Italian Summer Pasta Salad

Namaste Foods sent me some recipes to share with my readers so I am going to post them here and there on the blog...

Italian Summer Pasta Salad

• 1 package Namaste Pasta Pisiavera Pasta
• 5-6 table spoons olive oil in all (preferably extra virgin)
• 1 teaspoon white or red wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced black or green olives or both
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• Optional: a handful of chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

1. Set aside the Pasta Pisavera seasoning packet. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done, about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse briefly in cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Place the pasta in a serving bowl, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss. Sprinkle the Pasta Pisavera Seasoning Packet over pasta add remaning ingredients and olive oil and toss gently. Garnish with the cilantro or parsley if desired. Dish is wonderful if served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Helpful Hints:
Once refrigerated, rice pasta (like rice) can tend to get a bit crunchy. Either pull the pasta out ahead of time and leave out on the counter for a while or a quick minute or two in the microwave will do the trick. You can add a little bit more oil if needed too. Wonderful additions to this meal could be chopped zucchini, yellow squash, pine nuts, feta cheese, and marinated mushrooms!

Ians GIVE AWAY!

CONTEST INFORMATION can be found here however, the fine folks at Ian's have extended the contest for Gluten Free Gluttony readers!

So, just leave a comment on my blog telling me what your favorite Ians item is and join the Super Fit Club!

CONTEST ENDS  SEPETEMBER 24, 2010 at NOON (Arizona time)

Gluten Free Pantry French Bread & Pizza Mix

It doesn't matter if you are new to being gluten free or not,it is still probably hard to pass by the bakery or bread isle problem on some days. The smell of fresh bread still is especially hard. Sometimes I just want to grab a croissant and shove the buttery flavor in my mouth knowing that it would cause me to have  dash into the bathroom, because  it will ultimately lead to being glutened and me crying on the toilet! Who am I kidding? Sometimes having to lead a GF lifestyle sucks.  So I have to resist all of those amazing foods in the bakery and  and search for equally amazing gluten free products. Most of the time I can find awesome products and I let you, my wonderful readers know about them.

It really sucks when I have high hopes for a product and it lets me down. I cannot tell you how badly I wanted the French Bread & Pizza Mix from Gluten Free Pantry to be delicious but I cannot lie, it sucked. It did not rise well. It was not fluffy like French Bread is, so it did not have the potential to make an amazing sandwich that I had been dreaming up. I was pretty bummed out.

This product will never be purchased again. Ever. I am still on the quest for GF French Bread. Anyone know where I can find that?

Schar's Chocolate Sandwich Cremes & Vanilla Sandwich Cremes

I dont have time to find a picture from the website or take my own photo but I wanted tell you about Schar's Chocolate Sandwich Cremes & Vanilla Sandwich Cremes. They are pretty tasty. I think I prefer the vanilla ones to the chocolate which surprises me because I adore chocolate. Have you tried these? Have you tried Schar's products?

Amy's Indian Matter Paneer

This is in my top favorite Amy meals since I am a vegetarian. It fits most of my needs and it is delicious! What more can a gal ask for?!

Nourish

Let me fill you in on a two secrets.

1. I have been hating gluten free eating for a while. If you follow me on Twitter, you would know this because I have been doing my share of complaining. I have been finding it hard to eat out or go grocery shopping. Being vegetarian and gluten-free is not always the easiest thing.Last night, I had nothing to complain about!
2. Most of my posts on this blog are post-dated. I am a very busy lady, so if I try a food that I want to let you know about, I usually will write about a whole bunch of them all at once.Then,I scatter the posts so you guys wont think I am neglectful. However, I went to Nourish last night for my birthday and I was so amazed that I had to blog ASAP!

 I have heard amazing reviews in the local (Arizona) gluten free community about Nourish. Then my Mom suggested going there for my birthday. I was totally game!

The atmosphere is beautiful. The restaurant is surrounded by lush greenery. I did not feel like I was eating in Arizona at all. When we walked in, we were greeted so warmly that I felt instantly comfortable. Then when we were handed our menu, the server asked if we had any food intolerances or food allergies that he needed to be aware of! SCORE! How often are you asked this at a restaurant? Never. I can honestly say that I have never in my life been asked this. At this time, I informed the server that I had Celiacs. I did not get a weird look. I did not get asked questions like, " Can you have cheese? Are mushrooms OK? "Great, let me bring you some bread!" No, this guy knew exactly what I was talking about. I felt like everyone at Nourish would know what I was talking about because they flat out asked me, I never once had to tell anyone.

Also, the menu won my heart. Each item is labeled and it lets you know if it is gluten free, lactose free, vegetarian, or vegan. This made it easy for me to choose my meal. I would look for the symbols and choose accordingly. The menu was also healthy, unique and delicious. I have to go back and try more.

While we were seated, Kirstin Carey, the owner, came and chatted with us. She was so impressive, I was blown away with her kindness and her willingness to talk to me. She cannot eat wheat. We discussed her kitchen and how it is a gluten free kitchen. We talked in depth about what processes she utilizes to keep it from being cross contaminated with the breads they do serve. By the way, they serve amazing gluten free bread. The picture above was my dinner. It was delicious. I ordered the Optima and I would have never known the bread was GF. 

I know I will go back. I know that I will never have to fear cross-contamination there and that my service will always be amazing. Cheers and success to my new favorite restaurant!

Tandoor Chef: Vegetable Pad Thai

I love this dinner.It has a kick of spice and it is easy to make when I am tired from a long day and my son already has something already prepared. I thought I would tell you all about it! So, if you see it in your local freezer section, pick it up and try it! Let me know what you think of it :)