Easy Gluten Free Boston Baked Beans Recipe

Does anything scream of a summer barbecue more than homemade baked beans? I LOVE baked beans. This obsession happened later in my life... apparently after becoming gluten free -- baked beans became a favorite food. They are incredibly easy to make. You really can't mess them up... and I think just about everybody likes them!

What's not to like? A sweet & sour combo of healthy northern and/or white beans with the additional of bacon (mmm Bacon!), onions, molasses, and spices. Super easy and naturally gluten free.

I love this recipe because it starts with plain 'ol cooked white beans. If you use a can of "already-seasoned" baked beans you cannot control exactly how they they are flavored. I also like the simplicity of just using a can of northern beans from the pantry and turning them into a beautiful dish.

Easy Gluten Free Boston Baked Beans
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and eggs
Adapted from an assortment of baked bean recipes found in old church cookbooks & at allrecipes.com
Printer-friendly recipe 

This makes a large batch of beans which freeze beautifully if you happen to have any leftovers!

Bean Ingredients:
3 (15 oz.) cans white beans -or- northern beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 pound bacon
1 onion, finely diced

Sauce Ingredients:
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup gluten free ketchup
1 tablespoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
These beans can be made in an oven or in a slow cooker. I've made them both ways basically following the same instructions: If using an oven set to 250 degrees. In a large casserole dish (or your slow cooker) layer beans with the onions and uncooked bacon. In a small saucepan whisk together the sauce ingredients over low heat until they are warmed through and mixed together. Pour the sauce over the baked beans. Add just enough water to cover the beans -- don't overdo the water! Cover the casserole dish with foil or a lid. If using the oven: cook beans for 3-4 hours at 250 degrees. Check periodically to see if you need add a little water if the beans get too dry. If using the slow cooker, cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. Again check it periodically to make sure the beans are not getting too dry. (They shouldn't in the slow cooker.) Makes a heck of a whole lot! We often make this recipe and freeze in portion sizes for lunches during the week! Baked beans are also delicious served hot or cold!

Other Gluten Free Summer Side Dishes From Gingerlemongirl.com:

Sweet & Sassy Red Potato Salad

Apple Mint Salad

Strata Salad

Sarah's Bruchetta Pasta Toss

Claire's Asparagus Salad with Strawberries

Sweet Tomato & Feta Tart

Fresh Strawberry Pie

{Gluten Free One Pot Meals} Clara's White Bean Florentine Pasta Recipe

Photo courtesy of Sisters Running the Kitchen

It's time for another one pot meal! For my husband and I, one pot meals often save the day! Crockpot meals, casseroles, skillet dinners -- one pot meals can be not only a time-saver, but a money-saver as well!

My friend Clara (of Six Food Intolerance Living fame) is ALWAYS coming up with amazing one pot meals she creates for dinner. I love how she can take simple pantry staples and create a classic and beautiful Italian inspired meal.

A few weeks ago Clara shared this recipe with me. She needed to come up with a last minute meal one night so she decided to throw together some of her favorite white beans/cannellini beans with spinach and pasta. She told me that even her incredibly picky husband loved the flavors & textures of this meal and had seconds!

For an incredible roundup of super easy, all gluten free, mostly one-pot meals, please check out this series, "30 Days: Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals" that I featured on GingerLemonGirl last summer!


Clara’s White Bean Florentine Pasta
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and corn (if using corn-free pasta)
Created by Clara Ogren-Rubalcaba, shared with permission
Printer friendly recipe.

2 cups (16 oz.) dry gluten free pasta (penne, linguini, spiral, etc..)
2 tbsp. olive oil, halved
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups baby bella (or button) mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon - 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 (15 oz.) can of cannellini/northern beans (drained & rinsed)
1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes (drained)
1 (7 oz.) bag of fresh baby spinach
Toasted pine nuts, for garnish

Directions:
Cook gluten free pasta according to package directions until “al dente.” Drain pasta, rinse with cold water & stir 1 tbsp. of olive oil over pasta. Set pasta aside.
Add remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed or cast iron skillet. Saute chopped onion in hot oil until translucent & soft. Add minced garlic, sliced mushrooms, and seasonings and continue to saute for an additional 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are soft. Add diced tomatoes and fresh baby spinach. Continue to stir & saute for 3-4 minutes until vegetables are heated through. Lastly, add in cannellini beans & cooked gluten free pasta and cook an additional 3-5 minutes until pasta is heated through. Serve immediately. Makes 4-5 servings.

This Week's Menu - Crockpot Posole

This weekend was very busy! We ran errands on Saturday, my husband got a new lawn mower (aka... a new TOY), and I made an impromptu dinner & dessert for my in-laws. Sunday we spent the entire day in the yard planting our first small garden of: tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, zucchini, and pie pumpkins. We also planted some herbs alongside the veggies: oregano, thyme, basil, lemon balm, stevia, and lavendar.

Because I was outside all day on Sunday I wasn't able to prepare foods ahead of time this week. I'll be doing some additional prep work on Monday & Wednesday nights if I can... but the crock pot will hopefully save me a lot of time this week. I'm using the crock pot on Sunday night to prepare "Posole" -- a mexican hominy, green chilies, and pork stew. On Wednesday morning I'll set up the crock pot with ingredients to make black bean soup so it's ready by the time I get home. Black beans are great in the crock pot because they can stand up to being cooked for long periods of time.

I want to shout-out a HUGE thanks to my friends on the Gingerlemongirl facebook page who helped me come up with last-minute, quick, easy homemade meals for this week!

