Wild Ginger Review

Jason here. A couple weeks ago, I decided to meet Kayleigh for a nice lunch. We opted to go to The Wild Ginger in Bellevue. We had heard great things about both the food, and how gluten friendly it was.

The first thing you will notice in The Wild Ginger is the great service. Both times I have gone they have been incredibly friendly. Last time when I left, the hostess remembered my name and called me by name to have a great day. As someone who can barely remember the name of someone I talk to every day, I was impressed. The entire staff just had an air of professionalism, rarely found in most places.

The second thing you will notice is how gluten friendly they are. Everything on the menu is clearly labeled if it is gluten free, and\or vegan. Without me hinting at all, the wait staff asked if either of us had dietary restrictions. When I mentioned being gluten free, he asked if it was allergy or diet. After responding allergy, he informed me they take extra precautions and prepare the food separately. This has happened both times I have eaten there, and they were busy with lunch rush. This made me feel completely confident that my food would be free of any gluten.

For my meal I ordered the Panang Beef Curry. To quote there menu, “slices of flank steak in coconut milk spiced with cardamom, coriander, galangal, Thai basil and peanuts.” Usually I am not a fan of coconut. For some reason the taste just does not appeal to me. However, I have found coconut milk to barely taste of coconut at all. So if you are like me and don’t like coconut, don’t let that stop you from ordering a dish with coconut milk.

The meal was absolutely fantastic. The steak was perfectly cooked, completely submerged in the delicious sauce. The sauce itself had a creamy rich taste to it, with little bursts of flavor from the spices. Mixing in some of the white rice, and eating with a bite of steak was how I preferred it. I can’t overstate how good this was. The plate was fairly large, and I completely scraped every last bit off to eat.

Kayleigh here. The meal I chose was the special- a pineapple prawn curry. Absolutely beautiful combination of flavors, that really brought me back to my favorite curry dish from a little restaurant back in New Hampshire. Seriously, that restaurant is where I requested to go every time I was on home on break in college, and Wild Ginger did not disappoint on replicating that delightful dish. Besides the amazing food and conscientious staff, the seating and décor really gave that extra push in the ‘would go again’ direction, with every table giving you either a birds-eye view of the streets below, or a railing-side seat overlooking the floor below, lending an open, but intimate feeling throughout.

To wrap this up, the food was phenomenal, the price was fantastic, and the wait staff was amazing. Gluten free or not, I absolutely recommend you check out the The Wild Ginger.

Mung Bean Veggie Patties Recipe

Kayleigh here. In our quest for quick, easy, and inexpensive gluten-free weekday dinners, we've found it nearly impossible to just buy something pre-made off the shelf to heat and eat. Canned soups? Nope. Noodle cups? Absolutely not. Frozen entrees? If you pay an arm and a leg. How about something that's not all-in-one, but easy to heat and throw together, like veggie burgers? Even convenience foods that should be safe always seem to have wheat or barley snuck in somewhere.

Our solution? Make more than enough on the days we have more time, then freeze the leftovers for quick dinners when we need them. Big pots of soup, loaves of bread or hamburger buns, casseroles, all pre-portioned into one or two meal packages, so we can just thaw them as needed. So when we found ourselves with a bowl full of leftover mung beans after a session of crepe making, rather than just freezing them for crepes in the future, we tried making an almost falafel-style burger patty. The patties themselves were extremely quick and easy to make, and were just as easy to heat up and serve during the week as any store-bought veggie burger!

Mung Bean Veggie Patties (makes 4-5 burgers)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup Mung Beans, boiled in water until soft

1-2 cloves Garlic

Water (around ½ cup)

¼ cup Garbanzo Flour

½ ts Salt

¼ ts Pepper

½ ts Lemon Juice

Optional: additional herbs, such as fresh Cilantro or Parsley, to taste

Directions:

1. Take the mung beans (make sure they are soft enough to squish!) and garlic, and put in a blender or food processor with enough water to cover them. Pulse until it starts coming together, but not enough to make it a fine paste- you want some texture! Add more water if it is not blending well.
2. Place Mung Bean mixture in a large bowl, then add spices and lemon juice. Add half of the Garbanzo Flour and mix well. Keep mixing and adding more garbanzo flour until it is sturdy enough to form into shapes- you may need more than ¼ cups, maybe less, depending on how much water was added before.
3. Form into 4-5 fairly flat patties. At this point, you can either stack them with butcher paper in-between, or oil up a pan and cook them on medium-high heat, flipping once so both sides get browned.
4. Serve on a bun with fresh veggies and a yogurt based sauce (plain yogurt with lemon-pepper seasoning is my favorite!). Alternately, you can serve wrapped in a lettuce leaf, with a Vietnamese fish sauce-based dressing to dip it in. The patties are a tad dry on their own, so feel free to be creative and generous when saucing them up!

