Gluten-free Beer Battered Fish

Are you ready to eat some ultra delicious crispy fish?

I found myself asking the question that comes all too frequently: What's for dinner? I rummaged through the freezer and found a packet of white fish fillets. Ok, so fish tonight, but how to make it, And make it good? I wanted something crispy and yummy. I thought I could bread it and throw the fish fingers into the oven, but they might turn out to be a little mushy. I decided to veto the breading and go for a good old fashioned battered fish fry. I took out all the gluten free flours I could find and came up with the yummy crispy, deliciously golden recipe down below that I won't soon forget and will be using again.

Gluten-free Beer Battered Fish

1 1/2 pound of white fish fillet
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt

Wash fish fillets, pat dry with paper towels and cut into pieces roughly 2x4 inches. They don't have to be exact, they can be an inch or two larger on either side but you don't want them too big or they will take longer to fry and soak up more oil. Season fish with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

To make Gluten-free Beer Batter:

1 cup of rice flour
1/2 cup of tapioca starch
1/2 cup of cornstarch
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon of dried basil flakes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup beer (amber or dark works best)

Mix or sift all the dry ingredients together.
Save about 1/3 cup of the dry mix and set aside for dusting fish before battering and frying.
Add vegetable oil to the dry mix.
Add 1/4 cup of beer and mix lightly, it will be lumpy.
Stir in more beer by the tablespoon just until you get a slightly runny pancake batter consistency. You don't have to use all the beer, only use enough for the right texture.


Heat a few inches of frying oil in a pot to about 360 degrees. If you don't have a heat oil thermometer, check the oil temp by dropping a few drops of batter into the oil to see if it lively sizzles and is not smoking or spattering.

Dust pieces of fish a few at a time in the dry mix, shake off the excess and dip each piece into wet batter to thoroughly coat and place lightly into heated oil. Don't overcrowd the pot.

Fry each piece of fish about 3-5 minutes, turn in the oil once half way through until both sides are golden brown and crispy.

Remove each piece of fish from the oil and drain on a large clean paper grocery bag or paper towels on a plate or a fry oil draining rack.

Keep fish warm in the oven around 150 degrees until all the batches are done. Serve immediately.


Photo provided by myself  :-q

Gluten-free Cream of Chicken Soup substitute

You can use this substitute for recipes that need Cream of Chicken Soup or Mushroom or Celery.

1/2 Cup of Milk
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon of Butter
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/4 teaspoon of Ground Pepper
1/4 teaspoon of Ground Sage
1/4 teaspoon of Ground Thyme

Combine milk, chicken broth and cornstarch until blended.

Heat the mixture slowly on the stove, stirring occasionally.

While heating up, add butter, sea salt and ground pepper, sage and thyme.

Stir heated mixture occasionally until mixture thickens.

Turn off heat, continue stirring to prevent lumps for a few minutes.

Store in a heat safe container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and use as a substitute in casseroles or stews or soups, or whatever your imagination can think of!


Photo provided by savourytable.com

Baked Eggplant Parmesan (Gluten-free)

Today I tried a different way of making Eggplant Parmesan, instead of frying the eggplant, I baked it. It came out rather good, crispy, hot and delicious.

*A little tip on picking eggplants that I learned today is to find one that is shiny and unblemished, has a green top and has a round navel and not an oval one. An oval navel means that it is most likely a female berry and that it has many more seeds than the male ones with rounder navels.

This recipe makes 1-2 servings.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

One eggplant cut into 1/2 inch slices

One egg

1/2 cup of GF breadcrumbs or 1/2 cup crushed cereal like Kix or GF frosted flakes

1/2 teaspoon of italian seasoning

1/4 finely grated parmesan

Several slices of Mozzarella

Smart Balance or butter or olive oil

Cooking Spray

Marinara Sauce

Slice the eggplant into 1/2 slices and place onto paper towels for about 30 minutes, flipping over after 15 minutes.

Crack the egg into a bowl and scramble.

