Friday, December 25, 2009

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!


No recipes today... Happy Nameday to all the Christina's, Christos', Christiana's, and Christian's out there (and forgive me if I forgot anyone). Our gifts for the boys ranged from purple vestments to plastic swords to Star Wars! Noting like variety in our home:)








Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Have a wonderful feastday... from our family to yours...

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies and other Nativity Treats:)

Artoklassia is on its last rising so we are going to make GF Sugar Cookies.
Here is the Arto. recipe. Alas, it is not gluten free.  I do not think that would go over well (as the priest says something about this offering of wheat, wine and oil in the service).  That is ok with me.  It is blessed and at least Big P and I will eat it (little p is not on a gf diet and DH actually has celiac's so he will not eat it).
Here is the GF Sugar Cookie recipe. I made it two days ago so it is ready to be rolled and cut into cute Christmas shapes:)
Here is the Ginger Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe.  I make it GF by using GF ginger snaps.  I am normally sugar free, but have saved up all my not-eating-sugar-bonus points for a slice of this cheesecake on Christmas day (and I find that by not eating sugar, all I really can handle is a small slice and I am happy:)  And, yes, it is on the flylady site.  Many years ago I was a member of flylady and it did help me to get undercontrol but I didn't like receiving so many emails.  So once I felt like I had a schedule, I stopped being a member of the flylady world.  And the things I like, I still do and that's fine with me!  And this recipe is amazing.
Granma's Famous Meatballs... wait a minute... family- should I post granma's famous meatball recipe?!?  I don't think it's a secret...

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Brazilian Shrimp Stew and Coconut Rice

This is an amazing lenten recipe.  Go to this website for the recipe.  The coconut milk makes it so creamy that you do not even realize that you are not eating milk! 

Coconut Rice is here.  It is an unsoaked brown rice recipe.  The only thing that I do different is use 2 Tbs. margarine and 2 Tbs. olive oil.  Oh, and I just skip the whole cardamom pod thing and the saffron.

I will try to post the gluten free pizza crust recipe soon.

Until then, have a great evening (I am, in addition to making dinner, making 2 loaves of prosfora for Christmas Eve Liturgy because tomorrow I will be making Artoklassia for Christmas Eve Liturgy- our liturgy is really Christmas morning because Orthros is at 11pm and Liturgy is at midnight:)  The boys helped with the prosfora!

You know you are nearing the end of a fasting period...

when you have soy cheese pizza for dinner!  I made two pizzas (one for the kids and one for the adults- we had LOTS of veggies on our pizza).  I made a gluten free crust (I finally feel like I do not need to fear the GF pizza crust)- well, actually made two GF crusts.  This is really the only time we use soy in our home.  I am not a fan of soy but DH likes to have soy cheese pizza at least once during a fasting period.  So there you have it.  I may post the crust recipe (it, too, is lenten) but I also am heading over to mom and dads because my uncle is going to be over for a short visit.  And we get to see him maybe once a year (although this year he came to the family reuinion in June).

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Falafel, Juddrah, and Hummus

This is what we call Middle Eastern Night in our home.  I used to buy the falafel mix but most of them contain wheat (and other things).  So when DH was diagnosed with Celiac's I thought that we would never have Falafel again!  But I found and adapted a recipe for us that does not contain wheat!  Yay!  And these are the best tasting falafel I have ever made (stop making those just add water mixes right now and go make this falafel).  It does take more work and planning (soaking the beans at least two days ahead of time).

Falafel
2 cups garbanzos
water
4 Tbs whey or lemon juice
4 large cloves garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup oil

So the 2 cups garbanzos, water, and whey/lemon juice is for the soaking of the beans.  You soak these beans twice (2 Tbs. whey/lemon juice for the first soak and 2 Tbs for the second soak).

After you have your soaked/rinsed beans either make the falafel or put the beans in a freezer bag or container and put in freezer.  I will do this a lot (esp. during fasts) so that I know I have beans on hand.

