Fancy Pants Foodie

Foodie news, reviews and how-tos from Arkansas and beyond.

My Favorite Pasta Salad

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Hearts of Palm Sunday Pasta Salad, also featuring artichoke hearts and roasted bell pepper.

Hearts of Palm Sunday Pasta Salad, also featuring artichoke hearts and roasted bell pepper.

First a side note: Sorry to spam y’all with two Food Blogger Bake Sale posts in a row, especially email subscribers. I had tried to make that second one a private one for media use, and I couldn’t make it work that way. Anywho, share it with your favorite media/internal comm person!

My personal Facebook friends got a chuckle (or eye roll) at this photo I posted on Facebook earlier this week, Hearts of Palm Sunday Pasta Salad.

I know, hardy har.

I just love pasta salad, and I thought I’d be clever and add hearts of palm for Palm Sunday. Problem is, I’m the only one in the house who will eat those, or the artichoke hearts that were also included. I’m enjoying it for lunch all week.

While this dish was a little silly, it’s a spin on my family-friendlier pasta salad that I make pretty often. These days I have to use gluten-free pasta, and the only one for the job is Le Veneziane penne. (You can order it from Amazon, not me, at the link.) It’s made of corn, as are many gluten-free pastas. But the difference is an emulsifier made of flax seeds, which adds stability and texture that most GF pasta lacks.

Besides, it’s made in Italy, where there is a surprisingly high incidence of celiac disease. You think they’re gonna mess around with crappy pasta, gluten free or otherwise? I think not.

Anyway, here’s the basic recipe. It can be used with or without gluten-free pasta or hearts of palm. 😉 It could be a nice, light addition to your Easter table this Sunday!

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Fancy Pants Pasta Salad
Serves 6

  • 8 oz. penne pasta
  • 1/4 c. roasted red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 c. olives, any type, sliced or halved
  • 1/4 c. Italian or Caesar dressing of your choice, or homemade
  • 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan or similar hard Italian cheese
  • 1 tsp. dry basil
  • 1 tsp. dry parsley
  • 1-14 oz. can marinated artichoke hearts, quartered (opt.)
  • 1-14 oz. can hearts of palm, sliced if whole (opt.)
  • 8 oz. cooked chicken pieces (opt.)
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse well with cool water to stop the cooking process, but do not completely chill the pasta.

Gently fold all ingredients except the salt and pepper together. The warm pasta will absorb some of the dressing. If you’re not serving it immediately, put it in the fridge for a little while. (It’s fine to serve warm, too.) When you’re ready to eat, test and re-season with salt and pepper to taste.

Adventures in Grilled Cheese: Avocado with Roasted Bell Pepper

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You can come over and have one, but the mood lighting costs extra.

You can come over and have one, but the mood lighting costs extra.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are one of the simple pleasures of life; this we know. Gluten free-ness adds a slight degree of difficulty, but only in convenience.

Being gluten-free for over a year now, I eat a lot fewer bread products, just because of the hassle of keeping GF bread around. But I do occasionally indulge in a loaf from Dempsey Bakery, or more recently (to avoid sweet temptation during Lent), a frozen yet delicious loaf from Rudi’s.

Recently, I threw together this beauty. I made the usual grilled cheese, using real butter in a cast iron skillet. But, in addition to some nice slices of cheddar, I threw in some roasted red bell pepper slices (Mezzetta is my favorite if I’m not making them myself) and — hold your breath — avocado slices.

In a word: Yum.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like the avocado, but it added a sweet/savory creaminess that was lovely. You should give this a try, what with all the fresh avocados available right now.

In an effort to blog more often and return to my roots of blogging meals, I’ll be sharing little things like this more often. If you see something I’ve posted on Facebook and want to see more, just let me know.

Scary Recipe: Savory Apple Pie with Pork, Gluten-Free Cheddar Crust

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This goes down as one of the weirdest things I’ve ever made.

So, appropriate for Halloween? Maybe?

It started as my annual “this is what I’m gonna make for the Wildwood Park Harvest Fest culinary competition,” which also becomes the annual “I’m too exhausted to enter the event, so I’ll just make the dish I had planned at home, a week or two later.” This year’s Harvest Fest ingredient was apples, and by golly, I wasn’t going to make just any old sweet dessert-type-thing.

After a few ideas of my own followed up with a bit of research, here’s what I ended up with. The hubs and big kid dug in, but neither were enthusiastic about finishing. It was a little too weird: Not sweet enough, not savory enough… something.

But when said pie sat in the fridge overnight, something magical happened. The flavors melded. The texture improved. While I’ll still tweak a few things next time, this is now a pie worth eating. I think.

