Celebrate a gluten-free lifestyle on Friday

A gluten-free diet is a necessity for those who suffer from celiac disease or a sensitivity to gluten, but it has also become a way of life for many people who don’t have the malady.

So if you’re tempted to try a gluten-free diet, Friday, Sept. 13, might be the day since it’s been designated Celiac Awareness Day.

Gluten is the protein in grains that lends elasticity to bread and other baked goods. Gluten is often associated with wheat, rye and barley, and common foods containing gluten include pasta, bread, baked goods, and beer as well as many sauces, condiments and marinades.

In general, whole, unprocessed foods are naturally gluten free and also provide the most nutrition. Think about foods that don’t need ingredient lists or labels, such as fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds and proteins like grass-fed beef, pastured poultry and eggs and wild caught fish.

Consumers cannot always rely on food labels to tell them what is safe to eat on a gluten-free diet. Most manufacturers only consider wheat, rye and barley as grains with gluten, but all grains contain some form of gluten.

Naturally gluten-free foods include fruits and vegetables, beans, seeds, legumes and nuts in their natural, unprocessed forms, eggs, lean, nonprocessed meats, fish and poultry and most low-fat dairy products.

Grains, starches or flours that can be part of a gluten-free diet include amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, corn, flax, rice, soy, corn, potato and bean flours, hominy, millet, quinoa, rice, including wild rice, sorghum, soy, tapioca and teff.

The foods not included in a gluten-free diet often provide important vitamins and other nutrients, so finding other ways to get these nutrients is important.

Some gluten-free foods also have a higher fat and sugar content than the gluten-containing food being replaced. It’s important to read labels, not only for gluten content but also for overall nutrient levels, salt, calories from fats and calories from sugars.

Following are some gluten-free recipes from www.foodnetwork.com.

 

Sweet n’ Spicy Shrimp Lettuce Tacos

2 heads Bibb lettuce or 1 head iceberg lettuce

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 ear corn, kernels scraped from cob, or 1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen kernels, defrosted

Salt

Pepper

2 pounds shrimp, deveined and tails removed, coarsely chopped or halved

3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch fresh ginger

1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or distilled vinegar

1 lime, juiced and zested

2 tablespoons agave syrup

1 to 2 tablespoons Sriracha

1 avocado, diced

1 small bunch scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Cilantro leaves

Separate lettuce into cups and set aside.

Heat one tablespoon canola oil in a skillet and saute the corn over medium-high heat until light golden at edges. Season with salt and pepper.

Add shrimp and cook two to three minutes, until shrimp begin to turn pink. Add garlic, ginger and seafood seasoning and toss one to two minutes. Add vinegar, then add lime zest, agave and Sriracha. Toss and place on a serving plate.

Dress avocado with lime juice.

Fill lettuce with the shrimp and top with scallions, avocado and cilantro.

 

 

Spaghetti Squash With Feta

2  halved, seeded spaghetti squash

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch sugar

1/2 cup water

Feta

Put spaghetti squash in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and microwave 16 minutes. Let cool slightly, then scrape into strands with a fork.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add tomato, cinnamon and sugar and cook two minutes, stirring. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Season with salt. Add squash and toss. Top with feta.

 

 

 

Spicy Baked Chickpeas

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

Rinse and drain chickpeas, then dry by rolling them around in a kitchen towel.

Combine oil, paprika, cumin, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss to coat evenly. Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread in a single layer. Bake in a 400-degree oven 25 to 35 minutes, until golden and crispy, shaking the tray to toss after 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the chickpeas to a serving bowl.

 

 

Gluten-Free Turkey Meatball Personal Pizzas

4 ounces turkey sausage, casings removed

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

One 15-ounce can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

4 to 5 fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish

Kosher salt

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

For gluten-free pizza dough:

2 large all-purpose potatoes

1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)

2 teaspoons agave syrup or honey

1 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast

1 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

Kosher salt

1 large egg white

To make pizza dough, cover potatoes with water in a medium pot, bring to a boil and cook 25 minutes, until fork-tender. Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove skin and work the potatoes through a ricer set over a large bowl. Set aside.

Stir the warm water, agave and yeast in a measuring cup or small bowl. Let sit three to five minutes, until a small layer of foam develops at the top. If this doesn’t happen, discard and try again with new yeast. Add potatoes, rice flour, tapioca starch and 3/4 teaspoon salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture forms a fine, crumbly meal. Continuing to mix on medium, add egg white and oil, then slowly drizzle in the yeast mixture and mix until the dough comes together. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough increases by half, about 1-1/2 hours.