The theme of the gluten free menu swap this week is "corn" which we'll be having in Posole -- which contains hominy -- corn/maize that has been cooked in a special way to have a unique taste and texture!

Breakfasts/Snacks This Week: Berry Hemp Shakes, Boiled Eggs (make on Monday night), Udi's Granola + almond milk, raw almonds and/or mixed nuts, Chocolate Almond flour muffins (Make on Monday or Wednesday night), baby carrots and/or apple slices with natural peanut butter

Lunches This Week: leftovers -- hopefully there will be plenty!!

Dinners this Week:

• Monday: Crockpot Posole (made overnight on Sunday -- to reheat Monday night)
• Tuesday: Angel Food Gluten Free "Chicken Tenders" with steamed broccoli & carrots
• Wednesday: Stephanie's Crockpot Black Bean Soup (put in the crock before work!) 
• Thursday: Scrambled Eggs, Baked Oatmeal (make on Wednesday night), Fruit Salad (make Wednesday night)
• Friday: Traveling -- hubs will make dinner to take on the road with us: Turkey & Avocado sandwiches on Rudi's Whole Grain Bread, bananas, mixed nuts, chocolate almond flour muffins (make on Wednesday night -- will hopefully post recipe soon!) 
• Saturday & Sunday: Staying with extended family, but will bring GF Master Baking Mix, a loaf of Rudi's Whole Grain Bread, raw almonds, bananas, chocolate almond muffins (will post recipe soon!) 

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For more gluten free meal plans please visit Heather at Celiac Family. 

For hundreds of meal plans of all types, please visit Laura's "I'm an Organizing Junkie." 

Gluten Free Chocolate Cobbler/ Hot Fudge Sauce Cake Recipe

My mom-in-law and dad-in-law came over this afternoon, they helped deliver a new lawn mower for hubs. He's been wanting one for a while and the state income tax refund came back just in time, since our yard looks more like a jungle than the suburbs. 

The house is a mess, but I managed to wipe down the bathroom counters before they arrived! I made a super easy ground beef stew and pondered what to make for dessert. 

You see, I ALWAYS serve dessert to my inlaws. I know we don't need dessert, but dessert is special. I like dessert. It makes a meal for company seem complete! 

I only had a small amount of ice-cream in the freezer, as hubs supply was dwindling... but I did have some coconut ice-cream as well... and father-in-law loves coconut. What could I serve with it? 

I remember several times my great-grandma making what she called a "puddin' cake." A very easy cake that created it's own sauce/pudding on the bottom and I LOVED that cake! I browsed the web, looked through a few of my favorite church cookbooks, and finally settled on a tweaked version of this Chocolate Cobbler recipe. 

The best part of this dessert is how insanely EASY it is to throw together. It's a bit unconventional and I have no idea exactly how it works chemically to create that amazing sauce... but it works! No, it isn't the prettiest dessert you could make, but it sure is tasty! I used my homemade gluten free master baking mix as the base and I am SO pleased at how delicious it turned out. 

Please make this dessert... it's a hit when your in-laws come over and watch movies with you after having a very humble meal of ground beef stew. How I love cozy Saturday afternoons with family. Especially when they end with a chocolate dessert! 

Gluten Free Chocolate Cobbler/ Hot Fudge Sauce Cake Recipe

Adapted from this recipe by dylansmom on Allrecipes.com

Free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, and eggs

Printer-friendly recipe

Cobber/Cake Ingredients: 

4 tablespoons coconut oil 

1 cup gluten free homemade master baking mix

1/2 cup sugar

2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder

3/4 cup almond milk -or- your favorite nondairy milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cobbler/Cake Topping: 

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon coconut oil into a casserole dish or large pie pan. Place the pan in the oven to melt the coconut oil. In a medium sized bowl mix together the homemade master baking mix, sugar, cocoa powder, almond milk, and vanilla. The batter should be have the texture/thickness of a muffin batter, if necessary, add additional almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a thick, but pour-able batter. Using a potholder, remove the baking dish with the melted coconut oil from the oven. Pour the cake/cobbler batter into the dish and spread it evenly. The melted coconut oil will probably come up over the batter, that is okay! In a small bowl mix together the sugar & cocoa powder for the topping and sprinkle evenly over the cake/cobbler batter. Lastly pour the boiling hot water over the whole cake. It will look like a hot crazy mess, but trust me it will work! Place the cobbler/cake in the oven and bake for 35 minutes until the top is crusty & dark brown. If it seems to be browning too much mid-way through baking simply place a sheet of foil over the the baking dish. VERY IMPORTANT: After 35 minutes remove the cobbler from the oven and allow it to cool for about 35-40 minutes before serving. This will allow the fudge sauce to "set" beneath the chocolate cake crust.  Serve warm (it will still be warm after 35-40 minutes!!) with ice-cream, whipped cream, or just by itself! It's delicious! Enjoy!

Gluten Free Baked Pineapple Casserole Recipe

This recipe is my entry into the 2011 Rudi's Gluten Free Bakery Recipe Contest on Facebook. It would mean SO much to me if you could vote for my recipe on their website! I would TRULY love to win this contest! You can vote once a day through June 6, 2011. Thank you so much for your support!

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This gluten free dessert recipe is a hybrid of sorts. One of my favorite fruit desserts of all time is Edna Lewis'  Apple Brown Betty, which strangely enough I have never posted on Gingerlemongirl (hmmm... sounds like that needs to be remedied.) I love making it for Thanksgiving dessert or Christmas...but I also love to use other fruits such as pineapple. Another favorite fruity dessert is my friend Betty's Baked Pineapple. Betty's recipe is basically a cobbler, but instead of using flour, it uses day old bread crumbs as sort of the starch/base of the recipe. Well I just happened to have about 4 slices of both Rudi's gluten free bread that I needed to use for something.

