Classic S'Mores Gluten-free Recipe

Everybody knows S'mores are the ticket to campfire fun. With the camping season upon us, I thought I'd let you know what my family does for S'mores.

The trick is to find a good substitute for traditional graham crackers. We use S'moreables from Kinnikinnick. Here's the recipe, for those of you who don't know how to make S'mores.

Ingredients:

1. marshmallows (we use Kraft, but other brands are GF too, just check labels)
2. S'moreables graham style crackers
3. Hershey's milk chocolate

Directions:

1. Break a S'moreable graham cracker in half at the "seam."
2. Break a Hershey bar into its rectangular pieces, also where you'll find a seam. Set two pieces of Hershey's milk chocolate candy bar on one piece of S'moreable graham cracker.
3. Toast one marshmallow on the end of a stick, by setting it near (but not too close to) the coals of a dwindling campfire. Children should be supervised for this, of course.
4. When the marshmallow is golden brown and chewy inside, set it between two even halves of a S'moreable graham style cracker. 
5. Wait until the Hershey's chocolate melts before eating.

Remember to put your campfires out! Smokey the Bear will appreciate it.

Next week I'll post a recipe for GF Hawaiian S'mores.

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free "Jamba Juice" or Fruit Smoothie Recipe Kids Will Love

Image: iClipart

Yesterday I wanted to take my kids to Jamba Juice, and you'll never guess what they said. "No thanks. We like your smoothies better." Can you believe that? Crazy, huh?

So here's what I put in my fruit smoothies:

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup fruit juice
3/4 cup frozen fruit of your choice
3/4 cup gluten-free, dairy-free yogurt
1 tbsp. granola

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put the fruit juice in the bottom of your blender. It's important to put this in first, as it helps crush the fruit if you go with juice at the bottom.
2. Plop the frozen fruit in next. If you're adding a banana, this is the time to include it.
3. Mix the juice and fruit together on medium-to-high speed in a blender, until they're no longer lumpy. If you need to add more juice, do so. You want it to be about the consistency of creamy potato soup or thin gravy before adding the yogurt.
4. Stop the blender to check for lumps. You can check for lumps by dipping a long spoon into the blender. If you find lumps, put the lid back on your blender and mix some more. I usually mix for about 50-60 seconds, but some blenders take longer, some take less time.
5. Once you've got a creamy mixture of juice and fruit, add the yogurt, put the lid back on it, and mix again. As before, if it's too thick, add a little more juice. You don't want your blender to short out because it's trying to mix something that's just too thick. But the final product needs to be about as thick as a milkshake (maybe not quite that thick).
6. Garnish with the granola on top.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Fruit Juices

• Lemonade is my favorite fruit juice to use in smoothies, because it adds a tangy flavor.
• My kids love strawberry-guava juice in their smoothies, because it's sweet.
• My husband prefers apple juice in his smoothie, because it is sort of neutral and allows you to absorb the flavor of the fruit.

Frozen Fruits

• Strawberries taste good in smoothies, but they don't crush easily.
• It's easy to find a "smoothie blend" of frozen fruits, which usually includes mango and pineapple.
• Mango by itself is one of my favorite smoothie flavors, because it crushes easily and tastes delicious in a smoothie.
• Add banana to any flavor of smoothie. It thickens the fluid, though, so reduce the other solid ingredients by a little bit, if you're planning to add banana.
• Too many blackberries in a smoothie can make it have a gritty, seedy texture. So it's best to mix blackberries with other kinds of berries, like blueberries and strawberries.

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Yogurts

• My favorite gluten-free, dairy-free yogurt is Whole Soy & Company plain. I don't use the unsweetened, because my kids don't like it as much; but if I were making smoothies for myself, I'd go with the unsweetened because it's healthier. And really, there's plenty of sugar in the fruit.
• If you can't have soy, there are other brands of dairy-free yogurts made from coconut or almond.
• It's also possible to use flavored yogurts, not just plain yogurt. Strawberry yogurt goes great in both a strawberry smoothie and many other flavors of smoothie. For a tangy smoothie, use lemon or lime-flavored yogurts.

Granola

• EnjoyLife is my new favorite brand of granola. Their strawberry mix goes great on top of smoothies! YUM!
• Other celiacs have told me they don't trust Quaker's granola or oats. It's got cross-contamination issues at the factory.
• It's possible to make your own granola, or just top your smoothie with Bob's Redmill's certified GF oats.
• Another of my favorite brands of GF granola is made by Bakery on Main, but some of their granolas have nuts in them and I'm allergic to some nuts.

Gluten Free Pizza Topings

Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm a working mom. I don't have time to bake a from-scratch GF pizza crust every time I want to make gluten-free pizza. I buy Udi's GF pizza crusts and keep them in my freezer until I'm ready for one of those dinners where you don't have to think very hard.

Here are the things I put on our pizzas, in various combinations:

• Ragu pizza sauce
• Hormel Canadian bacon
• Hormel pepperoni slices (look on the label; you'll see it says GF)
• canned pineapples
• canned sliced olives
• red onions
• tomatoes
• peppers
• yellow onions
• mushrooms
• mozzarella cheese

Now I'm dairy-free, so I have to make our pizza half mozzarella and half SoySations lactose-free and gluten-free cheese substitute. Be warned, though, dairy-free people: SoySations Mozzarella Shreds contain casein, so they're not truly dairy-free. I seem to do okay with it though.

