Fantastic [Gluten Free] Fish Tacos!

Me eating tabbouleh!!!

I am not a picky eater.  I never have been.  I grew up with my mom exposing me to many different foods.   Hamburgers, hotdogs, mac and cheese, and even peanut butter and jelly never were my favorites like a normal kid.  Hummus, tabbouleh, any type of fish, eggplant, spinach, ALL green vegetables, and plain yogurt were all things I loved when I was really young.  Thankfully that makes the gluten free diet much easier for me.  I will try anything and everything (free of wheat of course!).

When thinking about my favorite foods I first think fish.  Salmon, haddock, shrimp, scallops, tuna, clams, sushi…I love it all!  I also LOVE Mexican food.  Especially tacos!  Naturally, you would think fish tacos must be a favorite on the menu at my house, but surprisingly I had never tried them!

Until this weekend…

I decided to make my own fish tacos at home.  It was incredibly easy, and of course gluten free!  The right mixture of tilapia, jalapeno peppers, sweet mango,  tangy limes, and cilantro folded over in a warm tortilla is a tasty and even a healthier alternative to the customary cheesy beef taco.

Fish Tacos

Gluten Free

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lime, juiced

1 jalapeno, diced

1 tsp. of cilantro

1/2 tsp. salt (divided)

2 tsp. olive oil (for pan)

1 lb. tilapia fillets

1 tsp. chilli powder

2 cups of thinly chopped lettuce

1 cups tomatoes, chopped

2 bunches of green onions, sliced thin

1 mango, diced

1 tsp. parsley

Corn tortillas (4-6 depending on how big)

Directions

1) Combine olive oil, lime, jalapeno, cilantro, and 1/4 tsp. of salt in a medium bowl.  Hold aside.

2) Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet.  Sprinkle tilapia with chilli powder and remaining 1/4 tsp of salt evenly.   Add fish to pan.  Then pour jalapeno and lime mixture over fish.  Cook fish on pan until cooked through (should flake easily).

3) When fish is finished remove from heat and cut into small pieces.

4) Prepare garnish by combining lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, mango and parsley in a bowl.

5) Heat tortillas in a pan. Add fish and garnish to tortillas and fold.

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So many choices at the Puritan Backroom Restaurant

My favorite restaurant in Manchester New Hampshire is the Puritan Backroom.  The Puritan is a place where Luke and I go to celebrate many happy occasions and accomplishments.  My college graduation, my engagement to Luke, special date nights, new jobs, and even my first 1000 hits on my blog (yes we look for ANY reason to celebrate) are all the happy moments I think of every time I go to the Puritan.  The reason I love the Puritan Backroom Restaurant so much is that they have by far the best and biggest gluten free menu out of all the places I have been.

Check out the menu, I guarantee there is something for everyone!

The Puritan Backroom Restaurant Gluten Free Menu

Two weeks ago Luke and I went to the Puritan Backroom Restaurant and it was delicious (as usual).  I ALWAYS start off the night with their amazing Greek salad (with oil and vinegar on the side).  This salad is my favorite!  I am sure it has to do with the giant hunks of feta cheese they give you.  Yum!!

If you like appetizers there are plenty of gluten free options to choose from. You can order fresh vegetables with Tzatziki (a Greek strained yogurt sauce), fruit cup with sherbert, Loukaniko (grilled Greek sausage with onions and peppers), scallops wrapped in bacon, jumbo shrimp cocktail, or fresh vegetables with hummus.  I typically don’t have enough room for an appetizer, but I could always go for fresh veggies and hummus.  This is a great healthy option to go with a lighter meal.

Choosing an entree is hard for me at this restaurant because there are so many choices!  When I’m in the mood for something on the lighter side I tend to go for the vegetable stir fry.  This meal is a giant plate of summer squash, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, pepper, and onion sauteed over rice. I love this dish because it is nice and healthy, really tasty, and big enough that I have plenty left over for lunch the next day.  Another dish I have tried in the past is the barbequed lamb.  Lamb is not something I usually order, but I tried it one day when feeling more adventurous and loved it.  It’s a smaller plate of barbequed lamb tips on a skewer with onions and peppers.

The only dish I have tried at the Puritan that I would not recommend are the broiled chicken fingers or the broiled chicken parmesan.  The Puritan is well known to have the best (regular) chicken fingers around.  I was hoping the gluten free ones would be similar, but I really just did not like them. The chicken was tough in texture and the gluten free sauce was too sweet for me.  Maybe it was just an “off day”, but there are so many items on the menu I do like, that I am not sure if it is worth trying it again.

