Paella is a wonderful way to utilize leftover meat and veggies. In this simpler version, paella translates very well to a weeknight dish. Traditional paella consists of olive oil, rice, and saffron. You can throw in vegetables, seafood, or meat. Mine is missing the olive oil tonight because I omitted stir-frying veggies- it made for a faster prep and I didn’t have many extra vegetables on hand.

In my opinion, this is a great dish for toddlers. It provides a rainbow of food colors and a lot of different textures. Jude likes to pick and choose what he eats in this dish, but that is what makes paella a great meal to serve him. I used a spicier sausage this time and that can be easily removed for your toddler if it proves to be too much heat.

SIMPLE PAELLA

8 oz. cooked gluten free chicken sausage- I used andouille

a bunch of green onions, diced

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) of gluten-free chicken broth (I used the Pacific foods brand)

1 cup long-grained rice (I used Lundberg’s Jasmine rice)

1/2 cup water

1.5 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground saffron

1/4 teaspoon red pepper, crushed (optional)

8 oz. peeled cooked shrimp

3/4 to 1 cup frozen peas

DIRECTIONS:

In my paella tonight, I used a gluten-free Andouille chicken sausage, shrimp, and vegetables. I just threw the sausage, chicken broth, rice, water, thyme, gr. saffron, and red pepper in a skillet. I brought the mixture to a boil, covered it, and let is simmer for about 15 minutes. You want the heat to be just right or all the water will evaporate before your rice has a chance to cook. (You can also add the rice just as the water begins to boil, but the above method works fine for me- just be an attentive cook). After the rice has cooked, I add the cooked shrimp, tomatoes, green onions, peas, and any fresh herbs I may have on hand. I cook until heated through- about 2 minutes. I like the bottom of my paella to get a little brown/crusty, but you need to be careful not to burn it at this stage.

Makes about 4 servings

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Seafood Recipes | 12 Comments »

I am a little behind today, but I just finished my menu and shopping for the week. I went out of town for the weekend, so I will be playing catch-up all day. We went to my mother’s house and my little boys had a ball. I don’t think Jude has ever been that dirty! We spent a lot of time playing with my 2 year old sister who is a complete doll. We are so far apart in age that family relationships still confuse her. My husband was playing with her and Jude this weekend and she kept calling him, “baby daddy” or “Ju’daddy.” It was pretty hilarious. I suppose his name is just a hard name for her to say. Of course, I spent the rest of the weekend calling my husband “my babydaddy.”

Monday: Simple Shrimp Paella

Tuesday: Braised Chicken w/ Assorted Peppers

Wednesday: Vegetable Beef Soup

Thursday: Penne w/leftover vegetables

Friday: Chicken and Rice

Misc: I am going to make a spiced shortcake with baked pears, banana bread, casserole breads, marinated carrots, and a lemon almond pudding maybe. Still working on toddler snacks and breakfasts- Jude has gotten awfully picky (like his mama) these days!

Jude…as of this week, he is completely gluten-free like his mama.

Other gluten free menus of the week: Book of Yum and GFCF Mommy’s Autumn Menu Ideas

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Gluten free diet | 19 Comments »

We decided to kick-off the fall a little early this year with pumpkin pancakes. Since the discovery of Pamela’s baking mix, we eat pancakes fairly regularly around here, but I occasionally like to mix things up and make my own- cornmeal, pumpkin, or banana nut. With that in mind, I decided to use gluten-free flours in one batch of pumpkin pancakes and Pamela’s baking mix in another batch to see which one I liked better. [I had to double the recipe anyway, so why not?] I decided to use Martha Stewart’s pumpkin pancake recipe (Oct 06) with just a few alterations- obviously the flour needed to be changed, and I decided to try one batch with sugar (I used brown sugar instead of granulated) and one without. I did not bother with xanthan gum in my batch with the gf baking flour mix because I did not want to bother with any sticky cleanup! [If you are a messy gluten-free cook, you know what I mean! Xanthan gum can really stick to a countertop.] For the topping, I decided to offer homemade whipped cream with cinnamon sugar as an alternative to maple syrup. For the GF/CF families out there, this recipe can easily be made casein free by substituting a soy or nut milk and using oil instead of butter.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

1 1/4 cups GF Flour Mix (I used 1/2 cup sorghum, 1/2 cup rice flour, and 1/4 cup tapioca flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ( for simplicity’s sake I opted to just add this one ingredient, but you can add the spices individually if you wish)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

6 Tablespoons of pumpkin puree (I used heaping Tablespoons)

2 Tablespoons melted butter OR GF/CF mommies use oil

1 cup milk or GF/CF mommies use a nut/soy milk or use water

1 egg

Topping : whipped cream and cinnamon sugar or maple syrup

(for VERSION TWO: (missing sugar and using 1 cup Pamela’s in addition to 1/4 cup sorghum- you can also delete baking powder)

Directions: In a med. bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together wet ingredients. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Cook pancakes in a skillet or on a griddle with butter or oil. Use about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.