I use my food processor for this job.  Add 1/2 the garbanzos to food processor.  Add 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 tsp. of each of the spices.  Do not add oil (that is for cooking).  Pulse until reduced to a coarse paste.  The mixture should be finely ground enough to form into a ball (and then flatten - that's how I make my falafel) and hold its shape but it does not need to be entirely smooth. Dump falafel mixture into a bowl and repeat with the rest of the garbanzos and spices.  Mix the two batches together, cover, and put in refrigerator for 1 hour.  Form into patties and cook in oil.  Serve with hummus and sliced veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc).  We do not use pita bread (does anyone have a gluten free pita bread recipe?)  I have read to serve with corn tortillas but that just doesn't sound appealing to me.  So we just dip our falafel into the hummus and eat with the veggies. 

Juddrah
Sometimes I will also make juddrah as the side dish (although, this ends up being a lot of beans eaten in one sitting).  You can soak your lentils, just not as long as the other beans...
to soak lentils... put amount of lentils you will need for recipe into a bowl, cover with warm water and stir in 2 Tbs. whey or lemon juice.  Let sit for 6 or 7 hours then drain and rinse and continue with your recipe.  I suggest initially decreasing the water that you cook with and adding later as you cook because the soaked lentils can and will cook faster with less water.  Just keep an eye on it:)

Back to the Juddrah...
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups water (but use less if using soaked lentils)
2-3 large onions chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup uncooked rice (if you use cooked rice, use less water)
1 Tbs. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Chop onions.  Heat oil in pan.  Add onions. Saute until carmelized/almost burnt.  Add water, lentils, and rice.  Cover and cook (ok, I usually use brown rice and it will take longer than 20-25 minutes but I don't remember how long) until rice and lentils are cooked, stirring occasionally.  Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Hummus
So I tried this once with soaked garbanzos and it just wasn't smooth enough for my family (and, hey, my boys will eat hummus so why mess with a good thing, right?)
1 can garbanzo beans, reserve juice
1 1/4 tsp. tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, minced (I usually use at least 2)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs olive oil (optional)

Heat beans over medium heat until they come to a boil.  I use a slotted spoon to remove the beans (put beans into a bowl) and reserve the juice.  Add the next 4 ingredients to the beans.  Now, add about 1/2 the reserved juice (more if you like a runnier hummus, less if you like a pastier hummus).  I have this milk shake attachment to a hand chopper (electric) that I use to mix the hummus but I have also done this in a blender.  Blend until creamy and very smooth.  Serve with vegetables, tortilla chips, rice crackers.

Again, my sister is in town from Russia and we have been spending lots of time with them.  Last night I did make Ratatouille and will hopefully post the recipe in the next few days.  Today I have an intimate wedding shower in the morning and my niece's 1st birthday party/open house to see my sister in the afternoon.  So it is a busy day!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Topsy Turvy Meals...UPDATED with Links!!!

Sunday night was ended up having leftover pasta and red pepper sauce (from Friday night's dinner).  Monday night we had leftover pasta with marinara sauce (I had some in the freezer).  So tonight will be the Baja Fresh night (yay) with Katie's rice.  Tomorrow we are doing falafal, juddrah, and hummus (get ready for the falafel).  And Thursday we are going to have my parents and my sister and her children over for dinner before Big P and little p's school nativity program performance.  For that crowd (of nine people) I am going to make the good old standby of Lentil Soup (and because my dad is super picky about eating cooked vegetables... he won't even eat cooked tomatoes (like diced tomatoes- he's fine with tomato sauce) or cooked onions!  So to please my dad we will have lentil soup.  And maybe some leftover falafel and hummus for those that want it!

The next 10 days of meals might be a whirlwind with my sister here from Russia (as in, we might be eating at my parents home a lot).  Hopefully I will get to try some of the recipes that I have marked for the next 10 days of the fast.  We shall see...

Thanks for reading and for following me on this journey of discovering new recipes for Gluten Free Fasting in the Orthodox Church:)

Update:  go here to enter to "The Christmas Shoes" movie giveaway!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Dinner Saturday and Sunday Night...

