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Celiac.com 03/02/2024 - This soulful dish, bursting with bold flavors and rich textures, is sure to tantalize your taste buds and transport you to the heart of Louisiana with every savory spoonful. Whether you're a seasoned gumbo aficionado or a newcomer to the delights of Cajun cooking, this recipe promises to deliver a truly unforgettable dining experience. Gumbo, a beloved staple of Creole and Cajun cuisine, traces its roots back to the melting pot of cultures that define Louisiana's culinary landscape. Influenced by French, African, Native American, and Spanish culinary traditions, gumbo embodies the spirit of diversity and innovation that characterizes Cajun and Creole cooking. Originally crafted as a hearty stew using locally available ingredients, gumbo has evolved over the centuries into a beloved comfort food cherished by food lovers around the world. Ingredients: 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour 1/2 cup vegetable oil or gluten-free roux 1 large onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced 1 pound chicken thighs, diced 6 cups gluten-free chicken broth 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free) 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 bay leaf Salt and pepper to taste 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 cups cooked white rice Chopped green onions, for garnish Instructions: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the gluten-free all-purpose flour to create a roux, stirring constantly until the mixture turns golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, celery, and minced garlic to the roux, and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the sliced andouille sausage and diced chicken thighs, and cook until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Pour in the gluten-free chicken broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, dried thyme, dried oregano, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peeled and deveined shrimp to the pot, and cook until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 5 minutes. Serve the gluten-free Cajun gumbo hot over cooked white rice, garnished with chopped green onions. Enjoy the warm and comforting flavors of gluten-free Cajun gumbo, a culinary masterpiece that celebrates the rich heritage and vibrant flavors of Louisiana's Cajun culture. With each spoonful, savor the harmonious blend of savory meats, aromatic spices, and tender vegetables that make this dish a true Southern classic. Whether enjoyed as a hearty meal on a chilly evening or served up for a festive gathering with friends and family, gluten-free Cajun gumbo is sure to delight and satisfy even the most discerning palates.

Celiac.com 12/15/2022 - If you've shopped lately, then you know the cost of everything is going up. If you've bought a turkey recently, then you've definitely felt the pain of inflation. It's not uncommon to spend $80-100 bucks on a Thanksgiving bird, and Christmas prices don't seem to be getting any better. If you're looking for a tasty, flavorful turkey dinner for Christmas that's more in the twenty dollar range, then consider turkey necks. Yeah, you heard me, necks. Not just any turkey necks, but turkey necks slow-braised and served with gluten-free gravy over rice or mashed potatoes. Cheap and tasty, turkey necks are a way to eat cheaply, but well for Christmas. Turkey necks are also a great way to feed a small group, without having a hundred pounds of leftovers. Check with your local butcher, but it's not uncommon to pay about a buck a neck, so don't hold back! For a deeper read on slow-braised turkey necks there's a great article on braised turkey necks by Ashlie D. Stevens over at Salon.com. Cookbook Discovery In the article, Stevens relates the story of discovering recipes for braised turkey necks in a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook by Chris Shepherd and Kaitlyn Goalen, titled, "Cook Like a Local: Flavors That Can Change How You Cook and See the World." In the book, Shepherd tells the story of how he first learned about turkey necks at his fist cooking job from a sous chef named Antoine Ware, who would always ask for the chicken or duck necks left over from butchering whole birds for the menu. Ware would then braise the necks "into a brilliant stew with brown roux and Worcestershire sauce and serve it over rice for staff meal." According to ware, it was a version he learned from his mom in Louisiana. It wasn't until he discovered a similar version at a Vietnamese crawfish spot in Houston, called Crawfish & Noodles, that he made the connection to Ware's version of the dish. "I ordered it and couldn't believe how similar it was to Antoine's version. It was basically the same thing, plus fish sauce. The synergy of it was amazing; here I was sitting in a Vietnamese restaurant, eating boiled crawfish next to pho, next to turkey neck that reminded me of a Creole friend." Shepherd's version is a dish packed with "layers of flavor, built from smoked paprika, thyme, garlic, fresh-sliced onion, fish sauce, dark brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and Crystal hot sauce." Ingredients for Braised Turkey Neck Recipe: Fresh Turkey Necks Bacon or olive oil Crystal Hot Sauce Onions Garlic Cloves Celery Bay Leaf Dried Thyme Dried Oregano Chicken Broth Fish Sauce Worcestershire sauce Gluten-Free Beer Gluten-Free Flour Butter Turkey Necks Cooking Instructions (step by step): Here's how to cook turkey necks so they're tender and full of flavor. Fry bacon in a large dutch oven pot or large oven-safe skillet. Remove bacon and set aside. Place turkey necks in the large skillet. Brown all side of the turkey necks in the bacon fat. Remove and set aside. Add the onions and sauté 3-5 minutes until onions are a bit translucent. Add the celery, garlic, and peppers and sauté for another minute. Season the vegetables with the creole spice mix plus the dried herbs. Add a ½ cup of gluten-free beer and deglaze the bottom of the pot scraping up any browned bits. Reduce the beer by about half, then add the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Add a bit more seasoning plus the fish sauce, and hot sauce, and the bay leaf and mix well. Add the turkey necks back to the pot. Bring everything to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover with lid. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the pot into the oven and let braise about 2 hours. While the turkey necks cook, make your roux. Make a Gluten-Free Roux Roux is traditionally made by cooking flour in clarified butter in the oven, gently and for a long time, stirring frequently. Now, celiacs can't do a traditional roux, so you'll need to make a gluten-free brown roux substitute. For a gluten-free brown roux, try a gluten-free flour blend, arrowroot powder, or cornstarch. For the fast, Ghee or clarified butter are the ideal choices. Use about a 1:1 ratio of fat to gluten-free flour or starch. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, and start off in by cooking the flour and fat over medium heat until they form a smooth paste. Next, lower the heat and cook until the roux is a dark, chocolate brown. Stir very frequently and scrape the bottom of the pot to avoid burning. This should take an hour or more. You can do this in the oven by placing the ingredients in an oven safe pan and cooking them at 375 F. Stir occasionally. Once the roux is done, remove the turkey necks from the oven. Take the turkey necks out of the pot and set aside. Add the roux to the pot and mix well. Cook on the stovetop over medium heat to allow the sauce to thicken. Serve the turkey necks with rice, topped with the brown gravy. Braising is Key to Tender Turkey Necks Much like oxtails, turkey necks require a little coaxing to become tender, so braising, lightly frying the meat and then simmering it slowly in liquid for a long time, produces the best results. Turkey necks, like any cut that is cartilage rich, are great for making stock, because the collagen from the cartilage breaks down during the cooking process, and turns into gelatin, which makes a rich, tasty nutritious broth. Consider serving your holiday turkey necks with gravy over steamed white rice (or potatoes) and one or more of these gluten-free side dishes. Make great gluten-free side dishes Here are four of our favorite side dishes to serve with braised turkey necks. Gluten-Free Holiday Gravy Holiday Mashed Potatoes Baked Rice With Spinach and Parmesan Cheese Black-eyed Peas Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower Honey Glazed Baby Carrots Make Gluten-Free Christmas Pies and Desserts Scroll down and follow the Pumpkin Pie recipe below, or follow the links to some of our best loved gluten-free desserts and baked goods (Note: King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour will work well in place of regular wheat flour most of these recipes, so feel free to substitute as you like): Pumpkin Pie Molasses Spice Cookies (Gluten-Free) Frosted Pumpkin Bars (Gluten-Free) Pumpkin Cheesecake with Butter Pecan Crust (Gluten-Free) Pumpkin Cheesecake with Almond Meal Crust Pumpkin Cheesecake with Butter Pecan Crust Traditional Gluten-free Apple Pie Serve Gluten-Free Wine, Beer, Eggnog, Cocktails & Punch Wine is gluten-free. To serve gluten-free beer, consult our Oktoberfest Beer Guide! Gluten-free vs. Gluten-removed Beers. All distilled spirits are gluten-free, but some people prefer to buy booze made from gluten-free ingredients. Here's a list of Christmas cocktails, eggnog and punch recipes that are made from gluten-free ingredients, and sure to brighten your holidays.

