Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Yesterday we finally had a break from the heat and humidity, and I was able to step outside without feeling like I had entered a sauna! It's those days that you really have to take advantage of in the incredibly humid summers of St. Louis, so I took the time to drink my coffee outside with a good book. In the summer time, I love making refreshing dinners that don't take too much time so that I can spend my time engaging in summer activities! I recently had lemon garlic shrimp at BARcelona tapas restaurant, and I figured that such a refreshing and simple dish would be easy to recreate--and I was right!

Ingredients
Olive oil
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
6-8 oz pre-cooked shrimp (it was about a half a bag of frozen shrimp for me)
Chopped parsley for garnish
1/2 a lemon

Procedure
1. Heat a bit of your olive oil in a frying pan with minced garlic. Stir the garlic around until you smell its aroma.
2. Add the shrimp and heat it on both sides for two minutes each.
3. Squeeze your lemon into the frying pan and stir the shrimp around to ensure it gains its flavor.

Add parsley for garnish and voila! you've got your lemon garlic shrimp. You can add this to rice or pasta, or you can just have it as an appetizer. Either way, this refreshing dish won't make you break too much of a sweat in the summer heat!

Enjoy!
-Sema

Potato Pizza

 

Hello everyone! The weather here in St. Louis has gotten almost unbearably hot in the last week. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was pulling my sweater closer around my shoulders, shielding myself from the icy wind. Well you know what this means--now I can stay inside and cook. One recipe caught my eye in particular on Tastemade, so I decided to try it and found that I love it! Today's recipe is a potato pizza, and it's perfect for those days when you want to make a pizza but don't want to fire up the oven in the excruciating heat!

Ingredients
Half a Potato
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Basil
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Tomato Sauce

Procedure
1. Slice the potato into very thin slices.
2. Drizzle the olive oil on a skillet and line the potato slices in a circle as pictured below.

3. Cook it on medium high heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the tomato sauce, cheese, and choice of toppings and cook on medium for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
5. Transfer your potato pizza to a plate, add some basil, and voila! you have a delicious pizza that didn't require too much effort to make!

Enjoy!
-Sema

Gluten-free Baked Mac and Cheese

Hello everyone! The weather is kind of warming up which means I can eat lunch outside! It's so nice to spend lunch outside when the rest of my day is spent inside a classroom. Today I was running a little late, so it was nice to just throw some baked mac and cheese into my lunch bag before I headed out the door. As soon as I took it out of my lunch bag, everyone commented on how good it looked--some even wanted a taste! So today I have an easy lunch/dinner recipe for you all, something that doesn't require too much effort!

Ingredients
2 cups milk
4 cups gluten-free macaroni
3 cups shredded cheddar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 egg

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Bring water to boil in the pot and cook the macaroni for about 5 minutes, or until partially cooked.
3. Drain the macaroni and add it to a baking dish that you greased with butter.
4. Mix the milk, cheddar, and egg together in a separate bowl, and add it to the macaroni.
5. Evenly distribute the mixture, add salt and pepper, and set it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.
6. Set the oven on broil for another 5 minutes (I added some cheese slices on top to make it even more cheesy.)

Voila! You have some easy baked mac and cheese!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Gluten-free French Onion Soup

Hello everyone! I am on my last day of spring break, and it's ironically the coldest day this week. I wore shorts on Tuesday and complained of the heat, and now it's so cold that I need my winter jacket to go outside! That's what prompted me to make a soup today, because nothing beats the cold like soup. Today's soup is a single serving french onion soup, for those days when you need to make a quick dinner for yourself. If you have guests and want to make more, just multiply the number of guests by the ingredient--that's what's so fantastic about this recipe!

Ingredients
1 medium sized yellow onion
1 cup beef broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic
Your choice of cheese

Procedure
1. Slice the onion into very thin slices, and mince the garlic.
2. In a medium frying pan, heat the butter and add the garlic.
3. Once the garlic produces a fragrance, add the onion.
4. Caramelize the onion, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the broth, water, and caramelized onion to a pot.
6. Stirring occasionally, cook it on medium heat for about 25 minutes, or until done.
7. Add the parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, and let it simmer for a few minutes.
8. Add it to an oven safe bowl and toast some gluten-free bread (I used the Trader Joe's gluten-free hamburger bread).
9. Float the bread on top and add your choice of cheese on top.
10. Broil it in the oven until the cheese melts.

