Mama's GF Egg & Sausage Souffle Brunch For The Bunch

         The last post dealt with how to use Holiday left overs to turn them into a yummy quiche. We aren't stuck on eggs around here, but they are a delicious alternative to the normal drudgery of dinner foods. This post is about a recipe with eggs which is used for a family tradition we have on Christmas morning.

My mother has always made a delicious breakfast casserole/souffle dish for all get togethers that had a breakfast theme. And that includes Christmas morning since we all get together to watch the children unwrap gifts. Of course when we went gluten free, she had to adapt the recipe for it because southern women usually have a repertoire of dishes that they will not let go from their menu options. All the better for us however due to the fact that it truly is fantastic.

Serve it with some easy to make cheese rolls which resemble the Chebe brand dough that were posted on the wonderful GF Blog "Gluten Free Gobsmacked". Trust me when I say they were a hit with all the family members - GF or not.

*As a suggestion, try Udi's bread in the recipe. Mushrooms, onion & tomato are optional depending on palate.

We love them all!*

Gluten Free Breakfast Sausage and Egg Souffle

1 1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage

9 eggs

3 C milk

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

4 slices of GF bread cut into cubes

1 1/2 C grated sharp cheese

1 bunch spring onions chopped

1 carton mushrooms chopped

1/2 carton grape tomatoes diced

Brown crumbled sausage and drain good on paper towels. Beat eggs, milk, mustard, and salt with mixer. Stir in bread cubes, sausage, cheese, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Pour into greased casserole dish. Refrigerate over night.

Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Place fresh diced tomatoes on top as garnish.

Serves 10.

Recipe for GF: Pao de quejo (aka “Chebe Bread”) courtesy of Gobsmacked website:

http://glutenfree.wordpress.com/

After Holidays Gluten Free Quiche - Leftover Mania

What do you do with all the leftovers from holiday meals and need to throw together a quick meal?

We make a quiche!

The possibilities are endless when you look in your fridge drawers.

Have some broccoli or spinach leftover?

Or how about some smoked ham or maybe turkey?

How about those left over scraps of cheese from the cheese tray?

Add in some eggs, milk and more cheese and you have the filling down pat!

What about a gluten free crust though?

You haven't stopped in to the store?

Would you believe you can throw together a GF crust in 15 minutes?

You CAN!

 GF Quiche with Applewood Smoked Bacon bits, Broccoli, Red Onion, 

Baby Bella Mushrooms, & Garlic

Quiche Crust

2 cups of All purpose GF Flour that has xantham gum and a rice base

(I replaced 1/2 cup with Bob's Red Mill Corn Flour)

1 tsp of salt (put in sugar too if you want to make it sweeter)

11 tablespoons of butter softened

1 egg beaten

ice water

Put all dry ingredients into food processer. Place in softened butter in bits.

Give a couple of spins until butter and flour mixture make little balls.

Add beaten egg and pulse until mixed.

Add in 1/4 tsp of ice water and pulse until mixture becomes a dough and formable without falling apart.

Place oven on 350 degrees bake. Place dough in bowl and set in fridge while you prepare your filling of choice.

After chilling, take an cooking sprayed 9" cake pan and form the dough into a pie shell with fingers. Took me no more than 5 minutes. Put your semi cooked vegetables and cooked meat into uncooked pie crust. Sprinkle lots of cheese over your veggies/meat. Then mix 4 eggs with 1 and a 1/4 cup of milk seasoned with pepper and salt.

Pour over pie filling and then bake until center of pie sets and crust is lightly browned.

Voila!

Gluten Free Cheesecake Your Gramma Would Love

The women I work with at the salon are great people! For my birthday, they wanted to give me a cake I could take home and share with my family which meant it had to be gluten free. So April Couse took her Gramma's cheesecake recipe and adapted it to our diet without flour. Then Michelle Fasano modified it further by changing the grahm cracker crust to a peanut butter cookie crust. The result was delicious and our celiac kid couldn't get enough. For an extra oomph, drizzle some fudge chocolate syrup on top:-)

By the way, Gramma said it isn't good if the top doesn't crack...

All we know is it was incredible!

