My adorable step son Eli, who turns 10 this month, makes absolutely the best smoothies.  His twin sister Sabrina and my husband both make good smoothies but Eli’s are always so much better.  So, before he left to go back to Boston, to his mom’s house, we talked him into letting us make a video of him making a smoothie so we could see what he did.  It is really adorable and it shows you how easy it is to make a quick gluten and dairy free snack.

We’d really appreciate it if you would rate it and leave a comment.

Thanks,
NJ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITMw2lnNhcM

Home made gluten dairy free bread tastes so much better!  And it doesn’t have to be a lot of work.  I use my old (more than 10 years) bread machine to make loaves.  There are new fangled “gluten free” bread machines but my old Panasonic works fine.

Gluten Free bread doesn’t last very long though.  It is best to slice them immediately after cooling and freeze.

Adding Xantham gum helps gluten free flours to rise. You can find it in health food stores.  It seems pricey at about $10 but it will last a long time.  You’ll also need much more yeast than you use for gluten
breads.  I find that quick rise works best.

Here is a quick and easy bread recipe for a bread machine.

INGREDIENTS

.       1 egg
.       1/3 cup egg whites
.       1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
.       1/4 cup canola oil
.       1/4 cup honey
.       1 1/2 cups warm rice milk
.       1 teaspoon salt
.       1 tablespoon xanthan gum
.       1/2 cup tapioca flour
.       1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
.       1/4 cup millet flour
.       1 cup white rice flour
.       1 cup brown rice flour
.       1 tablespoon active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS

.       Place liquid ingredients in first for better mixing.   Select cycle;
press Start. Five minutes into the cycle, check the consistency of the
dough. Add additional rice flour or liquid if necessary.
.       When bread is finished, remove immediately from the pan to keep the bread from getting soggy.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out for you.

Warm regards,
NJ

It was delicious and creamy.  Not overly sweet like many flavored yogurts. I liked both the blueberry and the mango.  I’m heading back to pick up some other flavors and will let you know which I like the best.  Maybe I’ll even share with my son Ryan, who is 20, and also dairy free.  But he better hurry up before I eat them all.

If you try them let me know what you think.

Warmest Regards,
NJ

We’ve created a free handy tool – our Gluten Dairy Free Product Directory with thousands of gluten/dairy free products.

Angela Pifer, MSN, Certified Nutritionist:

“This directory is a reliable resource that helps patients stop thinking about what they can’t eat and start thinking about what they can eat.  Once my patients realize there’s a whole world of foods available to them, they immediately relax about making the shift to gluten or dairy free. This directory is an invaluable tool that all health practitioners should utilize.”

To view the directory, visit www.mealplanswithout.com/glutendairyfree.html and click on “Download Now.”

Once I made the decision to remove dairy from my diet, I thought it would be the end of my latte addiction.  Good-bye Starbucks and hello pungent black coffee!  Then a friend introduced me to some alternatives and thanks to her, my addiction has resumed with hemp milk lattes.  Rice milk lattes weren’t creamy enough for my taste and soy has too strong a flavor but hemp milk was exactly what I was looking for.  This experience made me realize how easy it actually is to make your favorite foods dairy free.  Here are a few suggestions for dairy-replacement items so you don’t have to remove your favorite foods from you diet:

Replace 1 cup of milk with one of the following
•    1 cup of hemp milk
•    1 cup of soy milk
•    1 cup of coconut milk (helpful hint:  when cooking, coconut milk can add additional flavor and creaminess!)
•    1 cup of Vitamite 100

Replace 1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter with any of the following:
•    8 Tbsp Earth Balance spread
•    8 Tbsp Fleischmann’s margarine
•    8 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
•    8 Tbsp Spectrum shortening
•    6 Tbsp unsweetened apple sauce + 2 Tbsp oil

In Baking:
•    1 cup of rice milk + 1 egg yolk
•    1 cup of water + 1 egg yolk
•    1 cup of fruit juice

Happy experimenting!  If you have any replacement items that you’d like to suggest, please let us know in the comments section below.