I suppose you already knew all those veggies were GF, but I remember that it took me a while to learn which pizza meats and tomato sauces are GF. So I posted this easy-to-make GF pizza plan, in the hope that I might be able to help out those who are just starting out on the gluten-free diet.

GF Quesadilla Recipe and Variations

One of my daughter's favorite gluten-free lunches is a simple quesadilla, made from Don Pancho's gluten-free wraps and simple cheddar cheese.

For anyone who doesn't know what a quesadilla is, it's a Mexican form of a toasted cheese sandwich. Instead of using bread, most folks use flour tortillas. We must eat gluten-free, however, so we use Don Pancho's gluten-free wraps for our quesadilla's "bread". Slice some cheese, slap it in-between two GF wraps, fry the whole thing in hot oil in a skillet, and voila! You've got quesadilla.

There are some yummy variations on quesadillas though, and I think I should mention these:

• melted cheddar cheese and refried beans inside the quesadilla
• melted pepper jack cheese and avocado in your quesadilla
• chicken, cilantro, peppers, and cheese quesadilla (see picture)
• a quesadilla with jalepeno peppers melted into the cheese (not for the wee little tykes)
• plain old cheese quesadilla dipped in guacamole and/or sour cream and/or salsa
• melted cheese blended with left-over hamburger in your quesadilla
• and my favorite: a combination of some of the above... cheese, hamburger, cilantro, beans, and guacamole quesadilla

Can you think of yummy quesadilla variations that I didn't mention here? Your comments are welcome.

GF Chicken Broccoli Casserole Recipe

I had to look back through old postings to realize this one had never been posted. I couldn't believe it. This is my "ol' stand-by" at home. If I'm too tired to cook anything special, I make this casserole dish and everyone just loves it.

Again, the recipe is my mother-in-law's, with just a few GF adaptations.

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts (frozen ones are fine, but read labels to make sure it's GF)
• Pacific Natural Foods' GF condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/8 tsp. curry powder
• dash of garlic (to taste)
• 1 small package of frozen broccoli
• 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Boil chicken until cooked clear through. Set the broth aside for another recipe. (I usually freeze it like ice cubes. That way I can add it to soups and gravies a week or more later without it spoiling.)
2. Let chicken cool, then cut it into cubes.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix together garlic, curry powder, and GF cream of chicken soup. Fold in cubed chicken and cheese.
4. Coat the inside of a small casserole dish with cooking spray. Place the entire package of broccoli in the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with chicken/cheese/soup mixture.
5. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes (or until bubbly).

There are times when the broccoli leaves my casserole too moist. Try not to let too much ice get into the casserole dish with the frozen broccoli, or you may have the same problem.

Gluten-Free Teriyaki Marinade (I Use This for Deer Steaks and Wild Game)

Yes, my husband is the great white hunter. But what do you do with all that deer meat in the freezer? Teriyaki is the answer to your gamey-tasting meat. Saturate it in teriyaki sauce, and nobody will ever know it was venison.

Here's my mother-in-law's fantastic teriyaki marinade recipe, with a GF twist:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Tamari GF soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and mix well. If you want to use this stuff for something other than venison, it might be just as good on chicken, pork, or beef. We use it with all kinds of wild game though--deer, elk, goat, and even bear--and it takes the wild flavor out of the game meat.

I usually marinade the meat in the teriyaki in the fridge for 5-8 hours, then my husband barbecues the meat on the barbecue outside. It goes great with a side of plain white rice and some stir-fried veggies.

Easy Gluten-Free Cinnamon Pull-Aparts

I'm pretty sure I read this one online, but I've made it so many times now, that I can just recite the recipe from memory.

Ingredients:
1 package of GF bread mix
1 cube of butter (margarine is OK if you're dairy free like me, but butter is best)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
1. Prepare bread mix, following directions on the package, but don't let the bread dough rise and don't put it in the oven yet.
2. Set up a series of bowls in your work space:

• bowl #1 = lukewarm water
• bowl #2 = bread dough
• bowl #3 = melted butter or margarine
• bowl #4 = sugars and cinnamon thoroughly mixed together

3. Have your bread pan close by. It needs to be sprayed with cooking spray, just like it would be for regular bread.
4. Dip your hands in the lukewarm water. By covering your hands in water, you'll find it easier to handle the bread dough without getting all sticky.
5. Scoop out a palm-sized hunk of GF bread dough and roll it in a ball. If you're having trouble making it into a ball because it's sticking, get your hands wetter.
6. Drop the dough ball in the butter or margarine. Make sure butter covers the whole ball.
7. Drop the dough ball into the sugar-cinnamon mix. This time you only want a light coating. Don't let it get too lumpy from excess water and butter.
8. Place the dough ball into the greased bread pan. Repeat steps 4-8 until all the bread dough is in the bread pan.
9. It's possible to use a bunt cake pan for this instead of a bread pan. In fact, I usually find my bread pan can't hold all the pull-aparts, so sometimes I make two bread pans of pull-aparts from one box of bread mix.
10. Allow this bread to rise, just as you would if it were a normal loaf of bread. Bake it in the oven for the same amount of time that it says on the bread mix's package--well, give or take five or ten minutes--check it toward the end. If I use a smaller loaf (like I split the dough in half) then it usually takes a few minutes less than it says on the package. I use the temperature that's listed on the package for this.

Give it a try. You'll LOVE this one!