Hot Buckwheat Cereal with Pan-Fried Cinnamon Apples
Hot Cereal To the Rescue.
Nothing like a simple bowl of hot buckwheat cereal with cinnamon spiced apples to set you straight. Because winging it can get you into trouble. I know this. But I couldn't help myself. You see, I was just so (excruciatingly!) tired of pre-planning where to eat and schlepping bags of stale corn thins and green bananas that never get ripe and worrying myself into a veritable tizzy over whether or not some waiter-slash-actor might actually offer me an empathetic ear when I ask if the grilled tuna salad has a dairy-based dressing.
Not to mention feeling like a stodgy old stick-in-the-mud with a neon sign on my forehead that screams High Maintenance- when I'm not. Really. (Or maybe I'm in denial and actually one of those women who only thinks she's low maintenance, but she's really, you know, a major pain in the tuchas?)
So I traveled light and didn't obsess.
I drank a lot of bottled water. (The up side- zero calories, right?)
When those with me talked script notes and casting ideas over cappuccino and caramel lattes I bravely ordered espresso- or a dairy-free Americano- and tuned out the frothy sound of the foaming barista hard at work. I breathed. I dealt.
I sat with an empty plate as laid-back cool and hip people chowed down first courses of sushi and spicy coconut soup and grilled shrimp with garlic (because the waitress shrugged when I asked about gluten). In-N-Out burger saved my life more than twice with fabulous gluten-free fries- fries (thank goddess there are dedicated GF fryers in this world).
One marvelous and exceptional meal was at I Cugini in Santa Monica where a handsome, sweet waiter didn't blink an eye when I told him I needed to eat gluten-free, and declared, Let's build you something! We'll start with greens- can you do fresh tomatoes, leeks? Topped with fresh grilled salmon? Olive oil and balsamic? And NO GLUTEN or DAIRY he wrote on the order. All this with a smile, mind you. And a conspiratorial wink.
My mother, he whispered.
Celiac? I asked. A nod.
The lunch was gorgeous. I scraped my plate clean while Steve talked with his director.
One thing I know for sure. Gluten-free in Los Angeles is doable, if not easy (note- this post was written years ago- how things have changed! Go, Darling- and conquer). Gluten and dairy free... a tad trickier. They love their butter and yogurt here. Thank heavens for grapes, bananas and potato chips.
Next time we'll rent a place with a kitchen- like we did in February. After all, a goddess cannot live on lettuce and French fries for a week.
Hot Buckwheat Cereal with Maple-Cinnamon Apples Recipe
Apples plus buckwheat equal comfort for this snack-food weary goddess. I'm still suffering from various symptoms too numerous (and boring!) to go into, so it's time to return to the basics. Food to soothe. Body and soul.Ingredients:
Buckwheat hot cereal- follow package directions
A pinch of sea salt, to taste
1 ripe apple per person
Vegan buttery spread, for flavor
Cinnamon, to taste
Pure maple syrup
Instructions:
Following package directions, cook the buckwheat cereal. I cook my buckwheat with almond milk or rice milk, or sometimes spring water, until it achieves a creamy smooth consistency.
While the cereal is cooking, peel and slice the apples. Heat a skillet and add the oil, vegan butter, and a good sprinkle of cinnamon. Add the apples and cook over medium heat, stirring once in awhile until the apples are cooked and golden. Drizzle with maple syrup and stir to coat.
Serve the hot apple slices on buckwheat cereal.
Smile.
Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you.