Mix breadcumbs, italian seasoning and parmesan in a different bowl.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. 

Spray a baking sheet with Cooking Spray.

Dip eggplant slices into the scrambled egg and gently shake off as much of the liquid as possible and place into the breadcrumbs.

Coat slice with breadcrumbs entirely, shake off the excess and place flat onto baking sheet.

Repeat until all the slices are coated, put a small pat of Smart Balance on each slice and place into oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Flip slices over and bake for another 15 minutes.

Add mozzarella slices to the top of each slice and put back into oven for 5 minutes.

Take slices out and put into serving dish and pour Marinara Sauce over slices. 

Serve hot and enjoy!

Photo provided by hubpages.com

Delicious Homemade Chicken Soup (Gluten-free)

Photo provided by thebackyardchickenfarmer.com

MMMmm... guuuuuud, is what I say about my chicken soup recipe. It's delicious, full-bodied and perfect in a full favorite mug for a cool summer night hanging out by your outdoor fire pit snuggled in a blanket.
This recipe takes about 45 minutes to an hour to make 4 - 6 servings.

Delicious Homemade Chicken Soup

1 whole fryer chicken (4-6 pounds)
2 quarts of chicken stock
1 quart of water, or as needed
3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch sliced chunks
2 - 3 stalks of celery, chopped into 1/4 inch sliced chunks
1 onion, chopped into 1/4 inch chunks
2 teaspoons dried, crushed italian oregano
2 teaspoons ground sage
1 - 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 - 2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf


Add cleaned whole chicken to a 8 quart soup pot or stock pot. Add 2 quarts of chicken stock and add enough water to almost cover or cover the chicken.

Heat pot until boil and reduce heat to simmer, cover for 20 minutes or a little longer until the meat falls off the bone.

Remove whole chicken and put aside to cool.

Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, oregano, sage, basil, garlic salt, sea salt, pepper and bay leaf to the stock pot, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender. Add a little more water if needed to cover vegetables.

While the vegetables are becoming tender, peel the meat from the chicken bones and shred into bite size pieces. Discard bones.

Find the bay leaf in the stock pot and discard.

Add chicken meat back to stock pot and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust with toppings (Gluten-free)

Photo provided by Masaandmeatballs.blogspot.com

         For all of us who have gone gluten-free and tried to go out with a bunch of friends have gone through the trials and tribulations of trying to figure where and what to eat. Having steaks and seafood all the time can get expensive, and having Mexican and Asian food can also get boring as your trash bins fill up with containers of Chinese to-go boxes. So then what, Pizza joint? Can't have the gluten-laden crusts.
   
  So what about making your own pizzas?
 
Hey there's an idea: Get your friends, yes even the vegan ones, together at someones house, gather up some ingredients and have fun making your own pizzas!


Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Gluten-free)

1 small or medium head of cauliflower or two cups of cauliflower rice (stems and leaves removed)
1/3 cup of goats milk cheese or chevre
1/3 mozzarella
1/3 romano or asiago cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried italian oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 pinch of sea salt
Pizza topping of choice (pepperoni, sausage, chopped onions, cheese, chicken, the sky's the limit, etc)


To Make Cauliflower Rice:
To make cauliflower rice, grate cauliflower with a cheese grater or pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor until it is a grainy texture but not pureed. Boil cauliflower in a pot with a small amount of water, about 1 inch of water, for about 5 minutes until soft. Drain cauliflower into a sieve or collander lined with a tea towel in the sink. Allow to cool a few minutes before handling. Wrap up cauliflower in the tea towel into a ball and twist the top of the cloth to squeeze all the moisture out of the cauliflower.

Photo provided by theluckypennyblog.com

To make Cauliflower Crust with toppings:
In a large bowl mix together cauliflower with all the goats milk cheese, mozzarella, romano cheese, egg, dried basil, dried italian oregano, garlic salt and salt very well.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Transfer the dough into a parchment lined baking sheet and press into a crust form about 1/3 inch thick, such as a square, or rectangle, or two circles.