If the mung beans by themselves seem a little boring, you can always add up to 2/3 cups finely diced vegetables, such as sauteed mushrooms, spinach, onions, or carrots. If you find a favorite combination, leave a comment and let us know!

Jason here. These reheat easily in the toaster oven, or even the microwave. While they taste just fine on their own, I prefer to eat the m with a little sauce. Sometimes ketchup and mustard, but I will add pretty much whatever is at hand. If you have a diverse group to feed, my recommendation is to cook them fairly light on spices, then add a bunch to taste just before you reheat them. My favorite part of these patties, is the lightly crunchy outside they get when you heat them right.

All in all, these make for a great quick reheated meal, which can be easily fixed up to meet specific individuals tastes.

Lunchbox Laboratory Review

Jason here. We decided to check out Lunchbox Laboratory in downtown Bellevue. I passed this place many times, and always assumed it made little lunchbox’s of random assorted food for people to take out and back to work. While I am still interested in such a place, I was also looking for a nice gluten free burger, that I could get closer to home.

Now if you are imaging a bunch of waiters dressed in lab coats, and serving you in a very medical looking room, that could not be further from the truth. Instead of very straight lined, white look I was expecting, it was instead a very hipster looking place with tons of nick-naks everywhere. The menu itself had clippings of Star Wars, and other pop culture references. To get a feel of the fun atmosphere, just check out their website.

So where do they get their name you might ask. Well every week they create a couple recipes that after the week is up, disappear forever. If you are looking for somewhere that has something new to try each time you go, look no further.

For my meal I ordered the Truffle Love burger, substituting the bun for a gluten free one, and substituting the side with a salad. The burger was absolutely delicious. It was juicy, but not undercooked. The black truffle mayo, onions, Swiss cheese, and bacon all added together to make for a very unique taste. I must say this was a messy burger, and I enjoyed every bite of it. The side was good, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The wait staff is very friendly, and made sure to check everything was gluten free. I was informed that none of the sides are gluten free, as they are made in the same deep fryer as other items which may contain gluten. Hence, my substitution of fries for a side salad.

I would love to go back here every week on a lunch break, but there is one thing holding me back. That would be the price. The burgers themselves are already on the more expensive side, and both the salad substitution, and the gluten free bun substitution cost extra. After tallying everything up, it came to what I would expect to pay at a much more formal sit down restaurant, then a burger place.

Kayleigh here. I ordered the Tear Jerker burger, with the same substitutions as Jason, plus changing out the beef for a veggie patty. I will say, the flavors were lovely, and the spice level was spot-on for what I wanted, but the veggie patty was extremely…dense. Great flavor, but extremely filling, and almost felt like I was eating more bread in-between bread. It probably did not help that I had to remove the toppings and eat them with a fork just to fit the burger in my mouth- man, do they pile it on! The side salad was nice and fresh, with shaved Parmesan and house-made Cesar dressing- better than expected! I also got a milkshake with my meal, and will say that they definitely did that right- thick, creamy, and the perfect amount of sweetness without being too overwhelming.

Overall I would recommend Blue Moon burgers as I felt they were more gluten friendly, the price was much better, and the food was equally good if not better. However, if you are in Bellevue and really craving a good burger check out Lunchbox Laboratory.

Waffle Maker Recipes

Kayleigh here. If I had to choose a favorite kitchen appliance, one that I would buy before anything else in a new setup, it would without question be a waffle maker. Now, if you have never picked one up for yourself, it is probably because you are not a huge fan of waffles. Okay, I know, it is in the name- waffles are obviously what this thing is made to make. But take my word for it- my iron has seen a lot more than buttermilk batter. It had become my main machine for on-the-spot gluten free meal prep.

When our household runs out of bread, things are not as easy as running to the closest convenience store for an emergency loaf of WonderBread. So, rather than pile the fixings onto a plate and eating as-is, I whip up a biscuit dough and toss it in the waffle maker. Five minutes later, just pull out the crisped biscuit, tear the two halves in half to expose the fluffy insides, and add all the fixings. Sure, the shape is a little off, but it holds up well to any sauce or spread you throw on it.

Another fantastic use we have found is in making perfectly crisp hash browns. Grate up a couple small Russet potatoes, rinse them off to remove some of the starch, then toss in some salt, garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne. Throw it into the well-greased waffle maker, then remove once the outside is golden brown (may take as much as ten minutes). Strike while the iron is hot, and crack an egg into each quarter- just be careful about closing the top down, if you don't want the yolk to spread out.

