Yesterday I made this pizza using a brown rice pizza crust made by Nature’s Highlights.  I like that there are only 2 ingredients in their crust: “whole grain brown rice and potato”!  It’s a thin crust, which I like, but it’s more like a very large cracker vs a pizza crust.  I put a lot of ingredients onto my pizzas and this crust doesn’t hold up as well as Sami’s Bakery crust.  Both crusts are purchased frozen.  Nature’s Highlights gives directions on cooking the crust; Sami’s does not.  I have tried Glutino’s crusts too, but they have soy in them, which I am allergic to, and they don’t taste good to me.  Sami’s crusts are very large so I usually cut them in half and bake a half at a time.

My recipe for pizza is:

• pure tomato paste
• spreadable goat cheese
• onions
• broccoli
• oregano

I start by baking the crust for approximately  3-5 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then I take it out and spread a thin layer of tomato paste on the crust.  I scoop out a couple tablespoons of soft goat cheese and mix it into the tomato paste.  In the meantime I lightly steam the broccoli and cut up a red onion.  I spread the onion onto the tomato/goat cheese mixture and then put the broccoli on top of the onion.  I finish it by sprinkling oregano on the pizza.  I bake it for 8-10 minutes and it’s ready to eat.

I love eating a pizza that has veggies on it and like all of my recipes this one is very flexible.  You can substitute the broccoli, leave it off, whatever you like.  My family is not gluten-free, however whenever I make myself one of these pizzas they always help themselves to it too. They still like their regular pizzas, but they see mine as healthier, less oily and good tasting.

I’d love to hear your pizza experiences and suggestions too!

GF Goat Cheese Broccoli Pizza

Our fondus are a little different, and we think better, than any that you can buy at a restaurant.  First of all, my husband, and now my son, are experts at making fondu.  Secondly, we don’t just dip bread in the fondu, not only because I can’t eat “regular” bread, but because it’s boring.  We eat slightly steamed broccoli, small potatoes, sliced apples, cornichons (small french pickles), and the rest of my family eat the bread .

How do I eat fondu given that I am both gluten-free and dairy-free?  First of all, we substitute rice flour for “regular wheat flour”.  I don’t even have wheat flour in my house.  We shred two types of cheese – guyere and swiss – which we mix with the rice flour in a pot with white wine.  In the meantime we lightly steam the broccoli, cook the potatoes, cut up the apples and the bread for those who eat bread and put them in bowls around the fondu pot on the table.  Then we dig in.

Since I am allergic to dairy I can generally only do this once a year when I am feeling really good, and only with lactose and allergy pills, or so I thought.  This was one of the best fondus we have had in a long time.

We topped it off late in the evening with a dark chocolate fondu.  I carefully and slowly melted dark chocolate pieces in the microwave to get it to a liquid and smooth consistency.  In the meantime I cut up banana, peeled and cut up oranges, apples, and put out strawberries and blueberries.  Given that I am allergic to milk chocolate and strawberries and I have a low tolerance for dark chocolate I have to be very careful with this dish too.  I even had a separate fondu for people to eat the strawberries.  It was fabulous and everyone enjoyed it, including me.

These are great party meals and great fun to eat with family and friends.  Everyone loved them and they were happy and fine today.  Unfortunately I woke up in agony and was sick all day today.  What was I thinking eating dairy at all and eating both dairy and chocolate in the same evening?  If you are gluten-free, you can easily substitute rice flour and you can also purchase gluten-free bread/baguettes for your fondu.  But if like me you are dairy free, think long and hard before you dig in.  It is going to be a long time before I do this again.  I may eat it once the memories of my reaction fade, maybe in another year!

Thanks and enjoy!

I will be one of the guest vendors/speakers.  I am going to showcase my three flavors of cookie dough and will have samples of cookies, a cookie cake and cut out star cookies all made using the cookie dough.  I am looking forward to this event and I hope to see many people there!

For more information on the meeting please contact Michelle Mattia at 860-745-1621.

Ingredients:

• mild white fish (1 pound will feed approximately 3 people).  We like cod, basa, sole and pollack to name a few.
• eggs, egg replacer,  soy milk or rice milk mixed with a little gluten-free flour for thickness
• gluten-free bread crumbs
• onions and spices (optional)

Preparation:

• In one casserole dish crack two eggs and whip together until completely blended.  If you don’t want to use eggs, you can use egg replacer, or a gluten-free “milk drink” mixed with a tablespoon or more of gluten-free flour for thickness.
• In another casserole dish pour in bread crumbs.  You can add spices such as salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, etc. to the bread crumbs before or after coating the fish, if you want to.
• Dip the fish into the eggs and then into the gluten-free bread crumbs, coating completely on both sides, and adding bread crumbs as needed.
• Pour olive oil into a pan on medium heat on your stove top.  Put the breaded fish into the pan and cover.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes per side, until golden brown and flaky.  Cook more time for a thicker fish, less time for a thinner fish.
• Cut onions into slices and cook with fish: if you put them in with the fish at the beginning they will get dark and crunchy.  If you put them in when you turn the fish over they will be lighter and softer.

