This is a simple recipe I used to make in college. I still make it for a quick dinner, but it would also be a great gluten-free lunch. I think the flavors go well with a brown rice tortilla. I am including this simple recipe because when I first went gluten-free it was so hard to find good lunch ideas. My co-workers used to tease me about the amount of rice and salad I ate for lunch. Here is a great alternative!

TURKEY PESTO WRAPS

Brown Rice Tortillas (I used Food for Life’s brand, yum!)

Cream Cheese

Basil Pesto or your favorite pesto - If you want to make your own pesto, here is a simple recipe from Martha Stewart: BASIL PESTO

Shaved Turkey meat

Avocado

Sprouts (optional)

Directions:

Spread the cream cheese and the basil pesto on the tortilla. Layer the turkey, avocados, and sprouts. Wrap and enjoy!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Celiac, Easy, Gluten Free, Lunch, Poultry | 6 Comments »

My mother bought me a plate to serve Easter goodies on and I HAD to make cookies to put on it today. I am still in experimentation mode with my gluten-free baking. I really enjoyed the results today. This cookie does not taste gluten-free and it is not fragile like most gluten-free cookies. However, I must warn that the cookies are incredibly rich! Chocolate lovers only!

CHOCOLATE FUDGE COOKIES

12 oz. package (2 cups) of semi-sweet chocolate pieces

4 oz. of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup of walnuts or pecans

2 Tablespoons of Salted Butter *

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup rice flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with unsalted butter.

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips, the 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate, and the 2 Tablespoons of salted butter. Remove from heat; add the eggs, sugar, rice flour, vanilla, and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of the pan. Stir in bittersweet chocolate pieces, the rest of the chocolate chips, and the 1 cup of walnuts.

Drop about a teaspoonful of cookie dough on the greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until the surface of the cookie looks dull and cracked. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. This recipe makes about 36 cookies.

To freeze: I am going to freeze some of these cookies to have on hand for the first couple weeks after my baby is born. Cookies freeze well in an airtight container with a piece of parchment between the layers of cookies for up to three months. The cookies need to cool completely before freezing.

* I use salted butter in a lot of my gluten-free baking. After reading a tip in Elizabeth Barbone’s cookbook, Easy Gluten-Free Baking, I tried using salted butter in place of unsalted in my baked good recipes and I liked the results. I agree with her that salted butter makes gluten-free baked goods more flavorful.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Baked Goods, Celiac, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten Free | 9 Comments »

Casseroles typically have to be modified in gluten-free cooking, but not this one. I am sure every gluten-free cook has an enchilada casserole recipe. This is the one I use. I like this recipe because it does not rely on store-bought sauce.

I got this recipe from an excellent cookbook, Pomegranates & Prickly Pears: Flavorful Entertaining from the Junior League of Phoenix I changed the amount of sugar and salt that the original recipe contained. I find that the addition of black olives makes the recipe saltier, so I decrease the sodium content.

This recipe serves 6-8 well! It is an economical main dish option for casual entertaining. I serve my casserole with a salad and fresh fruit for dessert with white chocolate lime sauce.

ENCHILADA BAKE

2 lbs. ground beef, ground turkey, or soy crumbles

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 Tablespoons of chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons cumin

3 cups tomato puree or tomato sauce

1 4 oz. can diced green chiles

1/2 cup chopped black olives

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

12 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

2 cups small curd cottage cheese

1 egg, beaten

8 oz. Monterey Jack, shredded

4 oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown the meat in the skillet; drain. Add the onion and the garlic to the ground beef and cook until the onion is tender. Add the chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Stir in the tomato sauce, chiles, olives, salt and sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Soften the tortillas in a small amount of oil and drain on paper towels. Mix the cottage cheese and egg in a small bowl.

