Salt Lake Restaurants

We just got back from our 10th anniversary weekend away.  We spent the weekend in Salt Lake City and I thought I'd share where we ate, just in case you ever go there and need a restaurant idea.

Our first stop was the Red Iguana, the original one (there's a few locations now).  They have a gluten-free menu that makes it so much easier to order.  I got the carne asada soft tacos...and can I just say that their corn tortillas are the best I've ever had, they were sooo good! If you're like me (dairy intolerant) just remember to ask for no cheese on the refried beans.

Our next stop was Mekong Cafe (7725 S State St, SLC, UT).  It's a tiny family owned Thai restaurant.  We shared the chicken satay, and then I had the red curry salmon.  It was one of the best Thai curry sauces I've ever had...so worth the drive across town.

We slept in really late the next morning, so by the time we left the hotel it was about lunchtime.  So, we went to my hubby's favorite burger place: Five Guys.  Why I love this place is that the menu is incredibly simple.  They serve burgers and fries.  The fries are safe, because that's the only thing that goes in the fryer.  The burgers are safe, when you order them protein style, in a lettuce wrap.  And they are really good about changing their gloves and making sure the work area is clean before making the burger. I ordered a little bacon burger in a lettuce wrap. I was going to bring my own bun...but the buns were forgotten in our freezer at home, and you know what, the burger was fantastic without them.

We were checking out City Creek, the new shopping center downtown, around dinnertime, so we decided to really spurge on dinner and had it at the Texas de Brazil Churrascaria.  It's a Brazilian steakhouse.  They have a salad/side dish buffet...which can be scary, but they keep it clean and well maintained.  And then they come around to the tables with the meat, and they keep coming until you tell them to stop.  So, we definitely did not leave hungry that night.  The great thing about that place was I mentioned my food issues to the server when we sat down and he pulled out a list from his pocket that let me know everything that was and wasn't safe...it was my cheat sheet and I used it.  All of there meats are gluten free and most of their buffet was, too (just the obvious things like croutons and such had gluten).  The only meats that had dairy were the chicken wings and the Parmesan pork...so I had plenty of options.  And on top of that their limeade is dairy-free...I know that should be a given, but the other Brazilian restaurants we've been to have added sweetened condensed milk to their limeades, so it was nice to actually be able to enjoy a limeade this time.

The next morning we enjoyed a late breakfast at the Little America.  Their steakhouse does a breakfast buffet, and yes, buffets are scary, but they had theirs laid out in a way that I didn't have to worry about cross contamination.  All of the gluteny things were in an entirely different section then the bacon, potatoes and eggs.  And then they had a whole section of fresh fruit, so I was definitely set and my husband was happy that he could eat whatever he wanted for breakfast.

Since breakfast was late, we didn't eat again until dinner and we went to one of my favorites: Red Robin.  I love them, because they carry Udi's buns and I can enjoy a really fantastic burger on a fantastic bun. I had my favorite the guacamole bacon burger without the cheese.

So, there's a few restaurants that were quite successful for me in my Salt Lake adventure.

Weekly Menu (5/27/12-6/2/12)

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We're out of town enjoying our 10th anniversary...so, my brother picked up the  Bountiful Basket, so I'm not sure what we have yet, but we'll definitely be using all the produce as our side dishes and such.

This week for breakfast: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Waffles (we still have a few in the freezer) and Cereal for the kids, and Homemade Yogurt (I'll be making a batch on Monday) with Udi's granola or Overnight Oats for me.

This week for school lunch: (last day of school is Thursday, then my older son will be joining my younger son at daycare) 

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
• Fruit (bananas probably)
• Chips
• Fruit Snacks
• Milk

This week for dinner: 

Sunday: 

• We'll still be out of town, so it'll be somewhere out to eat...maybe Red Robin (I really love their gaucomole burger, minus the cheese, on an Udi's bun).

Monday: 

• Grilled Sausages on Udi's Buns
• Roasted Red Potatoes 
• Carrot sticks and Almond Butter
• Sliced fruit

Tuesday:

• Tacos (beef ones for the boys and hubby, fish ones for me)
• Salad
• Fruit Salad

Wednesday:

• Sweet Pork on corn tortillas
• Black beans and rice
• Salad

Thursday: (Hubby is leaving town and won't be back until Monday...we'll see how I am with cooking when he's gone)

• Pancakes
• Bacon
• Mixed berries

Friday: 

• Chicken Nuggets for the kids
• Shrimp Pad Thai for me (I'll offer to the kids, but I'm guessing I'll be the one eating it)
• Carrot and celery sticks with almond butter

Saturday:

• Pizza
• Salad
• Fruit Salad

Graham Crackers

What if I told you that graham crackers are one of the easiest things to make?  Would you believe me?  Well, they are!  I have made them two nights in a row to give you two options for your sugar and both ways are easy and quite tasty.  In fact we used them to make smores last night and they were absolutely fantastic! 