Have you ever taken a bite of unsweetened chocolate? If you have, I’m sure your taste buds revolted! Sugar is what makes most of our desserts palatable and desirable. But sugar adds empty calories to the diet and little else nutritionally speaking. So how are you going to bake foods to satisfy your sweet tooth if you refrain from using refined sugar? There are always viable alternatives. Sucrose (a fancy word for sugar) usually encompasses the following: Brown Sugar: Much less refined than white sugar, is derived from molasses (sorghum cane) and contains very small amounts of minerals. Raw Sugar: May come in crystalline form that is very similar to brown sugar. Turbinado Sugar: Is partially refined sugar crystals that have been washed in steam. White Sugar: Derived from cane or beets, and no matter what form it takes, offers nothing but empty calories. First consider the less desirable sugar replacements: Maltose: Not a good option because it comes from the breakdown of starch in the process of malting grains, usually barley, so it is not always gluten-free. Corn syrup: A blend of fructose and dextrose; its effect on blood glucose is similar to that of sucrose. Dextrose: Usually made from plant starches, in the U.S. it is mostly made from corn, but can also be obtained by the inversion of cane sugar or sucrose. Honey: Derived from flowers where bees have collected nectar, is a more concentrated form of carbohydrate than table sugar, and is converted to glucose in the body. It is only slightly better for you that refined sugar. If you are using honey to replace sugar, for 1 cup sugar, substitute ¾ cup honey; reduce liquid in recipe by 2 Tablespoons, and add ¼ teaspoon baking soda. If you still opt to use refined sugar, in most recipes you may reduce the amount of sugar called for without any noticeable effects on the finished product. There are several “sugars” on the market that do not have the negative effects of refined sugar: Date Sugar: Derived from dates, it is not as sweet as sucrose but has far more nutritional value. For 1 cup sugar, use 2/3 cup date sugar and add a little water to form thick syrup. Fresh or Dried Fruits: Offer a natural sweetness and can be used in baking to reduce the amount of refined sugar used. Fruit Juice Concentrates: While high in sugary taste, have nutritional value not found in sucrose. Fructose: Sweeter than any other sugar in equal amounts, comes from fruits and honey. Because of its concentration much less of this sweetener is needed in recipes. Invert Sugar: A mixture of equal parts of glucose and fructose resulting from the hydrolysis of sucrose. It is found naturally in fruits and honey and produced artificially for use in the food industry. It is sweeter than sucrose, so the amount used may be lessened, and it helps baked goods stay fresh longer. Molasses: A thick syrup produced in refining raw sugar and ranging from light to dark brown in color. Maple Syrup/Sugar: Both made from the sap of maple trees. For 1cup sugar, use ¾ cup maple syrup or maple sugar. Stevia Sugar: Fairly new on the market this extract from the stevia leaf is combined with a pre-biotic nutritional supplement and is ten times sweeter than sugar. It has a glycemic index of zero, and is nutritionally beneficial. For 1cup sugar, use 2 Tablespoons stevia. Unsweetened Coconut: When toasted the natural oils in coconut are exuded adding sweetness to a baked product. Unsweetened Applesauce: When added to a cake or bread batter it adds sweetness, flavor, moistness and nutrition. Experiment until you find a sugar substitute that you enjoy, and one that works well with your recipes. Pineapple Sticks Ingredients: 2 cups gluten-free flour mixture 3 Tablespoons stevia ½ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder ¾ cup MF/gluten-free margarine ¾ teaspoon vanilla ¾ teaspoon lemon juice 6 Tablespoons water 1/3 cup all-fruit pineapple jam Corn-free diets: Omit cornstarch from gluten-free flour mixture. Use CF vanilla. Use baking soda in place of the baking powder. Use butter in place of the margarine. Omit nonstick spray; use olive oil to brush baking sheet. Rice-free diets: Omit rice flour from gluten-free flour mixture Soy-free diets: Use butter in place of margarine. Omit nonstick spray; use oil to brush baking sheet. Directions: Over a bowl, sift together flour mixture, fructose, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle vanilla, lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons water over flour mixture; toss with a fork. Continue adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and tossing until mixture is evenly moistened. Form into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Divide dough into 4 even pieces. Roll 1 piece into a 12 X 4 inch rectangle; spread with half of the jam. Roll the second piece into a 12 X 4 inch triangle; gently lift dough and place over jam. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of dough and remaining jam. Trim edges. Cut each rectangle into 12 one-inch strips. Twist each strip, pinching ends to seal. Place on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with gluten-free nonstick spray. Bake at 375F degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 24 cookies. Note: For variety, use apricot or black raspberry jam in place of the pineapple jam. Calories (per cookie): 83; Total fat: 4.4g; Saturated fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 121.4mg; Carbohydrates: 10.1g; Fiber: 0.3g; Sugar: 2.8g; Protein: 3g

Celiac.com 10/17/2020 - Olives are fruit, which means olive oil is a fruit juice. Buying, storing and using olive oil is an art in itself. Cooking with olive oil is like cooking with wine—an inferior one will leave an aftertaste. Do a taste test and compare the “pure” to the “extra-virgin” olive oils and you will understand the difference. The taste of a dish will be as good or as ordinary as the oil you use. Partial clues to the quality of the olive oil you are buying are supplied by the label and the price, but ultimately, the only way to determine which olive oil is right for you is to taste and compare. If you are new to shopping for this oil, you may be surprised at the extensive variety on the grocery shelves. The flavor, color and consistency varies, depending on the type of olives used, the location where they were grown, and weather conditions during the growing season. Before examining how to use this delectable oil, consider the different varieties and labels. “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” has less than 1% acidity and is produced by the first pressing of the olive through cold pressing. Keep in mind that “pressing” today means that the oil is now spun in a centrifuge. This oil is an unrefined natural product that has undergone very little processing. It takes approximately ten pounds of olives to yield 1 quart of olive oil. When the “Extra” is left off the label and it reads, “Virgin Olive Oil”, it is made from olives that are slightly riper than those used in the production of extra-virgin oil so it is a grade lower in quality. The acidity level is slightly elevated to 1 ½ percent. “Pure Olive Oil” (or just regular olive oil) comes either from the second cold pressing or the chemical extraction of the olive mash left over after the first pressing. This grade is also called commercial grade oil. Pure olive oil is much lighter in color and blander in taste than virgin olive oil. It is all-purpose oil that is fine for use in baked products. “Pure” refers to the fact that no non-olive oils are mixed in. “Light” and “Extra Light Olive Oil” have the same number of calories as regular olive oil. “Light” merely refers to the color of the oil. It is a mixture of various olive oils from the lowest quality of olives available through chemical processing. The color of the oil is a curious topic. What we see influences our tastes profoundly. Extra virgin olive oil fresh from the press has a rich green color and the most intense olive flavors. The olives are less ripe and will generally be richer in polyphenols (rich in tannins, lignins, and flavonoids) and slightly more bitter. So, is it worth paying the extra money for extra virgin olive oil? Absolutely! When cooking with olive oil, save the extra-virgin oil for salads, dressings, and vinaigrettes. You can drizzle it over slices of crusty bread or add it to mashed potatoes instead of butter. Extra virgin oil tastes great on cooked vegetables or brushed onto fish or meat before serving. People often use butter when they want a food to be flavorful. Next time, try substituting a good olive oil, then sit back and savor the difference in taste. If 2 teaspoons of butter is called for, use only 1 ½ teaspoons oil in place of the butter. For ¼ cup butter, use 3 tablespoons oil, and for 1 cup of butter, use ¾ cup oil. When you deep fry, you need oil that has a higher “smoke point”. The extra virgin oil will smoke too quickly, so it’s best to use regular grade olive oil which has smoke point of 410 degrees. Storing oil is another science. Always store it in an airtight container; viable options are a can, dark-colored bottle, porcelain container, or stainless steel container. Never store it in plastic or in reactive metals. Placing the container in a cool, dark place will help preserve it longer since air, heat and light cause the properties in oil to break down. The ideal temperature for storing is 57°, although a normal room temperature of 70º works if the oil is stored in an area where the temperature remains fairly constant. A kitchen cabinet located away from the stove and away from direct sunlight is fine. Refrigeration doesn’t harm most grades of olive oil, but it is not recommended for expensive extra virgin varieties because condensation may develop in the bottle, affecting the flavor. When chilled, or in cold weather, the oil may turn cloudy and even solidify. The oil will return to its original, clear, liquid state when it reaches room temperature again. If your oil has a buttery taste, then it’s probably rancid. As with all processed food products, there is a sell-by date on the bottle of olive oil. Ideally, this date is eighteen months after the oil is bottled. If you are refilling a smaller bottle from a large can or bottle of oil, wash the smaller container well first. Residue from previous fillings, especially if you are not using it up quickly, will contaminate the new oil you add. Besides ruining what would have been a perfectly good meal, rancid oils also contain free radicals that are potentially carcinogenic. Doctors, newspaper and magazine articles… Everyone in the health field is telling us to limit our fat consumption. The fact is, your body needs fats. They provide raw materials that help in the control of blood pressure, blood clotting, inflammation and other bodily functions. Fat helps in the absorption and transport through the bloodstream of the fat-soluble vitamins A D, E and K. Fat insulates the body and helps you maintain healthy skin and hair. Olive oil, a mono-unsaturated fat, is the most effective in reducing your LDL levels and either elevating your HDL levels or certainly not reducing them. That being said, olive oil still has calories so your intake must necessarily be limited. A daily dose of extra virgin olive oil may act as a natural pain reliever, according to a new study that shows that this oil contains an anti-inflammatory ingredient. Researcher Paul Breslin, PhD, of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, published his results in the September 1, 2005 issue of Nature. He found that a daily dose of extra virgin olive oil (about 1.75 ounces or 50 grams) is equivalent to about 10% of the ibuprofen dose recommended for adult pain relief and may provide substantial health benefits when taken consistently over time. So the next time you go grocery shopping, pick up a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, then drizzle it… drizzle it on freshly cut tomatoes or into a brushetta mixture. Drizzle it over chicken and fish just before baking. Pour a little bit in a dish and add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning, a dash of pepper, and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese, then break off a piece of freshly-baked gluten-free bread and dip… oh my, what a taste sensation! The pie crust recipe that follows proves that olive oil isn’t just for salad dressings anymore! Pure olive oil is used in this recipe because it is milder in taste than the extra virgin oil. Gluten-Free Olive Oil Pie Crust This recipe is from the new book I co-authored with Danna Korn: “Gluten-free Cooking for Dummies” (a sequel to Danna’s “Living Gluten-free for Dummies” book). This book is also available at Celiac.com. Biscotti are perfect to keep on hand. They will hold several days in a plastic self-seal bag or in a covered plastic container. After the second baking, these ‘sticks’ will harden a bit, so be sure not to over bake them. If you want to live life on the wild side, soak some dried cranberries in Kaluha, and then fold them into the batter. Ingredients: 2 cups sifted gluten-free flour mixture ¼ cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup pure olive oil 4 tablespoons ice-cold water ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar Directions: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour mixture, sugar, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the oil, water, and vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture into the center of the flour mixture. With a rubber spatula, stir the dough well until it holds together. The dough will be very moist. With your hands, knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Set the ball on the sugar and turn the dough to coat it. Cover it with a second sheet of plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle. Place the dough in a greased 9-inch pie plate. Scallop the edges. Fill the pie crust with filling and bake as filling recipe directs. Double this pie crust recipe when the filling recipe calls for a top crust.