Gramma's Gluten Free Cheese Cake

1 lb part skim ricotta cheese

1 lb cream cheese

1 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs, room temp

1 tbls lemon juice

1 tsp pure vanilla

2 rounded Tbsp. corn starch

1 pint light sour cream

Crust:

1 egg

1c sugar

1c peanut butter

Pre-cook the peanut butter cookie crust in the springform pan for about 12 min. first.

Cheesecake:

Use a very large bowl. Beat cream cheese and ricotta.

Gradually add sugar and continue beating until smooth.

Add eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and corn starch.

Beat until smooth, blend in sour cream.

Pour into an ungreased spring pan in which you have cooked the peanut butter cookie crust in previously.

Bake at 320 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Shut off and leave in oven undisturbed for 2 hours more.

~ And Gramma said to remember that if it didn't crack on top, it isn't any good:-) ~

Baking Gluten Free 101 - A Series Of Tips

I started making gluten free cupcakes as a treat for the R.O.C.K. stars that attend our meetings. Although it is fairly easy to just open a cupcake mix box and follow directions, I couldn't help but wonder how they could be made even better and possible indistinguishable from the "real" thing. So I started hunting videos online of cupcake making tips. Some of the videos I watched gave me some very valuable tips.

Babycakes NYC is a bakery in New York City which has become acclaimed for their allergen friendly vegan treats. Here is Erin McKenna on Martha Stewart in a 3/4 part series with great tips.

Gluten Free Baking 101 - A Series Of Helpful Tips to Success

At many of the classes I teach, people ask for a gluten free baking class. I'll admit, I do bake some gluten free items which are very good. I have been learning along the way of cooking gluten free - Who wouldn't? It's another realm of learning everything anew for most of us who weren't cooking from scratch to begin with. I remember the first gluten free pound cake I tried to make for my daughter. That thing cost me $120 in the end and 3 tries before it was merely edible. I was determined to make it work though.

Now that the gluten free revolution has happened, it is much easier to find a company to order delectable varieties of the foods we loved before going gluten free. You may have to suffer the occasional heartbreak or disappointment at someone's unworthy review of a gluten free product which costs you an arm and a leg in shipping - But the options are now out there, which is a good thing.

Me? Well, I am still stubborn and think that I can tackle whatever gluten free challenges are put before me with the endurance and never ending stubborness of a mule! My husband, bless his heart, knows how I get and just leaves the kitchen for me to work out the complexities of a recipe until I am satisfied - Or never satisifed, as the case may well be. Like dinner rolls, they are my gluten free nightmare. I haven't turned one out in 2 years I would call edible. Oh well, you can't win them all.

The common problems that most new gluten free bakers make are the same as when you were new to baking gluten items. You have to understand all those little details all over again with properties that can and do react totally different than they did before. As boring and drudgerous as it may sound, you have to look at the way the ingredients work and maximize their individual potential. Sound like you'll have to go to culinary school? Not exactly, but you might want to consider taking a few introductory gluten free baking classes if you are able to find any in your area.

Lastly, if you have the perserverance to keep at it, you will get better and better at tackling your own gluten free baking. It just takes practice. The practice can be more costly than the shipping I was telling you about but I feel that it has made me a better cook all the way around. So, I look at that money as an investment into a lifetime of learning how to cook gluten free and not have to settle for less than best in taste.

Seeds of Change - Gluten Free Quinoa

There are many ancient grains that you might start opening your eyes to once you become gluten free. Things like: Quinoa, Teff, Millet, and Flax become new territories that were there all along, but were not considered a necessity. The reality is these ancient grains pack powerful nutritious punches and are much needed in a gluten free diet for a balance of nutrition.

One of these ancient grains is quinoa. Quinoa is exciting because its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights


When my daughter got her diagnosis and I had to shop in health food stores, it became clear to me that this whole world of other options needed to be explored. But how does one go from Uncle Ben's instant rice to eating quinoa? And more importantly, how do you get your young family members to try it when they are expensive in comparison to just rice?

We first tried mixing quinoa into a brown rice pilaf - She wouldn't eat it, but then she isn't a big brown rice fan. While at the Gluten Free Expo in Asheville, we got a sample of Seeds Of Change's Cuzco Whole Grains Quinoa Blend mix.

I am usually not very fond of any mixes, but this product changed my mind about that at dinner last night. I made it as a side dish to a pork roast and only doctored it up slightly by adding a little Gluten Free Tamari sauce on top after cooking. Our daughter ate her serving without any complaint. And if that isn't enough, Seeds of Change is certified organic and a very environmentally responsible company which just adds to my attraction to it.

