Archives for July 2009
Lovely London Broil
This post is linked to Summer Grilling Recipe Exchange.
Here I am finally … back from our motorcycle trip! We returned Monday evening, but it’s taken me this long to “re-enter” normal life! LOL The trip was a great one and I promise to share lots of info, specifically, the gluten-free food I experienced, but for now, I’ll just share a few quick trip stats (borrowing from my sweet friend Melanie’s recent trip post) and a little trivia of sorts.
We traveled 11 days; visited 10 states; spent 4 nights in ME, 3 nights in PA, 1 night in NY, 1 night in NH, 1 night in MA; stayed at 8 B&Bs; stayed at 2 hotels; visited 3 groups of friends; had 1 day of heavy rain (4 inches—that halted our trip overnight); saw 1 moose (and got photos!); packed two pairs of jeans each, three casuals shirts each, and one dress shirt each; took 1 new camera; purchased 3 items; enjoyed 8 excellent to stellar dinners; ate 8 breakfasts that included eggs; ate 3 lobster meals; ate 1 fast food meal (last day on interstate); traveled 5 miles of dirt roads due to road construction (one lane at a time, near the precipice … with no guard rail). My favorite billboard along the way: Recession 101 “Economic forecasts tend to be shovel-ready.” Also, I just learned a saying that rang true regarding our road travel in New England: “There are two seasons in the north: winter and road work.” 
I guess with the winters you northern folks get plus cutbacks on road maintenance due to the economy, that’s pretty understandable. (Here in Virginia, the state and localities have eliminated most mowing of medians and roadsides for economic savings.)
Now tomorrow (i.e., Friday), I’ll share the Go Ahead Honey It’s Gluten Free! roundup for this month’s theme, Make Me A Happy Camper. It’s a really nice mix of wonderful recipes suitable for camping, picnicking, hiking, etc.—you guys excelled as usual with your entries! But, first, let me share one more gfe recipe that works great for camping or cooking at home. A little background … Mr. GFE and I had told Son that we didn’t want Mother’s Day or Father’s Day presents this year. Well, not things anyway. (We have too many things already.) With a 21-year old son, the thing we treasure most is spending time with him, so we asked him to join us camping one weekend this summer. We got our present on July 4th, which made that weekend even more celebratory than usual. Son typically likes to have “running buddies,” so he had a bunch of friends join him. He asked me to bring lots of food. “Kids” that age tend to eat a lot of snack foods, but not too many real meals. So while we did enjoy my alternative S’mores for dessert one night, I purposely planned to have substantial meals every evening for the crew. As I gathered provisions for the weekend, I had perused the contents of my freezer. When I first spied the London Broil cut, I almost dismissed it as a dinner possibility. I don’t usually think of London Broil as camping food, but I thought about it a minute because the cut was very large and finally decided it would be a great choice for feeding the masses. Plus, I could put the meat in the cooler frozen and it would help keep the other contents cold. I mixed up the marinade in a glass jar before we left home and stored that in the cooler, too. Once we arrived at our property, I placed the London Broil in a plastic bag and covered it with marinade. (Occasionally I’d flip the bag to ensure the meat was evenly marinated. You can read the additional directions in the recipe below.)
London Broil or flank steak is another one of those meats you can usually get at a great discount (like pork butt, also known as Boston Butt, for my Fabulous Pork Butt) and while the price of the piece of meat still can seem costly, the cost per serving ends up being a bargain. London Broil cuts frequently go on sale for 50% off at my local store. I usually buy one or two and freeze them for when the mood strikes. London Broil is so flavorful that it’s great served a variety of ways: traditional, as a cold and slightly chewy protein snack (think beef jerky), or as a nice topping for a robust salad. I’ve used the following recipe many times. It’s one I came up with by taking various recipes and “mixing” and “matching” … combining my favorite ingredients from each into one recipe. The resulting London Broil is really good. Like the pork butt, it’s another simple, naturally gluten-free (i.e., gfe) dish that can make you look like a rock star in the kitchen—even if that “kitchen” consists of built-in counters, a cooler, a stove, and a grill, all nestled in the middle of trees overlooking the river. 
This London Broil fed nine of us (with side dishes as well, of course) and everyone enjoyed it. There was even some left over to make delicious steak hash for breakfast. Check out this gfe recipe and a photo below … hot off the grill for you!
Lovely London Broil
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)
Meat:
London Broil cut or flank steak
Marinade:
1/3 cup gf soy sauce*
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup honey (note how I am always choosing recipes that have honey as an ingredient … thanks to our bees for their hard work)
2 tbsp vinegar (or any wine … I used a very sweet red wine I’d received as a gift)
2 tsp bottled minced garlic (or fresh equivalent)
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger (or fresh equivalent)
juice of one lime
1/3 cup oil (I used light olive oil)
Marinate meat at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn at least once, about half way through. Grill or broil at medium-high heat for 7 to 10 minutes on each side for medium rare.
