The Gluten-Free Homemaker

Today I have a guest post at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang.  If you’re not aware, Diane has started a series of guest posts called 30 Days to a Food Revolution.  Her goal is to help people move away from eating unhealthy, processed foods to eating nourishing, real food.  Each guest blogger is offering a tip and a recipe.

My tip is to organize and plan, and in this post I want to let you know where I’m personally headed with that.  I would like to do some bulk baking and cooking, freezing the items for later use.  With that in mind I purchased these 32 Oz Plastic Freezer Jars which I found at KMart, as well as the 16 oz Freezer Jars.  My goal is to make enchilada sauce and cook some beans to go in the smaller containers.   My friend Lynn did a great video this week on cooking dried beans.  I’ll probably use the larger containers for chicken stock, and maybe spaghetti sauce.

I mentioned Sunday in my post on autoimmune diseases, that I’ve been dealing with fatigue due to thyroid problems the past couple of months.  I’ve seen a little improvement so far, but I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do before hot weather sets in.  If I can, I would like to make and freeze:

• muffins
• hamburger buns
• focaccia bread
• pizza crust
• hot pockets
• meatballs
• shredded chicken
• ground beef & onions
• shredded beef
• beans
• enchilada sauce
• spaghetti sauce
• breakfast casserole
• chicken stock

I’ll probably think of some others things as I go along.  What are your favorite items to freeze?

I think I should start with a baking day.  Is anyone interested in joining me?

Labels: freezer cooking

Welcome to Gluten-Free Wednesdays! This is the last week of April which means that next week will be the quiche round up and a new challenge.  Remember, only the first week of the month has a theme, but it’s okay if you don’t follow the theme.



Last week we had a great assortment of recipes.  Thank you to everyone who participated.   A couple I can’t wait to try are:

Hot Ham Sandwitches from Firebear @ Home Spun Magic and Pork Stuffed Zucchini from Diane @ The W.H.O.L.E. Gang

My submission this week is quite delicious:

1. Katrina @ Gluten Free Gidget- Black Magic Brownies 2. Lauren @ Celiac Teen (Citrus Cornmeal Steamed Pudding) 3. Comfy Cook - Noodle Salad with Peanut Lime Vinaigrette 4. Chaya - Savory Ricotta Cheesecake 5. Jenn Cuisine (Shrimp and Avocado Salad)

6. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Tangy Split Pea Soup) 7. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Saucy Slow Cooker Beef TIps 8. Denise Therese @ Free to Feast (Trout Almondine) 9. Saving U Cents - Potato Soup 10. Shirley @ gfe (Posana Cafe Review)

11. Lisa's Gluten-Free (Breakfast Burritos) 12. Wheatless Foodie (Cornbread) 13. Susan (Hi-hat Cupcakes) 14. Jason@JLHealth (5* Restaurant GF Recipes)

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Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

I apologize if you received this in your reader last week.  I accidentally hit “publish” when I meant to save it for this week.


A friend of mine who has been gluten-free for less than a year recently told me she made a terrific lasagna.  It motivated me to make one myself.  I think this is only the second time I have made gluten-free lasagna.  The first time was a couple of years ago and it was a traditional lasagna.  It was good, but lasagna is a lot of work, and I just never did it again.  This time I decided to try a vegetable lasagna.  I looked at different recipes and chose the parts I liked.

You could vary the vegetables and shred or chop as you wish.  For example, if you have kids who aren’t fans of zucchini you might want to shred it rather than chop it. 

This lasagna was delicious!  I served it as a meatless main dish.  It was actually a busy evening when we had an early dinner and I didn’t serve anything else with it.  The kids all wanted seconds and were filled up and happy.  I hope you enjoy it too.

Gluten-Free Vegetable Lasagna

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 pkg. gluten-free lasagna noodles (I used Tinkyada)
3 large carrots, shredded (about 2 c.)
3 small zucchini, chopped (about 2 c.)
1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 c.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

16 oz. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 Tb. dried Parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
8 oz. shredded mozzarella (about 2 c.)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

1 jar (24 oz.) pasta sauce (see note)

Cook the noodles according to package instructions.  Remember to undercook them a little bit.  I cooked the Tinkyada noodles for 14 minutes.  Drain and rinse the noodles in cold water.  Set aside.

