Hayley's Sweet Potato Pie

Hayley's favorite holiday pie is Pecan Pie, but it's a bit complicated (more thank 5 steps) to make, so her go-to pie to bake for the holidays is Sweet Potato Pie. Hayley's recipe combines the best of Sweet Potato Casseroles and Sweet Potato Pies, for the ultimate holiday dessert (and day-after breakfast).

Get yourself the following ingredients: 

• 1 - Mi-Del Graham-style gluten-free crust
• 1 - 40 oz. can of Bruce's Yams (Cut Sweet Potatoes In Syrup) - drained
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup - Brown Sugar
• 1/4 tsp. - Vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup - Orange Juice
• 1/3 cup - Butter
• 1/2 tsp. - Salt
• 1/2 bag - Mini marshmallows 

1. Combine drained yams, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, butter, and orange juice in a large saucepan. 
2. Warm the ingredients, then smash them all together. 
3. Taste it; if it's all good scoop all of the mixture into the pie crust (if not, adjust until you like the taste, then scoop all of the mixture into the pie crust).
4. Top the pie mixture with an even layer of miniature marshmallows. (I usually start from the outside and form them in a circle around the permitter of the pie crust, then work my way into the middle, or you can start in the middle and work your way outwards.) 
5. Bake in oven at 350°F for 15-30 minutes, or until the marshmallows turn golden brown.

Thanksgiving in a Chip?

 You read that right! This year get your Thanksgiving fix in chip form. 

Sold exclusively at Aldi stores under their "Clancey's" brand, the "Turkey and Stuffing" flavored wavy potato chips perfectly capture Thanksgiving dinner! (minus the cranberries and sweet potato pie).

These delicious chips are also Gluten Free! (Obviously, why would we post about it on our Gluten Free Blog if it wasn't).

Grab a few bags on your next visit to Aldi, before everyone else "gobbles" them up.

Tac'O' the morning to you!

Tired of your typical Corned Beef and Cabbage? Try these corned beef tacos with mustard cabbage slaw.

Step 1
Shred the corned beef and heat up in a skillet.

Step 2
Make the coleslaw: shred cabbage and carrots then mix together in a large bowl.

Step 3
In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.

Step 4
Pour sauce over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly.

Step 5
Serve with the warmed corn tortillas, sliced jalapeños, (optional), and the slaw.

We paired it with roasted potatoes in herbs.

Walk Don't Run: Celiac/Philly Zoo Fun

Join us and Team "Gluten Free Speaks" for Beyond Celiac's inaugural Step Beyond Celiac Philly 5K at the Philadelphia Zoo on June 9th. Early-bird registration is now open (through April 15th).

Sign up using our link and select team "Gluten Free Speaks" during registration.

The well-marked course will take runners and walkers throughout the entire Philadelphia Zoo, a truly unique experience!

All participants will receive: 

--a commemorative t-shirt (if registered by May 17th)

--FREE same-day admission to the Philadelphia Zoo

--water

--entertainment

*Gluten Free boxed lunches available for purchase during registration*

800 VeGFan Brownies

Halloween at the office can be a tricky time. I may work for a small company, but food restrictions abound. Half of my coworkers are vegetarian, and many other cultures associate eggs with meat, so I surprised everyone with a Vegan Gluten Free Brownie Recipe! I originally made this for my Vegan theater friends and it's a hit at cast parties too. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix is amazing as prepared, however if you'd like to eliminate the eggs and butter, read on:

BOO or 800 in 133T

Vegfan Brownies (Vegan/Gluten Free)
1 Package of Bob's Red Mills GF Brownie Mix
1/3 Cup coconut oil (or your fav vegetable oil)
1/2 - 3/4 Cup (unsweetened) apple sauce
*Optional*
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1/4 Cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Mix ingredients per package instructions
Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven
Check on the brownies half-way through and aim to under-cook per the baking instructions

Kasha Varnishkes! I don't even know her...