Saturday was the last Fish day before Christmas so we had our favorite Salmon recipe with our favorite french fry recipe and Greek Salad minus feta (and I am not planning on eating fish for Christmas).  And, we had my mom and dad over because it is my birthday on Monday (we try to have my birthday on the last fish day so that we can have fish and not Lentil soup or something like it).  It was a fun night and we played Apples to Apples with my parents.

Tonight we are having Baja Fresh for dinner with Black Beans instead of my homemade refried beans (I did soak the black beans and made them myself but I am not going to mash them like in refried beans).  And I am going to try Katie's suggestion for the Baja Fresh style of rice.  Tomorrow night (monday) is Cub Scout Christmas party (they are having pizza- not sure what we are having).

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Penne with Sweet Pepper and Tomato Sauce AND Garbanzo soaking day 2

I made a double batch of tonight (really last nights) dinner because I went to my mom's group Christmas Party Potluck and White Elephant Gift Exchange.  Had lots of fun, came home way too late (and I was maybe the second person to leave!).

This recipe I am posting here is for a single batch (4 to 6 servings)
2 1/2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes- you choose how much work you would like to put into this dinner)
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes or to taste (ok- does anyone actually own a 1/8 tsp?)
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. fresh chopped basil
2-3 Tbs. veggie broth or water
1 lb pasta (I used gluten free pasta)
1/2 tsp. coarse salt

heat the oil over medium heat.  add onion and cook until very tender, about 15 minutes.  add garlic and cook until onion begins to carmelize (I love love love carmelized onions). add tomatoes, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, bring to a boil.  reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the red pepper is very soft (about 15-20 minutes).  Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  return mixture to skillet and stir in basil.  reheat over low and add veggie broth or water as needed to make a smooth sauce. 

cook pasta according to package.  transfer to large bowl and toss with the sauce and coarse salt.

DH walked in the door as I was preparing to "blend" the sauce.  And he was aghast.  Why would you blend something that looked so good and chunky (remember, he does not like blended foods- see the garlic potato soup recipe).  So I partially blended the sauce.  This is delicious.  A winner to everyone but Big P.

Garbanzo soaking day 2.
drain water off of 1 day soaked garbanzo beans (no need to rinse).
add 2 Tbs. whey or lemon juice
fill with hot water
cover and let sit for another 24 hours.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Getting ready for falafel...

So if you would like to join me in making falafel at some point in the next few weeks get soakin' (your garbanzo beans, that is).

2 cups dried garbanzo beans
2 Tbs. whey or lemon juice
hot water

put garbanzo beans in bowl.  mix in whey or lemon juice.  add water.  cover and let sit over night.  repeat for another 24 hours.  rinse, drain, and store in the freezer for falafel day (coming soon, to this blog).

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Cashew Vegetables (with optional shrimp)

I added shrimp to this recipe...

1 cup white or jasmine rice, cooked to directions on package (I used soaked brown rice, go here for directions)
1 lb broccoli tops, separated into small florets
1 Tbs. oil (I used coconut oil)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup snow pease
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 can baby corn (I opted to leave out the baby corn)
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce (I found Gluten Free hoisin sauce)
3 Tbs. duck sauce (I left out the duck sauce b/c the duck sauce I found either had wheat in it or was made with corn syrup so instead I used Gluten Free soy sauce).
1/4 unsalted cashews
salt to taste
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

The recipe suggests cooking the broccoli before stir frying it but I have never done that when making stir fry so I skipped that step and went right into...
Heat a skillet or wok over high heat.  Add oil and onions.  Cook 1-2 minutes then add broccoli, snow peas, bell pepper and baby corn (which I did not add).  Stir fry for 3-4 minutes (at this point I removed the veggies, added more oil, and stir fried the shrimp then continue) add hoisin sauce and duck sauce (or soy sauce) and veggies to pan and toss until everything is evenly coated.  Remove from heat and toss with cashews.  Season with salt and crushed red pepper if you like it spicy (DH added crushed red pepper to his).  Serve over hot rice.

