1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (uncooked), cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 pound sausage (uncooked), diced

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed

2 cups cooked rice

Preparation:

In a crock pot, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.

Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.

We arrived to engage in a gluten free adventure and informed the waitress of my gluten free diet. She was very accommodating and told us that everything is made to order and sauces cold be substituted. We both ordered specials. I had veal with lump crab meat and asparagus. The kitchen substituted the cream sauce for a white wine sauce. Greg indulged in pasta and had a rare gluten filled meal!  There are several Fellini’s in the area.  This particular owner has restaurants in Paoli and Ardmore.

Lesson learned here: Do not avoid small establishments because you fear they cannot accommodate a gluten free diet.

This week, I tried to make gluten free pizza crust using the plethora of gluten free flours and gluten free baking ingredients I had in my gluten free pantry.  This was a challenge, but the results were surprisingly pretty good.  Here is the gluten free crust recipe I used:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. yeast

1 1/3 c. milk, warmed

1 tsp. sugar

1 1/3 c. rice flour (I only had white rice flour)

1 c. corn starch

2 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. cider vinegar

Preparation:

Combine yeast and milk.  Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients.  Mix dry ingredients by hand. 

Add olive oil and cider vinegar to yeast and milk.  Mix well by hand.

Combine yeast mixture to dry ingredients.  I mixed briefly by hand and then ditched my spoon and used my hands.  Ingredients will form a dough ball.  Roll out using a rolling pin.  Be sure to roll the dough out to a tin crust. 

Transfer crust to a pizza pan or baking sheet.  Add your favorite sauce, cheese and toppings.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is browned and cheese is melted. 

 Last week’s winner was Schar’s gluten free pizza crust.  The outcome for this week…

Taste:  Taste was mediocre.  The crust was a little soggy and doughy.  For an easy recipe with what you have in your pantry, this recipe is great.  However, the gluten free crust is not as good as “regular” pizza. 

Texture:  The crust did not crumble, which is a HUGE plus in my eyes.  However, the crust was soggy and doughy.

Ease:  This recipe was easy for homemade pizza. 

This recipe compared to last week’s winner… Decent taste and easy recipe, but Schar is still the front runner.

We have decided to compare and contrast everything gluten free pizza!  About once per week, we will take on a new type of gluten free pizza, including ready made pizza crusts, homemade pizza crust, frozen pizzas, gluten free pizza from pizza shops.  We will rate each pizza based on:

• Taste.
• Texture.
• Ease.
• Bang for the buck.

We were a little aggressive in week one.  We tried two “ready made” gluten free crusts – Schar gluten free pizza crust and Barkat brown rice gluten free pizza crust.  Both products are available at our online gluten free store.  Our overall impression:  both decent and instant front runners! 

Taste:  Greg compared the taste and thickness of Schar’s gluten free pizza crust to greek-style pizza.  I liked it because it didn’t crumble and wasn’t chalky.  Barkat came in a close second.  The taste was good.  It didn’t crumble.  The only negative to Barkat was that it didn’t seem to hold up to sauce and cheese.  The crust absorbed much of the sauce, which left bread and cheese.  It reminded of the microwave bread, ketchup and cheese sandwiches I made as a kid.  Category winner:  Schar.   

Texture:  Schar held up well to sauce and was not crumbly.  Barkat became a little soggy and absorbed the sauce.  Both gluten free pizza crusts were moist and not chalky.  Category winner:  Schar.

Ease:  Both crusts are ready made, which meant that it took a total of 2 minutes to assemble the pizzas.  Both crusts are available through our online gluten free store in both single sizes and by the case.  Category winner:  Tie – Schar and Barkat.

Bang for the Buck:  Each Schar package comes with two small pizza crusts for $7.19.  Barkat is a single small crust for $7.39 each.  Category winner – Schar.

Schar was the clear winner of week 1.  Stay tuned for next week when we try to make gluten free pizza crust with the random gluten free flours and other gluten free baking ingredients in our pantry.

Gluten Free Ingredients: 

Asparagus

Egg, lightly beaten

Romano cheese

Garlic powder

Canola oil

Salt

Preparation:

Dip the asparagus into the egg, coating each piece nicely.  Roll the asparagus in Romano cheese (Anna recommends Locatelli’s Romano cheese).  Sprinkle with a little garlic powder.  Cook asparagus in a pan coated with canola oil until tender.  Season with a bit of salt and enjoy!

Thanks Anna for the great gluten free appetizer.  We are looking forward to making gluten free fried aparagus soon! 

Add comments if you have tried this recipe or send us your favorite recipes!

We hope to put together a mini-cookbook more often!  Please share your favorite gluten free recipes!

Our friend Flo from Buffalo, New York, sent us her favorite sugar cookie recipe, which uses Little Bay Baking Company’s Yellow Cake Mix. Thanks Flo!

1 bag of Little Bay Baking Company Yellow Cake Mix

3/4 cup margarine

1 large egg

3 tablespoons milk

Form dough into ball and refrigerate for 2 hours in plastic wrap. Divide into three pieces and roll dough between two pieces of wax paper to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies and place on parchment lined cookie sheets Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with colored sugar before baking or frost and decorate when cool.

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3 large dried red chiles

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1 (3-pound) salmon fillet, cut into 6 pieces

2 limes, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon canola oil

Cilantro sprigs

Preparation:

Soak the chile peppers in enough warm water to cover them for 30 minutes, until soft. When the chiles are soft, remove and discard the stems and seeds, then transfer to blender. (Reserve soaking liquid.) Add sugar, lime juice, garlic, oregano and salt and purée until you have a paste-like consistency. If the mixture is too thick, add a little of the chile soaking liquid, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange salmon fillets on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet skin side down, just touching, so they resemble a whole side of salmon. Spread the chile purée evenly over the tops of the salmon to completely cover each fillet.

Lay lime slices down the center of the salmon in one straight line, then brush them with oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until salmon is golden brown and fully cooked through. Carefully remove the salmon fillets to a serving platter, recreating the original shape. Serve hot from the oven, at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 6

Adopted from Whole Foods.
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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon roughly chopped rosemary

2 cloves garlic

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 (2-pound) boneless leg of lamb, rolled and tied

2 cups baby carrots

4 medium white potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup red wine

Preparation:

Place oil, rosemary, and 1 clove of the garlic into a blender and puree until almost smooth. Add salt and pepper. Pour garlic mixture over the lamb, rubbing it into the surface of the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange carrots, potatoes, and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan. Pour or spoon marinade that has dripped off the lamb onto the vegetables and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cut small slits into the top, sides, and bottom of the lamb. Thinly slice the remaining clove of garlic and place a slice into each slit. Set the lamb in the pan with the vegetables and pour wine over the top.

Roast lamb and vegetables for 45 minutes, covered, and an additional 45 minutes, uncovered, or until lamb is done to your liking. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, check the vegetables. If they are not yet tender, cover and return to oven while lamb is resting to continue roasting until tender. Transfer lamb and vegetables to a serving platter and drizzle with pan juices.

Serves 4

Adopted from Whole Foods.
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