Posts Tagged gluten free recipes

Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix

I (finally) made my pilgrimage to Trader Joe’s to re-stock my bare pantry full of gluten free goodness.  While there, I picked up a package of TJ’s Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix.   Feeling all Betty Crocker (now that she’s gluten free!), I whipped up a batch of blueberry waffles to taste test.

gluten-free-waffles

Pros:

  • Uber-simple to make.  Even those distracted by shiny things (ahem, guilty as charged!) will be able to add the three ingredients to the mix.
  • Mix is free from gluten, peanut, milk & dairy, soy, and corn.
  • Reasonably priced at $2.99 for 18-ounce package (makes 12 waffles or pancakes).
  • The package is purple – my favorite color!

Cons:

  • The cooking instructions are for waffles OR pancakes using the entire contents of the mix.  I wish they would offer instructions for 3, 6, or 12 waffles/pancakes.  Of course, you could dump out the mixture, re-measure the contents and rework the recipe, but I am mathematically challenged, so this was not an option.
  • The mix had a faint but slightly “off” odor (something I have found in many gluten free mixes).
  • I found there to be a slight aftertaste to the waffles I prepared.  It was a bit metallic tasting (not that I frequently lick metal objects, but this is the best way to describe the aftertaste).

traderjoes-gluten-free-mix

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Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks

gluten-free-mozzarella-sticks

It has been four long and torturous years since I have eaten mozzarella sticks. 1,460 days without deep fried deliciousness.

During a recent (rare) dinner out, I watched my husband happily devour a basket of mozzarella sticks while I ate a (ho hum boring) salad. Enough was enough! I needed fried cheese and I needed it NOW!  But what’s a gluten intolerant girl to do?  Many GF folks have attempted mozzarella sticks with sad results.  I’d heard horror stories of exploding and/or oozing cheese.  Not too appetizing…

Determined to satisfy my craving, I dusted off my Presto Cool Daddy Deep Fryer.  Armed with a package of mozzarella cheese sticks, Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF Baking Flour, and Aleia’s Parmesan Bread Crumbs, I went to work.  There are three secrets I’ll let you in on:  (1) Cut each mozzarella cheese stick in half.  I did deep fry a few full size sticks and they didn’t fry well.  (2) Roll the cheese in the egg and breadcrumbs twice.  (3) After you have “floured, egged, crumbed, egged, crumbed” all of your cheese, place them in the freezer for one hour.  This trick ensures the cheese will stay contained.

These mozzarella sticks were absolutely wondrous! The Hoover Vacuum Company would have been proud of my scarfing abilities! One word of caution, try to restrain yourself from eating 24 mozzarella sticks all in one sitting.   I speak from experience as there is only so much relief Pepcid can offer in this situation!

Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks

2/3 cup GF flour mix
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 package (16 ounce) mozzarella cheese sticks
1 quart of canola oil

gf-mozz-sticks-ingredients

In a shallow dish, combine the gluten free flour mix and cornstarch thoroughly. In a second shallow dish, beat eggs and water until combined. In third shallow dish, combine the gluten free breadcrumbs and garlic powder. Cut each of the mozzarella sticks in half (the smaller size allows for more even frying). Coat each mozzarella stick thoroughly in the flour mixture, egg mixture, and then in the breadcrumbs. Continue these three steps until all mozzarella sticks have been covered in the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs (you will have 24 “mini” mozzarella sticks). Now begin the “double dipping process”. Re-dip all mozzarella sticks in the egg and breadcrumbs. Place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and freeze for one hour.  After freezing is completed, fill your deep fryer (or large pan) with canola oil. The oil temperature should be 365 degrees. Deep fry the mozzarella sticks for approximately 25 to 30 seconds (or until golden brown). Using a frying skimmer, carefully remove mozzarella sticks from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve with warm marinara sauce and enjoy!

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Happy Gluten Free Cinco de Mayo!

Oh Mexican Independence Day, how I love you so! What other holiday would I be able to indulge in so many gluten free options? Heavenly guacamole. Nachos smothered in cheesy goodness. Corn tortillas filled with whatever your heart’s desire. Let us not forget the frozen margaritas (brain freezes never felt so darn good)!

