Gluten Free

Today Is National Waffle Day & I Am Celebrating With A Van’s Gluten Free Waffle Giveaway!

This article is brought to you by Van’s Natural Foods

Today, Sunday August 24, is National Waffle Day. I didn’t even know a day for waffles existed, because I thought every day was Waffle Day! It also just happens to be the anniversary of the day the waffle iron was patented in the US. Well now that we have all learned a bit about waffle history, how about a new way to eat waffles. Ok, this is not new for ME, but it might be for you!

I like to make sandwiches with my Van’s Natural Foods Gluten Free Waffles, and my favorite sandwich to make is Peanut Butter and Banana. It is so easy to make and tastes so good and is gluten free. Just toast two waffles, spread both with peanut butter, add banana slices, and you are done! It can be a good breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack,depending on when you eat it. What do you think? When would you enjoy a Peanut Butter Banana Waffle Sandwich?

Two lucky Fabgrandma readers will each win (5) five coupons good for free Van’s Natural Foods Waffles and a Van’s tote bag. Just use the Giveaway Tools entry form to enter.

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Gluten Free Chile Rellenos With Arla Dofino Cheese and Hatch Roasted Green Chiles

Karen · 23 Comments

I received product from Arla Dofino Cheese in exchange for this post. All opinions and the recipe are mine.

Since I had a bunch of those delicious Hatch Roasted Green Chiles left over and already thawed out, I was trying to figure out what to do with them. I certainly did not want them to spoil, they were too good to have to throw away! So, when I received my coupons from Arla Dofino to try some of their cheese, I decided to get some Creamy Havarti and use it to make some home made chile rellenos.

Gluten Free Cheese & Beef Hatch Roasted Green Chile Rellenos

Now, I have never made a home made chile relleno before. I have never even eaten one in a restaurant, even though we lived in south Texas for two and a half years, and traveled extensively in the southwest United States for about five years. My husband is a big fan of them, though, so I took to the internet to search for a gluten free recipe to use. I found many, and modified a version of them to use the ingredients I had on hand. I think that my version with seasoned ground beef, Arla Dofino Creamy Harvarti Cheese, and my Hatch Roasted Green Chiles turned out suitable for serving to an Aztec King.

I started out with cooking up the beef stuffing. For this recipe, which made 6 medium sized Chile Rellenos, I used a half pound of ground beef, some garlic, chipotle pepper, and cumin. I cooked the meat until it was well browned, and poured off the grease.

While the meat was cooking, I mixed up the batter. I used my stand mixer to beat the egg whites until they formed very stiff peaks. Then, I added some Glutino Baking Flour Mix into the yolks, and folded that into the egg whites. This made a very light batter that stuck to the chiles like glue.

You have to be careful while you are stuffing the chiles, because they will tear and make a mess. Be sure to have your cooking oil heating in the pan before you get started assembling the chile rellenos. You need to put them in hot oil as soon as they are coated with the batter.

Cut the cheese into strips about 1/4 inch thick.

To assemble, I put a couple of tablespoons of the beef stuffing in first, then added a “log” of cheese on top of that. I carefully pulled the sides of the chile together to close it up over the filling. As soon as I had it closed up, I plunged the whole thing into the bowl of batter, covering the whole thing, then immediately into the frying pan.

Cook the stuffed peppers in hot oil until browned on one side, then flip over and cook until the other side is browned. When you remove them from the oil, place them on paper towels to drain before serving.

Gluten Free Chile Rellenos with Arla Dofino Creamy Harvarti Cheese and Hatch Roasted Green Chiles

1/2 pound ground beef

1-2 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon Chipotle chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

4 ounces Arla Dofino Creamy Harvarti Cheese

3 eggs

2 tablespoons Glutino Gluten Free Baking Mix

6 Hatch Roasted Green Chiles

1 inch of cooking oil in hot skillet

Place the ground beef, minced garlic, Chipotle powder, cumin and salt in a medium skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until meat is browned well. Drain off grease from pan, set aside.

Separate two eggs, placing two egg whites in mixer bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat on high speed until egg whites form stiff peaks. Place the two egg yolks and one whole egg in a small bowl. Add the Glutino Gluten Free Baking Mix, and stir until well blended. Fold into egg whites. Set aside.

