A Gluten Free Sloppy Joe Recipe | "Sloppy John Joes Burgers"

Gotta love that name. That's what my oldest daughter used to call this gluten free Sloppy Joe recipe - "sloppy John Joes burgers." And, she calls it a burger because that's how I make it for her. This isn't just a nifty GF dish, it's also a recipe for easy Sloppy Joes.

I tried the real Sloppy Joe recipe for them, thinking it'd be simple, economical and enjoyable. But, no dice. At the time, the loose meat was a distraction and frustrating at that age. The meat fell out of the gluten free buns that I bought (which is normal) but something they couldn't handle back then. I tried serving it bunless, but it wasn't a hit. 

So, I gave up on that for a while. Then, I had the idea of simply revising the recipe by making the Sloppy Joe more like a hamburger. It's the same taste as the Sloppy Joe, just in the form of a burger..

If you don't have a recipe for easy Sloppy Joes around, try this one and you'll have a simple gluten free sloppy joe recipe to use.

• 1 lb ground beef 
• 1 good squirt of ketchup -- probably about 1/4 cup (I use Heinz but for those more sensitive, you might consider other brands)
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder 
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Lea and Perkins is gluten free) 
• 1 dash of ground red pepper 
• 1/2 tsp salt 

Now, combine everything together and make about 4-5 burger patties. Bake on 350 for about 20 mins.

Serve as you would a regular burger. Serve on a gluten free bun if you'd like. And, enjoy this gluten free Sloppy Joe recipe as we have for years.

By the way, no idea who John is/was - the name just somehow got smashed into the name of this recipe!

An Easy Dairy Free Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe!

I don't know where it came from, but when my oldest daughter was about 7, she asked me to make her a cream soup. I don't think she'd ever had cream soup at that time and her parents - us - didn't really make much cream soup at home. So, it was one of those out-of-left-field moments. But, it seemed like a fun challenge to figure out how to make a dairy free cream of chicken soup for her to try - and of course, it wasn't just a dairy free soup, it also was a gluten free soup.

As you may know from reading the blog, we're not just a gluten free, dairy free family, we're also soy free. So, it's not like we could just run down to the store and buy the soup. And at that time, alternative dairy free soup products were few and far between. 

Anyway, I found a recipe and tinkered with it a bit to make a dairy free cream of chicken soup. It may not be the best soup you've ever had ... but I think it was successful. My daughter loved it and ate it for two days. I also did one better, I made it in the slow cooker over the weekend. So, I dumped the food in the pot, turned it on, and left it all afternoon. I love 'easy' too. 

Here's what I did. You might tinker more with the "cream" ingredients to fit your family's diet needs and preferences. I obviously made this as a dairy free cream of chicken soup, but you certainly could make it any type of cream-based dairy free soup that you want - mushroom, celery, etc.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped into chunks
• sea salt and black pepper to taste 
• 1 tsp basil 1 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp sage 
• About 2-3 pounds of chicken -- any kind you prefer (I used bone-in breasts with the skin removed and later, pulled the meat off and diced it into small pieces) 
• 2-3 garlic pieces, crushed 
• 5 1/2 cups of water 
• Dairy free milk (I used rice milk) 
• Corn starch -- GF of course 

Place all ingredients, except the dairy free milk and corn starch in the slow cooker. Cook for four hours on high. When nearly-done, pull chicken out and cool. Remove meat from bones. I diced the meat into small pieces and put it back in the cooker.

Before serving, I pulled out the onions, since my kids won't eat them. 

Now, to make the cream soup. I took about 2 cup servings of the soup broth from the crock and poured it into a small stove-top pot. I turned the heat onto low-medium. In a small bowl, I put 1 tbsp of the corn starch and 2 tbsp of cold water and mixed with a fork until mixed well. Pour this into the pot and stir with a whisk. Note that this will thicken the soup quickly, so keep stirring and be sure the heat is not high. Once thickened, I poured about 1/4 cup of the dairy free milk into the mix and let it heat for another minute. Mix in some of the chicken pieces. 

This results in a tasty chicken soup, thickened by the starch and given that cream color by the alternative milk. 

A couple of notes ... 

• First, this is easy to freeze too. If you like the basic soup, freeze it in portions, like in ice cube trays, for example. 
• Second - if you don't remove the skins, you'll need to take the added step of cooling the broth and removing some of the fat.
• Last, if your child is a picky eater, this is great way to sneak them in. Carrots, celery, mushrooms, potatoes, rice, etc. You can make just about cream of anything. Chopping into small pieces or even blending a veggie to get it in is possible.