In honor of this wondrous day, I would like to share with you my version of Tortilla Pie. Credit for my inspiration goes to Family Fun Magazine. I was leafing through their latest edition (May ‘09) and saw a recipe for “Stacked Burrito Pie”. They used flour tortillas and ground beef (which I omitted for my recipe), but their version got me thinking of what I could do with gluten free corn tortillas.

gluten-free-tortilla-pie

Oh yeah, this one is a keeper!

Tortilla Pie

4 gluten free corn tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
Tabasco sauce to taste
1/2 cup corn kernels (drained)
1/2 cup black beans (drained & rinsed)
8 ounces of Mexican Blend shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round baking dish with butter. Place the first tortilla (the small 6-inch tortillas) into the bottom of the buttered pan. Using a spatula, evenly spread two tablespoons of sour cream over the tortilla, then spread 1/4 cup salsa, a few dashes of Tabasco, two tablespoons each of corn and black beans. Finish the layer with an even coating of shredded cheese. Place the next corn tortilla on top of the cheese and repeat layering the sour cream, salsa, Tabasco, corn, black beans, and cheese.  Repeat layering until all ingredients have been used.  Bake pie for 30 minutes.

Optional add-ins: ground beef cooked with taco seasonings, diced jalapenos, and/or freshly chopped cilantro.

Note:  I did not heat the corn tortillas prior to making the Tortilla Pie, but will make my next pie with “heated tortillas”  They should provide a crisper pie.  To heat tortillas, I typically coat both sides with Canola Oil cooking spray and heat them in a skillet.

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(Naturally) Gluten Free Hummus with Balsamic Vinegar

gluten-free-hummus

We have very cool friends for neighbors.  Sherry and Ray live down the street from us.  Too far to stick your arm out the window for a cup of sugar, but close enough to wander down for one of their fabulous get togethers.  Sherry and Ray recently hosted a Snuggie Party at their abode.  Yes, a Snuggie Party.  For those of you who do not obsessively watch infomercials, the Snuggie is infamously known as “a blanket with sleeves”.  According to my son (an infomercial junkie), I also need a Hoveround electric chair, several Sham Wows, and Urine Be Gone.

We excitedly donned our Snuggies (the kids put on their pjs) and headed over to Sherry and Ray’s house for a snugtastic time (yes, I went there!).  When I realized Sherry’s delicious hummus was naturally gluten free, I quickly gobbled up most of it myself.  After a few glasses of wine and a secret Snuggie handshake, Sherry  kindly shared her hummus recipe.

snuggie-party

White Bean Hummus with Balsamic Vinegar

1 19-ounce can of White Cannelini Kidney Beans
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic (I used roasted garlic)
Sea salt & pepper to taste

Using a colander, drain and rinse beans. Add all ingredients to a food processor. Blend until hummus is smooth and creamy. Serve with veggies, corn chips, or use in place of mayo on a sandwich!

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One Ugly “Calzone”

Let it show for the record that I in no way hold Chebe Gluten Free Bread responsible for the debacle I have created in my oven.

Let me set the scenario for you all…  Hubby has just walked in the door at 6:30 p.m. from usual gridlock commute from hell.  He’s hungry.  He does not want another Hot Pocket for dinner.  Crap.  Thing 1 and Thing 2 are eating an oh-so-nutritious dinner of bow tie pasta, butter, and Parmesan cheese.  Oh, and Kixx cereal.  Finally, at 7:15 p.m. I decide to cook something for myself.  I’ve been reading blog posts about good results with Chebe pizza crusts and decided to give it a whirl.

This is where it all began to fall apart.

The kids were completely off their rockers tonight and the screeching was beginning to pierce my (tiny) brain.  I think I must have read just part of the directions on the back of the package in between getting milk cups, a napkin, and a pickle (in no apparent order) for my family.

So I mixed up the ingredients for the pizza crust and happened to see that you can make calzones from this dough!!  I used to love, love,  love calzones, so I decided to make one for dinner.  It was only AFTER I put the calzone in the oven that I took the time to read ALL of the directions.  Apparently, I was supposed to separate the dough into four equal parts and make four calzones.

Um, I made one gigantoid calzone.  It was ugly and pretty much exploded in my oven.

I just had to take a picture to share because this, my friends, is the ugliest meal I’ve ever made.  What a train wreck…

On a positive note, the calzone was edible!  Albeit a bit chewy since the crust was like 12 inches thick, but after I sawed through it with my steak knife, it filled my tummy just fine.

Go ahead, laugh…you so know you want to!

