Archive for August, 2010
Gluten-Free Granola
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My husband started a new job this summer that comes with a longer commute and fewer easily accessible options for gluten-free food. So, I’ve been trying to have lunches and snacks at home that he can easily take with him. I hadn’t tried Bakery on Main‘s granola products, yet. So, I was happy to get some samples in the mail to try. They sent me some granola bars and the Fiber Power granola to try.
I often hear from people starting on the gluten-free diet that they don’t get enough fiber from a gluten-free diet. (Well, that’s a whole other subject, that I won’t get into in this post.) If you happen to feel the same way, then the Fiber Power Granola may be the product for you. It contains gluten-free whole grain oats and 9 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup serving. My husband enjoyed the Fiber Power granola mixed in with yogurt.
The first thing that struck me about these products was their aroma. Each time I opened a package I was surprised they were so fragrant. True to its name, the Triple Berry Granola had a wonderful berry scent. The Maple Cranberry bars smelled of maple syrup, and the Extreme Trail Mix bars smelled like sunflower seeds. Maybe my nose was just sensitive on that day, but I was immediately drawn to the delicious smells.
The next thing I noticed were all the whole grains and seeds. Wow. Lots of sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, rice crisps, and cornflakes. All three bars are soft and chewy, not too crunchy, and have a light sweetness to them. I think the size is perfect, too. Not too much to ruin dinner, and easy to carry around in a briefcase, purse, or backpack. The dried cranberries in the Maple Cranberry bars and Trail Mix bars added a nice flavor and sweetness. The Extreme Trail Mix bars also had large pieces, if not whole, almonds, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts which added an extra crunch to the bars.
I let my kids give them a try, too. But, apparently the bars are not to their liking. I guess the flavors are a little too strong for them. Of the three, the Chocolate Peanut Butter one was the most palatable. If it weren’t for the chocolate chips, they probably would pass. OK, so the bars aren’t exactly kid-favorites. But, my husband and I were able to appreciate them for their taste, texture and natural goodness.
You should check out the Bakery on Main website for all the nutrition details, but I will mention a few things about the granola bars. Each one contains 170 calories with 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of sugar. The granola bars are sweetened with rice syrup, honey and evaporated cane juice.
For more opinions on these and other Bakery on Main products check out these other recent reviews:
Menu Plan August 9 – Tomatoes
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So, I never got a vegetable garden planted this year. (I’m beginning to think I never will.) And yet, I still seem to have an abundance of fresh tomatoes this year. Our kind neighbors have been sharing their bounty with us. So, I’ve been finding ways to enjoy them in our meals. Here are some of my recent favorites:
Corn and Black Bean Salad
Greek Pasta Salad
Mexican Pizza
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I’ve got a few more ideas in my menu this week, too. How are you enjoying the tomatoes this summer? Don’t forget to check below for the Gluten Free Menu Swap, where I’ll link up other bloggers who are sharing gluten-free menus this week. Hopefully, they’ll have some more ideas for tomatoes, too!
Celiac Family’s menu this week:
Monday – Chicken Kabobs
I’ll be grilling chicken kabobs and serving it with Cheryl’s lemony mint quinoa.
Tuesday – Pulled Pork Sandwiches
I’ll slow-cook a pork shoulder (or Boston butt) and serve with Amy’s Tomato Basil Salad.
Wednesday – Grilled Steaks
I’ve got some patty pan and yellow squash that I need to cook up. I think I’ll try cooking them on the grill, too.
Thursday – Sub/Hoagie Sandwiches
I’ll make a loaf of French bread for making sub sandwiches. We’ll get out some sliced lunch meat, and maybe leftover pulled pork, and let everyone make their own sandwich with lettuce, onion, tomato, etc. I’ll serve it with Avocado Salsa and tortilla chips.
Friday – Fish Tacos
My kids haven’t been too interested in eating fish lately. Sometimes they’ll take one or two bites, but that’s about it. I thought I’d try making fish tacos and see if I get a better response. If I have any tomatoes left in the house, I’ll make my dad’s fresh salsa to go with it.
Saturday – leftovers
Clearing out the refrigerator, and eating up all the foods that didn’t get eaten for lunches.
Sunday – Chicken Curry
Making chicken curry and serving over rice.