I hope you give this dairy free cream of chicken soup recipe a try! Happy eating.

Quick and easy Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets -- just like McDonald's

I found a recipe for Batter Fried Chicken Nuggets over at the GFCF Recipes Yahoo site at Recipe Circus (so, no credit to me for t
he recipe).

At first glance, I didn't think it could possibly work, meaning I did not believe I'd end up with the tasty, fried fast food nuggets that you can buy in many drive thru's - at least not gluten free chicken nuggets with the same taste. 

Well, to my surprise, it does. I - of course - played with the recipe a little bit. It's hard to not tinker in the kitchen and make a recipe your own. The best part of this recipe is that you can use basic gluten-free flours and it turns out pretty much like the nuggets you'd buy at McDonald's. 

I made the recipe specifically using Bob's Red Mill products. Why? Reliability. I found Bob's to have the best selection of gluten free flours and other products, available in many stores - including the grocery down the street, and the quality was always high. So, that's why I endorse Bob's.

Specifically, I used these two flours to make the flour mix:

- Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brown Rice Flour

- Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Flour

I'll point out that there are affiliate links in this post, which means I may receive a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Please know that I only promote by name and link products that I've personally tried and endorse. I never promote any product that I personally would not feed to my family or endorse to friends. The compensation received is used to support the blog.

So, if this is the style of gluten free chicken nuggets that you're looking for - this is the recipe.

• Chicken: I cut up about 3 breasts.
• 1/3 cup gluten free flour (I used about 80 percent brown rice flour and 20 percent tapioca)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Heinz vinegar (or other gf brand)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup water

Wash your chicken and then cut it up into nugget sized pieces. 

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Then, combine the vinegar and soda in another small bowl, quickly dump it in the flour as it reacts. Then, quickly add the water. Whisk well. Let this sit for about 5 minutes. It thickens. 

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a frying pan. Mix your chicken pieces in the batter and let them sit in there while the oil heats. When hot, fry until golden brown and cooked through.

Trust me, this works. And it's quick. And it's very simple. Say hello to homemade drive through gluten free chicken nuggets!

Is this Gluten Free Mac and Cheese also Dairy Free Mac and Cheese?

I never thought I'd be able to make good old macaroni and cheese again for my kids, especially not a good gluten free mac and cheese! Of course, we're on the gluten-free dairy-free diet, but also no soy. 

So, years ago (mid-2000s), there was no good cheese substitute to try - and even those that were soy-based were truly gross.

And, the gluten free noodles on the market then weren't great. My biggest gripe was that they were really mushy, soggy, and even slimy. 

Unfortunately, that meant no gluten free mac and cheese for me!

Then, a couple of then-new products changed all of this, at least for me.

First, I found Tinkyada gluten free pasta. The reason I like Tinkyada gluten free pasta is the firmness of the noodles. This difference was huge for me. I had been avoiding GF noodles, but this brand brought them back into my pantry for good. This texture is important for this particular recipe, too. 

I'll point out that there are affiliate links in this post, which means I may receive a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Please know that I only promote products specifically by name and link products that I've personally tried and endorse. I never promote any product that I personally would not feed to my family or endorse to friends. The compensation received is used to support the blog.

And then came Daiya cheese. Similar to the Tinkaya experience for me, Daiya was the first cheese of its type that really had taste and melted in a manner similar to real cheese. And, it had no dairy, no gluten and no soy.

Combined, this meant making a gluten free mac and cheese that also was dairy free mac and cheese was possible.

So, here's the recipe - it's just adapted from a typical mac n cheese recipe.

I promise, this will work. Enjoy.

Gluten free mac and cheese

(... and dairy free mac and cheese)

• 1 cup cooked Tinkyada gluten free pasta
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon margarine (Try a vegan to avoid dairy and soy)
• 1 tablespoon tapioca or corn starch
• Dash black pepper
• 1 ¼ cup non-dairy milk
• 2 cups shredded American/cheddar Daiya dairy free cheese

Directions:

• Cook the gluten free pasta according to directions.
• In a saucepan, cook onion in margarine until tender. Stir in flour and pepper.
• Add milk.
• Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
• Add cheese. Stir until melted.
• Stir pasta into cheese.
• Transfer to a 1 quart casserole.
• Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes – until bubbly.

Now, enjoy your gluten free mac and cheese - and, yes, dairy free mac and cheese!

