Tag: gluten free

Holiday Baking Hell

christmas-cookies2I coach youth basketball and love to bake for my boys, but unlike years past, everyone seems to have an allergy to one thing or another.  So, out went the email to the parents: please advise who is gluten intolerant, diabetic, lactose intolerant, allergic to eggs, nuts, chocolate or any other ingredient that might be in the treats I am preparing for our last practice before Christmas.

Amazingly not one boy on this team has an allergy so I am free to make some of my favorite treats to share this year!  Hallelujah!

First up:  Chewy Chocolate Toffee Almond Bars

  • 2 Sticks (1 Cup) Butter softened
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 2 Cups Flour (All Purpose Regular or Gluten Free)
  • 1 – 8 oz pkg Hershey’s Heath English Toffee Bits ‘O Brickle Bits
  • 3/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup
  • 1/2 – of an 11.5 oz bag Milk or Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 1 Cup Slice Almonds (divided)
  • 3/4 Cups Sweetened Flaked Coconut
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease sides and bottom of 13x9x2 Pyrex baking dish with butter.
  3. Beat butter & sugar until light and fluffy.  Gradually add in flour, beat until well blended.  Press evenly into bottom of greased baking dish.
  4. Bake 18-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned.
  5. Combine toffee bits and corn syrup in heavy pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 10-12 minutes or until toffee melts.
  6. Stir in 1/2 cup of the almonds and 1/2 cup of the coconut.
  7. Spread toffee mixture to within 1/4 inch of the edges of the crust.
  8. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, then the remaining almonds and coconut.  Tip: Mix the remaining 1/2 Cup Coconut & Almonds together and Sprinkle on Top
  9. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly.
  10. Move pan to wire rack & cut into about 36 bars when completely cool.

finishedtoffeebars

 

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Guilt-Free Skinny Coleslaw

chicken-ready-to-go-in-the-oven1I’m just getting ready to throw a whole chicken into the oven for tonight’s dinner.  I’m going to serve it atop a pile of fresh spinach sautéed in a splash of olive oil and some minced garlic and alongside one of my favorite recipe creations: Skinny Coleslaw.

I can eat it by itself as a healthy mid-day snack, pile it inside a wrap with leftover chicken, serve it alongside grilled bratwursts, and, if I decide to spoil/treat my family, it’s even great piled inside a pastrami or corned beef sandwich.  The longer the leftovers are in the refrigerator the better it tastes, so if you can make it a day ahead you are really going to taste all of the flavors at their best.  Nutrition information per 1/2 cup serving of this homemade pleasure makes it something that I can eat all week and feel no guilt about at all!

Calories:  75   Fat & Cholesterol: 0    Sodium:  15mg    Protein:  1g    Carbohydrates:  13g     Fiber:  2g    Sugar:  8.5g

skinnycoleslaw

Salad:  ½ Head Medium Red Cabbage; ¼ Head Large Green Cabbage; 1 Can Crushed Pineapple Un-drained; 2 Large Granny Smith Apples Grated; 3 Medium Carrots Peeled & Grated

Dressing:  3 TBLS Light Olive Oil; 1/3 Cup Honey; ½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar; ½ tsp Dry Mustard; ½ tsp Celery Seed; ½ tsp Garlic Powder; ½ tsp Freshly Ground Pepper; ½ tsp Cracked Sea Salt

  1. Chop the Cabbage, Grate the Carrots & Apples into bowl with a lid.  Add the can of Crushed Pineapple & the Celery Seed and toss to combine.  Cover and refrigerate.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the Oil, Honey, Vinegar, Mustard, Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper.  Over medium heat bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes stirring occasionally.
  3. Remove sauce from pan, put into a shallow bowl and put into the refrigerator to cool (about 30 minutes).
  4. Once dressing is cooled, combine with the cabbage mixture and toss to combine.  Cover and return to the refrigerator to chill until serving.

This salad is Gluten and Paleo friendly and won’t break your diet if you’re just watching calorie and sugar intake.  Yum

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to:  recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. If so, visit my This Girl Loves To Eat community at:  https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Halloween Treats For the Gluten Intolerant Child

gfhalloweencandy

I always feel sorry for the kids who have dietary restrictions or allergies that keep them from the annual day when they are given permission to gorge on as much candy as their little hands can shove into their mouths.   There are only so many carnival mini toys, erasers, glow bracelets and stickers that one child can find exciting in their bags before the disappointment starts to set in and they lose the childhood joy of dressing up for Halloween.

