Stuffed Mushrooms: Nature's Mini-Tupperware Bowls

Shrooms, mushrooms, fungi--call them what you will, but mushrooms hold a special place in my heart.

They'll absorb any flavor they're paired with and I have yet to come across a dish that a mushroom couldn't accent. One of my favorite things about Sparrow Market is that they always have a gorgeous selection of mushrooms. Yes, I used the word gorgeous to describe produce. Judge for yourself.

The key to a good stuffed mushroom is well-seasoned sausage. Sparrow Market happened to have some incredible breakfast sausage that day so I was in business. In all honesty this recipe took 10 minutes to prepare and about 1/2 an hour to cook. Not much effort for a delicious pay off.

Gluten-free Stuffed Shrooms 
8 medium-large mushrooms, cored (reserve stems)
1/2 lb sausage
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Glutino, a corn-based bread crumb)
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage on medium heat and add garlic and chopped mushroom stems. When the sausage is almost browned (~10 minutes) add the bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Prior to filling the mushrooms, taste test the mixture and add seasoning only if needed. Fill mushroom caps and place on a cookie sheet. Cook at 350 for 25 minutes.

Here's to fungi--lc.

I Love Tea Parties--as long as Sarah Palin isn't invited.

I drink more tea than the Queen of England.
That statement is even more true now that I’ve cut down on my coffee intake.

Tea is my go-to drink for two reasons. For one, it’s basically a hug in a cup. I can think of only a few things that are more comforting than a cup of tea--regardless of the weather. The second reason is because tea takes me back to my childhood. Visiting my aunts with my mom, we could barely make it through the door without hearing the familiar whistling of a hot tea pot. My aunts would just skip over asking if I wanted tea, which is symbolic of a trait that runs in my mom's family. There is this unspoken assumption of answers. In those instances where my mom and her siblings do ask you if you'd like something, it's more of a formality than anything else. Your answer is completely irrelevant because they bend over backwards when it comes to taking care of others. 

What I love most about tea is the endless variety. I like having options.
Being overwhelmed by options? Even better.

Black teas, Red teas, Green teas, Herbal teas, White teas—and that’s just the start. Should you choose a traditional Early Grey or an antioxidant-rich Rooibos? A cup o’ Darjeeling or a relaxing cup of Chamomile? (Warning: You may fall asleep midway through a cup of Chamomile.)

If you’re not inherently a tea connoisseur, don’t stop reading just yet. Most people assume tea is bland and they’d much rather have something sweet. With a few modifications (i.e. sugar, honey, half and half, lemon, herbs, wine--yes, I said wine) a good cup of tea can rival and/or enhance just about any drink—even the alcoholic ones.

With summer right around the corner, now is the perfect time to concoct some delicious iced tea recipes, especially if you’re trying to lose a few pounds. If you substitute tea for your favorite pop you’ll be saving yourself from a lot of unnecessary calories. Furthermore, there have been some articles published about Green Tea's ability to help with digestion. Just from my own personal experience I can attest to how much tea (especially a mint or ginger tea) alleviates stomach discomfort after a particularly large meal.

Simple iced tea recipes:

• Earl Grey and a dash of half and half--This is a great alternative to coffee.
• Green tea, a bit of honey, and pineapple chunks. (Mix in the honey while the tea is still hot.)

More complex recipes:

Mint Iced Tea
(A Paula Deen recipe)

• 1 quart water
• 4 quart-size tea bags
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 bunch mint leaves
• 1 lemon, slices for garnish

Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, add the tea bags, cover with a lid, and allow tea to steep for 20 minutes. Pour the sugar into the jug and add enough hot hot tap water to dissolve the sugar. Once the tea has steeped, remove the lid and the tea bags. Pour the tea into the jug, stir, and place the tea bags back into the jug. Fill the jug with cold water to yield 1 gallon. To serve, pour each glass of tea and garnish with a slice of lemon and mint leaves.

Strawberry Basil Iced Tea
(A Martha Stewart recipe)

• 8 black-tea bags
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered if large)
• 1 cup water, plus more for steeping
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh basil, plus more for serving
• Ice, for serving

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes. Place strawberries in a bowl. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add basil, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain over strawberries; discard basil. Toss to coat. Let stand until cool, about 25 minutes. Combine strawberries with syrup and tea in a pitcher. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve over ice, and garnish with basil

Jasmine Tea & Brandied Fruit Ice Tea--Tea, fruit, & brandy for a pseudo-sangria. This recipe blew my mind!
(A Cynthia Gold recipe)

• 2 cups thinly sliced fruit, any combination of oranges, apples, peaches, plums and peaches
• 1 cup brandy, plus more as needed
• 1/4 cup loose-leaf jasmine green tea leaves
• 6 cups boiling water
• 1 bottle Riesling, chilled
• 2 tablespoons simple syrup

Place the sliced fruit in a container and completely cover with the brandy. Let sit overnight (the fruit may be soaked in brandy for up to a week, so if you expect to make another batch soon, cut and soak extra fruit in advance to save time), or if you're pressed for time, proceed to steps three and four and let it sit for at least 20 minutes as your tea cools. Place the tea leaves in a large pitcher. Add the steaming water and steep, covered, for 2 minutes. Strain, discarding the leaves and returning the tea liquid to the container, and let cool completely.  Add the chilled Riesling, brandied fruit and simple syrup. Taste and add additional simple syrup and the brandy from the macerated fruit to taste. Serve over ice garnished with a slice of fresh orange. Refrigerated, this tea sangria will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days--but let's be honest, it won't last that long.