You can purchase it at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Bi-Lo, & Earthfare locally. The company will send you a list of their gluten free products available if you request it.

The Power of Cauliflower Gluten Free Recipe Kids Love

Cauliflower seems to be on most children's list of unfavorite foods - Or you at least have to talk them into trying them more than once.

I suppose it is partly due to the fact that many people over cook them until they are close to mushy in texture. The overall "brainy" look of their white bumpy surface isn't helping either. Or at least that soft texture and weird looking outside was what made me decide I didn't like it at around 7 years old.

Be that as it may, cauliflower is highly nutritious just like broccoli. Hence, the reason why they taste similar.

Wikipedia says:

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density. As a member of the brassica family, cauliflower shares with broccoli and cabbage several phytochemicals which are beneficial to human health, including sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed. In addition, the compound indole-3-carbinol, which appears to work as an anti-estrogen, appears to slow or prevent the growth of tumors of the breast and prostate. Cauliflower also contains other glucosinolates besides sulfurophane, substances which may improve the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances. A high intake of cauliflower has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer

Wow! That's alot of nutrition. And the best part is if you want to lower your carbs, cauliflower can be substituted for potatoes quite easily in recipes...

Here is the recipe my family used to rid me of my cauliflower fears as a 7 year old and it worked on my little angel as well.

Cheesy Dijon Cauliflower Casserole

1 medium sized head of cauliflower (preferably organic)

3 tablespoons of dijon mustard (or whatever type you prefer)

3 tablespoons of gluten free mayonnaise

1 cup of shredded cheese (we use sharp cheddar and monterey jack mixed)

Trim the cauliflower stem and leaves off. Section the head into quarters, then trim off any excess stem.

Cut the quarters in half and then steam the sections in a large dutch oven and steam collander.

Do not over steam the cauliflower! It only takes about 10 minutes on high steam to be done enough.

Place oven on broil.

After the cauliflower is steamed, place the sections into a casserole dish with the rounded sides up. Mix together mustard and mayonnaise. Lightly cover the cauliflower with the dijon-naise sauce. Then sprinkle cheese over top and stick under broiler till cheese browns lightly on top.

Serve and enjoy:-)

Gluten Free Irish Foods - The Series Continues

Potatoes and Cabbage are two vegetables synonymous with Ireland and both vegetables have been a staple of the Irish for ages.

This classic Irish dish combines the mashed potatoes and cabbage. Colcannon is traditionally made from mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage, butter, salt, and pepper. It can contain other ingredients such as milk, cream, leeks, onions, chives, garlic, boiled ham or Irish bacon. Add some chopped boiled beef and you have a dish known in England as Bubble & Squeak. Many people take the mixture and fry it in potato cakes which sounds delicious too.

Best of all, it is naturally gluten free:-)

Colcannon

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

•3 cups finely shredded green cabbage

•1 onion, finely chopped

•1/4 cup water

•6 cooked potatoes, mashed or 4 cups prepared instant mashed potatoes (prepared according to directions on package)

•1/4 cup milk

•1/4 cup butter or margarine

•Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place cabbage, onion, and water in a saucepan or Dutch oven and quickly bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 8 minutes until tender. Do not overcook.

Add mashed potatoes, milk, butter or margarine, salt, and pepper. Mix well, stirring often until heated through.

Colcannon is served warm as a side dish.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

*The song "Colcannon", also called "The Skillet Pot", is a traditional Irish song that has been recorded by many artists.

Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.

Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake

Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?

The chorus goes:

Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.

And the more I think about it sure the nearer I'm to cry.

Oh, wasn't it the happy days when troubles we had not,

And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot.

as cited by Wikipedia

Gluten Free Irish Style

St. Patrick's Day is not only a religious holiday for many - It is also a time when children get a twinkle in their eye with talk of leprechauns, shamrocks and four leafed clovers. The coming of Spring is near, so the awakening of life around us which only adds to the magical nature of the season itself. Since St. Patrick's Day has been revered as a day of feasting, there are a plethora of treats associated with the date and many of them are packed with nutritious punches for our little ROCK Stars - And many of Irish dishes are naturally gluten free.

