Quick Cuke Canapes: Gluten Free Naturally

There is just something really special to me about preparing something elegant yet SUPER easy that is created from naturally gluten free ingredients. These canapes fit that description. Perfect for your New Years's Eve celebration or anytime. Enjoy!

2 medium cucumbers (I use seedless English cukes)
1 (3oz.) pkg. cream cheese , softened
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs finely chopped chives
1 Tbs sour cream or mayonaisse
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup finely chopped cooked shrimp

Makes 36 canapes
Original source unknown

1. Draw tines of fork lengthwise through cucumber peel to score; cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place on paper towels to drain.
2. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, horseradish, and lemon juice; beat until smooth. Stir in shrimp.
3. Spread or pipe 1 tsp mixture onto each cucumber slice. Garnish as desired.
4. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours.

An Appealing Poll Question

It has been a long time since Gluten Free and You posted a poll question. I remedied this, this afternoon. The new question is, What Sounds Most Appealing to YOU? Your choices are Meat Lovers Recipes,Veggies Only Please, I'll Pass on the Dairy, and I'm Watching My Weight. The most popular answer or "Readers Choice", as I like to call it will inspire a series of recipes just as polls have in the past. I hope you enjoy this new poll question. The poll closes on September 17, 2011, at  12:00am. The poll is located in the upper right hand corner of the home page.

Meal Planner

Announcing a new feature called Meal Planner! Sometimes I am at a loss for what to make for dinner. When I create a meal plan for a week or more I find dinners come together a lot easier. The Meal Planner will be found early in a post and listed in bold print. It will usually include a main dish and two sides.

When creating a grocery list you may find glancing at the Meal Planner tab useful. There is only one meal suggestion there so far, but I will be adding to it so check back. Feel free to comment about this new feature and let me know what you think.  After all,  it wouldn't be Gluten Free and You without YOU!

Southwestern Grilled Pork Tenderloin

How wonderful is it when at noon you have no idea what to make for dinner and somehow a frozen solid pork tenderloin miraculously turns into a fantastic meal with a click of the mouse? After a brief search online that is exactly what happened to me earlier this week. I found this recipe in a Google search.  I hope you enjoy it.

Meal Planner: Southwestern Grilled Tenderloin, Corn Fritters, and Coleslaw

1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Freshly Ground Pepper
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
1/8 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/8 tsp. Cumin
1/8 tsp. Cayenne
1 (1.25lb.) Pork Tenderloin (trimmed)
1 tsp. Canola Oil

To make the rub, combine all ingredients 
except the pork and oil in a small bowl.  
Place the pork and oil in a zip-close plastic 
bag and add the rub.  Squeeze out the air and 
seal the bag; turn to coat the meat.  
Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Meanwhile, spray the grill rack with non-stick spray; 
preheat the grill to high or prepare a hot fire.

Place the pork on the grill rack.  Grill turning, 
until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the 
center registers 160°F for medium, (18-22 minutes).  
Transfer the pork to a platter and cover loosely 
with foil; let stand approx. 10 minutes.  Cut into 
12 slices.  (Serving = about 3 slices)

Gluten Free and You Fun Facts

While checking the stats available through Blogger I thought it was "post-worthy" to mention that Gluten Free and You, the blogspot has had over 2,000 pageviews in its short lifetime. Currently Quinoa Egg Salad is the most viewed post. It was also the first post to top 100 views. I believe that is partly thanks to participating in  The Gluten Free Homemaker's  Gluten Free Wednesdays. I hope you enjoy these fun facts as much as I enjoy this blogspot!!! Happy reading!

Divine Chicken and Rice

Let me introduce you to a chicken and rice recipe that just might make you throw out your old recipe card. This recipe is so delicious it could only be called "Divine".  My recipe closely follows one I found on Simply Recipes . I really think you are going to enjoy the small changes I have made.

Divine Chicken and Rice 
2-2 1/2lbs.
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/3 chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream
1 cup raw medium or long grain white rice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. herbs de provence
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high or high heat (hot enough to brown but not burn). Sprinkle a dash of salt on the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on two sides, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add a little more salt to the pan (and more olive oil if needed) after every batch. This will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Remove chicken pieces and set aside in a bowl. Note that the chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned.


2 In the same sauté pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil, lower the heat to medium, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds more. Remove onions and garlic to a shallow (9 x 13 x 2) casserole dish.


3 Raise heat to medium high, add the sliced mushrooms. Dry sauté them (no need to add butter or oil), allowing the mushrooms to brown lightly, and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.


4 Add 1/4 cup dry white wine to the pan to deglaze the pan, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Let the wine reduce to about 1 Tbsp, then add the chicken stock, and remove from heat.
Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, the cream, and the sour cream. Add the raw rice to the casserole dish. Then pour the stock, wine, cream, sour cream mixture over the rice. Add the herbs de provence and paprika to the dish. Stir the rice, onion, mushroom, herb mixture so that they are evenly distributed in the casserole dish.

5 Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice mixture (in a single layer if you can, they will be crowded). Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil. If the casserole is still too liquidy, let it cook a few minutes more, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated away.
Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Serves 6 (with leftovers)
adapted from Simply Recipes Chicken and Rice Casserole

I must admit I have even eaten this dish cold from the fridge. It's that good! Enjoy!

Gluten Free and You Digest: June 2011

The Gluten Free and You Digest is a post in which I like to wrap up the month's events in a neat little package. Of course there are so many headlines bursting about gluten free awareness I will not get them all. That's where you come in. If you dear reader saw an article recently that you believe is noteworthy I invite you to comment about it in the comment section below this post.

I was diagnosed 3 years ago in June. If you have been diagnosed and really don't know which way to turn for help there are some really great resources. Through the University of Chicago you can not only get information about celiac disease but also by meeting certain criteria you can get a Gluten Free Care Package.

The National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse website is another source that is very user friendly and very informative. I recommended this website to my son's elementary school administration when he was diagnosed.

I am pleased to post that the prestigious Philadelphia Award was given to Alice Bast, Founder of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness  (NFCA) for her dedication to raising celiac awareness. Gluten Free and You would like to congratulate Ms. Bast on her award and thank her and the staff of the NFCA for their commitment to raising funds for research, education and screening.

Bast will be given the award, along with the $25,000 prize that comes with it, on May 17th, 2011. source: The Gluten Free Bulletin

 The following is the Mission and Vision Statements from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

Mission:

To be the leading organization in raising awareness for celiac disease and gluten intolerance that will facilitate research, education and early diagnosis, and improve the quality of life for children and adults affected by this autoimmune disease.

Vision:

We envision a world in which:

• Celiac disease is widely recognized as one of the most common hereditary diseases.
• Better, more accurate, and cost-effective screening methodologies are available and in use.
• A pharmaceutical cure is in place to prevent the onset or mitigate the effects of this autoimmune disorder so that men and women suffering from celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis can lead a normal life

 One last current event to share is that Sarah Jane Smith, one of the the NFCA's Celiac Disease Athletes for Awareness played this past weekend in the LPGA Championship presented by Wegmans in Rochester, NY. According to the  LPGA Season Overview, Sarah has had seven starts and one top ten finish. Congratulations Sarah!

"I changed my diet because Celiac disease runs in my family. Earlier this spring, I stopped eating wheat or gluten. I cut out bread and pasta and it's really helped. I feel better on the course and the new diet has given me more energy. It requires a lot of planning, though. You can't just grab a sandwich when you go out on the course. Now, I eat a lot of gluten-free energy bars, fruits and nuts, and rice cakes with wheat-free peanut butter." ~Sarah Jane Smith source: Gluten Free  NYC