Gluten-Free Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

The following guest post is from NFCA volunteer Annette Marie of Best Life Gluten-Free.

Here we go! Make this for the whole family, those who are gluten-free as well as everyone else: Gluten-Free Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner!

Here in the USA, we typically see Corned Beef Brisket sold in supermarkets just around St. Patrick’s Day, but some specialty markets will carry it all year round.  So, if you’re spotting it during May or September, grab it & know you’re a lucky one!  Make this dinner and savor the flavors many times over and over.  It’s easy to prepare, don’t be intimidated by the time element. It mostly does all the work while it’s simmering along.  Let’s get you started.

Gluten-Free Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

Make this dish and get ready for the compliments!

Serves 4 to 5
Prep time: 20 min.
Cook time: 3 hrs.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 2 ½ lbs. gluten-free corned beef brisket
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed.
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into big chunks; about 2 in. long
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced in quarters
• 5 potatoes, peeled of skin (I used 3 medium sized Yukon Golds and 2 medium sized Red Potatoes, just to have both flavors and tastes in there.)
• 1 cabbage, cut into quarters or fifths (Leave spine attached or it will fall apart while simmering.)
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 peppercorns (Leave whole, don’t crush)
• Dash of thyme
• 1 Tbsp. Salt
• Few parsley sprigs
• Water, enough to to cover meat well.
• Mustard (for serving at meal time as a garnish. A must for everyone I know!)

Directions:

(It’s easy, so please don’t be discouraged!)

1. Remove meat from packaging and briefly rinse under water .
2. Take a large pot or Dutch oven and place meat inside. Add enough water to cover it well. Don’t skimp on the water, since it will be simmering for a long time. Cover it by approximately 2 inches.
3. Throw in (well, not literally,) the bay leaf, parsley, salt, peppercorns and thyme.  Cover and bring to a boil. When you see it’s come to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 2 hrs. Occasionally, check to be sure it’s simmering on a light boil and after 1 hour, using 2 large spatulas or spider tool, gently turn over to reverse side. Be gentle. It’s getting very soft.
4. After 2 hours, stick a fork or knife in the meat and it should be very tender and pierce right through.  Using that spider tool or spatulas, remove to a large platter and cover meat with foil.
5. Add all of the vegetables to that pot and simmer for ½ hour. Veggies will be getting nice and soft, soaking up the flavors of that “broth.”
6. Re-position meat into the pot for another 15 minutes to reheat.
7. Remove meat to a carving board and slice to the thickness you prefer.
8. Serve on a large platter with the veggies along-side and provide your favorite type of mustard to accompany each bite. You can drizzle a little of the broth on top of the slices if you like. So good. Get ready for the compliments!

– Annette

Easy Gluten-Free Recipes for a Summer Block Party

I have three criteria for the perfect block party food:

1)      It has to be handheld.

2)      It has to be tasty.

3)      It has to get people talking.

With those stipulations in mind, I embarked on creating two recipes – one savory, one sweet – for NFCA’s Virtual Summer Block Party. The only requirements were that I use Blue Diamond’s new Artisan Nut Thins and one of the many gluten-free products from Go Veggie! (I chose the dairy-free cream cheese alternative because it seemed the most versatile.)

Just a few simple ingredients made for delicious gluten-free block party snacks!

Products in hand, I proceeded to take a “Chopped!” approach and made my dishes using only the ingredients I could find in my kitchen. Since the whole point of the Summer Block Party is to help everyone feel more confident and included at food-centric social events, I decided to make my recipes not only gluten-free, but also vegetarian.

First up, I created a spin on stuffed tomatoes. I have looked at a number of stuffed tomato recipes online, but never have tried them myself. Some call for baking the tomato, but for this batch, I left the oven off. Instead, I crumbled up the Artisan Nut Thins and toasted them in a pan, which added a nutty flavor and crunch to each bite.

I’m not one for exact measures when creating recipes, so you’ll have to bear with me when I say just wing it on the amounts. Everyone has their preferred veggies-to-cream cheese ratio, and I tend to use more pepper than salt in my seasoning. So, customize it to your liking.

