This recipe is an old favorite which I made gluten-free and without potatoes.  I use mashed “cauliflower” as the topping and no one even knows.  Not even my pickiest tester – my daughter.

INGREDIENTS for topping:

1 head cauliflower

2 tbsp butter or soy butter – not melted

2 tbsp rice milk (or milk of choice)

INGREDIENTS for filling:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion diced

3 celery stalks diced

2 carrots diced

2 cloves garlic diced

2 lbs ground beef (chicken or turkey)

¾ tsp chili or chipotle

2½ tbsp of cornstarch

6 oz peas (frozen or fresh sweet peas)

DIRECTIONS – Preheat oven 420

Topping

Steam cauliflower till soft in 2½ cups of water (drain and save water)

Place in bowl and mash with a fork

Take your Bullet, hand processor, Vita-Mix or blender and puree – (add butter and milk if you desire slightly creamier, but not necessarily at all)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Filling

Heat oil in large skillet.

Cook onion about 2 min on med

Add celery, carrot and garlic – cook about 8 – 10 mins.

Add beef for about 5 min – stir – break up pieces to be small

Add the cornstarch to 2 cups of your saved water from your steamer and whisk it – add to beef and boil around 1-2 min low

Pour filling into a 2 qt dish

Evenly distribute cauliflower mash over the top, sealing edges.

Bake approx 30 min

Tina Turbin www.glutenfreehelp.info

Author Mary Capone teaches us fine classic Italian dishes from her roots in the Italian Countryside.
Upon reading The Gluten-Free Italian Cookbook, I felt a sense of warmth from the author as she opened her heart and the doors to her “world”—her past, her family, and her heritage. Mary grew up in New York in the kitchen and around an Italian table with family meals being the excitement of the day. Platters of food adorned the table, and laughter and love, which was in every dish.

Mary’s travels in Europe after college brought her to her roots, her love—Italy. Crossing the border she knew instantly she was at home. When she returned to her father’s village, she was taught the secrets of simple Southern Italian cuisine, which she brought back to the States, opening “Marie’s Crêpes”—European crêpes made to order.

Mary started having signs of an auto-immune disease shared by her grandmother, who eventually died from the disease. Mary was told it was genetic and nothing could be done. She spent years searching for solutions. As with many celiacs, she finally diagnosed herself, had the blood test performed, and it was confirmed. She had celiac disease. She began to regain her health as she began eating gluten-free.

The gluten-rich diet of her ancestors was her new nemesis. Rather than looking at all she must avoid, she yearned for recreating those lovely dishes in a cuisine she could eat—one by one. The transformation evolved in her own kitchen as she created healthy gluten-free alternatives.

In 2005, with a recipe book full of one-of-a-kind dishes exuding the flavor, aroma, and love of Italian food, Mary opened the Wheat-Free Gourmet Cooking School in Boulder, Colorado. The spirit and joy in her cooking school is what inspired her to share her recipes with the gluten-free community.

Each of Mary’s recipes has a concise yet personal prelude setting a lovely scene for the forthcoming dish. Each story reflects on the pleasure and love she imparts now to the reader. Not only is this a cookbook you’ll treasure and have on your shelves to use for years to come, it is a story, a life story Mary shares openly. Her personality shines through—a peaceful, artistic culinary soul. I for one feel as if I made a friend, by owning this book alone.

The dishes in The Gluten-free Italian Cookbook are nutritious, earthy, truly Italian, and bursting with flavor. I get a sense of the aromas just reading the recipes. Each one offers a dairy-free version simply explained and well-tested. She has vegetarian options as well. Many beautiful photographs accompany the book as well as a hint of family, scattered amongst the pages, letting the reader in on her family album.

This is a cookbook devoted primarily to gluten-free Italian meal options, not just desserts.  With dishes such as Eggplant Caponata (Caponata di Melanzane), mushrooms and Olive Tapenade Crostini, Aunt Caramel’s Baked Stuffed Artichokes (Carciofi con Pane e Salsiccia), Our Daily Bread, Seafood Pizza and Mary’s Traditional Dairy-Free Ricotta, one is never at a loss for a culinary adventure resulting in an aromatic and love-filled meal—from Mary’s heart to yours.

This is one of the most pleasurable “reading” cookbooks I have had the opportunity to have, read, and own. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for a healthy alternative to cooking—simple gluten-free. “Mangiare bene, bere bene e’ vivere bene.” To eat well, to drink well, is to live well. This is how Mary likes to live her life, and shares a part of that living through this cookbook.

