xoxo glutie: gluten free game day.

it's that time of year again, gluties! football season. tailgates. cookouts. touchdowns. great friends. good times.

just a few of my favs. don't hate. 

i love watching football, and participating in festivities, but as i've blogged before, holiday buffets, tailgates and cookouts posing a high threat for gluties. just the thought of all those burgers, sauces, fried chicken, "salads," casseroles, etc. my tummy hurts already! but have no fear gluties, there is hope for a delicious, gluten free tailgate, and here are some of my favorites...


munchers. 


medlock-mitchell mexican night salsa.
this is a passed-down tradition from a best friend and old roommate from wilm. it is, by far, the best traditional homemade salsa ever. and who doesn't like salsa??
i will provide you the basics, but adapt (double, triple) for your crowd.


1-1.5 cans diced mexican-style (or reg) tomatoes
1 can rotel, mild or hot
1 red onion, diced, if you like chunky salsa, save a palm-full of onion pieces to add after blending
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
kosher salt
garlic
cilantro
jalapeno, seeded, if more heat is desired


add tomatoes, rotel, onion, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, garlic (fresh or powder), palm full of cilantro, and jalapeno to a blender. blend to your chunky or smooth liking. pour into a bowl, and serve with your favorite chips. refrigerate left-overs... if there are any!

picture courtesy of http://style-n-life.com/kitchen-corner/easy-traditional-salsa/

adaption 1: if you prefer salsa con queso, add your fav gf cheese (i prefer vegan, dairy free, gluten free daiya cheese alternative) to equal parts salsa, microwave until melted. stir. 

adaption 2: this salsa recipe can also be made outside the blender. same ingredients, however, drain your canned tomatoes and rotel (or use about 4-6 fresh vine-ripped tomatoes), dice onion, add a green pepper, if desired, garlic and jalapeno. chop cilantro. garnish with juices, and you've got pico de gallo! 


gabriel's guacamole.

hot artichoke dip.
read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/12/hot-artichoke-dip-recipe-gluten-free.html#ixzz1cyZKdy9Q

layered taco dip.
serve with corn chips or gf tortilla chips. 


halftime goodies.


turkey taco lettuce wraps.

xoxo, glutie: black bean taco soup. (from previous blog post)


gluten free barbecue chicken wings.
here is a good gluten free, homemade barbecue sauce to use with this. of course, leave out the worcestershire sauce if you are soy free as well.  

don't forget the cocktails!


cinnamon toast cocktail.

captain morgan's spiced rum with apple cider and cinnamon. 

autumn punch.
with plums, apple-cranberry juice, and white wine.


winter fruit sangria.
infusing figs, apricots, cranberries, and raisins.

try not to end up like this guy...

it's just poor class.

room for dessert?


gluten free layer bars.

buckeyes.

have a happy, gluten free game day!

xoxo glutie: crispy zucchini sticks with sweet onion dip.

adapted from: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/baked-zucchini-sticks-and-sweet-onion-dip-recipe

'tis the season for farmer's markets and fresh produce! don't you wish this freshness was available all year-long??  i know i do. i had a patient once whose son had a garden for the spring/summer and winter, but the only veg that would really survive in it was red cabbage or something like that. don't get me wrong, i love cabbage, but the colors of a summer farmer's market cannot be beat. additionally, gluties live off of these freshies because they are about as safe as food comes! my aunt carol has a great raised garden in the tennessee/georgia hills outside chattanooga. she sent me a picture the other day of "one day's picking," and it was enough to feed a small country... or perhaps make batches and batches of spaghetti sauce and zucchini bread. which is exactly what she did. my uncle estimates they've picked over 400 tomatoes this season. whoa! i can't wait to enjoy their fresh goodness when i go visit in a few weeks to see my hubs-- who will be doing a rotation at the children's hospital in chattanooga.

here is an idea of what to do with those wonderful, green zucchini. use as an appetizer at a barbeque, a side dish at dinner, or a healthy snack. the recipe is easily adaptable to a lot or a little.

