Gluten-free Food at In N' Out Restaurant and Taco Bell

Finding gluten-free food to eat while travelling can be daunting at times.  We went out of town for our son's graduation, and while we were waiting for the convocation to begin, we decided to grab a quick lunch at the food court of the university.  The food court had Subway sandwiches, Freschetta pizza, Taco Bell, burgers, soup and salad, along with a few other gluten-filled possibilities.  We checked on the soup and salad, but the soups had gluten.  They said the salads were a possibility, but they also sold wrap-ups, and the cross-contamination factor was huge because many of the salad ingredients were going into the wrap-ups.  We realized our only choice was Taco Bell.

I quickly googled "Taco Bell gluten free" on my phone to find out what we could eat.  I knew that we had ordered tostadas before, and it worked out well.  The only thing I could find on their website that didn't have gluten was a Cantina Bowl (chicken, steak, or veggie).  I couldn't see those anywhere on the menu.  By this time, we were at the cash register and it was time to order--with people standing in line behind us.  Don't you hate the pressure you feel in that situation?  We quickly ordered tostadas because they are listed as wheat-free on the web site.  We didn't get sick, so that was a relief.

(Photo Source:  google images)

Later that day, we had to resort to fast food again because we had a long drive ahead of us.  We went to In N' Out restaurant and ordered a low-carb hamburger (make sure to tell them that you have a sensitivity to gluten when you order).  We had a delicious lettuce-wrapped burger, with fries and a tasty shake.  (I didn't say this was a healthy meal. :)  

(Photo Source:  google images)

Recipe for Gluten-free Cashew Shrimp

We ate at a Chinese restaurant recently where they served gluten-free Walnut Shrimp.  It was delicious, and our 18-year-old son said it was one of his favorite foods...ever!  We decided to try to duplicate it, and I think we came pretty close.  Since our son doesn't like walnuts, he ate the shrimp at the restaurant and picked off the walnuts.  :)  We decided to switch to cashews.  Tasty!

Cashew Shrimp

1 egg white
1 teaspoon water
8 oz. raw shrimp
1/2 cup potato starch or cornstarch
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Onion salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup cashews, chopped

Step 1:  Pour egg white and water into clean plastic Ziploc-type bag.  Add shrimp and knead plastic bag until shrimp is covered with egg.  Pour cornstarch into pie plate.  Using a slotted spoon, add shrimp and turn each shrimp until coated with cornstarch (or potato starch).

Step 2:  Add olive oil to barely cover the bottom of a non-stick frying pan.  Fry shrimp on both sides until shrimp turns pink and coating turns light brown.  Sprinkle shrimp lightly with garlic salt and onion salt.

Step 3: Combine sweetened condensed milk, mayonnaise, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Step 4:  Bring water and sugar to a boil until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat.  Add chopped cashews and stir to coat.

Step 5:  Place shrimp on a serving dish.  Drizzle sweetened condensed milk mixture over shrimp.  Separate sugared cashews from liquid and sprinkle over shrimp.

Serves 3-4

Product Review of Udi's

I absolutely love Udi's Gluten-Free Bread when it is toasted and served with eggs.  I am not as enthused about their bagels.  They have good flavor, but the texture is extremely dry, partially due to the thickness of the bagels.  I am rating them at 6 out of 10.  However, if you add an abundance of strawberry cream cheese (we tried the Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Whipped Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread, which was delicious), and slice the bagels very thinly, they can be quite good.  :)

(Photo Source:  http://udisglutenfree.com/product-catalog/)

Banana Pepper and Olive Salad

This recipe is in my cookbook on page 67.  I love the flavors of the banana peppers with the tomatoes and Italian dressing.  I hope you enjoy it. :)

Banana Pepper and Olive Salad

1 bag of mixed salad greens

½ cup grilled, sliced chicken breast

½ cup chopped olives

½ cup grape tomatoes

¼ cup chopped green onions

4 chopped banana peppers

¼ cup chopped artichoke hearts

freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Italian Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil

2 tablespoons corn syrup

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons Romano cheese

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon parsley flakes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1.      To prepare salad, place salad greens, chicken, olives, tomatoes, green onions, peppers and artichokes in a large bowl and toss.

2.      Combine dressing ingredients in blender.

3.      Add a portion of the dressing to the salad, just until coated. Save remaining dressing for future use. Before serving salad, add freshly grated cheese.

Serves 6 to 8