Latin American food is satisfying for my soul and stomach!

I majored in Spanish in undergrad, and have traveled to Latin America multiple times. The food is delicious, easily gluten-free, and good for the soul.

Today, I made tostadas for dinner. They were DELICIOUS. Here's a pic to make your mouth water a little bit.

Layer 1 - Fried corn tortilla, AKA tostada
Layer 2 - Refried black beans from Guatemala
Layer 3 - Cheddar cheese
Layer 4 - Spiced ground chicken - I ground a frozen chicken breast with my cheese grater - amazing!
Layer 5 - Lettuce
Layer 6 - Avocado - fresh for 28 cents
Layer 7 - Salsa

Being...

Being a law student, fresh out of undergrad, I have little money to live on.
Being completely on my own, I have to make my own meals.
Being gluten-free, I'm stuck in the constant choice of quality versus amount of money in my bank account.
Being raised in a frugal home, I only buy food on sale or with a coupon.
Being fed up with the same, cheap, gluten-free food after just 3 months of law school, I can't wait for two and ahalf years from now, when I can hopefully afford my own food.

Rant over.

Best GF chocolate chip cookies EVER

I made 3 dozen (small) cookies today with this recipe - I think you need to try it, because they are the best ever!

1 2/3 cups All Purpose GF Baking Flour (best with Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Xantham Gum
1/4 tsp salt
*combine in separate bowl*

1/4 cup butter at room temp.
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla (or a little less for less vanilla dominance)
1 lg. egg
*beat*

Beat in flour until smooth, stir in 1 cup choc. chips

Chill for around 2 hours

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

I make the cookies small so they go further. I pop in an airtight container, freeze them, and eat two a day (if any).

I don't want to be rude...

"I don't want to be rude..."
This phrase is heard a lot in my life - either I'm saying it as I reject food that I can't physically ingest, or when one of my friends offers me food even though they know I can't have it.
It's often followed by, "Oh. I'm sorry."
DON'T BE SORRY - I'M HEALTHY!
I'm used to it. I want others around me to be used to it, as well. I don't care that I can't eat the food! All I care about is that I can live a regular every day life, just with a strict diet.
For 19 years I was sick. I thought stomach cramps were a normal part of life. I learned to deal with it, but never felt good. When I was diagnosed, after a week of being on the diet, I felt healthy for the first time. It's weird to think about how sick I must have been without realizing it. One of my mom's friends pointed out that I always was having stomach problems in elementary school. Who knew, a simply change in my diet could have made life so much simpler, and healthier, many years sooner.
When food is offered to me, I do not think you are rude, I just want you to learn to live with it just as I do. See the positives of it - I'm not sick. I only will be if you give me food I can't have! Me being healthy is nothing to be sorry about - stop beating yourself up over it.

On Beyond Gluten!

Dr. Seuss writes in his book On Beyond Zebra (©1955):
"You can stop, if you want, with the Z
Because most people stop with the Z
But not me!
In the places I go there are things that I see
That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z.
I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends.
My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!"

I've chosen to apply this to my life of living "On Beyond Gluten!" Some people who have the diagnosis of needing to be gluten-free, chose to ignore the possibilities of living past gluten. There's often an assumption that gluten-free food is disgusting, and anything made of wheat and gluten would be much better. I used to think that, until I realized that I'd pick feeling healthy and having control over my body, over food that tastes slightly better.

For me, I've chosen to begin my path of discovering new recipes, foods, and ways to live on beyond gluten. I've had to use my imagination to alter recipes and dishes, I've had to find alternatives that I never thought I would be seeking. It's a journey that I'm still establishing, day by day.

This blog is meant to provide inspiration for people with a gluten-free diet to actually live on beyond gluten. The possibilities are endless - won't you discover them with me?