Mozzarella-stuffed pizza meatballs

Mozzarella-stuffed pizza meatballs

Oh my God! Sometimes I blow my own mind! These meatballs are really good.

Since going on this gluten-free diet five years ago, I have really missed pizza more than anything else. And gluten-free pizza just isn't the same. But here is an alternative that might satisfy your pizza withdrawal symptoms.

2 lbs ground beef

1 10-oz. jar of Classico brand sun-dried tomato pesto

2 Tablespoons of tomato paste (optional)

garlic powder (about a teaspoon or to taste)

dried or fresh basil (about a teaspoon or to taste)

salt (about a teaspoon or to taste)

2-3 Tablespoons of grated parmesan

10-15 cubes of mozzarella (one per meatball)

Mix 2 pounds of raw hamburger in a bowl with a 8.1-oz. jar of Classico brand sun-dried tomato pesto. Add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste if you like it more tomato-y and some garlic powder, salt, and basil to taste. Add about 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan. Mix with your hands and make 2-3 tablespoon-size meatballs. Use your finger to make a hole in each meatball and insert a mozzarella cube. Then close the meat tightly around the cheese. Brown the meatballs in a frying pan over medium heat, then put in the oven for about 10-15 minutes on 350 degrees. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Potato Soup -- the perfect wintertime comfort food

Here's what I made for dinner last night. Potato Soup -- the perfect wintertime comfort food for those who can't eat macaroni and cheese.

Dietary disclaimer: this is NOT low-calorie diet food!


1 5 lb bag of gold potatoes, washed and quartered, unpeeled (you can peel them if you want, but I like to take the path of get-it-done-quicker)
2 cups of half and half
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or spoonful of minced garlic from a jar
a few scallions, sliced
1 Tb seasalt
1 ts white pepper

1 Tb parsley flakes

toppings:
chives
bacon bits
grated cheddar
sour cream

Saute onion, garlic and the white part of the scallions in 2 Tb of butter in large pot. Once onions are soft, add cut up potatoes to pot, cover with water and boil. Add salt and pepper. When potatoes are soft, add 2 cups of half and half, parsley flakes and the green part of the scallions. Cook on medium for 20 minutes and serve with choice of toppings. The left overs are even better the next day.

Gotta love the restaurants that cater to the gluten-free

Gotta love the restaurants that cater to the gluten-free. And in Panama City, Fla. where I live, that's a rarity.

I'm only listing restaurants I've had personal experience with. Please feel free to add to this list in the comments. This list will be updated as I find additional accommodating restuarants. Also, I will delete any listed restaurant that I have a subsequent unfavorable experience with. 

Restaurants with Gluten-Free Menus:

1. Atlantic Seafood Company (Atlanta, Ga.)

2. Bonefish Grill

3. Carrabbas Italian Grill

4. Chipotle Mexican Grill

5. Farm Burger (Decatur, Ga.)

6. Olive Garden

7. Outback Steakhouse

8. P.F. Chang's

9. Seasons 52  (Atlanta, Ga.)

10. Superior Grill (Birmingham, Ala.)

11. The Flying Biscuit Cafe (Atlanta, Ga.)

12. Wildfire (Atlanta, Ga.)

13. Yogurt Mountain (Birmingham/Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Restaurants that do not have Gluten-Free Menus but are able to accommodate a gluten-intolerant diner:

1. Harpoon Harry's (Panama City Beach, Fla.)

2. Hunt's Oyster Bar (Panama City, Fla.)

3. C-Level Bar & Grill (Panama City Beach, Fla.) 

4. Five Guys Burgers and Fries

5. Pure Taqueria (Atlanta, Ga.)

6. Ruan Thai (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) 

7. Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe (Birmingham/Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

8. The Fish Market (Birmingham/Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

9. Zachery's American Bistro (Panama City, Fla.) --out of business Jan. 28, 2012

10. Zoe's Kitchen (Birmingham/Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
11. Chula's Mexican & Caribbean Restaurant (Panama City, Fla.)

Restaurants not to waste your time with:

1. Uncle Ernie's (Panama City, Fla.) -- they use a house seasoning, that is not gluten-free, on everything, including salads.

2. Applebee's (23rd Street in Panama City, Fla.) -- this manager recommended I not eat there -- don't hold this against other Applebee's locations. The Applebee's (one town over) in Callaway was very accommodating.

3. The Back Porch Seafood and Oyster House (Panama City Beach, Fla.) --  the manager recommended I not eat there. 

4. Margaritaville (Panama City Beach, Fla) -- although I LOVE Jimmy Buffet, I had a horrible experience from a meal that they assured me would be gluten free. 