Now, I love my honey, so the first version uses straight honey as the sweetener.  For those of you that are not huge into honey, I have a second version that uses equal parts brown sugar and honey to tone down the honey taste just a little, but still give it that Honey Graham taste that I love.

Honey Graham Crackers (Refined Sugar-Free Version)

1 cup GF flour blend

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine

1/4 cup honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients.  In a saucepan melt together the margarine and honey.  Pour the honey into the dry ingredients and mix together with a spoon, then knead with your hands until the dough is nice and smooth.

Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper (makes for easier clean up) to 1/8" thickness and cut out your crackers with a pizza cutter.  Place the crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet and poke them with a fork.

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then finish cooling on a wire cooling rack.

Graham Crackers (Brown Sugar and Honey Version)

1 cup GF flour blend

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients.  In a saucepan melt together the margarine, brown sugar and honey.  Pour the wet ingredients (including the tablespoon of water) into the dry ingredients and mix together with a spoon, then knead with your hands until the dough is nice and smooth.

Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper (makes for easier clean up) to 1/8" thickness and cut out your crackers with a pizza cutter.  Place the crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet and poke them with a fork.

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then finish cooling on a wire cooling rack.

Weekly Menu (5/20/12-5/26/12)

This week in our Bountiful Basket we got:

• green bell peppers 
• tomatoes
• cauliflower 
• carrots
• cucumber
• corn on the cob 
• honeydew
• apricots
• red pears
• blackberries
• bananas

I also have spinach, potatoes, baby carrots and lettuce left from last week.

This week for breakfast: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Waffles (we still have a few in the freezer) and Cereal for the kids, and Homemade Yogurt with sliced fruit (bananas, blackberries, or apricots) or Overnight Oats for me.

This week for school lunch:  

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
• Fruit (bananas probably)
• Chips
• Fruit Snacks
• Milk

This week for dinner: 

Sunday: 

• Hamburgers (we were supposed to have this last Friday and I got glutened that day at a restaurant, and was pretty sick, so my family ate sandwiches while I laid in bed...so, we are having the burgers tonight)
• Topped with Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Spinach
• We are also going to try out the new Daiya Cheese Jack Style Wedge on the burgers
• Roasted Red potatoes and Cauliflower
• Corn on the Cob

Monday: 

• Chili 
• Baked Potatoes 
• Carrot sticks and Almond Butter
• Honeydew

Tuesday:

• Tamales and Taquitos
• Black beans and rice
• Nachos
• Salad

Wednesday:

• Teriyaki Chicken (using Coconut Aminos)
• Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce (I'm using cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and rice vermicilli noodles in the rice wrappers)
• Basmati Rice

Thursday: (It's our 10th wedding annivesary!  We'll be celebrating over the weekend)

• One-eyed sandwiches
• Bacon
• Sliced Pears and Apricots

The Weekend:  (The hubby and I are going down to Salt Lake for the weekend, our boys are spending the weekend with Grandma)

For the hubs and I, here are a few of the places we are thinking of going to:

• The Red Iguana (they have a gluten-free menu if you ask for it, and will help you navigate through it)
• Five Guys (this is my husband's favorite burger joint, and the simple menu makes it easy for me to eat there, the fries are gluten-free, and I will either bring my own bun or have my burger protein style)
• Applebees (we have a gift card there)
• I also plan on having plenty of snacks, and hitting up grocery stores while we are there.

For the kids, I'm sure grandma will spoil them with their favorites: peanut butter sandwiches, nachos, hot dogs, etc. and I think she's also planning on taking them out to Red Robin and/or Chick-fil-a.

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Happy Mother's Day, and a post to honor my Grandmas

Happy Mother's Day everyone!  I hope it's been a wonderful day.  Flip Cookbook is hosting this month's 'Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free' event and the theme is: From Mom's Recipe Box.  I decided to modify it and do recipes from my grandmas' recipe boxes and honor them.

I've been reminiscing a lot lately on childhood memories with my two wonderful Grandmas.  With each of these memories, comes memories of the food they would make us.  Every, or at least nearly every Sunday we went to my Dad's parents' house.  And pretty much everytime we went, my grandparents had homemade treats for us.  My grandpa always got credit for giving us rootbeer floats (even though, technically Grandma did all the work), but all credit goes to Grandma for the rest of the treats.
 

