Wegmans Grocery Store Chain

I know that this doesn't help the majority of the world, but if you happen to live near a Wegmans grocery store, they are wonderful with their gluten-free selections and labeling of their mainstream products that are gluten-free. Wegmans has locations in NY, PA, MD, NJ, VA and locations coming to MA. Here's a list from their website of all of their "Wegmans Brand" products that are gluten-free.

Hopefully this will be of some help to those who live nearby a Wegmans grocery store chain.

Another Yummy Nut Thin Snack

I'm sure this is not the most healthy of snacks, but I've been taking Almond Nut Thins (or you could use any rice cracker) and spreading cream cheese (Philadelphia - plain cream cheese is gluten-free...it it a Kraft product) on top. Perhaps I'm a little crazy for really loving this combo, but I shared some with my daughter and she thought they were equally as yummy. She was disappointed when the cream cheese ran out. But, I have just returned from the grocery store with a new container of cream cheese and a fresh box of Nut Thins. We can go back to our snacking now.

Gluten-free Soup

My daughter and I just sampled some soups from Kettle Cuisine that just showed up in our grocery store's gluten-free freezer section. My daughter tried the "Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles" and I tried the "Angus Beef Steak Chili with Beans." We give those two varieties two thumbs up (I did get a chance to sample the chicken soup, but my daughter didn't want to try the chili, since she's not a fan of beans).

Kettle Cuisine has a few other varieties of soup that I'm sure are equally as delicious. I just wanted to be sure to share this brand, since we found them to be quite yummy. The portion sizes are probably just the right size for a lunch and can be microwaved right out of the box in the bowl it comes in. It was probably a bit small of a portion to be eaten alone as a dinner meal, so perhaps serve with a gluten-free sandwich.

Yummy Snack

I'm just starting out the gluten-free diet myself (my daughter has been gluten-free for nearly a year and a half now) and was looking for a snack for myself that would meet my need to "crunch" and still be gluten-free and yummy.

I bought some of Blue Diamond's Almond NutThins, sliced some Muenster Cheese on top of the crackers, popped the plate of cheese crackers in the microwave for 10 seconds until the cheese was bubbling and enjoyed. Crunchy, salty, cheesy. YUM!

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread

Here's a recipe I was sent from a friend who found this on allrecipes.com. I have yet to try it, but from the reviews on the site, it sounds like most people enjoyed it.

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread

"Searching for recipes for a gluten-free diet can be challenging during the holidays. Here is a recipe for Irish soda bread that I have adapted over time for St. Patrick's Day. The recipe calls for rice and tapioca flour instead of wheat and it still tastes yummy! Good if wrapped and left overnight, but I think it tastes great right out of the oven. Serve with butter or jam."

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups white rice flour
* 1/2 cup tapioca flour
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg
* 1 cup buttermilk (I imagine you can also do 1 cup milk + 1TBSP vinegar to sour the milk)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
2. Combine the rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and buttermilk . Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into the cake pan.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Wrap bread in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let stand overnight for the best flavor.

Stuffed Cabbage

Here's another light meal that my family enjoyed the other night.

Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage
1lb. ground beef
1/3 cup rice, uncooked
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce (Hunts is gluten-free)

Directions:

1. Cook up the rice; mix with uncooked ground beef.

2. Heat up electric skillet with about 1.5-2 cups of water (to cover the bottom of the pan) to about 350-degrees (or on the stove, in a large skillet, heat up to med-high). Water should be simmering. You may have to replenish the water from time to time as you are cooking the cabbage, since it steams the cabbage and may steam itself dry.

3. Carefully remove each leaf of cabbage, put a couple of spoonfuls of ground beef mixture into the center of the leaf, wrap leaf around the beef mixture, place seam-side down into water. Continue until all beef mixture is used.

4. Cover and cook until internal temperature is 165-degrees and cabbage leaves are soft

5. Serve with warm spaghetti sauce over the top.

***This can be served along with gluten-free bread or gluten-free rolls on the side.

A great meal to warm you

We had this meal the other night and it was a hit. It warmed our bellies on a cold night and just made us all feel cozy warm.

Turkey and Veggies Over Potatoes

Ingredients:
~3-4 lbs. turkey meat (we prefer dark meat) cooked and shredded
-double recipe of chicken/turkey gravy (you can use the drippings of the turkey and add bouillon if needed)
-2 cans mixed vegetables, drained
-6-7 servings of mashed potatoes (we use Betty Crocker Instant)

Directions:

1. Cook up turkey and shred it by hand (or cut up if you prefer). Add to large pot.
2. Stir in gravy and vegetables. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve over hot mashed potatoes.