Stephanie Johnson, publisher of Up in Cumming(R) magazine (left) & me at the Taste of Forsyth on Saturday
The food fair that I told you about last week was on Saturday, and it was a huge success! I was completely surprised by the number of people who stopped by our table to talk about the gluten-free allergy-aware lifestyle. There were dozens - many with Celiac Disease - so this was such a treat to be able to represent the gluten-free community in this way alongside my friends at Up in Cumming magazine. I lost count of how many times I said "1 in 133" in the 9 hours we were there - no one that I spoke to had heard about it, but everyone I told took down the web address and seemed genuinely interested in supporting gluten-free food labeling.
The fruffles and lemon bars that I lured them in with didn't seem to hurt interest, either!
Every story of the road to diagnosis that I heard touched me, but one in particular made a distinct impression. It was of a young girl, now 10, who became ill at 4 years old. Doctors could not determine the cause of her many health issues and her mother had to take matters into her own determined hands and research symptoms for an answer. Fortunately, for this girl, her mother found the right answer, and the right doctor, and got her diagnosis. This family was beaming as they shared the story of what a different child she is now. We talked cake - birthday cake, specifically - and flour blends and how this family has gone gluten-free for their child. I love those stories.
People like this beautiful little girl and her family are why I write this blog and post recipes, and why I am sharing dinners during April. I want to demonstrate just how easy it can be to live this gluten-free lifestyle and not feel deprived, no matter how overwhelming the diagnosis is at first.
Now, I know you're hungry, so let's get to it! Here's your menu:
Marinated Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Quinoa Flakes & Veggies & "Cheese"(spinach, artichokes, shallots, vegan "mozzarella")
Potato Puffs (made with leftover mashed potatoes & cauliflower)
Chicken on a stick for the meat eaters
Chocolate Mega Chunk Blondies(the mega chunks are from my friends at Enjoy Life Foods)
Please visit my Contributors to check out all the wonderful products that I use for our meals!
For this meal, my friends at Whole Foods Market~Alpharetta Harry's provided all the fresh veggies, frozen spinach, chicken, and marinade ingredients. King Arthur Flour provided the gluten-free multipurpose flour for the cookies, and Enjoy Life Foods provided the Mega Chunks for the Blondies - the recipe is on the back of the Mega Chunks bag. I'll also be trying the Mega Chunks in this RECIPE for my Chocolate Chip Cookies. I'll just substitute the Mega Chunks for the chocolate chips called for in my recipe. Thanks to all my contributors! Now, for the meal...
The fruffles and lemon bars that I lured them in with didn't seem to hurt interest, either!
Every story of the road to diagnosis that I heard touched me, but one in particular made a distinct impression. It was of a young girl, now 10, who became ill at 4 years old. Doctors could not determine the cause of her many health issues and her mother had to take matters into her own determined hands and research symptoms for an answer. Fortunately, for this girl, her mother found the right answer, and the right doctor, and got her diagnosis. This family was beaming as they shared the story of what a different child she is now. We talked cake - birthday cake, specifically - and flour blends and how this family has gone gluten-free for their child. I love those stories.
People like this beautiful little girl and her family are why I write this blog and post recipes, and why I am sharing dinners during April. I want to demonstrate just how easy it can be to live this gluten-free lifestyle and not feel deprived, no matter how overwhelming the diagnosis is at first.
Now, I know you're hungry, so let's get to it! Here's your menu:
Marinated Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Quinoa Flakes & Veggies & "Cheese"(spinach, artichokes, shallots, vegan "mozzarella")
Potato Puffs (made with leftover mashed potatoes & cauliflower)
Chicken on a stick for the meat eaters
Chocolate Mega Chunk Blondies(the mega chunks are from my friends at Enjoy Life Foods)
Please visit my Contributors to check out all the wonderful products that I use for our meals!
For this meal, my friends at Whole Foods Market~Alpharetta Harry's provided all the fresh veggies, frozen spinach, chicken, and marinade ingredients. King Arthur Flour provided the gluten-free multipurpose flour for the cookies, and Enjoy Life Foods provided the Mega Chunks for the Blondies - the recipe is on the back of the Mega Chunks bag. I'll also be trying the Mega Chunks in this RECIPE for my Chocolate Chip Cookies. I'll just substitute the Mega Chunks for the chocolate chips called for in my recipe. Thanks to all my contributors! Now, for the meal...
Dinner prep - Shh! Don't tell anyone there's cauliflower in the 'potato' puffs!
I steamed an entire cauliflower yesterday so that I would have it ready for tonight's potato puffs (not to mention for my lunch today - I love cauliflower!).
This morning, I marinated the mushrooms in 365 Everyday Value brand balsamic vinegar & olive oil, salt, pepper, & fresh thyme from our garden (love the fresh herbs!).