DH says this is a keeper.  Even with all the changes that I made:)  I liked the flavor from the hoisin sauce (and I like that I found the gluten free hoisin sauce).  I may just have to keep that in stock in my refrigerator!  The boys are always more difficult to please (the are still eating dinner right now).

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Potato Casserole

This is one of those recipes that you can probably add a whole lot of different "stuff" to and make it great every time. 

2 cups canned tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
3 onions thinly sliced (I think I used one onion)
1 clove garlic, minced (I used two)
4 Tbs. parsley, chopped
1 Tbs. mint, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4-6 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 peppers cut in 2 in. pieces
1 zucchini thinly sliced

I actually just chopped everything and mixed it well in a large bowl and then dumped it into an oven proof dish with lid (I have one of those super nice dutch ovens from Martha Stewart (what are they called, katherine?)) rather than layering each veggie (potatoes then tomato mixed with spices then zucchini then peppers and repeat).  Bake covered 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook until vegetables are tender. 

I can see adding green beans or summer squash or, for those who like eggplant it could go well in it. 

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Salmon with oven potatoes instead of garlic mashed potatoes...

Turns out I didn't have enough of the right type of potato to do the garlic mashed potatoes (doh!) so I just did the oven potatoes with unpeeled red potatoes.  No complaints about this dinner!  And I do stick with the same salmon recipe only because the times that I have ventured out and cooked salmon a little bit different are the times my children then will not eat dinner that night.  We like this recipe and I feel like we mix it up enough with other types of fish that it's ok to eat salmon cooked the same way (except in the summer... we do cook the salmon on cedar planks on the bbq... you know, it's "only" 20 degrees outside, DH should really have bbg'ed this evening:)  Go here for our salmon dinner recipe.

Hey, is it colder here than in Moscow?  I need to look into that...

Monday, December 07, 2009

One thing I have noticed...

is that trying out all these great, new recipes is awesome and we are finding some keepers.  Most times, in  my everyday cooking, I will double something and then freeze it so that we have lunches ready and waiting for the next few days and/or weeks.  With these new recipes, I am not doubling (because who wants double of something that you don't like... remember the spinach, potato, garbanzo fiasco a few weeks ago?!?).  So, for tonight's dinner (and I do have DH's thumbs up for this one) I am making a double pot of lentil soup.  We are completely out of soups in the freezer for lunches in the coming weeks (and almost everyday I am eating lunch at school with either Big P or little p because of the distance and that I pick up little p at 12:30pm).  I posted the lentil soup recipe a few weeks ago.  I like it.  In fact I like it so much that I used to ask for it on my birthday growing up!  Yeah, I know, I am a little strange. 

And tonight is Cub Scout night.  It's the kind of night where you need something easy to make.  Stay tuned for tomorrow night's salmon with garlic mashed potatoes!!!

Sunday, December 06, 2009

No Dinner post tonight...

because we are going over to some friends (see yesterday's post).

I am bringing gluten free chocolate chip cookies made with almond flour (and they are vegan!).

You can find the recipe here.  I own her cookbook and it has the recipe in it (but I also found it online for you all:).  Instead of grapeseed oil I used coconut oil and instead of agave nectar I used honey.  Yum!

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!!!

Saturday, December 05, 2009

No dinner tonight...

Sort of just kidding with the title of this post.  I am not making dinner tonight.  We went to Vesper's at St Nicholas this evening and they had some food there and we are now eating leftovers.  Tomorrow we are going to some friends for dinner (we do this Supper for Six thing in our parish where three couples are grouped together and do three dinners together so that's what we are doing tomorrow night).  I'm supposed to bring dessert.  I need to figure out something that's lenten and gluten free.  Maybe I will post it for you:)  Good night... hope St. Nicholas leaves something yummy in your shoe!

Friday, December 04, 2009

"Olive" Garden Pasta

This is what DH dubbed our dinner tonight (it's really only garden pasta).  He thought that it tasted like something from the Olive Garden. So, from now on, we will call this "Olive" Garden Pasta!

