I wish I was Brazillian

There are a lot of things that I wish in life, one being that I was born in Brazil. Just think, wonderful food, excellent genes, and an amazing accent. But, since I was born instead to a bunch of scotch/Irish Americans from Indiana, it seems that I am out of luck. Luckily, I can pretend to be Brazilian in my kitchen.

I have been to Fogo de Chao a couple of times with my family for various occasions, and have always loved their table rolls. They told us upon entering that many menu items, including the rolls, were gluten free. Too my surprise, the rolls were not the dry crumbly GF ones that I had grown accustom to, but warm and airy puffs of yummy-ness. So good in fact, that I was eating more of them then the meat I had come for.

Now, it is the heart of winter, and on Saturday's I want nothing more than warm rolls. After combing the web for various incarnations of rolls that take hours to make, I stumbled upon the super easy recipe for Brazilian Cheese Rolls that take a whopping 5 minutes to prep and 17 minutes to cook. 

While they do not keep long once they go cold (although you can wrap them up), it won't matter, because they will be gone in minutes once anyone within steps gets a whiff. I recommend making this recipe a Saturday brunch treat. 

Brazilian Cheese Rolls

There are a lot of recipes out there, but I like these guys for the simplicity.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/02/quick-brazilian-cheese-rolls-pao-de-queijo-2/

A couple of tips: This whole recipe can be made in a magic bullet blender, with very little cleanup. Also, I reduced the oil by a table spoon and used skim milk and it didn't hurt anything. The garlic can be a bit overwhelming and the sharp cheddar seemed to work the best. 

Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls {Pao de Queijo} – Gluten Free!
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup tapioca flour (sometimes labeled tapioca starch) no substitutions
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 C grated cheddar cheese* (preferably medium or sharp)
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
*you can play around with the cheese.  I’ve used Monterey Jack, low-moisture mozarella, swiss, and even gruyere in place of the cheddar.  All great!

Optional:  extra cheese to sprinkle on top and any herbs/flavorings you’d like to add.  Try rosemary and or garlic powder, my favorites!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth.  Add cheeses and pulse 2 times.  Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin (if your muffin tin isn’t non-stick, spray lightly with non-stick spray first), filling each well about 3/4 full, or just slightly less.  If desired (and I recommend), sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top and/or a tiny sprinkle of kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden.  Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan.  Serve warm. {Que Gostoso!}  These actually don’t re-heat well so I recommend making and eating fresh.

Yield: anywhere from 16-24 rolls, depending on how full you fill your muffin pan. I fill  mine pretty full (a good 3/4 full) and I generally get about 16-18.

GF Cooking

It's everywhere!

Sunday Breakfast

I was looking for a way to change up my Sunday breakfast routine. I had some random ingredients laying around; some eggs, a few potatoes, half an onion, garden bell pepper, and a bit of cheese. With a little help from Google and cooks.com, a breakfast casserole was born. It was really easy with the help of my food processor. Gluten free without any fuss. Plus, it can be made vegetarian too.

Have a happy holiday with the family.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=breakfast+casserole

Tacos!

Fiesta Tuesday

I have been enjoying the fruits of my summer co-op, which includes lots of zucchini and tomatoes. With it being so hot lately, I haven't wanted to cook any meat. So what does that mean for dinner? VEGGIE TACOS WITH FRESH SALSA! I picked up some super soft corn tortillas and crema from my favorite international store. Topped off with Valentina hot sauce and it's a wicked good meal.

Just marinate zucchini strips, sliced onions, and green pepper in olive oil, lime, cumin, cayenne, salt  and pepper.

Everyone will like these, even the crazy carnivores.

New Year's Update

6+ Months Later

As I have previously posted, I have been taking Synthroid for the treatment of my hypothyroidism (which was a result of my treatment for hyperthyroidism). So far, things are going better than expected. My levels are back in control and I haven't gained any weight since I have started on the medicine. I am still getting use to taking a pill everyday for the rest of my life.

I find that getting back to exercising is one of the hardest things. I am not a gym fan, so I tend to steer towards cycling and hiking. I have found that since all of my treatments started last year, that I have become a wimp.I get short of breath with large hills and I am hoping this goes away the more I work at it. 

Weight Watchers has been a good thing, even though some days I don't want to look at it. It really points out your food weaknesses/addictions in a very clear way. I am also realizing how many more vegetables I eat while following it. I have only lost 4 pounds to tell the truth, but my doctor didn't expect that I would lose any weight, due to the treatment. I am trying to stick with it, which is VERY hard during the travel season. I just have to be really good during the week. 

This summer is for focusing on the positive. There are fresh summer vegetables in abundance. I have gone on some great weekend trips so far and am looking forward to Zion National Park in the fall. I finally received my architectural license after nearly 3 years of testing. Most of all, I am thankful that my best friend's Thyroid cancer is being treated. After two years of being told her thyroid was fine, they found cancer. It is very important to listen to your body. The doctor only spends 10 minutes with you every so often.

With all that in mind, let's have a wonderful summer in this horrendous heat, that is already fogging up my glasses.

My Easy GF Lunch

So, I work like crazy some weeks, as a lot of people do, and forget my lunch. Instead  of packing on the calories with fast food, I like to keep these Simply Asia Rice noodle bowls in my drawer. They are usually $2 or less and say "gluten free" right on the package. Just add hot water, wait 5 min. and you are good to go. Now get back to work.

Summer in the South

My  vegetable co-op is getting colorful. This week, along with squash, zucchini, and garlic, I picked up some green tomatoes. Pour some oil in the frying pan and coat them with Bob's GF flour, egg, and corn meal, and fry'em up. I topped mine with hot sauce, but to each their own. Happy heat wave!