Tapioca Apple Pudding

Sorry for my absence over the last week. I've been under the weather, and we had a death in the family. I'm also temporarily working on a new project that takes me away from the office 3 days per week...this likely means that my posts will be fewer over the next couple of months.

This recipe is something I discovered as I continue to search for rotation diet-friendly things to eat. It's warm and comforting and fills the house with a wonderful aroma. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients (makes 2 large servings):

• 1/2 C quick cooking tapioca cooked according to package instructions
• 2 T honey or 4 t agave
• pinch of salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 C milk (whatever kind you can tolerate)
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 2 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

Directions

1. Oil 2 large ramekins and preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix first 6 ingredients together.
3. Arrange sliced apples in each ramekin.
4. Pour tapioca mixture evenly over each.
5. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes. The apples will rise to the top!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays and What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free. Check out these great recipe roundups!

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Oonagh Williams, award-winning chef, culinary instructor, and expert in all things gluten and allergen free. Oonagh has a bunch of delicious looking recipes on her website, so I thought I would give one a try. She has a pumpkin roll listed. When I told her that I would be adapting it to gluten free, she sent me the following recipe.

I wanted to pick a dessert from Oonagh's collection in honor of the Holiday Food Festival, which kicks off today. Stop by Hoosier Homemade to check out the dessert edition!

Oonagh's Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll/Layer Cake

Ingredients for cake

• 2/3 c 100% pumpkin from a can (not pumpkin pie filling). Don’t increase amount of pumpkin, cake won’t work.
• 3 large or 2 extra large eggs
• 1 c sugar (I used honey)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking powder and pinch of salt
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• 1+1/2 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
  
• ¾ c gf flour blend

Ingredients for Filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese softened -lite is fine but gives a softer texture.
• 1 c powdered sugar (I used honey + cornstarch)
  
• 4 tbsp butter softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp bourbon - if you can tolerate it, otherwise rum or brandy or none
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• You can also use only ½ c powdered sugar and add 1 cup cool whip.
  

Directions

1. Mix filling ingredients together with a beater until smooth.
2. Toast ¼ c chopped pecans in 350° oven for 10 minutes (optional - for cake topping)
3. Line 10 x 15” jelly roll pan with parchment paper or foil. Grease foil or paper.
4. Mix together pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and sugar until well blended.
5. Add baking powder, xanthan gum, spice and flour and mix well.
6. Pour onto lined jelly roll pan, gently spread out, it might seem as if you don’t have enough batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes until well risen (but it won’t be very high), springy but still soft to the touch.
7. Remove cake from oven, sprinkle with sugar, place cooling rack topped with parchment paper on top of sugar sprinkled cake and turn it upside down. Carefully remove paper or foil from base of cake and roll up pumpkin roll with sugar sprinkled parchment paper caught inside. Or cut cake into 2 or 3 sections to create long thin pieces or short fat pieces and leave flat to cool.
8. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
9. Unroll, retain about ¼ c filling, and spread remainder of filling on cake.
   
10. Re-roll or stack. Don’t worry if the cake has cracked. When you drizzle remainder of filling on top, it will hide cracks.
    
11. Thin ¼ c of filling slightly with cream and drizzle on top of roll. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and refrigerate.
    

For layer cake, spread flat pieces of cake with cream cheese filling, stack, spread more on top and sprinkle with toasted pecans or chopped spiced pecans.






Different filling:

• ¾ c heavy or whipping cream
• 8 oz tub of Mascarpone cheese
• ¼ c powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp liqueur, rum, brandy to taste

Directions

1. Whisk cream, sugar, vanilla and alcohol until cream forms soft peaks.
   
2. Turn mascarpone into bowl and gently break up with a fork.
   
3. Gently fold cream mix into mascarpone until well blended and very creamy. Don’t use electric mixer, the mix will almost curdle. Use as in #9 above.

