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Recipe: No-Bake Gluten-Free Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

In my review of the book Gluten-Free Cookies,  I commented that I’d not made any of the cookies in the book because I didn’t want to mix up my own flour. However, I later realized that there is no reason I can not eventually make the No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Drops in the cookbook.

The recipe doesn’t call for flour and I always have gluten-free oats and chocolate chips on hand.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

Makes 18 to 24 cookies

These cookies have a rich, fudgy texture. They are great slipped into lunch boxes or backpacks. Use bittersweet chocolate if you prefer cookies that are not too sweet.

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet
  • (60% cocoa) chocolate chips
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

  • Line cookie sheets with parchment.
  • In a saucepan, combine the butter, milk, and sugar.
  • Bring to a rolling boil, and then boil for exactly 1 minute.
  • Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Add vanilla extract, oats, and walnuts.
  • Stir until thoroughly combined.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Using a medium cookie scoop, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared cookie sheets.
  • Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
  • Store at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 1 week.

These wonderful looking cookies remind me of something I had as a child. They are kind of like haystacks – remember those? Oh, how I loved butterscotch haystacks cookies! I’m so glad to have an oat cookie that doesn’t require baking. It will soon be so warm in the South that I’ll do almost anything to not turn on the oven!

Gluten-Free Mexican Rice for Cinco de Mayo

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Today is the fifth of May, also known as “Cinco de Mayo”.  Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  While celebration is primarily limited to the state of Puebla, many in the US celebrate by dining on Mexican fare & margaritas.

Dining out in a Mexican restaurant while following the gluten-free diet is fairly easy.  Many of the traditional dishes are naturally gluten-free.  Corn tortillas are more commonly used than flour tortillas; salsa,  guacamole, beans and rice are all usually safe choices.  Of course speaking with the manager and/or chef is the safest way to dine out.  Ask how the sauces are made, whether there is gluten in the marinades used for the meat and if the corn tortilla chips are fried in a dedicated fryer.  As in any restaurant, cross contamination can be a risk, so make sure to ask how they keep the gluten-free food safe.

If you prefer to make your own Mexican feast, the sky is the limit!  Some of our favorites include:

  • Tacos – fish, ground beef, chicken or turkey
  • Mexican pizza
  • Burritos
  • Chimchangas
  • Taco salad
  • Enchilada bake
  • Mexican rice
  • Fajitas
  • Horchata (this brand is gluten-free)

My son requests Mexican once a week, so we eat a lot of tacos in our house.  He prefers them on warmed, soft corn tortillas; I prefer a tostada shell or hard taco shell.  You can find many of our recipes in this post.  Here is our favorite recipe for Mexican Rice that my mom made for us when I was growing up.  I will never tire of this rice:

Mexican Rice

  • 1 cup brown basmati or jasmine rice
  • 2-3 tsp EVOO
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 onion (I omit this b/c I can’t eat them)
  • 1 large tomato
  • chicken broth (verify that it is gluten-free)
  • cumin
  • chili powder
  • red hot
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions:

  1. Drop tomato into boiling water for 60 seconds. Remove tomato from water and then remove the skin. Careful not to burn yourself as I have done too many times when I am in a hurry.
  2. Chop tomato, peel garlic, chop onion and place all ingredients in a food processor/blender. Puree until everything is liquid. Add cumin (about 1 tsp), chili powder (1/2 – 1 tsp), red hot (I like a lot, but use your own judgement), S & P. Blend.
  3. Place EVOO and rice in a 2 qt. sauce pan and warm over med to med-high heat. Brown rice, but don’t burn it.
  4. Dump tomato mixture into a glass measuring cup and then add chicken broth to equal 2 cups of liquid. Dump your 2 cups of liquid into the rice; stir and bring to a boil.
  5. Stir and reduce heat to simmer for 40-50 minutes, depending on what kind of rice you are using.
  6. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork & serve.

Here is a picture of the rice served alongside Mexican pizzas.

Tacos & Mexican pizzas are great for busy nights and letting kids “create their own masterpiece”.

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month – What Can You Do?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 4 Comments

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month. This is probably not the first time you have heard that and it certainly won’t be the last, not if I can help it. Some quick facts about Celiac Disease:

  • 1 in 133 people in the US actually has Celiac Disease
  • 97% of those people are undiagnosed
  • Celiac Disease is not an allergy – it is an auto-immune disease

I bet you may be wondering what you can do to help with awareness. Well, I am going to talk about several things right now.   Do you have Facebook, Twitter, or email account? If so, utilize them. You don’t have to have a blog to spread the news.   First and foremost, educate your family & friends. If they don’t understand what Celiac Disease is or what the ramifications of eating gluten are, when you need to be on a gluten-free diet, tell them. Are words not working?  Send emails, mail, and flyers.  Since Celiac Disease is genetic, your condition came from someone, right? Make sure that your family members get tested.  Arm them with the knowledge that they will need to speak with their doctor, who may or may not be well-versed in Celiac Disease. Share the consequences of not being diagnosed/treated or not following the gluten-free diet.  Some of those consequences may include:

  • malnourishment
  • cancer
  • vitamin deficiencies
  • short stature
  • miscarriage and/or infertility
  • lactose intolerance
  • cancer
  • neurological issues

Is it really worth having someone you love sticking their head in the sand? That being said, you can’t make someone do something they don’t want to do.  However, that doesn’t mean you have to drop the subject completely.

