Product Review: Fahlstrom Farms Light-As-Air-Pancakes

Meh. Gluten-free pancakes are tricky. I've found they are either gritty, runny (and therefore thin), or (in this case) too thick to cook all the way through. The consistency and flavor were good....but as they cooked, they kept rising......and kept rising....and then they weren't cooked through in the middle. Ick.

I would definitely try this brand again (I found it at The Grain Bin in Alex), but I would try to spread out the batter more, and make sure they start out thin....as they do rise quite a bit. The flavor and texture have been the best of all the GF mixes we've tried. They were a little putzy to make, however. As you separate the eggs and whip the whites and then fold them in to the rest of the mix.....but overall, not too bad.

Best part of this breakfast: bacon.

GF Lasagna

Yummmmmmmm. I must say, this was awesome. Probably the best lasagna ever. I had been anxious to try GF lasagna but had a really difficult time finding GF noodles. Whole Foods, Lunds, Trader Joe's and Rainbow were out of the one or two brands they carried for weeks and weeks. I looked weekly for 2 months before I found a box at Whole Foods. I bought several. I used DeBoles for this recipe - which was super easy, as they are the kind you don't have to boil first. I will be making this again - yay!

Ingredients:
1 box DeBoles lasagna noodles
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 package of Hormel (GF) pepperoni (quartered)
1 green pepper, diced
1 small jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I used Newman's Own tomato basil marinara)
1 (15 oz) container of ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 cups Italian cheese blend (shredded)
s/p

Directions:
Brown the ground beef, season with salt and pepper (LOTS of freshly ground pepper), drain. Add diced onion, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic. Saute a few minutes until green peppers get a little soft. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and pepperoni. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese and egg. Add some salt and parsley (or any other seasoning you like).

In a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, begin building the layers. Start with some of the meat mixture, then top with noodles. Top noodles with half the ricotta mixture, layer more noodles, then more meat mixture (sprinkle some of the shredded cheese atop the meat) and layer until meat and cheese mixtures are all used.

Top with more shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until noodles are cooked through - according to package directions.

Enjoy!

Chicken Stir-Fry

Since going GF, I've really missed Chinese food. Rice, veggies and meat are all GF....but a lot of times the sauces (including soy sauce) contain gluten. I discovered that La Choy sauces are gluten-free! Here is a listing of the available sauces. This meal was so easy, I used the Stir-Fry sauce for this one, I have also tried the Teriyaki and Sweet and Sour sauces.

Ingredients:
2 to 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle La Choy Stir Fry sauce
2 cups cooked rice
assorted chopped veggies (I used onion, broccoli, green pepper, mushrooms, and carrots)

Directions:
Cut up the chicken and cook in a large fry pan with a little oil. When chicken is done, add the veggies and sauce and heat until veggies are soft and hot. Cook rice (I use a rice cooker - best invention ever). Eat!

Product Review: Van's Natural Foods, frozen waffles

I've never been big on frozen waffles....but I do enjoy them from time to time....and what I've learned about going gluten-free is that as soon as I discover that I can't have something...that's exactly what I want. I am, apparently, a child.

I found these waffles in the frozen food section at Rainbow, they are really very good. Finally - a GF product that was affordable (fairly) and yummy!

 

Tater tot hotdish

Yummm! I love this hotdish in the winter.....it is so warm, filling and satisfying. Nummy. I have really been wanting hotdishes since going gluten-free....but they are a little tricky. Most Midwestern hotdishes involve condensed soup....which can be hard to find. I found a great brand that I like, and it isn't too expensive.  For this hotdish I used Pacific brand soup. When purchasing tater tots, be sure to check the ingredients - even though the primary ingredient is potato, some brands will be coated in flour for a crispy coating when they bake. I used Trader Joe's brand, but Ore Ida are GF as well, here is a list of all the GF products from Heinz.

Ingredients:
1 pound of lean ground beef
1/2 package frozen mixed vegetables
1 box/can of condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 package frozen tater tots
1 can/jar of mushrooms

Directions:
Brown hamburger, season with salt and pepper, drain. Mix in soup, frozen veggies and mushrooms. Heat through. Transfer to a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Top with frozen tater tots and bake at 375 degrees until tater tots are crispy brown (30-40 minutes).

 

Product review: Trader Joe's Indian Fare, Punjab Choley

I love, love, love this. The flavor is so good. I like spicy....this might be a little too spicy for me. I can usually eat about half of it before my mouth is on fire and I have to stop. It is soooo good.

This is also super easy, you just open the pouch, pour into a bowl and heat. When it's hot, I put it on top of white rice. Delicious!

Restaurant Review: Pizza Luce

Yum! I dined at Pizza Luce in downtown Minneapolis - which now has a GF menu EVERY DAY! They used to offer GF options once a week....but it was so popular they now offer GF pizzas every day! It was delicious. I was a little worried about cross contamination - after all, they are using the same kitchen, counters, ovens etc. for their gluten-filled pies....but I didn't suffer any consequences from this meal. I highly recommend checking it out: