Side Dishes

Sunflower Seed and Kale Pesto

I ate a lot this weekend. Way too much actually…in a good way.

For my Dad’s birthday dinner, my mom and I made Ina Garten’s God-sent Truffled Macaroni & Cheese. Despite the loan she had to take out to buy the truffle butter and exotic mushrooms, it was by far the best mac n’ cheese ever.

Let’s just say, it’s going to be rough getting used to plain ‘ol mac n’ cheese after that eye opening experience.

Now, I’m not advocating going into debt over truffle butter, but if anything is worth over spending, this recipe is it.

We also had some extremely gourmet rib eye. Coated with McCormicks grill seasoning, seared on the charcoal barbeque, and finished off with Read More »

Baked Mac & Cheese Photo: Kimberly Bouldin

Macaroni and cheese is a great comfort food. When I eat it, I remember those days when my mom would surprise us with her baked macaroni and cheese. This wasn’t just any macaroni and cheese, this was the real deal, made from scratch!

After starting the gluten-free diet, pasta dishes were a little tougher to make. Some pastas don’t hold up well to being cooked in boiling water and then baked. I have found that Read More »

Gluten-free onion rings. © 2011 Teri Lee Gruss

Deep fried gluten-free onion rings are a real treat! I don’t deep fry often but when I do, I use this recipe and either Vidalia or Walla Walla onions. They’re crunchy delicious.

Prep Time: 6 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 26 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet yellow onions, preferably Vidalia in season or Walla Walla
• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour mix Read More »

Summer is coming and fresh vegetables — in the stores, at the farmer’s markets and in your garden — will be plentiful. It’s time for summer salads.

Try this delicious salad as a side dish or even as a main. It’s light and satisfying.

Use the ingredients list as a guide. If you don’t have peppers, use what is on hand. If you don’t like cilantro, it’s fine not to use it at all; many people don’t like it. Use any lettuce, even finely sliced cabbage. See the tip below for how to make your red onion a little mellower. Or see what’s in your fridge, open a can of black beans, defrost some corn, and you have a delicious salad great for lunch or a party. Enjoy! Read More »

I’m going to really try to not tell a super long story so you can get right to this recipe. Promise.

A friend of mine brought me one of these a few weeks ago; she had just made a batch and I was very excited to try them. I pictured it being more like a crab cake when she described it but it was closer to a griddle cake since it’s flat.

My 6 year old daughter was in the room when she arrived with the sample. I’m thinking, “Oh yeah, it’s doesn’t have sugar. My daughter won’t want this.” Wrong.

“What’s that, Mama?” she asked.

“Something with quinoa; I don’t think you’ll like it.” (It smelled so good, I really did not want to share this).

“Can I have some?”

“Sure honey” and I gave her a piece.

“Uhmm, that’s good!” she says, “Can I have more?”. At least she has good manners.

“Of course, you can. I’ll give you half.” But inside I was like, really? You want this? Woe is me. Never assume what your kids will and won’t eat. I think I said that.

So, I got the recipe from my friend. It had come from her sister who had gotten it from a magazine in Southern California so I don’t know the exact source. I did change some of the amounts and ingredients as well. If I find out where it came from, I will update the post.

I made the quinoa cakes the next week. Surprisingly, everyone (8 year old son and husband included) loved them. What a great way to get some healthy protein for us all! I hope you will give it a try. Read More »

This side dish is sort of the unique Irish twist on mashed potatoes. Though most versions of this recipe seem to call for cream, we toned it down by adding yogurt instead, and cutting down the amount of butter used. Light and creamy, with chopped green onions, and our further addition of fresh cilantro, our version of champ is a great twist on a simple dish. Read More »

This is a hearty dish perfect for late fall or winter. It’s also wonderful with any root vegetable like turnip, carrot, parsnip, rutabaga, and sweet potato. If you don’t want to bother cutting the squash many stores offer it pre-cut.
Read More »

This is a great way to start the day on a sweeter note, without the sugars found in more traditional sweet morning fare—something that works great for those following a gluten-free–and even grain-free–lifestyle. It is packed with fiber, Vitamin A, protein and healthy fat. Use sweet potatoes or winter squash that has been pre-cooked to make preparation fast and easy–there should be plenty on hand, either before or after a Thanksgiving feast!  This is a dish that pleases young and old alike.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked Sweet Potatoes or Winter Squash, skins removed

• 2-3 raw Eggs

• ½ cup unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk

• ½ tsp. ground Nutmeg

• ½ tsp. ground Cinnamon

• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract Read More »

Here are two delicious and easy-to-make gluten-free stuffing and crouton recipes that are sure to come in handy for your Thanksgiving.

Gluten Free Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

1 teaspoon dried thyme Read More »

We discovered during the past year that my 4-year-old son Ronin and my 21-month-old daughter Ellie are both gluten and dairy intolerant. My husband John is gluten-free too. The good news is that changing Ronin’s diet has helped his anxiety-related sleep issues decrease immensely. He used to have night terrors every night, but now only has them on the rare occasions we miss cutting out the gluten.

Since John has been gluten free for a while, I came up with this stuffing recipe a few years ago for Thanksgiving. And its always been a huge hit. This year I’ve modified it to also remove the dairy for the kiddos.

It. is. SO. Yum. If I do say so myself!

MANGO CASHEW CORNBREAD STUFFING (Modified Gluten & Dairy Free)

Read More »