Yesterday, I went out shopping all day long and left my husband home to fend for himself. He works at home and has gotten used to me calling him down for lunch everyday. When I got home at a little past eight last night, he hadn’t eaten anything since I left. Nice. I gave him a hard time about it, but the fact is when he goes out of town I don’t eat very well either. It is funny how communal eating is- my Judebug must sit at the table with us every time we sit down for dinner. His place in the family is assured when he can sit with his parents and enjoy his meal. I have always said I will never be one of those moms who has a kids’ and adults’ table at holidays or any other time. My parents never did, but we were subjected to a kids’ table on a couple of holidays when we went to another relative’s house. Eating together makes a meal more flavorful and more enjoyable. This translates to cooking too- I won’t cook unless there is someone with me to enjoy it.

I was home today, so I made a steak salad for lunch. The boys mostly ate steak and the girl(s?) mostly ate salad. (I don’t know whether I am having a boy or girl!)

STEAK SALAD

1 lb boneless sirloin steak

2 Tablespoons apple juice or dry sherry

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 Tablespoon ginger

1 head of lettuce, shredded

2 large tomatoes, chopped

5-6 green onions with tops, chopped

DRESSING

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

red pepper flakes to taste

Directions: Cut the steak into 2 inch strips. Then cut the steak again across the grain in 1/8 inch slices. Marinate the steak in a large glass bowl with the ginger, sherry/juice, soy sauce, and sugar. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or several hours. Prepare the salad dressing- very easy, just combine all the ingredients in a bowl or salad dressing bottle.

Heat a skillet over med. high heat. Add about 1/2 of the beef and cook for about 3 minutes until beef is brown and cooked as desired. Repeat with the other half of the steak.

Layer the salad and serve with the dressing. A little of the dressing goes a long way, so try it a little at a time.

Note: This is also delicious in a Brown Rice Tortilla if you are more in the mood for a wrap!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Beef, Celiac, Dinner, Easy, Gluten Free, Lunch | 3 Comments »

So laugh if you must! I am posting a lasagna today! Yet another fattening Italian dish for this gluten free mommy. I take a lot more pride in my lasagna recipe than I did in my pre- gluten-free days. Thanks to Tinkyada pasta and a homemade sauce, my lasagna is better than ever. I make lasagna fairly often because it is a ton of food, freezes beautifully, and is a great way to get my toddler to eat mass quantities of vegetables. Jude’s consumption of lasagna is something like Garfield’s- he eats way more than you think he can and it gets everywhere! I made this lasagna with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Gluten-Free Italian Sausage.

LASAGNA

First, the Marinara Sauce

2 cans (28 oz size) Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil

2.5 teaspoons garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

.7 oz - 1 oz anchovy paste (provides a backbone for the sauce)

3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped

2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

black pepper

red pepper flakes

pinch of sugar

a little bit of red wine to taste (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Then add anchovy paste, parsley, basil, and oregano. Cook about four minutes or until the anchovy paste is thoroughly combined with the other spices. Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust as needed. I added a pinch of sugar and some red pepper flakes.

Marinara Sauce- use recipe above or at least 50 oz. of your own

Freshly Chopped Spinach- 2-2.5 cups

1 package of mushrooms

14 oz. gluten-free Italian sausage

Tinkyada brown rice lasagna noodles

1 egg, beaten

15 oz. ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Prepare the marinara sauce and allow it to simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Brown the Italian sausage and saute the mushrooms. Add the Italian sausage, mushrooms, and chopped spinach to the marinara sauce. Mix the ricotta cheese, chopped parsley, and beaten egg in a small bowl.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in a rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Top with 4 noodles. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles; spread with 1/3 of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 4 noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, 1/3 of the sauce mixture and 2/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

For more gluten-free lasagna comfort food take a look at these recipes:

Gluten-Free Goddess Vegetarian Lasagna

Mrs. G.F.’s Basic Meat Lasagna

Rachel’s Recipe Box- GFCF Egg and Soy Free Lasagna

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Celiac, Gluten Free, Italian, Pasta | 13 Comments »

I have been prescribed a little indulgence in these later stages of pregnancy, so I have been making my favorite baked goods and cheese-filled Italian dishes. I will have to balance out my blog entries with healthy entrées once the baby is born.

It has been ages since my last piece of chocolate cake, so I made one today while my toddler took a nap nearby. Apparently, he is comforted by the hum of the mixer and smells of the kitchen because he slept a really long time! I didn’t have the energy for a layered cake, so I made a simple chocolate pan cake.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 cup dutch-processed cocoa, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 1/2 sticks salted butter, room temperature (if you use unsalted, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. Sift the three flours together. Add cocoa, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda to the flours and whisk together in a med. bowl. Beat the butter until creamy . Slowly add the brown sugar and the granulated sugar; whip until fluffy. Add the eggs and the egg yolks one at a time. Add the vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake is springy to the touch.

