My recent trip to Denver concluded with the best meal we had while visiting.

A friend who is local and a foodie (and aware of our food allergy needs) had recommended a few restaurants and we were able to get into Root Down.

I was so impressed with the knowledge of the staff. When my daughter listed her allergies (Dairy (ANA), Soy Protein, Tree Nuts, Peanuts, and Celiac) the waitress said that’s not too bad! My daughter was relieved as the waitress pointed out the entrees on the menu my daughter could enjoy. Then when I listed my allergies (Dairy, Celiac, and Nightshades) I asked about a certain dish and she said “that usually has Goji Berries on it but we are using something else right now instead. I was amazed she knew that Goji Berries were a nightshade.

Beet Salad

Risotto

I ordered the beet salad minus the cheese and the risotto. Both were wonderful! My daughter order the crab taco’s and although she wasn’t too sure if she liked them, she was able to try something new.

The best part of Root Down was that we were able to order dessert! We ordered both the tiramisu rice pudding and the truffles. Dessert! We never get to order dessert! Now I need to learn how to make truffles because that’s all my daughter can talk about. The desserts tasted heavenly.

Tiramisu Rice Pudding

Chocolate Truffles

I definitely would put Root Down on your itinerary when traveling to Denver with food allergies. They made us feel both special and normal! Thank you for making our trip safe and delicious.

Pasta in the Pressure Cooker
Servings: 8 large servings
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Print

1 pound cooked ground beef (Italian Sausage)
1 package gluten-free pasta
1 jar pasta sauce
2 cups water

Directions

Place ground beef as a bottom layer in the pressure cooker
Add the jar of pasta sauce
Add pasta (if using spaghetti break in half)
Fill pasta jar with water (approximately 2 cups) and pour on top of the pasta
Put on the lid set to seal
Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes
When done quick release, stir and enjoy!

Our leftovers from last night are helping with celebrating National Bean Day.

Yesterday I made Chili in the crockpot and Quinoa Black Bean Soup (aka My No-Nightshade Chili) for dinner. Along with some corn bread.

I have started buying dried beans and making them in my pressure cooker. For the black beans for the quinoa soup I put about 2 cups of beans in the pressure cooker and covered them with water about two inches above the beans. I then cooked them for 25 minutes on high pressure. I let it depressurize for 30 minutes then spooned then out into mason jars and covered them with the cooking liquid.

Making the Chili helped me check one thing off my January 2019 Wish List. And the rest of the black beans will be made into brownies!

We had a really cold January and we had been traveling, so it was nice to come home and make a nice pot of soup and some corn bread. When traveling with food allergies sometimes you end up eating the same thing over and over.

I like to make this soup when I make Chili for the nightshade eaters. I’m not sure if it’s the color of the soup or the fact that there is beans in it that remind me of Chili. It could be the fact that it tastes better with corn bread. If you have not had chili with corn bread it is the best!

This soup reheats well and I love to add tons of cilantro, avocado and lime on top. Enjoy!

Quinoa Black Bean Soup aka Nightshade-free Chili
Servings: 6 cups
Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Print

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
7 cloves garlic minced
1 can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup quinoa
1 can black beans
5 cups broth
2 bay leaves (I like to use fresh bay leaves)

Toppings

avocado
cilantro
lime wedges

Directions

Add oil to soup pot over medium heat.
Add onions and stir till soft.
Add garlic and cook for just a minute.
Add pumpkin and spices to the pot and stir until heated.
Add broth and quinoa and bring to a boil.
Once boiling add beans and bay leaves. Bring back up to a boil and simmer till the quinoa is cooked through.
Serve with avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.

A day without school means we are making bone broth. I think we could make this a few times a week and it still wouldn’t be enough.

Chicken Bone Broth – in the Pressure Cooker

The holidays would not be complete without green bean casserole. When we first went dairy and gluten free we went many years without this holiday staple. Then I learned to make a roux and I started making this casserole again without the French Fried Onions. And then, ALDI started making gluten free french fried onions and holidays dinner was complete!

Personally I like it if the green beans are still a little crunchy so I use fresh beans. Using can or frozen beans is fine too. The other ingredient that can be changed around is the onions. I like using dried chopped onions, the ones you get in the spice isle. These make me think more of the dried onion soup mix that I used before we started our gallery journey.

I hope this recipe helps make your holidays complete. – SB

Green Bean Casserole
Servings: 5 cups+
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Print

Ingredients

Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving 2017

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup unsweetened rice milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
16 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups green beans
2 tablespoons dried chopped onions
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 cans french fried onions
salt and pepper

Instructions

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a sauce pan.
Whisk in rice flour.
Slowly whisk in chicken broth followed by the rice milk. Whisk until thickened.
Season with salt and pepper, and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
In a saute pan heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and add mushrooms and stir occasionally until mushrooms are softened. Add the garlic to the mushrooms and heat for just one minute more.
In a casserole dish combine green beans, roux, mushrooms, chopped onions, nutritional yeast, a whole can of french fried onions, and season with salt and pepper.
Cook at 350 for 20 minutes. Take out casserole and stir. Top the casserole with some more french fried onions and cook for 10 more minutes.

This can be made a few days ahead of time and reheated for you r holiday dinner. Enjoy! – http://www.cygnetorganize.com

Avoiding nightshades is hard. I’m constantly saying “I can’t eat that.” In the winter it is nice to have something hearty and warm. I currently think one of the easiest ways to make sweet potatoes is in the crockpot. I wrap them in foil. No wholes poked in them. No oil. Just the sweet potatoes wrapped in foil. I put them in the crockpot on low for 8 hours.

When the 8 hours are up I take them out. Leave them in the foil and allow them to cool. I store them in the refrigerator. When I want one, I unwrap, split in half and heat it up in the microwave.

Enjoy!

Cygnet Organizing

Helping those newly diagnosed with food allergies/Celiac find flow in their new lifestyle.

Category: Dinner

Root Down Denver Restaurant Review

Gluten-free pasta in the pressure cooker.

Pasta in the Pressure Cooker
Servings: 8 large servings
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Print