I have been on a big fish kick lately, so this past time at the Puritan I ordered the swordfish.  You have the option to choose lemon pepper or Cajun spices.  I love food on the spicy side so I went with the Cajun!  It was delicious!  So far this is my favorite dish on the gluten free menu.  It’s much more expensive compared to other items on the menu ($19.95), but worth it!  I guess I am going to have to save this dish for those extra special occasions!

Some other great reasons to go to the Puritan:

• Gluten Free Dessert!!! Choose from toffee brownie, mini bread loaf, rice pudding,  parfaits, and ice cream!
• Quick stop for ice cream at the separate ice cream shop (http://www.puritanbackroom.com/ice-cream/).
• All regular menu items are available for take out (http://www.puritanbackroom.com/takeout/takeout).
• There is a function hall available, making this a great place to host an event and provide food for guests who are gluten free! (http://www.puritanbackroom.com/functions-conferences/event-menus.php)

All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt!

Another busy week has come to an end.  This one was full of exciting good news, a couple of celebrations, and plenty of chocolate! 

My Week in a Nutshell

On Monday Luke and I adopted a little sister for Jasper.  Her name is Luna (formally known ad Bebe) and she is incredibly sweet!  She’s two years old only weighs 5.8 pounds (Jasper weighs 14!).  Before going to the animal shelter she came from a one bedroom home with over 50 cats!  Looking like a baby herself, she had a litter of kittens this past March, all of which have been adopted.  So far Jasper seems to love her, following her around everywhere she goes.  She doesn’t seem to mind too much, but is still getting used to her new home and her new brother.

Miss Luna girl lounging on the couch

On Tuesday, we had a party at work for my work study student Mireille.  She is graduating from UNH and leaving us to go teach in Tennessee.   At 6 am I decided to make a batch of gluten free brownies before work.  I was in a hurry so I used Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Brownie Mix.   At first I didn’t even tell anyone they were gluten free because I wanted everyone to try them.  They were a hit!  They were really chocolaty and very moist.  No one even noticed the difference!

Congrats Mireille!

UNH President's Office saying goodbye to Mireille!

Wednesday my sister Kasey and her boyfriend Ryan came over and we made my Chipotle Chicken Fajitas!  YUM!!! 🙂  If you haven’t tried them yet, I suggest you give them a try!

Thursday was an awesome day for me.  I was offered a job at Timberland Boot Company.  I was really excited.  I had been trying to find a job there for the past year!  To celebrate Luke took me to my favorite restaurant, The Puritan Backroom in Manchester, NH.  They have an amazing gluten free menu… review to come!!

Friday my friend Jodi and I were up all night making gluten free cupcakes for our best friend’s bridal shower.  Because my vanilla cupcakes were a hit on my birthday, (see my “birthday cupcakes” post) we decided to make a dozen vanilla and a dozen gluten free chocolate cupcakes. For the chocolate cupcakes we used a similar “revised” recipe using Betty Crocker’s chocolate cake mix.

Note: Use the recipe below, DO NOT follow the recipe on the box.

Update Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix

Ingredients

4 large eggs and 1 egg white

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (gluten free)

1 package of Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix

3.4 ounces of jello instant chocolate pudding (powder mix not pre-made)

1/3 cup sugar

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 325°

2) Mix eggs, oil, orange juice,and vanilla extract in a small bowl.

3) In a large bowl mix cake mix, pudding mix, and sugar. Slowly add wet ingredients into the large bowl and mix thoroughly until batter is smooth.

4) Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for approx. 25 minutes.

5) Let cool. Top with your favorite frosting.

I thought these cupcakes came out great!  Like the vanilla, the result was very moist and much better then the original recipe on the box.  Some people say they can taste the orange a little, and others couldn’t tell at all.  The people who could taste it still said they enjoyed the flavor.  We did a mixture of strawberry frosted (my fav!) and vanilla frosted, each sprinkled with edible glitter stars!

Wedding Shower Cupcakes!

And of course… Happy Wedding Shower Day to my beautiful and amazing best friend Ashley Wilson!!

The Bridal Party

Garden Pagoda, Chickpea, and Broccoli Rabe

Hi, long time no see!

This past two weeks have been super busy!  Work,  job searching/ interviewing, wedding planning, and apartment hunting have pretty much consumed my life in the past few days.  On a more exciting note, we are [possibly] adopting a sister for Jasper.  Key word here is possibly. We weren’t planning on getting a new cat, but I fell in love with this tiny 2 year old gray cat while were were picking up Jasper’s food from Pet Smart.