Shirley’s Notes: You can prepare London Broil to medium doneness, but don’t cook longer than that. Even at medium rare or medium, remember that the meat continues cooking for a bit after it’s removed from heat. Let sit several minutes before serving. Slice at an angle in thin slices.
*If you don’t eat soy at all, you can make your own substitute. Per the All Recipes site you can substitute Worcestershire sauce mixed with water for soy sauce. So skip the soy sauce if you like and use 2 more tbsp of Worcestershire sauce plus 1 tbsp water. I’ve also mentioned this recipe before for homemade soy sauce, but be sure you use gf and soy-free bouillon.
Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!
- Catch up with me on Twitter.
- “Like” gfe—glutenfreeeasily on Facebook to see updates/more content.
- Get gfe posts (including recipes) by email.
- Looking for a gfe recipe?
- Local to Fredericksburg, VA area? Check out Support Group & Events page.
Until I Return …
I had planned a clever post before I headed out the door for our 10-day, multi-state, 2,000 plus-mile motorcycle trip to New England, but that’s just not happening. Mr. GFE is due home in a half hour and we are supposed to leave within a half hour of his arrival—yeah, that’s not happening either. The downstairs computer is acting up and I don’t even have all the directions printed out yet. Did I mention that he’s the driver and I’m the navigator? I’m the one on the back of the bike with a plastic sleeve full of directions, maps, phone numbers, a bottle of water, and a camera. I’m really quite content back there though. (Our Ultimate Seat that I insisted on buying after our first 2,500-mile New England trip is wonderful!) Our departure should not be long after he arrives though, so I only have time for a very quick post (stop that clapping! LOL).
Seriously, I hope you won’t mind my sort of non-post since it’s my birthday today. Yes, I celebrate my birthday by doing adventurous things like these awesome motorcycle trips! I also believe in celebrating one’s birthday for at least a week, so the timing of this trip works out nicely. Gettysburg and Tannersville, PA; Warrensburg, NY; Ludlow, VT; Jackson, NH; Rangeley, Bar Harbor, and Lincolnville, ME; Barre, MA; and New Hope, PA;—here we come! Of course, I’ll share my gluten-free experiences when I return. I am particularly excited about the inn that offers not only gluten-free dinner and breakfast (with homemade gluten-free baked bread–yes, I do indulge in that now and then), but also a gluten-free tea! (I think Mr. GFE will nap through that.)
Hey, it’s raining right now (boo hiss!) … this too shall pass, though, and that gives me more time to get everything done. Uh, packing for example. How much can I squeeze into two saddle bags and a tail bag on our Honda Valkyrie? It’s always such a dilemma. One has to be prepared for all kinds of weather and dining out, but with very few outfits. The old “mix and match” and layering guidelines come into play. Food, you say? I don’t take any food with me at all. That is the beauty of eating gluten free naturally. I am not looking for gluten-free specialty foods along the way either; I just focus on foods that are gluten free to begin with … meat, seafood, fruit, veggies, and dairy (most). Even convenience stores usually carry a decent supply of bananas, apples, nuts, and such for the stops in between meals. But, I’ll share more on my travel methods when I return.
Please remember that Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! blog carnival entries are due on Tuesday, July 28. The theme is Make Me A Happy Camper. You can read more here, but “camping” for this blog carnival really means outdoor activities, so everyone should have a recipe that qualifies. Please enter your recipe!
Finally, as my parting gift to you, I offer a few photos of recipes I will be sharing soon. Note that in addition to posting the Go Ahead Honey blog carnival at the end of the month, I will also be doing a post featuring one of the recipes below that offers a giveaway to gfe’s readers—my first!
Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!
- Catch up with me on Twitter.
- “Like” gfe—glutenfreeeasily on Facebook to see updates/more content.
- Get gfe posts (including recipes) by email.
- Looking for a gfe recipe?
- Local to Fredericksburg, VA area? Check out Support Group & Events page.
Flourless, Gluten-Free Pizza
This post is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
After I shared my popover pizza recipe, I promised that I’d be sharing a recipe for flourless pizza soon. Here it is! The original recipe came from my good friend, Katie. She has relied on it whenever she’s “low-carbing.” Since then, I’ve discovered there are lots of low-carb pizza recipes online—most using this same concept, but with greatly different ingredient amounts. Low-carb diets are often a great source of naturally gluten free recipes. Incidentally, sometimes it’s being on a low-carb diet that actually helps folks realize they have gluten issues. They feel so much better when on a low-carb diet and then not so much when they reintroduce the carbs into their diet. In the Standard American Diet (SAD), carbs equate to lots of gluten.