Corn Bread - Straight Up & As A Stuffing

I'm 9 days into the rotation diet. Up until today, I was managing ok - pretty good actually, with minimal whining. I've been getting creative - making yogurt out of goat milk, making buckwheat pancakes without eggs, enjoying teff chocolate pudding and amaranth banana bread... I've even been out to eat twice without much planning time and managed just fine, to my surprise. ...and my husband has not felt too inconvenienced, which is a bonus.

But today, I don't feel well. Everything I had planned to eat today is making my stomach turn just at the thought. It's one of those things where I don't want to eat, but I'm feeling so weak that I need to have something. So, I resorted to toast - a kind that is off the rotation plan. I'm thinking that I will get right back on the rotation horse as soon as I can. Right now, I just need some plain calories so that I don't faint or puke (sorry!)...

A good day to answer some requests I've had for a gluten free cornbread recipe. In my family, we grew up eating homemade cornbread every Saturday. When four of us discovered we could not tolerate gluten, my mom adapted her recipe for us! This past Saturday, I asked her if she was making a batch and she said "yes!" I ran right over to take a picture (and grab some for my freezer for when it fits into my rotation schedule).

Mom's Saturday Cornbread
Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 C oil
• 1 C milk- whichever you can tolerate
  
• 1/4 honey or sugar, or 2 T agave
  
• 1 C GF flour mix (preferably a kind without bean flour in it)
  
• 1 C yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9X9 baking sheet.
2. Mix together first 4 ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together last 4 dry ingredients.
4. Add the wet into the dry and combine, but not too much.
5. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until it's slightly golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

This goes great with chili! Or make it into a stuffing...

Ingredients

• about 2/3 of the above cornbread recipe, cubed
• 2 C chopped and peeled apples
• 1 C diced carrots
• ¾ C diced onions
• ½ C diced celery
• ½ C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 1/4 C dried cranberries (optional)
  
• ½ t ground nutmeg
• 2 t salt
• 1 t pepper
• ½ C butter or oil
• 1 C GF chicken stock

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Spread cornbread cubes on a cookie sheet and bake 10 – 15 min or until dry.
   
3. In a skillet, place the butter or oil along with the carrots, onions, and celery. Cook until beginning to turn translucent.
4. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Turn off heat.
   
5. In a large bowl, combine the bread, veggies, apples and nuts.
6. Pour mixture into a baking pan and pour chicken stock all over. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Sausage Stew

Couple of things to tell you about first:

1. The Nov 1st edition of the Gluten Free Lifestyle Blog Carnival is up at Sustaining Health Holistically. Check it out for some great recipes, product reviews, and more!
   
2. A fantastic recipe roundup of pumpkin treats for "Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free" is up at Life Gluten Free.
3. Today is Monday, so swing by Simply Sugar & Gluten Free for a collection of Slightly Indulgent recipes. You could also win a great give-a-way - new e-cookbooks!

One week of the rotation diet down! It's not so bad, I've decided. The thing that has bothered me the most is the difficulty with being spontaneous. With practice, I think this will get easier. A big plus is that we are both eating healthier (even though Brian is not doing this with me) - a lot more veggies and vegetarian meals in general, though I'm posting a meal-filled recipe today...

Soups and stews are among the most wonderful aspects of the cool weather season. I love to toss some things together and have them meld into a tasty, warm, comforting meal. We had this for a couple of dinners recently.

Ingredients:

• 1 T oil
• 1/2 pound sausage, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (1 pound) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 small hot green chile pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (16 ounce) can chic peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 apple - peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
  

Directions:

1. Heat oil in bottom of soup pot or dutch oven. Add sausage and allow to brown for about 7 min, breaking it up occasionally.
2. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Add sweet potatoes and red pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, chili pepper, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Stir in chic peas, apple, cilantro, salt, and pepper and allow to simmer for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free (Soup Theme)?

Teff Chocolate Pudding - wheat, gluten, egg, soy, dairy, corn, refined sugar, peanut, and tree nut free!

