Turkey Pho

I was somewhere in my education at UNC when my dear friend Stacey approached me and told me I had to, HAD TO try pho. We drove into the Vietnamese section of Denver (yes, non-Denverites, there is one) and marched into the pho restaurant Stacey had recommended. I fell in love, and gotten it several times since, until...

DUN DUN DAAAAAAAAH... CELIAC DISEASE!

The main ingredient in this delicious noodle soup is broth, and broth can be tricky. Depending on how it's made, barley can sneak in at every corner, and authentic pho restaurants (with the best pho) are run by authentic Vietnamese people, and the language barrier can sometimes make it difficult to explain your condition. Luckily, my mother got me a subscription to Cooking Light long ago, and I dug out an old issue that has plenty of ideas of what to do with your leftover turkey. (Turns out an 11-pound turkey for three people creates lots of leftover meat.) There it is, smack on page 250: turkey pho!

After a search around Tigard for star anise (thank you, Whole Foods), I was able to find everything in the recipe. Last night I enjoyed my first batch of homemade pho. Appropriately burning my mouth after just the right amount of sriacha being added.

My sister suggested I could market this newly activated domestic gene I've suddenly developed. Become a gluten-free, dairy-free Martha Stewart. I would love to give it a shot, but it seems there are a few people who already may have this market cornered. Delve into anything in the gluten-free girl's blog (link to the right) and you'll see there are so many amazing people who have paved the way for me to live normally.

I have never savored leftovers so much in my life. I hope this is a continuing trend.