"Olive" Garden Pasta
2 Tbs Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic minced (I LOVE when a recipe calls for lots of garlic)
1 medium zucchini, finely diced (ok, I just cut it in quarters the long way and then sliced it)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped (see note on zucchini)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup veggie broth
1 28oz can diced tomatoes (I actually only used 1 14 oz can b/c that seemed like a lot of tomatoes)
salt and pepper to taste
Parsley
1 pound pasta cooked (we used gluten free)

Heat a deep skillet or pot over medium heat (I actually used my wok for this- my stock pot lid fits on my wok). Add oil and garlic and saute until the garlic sizzles.  Add zucchini, onion, carrot, and bay leaf. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until zucchini is tender and onion is translucent. Remove cover, add broth. Stir, add tomatoes, salt and pepper and parsley (I had dried parsley and I just shook some into the sauce).  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve. 

So this was super yummy and I thought of adding broccoli and I am kind of glad that I didn't- this was just fine.  Oh, wait, I did add something.  A splash of red wine.  I can't make a tomato sauce for pasta without adding red wine so I did add that splash of red wine. When I asked DH what you would change/add to tonights dinner he said, "more of it."  I actually think we do not have leftovers of this! 

Finally, last night's dinner...

Unsoaked Rice
2 cups long grain brown rice
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 cups broth (the recipe calls for chicken broth- I used 1/2 veggie broth and 1/2 water)
1/2 tsp. salt

Melt butter and olive oil in pan.  Add rice.  Saute rice.  Add liquid and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce flame to lowest heat and cover tightly.  Cook for 40 minutes (ok the recipe says 1 1/2 hours.  We have a gas stove and my "lowest:" heat setting is still a pretty hard boil so it has never taken me 1 1/2 hours to cook rice- and if I left it on the stove that long I would end up with burnt rice).

Fish Tacos
1 lb fresh or frozen fish (I used tilapia- cod would be good)
2 Tbs. margarine or butter melted
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lime juice (or lemon juice)
corn tortillas
Salsa, guacamole, whatever you like to put on your fish tacos (except none of that yogurt/sourcream dressing because we are fasting).

Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels.Place fish in a single layer in greased shallow baking pan. Combine margarine/butter, cumin, garlic and lime (I actually used more lime because I love lime).  Brush over fish.  Bake in a 450 degree oven 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Warm tortillas in the oven by wrapping in foil and placing in oven for about 5 minutes.

We also had the red kidney bean dip recipe that my sister, Katherine, had suggested.  I happened to have some already soaked/cooked red kidney beans in the freezer:)

This dinner, though a lot of work (isn't taco night, even with meat, a lot of work?  All those little add-ons to prepare and kind of a pain to make sure everything is done at exactly the same time so that all your foods are hot) is kind of worth it in the end:)  Fish Tacos also take us back to when we first met, through Project Mexico.  We did spend quite a bit of time at the fish taco place in Rosarito when we had time off from working.  DH tried to explain to Big P that we met in Mexico working at an orphanage and that we went out for fish tacos all the time- I don't think Big P quite got it all.  And I do think my home made fish tacos are better than the fried fish and mayonnaise on a tortilla that we would get at the taco shop.

Not dinner recipes, yet...

Here is a link to sign up for the online newsletter from our school.  It is different from what you might receive in the mail.  I am just going to cut and paste what I received in my email inbox today.  I will see if they can post it as a pdf on their main site so you can preview this beautiful newsletter. 

(ten minutes later...)  ok so I can't cut and paste it into blogger.  Take my word for it, it is beautiful.  If you would like me to forward the email to you, please leave me a comment and your email address (be sneaky about leaving your email address) and I will forward it to you!

UPDATE:  try going here to view the newsletter before signing up!

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Fish Tacos, Kidney Bean dip, Brown rice, and toppings...

So that was dinner tonight. And I am actually a bit tired right now and will probably not post the recipes (although the kidney bean dip I posted a few days ago- a suggestion from my sister).

