it’s a soup and cracker day

i don’t think i actually have taken a run since my last race… let’s not even try to guess on the date of that. we’ll just say it was hot out; considering today hit a whopping 49 degrees—it’s been awhile. i’m not sure what inspired me to take an am run today, but i battled the cold, armed with under armor and new running sneakers. i forgot what cold weather feels like on the lungs. but, the sun-filled sky, coupled with the smell of fall from the trees i passed, made my run along the river somehow warm. doesn’t that sound picturesque? then i got to washington street, and my view was obstructed by a giant utility truck doubled parked in an intersection (that i coincidentally just got a parking ticket for even being near), and my pace, as pathetic as it may have been, was interrupted abruptly by passerbyers and baby carriages. i blame this for my worsened pace, and painful lungs. and then all of the sudden i felt the cold again, and home couldn’t come soon enough.

by the last block of my run, most likely sooner, i had decided on what i was going to eat—a bowl of hot soup with mini rice crackers from trader joe’s. and as a write, my bowl of soup is cooling down, waiting for me to eat. i can’t finish this blog quick enough. this is one of my favorite soups. it is trader joe’s brand, tomato and red pepper soup. then i add fresh spinach, salt and pepper, and brown rice. i top it off with mini rice crackers, also from tj’s. my photos are sad and do not come close to the taste of this dish. it is the perfect meal on a cold day. it is such a comfort food.

did i mention when i got home the heat didn’t work? really—a good day for soup.

butternut squash and white beans over penne

this is one of my favorites—butternut squash and white beans—sweetness and protein in one savory meal. i eat this comforting concoction even without the pasta, which is how it was actually introduced to me. i first had butternut squash with small white beans in the willett’s kitchen. i actually first had this dish, or a version of it, over a fried corn pattie that the this much-loved chef—a legitimate italian mother, praised for her compassion and cooking abilities—referred to as “pizza”.

i recently improvised a bit with her recipe, and poured my butternut squash and white bean mixture over brown rice penne past ( trader joe’s brand). the sweetness of the butternut squash gives a completely different experience to eating pasta.

this is a simple recipe and could be fairly quick if you take some shortcuts (such as buying the squash precut).

butternut squash and white beans over penne

1 can small white beans (or cannellini beans)
1 whole butternut squash (precut works fine)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
rice penne pasta

cube the squash into small pieces (around 1 inch approx)
add the white beans
drizzle olive oil over mixture ( to taste)
salt and pepper to liking
add some water into pot and cook squash and beans on the stove top on simmer until the squash softens
cook penne to liking ( i prefer al dente)
ladle squash and beans over pasta


photo: http://www.pbase.com/pinemikey/image/74743263

enchilada casserole

so i made an effort to make a new gf recipe for dinner. and this time i asked michael to make dinner with me. what a good sport, considering this was not only gluten-free, it was meat free (yes, i’m a veggie to boot). but, what it was not, i say emphatically, was taste free. on the contrary this dish was choc filled with flavor. i thoroughly enjoyed this recipe and i suggest you all trying this out. easy to make, even for a non chef.

each time i motivate myself to make an even a semi-balanced dinner, i rack my brain for some creative concoctions, but usually revert back to mexican or stir-fry. what can i say, they’re easy, and i always tend to have the ingredients around. so, although not a far cry from the norm, this dish was one i haven’t tried.

this entrée was actually modified from a recipe found in the vegetarian starter kit, which is called enchilada bake. but of course, we changed things up a bit, some due to necessity—we didn’t have all the required ingredients in the house—and some due to taste. we added some corn that i had bought from the hoboken farmer’s market, and we vetoed the frito topping that michael was really hoping to include, among other substitutions. admittedly, i tried to find the fritos for him, but after two walks to two different stores, i thought perhaps it was a sign, and we went without the fritos. i feel good about this decision.

in the end we wound up with what a have been calling an enchilada casserole—yummy!!!!