Thankfully candy manufacturers care about their bottom line and have made a better effort to label their packages so that parents can safely let their gluten intolerant kids collect all the candy they can grab in a couple of hours in the neighborhood and, when it comes to sort it, they can even eat a lot of it now!

In an October 2015 article featured in About Health, Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity Expert Jane Anderson compiled an updated list of candies that are safe for gluten intolerant kids (and their parents) to enjoy this Halloween:

  • M&M’s (all EXCEPT for pretzel-flavored M&M’s). Note that some special flavors have a risk of gluten cross-contamination because they’re made in facilities that also use gluten-containing ingredients — for example, in October 2015 the Pumpkin Spice M&Ms available in some stores are labeled “may contain traces of wheat”) NOTE: plain M&Ms (in any color) actually meet the more stringent standards for gluten-free certification, which require the products to contain less than 10 parts per million of gluten.
  • 3 Musketeers Bars (all flavors)
  • Milky Way Midnight Bar (not the original Milky Way Bar)
  • Milky Way Caramel Bar
  • Dove Chocolate products (all flavors EXCEPT for milk chocolate cinnamon graham/cookies and cream)
  • Snickers Bars (all flavors)
  • Munch Nut Bar (the customer service representative urges consumers to check the labels on this one)
  • Almond Joy (all)
  • Mounds (all)
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses
  • Hershey’s Filled Chocolate Kisses (only caramel and cherry cordial creme, NOT Hugs, Special Dark, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, or Cookies & Cream)
  • Hershey’s Nuggets (milk chocolate, milk chocolate with almonds, special dark chocolate with almonds, and extra creamy milk chocolate with toffee and almonds)
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, only in the 1.55 oz. size
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar, only in the 1.45 oz. size
  • Hershey’s Air Delight
  • Hershey’s Milk Duds
  • Heath Bars
  • Payday
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (all except for seasonal shaped items, such as Valentine’s hearts)
  • Reese’s Pieces (all except for Reese’s Pieces Eggs)
  • Rolo Caramels in Milk Chocolate (all except for Minis)
  • Skor
  • Skor Toffee Bar
  • York Peppermint Pattie (all except for York Pieces, York Minis and York Shapes)
  • Baby Ruth
  • Bit-O-Honey
  • Butterfinger Bar (original flavor only, NOT giant bar, Crisp, Stixx, Snakerz, Medallions, Jingles, Hearts or Pumpkins)
  • Nestle Milk Chocolate
  • Goobers
  • Nips (including both regular and sugar-free)
  • Oh Henry!
  • Raisinets (including Cherry, Cranberry, and Dark Chocolate flavors)
  • Sno-Caps
  • Wonka Pixy Sticks
  • LaffyTaffy (including LaffyTaffy Rope and FruitartsChews)
  • Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip
  • Smarties
  • Tootsie Roll (All products)

***Disclaimer – Because the same product can be produced and packaged in many different manufacturing facilities for the same company (creating the possibility of cross-contamination), always check the packaging and ingredients before consuming any candy, even if it does appear on this list

If you experience any reactions to products listed here, that display the GF symbol or statement on the packaging contact the manufacturers listed at the numbers on the linked PDF.

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This Dinner Will Get You Thirsty This Thursday

IMG_4485[1]We missed taco Tuesday this week.

I was just too tired and sad from having to put my beloved lab to sleep Monday, to even think about cooking and getting my Mexican food fix.  The household is slowly recovering so I ventured out to the grocery store and then into the kitchen to throw something together tonight, that wasn’t takeout.  I came up with something tasty, filling and gluten free!

Chicken Stuffed Pasilla Peppers with Arborio Rice

  • 4 Large Pasilla (A.K.A. Poblano) Peppers
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 Orange Bell Pepper
  • 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
  • 2 Roasted Chicken Breasts
  • 6 Strips Crisp Cooked Bacon
  • 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese Blend (Cheddar/White Cheddar/Sharp Cheddar)
  • 2 Chopped Green Onions
  • 1/2 Cup Trader Giotti’s Arrabiata Sauce (found at Trader Joe’s stores)
  • 1/2 – 1 1/4 Cup Organic (Gluten Free) Chicken Broth
  • 1 Cup Arborio Rice
  • 3/4 Cup Sour Cream

I bought a nearly 6 pound whole young chicken and roasted it in a 375 degree oven for about 1 hour 45 minutes, took it out to rest and then removed the breasts and placed them in the Vitamix container.  Strain the drippings into a measuring cup and add enough chicken broth to equal 1 1/2 Cups.

