Living GFCF

GFCF "Oreos" - Product Review

2009-12-11T07:28:00.001-08:00

*No one is paying me for this. I am not receiving re-imbursement of any kind. This is strictly my humble opinion. Of course, Mi-del is welcome to send me a truckload of cookies and/or coupons! I certainly wouldn't be turning 'em down, either!!

I was shopping in our brand new grocery store Paradise Foods, checking out the isles and products offered. And shocked (pleasantly) to discover that like half their stuff is gluten-free!! Not even joking. They're kind of a small, wannabe Whole Foods. But their gluten-free offerings blow WF out of the water!! I have never seen so many GF items in one place before, things I didn't know were even available.

And then the heavens parted and a golden beam of light shined down upon these:

That's right - Mi-Del's gluten-free (and dairy-free/casein-free) "oreo" cookies!!

Of course, this necessitated a side by side comparison - I dare you to tell the difference between the two (visually)!

And then we put them to the ultimate test: dunkability. Total pass!! GFCF oreos and rice milk. Sean's childhood is now complete!

I also tried one. Sean can't really do the taste test comparison; it's been over two years since his last real Oreo. So I made the ultimate sacrifice (cause that's just the kind of mother I am.)

They are definiately better than the Hydrox or other regular Oreo knock-offs. They didn't have the complete "softeness" of the original Oreos, but it's minor. Have you ever had a reduced-fat Oreo? They reminded me more of that, the cookie-part. That white center - it's exactly the same. EXACTLY. I would say, these are as close to the real thing as you can get. I was seriously impressed! And Sean, he was seriously happy. Thank you, Mi-Del!! You guys totally rock!

Thanksgiving Menu - GFCF style!

2009-11-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

I've been "meaning" to get back on here, post our Turkey Day menu with links to all the special recipes... and by meaning, I mean procrastinating. Ah, the pathway to hell, I've paved it so well (such a nice little rhyme, I should needlepoint a pillow... but I'd never get around to it... and so the cliche lives on!)

So here it is, T-Day morn, and I have done... NOTHING toward that end. I am ridiculous (and filled with great ideas that will never, ever see the light of day.)

But rather than just skip this, I'm posting at least SOMETHING here now. Because I WILL get over this whole procrastination thing. Even if I have to do it one post at a time.

I DID roast and carve our bird (a 12 lb-er!) on Tuesday. Which, let me tell you, was BRILLIANT!! It took almost two hours longer to cook than I anticipated because I bought it the night before (see, procrastinating even that! It's killing me. Srsly!) and it was still frozen solid after spending a night in the fridge. Like, we could have totally done some serious turkey bowling with it! It spent over an hour taking a lukewarm bath in the kitchen sink (tip of the day: don't use hot water to thaw yer bird, you'll end up with cooked bit and still have semi-frozen bits. Result: bad bird!) Even with the kitchen sink forced thaw, it was still hell's frozen over damn cold. And so it took a really loooooooong time to reach the recommended (aka safe) internal temperature... as indicated by the little red pop-out thingy. And when it was finally done, I was able to let it sit for a good solid half hour instead of rushing to carve it right away. Which let it reabsorb all those juices and guess what: juiciest turkey I've ever made!! I will now do this for every holiday. It was brilliant!!

So, without further adieu, here's our menu:

Aforementioned BRILLIANT and juicy turkey

Mashed potatoes (yes, I use potato flakes, in case you were wondering. They are one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. Just make sure you read the ingredients. Mine are just potatoes.)

Gravy which I make from GF chicken stock. I use cornstarch instead of flour for a thickener. Other than that, it's just regular old gravy. Normally I would have used the turkey drippings, but I wasn't for-thinking enough and totally forgot to save them until after the pan had been tossed (oh, come on. If I using potato flakes, obviously I'm also using a disposable roasting pan!)

Stuffing - I followed my regular recipe using a loaf of GFCF bread (I discovered this one made with tapioca flour and it's so SOFT, definitely our favorite bread!), GF margarine (I use the Nucoa brand since it's readily available in our local grocery stores and not crazy expensive) and the same GF chicken stock I used for the gravy. I'll try to post that recipe later, but other than subbing out the ingredients for GFCF ones, it's just super basic stuffing.