The only fault of Apple Brown Betty is that it kind of falls apart when you serve it. Which is just perfect with ice-cream... but otherwise looks well... a bit messy. So I decided that I would sort of combine the two recipes using less sugar (as always) and just one egg to barely hold together the wonderful combination of toasted gluten free sugary bread & cubed pineapple!

It's an old-fashioned leftover dessert that I just love. If you have a few slices of leftover gluten free bread, please give this pretty little casserole a try! Serve it with ice-cream or whipped cream, or maybe even a drizzle of caramel sauce!

(Oh how I wish you could smell the aroma of this right out of the oven! Heavenly!)

Gluten Free Baked Pineapple Casserole
Free of gluten, dairy/casien, and soy
Created by Carrie Forbes of Gingerlemongirl.com
Printer-friendly recipe

3-4 slices gluten free bread, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup sugar, reserve half
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg (really makes this recipe!)
3 tablespoons melted butter, ghee, or margarine, reserve half
1 1/2 cups canned pineapple tidbits (drained of liquid), or chopped fresh pineapple
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small casserole dish with butter, ghee, or non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl mix together the bread cubes, half of the sugar, the freshly grated nutmeg, and half the melted butter. Layer half of the bread crumb mixture in the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Spoon all of the pineapple tidbits or fresh pineapple over the bread crumbs. Top with remaining breadcrumbs. In a small bowl mix together the egg and the milk. Pour egg mixture evenly over the casserole. Lastly drizzle remaining butter & sprinkle remaining sugar over the top of the casserole. Bake for 25-30 minutes until casserole is golden brown and bubbling. Allow to cool for several minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Review: Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunch

Lately I've been on a granola kick. I LOVE Udi's orginal granola (and you can buy it on sale this week on Amazon!) which has lots of nuts, dried fruit, and of course gluten free rolled oats. But I'm also a huge fan of chocolate! When Enjoy Life contacted me a few weeks ago to try their allergen free chocolate granola, I thought sure why not! Who doesn't love chocolate? And for breakfast? Yes, please!

Now I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. While I have tried and liked Enjoy Life's other types of allergen-free granola, they honestly didn't knock my socks off. It's good granola, especially if you can't have nuts/gluten free oats, etc... but it wasn't my favorite.

Last night I wanted something chocolatey after dinner. So I decided to open up the bag of this chocolate allergen-free granola. First, the scent just made me smile! It smelled SO good! Super chocolately -- and reminiscent of childhood favorites like Cocoa Puffs!

Then I tried the cereal dry, it was AWESOME! Really crispy, super crunchy with bits of REAL Enjoy Life Mini-Chocolate chips thrown in! I was seriously in chocolate heaven. I ate my small bowl and had to remind myself I was trying to lose weight, so I really didn't NEED another bowl!

Another thing I like about this granola is the serving size -- a full 1/2 cup! If you're a granola fan you know generally your serving is a much smaller 1/4 cup. Which I don't mind most of the time, it helps me keep my serving sizes in check... but with the Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Crunch granola, you get double that serving size for about the same calories! Awesome!

Nutritionally, Enjoy Life chocolate granola contains 3 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber and 190 calories per serving. Which means if you add 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and a banana you have a fairy decent breakfast! I am impressed with companies like Enjoy Life, Rudi's, and Udi's who are trying to provide more nutritionally sound gluten free food choices! I hope in the next few years more & more gluten free products on the the market will have less white starches & flours and more whole grains and fiber!

Way to go Enjoy Life! I loved this cereal and I would definitely purchase it. I noticed on the Amazon listing today that this double chocolate granola is on sale for only 13.06 for a 3-pack, which if you use Amazon Prime means that you get this cereal for about $4.35 per package, not too shabby for a healthier gluten free cereal!

What kind of flavors would you like in a gluten free cereal?

 Which is more important to you: nutrition, cost, or both? 

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GLG Product Review Disclaimer: 

Enjoy Life provided this product for me to try at no cost. I was not paid for this review and Enjoy Life 

did not have any influence on my opinion in this unbiased review. 

Gluten Free Master Baking Mix/ Homemade "Bisquick" Recipes

In this gluten free journey I've created quite a few recipes over the years. One of the most popular on this site is my gluten free master baking mix. I revised the original recipe last year to create a healthier, whole-grain, soy-free, and dairy/casein-free version. Since then I've used it for countless recipes... dinner recipes...dessert recipes...snacks...you name it! It's so easy to use. It's much healthier than the Betty Crocker version, it's a more frugal option, and it's incredible easy to make.

Today I'm sharing the Revised Whole Grain Gluten Free Master Baking Mix recipe again, along with 5 additional SUPER easy recipes that you can make with the master baking mix.

I would really love your feedback on these recipes. I love the biscuits. I love the cakey-cookies. I love the easy muffins. And mostly... the pancakes just rock.

What are your favorite OLD Bisquick recipes? What would you make using this mix or the original mix? If you have a recipe you'd like me to try & feature on the blog using this mix, please email me your suggestions!

Soft & sweet chocolate chip cookies made using the GF Whole Grain Master Baking Mix. 

Flaky,  Buttery Drop Biscuits made using the GF Whole Grain Master Baking Mix. 