Add cooking oil to about a 1 inch depth in a large skillet. Let it heat up while you get ready to stuff the peppers.

Carefully open up one chile, put in a tablespoon or two of the ground beef mixture. Add one of the cheese strips on top of the beef. Carefully pull the sides of the chile together. Dunk the stuffed chile into the batter, making sure it is covered completely. Immediately place the stuffed, battered chile into the hot oil. Repeat until all of the chiles are in the skillet.

Cook until golden brown on the first side. Flip them over, and cook until the second side is browned. Removed from oil, and place on paper towels to drain until served. This makes 6 chile rellenos.

I served these with black beans that were simmered with the left over ground beef stuffing. My husband loved them!

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Victoria Amory Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise Review

Karen · 5 Comments

Victoria Amory asked me to try some of their condiments recenty. They sent me some of their Red Chili Piri Sauce, some Almond & Garlic Romesco Sauce, and some Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise. When the products arrived, Fabgrandpa ate the Red Chili Piri and the Almond & Garlic Romesco Sauce as dips with his tostito chips. He said they both tasted good, but he did not know they weren’t really dips.

I decided to use the Victoria Amory Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise to make some Pimento Cheese Spread, which is a really southern spread that we use for making sandwiches or eat with crackers. I like to make it at home, but have never added garlic to it in any way, even though I love garlic. Here is the recipe I used to make mine:

1 (8 oz) pkg sharp cheddar cheese

1 small jar chopped pimento peppers, drained

4-5 tablespoons of Victoria Amory Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

Break up the cheddar cheese and place in food processor. Run the processor on chop until the all the cheese is in pea sized pieces. Pour the chopped cheese into a small mixing bowl. Add the pimentos and mayonnaise and stir well to mix. You can refrigerate for several hours to blend flavors or serve right away.

Pimento Cheese Spread with Victoria Amory Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

We love garlic and usually eat it as it if were a vegetable instead of a seasoning. The Pimento Cheese Spread I mad with the Victoria Amory Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise turned out delicious, with just the right amount of garlic flavor for this variation of a southern classic dish.

Victoria Amory Roasted Garlic Pimento Cheese Sandwich

The Roasted Garlic Pimento Cheese Spread would be great served at a party or a picnic.

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Blueberry Muffins With Glutino and Stoneridge Orchards

Karen · Leave a Comment

Glutino Gluten Free Muffins and Stoneridge Orchards Blueberries

I feel like one of the luckiest bloggers ever this week, because I received a delivery from Stoneridge Orchards AND one from Glutino, just days apart. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I have in my possession both blueberries and muffin mix, I have to make Blueberrry Muffins. I know this sounds really easy, and it really is, unless of course you live in far west Georgia and eat a gluten free diet. It is hard to find gluten free muffin mix around here.

Before I show you the yummy muffins, let me tell you about the Stoneridge Orchards products. I have had dried fruit before, but I have not ever had dried fruit the way Stoneridge Orchards makes them. These dried fruits are naturally sweet, no sugar added, and taste so much like the fresh fruit it is crazy! Their website says

“this regal cherry was once a favorite amongst Kings and Queens, and widely sought for it’s unique flavor and rich texture. Montmorency cherries are fragrantly sweet, tart, plump, red stone fruits with intense flavor and color.”

I can believe that, because the cherries I ate straight from the package were so good! They almost seemed to still be fresh, like they were still plump and juicy, not dried out so much that they did not resemble cherries anymore. The blueberries were the same way when I opened the package to make my muffins tonight: Sweet, plump, delicious.

The Glutino Muffin Mix makes a dozen gluten free muffins. To make them, you need to add 2 eggs, 6 tablespoons of softened butter, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a cup of milk. (I used coconut milk) I stirred in the package of Stoneridge Dried Blueberries at the end, and baked at 350° for 21 minutes. Fabgrandpa liked them, and that is saying a lot. He is not a gluten free person.

Here are some more ways to use Stoneridge Orchard Dried Fruits:

   Montmorency Cherries: Stoneridge Orchards picks their cherries at the height of freshness and then dries them, perfectly capturing the sweet and tart flavor and bright red color. These cherries remain moist and chewy when dried, and have powerful enzyme content and antioxidants. Try them in this Asian Chicken Slaw this June on National Cherry Tart Day (June 18).