Voila! You have a delicious french onion soup recipe to battle the cold!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Crispy Oven-baked Fries

Hello everyone! The weather has warmed up in my neck of the woods, so I spent the entire day outside yesterday in shorts. Yes, you read that right. It was so warm that I could wear shorts, which is hilarious since it snowed last week! But enough talk about the weather, let's get down to business. Today's recipe is oven baked fries, with a little twist to them. They're perfect for a snack or a side, and don't require a lot of prep time!

Ingredients
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
4 medium-sized golden potatoes
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper with olive oil.
3. Cut the potatoes into small strips.
4. Sprinkle the olive oil, garlic powder, paprika and salt over the potatoes in an even layer.
5. Bake the potatoes for about 35 to 40 minutes or until they are crispy and brown.
6. Optional: Sprinkle some cheddar over the fries and put them in the oven until the cheese melts. Garnish with parsley.

Voila! Now you have delicious fries to enjoy!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Gluten-free Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

When was the last time you had a mozzarella cheese stick? Well now you can make one! It's a perfect appetizer, study snack, or any-day snack that doesn't require too many ingredients. I am very excited to present you guys with my latest recipe for gluten-free mozzarella cheese sticks!

Ingredients
The Spices
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
 
The Cheeses
1 teaspoon shredded Parmesan cheese
4 1/2 mozzarella string cheese sticks (I used the low-fat kind).

Other
1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (I toasted three slices of the Trader Joe's gluten-free bread and blended it)
1 egg

Procedure
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine your gluten-free bread crumbs, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, dried basil leaves, and Parmesan cheese
3. Cut your cheese sticks in half.
4. Beat your egg and put it into a separate bowl.
5. Coat your cheese stick in the egg and then coat it with the bread crumbs.
6. Lay the coated cheese sticks on a baking pan that's covered with parchment paper.
7. Repeat the last two steps if the cheese sticks aren't completely covered.
8. In a wok pan, add about 1/2 an inch of canola/vegetable oil. Heat the oil up until it's hot.
9. Turn down the heat and add the cheese stick. I fried them one at a time so that I didn't accidentally burn them. Fry each cheese stick on each side for about 10-15 seconds, or until the coating becomes a golden brown.
10. I put the cheese sticks in the oven for a few minutes to melt the inside a little bit more.

Voila! You have delicious mozzarella cheese sticks. You can add some pasta sauce to dip them in--it's a perfect combination.
Enjoy!
-Sema
 

DIY Gluten-free Pasta Sauce

Hello everyone! It has gotten very cold here in St. Louis, the type of cold that seems to bite at you when you go out. That is why I spent the day inside cooking, because nothing feels better than preparing a warm meal in a warm kitchen. Today I have a pasta sauce recipe for you, proving that you don't always need to buy the ready-made kind (even though the ready-made kind makes life so much easier). :)

Ingredients
1/2 cup diced onions
3 cups of canned tomatoes (use a food processor or blender to crush the tomatoes until they are completely blended)
2 cloves of chopped garlic
A handful of parsley leaves
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon corn starch

Procedure
1. Add the olive oil, diced onions, and garlic to a large pot.
2. Sautee your onions and garlic until the onions become soft.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, and bring it to a boil.
4. Chop your parsley (you can add how much or how little you please), and add it to the mixture.
5. Add the corn starch, and be sure to mix it in well.

Let it sit on a low heat while your spaghetti/pasta cooks, occasionally stirring.

Voila! You made your own pasta sauce!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Gluten-free Cauliflower Pizza

 

Today I have a pizza recipe for you all, but this is no ordinary pizza crust--it's made of cauliflower! This is honestly the first time I've worked with cauliflower, and it was quite good (I turned around for a second, and someone had already eaten half of my pizza which is a great sign). This recipe is great when you don't have any flour around, but are still in the mood for pizza :).

Ingredients
1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/2 a stalk of cauliflower
Pizza sauce
1/3 cup of parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Your choice of toppings
1 clove of minced garlic
1 egg

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces, and blend it into cauliflower flour.
3. Steam the cauliflower until it gets soft, and then drain it.
4. Rinse your parsley, and cut it into small pieces. Make sure you drain any excess water.
5. Combine your egg, parsley, salt, pepper and cauliflower together, and mix it well.
6. On a baking pan, add parchment paper. I made mini pizzas and traced perfect circles with a cup on my pizza dough.
7.  Bake the crust in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until it sets.
8. Add your pizza sauce and toppings, and bake it until the cheese melts.