It's day 4 of my rotation diet, and I'm not losing my mind! I'm definitely learning a lot, and I'm eating much healthier - lots of veggies! I'm making it into a game, sort-of - like "I know I'm going out to eat Saturday, so how do I 'save up' food groups so that I can eat what I want?" I'm also becoming very aware of foods that I was over-relying on, like onions, peppers, tomatoes, turkey...

Today will be the completion of a full rotation. To start out, foods are rotated on a four day schedule, so tomorrow, I go back to the food groups that I ate on Monday. I can tell that, as I get more comfortable doing this, I will be a bit more "free" with my meal planning - right now, I'm planning my meals mostly based on the rotation that is suggested in the book, but soon I will think about meals I want to have, then assign food groups accordingly. That will work out much better!

I ended up feeling a bit hungry on day Monday afternoon (rotation day 2), and started to panic a bit - I didn't plan for that! I checked day 2 food groups and saw that I could have teff. I've always wanted to experiment with teff, but just hadn't yet. I looked at the back of the Bob's Red Mill Teff package for some inspiration and saw a recipe for Teff Pudding. It contained few ingredients, all of which I could incorporate on rotation day 2, so I went for it! I'm glad I did - it was so yummy and comforting...definitely something I will eat even when I'm not on rotation! The cooked teff has a texture that lends itself to pudding - almost as if it contains gelatin, but it doesn't.

Before the recipe, a word about teff: Teff is packed with nutrition. It is higher in protein than wheat and has a high concentration of a wide variety of nutrients, including calcium, thiamine and iron. A cup of cooked teff contains 387 mg of calcium which is 40% of the U.S. recommended daily allowance. Teff has twice as much iron as both wheat and barley; the iron from teff is easily absorbed by the body. Since the grains are so small, the bulk of the grain is germ and bran. It is very high in fiber and is thought to benefit people with diabetes as it helps control blood sugar levels. Teff is available as a grain or as a flour. You can read more about the nutritional benefits of teff here.

Teff Pudding (serves 2 - 3) - wheat, gluten, egg, soy, dairy, corn, refined sugar, peanut, and tree nut free!

Ingredients:

• 2 C water
• 1/2 C teff grain
• 3 T cocoa powder
• 2 T maple syrup or honey, or 1 T agave
• 2 t vanilla extract
• pinch of salt (my addition, since it brings out the sweetness!)

Directions

1. In a small pot, bring water and teff grain to a boil, then cover and simmer over very low heat for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temperature.
2. In a blender or food processor, blend cooked teff and remaining ingredients until smooth and light. Add additional water if it's too thick.
3. Pour into serving bowl, chill, and serve.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays.

Honey-Buckwheat Pancakes

Haven't discovered buckwheat yet? I have to say that it was only recently that I have begun to appreciate all buckwheat it has to offer. I loved Nicolette's buckwheat brownies, so I thought I'd see what else it would be good in. Buckwheat pancakes seemed like a natural next move, since I love a good pancake (see coconut flour pancakes and flourless pancakes)! They turned out delicious, if I do say so myself... Buckwheat lends a nuttiness that I think perfectly pairs with honey - it's like they were made for each other.

Ingredients (makes about 5-6 pancakes):

• 1/2 C GF buckwheat flour
• 1 t baking powder (if you cannot tolerate corn, click here for a corn free baking powder recipe)
  
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
  
• 1 T honey
• 1 egg
• 2 T oil
• 1 t vanilla extract
  
• about 1/2 C whichever milk you can tolerate (yogurt would be nice, too)

Directions:

1. Mix together the first 3 ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the honey, egg, oil, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir a little.
4. Start adding in your milk a bit at a time until the desired consistency is met.
5. Cook batter on a preheated pan or griddle that has been greased.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Monday.