Gluten free pizza crust recipe

One of the most common questions I get is about finding a good gluten free pizza crust recipe.  For many years, the in-store and restaurant options for pizza lovers on a GFCF diet were limited-to-disappointing. That's changed in recent years. I see some GF frozen pizza options in my local supermarket's freezer section. I also see some gf options on the non-freezer shelves - pre-made, ready to make. And, there are gf pizza crust baking mixes on the market as well - and I'll always recommend Bob's Red Mill products simply due to reliability and availability. Bob's has a good mix that you can buy online. 

The other big factor for pizza recipes had been finding a good non-dairy cheese. Since Dayai came on the market, I've pretty much used that exclusively. I find it tastes OK and melts well in the oven. And, unless you're dealing with a tomato issue, there's plenty of store-bought and homemade sauce options (if tomato is an issue - try pierogi pizza or pizza without sauce).

Another issue worth mentioning here - and one reason I turned to a homemade gluten free pizza crust recipe - is the cost. I find the in-store options to be pretty expensive for what you get. Combined with the homemade version having a better taste (imho), I'd rather make it on my own.

I'll point out that there are affiliate links in this post, which means I may receive a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Please know that I only promote products specifically by name and link products that I've personally tried and endorse. I never promote any product that I personally would not feed to my family or endorse to friends. The compensation received is used to support the blog.

With this gluten free pizza crust recipe, I can make a simple, tasty crust that doesn't take very long. I'll admit, this has taken years of adapting, tweaking, changing, etc ... but, I like this version and want to share it here. It's also very adaptable to various allergies and sensitivities. For example, if you can't use brown rice flour, use sorghum flour. So, here it is:

Shell ingredients 

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 2/3 cup chickpea flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 tsp xanthan gum (I order lowest cost item via Amazon)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder (buy in store or online via Amazon)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 cup water 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 1 tsp oregano 
• 1/2 tbsp sugar (or any sweetener like agave or honey) 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix dry ingredients. Note: as an alternative, if you prefer to not buy the flours and xantham gum individually, replace the flours and xantham gum with a cup of pre-made gluten free mix, which you can also order online. Still add the baking powder. If you buy the pre-made, you can use the yeast packet if you want, but it's not necessary for this recipe.
• Add wet ingredients and mix well.
• Grease baking sheet with shortening (we use Spectrum) or line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I mostly use the parchment rather than shortening).
• Plop dough onto middle of parchment lined sheet - might need a spatula to get it all out.
• I do this next part at the sink since you'll need wet hands - the dough is sticky. Turn the tap on and wet one hand. Use your hand to push down on the dough and smooth it out into a pizza shell shape (circle, square or rectangle). You'll have to repeatedly wet that hand to keep from sticking. I do this until it's about 1/4" thick. I pinch the edges like you would for a pie crust.
• Bake 12 minutes, then, use a spatula or other utensil to gently loosen the crust from the sheet and slide onto an oven rack.
• Bake for another 5 minutes without the sheet underneath.
• After five minutes, again use a spatula or utensil to gently slide the crust back onto the baking sheet. Remove from oven.
• This is where you'll add sauce, cheese and other toppings as desired. Generally, I add these and then bake for five more minutes to heat. Then eat!

Here's some of my topping ideas for this gluten free pizza crust recipe:

Sauce: I make my own and the recipe I follow is on this page. I typically make this while the crust is baking - doesn't take more than five minutes.

Cheese: I use one bag of Dayai cheddar. You can just sprinkle the cheese and I see that Dayai now sells "liquid cheese" in containers too. I prefer to mix this and make my own melty cheese. So, dump it into a small pot. Add a quarter(ish) cup of rice milk (or any other milk alternative). Heat on medium until the milk heats and cheese starts to melt. Stir continuously to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Add milk as needed to gain the right cheesy consistency that you want. I make mine until it's sorta like a cheese dip so that I can ladle it over top of the pizza. My kids call it a "cheese blanket."

Veggies: My kids like any mix of chopped onions (small pieces), thin green pepper strips and mushrooms. Of course, add whatever you like.

Meat: I've used pepperoni (our store has a gluten free pepperoni), and I've also used ground meat to make "cheeseburger pizza." You could use any meat.

So, typically, I'll spoon the sauce, ladle the cheese, sprinkle the veggies and add the meat - then bake five minutes. I'll let the pizza rest for five minutes after coming out of the oven before cutting.

One final note - I've made a larger rectangular gluten free pizza when my kids had friends over simply by doubling the recipe. Worked just fine.