Celiac.com 06/11/2022 - Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the glorious colors and cool, brisk nights. Inevitably, my thoughts turn to oven-baked meals, long-simmered stews, and hearty soups. I’ve been making one of my favorite soups—Wild Rice Soup—for nearly 20 years. It was given to me by a friend when I lived in North Dakota (which is next door to Minnesota, the source of most of our wild rice in the U.S.). I tinkered with it for several years to convert it to my taste. Of course, in those days I thickened it with wheat flour. When I adopted a gluten-free diet, I had to find a new thickener. I’ve tried all the thickeners in this soup and I like sweet rice flour the best. In case you haven’t worked with sweet rice flour, it should be on your pantry shelf. It may be a little hard to find in the health food store, so you may need to order it on the Internet. It is made from sticky rice, the kind you eat in Chinese restaurants and holds together when you pick it up with chopsticks. Sweet rice flour is white and is particularly good in thick, hearty soups that need a rustic, yet smooth texture. Unlike regular white or brown rice flour, sweet rice flour makes a smooth rather than grainy sauce. It is opaque and dull, rather than the clear and shiny sauces produced by cornstarch or arrowroot. Somehow, a clear, shiny sauce in a hearty soup like this one seems out of place. I also use sweet rice flour to thicken other hearty soups such as potato soup, clam chowder, and cream soups made from broccoli, corn, or mushrooms. I also use it in my pie crust (which rolls out like a dream) because it introduces a nice elasticity that makes the dough more pliable. So, you can see that I’m a big fan of sweet rice flour. But back to soup and those brisk, Fall nights. This soup will stick to your ribs and is a great way to use leftover ham. It can be made ahead and then reheated, if necessary. Serve it with a crisp bread and crunchy salad for a complete meal. Carol Fenster’s Wild Rice Soup Recipe This is a rich-tasting, very satisfying soup with lots of interesting texture. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 tablespoon grated fresh onion 1/3 cup sweet rice flour 3 cups low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth 2 cups cooked wild rice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 small garlic clove 1/3 cup shredded carrots 1/3 cup diced ham or Canadian-style bacon 3 tablespoons almond slivers, toasted 1 cup evaporated skim milk (or soy milk) 1/4 cup fresh chopped chives Directions: 1. In a large Dutch oven, sauté onion in butter for a minute or until it is light golden brown. Place flour in 1⁄2 cup of chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Add to Dutch oven, along with remaining chicken broth. 2. Bring to boil and stir for one minute. Add cooked wild rice, salt, garlic, carrots, ham, and almonds and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Blend in milk. Heat soup to serving temperature and garnish with chives. Serves 6. Calories 340; Fat 7g; Protein 19g; Carbohydrates 53g; Sodium 633mg; Cholesterol 16mg. Fiber 4g

Celiac.com 01/28/2022 - When you purchase a gluten-free cookbook, the author— hopefully—has spent time in the kitchen experimenting with the recipe until the final version is tasty, light, and worthy of being included in the book. However, we all have recipes at home that were handed down through the family, or ones that we found in a magazine, which we would like to convert to be gluten-free. Believe it or not it is possible to do this without sacrificing taste or texture—simply by making a few adjustments to the ingredients. Consider the issue of “taste.” How often have you taken a fork full of a scrumptious-looking gluten-free dessert or slice of gluten-free bread only to be sadly disappointed in the dry taste, its aftertaste, or NO taste at all? Alternative flours do not have the same taste as wheat flour. To cover up this deficiency, you have to add more flavoring to your recipe, and the ways to do this are almost limitless. With a little imagination, you can create desserts and bread products that are so tasty that no one will know they are gluten-free! Consider substituting half of the gluten-free flour mixture (traditionally made of rice, potato starch and tapioca flours) with more flavorful flours, such as cornmeal, almond, or sweet potato flour. Whether you are making sweet bread, muffins or cake, look at the ingredients listed and start to brainstorm about what you can add for extra flavor. Assuming you are not allergic to nuts, this is a good starting point. If you traditionally add chopped walnuts, vary this by substituting peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts, black walnuts, pistachios, cashews, pine nuts or even candied chestnuts. Spread dry nuts in a pan and bake them (watch them closely so they don’t burn)—toasting the nuts will bring out the natural oils and increase their flavor. For added taste, toss the nuts with a tiny bit of oil and seasonings (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or ground cloves) before toasting. Coconut is another candidate for toasting. While shredded coconut adds flavor, toasted coconut has a far more vibrant taste. Other flavorful ‘add-ins’ include marshmallows (miniature or melted), caramels (melted), dark chocolate (chips, chunks, shaved, or melted), instant coffee granules for a mocha taste, or orange, lemon or lime zest. For breads and muffins consider folding in seeds like sesame, poppy, caraway or sunflower for added flavor—or chopped dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, prunes, dates, figs, and/or glazed fruits. Canned and fresh fruits and fruit juices will not only add flavor, but moisture as well. For chocolate cakes, open a can of sweet, dark pitted cherries or thawed frozen raspberries. Use the juice from the can (or frozen package) as part of your liquid measurement, and then fold in the chopped cherries or raspberries into the batter. For a white cake, use crushed pineapple and the pineapple juice. Open a can of sliced peaches and put both peaches and their juice into a blender—use this as the liquid when making coffeecake. Blueberries, shredded apples or pears, or mashed bananas are also great to add to baked products, but so are more unusual selections. Think out of the box. Add mashed mangos, kiwi or papayas, chopped maraschino cherries, shredded rhubarb, or canned, whole cranberry sauce to muffins—add pomegranate seeds to coffeecakes. In place of all or part of the liquid called for in the recipe, substitute apple cider, apricot nectar, cranberry juice, orange juice, grape juice, lemonade, or limeade. Add tomato juice mixed with a little cinnamon to crumb cakes (yes, tomatoes are a fruit). Experiment by using jars of strained baby fruits for part of the liquid amount. Don’t overlook the power of vegetables to add flavor. Shredded zucchini, carrots, or onions have long been staples when baking breads. Carrot juice may be used for part of the liquid in many muffin mixes. Mashed sweet potatoes or winter squash make excellent, flavorful additions to baked goods. Even rinsed sauerkraut may be used! In place of some of the liquid listed in the recipe, use Kahlúa, wine, sherry, rum or brandy. Melted jellies, jams and preserves work well, too. Other substitutes for the liquid listed include (gluten-free) eggnog, brewed coffee, maple syrup, molasses, canned pumpkin, flavored yogurts, cottage cheese, peanut butter, apple butter, applesauce, and even gluten-free beer. Canned pie filling may be used in place of two thirds of the liquid called for in the recipe. Instead of white sugar, measure out an equal amount of brown sugar or 3⁄4 the amount of honey (both of which have more flavor than white sugar). Increase the amount of flavoring called for in the recipe, plus think about adding an additional gluten-free extract: almond, butternut, mint, anise, lemon, rum butter, or caramel flavoring. Cinnamon may be added to most any dessert recipe, along with nutmeg and a hint of ground cloves. When baking yeast breads, popular ‘add ins’ include fruits (fresh, dried, or canned), nuts, coconut, mashed sweet potatoes, bacon bits, olive slices, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, or grated cheeses, and even a sprinkling of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce. Even with a plain white bread, some kind of flavoring will enhance the finished product. Try adding rosemary, dill, thyme, chopped parsley, oregano, basil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, ginger, mint, cinnamon or chopped preserved ginger in syrup. And don’t be afraid to add a little vanilla flavoring—it will help improve the taste. A hint of balsamic vinegar added to yeast breads will liven up the flavor and help the bread to rise! Are you willing to be even a little more experimental? Substitute some of the gluten-free flour mixture with a package of gluten-free instant pudding dry mix. Use gluten-free cream cheese in place of some of the shortening. In a blender, whip corn relish into a puree and add to yeast breads. Try brushing cornbread with a jalapeno-honey glaze. Yes—your gluten-free baked products will taste scrumptious just by adding a little more flavoring—happy eating! Gluten-Free Cinnamon Popovers This recipe may be found in the “Recipes for Special Diets” cookbook by Connie Sarros. It recipe is approved for diabetics, low-sodium diets, and vegetarians. It is nut-free and yeast-free. For corn-free diets, use baking soda plus 1⁄2 tsp. cream of tartar in place of the baking and omit cornstarch and xanthan gum from gluten-free flour mixture. For dairy-free diets, substitute soymilk for the whole milk. Note: To help insure that the popovers rise, spoon dough into warmed pans. Ingredients: 3 eggs 3⁄4 cup gluten-free flour mixture 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 2 1⁄4 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder 2 teaspoons sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup whole milk Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs till light. Sift together dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to eggs alternately with milk, stirring with a whisk just until blended. Do not over beat! Fill greased popover pans or deep custard cups 1⁄2 full with batter. Bake for 10 minutes; lower heat to 325F and continue baking for 20 minutes or until popovers are golden brown. Serve immediately. Makes 6 large popovers or 12 muffin-size. Calories (for 12 muffin-size popovers): 52; Total fat: 1.5g; Saturated fat: 0.4g; Cholesterol: 53mg; Sodium: 79mg; Carbohydrates: 6.7g; Fiber: 0.2g; Sugar: 1.2g; Protein: 2.9g

