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Recipe: Gluten-Free Penne Alla Vodka

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

I am always on the lookout for new, healthy recipes, so when I saw a “tweet” last week from from Rocco DiSpirito about his low-fat version, I was all over it.

The recipe as DiSpirito had written it was not gluten-free, but it was simple enough to modify.  Additionally, I didn’t have any fresh basil, so I improvised a little more with kale.  My version turned out really good and I can’t wait to have leftovers tonight!

Penne Alla Vodka

(original recipe by Rocco DiSpirito, modified by me)

  • 8 oz Gluten-free Pasta – I used Jovial
  • 2 cups marinara sauce – I used Prego Three Cheese
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • 1 container (7 oz) Greek yogurt – I used Dannon Plain (it is the only Dannon variety that is gluten-free)
  • 1 cup chopped steamed or sauteed kale (I used 365 Value Brand frozen chopped)
  • sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the package.
  2. While pasta is cooking, heat the pasta sauce & crushed red pepper.  Simmer for 5 minutes or so.
  3. Stir about 1/2 cup of marinara into the yogurt until smooth.  Stir this mixture back into the sauce.  Tempering the mixture helps prevent the yogurt from curdling.
  4. In a large bowl, toss drained pasta with kale & sauce.  Season with salt & pepper and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.
  5. Enjoy!

I love how this turned out!  I am sure that it would be awesome with the fresh basil, but I love kale, so it worked.  You may notice that there is no vodka in this recipe.  As DiSpirito mentions at the beginning of his recipe, vodka is colorless and doesn’t give the traditional dish it’s color or flavor, the heavy cream does.  Swapping the heavy cream for Greek yogurt makes this dish much healthier.

Do you have any tricks for modifying traditional dishes to make them healthier?  I know most times I am focused on making a dish gluten-free, so I always try to make it healthier at the same time.

Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day Candy Choices Limited

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

The very first holiday I encountered after my celiac diagnosis was Valentine’s Day. We went out to dinner and had a wonderful meal, but not a wonderful experience due to the two-hour wait. Back then, I did not know to always have a snack in my purse for such situations. Because I didn’t know about that many places to eat safely at, we chose an out-of-the-way place (that doesn’t take reservations) where the bartender had celiac and her husband was the chef. Earlier that day, I’d made a heart-shaped gluten-free cake (my first ever) and it was so awful we threw it out instead of putting it out back for the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks to eat. It was a good thing that there was a gluten-free dessert on the menu that night.

My husband was as overwhelmed as I was about my new diet since he did almost all the cooking in our house back then. He decided to try and find some Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day candy for me, even though I much prefer flowers over candy. Much to his dismay, no safe candy was to be found so I got gorgeous roses instead. That was more than fine by me, but I felt bad that he felt so bad about striking out looking for a heart-shaped box of gluten-free candy.

Many gluten-free people want Valentine’s Day candy and I’m sorry to report that over five years later, it is still not that easy to find gluten-free candy that is specifically marketed for this holiday. I’m talking about the heart-shaped boxes that line the aisles of every Target, grocery store, and drug store at this time of year. Instead of complaining about the lack of a gluten-free labeling law on this one, my gripe is actually with the companies that wrap these boxes in so much colored cellophane that you could not read the ingredients if someone offered you a million dollars to do so. At least, you could not read them unless you ripped the wrapping off the box. Since you can’t see the ingredients on so many of those heart candy boxes, it does not matter if the product is labeled gluten-free or not.

MP900399599I spotted some cute Peeps Valentine’s Day candy that, like their Easter candy (and I think their entire line), is labeled gluten-free. It’s too bad I don’t care for this line of sweets at all. Necco, the company that makes Sweethearts Conversation Heart candies, states the hearts are gluten-free, but the boxes I checked last week were not labeled as such. I enjoy the Thin Mints from that line which are listed as gluten-free on the company’s website, but also not marked on the box.  Both Godiva and Ghirardelli continue to state their items can’t be considered gluten-free due to the way the products are made.

There is a lot of gluten-free candy out there, but the seasonal candy made for Valentine’s Day is mostly either not gluten-free or is questionable due to how it’s processed. One interesting find that came up in my candy search was this chocolate rose bouquet. It’s even dairy-free as is the entire line. If I get a hankering for something sweet on Valentine’s Day, I’ll make something special that is both delicious and undeniably safe for me to enjoy. Below are several tasty recipes to suit this need. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Review: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Organic Corn Chips

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 3 Comments

For over forty years, I’ve been eating Fritos Corn Chips. I don’t have them every day, every week, or even every month, but I do eat Fritos Scoops several times a year with various party dips. Most corn chips are made with only three ingredients – corn, oil and salt. Most of the products are gluten-free whether they’re labeled that way or not. However, until recently, I’ve never found anything that tasted like Fritos Corn Chips except for the Fritos brand.

On a recent shopping trip at Trader Joe’s, I found a bag of Organic Corn Chips under the Trader Joe’s label. The trusty g* symbol was right on the bag and the ingredients were corn, oil, and salt. For only $1.99 a bag, I had to give the product a try. The photo of the product on the bag looked remarkably like the Fritos Scoops.