GF/CF/SF Toasted cheese sandwiches

Here's another great classic you now can make, thanks to Galaxy cheese slices, which are gluten-free, casein-free and soy-free. Note again, as in previous posts, that the Galaxy cheese chunks are not casein free, just the slices. So, head out to a Whole Foods or your local food co-op and find the following: -- Galaxy cheese slices, either American, Cheddar or Pepper Jack flavors. -- Ener-G gluten free bread (I buy the brown rice, yeast-free bread. There's others.) -- Whatever type of margarine or oil you use that's dairy-free. Some use Fleischmann's Light spreadable margarine, or ghee, or oil. I use canola oil. -- Sea salt. You know how to make this. It's easy. I'll note a couple of tricks that I found helpful. And, of course, you can use any type of gluten-free bread. I just happen to be using the Ener-G bread right now. Other times, I'll make my own. OK, get a frying pan out and pre-heat on medium-high. Let it get hot. This is crucial to get the nice toasted bread markings. While it's heating, get out two bread slices and put a slice of cheese in the middle. I add a small pinch of sea salt. The cheese is low-salt and this adds a bit of flavor. When the pan's hot, add the oil or margarine. If oil, just a tsp will do. Not too much. Now, place the sandwich in the pan. You should hear a slight sizzle. Brown on one side. This only takes a minute or so. Then turn over and brown the other side. You'll probably notice the cheese really isn't melted. So, turn off the pan. Put the toasted sandwich on a plate. Microwave this for 15 secs (try 10 secs in yours first -- in mine, it's 15 secs). This will melt the cheese AND keep the toasty bread. There you go. Toasted cheese. And now that you know how to make this, you obviously can make a nice ham and cheese sandwich or even a turkey and cheese sandwich. Buy your gluten-free lunch-meat and add a slice to the cheese sandwich before toasting. Very tasty. The cheese is a bit pricy, but to me, it's well worth it. I can't stand the soy cheeses. They're aweful. And most other cheeses have some form of casein in there. This is the best I've found. I plan to make a pizza using this cheese sometime next week -- also with a new GF crust I found. I'll let you know how that goes.

Gluten-free sandwiches

Note: Although the recipe below is still very valid, full disclaimer that I've ultimately turned to store-bought bread for my girls. My oldest prefers the Kinnikinnick Tapioca Rice bread and my youngest likes the Ener-G Yeast Free Brown Rice Bread. I buy bulk to cut down the cost. **Even more updated - try some store brand GF breads now on the market, such as Aldi's Live G Free gluten free bread.

 Ahh, the most difficult food item to re-create in my children's diet -- and arguably on the Autism Diet

in general -- lunchmeat sandwiches. This is difficult for a number of reasons. What lunchmeat is OK? Even if it's OK, what about harmful preservatives? And, finding a gluten-free, casein-free bread that your picky child will eat is nearly impossible. In my house, it's been a struggle for years.

I've finally found a solution to all of this that works. It's a compromise, for me. I'm using gluten-free lunchmeats but give on the preservatives. I buy meat that's prepackaged to prevent the cross-contact issues. If you're not satisfied with that, buy some of the preservative-free deli meats out there, like Applegate Farms.

Like all of my recipes, this is simple and easy to make. It's versatile, too, and the bread also can become a mini-pizza shell, which also is very popular at my house.

The bread is a variation of the Noah's Bread recipe. Here's my variation.

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix 1/2 cup of sorghum or brown rice flour, 2/3 cup tapioca flour, 2 tsp xanthan gum, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tbsp oregano (or other spice), 1 tbsp sugar.

Then, add, 1/3 cup of oil, 1/3 cup of a dairy sub (like Darifree), and 1/2 cup of water.

Beat until well combined.

Now, use a ladle or 1/4 cup measure to dump into circular bun-sized pieces. Keep them apart as much as possible. You can make regular bun shapes or like mini-hoagie or hot dog bun shapes. They aren't perfect and I'm sure you could buy forms to make them better. Anyway, then, I take a wet spatula and press down lightly on each and with one or two swoops, flatten each one out some.

Then, bake for 20 minutes.

These will be flatter than regular buns, but that's OK. They taste pretty good.

My kids like a slice or two of GF ham with some mustard and ketchup. This is a big hit at breakfast or lunch.

For the mini-pizzas, I add garlic powder to the dough, and then after baking, top with sauce and toppings, and bake a little longer.

