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!

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 

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!

(Photo of the actual bread)

One of the most difficult adjustments to make when taking on a gluten free lifestyle is replacing bread.  I know these companies are trying, but let’s face it, many of the gluten free bread products out there are heavy and pretty much flavorless.  As far as packaged bread, Udi’s is one of our favorites. 

Baking your own bread is another option, but, unless you have some experience with the bread maker, it can be daunting.  I have one in my garage and I swear, I’m going to try it out one of these days.  In the mean time, I’ve found some mixes that work quite well.  The Gluten Free Pantry (aka Glutino)has a mix called “Favorite Sandwich Bread.”  You can bake it in your bread machine or let it rise and bake it in the oven.  My oven and I are old friends, so that’s the option I chose.  The mix comes with a package of yeast which is a nice convenience.  There is also an alternate recipe for cinnamon raisin bread which we tried and it was delicious.  We toasted it for breakfast all week.

My daughter misses bread the most, so I’m always searching and trying out gluten free bread products.  It’s such a big issue in our house, I’ve decided to give bread its own category on the site. 

Check out their site for other products:  http://www.glutino.com/

What gluten free breads do you like?  Please do share!

(The Favorite Sandwich Bread mix contains milk and may contain some traces of soy.  Eggs are one of the ingredients to add.  Always check labels when considering your allergies).

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!

I remember it as clear as if it were yesterday: the first time I stepped into the baking aisle of our local health food store in search of gluten free flour.  I became immediately confused as I stared at the shelves, for there before me stood an abundance of flours.  There was almond meal flour, garbanzo flour, potato starch flour, sorghum flour (I had no clue what sorghum even was), white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour…what the heck were all these flours for?  And why were they so expensive?

Did I buy any flour that day, you might wonder?  No.  I ran screaming from the health food store.  But I had a very unhappy gluten free kid who wanted cookies?  What was I to do?

I went back the next day, determined to figure this thing out.  Back at the dreaded baking aisle, armed with a decent gluten free cookbook, I took a second look.  Deciding on a recipe, I picked out a few  flours to experiment with, including Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour.

Since then I have made a lot of mistakes, but learned which are my favorites, Bob’s Red Mill being one of them.  I’ve substituted his mix in several recipes and it has worked out great.  Some of the flours tend to have a grainy consistency, but Bob’s is pretty smooth.  Another favorite is white rice flour.  It also has a smooth consistency and works well as a thickener. 

I could go on about different flours for days, and I will return to this topic, but for now…steady yourself.  If you’re new to this lifestyle, take comfort.  You will get to know all these flours.  They will become your friends.  And look at is this way…at least we have a choice.

For more on gluten free flours and their uses check out this article:  http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/cookingglutenfree/a/FlourBasics.htm 

What’s your favorite flour?  Let the gluten free community know.

As the mother of a gluten free teen, I am constantly on a quest for good gluten free pizza, with an emphasis on the good.   My daughter loves pizza and before diagnosis, would have chosen it for every occasion.  As a result, we have tried nearly every gluten free crust on the market.  Our favorite so far is Udi’s, available in most health food stores.  But still, it’s not the same as restaurant pizza. 

Up until recently, we couldn’t find gluten free pizza at a restaurant at all, but now, some are becoming aware and offering pizza on their menus.  Our favorite so far is BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse.  BJ’s has a gluten free menu with quite a few delicious offerings, their pizza being one of the best.  You can order any of their pizzas gluten free.  The manager will even come over and make sure you liked it.  One of our favorites is the Mediterranean which has chicken, pesto, roasted garlic, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and peperocinis. 

BJ’s is also a member of the Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program.  How great is that?  Hopefully, more restaurants will join soon.  BJ’s has  locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Texas and Washington. 

For us adults, they even have gluten free beer!

So the quest continues, but at least we have found one good option.  Know of any others?  Please share!

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!

Try out this site:  http://thepurepantry.com/ 

I’ve heard the food is delicious and the recipes look great.  I’m going to make the pumpkin muffins as soon as I have a chance. 

Have a delicious day!

Living gluten free can be a challenge and sharing knowledge is one of the best ways to make life easier.  Here, you will find more than just a blog, you will find a community.  Comments, tip-sharing and guest bloggers will be welcomed and included each week.

Some of the upcoming topics will be:  recipes, how to enjoy the holidays gluten free, restaurants with gluten free options, tips for gluten free kids and teens, and so much more.

Always remember, we are a community that is growing every day.  You may feel like it sometimes, but you are not alone. 

So raise your gluten free glasses to our first post and may there be many more to come!