Celery - it's what's for breakfast!

More raw vegetables! - one of my resolutions as we rolled into 2017. Easy to say, and even easier for that decision to slip away in the day to day routine.
I realized even if I made the effort a few days a week it would be an improvement.  Every little bit counts. Every little bit adds up.

At the top of the list was to add more dark leafy greens (the kale crisps are a tasty option), second only to more celery!  
I have been reading so much on the tremendous health benefits of celery so I keep looking for interesting ways to add it in. 

     Reduces inflammation
     Detoxes
     Helps prevent kidney stones
     Aids digestion
     Loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber

I chop it into tuna, egg or chicken salad, tossed salads, soup, jambalaya, but recently I have been experimenting with my magic bullet for breakfast... blending a stalk or two with a combination of the following that I have on hand: carrots, bananas, frozen strawberries, orange juice, yogurt, etc. 

I like to play and make different combos each time to see what I can create.
My favorite is 
1 stalk of celery
1 carrot
6 frozen strawberries
2 oz of OJ
2 ice cubes.
Refreshing and inspiring!

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Gluten Free Apricot Chicken review

I am constantly in search of gluten-free dinner recipes - simple and flavorful are my biggest qualifiers. And on day that I am on the run - a crockpot meal will seal the deal!

The other day I felt I covered half the state of NJ and ended the marathon with a nighttime drive back from my daughter's basketball game in a combination of heavy rain, flooding, snow, sleet and fog! 

The light at the end of the stressful tunnel was Apricot Chicken waiting for us - hot, tender, flavorful and ready upon arrival!  


I found Stephanie O'Dea's Apricot Chicken recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking.  The apricot sauce was easy to make and started with a jar of Apricot Preserves... I used Polaner All-Fruit (clearly labeled gluten-free).

The only change I made to the recipe was the addition of 5 cloves of garlic, minced.  (We are a garlic loving family).
The aroma that met us when we dragged in wet, tired, cold was truly delightful.

The chicken with it's sweet and savory sauce were poured on piles of steamy rice - a huge success! It will be part of the regular dinner rotation going forward.

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.  Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Gluten-Free Cauliflower Toast

No cookies, no breads, no pizza, no cake. Yep, that's where I am right now.

I have given up all baked goods, even the safest, cleanest Gluten-free flours and baked goods. It seems my body isn't happy even with the binding agents, and I feel just so much better when I say, "No, thanks" and do without.  It was the dang ice cream with the added 'gums' that tipped me off.

The most evident sign that avoiding gums is working, is the sudden re-growth of my fingernails - my fingernails are always the key. 
Most days it really doesn't bother me (yesterday I baked brownies and really had no desire to indulge). To me how I feel is everything, and far outweighs giving up baked goods and the like. If I feel great and energized - I have no need for those foods. 
I did say most, though. Occasionally I crave something that resembles bread, or a crust, or a cracker.

Lucky for me there are amazing recipe developers out there (truly they are magicians!) coming up with muffins, pizza crusts, pizza crust, cookies, etc., that don't require flours or gum binding agents. They are my heros!
This weekend I tried the Cauliflower toast from The Delish website... oooh wee! 

From my 100 day series on instagram

LOVED it - and so did my daughter. Not quite sure I would call it toast, resembled more of a potato pancake. But, I would be quite happy to stack a burger on one, or the lovely combo of guacamole and a fried egg.  I had mine with a tomato and basil salad drizzled with olive oil.  It was divine!

illustration from Simply Gluten-Free Illustrated Workbook

So if you are in the mood for something different, and can embrace your inner messy (grating cauliflower goes everywhere!) I highly recommend giving it a try. Enjoy the gluten-free goodness!

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.  Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

 

Butter Coffee

There is butter.
There is coffee.
Both lovely in their own way. And in their own right.
I would have never thought to put them together. But after stumbling upon this odd and intriguing combination I had to try it. 
Basically replacing the milk with butter. Grass fed organic butter to be exact.  I decided to give it a try.

I love coffee with coconut oil. And I have been known to give my morning java a hit of chili powder to warm things up on a bitter cold January morning.
But butter... I am really not sure I like it.

It does soften the coffee so it is not quite like drinking it black.  It still has a bitter edge that I am not sure I would get used to. 
Or care to get used to - though it did inspire a fun sketch and colorful illustration - and anything that inspires my daily sketch is a win!

What I did learn from this experiment are the benefits of grass fed organic butter, which we will use from now on, whether it is in coffee - or on GF toast.



You can see my more of my work in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint. Or check out my recent 100 Day Project on Instagram

Easy Gluten Free Mulled Wine

An easy mulled wine to brew at home, creating a fragrant brew that warms the heart and soul. Filling your home with a lovely aroma of cinnamon and cloves. This really chases away the winter chill!

 I combined a few mulled wine recipes that I found, based on what we had in the spice rack and refrigerator.  Many of the recipes had something that we didn't already have. And since I had braved the stores to stock up before the storm - I wasn't going back.  Emphasis on easy!

This was SO lovely to have waiting when we came in from our recent all-of-winter-in-one-snowstorm!  It was very much deserved and appreciated after shoveling through 28" of snow.

Enjoy responsibly!

My illustrated recipe can also be found on They Draw and Cook
If you enjoy my work and want to see more visit Erin Go Paint
 

'Reluctant' Cook

Reluctant. I used this to describe myself here but though I chose that word, it doesn't feel comfortable. And it has remained uncomfortable to me since I wrote it last week. 

