It is grilling season and you can put this on chicken, pork, beef or shrimp.  Personally, I like to put my meat in a ziploc bag and then add some sauce.  Mix it up in the bag and seal the bag.  Allow the meat to marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours.  This is the perfect spicy marinade for grilling.

You can add a teaspoon or two to your veggies before stir-frying or sauteeing.  It is also nice to top the veggies with sesame seeds or slivered almonds for a lovely display before serving.

If you like spicy eggs, a dash in your morning egg scramble would be nice.  Personally, I haven’t tried this, but I bet it would work well.

Here are a few recipes from the San-J site (www.san-j.com) that you might like to try.

Schezuan Party Mix
Schezuan Prawns
Schezuan Eggplant Stirfry
Lean & Spicy Miso Turkey Burgers
Baked Szechuan Tofu with Ginger Green Beans

We love you Amy and can’t wait to meet your new bundle of joy!!

I’m making my favorite Tomato Panzanella Salad for the shower. I first made this recipe when I was experimenting with recipes using Udi’s bagels. The bagels hold up perfectly for the panzanella croutons.

Here are all the other great friends that are sharing their recipes for the shower.

- Hallie: www.DailyBitesBlog.com
- Maggie: www.SheLetThemEatCake.com
- Alta: www.TastyEatsAtHome.com
- Lexie: www.LexiesKitchen.com
- Kelly: www.TheSpunkyCoconut.com
- Carol: www.SimplyGluten-Free.com
- Cara: www.CarasCravings.com
- Ricki: www.DietDessertndogs.com
- Alisa: www.AlisaCooks.com
- Kim: www.CookItAllergyFree.com/blog
- Silvana: www.SilvanasKitchen.com
- Cybele: www.CybelePascal.com
- Helen: www.MizHelensCountryCottage.blogspot.com

Gluten Free Tomato Panzanella Salad

2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup minced red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Panzanella Croutons (click here to see the recipe)

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the croutons, and combine.  Add the croutons and toss well.

Serve immediately. You can refrigerate this if you have to but it is best when served right away.

Ingredients:  Whole grain brown rice, sugar, contains 2% or less of salt, BHT for freshness.

Here are the GF Halloween Rice Krispy Bars that we made from our box of cereal:)

5 Tablespoons butter or non-dairy butter (we use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1 bag of 40 marshmallows
7 cups of Gluten Free Rice Krispies by Kelloggs
Icing or Frosting for decorating

In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the marshmallows and stir until melted.

Slowly add the cereal and stir until combined.  Transfer to a spray-oiled 9×13 pan.  Press into the pan.  Allow to cool and then cut into pieces.  Decorate if desired.

My baking life changed for the better when I realized that some of the canned frostings were gluten free (I use Betty Crocker).  When they go on sale, I buy a few cans of various colors and flavors and keep them in my pantry.  Most versions are gluten and dairy free but make sure to read the labels carefully before making your purchase.  Of course, it is very easy to make your own frosting, but something about the ease of the can makes it even so much less daunting to make a baked good.  Or in the case of these cookies, assemble a baked good (you don’t even need to bake!).

The secret weapons in easy sandwich cookie making are:

1.  Sturdy Cookies
2.  Good Quality Frosting (not too runny)
3.  Pastry Bag or Frosting Gun (I love my Wilton Gun)
4.  Edible Sprinkles or Decorations

Ingredients
Cookies (for the Halloween Cookies I used Kinnikinnick Ginger Cookies)
Frosting (for the Halloween Cookies I used Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting)
Sprinkles or Toppers (for the Halloween Cookies I used Wilton Products)

Fill a pastry bag or frosting gun with frosting.  Place one cookie on a plate with the top of the cookie facing down.  Cover the back surface of the cookie with frosting.  Place another cookie on the frosting creating a cookie sandwich.

If desired, sprinkle the exposed edges of the frosting with sprinkles, chocolate chips, nuts, etc…  To put a decoration on the top of the cookie, place a dollop of frosting on the cookie and adhere the decoration, as if the frosting was glue.

My other Halloween Tips & Ideas:
Corn Syrup Free Popcorn Balls
Home Made Halloween Chocolate Candies
Halloween Fun Goo

I hope you will join me (or if you are not in Chicago you will show your support through a donation of any amount) at the Chicago Show Your Hearts event on Monday, August 29th.  This is an event to raise funds for The Berry Family Children (see below) who became paralyzed and lost their parents in a recent auto accident.

I am thrilled to be a part of this event as it raises funds for an amazing cause (AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THE BONE BROTH BRIGADE STORY BELOW) and also supports family farms through the showing of the movie Farmageddon.

The really neat part about this story and this event is that soup (specifically bone broth soup) is being used to heal both emotional and physical wounds, bring strength to those who need it, and bring people together to support the community that will care for the Berry children.

Chicago Show Your Hearts! is an event to raise awareness of the healing power of food and the Joshua and Robin Berry Children’s Trust. We ask that each invitee read Bone Broth Brigade Helps Family Through Crisis.

Two brave little boys are currently going through rehabilitation at Chicago Shriners Hospital, after losing their parents in a tragic auto accident.  Whether you can attend this event or not, please consider making a donation to the ShowYourHearts.org campaign.