Proteins are made up of several different amino acids all strung together. Our bodies are capable of making some of the amino acids. Others are called “essential” because we must consume them in our diets in order for our bodies to remain healthy. In order to get adequate protein from our diet we should eat a variety of foods each day. The most common source of protein in the American diet is meat. Milk and most dairy products are also rich in protein. Egg white is said to have the most complete protein. Many of these animal sources of protein can also be high in fat.

To avoid too much fat, select leaner cuts of meat, fish and poultry and cook without adding fat. In other words, bake, broil or boil your meat. Vegetarians can also get adequate protein in their diets by eating beans and lentils as well as a variety of vegetables and grains. Nuts and seeds are also a good source of protein.

How much protein do we need? Most Americans get more than enough protein in their daily diets. In fact, some health professionals would argue that we get too much. The average adult needs 0.8 grams of protein for each kilogram or 2.2 pounds of body weight. This equates to 45 to 70 grams of protein daily for most adult males and females. Yet we generally consume twice that much. If you are overweight you do not necessarily need more protein. Some athletes feel they will perform better and increase their muscle mass if they follow a high protein diet. This has not been shown to be true in scientific studies. Women who are pregnant or lactating will require slightly more protein (20 grams) each day to help support the demands of the fetus and the nursing infant.

Submitted by:
Angela Pifer, MSN, CN
Certified Nutritionist
NutritionNorthwest.com
NourishingNewsBlog.com

From time to time I hear new ideas on which vegetables we should eat and which we should avoid. Potatoes were good (high in potassium), then bad (too much starch) …carrots good (good source of vitamin A), then bad (too much sugar)…corn good (taste amazing on the cob), then bad (too much starch) and then there are the tomatoes. Since many people already have a hard time meeting the current recommendations of 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, this added confusion only makes matters worse.

The easiest way to ensure that you are getting a good variety of nutrients is to vary the types of vegetables that you eat each day. And that means that you are not going to eat potatoes every night. Eat these on occasion; weekly is fine. On other nights and whenever possible, combine green, yellow, orange and red vegetables. The following list is a good starting point for vegetables that you might not have considered before:

Submitted by:

Angela Pifer, MSN, CN

Certified Nutritionist

NutritionNorthwest.com

NourishingNewsBlog.com

If you are dining elsewhere, check with the host to ensure that the turkey is gluten free. If they aren’t sure, call the consumer hotline on the label to inquire. These companies usually offer gluten free turkeys: Butterball, Honeysuckle, Shelton’s, Norbest, Jenny-o, Honeysuckle, and Shadybrook. Don’t forget to bring a gluten and dairy free side dish of your own!

From our “Meal Plans Without” family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Keep your turkey gluten free

1) Start with a turkey that’s Gluten Free. Seems like a no-brainer, but some companies add broths to their turkeys to plump them up and make them moist. Check the ingredient label of the turkey at the store. If you see wheat, flour, barley or any suspicious ingredients in the ingredients for the turkey (the gravy packet will have a separate ingredient list–see warning below), call the consumer hotline and ask if their product is gluten free.
2) Prepare a sterile, gluten free environment in the kitchen to cook the turkey. Wipe down counters where flour or other things may have fallen and rewash the occasional utensils (like a turkey baster or electric slicer) that may have been used previously for regular gluten food to make sure they are gluten free for this use.
3) Take the turkey out the bag and throw away any gravy packets that are included–they can’t be used on a gluten-free diet.
4) Clean your turkey, as usual. After thawing (if necessary), remove the giblets and set aside. Rinse your turkey, inside the cavities and out.
5) Brine overnight, if desired, for moister meat. Most brining recipes consist of a simple solution of salt water and some sugar. Find a clean bucket, fill with brine and submerge turkey overnight in the refrigerator.
6) Add desired seasonings to your turkey. Make sure they are gluten free. Single spices are usually okay. Check the package of spice mixes to make sure they aren’t using flour as a binding ingredient. If in doubt, leave it out.
7) Cook your turkey by your favorite method. Substitute rice flour (or any other gluten free flour) for any flour amounts called for, like those few tablespoons to coat the oven bags to keep them from bursting and substitute gluten free bread or cornbread if you must stuff your turkey with stuffing.
Cook and enjoy. Keep the uncontaminated gluten free turkey far away from any other dishes that contain gluten so that your gluten free guests can feel comfortable eating it. Place it in a separate location if necessary.