Sauté the mushrooms in a large skillet with a little olive oil (2 Tb.).  Remove them to a bowl, add more oil if needed, and sauté the carrots, zucchini, onion, and garlic until just tender.  Add the mushrooms to the veggies, sprinkle with the salt, and gently mix. 


In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, and basil.

Assembly:  Spread 3/4 c. of the pasta sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Place four lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.



Put half the vegetables on the noodles.


Dot with half the ricotta cheese mixture.


Spread half the remaining pasta sauce over top and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.


Repeat layers: noodles, vegetables, ricotta cheese, sauce, mozzarella cheese.  Add the additional 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese on top.


Bake at 350 degrees 35 – 45 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Let rest 10 – 15 minutes before serving.



Note:  Most pasta sauce is gluten free.  Be sure to read the ingredients and remember that any wheat will be declared on the label.  I don’t think rye would ever show up in pasta sauce, and I doubt barley would either, but keep your eye out for it (in any product) in the form of malt.

This recipe is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, and Tasty Tuesday.

Labels: main dish recipes

I don’t often menu plan, but I’ve not been feeling up to par, and this week I think having a plan will be particularly helpful.  My second son is taking drivers ed which meets from 6 – 9:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.  That means I need to have dinner ready about 5:00.  Having a menu plan will definitely help with getting dinner ready on time.

Since I’m not feeling well, I’m going to depend on meat I have in the freezer.  That will help simplify my grocery shopping as well as the cooking, since most of that meat is already cooked.  I need to buy vegetables, so this is just a guess at what I might have.  To see what I actually prepare each night, you can check my Facebook page.

Labels: menu plan

Many people who are on a gluten-free diet have celiac disease.  The survey I did a few months ago showed that 53% of my readers either have celiac disease, or someone in their household does.  Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease.  When someone has an autoimmune disease, their body mistakenly sees part of itself as an invader.  It results in the body attacking itself and causing damage, or it can result in abnormal organ growth or function.

Celiac Disease

In the case of celiac disease, the body  attacks the lining of the small intestine.  This reaction is triggered by gluten.  Celiac disease is the only autoimmune disease where the trigger is known.  For that reason, if you had to choose one autoimmune disease to have, celiac disease would be the one.  The disease is treated by removing the trigger and therefore eliminating the faulty immune response.  Doctors would love to know what triggers other autoimmune diseases.

Other Autoimmune Diseases

Unfortunately, if you have one autoimmune disease,  you are more likely to develop another.  According to the University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Fact Sheet, people diagnosed with celiac disease at the following ages have a chance of developing another autoimmune disease at the percent given:

• 4 –12 yrs.     16.7% 
• 12 – 20 yrs.  27%
• over 20 yrs.  34%

There are many autoimmune diseases and even more that are suspected to be autoimmune.  According to the Gluten Intolerance Group, autoimmune diseases associated with celiac disease include:

• Addison’s Disease – adrenal gland
• Autoimmune Chronic Active Hepatitis – liver
• Type I Diabetes – pancreas
• Myasthenia Gravis – nerve impulses & muscle function
• Pernicious Anemia –lining of the stomach
• Raynaud’s Phenomenon – blood vessels
• Scleroderma –skin, GI tract, muscles, lungs, or kidneys
• Sjogren’s Syndrome – mucus-secreting glands
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus – many organs
• Grave’s Disease – overactive thyroid
• Hashimoto’s Disease – underactive thyroid

My Autoimmune Diseases

In the fall of 2000 I was diagnosed with celiac disease.  I was grateful when we finally found an answer to my problems, and although the gluten-free diet was challenging, I was feeling better.  As months went by, I regained strength and weight, and I grew more comfortable with the diet.  After about a year life was pretty much back to normal.  Well, gluten-free normal.  Health wise, I was feeling good.

