Thank You, Conte's Pasta! Frozen Gluten Free Pierogi, Ravioli, and Gnocchi

The guy and I started to get things together to make gluten free pierogi and some ravioli, instead of veggie burgers as planned. Dairy free for me, but we were still going to use eggs yolks for the pasta. I ran to the store for a few needed items and on the way to check out, I caught something out of the corner of my eye in the frozen case. Wait. What is that? I've never seen that packaging before. Well, well, well. Gluten free pierogi, gnocchi, and 2 kinds of ravioli!? Oh yes! I didn't know if I should laugh or cry, I was so excited.

www.contespasta.com/specialty.htm

I picked up a cheese ravioli and a lovely casein free potato-onion pierogi. The pierogi are pleasantly delicate in both texture and flavor compared to the frozen gluten containing brands at the market. We found it very important to place the pasta in the pan gently, and to not let them boil, just simmer while stirring gently now and then. The rice flour, corn starch and tapioca based dough is fairly delicate with some good structure and 'tooth' from the eggs. I'm buying the gnocchi next week...ooo, I'm thrilled!

All products were $6.99 for 12 ounces, so they are about $2-3.00 more than the gluten containing frozen pastas of like style, but there are just sometimes you have to say, YES! I have also decided there's a time where a possible headache and rash from the small amount of actual egg white in each tasty bite of pierogi, means far less to me than eating the 3 or 4 pillows of familiar, comforting bliss I did not have to spend 3 hours making by hand. They will indeed be a special treat 1 or 2 x a month.

Thank you, Conte's Pasta! Please check out their website for the whole product line including frozen pizzas, lasagna, stuffed shells, use the store locator/order from the GF mall,  check out the nutritional information, and ingredients. Break out the sauerkraut. I'm eating pierogi tonight =)

Winter got you down? Eat a rainbow! Rainbow Kale Slaw (Vegan)

This recipe is adapted from Whole Foods, with only small changes. I can't afford to shop there, but I do like their recipe archives. So we adapt! It's not very often that I post a conscious adaptation. I have an endless parade of my own recipes dancing in my head. Seriously, I'm writing 12-20 recipes a week for my cookbook right now. Since I also forage and glean, a walk down the street is as interesting to me as the market. This is southern Arizona and it is citrus season. I gleaned backpack full of citrus and I have kale in my garden. So...

Rainbow Kale Slaw from Whole Foods.
1 bunch lacinato (a.k.a. dinosaur) kale, thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
4 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1 small head, quartered and cored)
2 navel oranges or Clementines, peeled and segmented
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 1 small orange)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


Method
In a large bowl, combine kale, cabbage, orange segments, onion, bell pepper and sunflower seeds.
In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, orange juice, vinegar and pepper. Pour over the kale mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

My adaptations and additions for my seasonal yeast free kitchen
NO dijon or balsamic: use apple cider vinegar and grainy brown mustard.
1 raw shredded carrot
1 raw peeled shredded beet
1 bulb of fennel, trimmed, sliced, and the fronds, chopped
If I think of them, sometimes I'll add a handful of unsweetened dried cranberries or blueberries
I usually don't eat raw bell peppers. I listen to what my body say's and eat or skip accordingling.

At a loss for words

Yesterday morning, just after 10AM, the dog and I were on a walk. He stopped in his tracks and starting barking his head off at the helicopters in the low sky, just above us. That's odd seeing so many. Hmm. Wait...those are Life-copters, there's been a really bad accident on I-10. These are the thoughts running through my head as the dog and I walk back home. We come home and all I can hear is helicopters, then sirens. I jumped online to see what kind of tanker truck turned over on the Interstate, and if there were any toxic gas warnings or anything. This has got to be huge, I've never seen so many police responding. I get side-tracked, read my email, then I see it.

Yesterday at 10:00AM Arizona standard time, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) my Congresswoman and healthcare crusader, was holding a meet and greet at the grocery store not too far from where I write these words. Gabrielle is 3rd generation Tucson, and is she is a woman of the people. She vowed to help us fight for heath-care, one week before her controversial Yes vote, during the great healthcare reform debacle of 2010. That same night, the windows in her office were smashed. Threats continued. She ran again for Congress. Last fall, I proudly reminded the people of Tucson to vote for the woman from Tucson to represent us. And we did.

As a person of the people, she regularly held Congress on the Corner...literally at a fold-up table in front of a busy grocery store... where anyone could walk up, shake her hand, and let her know what we needed addressed in Washington. I've been to similar events. Yesterday, at 10:12 AM, a 22 year old man opened fire, point blank, on the Congresswoman, and 19 other innocent people. 20 people were shot here yesterday. 6 people have died. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords remains in very critical condition, at the very same hospital I can't get care at, ironically.

20 people were shot here yesterday by a kid, one year older than my Kid. A 9 year old girl born on September 11, 2001, and 5 adults have died. We are at a loss here in beautiful somewhat progressive Tucson. We are a community that cares for one another. We are an oasis of reason in an otherwise hostile place. I feel for the loss of lives, for Tucson, and our voice. How did this happen? And why did it happen? Did people think we were lying when we said repeatedly it was getting out of control here in economically dying Arizona? That anyone over 18 can buy a gun, with no permit or wait time, and can then carry that gun wherever they want? That we can't get used to seeing hand-guns on people at Safeway or at the movies? That community mental health-care services have been cut? That a dangerous line has been crossed by hatred and racism? 20 people were shot here yesterday. 6 people have died. For what? Gifford's support of health-care reform? Being the first Jewish congresswoman here? For listening and helping the ranchers caught in the crossfire at the border? For having an astronaut husband? For being on Sarah Palin's 'Target List'? For her kindness? For her dedication to Tucson? Why?

20 people were shot here yesterday. 6 have died. I'm at a loss for words.