Here is what some other gluten-free friends are planning this week:
Lisa at Extraordinary Life tells me she has a tomato garden, and uses the tomatoes to make salsa and sauces. She has a great menu planned for this week, which includes gluten-free gnocchi with her super secret tomato sauce. She’s also has Twice Baked Pork Chops, gluten-free Rice a Roni, and pizza on her menu this week.
Susan has a wide variety of meal ideas at I love nectarines this week. She has a photo of a fabulous looking California-style okonomiyaki. She also has Baingan Bharta (eggplant curry), Mac ‘n Cheese, and tamale pie on the menu.
There are lots of tomatoes on this week’s menu at In My Box: tomatoes on a pizza, tomato salad with shallots, tomato and cucumber salad, and roasted tomatoes. But it’s not just tomatoes. Check out the Indonesian Fried Rice, Szechuan-style tofu and more on the menu.
Celiacs in the House has plenty of tomatoes this time of year, too. Wendy’s been making tomatoes stuffed with tuna and veggie salad for lunches, making tomato sauce to freeze, and is threatening to make tomato ice cream! I hope you try it Wendy. I’d love to hear how it turns out. For dinners this week, she’s planning on BBQ Chicken, a Greek meal, salmon cakes, and more great meals.
Cheryl says she doesn’t have as many tomatoes this year, but she must have some cherry tomatoes. She’s using them in Salsa Mole and Quinoa Italiana this week at Gluten Free Goodness. The Malaysian Curry on the menu sounds good, too.
Renee at Beyond Rice and Tofu says that pests have limited her supply of tomatoes this year. However, she still had enough to make white bean gazpacho last week. This week, she has Mushroom and Leek Pasta, Cucumber and Avocado Soup, and lots of homemade Tamales! on her menu.
Need more menu ideas?
- Laura at OrgJunkie.com hosts Menu Plan Monday every week. You’ll find links to hundreds of meal plans (not necessarily gluten-free) there.
- Or, check out some of my past menu plans.
Want to join Gluten-Free Menu Swap?
Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness manages the headquarters of Gluten-Free Menu Swap. There you will find the rules, the current and upcoming schedule, and links to past roundups. For this week, email the link of your gluten-free menu to me at celiacfamily[at]gmail[dot]com.
Greek Pasta Salad with Chicken
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Here’s another dish I created to use up some leftover chicken. This time it was roasted or rotisserie chicken. No leftovers at your house? You can always cook a couple chicken breasts to add to the salad. Or, make it without the chicken at all.
Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
Salad:
12 oz. Gluten-Free Fusilli Pasta
1-1/2 Cups (about 9 oz.) Cooked Chicken, cut up in bite-size pieces
1-1/2 Cups (about 9 oz.) Greek Olives, pitted and cut in half
2 small Cucumbers, cut into chunks
2 medium Tomatoes, cut into wedges
6 to 8 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper, added to taste
Dressing:
3/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
Juice of one Lemon (about 3 Tbsp)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp dried Oregano
Instructions:
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. (Schar Pasta
directs to put the pasta into 4 quarts boiling water and boil for 8-10 minutes. When the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.)
- Prepare the salad ingredients by cutting into bite-size pieces.
- Place the dressing ingredients in a cruet or jar with a lid, and shake it up thoroughly.
- Place the pasta and salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour about half the dressing over it, and toss to cover evenly. Chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours, or serve at room temperature.
- Serve up the pasta salad and season to taste with extra dressing, salt and pepper.
Additional Notes:
- Quartered, marinated artichoke hearts also make a nice addition to the salad.
- For the olives, I usually buy a mix of Greek olives which includes Kalamata.
Notable Links:
- I’ve linked this post to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.
- You’ll also find it linked at Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.
Mexican Pizza
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I’ve recently learned that pizza is a great way to use up leftover ingredients. I’ve been wanting to try Gluten Free Gobsmacked’s “Chebe” bread recipe for a pizza crust for a while. I use the recipe frequently for rolls and hamburger buns, but never tried it for pizza. Well, I finally did it! I baked the first pizza a little too long — pre-baked it for 15 minutes. It was crunchy. I added pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, sliced black olives and sliced mushrooms. Although the crust was a little too crunchy, it was still tasty. My son ate two big slices, which is a lot for him.
The second pizza, I pre-baked for only 10 minutes. The crust turned out much better. I decided to use up some leftovers to make a Mexican Pizza. Instead of a traditional tomato pizza sauce, I used salsa. Then I topped it with leftover shredded chicken, black olives and a mixture of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese. The best part about the pizza was the fresh tomato and avocado slices. We placed them on top of the pizza after we removed the pizza from the oven. It was really nice to have the added fresh, raw vegetables on it. Perfect for a summertime pizza.
Mexican Pizza Recipe
Ingredients:
Pizza Crust – Use your favorite or try a Cheese Bread Recipe.
1/2 Cup Salsa – Use your favorite recipe or jarred gluten-free salsa.
1 – 2 Cups Shredded Mexican Chicken
2 Cups shredded cheese (Try cheddar, Monterey Jack, and/or mozzarella.)
1/4 Cup sliced black olives
1 Avocado, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
Directions:
- Pizza Crust – For the Cheese Bread recipe: Combine the ingredients in a food processor
(or mixer), then turn out onto a large piece of parchment paper
. Top with plastic wrap and roll or press into a 10-12″ round crust. Remove the plastic wrap and slide the crust (and parchment paper) onto a pre-heated pizza stone
- Remove the pizza from the oven and add your chosen ingredients. Start with spreading the salsa (or pizza sauce) on the crust. Then add the chicken, cheese, olives, jalapeños etc. Return the pizza to the oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool slightly while you slice the tomato and avocado. Then, top the pizza with the avocado and tomato slices.
- Slice
Notable Links:
- Recipe for “Chebe” bread or Pao de Chejo from Gluten Free Gobsmacked
- Try The W.H.O.L.E. Gang‘s Quick and Easy Mexican Pizza recipe at GingerLemonGirl.com.
- For more Slightly Indulgent recipes, visit the roundup at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.
- You’ll find more gluten-free recipes and ideas at The Gluten-Free Homemaker’s Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
Menu Plan August 1
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For this week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap, we are celebrating Wendy’s 50th Birthday! If you haven’t checked out her series 30 Days to 50 at Celiacs in the House, you should really take a look. It’s been an informative series about Wendy focusing on herself to get fit and healthy. She’s provided great insight, as well as gotten advice from some other gluten-free bloggers and experts in exercise, nutrition and health.
Wendy is hosting the Gluten Free Menu Swap this week and has chosen birthday foods as the theme. I’m not sure what Wendy is wanting for her birthday foods, but I’m going to suggest a Fruit Pizza. We made it this summer for a family birthday celebration and it was a big hit. Considering the fact that Wendy is trying to lose some weight, I suggest halving the recipe and making a smaller version. 
Happy Birthday, Wendy! And congratulations on your 30 Days to 50 Series. Thanks for sharing your experience as well as providing inspiration to others to live a healthier life.
Want to join the Gluten-Free Menu Swap? Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness manages the headquarters of Gluten-Free Menu Swap. There you will find the rules, the current and upcoming schedule, and links to past roundups.
I’m hosting next week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap with tomatoes as the theme ingredient. I know a lot of you with gardens must have some great ideas for using tomatoes in your meals. So stop by next week to link up and/or find some meal ideas with tomatoes.
Celiac Family’s Menu This Week:
Monday – Cheeseburgers
My daughter has requested making patterns with Fruit Kabobs this week. Sounds like good practice before school starts, so I’ll let my kids skewer the fruit in any pattern they choose. They’ll probably talk me into making French fries, too.
Tuesday – Pasta Salad
I have some Gluten-Free Fusilli
Wednesday – Roasted Chicken
Serving Roasted Chicken with a Corn and Black Bean Salad.
Thursday – Shrimp Cocktail
Serving cold shrimp (the way my kids like it) with a Wild Rice Salad.
Friday – Baked Salmon
Baking salmon with lemon and dill and serving with leftover wild rice salad.
Saturday – Flank Steak
Grilling marinated flank steak and serving with baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.
Sunday – Leftover Buffet
Everything left in the refrigerator gets pulled out for a create-your-own-meal night.
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Need more menu ideas?
- Laura at OrgJunkie.com hosts Menu Plan Monday every week. You’ll find links to hundreds of meal plans (not necessarily gluten-free) there.
- Or, check out some of my past menu plans.