I give this book a thumbs up, Mary is a delight and it is HIGHLY recommended by me! 
Tina Turbin
www.glutenfreehelp.info

Gluten Free Marsala Sauce

¼ cup RC Shallots in Oil

4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup sweet Marsala wine

1½ tsp. RC Reserve Collection Beef Base

16 oz. cold water

4 Tbsp. RC Instant Food Thickener

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

(yield – 16 oz.)

Sauté RC Shallots in Oil & mushrooms together until mushrooms for 5-6 minutes. Add Marsala wine and reduce mixture by 1/3 volume. Make slurry with RC Reserve Collection Beef Base & cold water and add to mixture with RC Instant Food Thickener, simmer for 5 minutes and finish with chopped fresh parsley.

Gluten Free Chicken Française Sauce

2 oz. salted butter

4 oz. RC Chopped Shallots in Oil

2 oz. RC Chopped Garlic in Oil

8 oz. white wine

1½ tsp. RC Reserve Collection Chicken Base

16 oz. cold water

4 Tbsp. RC Instant Food Thickener

juice of 1 lemon

salt & white pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. salted butter

(yield – 1 pint)

In a sauce pan melt butter and sauté RC Chopped Shallots in Oil & RC Chopped Garlic in Oil until fragrant but do not brown. Deglaze with white wine & reduce slightly. Make a slurry with RC Reserve Collection Chicken Base, cold water, RC Instant Food Thickener and lemon juice then add to pan. Simmer sauce for 5 minutes and season with salt & white pepper, finish with chopped fresh parsley & additional 2 Tbsp. butter.

Gluten Free Dill Sauce

2 oz. salted butter

4 oz. RC Chopped Shallots in Oil

8 oz. white wine

2tsp. RC Reserve Collection Vegetable Base

16 oz. water

4 Tbsp. RC Instant Food Thickener

¼ cup RC Dill Sauce

salt & white pepper to taste

(yield – 16 oz.)

Melt butter in a sauce pan and sauté RC Chopped Shallots in Oil for 3-4 minutes. Add white wine and reduce volume by 1/3. Make a slurry with RC Reserve Collection Vegetable Base, water and RC Instant Food Thickener then add to sauce pan with     RC Dill Sauce. Season with salt & white pepper& finish with fresh dill sprigs.

Anthony Todaro, CEC
Corporate Executive Chef
RC Fine Foods

(serves 4)

Looking for a spicy, unforgettable way to cook lamb chops? Look no further! And for desert make something to put this delicious gluten-free chocolate frosting on!

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp Garlic-Ginger Paste (see below)

2 ½ tbsp Curry Spice (see below)

1 tsp salt

1 c plain low-fat dairy-free yogurt substitute

¼ c fresh cilantro, chopped

8 lamb chops, preferably loin or rib, about 6 oz. each, fat trimmed

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add Garlic-Ginger Paste and cook for 1 minute. Add Curry Spice and salt and cook for another minute.

2. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in dairy-free yogurt and cilantro. Add lamb chops, spreading yogurt mixture to coat all sides. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 8-12 hours.

3. Fire up a charcoal grill or heat a stovetop grill over medium-high heat. If broiling, heat broiler to 450 degrees, placing rack 3-4 inches from heat.

4. Remove chops from marinade. Grill or broil, basting often with marinade, 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare, adding 2-3 minutes each side medium-done.

Garlic-Ginger Paste

INGREDIENTS

1 head garlic, gloves separated and peeled

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

A touch of water and lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

2. Scoop into plastic snack bags to store, or freeze in ice-cube trays in handy tbsp-sized portions.

Curry Spice

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp ground coriander

2 tbsp ground GF cumin

1 tbsp GF garam masala

1 tbsp ground GF turmeric

1//4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

Mix all spices together, adjusting the amounts to get the right flavor and heat you’re looking for.

Tina Turbin

If you have ever looked for a good gluten-free recipe for the perfect coating for your fish, shrimp,chicken, onion rings, potatoes,vegatables and you’ve settled for less, you are not alone. Finally, I have tested a product that is so far superior to any recipe or ready made”mix’ I’ve come across and so versatile that it can be used as a mix for meatloaves and to enhance the flavor of rice, stews, soups and much more—Dakota Lakes Gourmet Coating.

With my staff, I tested numerous recipes with this “spice blend,” and they all came out delicious. The fried and baked fish came out like the delicious fish I used to have in London. Our baked chicken came out better than intended. The onion rings were perfectly seasoned as well as our meatloaf.