Photo provided by Detoxinista.com

Bake for about 40 minutes in the oven. Crust should be firm and golden brown.

Load up the crust with all your toppings and return to oven to bake for about 8-10 minutes.

Slice while hot, Serve and Enjoy!

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole (Gluten-free)

   

Photo provided by bunsinmyoven.com

       Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is a meal you can have at breakfast or dinner, hey have it for lunch. This recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It's even better the next day!


Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

2 pounds of cooked hashbrown potatoes (frozen cooked will work)
1 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 can of evaporated milk
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon of garlic salt
1 cup of chopped, cubed or shredded cooked meat of choice (Turkey, chicken, sausage, ground beef, bacon, etc.)
(optional) a few sprigs of fresh chopped parsley or green onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a oven safe casserole dish layer 1/2 of the potatoes, then 1/2 of the chopped onion, then 1/2 of the meat, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers with the rest of the ingredients and remember to save 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Whisk together in a bowl the evaporated milk, egg and garlic salt and pour evenly over the layers.

Cover casserole and bake for 45 minutes.

Take casserole out of oven and top with remaining cheese and put back into oven for 10 minutes.

Garnish with parsley or green onion if so desired.

Serve and Enjoy!


     This cheesy potato casserole recipe doesn't use cream of anything soup that would normally contain wheat and gluten. However, it uses evaporated milk instead. If you don't have evaporated milk on hand you may use 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of milk.
 
    The meat in this recipe can be substituted out for cooked vegetables. Broccoli is a great substitute or even added into the layers. Cauliflower is good too but tends to be very mild in taste with all the potatoes.

    Red or green peppers or green chile is a great substitute or addition to this dish if you want to spice it up.

    Make sure the vegetables and meat are cooked before going into the dish.

     Gluten-free pasta may used instead of potatoes for a cheesy pasta casserole.

Eggplant Parmesan (Gluten-free option)

   

Photo provided by eclecticrecipes.com

       Ever dread going to an Italian restaurant to find that the only things gluten-free on the menu are salad and wine? Sure there's some establishments out there that serve meats and veggies but their side dishes usually consist of regular bread or pasta that's full of gluten. And unless the owner and grown up kids running the place are gluten sensitive it's gonna be rabbit food and booze for the rest of the meal.
       I have found one lovely place in Albuquerque, and only one anywhere so far, where the Paisanos and their adult children working in the restaurant were celiacs and had almost everything on their menu easily gluten-free optioned. One of their gluten-free choices on the menu is Eggplant Parmesan. Normally, eggplant parmesan is dipped in a batter or encrusted in bread crumbs, either of which usually contain gluten.
       This eggplant parmesan recipe makes delicious crispy battered eggplant slices topped with easy homemade marinara sauce about 2 - 3 servings.

Eggplant Parmesan (gluten-free option)

One large eggplant
1 cup Gluten-free pancake or waffle mix
1 egg
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup of water
1/2 - 1 cup of vegetable oil
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 package of gluten free spaghetti or marinara sauce
4 oz. of mozzarella slices

Eggplant Parmesan Sauce
1.) Heat 1 can of stewed tomatoes and package of spaghetti or marinara sauce in a small saucepan until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and set sauce aside.

Fried Eggplant
1.) Cut eggplant into 1/3 inch slices and place onto paper towels so that each slice is flat on the paper towels for 15-30 minutes to allow moisture to be pulled out of the eggplant.
Flip over eggplant slices and allow moisture to seep into the paper towels for another 15-30 minutes.

2.) In a medium size bowl mix together pancake or waffle mix, cornstarch, grated parmesan cheese, egg, sugar, garlic salt and about 1/2 cup of water. Mixture should be thick.
Add additional water by a tablespoon at a time and mix in between spoonfuls until consistency is like thin pancake batter while still being thicker than crepe batter. You may need to add more water to get the slightly runny consistency for this batter.

3.) Add 1/4 inch of oil to a large frying pan and heat on medium-high.