enchilada casserole
1 ½ oz burger crumbles (i just mashed up a veggie burger)
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
½ cup onions
2 tbsp. gf flour ( or skip this part)
1-cup vegetable broth
2 cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed) you can add other beans too!
taco sauce (season to taste)
12 corn tortillas
cheddar cheese (shred to taste)
2 cups corn (fresh or canned)

mix the burger crumbles ( i mashed up veggie burgers) and taco seasoning. then heat the onions and oil in the skillet over medium. stir in flour ( gluten-free of course or you can skip the flour all together) and cook for a minute or so. add the veg. broth, stirring consistently. add pinto beans. preheat oven to 375. spray your baking pans, so the casserole will not stick. layer the bottom of the pan with taco sauce, 4 corn tortillas and all the pinto bean mixture. start another layer with taco sauce, shredded cheddar and 4 more tortillas. add burger crumbles, more cheese, and more taco sauce. finish the last layer with the remaining tacos, taco sauce and cheese. cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. that’s it. you’re done!

gluten-free menu week

welcome to my menu for the gluten-free menu swap, brought to you by glutenfreemommy: glutenfreemommy.com

glutenfreemommy swaps and posts recipes for the week with other gluten-free bloggers. if you are interested in sharing or getting new recipes, go to the site and check out some of these meals.

below is my tentative plan for the week, but i must admit my schedule is frenzied and my time scarce as of late, so cross your fingers. were not talking anything elaborate here, but some of my favorites are included. check in to see some of the recipes included in this week’s menu.

enjoy your week!

monday (link to recipe)
butternut squash and white beans over penne

tuesday (link to recipe)
enchilada casserole (vegan)

wednesday
tofu cacciatore

thursday
vegtable & tofu stir fry w/ soba noodles

friday
nacho night!
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A candidate may try for the beta 350-030 test only once throughout the beta phase. 640-822 explains the rationale and functions of a variety of network devices. 642-642 describes the models for supplying Quality of Service on an infrastructure. 70-294 is related to execution and management of a desktop operating system. 70-647 is related to Directory services, identity supervision, and substantiation.

summer's over ?!?

first off let me apologize for the time away from my blog--sometimes life just gets crazy. but, i am back to blog.

so, for those of you who live on the east coast, more specifically the nyc area, you are already aware of the strange summer-like weather we have had in the first few weeks of fall, which seem to come intermittently between cool fall days. i am thrilled about the crisp smell of autumn, the colors of the changing leaves, and of course the food that fall brings. (speaking of which, i found a wonderful apple crisp recipe from glutenfreemommy: glutenfreemommy.com). check it out!

but i am somewhat saddened by the passing of summer, or at least the food and the fresh summer produce the local farmers' markets bring. so this entry is to pay homage to the local farmers' markets, the brightly colored produce that paints the backgrounds of these frenzied venues, and the food that the summer brings. I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes of the summer, to say goodbye to the passing season and remind everyone to visit your local farmer’s market in its' closing weeks.

the recipes come from the kitchen of my aunt jane, who came to visit a few times these past few months, joining me from outings in the city to yoga in the park, always armed with food. i chose three of her salads to share that we enjoyed during our picnic in hoboken. thanks for all the food and great recipes!!


Chick Pea Salad
1 can chick peas
1⁄2 red pepper more or less
1⁄2 green pepper- more or less
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
your favorite mustard—1/2 or 1 teaspoon
olive oil – 1 tablespoon, more or less

*Combine the oil, mustard and garlic in a bowl and mix well. *Add remaining ingredients and toss together. * Substitute any kind of beans you like—kidney beans, black beans etc. ** Get creative here. If you don’t have, or if you don’t like red or green pepper, add diced cucumber, tomato, celery, radish, and even frozen corn, or corn taken off the cob. Freshly minced cilantro is good, too. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over it all for an extra zippy taste.

Roasted Eggplant Spread
1 eggplant
1 bulb of garlic
Olive oil ( to your tasting)
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

*Slice eggplant lengthwise and place, cut side down, on a foil lined roasting pan or cookie sheet, or any oven –proof dish that you have. *Place bulb of garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle some olive oil over it. Wrap in foil and roast in oven. *Roast in oven or even in a barbeque grill at 350 for about 45 minutes or until the eggplant is completely softened, and the garlic is soft. *Scrape the fleshy eggplant into a bowl. Discard the skin. *Add a few cloves or garlic, to your taste. Mash together. *Add olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste.