Chili with Roasted Peppers

Chili is a cool-weather staple around here. It's one of those great meals that can be adapted many different ways to suit tastes and dietary restrictions. It can also give you a hand cleaning out your pantry! This version is made with roasted hot peppers (not too hot for me - I make extra peppers for my husband to sprinkle on top b/c he likes his mouth to be on fire...). Roasting the peppers takes their flavor to a different depth in such a wonderful way and tempers the heat a bit.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 hot peppers (jalapenos are fine; use more or less depending on your taste)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 lb. ground meat (I use turkey)
• 1 C juicer pulp (optional - it's a good way to use it up!)
  
• 2 T chili powder
• 2 T cumin
• dash red pepper flakes
• 1 T salt
• 2 t pepper
• 1/4 C ground flax seeds (optional)
  
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 1 can black beans (or whatever you have on hand - I used kidney this time)
• 1 can corn (optional)
• 4 tomatoes, diced or 2 C canned tomatoes

Directions:

1. Place whole hot peppers on a baking sheet covered in foil. Roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until they get char spots on them and blister, like in the picture above. Once cool, split a part and remove the stem and seeds (unless you like more heat). Dice and set aside.
2. While the peppers are roasting, place heat olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven. Add onions and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add ground meat to the pot. Allow it to begin to brown, using your stirring spoon to separate it. Cook for about 5-7 minutes. If you are using juicer pulp, add it in.
   
4. Add chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, ground flax seed, salt and pepper to the meat and mix around.
5. Add the bell peppers and cook for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add the beans, corn, and tomatoes and stir to combine.
7. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Notes:

• I like to top mine with yogurt - whichever kind I've got. My favorite is Greek or coconut.

I Took the Kale Chip Challenge!

On October 13th, Celiac Chicks issued a throw-down - a Kale Chip Throw-down. I have been reading about these things for a while and just letting the idea of them stew. When I saw this challenge, I had to accept, especially because they expressed their initial hesitancy, thinking "how could these be any good?" ...and that's where I've been at!

I followed their recipe and used the oven this time rather than the dehydrator, which I plan to try in the future. I made just one batch at first because why waste perfectly good kale if I didn't like these chips? But...I loved them! They are light and crispy! My first batch was olive oil and salt, which just pairs nicely with the flavor of the kale. For my 2nd batch, I added cumin...YUM! The pictures show before and after - they are a bit like shrinky-dinks! I actually could see these squashing a chip craving.

In other news...Go Dairy Free reported today that one of my favorite cereals, Perky's Nutty Flax (which actually does not contain nuts), is now being branded as Enjoy Life Crunchy Flax. Click here to read about that transition. The flavor, crunch, and low sugar grams better stay the same, is all I can say!

This post is linked to What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free over at the Gluten Free Homemaker.

Product Review: Edward & Sons Exotic Rice Toast

Don't forget to check out today's Slightly Indulgent recipes at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free. You could win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com! Who couldn't use that?

While checking out our local wine and cheese shop for the first time the other day (for some reason, we always go to one that is further away), I happily noticed a few gluten free products among all of the wonderful-looking gifts and cheese accompaniments. Among them were Edward & Sons Exotic Rice Toasts. I hadn't seen them before, so naturally I scooped them up to try with our yummy cheese purchases. I loved them, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you. I also loved the Edward & Sons website, which has an easy-to-us allergen chart!!! Check out my review on The Examiner.

PS - I purchased these for my own individual use. No compensation of any kind was received in exchange for this review.

Happy Monday!

Buckwheat Brownies

In my 2nd interview with Nicolette Dumke, she named a couple of her favorite recipes, one of which is her Buckwheat Brownies. I got to thinking that if an author of multiple wonderful, allergy-friendly cookbooks says that something is her favorite, it must be worth a try. ...and I always love to satisfy a chocolate craving!

These brownies are wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, refined sugar, and corn-free. I substituted a mix of honey and maple syrup for the maple sugar, which resulted in a more cake-like brownie. Brian and I both gobbled them up! They are sooooooo good! Next time, I might try a few adjustments for a more fudge-like texture, but then again, why play with a good thing?