4.) Fully dip eggplant slices into batter and place into hot oil in the pan. Fry for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown and turn over. Continue cooking for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown.

5.) Take done pieces of eggplant out of the pan and place onto plates lined with paper towels to drain oil.

6.) Place cooked eggplant slices into a baking dish and top with sauce and mozzarella slices.

7.) Broil for about 1 - 2 minutes until cheese has melted and serve.

     This batter recipe can also be use to make delicious golden crispy fried onion rings, or other vegetables.
     The tomato sauce can be of choice if you don't want to make your own.
     Grated parmesan cheese can be used as a topping instead of mozzarella cheese and skip the broiling.
     Other cooked vegetables can be layered on top of the eggplant such as onions, zucchini or mushrooms.

Scrumptious Cheesecake Pie (Gluten-free option)

Photo provided by kraftrecipes.com

         This recipe has been a hit everywhere that I've served it and there's usually no leftovers. It's luscious and creamy and its gluten-free. I'm embellished a little bit with extra whipped topping but it would have been fine without it. It's up to you how to decorate the top of the pie, leave it plain or pour a fruit topping over the top, the possibilities are endless.

Cheesecake Pie with pecan graham cracker crust (Gluten-free option)

8 oz. gluten free cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp gluten free vanilla
1 regular size tub of Cool Whip
1 cup gluten free graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
2 Tbsp butter

Pie crust
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together graham cracker crumbs, pecans and butter.
Line the bottom and sides of a pie tin with mixture and bake for 10 minutes.
Take pie crust out of the oven and set aside to cool.

Pie filling
Cream together cream cheese and 1/3 cup of sugar until smooth.
Add 1 tsp of vanilla and mix until blended.
Lightly fold in Cool Whip by a couple large spoonfuls at a time until the cream cheese mixture and Cool Whip is evenly distributed and smooth. Do not stir vigorously.
Spoon filling into pie crust.
Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving or overnight.
Enjoy!

       There are many variations to this recipe. This recipe above is the good old standby that's always going to turn out good. The whole tub of whipped topping is not nessessary to make this a success, halfing the amount of whipped topping used is possible for making a smaller pie. This pie can also be made ahead of time by at least two days chilling in the refrigerator.
      And the best thing about making this recipe is that you don't have to bake the pie at all if you use an already made gluten-free pie crust. Or not use a crust at all.
    You can make trifles, pudding cups, parfaits, and more with this basic cheesecake filling recipe.
    Try serving it with fruit filling such as cherry, apple, blueberry or pumpkin!

    You can even stuff it into strawberries for a really decadent treat!

Nutella Frozen Treats: Banana Pops and Milk Pops

Photo provided by Divascancook.com

     I've been noticing in Facebook and Pinterest lately that these Nutella Frozen Treats are becoming popular this year. It seems as if the traditional fruit pop of summer has given way to a luscious creamy dream treat that is sure to make your mouth happy.

Nutella Banana Pops

6 bananas 

1 cup of Hazelnut spread

Pinch of Salt

Blend together bananas, Hazelnut Spread and Pinch of salt in a blender until well blended. Pour into Popsicle moulds and freeze. Overnight should be enough time to give these Popsicles enough time to set.

Pop them out of mould and Enjoy!

This is the low fat healthier recipe. If you're looking for something with milk try the recipe below.

Nutella Milk Pops

2 cups of milk (soy, coconut, almond, hemp, chococlate milk, mixed milk, etc)

1/2 cup of Hazelnut Spread

Pinch of salt

Blend milk, hazelnut spread and pinch of salt together in blender until well blended. Pour into Popsicle moulds and freeze. Overnight should be enough time let them set. Take pops out of mould and Enjoy!

Gluten-free Pizza Pouches

 

Photo provided by foodnetwork.com

  Pizza pouches are a great meal for mid week munchies or a football game in your living room on the big screen. These little hot and saucy pizza pouches are to be a hit at your next meeting at the dinner table or in front of the tv screen with all your fan friends cheering on your favorite sports teams.