The recipe below includes a few of those added tweaks, such as a glaze and a little more seasoning.

I’m still not sure if it’s a winner, but it’s definitely worth a shot, if you’re brave. I actually like it.

Just keep it in the fridge overnight, will ya?

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Savory Apple Pie with Pork and Gluten-Free Cheddar Crust
Serves 6-8

Crust:

  • 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 c. cold butter, cut into small cubes
  • 2-3 T. cold water
  • Extra GF flour for dusting your work surface

Filling:

  • 1 lb. pork loin (I used breakfast chops that were on sale), small dice
  • 1 tsp. veg. oil
  • 1/2 c. yellow onion, small dice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 c. apple cider
  • 1 tsp. dried sage (1 1/2 tsp. if using fresh)
  • 4 whole allspice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 T. gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 1 c. milk
  • 3 medium Granny Smith apples
  • 3 medium Gala apples
  • 2 T. sugar (plain, but Turbinado [raw sugar] would be nice)

Glaze:

  • 1/2 c. apple cider

The crust can be made with regular, all-purpose flour if nobody in your family requires gluten-free. I tried a new GF blend, Gluten Free Pantry, with good results.

Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl, then stir in the cheese until thoroughly combined. Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter until you get a sandy-looking mixture. Sprinkle in the water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing with your hand until the dough just holds together. You may not need all the water.

Press half the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, working up the sides. (If you absolutely must roll it out old-school, be my guest, but this recipe works fine pressed in.) On a floured surface, roll the remainder into a disc to cover the entire top, or a flat piece for cutting out shapes. (I did this on a small flexible cutting mat that could be easily moved to the fridge.) Place both the pie plate and top into the fridge for now.

Place your diced pork loin and oil into a hot pot (I used my Dutch oven, but anything largish will work) and stir a couple minutes to sear. Turn down the heat to medium and add the yellow onion and salt. Cook another couple minutes to soften the onions, stirring occasionally.

Add the cup of apple cider, sage, whole allspice and bay leaf, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cover. Cook this over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pork is tender. Remove the allspice and the bay leaf.

In a small bowl, mix the 3 T. flour and milk until well combined. Watch for lumps! (The pie pictured used a 1/4 c. flour and less milk and was way too thick.) Stir this slurry slowly (say that five times fast) into the pork mixture and simmer, stirring, until it’s just thickened up.

Peel and slice the apples very thinly. I used a Pampered Chef apple corer/slicer/peeler (I know, chefs, don’t judge me!) with good results. If you go this route, cut your resulting spirals at least in half, maybe quarters so they’ll come apart. Sprinkle with lemon juice or Fruit Fresh if you do this a bit ahead. I did this while the pork was simmering in the cider.

Remove the pie plate with bottom crust from the fridge. Place half the pork mixture in the crust. On top of that, place all the apples, sprinkling with sugar as you go to evenly distribute it. And over the apples, place the last of the pork mixture, spreading it evenly across the top.

Place the remaining crust over the top and shape as desired, with vents or designs, or cut several shapes to place over the top.

While the pie is in the oven, reduce the 1/2 c. apple cider in a small saucepan until just thickened, and cool slightly.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes. When there are 10 minutes left, remove the pie from the oven, brush on the cider glaze using a pastry brush, and return to the oven for the final 10 minutes or until the crust is finished and browned.

Chills and reheats well.

BLOGtober: Halloween Memories (with Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Classroom Treats)

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Image from Gluten-Free Doctor of her gluten-free, casein-free spice cake cupcakes.

My parents let me embrace the sugary awesomeness of Halloween early on.

For several years in a row, I was either a witch or Wonder Woman. (Lynda Carter was totally the bomb, by the way.) I mapped out the neighborhood into short bursts for trick-or-treating, hauling my bag or pillowcase until it just couldn’t hold any more. I made sure to hit the houses known for the really good stuff — one house had folks who worked for Hershey. Go home, dump out my sugary treasures, start again.

I remember sitting on the living room floor, my haul unpacked before me, and just eating. And eating. And eating.

I’m shocked my parents allowed this, but I’m not saying I’m sorry.

These days, traditional trick-or-treating has given way to organization-based functions: church festivals, shopping center events and the like. The one thing that has remained the same, however, is the preschool classroom party.

Elementary schools have pretty much outlawed the sugary cupcake-fests in the name of healthy eating, but preschool (or, in our case, Mother’s Day Out) classes still go all out.

Thing is, lots of kids also now have allergies or sensitivities to things like gluten and milk or casein. There are a couple in my son’s class who can’t have either, and I cut down his intake on gluten, as well.