Tips:

• If you prefer you can bake the fish instead of cooking it on the stovetop, at 350 degrees for approximately 7 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish.  Be sure to spray the casserole dish and coat with olive oil.

Some in my family like hamburgers, others (me) like turkey burgers and still others like veggie burgers.  Some like hamburger buns, but of course I can’t eat them.  In fact, I have not found any gluten-free bread that I can eat due to all of my allergies or any others that I like so I just don’t eat bread. Instead I use big lettuce leaves to wrap my turkey burger in.  Now several of us in the family are doing it.

Tonight I cut up slices of avocado, red onion and pickles and put those out on the table along with the different type of burgers, and ketchup of course.  My husband and I each took a big iceberg lettuce leaf, put our burgers in them, and topped topped them with the avocado, onion, pickles and ketchup.  Then we wrapped it all up in the lettuce leaves and ate them.    My kids used whole grain bread for their burgers.  Everyone loved the “burger bar” and all in all it  was DELICIOUS!

The lettuce leaves add a crisp and clean taste to the burgers and have become a favorite for my husband and me.  Try it sometime.  Send in your ideas and recipes too!

Ingredients

• Chicken wings, “wingettes” and small drumsticks
• Your favorite barbeque sauce.

Cooking Directions

• Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.  This will make it easier to clean it after you’ve finished the dish.
• Place the chicken pieces into the baking pan.
• Pour barbeque sauce over the pieces, brushing them and turning them over to coat them evenly.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until fully cooked.

Serving Ideas

• Put the casserole dish out with little plates for people to serve themselves.  The casserole will be full of delicious sauce made from the juices from the chicken and the barbeque sauce.
• Drain sauce and transfer chicken pieces to a separate platter for people to pick up and eat as a finger food.

Ingredients

• Chicken (Buy any type of chicken you like.  Skinless pieces of breast meat, thigh meat or tenderloins will be easiest to cut up)
• Vegetables
• Firm head(s) of lettuce with big leaves such as iceberg or romaine
• Olive Oil

Cooking Directions

• Peel leaves of lettuce off and put onto a platter.  Cut intosmall pieces for bite sized portions, or use large leaves for meal size portions.
• Cut chicken into small cubes or strips, set aside.
• Cut up your favorite vegetables into bite sized pieces.   We’ve used: Onions, Broccoli, Carrots, Zucchini, Peppers
• Saute onions in olive oil until soft
• Steam remaining vegetables on medium heat until they are      partially cooked, approximately 10 minutes
• Cook chicken on medium heat in skillet with olive oil, approximately 10 minutes, until no longer pink.
• Add in onion and steamed vegetables.
• Add spices to taste, such as salt, pepper, seasoned salt, paprika, rosemary, thyme, etc.

Serving Ideas

• Transfer chicken and vegetables into casserole dish andallow people to scoop into lettuce leaves.  Fold and eat.
• Scoop tablespoonfuls of chicken and vegetables into lettuceleaves and put on platter for people to eat.

Tips & Ideas

• Use any vegetables you like.
• Add gluten-free soy sauce or teriyaki sauce while cookingfor an asian taste.
• Make rice and add to chicken and vegetables dish before scooping into leaves.
  

  Chicken & Veggie Lettuce Wraps

All you have to do is take a tub of the cookie dough and press it into a cake pan.  I spray it with cooking spray to make sure it comes out easily.  Bake it for approximately 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  You’ll know it’s done when it’s golden brown, the edges are coming away from the sides of the pan and you can smell the delicious aroma.  We cooled it and ate it along with the fruit and chocolate from the fondu.  It was DELICIOUS!

Another idea for a cookie cake is to make two cookie cakes.  Frost one, layer the second cake on top of the other and frost for a layered cookie cake.

You can use either the Sensational Sugar Cookie Dough for a sugar/vanilla cake or the Chocolate Chip Paradise Cookie Dough for a large chocolate chip cookie cake.

Very easy to do, completely delish and everyone will enjoy. You do NOT have to have food allergies to enjoy these cakes!

Everyone learned how to make several different types of treats including cookies, mini pies,  trail mix and chocolate sunflower treats.  We had a lot of fun and tasted everything along the way.  We will have pictures soon.

Many thanks to Mary Kravec who sets up and manages these events at The Silo, to CJ who helped and to Tim for videotaping!  Watch for some of these recipes in our next newsletter!