·       Raspberries: These all natural raspberries are fragrantly sweet and packed with many nutrients, including soluble fiber and vitamins C and B6. When dried, they maintain their perfectly moist and chewy flavor. Use them to add subtle tart notes to any salad or vinaigrette.

·       Blueberries: This American super-food is hand picked and dried without using preservatives or any artificial flavors and colors. Plump and rich in antioxidants, these berries are especially tasty when served with leafy greens, such as in a Blueberry Kale Salad.

·       Berry Mix: Can¹t decide? We love this luscious blend of four berries perfect for sharing. Antioxidant packed cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, and red raspberries unite together to create the most balanced blend, perfect for any summer salad

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18 Easter Recipes To Get Your Holiday Meal Started

Karen · 6 Comments

If you are like me, you procrastinate to the very last minute when it comes to planning The Big Meal for a holiday. I always mean to have a plan at least two weeks ahead of time, but it just never happens. So, to help all you who are like me, here is my list of 18 easy Easter Recipes to get you started.

One of the things I love about Easter is the good food served at the celebration. My mother always had lots of desserts, and I try to have at least two when I make a holiday meal. I especially love this gluten free lemon cake:

Gluten Free Lemon Cloud Cake Recipe

1 box of your favorite gluten free yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker but any gluten free yellow cake mix will do.

2/3 cup lemon juice

3 eggs

1 stick of butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup gluten free flour (any kind you have on hand)

1 16 oz jar of Lemon Curd or make your own

1 pint heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

Make the cake according to directions on the back of the box, except substitute the 1/3 cup lemon juice for part of the water, and add 1/4 cup sugar. Spray two 8″ or 9″ cake pans with olive oil spray, then coat the pans with gluten free flour. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two pans. Bake in a 350° oven for 25-35 minutes. Let the cake layers cool completely.

Pour the heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and sugar. Beat on high speed with an electric mixer until the cream is thickened.

Place one cake layer on a cake plate, top down. Spread 1/2 of the lemon curd on the layer, then spread half of the whipped cream over the lemon curd. Place the second layer top up on top on the first layer. Spread with the rest of the lemon curd and whipped cream. Refrigerate until serving.

Here are some more yumalicious Easter recipes from my friends around the internetz including appetizers, entrees, sides, and more desserts:

Click on the photo captions to visit the website and get the recipe:

Easter-Deviled-Egg-Chicks — **Easter Deviled Egg Chicks**

Easter-Egg-Lunch-580x435 — **Kids Easter Egg Lunch, so cute**

Easy-Easter-Dessert-Ideas — **Chocolate M&M Cookies**

Fresh Asparagus and Hollandaise Casserole 6 — **Fresh Asparagus and Hollandaise Casserole**

gluten-free-bacon-egg-and-cheese-hash-brown-muffins — **Gluten Free Bacon Egg and Cheese Hash Brown Muffins**

gyro-spiced-leg-of-lamb-9498-text — **Gyro Spiced Leg of Lamb**

Rolls-2-768x511 — **Yeast Rolls, not gluten free but oh, so delicious! I am going to try substituting gluten free flour to make these.**

Romanian-Easter-bread-pasca-recipe-1 — **Romanian Easter Bread Pasca**

skillet-lemon-pepper-potatoes-9524-text — **Skillet Lemon Pepper Potatoes combines Sweet Potatoes with Russet Potatoes for an amazing side dish.**

Spring-Butterfly-Cupcakes-Recipe — **Spring Butterfly Cupcakes**

Spring-Krispie-Cake-by-DelightfulEMade.com-hz-1024x652 — **Spring Krispie Cake**

almond bark — **Yellow Marshmallow Bark**

**Gluten Free Roasted Pepper Pasta Salad**

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Brazi Bites Gluten Free Cheese Bread

Karen · 2 Comments

If you are like me and have been eating gluten free for years, then you may just be as excited as I am about this new product. These little dough balls are ready to bake for a delicious hot bread for snacking, or as a bread roll for dinner, or any time in between.