Steamed asparagus (my kids picked the veggie. They love asparagus. And because they've only ever had it steamed, they love it that way. No sauce, no butter, nothing added whatsoever! I should have fed them everything this way. They'd be the healthiest kids on the PLANET!)

Dinner rolls... ok, here's my concession. I bought regular dinner rolls for the other kids. For Sean, I'll butter and toast a couple of slices of his Tapioca flour bread (which he LOVES and it's the closest thing to homemade GFCF bread that I've found.) I was going to make GFCF rolls from this great recipe I found HERE and I AM determined to try it sometime, like maybe at Christmas. But I just ran out of time... and steam. It didn't happen.

Apple crisp - my alternative to apple pie. I'll try to get that recipe on here too. I use GF oats, brown sugar and CF margarine (good old Nucoa again!) Well, there's a bit more to it, but not much! Easiest recipe ever!!

I bought the ingredients for pumpkin pie. I make it without the crust (takes care of the GF portion!) I have both unflavored hemp milk and this other non-dairy/casein free cream substitute specifically for use in recipes that call for cream. I'm dying to try them both. I just don't know if I'm dying to try them TODAY. We'll see.

And that's it. I've kept it as simple as possible. Yes, it's starch heavy. But it's a holiday, not a healthfood faire. I'm trying to keep it traditional, I don't want the kids feeling like they're missing out... or me either!

Happy Turkey Day!!

Product Review - Betty Crocker Gluten-free mixes

2009-11-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me several of the new Betty Crocker mixes: chocolate chip cookie, chocolate cake and vanilla cake. I really appreciated her generosity because while I had been anxious to try them, I wasn't terribly optomistic and didn't want to invest in a case of each from Amazon just to find out that they were pretty much the same as every other mix I've tried. Which can be summed up in one word: Meh. So far, I can't find any local stores that stock 'em. There may have been a spotting in Petaluma's Raley's - I'll have confirmation on that later this week. If so, I'll be making a trip north to pick up the brownie mix (the one I'm missing in my quad-fecta!)

So, for the ones I did try:

OMG!! They were amazing! The chocolate chip cookies barely made it off the cookie sheet. They were awesome! I would have never in a million years guessed that they were a) gluten free and b) from a mix! They tasted just like Nestle's toll house made from scratch following the recipe on the back of the chips package!! Incredible! I pay like $7 for a package of a dozen GFCF chocolate chip cookies that taste like CRAP! I'm sure the mix is like half that and it made three DOZEN! THREE DOZEN delicious-no-WAY-these-are-gluten-free-but-totally-ARE-gluten-free chocolate chip cookies!!

Same goes for the chocolate cake mix. We made cupcakes this go around and they were decadent and fluffy and light and airy and soooooo chocolatey without a hint of that gluten-free weirdness that usually screws up the texture and totally beats you over the head with their NOT REGULAR CUPCAKINESS. Could NOT tell the difference between this GF mix and a regular BC chocolate cake mix. Brilliant. Am anxious to try it in an actual cake next time. I haven't had much luck in the past. Gluten free cake mixes have just not made up edible cakes, but the cupcakes have been passable. So next time will be the real test!

The yellow cake mix... eh, not quite up to the same AWESOMENESS as the other two. But I think vanilla/yellow cake is a tougher task too. There's nothing to hide it - it's basically just naked out there. The flavor was just off a bit, and the color was a bit on the browner side. It just looked off - and we made these into cupcakes too, the more forgiving format. I think possibly the addition of a tsp or two of vanilla would go a long way. I'm going to get it again and play around with it a bit. There's a lot of potential. It didn't have the grit or graininess of other GF yellow cake mixes, so it's got an advantage there. It was definitely the best yellow GF cake mix I've ever had. So there's that. It's just that's a pretty low bar to begin with!

I can not wait to try the brownie mix... well, maybe I can. I'm just now regaining consciousness from the weekend's Halloween candy induced coma. Might need a few more days to shake it off!