dip: 
you want to start caramelizing your onions first because they will take the longest. do the rest while your onions simmer.
1 tbls butter or substitute, melt in sauce pan
1 med-large sweet onion, sliced (it doesn't really matter how you cut it because it will be blended later)

melt the butter in the sauce pan, add onion, and simmer over med heat for 10-15 minutes. it's better to let them brown at this lower heat than for them to burn.

remove from heat. add:
2 tbls cider vinegar
2 tbls honey
1 tbls mustard (i used gf dijon for some spice)
sea salt&pepper to taste

add to food processor.
blend.
add to fp:
1 cup gf mayo or substitute such as greek yogurt (i can mostly tolerate gf mayo, it's easy to find in common brands. i used an olive oil based)

blend until smooth.
cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

zucchini sticks:
cut zucchini into 3 inc. "sticks." this is where you can make a lot (4 or more zuchs) or a little (1-2 zuchs) depending on your event. it's been recommended to let the sticks sit in a colander over the sink for a bit because a lot of water comes out of zuchs. my recommendation is to do whatever you want, but make sure you do pat the sticks dry before preparing.

dry ingredients:
in 3 dipping bowls, set up your gf flour, egg wash, and crunchies
(NOTE: you gluties can use smashed rice chex or other gf cereals, gf bread crumbs, gf cornmeal, etc.-- otherwise, non-gluties can use smashed corn flakes for a little umph)
powder your sticks through your "breading" process as you like
place on a sprayed cookie sheet

bake @ 425 for about 10-12 minutes, turn sticks, and continue another 5-8 minutes until desired crispiness
retrieve your amazing dip from the fridge, serve up in a cute ramekin fanned by your zuch sticks.

enjoy the rest of farmer's season!

xoxo glutie: summer berry beef.

ok ya'll... you know i don't eat red meat. i can't digest it well. my body doesn't know what to do with it. my husband loves it. especially during summer grilling season. so every once in awhile, when some good iron is needed, we have steak. tonight, we didn't only have steak, we had paula deen steak. well.... as usual i adapted a bit, but it's paula nonetheless. not even kidding, ya'll! your favorite cut with a fresh berry glaze, served with grilled corn and fresh greens. eat up, ya'll!!

grilled steak, pretty basic:
pick your fav cut.
massage a little evoo into the meat for moisture and juiciness.
sprinkle with your favorite steak seasoning, i used montreal steak.
toss 'em on the grill and cook to your liking.

berry glaze:
1 cup to 1.5 cups of red wine
1 cup to 2 cups of sugar or substitute (based on your sweet preference. i only used 1)
1/2 cup water
1.5 cups strawberries, cut into 1/4s
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
3 tbls cornstarch (or gf flour... i didn't have any cornstarch and it worked fine)

in a medium sauce pan, reduce red wine by half over medium heat. wisk in sugar, water. continue wisking for a couple minutes to insure your sugar doesn't get too hot. if the heat seems too much, turn it down a touch. stir in your berries, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes. i let mine go for a bit to get those good fruit juices infused. dissolve cornstarch in cold water, and slowly add to saucepan. heat and stir until thickened. spoon over your steaks before serving, and sprinkle with blue cheese, or your favorite gf cheese. i opted out of the cheese, and stuck with the berry glaze, and it was delicious!

serve with grilled corn cobs and a fresh salad.

photo courtesy of the foodies' kitchen

xoxo glutie: "cheesy" spinach stuffed chicken.

