Italian Broccoli Slaw

"Luckily my kids love broccoli, and although we sometimes enter into UN-like negotiations about how many 'trees' they need to eat before they partake in the ice cream, it is a vegetable that they tend to embrace." - Gwyneth Paltrow

This is an incredibly easy side dish that goes great with any summer BBQ (just don't grill your vinyl siding, like I did...). It is also very healthy and quick to make, so its perfect to make last minute for potlucks. My future mother-in-law taught me this recipe when she visited, and I've made it many times since! It is always a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients: 
1 bag broccoli slaw
3/4-1 cup Italian dressing* (verify it's gluten-free)
1T rice vinegar

Directions:

Step 1: Toss broccoli slaw, italian dressing vinegar, until all pieces are covered. Let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving. 

Serves 7-10 sides. 

*use low fat or fat free dressing for an exceptionally healthy dish!

Chicken Mushroom Casserole Comfort Food

"Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity." - Voltaire

This was one of my favorite comfort foods growing up. It was also the first meal I ever made myself! It is very simple, and extremely good. If you want to make it more healthy, throw in some carrots or mixed veggies.

Ingredients: 

3 defrosted chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups rice

1 cup condensed mushroom soup (make sure it's gluten-free)

1 cup water

1 1/2-2 T of Cavenders greek seasoning

1T garlic grapeseed oil

Directions: 

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350F. 

Step 2: In a casserole dish, add rice, mushroom soup, water, greek seasoning, and grapeseed oil. Stir. Place the defrosted chicken breasts on top of the rice mixutre.

Step 3: Bake for 50-60 minutes. Enjoy!

Serves 2-4. 

Blame it on the Books

As much as I love coming up with new gluten-free recipes, lately I've been on a reading kick and neglecting the rest of my life...

I blame these books:

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn

Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death, and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years by Michael Collins

Happy reading!

Enough Motivation for Me....

This made me laugh. Perfect motivation for those of us with celiacs.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

"Age is not important unless you're a cheese." - Helen Hayes

Last weekend my sisters and I went down to my grandparents house to visit. While I cleaned, my extremely talented sister Melanie cooked and froze meals. She adapted this recipe to be gluten-free, and I think it's fantastic (and super healthy too!). It is a great "hidden vegetable" recipe--perfect for kids but that adults will love too.

Ingredients:
3 cups of butternut squash (diced)
2 cups chicken broth
1 3/4 cup skim milk
2 cloves minced garlic
2T plain greek yogurt
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
16 ounces uncooked gluten-free brown rice spiral pasta
cooking spray
1-2 T dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375F. In a large saucepan mix chicken broth, milk, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Add squash and cover, cooking on a low boil for 20-25 minutes (or until squash is tender).

Step 2: Put the contents of the saucepan, and greek yogurt, into a food processor or blender and blend until the mixture reaches a thick, liquid consistency. Transfer the liquid into a large bowl and mix in 2 cups cheddar cheese and rice pasta, stirring until all pasta pieces are covered.

Step 3: Spray a 13x9 oven safe dish with cooking spray. Transfer the contents of the large bowl into the oven safe dish. Top the dish off with the last 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the top of the dish with parsley and salt and pepper.

Step 4: Bake the casserole for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and browning at the edges. Enjoy!

Serves 8-10. 

Steamed Lobster Tails

"The world is my lobster." - Henry J. Tillman

The first time I had lobster was when my fiance convinced me to begrudgingly try it. I always claimed I wasn't a "fish person," but one bite of lobster and I was hooked! I think lobster is one of those foods that tastes great without a bunch of extra spices to change the flavor, so this is an extremely simple recipe that lets the natural lobster flavor shine.

Ingredients:

2 lobster tails

2/3 cup water

1 lemon

salt and pepper (pinches)

1-2 T of butter

Directions: 

Step 1: In a large frying pan add water and juice squeezed from half the lemon. Bring water to a boil.

Step 2: Cut the lobster tails down the middle (in a butterfly cut). Carefully partially separate the shell from the meat and rinse off any broken pieces of shell.

Step 3: Add the lobster tails to the pan and cover, steaming for 8 minutes. 

Step 4: Microwave the butter for 30 seconds in a small bowl. Squeeze the other half of the lemon into the bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Step 5: Remove the lobster tails from the pan and serve immediately, using the melted butter for dipping.

Serves 2. 

The Best Gluten-Free Beer?

I never cared for beer before my Celiac diagnosis, but I did have to try this! 

"Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." - JK Rowling