Bringing Gluten-Free Chicago to Baltimore. It's a Win.

Da Luciano's
8343 W Grand Ave
River Grove, IL 60171
708-453-1000
dalucianos.com

This wonderful restaurant is near Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Why am I mentioning it to Baltimore area celiacs? Because they will now SHIP gluten free food!! They offer gluten free food I have literally never seen elsewhere including gluten free ravioli, tiramisu, cannoli, and much more. Check out their website! My husband - who does not have celiac disease - says their gluten free food doesn’t taste gluten-free. (Doesn’t taste like it’s missing anything.) All I can say is I am very happy whenever I eat their food.

This restaurant is owned by a husband and wife who have children with Celiac disease so they really know how to cook for celiacs. If you’re ever in Chicago, it’s a must visit.

-Susan

Chutney: Try it; you just might like it.

Chutney was the name of the game this year. I like to give edible gifts to my family and friends during the holidays. I like to find something that I've always wanted to try making, but never really gotten around to whipping up. So, this year I had a kitchen overflowing with chutney. In the end I had four different kinds, each very distinctive.

Spicy Cranberry-Blueberry Chutney

(adapted from a recipe found at foodnetwork.com)

6 cups fresh cranberries

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 shallots, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

*Leave the seeds for a super spicy chutney!

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups red-wine vinegar

2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

2 tbsp. whole mustard seeds

1 tbsp. minced orange zest

1 tbsp. minced lemon zest

2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Mix so cranberries and blueberries are covered. Place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, stirring often until the berries have broken down and everything has become nice and gooey. You'll be able to hear the cranberries popping during this time. As I made it, the sound was like that of popping popcorn. The mixture will start to thicken. Continue simmering and stirring occasionally for another 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.

Once cool, ladle the chutney into clean jars and refrigerate. Chutney can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

What do I do with it now?

• Serve with a peppercorn pork-tenderloin
• Add as a spicy-sweet addition to a cheese and cracker plate
• Spread it on ham sandwiches. Especially those post-holiday ham leftovers' sandwiches.

Pear & Tomato Chutney

(adapted from a recipe found at cooks.com)

2 (20 oz.) cans pears, one drained, one undrained

1 (20 oz.) can whole, peeled tomatoes, undrained

1 medium green pepper, seeded & finely diced

1 medium onion, peeled & chopped

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. whole mustard seeds

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 small can pimento, chopped.

Combine all ingredients, except for pimento, in a large pot. Mix to combine. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Use the edge of a spoon to break up the pears and tomatoes into smaller chunks. Once mixture has thickened, add the pimento and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Let cool.

Once cool, ladle the chutney into clean jars and refrigerate. Chutney can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

What do I do with it now?

• Serve with a variety of meats, fish, and/or grilled vegetables.

Spiced Apple Chutney

(adapted from a recipe found at foodnetwork.com)

1/2 cup red currant jam

6 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 tsp. minced, peeled fresh ginger

1 tsp salt

2 tsp. Madras curry powder

2 cinnamon sticks

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 red onion, chopped

6 soft cooking apples, such as McIntosh, peeled, seeded, large dice

4 tablespoons dried cranberries

4 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped.

In a large, heavy saucepan, stir together all ingredients, except the cilantro. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring until apples are lightly coated. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally until apples have softened to desired consistency -- approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool. Remove cinnamon sticks.

Once cool, ladle the chutney into clean jars and refrigerate. Chutney can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

What do I do with it now?

• Serve with pork chops.
• Add to wild rice as a side dish.

Of course, you could just purchase it:

Doesn't Everyone Love To Be Fooled By Gluten-Free Products?

So, there's BIG news!  Betty Crocker has 4 gluten-free products out.  So far, the two stores where they've been spotted are the SuperFresh in Timonium, MD and the SuperFresh in Hampden.  Let's see if we can compile a longer list.  I'm sure we can!  Add a comment that shows where you found the latest and greatest.  I've personally tried the yellow cake mix -- delicious.  Monica has bought and baked the Devils Food Cake which "regular gluten eaters cannot tell the difference", and a good friend has tried the chocolate chip cookies, with the same positive results.  So, go!  Get yourself some gluten-free goodies.  See how many people you can fool -- or eat it all yourself, we don't really care either way, just let us know what you think.

(Monica's Caveat:  Be careful of store-bought icing.  You can read the label, but it doesn't always have the right information.  I made the mistake and bought the wrong one and am just now recovering from the consequences of getting glutened.  Lesson Learned:  Make Your Own Icing.  Try this one.)

Monica's Goes Grocery Shopping and We Get Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I started my week with a trip to the grocery store.  Yup, the regular ol' grocery store: SuperFresh.  They don't have a large selection of specifically gluten-free products, but they do have my weekly staples.

I write the items on my list in the order in which I will walk around the store; it helps me to avoid the unnecessary purchases (like candy and potato chips).  Also, since I've started to walk to and from the store, I like to make the trip as quick as possible.

 

So here it is:  The list...

(Directly from my hot pink post-it note):

• Soy milk (I still cannot drink cow's milk.  Thank you, gut...) -- Silk brand (I've tried other brands and for me this one tastes the best.)
  
• Rice Pudding -- Kozy Shack
  
• Yogurt -- Dannon or Yoplait brands are labeled Gluten Free!
  
• Cream cheese--Philadelphia
  
• Corn tortillas – Pepito
• Eggs
• Lunch meat – Oscar Mayer (Lucky me!  It's on sale this week!)
• Canned Black beans -- Goya or Hanover
• Tomato Soup -- Pacific
• Canned tuna -- Chicken of the Sea
• Canned chicken – Valley Fresh, read the label, it should say GF, if it doesn't, err on not trying it.
• Rice Chex Cereal -- General Mills
• Peanut Butter--Jif Brand, but I also have 'natural' versions of peanut butter that are just as delicious and w/o the extra stabilizers and stuff, but Jif is the best to make my favorite cookies!
• Banana
• Pear

There are plenty of items that I already have in the pantry and freezer that I can add to this week's staples for my meals.  What's already in the pantry and freezer:

• Frozen broccoli and spinach -- store brand
  
• Whole Foods Bakehouse -- pizza crust and sandwich bread
  
• Glutino bagels
  
• Canned diced tomatoes (usually less expensive and won't spoil) -- store brand
  
• Bag of potatoes
  
• Bag of onions
  
• Fresh garlic and ginger
  
• Corn meal – Quaker
  
• Premade polenta – Sun of Italy
  
• Brown Rice
  
• Rice noodles (found in the Asian section of the store)
  
• Pasta -- DeBoles Corn or Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta products
  
• Grits – store brand or Quaker
  
• Marinara sauce – Rinaldi original or marinara
  
• Goya's canned tuna stuffed olives (I love Goya!)
  
• Cook and serve pudding – jello
  
• Tortilla chips – Utz, Tostitos
  
• Salsa – many kinds, Mrs. Renfro’s is my current favorite (read the label, it should say GF, if it doesn't, err on not trying it.)
  
• Tofu – NaSoya
  
• Canned pineapple -- store brand
  
• Ground flax seed -- Bob’s Red Mill
  
• Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch (It's a new find for me and it's a great price, compared to other bars)
  
• Lara bars -- all the flavors are good
• Carnation Instant Breakfast (dark chocolate, all flavors but malt are ok)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. Peanut Butter

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 Tbs. GF vanilla flavoring -- McCormick

4 eggs

1 bag chocolate chips -- Nestle

 

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together. Drop 1" spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly browned. Cool and Enjoy.

 

We baked these cookies at Christmas and I took them to my Super Bowl party. No one knew the difference. It was fun to see the reactions of family and friends when I told them the cookies were gluten free!

 

Gluten Free doesn't mean that you have to give up what you really love. It gives you a license to be creative!

GlutenFree Bakehouse: Bread, Scones, and Pie. Oh My!

This is Part II of a new series dedicated to answering the question:  What's in Your Pantry?

When Whole Foods Market opened their Gluten Free Bakehouse, (sometime around 2005) everything became a little better.  It was a day to be celebrated: bread, personal-sized pies, scones, muffins, brownies, biscuits, cornbread, cookies, pizza crust, pie crusts, cakes & cupcakes...all packaged and sitting there in the freezer section just waiting and wanting for me to eat them.

The Sun-dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic sliced bread, when toasted, is the perfect compliment to a turkey sandwich.  The sandwich bread is versatile and works well as toast to accompany eggs and bacon for breakfast, chopped and baked into croutons for a salad for lunch, or slathered with butter, garlic, and parsley for garlic bread to accompany a big gluten-free Italian dinner.

The first product I fell in love with, though, were the Almond Scones.  They're huge, so remember to cut them in half.  All that needs to be done is let them thaw in the refrigerator, and then eat.

Of course, at Thanksgiving, it was fun to have a pumpkin pie and pecan pie pre-made sitting in my refrigerator.

I also find that their pizza crusts, while not so great for pizza, make a great base for gluten-free focaccia:  just brush with olive oil add some herbs and bake:  Moist, chewy, and delicious in minutes!

-Kate

Editor-in-Chief

Larabar Love

This is Part I, of a new series dedicated answering the question: What's in Your Pantry?

My constant companion these past four gluten-free years has been the Larabar. Not only are these fruit-and-nut energy bars always stashed in my pantry, they’re also in my coat pockets, glove compartment, purse and diaper bag. I even crammed a few of them in my labor bag for my two-day stay in the hospital when my daughter was born. They’re by far the tastiest and healthiest gluten-free snack, pick-me-up, or light meal I’ve found. Plus, they hold up really well whether it’s freezing or sweltering. 

Larabars currently come in 14 flavors, but that number keeps growing. When I first discovered the Larabar in 2005, there were just four or five flavors, not that I was complaining, back then I was a new celiac slogging through food labels and Larabar was the only energy bar with ingredients I could actually pronounce. (No Larabar has more than 6 ingredients). 

My favorite flavor changes (though for almost a year I was hooked on Cashew Cookie). Last fall I was really into Apple Pie and Ginger Snap, and most recently I was noshing on Peanut Butter Cookie, which unfortunately has been voluntarily recalled along with just about every other peanut butter product out there. While I wait for the store shelves to be re-stocked with Peanut Butter Cookie, I’m enjoying Coconut Cream Pie.

I buy Larabars by the box and pick them up at Whole Foods for $21.99 per box (16 per box), at Trader Joes who sells them for $1.29 per bar, or from Giant who carries a small selection and sells them for $1.25 per bar. For the best selection however, check out Whole Foods.

Larabar has two other lines of energy bars as well, Jocalat, which is the chocolate-y version of the Larabar, and their newest bar, a kid-friendly, crispy bar called the Jamfrakas. All of them are gluten-free. Yum.
-Christine