Sweet Potato Casserole
This is a slightly less sweet version of a family favorite in my childhood home. It’s naturally free from all “big eight” allergens, although you’ll need to check labels if you use canned sweet potatoes and the optional marshmallow topping. To make this corn-free, roast the potatoes yourself (you can do this up to 10 days ahead and refrigerate the potatoes until you make the casserole) and omit the marshmallow topping. Note that the preparation time quoted assumes the use of canned sweet potatoes; roasting will add another 90 minutes.

Prep Time: 0 hours, 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 hours, 30 minutes
Serving Size: Serves 8 to 10 as a side dish with a large meal.

Ingredients:
3 16-oz. cans plain sweet potatoes (or yams), or 2 medium sweet potatoes
1 c orange juice
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt
2/3 c brown sugar, plus more for topping if not using marshmallows
allergen-free marshmallows for topping (optional)

Preparation:
1) If using whole sweet potatoes, oil skins, pierce in several places, and roast at 400 F until the potatoes are tender and you see liquid caramelizing where you pierced the potatoes. (I find this usually takes about 1 1/2 hours.) When potatoes are fully cooked, either refrigerate until ready to use, or let them cool until they’re easy to handle and scoop out all the flesh into a casserole dish. If using canned potatoes, simply pour into a casserole dish. Preheat (or reduce oven heat, if you just finished roasting the potatoes) to 325 F.
2) Add orange juice, allspice, nutmeg, a small pinch of salt, and brown sugar. Stir all ingredients thoroughly to combine, mashing large chunks of sweet potato with a fork, and smooth mixture evenly throughout casserole dish. Top entire surface with one layer of brown sugar, if not using marshmallows. Cover.
3) Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover. Increase heat to 350 F. If using marshmallows, add one layer to the top of the casserole at this time. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until marshmallows are golden-brown and beginning to melt, or brown sugar is darker and crumbly.

Make-ahead instructions: The topping will taste best and have the best texture the day it’s cooked, so I don’t recommend making this casserole early and microwaving it. However, to save time and energy on Thanksgiving morning, you can complete the recipe through step 2 the night before cooking with one change: Don’t add brown sugar to the top of the casserole until just before heating. Store the mixture in the refrigerator overnight and add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time when you bake the casserole.

Gluten-Free Stuffing

Prep Time: 0 hours, 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 hours, 20 minutes
Serving Size: Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:
2 loaves gluten-free bread, diced into one-inch cubes, toasted and cooled
2 large ribs celery, medium diced
1 large yellow onion, medium diced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:
1) Sautee the onion and celery in olive oil on medium-low heat until they are translucent. You will be able to smell the onions cooking at this point. Add the garlic, as well as the rosemary, sage, and thyme. Stir these in and cook until you can smell the herbs, about one to two minutes. Remove from heat.
2) Bring the chicken stock to boil on high heat. Place the egg yolk in a medium-sized bowl and carefully ladle two to three ounces of the chicken stock to the egg yolk, slowly, while whisking the mixture. Add the rest of the chicken stock to the egg mixture at this point. (Ladling a small portion of the stock into the egg first, and blending it, will prevent you from having scrambled eggs.)
3) Add the cooled celery, onion, and herbs mixture into the stock and egg mixture. Toss the bread cubes into this mixture and stir it all around with your hands (or a spoon), to coat the bread. Add the salt and pepper and toss the bread again. Place all of this into a greased casserole dish (big enough to hold three quarts) and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake for twenty minutes at 425°, then remove the foil and bake for another ten minutes. Take a toothpick and stick it into the stuffing. If it comes out clean, the stuffing is done. If not, bake until the toothpick comes out clean.

Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time: 0 hours, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 hours, 35 minutes
Serving Size: 8 to 10 as a side dish with a large meal (such as Thanksgiving or Christmas), or 6 to 8 as a side dish with a smaller meal.

Ingredients:
3 pounds potatoes, peeled (cut them in half if they’re large)
1/4 c non-dairy margarine, such as Earth Balance
1 c chicken broth or stock (add more if necessary)
salt and pepper
several sprigs fresh parsley or chives, minced (optional garnish)

Preparation:
1) Boil potatoes in a large pot for 20 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes are fully cooked (when a fork or skewer inserted in a potato slides out immediately). Drain potatoes.
2) Put margarine in a mixing bowl large enough to hold potatoes. Add potatoes and chicken broth.
3) Mash potatoes with a ricer, mixer, or food mill until as smooth as desired, adding more chicken broth if necessary to achieve correct consistency.
4) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with parsley or chives (optional). Serve immediately.

Hint: Mashed potatoes require potatoes with a moderate-to-high amount of starch in order for them to break up easily when mashed. Yukon Gold potatoes make wonderful mashed potatoes; if they are unavailable, look for Russet potatoes or plain brown “Idaho potatoes.” Avoid red potatoes or new potatoes, however, as they tend to be waxier when mashed.

Gravy

Prep Time: 0 hours, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 hours, 30 minutes
Serving Size: Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c chicken broth (or homemade chicken stock), divided
2 tbsp millet flour or white rice flour, plus more if necessary
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 Tbsp dried
several leaves fresh sage, or 1 tsp dried
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1) In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups chicken broth or stock to a boil over medium-low heat. While broth is heating, combine remaining broth with 2 Tbsp millet or rice flour in a small bowl or mug. Stir thoroughly, adding more flour as necessary until you have a thick slurry (a really thick liquid) that’s still pourable.
2) When broth in pan starts to boil, reduce heat to low and slowly add the flour-broth mixture and the herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir constantly for a few minutes to ensure that lumps don’t develop. Gravy should be bubbling gently; if it isn’t, raise or lower heat as necessary. Cook to reduce to desired consistency and thickness. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary.

Reheating instructions: while this gravy can be reheated in the microwave, reheat on the stove for best results.
Hint when buying wheat-free chicken broth: many national brands of chicken broth include wheat, or may not be gluten-free. Pacific and Imagine are two of the larger brands that do offer wheat- and gluten-free chicken broth as of this writing.

Cranberry Sauce

Prep Time: 0 hours, 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 hours, 20 minutes
Serving Size: Serves 8 to 10 as a condiment with a large dinner.

Ingredients:
1 c orange juice
1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries (about 4 c)
1 c sugar, plus more to taste
1 1-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled, or 2 tsp powdered ginger
1 Tbsp honey (optional)
zest of 1 fresh orange or lemon, or 2 tsp dried orange zest (optional)

Preparation:
1) In a large non-reactive saucepan, heat orange juice over medium heat until boiling. Add cranberries. Add sugar, stirring constantly until dissolved. Add ginger and, if using, honey and orange zest. Immediately reduce heat to low. Partially cover with a lid to leave a little room for steam to escape.
2) Simmer gently, stirring every few minutes, for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a bit and the berries’ skins have broken. If you run out of liquid before the berries cook completely, add water as necessary and reduce the heat (the sauce should bubble gently as it cooks).
3) Turn off the heat. Taste for sugar and adjust as necessary. If using the large fresh ginger piece, remove at this time. Serve warm, or move to containers to chill in your refrigerator.

Enjoy!!!