Voila! You have a healthier version of a pizza!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Quinoa Salad

Hello everyone! It rained non-stop for the past few days in my neck of the woods, flooding highways and streets! While I enjoy a good rainy day complete with a book and a cup of tea, I'm ready for some sun. The recipe I have for you all today is a quinoa salad, which will brighten up anyone's day :). If you have guests and need to prepare an easy lunch/dinner, this recipe is perfect for you. Now I know the ingredient list is long, so you can substitute/eliminate ingredients as you need (although they all work together quite well).

Ingredients
4 cups of quinoa
8 cups of water
2 cucumbers
1 lb of radishes
1 head of lettuce
3 branches of green onions
3 branches of Italian parsley
2 cups of diced red peppers
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1 cup of olive oil
1 cup of sweet red pepper paste or 4 diced tomatoes

Procedure
1. Add the quinoa to the water in a pot, and cook it until it gets fluffy.
2. Chop ALL of your ingredients.
3. Mix all your vegetables with the quinoa, and then add the olive oil, lemon juice, and red pepper paste/tomatoes.

Voila! You have a delicious light lunch/dinner!
Enjoy!
-Sema 

Easy Gluten-free Squash Soup for the Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and you'll soon be thanking me for this recipe! It doesn't require very many ingredients, and it'll be the perfect compliment to your turkey dinner. You can also use it as a main course in an everyday dinner (whenever you need a quick-fix dinner that tastes delicious).

Ingredients
 2 cups milk
1 can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
4 cups squash

Procedure
1. In a pot, cover the squash completely with water.
2. Boil the squash until it's tender.
3. Add the coconut milk, curry powder, and milk.
4. Mix the ingredients together with a hand blender.
5. Heat it on the stove until it's boiling. Once it has boiled, turn it off.

Add a spoon of sour cream and a little bit cilantro, and voila, you have a delicious squash soup!

Enjoy!
-Sema

Lemon Sauteed Green Beans (Naturally Gluten-free)

 

Today's recipe is a side dish! It's made with basic ingredients that blend together perfectly to create an exciting twist on green beans. In the midst of college applications and school work, it's nice to know that it doesn't take too much effort to make a delicious meal.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
5 cloves of chopped garlic
5 cups of green beans
Chopped parsley
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 medium sized chopped tomatoes

Procedure
1. Add the green beans to a pot and cover them with water.
2. Boil for about 10-15 minutes with the lid on or until they become tender (but be careful to not overcook them).
3. Drain the beans.
4. In a wok pan, add the two tablespoons of olive oil.
5. Add the garlic and let it sit for about 30 seconds on medium heat before you add the green beans.
6. Stir the green beans into the garlic.
7. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of the halves into your mixture.
8. Add the sesame seeds, parsley, salt, pepper, and tomatoes.
9. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes or until done, occasionally stirring.

Voila! You have the perfect side dish to complement any main dish. Your house will smell like lemony goodness, and you'll be able to dress up your otherwise boring green beans!

If you decide to make this dish, be sure to post a picture of it with the hashtag #eatwithoutgluten on Instagram or Facebook, so that I can see your fabulous creation!

Enjoy!
-Sema

Easy Gluten-free Spaghetti

This week is the third week of school, and you know what that means: tests! It's that time of the year when we have learned enough to take our first tests. Unfortunately it seems like I have a test in practically all my classes, so I know what I'll be up to this week! Sometimes you don't have time to make everything from scratch, so the recipe I'm going to share with you all today is for those times when you are running around and need a quick-fix dinner.
Ingredients
1 jar of gluten-free ready-made pasta sauce (I used the Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic one).
A quarter of an onion
4 mushrooms
Olive oil
1 pack of gluten-free spaghetti (I used the one from the Aldi)
Ground beef
Parsley (for garnish)

Procedure
The Sauce
1. Fill 3/4 of a pot with water, and bring it to a boil. 
2. Chop the quarter of an onion and the mushrooms.
3. In a pot, sautee the mushrooms and onions.
4. In a separate pan, brown the ground beef (you can use as much or little as you like). I actually don't use any oil; I let the ground beef cook in its own fat. (It's healthier and less work).
5. Once the ground beef is done, add it to the pot, and stir in the jar of gluten-free pasta sauce.
7. Turn down the heat and cover the pot, occasionally stirring it so it doesn't burn.

The Spaghetti
1. Fill 3/4 of a pot with water, and bring it to a boil.
2. Add the pack of gluten-free spaghetti, and stir it in once the bottom half of the spaghetti gets soft (this way the water will cover all of the spaghetti).
3. Add salt to the water and occasionally check on it to ensure it doesn't get too soft.
4. After you've drained the water, rinse the spaghetti in cold water and add olive oil. Sometimes I'll even add dried parsley leaves or dried basil!

