Gluten-Free Friday

My eldest daughter's 18th birthday is Sunday, and once again, she'd rather not have cake, which is fine with us. Hers is the second of five birthdays in a two month period, so it's a welcomed change! Hope you'll enjoy this as much as we do! --LKR

Note: By all means, use butter in place of the oil. I just make it this way when trying to stay away from dairy or while doing a detox.

Apple Crisp

Grease a 10x6x2" baking dish with sesame, apricot, olive, or safflower oil. Place 4 cups of sliced apples in a 10x6x2" baking dish. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of water.

In a bowl, combine 3/4 cup of rice flour with 1/3 cup of any oils listed above. Blend with a spoon 'til crumbly. Slowly add about 1 cup of either honey or maple syrup and continue to mix with spoon.

Drop mixture on top of apples, and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

The nice thing about this dessert is you don't have to be exact about any of the ingredients. You could add more apples, or use less; make more of the crumbled topping, or less; add more cinnamon or sweetener, or less of either of them.

Gluten-Free Friday

Looking for a way to get some healthy, raw garlic into your diet? Try this on any brand of bread, even the blander, less flavorful ones. My dad got me hooked on this when I was younger:

Garlic Bread

Toast a slice of gluten-free bread

Rub a small clove of garlic over the surface

Butter liberally (helps cut the bite)

Eat! If this is too much "taste" for you, cut into pieces and use as croutons for a salad. Enjoy! --LKR

Gluten-Free Friday Rice, Meat, and Sauerkraut

Gluten-free recipe for

11-11-11

When Hubby and I were first married, he thought this was the most disgusting sounding combination 'til he actually tried a bite. Now he loves this dish and requests it if I haven't made it in a while! :-)

The below is a Hungarian dish that my mom claims I turned into a Mexican meal because I added kidney beans to it, but she likes it better that way, and so do we! :-)

Rice, Meat, and Sauerkraut

3 C Rice, cooked (more or less, depending upon family size and casserole dish you're using)

Ground Beef or Pork (Turkey works, too)

2 cans Red Kidney Beans, rinsed

Fresh Garlic, minced

Pepper to taste (I used Cayenne, but it calls for Black Pepper)

A few shakes of Paprikas (Opt)

1 large jar/can of Sauerkraut (The one with only salt, NOT caraway seeds), mostly drained

Grease casserole dish. Spread about 1/2 the rice in bottom, reserving the remainder for the top layer.

Brown the meat with garlic in a little water (or you can use olive oil). Add kidney beans and cook a little longer. Season with pepper. Spoon over rice.

Cook sauerkraut. Layer over meat.

Top with remaining rice. Cover and place in oven @ 350 for 30 min to allow flavors to blend and cook together.

Serve and enjoy!

Note: I don't add salt 'cuz there's enough in the sauerkraut. Also, if you use enough or a lot of garlic, you won't miss the salt! :-)

Quiche, Anyone?

It's been ages since I've made quiche, and since I couldn't think of anything else to make, decided on this for dinner. Okay, so maybe it was the two giant zucchinis and three tomatoes that needed to be used up that helped necessitate this meal.

Duplicating a dish I've made isn't easy since I improvise, often using recipes only as guidelines. By the way, this is a crustless version, so it is gluten-free.

Let's see, the zucchinis, tomatoes, and onion were sauteed; side pork (cooked) was "crumbled"; cheddar, havarti, and muenster were added to milk and eggs and mixed together. Oh, yes, some basil and oregano were also tossed in. Normally I like to use fresh herbs, but our basil is recovering from when we were away on our (2,827 mile) "road trip", and we haven't had oregano in our garden since we've lived here. Guess this was the only part of the recipe I actually followed: Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

The kids were fighting over who would get the largest pieces. None of them asked what they were eating until after all crumbs were consumed. The smiles quickly turned to shock and disbelief. I'm not exactly sure what they've heard about quiche, before, but it must not have measured up! --LKR

Recipe--Gluten-Free Salmon Pinwheels

Gluten-Free Salmon Pinwheels

Mix:
8 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
1 t dried dillweed

Spread onto:
4 8-10" Rice Tortillas
(I doubled this and also used Spring Rolls Skin which we liked better)

Sprinkle on top:
4 1/2 oz Smoked Salmon, finely chopped

Evenly space on top:
16 Spinach Leaves
16 Strips Pimento (I just used olives)

Roll tortillas tightly, using extra cream cheese to seal, if needed. Wrap securely in foil or plastic wrap. Place in fridge over 2 hours, but under 24 hours. Cut in 1" pieces, and place cut side up on platter. Cover 'til ready to serve. Enjoy!

Recipe--Ham and Cheese Cheeseball

Ham and Cheese Cheeseball

16 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 T Garlic Salt
1 C Ham--I used Canadian Bacon
1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese--I also used a little bit of Swiss Cheese
1/4 C Parsley

Beat first three ingredients in bowl 'til smooth. Stir in ham and cheese. Form into balls and roll in parsley. Refrigerate. Serve with crackers--Mary's Gone Crackers and Glutino Gluten-Free Crackers are superb. Enjoy!!!

Festval of Nations

On Wednesday, close to noon, I found myself frying and flipping a gluten-free adaptation of Palacsinta (Pa-la-cheen-ta), a Hungarian version of the French Crepe. They taste best nice and warm, you know! The fourth graders at my youngest daughter's school were hosting a Festival of Nations, and it was to begin at 1 that afternoon.

Since I am a full-blooded Hungarian (but born in the states!), Hannah decided to do Hungary for her presentation. Treasured embroidery (hímés) I've never let out of my possession before were entrusted with my 10 year old who treated them with respect.

My Dad's cousin in Hungary had embroidered and sent both me and my sister beautiful pillow cases, doilies, and runners as wedding gifts. Years earlier, a former neighbor brought back small decorative embroidered photo albums from Hungary as souvenirs for us, as well. These are what Hannah displayed.

Hannah's neighbor (at the event) and friend, Phil, who is 50 percent Syrian, did Syria. It was really interesting! You read of Syria and Damascus in the Bible, but I never realized how close it really is to eastern Europe, namely Hungary! The other interesting tidbit I learned about this country was it's flag. The green star on the left represents Syria, and the one on the right, Egypt.

Another really interesting and colorful display was Hannah's friend Shanzay's. She did hers on Pakistan. Shanzay wore a beautiful Pakistani costume, and had some interesting props from her country.

Italy, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, Sweden, and several other countries were also represented by the students. Ethnic foods were served at many of these stations, adding to the lure of this event which was open to families and friends, as well as to the students and staff at the school.

There were lots of really interesting exhibits the students presented, each with engaging and unique personal stories they asked if they could share. My only regret was that I was not able to hear them all! --LKR