Ginger Lemon Girl's Gluten Free/Casein Free
Master Baking Mix (Like Bisquick)
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
Created by Carrie Forbes @ Gingerlemongirl.com
Printer-friendly recipe

3 cups brown rice flour
2 cups sorghum flour -or- millet flour
1 1/2 cups arrowroot starch -or- tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup brown rice protein powder -or- almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (optional - great for a whole grain texture & extra fiber!)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening (I used spectrum)

Whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Cut in shortening, until it is thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients and looks like tiny peas. Store in a tightly-sealed container in fridge or pantry. Makes about 7 cups.

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Half Recipe: 
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup sorghum flour -or- millet flour
3/4 cups arrowroot starch -or- tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

2 tablespoons brown rice protein powder -or- almond flour

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (optional - great for a whole grain texture & extra fiber!)

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening (I used spectrum)

Whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Cut in shortening, until it is thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients and looks like tiny peas. Store in a tightly-sealed container in fridge or pantry. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

A Few Gluten Free Master Mix Recipes: 

1) Easy Muffins: 
1 cup MASTER MIX
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
⅓ c. blueberries, chocolate chips, chopped apples, etc...

Mix all ingredients. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Fill ¾ full of batter. Bake 350 for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of muffin comes out clean. Makes 6 muffins.

2) Pancakes: 
1 cup MASTER MIX
¾ cup - 1 cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together, you can add additional milk if necessary depending on how thick or thin you like your pancake batter. Grease pan (with butter, oil, or non-stick spray) and heat until droplets of water will sizzle. Pour about 2 tbsp. batter per pancake onto preheated hot skillet. Cook on med. high heat until bubbles form & pop on top of pancakes -or- until edges look dry. Flip cook an additional minute or so. Serve hot. Makes about 9 (2") pancakes.

3) Drop Biscuits: 
1 ¼ cup MASTER MIX
3 tablespoons palm shortening, crisco, or butter
1 egg
2-4 tablespoons cold water

Cut shortening or butter into master mix until it looks like small peas. Stir in egg. Stir in1 tablespoon of water at a time until you have a stiff dough. (You may not need all 4 tablespoons of water.) Drop batter (2-3 tbsp. at a time) on greased baking sheet, each biscuit about 2” apart. Shape each biscuit into a circle. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Place a pat of butter or margarine on top of each biscuit in the last few minutes of baking. My oven underheats, so things tend not to brown -- you may need to turn up your oven to BROIL for 2-3 minutes to brown the biscuits. DO NOT allow to broil for longer or they will burn.  Makes 6 biscuits.

4) Basic Cookies: 
2 ¾ cups MASTER MIX
½ cup palm shortening, crisco, or butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla
2-4 tablespoons water
ADD IN'S -- 1 cup of any of the following (or mix of the following): chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, raisins, coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, rolled oats, chopped candied oranges, etc...

Cream sugar with shortening or butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in master mix. If needed, add 2-4 tablespoons of water until you get a stiff (not crumbly) batter. Fold in any additional flavorings/spices/additions. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet.  Flatten cookies slightly with the bottom of a glass or the palm of your hand, as they will not spread. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen 1" cookies.

5) Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
1 lb. ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (dairy free version -- shredded daiya vegan cheese)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup MASTER MIX
1 cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" pie pan or a large baking dish. In a large skillet brown ground beef and chopped onions. Spread browned ground beef & cooked onions in the greased baking dish. Sprinkle ground beef with cheese or daiya vegan alternative. In a small bowl mix together the salt, master mix, milk, and eggs. Pour over the ground beef & cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and/or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 slices. Serve each slice with the option of being topped with mustard, ketchup, chopped tomatoes, and dill pickles!

This Week's Menu - Creole Black Eyed Peas & Chicken Hot Pot

I'm actually prepared this week! I was able to work on my menu ahead of time, figure out what I had in the freezer and base our meals on those ingredients! AND I actually had a lot of time to prepare meals for later in the week on Sunday. Which strangely seems like a rare occurence these days.

Goals for the gym this week include 4 workouts (I have no excuse since I prepared meals on Sunday!), two of which will be with my trainer Gabby. Gabby, do you have any idea how sore my quadriceps are from our workout on WEDNESDAY? I still can't sit down without wincing! lol.... I'm assuming this will eventually result in a good thing! :-P

Mitten had a haircut for the summer... now he looks like a poodle!

Breakfasts This Week: 

• Boiled eggs, Elana's Carrot Banana Muffins, Udi's Granola with almond milk, Berry Hemp Shakes

Snacks This Week: 

• Raw almonds, Mixed nuts, Boiled eggs, Baby carrots with hummus, Ants on a log (seriously? there's a wikipedia article? lolol), Roasted turkey + avocado + daiya rollups, Almond butter + rice cakes

Lunches This Week:

• Planned Leftovers -or- Eco Planet Hot Cereal + 1 oz. almonds + half a sliced apple

Dinners This Week: 

• Sunday - Gluten Free Fish Fry with friends, using Baking Beauties GF Beer Battered Fish Recipe (we're using club soda though) with real homemade fries, coleslaw, and baked beans. GF Carrot Cake for dessert! 

Creole Black-Eyed Peas & Chicken Hot Pot

• Monday - Creole Black-Eyed Peas & Chicken Hot Pot -- In 1 tbsp. olive oil & 1 tbsp. butter, saute 1 lb. ground chicken with 1/2 chopped onion and 2 stalks chopped celery. Add 1 cup cooked brown rice and 1 (15.5 oz) can black-eyed peas (drained & rinsed) and 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa. Season with 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper and 1 teaspoon creole seasoning salt. Makes 4-6 large servings.

