A Gluten Free Guide

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving – Continued

Most of the sides I made to accompany our turkey are naturally gluten free. Steamed green beans with toasted almonds, green salad with cilantro dressing, raspberry apple jello, roasted root vegetables, cranberry relish and Graber olives.If you have never tried Graber olives, I highly recommend them. They are quite pricey, but I love them as a special treat on holidays. The flavor is not as strong as a Kalamata olive; they have a subtle but not too salty flavor that delights the taste buds.
Gluten free dinner rolls have been one of my challenges. I finally found a close replica of the white rolls my family specializes in last year, but I couldn’t find all of the ingredients this year. If you have tried gluten free baking, you understand what kind of experimentation it takes to develop new recipes. I wasn’t willing to risk a new recipe with Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, I decided to make brazilian cheese rolls. I used the original Chebe mix. The directions call for 4oz of cheese. Hard cheeses such as a Parmigiano Reggiano work best. I like to use one cheese for 3oz and a colorful cheese more for aesthetics for the last 1oz. This time I chose Piave (my favorite hard cheese) and a hard black wax Gouda for color. They turned out well and left all of my gluten eating family asking for more.

Roasted root vegetables are an easy autumn or winter side. I tossed, peeled and cut parsnips with baby carrots, cubed butternut squash and seasoned the mixture with salt, pepper and dried rosemary. Roast the mixture at 375-400 degrees for 40-60 minutes depending on the size of the veggies.

Have fun playing with your gluten free side choices. Most people won’t even notice the lack of gluten if you focus on fresh ingredients and flavorful herbs and spices.

My Quest For Gluten-Free Stuffing

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in November two years ago. My first Thanksgiving was a struggle and stuffing was a dish that eluded me for a number of reasons. It’s not something that I eat on a regular basis so I didn’t feel as much urgency to figure it out. I also had never actually made homemade stuffing when I could have gluten – Stovetop tasted fine to me and Mrs. Cubbison’s was a special treat on holidays.So two weeks into living life gluten free, I ordered the Gluten Free Pantry’s stuffing mix. While many of their products are fantastic, this stuffing mix was not one that I would recommend to anyone. I feared that I would never find a way to enjoy gluten free stuffing. Well, the next year rolled around and I tried two different recipes. One a “classic” stuffing and a second cornbread stuffing. To my delight and surprise, they both turned out well. This year I decided to try both recipes again. I wasn’t sure if either one had been a fluke, and I felt the pressure of cooking for 15 gluten-eating people weighing down upon me.

With multiple successes under my belt, I now feel confident that these recipes will work for others. Gluten free stuffing can be easy and just as delicious as your pre-Celiac days – and even more so if you were accustomed to the pre-packaged stuffings like me.

Classic Gluten Free Stuffing (adapted from Bobbie’s recipe on Delphi Forums)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large onion chopped
1-2 cups sliced mushrooms
¾-1 loaf Ener-G Tapioca Bread
Dried Thyme to taste (about 2 – 3 Tablespoons)
Salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cottage cheese

Sauté the onion and mushrooms in the butter in a large saucepan until the onions are translucent. Tear up the slices of tapioca bread into ½ inch to 1 inch squares and stir into the mixture. Add the dried thyme, more than you think you need. Add the salt and pepper. Mix in the cottage cheese, transfer to a casserole dish. Bake covered for 15 min in a 375 degree oven. Remove foil and continue baking for 25-35 minutes.

I doubled this recipe and used a roasting pan from the beginning rather than transfer to a casserole dish this year. Also, do not let the taste of the Ener-G bread scare you off. This bread tastes like cardboard when it’s not in stuffing form. I wouldn’t use it for anything other than a weapon if I had not discovered that it made a beautiful gluten free stuffing.

Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing (adapted from Health Magazine)

1 loaf gluten free corn bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking
2 large chopped onions
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ½ – 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I used Pacific Foods Brand)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

If time allows, leave corn bread out for a day to become stale. If not, bake in a roasting pan for 20 minutes at 300°, shaking pan occasionally.