Hopefully Jasper's new sister "Luna"! (crossing fingers!!!)

What I love about this sweet little girl is that she is just so tiny!  She is two years old and only 6 pounds.  She came from a hoarders home of over 50 cats, probably the reason why she is so small.  She needs a good home (with a big brother to take care of her!).  She even has Jasper’s adorable face!

Tiny "Luna"

Luke and I are still trying to make the decision to adopt her (as you see my mind is made up!).  Our hope is that Jasper would love to have a friend to play with.  However, we are concerned he won’t take to have a little sister in his home.  If anyone has had experience in introducing cats, any advice would be helpful…  I still have some convincing Luke to do! 😉

Now on to the recipe…

Although things have been busy, I still had time to try out a  new chickpea and pasta recipe this week!  Chickpeas are an excellent way to beef up your gluten free pasta dishes. They add a tasy nutty flavor, protein, and loads fiber to your pasta!  Pair this up with a Greek salad and your good to go!  Quick, healthy, and delicious! 🙂

Garden Pagoda, Chickpea, and Broccoli Rabe

Garden Pagoda, Chickpea, and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients

2 cups of Gluten Free Ancient Harvest Garden Pagodas

1/2 bunch of broccoli rabe (see note)

3/4 cup of low sodium vegetable broth (non-vegetarian option you can replace with low sodium chicken broth for added flavor)

2 teaspoons of chickpea flour (Bobs Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 can of chickpeas (8oz)

2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Prepare broccoli rabe by trimming the ends into 2 inch pieces. Hold aside.

2) In a large pot cook pasta for 6-7 minutes, add broccoli rabe and continue to cook for 3 minutes.  Drain and hold aside.

3) In a small bowl mix together vegetable broth and chickpea flour.

4) Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.  Add garlic and rosemary and cook for 1 minute. Mix in broth and chickpea mixture.  Let simmer mixing constantly.  Add chickpeas, pasta, and broccoli rabe.  Cook for 2 minutes making sure pasta in coated completely stir carefully because pasta tends to break apart).  Salt and pepper to taste.

**If desired add Parmesan cheese at the end!

Note-  Broccoli rabe looks similar to broccoli, but has long stems and leaves surrounding it’s buds.  If you do not have broccoli rabe available, regular broccoli can also be used!

Two Moms in the Raw Gluten Free Goji Berry Bars

 

Starbucks…slightly overpriced, but by far my favorite place to stop in the morning for my much needed non-fat half pump vanilla latte.  I can’t afford to go to Starbucks every morning, but I love that when I am in a hurry I can count on them for great coffee and a natural gluten free product to hold me over to my next meal.  Can’t get that at Dunks!

For the first time a few days ago I tried one of “Two Moms in the Raw” Gluten Free granola bars.  Just like my coffee, I probably over paid for this bar. I think it was around $4.00 (somehow it makes me feel a little better when I don’t pay attention to my total…bad habit!).   I had the choice between goji berry and blueberry.  Feeling adventurous I went with the goji berry.  I’ll be honest with you, my first thought when opening up the package was that this granola bar looked a lot like something you would feed to your pet bird.  Millet, the main ingredient in this product, is also one of the main seeds used in bird food.  Don’t let that scare you however… this bar was really good!

 “What begins as a journey of healing soon becomes an extraordinary adventure”—Two Moms in the Raw

“Two Moms in the Raw” was started by a Shari, a mom of three looking to take a natural approach to improve her health after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  Looking for a delicious all natural snack, Shari did some experimenting of her own and came up with raw and organic granolas and sea crackers.  All of her products are 100% raw, 100% organic, and 100% vegan. This means all of the ingredients used in her recipes are in their natural state,  there are no additives, pesticides, or hormones, and no animal products are used.  Each product is handmade and does not contain added oils or refined sugars.

Right now “Two Moms in the Raw” has three flavors of sea crackers; Garden Herb, Pesto, and Tomato Basil, all of which are gluten free.  There are also five flavors of granola, however only the blueberry and goji berry are gluten free.

My goji berry bar…

Slightly tough to bite into, but much chewier and non-crumbly compared to other granola bars. Containing only raw ingredients this bar was made with millet, buckwheat, coconut, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pecans, almonds, pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), apples, agave (plant nectar often used as a binder or sweetener), cinnamon, sea salt and of course goji berries.  The flavor was delicious, not overly sweet and infused with a yummy cinnamon flavor that really stood out.  If it weren’t for my budget, this is definitely a product I would buy more often!