Thursday, August 30, 2012

Things I Love Thursday

 

Let's talk about things I love...besides these two crazy kiddos!

I have noticed lately that all my blogger buddies have specific days devoted to specific types of posts...What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) was a common theme and one I plan to implement eventually.

But when I really thought about it I knew that Things I Love Thursday (TILT) was a much better place to start!

I have recently run into a few wonderful ladies that are either now on the gluten free path or highly considering it for themselves or their children. They have no idea where to start! I remember that point...completely.

4 years ago.

Gluten and I don't get along.

Ok, now what?

There is freaking gluten in EVERYTHING!

I mean everything...bread, pasta, pastries, muffins, cake, sauces, gravy, pie, Kit Kats (yeah, that matters), croissants...well the list goes on...and it's daunting.

I wish I could have had someone to help me through the maze of gluten free offerings. Cause frankly, some of them suck. Like cardboard might taste better kind of suck.

So here I am...years later...I've made my way through the maze and found truly great products. I am now in a position to help someone else through.

And so TILT was born. Every week I'll feature some of my new and old favs in the gluten free world. Some are for me, some for my kids (yep, they are GF too), some are vegan, and some aren't. But they all are tested by myself and my family...and they all rock. Seriously. So here we go!

Bread was probably my first issue...I searched high and low for my fav...and here it is! Either Rudi's or Udi's are great (but the commissary...for my military folks...carries Rudi's).


 Pasta was another early issue.  Finding one that had the same taste and texture of it's glutinous counterparts was difficult...and required lots of taste testing (let's just say my dogs eat well).  I finally found Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta and was sold...plus it's also sold at the commissary!


Snacks were an early concern and luckily I quickly found these little gems of a snack in Glutino pretzels...I dare say they even outshine regular pretzels (and are now available at the commy as well!).



I did however have to go a long time without my fav snack, Goldfish.  I finally recently found these Schar cheese bites and I'm in love!  I've only found them at the Eastlake Sprouts but I'm sure they are available elsewhere.


As for my kiddos, they had a few requirements as well.  On the top of their list was waffles...the love waffles...with a kid like passion.  We were fortunate to find Vans waffles really early in our GF journey.  They come in many flavors and are available at the commissary as well.


Also a childhood staple is chicken nuggets...after searching for a while we settled on the Ian's brand and have been happy consumers ever since...sadly they are not available at commissary but widely available elsewhere.



My kids also really missed pizza...while there are multiple brands of premade crusts and frozen pizzas, my little chefs like creating their own pies.  Luckily my buddy Bex found this Bobs Red Mill crust mix and we've been making our own crust ever since.  It takes a bit more work but the outcome is totally worth it!



Lastly, our family's favorite breakfast staple...sausage links.  I abhor artificial ingredients and preservatives...and GF obviously.  These Jones sausages have none of the above and taste fantastic!  They are also uber cheap at the commissary (like $1 a box!).



I think that's a good start for now...there will be more TILT to come next week!

You didn't think I was going to leave you without a recipe, did you?

In keeping with the TILT theme I offer up one of my favs...vegan (can be vegetarian) enchilada casserole.  It's easy to make and heavenly to eat! 

It also includes a few more of my favorite products like Daiya cheese and all natural tortillas (again, I hate preservatives...and yes I'm aware they pic is upside down but I'm tired of fighting the darn computer!).  Hope you like it!



 



Vegan/Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

by Jaclyn Trosper
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min


Ingredients (6 servings)
  • 1 large red onion
  • 2 small green bell peppers (any color will do)
  • 2 zucchini squash
  • 2 cans organic black beans
  • 2 whole tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 can enchilada sauce (I use mild for the kids)
  • Daiya chedder cheese to cover enchiladas (approx 1 package) or regular shredded mexican cheese
  • Corn tortillas
Instructions
Dice all vegetables into small pieces. Cook in large saucepan with drained beans until tender. Add cilantro, salt, cumin, and 1/2 C of enchilada sauce. Spray baking pans with cooking spray. Layer corn tortillas along bottom of pan. Pour vegetable mixture over top. Layer another layer corn tortillas over vegetables. Layer Daiya cheese (or regular cheese over top). Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until bubbly.
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