With Passover just around the corner, we figured it would be a great time to experiment with making this classic dish; kasha varnishkes, served up gluten-free. Hayley grew up eating this Ashkenazi Jewish dish, a combination of nutty kasha (buckwheat groats, which despite the name is gluten-free), sautéed onions, and farfalle pasta. 

This dish goes excellent with Bubbe's Famous Brisket. Kasha varnishkes is traditionally made with farfalle (aka bowtie noodles) but a gluten free version of the pasta doesn't exist (This is not FARFALLE!). As a distant cousin to farfalle I used Sam Mills - Pasta d'oro Gluten Free Lasagne Corte. 

Ess gezunterhait! (Eat in good health!)

Kasha Varnishkes
1 cup buckwheat groats
1 egg
1 cup uncooked gluten free noodles 
2 cups boiling chicken stock or vegetable stock (make sure to check the label if using store bought)
1 teaspoon of salt 
1 quart water
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons canola, corn oil or chicken fat (schmaltz)
1 1/2 large onions, chopped coarsely
In a dutch oven, heat the oil (or schmaltz) on a medium flame and onions and salt. Saute the chopped onions until thoroughly browned.

Beat the egg in a small bowl. Add kasha and stir until every grain is well coated with egg. Place in the dutch oven with onions over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the egg begins to dry and the groats separate. Some of the groats may stick together and/or brown slightly.

Pour boiling chicken stock over the kasha. Mix in salt and pepper and stir thoroughly. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the kasha has absorbed all liquid. Remove from heat.

In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and cook the pasta until done. Drain.

Add the noodles to the dutch oven of kasha, and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Hey Bubbe What's for Passover? Shoprite Has the Answer...

In my weekly shopping trips around town, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Shoprite had not only a pretty extensive Kosher for Passover selection. But more importantly, within that section there were numerous gluten free options!
Check out all the items I was able to take pictures of at my local Shoprite (Lawrencville/Princeton, NJ)

Top Shelf: Gluten Free Panko Cajun & Plain (Chef Jeff)

Top Shelf: Gluten Free Hot Cereal (Gefen)
2nd Shelf: Gluten Free Chocolate Covered Crackers (Yehuda)
3rd Shelf: Gluten Free Brownie Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Cookies, Cinnamon Cookies, Vanilla Cookies (Gefen); Gluten Free Blonde Crunch (Rebecca Rose)

Middle Shelf: Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix (Streit's)
Bottom Shelf: Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix (Streit's)

Top Shelf: Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix, Yellow Cake Mix, Chocolate Brownie Mix (Manischewitz)
3rd Shelf: Gluten Free/ Yolk Free Noodle Pasta aka: lokshen noodle fine & wide (Manischewitz)
Bottom Shelf: Gluten Free Israeli Couscous (Streit's)

Top Shelf: Gluten Free Matzo (Yehuda)
Bottom Shelf: Gluten Free Matzo (Manischewitz) - 2 packages in each box!

Valentine's Day: A Day For Mac N' Cheese

On one of the most romantically celebrated days of the year you won't find us at a fancy restaurant or ordering in expensive food, even if there were plenty of safe gluten free options. In our family, Valentine's Day (as well as Halloween) is celebrated with a homemade Mac N' Cheese dinner. Maryalice's family recipe includes tomato soup, but I find that I prefer the classic recipe which you can find below. "Hayley's Mac N' Cheese" is a modified version from my aunt, and one that most people will find familiar and satisfying.