In 2006 I developed Hashimoto’s disease.  In a few months time I gained 10 pounds, became depressed, fatigued, and drained.  I began taking thyroid hormone replacement medication and felt much better after a month.  Much better compared to really bad, but not good.  I tried a different brand of medication, then another.  I changed dosages and had my thyroid levels tested multiple times. 


The bottom line is that I have never felt back to normal.  I have continued to struggle with weight gain, depression and fatigue.   It’s been particularly bad the past couple of months since I made a medicine change again (due to unavailability of natural thyroid medicines) and ended up taking too much medicine.  I have since cut back and am waiting for things to normalize. 

Of course, I realize that other factors play a part, including my age, but if given a choice between celiac disease or Hashimoto’s disease, I would choose celiac hands down.  Sure, popping a pill every morning is much easier than following a gluten-free diet, but the results don’t compare.  The gluten-free diet essentially fixes the problem, medicine just treats it.

But I don’t have that choice, so I do the best I can, and I’m well aware that there are many other autoimmune disease which are worse than Hashimoto’s.  I hope and pray that I won’t develop those.

How About You?

Do you have any autoimmune diseases?  Which ones?

Labels: celiac disease

The theme for this month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free is breakfast in bed.  It is being hosted at Naomi’s site, Straight Into Bed, Cakefree and Dried.  She’ll be posting a round up at the end of the month.

I love breakfast foods.  Unfortunately, breakfast is usually a busy time of day, and my body is not yet ready for a big meal.  For those reasons, I like serving breakfast food such as waffles and pancakes for dinner.  My ideal breakfast in bed would look something like this:



I love eggs.  I really love eggs.  I especially love poached eggs where the yolk is still moist but not runny or maybe slightly runny.  You can poach eggs by putting them directly into water, but that’s a bit tricky.  You can also use an egg poaching pan, which I did for a while.  Then I found these silicone poach pods.

Labels: Go Ahead Honey

Welcome to Gluten-Free Wednesdays!  The first week of each month has a theme, and lately the themes have been centered around a challenge I issue for the month before.  This month’s challenge is to create a gluten-free quiche.

Last week I made two quiches for dinner one night.  I decided to do each one differently and I want to share one of those with you here.  I’m not giving this quiche a separate post, because I probably won’t make it again so I don’t expect anyone else to make it.  Having said that, it wasn’t bad.  It was just one of those so-so dishes.  My purpose in sharing it is to show you how you can improvise and try things, and learn from doing so.  We ate the quiche and nobody complained.  I certainly don’t consider it a failure.

The real improvisation in this was the crust.  I used bread.  I had a loaf of bread I made from Pamela’s gluten-free bread mix.  I used my electric knife and sliced it as thin as I could, then placed pieces of bread in a pie plate.  I tried not to over lap the bread, and I filled in holes with bread pieces. 


Next I put together a quiche filling.  I used:

• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 c. chopped green onion
• 1/4 c. diced cooked sausage
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 c. milk
• salt & pepper

If you’re going to try this, just combine all the ingredients, beating the eggs, and pour into the dish.  Bake at 350 degrees about 35 minutes.

I used a 10 inch pie plate and the filling wasn’t enough to fill the plate.  As a result, the top edges of the bread were very dry and hard.


However, that was easy to remedy.  I simply cut off the top edge.


The problem I had with the crust was that the small pieces of bread floated in the liquid filling.  Some quiche pieces ended up with bread in the middle instead of on the bottom.  I think I was the only one who noticed that, though.  In the end, the quiche reminded me of a breakfast casserole I have made which uses torn pieces of bread.  Like I said, it wasn’t bad.  It just wasn’t great.


Monday I posted a Roasted Red Potatoes recipe that I also encourage you to experiment with. 

Thanks for leaving a link to your gluten-free eating idea.  If you haven’t participated before, please read the guidelines.