Toast nuts in a large skillet over medium heat until aromatic (about 5 minutes), shaking pan occasionally; transfer to a bowl. Heat oil in pan; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent. Add onion and next 5 ingredients to bowl with nuts. Stir the cornbread in last – the gluten free bread tends to crumble easier than regular cornbread. (Make sure that you have enough chicken broth to keep the mixture moist without getting the bread too soggy. Start with one cup in the mixture and pour the rest over the top after it is in the pan.)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray. Place corn bread mixture in dish; cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20-30 minutes or until top is lightly browned and stuffing is thoroughly heated.

I used Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse Cornbread to save time on preparing my own. Some of their loaves crumble easily so you may need two to get enough cubes.
Leftovers of the classic stuffing can be stored in the fridge and will stand up to reheating. The cornbread stuffing may or may not – it will depend on the “sturdiness” of the gluten free bread you use. Enjoy!

Roasting A Gluten-Free Turkey

Turkey seems like something that should naturally be gluten free. Ah, if only it were that easy. Some turkeys are injected with fillers that could potentially contain gluten. That means you need to check the ingredients even when buying a fresh or frozen whole turkey.This year we ordered a turkey from our local meat market. We called before picking it up to make sure that there were no additives. The meat market referred us to the manufacturer – Shelton’s. One phone call to Shelton’s was able to confirm that our bird was gluten free.

We picked up our 24 pound turkey the day before Thanksgiving. I am not a fan of turkey and would have preferred to cook ham for the special occasion but my family wanted to stick to tradition so I made sure to put just as much effort into the turkey as any other dish. Once we arrived back at the house I prepared a sugar and salt brine with thyme, rosemary, sliced oranges and bay leaves. Rather than use a brining bag that costs $10-15, I used an XXL Ziploc bag. We stored the turkey, while it was brining, in a large tub covered in ice. The next morning I prepared an herb rub, then removed the turkey from the brine, patted it dry and placed it in the roasting pan. I filled the cavity with chopped onions and herbs. This will make for more flavorful pan drippings rather than using traditional bread stuffing. I then applied the herb rub between the skin and the meat and seasoned the skin with salt and pepper. Finally, I basted the breast with bay butter (butter melted with two or three bay leaves), placed the pan in the preheated oven and began roasting at 325 degrees.

I tented the breast with foil to keep it from burning. After an hour, I removed the foil and put four pieces of bacon on the breast with toothpicks. It’s a tradition I picked up from my Aunt Judy and Uncle Rick. In theory, it should flavor the turkey breast. I think it just gives you a tasty treat to fight over while the turkey “rests.” After the turkey is done cooking you should wait 30 minutes before slicing for the meat to reach it’s full juiciness.

Brine:
2 cups kosher salt
2 cups sugar
1 head of garlic peeled
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 branches of fresh rosemary
2 oranges quartered
Dissolve the salt and sugar in two quarts of boiling water. Add remaining ingredients and ice to cool down the mixture. Once the mixture is cool add to the brining bag with the turkey and enough additional water to keep the bird entirely covered once the bag is sealed and the air removed.

Herb Butter (adapted from Rachael Ray’s Herb Roasted Turkey Breast recipe)
1 large onion chopped
The zest of two lemons
24 fresh sage leaves
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of kosher salt

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and chop until it forms a coarse paste.

Make adjustments to the brine and herb rub according to your taste. This turkey was given high marks by everyone at dinner – juicy and delicious with just a hint of the herbs. My favorite part was the incredible aroma that wafted throughout the house while the turkey was roasting.

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving in Southern California

One of the great things about having Thanksgiving dinner in Southern California is the perfect weather that allows you to have dinner outside. I decided to have a completely gluten free menu rather than allow a few gluten items to be brought by guests. Even when all of the guests are careful it’s difficult to prevent cross-contamination if there is gluten on all of the gluten-gluttons’ plates. Serving spoons are accidentally placed in the wrong dish or graze a gluten containing roll. Unfortunately even a tiny bit of gluten can make someone with Celiac sick. I didn’t want to worry about that chance and instead chose to prepare all of the dinner to guarantee it’s gluten free status.

The final, completely gluten free, Thanksgiving dinner menu consisted of:

Appetizers
Crudités with dip
Cheese platter
Chili Sauce dip with tortilla chips
Rosemary roasted cashews

Dinner and Sides
Roasted Turkey and gravy
Mashed potatoes
Cornbread cranberry stuffing
Classic stuffing
Roasted root vegetables
Green Salad
Chebe cheese rolls
Steamed green beans with toasted almonds
Cranberry orange relish
Raspberry apple jello salad

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie
Cheesecake

I actually eliminated a few items that I had originally planned on preparing. We ended up having more than enough. I am still trying to get a handle on serving sizes for large groups. I wanted to make sure that no one felt that a classic dish was missing because the meal was gluten-free. Traditional Thanksgiving foods are not part of my daily diet, but the holiday just doesn’t seem the same without stuffing and Turkey. Perhaps next year I will stray from classics and start a few new traditions.