Celiac.com 12/31/2021 - Having your children help out in the kitchen has many benefits. They will learn far more about cooking through hands-on experience than by watching Mommy or Daddy prepare everything. It will nurture their learning about the gluten-free diet and they will take a more active roll in watching what ingredients are used. It provides excellent bonding time and, as they get older, it will free the parent(s) from some of the kitchen duties. While parents concentrate on when and where to eat, kids usually decide how much and whether to eat! One of the best perks of having your kids help in the kitchen is that they are more likely to eat the things that they prepare for themselves! Since each child is different, it is important for parents to consider the developmental level and abilities of each child when assigning kitchen duties. Generally, children under 10 years old do not fully understand what ‘danger’ means, so they should not use the stove, electrical appliances, or sharp utensils, nor handle hot dishes. Never leave a child alone in the kitchen. Impress on them that they must never leave anything cooking on the stove unattended; that is the number one cause of house fires. By the time a child is 3 years old, they love to play cook and get ‘messy’ with kitchen foods. Direct that interest by letting them help with the preparation of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It can be simple tasks at first, like laying cheese slices on a piece of GF bread for a toasted cheese sandwich, or sprinkling some grated cheese over salads. While you are preparing the bulk of dinner, fill up the sink with water and let them play with plastic measuring cups, filling the cups up to see what sinks and what floats. Between 4 and 5 years old, your child can wash fruits and vegetables, snap green beans, set foods on a relish platter, spoon drop cookies onto a cookie sheet, mix foods with their hands (meatloaf, tossed salads), stir ingredients together in a bowl, and sprinkle colored sugars on cookies. They can shape yeast dough and wrap potatoes in foil for baking. Give them raisins or sliced grapes to make ‘faces’ on their bowl of cottage cheese. With mini chocolate chips, let them create smiley faces on cookies. They love to peel hard-boiled eggs and oranges, and mash bananas. Wash their rounded childproof scissors with soap and water and let them cut breads into fun shapes for their sandwiches or cut green onions and parsley for a salad. They are able to handle a butter knife for spreading peanut butter and jelly or cheese spreads. It is also at this young age that it is important to introduce a large variety of foods into your child’s diet. Ask your child what he or she would like for dinner, suggesting two or three vegetables to pick from for a side dish. Remember—when a child helps in the preparation of a new food they will be more likely to taste it. Between 5 and 10 years old is the perfect time to let them help plan the meals and tell you what ingredients need to be added to the shopping list. This is the prime time when they will start to take an active role in their gluten-free diet. You can teach them the importance of reading labels and how to plan a well-balanced meal. Get them a gluten-free kids cookbook so they can begin to select the foods that they can prepare for themselves. Show them the importance of washing their hands before cooking and after handling meat or fish. They love to use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of dough and then decorate the cookies. Let them measure and sprinkle the spices for marinades, salads, and cookie mixes. Squeezing lemons and oranges is always fun, as is breaking eggs into a bowl. They can even pound down on a self-contained chopper to chop vegetables or nuts. By the time kids are 10 years old, they can use simple appliances like a blender, microwave and even a toaster oven. It is at this point that you need to impress upon them the correct usage of each appliance along with the potential dangers. They can shred cheese with a hand grater. Let them read their own recipes and follow the instructions and measure the ingredients without your help. They can take a more active part in the shopping experience and read labels themselves (although you should still double check to make sure the product is gluten-free). While at the store, ask your child to choose a new vegetable or fruit, from two to three choices, for a weekly “try-a-new-food” night. If you bribe your child to eat his spinach so that he can have a yummy dessert, you inadvertently reinforce the idea that sweets are better than nutritious food. Instead of rewarding your children with food, reward them with attention (hugs, kisses, and smiles) and playful activities. From age 12 and up, they can use a paring knife, electric can opener and stovetop burners. Let them flip pancakes, place a tray of cookies in the oven, and cut the vegetables for a salad. Show them how to use caution when draining spaghetti into a colander. They are old enough now to plan a meal on their own, including listing the ingredients needed. Think about having one night a week where they plan the meal, shop for the ingredients, and prepare the meal on their own—and oh yes, clean up the kitchen afterwards. Do you remember licking the bowl after your mom made chocolate frosting when you were a kid? Kids still like to do that. The kitchen can be the focal point of learning and bonding if you nurture that. Your children will learn far more about their special diet by helping out in the kitchen and going grocery shopping with you than they ever will through lectures. No matter the age of your child, there is something they can do to feel that they have contributed to the meal. Make helping in the kitchen a fun activity, not a chore that must be done. Gluten-Free Cherry Whip A kid-friendly recipe from the ‘Wheat-free Gluten-free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults. Ingredients: 1 can (10 oz.) crushed pineapple (undrained) 1 can (21 oz.) gluten-free cherry pie filling 3⁄4 tsp. almond extract 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk 1 container (8 oz.) gluten-free nondairy whipped topping, thawed Directions: In a large bowl, stir together the pineapple with its juice, pie filling, almond extract, walnuts and condensed milk with a rubber spatula. Fold in the whipped topping until completely blended. Cover and chill for 3 hours. Makes 8 (3⁄4 cup) servings. Note: In place of the cherry pie filling and nuts, you can substitute peach pie filling and coconut. Calories: 250; Total fat: 8.6g; Saturated fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 8mg; Sodium: 58mg; Carbohydrates: 37g; Fiber: 1g; Sugar: 34.9g; Protein: 3.2g

Celiac.com 07/16/2021 - I’d like to serve a healthy, home-cooked dinner to my family, but it takes too much time. I frequently hear these words from harried cooks who are probably among the 75 percent of us who—at 4 PM on any given day—don’t know what they’re having for dinner that night, except that they want it to be quick and easy. A recent study by the NPD Group ( a market research organization) found that while the majority of Americans say they want to eat healthy—that is, more whole grains, fiber, calcium, and vitamin C and less fat, calories, cholesterol, and sugar—the driving force in their eating habits is convenience. Everyone loves a home-cooked dinner, yet few of us have time to prepare one from scratch. Over the years, I’ve discovered some principles that make food preparation quicker and easier. They’re in my latest cookbook, Gluten-Free Quick and Easy, (Avery/Penguin Group, August, 2007). Here are some excerpts from that book. Planned-Overs Save Time and Reduce Waste While some people turn their noses up at leftovers, smart cooks know that using them in new and different ways not only disguises them, it also saves time and reduces waste. In fact, these clever cooks intentionally create leftovers. However, we call them planned-overs to show that we have definite plans for how we intend to use them again. For example, if I roast a chicken, I automatically know that a couple of days later we’ll have chicken pot pie or some other kind of chicken casserole. The chicken bones immediately go into the stockpot to make chicken broth, which usually simmers during dinner. Later that evening, after the broth has simmered, it goes into the refrigerator to cool—right in the stockpot. The next day, I skim off any unwanted fat and freeze the broth in 2-cup containers. If I have any leftover broth after filling all of my containers, I whip up a quick chicken noodle soup. If there is any leftover chicken meat, it goes into a gluten-free tortilla wrap for a quick lunch. Nothing goes to waste. As you can see, that single roasted chicken determined several meals for later that week. Prepping Ingredients Ahead Sometimes it pays to prepare larger amounts of ingredients that you know you’ll use in the near future. For example, when I buy bacon, I fry the whole package until not quite done and freeze it in heavy-duty food-storage bags. Layered between two paper towels, a slice just takes a few seconds to become crispy in the microwave when I need it quickly for a recipe. Perhaps your recipe calls for a half cup of chopped onion. Why not chop the whole onion and store the remainder in the refrigerator or freezer in a food storage bag? Or, perhaps a recipe calls for a half pound of browned ground beef. Brown the whole pound and freeze the remainder. Need a quarter cup grated cheese? Grate a whole cup and store it for a future pizza (it will grate faster if it’s really cold or slightly frozen and the grater is coated with cooking spray). That way, it’s ready when you need it and you trim precious minutes off