Mellow Mushroom

My office is in a location with a small amount of fast food options (not that those are the best for someone with Celiac) so getting lunch is sometimes a hassle. Though I try to bring my lunch as much a possible- sometimes it just doesn't work out. I'm very excited because the Mellow Mushroom at Roswell Road in Sandy Springs now offers gluten free crust!!!! I had some last week and it taste great. It isn't as crispy as I like my crust- but HELLO it is Gluten free pizza!!! They also have a list of safe toppings of 40 options so your pie won't be limited.

Whats for Dinner ~ Tuscan Chicken

I guess you can call it Tuscan Chicken... It really was a one pot, what do I have in the house dinner. I didn't take a picture, because- well my camera is dead.. I will try to get better at taking pictures for this blog :)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion diced
3 cups spinach
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Evenly coat the chicken breast on both side with Italian seasoning, oregano, basil and salt & pepper. In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown the chicken breast on one side. When you flip the chicken breast to the second side add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes then add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the beans and give a good stir, let cook for 2 minutes. add the tomatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes. (basically you want to make sure your chicken is done). Remove the chicken breast from the pan, stir the spinach into the tomato bean mixture until just wilted. Pour spinach, bean, tomato mixture over chicken breast and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

**note** ~ I used the diced tomatoes that had garlic and basil included. I also added extra seasoning to the beans and tomatoes to make it extra flavorful.

GLUTEN FREE PIZZA!!!

I actually screamed and danced for joy yesterday when I discovered that Blue Moon Pizza offers gluten free pizza, salads, apps and desserts! Of course the moment I found this out I had to try it. Review~ It was awesome. We went for Trivia to the Smyrna location. We started the night with cheesy bread (OMG! SO GOOD). I got the initial "lets test this crust out" pizza, by ordering a Margarita pizza (just cheese, tomatoes and basil). It was yummy. My husband ordered the super spicy Luna Pizza... which was good- but hot. I can't wait to go back, but since I'm trying to drop a few pounds I think I will have to wait till next month before my return visit. PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT!!! Next visit I think I will share a pizza and try out one of their salads and save room for the gluten free brownie and ice cream!

Anything with Cheese and Prosciutto.. I'm there!

I made Paula Deen's Chicken stuffed with Prosciutto and Fontina Cheese (from foodtv.com)

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (4-ounce) piece imported Italian fontina cheese
2 slices imported prosciutto
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 bunch baby arugula
1/2 fresh lemon, juiced

Directions: Place each piece of chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound them thin with a mallet, the flat of a large knife, or a rolling pin. Trim the rind from the cheese and cut it into 2 thick sticks. Wrap each stick with a slice of prosciutto and place in the center of each flattened chicken breast. Roll the chicken breast around the prosciutto and cheese to make a sausage shape and secure with toothpicks or butcher's twine. Season the rolls with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Quickly brown the chicken rolls over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, and scatter the mushrooms into the pan, sprinkle with wine and rosemary. Cook, turning the chicken rolls frequently, 10 to 15 minutes. When the first bit of cheese begins to seep out, the chicken is done. Remove it from the pan to a cutting board at once. Cut each of the rolls at an angle into 6 slices. Cover to keep warm. Reheat the pan juices, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. To serve arrange the chicken and mushrooms on a bed of arugula leaves tossed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Warm the pan juices and strain them over the chicken.

I couldn't find Fontina at my local grocery store so I used Gruyere in place of it. I served this along with roasted asparagus, and my killer mash potatoes. We finished off the night with brownie sundaes, including vanilla ice cream and Carmel sauce :)

Hot Like Jalapeno!

I love jalapeno poppers.. but the frozen kind are breaded and not gluten free. So I made grilled ones last night for dinner. I used Williams Sonoma's recipe

Cheddar and Corn Stuffed Jalapenos

Ingredients:
18 large jalapeño peppers
1 1/4 cups finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup chopped corn kernels
2 Tbs. minced green onion, white and green portions
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Cut 1/4 inch off the top of each jalapeño pepper; reserve the tops. Using a thin knife or small melon baller, hollow out the centers of the peppers, removing the seeds and ribs; do not cut through the flesh. Prepare a grill for indirect grilling over medium-high heat. In a bowl, stir together the cheese, corn and green onion, and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the center of each pepper with 1 to 2 Tbs. of the cheese mixture, filling to within 1/8 inch of the top of the pepper. Place the filled peppers upright in a jalapeño pepper roaster and set the cut tops back on top of the peppers. Place the pepper roaster on the grill over indirect heat and cover the grill. Roast until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Transfer the jalapeño poppers to a platter and serve immediately. Makes 18 jalapeño poppers.

I didn't have the handy dandy roasting rack so just laid mine on their sides (and I used a George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine, because-well I live in an apartment and grills are against the rules).

Sour Cherry Icecream

I love cherries! When I was little I used to pretend to be a cherry leader and sing ""cherry! cherry! waa waa waa!" (yep I was the chearleader for cherries... I must have been inspired by strawberry shortcake) Since it's summer the cherries are ripe and delicious and in effort to savor every single one I made cherry ice cream! (I didn't want the small amount left in the bowl to go bad) mmmmm! Homemade ice cream is the BEST and it so easy to make.

I used this recipe from 101cookbooks...

Batch Family Mountain Cherry Choconut Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups sliced Bing, Lapin or Sweetheart cherries

1 pint whipping cream

1 pint half and half

2 egg yolks (hs note: to eliminate risk of food poisoning from raw eggs, use pasteurized eggs product for this recipe)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped raw almonds

1/2 cup shaved dark chocolate (or to taste)

Whisk whipping cream, half and half, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add cherries and stir. Chill mixture for 30 minutes in freezer. Pour into ice cream maker canister. Run machine until mixture reaches milkshake consistency. Add almonds and chocolate and mix until they're incorporated. Continue running machine until ice cream reaches desired consistency.

I left out the almonds and chocolate.. only because I was lazy and didn't feel like chopping the chocolate and almonds. This recipe is great.. and the cherries are nice and tangy next to the sweet ice cream!

photo from food and paper

Can't wait for June

I have always been a BIG Betty Crocker fan.. in fact it was on of my many nicknames growing up. I'm so excited and have a sense of relief that Betty Crocker is introducing gluten free cake mixes that will be available in major super markets! As soon as I get my hands on one I will give you a review :)