I will say that it was a delicious meal (I did the Nourishing Traditions non-soaked brown rice) although I did miss having some type of sour cream/yogurt sauce on my fish:)

Tomorrow, busy day. At school in the morning to make St. Nicholas cookies for the children (for Sunday school and for Agia Sophia Academy). Hopefully I will have some time tomorrow afternoon to post tonight's dinner recipe. Saturday, another busy day... I'm helping to lead a prosfora baking workshop (the bread that we use for Holy Communion) in the morning.

Big P and papa are "Scouting for Food" on Saturday morning. little p will probably be with yiayia and pappous. So, if a Cub Scout or Boy Scout comes to your door on Saturday and asks for canned food for the hungry, please, think of my Big P out their collecting food, and give to that scout. Thanks:)

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Bouillabaisse of Spinach, Potatoes, Garbanzos, and Saffron

This is our first "yuck" recipe (I don't count when Big P says "yuck") since the beginning. Not bad!

I have decided that I just don't like cooked spinach. Well, I liked cooked spinach in eggs or brownies or lasagna, but not in a soup.

But I will share the recipe...

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound spinach or 1 10 oz bag fresh spinach cut into 1/4 in. strips
1 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes, unpeeped, cut into 1 in. pieces
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp powdered saffron or 1/2 tsp curry powder or to taste
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (i actually did use canned beans... I have not had much luck soaking and cooking garbanzo beans- I do fine when I soak them for falafel (which I will post in a few weeks) but when I have had to add them to soup it seems as if I never cook them long enough)
4 thick slices peasant style bread (optional- we did not use the bread).

in a medium pot, heat the oil add the onion and cook until lightly browned. add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. add the broth and wine; bring to a boil over high heat. add half the spinach, the potatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Return to boil. reduce heat to medium boil and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender (15 minutes)
Stir in the saffron. add garbanzos and remaining spinach, stirring well to combine. bring to a boil over high heat. immediately remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 3 minutes. remove bay leaf. serve (over bread if you choose).

So... it looked like a real good soup with the potatoes and beans and spinach. Except I think I don't really like cooked spinach (I know I already said that). DH thought it was bland. More saffroon? Should have gone with the curry? I do love curry. And I do agree with him. It was bland. But it also was a lot of wilted spinach. On potatoes. In a bland soup. Have I made my point? Maybe YOU like cooked spinach. I LOVE raw spinach- I love spinach salads so it's not an anti spinach thing- and I like kale- maybe I should have used kale? Kale holds it's form better, it tends to be somewhat bitter, but that would be an improvement to, uhm, bland, right?

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Stir Fried Shrimp and Broccoli (and a question)...

1 lb. shrimp (you decide if you want fresh, frozen, cooked, uncooked, tail-on, tail-off)
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
3 Tbs. soy sauce (we use wheat free soy sauce)
3 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. corn starch
1 1/2 tsp. sugar (or substitute of your choice)
1 Tbs. oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 cup thinly bias sliced carrots
1 small onion, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional- ok, not really, but I do not like mushrooms. There, I said it, a food that I will not eat. They taste like dirt to me)
2 cups hot cooked rice (as opposed to two cups cold, uncooked rice)

Do whatever you need to do with your shrimp (you could also use scallops, if you wanted to). Set aside. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, water, cornstarch, and sugar, set aside
Heat oil in wok or large skillet. Stif fry the garlic for 15 seconds. add broccoli, carrots, and onion. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until all the veggies are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from wok with slotted spoon. Add vinegar mix to wok and bring to boil. Add shrimp or scallops and cook until shrimp turn pink or scallops are opaque. Stir in veggies, heat through. Serve over rice.

We love this. Except Big P. But he's tough to please.

Question- I need to purchase hoisin sauce and duck sauce. Is there a wheat free version of hoisin sauce? Where do I find it? and what is duck sauce and where do I find that?
Thanks (I realize I could "goodsearch.com" it and raise money for our school, but I thought I would start a dialogue with my readers:)