Gluten-free Pizza Pouches

Gluten-free pizza dough mix

8 oz cooked Italian sausage crumbles

8 oz Pepperoni slices, thin to regular

8 oz of Mozzarella cheese, 1-inch chunks

5 oz Pizza or marinara sauce

A few drops of olive oil

Make pizza dough according to the directions of gluten-free pizza dough package.

After the dough has risen, cut or tear off 2-inch rounds off of pizza dough.

Flatten dough into a disk or square with a few drops of olive oil on your fingers onto a non-stick baking mat or plastic wrap until the dough is about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Be careful not to tear the dough or stretch it too thin, gluten-free pizza dough tends to be sticky and tears easily. 

Onto flattened dough put a dab of pizza or marinara sauce the size of a teaspoon in the middle. 

Next add a few sausage crumbles, about a level teaspoon full onto the sauce. 

Next place a slice or two of pepperoni on the sausage and top with a chunk of Mozzarella cheese. 

Here's the difficult part, making the pizza pouch. Theres a few ways you can do  this. A couple of ways to do this is by folding one side of dough over the filling and joining the ends by pressing them together. Or by lifting all sides around the filling and pinch the edges together into a twist at the top of the pouch. Either of these ways will be fine. Do this until all the dough and ingredients are used up.

Make a small 1/4 inch vent slit in the dough on the top of each pouch.

Bake on baking sheet for 20 minutes or until they're golden brown.

Serve with Pizza Sauce or Marinara Sauce and Enjoy!

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies or Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies or " Nut Chunkies"

   

Photo provided by organizeyourstuffnow.com

      Peanut Butter cookies are a classic cookie for eating for an afternoon snack or maybe when you first wake up in the morning. This cookie recipe makes crisper crumblier cookies. Although some batches have come out chewy if I take them out a minute or two before I think theyre really done and let them cook the rest of the time on the counter. 

      Peanut butter cookies are usually made with some flour but I have a recipe that doesn't use flour so there's no need to find a gluten-free substitution. I like to call my peanut butter cookies "Nut Chunkies" because I like to load them up with lots of yummy bits and morsels like raisins and oatmeal and different types of chocolate chips and chunky peanut butter. One of these days I'd like to try dried cherries or dried apple.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

"Nut Chunkies"

1 cup jif creamy/smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup jif chunky peanut butter

1 1/4 brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp  McCormicks  vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 small snack box raisins (1-2 oz)

1/4 cup nestle mini morsel chocolate chips

1/4 cup guittard white chocolate chips

1/4 cup reese's peanut butter chips

1/4 cup Hershey's butterscotch chips

(optional)1/3 cup gluten free old fasioned oatmeal

(optional) 3 tbsp Nutella (optional, mix in or use as spread to make cookie sandwiches)

Mix first 6 ingredients together well, then add the rest and mix well.

1 inch balls

325 degrees for 12- 15 mins

Set for 5 mins and cool

    Experiment with making a dip in the middle of each cookie after taking them out of the oven and have cooled a minute or two and putting Nutella in the middle or cream or something like marshmallow cream or white chocolate.

      Using all different types of chocolate chips aren't necessary for this recipe to be a success. The same type of chocolate morsel or many other types can be used in the same proportions as this recipe, usually adding up to a cup.

     Raisins aren't necessary in this recipe either. They can be left out or some other dried easy chew fruit may be substituted in its place such as dried cherries or dried apple that's been cut into small bite size pieces.

   Chunky peanut butter is not necessary for this recipe to be a success either, more smooth peanut butter can but used in place of the chunky.
   Or if extra chunky cookies are in order chunky peanut butter may be used instead of smooth peanut butter.

