The Triumphant, albeit Gluten-Free Return!

Darling readers I can finally say that I'm back! After weeks and weeks of moving, unloading, building horrendous Ikea furniture with instructions designed to drive even the most patient (which I categorically am not) consumer to madness, and trying to start the semester off on the right foot, I can finally say that I'm in a place to begin dedicating my time to this lovely little blog again. I've missed it and I've missed you! It always touches me to find out the people are actually visiting my little piece of the internet, and while I'm sure you all had wonderful busy lives while I neglected this blog, a tiny part of me twisted with guilt each time I flitted past the 'update' page.

And do I ever have updates! I'll dedicate this post to the worst (and best) of them all. I'll use the method affectionately know as the 'good-bad-good sandwich', employed in breakups (you're a great person, we just aren't compatible, but somebody else is gonna love you!), job cuts (you always kept your desk so tidy :) I slept with your wife, and keeping you was awkward.. but, we'll write you a glowing report!), and finally, my farewell to a food staple:

• the good: My stomach, a constant source of pain and aggravation, is finally cured.
• the bad: I can no longer eat gluten.. which is in everything. Everything
• the good: there are 135109851 substitutes out there, which means I can continue cooking and sharing my recipes with you, although I'll have to modify them slightly.

Like many I have been diagnosed with 'mild celiac disorder', a disease that affects the intestine's capability to digest gluten. It seems to be the trend in stomach disorders lately and is especially common in those of Mediterranean descent. Ευχαριστώ, Dad. *sigh*

Along with signing up for a personal trainer (more on the lovely Robert later), I enlisted a nutritionist to help me cope with the changes I need to make in my diet. I'm going to share her tricks with you here to help you achieve your goals, it's certainly working for me. The first thing she told me was that I, like so many, am not getting enough protein. This led to the discovery of life's supergrain: Quinoa.

What is Quinoa? It's a pseudocereal, a complete source of amino acids, an incredible protein food (especially good for vegans and vegetarians) and a treat for the stomach in that it's gluten free and quite easy to digest. The Incas revered it and it is proving to be such an ideal health food that NASA is considering it as a spaceflight staple. The things one gleans from wikipedia! ^~ It is prepared similarly to oatmeal or rice in that you boil it in water and then let it sit and absorb. I'll share my favorite recipe with you. It's amazing how liberating the gluten-free diet is. The weight falls away, that's a given, but it leaves you feeling on top of the world! I hope to share my energy with you with this little recipe:

Miss' Quinoa Bowl

(you're going to love this!)

• 1 cup of organic Quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 small italian eggplant
• 1 handful organic walnuts
• 1 green onion stem, chopped
• a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 of a ripe avocado, chopped
• 1 small roma tomato, chopped

image credit to 101cookbooks

Bring Quinoa and water to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until the Quinoa has absorbed all of the water. I use an organic brand that comes pre-rinsed so I don't need to soak the grain beforehand.

Meanwhile, cut up your eggplant and rub it with sea salt and olive oil. Heat up your grill pan (or grill outside if you're lucky!) and grill until desired doneness, about 4-5 minutes per side given the way that I sliced them.

Chop up your avocado, tomato and onion.

Add all of your chopped ingredients to the Quinoa, stirring to combine them evenly, then add a squeeze of lemon juice, your walnuts and a few basil leaves to garnish.

Feel free to add tahini, soya sauce, balsamic vinegar or salt and pepper. It's a very versatile recipe, this is just my favorite version. You could make this with mushrooms and roasted peppers, add tofu or shrimp if that's your game. I'd like to try this with sweet potatoes at some point :3

It's delicious and absolutely guilt free. I have it 3-4 times a week with whatever ingredients looked freshest at the store.

I have so many updates for you that I'm sure to be posting regularly all week. I hope you enjoyed this recipe - it's a bit of a change from the mediterranean fare you're (we're, honestly) used to, but I'm sure I'll be able to put that classic spin on my gluten free experiments.

Enjoy!

❤ Miss