That was a huge adjustment for us we work out of our home (when we are not out on the road if you are interested, go to our website at http://www.peterandellen.com/) and often times, we work until hunger screams out at us – TIME TO EAT!!! In the past (pre-Celiac), we'd run to our local Vietnamese restaurant (Dalat in Worcester). Nope, no more. There IS a Vietnamese restaurant (Pho Dakao) that works for us now they even purchased a special kind of gluten-free flour to make their Vietnamese pancakes that we love to order – but even then, sometimes, it's just easier to eat home. When we go there, we pretty much order the same as meals. And I will confess, one does get tired of ordering the same thing all the time.
So, what is a food lover to do? The answer is simple: eat at home. It took a lot of soul-searching and admitting that we had fallen prey to how most of our contemporaries live. And I ain’t knocking it, believe me. If it weren’t for the Celiac diagnosis, chances are we’d still be running out for those quick, inexpensive meals. But not any longer. Now, we eat at home more often than ever before. And we eat well by being prepared. We love to eat delicious foods – we love regular ol’ American nothing-fancy dining and we also love interesting cuisines and unique flavors – so, our pantry is well-stocked. We stop at Whole Foods whenever we’re near one (we live about 45 minutes from a whole slew of them) and we make short local supermarket runs every few days for fresh meats and veggies or for the occasional ethnic ingredient that we’ve run out of – by doing it this way, we can pretty much create quick, easy AND homemade gourmet meals every day.
So, here a recipe that will get you started. While it’s cooking, throw a salad together, steam some fresh veggies and then sit down to a beautiful gourmet dinner!
Honey Savory Roasted Chicken
2 pounds chicken (any combination of parts you prefer, i.e. breasts, thighs, etc., with skin, without skin – your preference)
salt & pepper
¼ cup honey
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup pomegranate juice (if you can’t find this, use twice as much OJ)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. thyme
½ tsp. rosemary
½ tsp. oregano
½ cup chicken broth
Preheat the oven to 350°. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place in a roasting pan. In a bowl, mix the honey, orange juice, pomegranate juice, olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and oregano. Pour over the chicken. Add the chicken broth to the pan and mix until it blends. Bake until finished, basting several times (I use a thermometer fork to test it) – general rule of thumb is 20 minutes per pound. If you want it particularly crispy, broil it for a few minutes at the end – but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan and reduce until slightly thickened. Serve over the chicken.
Response to this post:
Sasha January 17, 2018, at 3:59 pm
It is hard to be spontaneous. I have kids ages 3 and 4 and one is GF (as am I) and one is allergic to eggs. Mostly when we are out we just know which grocery stores have microwaves and GF frozen foods that we like.
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GrewUpRural January 17, 2018, at 4:12 pm
Working two jobs, it’s hard to eat at all. Most nights I don’t get home until 11pm. I try to keep frozen gf foods, like Amy’s Rice Lasagna on hand.
I am learning to make foods in bulk on my days off for later in the week. There is a Whole Foods in Providence, but it’s not right around the corner for me. WF is building another location near my part-time job in Cranston. I am hoping this will help me with cooking.
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Mike Eberhart January 18, 2018, at 12:48 pm
Needless to say, most of my eating is at home as well. There are very few places where I feel my diet is truly safe if I eat out. It doesn’t bother me much, though I feel like I am holding back my wife and daughter when they want to go out to eat since even if I say to go without me, they don’t always want to.
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Lynn Barry January 18, 2018, at 2:31 pm
This chicken recipe looks to die for. Thanks!
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Ellen January 19, 2018, at 11:40 pm
Sasha,
My kids were grown by the time I was diagnosed, so I don’t know how I would handle it if I had young kids like you. I’m sure it’s a challenge. For me, I find that I have to really plan my outings carefully. And I never leave the house without something to eat in my purse whether it’s soymilk (the little 8 oz cartons) or a Larabar or something like that. Good luck!
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Ellen January 19, 2018, at 11:42 pm
Dear grewuprural,
That’s some schedule you keep – have you heard about OAMC? It stands for once a month cooking. I know you’d have to be super organized to do it, but if you would consider it, I’ll bet it would help your situation. But you are definitely challenged! Good luck!
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Ellen January 19, 2018, at 11:44 pm
Dear Mike,
Aren’t we lucky to have spouses that understand? My husband never ever complains about eating home. And if it keeps us safer, all the better. To home-cooked meals!
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Kaz from Worcester Love May 8, 2018, at 10:17 am
Hey Ellen- What are the “same safe meals” that you get at Pho Dakao? I go to the Boynton and Nancy Changs quite often and I’m very ready to try something else. Thanks!!
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Ellen May 8, 2018, at 6:56 pm
Hi Kaz,
We tend to get the same thing all the time at Pho Dakao. We get the chicken soup with rice noodles and the summer rolls (no peanut sauce, only the nuoc cham dipping sauce), sometimes the crepe (in the appetizer section) made with rice flour/powder. That’s pretty much it! Boring, predictable, but safe!
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