Coasting along

Hey -- I haven't posted much lately and I recently asked myself, "why?" The answer is that I've really been coasting along, making the foods that really have worked and don't take much time. It's a good thing. So I really haven't tried much new lately. I have made pizza a few times with my "polenta cheese" and GF pepperoni. The kids love it. Still working on how to best make the crust. I like a thin, firm crust rather than soft or thick. I'm still tinkering, but I'm at the point where I think making a bunch of mini personal pizza crusts rather than a sheet crust is the way to go. Any time I've made the mini pizzas, the crust has been perfect. It gets soft or soggy when I make the sheet. I'll keep trying and update you later. I'm very happy with the sauce I use and the toppings.

New GFCF pizza crust recipe

Note: This is an older recipe. I've refined my pizza crust recipe, which you can find by clicking here.

This is a revised pizza crust recipe, which my kids like much better. I do too.

I still base it on Noah's Bread.

For mini pizzas or a small pizza, use 1 recipe. For a larger pizza, double this recipe.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown rice or sorghum flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup CF milk
1/3 cup water

Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix all ingredients well. This will make a very liquidy batter, like a cake batter.
Grease your oven pan -- I use Spectrum shortening.

To make individual pizzas, put the batter in plastic bag, like a ziplock bag. Cut a corner and squeeze the batter out onto the pan. I make english muffin-sized circles and then take a wet spatula to even the batter out. Or, make a small pizza by dumping the batter onto your pan and use the wet spatula to spread it out.

Double the batter to make a larger pizza.

For mini pizzas or a small pizza, bake 10 mins and check. For a larger pizza, it will take about 15 mins, but possibly 20.

Once out of the oven, add your sauce and toppings. Then, bake another 5 mins or so.

This makes a thin, soft-crust pizza. I'll tell you later how to make a crispier crust.

Try my polenta cheese on this pizza -- dairy and soy free!

Secret non-dairy & soyless cheese

I've been on an endless search for a way to make my kids a real pizza -- you know, something that looks and tastes like the real thing, or as close as possible. So, first, the problem was making a gluten-free crust. That took a while. Now, I've finally developed a crust recipe that's actually very good. It's a variation of Noah's Recipe.

Then, it was the sauce. That wasn't so hard. I use a very basic pizza sauce, based on Hunt's tomato paste, which is GF.

The toppings really aren't that difficult either. Choose any you want that you know is GF and CF. I buy a GF brand of pepperoni. It's perfect.

The problem, of course, is the cheese, especially if you can't eat soy, which is what most "fake" cheeses are made from. Even so, most soy cheese tastes horrible.

And in my kids' cases, the cheese doesn't have to taste great, it's more of the appearance of real cheese that's important to them. We just can't have something that tastes bad -- like the soy.

So, I've finally found a solution: polenta.

Yes, polenta, for those who don't know, is corn meal that's been boiled into a solid cakelike substance. It's often sold in tubes and some brands clearly are marked gluten-free. You also can make this at home fairly easily. (If you can't eat corn, don't worry, you can make polenta out of nearly any grain, like millet, for example, or teff).

So, I took the polenta and grated it, like I would cheese. Say, about a cup. Toss it into a bowl. Then, add 1 tsp olive oil. And, add 1/2 tsp sea salt. Stir. This is the cheese topping. The polenta will cook, but not melt. The oil keeps it from drying out. The salt adds some flavor.

Trust me, this works.

I'll post the entire pizza recipe -- crust, sauce and cheese -- later this week. For now, go find some polenta and experiment. I'll also share some other polenta recipes using different grains.

A GFCF TVP burger

OK -- this recipe won't be for everyone, especially if you're avoiding soy. If you can eat soy, this would be an interesting experiment. I've tinkered with TVP lately -- that's textured vegetable protein. It's really dry chunks of soy that you can reconstitute with water quickly and make meat substitutes, like burgers, nuggets, chili, etc. I'm using it for myself -- trying to lose some weight. The TVP is high in protein and has some carbs. It's a good way to get protein food without the high cholesterol in regular beef. I posted this recently on the SparkPeople website -- a health site.