It doesn't tell the whole story...  or give an accurate picture.  

Granted I don't have a passion for cooking, but I DO have a passion for eating healthy, eating fresh and most of all... eating safe!  

Cooking gives me that   So I am quite happy to cook.  It gives me peace of mind to know it's safe, to choose what goes in, to know what I am putting in my body - and into my family.  
And sometimes - it is fun!
So why 'reluctant'?  
Because pretty much any day of the week I would rather be making art... drawing, painting, sketching. Or playing with daughter.  Or painting,  crafting and sketching with her! 

My solution.... keeping a small sketchbook handy in the kitchen. So I can sketch between chopping, or while I am waiting between food prep steps.  Ideas come while I handle the vegetables, herbs and spices... or while I daydream looking out the kitchen window.   

Dinner gets made, and dinner gets drawn. All of the art in this post was conceived in my kitchen sketchbook.  

In fact, this piece became this page in Simply Gluten Free Magazine's Sept/Oct 2015 issue.

So it is a win-win situation.

And it is why I have started working on a kitchen coloring book for adults... more to come on that!

If you enjoy my work you can see more at Erin Go Paint

Yes, it is Pizza. Recipe Review of Paleo Cauliflower Crust

Recently I got up the nerve to try Against All Grain Danielle Walker's Cauliflower pizza crust.  I say "got up the nerve" because it was pretty hard to imagine turning a head of cauliflower into a pizza, and I had just read an article on Huffington Post about what is, and what isn't, pizza (it was actually quite funny).  

But once again, curiosity and a craving for flavor won out!

I had a big head of cauliflower sitting there just asking to be used.  So I jumped in and gave it a try.  All the prep was done when my husband and daughter were out, so they didn't know what was in the crust... and I decided to keep it a secret until the taste test.


I made ours a white pizza with sauteed garlic, oil and loads of cheese.  The aroma of it baking was mouth-watering!


I did not achieve the crispiness that Danielle has in her photos, but I realize I should have pressed it down much thinner before baking.

I've made it twice and the second time was definitely more successful. I believe I will continue to improve my technique.  Because I will be making it again!  Cooking and baking are all about experimenting, testing, trying - and trial and error.
We all enjoyed it. And, they had no idea it was cauliflower.

Is it pizza?  Maybe not what you get at the corner pizzeria, but to me it was - and it was truly delicious! 

Ratings, from 1- 5 spatulas
Time: 3 pulsing, steaming, pressing, baking takes time but it's still not to lengthy
Ease: 4 a fair amount of steps involved, but not very difficult
Ingredient Availability: 5 a quick trip to any supermarket
Taste: 5 I was not able to achieve the crispness but lovely and delicious

Moo Shu Pork and the GF Princess

Last week was the annual book fair at school and after circling dozens of books in the promo flyer, my daughter walked the fair and narrowed her choices down to a wish list of 5.
3 of which were cookbooks.
Her #1 pick was The Disney Princess Cookbook. And she was consumed by the idea of this book. So excited about the opportunity to make Tiana's Gumbo- "we can make it for real, not like in a video game!!"
So, I bought the Princess cookbook for my little foodie, figuring I could convert just about anything to a gluten-free version. I am always up for that challenge!

The first recipe that enticed her was Moo Shu's Pork... easy enough to adapt with GF San-J Tamari sauce, and I even made a killer housin sauce if I do say so myself!  (I used a recipe from Food.com but used Tamari in place of soy sauce, cashew butter in place of peanut butter, and maple syrup instead of honey - and fresh ground ginger!).

"Ginger sketches" watercolor & ink on paper, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

My husband and I were anxious to sit down to eat, but the little princess took one look and her face fell. "What is that?" she asked.  "It doesn't look right."

We assured her it would taste great, but instead of sitting she went to get the cookbook to show me how it was "supposed to look!"  She was devastated that it didn't match the full page, glossy, color enhanced, picture perfect culinary photo masterpiece.  (when does it ever?!)

Ah, but, the taste - it was perfection!
When hunger won out, and she was ready to taste it - she was sold!  and plowed through a few wraps (Udi's tortillas) with her Moo Shu pork. 
And, We all ate like royalty!

Coming of Age, A GF Story

"Thumbelina Ballerina" watercolor & ink on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

My husband had been preparing for an author event  so we were discussing his book, Patches of Grey.  He asked me for my synopsis of his book. The core of which is a coming of age story and we talked of the events that brought Tony, the main character, of age.

Everyone has their own coming of age story. The event or events that made, or forced, them to grow up. That which had a tremendous impact on your ideas, values, perspective, and how you moved forward in life. For some it is a slow easing in, others are thrown in abruptly.

I 'came of age' when my mother died of stomach cancer just after she turned 48. I was 21 and about to graduate college. Living that experience had a profound effect on who I am today.

I believe I 'came of age' again when I chose to live gluten-free against a whole slew of opposition. But, I had learned at 21 the tremendous importance of health, not to believe everything a doctor told me, and that life can be fleeting - and unexpectedly short. I also learned to listen to myself and trust my thoughts, feelings, and the signals from my body. 
And, to challenge the status quo. 
So, I changed my diet, and got my health and vitality back. It was the missing link I had been in search of since losing my mom.

What is your coming of age story? I would love to hear it!

Updated Jan 24, 2014