5. Any Ethiopian restaurant, anywhere, anytime, no matter what -- I'm sorry Ethiopia, your diet just isn't compatible with gluten intolerance. (If I'm wrong, feel free to tell me, but I doubt you can convince me to eat at one again.)
6. The Shrimp Boat (Panama City, Fla.)

For starters

If you’re new to the gluten-free diet, there are some things to keep in mind that you may not have thought of yet. You will want to watch out for hidden sources of gluten and the possibility of cross-contamination. Those are the things people don’t think of. For example: mayonnaise is gluten free, but not if you’ve spread it on bread and put the knife back in the jar. Once you do that then the whole jar is contaminated and anyone who is gluten intolerant should not eat mayonnaise from that jar. This also goes for butter, cheese, peanut butter, jelly, etc. Anything that might be spread on bread or crackers or have bread, crackers, pretzels, etc. dipped in it.

When my daughter lived at home with me, we would use a Sharpie to write “GF” on items that had not been contaminated. If it got contaminated, she would draw a circle with a line through the “GF” to warn me not to eat it. This worked well for us.

Hidden sources of gluten include most processed foods, and gluten is rarely listed in the ingredients. I avoid processed meats, including sandwich meats, boloney (yes, I know it‘s supposed to be bologna but I‘m from the south and I don‘t say bologna, I say boloney), most types of sausage, hotdogs, etc.

Hormel often has gluten-free meats and they are labeled gluten-free. I buy Hormel bacon, ham and pepperoni -- all gluten free. Most Boar’s Head deli meats are gluten-free, but if they slice it on the same slicer as all the other meats then it’s contaminated. It’s stuff like that that you have to think about.

You can’t always trust a package that is labeled “gluten-free.” I usually go to a gluten-free forum and see what other GF folks have to say about a specific product. The FDA allows “gluten-free” labeling if the product has below a certain percentage of gluten, so it may not be totally gluten-free. Canned soups are not gluten-free so don’t make anything with cream of whatever soup or broth unless it is a specifically gluten-free brand and you know you can trust it. Campbell’s and Swanson are not safe. Pacific Natural Foods and Trader Joe’s both make gluten free soups.

You will also need to learn about ingredients that contain gluten. For example, modified food starch in the United States is usually made from corn, but in Europe is usually made from wheat. So you need to know the brand and know whether you can trust it. If you see Malt or Maltdextrin in the ingredients, it’s not gluten-free. But Maltodextrin is made from corn, so it’s ok. The difference is the o in the middle. Below is a link to a site that provides more information about hidden gluten in ingredients.

Good luck, it‘s not hard once you get used to it. ~Michelle

http://www.celiacsolution.com/hidden-gluten.html

Burger King New Fry Recipe Contains No Gluten

Reposted from Gluten Freeville: http://glutenfreeville.com/research/frie

Burger King New Fry Recipe Contains No Gluten

January 5, 2012 by Nancy  
Filed under News

3 Comments

A Facebook friend recently inquired about the gluten free status of Burger King’s new french fries.

After a bit of research and an email exchange with the company, their fries do not contain gluten ingredients.

Before ordering, you must confirm that the location you are visiting fries them in separate oil from the other fried items. Mixing the cooking of the fries that don’t contain gluten with breaded chicken or onion rings makes them NOT gluten free.

Found on their web site: “French Fries are cooked in a fryer designated for French Fries only. Frier oil contains: corn, canola, soy and or/cottonseed oils.”

French Fry Ingredient List: Potatoes, Soybean Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Salt, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate to Preserve Natural Color

http://www.bk.com/en/us/menu-nutrition/index.html

If you like steak...

Going out for a gluten free steak is an easy one. You just have to know that what they marinade it in or season it with is gluten free. You may also want to ask that they put a piece of aluminum foil under it while cooking so that it isn't cross contaminated by anything that might have been on the grill already. Below are some restaurants where I've enjoyed a steak without any adverse reactions. I will add to and modify this list as necessary.

The C-Level Bar and Grill (Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach) -- ask them not to use the steak sauce, which is sometimes GF and sometimes maybe not. The grouper, new potatoes, deviled eggs and salad without croutons are also safe.

Black Angus (Hwy 98, Panama City) -- the steaks, baked potatoes, salad without croutons are all fine for GF diners.

Los Antojitos (Hwy 98, Panama City) -- the steak is great. The house margaritas suck -- but, like all margaritas, are gluten-free.

Bonefish Grill, Outback Steak House, and Carrabba's Italian Grill are all owned by the same company and all have gluten-free menus -- and for the most part, their employees know about GF diets and how important it is to not cross-contaminate.

As always, let the server know that you are gluten intolerant so the kitchen folks know to be careful about cross contamination.

