Gluten Free Appetizers You Don’t Have To Cook

It’s a busy time of year, and with all the hustle and bustle of shopping, parties and holiday programs, not to mention trying to keep up with regular life, it’s easy to forget the holidays are really all about spending time with family and friends.  Sometimes we need to take a deep breath, stop trying to be perfect and find a shortcut or two.  But that’s easier said than done when you are living gluten free.  So at this wonderful, but crazy time of year, I turn to my old friend, Joe…Trader Joe’s that is. 

On their website, Trader Joe’s has a list of their gluten free products, some of which make excellent holiday appetizers.  Our favorite is the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Torta.  It’s a layered dip that looks lovely.  We serve it with gluten free rice crackers or toasted pieces of gluten free bread.  Another good option is the hummus.  Serve it with tortilla chips or raw vegetables. 

Check the site, http://www.traderjoes.com/pdf/lists/list-no-gluten.pdf, for a complete list.  Products vary depending on location.  As usual, always check the ingredients.

If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, check your grocery store or health food store for other great appetizer ideas. 

So don’t worry about the appetizers.  Sit back, relax, have some torta and keep it fun!

Gluten Free Potato Latkes

Happy Hanukkah!  To launch our gluten free holiday recipe tip of the day, I’d like to share a recipe for potato latkes.  I’d never made them from almost scratch before, but was surprised to find how easy it was.  Many of the recipes I researched required lots of different flours and if you’ve read my previous post, “An Abundance of Flours,” you know flour really stresses me out.  So I figured, what the heck, I’ll try Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour and (trumpets please)…it worked!  Also, a word about the onion: when I grated the onion, for some reason, it got very soggy and no one likes a soggy onion.  So I placed the grated onion, about 1/4 cup at a time, in a paper towel and squeezed the water out. 

So here it goes…

Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

8-10 red potatoes

1 large peeled onion

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 tablespoon of pepper

1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour (or any other all purpose gluten free baking flour)

3 beaten eggs

Olive Oil (to fry them in later)

Peel potatoes and submerge them in cold water for about a minute.  While they are bathing, grate the onion and put in large mixing bowl.

Next, grate the potatoes and squeeze the water out of them (I know, there’s a lot of squeezing in this recipe.  Think of it as part of your work out).

Add the potatoes to the onion in the bowl.  Add all the other ingredients (don’t forget to beat the eggs first).

Heat up about a 1/4 inch of olive oil in a skillet. 

Okay, this part is messy…with your clean, bare hands, scoop up some of the mixture (about 1/3 of a cup or so) and place it in the hot oil.  Then, with a spatula, gently press down so the latkes are about 1/3 inch thick.   Fry on each side until crispy, golden brown.

Put latkes on a plate covered with two or three paper towels to absorb some of the oil.   

Serve with sour cream or applesauce (or ketchup, because my kids like that…not me. Okay, I tried it and they’re pretty good that way, too).

Now here’s how I know they passed the test:  My gluten free teen said after tasting…”Are these really gluten free?”

Ahhh. the sweet smell of oily, delicious success!

A Gluten Free Holiday Poem to Launch the Holiday Recipe of the Day

 

A GLUTEN FREE HOLIDAY POEM 

Twas the holiday season and all through the land,

Not a gluten free cookie or cake was at hand;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

while visions of gluten free goodies danced in their heads;

“What am I to do?” I wondered aloud,

“how can I please this gluten free crowd?

With parties to go to and children to please,

how will I find enough gluten free recipes?

I will search many sources, I’ll search them I say

And post them on Gluten Free Tip of the Day!”

So worry no more my gluten free friends,

I swear that this poem is a means to an end;

For each day of the season I promise to impart

A holiday recipe that’s straight from the heart;

To bring you a feeling of holiday cheer,

from tomorrow’s blog post to the end of the year!

Gotta Have the Stuffing

In honor of tomorrow’s festivities, here’s my favorite gluten free stuffing recipe.  Enjoy!

Prepare gluten free cornbread from mix or from scratch if you’re feeling particularly energetic.   With clean fingers, crumble it into chunks.  Sautee a package or two of mushrooms, 1/2 an onion, four or five stalks of celery and a few cloves of fresh garlic (okay, I confess, I buy the pre-minced garlic.  1/2 tsp equals one clove).  Mix everything with the cornbread.  Melt four tbsps of butter.  Mix it with about a 1/4 cup of turkey or chicken broth.   Pour over stuffing mixture and combine.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or you can stuff the bird with it. 

May your Thanksgiving be a day of  joy, laughter and gluten free delights!

Have a recipe to share?  Your comments are most welcome!

Mmmmmm….Cheesecake

Hello and welcome to recipe Friday!  Every Friday, we will post a new recipe.  Today’s comes from Celiac.com and I’m going to run out after posting and get the ingredients because my mouth is watering!!!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350

Crust Ingredients:  Combine gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, pecans and butter in a bowl and mix well.  Firmly press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Place crust in freezer while preparing the filling.

Filling Ingredients: 2/3 cup non-fat plain yogurt, 2 (8 oz) packages light cream cheese softened, 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups nonfat evaporated milk, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla (make sure it’s gluten free!).

Filling Directions: In a medium bowl, beat yogurt and cream cheese until creamy.  In a separate bowl, combine remaining filling ingredients and beat until creamy.  Stir into cream cheese mixture and beat until well mixed and creamy.  Pour filling into crust and bake for 2 hours, or until middle slightly jiggles when tapped.

Cool on rack, and then cool in refrigerator at least 4 hours before service.  Garnish with whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon (optional).

Enjoy!

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