For the sweet dish, I first tried blending strawberries with the Go Veggie! Cream Cheese Alternative. What I didn’t anticipate was that the water in the strawberries would thin the cream cheese out too much. It was delicious, but didn’t have the heft that I was looking for in a cracker topping. My guess is that it would make a fantastic pie filling, especially if mixed with a gluten-free, dairy-free vanilla pudding. Chilling the mixture in the fridge also helps it set up.

In my second attempt, I opted for a deconstructed strawberry cheesecake. I mixed the cream cheese alternative with agave nectar, spread it on Artisan Nut Thins, and then topped it with balsamic glazed strawberries. This recipe earned a verbal declaration: “Winner!” For an even sweeter bite, I would recommend dusting the Artisan Nut Thins with some cinnamon and sugar and giving them a quick bake in the oven before adding the toppings. (Make sure they are completely cool so the cream cheese spread doesn’t get runny.)

If you ask me, these recipes offer more interest than the standard chips, salsa and fruit salad, but I’m eager to hear what you think. Invite the neighbors over, give these recipes a whirl, and let us know how it goes!

Stuffed Tomatoes with Gluten-Free Cracker Topping

Easy & delicious!

Gluten-Free Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

A simple, bite-sized dessert.

– Cheryl

Gluten-Free Pasta in Bolognese Sauce

The following recipe is from National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) Volunteer Annette Marie of Best Life Gluten-Free.

Would you like to surprise Mom with dinner on Mother’s Day or on any day, for that matter? Why not an Italian dinner that you can easily make from scratch?

Bolognese sauce is pretty easy and this recipe shortens the time to 1 hour. There are various recipes out there, some simmering the sauce for 2+ hours, but you can achieve similar results with this one, which shortens that by half.

Bolognese sauce also varies in which meat you choose to use. Some recipes call for ½ ground beef and ½ ground veal. I’ll leave that up to you.

Here I used just ground beef, so feel free to follow this exactly or combine the two. Just use half as much of each, if you combine them.

I also don’t use “naked” ground meat. I prepare the ground meat as I would for meatballs. Then instead of rolling into a ball, you just leave it un-shaped and brown it in your saucepan, so its result is a loose meat within the sauce.

Please let me know if you prepare this and how you like it! Bon appetito!

Gluten-Free Pasta in Bolognese Sauce

This dish will taste like you slaved in the kitchen for hours, but no one has to know this recipe cuts your cooking time in half!

Ingredients:
Meat Preparation:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup Italian-flavored gluten-free bread crumbs- (I like Gillian’s)
• ¼ cup grated Italian cheese
• 1 slice of white gluten-free sliced bread that has soaked in small amount of milk. (You will use the center of the slice, the white part, and gently squeeze out the milk. It’s ok if it’s still wet, no need to get it too dry. It adds moisture.)
• Dash of salt & pepper

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion- minced
• 2 garlic cloves- minced
• 1 carrot- shredded. (Use a food processor for speedier preparation or shred by hand.)
• 1 celery rib, minus the green leafy end – minced or shredded in a food processor
• The above-prepared ground meat
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 3 basil leaves, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Grated Italian cheese to garnish when ready to serve.

Directions:

1. First, prepare the ground meat, as you would for meatballs.  (It’s easy! Place all of those ingredients in a large bowl, use clean hands and combine well. Don’t form meatballs, just leave it as combined.)
2. Take a frying pan and brown the meat in the hot vegetable oil, loosely stirring as you brown it, and turning over to brown all parts. Drain off any fat and oil and then set aside until it’s time to add to the saucepan.
3. In a large saucepot, place the olive oil and when hot, sauté the onion and garlic. Don’t allow to brown. After onion is translucent, add the shredded carrot and celery and sauté for about 4 – 5 minutes.
4. Now, add the browned meat, and stir into the vegetables.
5. Add the can of Crushed Tomatoes, the basil ,salt & pepper.Here’s a view of the simmering sauce:
   

   Your Bolognese sauce should start to look something like this!

6. Cover and begin to cook on a low-medium heat. Keep checking. When it’s simmering, reduce to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently and touch the bottom of the pot when you stir! This isn’t something you can set and forget. It will stick to the bottom and burn if left unattended for more than 10 minutes. So, if you feel you may forget to stir, set a timer for every ten minutes so your results will be the best!
7. When it’s done, you can remove from heat and leave covered until your gluten-free pasta of choice is cooked.
8. Boil the pasta until “al dente”.  Drain pasta and place it in a large bowl so you can pour this yummy sauce on top and fold into the pasta to coat well.
9. Add grated Italian cheese on top and enjoy!!