Fabgrandpa and I received a bag of each variety of Brazi Bites, and that night we baked some of them up for our afternoon snack. They disappeared very quickly, and left us wanting more. It took some real will power to not just go back in the kitchen and put the rest of them in the oven that day.

Brazi Bites come in three varieties: Fire Roasted Jalapeño, Original, and Bacon

All of the ingredients in Brazi Bites are naturally gluten free, and are 100% natural, so you don’t have to worry about getting “glutened”. They take only 20 minutes to cook up, so they are the perfect hot snack to serve when you have company drop in.

The business of bites began when Brazilian native Junea Rocha moved to the US in 2005 to be with her husband Cameron. Junea really missed the cheese bread she enjoyed throughout her life in Brazil. Once a secret family recipe was secured from her mother, she and Cameron got to baking. After much trial and error, researching and accessing the best ingredients, the couple finally made a perfect batch; in fact they were so perfect that they ate them all before they could even cool!

While they are not yet available in every market area (and sadly they are NOT available in my area, boo hoo!), you can find out if they are available in your area here. Brazi Bites can be on your table tonight. And, if there is no retail outlet for them near you, you can print off the information sheet for your local grocery manager so they can get them from natural foods distributors throughout the U.S. I’m taking the sheets to the stores near me so hopefully I can have some Brazi Bites again soon.

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B Is For Bread

Karen · 1 Comment

I received product from Glutino, but the opinions are still mine.

B is for Bread. You all know that I eat a gluten free diet, so when I say bread, I really mean gluten free bread. A lot of people seem to think that gluten free bread is still tasteless cardboard like stuff. I am here to tell you that it is not. There are a lot of different brands of gluten free bread. I have tried a lot of them, as a review blogger and as a consumer, buying every new gluten free product I see in the grocery store at least once. Taste is the number one reason why I buy a gluten free product a second time. Price has nothing to do with it, although some gluten free things are quite expensive. I think I am worth that extra cost though.

Peanut butter & Jelly is delicious on Glutino Whole Grain Bread

I love the Glutino Whole Grain Bread, for toast, for sandwiches, for using in casseroles. It tastes good, is soft and has lots of good ingredients in it, but no gluten. I also love the Cinnamon Raisin Bread, and the white sandwich bread. I think if you tried them, you would love them too.

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Soft Gluten Free Bread From Canyon Bakehouse Review and Giveaway

Karen · 79 Comments

I received samples of bread from Canyon Bakehouse to try, and tell you about. All opinions are my own.

As a relative newcomer in the gluten free market, Canyon Bakehouse has been producing their delicious gluten free breads in a dedicated gluten free facility in Loveland, Colorado since 2009. Their products are gluten free, Kosher Parve, 100% whole grain, and dairy, nut, and soy free. They started out making gluten free bread for the Rocky Mountain Region of Whole Foods, but are now in more than 1,000 stores nationwide.

Canyon Bakehouse products include 7-Grain, Cinnamon Raisin, Mountain White, Deli Style Rye, and Rosemary Thyme Focaccia breads. There are also Hamburger Buns, Hotdog Buns, and Cranberry Crunch Muffins. My favorite of the breads was the Cinnamon Raisin. The bread was soft and chewy, and tasted really good when toasted and spread with peanut butter.

My husband and I used the Canyone Bakehouse Rosemary Thyme Focaccia to make a gluten free pizza. I spread the bread with pesto, then added some tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella cheese. The combination was so good The taste and texture of the focaccia bread made it seem like we were eating “regular” bread.

I was most impressed with the hamburger buns from Canyon Bakehouse. They were soft and “squishy” much like regular wheat buns. I had put my samples in the freezer as soon as I received them, and popped one in the toaster to heat it up for an egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast. It was perfect, and I really enjoyed it.

Egg and cheese sandwich on a Canyon Bakehouse Hamburger Bun

I will tell you that the breads from Canyon Bakehouse are chewy, which makes them different from other gluten free breads I have tried. I think this makes them more like regular wheat bread in texture. Overall, I was pleased with the bread samples I received.

My Egg and Cheese sandwich on a Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Bun

2 Winner will receive a package of Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Breads just like the one I received, containing three loaves of bread, and a package of hamburger buns. Enter using the Giveaway Tools form below:

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