Archive for category Recipes: Beverages

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Nov 24

Posted by Maureen in Recipes: Beverages | 2 Comments

I love anything pumpkin!  Especially a smoothie that tastes like a pumpkin pie (minus all of the time and hard work of baking!).  In celebration of Turkey Day, I give you my lazy woman’s version of pumpkin pie.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

pumpkin pie smoothie

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 cups ice
whipped cream

pumpkin pie smoothie gluten free

In a blender, liquefy all ingredients. Makes approximately three 8 ounce servings. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice.

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POM-tastic! I heart Pomegranate Juice

Mar 2

Posted by Maureen in GF Product Reviews, GF Recipe Compilation, Recipes: Beverages | 10 Comments

I remember trips to our local Farmer’s Market as a little girl.  We would always bring home a brown paper bag full of ripe pomegranate fruits.  After slicing them in half, I would marvel at the ruby red seeds that looked like jewels.  Extracting the seeds took some effort, but that was definitely part of the fun!  I can still recall the burst of tartness on my tongue and my red-stained fingers.

In the last several years when the benefits of the pretty pomegranate hit the news, I rediscovered my childhood treat.  This “superfood” is packed with antioxidants and promotes heart health.  I recenlty met Janny, a blogger for POM Wonderful.  She kindly directed me to POM Wonderful’s site and the bevy of recipes that include pomegranate juice and/or seeds.  Suddenly my glass of plain ol’ juice seemed in need of a makeover!

Armed with my trusty blender, I set out to create a healthy, tasty, and filling smoothie.  What’s fantastic about smoothies is that you can customize your frozen concoction based on your favorite fruits and flavors.

POM-tastic Fruit Smoothie

1 cup POM Wonderful juice
1 cup orange juice
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup mixed frozen fruit (I used a combination of melon, grapes, & peaches)
1 cup fat free plain yogurt
1 tablespoon MLO Brown Rice Protein Powder

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until liquefied. If smoothie is too thick, add more POM or orange juice to thin out. Makes two 8 ounce smoothies.

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Happy Hour, Gluten Free!

Aug 6

Posted by Maureen in Celiac "101", Hold The Gluten Podcast, Recipes: Beverages | 7 Comments

The latest episode of my Hold The Gluten Podcast is now live!

Episode 5 “Happy Hour, Gluten Free!” Features:

Read the blog. Listen to the podcast. Educate yourself.

Rock on Celiacs!

Click the player below to listen to the show! Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes (or whatever media player you use) at http://feeds.feedburner.com/htgpodcast

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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Watermelon Does A Body Good!

Jul 27

Posted by Maureen in GF Recipe Compilation, Recipes: Beverages | 1 Comment

I’ve always been a sucker for a sale…

Recently, our grocery store had a coupon for a whole seedless watermelon at the low, low price of $3.99! Now realistically, how much watermelon can one family eat? But $3.99 was just too darn good a price to pass up. After purchasing my 14 pound watermelon (I made sure to get the biggest one possible), I knew I had to come up with some creative ways to ingest all of this melon before it became a hairy science project.

Eww.

In case you too were sucked in at the promise of slashed prices and freakishly large produce, I offer you my Watermelon Slushy recipe. Depending on the day you are having, you can make this slushy “au natural” or go crazy and add some (gluten free) potato vodka for a little kick.

Feel good about drinking this beverage as Watermelon is the produce front runner for containing Lycopene, is healthy for your heart, and is an excellent source of Vitamins A, B6, and C.   Blueberries are ranked Number 1 in antioxidant benefits and contain a substantial amount of fiber along with Vitamins A, C, and E.

Um, I don’t think potato vodka has any nutritional value, but it sure tastes good in a slushy :)

Watermelon Slushy

In a blender, add the following:

2 cups of seedless watermelon cubes
2 cups ice cubes
1 cup blueberries

Puree until smooth
Garnish with mint leaves and small blueberries

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Mint is Magnificent!

Jun 11

Posted by Maureen in GF Recipe Compilation, Recipes: Beverages | 2 Comments

Little ol’ me is growing an herb garden. Well, I guess I should clarify; my herb garden is predominantly a mint garden. There are two basil plants thrown in for good measure, but mint is the front runner in the pack. Why? Well, I used to be a vodka kind of girl. In my single, partying days, it was shots of Absolut. Then, as I matured and grew into a responsible adult, it was Grey Goose mixed into various drinks. When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, my vodka slurping world as I knew it was turned upside down. It was tough enough trying to figure out what food I could ingest, but what was safe to drink?

Rum is my new best friend. Please don’t e-mail me the Alcoholics Anonymous website. I do have actual real life friends, but rum is my new vodka. :) I’m specifically growing mint for my rum-based (gluten free!) Mojitos. Now, Mojitos are a bit tedious to make (there’s the picking of the mint leaves and the muddling of the mint leaves), but please, spare your backside and don’t buy the Bacardi Silver Mojito Drink (found in 12 oz longneck bottles, 12 oz slim-line cans, and 24 oz bottles). The pre-made Mojito Drink is a MALT flavored beverage. Malt is the evil red headed step-child of Barley (off limits to us with Celiac Disease). Just say no.

In my humble opinion, the Mojito is the perfect summer drink. It’s light, refreshing, and doesn’t knock you on your patuckus like most potato vodkas (I’ll save that dire story for another post).

As the dog days of summer start drooling down our necks, get your “herb garden” growing and treat yourself to a gluten free Mojito. Here’s the recipe (for a single serving):

Mint Mojitos

1 heaping tsp of crushed ice
10 mint leaves
1 tbsp sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime

Muddle the crushed ice, mint leaves, sugar, and lime juice in a tall, thin glass. (FYI, “muddling” is basically crushing the mint leaves in the bottom of the glass to release their oils. You can use an actual “muddler” or the back of a wooden spoon to crush the leaves.)

Add:
2 oz. Bacardi Light Rum
Ice cubes
Fill glass with club soda (lemon/lime flavored works great)
Garnish with mint leaves and slice of lime
Stir and enjoy!

Note – if you have issues drinking mint pulp, do not despair… After muddling the first four ingredients, just add the light rum, strain the drink into an ice filled glass, and then top off with club soda.

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