About Annette Marie

Annette Marie of Best Life Gluten-Free

Annette is a native New Yorker, now living in New Jersey.  Since she was diagnosed with celiac disease well after the age of 50, Annette has made it her mission to raise awareness in the hopes that others won’t have to live for years with unexplained symptoms as she did.  Some of Annette’s recipes are inspired by traditional Italian recipes, but she adds other original gluten-free recipes to the mix.  Her “semi-homemade” and from “scratch” recipes are meant for busy families eating gluten-free.  For more of Annette’s gluten-free recipes, visit her blog at www.BestLifeGlutenFree.com.

5 Ways to Get Your Kid Excited About the Gluten-Free Diet

Starting a gluten-free diet can be challenging for anyone, but kids can have an especially tough time when faced with social situations.  It’s hard to tell your little one they can’t have the cake at their friend’s birthday party or that Play-Doh is off limits.  With a little imagination and creativity, though, you can get your child excited about the gluten-free diet.

Set Aside Time to Cook Together

Dedicate a few hours a week to trying new gluten-free recipes with your child.  The recipes don’t have to be complicated or take a long time to make.  Not only will this give you some quality one-on-one time with your little one, but you’ll also teach them how to manage their own gluten-free diet and identify possible gluten sources.

Look for this logo on Kids Central to get started with your gluten-free creations!

Visit NFCA’s Kids Central to get kid-friendly recipe ideas.  Kids Central is also home to the archived webinar, Cooking with Kids, featuring ideas and tips from Jessica Hale of Gluten Freeda.

Get Them Involved

Depending on how old your child is, they might be embarrassed about the gluten-free diet or having special dietary needs.  Get them talking about celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity and help them meet other gluten-free kids.  Social networking sites can help them connect with their peers, and you might even get a few new gluten-free recipe ideas from other parents.  Miranda Jade Turbin shared tips for social networking in NFCA’s September e-newsletter.

Social media offers lots of opportunities for your child to connect with other gluten-free kids.

In-person meet-ups can be beneficial for kids because they give them a chance to meet others on a lifelong gluten-free diet.  Groups like Raising Our Celiac Kids (R.O.C.K.) host meetings and activities across the country.  They’re another great place to get activity ideas.

You can get them talking about the gluten-free diet through NFCA’s Awareness All-Stars fundraiser.  Awareness All-Stars gives kids the opportunity to share their experience with celiac and help raise funds to support NFCA’s free programs and services.  Plus, every All-Star earns prizes for participating and the top 3 fundraisers (we call them MVPs) get an extra special gluten-free prize.

Gluten-Free Show and Tell

Many kids have special show-and-tell days at school.  Why not send them to class with delicious gluten-free cookies or cupcakes to share with their classmates?  This will give them a chance to tell all of their classmates about celiac disease and show them how a gluten-free diet can still be tasty.  Plus, this lets kids become more comfortable with talking about celiac disease and their dietary needs.

You can get the recipe for these ChocoCoconut Cookies from registered dietitian Rachel Begun on Kids Central.

Arts & Crafts

Traditional Play-Doh contains gluten, but that doesn’t mean your gluten-free kid can’t enjoy the fun.  Spend a Saturday afternoon making gluten-free Play-Doh with them.  You’ll be giving them a safe alternative while showing them trying out new things can be fun!  Check out this recipe for gluten-free Play-Doh from Parents Magazine.

Give Them a “Pep Talk”

Look for this logo on Kids Central to find the Pep Talks section or click on the link below.

Kids Central has a section dedicated to Pep Talks, which features tips from gluten-free kids and NFCA’s staff and Athletes for Awareness.  The Pep Talks cover everything from “Being Gluten-Free and Confident” to “Awesome Things Done by Gluten-Free Kids.”  In short 5-tip segments, your kid is bound to get a major confidence boost from Pep Talks!

So how do you help your child maintain a positive attitude about the gluten-free diet?

– Alicia