Gluten Free Christmas Treats

Ironically, I've neglected to blog about my mom's recent celiac disease diagnosis here. And this is where it could potentially be the most helpful to others.

->>Did you know?

• Did you know that as many as 1 in 133 Americans are unable to digest gluten, a natural protein found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley? Simply switching to a gluten free diet, which includes Rice Chex®, allows these people to live normal, healthy lives.
• Celiac Disease, or gluten intolerance, is a lifelong autoimmune intestinal disorder that interferes with the body’s ability to absorb needed nutrients.
• Without changing the crunchy, oven-toasted flavor of Rice Chex, General Mills has replaced barley malt with molasses resulting in a Gluten Free Cereal. General Mills has taken the requisite steps to prevent cross contamination and has tested the formula based on the proposed FDA standards. Questions & comments are welcome at 1-800-328-1144.
• Chex® is a proud sponsor of the Celiac Disease Foundation, a national organization dedicated to promoting awareness and building a supportive community for celiac disease patients, families and health care professionals. CDF is actively involved in advocating for patient concerns and networking with other national and international organizations. For more information, check out celiac.org or call (818) 990-2354.
• General Mills is a proud CSA Benefactor Member of the Celiac Sprue Association. Celiac Sprue Association with members and chapters nation-wide assist those with celiac disease. Celiac Sprue Association provides lifestyle information to all people on a gluten-free diet. For more information, check out csaceliacs.org or call 1-877-CSA-4-CSA.

{above information excerpted from http://www.chex.com/}

Why am I plugging Chex cereal? Well, as the title of this post suggests, I'm making gluten-free goodies to give away this Christmas. You never know when you may encounter a celiac. And this way, not a single gift recipient will have to worry about whether or not they can eat my goodies! Since very few companies go through the trouble of being certified celiac-friendly, it's important to plug that ones that are. Thanks, Chex!

Want to make gluten-free goodies too? Hop on the Chex website & check out their gluten-free recipes. Be sure you make your goodies using clean, stainless steal or non-porous glass before you make anything else to prevent cross-contamination.

Another One for the Wine Cellar

We're huge fans of Cakebread. Not only do they make fabulous red wines, but we've really come to love their chardonnays, as well. But ... given the hefty price tag that comes with the name Cakebread, we aren't able to keep a lot on hand. It's what you call our "very special occasion" wine.

Anywho, when we were in Napa last fall, our hotel concierge recommended Groth. Number one, it's across the highway from the Cakebread vineyards (and we were looking to hit certain vineyards & wanted other recommendations along the route those would take us). Number two, given that fact (the across-the-road thing), their wines are touted to be equally as good (b/c of identical growing conditions) ... with a much smaller price tag. Unfortunately, we ran out of time in the valley to visit Groth. And thus we went home without even a taste.

Ever since then, Derek has been on the hunt to find Groth and hasn't had great success. That is, until recently when he noticed our neighborhood Tom Thumb was carrying the cab. Ouch. It has a pretty price tag in the grocery store at $50 a bottle if you're lucky enough to find it on special like we did (might be better in a wine store? or from the vineyard?), but that's still not as stiff as Cakebread which averages at least $95 retail. Anyway, he finally talked me into buying a bottle - '05 Cabarnet Sauvignon. And last night, we finally got around to opening it. Wow. This is a nice wine. I think it could use at least another year in the cellar to be stellar. But it was still a nice drink even now. It's very fruit-forward, which we tend to like, with terrific depth. I wouldn't necessarily put it in the same league as the Cakebread cab, but it definitely has potential. (For the oenophiles, here are more tasting notes direct from the vineyard.)

Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia

Found this wonderful recipe in my many travels through the good-for-you cookbooks in my stash. It's simple to make in single servings (which is why I'm not including measurements). It's super simple and soooo good! Pair it with roasted asparagus and a spinach salad. Yum!

Ingredients
tilapia filets*
egg+
parmesan, shredded^
pepper
EVOO

*I used the single-serving, flash-frozen kind from Sam's
+Egg substitute is fine
^You can use an Italian blend, too, for stronger flavor

Directions

1. Spray non-stick skillet with non-stick spray. Add 1 T EVOO and heat over medium heat.
2. Beat 1-2 eggs in small bowl.
3. Add pepper to taste (about 1/8 tsp).
4. In separate bowl, add cheese (about 1/4 per filet).
5. Dredge tilapia filet in egg, making sure both sides of filet are covered well.
6. Move filet to cheese bowl, covering each side.
7. Repeat dredging in egg and another dip in the cheese bowl.
8. Add filet to hot skillet.
9. Turn tilapia once cheese has begun to toast. Continue turning to prevent scorching, but try not to turn too often as fish will begin to flake and fall apart as it begins to finish.
10. Check often to be sure cheese isn't scorching, reducing heat if necessary.
11. Pan fry until filet is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes for thicker pieces.

New Wine Find

For ye fellow oenophiles out there, we found our new favorite table wine. And it just happens to be the house wine at Nick & Sam's Steakhouse, which is how we happened upon this beauty in the first place. We welcome to our house today an entire stash - sure to last at least until summer. So come on over & have a sip with us. Everyone we've introduced to this one has loved it as much as we have. Want more technical info (a/k/a winespeak)? There's a small blurb here. What's not to love about a great wine for less than $15???

Beef Satay w/ Veggies

For the peanut & peanut butter lovers.

