Category Archives: Food

Food

OK, too many hot dogs

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Ouch – just because it doesn’t have gluten doesn’t mean your stomach will really appreciate it.

Last night I tried a strange combination of hot dogs and asparagus – and it actually tasted pretty good.  Maybe that’s why I went back for seconds.  Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.

Mixing junk food with something particularly healthy might average out to something that isn’t particularly good or bad for you, but right now my stomach is saying it was way too much.

I’ll leave out the details of my discomfort, but suffice it to say I won’t be eating so many hotdogs in a single night again any time soon.

Food

Junk Foodie – Hot Dogs and Asparagus

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For the last few weeks, Wal-mart had some cheap prices on premium hot dogs.  Not the one-dollar kind, but the kind that are actually made out of beef and minimal additives.  The Oscar Meyer brand was particularly enjoyable, and I’ve only got a few of the Ballpark ones that seemed a bit more “over-processed.”

What I’ve also got though, is a fresh – and even slightly sweet – green bundle of asparagus.  On my last trip to the grocery store, I literally spent $6 on meat and $6 on broccoli and asparagus.  Since then, its been burgers, hotdogs, brocolli, and of course, the asparagus.

Right now the last two hot dogs are frying on a pan and the asparagus is being lightly steemed over a cup of water.

When they’re done, I’ve got some mild mozorella that will make a perfect complement and hopefully tie the flavors back together.

Just because its junk, doesn’t mean it can’t be good & good for you!  Its also, as always, cheap to make and 100% gluten-free.

Food

More Brownies – Gluten Free Pantry Brand Review

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I read somewhere that Betty Crocker was considering (or possibly was in the process of implementing) a line of gluten-free baking mixes.  Now, I’m not the biggest fan of baking – but I do love some gluten-free cookies and brownies.  Inspired by the hope of convenient gluten-free cakes, I stopped by the baking aisle of my local Walmart.  While I didn’t find a Betty Crocker gluten-free baking mix, I did find one from a little brand called Gluten-free Pantry.

I picked a box up immediately and the first thing I noticed was the price.  I had cooked gluten free brownies before, but this new brand was about 2 and a half dollars cheaper.  Not one to sneer at frugality, I ran to make sure I had enough eggs and butter in my cart to pull this extra dish off.

When I made the brownies, I had one deviation from the box’s plan:  The baking pan I was using was a bit longer than the recipe called for.  As a result, the mix ended up being a little bit thin and my first attempt yielded somewhat crispy brownies.  My girlfriend said they were the best ever, but on my second try I compensated by cutting the baking time down by about ten minutes, and now I think they’re even better than they were before.

With any brownies, I like to add some crushed walnuts and make sure to add some chocolate frosting to the top.  It adds a nice layer of sweet chocolate – don’t tell me that’s redundant because its just as essential as any other ingredient!  No word yet if the lady agrees about the lower cooking time and fluffier brownies – I’ll keep ya posted with updates as available.

Food

Gluten Free Beef and Veggie Roast in a Crock Pot

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Oh boy, I just cooked up a monster of a meal and now I can’t stop thinking about it.  Its delicious, healthy, and a good value – but unfortunately its going to take a few hours to fully cook.

In the meantime, let me tell you what goes into this feast.

  • 2 pounds eye of round roast ($6.70)
  • 1 medium onion ($.50)
  • 1 medium tomato ($.75)
  • 6 potatoes*** ($1.50)
  • 3 stalks celery ($.50)
  • 1 can green peas ($.50)
  • 1 pound carrots ($1.60)
  • 1 pinch thyme
  • Black pepper
  • 3 shakes oregeno
  • 1/2 tsp. olive oil

Its about $12 and its pounds and pounds of fresh food and naturally savory flavors.  The best news is the prep takes almost no time if you’re using a crockpot.

Place the beef in the bottom of the pan, and cover it with chopped onions.  They don’t need to be chopped too finely, the moist heat will turn the whole thing into something close to a soup.  Six potatos go next to the beef, and this forms your bottom layer since they require the most cooking.  (The bottom layer is closest to the heatsource and touching the water, so it should cook a tiny bit quicker.)