My grandpa was and still is a beekeeper.  And that hobby yield some very delicious honey, even now when I smell honey or anything with honey in it, I think of them.  My very favorite treat that my grandma made was her honey popcorn balls, she never used a recipe, so they always seemed a little different each time.  But the honey was always the star and it was pure comfort food.  So, this first recipe is for my Grandma Nay, because I always think of you when there's honey involved. <3

Peanut Butter and Honey Popcorn Balls
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-5 qts popped popcorn

Directions
In a heavy saucepan mix together the honey, peanut butter and salt.  Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook for 30-60 seconds while stirring constantly. (Watch very closely because it can burn very quickly). Remove from heat and pour over the popcorn, toss to evenly cover the popcorn and let it cool for a couple of minutes then form into balls.

This recipe is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

My Mom's mom was a fiery red-head with the biggest heart I know.  She spoiled us grandkids rotten, just like a grandma should. She made these cheesy potatoes that I'm sure the rest of Utah would know as Funeral Potatoes, but we called Grandma Potatoes.  They were always the best when she made them and she made them for every family gathering.  She past away a couple of years ago and I miss her fiercely, but I can recall all of the happy memories as these modified Grandma Potatoes bake in my house filling my home with the familar smells of my Grandma house. I love you, Grandma Davidson, and this one is for you! <3

Grandma Potatoes
(or Funeral Potatoes or Cheesy Potato Casserole...depending on where you live)
adapted from here
8-10 medium russet potatoes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup millet flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use Imagine brand low-sodium)
1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon poulty seasoning
2 cups Daiya cheddar style shreds
1/2 cup dairy-free yogurt cheese
1/2 teaspoon vinegar

Topping:
2 cups Corn Chex, crushed
2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, melted

Directions:

Boil the potatoes in a large pot, until fork tender.  Allow them to cool, then peel and grate the potatoes. 

In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened, about 5-6 minutes.  Stir in the millet flour and cook, stirring constantly, for another 30-60 seconds.

Combine the chicken broth and the coconut milk and slowly whisk it into the flour mixture.  Add the salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened slightly.  It should take about 5 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the Daiya cheese until smooth. Fold in the potatoes, until the mixture is well combined.  Add the vinegar to the yogurt cheese and stir that into the potato mixture.

In a medium bowl combine the corn chex and the melted margarine until evenly combined.  Spoon the potato mixture into a 9x13 baking pan, smoothing the top.  Top with the buttered corn chex.  Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes (45 minutes, if you prepped beforehand and stored the potatoes in the fridge before baking them).

This recipe is featured on Make it Gluten Free Tuesdays.

Weekly Menu (5/13/12-5/19/12)

This week in our Bountiful Basket we got:

• spinach
• tomatoes
• avocados
• red potatoes
• pineapple
• apricots
• mango
• blackberries
• bananas
• apples

I also have baby carrots and lettuce left from last week.

This week for breakfast: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Waffles (we still have a few in the freezer) and Cereal for the kids, and Homemade Yogurt with sliced fruit (bananas, blackberries, mango, apricots, or pineapple) or Overnight Oats for me.

This week for school lunch:  

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
• Fruit (bananas or apple slices)
• Chips
• Fruit Snacks
• Milk

This week for dinner: 

Sunday (Happy Mother's Day!  A special Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, my Mother-in-Law and my Grandma! Love you!!!)

• Roasted Chicken
• Potatoes and Carrots
• Corn
• Dinner Rolls

Monday: 

• Chicken and Green Chile Gorditas (using the rest of the chicken from sunday)
• topped with tomatoes, spinach, and avocados
• Carrot sticks
• Pineapple slices

Tuesday:

• Tamales
• Black beans and rice
• Nachos
• Salad
• pineapple and mango salad

Wednesday:

• Spaghetti
• Spinach salad
• Breadsticks

Thursday:

• Pancakes
• Sausage
• Scrambled Eggs
• Apple slices

Friday: 

• Hamburgers
• Roasted Potatoes
• Salad
• Carrots and Almond Butter

Saturday: I am an Udi's community ambassador and will be going to Salt Lake to represent them at the downtown Smith's Marketplace for a huge gluten-free day that they are doing...I'm going to be completely honest, I know I will be tired and not want to make dinner when I come home. ;)

• Juniper Take-out

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Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

So, this was my second strawberry baking experiment, at first I wasn't sure about the texture of the cupcakes...they are more like a sponge cake then a regular cupcake.  But, once they fully cooled they were much better.  So, let the cupcakes cool!  

This month is Celiac Awareness Month and the American Celiac Disease Alliance is hosting 'Cupcakes for a Cause' to help raise awareness.  We are supposed to share a photo of our cupcakes with the number of cupcakes the number of years we've been gluten free. I've been gluten free for just over 1 1/2 years (so have my boys):

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

2 cups GF flour blend
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup strawberry puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water

Line muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. Preheat oven to 375F.  In a mixing bowl combine the flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.  In a separate bowl combine the strawberry puree, oil, vanilla, lemon zest, and water (not the lemon juice)  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add in the lemon juice and mix.  The mixture will expand.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and cook at 375F for ~20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

Strawberry Lemonade Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup strawberry puree
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and use to top cupcakes.