You can find the recipe at the end of my interview with Nicolette. ...and if you are interested in learning more about the nutritional value of buckwheat, click here. Enjoy!

Ode to Some Wonderful Bloggers

We had company last night - a few folks that I used to work with. They have all been amazingly supportive of me, so of course I would want to throw them a nice dinner party. We tend to get together about once every 6 weeks or so. We rotate houses and do it potluck style. Last night, I needed to create a main dish, side dish, and an appetizer. Three bloggers were the inspiration:

For the appetizer, I made Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks. For these, I used Shirley's Flourless Pizza Crust recipe posted at Gluten Free Easily. I added garlic powder to the mixture and instead of making it into pizza, I cut it into long rectangles and served them with marinara sauce. They were a big hit!

Knowing that I'd be busy with work and running around all day, I wanted a fairly no-fuss main and side dish. Diane at The Whole Gang pointed me to Ali and Tom's recipe for Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Figs and Onions posted at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. I brined the chicken first to ensure that it would turn out moist, using water, salt, maple syrup, onion, and fresh rosemary. I used onions and figs, but also added turnips, carrots, potatoes, and parsnips from our farmer's market. For my guests, I actually used split chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken so that I didn't have to carve it. The picture shown here is actually the same recipe with whole chicken that I made just for us last week.

We also had a lovely salad to go with it all. My friends rounded out the meal with stuffed grape leaves and roasted artichokes for the appetizers and various sweet treats for dessert. We had a fun evening and they left feeling full and satisfied. Did I mention that they don't have any dietary restrictions??? That's always a great test for "special" recipes.

Thanks again, fellow bloggers!

One more thing - Amazon sent me an email stating that they are running a special - Enjoy Life Foods 15% off.

Millet Banana Bread

Yep, you guessed it! Another recipe from Nicolette Dumke's latest cookbook. I can't help myself. I'm enjoying experimenting...and the results! My husband and I both loved this one...I have to confess, I haven't shared much of it with him. It's just too good!

Millet Banana Bread (free of the top 8 allergens, gluten, corn, and refined sugar)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C millet flour
• 1 C tapioca starch
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 t baking soda + 1/2 t unbuffered vitamin C powder (or 2 1/2 t baking powder)
• 1 t cinnamon or 1/2 t ground cloves
• 1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 3/4 C mashed ripe bananas (about 3 1/2 bananas)
• 1/4 C oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Oil and flour a loaf pan.
2. Stir together flours, salt, baking soda + vitamin C powder (or baking powder), spice, and nuts (if using) in a large bowl.
3. Combine the mashed bananas and oil and stir them into the dry ingredients until they are completely mixed in, but be careful not to over mix (the batter will be stiff). Put the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the bread is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan to cool completely. Makes one loaf.

Notes:

• I did not have millet flour on hand so I ground my own. Nicolette offers a caution about this - if you are grinding your own, you'll want to adjust the liquid. I added more banana and a bit more oil, but next time I might add a couple T of milk, too. Nicolette also says that she has found that even different brands of the same product can yield different results, so she provides where to find the brands that she uses.
• The cookbook also provides recipes for banana bread using spelt, barley, or amaranth.
• I was sent a free copy of this cookbook by Nicolette to review.
  

Curried Pumpkin-Apple Soup

My husband is an excellent cook...I'm very lucky! Last weekend, he bought two sugar pumpkins because they were on sale. He excitedly told me that he planned to roast them and make soup out of them. The weekend came and went and all he was able to get to was the roasting part...the poor guys works full time, is in grad school, and is doing all the construction on our home, so I wasn't upset that I had all this pumpkin and no idea what to do with it. Time to get creative!