Basic TVP burger

Ingredients
1 cup dry TVP -- you can find this at a health store. It's inexpensive.
1/2 onion for 1/4 cup
Shredded carrot for 1/2 cup
Corn/tapioca starch 1/2 cup
Olive or canola oil 2 tbsp
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
1/4 cup water
spices

Boil broth and water, add spices -- I use soul seasoning, pepper, salt. After boiling, pour over dry TVP. Sit 10 mins.
Add chopped onion, shredded carrot and starch. Stir together.
Heat half the oil in a pan on medium high. Mold a 1/2 cup of the mix into a burger shape and brown on each side -- two burgers at a time.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Info
Fat: 4.5g
Carbohydrates: 20.6g
Calories:193.8
Protein: 16.2g

Is it pork or chicken

I think we all know about picky eaters. I have a few in my house. It seems if it isn't a hot dog, burger or chicken pieces, then they won't eat it. I keep trying new things, but it doesn't always work. But, sometimes, I win. Here's an easy one to win if your family can handle pork.

I bought some lean pork chops, boneless, or cut away the bone. These were slightly thick. So, I put them in an oven pan and baked for 30 mins on 350. When done, and no longer pink, I cut them into "nugget" sized pieces.

Then, I sprinkled with salt, pepper and chili powder and a little olive oil, like a couple of teaspoons. After heating an oven top pan, I tossed the mix in just for a minute or two to combine. Then, I served. I didn't even tell them it was something different. I just served it like I would for any of my other chicken recipes -- some of which look very similar.

They ate it all.

Ham dinner -- gfcf style

So, this won't work for everyone, especially our younger children who are dead-set on hot dogs and tators. But, every so often, I like to throw something new at my kids to see what they do. And, when I do, I usually employ trickery in my presentation. So, I'll post this very easy and quick recipe for a ham dinner, but first explain the trickery.

My wife and I made this dish Saturday. Here's what I do. Make the ham dinner for the adults and sit down to eat while the kids' meals are "still cooking." This is often what happens. My oldest will wander over to my side of the table to see what I'm eating. Then she'll ask what I'm eating. I never offer it to her. About 75% of the time, she'll then ask to try it. So, I give her a bite. Then she wants another. I give it to her. Then she'll ask for some on a plate. So, I push my plate to her and say, "Here, eat some of mine while I get you a plate, but don't eat it all." Then, I exit to the kitchen. When I come back, it's gone. She wants more.

Of course, this doesn't always work. It's not like magic. But, she's so stubborn that if I dump it in front of her or force her to try it, she'll never eat it again.

Anyway, here's the recipe.

- Ham slices: any kind you're comfortable with that you're sure is free of gluten, dairy and MSG. OR, if you avoid ham due to sodium/preservatives, try pork slices seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. I sliced this very thin.
- Brown rice (white's OK too)
- Kidney beans (any bean is OK)
- spinach, frozen (any veggie would work)
- Sea salt, black pepper, paprika
- olive oil (any oil)

I cooked the ham in a stove-top pan with a little water. I cut an X in each piece to help prevent curling. The ham is pre-cooked. With pork, you'd have to cook per normal instructions first. Make the rice - I use a rice cooker. I heated the beans for 5-10 mins in a small pot with a little water. I did the same with the spinach.

I cut the ham into small pieces -- just by quartering each slice.

Then, I mixed a 1/2 cup of rice with 1/4 cup of beans and a couple tablespoons of the chopped spinach. I seasoned lightly with the sea salt, pepper and paprika. I sprinkled 1 tsp oil on top, then stirred with a fork.

I put two slices of ham on a plate with the above rice/bean mixture. That's it. Do the same for each plate.

It's very tasty and if the kids don't like it, the meal is still great for the adults. And, it's a GFCF meal you can eat and not worry if your kids nibble at your plate.

Now, if you're dealing with food allergies/intolerances, much of this is interchangeable.
- Sub half of a butterflied chicken breast for the ham/pork.
- Sub potatoes for the rice.
- Sub corn or carrots or peas for the beans.
- Sub any veggie for the spinach.
- Sub canola or sunflower oil for the olive oil.

GFCF Pizza Wedgie

Here's a neat variation on a GFCF pizza, or cheeseless pizza.

It's sorta like a wedgie, if they sell those where you live -- or really just a folded over pizza. It has the same pizza taste but resolves one of the big issues with pizza without the cheese -- the visual of not having cheese.

So, make your pizza or follow directions for my version.

But, after done baking, use spatulas to fold the pizza over, just like you do when folding a blanket -- end to end. Then, brush the top with olive oil, or your choice of oil, sprinkle with anything you wish (garlic salt, paprika, red pepper crushed, black pepper, oregano, etc.) or nothing at all. Bake another 5 mins.

Now, I'll tell you now that I'm trying to find a way to create a goo-like texture within the pizza -- but I can't use dairy or soy. Any great ideas, let me know. Right now, I'm tinkering with corn and potato mashes. Stay tuned.