GFCF Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2009-10-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

This is part recipe and part product review. Eventually, I want to develop my own cake and frosting recipes cause while these are serviceable, they're just not really fantastic. And that is what I'm striving for. Cupcakes worth raving about. But until there, these are really great, especially for kids. Perfect for a birthday party or just an after school snack!

The cupcake came from a mix: The Gluten-free Pantry's Old Fashioned Cake & Cookie Mix. This is the best boxed cake mix I've found so far. Some friends have mailed me the new Better Crocker GF mixes. I'll be reviewing them next week.

In the meantime, I added 1/3 cup of cocoa to the mix. Next time I'll add a 1/2 cup and a 1 tsp more vanilla than it calls for. Other than that, I made it according to package instructions. It doesn't have a cupcake baking variation (why the hell not? That seems really basic!) So I baked them for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely on a baking rack. And I mean completely, or your frosting will melt and slide right off. So I've heard... uh... anyway. The mix I used is pictured below.

While they were baking, I whipped up a chocolate buttercream frosting. I took the original recipe I found at Cooks.com and made a couple of substitutions to make it casein free. Here's what I ended up with:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup casein free margarine (I used Nucoa)
2 tsp. vanilla (I always use double vanilla, tip I got from a Wiltons cake instructor)
4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tbsp rice milk (depends on how stiff or thin you want your frosting)
3/4 cup cocoa

Cream together shortening and margarine. Stir in vanilla. Add two cups of sugar and carefully mix thoroughly. Add remaining two cups of sugar and cocoa, again stirring carefully. Gradually add in milk 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency. That's pretty much it. Frost away!

After frosting all the cupcakes, I filled a bowl with chocolate jimmys. I took a frosted cupcake and dipped it upside-down into the jimmies, pressing and twirling to get jimmies all over the top of the cupcake. Repeat with all cupcakes. Caution: at this point, cupcakes are totally irresistable!! Not responsible for total cupcake consumption and blowing of entire week's worth of calories in one sitting!!

GFCF Pork and Apple Stew

2009-10-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ah, stew. That perennial of autumn favorites. My kids are not particularly fond of beef stew and so I've been searching for an alternative. Pork chop (thick cut, no bone) were on sale last week, so I bought a large package. The kids were less than impressed with my apple juice infused pork chops and onions (they were dry and flavorless, hence no post!) so I decided to try using the leftovers in a stew. I googled around and saw that using apples was pretty popular (and sounded really good too!) so I thought I'd give it a try. The result: complete and total success!! Hands down the best stew I've ever made. Ever (and I make a damn good stew!)

2 thick cut, boneless pork chops cut into 1" cubes (you could also use a pound of pork tenderloin)
1/3 GFCF all-purpose flour
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
3-4 tbsp olive or vegetable oil (your preference)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
4 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
4 large carrots, peeled, quartered and cut into 1" pieces
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 cups water
additional spices (garlic powder, chili powder, salt, parsley and oregano as desired)
1/2 cup COLD water
1/3 cup cornstarch

Take pork cubes and pat dry with paper towels. Put flour, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, parsley and oregano into large ziplock bag. Add pork cubes. Zip closed and shake shake shake until all pieces are evenly coated with flour mixture.

Heat skillet on medium-high, add enough oil to cover the bottom plus just a little. Allow oil to heat up for a minute, then add floured pork cubes. Cook pieces on each side for several minutes, browning all pieces thoroughly.

Add onions and continue to cook all pieces, stirring and turning frequently to prevent burning, until onions are translucent.

Remove skillet and put stock pot on same burner. Immediately put contents of skillet into stockpot. Add I cup of water. Add potatoes, carrots and apples. Add a second cup of water. Add seasonings as desired. When water reaches a boil, cover, turn down to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove cover and stir. Dissolve 1/4 cup of cornstarch in 1/2 cup COLD water (imperative that water is COLD, warm or hot water will result in lumps lumps LUMPS!) and whisk until cornstarch is dissolved (takes like 10 seconds.) Slowly pour cornstarch mixture into stew, stirring continuously. Add less or more, depending on how thick you like your stew (we like ours stand-a-fork-in-it thick!)