1. Iris at The Daily Dietribe: Creamy Tomato Basil Shrimp Pasta 2. Z's Cup of Tea @ Ambrosia Tea Party (Egg in the Basket) 3. Chaya-Delicious Bread with Secret Ingredient 4. Chaya-Tomato Cobbler 5. Jenn Cuisine (Maple Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes)

6. Brian (Quinoa with Grilled Vegetables and Prosciutto) 7. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Gluten Free Croutons) 8. Fire-Eyes @ ★Home Spun Magic★ (Gluten Free Hot Ham Sandwitches) 9. Shirley @ gfe (Flourless Pizza) 10. Mikki at TheNotSoPerfectHousewife (Vegetable Quiche)

11. Diane@ The W.H.O.L.E. Gang-Easy Pork Stuffed Zucchini 12. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Parmesan Herb Dressing 13. Vicki (Tomato Lime Taco Soup)

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Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Potatoes are healthier with their skin on, and red potatoes have a nice edible skin.  Here is one way we like to eat them.  They are easy to put together, but do take a little time in the oven.  You can work on other parts of your meal while they are baking. 

You know I like to encourage you to be creative and try different things when cooking.  If you’re not used to doing that and something like my quiche challenge is overwhelming, try making changes to a recipe like this.  Instead of olive oil, use butter, or some other type of oil.  I wonder how coconut oil would be?  Or try changing the seasoning.  We like dill a lot, but I’ve also used Italian seasoning on these which turned out great.
There are plenty of other herbs and spices to try out that I’m sure would be good.

Here is a recipe for those who need it, but I usually don’t measure.  I use enough oil to coat the potatoes and add the amount of seasonings I think we would like.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Dill

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2 lbs. red potatoes
2 Tb. olive oil
1 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Scrub and trim the potatoes.  Medium sized potatoes should be cut in quarters, small ones can be cut in half.  Place the cut potatoes in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat.  Sprinkle on the remaining ingredients and stir.  Put the potatoes in a pan that’s big enough to hold them in a single layer without being too crowded.  A jelly roll pan works well.  Bake at 375 degrees about 40 minutes or until tender.  The amount of time depends on how small the pieces are.  Check them after 20 minutes and then every ten minutes.

Let me know if you try a different version, or have one you already use.

This post is linked to these other great food carnivals:

Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Labels: vegetables and side dishes

When I was a kid, I didn’t like nuts in baked goods.  Now I love them, and I’m so glad my kids like them too.  I’ve mentioned in my recipes that it makes a big difference to toast your nuts before putting them into your batter.  It brings out the flavor in the nuts. 

To toast them, put whole or half nuts in a baking ban and bake at 350 degrees about 5 – 10 minutes.  I usually check them after 4 minutes, shake the pan a little and put them back in for 4 minutes.  Let them cool and then chop them. If you chop the nuts before hand, they will burn much too easily.  Always be sure to set a time so you don’t forget about them.


When it comes to chopping nuts, I recently bought a nut chopper.  This was a very inexpensive item I picked up at the grocery store, and I’m so glad I did!  The nuts get chopped quickly and easily, and they don’t scatter all over the place.  You simply place nuts in the top container, turn the handle and the chopped nuts fall into the bottom container.


If you use nuts frequently and don’t have a nut chopper, think about getting one.

A nut chopper works for me.  To see what works for others check out Works for Me Wednesday.

Labels: tools of the trade

Here is another example of the kind of tasty treat you can make with my multipurpose pastry dough.  My family really likes these.  They are like individual apple pies, and make a perfect dessert or snack.  Of course, I hope you will experiment and try other fillings. 

Unfortunately, I misplaced the paper where I wrote down the actual amounts I used for the filling, but it’s really a matter of taste.  Here’s what I think I did:

2 apples
1  - 2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar

I’m sure other sweeteners would work well too.  Chop the apples pretty small then combine them with the cinnamon and sugar.



Make 1 recipe of  pastry dough.  Roll the dough and use a bowl to cut it in circles about 7 – 7 1/2 inches in diameter.  Place some of the apples on half the circle. 



Fold the dough over and press the edges together.  Place it on a baking sheet and prick the top of the dough with a fork several times. 