Where to find cheaper gluten-free flours and pastas

                                         

Photo provided by Pastagigis.com

        Gluten-free foods can be expensive, especially if it's things like pasta, pre-made bread and pizza dough. But you can make these things yourself more cheaply with the growing variety of gluten-free flours available on the market. Many gluten-free flours have been around but haven't been made available to the general consumer population, and many still are not. Flours such as corn, brown rice and quinoa have been showing up more and more in the general big stores to satisfy the growing need of gluten sensitive diets. But what about other flours like soy, potato and chestnut? And where can you find cheaper pastas? Not everyone has a pasta press or maker at home. Where do you find these things other than on the internet at inflated prices, not to mention shipping costs?

        You have to go to certain types of shops in out-of-the-way places than the local grocery store around the corner on main street in your town. Such as international markets. Did you know they have gluten-free pastas made from rice, buckwheat, kelp, potato, tapioca, mung bean, soy and others that are shaped the same way as the ones you would normally find at the big box stores for a fraction of the price? These smaller markets have always had these things because that's what they've always been using around the world. Now you probably won't find a kelp pasta shaped like bowties, but you may find many others that will accommodate popular American pasta dishes such as macaroni and cheese or spaghetti. And you can get these pastas that cost so much less than you can at the big chain stores, like at least twice as much per pound.

    And the same goes for the gluten-free flours. There's more variety and it costs less to buy gluten-free flours from the international markets. So let down your guard a little and venture into an international food market place and explore all the other gluten-free things they have to offer.

Luscious Meatloaf Recipe (Gluten-free option)

 

  Picture provided by Stonewallkitchen.com

     The other day my family and I went to my husband's cousin's house for a Sunday playdate with the kids. In the week before my husband and I decided that we wanted to be the ones to make Sunday dinner. Every other time that we've gone to visit the family they have been the ones to feed us and we felt it was time that we show off some of our culinary prowess. As my husband and I discussed what to make, throwing out things like sushi rolls, roasted chicken and plain old fashioned hamburgers and hotdogs we came to an agreement of meatloaf since we haven't had it in a while and it sounded warm and homey. 

    For the meatloaf preparation we prepared the raw vegetables a day ahead of time. Then on the day we were to go to see the family we sauteed the vegetables and cooked the meatloaf half way a couple of hours before we had to leave and then took it to our destination to pop in the oven for the last half an hour before dinner time. 

    We decided to cook it half way so that we didn't have to prepare it all there in someone elses kitchen and to save on time once we got there to actually spend more time with the family, which is always important.

   The meatloaf came out perfect! There wasn't a single crumble left in the serving serving dish once dinner was done.

   You can prepare it all at once if you're just making dinner for the family at home. The succulent aroma coming from the oven will make everyone who's been hiding in the den or mancave all afternoon gather in the kitchen with their mouths watering and their tongues hanging out. This is a good time to get them to mash some potatoes and set up the table while you go and have a sip of your "afternoon tea".

   

     This meatloaf tends to be juicy, crusty on the outside, slightly crumbly on the inside, flavorful and delicious. And mostly gluten free. Everything in the ingredients is gluten free with the exception of the Maggie sauce and the soy seasoning sauce, either is completely optional and neither of which is necessary for this meatloaf to be a success. If you don't already have these in your pantry or spice rack then it would be fine to leave them out rather than to be sent on a wild goose chase to an international foods market where those who work there may or may not known how to speak English or know what you're talking about.

     The sauces do add a slight depth of flavor, slightly meatier in taste and aroma and added saltiness. Don’t use the sauces for those who are extremely sensitive to gluten. However, for those who are slightly gluten sensitive or can handle small amounts of gluten now and then, then in my experience, it is ok to use in this recipe without any gluten-related reactions.  

      The Kix cereal has also been a topic of discussion as to whether is it gluten free or not since nowhere on the box does it say gluten-free. There are no ingredients in the ingredients listed that contain wheat or gluten products, nor does it say it contains wheat or gluten products. 

     Most of the reviews that I have gotten from mothers with gluten sensitive children say that their children eat Kix cereal with no ill effects. And most of the reviews I've read from gluten sensitive adults who eat the cereal say that they do not have any gluten-related problems with it either. But when in doubt, a certified gluten free Kix-type cereal or GF breadcrumbs or potato flakes can be used in place of the Kix which I replaced for gluten-full breadcrumbs that I used to use in this recipe before going gluten-free.