Almost a week after I bought the chips, I finally opened them to find out how they tasted. Right away I noticed an odd odor wafting from the bag. Since the product contains nothing but the ingredients noted above, I can’t figure out what the odd smell is. The taste of the product is good and very close to the Fritos brand, but it doesn’t seem to be the exact same product. Fritos Scoops are saltier and they don’t have an odd odor either. The Trader Joe’s chips are also less greasy than Fritos which is a good thing.

It’s very nice that this item is made from organic corn and the price is very reasonable. However, due to the smell, I probably would not purchase the chips again. The only feasible explanation (that I could come up with) regarding the odor was that it was coming from the bag. However, when I took the chips out of the bag and put them in a bowl, the smell was still there. It’s probable that only people with an overactive sense of smell can detect the odd odor.

Trader Joe’s carries a slew of gluten-free products and their ‘no gluten ingredients’ list was updated in early January. Some new items have been added to the list and a few have been removed. The most notable deletion for me was the Chocolate Mousse Collaboration. It was the best ‘no gluten ingredients’ item I’ve ever had from Trader Joe’s and unlike the Trader Joe’s Corn Chips, the decadent treat smelled like chocolate nirvana.

Gluten-Free Labeling Laws in the U.S. and Canada

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

There is a lot of recent news about potential gluten-free labeling laws in the U.S. and Canada. As most of us know, the FDA has been dragging its feet for a couple of years now regarding its finalization of an allergen labeling law in the U.S. The agency posted suggested guidelines back in 2006 and has updated them since then, but to date, no law is in effect. That means that companies that make gluten-free products can do as they please in terms of labeling them. Manufacturers are free to abide by the FDA’s proposed guidelines or they can ignore them.

If you want to see things change and want the FDA to get off the fence and rule on what exactly gluten-free labeling laws mean here, this is your time to be heard. The American Celiac Disease Alliance is asking for our help in getting something done once and for all. The goal is to get a final ruling on the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) sooner rather than later. The ruling is now almost three years overdue since it was supposed to be finalized in August 2008.  It’s time to be a part of the change we want to see in the world (or in this case in the gluten-free market). Please read more about what you can do here.

North of the U.S. border in Canada, a big proposed gluten-free labeling law is at risk of being weakened due to a powerful beer industry lobby. Personally, I’m much more concerned that food is labeled if it contains gluten than beer, but this challenge by the brewing industry threatens to negatively impact the entire ruling. The frustration of the many people who’ve worked tirelessly on the proposed law (and allergic consumers) in Canada is completely understandable. Shelley Case and a host of other people in the Canadian Celiac Association are doing everything they can to make sure this important ruling helps protect allergic consumers. Shelley Case recently reported the following information to the celiac listserv:

The beer industry has come out in strong opposition to the proposed food allergen/gluten labeling regulatory changes in Canada. This opposition by a powerful private interest group threatens to derail final approval of the proposed changes by the federal government. Food allergy and celiac groups are deeply concerned with this development and that the regulations might not be passed.

Even though I knew that the Barley Growers of America have a surprisingly powerful lobby in the U.S. (which has impacted the FALPA ruling by the FDA), I was not aware that beer brewers in Canada are determined to keep gluten-free labeling laws from affecting their products too. What I really wonder about is why brewing companies – or any others for that matter – want to hide what’s in their products (that is what they’re doing if they aren’t willing to clearly disclose the ingredients) when allergic customers will get sick from consuming them. That seems more than unethical no matter which way you look at it. Selling products that will make people sick is simply bad business.

Read more about this important issue here. To find out how you can help keep the proposed labeling law changes in Canada from being changed to suit the beer industry, please check out this petition. Just today, Anaphylaxis Canada reached out to the Prime Minister about this urgent issue with this letter.

Gluten-Free Super Bowl Snacks

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

Super Bowl Sunday is quickly approaching. Some of my favorite appetizers include Buffalo Chicken Dip with Celery Sticks or Tortilla Chips, Chicken Wings, Appetizer Veggie Pizza, Veggie Tray with Dill Dip, Shrimp Cocktail, Fruit Skewers, Cheese & Crackers (Crunchmaster or Blue Diamond Nut Thins). Something we don’t have often, but my husband made the other day is Deviled Eggs.  Deviled Eggs are perfect to add to the repertoire for Super Bowl Sunday.

Deviled Eggs are naturally gluten-free as long as the ingredients you use are gluten-free. My husband is the pro at making the eggs, so I leave it up to him. I went to him this morning to get his recipe only to find that he doesn’t use one!  I will share his method and ingredients.

Aaron’s Deviled Egg ingredients:

  • 12 hard-boiled eggs (this last time he ended up with only 10 after losing 2 in a boiling accident)
  • Approximately 1/4 cup Hellman’s Canola Mayo (says gluten-free on the jar)
  • 1-2 tsp Spicy Brown Mustard (Trader Joe’s)
  • 1-2 tsp Yellow Mustard  (French’s)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Paprika

Directions:

  1. Cut eggs in half & remove yolks.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl & mix until creamy.  Adjust seasoning & ingredients to taste.
  3. Pipe mixture back into eggs and sprinkle with paprika.  Other topping ideas- scallions, chives, pickle relish, carrots, diced red or green peppers.

They turn out fantastic every time!  I wish I could cook as he does. Who would you like to see win the Super Bowl?