One item there has been much discussion on is whether or not corned beef is actually gluten free. Most brands are but ALWAYS read any seasoning ingredients to be sure - And if you want to be doubly sure (it never hurts) then here are a few brands that are either labeled “gluten free” or say so on their company websites:


• Grobbel's Gourmet corned beef briskets.

• Wegmans corned beef brisket. Wegmans even notes that the corned beef is gluten free in their sales flyers.

• Thuman’s cooked corn beef brisket, first cut corned beef (cooked and raw), top round corned beef (cooked), cap and capless corned beef. All are certified gluten free by the Gluten Intolerance Group.

• Freirich, all corned beef .

• Colorado Premium, all corned beef products.

• Safeway, Butchers cut bulk-wrapped corned beef brisket, corn beef brisket, vac-packed cooked corn beef
*As reported by Gluten Free Living Magazine
 
The words "Natural Flavorings" always throws me for a loop, so I steer clear of flavorings. However many experts say that "Natural Flavorings" are rarely glutenated.
 
If you get industrious enough to make your own Corned Beef - Here is a recipe to do so:
 
 

Home Cured Gluten Free Corned Beef


7 qts. water

3 c. kosher salt, approx.

1 raw egg in the shell for testing brine

1 (6 to 9 lb.) brisket of beef

3 cloves garlic, peeled

20 cloves

20 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

6 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried

1/2 tbsp. saltpeter, available in drug stores



1. To cure the brisket, you will need a large earthenware, enamel or stainless- steel crock. Do not add the meat to the crock at this time.

2. Pour the water into the crock and add the salt, stirring to dissolve it. Add the egg. The egg is used to test the salt content of the brine. If the egg floats in the solution, it is ready. If it does not float, continue adding salt, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve, until the egg floats. Remove the egg.

3. Add the brisket to the brine. Add the garlic, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme and saltpeter. Stir well. Place a clean, heavy weight on the meat to make certain it is covered. Place a lid on the crock and refrigerate for from 8 to 12 days. Turn the brisket occasionally, but keep it weighted down.

4. When ready to cook the corned beef, remove it from the brine and rinse it well. Follow a recipe's instructions for cooking corned beef. Yield: One six to nine pound corned beef.

Is An Increase In Auto-Immune Disorders Caused By Processed Foods

I am a hairdresser by profession and talk to women daily about everything under the sun. Lately, I find that I have talked about gluten free and Celiac Disease probably way too much. But because of their curiosity about my lifestyle change, I end up and educate about gluten free living daily. This is Celiac Awareness at work in my life every day.

The reactions are varied from curiosity to sheer horror at having to cook as much as I do. I did not fathom, as monumental as it seemed to me in the beginning, that I would have adapted so quickly. But I have also realized that many people do not like to cook or have abandoned cooking home made except for on special occasions. Even then, mixes in boxes and canned additives are the way that many have adopted quicker methods for providing meals. The art of cooking seems to be relinquished to those who get soul food from producing and creating gastronomic delights for their family.

Convenience is the number one concern for most of us because life is easier that way.Well, I am not so sure that eating gluten free should be as easy as the endless options we have been given as American consumers. More and more studies keep pointing to the same realizations that many people are slowly making - Processed foods are higher in carbohydrates, sugars, and additives and therefore they are not healthy. If you are living under the mantra that eating gluten free is healthier then you may be telling yourself a lie by buying the same processed foods which you ate to start with.

map of every McDonald's in the U.S. as provided by GOOD

There is no concrete evidence yet that the processed food diet is what has spurned a 400% increase in Celiac Disease here in America and Canada but the people who are thinkers are already linking them together. So what do we know?

We know scientifically that :

1. The increase in Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivities is happening and a catalyst is needed in order for an auto-immune disorder to happen.
2. Some varieties of American wheat have been hybridized in order to produce higher gluten content flours.
3. Companies that want a fluffier bread product even add pure gluten into their mix as a leavening agent and therefore produce ultra high gluten products.
4. A gluten free diet helps many auto-immune disorders besides just Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, or gluten sensitivities.
5. Diabetes 1 & 2 are on the rise in alarming rates and they are both linked to Celiac Disease.
6. Autism is on the rise and effects more children than ever not just because of population growth.
7. ADD & ADHD are rampant and have been linked to high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and high carbohydrates in foods.
8. Medical workers report that patients who are eating a balanced gluten free diet with less carbohydrates are experiencing that it has helped multitudes of disorders like depression, fatigue, anxiety, etc.

