Start Summer With Rudi’s Gluten-Free Summer Camp Scholarship Contest

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Rach Sebell

The idea of overnight camp for gluten-free kids can seem tricky and even scary for parents.  How can you ensure they will be healthy for 4-8 weeks? Will their counselors understand that they need to eat gluten-free three meals a day? Well, you don’t need a gluten-free summer camp to keep your kids safe. Not only are there camps that understand gluten-free diets, your child can enter for a chance to win a scholarship this summer!

Every kid should have a chance to go to summer camp, and every parent should feel good knowing they’ll be safe there. That’s why Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery is awarding 10 kids with one-week scholarships, including travel expenses, to a gluten-free summer camp of their choice. Rudi’s is asking kids to share – in 200 words or less – what it would mean to them to attend a week-long gluten-free summer camp. Parents can help their kids but Rudi’s really wants to hear from the campers! Be sure to enter your gluten-free kiddos into the “Rudi’s Happy Camper Scholarship Contest” here: https://www.facebook.com/rudisglutenfreebakery/app_141479812701657. Winners will be notified directly and announced on the Facebook application on June 10th.

Oh and as a bonus, Rudi’s is giving away special, BPA-free water bottles to the first 250 entries. There are still some left so be sure to enter soon! (there’s an image on our app you could pull if you want for this)






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Calorie-licious Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix Meets Heath Bar

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Rach Sebell

Gluten-free Toffee Heath Bar CupcakesAfter years of making everything from scratch, it is hard to train myself to be ok using a product like the Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Cake Mix and other boxed products. Is it cheating if your guests enjoy the treat? I go back and forth on this quandary.

In my last post, I talked about avoiding burn-out. Burn-out comes from trying to be perfect every moment. Are you less perfect if you make treats from a box? Is it a slippery slope, today I bake from a box, tomorrow I am buying Whole Foods’ Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies, throwing them in a paper bag and passing them off as homemade? No joke, my grandmother used to do this with Milano’s

What does homemade mean to you? For me, it means taking the time to put love and care into the food that I prepare for the people in my life. It is whipping up a batch of brownies to bring to the office at the end of a long week, or throwing together pizza with friends and watching a movie. It is cracking eggs, mixing butter and flour and dipping my fingers into chocolaty batter. It is the whole house smelling like warm deliciousness. So by this definition, a cake mix is not cheating as long as you are honest when asked.

As I have begun to embrace and test out gluten-free packaged products, one thing that I have noticed is that they are much sweeter then what I usually bake from scratch.  The Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix was really delicious providing a dense, moist, rich chocolaty cupcake. Note, this was not my experience with their chocolate chip cookies. Ace, my mom, made them for me and I thought they were overly chewy and way too sweet. So if you are looking to bake gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, stick to a homemade batch.

Now the creative part. Since I was easing the baking process with the cake mix assistance, I decided to get creative with some fun toppings. I HATE confectioner sugar, it turns me into a very unpleasant person as I spike in sugar and then crash with a splitting headache. So what to do about frosting? I chose a lovely thick and creamy ganache recipe I had used before. Easy to whip up with just two ingredients – dark chocolate and whipping cream! Then for the finish, broken up Heath Bar candy pieces. The result were a calorie-licious success.

Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix With Heath Bar Cupcakes:

  • 1 box of chocolate Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix (see ingredients on box)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz dark chocolate chips
  • 1 bag of Heath Bar Toffee  brand candy smashed into pieces

Follow the Betty Crocker Gluten-free Cake Mix as directed on the box. While the cupcakes bake, in a sauce pan, heat 1 cup of heavy cream over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in 8 oz of dark chocolate bits. Whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool. Frost the completely cooled cupcakes with ganache. Place the candy in a plastic bag and seal. Smash the candy into pieces with a mallet or rolling pin. Then sprinkle the cupcakes with broken pieces of toffee heath bar. Serve and enjoy!

Interested in other gluten-free cupcake recipes? Check out my gluten-free cookie’s and cream cupcakes and gluten-free chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes.