Thai Iced Tea
(An Emeril Lagasse recipe)

• 6 cups water
• 1 cup Thai tea
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons cream
• 6 tablespoons condensed milk

Pour the boiling water over the tea and let steep until bright orange in color (3-5 minutes). Remove the tea bags and add sugar, stir to dissolve. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Fill 6 tall glasses with crushed ice and add tea to 3/4 full. Add 1 tablespoon cream and 1 tablespoon condensed milk to each glass. Serve with a spoon so guests can swirl the mixture themselves.

Here's to Family traditions--lc.

Demystifying the Gluten Free Diet

May is Celiac Disease Awareness month so I’ve decided to dedicate my latest post to the culprit: Gluten.



Going gluten free? The top 2/3 of the food pyramid have now become your bff.

 Gluten-free (GF) items are popping up in grocery stores and restaurants across the country. PF Chang’s has an entire page of GF items on their menu and Olive Garden has just recently jumped on the bandwagon. Despite this rapidly evolving gastronomic phenomenon, there are plenty of people who don’t know what gluten is so let’s start there.

Gluten is a protein composite found in grains such as wheat, barley, and rye. Unfortunately, for reasons the medical field still really doesn’t understand, some people mount an immune response when they ingest gluten. In the case of Celiac Disease (CD) the immune system begins attacking the small intestine producing diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue, and headaches along with a mosaic of other symptoms. Ultimately the undiagnosed individual becomes malnourished and will begin losing weight.

Within the past few years the medical field has slowly recognized that people can have a gluten sensitivity without having CD. The sensitivity can present as a variety of symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, pain, acne, or it can just aggravate the symptoms of other ailments. It’s estimated that 3 million (1/133) Americans have CD and that nearly 20 million Americans have a gluten sensitivity. However, the majority in both groups have not been diagnosed which is unfortunate as uncontrolled inflammation keeps your immune system unnecessarily preoccuppied.

Earlier this year I became suspicious that I might have a gluten sensitivity as I had very little energy despite being well rested and I had a really stubborn case of acne. I went cold turkey. I cut out what had been the culinary staples of my diet: pasta and bread. I’m not going to sugar coat this experience. It was traumatic and not to mention, heartbreaking. Those who know me best know that my favorite meal is either a meatball sub or a pot pie, but I was determined to see if I could fix this problem without spending hundreds of dollars at a dermatologist.

I set out to the grocery store and wore blinders as I passed by the bakery. In the beginning I didn’t even buy GF packaged food or canned food for that matter. I was afraid that I would not know what red flags to look for on the ingredient labels. I stuck with fresh produce, rice, quinoa, and meat. I started to notice a difference almost immediately. I was no longer randomly falling asleep like a true narcoleptic and although my acne had not disappeared, it had significantly improved. Curious if this had just been a coincidence, I cheated and had a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs about 3 weeks into the experiment. Simply put, that meal was heaven-sent, but within hours my acne flared up again. That incident was enough to make a believer out of me, well almost at least. I still wanted more proof that I had to say adios to the American staples once and for all and that opportunity came to me this past week. I’ve been working 2 jobs and I’m not the least bit exhausted. It’s Friday and I haven’t even had a cup of coffee yet.

I am not advocating that people go Gluten Free for the heck of it. (That’s Oprah and Gwenthy Paltrow’s job.) For me it has been great because it’s made me feel so much better! Not to mention I’m eating healthier. Sure it’s more expensive to eat healthy but I like to think of your health in terms of a balance. If one skimps at the grocery store now and buys unhealthy items, decades later that money will be scooped up by the medical field and pharmaceutical companies as a result of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.

If you suspect that you might have a gluten sensitivity you do not have to cut pastas, breads, and desserts completely out of your life. There are GF pastas made with corn and quinoa and Bob's Red Mill offers a line of outstanding flours, pancake mixes, cake mixes, pizza crusts, etc. Sure you'll have to do the baking yourself but for me that has been therapeutic. What has been even better is browsing the Internet for GF Food Blogs. I've stumbled upon some pretty incredible recipes. 

This would not be a fair post without some mention of the downsides of going gluten free. Here it goes:

Buying groceries
Reading the labels of everything you put in your cart becomes tedious really quick as you make sure the items do not contain wheat, food cornstarch, barley extract, etc. Not to mention the GF alternative products can be very pricey. If you're looking for a grocery store that really caters to their GF customers check out Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. They VERY clearly label their products.

Alcohol
GF means no more beer for me. There are GF beers out there but I’ve heard they’re terrible. I also have to pay close attention to the liquor I drink. Tequila and wine are absolutely fine, but alcohol extracted from grains (i.e. vodka) is another story. Supposedly it is safe as long as it has been distilled because gluten is too big to make it through the distillation process.

Eating out
Some chain restaurants have caught on to the GF trend, but there are still a lot of restaurants who do not cater to the GF crowd. My best advice? Choose a Mexican restaurant and make sure to order corn tortillas rather than flour.

Explaining why you’re GF
Some people assume going GF is the fashionable food trend of the moment--the Atkins diet of 2011. They do not realize that there are underlying symptoms that you’re trying to alleviate. When you explain this to them all you see is a look of skepticism as they stuff their faces with a heaping plate of spaghetti.

Here’s to Food allergy/sensitivity awareness—lc.