After reading about how to prepare fresh pumpkin, I came up with a game plan: make a pumpkin soup and add flavors that *hopefully* go well with it. The end result was a fabulous, comforting soup that we both couldn't get enough of! Good thing, because I made a double batch and still had left over pumpkin, so I made Amy's Pumpkin Ice Cream recipe...yum! (If you use fresh pumpkin for this, strain it over two nights).

Oh yeah - at the New England Celiac Conference this past Saturday, pumpkin made a short list of "super foods" that the two nutritionists talked about being sure to add to your diet if you are gluten free. Nice! Pumpkins dishes are also the theme for this month's Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free recipe round up which will be hosted by Heather at Life, Gluten Free. Not sure yet if this will be my entry...
Ingredients:

• 4 T butter (or oil)
  
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 C pumpkin (canned would work, too)
• 1 apple, diced
  
• 1 T salt
• 1 T honey (or 2 t agave)
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1 T curry powder (make sure it is gluten free!)
  
• 1/2 t ground pepper
• 3 C chicken broth
• 1/2 C milk (any kind that you can tolerate)

Directions

1. Heat the butter or oil in your soup pot or dutch oven.
2. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the pumpkin, apple, salt, honey, nutmeg, and pepper and stir.
   
4. Add the chicken broth 1 C at a time and stir well in between additions.
5. Use an immersion or stick blender to make the soup real creamy and smooth.
6. Add milk and stir to incorporate.

Ming Tsai on The Today Show

Ming Tsai was on The Today Show this morning spreading his message that having food allergies doesn't mean that you have to eat plain, bland food. He demonstrated a kid and allergy-friendly recipe for Potstickers and then adapted it for people that are allergic to wheat creating Chicken Patties in Lettuce Cups. He then presented a way to make a healthier Fried Rice that is egg and soy free.

During the segment, Ming said he loves non-dairy Tempt Hemp Seed Ice Cream (which is also soy, and gluten free with 3 flavors that are tree nut free). The hosts tasted it and agreed! With it, he presented his recipe for Lime-Coconut Gluten Free Sugar Cookies.

Ming proudly reported that his son is now only allergic to nuts, and has tried peanut butter with success over the last few weeks.

You can download his recipes here.

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

I don't usually make much from Rachel Ray - not sure why b/c I do like the whole quick-and-easy thing. This recipe is hers and it's one that we revisit about twice a month during the cooler weather. It is incredibly flavorful - better than real stuffed cabbage in my opinion! I whipped it up this AM - the first batch of Fall! Brian will be very happy. It makes a ton, so it's good if you've got a crowd coming, or if you want to graze out of it for days and days, which is what we do. Leftovers freeze very well, too.

As a side note, Lisa from Lisa Cooks Allergen Free met Rachel Ray recently and took the opportunity to ask her to feature allergy-friendly recipes. I think she got Rachel thinking - maybe there will be a whole new set of books and shows dedicated to great-tasting meals free from the top 8 common food allergens!

Stuffed Cabbage Soup (from Rachel Ray w/ just a few changes by me)

Ingredients

• 1 C uncooked rice (optional)
  
• 2 T olive oil
• 1.5 lb. of ground meet (we like a combo of turkey or beef with pork)
• 1 T salt
• 2 t pepper
• 1 T coriander
• 1 T smoked paprika
• 2 t allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 large carrots made into ribbons using a peeler
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
• 1 large head of cabbage, shredded
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 qt of chicken broth
• 1 -15 oz can of tomato sauce
• Fresh parsley for garnish
  

Directions

1. If using the rice, cook it according to package directions. I like to first heat a bit of olive oil in the pan and add the uncooked rice to it to toast it a bit, then add some salt and cook away!
   
2. In a soup pot or dutch oven, heat 2 T olive oil. When it's hot, add the ground meat to brown it.
   
3. Once the meat has a bit of color, season it with the salt, pepper, bay leaf, coriander, allspice, and smoked paprika.
4. After a couple of minutes, add the onions, garlic, and carrots and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the cabbage an allow it to wilt a bit.
6. Add the stock, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Cover and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
   
7. If using the rice, add it to the pot once it's cooked (or you can leave it out of the soup and just put a scoop into a bowl and pour the soup over it).
8. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley.
   