preparing a future meal. Suppose you have a recipe that calls for a pound of browned ground beef. Why not buy two pounds and cook both of them, freezing the extra pound for later use in pizza, sloppy Joes, or beef goulash—shaving precious time off food preparation on a busy weeknight. This “extra” technique works for side dishes, too—extra mashed potatoes top a shepherd’s pie later in the week and two cups of cooked rice becomes pork fried rice. Cooked vegetables show up in a couple of days as a hearty soup. Too many apples? Peel, then fry them in a pan with a little butter and cinnamon to cook up some chunky applesauce. Even the preparation of small, seemingly insignificant ingredients can reap time savings. Grate zest from lemons or oranges before you squeeze them—even if the recipe doesn’t call for zest—and freeze it in a container. Wash and dry an entire bag of lettuce, rather than just the amount you need today and store it in a plastic food storage bag in your vegetable crisper. Fewer, But More Flavorful, Ready-Made Ingredients We can reduce our time in the kitchen by using fewer, but more flavorful ingredients. For example, a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in a sauce can jazz up the flavor and reduce the need for more salt. Chicken broth is more flavorful than water; sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar is more flavorful than plain vinegar. Dried herbs are far more potent than fresh ones and don’t require washing and chopping. Since the Food Allergen and Consumer Protection Act of 2006, we can use more ready-made ingredients because the label will indicate whether they contain wheat. For example, I make a wonderfully easy black bean soup with 3 ingredients: canned black beans (rinsed and drained), chicken broth, and enough Mexican tomato salsa to bring the flavor to the desired intensity. Everything in Its Place for Efficient Organization You’ve probably heard chefs use the term “mise en place” (pronounced meez-ahn-plahs). This elegant French culinary term simply means “everything in its place,” or having all the ingredients ready on your work space (measured, chopped, etc.) so you can cook quickly and efficiently. It’s particularly important in baking, where precision and accuracy are critical. This concept of “everything in its place” can also apply to a tidy, organized work space as a major time-saver. A messy kitchen counter slows you down if you constantly have to push other items aside to make room to do your work. As you organize your kitchen, sort through appliances, utensils, bakeware, and cookware. Toss (or donate) anything that isn’t being used and organize the things you do use so that they’re easy to access. Use a Grocery List to Maximize Shopping Time Efficient cooks have a system to know what to buy and when, much like a company maintains its inventory. That’s where a grocery list comes in handy. To minimize your shopping time, you need a grocery list format that works for you and doesn’t make you run back and forth between aisles, wasting precious time. If you already have a master grocery list, great! If not, here’s how to make one. Lay out the list in the order in which you walk the aisles of your favorite grocery store, ending up at the checkout line. Organize it by what foods are in each aisle. If possible, assemble this master list on your computer so you can print a supply of forms. Carry this list with you at all times so you can add to it when necessary. Reap the Benefits of Saving Time in the Kitchen Getting a healthy, safe dinner on the table every night can seem daunting, especially when we’re pulled in so many different directions at that time of the day, but it can be a reality if you follow these quick and easy principles. At the least, they should help you get dinner on the table sooner, freeing up the rest of the evening for other chores such as helping the kids with homework, doing the laundry, or spending a few precious minutes with that special someone.

Celiac.com 05/14/2021 - Lazy days of summer can turn into quality time in the kitchen for you and your children. Cooking together helps children understand and take ownership of their special dietary needs, and it can be lots of fun to cook together. Plus it helps them to understand issues such as cross-contamination, what does and doesn’t contain gluten, how to read labels, and how to adapt recipes to be gluten-free. Culminate a summer of cooking practice, with a Hawaiian-theme, gluten-free Luau called a “Glu-au” (pronounced like Luau with a G, and inspired by my friend Sue Durfee). Start with practicing the main dish in June, and the salads and dessert in July. Plan the party games and favors; send out the invitations, decorate and have the party in August. Consider inviting other gluten-free children from your community too. This article lays out the Summer of Cooking Fun – cooking, party planning and how to make new gluten-free friends. The Gluten-Free Menu Greeting Beverage Tropical Pineapple Smoothie Appetizers: Dried Pineapple and Banana Chips Macadamia Nuts Terra Potpourri Potato Chips Entrée: Grilled Kabobs Potato/Carrot Latkes Roasted Sunflower Seed Coleslaw Mango Madness Salad Fresh Greens with Carrot Glaze Dessert: Pineapple and Banana Sundaes Cooking practice for June: Grilled Gluten-Free Kabobs with Potato/Carrot Latkes These are fun and the technique is the same no matter what you skewer. You’ll need 24” long steel skewers, a variety of protein such as beef, chicken, fish, shrimp or tofu and lots of vegetables. Start by making a simple marinade with the following: Marinade: 4 TBS olive oil 2 TBS tamari 2 TBS mirin wine 1 TBS brown rice vinegar 1 tsp fresh ground ginger Directions: Mirin wine is made of rice and is used extensively in Japanese cooking. It adds a lovely taste to the marinade. Make a separate batch for each type of protein you are planning to serve and marinate separately. (You may need to double or triple the recipe, depending on how many Kabobs you are planning to make and how many different selections you offer.) Place meat, fish, shrimp, or tofu chunks in marinade, cover and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. To prepare the vegetables, clean, cut and microwave the firmer vegetables for 1 minute or until about half-done. Alternatively, blanch the firmer vegetables in boiling water for 1 minute. Firmer vegetables cook slower than meat, so micro waving or blanching them in advance helps everything to cook evenly on the grill. Firm vegetables include green peppers, onion wedges, 2” thick corn-on-the-cob, broccoli, or cauliflower florets and zucchini. Cherry tomatoes and mushrooms do not need to be micro waved or blanched prior to being skewered. Younger children can be in charge of washing vegetables, and older children can cut them into uniform sizes. Skewer the proteins and vegetables on the kebob and place on a medium grill. Cook with the lid closed, rotating the kebobs every 2-3 minutes for 10-15 minutes. Potato Latkes are a nice compliment to Kabobs. These combine shredded potatoes and carrots with a binder and are pan-fried like a pancake. The recipe makes eight. Gluten-Free Latkes In a mixing bowl, whisk together: 3 egg whites 3 TBS potato starch 1 tsp garlic salt (or regular salt) Directions: Shred 2 potatoes and 1 cup of carrots and add to the bowl. Form patties and place in a hot, oiled (1 TBS olive oil) skillet. Cook on medium heat until brown on one side. Flip, cover, and slowly cook until brown on the other side. For the July cooking adventure, practice making the side dishes and dessert. The side dishes for the “Glu-au” feature Coleslaw with toasted sunflower seeds, pineapple, carrots, and two colors of cabbage and Mango Madness Salad. We’ll also make a carrot glaze for the ‘fresh greens’ garnish. Gluten-Free Roasted Sunflower Seed Coleslaw Ingredients: 1/3 cup sunflower seeds 8 oz can of pineapple chunks (unsweetened, drained) 16 oz package coleslaw mix (with shredded carrots, purple and green cabbage) To toast the sunflower seeds, place them in a hot dry skillet. Keep them moving around the hot skillet until they toast. Add to coleslaw mix and pineapple chunks. Gluten-Free Coleslaw Dressing Ingredients: 7 oz. silken soft tofu 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 2 TBS olive oil 2 tbs Agave nectar (Note: Agave Nectar is a sweetener made from the Agave cactus and available in most grocery stores.) Directions: Steam the tofu for 10 minutes. Place tofu and all other ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Mix with coleslaw and sunflower seeds. Salt to taste. Another tropical salad to delight your taste buds with is the Mango Madness Salad. This salad features mangos and diced green and red peppers with an avocado and honey dressing. Gluten-Free Mango Madness Salad Ingredients: 3 mangos 2 TBS diced green peppers 2 TBS diced red peppers Dressing: 1/2 avocado 1 Cup pineapple juice 2 TBS honey Directions: In a mini-processor, process avocado, lemon juice and honey. Pour over diced mangos and peppers. Mix and serve. Mixed greens add a nice garnish to the plate and the food’s color is enhanced with a pretty glaze. Gluten-Free Carrot Glaze Ingredients: 1 cup carrot juice 2 TBS corn starch 1 tsp Agave nectar 1/2 tsp ground ginger Directions: Combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Whisk on high heat until it comes to a boil, and then lower heat to medium and whisk until mixture thickens. Place in a squirt bottle and refrigerate. Drizzle over plates to decorate before serving. The “Glu-au” dessert features wonderful, tropical pineapple and banana sundaes. If you are inviting children with multiple allergies, it might be good to have some non-dairy ice cream alternatives on hand such as Rice Dream or Tofutti. Gluten-Free Sugared Pineapples and Bananas Ingredients: 1/2 cup Sucanat 1/4 cup walnut oil 1 cup pure pineapple juice 2 sliced ripe bananas 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks Directions: In a saucepan, combine the sucanat, walnut oil and pineapple juice. (Sucanat is natural cane sugar.) Stir together until the mixture is at soft-ball stage (235 to 240 degrees). It will be the consistency of syrup. (This part can be made in advance.) Let it cool, add