Part of what makes Celiac Disease hard to diagnose is not everyone experiences the same symptoms. Some peoples’ symptoms may be intestinal, some neurological and some may even be asymptomatic, only being diagnosed after a family member has been diagnosed.  As you know, the initial screening is a simple blood test. If you know someone who has health issues that have gone undiagnosed or are continuing to get worse, it may be worth looking into Celiac Disease.  The NFCA  has a symptom checklist right on its website.  Simply go through it and print it to bring along to the doctor for help in explaining the need to be tested.

There are several different companies that have launched special campaigns for Celiac Disease Awareness month.  Check them out below:

  • 1in133 – The gluten-free Food Labeling Summit that will be taking place on May 4, 2011, in Washington, DC
  • Mambo Sprouts – Many of the brands they support & offer coupons for are running contests for great prizes!
  • Celiac Central is spotlighting a different gluten-free blogger daily during the month of May.
  • NFCA – National Foundation for Celiac Awareness – Many different events will be going on during the month of May.
  • Rudi’s gluten-free – Hosting a recipe contest that runs through May 20, 2011

For more information on Celiac Disease, symptoms, testing, etc, please visit the NFCA (National Foundation for Celiac Awareness).  What are you doing to help spread the word?

Recipe: Gluten-Free Eggplant Parmesan Pizza

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

When I was making my weekly Friday night pizza last week, I was brainstorming what toppings to put on it. I spied an eggplant in my fridge and Eggplant Parmesan popped into my head. Only I didn’t want the traditional recipe, I wanted it on a pizza.

I modified things slightly, using the components for Eggplant Parmesan without the breading for the eggplant since it would be on pizza crust. I chose to use Udi’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crust as my crust, but any gluten-free crust should work.

Eggplant Parmesan Pizza

  • 1 eggplant, thinly sliced & pre-roasted (see more below)
  • Prego Three Cheese marinara sauce (about 1/4 cup for this crust)
  • 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1-2 TBSP parmesan cheese
  • Spinach or basil leaves (I only had spinach, but basil would be better)

Directions (these are the directions for the Udi’s crust, follow directions for whatever crust you use)

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Top frozen crust with toppings starting with sauce, then eggplant, cheeses & spinach or basil leaves.
  3. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is starting to brown and cheese is melted.
  4. Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant

  • 1 eggplant, thinly sliced (use a mandoline for evenly sliced pieces)
  • Pam Olive Oil Cooking Spray
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Sea Salt
  • Pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375-400.
  2. Spray a baking sheet covered with foil with Pam.
  3. Evenly spread out the pieces of eggplant & spray with Pam, drizzle with balsamic & sprinkle with sea salt & pepper.
  4. Roast in oven.

*Roasting time depends on the thickness of the slice.  Turn over half way through and season other side with balsamic, salt & pepper.

This turned out so good that I ended up using the other crust in the Udi’s package and leftover eggplant to make it again on Saturday for dinner.  I can see this becoming my go-to pizza recipe.  In fact, I picked up another eggplant today at the store so that I can repeat it again this coming weekend!

If you still have leftover eggplant after making your pizza, consider adding to salads, brown rice, wraps or omelets.

Celiac-Disease.com is now on Facebook

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Are you one of the millions of people who use Facebook daily?  If so, we are pleased to announce that Celiac-Disease.com, the featured website of gluten-free Media, now has its very own Facebook page in addition to our already popular Twitter page!  This is exciting news and means getting updates from us is now even easier than ever before.

No longer do you need to worry about missing an update or following us via a separate feed reader? Now you can simply click here and “Like” us to get our updates placed directly into your Facebook News Feed with the rest of your Facebook updates.

With one or more new articles being shared almost every day, it can be hard to keep up with all the news.  I know I certainly don’t want to miss out on anything!  As an added bonus, the Facebook page also offers the ability for users to comment on our posts on the corresponding Facebook page or click through to the website directly to leave a comment.

So, what are you waiting for?  Come on over to our brand new Facebook page and “Like” us! Make sure to use the “Share” button on the left side of the page to let all of your friends and family know about our new page as well! See you there!