Enjoy!

Better Bread Company Vegetable Pizza

If you are a follower of this blog, you probably know that I love pizza. A couple of weeks ago, I spied a different pizza box in the freezer section at Hannafords from the Better Bread Company. It said "gluten free" and also "hand crafted," which got my interest peeked. It was $7.99, so I decided to give it a try, though I haven't been real satisfied with frozen GF pizzas in the past.

At lunchtime, I baked up the veggie pizza - right on the rack of my oven. It was hard to wait until it cooled! The crust was fairly thin, but no too thin. It crisped really well, which I think is key. When I cut it, it didn't fall apart...you could hold it and eat it like real pizza. The cheese, sauce, and veggie toppings were all very tasty. Absolutely YUMMY!

Then I went to the Better Bread Co's website and discovered that they were founded by a fellow celiac and that they are located right in Windham, Maine, which is not too far from me. The site says that they hand roll each pizza crust, so no two look the same. I like their philosophy and the fact that they are pretty local, so when Hannafords said that I could pick out some of their GF products to distribute as samples at the Going Gluten Free workshop, this is one of the products I chose!

Most stores in the Northeast carry Better Bread Company's products, and they are also available online through amazon.com.



Don't forget to stop by and see Amy at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free today for a round up of delicious "slightly indulgent" recipes!

Indian Pudding

This month's edition of Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free is being hosted by Katrina at Gluten Free Gidget. She came up with such a creative theme: Dinner with Disney! Be sure to check out her blog at the end of the month for a recipe round up of gluten free treats inspired by Disney movies. My entry is Indian Pudding, inspired by the movie Pocahontas, the story of the meeting of the English settlers in Jamestown with the local tribe of Powhatan Indians. Pocahontas wasn't always sure which direction her life should take, though she ended up finding her path. She also had a deep appreciation and respect for the world around her. These two themes have been very present in my life lately.

It's also getting to be Fall - small hints, like the cool nights we've been experiencing, are noticeable. I start thinking about Thanksgiving, my second favorite holiday (Christmas is #1 in my book). It's a great time to take the chill out of the house by making something low and slow. The aroma of cinnamon and ginger will fill the air!

Authentic recipes for Indian Pudding are gluten free which I didn't realize until not too long ago. My version does not contain any refined sugar or molasses, resulting in a lighter colored pudding that is still sweet, delicious, and comforting!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (or dark molasses)
  
• 1/4 cup honey (or white sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Butter a 1 quart baking dish.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook milk until bubbles form at edges. Slowly stir cornmeal and maple syrup into milk. Continue to cook and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in honey, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Pour into prepared dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven about 2 hours or until set. Serve hot or cold.

It's Wednesday, so don't forget to check out great GF recipe ideas at The Gluten Free Homemaker. Enjoy!

Sausage & Apple Cabbage

Today is Monday, which means that Amy at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free is collecting a round up of Slightly Indulgent recipes and ideas. Definitely worth checking out!

We hit the farmer's market on Saturday mornings religiously each weekend it's open from May to October. We come home with an abundance of local, organic foods...eggplant, sweet peppers, potatoes, onions, corn, carrots, cabbage, eggs, pork, chicken, sausage, apples are starting to appear - this list goes on and on. Here is one of our favorite market inspired easy dinners (this is a picture of the leftovers packed up for Brian's lunch!):

Sausage & Apple Cabbage

Ingredients (serves 4)

• about 1 1/4 lb of sausage (we like hot Italian to balance the sweetness of the apple and honey) cut into 1 inch bites
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 C white wine (you can also use stock or water)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T honey (or maple syrup or 2 t agave)
  