This morning, I marinated the mushrooms in 365 Everyday Value brand balsamic vinegar & olive oil, salt, pepper, & fresh thyme from our garden (love the fresh herbs!).
Clean the mushrooms & marinade in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, sea salt & pepper for 4 hours.
After marinating, the caps are stuffed with the veggie filling and baked.
Spinach, artichoke hearts, shallots, quinoa flakes, vegan 'cheese' shreds, and a little coconut milk creamer make up the filling.
That's not a bad time to put the potato puffs in the oven - they can cook at the same time. I just spoon the potato-cauliflower mixture onto a baking tray, although you could pipe them on to make them a bit more attractive. Today was a busy day, so I spooned them on. (Did you see the Easter Sweet Rolls I made for breakfast this a.m.?)
Potato Puffs: half mashed potatoes, half pureed cauliflower, rosemary sea salt, a healthy amount of black pepper, and egg to bind them (you could use the chia egg for vegan). Bake at 450 for approx. 15 minutes or until puffs become crisp and golden.
I have to accommodate the meat eaters in the house, so added the chicken to this menu. Chicken on a stick is a carryover from our Mississippi days when I was in graduate school. This was a favorite late-night treat all around town for the college kiddos who'd been out ...doing whatever it is college kids do when they're out late. You could buy these in gas stations - no kidding.
You can grill these or cook them in the oven at a high heat - either way, soak your skewers (if you're using bamboo) prior to skewering chicken and cooking to prevent skewers from burning.
You can grill these or cook them in the oven at a high heat - either way, soak your skewers (if you're using bamboo) prior to skewering chicken and cooking to prevent skewers from burning.
Soak skewers in cold water for 30 minutes prior to skewering and cooking chicken to prevent skewers from burning.
Chicken on a stick with maple-mustard dipping sauce & Stuffed Portabella
For dessert, I used my favorite new baking ingredient, Enjoy Life Foods Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks!
Enjoy Life Foods Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks ~ totally allergen-free & gluten-free!
Enjoy Life Foods Mega Chunk Blondies fresh from the oven! Little Chef made these!
This is the one Little Chef & I tested before dinner...just making sure they were good enough to serve to the others.
THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED AS OF MIDNIGHT 4-15-11.
I hope you enjoyed dinner...now it's time for a GIVEAWAY!!!
Remember these delicious GF, Allergy-Free Cookies? I want you to have some! Enter the giveaway for a chance to win 2 boxes PLUS 1 bag of Mega Chunks!
GIVEAWAY! IS NOW CLOSED
I want you to be able to make these chocolate chunk blondies, so my friends at Enjoy Life Foods are going to make that happen (for one of you, anyway)! One winner will receive 1 bag of Mega Chunks AND 2 boxes of the new Crunchy Cookies (remember the ones we had for dessert on Friday?) to try for yourself! How sweet is that??
Here's how to enter:
Leave a comment below telling me which flavor of Enjoy Life Foods Crunchy Cookie you'd most like to try. This counts as 1 entry - there are bonus entries (details below).
The giveaway will be open until Friday, April 15 at midnight. I will choose a winner at random and announce the winner on Sunday, April 17. I will email the winner for shipping info, and Enjoy Life Foods will ship your prize package.
To earn bonus entries:
Each of the following counts as 1 entry. You may do any or all of these, but please leave an additional comment for each entry so that I'm aware of it.
1. Join the Enjoy Life Foods community HERE.
2. Tweet about this giveaway including a direct link to this page (also include @glutenfreegigi in your tweet so I'll know!)
3. Share this giveaway on Face Book including a direct link to this page.
4. Follow @glutenfreegigi on Twitter HERE
5. Friend me (Gigi Gluten Free) on Face Book HERE
6. Like Enjoy Life Foods on Face Book HERE
7. Follow Enjoy Life Foods on Twitter HERE
Good Luck!
Here's how to enter:
Leave a comment below telling me which flavor of Enjoy Life Foods Crunchy Cookie you'd most like to try. This counts as 1 entry - there are bonus entries (details below).
The giveaway will be open until Friday, April 15 at midnight. I will choose a winner at random and announce the winner on Sunday, April 17. I will email the winner for shipping info, and Enjoy Life Foods will ship your prize package.
To earn bonus entries:
Each of the following counts as 1 entry. You may do any or all of these, but please leave an additional comment for each entry so that I'm aware of it.
1. Join the Enjoy Life Foods community HERE.
2. Tweet about this giveaway including a direct link to this page (also include @glutenfreegigi in your tweet so I'll know!)
3. Share this giveaway on Face Book including a direct link to this page.
4. Follow @glutenfreegigi on Twitter HERE
5. Friend me (Gigi Gluten Free) on Face Book HERE
6. Like Enjoy Life Foods on Face Book HERE
7. Follow Enjoy Life Foods on Twitter HERE
Good Luck!
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