• Tuesday - Easy Crockpot Beef Stew -- Place 1-2 lbs. beef shank bones in crockpot and cover with about 6-7 cups water. Add 1 onion, cut in quarters, 3 whole garlic cloves (not bulbs!), 2 stalks celery roughly chopped, and a handful of baby carrots. Cook on low 6-8 hours -or- on high 4-6 hours. After cooking, take beef shank bones out of the stock, remove meat and add back to stock (toss the bones). Remove cooked veggies from stock & either toss them, or puree them in a blender and return to stock. Add 2-3 freshly chopped potatoes (cut into small cubes), another handful baby carrots, 1 cup frozen peas, and any other veggies & seasonings you would like. Cook on high for 2 hours -or- until veggies are tender. Alllow to cool slightly before serving.

• Wednesday - Baked spaghetti (using gluten free pasta) with a romaine & veggie salad

• Thursday - Cereal Night -- hubs will have his gluteny cereal, I will have a "low carb granola" made from sliced almonds & chopped pecans with fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries + almond milk. (Thanks SO much for the idea Karen T. on the GLG Facebook page!) 

• Friday - Girl's Night Out!! Probably a funny chick flick at the movies and a gluten free dinner at Outback! 

• Saturday - Homemade Gluten Free Pizza Night!! 

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Please visit Heather at Celiac Family to see more gluten free weekly menus! 

As always, make sure to also stop by I'm an Organizing Junkie to see HUNDREDS of weekly menus of ALL kinds! 

{Summer Smoothies} Kale Pineapple Protein Smoothie

Kale Pineapple Protein Smoothie served in an old salsa jar

Felt like a quick smoothie this morning. I'm learning to make smaller smoothies. For some reason in the past I always ended up making them HUGE and I couldn't finish them. This little 16 oz. smoothie is just enough! And I love that it fits perfectly in my old salsa jar! I also use earth-friendly glass straws by Glass Dharma... love them!

I did a lot of baking yesterday and even though I didn't eat a lot of it (took it to a gluten free support group meeting), I was really feeling the need to down a few greens today. Kale is one of my favorite smoothie greens. It is SO healthy and you don't taste it at all. My new second favorite ingredient in smoothies is pineapple. It's very sweet and replaces the need for any stevia, honey, or dates!

What are your favorite smoothie ingredients?

Kale Pineapple Protein Smoothie
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, eggs, and soy
Printer-friendly recipe

2 stalks kale, remove the stems
2 rings pineapple + a little juice
half a banana
1 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons vanilla hemp protein powder
1 packet Emergen-C, mixed in about 1/3 c. water
6 pieces ice
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup additional water, if needed

Toss all in a high-powered blender (I use a refurbished Vitamix) and blend on high for about a minute. I generally blend twice just to make sure it's really smooth. Pour into a favorite glass and serve!

Gluten Free Review: Rudi's Gluten Free Bread

I've been meaning to write a review on Rudi's bread since last summer. I'm a little behind! Rudi's Organic Bakery is a small company that started in Boulder Co.,  nearly 35 years ago back in 1976. Their passion has always been to bake healthy, delicious breads without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or chemicals. 

From Rudi's website:

"For years, people have been asking us to bake gluten-free breads that are as delicious and wholesome as our organic breads. In fact, it was the one request we seemed to be getting over any other. So, two years ago, we started on our gluten-free journey.

After trying nearly every gluten-free bread on the market, and talking to over a hundred gluten-free consumers, we quickly discovered it was nearly impossible to find gluten-free bread that tasted good straight from the package and that was easy to make sandwiches with.  As bakers who enjoy creating high quality, delicious breads, we immediately understood the desire of our new friends with celiac disease or gluten intolerances to enjoy the simple pleasure of a piece of toast with breakfast or a sandwich for lunch.  It became our mission to make gluten-free bread with the taste, look and feel of regular bread."

Rudi's professional bakers then spent two years working on a formula for healthy, wholesome, and GOOD tasting gluten free bread! They worked with hundreds of consumers and taste testers to finally come up with the gluten free bread, buns, and pizza crust they sell today! (You can find retailers for Rudi's products here: http://www.rudisglutenfree.com/where-to-buy/) 

I personally am a HUGE fan of Rudi's gluten free bread. I have been for several years and here is why: For one: YES, it tastes great! It is better toasted, especially if it is close to the sell-by date. (As with all gluten free breads, the more fresh it is, the better it is!) But more than anything, Rudi's bread is made with REAL ingredients that I can not only pronounce and understand, but that I can find in my own kitchen. I know what Rudi's puts into their bread and I love how natural it is. 

My favorite is the multi-grain bread. Below are the nutrition facts: 

Here are the ingredients for Rudi's Multigrain Bread: 

"Water, potato extract, rice starch, rice flour, sorghum flour, organic high oleic sunflower/safflower oil, organic evaporated cane juice, organic honey, egg whites, organic inulin, yeast, sea salt, xanthan gum, organic cornmeal, organic sunflower seeds, organic millet, organic flaxseed, organic molasses."

What I love about this bread is that nearly all those ingredients are already at home in my kitchen.  They are ingredients I use in my own gluten free bread baking and Rudi's tastes like homemade bread to me.

Rudi's also has seriously awesome customer service. This company was kind enough to send over 20 loaves of bread to my gluten free support group for tasting. Each member of my support group got to take home a WHOLE loaf of bread to try! How generous is that?