Bake at 350 degrees 15 – 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

View Printable Recipe

Labels: dessert recipes, fruit desserts

The Gluten Intolerance Group and Pamela’s Products have joined together to promote gluten-free awareness by challenging everyone to spend one weekend living completely gluten-free.  The challenge takes place during Gluten-Free Awareness Month on May 22nd & 23rd.  The month before the challenge they will email you a recipe and tip each day, so you are well prepared. 

If you’re like me and already eat gluten free all the time, you can encourage your family and friends to participate.  While I cook and bake only gluten free, it doesn’t mean my family is completely gluten free.  Dinners are gluten free, but breakfast and lunch for the rest of them often contain gluten.  My challenge will be to have everyone eat gluten free the whole weekend.

You can sign up for the challenge and learn more at www.gogfchallenge.com.  There is no cost to participate.  You might even win a product giveaway!

If you are on a gluten-free diet, you might struggle with deciding what to cook or eat.  The purpose of this carnival is to give you ideas.  If you have a gluten-free recipe, review, or other eating idea, please add your link below.   Don’t forget to visit some of the other links and leave a comment.



March Carnival Review: Each month, I compile a review of all the links from the previous month.  If you haven’t seen it yet, the March review, has lots of great recipes.

April Challenge: At the beginning of each month, I propose a gluten-free cooking or baking challenge.  This month it is quiche.  Work on creating a quiche now and add your link here on May 5th.

Muffin Challenge:  Last week people linked up their muffin recipes from March’s challenge.  Be sure to take a look if you didn’t see them all.  You’ll also find some great muffin recipes in the March Review.

My submission to this week’s carnival is:

 


Chicken Tetrazzini with Broccoli







Please read the carnival guidelines if this is your first time participating, or if you haven’t read them before.

If you don't see Mr. Linky or are having trouble with it, try again a little later.  Unfortunately, it's out of my control.

1. Shirley @ gfe (Magic Oat Bars) 2. Wizzy@BreakfastLunchDinnerPunch 3. Lynns Kitchen Adventures (gf, egg free, dairy free bread) 4. Aubree Cherie @ Living Free (Vegan Beet Burgers)

5. Jenn Cuisine (Flourless Chocolate Torte) 6. Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl - Beef Stock 7. Fire-Eyes @ ★Home Spun Magic★ (Gluten Free Tatter Tot Casserole) 8. Z's Cup of Tea @ Ambrosia Tea Party (Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes)

9. Easy To Be Gluten Free - Chicken and Broccoli Casserole 10. Chaya - A bowlful of goodness 11. Comfy Cook - Haitian Rice and Beans 12. Iris at The Daily Dietribe: Balsamic Chicken With Sweet Mushroom Gravy

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Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

With all my muffin recipes last month, I haven’t posted a good dinner recipe in a while.  This one is a favorite.  It’s not a quick and easy meal so I don’t make it often, but then it is a special treat when I do make it.  I don’t remember where I found the original recipe.  It was easily converted to gluten free by substituting rice flour for wheat flour and using gluten-free spaghetti.  I’ve made a couple of other small changes, including omitting the milk and increasing the stock.  It’s not a dairy free recipe because it does include cheese, but I prefer to cut back on the amount of dairy I’m using, and this recipe is still terrific without the milk.

This is a great recipe for using up leftover chicken, and I’m sure turkey would work well too.  I roasted a large chicken one night, made stock from the carcass, and had this the next night.  This recipe has enough parts to it that you really want to have the chicken already cooked, and you can’t beat homemade stock.

Gluten-Free Chicken Tetrazzini with Broccoli

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

16 oz. broccoli florets (I use frozen for this)
12 oz. gluten-free spaghetti (I use Tinkyada)
4 c. chopped cooked chicken
2 c. sliced mushrooms (~6 oz)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tb. butter
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 c. rice flour
4 c. chicken stock
3 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tb. white cooking wine
1 tsp. salt (vary according to the stock you use and your taste)
1/8 tsp. pepper

Steam the broccoli until just tender.  Cook the pasta until done.  Set them both aside.  In a large skillet (I used my electric skillet), saute the mushrooms & garlic in butter for several minutes.  Add the oregano and basil and cook another minute. 