Do you have a favorite gluten-free cupcake? Please share in the comments below.






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Simple Gluten-free Dinner – Kimchi, Mango, Eggs and Rice Bowl

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Rach Sebell

Simple Gluten-free DinnerDespite being done with grad school and now living a 2 mile walk to work, I have still spent the better part of this year stressed about preparing simple gluten-free dinners. Maybe it was adjusting to cooking for one, trying to learn how to share a kitchen with a roommate, or just still being on the go a lot since I am gravitate to a life of being busy. What ever the reason, I have found cooking to be a labor and stress this year when I used to find it full of joy and creativity.

Yesterday I read a great article “Avoiding Burnout.” In it, start-up veteran Andrew Dumont talks about the simple steps he takes to balance his life of busy work and trying to maintain sanity. I really took this to heart.   At lunch today, I was discussing the article with ,my co-workers who also spend most of their days in the crazy rush of life balancing an intense work-life at a cambridge based software company, family, friends, pets, and still want to make time for the things they love – paddle boarding, yoga, art, home brewing, rowing, running, cooking, reading and more.

My friend Marc was particularly insightful pointing out that he wants to make time for the things that he loves but in making time for them, not turn them into an obligation. So true! To look at my calendar is to see a sea of commitments that blur into an vertigo of anxiety. I tried color coding Google Calendar into fun and work but all I see is obligations. So I have to remember what it means to enjoy the things I am making time for. Last night I took an important step, I blew off yoga to go for a long walk with Tal and Puck the Dog. It was windy and cold and wonderful. Our friend joined us by the end and by the end of the night I was falling asleep in mid sentence I had had such a fun night. And yes, I even managed to have a fabulous gluten-free dinner at Amsterdam Falafel!

So this month I am making a commitment to myself and to those I care about to avoid Rach burnout! It begins by not over programming my life and that means not planning all my meals to be cooked on Sunday. Yes I respect people who find this to be a healthy approach that helps them prioritize nutrition, but for me, it is just un-fun and miserable. Eating the same thing day after day is just miserable for me.

So what does this have to do with a simple gluten-free dinner of kimchi, mango, eggs and rice? The idea is enjoying food and living in the moment.  I live biking distance from 4 major grocery stores. There is no need for me to buy all of my groceries in one day a week. Sidenote, when I do, I create so much more waste trying to plan for 7 days. Instead, I have been thinking for 2 days at a time. At the end of the week there are random items which provide a great opportunity for some creative simple gluten-free dinners.

Recipe – Kimchi, Mango, Eggs and Rice

  •  1 Bottle of your favorite Kimchi
  • 2 Cage free eggs
  • Sliced Mango
  • Brown rice
  • Soy sauce or Braggs
  • Sesame seeds or chia seeds
  • Sauteed spinach (optional)
  • Sriracha sauce
  • Sliced green onions

Cook brown rice according to directions. Scramble the eggs and cook in a pan. Slice the mango into thin strips. Combine the mango, rice, kimchi and eggs in a bowl. Season with the remaining ingredients to taste. Have leftovers, heat gently for lunch the next day.

What is your favorite simple gluten-free dinner?






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Fake Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies…Surprise The Answer is Rice!

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Rach Sebell

Gluten-free Wild Rice, Chocolate and Walnut Cookie There isn’t a lot that I miss from my gluten eating days, but oatmeal raisin and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I do. While some celiac’s eat oats, I don’t. I get sick every time. I love gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, but sometimes I want the hearty oatmeal taste. A friend shared a recipe with me for wild rice and dried cranberry cookies. I decided to get experimental and create my own. The results were incredibly tasty. I created two versions, one with raisins, the other with chocolate. While I don’t usually eat dessert that doesn’t contain chocolate, I loved them both.

Fake Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

  • 1.5  cups cooked wild rice (make sure it is barley free)
  • 3/4 cups brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 stick butter
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbl chia seed
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

If making wild rice raisin cookies omit the chocolate chips and vanilla and instead add:

  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp all spice
  • 1 cup raisins

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2: Pulse the wild rice in food processor until it is chopped to the consistency of steal cut oats.