Hayley's Mac N' Cheese

16 oz bag of Tinkyada Brown Rice Elbow Pasta
4 tbs Salted Butter
1/2 cup Milk
8 oz Velveeta (2%)
2 oz Mild Cheddar
4 slices of American Cheese
1/2 cup Water (from pot of pasta)
Salt to taste
*Optional* Parmesan Cheese (as topping) 

Preheat oven to 375° and boil a pot of (salted) water. Cut the Velveeta and mild cheddar cheeses, and tear american cheese into smaller pieces. Once water has boiled add pasta, set timer and undercook pasta by at least 3-4 minutes (cook Tinkyada brown rice pasta for 10 minutes.) Melt butter in a small pan, add milk, Velveeta, cheddar, and american cheeses, and a dash of salt (to taste). Stir cheese mixture until fully melted and blended together. Drain the pasta using a spider strainer (if you don't have one, put aside at least 1 cup of water from the boiled pasta, and strain using a standard strainer). Scoop the pasta into a (9x13 inch) casserole dish, add 1/2 cup of the boiled pasta water, and stir in cheese mixture until blended. Place the dish on the top shelf in your oven and bake for 15 minutes. Stir mac and cheese mixture and add another 1/4 cup of water if needed. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes, or until desired color and consistency is achieved.

When life hands you overripe bananas, make banana bread!

All too often we will stock up on bananas for the week, blink our eyes and find ourselves with several overripe bananas. If you find yourself in a similar situation, follow our recipe for delicious gluten free banana bread.

You will need: 

3-5 ripe bananas (about 2 cups)
2 cups of gluten free flour (Jules Gluten Free)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick (4 oz.) melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (McCormick)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl, add wet ingredients and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix in mixer or by hand until flour is throughly blended into mixture. Spray cooking-ware with non-stick spray or grease with additional butter. Bake for 40 minutes (depending on size of container) at 350 degrees.
I used a 9x13 Corningware container and covered it with aluminum foil.

This was my first time using Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, and I highly recommend it. In the past I have used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour with this recipe; while the banana bread was good, I found it had a slightly "off" taste, which definitely came from the flour. (I was the only one who noticed this, but I have a very sensitive palate.) This version, with Jules GF Flour, came out very moist and tasty!

I looked at a number of recipes before I came up with this one. Some call for more or less flour, sugar and/or eggs, but I derived most of my inspiration from Jo-Lynne Shane's "Best Ever Gluten Free Banana Bread."

*If you think your bananas may be too ripe, check them before you toss them.  Ours looked a bit (a lot) worse for wear, but were still good on the inside.

Let us know if you have tried this recipe or a similar one!

How much Woodchuck could a gluten free girl drink, if Woodchuck could chug(ck) too.

Mary may be driven to find the best Gluten-Free beer in the world, but I am only along for the ride. I don't like beer, its still tastes as gross as I thought it did when I first stole a sip of my dad's Bud when I was 9 years old. I like sweet flavored drinks, and on our Gluten-Free journey I have discovered that I really enjoy cider. One brand that is always there for me is Woodchuck.  Their drinks are naturally Gluten Free and readily available at most places that sell beer.

Amber- The Original

Classic cider taste, can't go wrong with this one.

Belgian White- Reserve

If you are on the fence about cider, this is something that may sway your vote.  Its has a great classic cider taste, but not as sweet (it contains less sugars!)  Belgian White is part of Woodchuck's Reserve series and is only available during select times of the year.  If you see it, stock up on it; we did, and we don't regret it.

Chocolate- Cellar Series

I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS! Go out and buy one NOW!

Okay, I will elaborate. You are probably wondering "Are there apples in this, or is it some weird chocolate concoction?" Yes, it is made with apples, incorporates cocao nibs, and it tastes delicious. You will definitely smell the chocolate right away, but it tastes like a regular cider with hints of caramel, and finishes with a nice chocolate flavor. Forget the roses this Valentines Day, treat yourself to this tasty delight and share it with someone special. The Chocolate cider is part of their Cellar Series and is available now through February of 2014 in single 22 oz bottles. Get it while supplies last!

Pear

You can't go wrong with a Woodchuck, but I still prefer Woodchuck's Amber to their Pear. The Pear is a bit sweet and probably one of those drinks you can only drink one of in a sitting.

802 (Yes, that's the name)

Darker and dryer than regular cider. Caramelized sugar gives 802 its bronze color, and makes the cider less sweet. Available year round.