Add three cups of the chicken stock to the skillet.  Combine 1 cup of cold chicken stock with the flour.  Add to the skillet and whisk together.  Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring/whisking frequently.  Add the cheese, wine, salt, and pepper and mix well.  Remove from heat (or turn off the electric skillet) and stir in the chicken.



Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Place half the spaghetti in the bottom of the dish.  Add half the broccoli.



Top with half the chicken mixture. 


 Repeat the layers.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Serves 8.

For more recipes visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Labels: chicken, main dish recipes

Here is a round up of carnival links from last month.  Once again, I’ve listed the links by category.  We started off with the collection of soup recipes from February’s soup challenge.   You’ll also notice there are quite a few muffin recipes due to March’s muffin challenge.  I hope to see some quiche recipes this month!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Soups
Chicken Noodle & Vegetable Soup – The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Dairy Free Cream of Broccoli Soup - Aubree Cherie @ LivingFree
Chicken Enchilada Soup - Heather
Beef Vegetable Soup - Lisa's Gluten-Free
Minestrone - Fire-Eyes
GF/DF Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup – Katrina 
GFDF Taco Soup - Brenna Kater, the Oceanskater
West African Chicken and Peanut Stew - The W.H.O.L.E. Gang
Buffalo Chowder - Manda
Green Chile Chicken Posole - Heidi @adventuresgfmom
Sweet Potato Soup - Chaya
Corn Soup with Potatoes - Comfy Cook
Unstuffed Cabbage Soup - Comfy Cook
A collection of soups - Rachel @ Living Without Wheat
Midwest Ham Chowda - kj @ where my boys at
Potato soup - Lori
Vegan no-chicken Soup - Sea @ Book of Yum
Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup - Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads
Osso Buco Stew - Jenn Cuisine
Black-Eyed Pea Soup - Shirley @ gfe
A Quick Noodle Soup - Wendy@gluten free greenie
Lentil Soup - Jennifer @ No Place Like Home
Sweet and Spicy Carrot Soup - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Stew - Diane @The W.H.O.L.E. Gang

Muffins
Multi-Grain Carrot Walnut Muffins – The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Pineapple Coconut Muffins – The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Chocolate Chip Nut Muffins – The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins - Lisa's Gluten-Free
Nutrient Packed GF Mini Muffins - Laurie @ Domestic Productions
"Bran" New Muffins - Shirley @ gfe
Humingbird Muffins – Alea
Honey-Sweetened Corn Muffins - Shirley @ gfe
Zucchini Carrot Muffin – Chaya
Apple Muffins –ComfyCook
Oatmeal cranberry muffins – Cindy @ Clean Food Kitchen

Main Dish
Filet Mignon – The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Parmesan crusted chicken - Jillian@Funny (allergen-free) Girl
Vietnamese Summer Rolls & Peanut Sauce – Ellen @ I am Gluten Free
Easy Gluten & Dairy Free Zaatar Pizza - Diane @The W.H.O.L.E. Gang
Basil Mung Bean Salad – Iris @ The Daily Dietribe
Chicken Fried "Rice" - Katrina @ Gluten Free Gidget
Quick Black Beans Chicken and Rice - Wendy@gluten free greenie
Garbanzo bean Burgers – Heidi
Meatloaf - Fire-Eyes @ Home Spun Magic
Glazed Chicken with Pineapple Salsa – Brian @ Fire and Salt
Spaghetti and Cheese - Comfy Cook
Drunken Pasta - Katrina @ Gluten Free Gidget
Spanish Pizza - Jenn Cuisine
Beef Florentine Casserole - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Grilling - Wendy@gluten free greenie
Carmelized Fennel, Beet & Orange Pizza - Jenn Cuisine
Pizza Style Omelet - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free
Eggplant Parmesan - Rhonda@OurTreasuredHome
Crockpot Leg of Lamb w/Thai Sweet Plum Sauce - Gluten Free Gidget
Chicken Enchiladas - Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads
Taco pasta - Lynns Kitchen Adventures
Mustard & pistachio crusted rack of lamb w/minted peas - Jenn Cuisine
Chicken Enchilada bake - Rachel @ Living Without Wheat
Grapefruit & Prickly Pear Roast Chicken - Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads

Side Dish
Pasta Pancakes – Chaya
Double Cooked Potato Balls – Chaya
Pierogies - Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads
Quinoa, Black Bean & Butternut Squash Salad - Simply Sugar & Gluten Free
Red & Yellow Roasted Beet Salad - The W.H.O.L.E. Gang
Asparagus Parmesan - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Macaroni and Cheese – Brian @ Fire and Salt

Dessert
Easy gf sandwich cookies - Lynns Kitchen Adventures
Cornflake Marshmallow Lace Cookies - Lauren @ Celiac Teen
Homemade Sweet Pistachio Cream - Jenn Cuisine
Perfect Pound Cake - Shirley @ gfe
Nutty Delights - Comfy Cook
Corn pudding - Lynns Kitchen Adventures
Lime Chiffon Pie - Lauren @ Celiac Teen
Passover Blondies – Chaya
Passover Brownies – Comfy Cook
Honey Peanut Squares - Easy To Be Gluten Free
Chocolate Eggs in a Cookie Basket - Heather @Celiac Family
Fruit Pizza - Aubree Cherie @ Living Free

Other
Gluten Free 'Wonder Bread' - Aubree Cherie @ Living
Granola - Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads
Pigs In a Blanket - Heather @Celiac Family
Edens' Sorghum Pancakes  - Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl
Irish Soda Bread GFDF - Brenna Kater, Oceanskater
Easy Homemade Mayonnaise - Kali Lilla
Pizza Crust - Iris at The Daily Dietribe
Cinnamon "Rolls" - Jillian @ Funny (allergen-free) Girl
White Trash Snack - Fire-Eyes @ Home Spun Magiic

Labels: Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Welcome to The Gluten-Free Homemaker.  Here you will find recipes for delicious gluten-free food that is taste tested.  My testers include my husband and three teenage sons, as well as various friends and extended family.  I have been cooking and baking gluten-free for over nine years so I have a little experience, but I’m still learning also.

What is gluten-free?
If you’re not familiar with the term “gluten-free” it means food that is free of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, & barley.  In addition, main stream oats are contaminated with wheat and have to be avoided.  People with celiac disease are required to be on a gluten-free diet for life.  Other people just don’t tolerate gluten, and some people find that a gluten-free diet helps children with autism spectrum disorders or ADD/ADHD.

Gluten-free can be delicious for anyone.
If you don’t eat gluten-free, you might still find this blog useful.  While the baking recipes won’t work for you because they have lots of ingredients you wouldn’t normally have in your kitchen, many of my dinner ideas are loved by anyone including this Mexican lasagna:


What you will find at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.

This blog provides recipes as well as information on celiac disease, gluten-free living, and other food/kitchen related topics.  I host a weekly carnival, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, where people link to a gluten-free recipe, review, or other gluten-free eating idea.  You don’t have to have a gluten-free blog, but the post you link to should be gluten-free.  At the end of each month, I post a review of links from that month.  You can read more about the carnival here.


A Few Favorite Recipes.
Obviously, baking is the biggest challenge to the gluten-free cook.  It is a challenge I have enjoyed and here are a few results.





Cinnamon Rolls















French Bread Rolls












Pecan Praline Cake









Don’t ever feel sorry for me because I’m on a gluten-free diet!  Thanks for stopping by.

If I win a prize my choices would be:

US & Canada prizes:
#8 - $55 Amazon card
#39 - $50 Paypal cash prize
#15 - $50 Target card
#25 - $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
#40 - $20 Amazon gift certificate

International Prize:
#8 Blog Design

Labels: ultimate blog party