xoxo glutie: summer berry beef.

ok ya'll... you know i don't eat red meat. i can't digest it well. my body doesn't know what to do with it. my husband loves it. especially during summer grilling season. so every once in awhile, when some good iron is needed, we have steak. tonight, we didn't only have steak, we had paula deen steak. well.... as usual i adapted a bit, but it's paula nonetheless. not even kidding, ya'll! your favorite cut with a fresh berry glaze, served with grilled corn and fresh greens. eat up, ya'll!!

grilled steak, pretty basic:
pick your fav cut.
massage a little evoo into the meat for moisture and juiciness.
sprinkle with your favorite steak seasoning, i used montreal steak.
toss 'em on the grill and cook to your liking.

berry glaze:
1 cup to 1.5 cups of red wine
1 cup to 2 cups of sugar or substitute (based on your sweet preference. i only used 1)
1/2 cup water
1.5 cups strawberries, cut into 1/4s
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
3 tbls cornstarch (or gf flour... i didn't have any cornstarch and it worked fine)

in a medium sauce pan, reduce red wine by half over medium heat. wisk in sugar, water. continue wisking for a couple minutes to insure your sugar doesn't get too hot. if the heat seems too much, turn it down a touch. stir in your berries, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes. i let mine go for a bit to get those good fruit juices infused. dissolve cornstarch in cold water, and slowly add to saucepan. heat and stir until thickened. spoon over your steaks before serving, and sprinkle with blue cheese, or your favorite gf cheese. i opted out of the cheese, and stuck with the berry glaze, and it was delicious!

serve with grilled corn cobs and a fresh salad.

photo courtesy of the foodies' kitchen

xoxo glutie: "cheesy" spinach stuffed chicken.

my husband loves cheese. he loves cheese so much it's quite gross. he loves cheese so much he eats it by the handfuls straight out of the fridge, and i still buy him kids' string cheese. i, unfortunately, am highly allergic to cheese. once upon a time, i loved cheese as well. in fact, as a child, i lived off mac and cheese. i was such a picky eater, it was one of the only things my mom could get me to eat. next to chicken patties. and don't even play with me about the gourmet mac and cheeses. i went total blue box style. the powdery, faker, the better. one day, i ate a lot of cheetos, got hives, threw up a lot, and the rest is history. no more cheese. when i started buying "alternative" gluten free foods, i looked into the "fake" cheeses. soy free, dairy free, gluten free, etc. supposedly they're made out of rice or something, but i don't really understand how you make "cheese" out of rice. but whatever. after a trial and error of fake cheeses that would not melt, and were well.... gross. i have found daiya. they started carrying it in our local kroger, and it promised on the bag that it melts, so i bought it. so far, i am satisfied. the flavor is even pretty good, and pretty close to what i remember "real" cheese tastes like. i used mozzarella daiya cheese in this recipe. also, use a good gluten free, nitrate free bacon. i've been addicted to hormel natural bacon. it's pricy, but worth it. enjoy!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained dry (or wilt a few handfuls of fresh if you're feeling frisky)
4 slices of cooked, gf bacon, crumbled
daiya mozzarella cheese, about a cup, depending on your preference of "cheesiness"
toothpicks
your favorite chicken seasoning mix (i used ms. dash garlic and herb)
evoo
salt&pep to taste

combine dry spinach, bacon crumbles, and cheese preference in a small bowl. pound out chicken breasts to about 1/2 inc. thick. lay chicken on a clean surface. spoon some of the spinach mixture into the center of the chicken, pull sides around the mix and pin with toothpick (or two, depending on how long your chick is). repeat with all of your breasts. sprinkle each breast with salt/pepper, and your fav chicken seasonsing. heat a little evoo in a skillet, and brown chicken a couple minutes on each side. place into a greased casserole dish, and cook 30 minutes on 350 in the oven, or until "stuffing" is hot and chicken is done. serve with a starch, or some more great veggies.

adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com