Recipe: Gluten Free Stuffed Onions

This recipe is a variation on a recipe I found in a Spanish cookbook called 1080 Recipes by Simone & Inés Ortega. It's a fantastic resource for Spanish cooking, but it's not a gluten free cookbook. Still, I love to adapt dishes to be GF, and then tweak them to fit my family's tastes.

These stuffed onions have been adapted to be gluten free, but also to include some additional ingredients that made the recipe more to my personal taste. I omitted the bread, changed the cooking water to broth, and made a few other changes along the way. I also cut the recipe from 12 onions to 6, to be more manageable.

The recipe itself isn't complicated, but it is time consuming with a few different stages. I love onions, and I really love the way their flavour changes when cooked, sweetening and taking the spicy edge off. Everyone enjoyed these, even the toddler. If there is any meat leftover after the onions are stuffed, make meatballs out of them.

**For a dairy free version, substitute the milk for a dairy free version, and omit the Romano cheese.

Looking for a Gluten Free BBQ Sauce? 5 Awesome Options

Superbowl Sunday is coming up, and if you're like most people I know, BBQ something-or-other will probably be on your menu. While I often make my own BBQ sauce, there's nothing more convenient then simply opening a jar of sauce. 

Unfortunately, many sauces have wheat or other sources of gluten listed in the ingredients, which can make shopping an all day trip while you read the minuscule writing on the sides of the jars.

I've rounded up 5 flavourful options that are widely available, and of course, gluten free. They are presented below in no particular order.

Cookbook of the Month Review January 2014: Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats & A Winner!

Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats: Allergy Free & Vegan Recipes
by Debbie Adler
 

  Baked Goods That Actually Make You Feel Good? 

Are you saying "no" to dessert because of food allergies or health concerns? Or saying "no" when your kid asks for a cupcake at a birthday party? If so, Sweet Debbie has a Chocoholic Cupcake for you.

With her own son allergic to "every food in the USDA pyramid," Debbie Adler took matters into her own kitchen. Today, her wildly popular, allergen-free bakery, Sweet Debbie's Organic Cupcakes, has Hollywood's A-list celebrities lining up for her delicious, nutritious muffins, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, donut holes and breads. 

Now Sweet Debbie is sharing all her delectable secrets for fifty scrumptious treats like: 

Irresistible Red Velvet Cupcakes 
Salted Caramel Apple Muffins 
Cosmic Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Gourmet Dark Chocolate Mesquite Brownies 
Blueberry Streusel Donut Holes 

If you're a vegan, diabetic, have Celiac disease, a food allergy or an intolerance, or are simply interested in boosting your health via your baking tins, set the oven to "preheat" and sit down with "Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats." Your sweet tooth will thank you for it.
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: October 29, 2013

Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan January 27-31, 2014

Monday: Stuffed Onions (Recipe to be posted this week)

It's Robbie Burns Day! Is Haggis Gluten Free?

Looking forward to celebrating Robbie Burns Day this evening at home or out with friends and wondering: Is Haggis Gluten Free? I researched this very question for a reader last year and wrote all about it in this post. 

Image ©Zoonabar [http://flickr.com/photos/zoonabar/ zoonabar] Creative Commons

Important Update on Products Using Gluten Free Certification Organization Label

The Gluten Free Certification Organization is an program of the Gluten Intolerance Group, a nonprofit organization. For a product to receive certification as gluten free, it must meet strict requirements, including testing under 10ppm (the US and Canadian legal limit is 20ppm, so this is even stricter.) Companies can apply to have their product qualify to use the GFCO label on their products if they meet the requirements.

Sometimes, companies use the label even when they have not been certified under the program, or their certification changes.

This week the Gluten Intolerance Group has an update on their site about products that are using the label, but do not meet the organization's standards. In addition, there has been some recent concern about the potential for gluten to be an undeclared ingredient in some spices imported from abroad, and they are working with the Canadian government to learn more. Click here to read more.

Product Review: Glutino Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix

Photo Source

There are many gluten free products out there that can easily compete with their regular versions, but pie crusts haven't seemed to be one of them. I'm not against posting reviews of products I don't like, but I prefer to let people know about products I love instead. Finding a gluten free pie crust that can compete with a regular pie crust has been difficult.

Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan (January 20-24, 2014)

I have to admit, I'm over this whole winter thing, and it's still only January. I need a beach, ASAP. The only good thing about this weather is eating hearty food that keeps me warm (kind of). Here's what we're eating this week!

Monday: Tofu & Green Beans in a Mushroom Sauce

Recipe: Green Juice with a Hint of Ginger (No juicer required)

I'm a big fan of smoothies, but sometimes I don't feel like something so thick and filling. Lately, it's been extremely cold where I live, and I find myself craving something light and refreshing as a pick me up after all the comfort foods I've been eating to stay warm! I love those green juices they sell at the supermarket, and have always been interested in creating my own and drinking them fresh, not pasteurized or whatever it is they do to keep them fresher, longer.

The problem is I don't have a juicer. I used to have one, but it was a cheap one and didn't work very well and I found myself frustrated with it more than satisfied, and finally got rid of it. I would like a better juicer, but they're not cheap and right now it's just not in the budget. I thought that meant that I was limited to smoothies.

Recipe: Sweet Debbie's Cosmic Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

January's Cookbook of the Month is Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats Vegan cookbook, and today Debbie was kind enough to share her recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies on the blog!

These are absolutely incredible, and free from gluten, eggs, dairy, and more. Great for those with multiple allergies or who are just trying to eat better.

Enjoy!

Recall Alert: Kinnikinnick Foods

Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan (January 13-17)

This week it's supposed to warm up a little bit, which doesn't mean much when it's warming up from -40C temps. Still, anytime I see an number without a minus in front, it makes me smile. This week's dishes reflect our ongoing effort to eat a greater variety of foods this year. 






Monday: Mushroom Soup

I Feel Like We Dodged A Bullet, But...

To follow up on yesterday's post about my son's lymph nodes, the blood test results came in and everything looks good. His white cell count was a bit high, but nothing outrageous, and everything else was pretty much smack dab in the normal range. His lymph nodes are still large, but they're not out of the high-normal range yet, so for now they're still okay.

Now my kid can focus on being a kid again.

Today We Get Some Answers (I Hope)

If you've been following this blog for a while, you may remember that in addition to my son's gluten issues, we've also been battling an issue with his lymph nodes for over a year now. The lymph nodes in his head and neck are enlarged, and no one can figure out why. Before we took him off gluten and he was sick all the time, doctors attributed his constant sickness to their swollen state, but he's been gluten free for three years now and his lymph nodes continue to grow. They are just on the border line of being in the unsafe range, and he's been undergoing a battery of tests over the last year.

Wordless Wednesday

My son has been home from school the past two days because transportation to his school was cancelled due to weather. My work schedule has flown out the window, but moments like this one make it worth it.

Vancouver's Gluten Free Expo

Since going gluten free, I've made it a point to attend as many gluten free events as possible. I love learning about new products on the market and meeting the vendors, but most of all I like being in a completely gluten free environment and meeting others who understand what my family is dealing with. Knowing that my son can sample everything and can eat anything he wants makes me pretty happy too. We keep a pretty healthy diet around here, but at these Expos I let him try everything. 

Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan (Jan. 6-10, 2014)

Welcome to the first menu plan of 2014! I'm changing the title to Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan because I think it's more accurate. I've been posting weekly meal plans each week since 2011, and it's one of the more popular features of the blog. It's not always easy to come up with meal ideas that are gluten free, easy to put together, and kid-friendly, so I'm happy to be able to make that process a little bit simpler. My goal this year is to eat a wider variety of healthy foods, which means including less read meat, more fish, and a wider variety of vegetables, legumes, and fruit. Here's to another great year of delicious dinners!

Monday: Homemade Gluten Free Pizza using Bob's Red Mill Pizza Mix (Click here for my product review of this mix.)

January's Cookbook of the Month: Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats

Welcome to the second year of the Cookbook of the Month Program here at Celiac Baby! Last year was a great year for cookbooks, and the feedback from readers has encouraged me to make some exciting changes to the program this year. There will be monthly giveaways, and more recipes, interviews, and advice from the authors. Like always, my reviews are my personal opinion, not influenced by any outside factors.

I'm so excited to be kicking off another year with a cookbook that takes traditional sweets, and changes them up to be organic and much healthier. The author runs a famous bakery in Los Angeles, Sweet Debbie's Cupcakes, and does much of what she does because her son has food restrictions.

For more on the Cookbook of the Month Program, click on the Cookbooks Tab.

Review: You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free

You Won't Believe It's Gluten-Free!: 500 Delicious, Foolproof Recipes for Healthy Living 

by Roben Ryberg

  

A pioneer in gluten-free cooking, Roben Ryberg has worked with gluten-free flours for over 15 years. Now, in You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free!, she vastly simplifies the challenges of this special diet-while perfecting the flavor of everyone’s favorite foods. Completely comprehensive, You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free! offers 500 recipes for all kinds of breads and baked goods, plus easy appetizers, soups, entrees, and salads to win over any crowd. It also features desserts for special occasions-even wedding cakes! Unlike the standard use of three or more flour blends, these recipes often call for just one flour, and many recipes include corn, potato, rice, and oat flour variations. This is an essential cooking bible for anyone with Celiac disease, wheat allergy, IBS, or other gluten sensitivities.

GOODREADS

Wordless Wednesday

Enjoying some family time with the munchkins. 

Happy New Year!