fruit, and serve over ice cream. In August, put it all together at an end-of-summer party. Invite ROCK or Cel Kids to the party so your children can meet others with similar dietary requirements. For information on a ROCK group (Raising Our Celiac Kids). To get ready for the party, consider activities for your guests. How about hula-hoop instruction, a limbo competition, tee shirt decorating and lei stringing? To prepare for these activities, think about hiring a teen in your neighborhood to demonstrate how to do the hula-hoop. For the limbo competition, you’ll need a long bamboo pole and two people to hold it on either end. You could play the Chubby Checker’s “Limbo Rock” song while guests exhibit their limberness. People at the tee-shirt station could paint their shirts using Hawaiian stencils, glitter and fabric paint. For lei stringing, you’ll need to purchase needles (large, dulled carpet needles would work fine), waxed thread, orchids or other flowers from your local florist. Lei kits and flowers are also available by mail order from Hawaii. Develop the guest list and send the invitations 3-4 weeks before the party. Ask for an RSVP one week before so you’ll know how many guests to plan for. Include a start and a stop time, so drivers will know when to retrieve your company. Ask guests to wear tropical attire such as a Hawaiian shirt or grass skirt to the party. Assign party management tasks to all hosts. Tasks include: Pre-party tasks: Shopping Food Preparation Party Area Preparation Activity Station Preparation Party Tasks: Activity Station Monitors (one per activity) Kebob Cooker Plate Assembly Sundae Assembly A week before: Purchase the party favors, activity materials, and decorations. Two days before: Develop the shopping list, purchase the foods, and start decorating the party room. One day before: make the ice cream topping (without adding the fruit) the salads, and the carrot glaze. Finish decorating the party room and set the table. The day of the party: cut the vegetables; marinate the proteins; chop fruit for the dessert to add to the warm sauce when you are ready to serve it; make a centerpiece with the top of the pineapple and some flowers in an arrangement and put out little bowls of dried, sugared pineapple, banana chips, Terra Potpourri potato chips and Mauna Loa macadamia nuts. Get ready to have some fun! Greet your guests with a shell necklace and ask them if they would like a Tropical Pineapple Smoothie. Gluten-Free Tropical Pineapple Smoothie Ingredients: 2 cups fresh pineapple 1 cup fresh pineapple juice 2 cups ice Directions: Place contents in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve with a pineapple garnish and a straw. Escort visitors to the party location and have them string leis and drink smoothies while waiting for the other guests to arrive. When all of the guests come, divide them into three groups and assign them to one of three activity stations: Hula Hoop instruction; Limbo Competition; or Tee shirt decorating. After 15 minutes, rotate guests to the next activity station. Before the last rotation, guests can take part in skewering their own kebobs at a separate station (depending on how old they are, and with adult supervision). Consider asking guests to mark their kebob with something distinctive (a unique skewer, or two veggies in a row) so they’ll be able to find theirs when cooked. While the kebobs are cooking, guests can participate in the last activity in their rotation. The table can be set with the centerpiece and a party favor menu with the recipes. Dining music can include ukulele and Don Ho selections. Salads, latkes and greens garnish can be placed on plates and served to each guest. The kebobs can be served on a platter in the center of the table. Heat the ice cream topping and add the fruit and make sundaes to serve for dessert and serve, or set up a sundae station and let guests build their own. Whew! This has been a summer filled with cooking, planning, entertaining and meeting new gluten-free friends. What could be more fun?

Celiac.com 12/12/2020 - Italia—the land of superb food. When you think of Italian food, chances are that the first thing that comes to mind is pasta. Do you know that rice and corn pasta can be every bit as luscious as wheat pasta when cooked properly? (The secret is not to overcook it.) So indulge in the scents and tastes of Italy’s best known delicacy. Rice is a popular ingredient in Italy, especially risotto. Risotto is made with medium-grain Arborio, Vialone or Carnaroli rice. Cooked, the rounded grains are firm and creamy due to their high starch content. To make risotto, cook the rice briefly in butter or olive oil until evenly coated and the rice starts to turn translucent, then add broth, one ladle at a time. One popular dish is Risotto a la Milanese, made with chicken or beef stock and saffron; it is traditionally served with osso buco (a stew made from veal bones). Cannelloni beans (white kidney beans), or fagiole, taste a lot like Great Northern beans and are the pride of the Tuscany region. The beans are boiled, then sautéed in olive oil with sage and tomatoes. Italian cooking is impossible without herbs, preferably fresh herbs. Basil is a staple and is used in salads, on meats, and definitely in tomato sauce. The best way to prolong the life of fresh herbs is to wash them, wrap them in a paper towel to soak up excess moisture, then store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Other “musts” for Italian foods are fresh parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme...and then there is glorious garlic! The purple carciofi (artichoke), has little resemblance to the artichokes we find in the produce sections of American grocery stores. In Italy, artichokes are cooked in every conceivable way, including braising, stuffing, stewing, frying, broiling and grilling. If you have never cleaned an artichoke, the first time may be a bit daunting. First, fill a large bowl ¾ full with water and add the juice of one fresh lemon. With a sharp knife, trim off all but one inch of the stem. Break off and discard the older, tough, outside leaves. Cut off the top 1/3 of the artichoke and discard. The easiest way to remove the choke is to cut the artichoke in half and scrape out the fuzzy center and prickly leaves, rinse, then place in lemon water until ready to use. Roast these delicacies in tomato sauce, or prepare au gratin, or pan-fry—but do make them and enjoy their succulent taste. Filling or stuffing vegetables is an accomplished art for Italians. Some fillings are as simple as removing the center of a vegetable, chopping the centers and mixing them with herbs and spices and some cheese, placing the filling back in the shells then baking. But more frequently the vegetable is stuffed with a meat, pasta or rice filling. Add a side salad and a slice of gluten-free bread and you have a complete meal. Stuffed peppers are a regular stand-by, as are stuffed onions, eggplant, and zucchini. The large yellow zucchini flowers are often stuffed with ricotta or shredded potatoes that have been sautéed in a spicy tomato sauce. Italy invented the antipasti (or ‘antipasto’ as we call it). The purpose of this array of sampler foods is to stimulate your senses before your meal, wake up your appetite. A typical antipasti platter in Italy includes an endless choice of vegetables (roasted, grilled, marinated and fried), cold meats (usually prosciutto and salami), olives and wedges of aged Parmesan, mozzarella or goat cheese, along with platters of seafood salad, and perhaps steamed muscles and clams. Italy also lays claim to fame for cornmeal polenta. Polenta can be creamy, served soft with a scoop of sauce, or firm and served as a side dish to grilled or roasted meats, or stirred into soups and stews to thicken and add flavor. Whatever way you choose to eat polenta, the basic principles of preparation remain the same: Bring 4 ½ cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon salt and reduce the heat to medium low. As soon as the water begins to simmer, start pouring in 1 cup cornmeal in a thin stream, very slowly while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps. Once all the cornmeal has been added, keep the water at a simmer and stir frequently. It should take about 20 minutes to fully cook the polenta. When fully cooked, the polenta should pull away from the sides of the pot easily. Once your polenta is cooked, you can serve it soft or firm, baked, fried or grilled. You can top it with butter or marinara sauce, or add cheese, browned crumbled sausage or shredded veggies to the cornmeal mixture. But what is Italian food without pasta? The gluten-free pastas need a bit more watching while the pot is boiling to prevent them from falling apart, but with the right sauce... magnifiquo! While marinara sauce may be the first sauce to come to mind, aglio olio (garlic oil sauce) is also an Italian favorite. All kinds of things are folded into the pasta or spooned on top: pesto sauce, sausage and peppers, shrimp and tomatoes, ham and beans, or sun dried tomatoes and olives. Using a spoon as a loading zone for the pasta strands is and American, not Italian, tradition. In Italy, they just swirl the strands onto their forks which often results in a larger yield than the mouth can accommodate. So what is the perfect method for gathering the pasta in a dish? Gather only three or four strands on your fork before twirling. Formal entertaining in Italy is done by serving multiple courses of small amounts of food. Prior to the first course being served, the antipasti (appetizer) platter is presented for consumption. This is followed by a first course of either soup or pasta. The second course is an entrée of either meat or fish with a side of vegetables. The final course at an Italian table is the salad, which seems both to refresh the diner after a heavy meal as well as cleanse the palate before the dessert course. The dessert course is usually served in two stages. Stage number one consists of ice cold fresh fruit often served with nuts. Then comes the final offering of something sweet like tiramisu, biscotti or an ice. Espresso coffee is served throughout the meal and dessert. Nutty Biscotti by Connie Sarros This recipe is from the new book I co-authored with Danna Korn: “Gluten-free Cooking for Dummies” (a sequel to Danna’s “Living Gluten-free for Dummies” book). Biscotti are perfect to keep on hand. They will hold several days in a plastic self-seal bag or in a covered plastic container. After the second baking, these ‘sticks’ will harden a bit, so be sure not to over bake them. If you want to live life on the wild side, soak some dried cranberries in Kaluha, and then fold them into the batter. *My flour mixture already contains xanthan gum. If you are using a different flour mixture, add 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum to the dry ingredients. Ingredients: ¾ cup blanched slivered almonds 3 tablespoons butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour mixture* 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon gluten-free instant coffee granules 1/8 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup gluten-free miniature semisweet chocolate chips 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 1 teaspoon corn oil Directions: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a small skillet, sauté almonds in 1 tablespoon butter until golden, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. Line a baking sheet with wax paper (or parchment paper). Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whip together 2 tablespoons butter, sugar, and eggs on high speed until mixture is thick and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add vanilla and almond flavorings. In a small bowl, whisk together flour mixture, baking powder, baking soda, coffee granules, salt, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, beating just until thoroughly combined. Fold in chocolate chips and almonds. Transfer dough to wax paper (or parchment) lined baking pan. With damp hands, form dough into a log about 14 inches long and 2 inches high (Dough will be somewhat sticky to work with but don’t add more flour or your biscotti will turn out dry). Bake for 25 minutes or until just beginning to brown on the outside and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Gently slice log into ½-inch slices. Stand slices upright on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until firm (but NOT rock hard) and golden. Remove from oven and cool. Cut semisweet chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium skillet with the oil. Heat very slowly, stirring often, until chocolate has melted. (If heat is too high, chocolate will burn.) Remove pan from heat and dip bottoms of biscotti in chocolate to coat. Set each piece on its side on a piece of wax paper to dry. Yield: 18 slices.

Celiac.com 08/28/2020 - Have you checked your grocery bill lately? Chances are you are experiencing sticker shock. Food, like everything else, is costing more. Have you been inundated with articles and news snippets about eating healthier and the need to get more fiber in your diet? So now you are trying to save on your grocery bill… and eat healthier… AND adhere to a gluten-free diet. Like all problems in life, this one is not insurmountable. There are always viable, wise choices. With a little pre-planning, you can cut that grocery bill and eat healthier and stick to your diet. First, make a weekly menu plan. It will reduce trips to the grocery store (saving both time and petro) and help reduce impulse spending. As you make your menus, check out the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to see what foods you can use that you already have on hand (cutting food cost for the week). Planning menus ahead gives you time to incorporate healthier foods. Once you have a list of foods you already have on hand, scour the grocery store ads in your local newspaper and build your meals around the weekly specials. Then take a look at your calendar. Plan to make the longer-cooking items (roasts for example) on the days you will be home all afternoon and think of quicker meals on the days you walk in the door at 5:30 p.m. Figure out a novel way to use up leftovers for dinner one night a week. If you have 8 meatballs, 6 chicken wings, a partial bowl of leftover peas (or green beans, or asparagus, or most any vegetable), and some rice left over, you can serve this ‘as is’ like a picnic, or you can spread the rice in a casserole, sprinkle the peas over the rice, lay the chicken wings and meatballs on top, then stir together ½ packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix with a can of Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup and spoon in over the top – bake, and voila! You have a ‘new’ dinner from leftovers. Planning leftovers once a week will save money, but it will also save you the hassle of cooking from scratch one night. Below are meal suggestions that are both lower in cost and higher in nutrition. Healthier Lower Cost Breakfasts Gluten-free breads are pricey, so ration their use. Save them for packing lunches and find other alternatives for breakfast. Make a breakfast burrito with a corn tortilla, scrambled egg, grated cheddar cheese and a little salsa (adding bacon, ham or sausage adds to the cost and to the fat content). Fold cut-up fresh or juice-packed fruit into plain yogurt (this is healthier and less expensive than pre-packaged fruit yogurt). Make a smoothie with frozen or fresh strawberries (which are less expensive than raspberries or blueberries), milk, yogurt, and a dash of vanilla. For kids, spread a banana with peanut butter and serve with a muffin. Chi Chi’s makes a Sweet Corn Cake Mix (cornbread or corn muffins) that is gluten-free, cost-effective and sold in regular grocery stores. (While Chi Chi’s Restaurants are out of business, their food line is still being produced.) When making homemade muffins, add the following to your batter: 2 tablespoons ground light flaxseed meal dissolved in 2 tablespoons water and shredded “something” for fiber and nutrition (shredded carrots, apples, pears or zucchini, chopped walnuts, unsweetened coconut, or chopped dried fruit). If you opt to make homemade pancakes, add something for nutrition (flaxseed meal, shredded fruits, mashed bananas) and top with fruit topping or all-fruit jelly instead of sugar-rich maple syrup. Healthier Lower Cost Lunches Low fat, low sodium turkey breast costs far more at the deli than it does to roast turkey tenderloin at home and slice it thin for sandwiches. It only takes an hour to bake or 25 minutes to grill – the time spent cooking it is worth it. You will be eating a healthier sandwich at about half the cost. Tuna salad sandwiches are popular; chop in plenty of green pepper, onion, celery, and carrots, use just enough mayonnaise to hold the mixture together, then top with lettuce and sliced tomatoes for a healthier version of an old stand-by. If you cook a beef roast, pork roast, or meatloaf the night before for dinner, reserve a few slices for tomorrow’s lunch. Kids love pizza – Make their pizza on a corn tortilla with chopped veggies on top instead of sausage or pepperoni, and use half the cheese to cut back on fat and cost. Season a small can of tomato sauce for the pizza instead of using pricier, higher sodium, prepared pizza and spaghetti sauces. Think salads… Put some lettuce in a plastic container and top with last night’s vegetables, sliced meat, and a few strips of cheese. Again, you will be recycling what you already have on hand. A little steamed quinoa goes a long way when making a healthy tabouleh salad. Boil a small amount of gluten-free elbow pasta then slice in lots of fresh veggies (carrots, green onions, broccoli, beans, celery, cauliflower, peas) and you have a healthy pasta salad. Tacos can be as healthy or unhealthy as you choose to make them. A half pound of lean ground meat can easily make 4 corn tacos so it stretches your grocery dollar and lowers your fat consumption. Top the meat with a little bit of grated cheese and a lot of shredded lettuce and chopped tomato or low sodium salsa. Skip the sour cream – it costs money to buy, adds fat calories, and a taco can still taste great without it. One cup of gluten-free flour mixture will go a long way when you add chopped green onion, minced green pepper and shredded cheddar cheese to make waffles to use as a base for sloppy joes instead of expensive gluten-free buns. Healthy Lower Cost Dinners Remember that beef roast you made for dinner last night and those leftover vegetables? Chop them up; thicken some gluten-free beef broth with a little cornstarch, then make a pie crust for a beef pot pie. Or shred the remains of the roast, add a little barbeque sauce and spoon over the cheese waffles mentioned above. If a typical serving of meat in your household is 6-8 ounces, reduce that to 5 ounces. Eating less meat is healthier and will save on the grocery bill. You can stretch meat by adding lots of fresh veggies to stews, soups, stir-fries and casseroles. The white meat of a chicken is healthier for you than the dark meat, so stock up on chicken breasts when they are on sale. Don’t pay extra for skinless breasts; remove the skin yourself and save a few cents. Other meals that are both cost-effective and healthy include shepherd’s stew, baked chicken with vegetables, meatloaf (filled with shredded veggies), soups and stews, veggie chow mein served over rice noodles, tuna quesadillas or tuna rice casserole, and canned salmon casserole (fresh salmon can be quite costly). Make a large pot of chili, and then freeze the leftovers to use over hot dogs or hamburgers, on top of spaghetti or rice, over corn pancakes, to stuff a baked potato, or to use in tacos or taco salad. Healthy Lower Cost Side Dishes Brown rice is far healthier for you than processed pasta and costs less per serving than gluten-free pasta, so use the pastas sparingly. One night, make red beans and rice; the next night add salsa to make Mexican rice. Potatoes and beans are two of the least expensive items at a grocery store and both are tasty and filling and healthy. Add an extra can of beans to a pot of chili to make it stretch further and add extra fiber. Add beans to salads, casseroles, and rice dishes. Instead of serving baked beans which are high in sugar, bake your own Creole beans. Potatoes are good for you – it’s