Ingredients
1 1-1.25 lb flank steak*
1/3 c lt. teriyaki sauce
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 med. red onion, cut into wedges
4 green onions, cut in 1 in. pieces
1 red or green bell pepper, cut in 3/4 in. chunks
3 T peanut butter
3 T water
2 T lt. teriyaki sauce
skewers

*For easier slicing, partially freeze steak

Directions

1. Trim fat from steak. Cut steak crosswise into thin slices.
2. In medium bowl, combine 1/3 c teriyaki sauce and 1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce.
3. Add steak to sauce and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 min. (If using wooden skewers, put them in water now.)
4. Preheat oven to broil.
5. Drain steak, reserving marinade.
6. On skewers, alternately thread steak strips accordion style, onion wedges, green onion pieces, and bell pepper chunks.
7. Brush skewers with reserved marinade. Discard any remaining marinade.
8. Place skewers on unheated rack of broiler pan. Turning at least once, broil 4 to 5 in. from heat about 4 min. or until meat is slightly pink in center.
9. For peanut sauce, in small saucepan combine peanut butter, water, 2 T teriyaki sauce, and 1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat just until smooth and heated through.
10. Serve satay with warm peanut sauce.

Nutritional info: 230 Cal, 10 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 38 mg chol, 730 mg sodium, 10 g carb, 2 g fiber, 24 g protein

Feta Stuffed Chicken

We love stuffed chicken. This is a new recipe I tried from the Sonoma Cookbook. It actually called for mint in the stuffing, but I wasn't brave enough to try it. I used plain feta & added regular sun-dried tomatoes and substituted the mediterranean herbs for the mint instead. This was a hit!

Ingredients
1/4 c feta
2 T whipped cream cheese
2 T sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (do not reconstitute)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
coriander
pepper
EVOO
1/4 c chicken or beef broth
1 10 oz pkg spinach

Directions

1. In small bowl, combine feta, cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, and 1/8 tsp ground pepper.
2. Trim chicken, if necessary. Cut small pockets in chicken and stuff with cheese mixture. Hold pocket closed with toothpicks if necessary.
3. In large non-stick skillet, add 1 T EVOO over medium to medium-high heat.
4. Add chicken.
5. Lightly sprinkle chicken with coriander and pepper.
6. Flip chicken after several minutes and sprinkle with coriander and pepper.
7. Cook chicken, turning often, until internal temperature is at least 170 F. If the exterior cooks too quickly, you may need to turn the heat down to medium-low to prevent scorching. This is particularly true if, like me, you have electric burners.
8. Remove chicken.
9. Pour in broth.
10. When broth begins to boil, add spinach.
11. Cook to desired consistency (some people prefer wilted spinach, while I prefer mine to be sauteed until mostly done).
12. Plate spinach covering it with chicken.

Nutritional Info: 266 cal, 11 g total fat (3 g sat.), 92 mg chol, 345 mg sodium, 4 g carb, 2 g fiber, 37 g protein

Hungarian Goulash

This is a great winter recipe but honestly would be terrific all year long. It's relatively easy to put together (just some chopping to do), and once you get it in the crock pot, you just walk away. I love one dish (easy) meals!

Ingredients
2 lbs beef stew meat, trimmed and cubed (if not already)
2 tsp caraway seeds
2 T Hungarian paprika *
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 lg onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 14-oz can low-sodium beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T water +
2 T fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Egg noodles ^

* Hungarian paprika is worth seeking out for this dish b/c it delivers a fuller, richer flavor than regular or Spanish paprikas. Specialty food stores should carry it or order it online. (Note provided by recipe editor) I used regular paprika and added a dash of cayenne to add the zip the goulash would otherwise lack.
+ May take double, especially if you want your goulash to be thicker.
^ I got the whole wheat ones, and they turned out fine.

Directions

1. Place beef in crock pot.
2. Add caraway seeds (crushed for more intense flavor), paprika, salt, and pepper to small bowl and combine.
3. Sprinkle beef with spice mixture and toss to coat well.
4. Add onion and bell pepper to crock pot.
5. Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic in medium saucepan. Bring to simmer.
6. Pour broth in crock pot.
7. Place bay leaves on top.
8. Cover and cook until beef is very tender (3-4 hrs on high or 7-7.5 hrs on low).
9. Discard bay leaves. Skim or blot any fat from top.
10. Mix cornstarch and water. Add to crock pot. Cook on high, stirring several times, until slightly thickened (10-15 min).
11. Boil egg noodles and cook to desired doneness.
12. Once goulash is to your desired thickness, serve over egg noodles. (We also had garlic toast to sop up the yummy juices.)

Extra tips

• Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 4 mos.
• Prep ahead: trim beef & coat with spices. Prep vegetables. Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Refrigerate in separate containers for up to 1 day. Follow recipe as usual.
• You could add more veggies with ease.

Nutritional info (excluding noodles): Per serving: 180 Cal, 5g fat (2g sat, 2g mono), 48mg chol, 6g carb, 25g protein, 1g fiber, 250mg sodium, 298mg potassium, 40% DV zinc, 35% DV vit C, 25% DV vit A, 15% DV iron

Heath Bar Cake

This is a favorite everywhere it goes. And the longer it sits, the better it gets.

Ingredients
One chocolate cake mix (any one will do)
Sweetened condensed milk (fat-free okay)
1 bag brickle
Cool Whip (lite or fat-free fine)
1 bag toffee chips (may sub more brickle)

Directions

1. Bake cake according to package directions.
2. Cool in pan 5 min. on wire rack.
3. Poke holes in cake with straw.
4. Pour sweetened condensed milk over entire cake.
5. Refrigerate at least 3 hrs. (overnight is best)
6. Sprinkle brickle on top.
7. Spread entire tub of Cool Whip on top.
8. Top with toffee chips (or brickle).

Nutritional info: Do you really think there's anything nutritional about THIS dessert?!