Gluten Free Mommy

Well, this recipe is a product of my craving for Spinach Artichoke dip. Although appetizers and dessert are usually the best part of any meal, I decided to turn my craving into a main dish for GF Goddess’ noodle round-up. This dish is not low-fat, but it’s yummy!

SPINACH ARTICHOKE SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE

8 oz. brown rice spaghetti, such as Deboles or Tinkyada

14 oz. can quartered artichokes, rinsed and chopped

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/4 cup+ sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup butter

1 cup gf chicken broth (or gf vegetable broth)

1/4 cup rice flour

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Topping: GF Breadcrumbs and Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook your spaghetti noodles. While the spaghetti is cooking, melt butter over med. heat and add garlic-cook for about a minute. Add rice flour and salt and pepper. Cook until flour mixture is bubbly and smooth. Add the chicken broth and cream all at once, whisking until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Stir spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and parmesan cheese into the sauce. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti in an ungreased casserole dish. Stir until combined. Top with gf breadcrumbs and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the center of the casserole is bubbly.

Posted on March 25th, 2007 by gfmommy
Filed under: Vegetarian, Casserole | No Comments »

Today my little boy and I ventured out of the house to meet my mother and sister down in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. My mother is thinking of buying a house out in the country and wanted my sister and I to look at the house. Both the town and the house were charming, but I couldn’t help thinking of the distance to the nearest Whole Foods. I know that many celiacs order all of their specialty items online, but I love the convenience and assurance of being able to go a store and physically see all of the gluten free items available.

After we visited the house, we decided to go out for an early dinner. Like most celiacs, I do not like to go out to eat. In addition to the danger of cross contamination, I feel like a major pain to all my family and friends. We decided to drive thirty minutes to Outback Steakhouse because they have a gluten free menu.

My overall experience at Outback was good. I ordered from the gluten free menu and the waiter was helpful. However, my salad came out with crouton crumbs on it. The waiters at Outback do not make the salads, so I would not mess around with the salads. I have never received one the first time that did not have crumbs on it. It is just not worth the risk. Everything else was fine. But I have to give Outback rave reviews for actually having a gluten free menu- that is awesome!

Posted on March 22nd, 2007 by gfmommy
Filed under: GF Living, Restaurants | No Comments »

I have been nesting all day. My husband caught me cleaning the baseboards in the kitchen at lunch on my hands and knees. After I finished, I decided that I had enough energy to try my hand at gluten-free meatballs. Yum! I decided that baked ziti with meatballs sounded delicious, but I could only find gluten-free penne at Harris Teeter. Not to be discouraged, I replaced the traditional ziti with penne. I made a homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce from items I had on hand, but feel free to substitute a gf marinara sauce to save time. This was a great recipe for my toddler because he could pick up and eat everything in the dish. He especially loved the meatballs and the bell peppers in this recipe, which made it worth my while!

CHUNKY TOMATO SAUCE
This is by no means the best tomato sauce in the history of the world. It is, however, one that can be made with just a few of the ingredients I keep stocked in my pantry.

2 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of onion

1/2 teaspoon of oregano

1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

Red Pepper Flakes

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until almost done, add garlic and oregano and cook briefly (about a minute). Add tomatoes and crush them into the pan. Add balsamic vinegar and a dash of red pepper flakes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 mins. Season with salt and pepper.

GF MEATBALLS

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/2 cup gf breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease two 3 qt casserole dishes (or two jelly roll pans) with olive oil. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion until almost translucent, then add garlic, oregano, and basil and cook for about a minute. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, gr. beef, gr. pork, egg, breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper. Form about 4 dozen small meatballs- about a tablespoon size each and place them in the casserole dishes. Cook the meatballs 10-12 minutes. To make sure they don’t stick, I gently lift them with a spatula about half way through the cooking time.

FINALLY, the BAKED PENNE WITH MEATBALLS

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

8 oz. penne

GF meatballs

Chunky Tomato Sauce

1.5 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Cook 8 oz. of pasta according to the package directions. I used DeBoles Brown Rice Penne. Saute 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper until tender- about ten minutes. Add the bell peppers and the meatballs to the chunky tomato sauce/marinara sauce and simmer for ten minutes or until heated through. Combine the chunky tomato sauce mixture with the penne in a 3 qt casserole dish. Top with mozzarella cheese and heat in 350 degree oven 25-30 minutes or until casserole is bubbly.

Posted on March 20th, 2007 by gfmommy
Filed under: Beef, Pasta | No Comments »

Well, as I have approached my third trimester, my hatred of red meat has slowly diminished. I have been cooking red meat lately to boost my iron levels and yes, I must admit it, to satisfy my husband. Early in November, I swore off making one of his favorite meals- Sweet and Sour Meatloaf. Well, it’s back! To my delight, my toddler now enjoys this favorite as much as his dad. He even double-fisted his peas. Enjoy!

SWEET AND SOUR MEATLOAF
1 1b. ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 cup crushed gf cornflakes or 1/2 cup gf dried breadcrumbs
Tonight I used Van’s waffles- GF Goddess style Karina is a GF Goddess
If using fresh breadcrumbs, you should use more than if you use crushed cornflakes or dried breadcrumbs. See “Six Tips for Making Successful Meatloaf” by Cooking Light. The author, Maureen Callahan, suggests 1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs for a 1.5 lb loaf.

salt and pepper

1 large egg

1 can of diced tomatoes

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried mustard

drizzle of molasses (optional)

1/4 of a bell pepper diced (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine ground beef, ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. I also drizzle a very small amount (!) of molasses into the meat mixture. Form a loaf with the meat mixture in a 9 X 11 baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine diced tomatoes, dried mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, and diced green pepper. Pour the tomato mixture over the loaf. Cook in the oven until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees- about an hour. Let stand 10 mins. and serve drizzled with sauce. Enjoy!

Posted on March 18th, 2007 by gfmommy
Filed under: Beef | No Comments »

I just found out that I am pregnant with Baby #2. This is wonderful news, even though it is accompanied by waves of nausea. I do not make a good pregnant lady. I am sick the whole time. It is especially hard to be pregnant with celiac disease. My main obstacle is trying to feed myself and keep the nausea at bay. Since I can’t munch on saltines or send my husband out for take-out easily, I have to be prepared for cravings and nausea the celiac way.

Snacks

• Rice crackers and cheese
• Fruits (dried or fresh) alone or w/ cream cheese or peanut butter
• Vegetables with gluten free salad dressing
• Jello
• Nuts
• Frozen French Fries or Sweet Potato Fries (must be GF!) I buy mine at Whole Foods.
• Freeze GF cookie dough batter so its ready when you are!
• Popsicles
• Corn Tortilla Quesadillas
• Yogurt

Posted on October 25th, 2006 by gfmommy
Filed under: GF Living | No Comments »