Safe Easter Candy for Gluten Free Folk-- In a LIST!!!

Thanks to myglutenfacts.com, you can look up your favorite Easter candy to see if it's on the 'safe' list, or, you can download the whole list as a PDF! There are technically two lists, one for candy and one for jelly beans (yummy!). This list is also available for both the U.S. and Canada (for products sold in that individual country). So go check it out!

And PLEASE remember that even with lists such as these, there is always a chance of change in ingredients, etc., so ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENT LABELS, EVEN ON THE 'SAFE' PACKAGES! ALWAYS!!! JUST DO IT!!

Have a Happy Easter! <3

Gluten Free Diagnosis and Diet Change: Part Two: Learning Gluten’s Many Names

Gluten is sneaky. Really sneaky. It enjoys hiding in places you would never imagine it existed. To understand the many names of gluten, let us first take a quick lesson in gluten itself:

From Wikipedia: 

Gluten (from Latin gluten, "glue") is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye. It gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and to keep its shape, and often giving the final product a chewy texture. ... Worldwide, gluten is a source of protein, both in foods prepared directly from sources containing it, and as an additive to foods otherwise low in protein.

Below is a wonderfully detailed but long list of grains, flours, seeds, etc. that we absolutely, positively CANNOT have. I like to Google some of the listed items at various times to find out in more detail why they're on the list. Take meringue, for example: I missed it on the list the first time I read it, and only now noticed it!

Gluten Free Diagnosis and Diet Change: Part One: The Helpful Shopping List

For those recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease, removing all gluten from one’s daily diet without any notice is daunting. Perhaps even more daunting than the instant diet change is the first grocery shopping trip after the diagnosis. Suddenly, all of the food that was so easily thrown into the cart last week must now be carefully scrutinized for any trace of gluten; and to your horror, gluten is in all of it!

This is how I felt standing in the store with my husband, both of us looking from one end to the other, wondering if plain meat, vegetables, and nuts were all we would be bringing home that night. But of course that didn’t happen; within two months we were both shopping like gluten free pros.

This is the list to get you by as you learn and research more about gluten and how to avoid it:

Gluten Free Spinach & Cream Cheese Lasagna Roll-ups

You know that dinner dish mom made, the one that you went crazy over? This is my dish, one that my mom made often and is still adored when it is placed on the table. Don't let the spinach in the title fool you! This recipe is really good, anytime of the year!

Thanks to gluten free lasagna noodles, I was able to make my memorable dish of lasagna. Here's the recipe, from my mother to me to you! I hope you enjoy! 

Jan's Spinach & Cream Cheese Lasagna Roll-ups 

I don't have a set recipe for this, so you can tweak it any way you want. Depending on how many you want to make, here is what I use to make 10 roll-ups:

Ingredients:
10 uncooked gluten free lasagna noodles
1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach, thawed and drained well (you can use fresh spinach, but you will have to chop it up)
1 (8 oz.) brick Cream Cheese, softened
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce
garlic cloves, minced
garlic powder
onion powder
Parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese
1 lb. ground beef (optional, if you want meat)

• In a big pot, steam 10 uncooked lasagna noodles just until pliable. Carefully lay lined up on wax paper or damp paper towels. You can also let them soak in a pan of water. 
• In a bowl, combine the thawed and drained spinach and cream cheese. Mix well. 
• Depending on what else you want in the filling, add now: minced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, grated Parmesan, and/or grated mozzarella cheeses (I personally suggest both cheeses). Amounts are up to you. 
• Mix well. (If you don't want spinach, you can always make a cheese mixture only). 
• If you want a meat sauce, brown the amount of ground beef you want in a skillet, drain and put back in skillet and add your sauce. Keep separate from spinach mixture. Use small amount of sauce to line the bottom of a 13x9 pan. I use a glass pan. 
• With your noodles lined up in a row, spread filling evenly among the noodles from top to bottom. Roll up jelly roll fashion. Lay seam side down, with some space between them. Cover with sauce any way you like. You can always make extra sauce to add when serving if you like it saucy. 
• If you like, sprinkle more cheeses on the top. Cover with foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes if you don't refrigerate first. If refrigerated, take out and bring pan to a warmer temp before putting in oven and bake about an hour.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Orange Chicken Recipe

I love orange chicken but I've yet to find a place that serves a gluten free option. So the next best thing is this recipe I found on another blog--we absolutely raved about it and had to pace ourselves so that our stomachs wouldn't explode. mmm...Cafe , your recipe is awesome, THANK YOU!


Gluten Free Orange Chicken
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2" cubes
1/2 cup flour (we used Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF Baking Flour)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons GF soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Melt butter and pour into a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side.

Recipe taken from mmm...Cafe