• 2 carrots, grated *
  
• 1 large head of cabbage, grated *
  
• 1 large apple cut into bite size pieces
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat a deep pot or dutch oven over med-high heat. Put sausage in pot and brown on all sides for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add onions to the pot. Cook until they get some color. Both the sausage and onions may stick to the pot at this point but that's ok - all that browned stuff on the bottom is flavor!
3. When the onions are nicely golden browned, add 1/4 C wine to deglaze the pan, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom.
4. Add 1 T olive oil, 1 T honey, the carrots and cabbage. Stir and cook until the veggies begin to wilt.
5. Add the apple, salt and pepper. I like to just heat the apple through, but you might want to cook it longer so that it "melts" into the dish.
   
6. Check to make sure your sausage is cooked thoroughly. If it's not and the cooking liquid has been absorbed, add 2 T of water and keep it over the heat until the sausage is done.

* You can purchase the veggies already grated for you, or use a food processor to make it fast and easy.

Enjoy!

Little Bay Baking Co.'s Doughuts

When Helen Sanders, owner of the dedicated gluten free Little Bay Baking Co. in Dover, NH told me that her Waffle & Donut Hole mix is sugar free, in addition to gluten, wheat, soy, casein, and dairy free, I knew I had to try it. The day finally came...I took out my mix, decided to make the donut hole recipe, and got ready for what I thought was going to be quite a production. Frying always is, in my opinion. But I was wrong! The directions were so easy - I made the doughnuts in less than 15 minutes!

I followed the directions on the back of the mix, save one little change for my sugar issue: "Mix together 1 C of the mix, 1 egg, 2 T oil, 3 T sugar (here's my change - I used honey), 1/4 C milk (whichever you can tolerate), and 1/4 t nutmeg (optional - I used cinnamon) until blended. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 3-4 inches of oil pre-heated to 375 degrees. Cook until golden brown..."

The result? They were AMAZING! So delicious! A bit crispy on the outside and nice and fluffy on the inside. It was so fun to eat a munchkin - after all, it has been over 9 years since I've had one! The temptation is to make them bigger than you really need to - I found that they puffed up a bit once in the frying oil. Next time, I will remember to drop them by smaller spoonfuls! Oh right - keep in mind that I did not roll mine in cinnamon & sugar or powdered sugar as suggested - I bet they would look and taste even better with a yummy coating!

Helen's goal is to make treats that "taste like you remember" and she certainly hit the nail on the head with this one! You can use the store locator to find Little Bay products near you, or order from the website.

Watermelon Gazpacho

I cannot believe that it is September already and the whole summer went by without me making Watermelon Gazpacho! This is a recipe that I cannot take credit for - it is from The Food Network's cutest chef, Tyler Florence. My husband and I are big Food Network fans (we are very excited for Amy from Simply Gluten and Sugar Free to be a part of the Build A Better Burger Contest!). I have my favorite chef eye candy (Tyler) and he has his (Giada - who can blame him?).

I have made Tyler's Gazpacho for company to rave reviews. It is very easy, totally raw if you omit the optional feta cheese, and delicious! It hits all the right notes - slightly spicy, a little sweet, a bit salty, totally refreshing with a slight crunch from all the veggies, but smooth at the same time. I made a double batch today to make up for missing out the whole summer...

Tyler's Watermelon Gazpacho (with just a few changes of my own)

Ingredients

• 1 large tomato, cut into chunks
• 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
  
• 2 cups cubed fresh watermelon
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut into 1 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (basil, sage, or dill work well)
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
  

Directions

1. In a blender, puree the tomatoes, jalapeno, and the watermelon.
2. Pour in the red wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse.
3. Add the onion, cucumber and dill and season with salt and pepper. Puree until mostly smooth.
4. Pour into chilled bowls and sprinkle with feta, if desired.

It's Wednesday, so if you are in need of some meal ideas, be sure to check out What Can I Eat That is Gluten Free? over at the Gluten Free Homemaker. Even if you are not gluten free, there are some delicious recipes being shared!

Enjoy!