In the same oven, while the chicken was cooking, I laid 6 strips of bacon on a cookie sheet and baked them for about 18 minutes, until they were crispy and browned but not yet burning.  Remove the bacon from the oven to drain and cool then cut it into pieces and add to the Vitamix container.

Once the chicken has finished cooking, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Wash and dry the Pasilla peppers then carefully cut the top off of all four, discarding the stem and seeds.  Take each of the peppers and cut a wide V shape on one side (from the top toward the solid bottom it’ll look like a V-neck shirt).  Place all 4 peppers on a cookie sheet.

Remove the stems and seeds from the bell peppers.  Cut in half and then into quarters until all pieces can lay flat on a cookie sheet.  Bake both sheets of peppers 20-25 minutes until the skins blister and start to blacken.  Remove the bell peppers from pan to cutting board to cool and then cut into small pieces and add to the Vitamix container.

Pulse the mixture until well combined.  Move mixture to a mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup shredded cheese, the chopped green onion and the Arrabiata sauce stirring to combine.

Fill each of the Pasilla peppers with the chicken mixture mounding each until they’re full.  Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over each of the peppers and bake in the 400 degree oven until the cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Rice:  In a medium saucepan with a lid, combine the reserved drippings/chicken broth, 1 TBLS butter or olive oil, and 1 Cup Arborio rice.  Cook over medium heat until it reaches a boil then put lid on, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and allow to steam for 10 more minutes then fluff rice with a fork.

Sauce:  While the rice is cooking, simmer the reserved pieces of Pasilla pepper with about 3/4 cup chicken broth until liquid reduces by half and peppers are fork tender. Move peppers and broth to the cleaned Vitamix container and process until only a few small pieces remain.  Add 3/4 Cup sour cream to the Vitamix container and process until thoroughly combined and smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve:  Place rice in the center of the plate, lay one stuffed pepper on top of the rice and drizzle the sauce over the pepper.

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Indulge Without Feeling Too Guilty This Weekend

Clean-Eating-CupcakesI try to stick to a mostly clean diet of lean meats, fish, fruit and vegetables during the week, but come the weekend all bets are off.  I am an admitted carb fiend and the weekend gives me just the excuse I need to indulge in as many “bad for me” foods as I can get my hands on.  I justify it by swearing that my weekday workouts will offset the weekend damage, although it never quite works out that way.

For once, I’d like to wake up the morning after a game without seeing a puffy face in the mirror, regretting a night spent drinking like we’re still in college, and trying to force my rings over chubby salt swelled fingers.

With USC playing an away game in Tempe, Arizona this weekend, I won’t be cooking for our usual tailgate crowd of 15-20 pre-game partiers.  It’ll just be two or three of us in front of the TV watching the game Saturday night, so, if I work it right, sneaking a healthier choice or two into the mix may not result in a game time mutiny (and call to have pizza delivered) at my house.  Fingers are crossed I can get away with it.

I’ll give into the boys’ need for “football food” by getting them all-beef hot dogs (Yuck!) to grill and devour with baked beans and whatever chips and dip they insist on eating.  After I’ve satisfied their need for game day stadium food, I’ll clean all of that crap food up and ease them into the experiment by baking up a gluten free cheesy bacon jalapeno bread (aka Cheesy BJ Bread) to snack on while we are watching the game.  If there is any left over, it will be great toasted and served with scrambled eggs Sunday morning.

jalapenoGluten Free Cheddar Bacon Jalapeno Bread

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9″ x 5″ Loaf Pan.

Whisk together 2 Large Eggs, 1/4 Cup Melted & Cooled Unsalted Butter and 1 1/2 Cups Room Temperature Buttermilk and set aside.  In a hot frying pan, cook 6-8 Slices Thick Cut Bacon until Crisp.  Drain and cool then roughly chop the bacon and add to the buttermilk mixture.

In a large bowl combine 3 Cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, 2 TBLS Sugar, 1 1/2 TBLS Baking Powder, 1 1/4 tsp Salt, and 1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper.  Add 3 Jalapeno Peppers (seeded and diced) and an 8 oz pkg of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (2 Cups) to the flour mixture.  Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with just a few dry crumbs.  Cool in pan 5 minutes then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

I don’t think I’ll get a lot of grief for the bread.  It’ll smell great and they’ll never notice it’s Gluten Free if I have enough cream cheese, sliced jalapenos and maybe even some guacamole for them to slather on it.  Maybe they’ll be so happy eating the spicy, cheesy bread that they’ll start mindlessly nibbling without complaint on the vegetable tray that’ll be sitting beside it.

A girl can hope.

If you are on Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to, recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a page on Facebook you can visit too:  https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood