Gluten-free Kroger

Okay, so the whole store is not gluten-free, but I was really impressed with a Kroger that I happened to frequent this weekend past.

I live out in the sticks. I've never been a big city girl, but for much of my life I have lived in easy driving distance of stores that carry most of the special foods I have needed for my little allergic fellas (who are not so little any more). By far the easiest was when I lived in Greenville, SC. There was a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's not far from where we lived.

Now I am twenty minutes from a Publix, and further to an Ingles. Each of them carry a few of the things that I need. Both have a gluten-free section that is about four feet wide and consists of four shelves. Needless to say, Amazon is my friend.

What I found out, however, is that there is a Kroger twenty minutes in the other direction. It is in a neighboring town that I don't usually frequent, but guess what is has?

A shelf full of Udi's!

A freezer full of various gluten-free products including these breads,

these gluten-free corn dogs (sorry for the blurriness),

and even gluten-free burritos.

There were gluten-free chicken nuggets (two brands), gluten-free frozen potatoes of every variety - hash browns, tater tots, waffle fries, all in sweet and white potatoes, and more!

I am also really pleased with Kroger's line of simple truth organic products like this quinoa. It is a couple dollars cheaper than any other brand I have seen. They have products ranging from almond meal to meats to dried fruits - all cheaper than the more well-known name brand.

And instead of it being spread out in the store where I might never figure out it had these products, they were all in one natural foods sections. What a huge help!

This Kroger has gained a frequent customer that it would not have had if it didn't have this great gluten-free/natural foods section. Do you have a local Kroger that has this great section?

Gluten-free Fried Chicken

I almost never fry chicken, but I was thinking that fried chicken might be something my gluten-free grandson might like. At least every now and then.

It was so simple to do. I just soaked the chicken in buttermilk, added salt and pepper and then dredge the chicken in a flour mixture of 1 cup potato starch and 1/4 cup sorghum flour. I just fried it like normal fried chicken and I will say it was the crispiest chicken I have ever made.

The great thing is that potato starch is not hard to find and sorghum is easier to find than it used to be. It would probably work if you substituted almond milk for the buttermilk, too.

Fried chicken is not on my normal menu because I don't really think it is a healthy dish but this is really great and crispy and shocked my family because it was so good. It's also another way that a person allergic to wheat can have a great classic southern dish.

Super Salad

I love just about any combination of vegetable over a bed of dark greens, but this is probably my favorite. I call it Super Salad, because it is so full of nutrients.

A couple handfuls of baby kale, blueberries, edamame, green onions, and radish all with my favorite homemade dressing. 

My local Ingle's Market carries Harvest Farms Baby Kale, and it is always tender!

I use my Oxo Good Grips salad dressing shaker to make the dressing. I use one cup olive oil, a half cup apple cider vinegar, and a half teaspoon garlic powder. Store in the fridge (but remember to get it out an hour or so before you eat - the olive oil will solidify when cold).

Now you have a lunch (or supper) that is full of nutrients and yummy to boot!

Gluten-free One Plate Brunch

Do you like sausage, eggs, cheese, and grits? Put them together, throw in as much spinach as you can manage, and you have my family's favorite Saturday morning brunch.

This is really easy to do, especially if you put the grits in your small slow cooker the night before. Put one cup of gluten-free grits in your slow cooker with 4-5 cups water (4 if you like them thicker, 5 if you like them thinner), 2 tbsp butter or margarine, and a half teaspoon of salt, and cook them overnight for about 7 hours. Stir before serving.

When you get up in the morning, brown a 1/2 pound of your favorite sausage, add several cups or more of baby spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, scramble in four eggs. Once the eggs are cooked, remove from heat and sprinkle with cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese substitute. 

Once the cheese has melted, serve over a bed of grits.

Hidden Wheat Tips by Gluten Free Gal

I really like the blog, Gluten Free Gal. She has a lot of great information, particularly this gem about Hidden Wheat. I've read several books about the subject, but having the information succinctly in one place is very helpful - you might find it helpful as well. Click the picture below to see the post on her website.

You can also follow her on twitter @kirsten_berman.

Ian's Panko Bread Crumbs

I make baked chicken at least once a week. I serve it with potatoes or rice, a vegetable, and a salad.  It is an easy and fairly healthy meal - minimal prep and cook time. But it can get really boring. My family never complains about that, but I have been looking for something to give the chicken a little pop. I think I have found it!

I have been seeing these gluten-free panko breadcrumbs in our local Kroger, so I finally picked up a bag to give it a try. I wanted to keep with the minimal prep idea, so I just used a little extra virgin olive oil to coat the chicken, then dipped it in the breadcrumbs. I added a bit of salt and pepper and baked it at 350, just like normal.

The result was delicious! My kids acted like I had slaved over something really special (and why would I bother to correct them?!). When dinner can be easy AND make the family happy, it makes for one happy, gluten-free mama.

A Gluten-free Candy List

I like to feed my kids healthy foods, but occasionally I think it is a good idea to let them have a treat, and it is especially good when they can share in some things that other kids are having. And Easter is around the corner.

But... do you often find yourself trolling the Internet to see which candies are safe or your celiac kid (or even yourself)? I know I do, and I recently came across this recently updated list by Taylor on his blog, Gluten Away. There are a lot of other lists, but this one is precise and easy to see. I always check several sources, but I think this list is a great place to start. Thanks, Taylor!! Click the picture below to check it out.

Delight Gluten-free Magazine

I recently came across a this gluten-free magazine, and I love it! 

First of all, I love the name. Delight Gluten-free magazine. Isn't it about time that we started looking at the great recipes we can make as opposed to having to do without because we are missing a few ingredients?

Second, who doesn't love the idea of putting pretzels and brownies in the same recipe?!?

I also love the recipe index (there are over fifty that all look pretty good!). It has this nifty little legend that lets you what common allergens are in every recipe. That might be the single most helpful tool I have ever seen in a cooking magazine or cookbook.

And I love that the recipes are practical.

I don't know about you, but this is great because my boys are ALWAYS hungry.

Have you complained as many times as I have about how expensive it can be to eat a gluten-free? Great recipe/meal ideas that don't break the bank!

And have you complained as many times as I have about how complicated it can be to plan/prepare/cook gluten-free every day (perhaps I should complain a little less)?

This sections gives you a way to cook these foods for adults and a way to make them even more kid friendly. I'm starting to think these people might have kids.

I liked this article about eating gluten-free in Sydney. I don't know if I would be brave enough to even attempt gluten-free in a foreign country.

With all the new gluten-free and allergen-free products coming out, I think it is great that someone else can spend the money to try the different products and tell which ones are worth the purchase!

And there were many more great recipes and articles. Get a subscription. This one is worth it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day,

We wish you all the luck of the Irish and may all your treats be delicious and gluten-free!!

Gluten-free St. Patrick's Day Trifle

This post was supposed to be about pretty, shamrock-shaped cupcakes topped with green icing. I was making them for another fun treat for the coming weekend. But I discovered a cardinal rule when baking. Never bake when your kids are all awake. Between the, " Mom, I can't find..." and the, "Can I have some water...food...something I know I can't have but am asking for in the hopes you are too busy to notice," then the screaming two-year-old with a bumped head, I managed to miss an ingredient. I'm not really even sure what it was. Probably corn starch.

But when I got the cupcakes out of the oven, they completely fell in. When my husband was walking by after I had attempted to move the from their cute little molds, he saw this:

Then he had the audacity to smirk at me and say, "Are you going to apologize for this?"

I looked at him like the crazy person he is and replied, "No. I'm gonna a make a trifle."

And it turned out quite well. I layered the cake crumbles with  vanilla pudding and homemade whipped cream with a little green food coloring mixed in. Everyone is loving it, and there was no need to apologize for something that tasted so good--even if it wasn't what I intended.

Shamrocks for St. Patty's Day

It is almost St. Patrick's Day and my family loves these gluten-free Sugar cookies. My kids LOVE to help decorate. It becomes a fun family project for us. These cookies are SO good!

We make them and this batch we decorated in a hurry with Cake Mates icing. They advertise that they do not use gluten in this product. Be careful with other brands, some decorator icings do contain wheat, so read the ingredient list before buying--or make your own.

We included our cookie recipe from out new book, Gluten-free with No Apologies, available on Amazon.com.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup sweet (glutinous) rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Add first six ingredients to mixing bowl and combine with wire whisk. Set aside. Using electric mixer, combine sugar and softened butter. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add flour mixture and blend until all ingredients are combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on a surface well-covered with sweet rice flour. (Make sure rolling pin is well-floured as well.) Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet or baking stone. Knead remaining dough, roll again, and cut out more shapes. Continue this process until all the dough is used. Bake 12-18 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Allow to cool completely before decorating or enjoy as is.

St. Patrick's Day Treats - White Chocolate Covered Cookies - No Gluten!

This is my version of the white chocolate covered Oreos. I used the following ingredients (you will also need popsicle sticks and parchment paper):

These are Glutino chocolate cookies with vanilla creme. I don't know if they are quite as good as Oreos, BUT... Cover them in candy melts (purchased at Walmart in the cake decorating section) and St. Patty's Day sprinkles (purchased at Michael's), and you have a wonderful treat that anyone will love. As a matter of fact, I had a hard time keeping my husband from eating them before I could get a picture.

Melt your candy melts according to the package instructions. Dip your popsicle stick into the melted candy before pushing into a cookie, then set aside to dry. These cookies will come apart if you skip that step and are then impossible to dip.

When you finish that step, go back to the first cookie you put the stick into, and dip it into the chocolate. Give it a few seconds to stop dripping, then set it quickly into you sprinkles back and front. Lay on parchment or wax paper to dry.

Once they are dry, you can store them in a container, or put them into small treat bags as I did and secure with some ribbon.

Gluten-free No Boil Lasagna Noodles

I recently posted about making slow cooker lasagna, and while it turned out really tasty, the noodles didn't have a lot of substance left. I got two packages, however, and decided to give them another try baked in the oven. They worked quite well, and I thought the ability to make lasagna without having to boil the noodles was fabulous! The last time I boiled gluten-free lasagna noodles, the result was a sticky mess, and it took me forever to pull it apart and get enough pieces of noodles to make the layers. The no-boil method made it a quick and easy endeavor, and I would definitely recommend this brand (seen below).

I purchased this at Walmart in their tiny, but obviously productive, gluten-free section.

And this is the resulting lasagna. When Eli asked that afternoon what we were having for dinner and my reply was, "Lasagna," he said, "You're the best mom ever!" It feels good to have a happy family, and since it's all boys but me, I have found great truth in the old saying, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Announcing Our New Gluten-free Cookbook!

Check out our brand new cookbook, Gluten-free with No Apologies: Southern-style & comfort food recipes - taste so good you won't have to apologize they are gluten-free!

Available now on Kindle! Click to order your copy from Amazon.com!

Don't worry, the physical copy is coming, but for now, get these great recipes on your Kindle or your Kindle app!

Simple Truth Almond Meal

I love to use almond meal/flour in healthy recipes, but I hate paying so much for it. Well, I recently found this in the Kroger that I frequent because it is several dollars cheaper!

I have found it to be just a good a product as the Bob's Red Mill that I usually buy, so I was excited to find this. If you use almond meal/flour regularly, check out your local Kroger to see if they carry it.