So, if I’m asked to bring something to the class party, I’ll probably make this cupcake recipe from Gluten-Free Doctor, complete with a seven-minute icing that’s totally dairy free.

No compromises, no special cupcakes for the ones with allergies, no problem!

In honor of my former trick-or-treating days, I just might add some candy corn on top. (FYI, Brach’s looks pretty safe, unless someone is super-sensitive. Ask parents first!)

Posts this week will be part of Arkansas Women Blogger’s BLOGtober Fest challenge. I usually don’t blog daily unless there are a lot of events going on, so don’t freak out if you get posts by email! Click the pumpkin badge on the right side of the page for related (or not) posts from bloggers across Arkansas.

Zucchini (as big as your arm) Parmesan

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Overhead shot of zucchini parmesan with tomato sauce and freshly grated parmesan, garnished with basil leaf

I started the evening with the idea that, due to not feeling 100 percent, I was going to start a juice and brown rice fast tonight. No big meal here, no sirree.

The husband came home and suggested making something with the two tremendously, obscenely huge zucchini squash a work friend had sent home with him a few days ago. They still sat, looming, largely, on the kitchen counter. “Just slice them, and I’ll grill them,” he said.

Oh, my love, it’s never that simple for a fancy pants foodie.

I sliced one into rounds. Seriously, y’all, the slices were 5 or 6 inches across. They were a bit scary. And they were starting to remind me of… eggplant.

What do you make with eggplant? Eggplant Parmesan. Except we don’t really care for eggplant in our house. Even better.

I had to quickly vow to myself that I was NOT going to the store. This had to be one of those “use what’s in the house” kind of things. So here’s what I did.

I tossed the slices in some olive oil, then sprinkled them with my currently-favorite seasoning mix of Italian herbs and red pepper flakes. (Don’t add salt yet, or you’ll get smooshy zucchini.) I also did a light dusting of garlic and onion powders. If I were in less of a hurry, I would have minced the real thing.

The hubs grilled them. They were lovely.

Digging desperately in the freezer, I found a tomato sauce I had recently made, similar to this one but with green bell peppers and ground beef. I had wanted the meal to be vegetarian, but this is what I had. So be it.

I put a layer of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, then dabbed the excess moisture out of four zucchini slices and placed them in the bottom. I sprinkled on a bit of kosher salt.

Instead of battering and frying the zucchini, I just added a bit of texture with some panko crumbs. Mine were of the gluten-free variety, which I found at a local health food store. Spendy, but nice.

The next layer: Cheesy, pre-sliced mozzarella cheese. Kroger brand. (I’m staying committed to the use-what’s-here thing, people.) If you so desire, some medallions of fresh mozzarella would be lovely here. Top that with shredded parmesan, of which I was running precariously low. I nearly took off a fingertip with the Microplane trying to manage my remaining wedge.

Vegan? Use Daiya brand shredded mozz and make your own faked-out parm.

Next step: Fresh basil, from my plant in the front flower bed. A couple leaves had been visited by some sort of munching bug; I informed my husband they were “pre-licked.” He was okay with it.

The dish was finished off with another layer of zucchini slices (carefully dabbed of excess moisture as before), the last of the tomato sauce, and another dousing of parmesan.

Oven. 350. Twenty minutes or, as they say, until done.

Awesome.

I’ll fast or something later.

Gluten-Free Dempsey Bakery Opens With a Bang

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While I was having a busy time last week, I figured something must be going on with the previously-previewed gluten-free Dempsey Bakery. My blog stats for that page ballooned with people searching for the latest info.

Turns out, they opened to the public on Thursday and darn near got the place wiped out. By the time I got there today (Saturday) with my husband and son, many of the cookies were in good number, but just about everything else was sold out. I managed to get half of the remaining loaf of their white bread, as well as three cookies for our afternoon snack: sugar for the boy, snickerdoodle for the hubs, and chocolate chip for me.

The bakery still had samples available for many of their products, and I helped myself to every.single.one. All in the name of research for you, dear reader. Let me just say that you can’t go wrong.

Most notable was the Everyone’s Bread, made for those with food sensitivities beyond wheat. Although this bread contained no gluten, dairy, soy, egg, corn, rice, refined sugar or tapioca, I found myself liking it even more than the white bread. It had a rich, whole-grain style taste and was much sweeter than the regular white. Both were delicious and much lighter than other commercially available gluten-free breads.

The cookies were amazing, lacking nothing for my gluten-tolerant hubs and son. The sugar was pleasantly crisp and buttery; the other flavors had a great chewy texture. The pumpkin muffins and the snickerdoodle cookies had just the right amount of spice, maybe a little more than usual.

