Category: Blog

On Mustard

I am going to introduce a controversial topic here: my favorite condiment.

I won’t keep you guessing. I love mustard beyond all reason. My refrigerator is an embarrassment of mustard styles. Except honey mustard. I don’t understand the concept of honey mustard. Heck, I’m teetering on the edge of making my own mustard (someone, anyone, push me!).

For the record, I am not a ketchup fan. I wouldn’t even have the stuff in my house if it weren’t for the sake of maintaining a happy marriage. Someone I married a dude who reflexively ketchups just about potato item he sees. To each his own, I suppose.

In addition to the tangy heat mustard naturally has, it’s a low-calorie condiment. Unlike, oh mayo, a condiment I’ve been learning to love in moderation. And, of course, unless things have gone horribly wrong, mustard is gluten free, making it something you can trust in your kitchen.

Here are some ideas for incorporating mustard into your cooking repertoire (though I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that one of my favorite party dishes is sausage with a mustard dip):

  • Barbecue Sauce: Yeah, I love my mustard in barbecue sauces. I’m not alone. Use this sauce on everything. Literally. Everything.
  • Braised Dishes: I love to braise chicken in a mustard sauce. Even more than enjoying the sauce with that night’s dinner, I love having leftover sauce for lunches. This is a perfect comfort food dish. Serve the chicken over rice, potatoes, or quinoa.
  • Cream Sauces: The chicken dish above is essentially a cream sauce, but what about other cream(y) sauces? Like, oh, this delicious sounding egg dish with mustard-creamed spinach. Skip the breadcrumb topping unless you have gluten-free crumbs handy (I keep the ends from Udi’s loaves in freezer to make breadcrumbs on the fly).
  • Marinade: Dry mustard, Dijon, or even a traditional yellow mustard are perfect additions to marinades. Pork, fish, and chicken are perfect candidates for mustard-based marinades. I’ve even made lamb chops this way.
  • Mashed Potatoes: Oh yeah! Is there a reason why you shouldn’t add mustard to your mashed potatoes? No, not a single one.
  • Meat Rub or Glaze: Of course, you know the fun of including dry mustard in your spice rubs. But what I love is using it as a coating for pork chops or salmon. If you’re breading your pork chops, incorporate the mustard into base layer.
  • Potato Salad: My favorite potato salad features a tangy mustard-based vinaigrette instead of a creamy mayonnaise dressing (you could add a bit of mayo or Greek yogurt if you like that creaminess). The warm potatoes absorb lots of flavor from the vinaigrette, so be sure to reserve some for tossing with the potatoes right before serving. Needless to say, a grainy Dijon is perfect here!
  • Stews: I add mustard to crockpot dishes like braised beef or pork. Again, the tanginess enhances flavors. When I make a beef stew, mustard is one of my secret ingredients.
  • Veggie Flavor Enhancer: Mustard can be used in many ways to amp up the flavor of vegetables. It’s great with Brussels sprouts, and, confession, I’d probably mix up my own honey mustard for roasted Brussels sprouts. Or, if I weren’t in a sweet mood, this recipe from Michael Symon would do the trick.

What are your favorite ways to use mustard? Tell me!

Tip of the Week

Mustard, due to the vinegar used to make it, lasts a good long time (well, beyond the “enjoy by” date given by manufacturers). You can store an unopened container in your pantry for about a year. Store opened containers in the refrigerator for about a year. Do not use mustard where the liquid has significantly separated from the other ingredients or mustard, gone dark, and/or that smells “off”.

Menu of the Week

Of course, this week’s menu features lots of mustard! The chicken in the Dijon sauce is a favorite of mine — you can customize the dish for any style of chicken you like. It also makes incredible leftovers. Spoon a bit of the sauce over rice and make your mouth happy!

The addition of mustard to the creamed spinach amps up the flavor — bitter greens are greatly enhanced with a bit of mustard. I prefer to use coconut milk instead of the traditional cream because I like the subtle sweetness it brings to a dish.

  • Chicken with Dijon Sauce
  • Mustard-Coconut Milk Creamed Spinach
  • Rice or Potatoes for Absorbing Extra Sauce

Making Mashed Potatoes Even Better!

It’s probably no secret that I am a carb eater. Rice, potatoes, and, in the old days, sourdough bread were always the stars of my eating repertoire. While things have changed in my world, they haven’t changed that much. I still believe potatoes are one of nature’s (gluten-free) perfect foods.

And in my pantheon of potato dishes, I rank mashed potatoes at the top. Not only are they delicious, but they also remind me of my grandmother, an amazing cook. Even my mother, a dedicated non-cook, makes great mashed potatoes. It’s clearly a family tradition! Continue reading “Making Mashed Potatoes Even Better!”

10,000 Steps Starts with One Step at a Time

Though I didn’t realize it at the time, the worst part of my life, pre-celiac diagnosis, was the the exhaustion. I was tired all the time, and, yet, thought it was normal. Extreme fatigue after a full eight, ten, even twelve hours of sleep seemed to be my fate (and forget trying fewer hours…I was a zombie for a couple of years!).

A few weeks after I’d eliminated gluten, I realized something amazing: the fatigue was gone. It had been so much a part of my life that it took me some time to notice its absence. One day I realized I wasn’t fighting to drag myself out of bed in the morning. Continue reading “10,000 Steps Starts with One Step at a Time”

Gluten-Free Labels on Naturally Gluten-Free Foods

You’ve heard the jokes about gluten-free food labeling. You’ve made the jokes! “Why does it say gluten free? It’s a corn tortilla! Of course, it’s gluten free.”

In theory, this is true. The very short list of ingredients in a traditional corn tortilla do not include items that include gluten. Masa, water, salt. Simple.

Yet I make it a point to buy corn tortillas with gluten-free labels. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Labels on Naturally Gluten-Free Foods”

Bringing It All Back Home: Chicken Chile Verde

One of the things I love about gluten-free eating is the variety of foods I’ve discovered by exploring the foods of various cultures around the world. While a GF diet can be challenging, I think it also encourages me to explore foods more broadly than I once did.

Of course, sometimes that exploration takes me right back home. As a native of California, I have Mexican food in my blood. When my husband and I travel, the first food we crave is Mexican (and those cravings have lead to some very, very interesting meals in various countries of the world). Generally, our first meal at home comes in the form of tacos. Continue reading “Bringing It All Back Home: Chicken Chile Verde”

Those Weird Cravings Blues

I was minding my own business, driving and listening to the radio. Along came a story that was ostensibly about one thing, but focused on another. Specifically, Cubanos, the amazing Cuban sandwich made from ham, cheese, pickled, and crispy pressed bread.

At the end of the piece, all I wanted was this delicious sandwich. Weird because I’m not that crazy about ham. Moments later, another food-related story caught my attention. This time, loving attention was paid to bagels. Cue cravings. Then I saw a billboard for a Big Mac…

I haven’t eaten a Big Mac in, oh, twenty years. I’ve never really thought they tasted that good. Suddenly, it looked delicious to me. Continue reading “Those Weird Cravings Blues”

More on Recipe Management

Last week, I discussed Plan to Eat, a website I am using for recipe management, meal planning, and a shopping guide. This week, I wanted to explore a few other options that friends on Twitter use to manage their food lives.

Ultimately, the system you use depends on your own lifestyle. I collect recipes and cook a lot, so having a system that manages both the aggregation of recipes and meal planning is essential. Another key feature for me is the ability to get pretty granular with cuisines and key ingredients. Continue reading “More on Recipe Management”