Voila! You've got a meal that didn't take too long and looks like you went to a restaurant. Decorate the table with fancy china and no one will notice ;). Also, be sure to garnish with parsley!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Easy Grilled Fish

While I was in Norway, I got to try all different kinds of fish in all different kinds of recipes. I ate fish soup, boiled fish, fried fish, and grilled fish. (You could say I ate a lot of fish this summer.) Today I was in the mood for grilled salmon, and it was absolutely delicious! It took five minutes to prep, and once it was cooking, I could forget about it until it was done.

Ingredients
Frozen salmon filets
Sour cream
Dill or Savory
Unsalted butter

Procedure
1. Take a square of aluminum foil and lay it out on the counter.

 2. Take a spoonful of sour cream and spread it out on the aluminum foil (enough to cover the bottom of the fish).
3. Lay the dill or savory (whichever herb you are in the mood for, I used savory) along with two thin slices of unsalted butter on top of the sour cream.

 4. Put the salmon filet over your choice of herbs and butter.
5. Cover the top of the filet with more sour cream.
6. Fold the aluminum foil like a burrito-so that it covers the salmon.
7. Set it on the grill for about 20-30 minutes or until it's done.

Voila! You have a delicious dinner that didn't take too long to prep! While it's on the grill, you can cook some rice and make a side-salad. I also paired the fish with thousand island dressing, and garnished it with parsley.


Enjoy!
-Sema

How to Peel a Fresh Shrimp

I got the opportunity to peel fresh shrimp-something I'm not exactly used to, since I'm used to the ready-peeled shrimps that you get at a store or restaurant. Living in the mid-west deprives me of fresh shrimp, so it was quite a treat to be able to peel the shrimp myself. It was hard to peel the first shrimp I picked up, but after three shrimps, I managed to get the hang of it. Before I knew it, I had piled my plate with shrimps, and I was ready to make a "traditional" Norwegian shrimp sandwich, complete with mayonnaise, avocado, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

How to Peel a Shrimp
1. Take a shrimp.
2. Break off it's head.
3. Gently peel off the shell of its tail.
4.  Peel apart the shell in the middle of the shrimp. (Pull the two sides of the shell apart in the middle. like you were opening a hotdog bun.)
5. Take off any access parts of the shell, as that is not part of the meal.

Voila! You have freshly peeled shrimp (naturally gluten-free, and absolutely delicious).
Enjoy!
-Sema

Easy Fish Dinner

 

Do you need dinner fast? Here is a quick and easy fish dinner recipe! You can eat fish cold or warm, grilled, baked, boiled, poached or fried (so many options!). I usually opt for boiling the fish, as it is the healthiest, and in my opinion, most delicious option. When you have learned how to boil fish properly, the end result is a tender, juicy meal! I mean, if you can boil water, you can boil fish!

Ingredients

4 skinless salmon fillets

6-8 cups water

Pinch of salt

4 bay leaves

Procedure

1. Fill  pot with enough water to cover the fish.

2. Add a couple of bay leaves and a pinch of salt.

3. Bring the water to a boil.

4. Add the fish and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for 20 minutes.

On the side you can add steamed vegetables and brown rice, as I think they complement the fish nicely. Voila, you have a meal (and a really healthy and delicious one too)! 

Enjoy!

-Sema

Spicy Gluten-free Chicken Wings

It's been snowing on and off for the last few weeks, and last night we got a lot of snow! (Of course the snow couldn't have waited until tonight, so that we'd get a snow day tomorrow...) To counteract the extremely cold weather outside, I decided we needed something spicy for dinner. I love spicy chicken wings, as they are pretty easy to make as well as delicious to eat! I could have just used a ready made gluten free buffalo wing sauce, but instead I used this recipe (shout out to my dad for teaching me this!). You can add any side dish, and I decided to go with boiled potatoes, rutabaga (a Swedish turnip), and carrots, as well as a side salad.

Ingredients
3 lbs chicken wings
Gluten-free soy sauce
Honey mustard
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Black Pepper

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread the chicken wings on an oven safe pan.
3. Sprinkle a little bit of soy sauce and honey mustard over the wings.
4. Add 1/2 a cup of buffalo wing sauce.
5. Sprinkle a dash of black pepper and 1 tspn Italian seasoning.