This meatloaf makes around 6 large servings or around 8-10 small servings. This recipe can be easily halved for a meal for 4 with suggested 2 side dishes.

Luscious Meatloaf Recipe (Mostly gluten-free)

This recipe makes about 6 large servings or 8-10 small servings

Ingredients

3 pounds of ground beef (80/20)

1 finely chopped medium onion

1 finely chopped medium zucchini (2 small or half one large zucchini will work fine)

½ finely chopped green bell pepper (other color of bell pepper)

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cups of crushed Kix Cereal (other comparable GFcereal or potato flakes or GF breadcrumbs)

2 or 3 medium eggs

1 cup of applesauce

1 Tbsp of olive oil (vegetable or corn or other comparable oil, I use Smart Balance)

1 Tbsp garlic salt + 1 tsp garlic salt for sauté vegetables

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground sage

1 tsp dried basil flakes

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dry yellow mustard

½ cup ketchup

(optional) 10 squirts of Maggie seasoning sauce (20 squirts of generic soy seasoning sauce usually found in asian food markets will work too. Warning: Maggie and soy seasoning sauce contains Gluten! And neither is absolutely necessary for this recipe but gives the meatloaf slight depth of flavor and added saltiness)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Add Onion, zucchini, bell pepper and oil into a medium sauce pan on medium heat and sauté a few minutes stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and vegetables are fragrant. Add 1 tsp of garlic salt and heat for another minute or so, stirring occasionally. Turn heat off and set aside sautéed vegetables, allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl add ground beef, grated parmesan cheese, eggs, crushed Kix cereal, 1 Tbsp of garlic salt, 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp ground sage, 1 tsp basil flakes, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp dried yellow mustard. Add Maggie or soy seasoning sauce if so desired, warning they contain gluten.  Add applesauce and slightly cooled sautéed vegetables to mixture. Combine all the ingredients together until well incorporated.

Place mixture onto a foil lined baking sheet or large rectangular glass pyrex baking dish and shape into a loaf.

Place into heated oven for 45 minutes.

Take meatloaf out of oven and spread ketchup over the top of meatloaf and place back into over for 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  

Take meatloaf out of oven, check for doneness and allow to cool about 10-20 minutes before moving to serving dish or cutting to allow meatloaf to set slightly.

The picture at the top of the page is from Stonewallkitchen.com because it looks similar to this meatloaf recipe, Thank you Stonewallkitchen.com.

Introduction to the Gluten-Free Employee

     

       
       I created this blog so that I could share what I've learned about the gluten-free lifestyle and elaborate on the reality of my transitional experiences so that others could steal, I mean share, my tried and true gluten-free recipes and hopefully have others share some of theirs with me as well. And because my mum suggested I document my experiences and recipes when we first found out I was pregnant a month after being diagnosed. It's been over three years and I'm now getting to it but I have many more recipes and knowledge than I did then to share.

     The first title I came up with sounded more like I was going to preach to people about the awareness of being gluten sensitive and that I was going start selling gluten-free products that I didn't create myself.  I was gonna name this new blog "The Gluten-Free Gurlru" but I didn't wanna be a leader per se in gluten free eating or life style, I just wanted to put down my experiences and recipes from becoming gluten free. I thought that the term employee sounded more accurate than being a know-it-all about gluten-free living.

      And I'm not saying that since becoming gluten-free from being diagnosed with Celiac Disease over three years ago that I've become a slave to gluten-free foods by saying I'm an employee. I'm saying there's a give and take to this intimate relationship that I've come to incorporate into my daily eating habits and life and that the process of finding out what's successful and what isn't is kind of like a vocation where I'm having to use gluten-free as a guide.

     Many of my recipes may be completely gluten-free or mostly gluten-free with the option to make it completely gluten-free by substitutions or subtractions of gluten-containing ingredients altogether.