Despite Katie’s enthusiastic endorsement, I was very skeptical the first time I made this recipe. Then I took my first bite and I wanted to do back flips! Each time I’ve made this recipe for our family and for my support group, we are all surprised anew at how great this pizza is. The last time I made it, Son took a bite and said, “This is the best pizza. It tastes like real pizza. It tastes like the pizza we used to eat.” High praise coming from a 21-year old college student! He said the edges of the crust tasted like his Aunt Susie’s sausage balls. LOL But, again, that’s a terrific compliment. Son will be home in a few days and I’ll be making flourless pizza again for him to enjoy.
I did tweak Katie’s recipe just a tiny bit. Here it is with step-by-step photos. I included the last photo to show how the pizza can be picked up with a spatula (or your hands). How can pizza taste this good without a “bread” crust? You have to try it to believe it! And, of course, you don’t have to be gluten free to enjoy this pizza. Who doesn’t want a great homemade pizza without the need to make a traditional crust? Flourless. Gluten free. Amazing.
Flourless Pizza
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)
Crust
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp pizza seasoning
8 ounces (2 cups) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Topping
1/3 cup (or slightly more, per preference) pizza sauce (I use Ragu traditional pizza sauce)
4 ounces (1 cup) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Assorted toppings of preference: pepperoni, ham, sausage, bacon, ground beef, mushrooms, green peppers, etc. (I recommend precooking any toppings slightly to ensure much less fat/“liquid” to prevent a soggy crust.)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 glass baking dish (metal does not work well; crust will stick) and line with parchment paper.
For crust, in medium bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Whisk in eggs until mixture is well-blended and smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Stir in mozzarella until completely moistened. Spread mixture evenly over parchment paper.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until evenly browned, but not too dark. Let cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. When slightly cool, I “cheat” and lift the crust using the parchment paper and place all in the freezer for about 30 minutes until completely cooled. If you have plenty of time, you can cool the crust on the counter and then leave in the refrigerator for several hours uncovered. The goal is for the crust to dry out enough that it will be crispy/chewy and you can pick up with your hands.
Once cooled, remove parchment paper and place crust back in same pan (which is adequately greased from before—I even wipe it out a bit with a paper towel). Spread crust with pizza sauce, then cheese (even if you love cheese, do not add more than one cup as the crust is almost entirely made of cheese), and then toppings of your choice.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes or until toppings are bubbly and look right. Let stand a few minutes before cutting. Makes about 8 servings and can be frozen for later eating.
Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!
- Catch up with me on Twitter.
- “Like” gfe—glutenfreeeasily on Facebook to see updates/more content.
- Get gfe posts (including recipes) by email.
- Looking for a gfe recipe?
- Local to Fredericksburg, VA area? Check out Support Group & Events page.
About Me
Gluten free since June 2003, I lead a celiac/gluten intolerance group in Virginia. My passion is educating folks on gluten issues and showing how eating gluten free can be easy if you focus on “real” foods versus processed and specialty foods.
GFE's Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, but rather a volunteer sharing my experiences. Consult your physician for medical guidance. To the best of my knowledge, all ingredients/products that I use are gluten-free (even if I do not indicate that each and every time I mention them; e.g., if I refer to "soy sauce," it's a gluten-free soy sauce). However, I take no responsibility for the accuracy of that information. Always read labels and verify the gluten-free status of any ingredients/products to your own comfort level.
Not just gf, but gfe!
-
gfe's Recent Posts
-
-
gfe's Tip Sheets
-
Recent Photos
-
gfe's Archives
-
gfe's Most Popular Posts
- Crustless, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie 90 comment(s)
- Flourless, Gluten-Free Pizza 91 comment(s)
- Flourless Chocolate Banana Honey Walnut Cake 80 comment(s)
- Passion for Peanut Butter Cookies 64 comment(s)
- Flourless Chocolate Cake 39 comment(s)
- Flourless Oatmeal Cookies 39 comment(s)
- Mom and Apple Pie 65 comment(s)
- Garlic Cheese Biscuits (Gluten Free) 59 comment(s)
- Recipes 0 comment(s)
- Better than Sliced Bread 50 comment(s)
-
Note: I may receive a small commission when you purchase a product or service I recommend here on gfe. (Your cost remains the same.) - © Shirley Braden and Gluten Free Easily. Do not reproduce without written permission from the author.
in a reader