Cover and continue to let simmer another 30 minute. Check for doneness, by piercing a carrot piece with fork. It should be tender and offer no resistence. Stew takes forever to cool. For younger children, be sure to dish out their bowls and let them sit for at least 10 minutes!! (yes, we found this out the hard way!)

GFCF Turkey Chili

2009-10-11T07:42:00.001-07:00

I am aware that my food picture taking sucks. My apologies. This dish tastes much better than the picture looks! My kids raved about it... well, except Tad, who said it tasted really good except for the beans. He doesn't like beans. At all. Sean and Skye had second helpings! This is the first chili I've ever made that didn't suck. I've never been able to make a decent chili - they've all been a little too soupy and just meh. But this one, it totally rocks!!

I wish I could take full credit for the recipe, but alas, I can not. I got the original recipe HERE. I made a few tweaks to it, first to simplifiy and then because we have different tastes and you should always adjust for your family's personal preferences.

Here is where I'll also admit that my seasoning measurements are guesses. I NEVER measure my seasonings, just eyeball 'em. No need for that level of precision when cooking (baking is different, that's like a scientific equation.)

1 pound lean ground turkey
3-15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained
3-14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes w/ celery, green peppers & onion, drained
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp dried onion
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme

In a large stockpot, over medium high heat, brown ground turkey. Drain if necessary and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium and simmer for an hour or until all liquid has evaporated. Enjoy! (that's an order!!)

Serves 8 (or 5 very hungry kids with about a bowls worth left over!)

This recipe is also totally crockpotable. Just brown the ground turkey in a skillet on the stove, then put it and the rest of the ingredients in a crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5. Just make sure all that liquid evaporates or you end up with chili soup, which is not quite as tasty!! I'll be trying it this way next time around and I'll let you know how it turns out!

GFCF Sunflower Butter Cookies

2009-10-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a simple variation off a GFCF peanut butter cookie that I can't take credit for creating. Just about everyone I know seems to make the peanut butter variety. My friend Elizabeth over at Small Town Blessings even posted it a few months ago HERE.

The beauty of this recipe is the simplicity. Three ingredients. Doesn't get much easier than that. And there's no reason you can't substitute in the nut butter of your choice. Almond butter, cashew butter, probably even soy nut butter (put enough sugar in and anything is tasty!)

We are huge fans of the sunflower butter. I think it tastes like rich, natural peanut butter. The biggest drawback is the price - it's more than twice as expensive as even organic, natural peanut butter (let alone the cheap-ass Skippy stuff!) But it is really nice to have a good, crunchy, nut buttery cookie back in our repertoire!

1 cup sunflower butter (or nut butter of your choice)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg

Mix the ingredients together well. Measure by teaspoonful, roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet (these guys spread, so give 'em plenty of room!!)

Lightly sprinkle a little extra sugar on top of each ball, and then press with fork tongs in a criss-cross pattern. The extra sugar helps keep the dough from sticking to the fork AND it gives the cookies and great crispy, crunchy top!

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are just starting to turn a light golden brown. Cool on rack.

Keep stored in sealed containers to help preserve some softness in the center (or they get dried out and stale if left out overnight.) Of course, my cookies never last long enough to be stored! I'm lucky to even get a couple off the cookie sheet and onto the cooling rack; and they usually disappear within a few minutes!

GFCF Apple Cinnamon Waffles

2009-10-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

If your kids are like my kids, they LOVE waffles. They could eat them every meal of every day and never ever get tired of 'em. However, frozen gluten free waffles are freakin' EXPENSIVE!! And the mixes aren't any cheaper. Or better.

It was time to come up with a waffle recipe that was as quick and easy as a mix, but cheaper and with fewer multi-syllabic ingredients. What I ended up with was so light, airy and delicious the kids would swear they were the real deal. I love that!!

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1-3/4 cup apple juice
2 eggs
4 TBSP vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

In large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs. Whisk in apple juice, vegetable oil and vanilla. Pour liquids into dry ingredients, stirring to combine. If batter seems a little too thick, add a little more apple juice. It should be the consistency of cake batter.

Ladle onto your waffle iron, how much depends on your griddle. Follow your manufacturers instructions. Usually they take 3-5 minutes or until golden brown on both side and fully cooked in the middle. If your waffles are brown and crunchy on the outside but doughy in the middle, your batter is too thick. Add some more apple juice and thin it down a bit.

I'm thinking chopped pecans would be a great addition, don't you?!

Potato and Onion Casserole

2009-10-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent side dish. And my favorite kind of recipe - one that is naturally gluten and casein free. No substitutions or using special ingredients. Just basic basic basic!! Eventually, I would love for us to be eating like this all the time, just natural whole foods. It feels so good to feed my family food that is free of chemicals, additives and preservatives.

3 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
olive oil
minced garlic or garlic powder to preference
salt and pepper to taste

Use just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer potatoes on bottom, then onions, potatoes, onions and end with potatoes. Sprinkle garlic, salt and pepper on top. Cover in foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender and just starting to brown around the very tops of the edges.

GFCF Chicken Fingers

2009-10-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

My kids are all-American kids with all-American appetites. And one thing they have really been missing is chicken fingers/strips/nuggets... what have you. Yes, they have pre-made frozen ones. But we really haven't been too impressed with them. And our local grocery stores don't carry the more edible ones. Sorry, but Ians Allergen Free Chicken Nuggets are less than tasty. Sean flat out hates them and has begged me not to buy them ever, ever again!! So we've been chicken-fingerless for a good year.

Well, the time had come. I've been in recipe makeover mode anyway, and this was another one to cross off the ol' list!! What I came up with was so simple, cheap, easy and DUH! that I'm left wondering what the hell my problem was!

This recipe is more akin to how I cook. There are no measurements, just a list of ingredients. Amounts depend on how many people you're cooking for.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips OR pre-cut chicken tenders
GFCF biscuit mix
1 egg
rice milk or whatever milk you prefer
garlic powder, paprika, ground black pepper, onion powder, parsley...

Whisk egg and milk together in shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix together biscuit mix and your choice of seasonings. If you like it spicy or with some kick, throw in a little chili or cayene powder. Italian seasonings would be great too. Be creative and cater to your family's tastes. This is what cooking is really all about!! Have fun with it and don't be afraid!! There is no fear in the kitchen!

Take chicken strips one at a time. Dip first in egg mixture, coating completely. Next roll around in flour mixture, again coating completely. Place in 9 x 13 in baking dish that you've sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Repeat with all chicken strips.

Now I know this next part sounds weird, but trust me here! Lightly spray chicken strips with cooking spray. This is important, it gives the chicken strips a crispy "fried" like crunchiness without deep-frying, which I am morally opposed to!! Bake in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until a nice golden brown.

These are tasty enough to just eat, no sauce required. But of course, if you're going for that Golden Arches experience, then by all means serve with your choice of GF bbq sauce, honey mustard or even GFCF ranch!

GFCF Lasagna

2009-10-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning/wanting to come up with a lasagna recipe similar to the one I used to make in the old gluten and casein full days of yore. I called it Cheeseburger Lasagna, made it in the crockpot, and probably offended every Italian going back to ancient Rome. It consisted of ground beef, jar spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese (ricotta if it was on sale), lasagna noodles, and lots of cheddar cheese (not a shred of mozzarella). The kids LOVED it. It was quick, easy and cheap - in other words PERFECT! Since Sean's allergies eliminate almost all of the above ingredients, I've felt the task of creating a GFCF version that met my requirements (quick, easy and cheap) was too daunting. And so, I shelved the idea. Until tonite. I admit that I've been researching GFCF lasagne recipes for over a year and letting all that information percolate in noggin'. Finally it all came together. And what resulted was the PERFECT GFCF lasagna recipe!! Behold!