Places to shop for Gluten Free stuff

When ever I'm in Atlanta, I like to make a few stops for things I can't get in Panama City, like gluten-free panko-style bread crumbs and gluten-free frozen burritos and this list could go on and on and on. Anyway, places I like to shop include the following list:
Trader Joe's
Return to Eden
Natural Foods Warehouse
Costco


When I'm in Tuscaloosa, Ala., I like to shop at Manna Grocery. They have THE MOST  knowledgeable staff of anywhere I've ever shopped -- EVER! Manna Grocery is amazing and, in my experience, a one-of-a-kind health food store.

Winn Dixie brand kettle potato chips are gluten free. The jalapeno flavor are my favorite. If you are in the Panama City area, the Winn Dixie on Highway 231 at the corner of Transmitter Road usually carries frozen gf Garden Lite vegetable souffles that are really good and frozen gluten-free pepperoni pizza. But the last stop I made there, I didn't see the gluten-free pizza. I hope they haven't stopped carrying it. Maybe I was the only one buying it.

Publix also carries some good gluten free items but watch out for brands that can't be trusted. Some brands label their product(s) as "Gluten Free" even though they are not 100% gluten-free. I talked to the manager at the Publix on 23rd Street in Panama City about an item that was labeled "Gluten Free" that had wheat listed in the ingredients, and I was told by said manager that it is legal for them to label their product "Gluten Free" as long as it contains below a certain percentage of gluten -- therefore he would continue to sell that product. (I'll get the brand name of that product next time I stop by that Publix location).

Eating out in Panama City Beach

Good News!

Harpoon Harry's has a resident Celiac named Tina who can advise you on what to eat and not eat. Tina provided me with a lot of useful information about the menu -- most of which I cannot remember now, except I do recall she said "Do not eat the rice!" I remember that for sure.

I was there late one night and had already eaten dinner somewhere else earlier in the evening but wanted to ask about the menu for future reference. I always assume most places on the beach have nothing gluten free since most of it is fried and the stuff that isn't fried is, in one way or another, contaminated. But as I asked the bartender about the possibility of gluten-free items, she said, "You should talk to Tina. She has Celiac Disease and knows exactly what you can and cannot eat."

I was really excited to meet someone else in the same boat -- we seem to be such a rarity on the Florida panhandle. Tina was very helpful and informative. If you find yourself at Panama City Beach and in need of a meal, Harpoon Harry's is a good option. Ask to sit in Tina's section.

Restaurants in the area with a gluten-free menu:
Bonefish Grill
Carrabbas Italian Grill
PF Chang's
Outback Steakhouse
Jasmine Thai Restaurant

Restaurants in the area that do not have a gluten-free menu but can accommodate a gluten-intolerant diner:
Chula's Mexican and Caribbean Restaurant
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Harpoon Harry's
Hunt's Oyster Bar
Salty Sue's
Somethin's Cooking

Restaurants in the area not to waste your time with:
Uncle Ernie's -- they use a house seasoning, that in not gluten-free, on everything.
The Back Porch Seafood and Oyster House
Margaritaville
The Shrimp Boat

New Year's Eve in Atlanta

I love visiting Atlanta because I can eat out, easily and safely for the most part, and have so many options. There are so many places with gluten-free menus and most places are familiar enough with the issue to know not to cross-contaminate. I love eating out in Atlanta.Two of my favorite restaurants are Com, a Vietnamese restaurant on Buford Highway and Pure Taqueria in Alpharetta or the Inman Park area.

Pure Taquaria in Inman Park (and possibly their other locations, I just haven't asked yet) fries their corn chips in a designated gluten-free fryer, therefore they have my loyalty for life or until they discontinue the designated gluten-free fryer thing. So far, that's the only Mexican restaurant where I can eat the chips, which I LOVE.

Com is the best Vietnamese restaurant I've ever been to, but a word of warning: Do not order the spring rolls. They will tell you that the spring rolls are wrapped in a gluten-free wrapper made from only rice and no flour, but will neglect to mention that it contains, among the cabbage, carrots and pork, a big stick of fried wheat-flour dough, which is, of course, delicious but extremely poisonous to those of us who cannot eat it and take the time to have a discussion with the waiter about the wrapper to make sure that there is no gluten that could harm us. Ugh! But that's the only negative experience I've had there. I love that place. Just don't order the spring rolls.

The fragrant rice and rice noodle dishes at Com and the sauce that comes with it are all gluten free. The stuffed grape leaves are amazing and, of course, gluten free. I have never ordered or even asked about the soups because soups are rarely gluten free (even when your server tells you it is). Broths usually have gluten.