Want to get more experimental- try making a moffle! Take out that glutinous rice flour, and mix a cup of it with about 2/3 cups. The consistency should be a somewhat thick paste, but no quite a cohesive dough. Add a pinch of salt, and other spices depending on what you're making, then pour it on the waffle maker until it just starts to brown on the outside. The result will be a thin layer of crisp containing a very gooey, slightly transparent inside- a similar texture to melted mozzarella! I suggest eating it slightly warm, but the toppings are entirely up to you. Strawberries and whipped cream turn it into a lovely dessert, or add shredded cheese and diced pepperoni to the batter, then spread with a thin layer of marinara sauce after it is cooked- moffle pizza!

Jason here. I have been trying to cook crispy hashbrowns for years now. It always felt just a step away, ever eluding me. Well no longer! The hashbrowns have come out crispy and perfect each and every time we cooked them in the waffle maker. To top it off, this made the cleanup even easier.

The moffle dough it creates can only be described as magic. It literally tastes like it has a center of melted mozzarella cheese. The moffle pizza has now become a staple of our diet. It is just so easy to whip up on the spot. Each person can make it their own, by adding there favorite toppings.

Asiana Bistro Review

Jason here. Back in college one of the things I really enjoyed was ordering some Chinese takeout. It was simple, delicious, and cheap meal. The best part was that it always came with enough food for left overs once or even twice more throughout the week. Lately I have been getting a little sick of having sandwiches every day for lunch and wanted a little something else. It also happened that I have really been craving some Chinese takeout. With those two things combined, there was never going to be a better time for us to go searching for a local gluten free Chinese takeout restaurant.

The problem, as I am sure many of you have already discovered, is most Asian food contains soy-sauce in one form or another. While you can buy gluten free soy sauce, it is more expensive, and so it takes some searching to find a gluten free Asian restaurant, and is even rarer for a takeout place. As a quick aside, soy sauce is one of the first items I accidentally ate which got me sick. Of course gluten free restaurants like Long, and Square Lotus exist which we have already reviewed. However they were more sit down places, and I wanted takeout.

We found a little place not too far away in Redmond called, Asiana Bistro. They are a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean takeout restaurant.

The first thing you will most likely be greeted with when you walk in Asiana Bistro is the owner. She has both peanut allergies and gluten allergies so she knows what is what around keeping a gluten free kitchen. She was extremely friendly, giving tons of suggestions on what to try, offering to cook up anything special we could ask for, and making sure to inform us that absolutely anything could be made vegetarian. She even went into the back and got a container of the soy sauce they used to show us what brand they used and suggested where we might be able to pick some up ourselves. For those wondering, she mentioned Uwajimaya would almost certainly have it in stock. I don’t think I have ever been greeted by someone with a more warm personality then her, and I could as I watched other customers come in and leave that they all had the same experience I did.

For my meal, I ordered the same thing I have always ordered from Asian takeout, the General Tso’s Chicken. General Tso’s is one of those items which can come in a variety of different ways. I have had General Tso’s come swimming in sauce and almost soup like, to extremely dry. I have had it extremely spicy, and also very bland.

The General Tso’s at Asiana Bistro was fantastic. It came on a large plate with more than enough for an extra meal which I promptly took into lunch the following week. The General Tso’s was just as spicy as I liked it. I tend to like things spicy, and found myself occasionally reaching for a drink after eating one of those red pepper things. However, the owner informed me they have a scale of 1-10 for spicy, and if I am remembering correctly my dish was only a 6. The 10 she said was something you don’t even want to think about. So if you are looking for something with an extreme kick, go ahead and ask for a dish with a spicy level of 10. The chicken was fried just perfectly, and had just enough sauce to give flavor, but no overpower the entire dish. It had large pieces of green pepper, carrots, and onions which did much to add to the flavor. The white rice on the side was cooked just how I like it, that sweet spot between mushy and undercooked.

Kayleigh here. I hemmed and hawed for the longest time when I came face to face with the menu. Usually, wanting to go vegetarian at a restaurant will end up leaving you with 3, maybe 4 items to choose from. So when I found out that any of their meat-based dishes could be substituted for tofu, I thought: what dish have I always wanted to try? Eventually, with the owner’s help, I settled on Mongolian Tofu. Perfectly spicy, fresh, fried tofu, accompanied with colorful green onions and hot white rice- I was seriously pleased! Although, next time, I may take a page from Jason’s book, and order some General Tso’s tofu!

To wrap this up, if you live near Redmond and are looking for some Asian takeout I cannot recommend this place highly enough. They will cook anything to order, make anything vegetarian, are well priced, and completely gluten free.

