-30 min.

Choosing the Gluten & Milk Free Diet

What causes one to change things up in order to eat healthy yet at the same time give up on the foods that we have learned to enjoy in life?  It's an interesting question, one in which many still do not understand, but a few years back (approximately 6 years) our middle daughter was diagnosed with milk allergies which were causing her serious depression symptoms.  We tried the conventional method of meds, but every 6 months the MD was wanting to increase the dosage.  This was insane!!  To continue to medicate without trying to fnd a cause was unfair to my daughter and the many others who are so easily provided antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds in order to bring calmness to one's life.

I chose, as a mom, that this had to stop!!  I reached out to a different MD who was also holistic.  We brought Holly in, and just from the questions we were asked, he immediately ordered a test that confirmed that our daughter was not depressed, but rather the milk was causing the natural morphine we have in our bodies to increase as she continued to drink and/or eat milk products.  This was the cause of her exhaustion and depression symptoms.  The only trial was that it seemed as thought everything she loved had milk.  Everything on the store shelves had the casein that she was allergic to.  And, to top the challenge off, she was leaving for college in a few weeks.

What we learned was that, as a drug addict, the reason she consumed milk products to the excess that she did, was because she was addicted to what we would consider a "healthy" product.  But this product, that was God's design for cow consumption, modified for humans, was wreaking havoc on Holly's system.  I was now challenged to find ways to cook, bake and create without using the milk that had become a staple in our home.

Chocolate...off limits, but wait, there was dark chocolate, there were Baker chips and more that could substitute her chocolate cravings.  Things were looking up.  But, what about cereal, bread, and other staple items that were part of a normal diet?  Every shopping trip became a challenge to find what would work for someone dealing with milk issues.  But, we managed to find ways to substitute and were blessed with the small college that she had attended, as the chef and other cooks worked with Holly.  Mashed potatoes were made without milk, chicken was grilled without bread coatings, etc.  It took time, but the transition was working and within three months Holly was off milk and all antidepressant medicine.  We have so much to be thankful for as well as a doctor who took the time to order the right tests to find a solution.

Next, the stomach issues that Holly dealt with were nagging enough to cause another trip to our Holistic MD.  At this visit, it was decided to remove gluten.  We looked at him and asked "so, what does she eat?"  As with the milk visit, we left this visit frustrated as well.  Looking at all the products on our shelves, it was not an easy task to find something without gluten.  So, off we ventured to the grocery store and Natural Food store.  This was right before manufacturers started getting on the band wagon of labeling their foods "Gluten Free", "Dairy Free", etc.

This journey of eating milk and gluten free I chose to venture with Holly.  She couldn't cheat, but the days that I did, I paid for it.  Milk has always caused stomach issues, so I have always consumed sparingly, drinking rice milk for the most part.  Gluten reduction I was able to do, but not as seriously as Holly had to.  I think a part of it, was that I wasn't ready to give it all up, and the cost of Gluten Free products was really causing a hardship on our budget.  What one would spend $1-2 on flour now was going to cost us $7.00.  That's just the flour!!

What I found to be the most frustrating was that these natural products were now available at a cost that was insane!!  These are natural ingredients, but because there was more demand for them, the availability and cost was going to impact our family in a way I hadn't imagined.

Fast forward 6 years, and here we are bringing our youngest daughter to the doctors, the ER, daily phone calls from school for stomach issues, anxiety issues, and more.  Being a mom, I was extremely frustrated and concerned, because the stomach has a variety of organs that could be affected.  As I watched, I could see anxiety as a major culprit, but those lower stomach issues were of great concern to me.  Female issues were ruled out, and as we return to our holistic MD, we are given a test to rule out gluten and a test for milk.  Yes, different symptoms, but the same result.  No milk, no gluten.  Within three months, our daughter's anxiety is now under control with a natural inhaler when things are too much, yet her stomach and anxiety issues are more controlled.

I've become rather aware of gluten in the variety of products, and personally do not drink any milk, so Jenni's transition was already easy for me.  I still occasionally cheated on the gluten, until I visited my orthopaedic physician.  The gluten elimination was crucial.  I lost 10 pounds, but the joints were still aching, yet I knew I needed to lose at least another 15 pounds.  He clued me in to the fact that some of the seasonings that I might be using are adding to the gluten issues of inflammation and pain within my joints.

So, here I am, gluten and milk free, right along with my two youngest daughters.  In this transition, as I write, my husband has agreed to travel this path with us.  The benefit is that eating healthy without gluten, allows us to be full faster with no added cravings.  My husband does not have milk issues, so he gets to enjoy the milk products, but I'm okay with that.  We have always eaten quite healthy with plenty of fruit, fish, veggies and a modest amount of meat & poultry.  But now, to improve our health and to be around longer for our children, we have opted to remove the gluten completely.  This past weekend, the cupboards were emptied of all gluten containing products and donated.

I am 52 years old, while my husband of 32 years is 54.  We desire to live a healthy lifestyle so that we can enjoy life, spend more time together, spend more time with our daughters, and future grandchildren.  Life is to be lived, and when lived in a healthy manner we have the opportunity to enjoy more.