Sunday, February 28, 2010

Welcome to the March Gluten-free Lifestyle Blog Carnival!




Welcome to the March 1, 2010 edition of the gluten free lifestyle blog carnival. It's my pleasure to host this here on "Ging Recommends!"  Many thanks to all! 



Product Reviews



Yadi presents Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix posted at The Gluten Free Diaries.


Recipes


Aubree Cherie presents Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie posted at Living Free.




Adam presents Gluten Free Playdough Recipe | Natural Parenting Tips posted at Natural Parenting Tips.




lisa viger presents February 7, 2010 posted at Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!), saying, "Raw, vegan, gluten free recipes ... full day menu on $10 or less ..."




Sarah Collins presents Happy Valentine?s Biscuits posted at Sustaining Health Holistically, saying, "Gluten-free and vegan baking can be pretty and yummy?"




Shirley Braden presents Perfect Pound Cake posted at gfe--gluten free easily, saying, "Even if you are gluten free and dairy free, you can still enjoy the wonderful pound cake that you so fondly remember."




Kimberly Bouldin presents Naturally Gluten-free - Lentils posted at Gluten-free is Life, saying, "Recipe & information about a naturally gluten-free ingredient -lentils"


Support & Advice




Shirley Braden presents Flourless Oatmeal Cookies posted at gfe--gluten free easily, saying, "A great, easy flourless recipe is offered as well as information on which gluten free oats are safe to eat."


Tips




Wenchypoo presents Rethinking Protein Sources...Again (L-O-N-G) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.




Tamara Duker presents Gluten-free Guide to Chinese Food posted at What I'm Eating Now, saying, "Chinese food can be one of the trickiest cuisines to navigate for the gluten-free crowd. That's why I prepared this guide to help make it a little easier for my fellow celiacs to satisfy their cravings safely!"




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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Gluten Free Sandwich Petals by Raquelita's Tortillas



I have a new staple in my refrigerator: I am really a huge fan of Gluten Free Sandwich Petals by Raquelita's Tortillas in Denver.

It's true that I received my sample of these wonderful little breads a while back now, but I've been trying them in so many incarnations! Really, they're the most versatile wraps out there!

Here's why I like Gluten Free Sandwich Petals by Raquelita's Tortillas in Denver so darn much!

• They're made of a healthy grain mix of 10 GF flours. Now, admittedly, I have issues with some of the grains in this product, but so far, I've seen no reactions. Here's the flour mix/ingredients/ of the Petals:
Glu10Free™ Gluten-Free Proprietary blend of milled and whole grains (Corn, Flax, Sesame, Buckwheat, Brown Rice, Sorghum, Millet, Quinoa, Teff, and Amaranth), Water, Organic Agave nectar, Raisin Juice, Molasses, Proprietary blend of Pharmaceutical Grade (Short Chain Fructooligosaccharides and HiDHA Omega 3 Micro-encapsulated Tuna Oil), Tapioca Starch, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Xanthan gum, Fumaric acid, Sodium Propionate and Sorbic Acid. Then we add our appropriate flavors of either: Chimayo Red Chile (Chimayo and Chipotle pepper, garlic, green bell peppers), natural flavor, salt, chile powder, spice extracts, or Spinach Garlic Pesto (spinach, garlic, basil, parsley), salt, canola oil, spice extractives, natural flavors, artificial color.
•Three lovely, very different flavors: Spinach Garlic Pesto, Chimayo Red Chile, and Agave Grain.  Green, Red and Beige. Three different flavors entirely! And they are soft, and pliable, and they make a million dishes. They're shelf stable and need no refrigeration, but I find them easy to reconstitute with just 10 seconds from the fridge. (I have to refrigerate -- I live in the south).

•Cost: $25 for a whole package of three flavors, but Mondays is BOGO day!
•They aren't cardboardy like corn tortillas, though they can be used in place of them.
•Carbs are about 24 per petal, with three grams of fiber, and they're sweetened with agave nectar. Only four grams on sugar. This works for me.
OK, so now, on to recipes!
First, the Red Chamayo Chile petal makes a mean Migas! SOOO savory and delicious. 
Second, how about a cool corn dog?  I used an Agave Grain petal, some slices of pepper jack cheese, and a Applegate Farm GF Uncured Hot Dog to make one mean corn dog.  Heat the petal for 10 second, cover with cheese, add the hot dog, roll, and secure with a toothpick. Cook for about 1 minute in the microwave until the hot dog is done.  Seriously? Seriously. 



Oh, and I've had Bailie's Peanut Butter/Banana/Honey Roll-ups with the Agave Grain Petal a couple of times.  This is named for Bailie Eliason, whose mom is Sharon in our Middle Georgia Gig Board. The original appeared here:
You need: One Agave Grain Sandwich Petal, 1 banana cut in half, peanut 
butter, honey. I heated the Sandwich Petal for 10 seconds in microwave 
(makes them more pliable and easier to work with), then when cool spread 
peanut butter (to your liking) on each tortilla. Drizzle honey (I now would use 100 percent Agave Nectar) over that and lay 1/2 banana on one edge of tortilla. Wrap and "seal" with the peanut 
butter. (Another version - Bailie's Daddy likes these- is to use raisins instead of 
the banana).


Here's another couple adaptations;

•Now, I saw this recipe for Chicken Enchilada Casserole a while back, and it was really a hot item in January. I think it is perfect for the Chimayo Red Chile petals.  Simply replace the corn tortillas with 1/2 a petal -- and this amps up the taste like you would NOT believe.

My friend Shirley GFE gave me permission to share the recipe as it's written on her site. I didn't make a big casserole, but I'd think five to six Petals would be the equivalent of 10 corn tortillas, and so much more pliable and delicious! (I made a half recipe to try it).

Chicken Enchilada Casserole 

From Shirley Braden at Gluten Free Easily

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. chili powder (I’ve substituted taco seasoning before when I was out of chili powder)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1 Tbs. cilantro, chopped (optional—I add when I have it on hand)
3 cups chicken cooked, boned, shredded
1 tbsp lime juice
1 jar salsa (16 oz) (whatever hotness you prefer—mild worked well for us)
5 Chamayo Red Chile Sandwich Petals
8 oz shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, cheddar, or a Mexican blend—your preference; read labels to ensure gluten-free status)

Sour cream, jalapenos, and cilantro for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large, deep skillet with little bit of oil; heat over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add one cup of tomatoes, tomato sauce, and cilantro (if used). Cook 5 minutes.

Dump shredded chicken over tomato mixture in skillet. Spoon lime juice over chicken. Stir chicken and lime juice into tomato mixture. Heat a few minutes, if necessary. (If chicken is still warm from cooking, you will not need to heat more.)

Spread one half of the jar of salsa in an ungreased 9″ x 13” baking dish; top with 5 tortillas (break into pieces as needed to mostly cover salsa).

Top with chicken mixture; sprinkle with half of the cheese.

Top with remaining tortillas. Spread with remaining salsa; sprinkle w/remaining cheese.

Bake until cheese is melted and casserole is hot, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Adapted from Valerie and Woman’s World

•Spinach Garlic Pesto Petals? How about my Italian Stuffed Lasagna recipe? Just substitute five to six Sandwich Petals cut into long strips to use instead of noodles. Yummy!





I'd like to thank the fine people at Sandwich Petals for sending me the three-pack sample to try. You have a real winner here! I wish you more success, and I can't wait to meet you when I'm in Denver next August. They're a company with a heart, to be sure. I love that!

You can find them, once again, at sandwichpetals.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @GFpetals.

Much love, (p.s. xoxo to GF Dee who connected me with them)!
Ging