Since this was truly a no-frills chocolate cake, I made a simple frosting. Feel free to substitute your favorite frosting. This one is not very sweet, but my toddler loved it.

5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1-2 Tablespoons whipping cream

Directions: Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Let the chocolate cool until warm. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Add whipping cream to desired consistency. The frosting will thicken slightly as it cools. Once the cake has cooled, frost the cake. This frosting provided a simple, thin layer of frosting for my no-frills chocolate cake.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Cake Recipes, Cakes, Celiac, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten Free | 31 Comments »

My granddaddy used to work for M&M Mars, so M&M cookies were a big tradition at our house growing up. It is one of those traditions that I want to continue with my own family. My family’s recipe is amazing, but I wanted one that had less butter and would translate better as a gluten-free cookie. I searched the net and came across this recipe at Recipetips.com. I was intrigued by the sour cream because sour cream does great things in gluten-free baking! I liked that this recipe had less butter than my family’s traditional recipe and that this recipe happened to be egg-free. My friend, Lesley, is allergic to eggs, so this recipe is one we can enjoy together! I loved the results. You can take this cookie to an office party and no one would know that it was gluten-free. In fact, as I was sitting on the floor with my toddler feeding him one of these M&M cookies (or “Mims” cookies in toddler-speak), my mind started wandering and I forgot I was eating a gluten-free cookie. I almost spit it out! I laughed at my own silliness.

SOUR CREAM M&M COOKIES

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup salted butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1.5 teaspoons vanilla

1 3/4 cup Pamela’s Baking Mix (or other gluten-free flour combination with leavening)

1 cup M&Ms

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter, sour cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil in a medium-sized bowl. Once the mixture is fluffy, add the baking mix a little at a time until combined. Stir in the M&Ms. Drop on greased cookie sheets in teaspoonfuls. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until slightly browned.

Makes about 2.5 dozen cookies

Update: These cookies were made for a friend with an egg-allergy; you will need to add an egg and/or xanthan gum if you are not using Pamela’s or a gluten-free flour mix with leavening and xanthan gum.

As with all gluten-free cookie recipes, make sure you refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) before baking your cookies.

Note: M&Ms are gluten-free in the U.S. at the time of this post (not the crispy ones) but not in other parts of the world. Always check with the manufacturer about whether an item is gluten-free.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Baked Goods, Celiac, Cookies, Egg-free, Gluten Free, Holidays | 35 Comments »

My favorite food growing up was Eggplant Parmesan. It was definitely a priority to make a gluten-free version. When I adapted this timeless Italian classic to be gluten-free, I baked the eggplant because it meant less mess and less calories.

BAKED EGGPLANT PARMESAN

2 large eggplants, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch rounds Visit this site for tips on preparing eggplant: Season by Season

2 eggs beaten + 2 Tablespoons of milk or water

1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs

48 oz. favorite Marinara Sauce

1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese

olive oil for greasing pans

Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti pasta

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the marinara sauce if making homemade. The marinara sauce can simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish. Grease two baking sheets with olive oil. Create an assembly line. Put the beaten egg mixture in a medium bowl and the bread crumbs in a plastic bag or large plate. Dip the eggplant rounds in the beaten egg+2 tablespoons of water and then cover with gluten-free breadcrumbs. Lay the covered eggplant round on the oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all the eggplant rounds are on the baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes and turn the eggplant rounds over with a spatula. Bake for an additional 15-25 minutes until the breadcrumbs are brown and the eggplant is tender.

Once the eggplant is done, it is time to assemble the eggplant parmesan. Turn the oven temperature up to 400 degrees. Pour 2 cups of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Layer the eggplant over the marinara sauce. Cover the eggplant with more marinara sauce and top with mozzarella cheese. Layer any remaining eggplant and top with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Serve over Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti.

This is the Marinara recipe I used:

2 cans (28 oz size) Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil

2.5 teaspoons garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

.7 oz - 1 oz anchovy paste (provides a backbone for the sauce)

3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped

2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

black pepper

red pepper flakes

pinch of sugar

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Then add anchovy paste, parsley, basil, and oregano. Cook about four minutes or until the anchovy paste is thoroughly combined with the other spices. Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust as needed. I added a pinch of sugar and some red pepper flakes.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Celiac, Gluten Free, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian | 7 Comments »