Time for an Update!

Well a lot has been going on in Atlanta, and since I haven't checked in for a while, let me fill you in to what I've been doing for the last year.  No one wants to read a year's worth of info, so here's my year in pictures...

I lived it up with gluten free hamburgers and onion rings at Yeah Burger,

...and I got bangs!

I got really into juicing

And did some sophisticated comparisons to pieces at the High.

We ate A LOT of crawfish!

We even checked out some of the schnazzy spots as well, like King and Duke.

I made Christmas cookies

and drove to work in the middle of the Snowpocalypse.  Yikes.

We made margaritas for Cinco!!!

I visited cousins in Nashville,

 went to Bonnaroo,

and even made it to a Braves game!  

I have to say, I was a much bigger fan of watching baseball than I ever thought I would be... I think the peanuts sealed the deal for me.

We did a ton of camping in some of the most beautiful spots and lucked out with gorgeous weather the whole time.  It has been a seriously wonderful year!

 So there you go--a quick, painless update of my year.  Now back to the food!



Meatloaf. The Good Kind.

Happy fall, friendos!  I personally couldn't be happier that the cool weather is finally settling in here in Atlanta, and to celebrate I made one of my new favorite cold weather dinners:  meatloaf.  I didn't grow up in a family that made a lot of meatloaf, and I'm happy about that, because so much of it out there really isn't great.  But this meatloaf was perfect, on its own and in heavenly sandwich form.

Meatloaf Recipe
This recipe is of course gluten and dairy free, but feel free to make substitutions.  It's also wonderful with strictly 1 1/2 lb. of ground chuck used--play around with it.

• 1/2 cup GF breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup rice milk
• 1/2 lb. ground chuck
• 1/2 lb. ground lamb
• 1/2 lb. ground veal
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1/2 yellow onion, grated
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced
• salt and pepper
• Sambal Ketchup*

Alright!  First, make those breadcrumbs.  I always save the ends of my Udi's loaves to make them.  Throw them in a food processor, and you're ready. 

Then place them in a large mixing bowl and add your milk of choice.  Dry breadcrumbs make for dry meatloaf, so let them soak up all of the milk before you add the other ingredients. 

Then grate the onion and carrot and mince the parsley.  Add the veggies to the bowl, along with the egg, meats, salt, and pepper.  Mix this gently with the tips of your fingers.  Don't smash it all together.  This will result in a much better texture.

All that's left to do is place it all in a small loaf pan, cover it with the sambal ketchup, and bake it at 325 for 40 to 45 minutes.  After it comes out of the oven, let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes and then enjoy!

I should add, I served mine with an AWESOME onion jam.  Cut several pieces of bacon (I used three) into lardons and crisp in a pan.  Remove the bacon, leaving the bacon grease in the pan.  Dice a large yellow onion and add it to the pan.  Caramelize the onions and then add some brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, bourbon, and a little corn starch, as well as the crispy bacon.  This stuff is amazing.

*Sambal Ketchup 
This sauce is perfect because it's sweet and spicy.  You have a couple of options here.  You can just add some sambal to ketchup until it's as spicy as you'd like it to be, or if you're like me and don't have any ketchup, you can do what I did below.

• 3 Tbsp. sambal
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. dark brown sugar
• hot water

Combine the sambal, tomato paste, and brown sugar in a bowl.  Then just add a little hot water to thin it out a bit and dissolve the sugar.

Ridiculously Delicious Cookie Dough

I have to say, I am completely ashamed that I made the recipe I am about to tell you about.  I am even more ashamed, or maybe just in awe, of how much I actually loved this recipe.  I found it on FoodGawker last night and had seen so many others like it that I felt like I just had to try it.  It is gluten-free chocolate chip cookie dough...meant to be eaten strictly as cookie dough, not turned into actual cookies.  That doesn't sound too crazy, right?  Just wait.  It is the type of cookie dough that is made with...canned chick peas.

I know, it sounds like it would taste awful, but worse than that, it just sounds like one of those ridiculous "healthy" recipes that make you want to yell "JUST EAT THE COOKIE DOUGH ALREADY!  WHY ARE YOU ADDING BEANS TO THIS?!" Like when people try to "sneak" vegetables into mac and cheese.  Why are you doing that?  Why can't you just have a side of vegetables and leave the mac and cheese alone?  Oh right, back to the cookie dough...

Clearly with such strong opinions about these kinds of recipes, it is a miracle that I tried it at all, but since I had all of the ingredients and was jonesing for some cookie dough, I gave it a shot...and I have to say, I am so glad I did. This is currently living in a large tupperware container in my fridge, and I have been eating it with a spoon and a large glass of milk.  My recipe is adapted from this cookie dough recipe, but don't worry about following the measurements exactly--there are no eggs in here, so you can just make it, taste it, adjust it.