And right now Rudi's is having a really cool recipe contest with their products! You can find all the details & enter to win via their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/rudisglutenfreebakery?sk=app_203943816295148. You will have a chance to star in Rudi's online cooking show AND win a trip to Boulder, Co. AND $500 cash...and there are TONS of second & third prizes for those who do not win the top prize!

I really hope you'll give Rudi's gluten free breads, buns, and pizza crusts a try! I can't wait to see what products you love and what recipes you come up with!

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Product Review Disclosure Notice:

Rudi's Gluten Free Bakery provided me with a  free sample loaf of bread to try for a review. I was not paid for this review. I was already a fan of Rudi's products and therefore they did not influence my review in any way, shape, or form. 

This Week's Menu - Garden Peas

It's time again for my gluten free weekly menu! I've been a little bit lax in planning the past two weeks because our schedule has been crazy (which means I SHOULD have planned! lol) Oh well... here's to a new week!

Focusing on super easy meals this week. Once again, we have a lot going on so quick meals are needed! I also want to try to squeeze in 3 trips to the gym this week -- and two of those times are going to be a with my trainer which I'm a little nervous about! She has really challenged this gym hamster!!

One of my goals for our meals this week is to incorporate a lot more vegetables. I've been focusing too much on starches and since I was sick last week I used a lot of starches to "feel better." So I'm trying to get out of that pattern of eating. One of my favorite vegetables is garden peas! I've loved them for as long as I can remember and I like them in all shapes & forms! I love fresh peas, frozen peas, canned peas... all of 'em!! I realize they are a starchy vegetable, so I need to simply be aware of my portion sizes, but this week for the Gluten Free Menu Swap, I decided to choose garden peas as my theme! :-) How do you like to eat peas?

Breakfasts This Week:

• Berry hemp protein shakes, boiled eggs, udi's granola + almond milk with a handful of pecans or walnuts, Eco-planet gluten free hot cereal

Snacks This Week: 

• Boiled eggs, "ants on a log" with peanut butter (such a great idea cheryl!), hummus with carrot chips or mary's sticks & twigs, raw almonds or pecans, granola w/ almond milk, fresh grapes or apple slices, ham/lettuce/avocado wraps

Lunches This Week: 

• Planned leftovers from dinner -or- romaine & veggie salad topped with tuna, ham, or roasted chick peas. 

Dinners this Week: 

• Monday: homemade chicken & veggie (with GARDEN PEAS!) soup from the leftover roast chicken on mom's day
• Tuesday:  GF Support group coffee break tonight, so quick tuna melts served over spinach for me, over udi's bread for Michael with fresh grapes
• Wednesday: Quick chicken & veggie stir fry w/ mushrooms, yellow squash, grape tomatoes, kale, garlic, onions, and carrots. 
• Thursday: Volunteer at Petsmart tonight, so quick meal of breakfast for dinner: scrambled eggs w/ salsa & avocados, turkey bacon, black beans, fresh fruit
• Friday: Angel Food chicken tenders w/ steamed broccoli & carrots and maybe some garden peas!
• Saturday: Monthly GF Support group meeting -- dinner will be gluten free pizza topped with daiya cheese for me (regular cheese for Michael!) Yum! Can't wait to share this super easy pizza crust with you!
• Sunday: ground chicken taco salad served with black beans, tomatoes, daiya cheese, avocados, and salsa

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Other Gluten Free Weekly Menu's this week include: 

• Wendy, from Celiacs in the House who's serving up burrito bowls with grilled flank steak, grilled turkey burgers, and roasted salmon!! Sounds delicious Wendy! And I love your picture of your garden pea vines!! 
• Comfy Cook is having gluten free spiced chicken patties (recipe please?), a spinach quiche, and bruchetta topped with goat cheese (swoon!).
• Heidi from Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom is making her own breakfast sausage this week along with green smoothies, thai chicken and bok choy,  and pan seared scallops with grilled tomatoes (YUM!). 
• Cheryl of Gluten Free Goodness is making roasted lamb (one of my FAVORITE foods!) one night along with her newest obsession, quinoa flatbread/pizza! I've really got to try that flatbread!
• Heather of Celiac Family is having chicken kabobs with potatoes one night (my parents used to grill kabobs, I need to try them!), and having a socca pizza. I am so behind on trying easy gluten free skillet breads!
• Angela of Angela's Kitchen is using her slow cooker for sweet & sour chicken over quinoa, and is making tangy tomato beef (from her monthly freezer supply!) and serving it with a salad! She is one busy lady this week! 

You're next!

If you'd like to join us in our weekly roundup, please leave me a comment below or email me at: gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com!

I can't wait to see what you're making this week! For more information on our Menu Plan Mondays please visit our organizer Cheryl Harris at Gluten Free Goodness.

And as always, check out more great menus of all types at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Gluten Free Light & Lovely Angel Food Cake Recipe

I remember a few times in high school when either mom or dad brought home a store-bought angel food cake and I simply ripped off pieces of it in pure sugary bliss! Soft, airy, and simply delicious. I had honestly forgotten how much I enjoyed angel food cake.

I think I even made it once or twice in my gluten filled years and it's a really beautiful cake to make. Angel Food cake is allowed to be messy. It doesn't have to be perfect. It seems a bit scarred with patches of crust scattered all over the cake and the pan. No frosting is needed. Maybe a sprinkling of powdered sugar for company... but this golden crusted gem of a cake doesn't need to be dressed up. Another fun thing about gluten free angel food cake? No gums are needed. The protein in the whipped egg whites is all you need for stability and great texture.

