Gluten Free Comfort Food

Learning how to make some of my favorite recipes gluten free is one of my highest priorities. Tonight was a triumph and I wanted to share. On my menu: Pot Roast, Wild Rice, Gravy, Green Beans and Brownies. And yes, and every bite was better than the original!

To make gluten-free pot roast, I simply made my usual pot roast, substituting white rice flour for the regular kind. First, season your roast (I used an eye of round roast) with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, then dredge in the flour. Brown it in oil on medium heat on all sides. Add about 4 cups of liquid (I used half TJ's natural beef stock and half water) and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook for about 4 hours. The gravy makes itself.

I cooked my wild rice according to the package directions. My green beans were the french skinny kind - not the kind my mom makes - but they were very good and fresh tasting. I used a frozen variety and cooked them quickly in a small amount of water with the lid on just until done. Then I remove the lid, add a couple tablespoons of butter and toss well.

Finally, I had my first gluten free brownie tonight and it was oooohhhh so good. Trader Joe's GF brownie mix is amazing. Unlike my one foray into GF cupcakes that turned out terrible, they were moist and gooey just like brownies should be. I added about 1 cup of chocolate chips and it made them even better. At the end of the meal I couldn't get up for about 10 minutes!!! After weeks and weeks of salads and simply prepared healthy food, it's so nice to know that when I need some comfort food, I can have it!

Ribs mmmmmmmmm...

I haven't posted since early December and even then it was about the freshness of your spices. Good stuff! I'm not ready to completely abandon this food blog yet. I've spent so much time plugged into my life - not to mention my paid writing job and my other two blogs - that I've neglected this one. Well, someone that does a much better job with this subject and who seems really devoted to food is Meathead. And, no, I'm not talking about that character Rob Reiner used to play before he became a millionaire director/producer. Meathead is a nickname for who may possibly be the smartest guy with a grill out there. One look at his website and I declared him to be the Alton Brown of BBQ. Later, I found out he himself loves Alton Brown so there must be something to it.

So, the website is great but what about the actual recipes and advice? Well, we all love someone who agrees with us and I loved the fact that he thinks Weber kettle grills are great. I bought one for Baxter for Father's Day after all. We love its simplicity and so does he. I have tried one recipe and will continue to turn to him for more in the future. His Tennessee Hollerin' BBQ Sauce was unbelievable. He reduces a whole cup of bourbon down to 2 tablespoons of what he calls a "magical elixir" and boy is it. My sauce only had a handful of ingredients but it tasted like something all its own. It was perfectly sticky (the way I like my ribs - not the Memphis dry kind) and perfectly smoky, spicy and sweet. They were great with Pommes Anna, a wedge salad and a bottle of bubbly for Valentine's Day.

Spring and summer are just around the corner so it's almost time to fire up those grills again. If you love BBQ, you have to check it out!

amazingribs.com