IMPORTANT: Ticket sales for this event END on August 21. Please act now!

Bone Broth and a Movie Event

Monday, August 29, 2011
Gene Siskel Film Center
Chicago, ILLINOIS 60601

5:30pm — Pick up Movie tix from organizers

6:00pm — Farmageddon Movie Screening

7:30pm — Brief Q&A with Filmmaker

7:45pm — Reception in Gene Siskel Center Gallery Cafe

Enjoy Farm Fresh Organic Soups and Meet the Chef, Guy Meikle of Nana’s Organic Restaurant

• Bone Broth Soup from Gunthorp Farms Chicken and Heartland Meats Beef, Garnished with Farm Vegetables
• Nichol’s Farm Sweet Corn Soup Infused with Gunthorp Farms Chicken Stock, Garden Chives
• Pellegrino Sparkling Water

To learn more information and purchase your tickets:

Here is a simple and delicious recipe from the San-J website.  I hope you will try their products and see how easy they will be for you to use.

On a side note, I was at a large Japanese grocery store the other day and there was the San-J tamari staring at me on the shelf.  I was so happy to see something familiar at the store and I new it would be good.  Plus, the price was great!

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
½ pound lean pork, cut into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups sugar snap peas, cleaned and trimmed
1 large carrot, cut into ¼-inch slices, lightly blanched
¼ cup dry sherry
1 cup San-J Thai Peanut Sauce
4 cups steamed white rice

In a large skillet or wok heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. As soon as the oil is hot, add the pork slices and brown them, stirring as they sauté. Cook for about 3 minutes. Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste. Add the red bell pepper and garlic and stir-fry for another minute. Add the sugar snap peas, carrot, sherry and the San-J Thai Peanut Sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for another 4 minutes. Serve immediately over the rice.

Here is their version of a S’More.  Perfection in every bite.  I modified their recipe slightly since my family likes to roast the marshmallows over a flame.  You can see this recipe and more recipes using Enjoy Life products at www.enjoylifefoods.com.

1 box Enjoy Life Vanilla Honey Graham Crunchy Cookies
1 package marshmallow spread or marshmallows
2 bars Dark Chocolate Enjoy Life Boom CHOCO Boom Bars (one of my favorites!)

Place marshmallow (or spread 1-2 T marshmallow spread) on 1 graham cracker.

If using a marshmallow you can roast it over an open flame or place in the microwave set to high and run 10-15 seconds, or until marshmallow doubles in size.

Place 1 square of the dark chocolate on top of the marshmallow and sandwich with another graham cookie. When cool enough to eat, dig in!

Serves 4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 ” pieces
1/4 cup corn starch (or sweet rice flour)
1 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons oil
1 cup San-J orange sauce
a few splashes sriracha chile sauce (I like the bottle with the rooster on it)
3 cups shredded cabbage (you can use a bag that was chopped for cole slaw)
4 green onions, sliced (use the whites and greens)
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into small pieces (you might want to heat them in the microwave for a minute to soften them)
1 red pepper, sliced
any other veggies you love
cooked white or brown rice

Put the chicken pieces, cornstarch and paprika in a ziploc bag.  Shake to coat the chicken with the cornstarch.

Put the oil in a large skillet.  Heat the oil over medium heat.  Once hot, add the chicken pieces (I use tongs to remove the chicken from the bag) to the oil and cook for a few minutes until the chicken has been fried on the outside and cooked through on the inside.  This won’t take too long since your pieces are very small.  Remove the chicken and set it aside.

Add the vegetables to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes until they are heated through and reduced slightly.  If they are sticking to the pan you can add some more oil or water.  Once the veggies are cooked, add the chicken back to the pan. Pour the orange sauce over the mixture and add a splash or two of the chili sauce.  Stir to combine.

Serve over white or brown rice.

Anyway, I feel it is my personal mission to not only bring desserts that my kids will love but that all the cousins want to eat.  I get this funny little inner snicker going when the all the cousins want to eat my gf dessert more than the “regular” dessert.  Terrible – I know!  But I am so sick of my kids feeling left out at their own relatives house – I have become competitive now with my desserts.

These Push Pops are the easiest thing to make.  I made a batch of Pamela’s Product Brownie Mix and baked it in a thin layer (use a larger pan than what you would make for the brownies or the layers will be too thick).  I used the square pan that came in my counter-top toaster oven.  It is about 11×11 and worked perfectly.

Once the brownies were cooled I used a small round biscuit cutter and cut out rounds.  I layered them in the tubes with canned Betty Crocker GF Frosting.  A few sprinkles on top and we had the most adorable dessert!  The containers come with lids and I sent each of my kids one in their camp lunch the next day.  The other kids were so jealous of their cool dessert and they finally felt special about their food.  YEAH ME!  Finally, I made them feel like they were the “cool kids” with their GF lunch.

It seems no matter how many times I tell them that they are lucky to know what makes them feel yucky – they don’t care.  They just want to be like all the other kids with the “normal lunches”.  So I guess I’ll be making healthier versions in my next push pop experiment so I don’t keep sending frosting and cake to  lunch!