More tips on surviving the Holidays gluten-free.

The Appetizers

My first large scale completely gluten free Thanksgiving was a resounding success. Of course I had the luxury of taking the three days before Thanksgiving off of work to spend time with my family in California. This gave me more time to shop and prepare for the big event. As much as I love Manhattan, it was great to be able to go to a grocery store in a car, fill up a cart and not worry about how I would carry everything back on the subway.

Recipes and photos of the rest of the meal will be posted next week, but today here is a look at the appetizers. Of course there were plenty of the rosemary roasted cashews I posted about on Thanksgiving. I always have a crudite platter at my parties – this was also one of the few things I was able to ask someone else to bring without worry of cross-contamination. I just made sure to serve a gluten free dip to complement the fresh cut veggies.

I had a great time tasting cheeses at Whole Foods before selecting the four for my cheese platter. I served a smoked gouda, aged gruyere, a goat’s brie (Guilloteau Florette), and my favorite: Kings Isl Seal Bay Triple Cream. To accompany the cheese, there was a quince paste and Dr. Schar’s gluten free crackers – they have a similar consistency to a Ritz cracker and work particularly well with the soft cheeses.

Finally, a party isn’t a party at my family gatherings without this chili sauce platter. It’s Homade brand chili sauce (Heinz will not work) served over softened cream cheese with tortilla chips. This chili sauce was the first item about which I called a manufacturer to check on it’s gluten free status. I was quite relieved to know that as long as I bought gluten free tortilla chips and cream cheese, I could continue to participate in the family tradition.

It’s back to New York tomorrow. Home sweet home.

Gluten-Free Rosemary Roasted Cashews

I am busy preparing my gluten-free Thanksgiving feast today. I hope you are enjoying the holiday with your loved ones. Here is just a taste of what I will be serving this afternoon.This recipe has become one of my all time favorites. I serve it frequently at dinner parties. My family requests this more than any of my other concoctions. It’s the kind of dish that will have people calling you begging for the recipe. It’s so simple and no gluten in sight.

This recipe for rosemary roasted cashew nuts was adapted from The Barefoot Contessa on The Food Network. (Ina Garten will never lead you astray!)

1 pound raw cashew nuts

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon melted butterPreheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 8 – 10 minutes until they are warmed through. Combine the rosemary, pepper, sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl. I like to melt and add the butter to the rest of the mixture about 2 minutes before the nuts are done roasting. Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated.

These are best served warm, but they store well and are still quite delicious days later. Just give the mixture a good stir since much of the rosemary will fall to the bottom.
Enjoy this naturally gluten free appetizer or snack.

Gluten-Free Cooking at 30,000 Feet

In honor of the busiest travel day of the year, I thought it appropriate to share a recent travel experience. I had the pleasure of traveling to London a few weeks ago for a work assignment.

The cuisine found on a plane usually leaves something to be desired even if you can eat the food they are serving. Some carriers offer gluten free meals, however I have had mixed experiences. On one Continental flight I was given the “vegetarian” meal instead of the gluten free one I had ordered. A different flight returning from Europe included a roll using wheat starch which is considered gluten free by the EU but US tests have shown the gluten content to be well above the 20 ppm normally allowed.My strategy is to order the gluten free meal if it is offered but not to depend on eating anything that is served. There may end up being some fruit or a macaroon; Jennie’s brand was served with two of my gluten free meals.

Delta airlines recently eliminated their gluten free meal option so I knew that I was dependent upon what I could carry on the plane for the entire trip. I brought various snacks, fruit, veggies etc. I also brought on a package of shaved turkey breast and a package of Indian seasoned chicken breast.