Set a pizza stone or baking sheet on an oven rack in the bottom-third position and preheat to 500 degrees.

Divide the pizza dough into four balls. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray and press each ball out into a thin eight-inch round. Put the baking sheet on the stone and parbake about 10 minutes for a softer crust or 15 for a crispy one, until dough just starts to brown on the bottom and edges. Remove and let cool slightly.

Roll turkey sausage into very small balls, using about one teaspoon per ball. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook five minutes, until browned on most sides, turning as needed. Remove meatballs and set aside. Add garlic to the skillet and stir 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, basil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook 10 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken. Place meatballs in skillet and simmer three to five minutes, until sauce is very thick. Remove from heat.

Divide sauce and meatballs among the parbaked crusts. Divide mozzarella among the pizzas evenly. Bake eight to 10 minutes, one baking sheet at a time, on the stone until the crust is golden brown and the cheese melts. Sprinkle each pizza with Parmesan and garnish with basil leaves.

 

 

Gluten-Free Chickpea Gnocchi

Kosher salt

1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta

1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Freshly ground black pepper

1-1/4 cups chickpea flour

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

Fill a large pot with water and salt generously. Tie a piece of butcher’s twine tautly from one handle to the other across the center of the pot. Bring the water to a boil.

Combine the ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Add the chickpea flour and mix until just combined. The dough should be slightly sticky.

Fit a large pastry bag with a large round tip, about 3/4 inch wide, or snip one corner of a large resealable plastic bag with scissors to create a 3/4-inch-wide opening. Fill pastry bag with the gnocchi dough. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat until foamy, two to four minutes. Continue to cook two more minutes, swirling pan often, until butter is light golden brown. Add sage and cook one minute, until butter is toasty brown and sage is crisp. Remove from the heat.

Hold the pastry bag over the boiling water, then lightly squeeze bag to release a 3/4 to one-inch piece of dough, then rub it across the string to “cut” it off. Continue until you have made about 15 gnocchi. Cook 60 to 90 seconds, until they float to the top and are warmed through. Do not overcook them or they will fall apart. Transfer to a serving bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.

Continue with the remaining gnocchi dough.   

Spoon some of the butter and sage mixture over each bowl and serve warm.

 

 

Crisp and Airy Gluten-Free Waffles

1 cup certified gluten-free rice flour

1/2 cup certified gluten-free chickpea flour

1/2 cup certified gluten-free tapioca flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing waffle iron

2 large eggs, separated

Soft unsalted butter

Maple syrup, for topping

Whisk together rice flour, chickpea flour, tapioca flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, oil and egg yolks in another bowl. Beat egg whites for three minutes in a third bowl, until soft peaks form.

Pour milk mixture into the rice flour mixture and gently stir until just incorporated. Fold in egg whites.

Lightly brush the top and bottom of a waffle iron heated to medium-high with oil. Fill waffle iron about three-quarters of the way full. Close the lid gently and cook six to seven minutes, until waffles are golden brown and crisp. Keep cooked waffles warm in a 200-degree oven or covered with foil on a plate while you make the remaining waffles.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

 

 

 

Gluten-Free Fried Chicken

1 quart buttermilk

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

Kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

560 grams all-purpose gluten free flour mix

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 chicken breasts, each cut in half

2 chicken thighs

2 chicken legs

2 chicken wings

1/2 cup canola oil

For all-purpose gluten free flour mix:

400 grams millet flour

300 grams sweet rice flour

300 grams potato starch

To make flour mix, pour all the flours into a large container. Shake until all the flours have become one color. Set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk, paprika, garlic power and onion powder. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir.

Whisk together a pinch each of salt and pepper, flour mix and smoked paprika.

Set a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. As the pan is heating, line up the chicken, the bowl of batter and the spiced flour. Pour oil into the hot pan.

When the oil has reached 375 degrees, dip a piece of chicken in the batter. Shake off any excess liquid, then dip it in the flour and coat it entirely. Place the chicken in the hot oil. Repeat with all the pieces of chicken, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. 

Flip chicken pieces when the bottoms are nicely browned. When both sides are browned, put the chicken pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

When all the chicken is on the baking sheet, put  it in a 450-degree oven until the legs have reached an internal temperature of 185 degrees and the breasts are at 155 degrees.