According to president and owner Darold Walls, the Gourmet Coating is gluten-free and manufactured in the well-known packing plant in Seattle, Ener-G Foods, ensuring no cross-contamination or “poisoning.” Prior to each packing, the spice blend is tested at the Food Allergy Research Lab at the University of Nebraska. The Gourmet Coating is the perfect blend of flour, savory spices, and herbs for use in many dishes and meal options. It is convenient and very well-priced to serve the GF community.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Many children, especially autistic children, have to give up chicken nuggets. Luckily this product is the perfect substitute for this beloved kid’s dish, whether fried or baked.

I still can not believe the flavor of my various fishes as well as chicken dishes. I even added a 1/2 tsp. to scrambled eggs and the guests were raving. I am still amazed at how each dish I made tasted absolutely different but yet we are using the same seasoned mix- Dakota Lakes!

The box comes with many recipe suggestions as well as their websites, but any creative cook with an imagination can come up with many more ideas. The flavor is outstanding!

This food company is given a thumbs up and is HIGHLY recommended by me.

Please be sure and check out more recipes on this site as well as at http://www.dakota-lakes.com. Thank you Darold!

Tina Turbin
www.GlutenFreeHelp.info

Chimichurri sauce is a popular marinade among Argentine gauchos, who grill on an open barbeque in the pampas. Flank steak grows tender with the help of a marinade and cooks quickly. Serve some peach pie for desert and you family will be in heaven!

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ lb beef flank steak

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 c grape seed oil

½ c white wine vinegar

½ c lemon juice

¼ c parsley

1 tsp crushed red pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut diamond pattern 1/8 inch deep into both sides of the beef. Place beef in shallow glass or plastic dish. Shake remaining ingredients in tightly covered jar. Pour 1 c sauce over beef. Cover remaining sauce. Cover and refrigerate beef, turning occasionally, at least 4 hours.

2. Remove beef from sauce. Grill beef 4 or 5 inches from medium coals, turning and brushing with sauce once, until desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes on each side for medium. Cut beef diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with reserved sauce.

Use extra meat to make fajitas.

Buffalo Guys & Mixes of the Heartland & RC Fine Foods

Mixes of the Heartland’s products are extremely easy to make. Their soups are delicious with less water resulting in a thick sauce. When added with Buffalo Guy’s Tenderloin, you have a completed meal. Of course you can’t go wrong with RC Fine Foods Gluten-Free soup bases too! 

Ingredients:

Mixes of the Heartland: Cheeseburger chowder soup
1 tsp RC Fine Foods Beef Base
Buffalo Guy’s Tenderloin Steak

Directions:

• Follow Cheeseburger chowder soup’s directions but replace 4 cups milk and 1 ½ cup broth with 3 cups milk and 1 tsp of RC Fine Foods Beef Base
• Add thin, bite-size pieces of cooked Buffalo Guy’s Tenderloin Steak

Mara R.

January 2010 Winning Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 pkg brown rice penne pasta

1 ½ lbs ground beef

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes or Rotel 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 tablespoon white sugar 
1 ½ cups sour cream 
3 ounces cream cheese 
½ onion, chopped 
1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until just  under done. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef.
4. Add the tomatoes with juice or Rotel, salt and sugar and simmer for 15  minutes.
5. In a separate medium bowl, combine the sour cream, cream cheese and  onion and mix well. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, place half of the penne  pasta in the dish, then all of the meat mixture, then the cream mixture.  Top with remaining pasta and sprinkle with the cheese.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Recipe contributed by Julianne Karow- January 2010 recipe contest winner!

When my 3 kids were still at home after out move to Florida and I was working intently on my first draft of Show Biz Kids Guidebook, I needed some help at home. A lovely lady named Soheila came to help me cook one day a week. I finished the book and she eventually left yet not without sharing some of her very simple and quick to make dishes. Here is a quick and tasty dish served over rice, in flour or corn tortillas (with or without grated cheese) or all alone for a little protein to keep you rolling along. Great for little nibbles during the day too.

Quantities are really to taste.
I load up with the chopped garlic, as I LOVE garlic, for example

3-4 chicken breasts or good sized Flank steak
Olive oil
Onion (chopped)
Garlic
Cilantro
½ can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Pepper
Salt
Cumin this is the key ingredient to the dish

1. Boil chicken breasts for 45 minutes.
2. Boil beef for 2 hours.
3. Shred the chicken.
4. Pour oil in pan and add, garlic, cilantro and pepper and sauté for 5-6 minutes.
5. Add lots of salt and cumin and tomato sauce and paste, and cook for another 15 minutes.
6. Mix the sauce together with meat of your choice.
7. Serve your own way or my suggestions above.

Tina Turbin