GFCF Pizza wrap

So, now that we know how to make a GF wrap that bends, here's one yummy way to make a great dinner for the kids. First, you have to make the wraps. Second, you make a 10-minute pizza sauce, and the recipe's right here. Third, you make the filling. For now, I'll show you my favorite, which is what I like to call Pizza Burger filling. But, remember, you could plug anything in here you want -- pepperoni, salami, chicken, turkey, hot dog, avacado, lettuce, lunchmeat, tomato, onion, etc. Be creative. But, for the pizza burger, you want to make a double batch of the pizza sauce. And, brown about a pound of ground beef in a pan. Drain the grease. Stir in half of the pizza sauce, sprinkle with some sea salt, chili powder, ground red pepper.

Now, take a wrap, spread some sauce on there like a pizza, plop a couple of tablespoons of filling in the middle, add diced onion, lettuce, tomato or any other fillings your kids love (none if they don't), and fold the wrap. Serve and eat.

Make sure to save a couple for your lunch.

Meat rice easy dish

Here's a nice slap-it-together GFCF meal. Everyone in my family likes this one. And it's free of gluten, casein, soy, egg, beans.

- 1 recipe pizza sauce

- ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey)

- brown rice, cooked OR pasta noodles OR kidney beans OR quinoa OR potatoes

Now, make the pizza sauce in a sauce pan. Cook the brown rice or pasta. Brown the ground meat.

When done, drain grease from the meat. Add some pizza sauce to the meat and stir in -- as much or little as you like. Add a cup or more of the rice or pasta. Stir. Sprinkle with some sea salt and/or favorite spices.

Serve.

GFCF guide to hot dogs

I love hot dogs, and so do my kids. But, with the host of food issues they have, including the gluten - casein free diet and soy, finding an OK hot dog is tricky. We don't follow Feingold strictly, but we also try to avoid the dyes and preservatives. We bend the rules for hot dogs, since they don't get much of this elsewhere. However, we are in the process of switching hot dogs, to a brand that does not have the preservatives. I think it's worth the extra money. I'll be buying those in bulk to cut my cost. So, here's a look at some OK hot dogs with a few notes on each. Also note, there are turkey dogs and chicken dogs and tofu dogs out there. We can't do tofu, so you won't find that here.

1 - Best's Kosher: This is the brand we use. It is kosher. It is gluten/casein free. It is soy free. We can't find it in a local supermarket, but we can buy it through Sam's Club. You could also find it in a Jewish grocery or deli in your city. The only downside is that it contains preservatives, which we try to avoid. Otherwise, it's perfect.

2 - Hebrew National: This is the brand we used to use. It's similar to Best's Kosher in every way, except it contains soy. That's a no-no for us. If it's OK for you, it's a great hot dog, and you'll find it in your local supermarket.

3 - Applegate Farms: This is an excellent brand that is gfcf, soy free, and does not have the preservatives. It is sold organic and a non-organic package. Your choice. We buy it at a local food co-op but I imagine you'll find this at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's too.

4 - Wellshire Farms: This is the brand we're switching to. The reason is it's gfcf, soy free and preservative free. I can get this in bulk for the same price as the kosher hot dogs, which have preservatives.

5 - Shelton's: If you're looking for an alternative to beef, Shelton's is among the best, selling turkey and chicken hot dogs. My kids will eat this.

6 - Others: I've been told, and I've read, that other supermarket hot dogs are OK, such as some -- not all -- Hillshire Farms, Oscar Meyer, Ball Park, etc. This may be true. I've tried to steer away from those, not for any reason based in fact. I tried to head for hot dogs held to stricter ingredient guidelines, like the kosher dogs. Now, I'm going even farther in buying the preservative-free. Just trying to keep as much junk out of my kids bodies as possible.

Now, for buns, you're on your own -- for now. But, I've made hot dog buns using the Noah's Bread recipe. And for ketchup, Heinz is gluten free, but we buy Muir Glen brand, which is organic and does not have the high fructose corn syrup. Again, I buy bulk to cut costs. Annie's also sells a healthy ketchup. Mustard -- French's.

My first GFCF pizza

Note: I've improved my pizza recipe since this time. You can find my latest pizza crust recipe by clicking here.

I think trying to make a pizza my kids would eat without the use of dairy or soy kinda scared me away from the idea altogether. But, recently, I've had a few ideas of how to make pizzas my kids might like. I tried one last night. And it worked. My kids had their first slices of pizza. And they liked it.