Yummy Lo Cal Cole Slaw
1⁄2 of a small cabbage, shredded
—or 1 pkg. salad bag of cole slaw
Shredded carrot
Shredded red or white onion

* Dissolve 1 pkg Sweet & Low or 2 pkg Splenda in 2-3 tablespooons rice wine vinegar. Add to cabbage and mix well.

the second set of photos ( tomato from the garden & zucchini dish) come from another trip home to NH to visit my family. the dishes are a combination from my sister roe and my mother "myglutenfreemom". (recipes to come).

we sat outside one warm summer evening in my parents' backyard with the whole family in toe, including our youngest members, my 5 and 6 year-old nieces, who picked the vegetables that made our dinner so delectable. among the food in our feast, we enjoyed a tomato green bean salad with a hint of lemon, and fresh baked zucchini with chickpeas. the flavors in these two dishes were so fresh and distinct-- the perfect summer sides.



I hope you enjoy my pics.
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640-863 explains the Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture. 70-293 is related to network services in addition to resources for instance messaging, distant access, and customer computer management. Candidates for 70-536 work in a group in a small-sized or larger development enterprise, which utilizes Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Developer. 220-602 exam guides are very close to real exam questions and answers.

cidar for the gluten free!!!

thanks to my friend audrey, i can add another drink to my repertoire--Woodchuck Draft Cider (http://www.woodchuck.com/GlutenFree/tabid/529/Default.aspx).

"We have received the analytical results confirming that all Woodchuck Draft Cider styles are gluten free! (Amber, Dark & Dry 802, Granny Smith, Pear, and Raspberry)."

- Woodchuck Draft Cider

Check out the recipes on their web site for some new cider recipes ( and see a few below too).

Woodchuck Cider Punch

2 quarts lemon sherbert

1 large bottle of ginger ale

1 gallon of Woodchuck Draft Cider

lemon slices

Pour cider over sherbert in a punch bowl. Add ginger ale. Float lemon slices on top

Woodchuck Cider Warm up

1 quart Woodchuck Draft Cider

½ cups lemon juice

1 ¼ cups red fruit punch

¼ cup instant tea powder

½ cups of sugar

2 cups of water

Combine ingredients and heat through. Serve in mugs with an apple slice

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JN0-521 study guides offered by testking are very useful for candidates who donít have much time to get ready for the test. Candidates for SY0-101 learn to get an elective credit toward the MCSE documentation; candidates can obtain the CompTIA Security+ diploma. 642-812 explicates the functionalities of VLANs in a hierarchical network. 646-204 helps you categorize the designation of, the parts of, the function of, and the business reimbursements of Cisco IOS. 70-649 test is planned for IT professionals who now hold an MCSE on Windows Server 2003 documentation and work in the multifaceted computing environment of smaller to larger enterprises.

pf chang’s chocolate dome cake

for a pms-ridden, chocoholic, it really does not get much better than this. for those of you who do not know, pf chang’s offers this scrumptious gluten-free menu (http://www.pfchangs.com/cuisine/menu/GlutenIntolerantMenu.pdf), ranging from lettuce wraps, to flourless chocolate cake. but, for the point of this entry, i will focus on only the cake… because really when you get down to it, is there really anything else that is more conversation worthy than chocolate. not for me.

i love food, but i have been having a craving for this chocolate dome for days. and it is not often that we drive ANYWHERE, especially to a restaurant. so, for us to venture to the “burbs”, this case in edgwater, nj, i need to make an occasion of it. we went out to dinner with michael’s parents, so we figured we’d venture out of the crowds of the city and into a place that has parking and space, what a concept. by the time we got to the restaurant, an exceptionally large building, decorated with oversized statues and cooled by an over-active air conditioner, all i could think about was this cake. “no, i don’t really want dinner”, i explained. “i’d like the chocolate dome.” what a God send really.

i have tried flourless chocolate cakes and torts in many different cities, varied restaurants and bakeries, even store bought and frozen (not bad by the way). but, i would have to say pf chang’s, yes, the chain restaurant, has one of the best around. i say that with all sincerity. and the sad looking iphone photos just do not do it justice. it is served in a dome shape (obvious) almost like a scoop of chocolate ice cream. it is dense and smooth in the center, filled with decadent and rich chocolate cake. the entire dome is frosted in a thick chocolate fudge-type frosting that somehow blends with each bite. they drizzle the chocolate dome with fresh strawberry and raspberry sauce and garnish it with the same fresh fruit. it is the perfect blend of sweet and tart. as i write, i salivate. it is that good. Mmmm…chocolate.

www.pfchangs.com