Recipe: gluten free crispy beef and broccoli

Serves 2
Make your favorite type or rice or gluten free noodles to serve with for a complete meal!

For beef portion:

• 1-1/2 pounds steak, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
• 1 clove of garlic, minced or crushed

Mix all ingredients in a bowl or bag (add steak last). Mix well so steak is evenly coated and let sit for at least 10 mins. Heat pan on stove on high with cooking oil of choice, add steak and distribute evenly in pan. Do not crowd the pan or the meat won't crisp correctly (I cooked half and put the rest in a bowl while the other half was cooking). Set meat aside when it's cooked to your liking and get ready for the veggie portion.

For broccoli portion:

• as much broccoli as you want (I used a bunch and cut some pieces off and sliced the stalk as well)
• any other veggies you want
• scallions sliced
• garlic (crushed, minced, or powdered will work)
• salt and pepper
• cooking oil
• sauce of choice (make one from scratch or use you favorite gluten free teriyaki)

Add more oil to the pan and lower the heat to medium. Toss in broccoli and other veggies, season with salt, pepper, and garlic. As veggies cook, add in small amounts of water for them to absorb. You can cover the pan for more tender veggies but I prefer the crunch. Once they're cooked to your liking, toss in some sauce and add the beef in. Turn the heat down and mix well. Toss in the scallions and it's time to eat!

For an easy sauce just mix some gluten free soy sauce with brown sugar, spices, oil, and about a teaspoon of cornstarch if you want a thicker sauce.

I prefer to use Organicville Sesame Teriyaki sauce and for soy sauce I use San-J Tamari

Gigi's Cupcakes Gainesville Review

Went to Gigi's Cupcakes today in Butler Plaza for their "gluten free friday" options. They only had chocolate with chocolate icing and vanilla with vanilla icing when I got there. I opted for vanilla, and my roommate got a regular carrot cake one. The cupcakes are about 3 dollars each, and most have equal cake to icing ratios.

The store is small inside with only 3 small tables to sit at in there. There were some tables outside as well. It's pretty adorable in there, lots of pink.

Got ours to go and they packed them in individual boxes with a little insert that keeps them steady. My roomie and I both agreed that it was too much icing for us so we ended up taking some of it off. The cupcakes themselves were pretty dang delicious. The icing was still pretty soft and the cake was a nice and fluffy without being too moist or too sweet. I will definitely be going back to try more gf flavors in the future. I recommend calling ahead to see what flavors they have before going!

Zoës Kitchen Gainesville Review

So Zoës Kitchen just opened up in Butler plaza conveniently located close to my work and home. I had heard some good things from coworkers about the food, as well as the fact that they offer gluten free options (and veggie/vegan too!).

Well today I finally made it over there! My food was awesome, and the atmosphere inside was great. The ordering is similar to a Jason's Deli or Pei Wei, you order at the counter and get a number for your table. Most drinks you get yourself. The service there was great, really nice staff. Menu is mostly salads and sammies, with some other options like soup or kabobs. I opted for the chicken kabob meal (w/o the pita bread). It came with some delish rice and a greek salad. I pretty much cleared my entire plate, it was so good and perfectly seasoned. I also didn't feel bloated or too full after eating which is often a problem for me.

In addition to getting a meal there, they also sell a lot of their stuff to take home...like their delicious greek dressing, house seasoning, or the salads (chicken, pasta, potato, etc). .

Needless to say, I will definitely be going back!

Check out their website for more info!