Gluten-Free Fruit Smoothie Recipe--for the Kid Who Needs a Little Vitamin C

Your kid catch the crud this winter? Did you know strawberries are high in Vitamin C? That's right. And a strawberry smoothie goes down pretty easy, even when it's tough to swallow. Here's the recipe I use:

Image: iClipart

Gluten-Free Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. pre-mixed (already prepared) Hawaii's Own Guava Strawberry Juice
• 4-6 frozen strawberries (they can vary greatly in size, so I usually eyeball it)
• 6 oz. container of Yoplait strawberry yogurt (it says gluten-free right on the label now)

Directions:
1. Place 8 oz. of guava strawberry juice (again, it's already been mixed--no longer in its frozen concentrated state) in a blender with 4 frozen strawberries.
2. Mix on medium to high, depending on your blender's durability. When the strawberries have turned all mushy, shut the blender off and check the consistency of the fluid in the blender. Is it still very watery? Does it have a moist but less watery consistency? If it's really watery, add another strawberry or two until it's more like the consistency of a root beer float that's been all stirred up.
3. While the blender is off, dip your spoon in there and check to see if any strawberry chunks are settling to the bottom. If so, put the lid back on it and give it a bit longer to finish mixing. You don't want any strawberry icicles choking your child!
4. Shut off the blender again before adding the yogurt. Once you've mixed that in, it should really have the consistency of a milkshake.

This recipe makes enough smoothie for two small ones or one mega-smoothie. But be careful, drinking a mega-smoothie often leads to brain freeze!

Gluten-Free Nachos with Home-Made Guacamole Dip (Recipe)--Part 2

You know how to make the nachos now. You experimented with it last week, right? Here's the recipe for yummy guacamole dip that goes great with your party nachos:

Gluten-Free Guacamole Dip

Image: iClipart

Ingredients:
1-2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice (to taste)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, diced up finely
3 very ripe avacados
1/4 cup finely diced onions
1/8 tsp. chili powder (read label to make sure it's gluten-free)

Directions:
1. Peel, pit, and slice the avacados.
2. Put the slices in a small food processor and blend or mash them with a fork. Add lime and continue smooshing it until it has a pasty consistency.
3. Add all other ingredients and blend well.

Like I said, this is an ideal dip for nachos, but it's also yummy inside a Spanish omelet. It's great in tacos too. Buritos? Same thing. I've even put it on a baked potato, with tasty results.

The bummer about guacamole dip, is that it doesn't last very long. The lime helps keep it from turning brown, but if it sits in your fridge for more than 24 hours, it will look pretty icky. And we all know how children feel about eating something that looks bad. Not. Gonna. Happen. So use it up quickly.

Gluten-Free Nachos with Home-Made Guacamole Dip (Recipe)--Part 1

Nachos are easy. But when I first started cooking gluten-free, I didn't know diddley. Heck, I couldn't even make gravy from scratch, much less a plate of nachos. So here's the scoop on nachos...

Gluten-Free Nachos

Image: iClipart

Ingredients:

• GF corn tortilla chips
• hamburger
• cheese
• veggies for toppings

Directions:
1. Brown the hamburger in a skillet (or we usually just use leftover hamburger from the tacos we made the night before). It's fine to season your hamburger with GF chili powder, GF garlic, and salt, if you like. Those, by the way, are the main ingredients in those packets of taco seasoning that people buy at the grocery story. The packets contain wheat, so I don't recommend you use those.
2. Spread corn tortilla chips out on a platter. Sprinkle hamburger over the top. Coat the whole thing with a thin layer of grated cheese.
3. Microwave for 30 seconds to one minute, until cheese melts. (Keep an eye on it, so the cheese doesn't burn.)

Of course you can add whatever veggies you like to your nachos, but most people like olives, onions, green peppers, jalapenos, and tomatoes. Some people add lettuce, but in my opinion, that just makes it a taco salad. It's also possible to top your platter of nachos with sour cream, refried beans, or both, just to make the whole thing look pretty.

That was Part 1. Next week I'll offer up my recipe for home-made guac. It goes great with a plate full of nachos. You can make nachos for a party finger food, a side dish to accompany an enchilada dinner, or a quick lunch for one.

Figuring Out What to Put in My Gluten-Free Kid's Lunchbox Is a Real Devil!

So why fight against the flow of things? Make deviled eggs!

We all know that deviled eggs are a delicacy on Easter Sunday. So why wait for Easter? Eggs are cheap. Mayo is too. Three eggs makes half a dozen deviled halves. They're nutritional and high in protein. And YUM! You won't hear kids complaining about that. Here's the recipe I use:

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp. mayo (I sort of just eyeball it)
• paprika (if you like)

Directions:
1. Boil eggs in a pot of water for 12 minutes, to ensure they are hard-boiled. It's a good idea to put the eggs in the water before it begins to boil, but don't start counting the minutes until you've got the water boiling. If you put the eggs into the water while it boils, then they're more likely to crack while cooking.
2. Once cooked, remove the pot of eggs from the stove. Drain out the hot water, but leave the eggs in the pan. Place ice cubes over the hot eggs and re-fill the pan with cold water. Soaking the eggs in ice water helps make it easier to peel the shells off the eggs without damaging them.
3. Once cool, remove the eggs, one at a time, from the ice water and peel the shells off of them. Slice them in half with a sharp knife. If you own a deviled egg display tray, put the halves in that while you work.
4. Carefully pop the hard yolk out of the center of each egg half, and place the yolks in a small mixing bowl.
5. Use a fork to mash the yolks with the salt and mayo. (My mom once gave me advice to avoid mustard in my deviled eggs, but a lot of people like the flavor of a touch of mustard in theirs. Go with whatever you like.)
6. Using a spatula, plop the mashed up yolks back inside the "bowl" portions of the eggs (i.e. the white part). If you won't be transporting your eggs to school, then you can use a pastry press to make the yolk centers look flowery, then sprinkle the tops with paprika. But this is optional.
7. If you're going to send the deviled eggs to school with your kids, try this: now that you've got the yolk mix inside the eggs, put the two halves of each egg back together and wrap the whole egg in plastic wrap. Twist the ends like a peppermint candy and tie them off with those paper-covered wires that are sometimes used to seal bread bags. Now they can easily be sent off to school in your kid's lunchbox without making too much mess.