Yes, I realize I’m sounding like a fangirl. I’m excited. This stuff is really awesome.

Having been gluten-free for a little over a month now, I realize just how important this is. The biggest downfall for those of us with this restriction tends to lie somewhere between a yummy loaf of bread and a bag of cookies. Or a cupcake. Either way, this place has you covered.

The prices may seem high at first glance, but when compared to other gluten-free foods, they’re not too bad. A full loaf of their white bread (about 20 pieces) is $16, and you can get a half-loaf for half that price. Each (large) cookie was one dollar. Given that we’re all supposed to be cutting back on treats anyway, this is a reasonable expense in my book.

Owner Paula Dempsey gave us a tour of the facility, including their dry storage. This was notable because of the large bags of specialty flours she has shipped in, which are hard to find in quantity otherwise. I asked if there was anything there she didn’t want published, and she said no; in fact, she’s considering holding some classes to help others bake gluten-free items for themselves.

Paula said that the bakery will hold a grand opening celebration next month, and they hope to have lunch service available by that time, including soups and sandwiches.

We’ll be back, for sure. Meanwhile, you can follow Dempsey Bakery’s progress on Facebook.

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A Pie for Mikey (and Joe)

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If you’ve been online at all today, you’re probably wondering what all the hubbub is about peanut butter pie. The reason is unfortunate and heartbreaking, but it’s also one of the greatest demonstrations of love and support I’ve ever seen online.

Last Sunday, fellow food blogger Jennifer Perillo lost her husband, Mikey, suddenly and unexpectedly. He was young, as are his lovely wife and two kids. I’ve never met any of them. Before Sunday, I couldn’t swear that I had ever read her blog, although we had crossed paths a few times on Twitter.

She asked that anyone wanting to “do something” do this: make a pie. A pie for Mikey, and for those we love. Mikey’s favorite, a peanut butter pie. Today, on the day of his memorial service, hundreds of pies have been made and posted. CNN, Food Network, TasteSpotting and others are featuring them.

Here’s mine.

A peanut butter pie for Mikey (and Joe)

Having now gone gluten-free, I did have to make a few adaptations to Jennifer’s recipe. The cool thing is, so did just about everyone who did the pie. Take a look around online and see.

I used Pamela’s Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookies, which are gluten- and dairy-free. I didn’t have quite enough to make a crust, so I added a few Mi-Del Ginger Snaps.

While I’m making the pie, my hubby Joe is sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, hogging the laptop which is displaying the recipe. I have to keep asking him to read me the next step.

Ground cookies and butter, pressed into a pie pan.

I love him for the snarky way he gave me grief about needing the computer. (I knew he really didn’t care. Would he have repeatedly read the recipe for me if he minded?)

Layer of melted chocolate spread over the crust.

I love him for how hard he worked today, just like every day, taking care of his work and taking care of us. I love him for letting me stay home with our kids and for letting me go to culinary school. I love him for being supportive of my wanting to turn this food thing into a business, while still being home with our babies. (Well, kids. They’re almost-4 and 9.)

Chopped peanuts pressed into the melted chocolate.

I love him for being different than me. I told him this yesterday. I love that he’s passionate and occasionally obsessive. We make a good mix.

Folding the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture

I love him for the things we agree on, the things that matter. Our faith, our family, our dedication to each other. I love him for not getting too bent out of shape about the things that don’t matter. I love him for knowing the difference.

Peanut butter filling going in; photo by the big kid.

I love him for being gentle and patient with me, even when I know I don’t deserve it. And I especially love him for his amazing sense of humor, which constantly has me rolling. (Thank God I didn’t marry a boring man!)

I love him for sitting at the breakfast bar, just to be near me, while I made this pie.

After I had poured the filling, he tasted a bit that was left in the bowl.

“Mikey had good taste,” he said.

So did I.

That’s It, I’m Going (Mostly) Gluten-Free.

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Bleh.

That’s how I’ve felt the past month or so. If you know me and you haven’t seen me, well, I’ve been piled in a lump at home.

With a history of chronic fatigue and muscle issues, I know good and well what the fix is. I’ve done it before.

D-I-E-T.

And I don’t mean the typical, weight-loss kind, although I could use that about now, too. I mean no wheat, sugar, corn or dairy. I completely cured myself about 10 years ago eating this way for a solid month, then eating reasonably close to it after that. At least, until I fell off the wagon in a decade-long slippery slope.

Such draconian measures sounded like a bit too much to attempt right this minute, so I started with gluten. One day this week, I just decided. Now. Okay, nnnnnnow.