1.25 lb ground turkey
1.5 jars GF spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 package silken tofu
1 egg
1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
1 package GF lasagna noodles*
1/2 package Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella, shredded**

Brown ground turkey in skillet, drain. In a 9x13 casserole dish, ladle a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Reserve 3/4 cup of spaghetti sauce and set aside. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce in skillet with ground turkey.

In small bowl, whisk together tofu, egg, basil, garlic and black pepper until smooth and well blended. Place lasagna noodles in spaghetti sauce on bottom of casserole in one layer.

Spoon half of tofu mixture over noodles and spread evenly to cover all of the noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella on tofu. Spoon half the ground turkey spaghetti sauce over entire layer, being sure to cover all parts, especially any exposed noodles.

Repeat tofu, mozzarella, ground turkey layer. End with noodles. Take reserved spaghetti sauce and carefully pour over top noodle layer, making sure to cover all noodles completely. Sprinkle remaining third of mozzarella over top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. After removing from over, let set for at least 15 minutes. If you don't, you'll end up with lasagna soup!!! Trust me here!

*Note: It is not necessary to boil the lasagna noodles. However, it is crucial that all noodles are completely covered with sauce or else you are going to have one crunchy lasagna! Garfield would not approve!!

**Note: You'll notice in my picture what looks suspiciously like shredded cheddar cheese on top. That would be because I ran out of mozzarella and had to pull a last minute substitute! Flexibility in the kitchen is your biggest asset!!

I would like to note here that the kids LOVED this!! I mean, fought over who got the last piece even though they each had three to four helpings, LOVED IT!! And yes, I had a piece. And it was divine! In fact, I think it even tastes better than my original. And I did not think that was possible. Best of all, the kids are thrilled that lasagna is back in the weekly repertoire!

GFCF Pumpkin Cookies

2009-10-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

My friend, Elizabeth, posted a delicious Pumpkin Bread Cookie recipe and I was inspired to make a GFCF version. At first, I thought I'd just sub in GF all-purpose flour and some rice milk and some CF chocolate chips... and the next thing you know, it's a totally different recipe!! I still credit her with the inspiration. And this isn't the final version. Next time I'm going to put in apple sauce instead of the oil! But here's what I used this go around:

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 TBSP GF vanilla extract
1 cup irish old-fashioned oats
1 cup GF all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, oil & vanilla together. In another bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves. Stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture. After all combined, stir in cranberries & pecans. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned. They will not "flatten" like regular cookies. I'm still experimenting with "why". Makes 2 dozen (depending on the size of your cookie!)

GF Tuna Casserole

2009-06-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

I actually created this recipe myself. And the kids LOVED it. And the best part, it has SPINACH in it (yep, that's the green stuff!) I am so psyched!! I whipped this together in record time. And it came out perfect! It's simple, basic, nutritional and a new family favorite! This fed my 5 kids with a smidge leftover.

1-12 oz. package Mrs. Leeper's Rice Vegetable Twists
2 cans water-packed tuna, drained
4 TBSP casein-free margarine, I used Nucoa
4 TBSP all-purpose GF flour
2 cups Rice milk
1-12 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup Veggie Shredds parmesan, mozzarella, & romano flavored, divided

I am aware that Veggie Shreds actually contains small amounts of casein and is in fact a lactose-free cheese, but not a casein-free cheese. Sean can handle small amounts of casein and since Veggie Shreds is the closest thing my local stores carry, I do use it when necessary. Vegan Gourmet is a wonderful casein-free cheese that I pick up when I'm at Whole Foods, a half hour away. It melts wonderfully and the mozzarella would work very well in this recipe.

Cook pasta according to pasta directions, drain. Since this dish is going to be baked once it's assembled, I'd leave it a little to the al dente side of done or things can get pretty mushy.

Pour pasta into a casserole dish. Add drained tuna, thawed spinach and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Mix.

Melt margarine in small saucepan. Add flour and whisk for one minute, til bubbly and flour has been fully incorporated into the margarine. Add milk and whisk until thickens. Do NOT bring to boil. Pour over pasta, tuna, spinach, cheese combo. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top.

Bake 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.