For example, earlier this year I went to the little deli style cafeteria that's close to my workspace. I was with another coworker and we were in between meetings with little time to spare. I ordered the carved roast turkey sammie with no bread, a pickle and their housemade potato chips. I've had this meal probably 25 times in the past four years and have NEVER had a reaction. The only difference this time was that I eliminated the bread, which in theory should have been a plus. Unfortunately, before I could make it back to my desk I realized I was in the beginning stages of a reaction. What happened? The manager changed the brand of turkey and, apparently, there's something in the new brand that I don't tolerate. Let me say this in case you're thinking, "oh yea, cafeteria food, who knows what's in that". The brand they changed to wasn't some no name brand. In fact, it's a very well-known, nationally recognized brand, one that most of America likely had on the Thanksgiving table last month. This is just one example, but I could give you others. The bottom line is that anytime you eat out, you're taking a calculated risk.
Therefore, the number of restaurants we patronize is much more limited than it used to be. We can no longer enjoy many Greek restaurants as the Gyro meat contains wheat, as does the much loved pita bread that goes with the hummus and other appetizers we love. Obviously pizza is nearly impossible. The new front runner in this category surprisingly is Dominos. Their new GF pizza crust is really, really good and most of their toppings are GF. Steak restaurants can usually accommodate those with special dietary needs - we happen to love Longhorn Steakhouse as they not only have a GF menu, but their service tends to be very good. Another good choice is, believe it or not, Thai or Indian restaurants. Other than the naan, most items in an Indian restaurant are GF. Thai restaurants, unlike their counterparts, tend to have the ability to make their dishes GF by using Tamari (a type of soy sauce actually made from soy beans) rather than the widely used wheat-based soy sauce we've all come to know and recognize - especially those national brands that are most popular.
If we do eat out, another good option is the non-franchise Mexican restaurant. I don't remember any place else that I've lived - six states and the District of Columbia - that has as many Mexican restaurants to choose from as Indianapolis and surrounding areas seem to have. Even in our new small town, there are two and both are always packed.
Right now, we're on holiday break, which means I've been cooking up a storm. It isn't often I get to make three meals a day for my family for a week or more, so I'm enjoying the variety and the chance to cook for them on week days. Today, I decided to dig out the ingredients for nachos and to have those as a late lunch/early dinner.
I started with homemade Queso Blanco. All three of us love this dip and order it nearly every time we go out. I've figured out how to make a traditional cheese sauce at home by making a GF white sauce, but that's not even required here. It's so easy and I love it when I come across a recipe that is naturally gluten free. There's no need to figure out which of my list of acceptable substitution ingredients might work best in one specific recipe or another. My go to Queso Blanco recipe can be found here at Pennies on a Platter. It's creamy, warm and coats your chip just right. And, best of all, it's affordable and you can freeze the cheese making it a pantry staple.
As I've been making our favorite Mexican and Latin dishes at home more and more, I've also picked up a few things. One, refried beans. Have you ever noticed that the ones you buy in the can are never as supple and delicious as those in your favorite restaurant? Want them to be more like that? Here's what you do: open the can, put the contents in a microwave safe bowl, add a little ground cumin, some onion and garlic powders and 1/4 cup of water. Stir to combine a little and microwave for a minute. Stir, microwave for another minute or two. Remove, stir and serve. Play around with ingredients and your favorite spices and find one you like.
Two, toppings. Fresh chips are an important base, but it's really the toppings that make the nachos. If you love green onions, black olives, chicken strips, etc. spring for it at the market. For me, it's guac and sour creme. So, when we make nachos I nearly always make sure I have them on-hand.
Try this as a starter recipe and tweak it to your liking.
Lisa's Muchos Nachos
- 1 15 oz can black olives, chopped
- 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
- 1 15 oz can of beans - refried or whole, black or brown (optional)
- 1 lb ground beef, cooked
- 1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning
- Sour creme
- Avocado or guacamole
- 1 recipe Queso Blanco
- 1 bag of 100% corn tortilla chips
Chop olives and onions and set aside. Cook ground beef, add taco seasoning according to package directions. Make Queso Blanco. Warm beans on stove top or in microwave.
Place tortilla chips on a plate and top with your favorite toppings in the quantity you like and the order you want them.
~Enjoy!
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