Is that enough evidence for you?

Perhaps we should stop wishing away a gluten free life be easier and less hassle after all - Easier may just be what started the decline of the human gastrointestinal system. And that is some serious food for thought.

Gluten Free Bread Mediterranean Style - Easy Peasy

If you weren't a baker before changing to a gluten free diet then the challenge of baking becomes even more daunting. Even if you occasionally baked and enjoy cooking, the challenge of gluten free baking is there. The ingredients have different properties and therefore take on different qualities than wheat flour.

I used to love Red Band self-rising wheat flour because it was quick and easy - No adding baking powder or yeast. So, in the beginning of our gluten free lifestyle change, mixes seemed easier to handle. One of my favorite brands for mixes at that time was the Gluten Free Pantry mixes in various types. However, they still had that gluten free taste when made. My endeavor to change that taste was how we came up with this delicious alternative which is a throw back to the Medieval stuffed bread of Italy.

Gluten Free Bread Mediterranean Style

1 Gluten Free Pantry French Bread/Pizza Crust mix

1 medium red onion chopped

5 medium mushrooms chopped

5-7 black olives pitted and chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

Rosemary or Oregano (I use one or the other depending on my mood and at least use 1 tsp or more depending on desired flavor)

2 tablespoons of sunflower oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix up GF Pantry French Bread mix as directed on box for oven method. Spray loaf pan with non stick spray.

Saute onion, mushroom, garlic, and black olives in oil for just a couple minutes over medium in a skillet.

Fold sauteed vegetables and raosemary or oregano into the bread until throughly integrated.

Place mixture into sprayed loaf pan and place in 350 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes or until top of bread has become browned and crusted.

Take bread out and butter the top of it to replace in the oven and brown further for about 5 minutes.

Take finished bread in pan out of oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before taking the bread out of pan.

Cool the loaf off on rack for about 10 minutes and then cut & serve with drizzled olive oil.

Makes about 10 - 12 servings

Gluten Free Oh My God It's Good Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese is a comfort food staple for American children and adults. Almost every restaurant that you frequent which has a children's menu has mac and cheese on it. Sadly the ones in the restaurants are usually the boxed Kraft version which as we know isn't really that healthy - Packed full of chemicals, dyes, preservatives and the obvious wheat flour fat elbow noodles.
 Before our little doodlebug (Erin) was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, we would go to eat at the K&W Cafeteria about once a week. She always loved to go there and every time we went she always ended up and got the same favorites; fried chicken, green beans, cucumber salad, and macaroni and cheese. The mac & cheese was her very favorite out of all the favorites.

After her diagnosis, my mother and I tried many times over to make a gluten free version and all of the attempts we tried met with doodlebug's disapproval. She would look so disheartened with each failed attempt until my mother and I figured we would just never be able to duplicate it. But luckily, stubborness runs in my family genes - So we tried some more.

While venturing into the unfamiliar world of Quinoa noodles, we came up with this version of a gluten free mac & cheese that is absolutely yummy. As a matter of fact, we named the dish after Erin's response when she tried it - "Oh my god Nana, that tastes good."

Give it a try and see what you think. The greatest part about it is that you can add it to a warm food thermos for school lunches as well.

OMG Mac & Cheese‏

8 oz Quinoa Pasta Elbows ( I got them at Home Economist and it is the best macaroni pasta I have tried)

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Milk

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

1 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Mustard

1 Teaspoon Worchestireshire Sauce ( Lea & Perrins is GF)

Dash / 4 or 5 drops Tabasco or Hot Sauce

1 can diced Green Chilis

1/2 cup Chopped Spanish Olives w/ Pimento Centers

9 oz Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoon Butter

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350

Cook noodles per package directions - Boil 10 minutes and Drain.

Mix Milk, Corn Starch, Mustard, Hot Sauce, W. Sauce, Salt and Pepper in small bowl.

Melt butter in large sauce pan or skillet. Add milk mixture.

Stir and cook until thickened. You may need to add a little more milk if necessary.

(Reserve enough cheese to sprinkle on top) Add cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese - Stir constantly while cheese melts.

Add sour cream, chilis, and olives to mixture. Remove from heat.

