Bacalao Guisada - Codfish stew with Casava

Growing up I hated fish! I never understood why the adults seemed so excited at even the mention of seafood dishes. This gluten free dish was a childhood favorite for me but that's because my abuelita called it white meat! 

 I never knew this was a fish at all.  I remember my mom would say abuelita cooked white meat and I would get so happy. What makes this dish even more appetizing now is that it is that not only is it delicious, and comforting but it is also low in calories. I put the bacalao guisado over yuca (casava) which is a root vegetable and another vegetable I hated growing up....OK so I have evolved, I love this dish!     

Bacalao Guisado - Codfish stew 

Ingredients: Codish

• 1 lb dried Codfish
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/3 cup Cilantro
• 2 Tbsp Manzanilla Olives
• 1 Tbsp Capers
• 4-5 chopped Galic Cloves
• 2 Tbsp Sofrito
• 4 oz tomatoe sauce
• 2 tbsp extra virgen olive olive
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup of water

Preparation:  The first thing you need to do is remove the salt from the Codfish.  This can be accomplished in 2 ways.  You can soak it in cold water for 24 hours and change the water 3 to 4 times.  I never remember to soak, so I boil it in water and after it boils I change the water with fresh cold water and boil again. I do this 3 times.  This usually removes the perfect amount of salt without removing it all. There have been times when it still tasted a bit salty so I recommend tasting it after the third boil and if you think it could use another boil then go for it. I like a little salt....but if you remove too much you could always add a little table salt.  

Spicy Cilantro sauce

    This sauce is a staple on my table, and can be used on everything from rice, steak or even eggs. It just adds a whole lot of flavor to anything you make...if you're not into spicy try it without the jalapeno peppers.

Waldorf Lettuce Wraps

       About a year ago I was watching a Spanish food show that featured this recipe but it was made with pork tenderloins. Unfortunately, I did not write down the entire recipe and have searched everywhere for the actual recipe with no success. In any case I had to improvise on this recipe so I decided to make it with chicken and top it with my favorite dressing and Voila!



My family and I were very pleased with the results. I was still mourning the loss of wheat/ gluten in my life and a gluten free blog was only an idea in my head.  I still don't think I have fully recovered from my loss but I have accepted the inevitable....a gluten free life!  There is an upside to this gluten free lifestyle. First off, I would never have known what a "Jicama" was.  This recipe has all of the ingredients of a Waldorf salad but it also includes Jicama.  This is a root vegetable and looks like a hybrid between a potato and a brown turnip.  It has a mild, crisp texture like an apple or unripe pear. They are native to South America and Mexico and can grow as large as 6 lbs. It is a carb that is very high in fiber with a minuscule amount of fat. It is also a powerful antioxidant and anti-iinflammatory.

Broiled Adobo Pork Chops

So growing up, my favorite food in the whole world was fried pork chops, a lot has changed since then except that pork chops are still my favorite. I lived in an apartment building and the aroma of my grandma's pork chops had everyone salivating....being gluten free does not mean we have to sacrifice flavor and I certainly don't.
So the first picture are the pork chops before cooking,  this is what a well seasoned pork chop looks like......and they are so simple to make!  All you need is my adobo recipe, some center cut pork chops with the bone, let's face it...why even eat a pork chop if you can't suck on the bone?, lemon or lime, and an orange.

This is what they look like after they are cooked! So I told you before my grandma fries her chops.  The biggest challenge for me was making them taste the way my grandma makes them taste without frying them. So I put them to the test with the Grand Puba....that's what I affectionately call her.  She was very impressed when I told her they were not fried, they were broiled. So what to eat with this flavorful piece of meat? I have gained 13 pounds since I learned I had celiac disease! So I am with the few million people out there who have made a resolution for weight loss in 2012.  My challenge will be to make my latin recipes lighter......that's not an easy feat. Here I made stir-fry vegetables and an Organic Quinoa & Whole Grain Brown rice. Quinoa is a recently rediscovered ancient "grain" once considered the food of the Gods, it was used to increase the stamina of their warriors. Clearly they new something that we didn't; we do now!  It is very high in protein and gluten free! I bought it at Costcos, and will definitely get more.  The reviews are amazing as well and you can order it on Amazon.