You say it’s your birthday? Well, it’s my birthday, too!  And since I’m hosting the Gluten-Free Menu Swap on my birthday, it seemed fitting to choose my favorite food for the theme – Chocolate! I prefer the rich taste of dark chocolate over milk chocolate, which works out just fine since I’ve removed dairy from my diet. Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat chocolate, other than plain:

Chocolate Chip Cookies – I’ve been craving chocolate chip cookies for several days now, so I think it’s time I made a batch. I prefer to make these from scratch. I’m going to try revising my own recipe this week, but I have had good luck making these tasty recipes, too:

• Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Carrie at Ginger Lemon Girl
• Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies from Linda at The Gluten-Free Homemaker
• Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies from Shirley at Gluten-Free Easily

Brownies – I’ve tried lots of recipes, but I usually rely on box mixes for a quick treat of brownies. For some reason, they always seem to turn out better than the recipes I’ve tried. I really like The Gluten-Free Pantry’s Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix and Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Brownie Mix. I recently tried King Arthur’s Brownie Mix. It was good, but not my favorite. And, Wegman’s just came out with a new Brownie mix I’m anxious to try.

Chocolate Cake – If you are looking for a good cake mix, King Arthur’s Chocolate Cake Mix is excellent! It’s truly the favorite in my family. Actually, I have to say that if you are buying a gluten-free cake mix, the chocolate flavors of all brands I’ve tried have all turned out very good. The yellow, white, and vanilla varieties are more likely to have a strange taste or texture. Given the choice, I always go for the chocolate!

And for the week’s menu…Well, I haven’t really used chocolate in my meals this week, other than desserts. But maybe some of the others joining the menu swap this week will, so don’t forget to check the roundup below.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Chicken Tacos

Pork Chops w/ Black Beans

Monday -  Rotisserie Chicken served with broccoli and Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Tuesday – Steak Fajitas with Cilantro Lime Rice

Wednesday - leftovers and maybe Chocolate Fondue with fresh fruit

Thursday – Chicken Tacos with shredded chicken, corn tortillas, lettuce, olives, etc.

Friday - Pasta Salad with Chicken, Grape Tomatoes, Peas, and Parmesan Dressing

Saturday - Pork Chops with Black Beans served with green beans

Sunday – Chocolate Chip Pancakes with bacon and a Berry Fruit Salad

Gluten Free Menu Swap Roundup

Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness is also celebrating her birthday this week. I hope she’s feeling well enough to enjoy her delicious Chocolate Raspberry Pie. For meals this week, she’s planning Chicken on Baby Greens, Malaysian Sunflower Chicken Curry and Fish with Garlic Scape Pesto. Happy Birthday, Cheryl!

Carrie at Ginger Lemon Girl is making a batch of her yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies and maybe Chocolate Chip Scones for breakfast. She’s also adding some cocoa to her quick 20-minute Chili. She has a couple more quick and easy meal ideas on her menu this week: Ground Turkey and Zucchini One Pot Meal and Gluten-Free Pizza. Pan-grilled Steak, BBQ Chicken and Southwestern Salmon Burgers round out her menu plan this week.

Angela of Angela’s Kitchen is posting at Once A Month Mom this week. She shares her Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake recipe as well as recipes for Mocha Chip Muffins and  Babycakes NYC Allergen Free Brownies. All are gluten-free and dairy-free! On her menu this week is Deviled Egg Salad with GF French Bread, BBQ Glazed Chicken with Apple, Bok Choy and Carrot Slaw, Stuffed Burgers with Mediterranean filling, Taco Pizza, and so much more!

Thanks for joining and/or visiting the menu swap this week. Be sure to visit Angela’s Kitchen next week for the roundup of Memorial Day meals.

Want to join Gluten-Free Menu Swap?

• For this week’s roundup, email your menu link to celiacfamily[AT]gmail[DOT]com. Or, simply put your menu link in the comments below.
• Since next Monday is Memorial Day, Angela will be hosting with that theme at Angela’s Kitchen. 
• The Gluten-Free Menu Swap Page has the current schedule of themes and hosts. If you’d like to host a future week, please send me an email (celiacfamily[AT]gmail[DOT]com) with your preferred date and theme.

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.