Next, I got about a pound of baby carrots in a small bag.  This was under $2 at Walmart and its ready to eat, so just dump ’em on top of the beef & potato layer.

Now a little more chopping:  the celery and the tomato.  I end up cutting them a little long and a thin:  I want the flavors to get mixed up real good.

Then I just pop open a can of peas…  Normally I wouldn’t use canned food, but this recipe does call for water and some salt.  The celery will provide a tiny bit of salt, but the can of peas just happened to be a convenient fit.  If you’ve got dried peas, you might want to soak them before cooking even though the heat inside the crockpot is humid.

Finally, a pinch of thyme, a dozen cranks on the pepper grinder, and a few shakes of oregeno make the perfect seasoning.  Cover up the crock pot and find some way to distract yourself from how long it will take to cook.  The good news is, the only step after being patient is enjoying dinner.

***This recipe fills up a pretty big crockpot, and its going to cook slower than usual due to the amount of food stuffed inside.  Its also going to make enough meals for a family + leftovers, or a week’s worth of bachelor grub.

Food

Gluten Free Potato Salad

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Potato salad is a great side that is pretty cheap to make and still hearty.  While the recipe is high in fat, the crispy veggies help provide a nice boost of vitamins C and B6.  Of course, this recipe is gluten free and budget conscious!  Now, making the potato salad is a little bit involved, but once you fix up a batch it will stay good for a while and provide a convenient side for any meat dish.  A little bit of beef or tuna salad makes a great meal.

Ingredients

  • 6 medium Potatoes
  • 6 large Eggs
  • 1/3 of an Onion
  • 3 large Celery Stalks
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp Spicy Mustard
  • 1-2 tbsp Dill Relish
  • 1-2 dash black pepper

Cooking

Boil or bake the potatoes inside the skin.  Cook them for about an hour, and be sure to remove them from heat before they’re completely soft (if you boil them too long, you’re going to end up with mashed potato salad.)  Set them aside to cool and don’t worry about seasoning them.

Hard boil the eggs.  Place eggs into cold water and pour in a little vinegar.  Heat up the water slowly to a boil, then cut the heat when it starts to really bubble.  After a few minutes, transfer the eggs back in to some other container of cold water to cool down.

Chop up the onion & celery as finely as possible.  These add a lot of flavor and crunch to the dish but big chunks can be distracting and unpleasant.

Chop up the potato and egg.  Peeling the egg shells is the worst step, so be patient (or share your tips if you know a better way of doing this).  Then, just chop up the eggs and potatoes into smaller than bite-sized pieces.

Make the Dressing

Mix about 3 heaping tablespoons of mayonaise, a tiny bit of sugar, about one large spoon of mustard, and a big spoon or two of dill relish (every time I make this dish I add a little more relish than the last time).  Drop a bit of salt and pepper in, but not too much!  The mustard will provide most of the spice and the celery is naturally salty.  I wouldn’t personally add more salt, but a dash or two of black pepper can add a bit of kick.  Mix in the celery and onions into the dressing.

Then, just mix the dressing into the potato and eggs!  Don’t stir too vigorously, or, as I mentioned, you’ll end up with mashed potatoes.

The final step is to pop it in the fridge and take a break while it all cools down to a consistent chill.  This recipe makes a whole lot of salad, so be sure you’ve got some help eating it all!  It makes a great side for barbeques and picnics, or it can be a nice snack any time you want a cool bite to eat.

Cost

The biggest cost is the time you spend in preparation.  Otherwise, the recipe is cheap:

  • 6 potato ~ $2
  • 6 egg ~ $.60
  • Mayo ~ $.60
  • Relish ~$.20
  • Mustard ~$.20
  • Celery ~ $.50
  • Onion ~ $.50

$5 may sound like a lot for a side dish, but this recipe is loaded with calories and it will go a long way.  I didn’t have relish or mustard on hand, but WalMart has bottles of each for just $1 a piece and the recipe will leave you with plenty of leftovers for the next kitchen adventure.

If you’re cooking for yourself, you might want to cut the ingredients in half unless you really like the potatoes as much as I do!