Well, we voted and the pancakes made with the gf flours with sugar were the best. We also preferred the taste of the whipped cream and cinnamon sugar topping. The pancakes made without the sugar did taste more like pancakes and went best with maple syrup, but my vote goes to the gf baking flour mix pancakes with whipped cream. I do not give my little boy syrup (for obvious reasons) and he liked the gf flour mix ones made with sugar best too. He ate several plain.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Pancake Recipes | 30 Comments »

Since going gluten-free, I have heard a lot of great things about Quinoa. Considered, “the mother grain” by the Incas, Quinoa has all the essential amino acids, unlike wheat which has to be paired with a legume to be a complete protein. However, I have never cooked it until tonight! Now, I love Quinoa too! My family will be eating a lot of this “mother grain” in the future because it is absolutely delicious as well as nutritious. I did not know how quinoa is traditionally served or what pairs well with quinoa, but I decided to give it a try.

I bought a box of Quinoa, so the preparation was rather simple. I put 1 cup of Quinoa, 1/4 cup of onion, and 2 cups of water in a saucepan and waited for it to boil. Once it started to boil, I covered the pan, turned the heat to low and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. When all the water absorbs and the grain is somewhat translucent your quinoa is done. While the quinoa was cooking, I sauteed some mushrooms. When the mushrooms were nearly done, I added 10 oz. of thawed frozen spinach and 1 chopped red jalapeño. When the quinoa was done, I mixed it with the mushroom mixture and added 1-2 Tablespoons of chopped cilantro. You can serve your quinoa just like this. It is delicious.

OR

You can make enchiladas and use the quinoa mixture as your filling.

For the enchiladas you will need:

6 corn tortillas

Quinoa mixture

8 oz. Monterrey Jack, shredded

GF enchilada sauce of choice- [I made a quick sauce using 1 can of Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, 1 can of Muir Glen tomato sauce, 1 diced red jalapeno, 1/2 T of chile powder, and 1 teaspoon of cumin. I let it simmer for 15-20 minutes while I made the rest of the meal. WARNING: This sauce is hot! I would recommend changing the proportions or making a different sauce if you can't handle a little bit of heat!]

Directions:

Put 1/2 the enchilada sauce in the bottom of 2 or 2.5 quart casserole dish. Fill 6 corn tortillas with the quinoa mixture (you may wish to add a little of the MJ cheese to the filling) and lay them face down. Cover with the remaining enchilada sauce and top with MJ cheese if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Serves about 4.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Vegetarian Recipes | 12 Comments »

For many of us, anemia was the first clue that something was wrong. Whether or not we are celiacs, mommies, or both we all have an interest in keeping our iron levels normal. Once you become anemic, it can be so hard to get your iron stores back up! I became anemic at the end of my second pregnancy and worked very hard to get it back up before delivery. I was so successful in getting my iron back up in those last days of pregnancy that I wanted to share some of the things that helped me. I still keep these things in mind so I do not become anemic again. I know that many of you have suffered far greater than I have with anemia. If you have any advice that you would like to share, feel free to join in the conversation and leave a comment.

Remember these are just common sense tips- I am not a medical professional, just a gluten free mommy.

1) First things first, I take a multivitamin. If I am pregnant or nursing (like right now) I take a prenatal vitamin instead. It took me a long time to find one that was gluten-free that I could swallow without wincing. It is important not to slack off about taking your vitamin. If you need your spouse to be the vitamin police, so be it! It worked for me.

2) During my pregnancy, I took Liquid Herbal Iron instead of taking iron tablets. My midwife assured me it absorbed better than tablets and I would feel better in two weeks. Lo and behold, my iron was back up in exactly two weeks. So I highly recommend Liquid Herbal Iron. On a side note, I took mine in lemonade instead of juice because I thought it tasted a lot better.

3) I also take Alfalfa Tablets- They are a good source of Vitamin K, which is not readily absorbed by those with celiac disease. I took alfalfa tablets throughout my pregnancy and continue to take them postpartum. Alfalfa tablets really do have an effect on the body, so make sure you consult your doctor. Some doctors would prefer their patients not to take alfalfa if they are pregnant (some think it may cause uterine tightening) or if they are taking aspirin or any other anticoagulant on a regular basis. However, my midwife touted its ability to help raise iron levels, reduce postpartum blood loss, and help with an inadequate milk supply. As always, make sure the tablets are gluten free.

4) Exercise! Just a simple 15 minute walk to get your blood moving does wonders.

5) I also added Brewer’s yeast (gluten free of course) to various foods I ate- This is a great source of the B vitamins, which are needed to absorb iron. Some people put Brewer’s yeast in juices or baked goods, but I prefer to put Brewer’s yeast in more savory dishes.

6) Blackstrap Molasses is also a good supplement to increase iron stores. When placed head to head with red meat, it has the benefit of containing less calories and being fat-free.

7) Eat some greens! Try kale, spinach, collard greens, bok choy, beat greens, or turnip greens. Once you learn to prepare these nutritious greens, they can be scrumptious as well as good for you.

8) If you are not a vegetarian, try to include some red meat in your diet.

9) Make sure you are getting the Vitamin C you need to sustain good health and absorb the iron you are taking. Drink orange juice in the morning instead of coffee. Having caffeine in your bloodstream could make it harder to absorb the iron you are taking.

10) Eat a handful of nuts or add them to baked goods. They are a great source of protein and iron.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Nutrition | 17 Comments »