If you’d like to check out some, ahem, successful Chebe creations, visit Sea at Book of Yum’s blog or Pete at No Gluten, No Problem.

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Curse You Gluten Free Bloggers!!!

Ok, I don’t mean this literally. Please don’t shun me from the blogging community. But, c’mon people, do you really have to post such luscious, tasty recipes of gluten free goodness?

Let me explain. In less than two weeks, I will be going on vacation (and attending a podcast expo) with my hubby in Las Vegas. A real vacation, just us (my in-laws are happily watching Thing 1 and Thing 2). Now, I’ve never been to Las Vegas, but from what I’ve read and seen, it’s the Land of the Hot People. Twenty-somethings in scantily clad bikinis with not an ounce of cellulite in sight.

Holy crap – somebody call my shrink, I’m having a panic attack.

I can do Las Vegas, right? I’m not too far past my prime. I can still hang (well, at least until 11:00 pm if I have a nap during the day). I want to look hip and trendy for Vegas. I want to wear glitter and get a little (gasp) hootchie mama.

In “Training For Vegas” (cue Rocky theme), I’m eating healthy and exercising. My problem is visiting these gluten free blog sites is like going to the grocery store on an empty stomach. Bad, bad, bad! These bloggers make living a gluten free life look fulfilling and oh-so-satisfying.  My willpower to abstain from decadent delights goes right down the drain… Sigh.

I’d like to share some of my favorite stomach grumblers with you. Check out the sites, try a recipe or two, and, think of me, desperately trying to avoid the (insert expletive here) Internet at all costs.

The good news is that after August 17th I can go back to wearing my “mom pants” again :)

Book Of Yum’s Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake. I LOVE cheesecake! Before I was gluten free, I could devour a 12 inch cheesecake with just a fork and a smile. Sea’s creative recipe knocks it outta the park!  YUM!

Ginger Lemon Girl’s The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. Carrie, a lovely southern girl, was the Grand Prize Winner for these scrumptious cookies. She bakes like nobody’s business!

Gluten Free Steve’s Surefire, Never Miss Cinnamon Rolls. Steve’s recipe puts Cinnabon to shame. I love to visit Steve’s “Rants” section — it’s just genius! I admit it, I’m a celiac with anger issues… Steve is my Zoloft.

Simply…Gluten Free’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie. Carol is witty, can cook, and takes a mean food photograph. I have had to stop myself from licking the computer screen. Seriously…

The Crispy Cook’s Blueberry Pizza. Rachel boldly took on the challenge of cooking gluten free for her celiac husband. How awesome is that?! My poor hubby (who doesn’t have celiac) is lucky if he gets a Hot Pocket for dinner.

Trav’s Gone Gluten Free’s Chocolate Fudge Cake. I totally want to be Trav’s new best friend. He is always baking chocolately goodness for his (lucky!) compadres. Trav, my other restraining orders for “stalking” have been lifted. BFF pinkie swear.

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Cool as a Cucumber

At times, I can be a “crunchy granola” kind of girl… The gluten free variety, of course!

Exhibit A: I have a peculiar obsession with Goji Berries.

Exhibit B: I can compost with the best of them!

Exhibit C: I enjoy a cup of Yerba Mate and Pi Lo Chun (don’t ask, it’s some kind of green tea).

Last year, I had joined a local CSA (community supported agriculture). Unfortunately, I ended up with too many veggies that I just didn’t know how to cook or really wanted to ingest (who the heck eats Dinosaur Kale?!). So, in my mission to find local, organic produce, I happened upon DanLynn Farms, a certified organic farm in Pedricktown, NJ. The kiddies (affectionately dubbed Thing 1 and Thing 2) had a blast on our outing. They were fascinated with the chickens, guinea hens, and tractors. I purchased (quite reasonably!) a bunch of cucumbers, some zucchini, yellow squash, and scallions. The owner actually dug the scallions right from the ground. You can’t get much fresher than that, huh?

I absolutely love cucumbers. They remind me of my childhood. Ok, that sounds like a strange statement, so let me explain. My grandparents were backyard farmers and gardeners. With almost an acre of land, they cultivated the most amazing vegetable gardens each year. I remember helping them shuck corn, pick peas and gooseberries, and harvest loads of cucumbers. At many a summer meal, my grandmother would make her simple but tasty “cucumber salad”. As a child I loved it and I still love it today. So, I’d like to share with you my Grandmother’s recipe for cucumbery goodness. I’ve altered it ever so slightly to make it a healthier meal. My family could have kept the Hellman’s Corporation in stock based on our consumption of their mayonnaise alone. Back in the “old days” we put Hellmann’s in everything (including cucumber salad!). In this recipe, the light sour cream makes the salad satisfying, but not heavy.