Salsa Verde

This weekend I got a Mexican veggie pack from Bountiful Baskets, and knew I had to make some salsa verde.  I learned this recipe at a cooking class and it's been by far my favorite recipe for tomatillo sauces and salsas.

Salsa Verde
~15 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 jalapenos (unless you have really small ones, then use 3), halved and seeded
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
 
Place the tomatillos and jalapenos on a pan and broil them on high heat for about 6-8 minutes, turning every few minutes, until blistered and blackened (at least starting to blacken).

Remove from broiler and roughly chop the tomatillos. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you reach your desired consistency.

Fresh Strawberry Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream

I bought 8 pounds of strawberries this weekend and had quite a bit of fun in the kitchen with them.  I used about half of them to make some freezer jam and we ate a bunch straight up, but I had plenty of them left to make some desserts with them.  Fresh Strawberry Pie is one of my favorites and I was very, very happy with how well the coconut whipped cream turned out (even my hubby, who is not a coconut fan, ate it).

  
Fresh Strawberry Pie
(adapted from BHG)
1 baked pie crust
2-3 lbs strawberries, washed and hulled
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Prepare baked pie crust and set aside.  To bake my pie crust, prep it as outline here. Once prepped and in the pie tin, prick the bottom ~8 times with a fork.  Cover it with a double layer of aluminum foil and bake at 450F for 8 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 5-6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack.

Meanwhile prep strawberries. Cut any large strawberries in half lengthwise; set aside. Take a portion of the strawberries and chop them into quarters (you need 1/2 cup total).

For glaze, in a food processor combine the 1/2 cup of the chopped strawberries and water. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Add enough additional water to the mixture to equal 3/4 cups. In a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in blended strawberry mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. (Do not stir.)

Spread a thin layer of the glaze over bottom and sides of Baked Pastry Shell. Arrange half of the remaining strawberries, stem ends down, in the pastry shell.

Carefully spoon half of the remaining glaze over berries, making sure all berries are covered. Arrange remaining berries over first layer. Spoon remaining glaze over berries, covering each. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. 

If desired, top with whipped cream.

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can coconut milk (full fat, not lite)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chill the coconut milk in the fridge for at least a couple of hours or overnight.  Remove the top portion of cream, leave the water behind in the can.  Place the cream in a stand mixer and whip on high until soft peaks form, mix in the sugar and vanilla and serve with the pie.

This post is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Allergy Friendly Friday and Gluten Free Wednesday.

Weekly Menu (5/6/12-5/12/12)

This week in our Bountiful Basket we got:

Strawberries, bananas, mangoes, green apples, lemons, a pineapple, tomatoes, lettuce, beets, green beans, and red potatoes.

I also got a Mexican pack with my basket and that contained:

Avocados, tomatillos, cilantro, green onions, poblanos, jalapenos, anaheim peppers, and limes. Since today is cinco de mayo, I'll be using most of this pack today making salsa verde for our tacos.

And I also got 8lb of strawberries, too. :)  I'll be making jam with most of them (and maybe a fresh strawberry pie or strawberry cupcakes, haven't decided which), but we'll set some aside to eat straight up.

I also have bananas, apples, baby carrots, broccoli, and half a cucumber left from last week.

This week for breakfast: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Waffles (I made and froze a batch today) and Cereal for the kids, and Homemade Yogurt with sliced fruit (strawberries, mangoes, and bananas) and/or Hard Boiled Eggs for me.

This week for school lunch:  

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
• Fruit (bananas, apple slices, or strawberry slices) or Veggies (sliced cucumbers and baby carrots)
• Chips
• Fruit Snacks
• Milk

This week for dinner: 

Sunday

• Surf and Turf (A grilled steak for my hubby and grilled halibut for me, and we share with the kids)
• Mashed Red Potatoes
• Steamed Artichokes
• Sliced Strawberries

Monday: 

• Chili (I know we eat this a lot, but it's my kids favorite)
• Fritos
• Carrot sticks and Cucumber sticks
• Fruit Salad (Strawberries, mango, and pineapple)

Tuesday:

• Cheese Quesdillas (using Daiya Shreds)
• Tomato Soup (I like the Imagine brand best)
• Nachos
• Salad
• Fruit Salad (strawberries, mango, and pinapple)

Wednesday:

• Chicken Unparmesan 
• GF Pasta
• Steamed beets (and beet greens)
• Green beans and broccoli
• strawberries

Thursday:

• Apple Fritters
• Sausage
• Bananas and strawberries

Friday: 

• Pizza
• Salad
• Carrots and Almond Butter

Saturday:

• English Style Battered Fish Fillets
• Oven Fries
• Salad
• Carrots and Almond Butter

My story

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