While the airline industry is not currently known for it’s customer service acumen, I hoped to find a flight attendant in a pleasant mood. I asked if I might be able to keep the two packages in the fridge so that I would have something to eat later in the flight without worrying about the meat spoiling. Well I have never experienced such amazing customer service in any capacity. Not only did she put the packages in the fridge, but then as the flight attendants were heating the rest of the passengers’ meals she let me use a large clean bowl to heat up my veggies and the chicken.I was able to eat my completely gluten free hot meal at the same time everyone else was being served. She then made sure that I had extra fruit and nuts since I couldn’t eat the other sides that they were serving. It was such an extraordinary experience. I haven’t tried cooking again at 30,000 feet, but I know that I can if the need arises.

LEAVING MY GLUTEN-FREE KITCHEN

I left behind the safety of my gluten free kitchen in New York to spend Thanksgiving with my family in California. I have a set of inexpensive cooking utensils and supplies at my Mom’s house for whenever I visit.Before I arrive, she “de-glutens” the kitchen: wiping down counters, putting silverware and dishware through the dishwasher. I am lucky to have a family that is so accommodating and understanding of my gluten free needs. (A more detailed listing of how to “decontaminate” a kitchen is available on the Delphi forums.)

Thanksgiving is always an interesting adventure for someone with Celiac disease. There are so many emotions and memories associated with this meal that it can be a particularly tough event. This year, since I love to cook, we decided that I would prepare the meal for the five us. Well invitations ended up going out to the extended family in the area and now I am cooking a complete gluten free thanksgiving for 20 people. Now this should be fun! Pictures and recipes to follow.

CANDLE CAFE’S NEW GLUTEN-FREE MENU

I have been eating at Candle Café regularly since I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. The more upscale, Candle 79, sister restaurant is part of the Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Program, but Candle Café has a menu with the gluten free items highlighted.Up until a few weeks ago there were a couple appetizers, salads, main courses, sides and desserts that were gluten free. There were great options, but it wasn’t an extensive offering. Well, the new winter menu has so many new gluten free items I struggled to choose.

I decided to start with the “Good Food” plate which allows you to pick four sides and two dressings from a list of over 12 gluten free sides and 7 gluten free dressings. My plate included Quinoa salad with black beans, Carmelized Onions, Steamed mixed veggies, Steamed Greens, with Carrot Ginger and Toasted Cumin Dressings.

As an Italian, I chose to get my salad after the main course. Roasted beets with shaved fennel, candied pecans and an almond nut cheese with cinnamon fig dressing. It was just as exquisite as it sounds.

If you make it to Candle Café (or Candle 79) just ask for the gluten free menu; their regular menus are not marked. Some other favorites that didn’t make it into my dinner this week are the Paradise Casserole made with sweet potatoes, millet, black beans, greens and a country gravy. A new addition to the menu is a cashew crusted tofu – if it’s half as good as the cashew crusted tempeh at Candle 79 it is definitely worth trying. Other dessert options are a chocolate mousse pie, vanilla rice pudding or assorted soy ice creams and sorbets. Organic food doesn’t get any better than this.

Candle Cafe is located at 1307 3rd Ave, New York 10021 At 75th St Phone: 212-472-0970

FEELING NORMAL

I work in corporate America during the week, but one of my true loves is yoga. I finished a yoga teacher training program in June and started an apprenticeship program in September. Our Spring training was 200 hours over the course of ten weeks. We spent all of Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday at the yoga studio. Most of us brought our lunch. Sitting with a bunch of health-minded yogis for lunch was an interesting change. As I sat there, snacking on my string cheese, yogurt, cauliflower or other gluten free foods, I was surrounded by people choosing similarly healthy options.It was great to “feel normal.” A lot people never even knew that I couldn’t eat gluten. I’m not shy about talking about gluten or celiac. In fact I think it’s important for us to educate others so that more people are aware of the condition. But it was nice to not feel like a high-maintenance person who needs “special food.”

The mentorship program isn’t nearly as intense but it still involves some long days. Last week I ran down to the deli (not something I normally do) to see if there was anything that I could eat. I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few bars, yogurts, cheese and snacks that were gluten free. I chose a flavor of Soy Crisps I hadn’t tried before. It felt like such a luxury to be able to grab something quick from a deli.

Most of the time I don’t have a problem with adhering to the gluten free diet, it’s the convenience I miss more than anything else. As more and more gluten free foods become available and labeling laws improve I can feel a shift that hopefully with continue. Wouldn’t we all like to bring back some of the freedom to choose we had before living gluten free?