Stuffed Cabbage

A sure way to stay healthy while eating g free is to experiment with new recipes using vegetables. Pick ones you rarely eat or have never heard of and google a recipe that sounds good and try it out! Cabbage is a good one to experiment with it. We have all had cole slaw but try my easy stuffed cabbage recipe. Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients

1 lb of ground meat ( turkey, chicken, beef)

1 egg

1 head of green cabbage

2 cups (or one jar) of your favorite tomato sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp Italian seasoning

¼ tsp of salt

Pinch of black pepper

Directions

Ø   Preheat oven to 375 degrees .

Ø  Peel off the 1^st layer of leaves off the head of cabbage and discard. Pull off about 14 leaves of the cabbage ( try not to tear them).

Ø  Submerge the cabbage leaves in boiling water for a few minutes until they are pliable. Remove and set aside to cool.

Ø  Mix together the ground meat, egg and all the seasonings.

Ø  Form meat mixture into meatball size portions ( a little bigger than a golf ball).

Ø  Wrap each meatball in 1 – 2 cabbage leaves.

Ø  Spread about half the sauce in a thin layer on a baking tray. Arrange the cabbage leaves in the baking tray and cover with remaining sauce.

Ø  Bake at 375 for about 30 – 35 mins.

Mediterranean Chicken

Studies say the diet of Mediterraneans is quite possibly the healthest on earth. As anyone with Celiac knows, it can be tough to eat a truly healthy or balanced diet due to our restrictions. My Mediterranean Chicken recipe offers the benefits of tomatoes, and olives and is just plain yummy!
Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded thin

Salt

Pepper

Cornstarch

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 can (15oz) of diced tomatoes

¼ cup of olives of your choice (I like kalmata or green, if you love olives use more! )

Directions

1.        Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place cornstarch in a bowl and press each cutlet into the cornstarch on both sides. Shake off the excess.

2.      Heat the oil in a pan and cook chicken until each side is golden (about 6 – 7 mins on each side). Remove from pan.

3.      Add garlic, tomatoes and olives to the pan. Saute for about 4 – 5 mins.

4.     Spoon tomato and olive mixture over the chicken and serve.

Introducing.. G Free J Consulting. Made possible by YOU!

I would like to thank everyone who has followed or liked the blog and the facebook page. It is because of your support I was able to start G Free J Consulting. I will be able to work with restaurants and other eating establishments to help create their gluten free menus, and educate their staff. Celiacs know how difficult it is to find a restaurant that truly offers gluten free options and will often not eat in a restaurant rather then risk becoming sick. Through educating staff and constructing genuine, safe, gluten free options Celiacs can once again dine out with confidence!

No Bake Chocolate Bark

Some of the best recipes are the ones that are ridiculously simple to make. This is one of them.. I encourage you to make this with your children also! This recipe can be used for white chocolate, dark chocolate or milk chocolate and get creative with the toppings! I used Hersheys Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips as they are g-free but you can use any brand that is g- free.

Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark

Ingredients

8oz bag of dark or milk chocolate chips

1 cup of mixed nuts and dried fruit ( I used pre made trail mix to make it really easy)

Directions

1.     Line a baking sheet pan  with wax paper. Place in the freezer.

2.  Place chocolate chips in mixing bowl and put in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time. After 15 seconds take it out and stir it, then put it in for another 15 seconds and repeat until you have a totally melted smooth bowl of chocolate.

3.   Quickly pour the chocolate onto the wax paper and sprinkle with the dried fruit and nuts.

4.  Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until completely frozen.

5.   Take the baking sheet out and peel the wax paper off the chocolate. Break or cut the bark into pieces.

Baby got back-yard BBQ Sauce

Nothing says summer like a BBQ.. unless of course, your gluten free in which case most barbarque sauces are pretty much poison! You can enjoy your summer and BBQ like a pro with my homemade, super easy BBQ sauce. It stores well too, just put it in a mason jar and keep it in the fridge. The vinegar acts as a natural preservative for about 2 weeks. Hear that food companies? NATURAL preservative! Enjoy!

Baby Got Back-yard BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup of Heinz tomato ketchup (or other gluten free brand)

½ TBSP Worcestershire Sauce

½ tsp minced garlic

1/8 tsp white vinegar

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp paprika

1 TBSP of Honey

Dash of chili powder

Directions

*Let it simmer for 3 – 4 minutes on low heat. Baste on meats or use as a dipping sauce*

Easy Corn bread Sandwich Bread

As promised.. here is a super easy recipe for sandwich bread/ corn bread. Make it in a loaf pan and slice it thin. Apply your fillings and VIOLA! Delish! It's safe to say that this New Yorker is having a Southern Belle moment... heres an amazing corn muffin recipe too!

Easy Sandwich Corn Bread

Ingredients

2 cups of Yellow or White Cornmeal

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ cups milk

2 eggs beaten

2 Tablespoons bacon dripping or olive oil.

Directions

Preheat oven at 425.

Put bacon drippings or olive oil into a 9 inch loaf pan and put it in the oven while its preheating.

Stir together the cornmeal, salt, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and milk.

Stir the milk mixture into the dry mixture.

Remove the hot pan from the oven and pour the hot oil/drippings into the batter and mix well.

Pour batter into the hot pan and bake until golden brown, 20 – 25 minutes.

Corn Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup cornflour (masa)

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1      teaspoon salt

2 eggs , beaten

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup regular milk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine , melted

Directions:

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl.

Slowly combine the wet into the dry. Combine well.

Pour into greased muffin cups. Bake in preheated 400 oven for about 25 minutes.

Feeling Saucey Cheese Sauce

When my gluten free journey began, I was misdiagnosed numerous times. At one point I was told I was lactose intolerant and truth be told, this diagnosis was much harder for me to take then my celiac diagnosis!I really do enjoy diary, there is something so comforting about it. Here's my cheese sauce recipe. I make home made mac and cheese with this sauce, put it over potatoes, and use it as a dip for veggies. Kids and adults both love this stuff! Here's a few tips for you:

1. My recipe calls for shredded cheese. I highly recommend shredding the cheese yourself or using cheese slices over pre shredded cheeses. The pre shredded cheeses, although convenient contain a coating so it doesn't all clump together in the bag, this same ingredient will make it difficult for you to achieve a creamy sauce. You will have a grainy texture.
2. In general, if you do buy pre shredded cheeses, make sure the anti clumping agent they use is either a cornstarch or potato starch. Some of these cheeses have flour, so NOT gluten free!

 If you adore cheese like I do or your simply feeling a little saucey, this is the sauce for you!

Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

¾ cup of milk

1 cup of cheese shredded

1 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp cornstarch

½ tsp of salt

Pinch of pepper

Directions

1.     Pour milk into a saucepan and heat gently over a low heat, do not allow to boil.

2.   Add your shredded cheese and whisk gently until cheese is melted.

3.   Combine cornstarch and melted butter and stir until combined.

4.   Slowly whisk in the  butter mixture into the cheese mixture.

5.   Whisk in salt and pepper.

6.   Allow to heat and continue to stir, sauce will begin to thicken as it heats.