Step 3: Cream butter and honey in an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in egg (and vanilla if using it)

Step 4: Combine flours, baking soda, chia seeds and salt in a separate bowl. (and spices if using them)

Step 5: Add flour mixture, and beat until smooth. Add the wild rice, chocolate or raisins, and walnuts.

Step 6: Drop 2 tablespoon rounds of dough  on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes until cookies are browned. Cool and enjoy with a nice glass of almond milk!

 

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Date Night: Gluten-free Pasta with Mussels and Sausage in White Wine

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Rach Sebell

gluten-free Pasta with Mussels, Sausage and parmesan cheeseVacation always bring delicious gluten-free culinary adventures. Maybe it is that the pressure to get from work to the gym, then home to make dinner and then back up at 6 am don’t exist. What ever the reason, Tal and I had some fun dinner experiments during his February break. February you say, that was last month. I know this post is super late and I apologize because it is so delicious that I really wanted to share it with all of you, but excuse, excuse, life got in the way. All great things, I love my job and my life is very full with family and friends, but busy is busy and I decided to choose sanity over blogging!

So what did we learn in this gluten-free pasta adventure? It all began with a trip to whole foods. I really wanted fish. Perhaps it is because I cook for one more often than not? Or maybe it is just that fish always sends $$ signs into my mind blowing my monthly grocery budget off the chart, but I just don’t cook a lot of fish. Craving a meal of fish, we ventured over to Whole Foods on a Sunday evening to check out their selection. After a period of indecisiveness, my eyes were caught by a bag of mussels. Mmmm mussels and not just any mussels, mussels on sale! Ok we found our fish, now what? Well conveniently located next to the fish is the sausage section and thank you Whole Foods for carrying pork-free Apple Gate Farms Andouille Sausage. (No I am not Kosher I am also allergic to pork!) Well with sausage and mussels the menu was set, gluten-free pasta with mussels and sausage in a white wine sauce.

White Wine Bota BoxBack to Tal’s we ventured to prepare our feast, but first, white wine. Buying wine on a Sunday in Cambridge, MA is actually rather difficult. We found a local liquor store and crossed our fingers. The selection looked grim but then we noticed Bota Box. Neither of us had ever tried it before but many friends recommend the bizarre cheep boxed wine so I bought a small Pinot Grigio Bota Box and hoped for the best.

Back at Tal’s, the cooking began. Mussels were steamed in white wine which already had onion and herbs in it so that we got a broth going at the same time. In a separate pot, we began to boil the water for pasta. Don’t over steam your mussels as they will get rubbery. The mussels are done when they open. We found some kale in the fridge, there is always kale in Tal’s fridge, and decided to saute that in garlic and butter.  Set the kale aside in a bowl and in the same pot, saute the artichokes in butter or olive oil until lightly browned. Next we chopped more garlic and onions and sautéed them in butter and olive oil until translucent. Added wine to taste, salt and red pepper flakes. Lastly, we sliced the sausage into rounds and cooked them in a little olive oil until browned.

Broth for Gluten-free PastaGluten-free Pasta Made from cornSpinach, onion and artichoke sauceSteamed Mussels

The final steps is to take everything that has been sautéed, kale, broth of onions and garlic, pasta and sausage and toss them gently. Be careful not to break the pasta as gluten-free pasta can be very delicate. Finally serve with the mussels and parmesan cheese if you desire. You have to try this recipe, it was so delicious and fun to make. Don’t forget to listen to some fun tunes while you cook!

Gluten-free Pasta tossed with Mussels Sausage

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten-free Pasta with Mussels and Sausage Grocery List:

  • Artichokes
  • Mussels
  • Applegate Farms Turkey Andouille Sausage
  • Bota Box Pinot Grigio
  • Garlic
  • Onions
  • Kale
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Butter
  • Corn Pasta
  • Parmesan

I love to hear about what other people are cooking. What is your favorite gluten-free pasta recipe? Please share in the comments below.

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