There are endless variations you could make with angel food cake. If you'd like it to be chocolate add a few tablespoons of cacao powder to the dry ingredients. For a lemon cake, add the zest of 1 large lemon.  If you want the cake to simply be studded with chocolate, fold in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips right before pouring into the pan. It's so easy. Please make this gluten free cake. Tell me how you made it. Tell me that you loved it!

Gluten Free Light & Lovely Angel Food Cake
Adapted from this recipe by Natalie of Gluten Free Mommy
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, soy, corn, potato, and gums
Printer-friendly recipe

1/2 cup brown rice flour (75 gm, 2 5/8 oz.)
1/2 cup arrowroot starch (57 gm, 2 oz.)
12 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
**For a reduced sugar cake use: 
1/2 cup sugar (99 gm, 3 1/2 oz.)
3 teaspoons powdered stevia (NuNaturals is my favorite brand) -- add to dry ingredients!
**For a regular cake use: 
1 cup sugar (198 gm, 7 oz.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an angel food tube pan with non-stick cooking spray, or oil and then dust it with brown rice flour. To prevent further sticking at the bottom of the pan, you could line it with cut pieces of parchment paper. In a small bowl whisk together brown rice flour, arrowroot starch, and powdered stevia (if you are using it). In the bowl of your stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, whip egg whites until they are foamy (see notes below). Add in the cream of tartar and continue to mix until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar a little at a time until stiff peaks form and the egg whites will look slightly glossy. Stop the mixer and remove the whisk attachment. Using a hand whisk slowly fold in the vanilla. Continuing to use the hand whisk, slowly fold in the flour mixture about 1/4 cup at a time. Slowly pour the cake batter into the greased and dusted tube pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, the sides of the cake will also pull away from the pan. Allow the cake to cool for 10-20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and turn out onto a cake plate. Serve plain, with whipped cream or ice-cream, and since it's strawberry season... make sure to place a few slices strawberries on top! :-) Enjoy!

Carrie's Kitchen Notes:

• Whipping Egg Whites: If you are not familiar with whipping egg whites and what each "stage" looks like, here is a good guide: http://www.baking911.com/howto/egg_whites_beat.htm. Scroll to the bottom to see pictures of the foamy stage, soft peak stage, firm peak stage, etc... 
• Brown rice flour/arrowroot starch: This cake is so adaptable you can use any whole grain you like. SO if you can't have rice, use sorghum, millet, or whatever pleases your palate! Simply make sure to use the same weight of flour. As with the brown rice flour, you can use whatever starch you prefer, EXCEPT potato starch. Potato starch is quite heavy so I would recommend either corn starch, tapioca starch, or even sweet rice flour. ADDITION: A reader wrote in and said she has never had any issues using potato starch in gluten free angel food cake. In my personal experience I've found potato starch to be a very heavy starch for baking purposes (and I do mean the starch not potato flour). Use your own judgement though, if it works for you that's fantastic!
• Sugar: I made this lovely cake with less than half the sugar used in the original recipe and it still tastes quite sweet to me, especially with the addition of powdered stevia. Feel free to add additional sugar if you want a really sweet cake, or lessen it further. You do want a little sugar in the cake because it helps with the caramelization/ browning of the crust. I am not sure how well alternative sugars would work in this cake. 
• Eggs: Sorry, you have to use egg whites... they are the base of this cake!
• Variations: See notes in the post above for possible variations on this simple vanilla cake! There are so many wonderful flavors you could use! I'd love to know what you come up with! My favorites would be adding lemon zest, using almond extract, mini-chocolate chips, or even a lightly spiced angel food cake with cinnamon and nutmeg! 
• Folding Techniques: When you're adding in the flours & the vanilla extract (or any flavor variation ingredients) use a whisk to SLOWLY fold in the ingredients. You whipped the eggs whites so they would have a wonderful texture & rise in the cake. You don't want to defeat all that hard work you did! If you quickly hand whisk/ fold in the last ingredients you can easily deflate your egg whites... and end up having a cake that doesn't rise well. So please take your time! Enjoy the process. And go make this cake!! 

Charlotte, NC Gluten Free Allergen Free Expo 2011

On Saturday April 30th I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Gluten Free/ Allergen Free Expo in Charlotte NC. This event was organized primarily by Nikki Everett, a member of the Charlotte gluten free community. Nikki's 10 year old daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease several years ago and ever since Nikki has lead the way to offer the community a yearly gluten free expo to share the gluten free & allergen free products that are available. This year's event had incredible speakers such as Dr. Alessio Fasano, Director of the Celiac Disease Research Center at the University of Maryland,  Dr. Peter Osborne, Founder of Gluten Free Society & Town Wellness Center, Chef Peter Reinhart from Johnson and Wales University, Chef Pamela Roberts, and Jules Shepard celebrated gluten free cookbook author and creator of Jules Gluten Free Flours. Please make sure to watch Channel 14 Carolina's story on the GF Expo!

Saturday morning Michael and I drove into downtown Charlotte for the event. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. While I've lived in North Carolina since 2000, I don't often have the chance to visit the beautiful city of Charlotte! This was a treat!

On Thursday night (before the Expo) I baked 8 dozen of my signature gluten free chocolate chip cookies to give away at the event. While I was not a vendor, I looked forward to meeting people in the Charlotte community and hopefully introducing my blog to them! Next year look for my booth where I'll have lots more gluten free cookies in tow!!

Handing out cookies at the Expo. I can't believe how fast they went!

The entrance to the gluten free allergen free vendor's hall at the Expo. For a full list of vendors please visit the Charlotte GF/AF Expo website complete with links for more information and to purchase gluten free products!