The second night, I replaced gluten cravings with sugar and processed nonsense. I put everyone to bed and ran to Kroger that night, hungry for cheaty goodies I could have. The results:

This is what late-night, gluten-free binge shopping looks like.

For someone who generally tries to shun processed foods, this is friggin’ ridiculous.

But, those Betty Crocker gluten-free cupcakes were awfully good. Yes, they have a mix.

I’m embarrassed now that I bought all that stuff (minus the scratch-cooking necessities), but some of it was useful. I do plan to develop similar recipes from scratch, and now I know what standard to hold them against. And I do need some emergency goodies for when I’m desperate.

Why does your post title say “mostly,” you ask?

I don’t have Celiac disease, I’m just sensitive to gluten. So, I’ve not done as well about sticking to the program as I should. Within a week, I’ve already had a grilled cheese sandwich from McAlister’s and some pizza from the local dive. Both were due to poor planning when going out to eat with the family. Sounds like I need to make a list.

When I did this 10 years ago, I was really, really sick. I was so weak, I didn’t have the strength to cook like I do now, although I often get too tired to get completely cleaned up afterwards. Mostly, I ate short-grain brown rice, veggies, Braggs Aminos, and the occasional small portion of meat. Sometimes I made casseroles with legumes, veggies and whole grains. It worked.

I think this time around, Asian flavors will prevail. They generally work well with my planned diet (although I’m craving potstickers…wonder if I can make those wrappers gluten free?). I bought the goods to make sushi and I’ve almost got it down. (That’s for another post.)

The real test will be at the end of this month, when I travel to the International Food Blogger Conference in New Orleans. (Did I mention I won the contest from the previous post? Eeeek!) It will be food mecca, with lots of temptation, I’m sure. But they’re also going far out of their way to feed, teach, and inspire gluten-free folk, of which there are many in the food blogger world.

I know there’s more of you out there. Let’s help each other out. One of these days, I hope to cook for you. As I learn more, here’s to better health.

Gluten-Free Bakery Coming to Little Rock!

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Updated 3-31-11

May the gluten-sensitive of Little Rock rejoice.

Paula Dempsey, known to those of us in the formerly-advertising-PR world as part of Dempsey Film Group, is opening Dempsey Bakery, the city’s first gluten-free bakery, at 4th and Cross Streets in Little Rock around June 1. The space, designed by Herron-Horton Architects of Little Rock, will include space for public meetings and classes.

Products will include several kinds of bread, pies, cookies and cupcakes, as well as specialty cakes which can be ordered for unique dietary needs. Breads will most likely be in the $7-8 range, and specialty cakes will likely be priced under $100.

Dempsey’s passion for gluten-free goods has come as the result of a family-wide need for those products.

“Between eight adults and five children, we are all gluten-free,” Dempsey said. “We have one grandchild whose diet is nearly vegan due to food intolerances.”

From this child’s unique needs comes the idea of Jacob’s Line, a series of baked products that are free of gluten, dairy, soy, egg, corn, rice, refined sugar and tapioca. The basic bread in this line, which Dempsey describes as “like a 12-grain from Boulevard [Bread], only a bit denser,” will likely be called Everyone’s Bread.

Other products at the new bakery may not be quite so specialized, but will certainly be gluten- and nut-free, and possibly soy-free, depending on availability of margarines the bakery might use.

“We announced the concept to a group of about 50 people a few weeks ago, with tables full of gluten-free food — burgers and hot dogs with buns, bread, cookies — people were in tears,” Dempsey said. “There are so many people who need this sort of thing, and we want to provide a place they can just walk in and buy something without worrying.”

Dempsey was a bit hesitant to declare many details about the store, since many decisions are still being made. But she has chosen Scott Wilkins as the store’s baker, who has baked for ZaZa’s Scott McGehee.

“Scott didn’t specialize in gluten-free before,” said Dempsey. “But when we talked about it, he said, ‘Just let me try. I know I can do it.’ And the products he’s developed are wonderful.”

Dempsey and Wilkins also have in development a corn-free baking powder and powdered sugar, as both usually use corn products. They are considering offering this for sale commercially.

A big part of the bakery’s business, Dempsey hopes, will be sales of gluten-free breads to local restaurants. They are even developing a sealed package (check companies like Roberts Technology Group for more information) for mini loaves that can be warmed in a restaurant oven and placed directly on a customer’s plate, still wrapped and protected from gluten contaminants in the kitchen.

“Restaurants are getting more and more involved in gluten-free, as they should,” she said, citing a recent seminar she attended on the topic. “It’s been documented that their business increases by as much as 30 percent, because it’s a place that whole families can go and everyone can eat.”