Now, if you're looking for a miracle recipe here, you won't get it. This is very basic stuff. I'll give you the recipes -- yes, two. And, now I think I'll try some of the other ideas I've had. And, when I do, I'll be sure to post.

These pizzas are using a crust made from the Noah's Bread recipe. Since I haven't posted Noah's Bread yet, I'll include it here (and, as a reminder to myself, I'll post that recipe tomorrow so we can all find it quickly in the future).

Crust
3/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 egg sub
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup water or cf milk
1/3 cup sparkling water

Sauce
1 garlic clove
1 tsp sea salt
6 oz can tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp oil

Toppings
Use any you wish.
Pepperoni
Genoa salami
Hamburger
Sausage
Onion
Peppers
Potato chips (for chip lovers)
Etc.

Heat oven to 450. Mix dry ingredients well. When oven is ready, add liquids (have to wait -- don't do this too early because you want the sparkling water activity to be active and not have fizzled out). Mix well. Spread dough on a greased pizza sheet in a circular fashion. Pinch edges to form a pizza edge. Bake for 10 minutes.

Make the sauce. Chop onion and prep other toppings.

Pull shell out after 10 mins. Spread pizza sauce and other toppings. I added chopped onion and chopped genoa salami (Boar's Head).

Bake another 10 minutes.

Note, I made half a pizza with crushed potato chips -- sorta like you would with a tuna casserole. So, I waited to add those until the last 5 mins.

My youngest daughter liked the pizza with chips and my oldest liked it without.

It all tasted like pizza -- just without the cheese.

Stay tuned for more pizza updates.

Gluten free chicken nuggets recipe -- my versions

I realized over the weekend that I had failed to post one of the most-requested recipes in GFCF land! Chicken nuggets.

So, here, I'll offer a couple different versions for you. However, this is very adjustable, depending on your child's likes and dislikes.

Basic fried nuggets:

- cooking oil (I used Tuscan Sun, non-GMO)
- Chicken (I use breast meat)
- GF flour mix (any will do. I have used different mixes. Some really like frying with chickpea flour mixes. I've also used a sorghum mix with tapioca starch. Use what you like. For today, I will use 1/3 cup sorghum, 1/3 cup tapioca and 1/3 cup potato starch.)
- Spices: add what you like. I add this: 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp sea salt. Other possibilities: black pepper, cumin, cilantro, parsley, oregano, etc.
- Optional: ketchup
- Optional: egg substitute (I use Ener-G for this)

So, pour some oil in a frying pan. Heat on medium high to high. Mix the dry ingredients. Add your spices. Make the egg substitute.

Wash, trim and cut your chicken into nugget pieces.

Now, version 1: mix spices into flour mix and stir till blended. Coat chicken with dry mix. Fry several minutes on each side until cooked through.

Version 2: mix spices and flour. Dip chicken into flour mix, coat with egg sub, dip again in flour mix until coated. Fry several minutes on each side. This is a crispier chicken. You could also add a little baking soda to this too. Try it out.

Version 3: With either of the above two versions, you can coat the chicken lightly with ketchup before dipping and coating. Adds a welcome flavor to the mix. Very good.

Version 4: Try baking these instead of frying. I've done this with the "crispier" version. Baked on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. I've also done chicken strips this way. I think if you did the non-crispy version, you might cook less and maybe have to dab some oil on top halfway through so they didn't dry out.

Version 5: With the fry versions, you could also do this "popcorn" style, simply by cutting the nuggets into smaller pieces, and then cooking them for less time.

I purposely didn't include cooking times here because everybody's pans heat differently and some people use real fryers and all ovens are different, etc. etc.

Anyway, hope this works for you. If not, check for more GFCF nugget recipes at Recipe Circus, like this one here.

Chili -- GFCF and bean free

My kids like this and I tend to make it more in the fall and winter. Well, here's the colder weather. And here's the recipe. Basic chili -- free of gluten, casein, soy and most major allergens. What's nice is that you can tailor this to the things you like to eat. Ours does not have beans because my youngest can't eat them. You could use rice, quinoa, potatoes, etc.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb ground beef
- half an onion
- 15-16 oz can tomatoes
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup polenta (optional)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Easy directions:

- cook the burger and diced onion in a pan, then drain grease.
- put burger mix in a crok pot (or large cooking pot)
- add the remaining ingredients. Stir.
- cook crok pot on high for 1 hour, then at least 3 more hours.
- or cook in pot on low for 2 hours, stirring frequently.