My favorite gluten free "store bought" bread Rudi's was there, along with Udi's, Joan's Great Bakes (yummy English muffins!), and even Luce's beautiful gluten free artisan bread. A local bakery in Charlotte Polka Dot Bakeshop was there with lots of mini-cupcakes and other delicious gluten free products!

One of my favorite finds at the Expo was a local pizza restaurant called "Fuel Pizza" which has several locations in Charlotte and in surrounding South Carolina cities. They served several different flavors of gluten free pizza and it was absolutely the best "gluten-free-restaurant-pizza" I've ever had. It tasted like thin crust "fair" pizza. If you ever have the chance to try out Fuel Pizza, I highly recommend them! I also had the opportunity to try Redbridge gluten free beer for the first time. As you know, I don't drink and it just tasted like "beer" to me, but for those who like to enjoy a cold one every now and then, it's great to know this product is available!

One of the major highlights of the Expo for me: Meeting gluten free cookbook author Jules Shepard of Jules Gluten Free and new blogger Pam of  I'm a Celiac. Pam was such a sweetheart and it was so much fun to meet a fellow gluten free food blogger from North Carolina! I look forward to getting to know Pam in the upcoming year to discover more gluten free options in the piedmont area of NC!  Jules was absolutely adorable and just so friendly! As Pam said in her post, it was like meeting old friends!  I don't know how Jules does all that she does! She was sharing gluten free muffins and fresh focaccia bread along with selling her awesome cookbooks and she even had a gluten free cooking lesson nearing the end of the Expo.  Make sure to check out Jules big event this weekend: 1in133.org and please sign the petition to encourage our law makers to require companies to test their products for gluten if they want to label them gluten free.

There were fantastic restaurants represented at the Expo such as Posana; a completely gluten free establishment in Asheville NC! Another place cool place was Nothing But Noodles, which is available at several locations in Charlotte NC. They serve up really creative gluten free dishes using thai rice noodles!

A really lovely product at the Expo was Luce's Gluten Free Artisan Breads. The breads were so beautiful and rustic that at first I had a hard time believing they were gluten free! Make sure to check out their website for information on ordering!

Lindy's Gluten Free Goodies was a new discovery to me, thanks to Pam of I'm a Celiac. Lindy has a gluten free bakery in the Greensboro area of NC and also offers a cookbook, gluten free cooking classes, and more!

One of my favorite parts of the Expo:  The awesome variety of demonstrations and talks offered. We attended Chef Peter Reinhart's demonstration of low carb, gluten free baking.

2nd row seats!! :-) We sampled Chef Reinhart's gluten free low carb breadsticks which were made with almond flour, sesame seed flour, almond milk, eggs, a tiny bit of xanthan gum, and garlic. They were delicious!

Chef Reinhart is currently working on writing a low carb, gluten free cookbook with fellow author Denene Wallace, founder of Proseed Flour Mix (a high protein/ low carb gluten free flour). The book should be available in the spring of 2012! I'm looking forward to having a copy!

More vendors at the fair included Canyon Bakehouse breads, based out of Colorado. Walden Farms gave out samples of gluten free, sugar free chocolate syrup and pancake syrups. Against the Grain shared gluten free pizza, baguettes, and rolls. Gluten Free By Beverly also shared delicious gluten free pizza!

Other amazing vendors included (please Google them for more information): 1-2-3 Gluten Free, Allerenergy (pretzels! Yum!), American Key Foods Products, Bakery on Main, Bath Nook, Beth's Acupuncture, Bone Suckin' Sauce, Brain Balance, Carolina Digestive Associates, Cecilia's Marketplace, Celiac Disease Research Center, Charlotte Gastroenterology, Chebe, Clear Allergy Labels, Cupcakistry, Custom Choice Cereal, Delight Gluten Free Magazine, EarthFare (including a variety of GF products they carry), Elle Palmer, Farmo, FFarms, From Scratch, Full Flavor Foods, Gallolea Organics, Garden Spot Distrubutors (including a variety of GF products they carry), GIG Piedmont Triad, Glutino/Ian's, Healthy Home Market (including a variety of GF products), Bob's Red Mill, Healthy Meals from Home, Healthy Priorities, Jason's Deli, Juice Plus+, Katz Gluten Free Bakery, Kettle Cuisine, Kinnikinnick Foods, Labrems Cookies, Lake Norman Health & Wellness, Living Without Magazine, Mary's Gone Crackers, Matthews Family Chiropractic, No Nuttin', Outback Steakhouse, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Pro Pack Group, Resves INC, Tasty of Sunrise, Tasty Yo LLC, The Thoughtful Baker, Total Nutrition Technology, Twin Cakes Bakery, Whole Foods Market.

Last but not least, one of my favorite vendors was Judy of Coconut Treasures, Inc. I'll share more about Coconut Treasures in another post, but these little bites of coconut, hemp, and honey goodness are truly delicious! They are mostly organic and are made locally in Charlotte and are highly nutritious!  I bought a package of these coconut treats home with me and honestly wish I had bought several more to put in the freezer! I had one last night as my "dessert" and it was such a satisfying sweet treat that met my chocolate & sweet craving head on!

Next year I plan on being a vendor at the 2012 Charlotte GF/AF Expo and I would love to hear your thoughts on this truly incredible event if you attended this year! Many, many thanks to coordinator Nikki Everett and all of the Charlotte area volunteers who put so much time and energy into this event! It made me very proud to be gluten free in North Carolina!