Cookie Dough Recipe

• 1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp peanut butter (or any nut butter)
• 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar (not too firmly packed)
• 3 Tbsp gluten free oats
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup chopped, roasted almonds

Combine all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and almonds in a food processor, and process until smooth.  At this point look at your consistency--it looks like cookie dough, right?!--but if you would like it a little thinner add a splash of milk (dairy-full or dairy-free is fine) and if you would like it thicker add a bit more of the oats.  Now transfer your "dough" that you are probably terrified to actually taste into a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips and almonds.  Now, just trust me and try it...it is awesome!

Home Again, Home Again

         I've made it!  At long last, I am in Atlanta, and I have to say, I love this place already.  In my life, I have primarily lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Clemson, South Carolina; and Boone, North Carolina.  While I have loved all of them, none of them are booming metropolises, and the thought alone of picking up and moving into a studio apartment in Atlanta without a job or friends in the area has at times felt  more than a little suffocating.
        
         But having been here for about a full week now, I'm really feeling settled.  I have found three grocery stores, one of which is a Whole Foods...I don't even know how to behave in there...there are so many gluten free options.  I have obtained a library card.  I have found a good Mexican restaurant.  I have been busily on the job hunt. 

 Pan seared halibut on top of shiitakes and shallots, served with spicy, garlicky kale.

          Today I found the Peachtree Road Farmers Market at St. Phillip's Cathedral and bought some beautiful silver oyster mushrooms as well as a Bear Claw (blackberry and honey) popsicle from the King of Pops stand there.  It was delicious! 

  King of Pops truck...I live in a food truck mecca...

William and I also found a great Vietnamese restaurant, where we had pancakes and pho.  It is hard to beat a meal of pancakes and pho, particularly when you can both eat, leave a generous tip, and pay only $15.  I cannot wait to try all of the awesome little Asian spots in this city.

Yum!  Vietnamese pancakes with shrimp and pork, served with lettuce, mint, and nuoc cham.

Ah, yes, I'm very glad to be settling in here...now back to that small matter of finding a job...

GF Pasta with Tomato, Basil, and Brie

This is a classic summer dish in my family. When my dad's backyard garden is overgrown with basil, and the farmers market it full of ripe tomatoes, we know it's time to make this quick summertime meal. The nice thing is, it really doesn't get easier than this. Cut the rind off of a large wheel of Brie, and tear it into pieces. Place it in a bowl with several finely chopped tomatoes, a handful of chopped basil, and two or three minced garlic cloves. Let this just marinate on your countertop for an hour or two with a good dose of olive oil and salt and pepper. Now I know some of you may be worried about leaving cheese out at room temperature for several hours. To which I say, live on the wild side, you crazy person! Let that cheese just sit until it's nice and warm and melty and delicious--you are such a daredevil! And your daring nature will be rewarded with the most delicious no-cook pasta sauce you've ever tasted. Just add warm pasta (gluten free or not) to this and top with a little more basil. This is by far my favorite summer dinner.

BLT with Homemade Basil Mayonnaise

Ah summer! It's the perfect time for lazy dishes, because when the tomatoes are as full of flavor as they are now, you don't have to do much of anything to them. Just pile them high with lettuce, bacon, and mayonnaise, and you have the perfect summertime lunch.

I used Udi's Millet and Chia bread, toasted of course, and made homemade basil mayo to be slathered inside. I started with Alton Brown's recipe (see link below), which is always flawless (as is he). To it I added a little minced garlic and tons of chopped basil. It is hard to actually get this stuff onto bread before devouring it. Now slice up a watermelon and enjoy.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mayonnaise-recipe/index.html

Tonsil Free

Ever since I was a child I've wanted to get my tonsils removed.  Days of missed school combined with a diet consisting of ice cream, popsicles, and pudding still sound just about like heaven.  What I never learned is that if you wait until you're an adult to get this procedure done, the whole process lasts for around three weeks.  That's three weeks of force feeding yourself enough ice cream and popsicles that you don't become malnourished and get put on an IV...I am only on day three.

Fortunately, there is a whole other food group that I have failed to mention so far, and it happens to be my favorite thing to eat in the entire world:  snow cones!  Not snow balls or shaved ice.  Seriously, those are the worst.  I'm talking about snow cones from the green snow cone stand in the Oaks District in Hattiesburg.  These syrup drenched ice concoctions are the only things that have been pulling my through...along with my My Little Pony coloring book and of course my large bottle of liquid Lortab...but I think the snow cones are doing most of the heavy lifting.