A successful GFCF Birthday Party

Andy turned 10 yesterday. How is that possible? It seems like just yesterday we got a call in the middle of the night that he had been born and we rushed to the hospital to hold our newborn.

We had a very successful birthday party - here are some pics!

The party was held at a climbing wall. Here is a group shot of the birthday boy with all of his guests.

Before the party, the day was started out with the birthday boy's favorite breakfast - raspberry pancakes (GFCF of course). I'll post the recipe below.

GFCF Yellow cupcakes - I used the new Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix to make these. Andy does not like chocolate so I made these for him.

And I also made chocolate cupcakes - again they are the new Betty Crocker gluten free mix - the devils food flavor. All of the children ate the cupcakes and no one said anything about them tasting funny so I don't think they could tell they were GFCF.

We only did snacks since the party was from 2 to 4. Andy picked the snack menu. The most popular item was the fruit kebobs.

Andy helped make the snacks. Here he is making Ants on a Log (probably the second popular snack).

We also served deviled eggs and a home made trail mix.

GFCF Raspberry Pancakes

2 eggs
2 cups original flavor Almond Milk (or use any milk sub)
¼ cup coconut oil, melted (or use any shortening or salad oil)
2 cups GF flour blend (I used Bobs Red Mill GF Blend)
2 tablespoons raw sugar (or use brown or regular sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries.

Beat eggs

Add remaining ingredients and mix

Pour batter onto hot greased griddle or frying pan.

Turn pancakes when they are puffed up and full of bubbles.

Makes 20 4-inch pancakes

Individual Breakfast Quiches

Here is a yummy breakfast that has become a big hit in my household -

Individual Breakfast Quiches

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:
7 eggs
1 cup Almond Milk (or any milk or milk substitute)

Your choice of fillings – I used:
9 ounces Al Fresco Chicken Sausage – Maple and Apple flavor (12 oz package – use 3 of the 4 links to get the right amount) – removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces – I used a knife to cut them up really small.
1 small can mushroom pieces (or use fresh and sauté first)
¼ cup sliced red onion (or use leeks or scallions or whatever you have on hand)
¼ teaspoon pepper

You could also add cheese if you aren’t dairy free (or use a cheese substitute if you have one you like – I think these are great just the way they are) – or bell peppers or really any fillings you would put in an omelet.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees – making sure the rack is positioned in the center of the oven.

Generously coat a regular muffin pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the eggs and milk in a medium bowl.

Cook the sausage over medium heat until nice and brown. Add mushrooms, onions and pepper and cook another minute or two.

Divide the egg whites equally between the muffin cups (about ¼ cup each).

Spoon a heaping spoonful of filling into each muffin cup.

Bake until they are solid in the middle and the tops are starting to brown – time varies with the type of muffin cup you are using – mine take about 45 minutes to cook – I would start checking after 30 minutes to be safe.

Cool for 5 minutes and then turn quiches out.

These can be made ahead and reheated for a quick weekday breakfast.

Ian's Mac and No Cheese

I was doing my regular grocery shopping at Super Target this week and I reached into the freezer case to get an Ian's Allergen Free Fish Stick and an Ian's Allergen Free Chicken Nuggets and what did I see right next to them but this mac and no cheese. I forgot to take a picture so I nabbed this pic off their website.

Andy was with me and begged me to buy it. It looks just like the real stuff and was easy to prepare in the microwave. Andy ate it right down - he loved it. I tasted it and it was *okay* but I wasn't buying it for me, I was buying it for him.

I love that Ian's really seems to be adding to their allergen free line of items. While I still prefer making food from scratch, it is so nice to have options.

I also love that my Super Target carries many of them. My primary grocery store is still my local food co-op (Mississippi Market) but Super Target is so much cheaper on some items - Ian's being one of them.

Ian's also seems to be putting out a lot more coupons lately. You can usually find printable ones on the internet. It all helps when raising a gfcf kid.

And if you buy a lot of Ian's foods, don't forget to save the points and let your kids redeem them for fun things. You can also get points for doing all kinds of things - check out their website for more information.

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

I made the most wonderful soup for dinner tonight. I'm so sorry I didn't take a picture of it - you will just have to believe me that it looked as wonderful as it tasted.

Here is the recipe:

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, cleaned and chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons margarine
2 cups water
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of Marjoram
Dash of Tabasco Sauce

1. Melt margarine in medium sauce pan. Add leeks, cover pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add water, broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. I also added the salt and pepper at this time - about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper was right for me.

3. Use a hand blender to puree (or transfer to a blender).

4. Add the marjoram and tabasco sauce.

Serves 6

GFCF Pasta with Spinach and Sausage

I made this for dinner tonight and it was really yummy. Next time I make it I am going to add more peppers - otherwise it was perfect.

GFCF Pasta with Spinach and Sausage

6 ounces gf pasta (I used shell shaped, but any shape would work)
1 package Al Fresco Sweet Italian Sausages
1 large onion, cut in half and then into slices
1 bell pepper cut into long slices (I am going to use two or three next time)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup chicken broth
8 ounces fresh spinach
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup vegan parmesan

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions, set aside.
2. Slice sausages in half lengthwise and then again so they are quartered, then slice into 1/4 inch chunks - set aside.
3. In a large skillet, cook onion, peppers, and garlic in olive oil until tender.
4. Add broth and sausages, heat to boiling.
5. Add spinach and basil - cook for a minute or two until spinach is wilted, stirring frequently.
6. Add pasta and parmesan. Toss to coat.

4 servings of yum!

Making Yogurt with Almond Milk

I am experimenting with making yogurt from almond milk. I just don't like the taste (or price) of the coconut milk yogurt and I am trying to eliminate soy from our diet.

This was my first attempt at making it yesterday. It didn't turn out too bad. It was definitely edible.

The consistency was a little more runny than I wanted. I knew it wouldn't be as firm as a dairy yogurt but I want it a little more firm.

I am going to play with it more before I post a recipe, but I really think this is going to be doable - so for those of you out there who don't do soy either, stay tuned - there will be a recipe soon.

GFCF Lasagne without pasta

I was craving lasagne but I didn't have any lasagne noodles and didn't feel like driving across town to the one store that carries them. I did, however, have eggplant in the fridge.

So I made my usual lasagne recipe and used eggplant for the noodles. I fried up the eggplant in a little olive oil first.

It turned out really great.

I made two smaller pans instead of one large pan and froze the other for later.