Cucumber Salad

Three cucumbers
1 & 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
1/2 Vidalia onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup Light Sour Cream (I love the Daisy brand – you can’t tell it’s lowfat)
8 fresh mint leaves
Black Pepper to taste
Mint leaves for garnish

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the cucumber peel. Note – remove less peel for more fiber and Vitamin A. Using the “thin slice” side of large grater (or just slice them really thin by hand), slice all cucumbers. In a colander, place all sliced cucumbers and mix in 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt. Allow the cucumbers to “drain” for 10 minutes. Cucumbers are naturally high in water content, so adding the sea salt actually draws some of the water out. After 10 minutes, take a handful of the cucumbers and squeeze in your hands to remove additional water. Repeat until you have squeezed all of the cucumbers :) Put cucumbers in a serving bowl and set aside. Peel a Vidalia onion and again use the “thin slice” side of your grater. The onion slices should be paper thin so not to overpower the cucumber. After slicing 1/2 an onion, allow this to “drain” in the colander. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Then chop slices into small pieces. Add onion to serving bowl (with cucumbers). Then fold in 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of Light Sour Cream. Start off on the low end — you can always add more. Chop the 8 fresh mint leaves and fold into salad. Add fresh cracked pepper to your taste. Note – do not add salt to this salad. It will make it watery! Refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with mint leaves and additional cracked black pepper and serve. Note – use your discretion as to how much onion, mint, or sour cream your prefer. The mint adds a very mild hint of flavor, but can definitely be omitted. If you are not a huge onion fan, lessen the amount and be sure to chop into tiny pieces.

Enjoy!!!

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Can An Irish Girl Make Good Pesto?

By heritage, I’m an “Irish Girl” who reluctantly grew up on meat, potatoes, irish stew, and (gag) turnips. Not my personal idea of a good time. I used to like Lucky Charms (that counts, right?!) but, alas, they’re not gluten free. I so happen to have a great fondness for Italian food!!!

Recently I decided to make good use of the basil from my herb garden.  I’m impressed — this plucky basil is holding its own amongst the mint for my mojitos.  I reside here in the great “Garden State”.  For those of you who don’t know, that’s New Jersey. No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you — I actually typed New Jersey :) I live in Southern New Jersey, which is probably the most underdeveloped in all the state (read – there is a little bit of land left that is not taken by housing, strip malls, etc).  In fact, New Jersey is one of the top producers of blueberries, cranberries, and peaches.  Oh, and Sopranos fans.

But “Fuhgetabout” the agricultural lesson for today, on to more important things… FOOD!  In preparation for dinner, I picked up some of the first “Jersey Tomatoes” at our local farm stand.  I then stopped by the Italian Market for some smoked buffalo mozzarella and roasted red peppers.  Back home, I dusted off my Cuisinart Chopper Thingy (yes, that’s what I call it), and started on the pesto.  This pesto is lighter in taste than your traditional pesto as I used lemon juice.  Not to toot my own horn (toot toot!), but the pesto tasted delicious with the tomatoes, mozzarella, and red peppers.  What an easy summertime meal!

Homemade Pesto

3 packed cups of fresh basil leaves
2 cloves of peeled garlic
1/3 cup of grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons of lightly toasted pine nuts (toast in a small pan over low heat till golden brown in color)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 tablespoons of water

In a food processor, puree all the ingredients listed above until combined. Taste and make adjustments as needed (I sometimes need to add a bit more basil or cheese).

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Roasted Red Pepper “Salad”

Two to three medium tomatoes sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 8 ounce ball of smoked buffalo mozzarella
1 12 ounce jar of marinated roasted red peppers (these were in olive oil & had garlic cloves — I drained mine)
A few basil leaves for garnish

On a platter, alternate sliced tomatoes and mozzarella.  Where there is space, place your roasted red peppers.  Drizzle a small portion of extra virgin olive oil on top of the tomatoes, mozzarella, and red peppers.  Next, spoon the homemade pesto over all of the ingredients.  Garnish with a few basil leaves and enjoy!

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