what we add to the potatoes that can be the problem. Roasting potatoes that have been sprinkled with dill, salt, pepper and a little olive oil costs far less and is more nutritious than topping potato slices with heavy cream and cheddar cheese and baking. If you roasted too many potatoes and have some left over, recreate them into a potato salad for tomorrow’s side dish or mash them with a little milk, butter and parmesan cheese to make mashed potatoes. If you have mashed potatoes left over, stir in some shredded zucchini, carrots, green pepper and green onions to make latkes. Cabbage is usually a bargain, so stuff it, boil it, add it to salads, stews, soups, and shred it for cole slaw. In the fall, zucchini is a good buy, so that’s the time to make a zucchini tomato casserole, zucchini bread, ratatouille, and grilled zucchini slices. If your family loves French fries, serve them healthier fries -- Make them from sweet potatoes and bake them instead of deep frying. Healthy Lower Cost Desserts One box of tapioca can provide dessert for multiple evenings when you make homemade tapioca pudding. The homemade version is healthier and less expensive than pre-packaged mixes. Baked custard is another inexpensive and healthy dessert if you cut back on the sugar just a bit. Less expensive yet is homemade rice pudding; make it with brown rice and 2% milk for added health benefits. In the fall, round up the family to go apple picking (apples cost must less this way). Make baked apples for dessert one night. Slice a few to make Dutch apple pie – instead of using a fattening pie crust, opt for a deep dish pie with the healthier pure oats granola-type topping. If you picked too many apples and they are starting to go soft, chop them up and make a pot of homemade applesauce. Layer frozen yogurt, cut-up fruit, and crushed gluten-free cinnamon-flavored cereal in parfait glasses. Use up those slices of gluten-free bread that crumbled or dried out by making bread pudding; add diced peaches or apples to the pudding when they are in season. Puree juices or fruits you have left in the refrigerator and make homemade popsicles. Make a sweet potato pudding (it tastes very much like pumpkin pudding). The healthy choices are endless. The budget choices are out there but you have to shop for fresh products that are in season and watch the paper for sales. Online, there are many sites that offer money-off coupons. Eating can still be fun, safe, healthy and cost-effective with just a little bit of planning. Gluten-Free Baked Stuffed Zucchini This recipe is from the “Wheat-free Gluten-free Reduced Calorie Cookbook” by Connie Sarros. The stuffed zucchini may be assembled ahead of time and frozen without the cheese topping. Thaw before baking. Ingredients: 4 small zucchini 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 onions minced ½ pound lean ground beef 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley ¼ teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper ¼ teaspoon mint ¼ cup spaghetti sauce 1 egg, beaten ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon milk Paprika Directions: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out the pulp, leaving the shell intact. Chop the pulp. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet. Add the onion and ground beef; sauté, breaking up the meat with a fork. When the meat is browned, drain off any fat. Stir in the zucchini pulp, parsley, salt and pepper, mint, and spaghetti sauce; simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon the filling into the shells and place the shells in a baking dish. Bake 35 minutes or until shells are soft but still hold their form. Preheat broiler. Mix the eggs, cheese, milk and a dash of salt and pepper; spread on top of the stuffed zucchini. Sprinkle each with paprika. Place under the broiler for 3 minutes to brown. Serves 8 as a side dish; serves 4 as a main entrée.

Celiac.com 11/08/2019 - On a cold winter day, nothing will warm you up quicker than sipping a hot bowl of soup. Served with a side salad or a half sandwich, you can make a meal out of soup. For generations, mothers and grandmothers have fed chicken soup to family members suffering from colds because of its alleged healing powers… or are the healing powers in soup actually based in fact? Dr. Stephen Rennard, MD, is a scientist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He decided to check out his wife’s homemade chicken soup. He was surprised to find that the broth, when added to white blood cells, “…slows the neutrophils”… or in our language, it clears a stuffy nose by lessening the amount of inflammation in the nasal passages. The amino acid in chicken is similar to the drug doctors prescribe for patients with bronchitis. The acid in the broth thins the mucus in lungs. So chicken soup actually DOES have medicinal benefits. Most homemade soups are good for us because natural ingredients are simmered in a broth, so none of the nutrients are lost. The volume of soup fills you up without a lot of calories (assuming we’re not talking about lobster bisque made with cream!). Many vegetable-based soups are low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and carbohydrates, though they may be high in sodium if you are too liberal with the salt shaker. Not only is soup nourishing, warm and satisfying, but the variety of soups is almost endless. A good soup starts with a good broth or stock. Broth is usually made with pieces of actual meat. Stock, on the other hand, is made by boiling bones with just a little meat trim, so it’s not as rich as broth. Just to confuse matters more, there is also consommé. Consommé is stock, but the bones used to make the stock are roasted first, then simmered. Consommé is a clear, reduced stock. There are gluten-free canned broths (chicken, beef, and vegetable), or you can make your own by simmering meat, poultry, or vegetables in water. Fish soup is also delicious, but the fish needs to be de-boned prior to cooking. Since most fish is rather bland, a canned fish sauce or chicken broth is often added to the water for extra flavor. Always remember to use cold water when you start. Add the meat then bring the water quickly to a boil. Once it starts to boil, immediately lower the heat and keep the water at a slow simmer. This will keep your soup from becoming cloudy. Don’t add spices at this point—add the spices once the soup is almost done. When making a beef broth, avoid the more tender cuts of meat. A cubed chuck steak or even oxtail bones will impart more flavor. For chicken broth, it’s best to use the whole chicken. Cut the chicken into parts, then you can roast the pieces beforehand for a browner broth, or merely add the pieces to the cold water for a paler stock. Use a “mirepoix” for vegetable stock. You’re probably thinking, “What in the heck is ‘mirepoix’?!” It’s just a fancy name for a mixture of diced veggies (carrots, leeks, celery, onion, etc.). A vegetable broth is ideal for soups such as minestrone. Sautéing chopped vegetables in a very small amount of oil until they are soft but not browned helps to bring out their flavor, but this step isn’t vital. Vegetables can be chopped and added directly to the soup to simmer if you prefer. One more thing about the broth—Depending on the base you use (beef, poultry, vegetables, or fish) you may opt to add other liquids to your soup, such as tomato sauce, tomato juice, or half and half (or skimmed milk if you’re counting fat grams) to name a few. If you’re pouring in a little sherry or red wine, add it at the end and don’t allow the soup to boil once it has been added. (Note: Too much wine will make your soup bitter.) The vegetables and legumes that can be added to soup are almost endless. If you can chop it, you can add it. There are the usual vegetables of potatoes, corn, peas, and beans of all sizes and shapes, but don’t overlook chopped spinach or endive, asparagus, cabbage, turnips, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and zucchini. For variety, sometimes add rice, wild rice, gluten-free pasta, or homemade gluten-free dumplings. Before serving, taste the soup. If the taste is too bland, add one or two gluten-free bouillon cubes or granules. If it’s too salty, add a cut-up potato, let it simmer about 15 minutes to absorb the excess salt, then discard the potato. If the soup tastes acidy, stir in 1/2 teaspoon sugar. And don’t forget to stir in your herbs at the end so their flavors are preserved instead of simmering them away. There are some very simple options for removing fat from soup to make it healthier. You can cover and refrigerate the soup for 6 to 8 hours or until the fat rises and solidifies in a layer at the top. Then use a spoon to lift off the hardened fat. If you’re in a hurry, drag GF bread slices over the top layer of the soup in order to blot up or absorb the grease, then discard the bread. A few leaves of lettuce dropped in a pot of soup will absorb grease from the top; remove them after the fat has been absorbed. Blot up the top layer of grease by floating a couple of paper towels on the surface of the soup; when they are fat saturated, throw out the towels. You will be surprised just how much fat you collect and discard. Generally, 1 quart of soup will yield 3 to 4 main servings. Gluten-Free Spicy Beef Soup Note that this recipe has no added salt so it is low in sodium. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ pound 93% lean ground beef 1 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 3 cups cold water 1 can (16 ounces) cut-up tomatoes, undrained 1 cup thinly-sliced carrots 1 can (8 ounces) light red kidney beans, drained ½ cup chopped green pepper 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoons gluten-free beef bouillon granules ¼ teaspoon pepper Directions: Spray a large saucepan or Dutch oven with nonstick spray then add the oil. Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in the saucepan over medium-high heat, using a spoon to break up the meat into small chunks. Stir in the water, tomatoes, carrots, beans, green pepper, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the chili powder, bouillon granules and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes more. Serves 4.