Combine drained noodles with this mixture and stir well.

Spray casserole dish with olive oil - Add mixture and sprinkle top with reserved cheese.( I added some additional cheese to the top - that is your preference. )

Bake 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.

THIS IS NOT SPICY AND KIDS WILL LOVE IT!

Did You Know?

It is said that macaroni, a curved, tubular pasta made from flour that had its origins in China and was brought to Italy by Marco Polo, has been cooked and served with cheese in Italian homes, inns and restaurants for over 500 years. By the eighteenth century, the dish, in one form or another, had become popular throughout Europe, and colonists from England brought along their appetite and recipes for this cheesy treat to North America. In the 1800s, recipes for various versions of macaroni and cheese appeared in many American cookbooks.

 

As times changed and women began to look for life beyond the confines of the kitchen, convenience foods were introduced into the marketplace. Since macaroni and cheese had already achieved status as a family favorite, Kraft decided the time was right to introduce a dinner in a box and called it Kraft Dinner. In 1937, Kraft macaroni and cheese hit the grocery shelves in the U.S. and Canada, and soon it became a huge success.

Gluten Free Marinade For Pan Seared Tuna Fillets

During the Be My Gluten Free Valentine Party, we had a demonstration on making sushi(cooked not raw). I promised the parents I would post the marinade I used on the tuna before pan searing it on the outside.

The following marinade is great on any fish but for sushi I love using tuna. The best part about marinating fish is that it only takes 10 minutes of marinating to impart lots of flavor.

Marinade for Pan Seared Tuna

The following is measurements for enough marinade to do roughly 2 half pound tuna fillets

3 Tablespoons of wheat free Tamari (my favorite brand is San-J)

1 Tablespoon of Rice Vinegar

1/2 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil

1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon of Ginger (fresh zest is best but can use dried powdered ginger as well)

Juice of one Lemon

pinch of Brown Sugar

Marinate the tuna for about 10 minutes or more depending on taste. Heat 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in skillet or wok (medium high).

Place tuna in hot skillet and cook for about 4 minutes each side if you want a medium rare cut.

After the tuna is browned on each side take it off heat and slice to make sushi or serve as entree on bed of rice.

Gluten Free Meatloaf You Won't Regret Trying

For as long as most of us can remember, meatloaf has been not only a staple in the American family diet but also a known comfort food.

But where did the idea of meatloaf come from?

Apparently with the industrialization of food in the early 1900s, ground beef became cheaper by being factory processed. In order to sell the public on trusting these companies to grind their meat, recipe booklets were given out with purchases. One of the booklets along the way had a recipe for a meat loaf casserole. But Meatloaf really took off during the late 40s and 50s as the once a week staple dinner which was affordable and filling.

So, how do you make a good Gluten Free Meatloaf?

I have tasted many a meatloaf in my time - Some good, some not so much. However, this meatloaf recipe has been hailed as so good that even people who aren't fond of meatloaf like it. It is also one of my standards which I know my child will eat and the greatest part is she even likes it cold as a sandwich the next day after. That means the planning for the next day's lunchbox is done as well.

Serve your meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans or green peas as sides for the traditional fare.

Gluten Free Meatloaf The Kids Will Love

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large egg (you can leave this out if dairy or egg intolerant)

1 med yellow onion chopped

1 medium bell pepper chopped(I like red, but green or yellow works as well)

1 8oz. can of Muir Glen diced tomatoes

1/2 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

1 cup of gluten free breadcrumbs (I use the end pieces of bread loafs in the food processer or else you can substitute 1/2 cup of flax meal for a little added nutritional punch)

Ketchup (we buy Annie's or Muir Glen organic ketchup which is GF)

*You can also add nutritional punches by adding creamed spinach or steamed cauliflower in - No one will know*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit

Mix together all the ingredients except for ketchup and place into a large loaf pan which has been coated with non stick spray. Pat the mixture into loaf pan and place in oven to bake for about 40 minutes.

Take meatloaf out of oven and drain off any grease which may have collected in pan. Then squirt a topping of ketchup onto the meatloaf. Place back in oven for 5-10 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

Gluten Free Soups In The Lunch Box

Check out the gluten free soup recipes in the NEW School Lunch Section - We think they are awesome and thoroughly nutritious. So visit the link above and stay healthy through the rest of winter.