my husband loves cheese. he loves cheese so much it's quite gross. he loves cheese so much he eats it by the handfuls straight out of the fridge, and i still buy him kids' string cheese. i, unfortunately, am highly allergic to cheese. once upon a time, i loved cheese as well. in fact, as a child, i lived off mac and cheese. i was such a picky eater, it was one of the only things my mom could get me to eat. next to chicken patties. and don't even play with me about the gourmet mac and cheeses. i went total blue box style. the powdery, faker, the better. one day, i ate a lot of cheetos, got hives, threw up a lot, and the rest is history. no more cheese. when i started buying "alternative" gluten free foods, i looked into the "fake" cheeses. soy free, dairy free, gluten free, etc. supposedly they're made out of rice or something, but i don't really understand how you make "cheese" out of rice. but whatever. after a trial and error of fake cheeses that would not melt, and were well.... gross. i have found daiya. they started carrying it in our local kroger, and it promised on the bag that it melts, so i bought it. so far, i am satisfied. the flavor is even pretty good, and pretty close to what i remember "real" cheese tastes like. i used mozzarella daiya cheese in this recipe. also, use a good gluten free, nitrate free bacon. i've been addicted to hormel natural bacon. it's pricy, but worth it. enjoy!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained dry (or wilt a few handfuls of fresh if you're feeling frisky)
4 slices of cooked, gf bacon, crumbled
daiya mozzarella cheese, about a cup, depending on your preference of "cheesiness"
toothpicks
your favorite chicken seasoning mix (i used ms. dash garlic and herb)
evoo
salt&pep to taste

combine dry spinach, bacon crumbles, and cheese preference in a small bowl. pound out chicken breasts to about 1/2 inc. thick. lay chicken on a clean surface. spoon some of the spinach mixture into the center of the chicken, pull sides around the mix and pin with toothpick (or two, depending on how long your chick is). repeat with all of your breasts. sprinkle each breast with salt/pepper, and your fav chicken seasonsing. heat a little evoo in a skillet, and brown chicken a couple minutes on each side. place into a greased casserole dish, and cook 30 minutes on 350 in the oven, or until "stuffing" is hot and chicken is done. serve with a starch, or some more great veggies.

adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com

xoxo glutie: mexican corn cakes.

oh hello, gluties, how i've missed you! i am still gluten, soy, and dairy free... going on 4 years. wow. i read an article recently from the GFG blog (one of my favorites) about how close we are to a celiac vaccine, and in our lifetime, may be able to eat gluten again. she, me and the article question: if you could eat gluten again, would you? i thought about it. about that awful feeling i get when i accidentally ingest gluten. the sickness. the hives. the vomit (sorry). the three day recovery. i don't want that. if a medicine could keep me from feeling that way... maybe. but again, after 4 years, i doubt i even have a taste for gluten anymore. before i had my celiac biopsy about 2 years ago, the doctor had me eat a lot of gluten and other allergens for 2 weeks before the test so that he could see the effects on my intestines. really. fun. test. ugh, i hated every thing. seriously. no real food tasted good at all. my answer to the constant question, "what food do you miss the most?" remains... nothing, truly. 


nevertheless, one of my favorite food groups, next to gf pasta, remains, mexican. i enjoy making my own mexican food because it never fails that i feel awful after eating at mexican restaurants (gluten? or margaritas??), but i also just like making mexican food. as does my husband enjoys eating it. the other night, i combined a slow-cooker recipe with a mexican "comfort food" recipe, and i present to you... mexican corn cakes! ole!


mexican stew in slow-cooker:


3-4 chicken breasts
1 jar of gf tomatillo green salsa
1 package of frozen peppers and onions (kroger's is awesome-- 3 peppers included)
1 can of corn
1 can of white beans or garbanzo beans (or your preference)
cumin
paprika
salt
pepper
garlic
lime juice
dash of cinnamon
coriander
oregano
thyme


incubate on low for 4-5 hours. stir occasionally, breaking up chicken as it cooks. 


corn cakes (like a pancake but with corn)
adapted from gluten free mommy recipe


2 cups yellow cornmeal, medium grain
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 tablespoon sugar (more if you prefer sweeter corn cakes)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

heat oven to 200 degrees to keep corn cakes warm. 

in a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, rice flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. in a medium bowl, beat the coconut milk, water, oil and egg with a fork until blended. add to the cornmeal mixture and mix until lumps are gone.

spray griddle with non-stickness, and heat over medium heat. for each corn cake, the recipe recommends pouring about a 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle. i made my corn cakes slightly larger. cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until brown. keep corn cakes warm in the oven.

plate 1 to 2 corn cakes with a ladle or so of mexican stew drooling over top. top with gf, soy free, cheese, and gf sour cream, if desired. think about it like a.... mexican biscuits and gravy!