Buckwheat Spinach Ravioli Recipe

Kayleigh here. So, I know this is a terribly belated post if I want to make it holiday related, but I'm going to go ahead with it anyways because I think it is darn good any day of the year. What dish am I talking about? Ravioli.

Not just any ravioli, though. Homemade, fresh-off-the-presses spinach buckwheat pasta, enrobing a rich mixture of creamy ricotta cheese and tangy Parmesan. Top it off with a simple tomato sauce and some more grated Parmesan, and you have got a beautiful plate of warm, hearty goodness that is sure to satisfy!

Really, the best part of this recipe is how much faster it goes with two or three sets of helping hands working on all the different pasta making steps. Get one person mixing the dough another flouring the cutting board and prepping the folding space, and a third making sure the filling is ready on time. If you've still got hands to spare, put them on drying out the spinach, or getting garlic bread ready for the oven! It really pulls everyone into the kitchen, and makes an event out of dinner prep. So go ahead, invite those friends over early, and lure that better half of yours into the kitchen. You have pre-dinner entertainment built right in!

Buckwheat Spinach Ravioli

Pasta Ingredients:

2/3 Cups Frozen Spinach (if using fresh, cook and wilt it first)

1 Cup Buckwheat Flour

1 Cup Brown Rice Flour

½ ts Guar Gum

2 Eggs

1 ts Olive Oil

pinch of salt ( about ½ ts)

1 Cup Ice-cold Water (DON'T just add all of this in!)

Filling Ingredients:

2 Cups Ricotta Cheese (or one 15 oz container)

1 Egg

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 ts Oregano

1 Clove Garlic, minced finely

Directions:

1. Thaw the frozen spinach in advanced, or microwave for 30 seconds at a time until room temperature. Using a paper towel and a strainer, remove as much water as possible.
2. If you have a good blender, pulse the spinach along with the eggs until the spinach is finely minced. If not, simply mince the spinach by hand. If the pieces are too large, it can make the noodles fall apart.
3. Mix the two flours and Guar Gum together in a large bowl, then add salt, spinach, eggs, and Olive Oil. Mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Now, using a teaspoon, add a tiny bit of the ice water at a time, until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball of dough. If the mixture gets too runny, add more Buckwheat flour. Keep the remaining water on hand.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured (or oiled) cutting board and knead until the dough is no longer sticky, adding flour or oil if it starts to stick to the board.
6. Use a rolling pin to spread the dough out, until it is about ¼ inch thick- you may need to divide the dough in half, depending on the size of your cutting board. Then, cut the uneven sides so the dough forms a rectangle.
7. Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients in another bowl. Nothing fancy here.
8. Going back to the cutting board, score lines into the dough every 2-3 inches vertically, then do the same horizontally, so you make a grid. Spoon a generous teaspoon onto half of the squares. Use your own judgment here- you want to seal the edges, so don't try to overfill.
9. Now, dip your finger in the cup of ice water, then run your finger along each edge of a filled square, then place an empty square on top of it, pressing down gently. Using a fork, go around each edge and press the tines in, making sure each side is sealed completely. Do this to all the squares.
10. Prepare a pot of boiling water, and dump all the ravioli's in, cooking for about ten minutes. They will brighten in color slightly and start to float when they're done, but I suggest pulling one out to check, too.
11. Coat the serving plate in a thin layer of tomato sauce, then add in the ravioli's, topping with more sauce and some shredded/grated Parmesan cheese. Make sure to put a thin layer of sauce anywhere the ravioli may touch each other, since they will stick once they've cooled down some. Serve alongside a fresh salad and a loaf of garlic bread, and enjoy!

Now, you'll probably end up with some extra filling, but there are tons of things you can do with it, including a mini lasagna, chicken Parmesan, or calzones. You can even enhance a potato pancake recipe by adding this into the batter- grill that richness right in!

Jason here. So I have never associated raviolis with the holidays, and I have never heard of anyone else either. However, watching Kayleigh’s face light up as she explained just how it brought everyone together for dinner, is enough to convince anyone that raviolis are the only thing you eat on Christmas. The green, red, and white colors certainly help.

To convince me though, they would also have to be tasty. Gluten free pasta has been one of those items, that I have found to be a little more grainy in texture then the original. I was pleasantly surprised to find these we’re not grainy at all. They were less elastic and springy then traditional pasta, but it was hardly noticeable and didn’t affect the taste at all. I expected them to taste heavily of spinach, but I can safely say that they really did just taste like a more flavor filled pasta. To be fair, I do enjoy spinach. In the end I also love cheese filled dishes, so the extra Parmesan I loaded on top really took these to the next level for me.