Layer 1/3 of of the ground beef mixture, 1/2 of the Monterey Jack cheese, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, and 1/2 of the tortillas in a 9×13 baking dish. Top with 1/2 of the remaining ground beef mixture, the remaining Monterey Jack cheese, remaining cottage cheese mixture, remaining tortillas and remaining ground beef mixture. Sprinkle with the Cheddar Cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Beef, Casserole, Celiac, Dinner, Easy, Gluten Free, Mexican | 10 Comments »

As I made dinner tonight, I could see my husband and my son enjoying the outdoors. My husband was planting a birch in the corner of our backyard, and my son was concentrating hard on toddling behind a push-toy through the grass. It was one of those perfect afternoons that made it hard to call them in for dinner. I was glad I had a good meal to coax them in at the end of the day. They were glad I did, they were hungry and loved this meal!

PAN-SEARED SALMON

2 salmon fillets, fresh or thawed

Marinade:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon soy sauce *

1-1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh ginger

1 jalapeño or red chili, minced or finely sliced

Directions: Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Once the marinade has cooled, spoon some of the sauce on each salmon fillet and allow to marinate. You can marinate the fish for several hours or overnight. Reserve some of the marinade to use as a sauce later.

Place a frying pan or wok on med.-high heat allowing it to warm up for at least a minute before adding the oil. This will help prevent the fish from sticking. When the pan is hot, add 1-2 Tablespoons of oil, distribute oil evenly, and place fillets in the pan. Fry the fish for 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish- I chose a thicker cut of salmon so my fish took much longer. Salmon is done when the inner flesh is white and no longer transparent.

THAI RICE NOODLES

1/2 package of Thai-style rice noodles, cooked as directed*

Chopped cilantro, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

SAUCE

3 Tablespoons of chicken broth (or fish sauce)*

3 Tablespoons of rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce*

1 Tablespoon of H20 plus 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 jalapeño, minced

1 teaspoon ginger

2 cloves garlic

Directions:

Heat oil over med. heat in a wok or frying pan. Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeño and cook for about a minute. Add chicken broth, vinegar, and soy sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Add the water and cornstarch mixture. Simmer until sauce is thickened. Add the cooked rice noodles and heat through. Add chopped cilantro and red pepper flakes to taste. Serve the salmon over the rice noodles and spoon with reserved marinade.

Serves 2-3

This dish is more Asian-inspired than Thai, but it is a family pleaser. The heat of this dish depends on the jalapeño or red chile- mine turned out relatively subtle and we added heat at the table with red chile flakes.

*extra caution when checking labels to make sure the ingredient is gluten free - as always!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Celiac, Dinner, Fish, Gluten Free, Pasta | No Comments »

I have been unable to source gluten-free flours and baking mixes locally, so I am going to have to purchase them online. I did not know this was the case when I moved to the capital city of North Carolina, but Raleigh is really just a small town. Even though Whole Foods located its Gluten-Free Bakehouse just minutes down the road in Morrisville, it does not cater to those of us who want to bake any gluten-free baked goods at home. Having no baking mixes, xanthan gum, or fancier flours, I decided to make a simple cornbread with the white rice flour I had on hand. I used the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and substituted white rice flour to make the recipe gluten-free. The result was delicious. I served the cornbread with butter and honey. No big complaints about the structure of the cornbread- I actually liked it better than some of the other iterations that I have made using other flour combinations. So here goes my plain Jane version of cornbread:

GLUTEN FREE CORNBREAD

1 cup white rice flour

3/4 cup stone-ground cornmeal

2 to 3 Tablespoons of sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon butter

2 beaten eggs (I used jumbo sized eggs that my husband bought =)

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt) together in a med. bowl and set aside.

Melt the one tablespoon of butter in a 10 inch cast-iron skillet or 8/9 inch round baking pan in the oven. This takes about three minutes. Swirl the butter around the pan coating the bottom and sides.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and 1/4 cup butter. Add this mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Pour batter into the hot skillet or baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Update: I can now find all my gluten free flours locally! Whole Foods is even carrying millet flour. This is a very basic sweet dessert type cornbread. Add a teaspoon of xanthan gum if you wish! I have made it without (obviously) in a pinch!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Baked Goods, Celiac, Corn Bread, Gluten Free | 12 Comments »