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.

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

After eating leftover meatloaf sandwiches today, my belly craved even more comfort food. I think the baby is trying to have a growth spurt! I decided to make homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner with a side salad. My toddler loves mac-n-cheese, so he went to bed happy as well.

MACARONI AND CHEESE
2 cups uncooked GF elbows

8 oz. block mild cheddar, cut into cubes

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup butter

2 cups milk

1/4 cup rice flour

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

salt and pepper

breadcrumbs and parmesan for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your casserole dish. Cook the gf elbows- taking care not to overcook the pasta. To prepare the cheese sauce, heat the butter on the stove and cook the diced onion until translucent. Add the rice flour, the dried mustard, and the salt and pepper; stir until bubbly and smooth. Gradually stir in the milk and add the cheese cubes. Whisk until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Combine the cheese sauce and the cooked elbows in the casserole dish. Top with gf breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Cook for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Celiac, Gluten Free, Pasta, Sides, Vegetarian | 3 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!

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: Beef, Celiac, Dinner, Easy, Gluten Free | 7 Comments »

snuggery:

1. A snug place or position

2. A comfortable or cozy room

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

When I realized that I had to be gluten free for life, I lamented the loss of my favorite comfort foods. My goal is to recreate family favorites, especially casseroles, sweets, and quick meals to be gluten free “snugs.”

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: GF Living | No Comments »

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

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Posted by Natalie
Filed under: GF Living | 2 Comments »