6. Now for the fun part! Treat your chicken wings to a spa treatment by massaging all the ingredients in!

7. Put the wings into the oven for about 30 minutes.
8. After about 30 minutes, set the oven to 400 degrees and flip the chicken wings over.
9. Put them back into the oven for another 30 minutes, or until done.

Voila! You have spicy chicken wings!
Enjoy!
-Sema

Easy Gluten-free Tomato Soup

Today I was in the mood for tomato soup, so for lunch that's exactly what I made :). This recipe is very easy, and you can easily impress your friends with your culinary abilities! So here it is, the easiest, most delicious tomato soup recipe! *drum roll please* (I have also included a DIY bread sticks recipe!)

The Soup
Ingredients
1 can tomatoes (I used our own canned tomatoes.)

1.5 cup broth (I used chicken broth.)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley/basil for garnish
Optional: 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste diluted in about a 1/2 cup water

Procedure
1. Mix the broth and tomatoes in a medium saucepan at medium heat.
2. Once it starts bubbling, add the heavy whipping cream.
3. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes and season with salt and pepper!
4. Use a hand-held blender and puree the soup.
5. Garnish with parsley or basil (I used parsley).

The Bread Sticks
Ingredients
2 slices of gf bread
2 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Shredded/sliced cheese (I used chedder.)

Procedure
1. Toast the bread until has a golden color. While you're doing that, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice the bread into thin slices.
3. Chop up the garlic and add it to the bread slices.
4. Drizzle each slice with olive oil.
5. Add the cheese, covering each slice.
6. Bake until the cheese is melted. I let it bake a little after that to make it crunchier.

I ended up making two batches, because my younger brother loved it so much!

Voila, you have bread sticks and tomato soup!
Enjoy!
-Sema

LOOK AT THIS DELICIOUSNESS

How to Bake a Pizza in 3-5 Minutes

School is starting again tomorrow, so that means that my life is going to get super busy again! Sometimes you don't have time to spare-even when it comes to baking a pizza! That's why this trick comes in VERY handy during those busy days ahead of us (and it really works on thin crust pizzas)!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Put a large frying pan in (make sure that it has no plastic/wood components in it.)
3. Heat the frying pan until it becomes REALLY hot.
4. Take out the frying pan and add your homemade/ready made pizza crust.
5. Put the oven on 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Add your favorite toppings to the thin pizza crust! I like to saute onions, mushrooms, and turkey sausage before I add it to the pizza. My pizzas usually contain as many vegetables that can fit on them.
7. Put the frying pan back into the oven.
8. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until it's done.

Voila, your pizza is finished! The best part about it is the fact that the middle of the pizza won't be gooey or uncooked, because the frying pan does a good job of heating the whole crust!

Enjoy!
-Sema

Easy Gluten-free Nacho Dinner

The holidays are a time of shopping-frenzies, so time may be limited when it comes to cooking! That's why quick-fix dinners are the way to go :)! The other day I made nachos, adding a little twist to the usual nachos and cheese dinner. I don't exactly know how much of each ingredient I used in the dish, because I ended up just using whatever I had laying around! The good thing with nachos is that you can as much of an ingredient as you want.

Ingredients
Black olives (I chopped up some from a pan.)
Gluten-free tortilla chips
Shredded cheese
Chopped onions
Chopped lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped garlic
Sour cream
Optional: fry some ground beef in a pan, you can add some taco seasoning if you'd like.

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Bake the tortilla chips and the cheese until the cheese has melted.
3. Add all the other ingredients on top.

Voila!
You have an easy dinner that is more than just nachos and cheese!

Enjoy!
-Sema

Easy Gluten-free Squash Soup!

'Tis the season for squash and soup, so therefor I have a delicious squash soup recipe for you guys (a special thanks to my dad for it)! I mean, what's better than a bowl of soup on a cold day? The awesome part about this recipe is that you don't need that many ingredients in it!

Ingredients
 2 cups milk
1 can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
4 cups squash

Procedure
1. In a pot, cover the squash completely with water.
2. Boil the squash until it's tender.
3. Add the coconut milk, curry powder, and milk.
4. Mix the ingredients together with a hand blender.
5. Heat it on the stove until it's boiling. Once it has boiled, turn it off.

Add one spoon of sour cream and a little bit cilantro, and voila, you have a delicious squash soup!!

Check out my guest post on CeliacCorner, "Living as a Teen with Celiac Disease":)!
I am also Delight Magazine's gluten-free blogger of the week!

Enjoy!

-Sema