Spinach Artichoke Dip

Looking for a new dip this holiday season and too lazy or don't have enough time to make spinach dip yourself? It's ok, this is your solution. Nothing else needs to be said.

Bacon Cheddar Spread

If you can not have dairy, it's just best to stop reading, because you'll be sad. Sorry. Ok, so dairy lovers, bacon lovers, it's time for the merging of minds and flavors. This bacon cheddar spread from Aloutette is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It's super light and fluffy, more like a whipped dip or whipped cream cheese, which makes it very easy to eat half the container before you realize it. It is great with my current other favorite item, sweet potato tortilla chips. And I just had a great idea while I was typing this- I bet it would make unbelievably good mac and cheese.

Bean Dip

Any social gathering is not complete without chips and dip.  For those of us gluten free folks, dips can be scary. Sour cream or cream cheese based, the average person might wonder why dip wouldn't be safe, but it's the packets of powder mixed in that can be a Celiac's worse nightmare. I tend to just make my own dip with fresh herbs, but sometimes you want to switch it up.  Urban Accents makes a lot of different spice related items from grilling rubs to dip mixes, with a bunch of things in-between. Not everything is gluten free, but they do indicate which are on the package and on their website.

I tried out the black bean chipotle dip mix for the 4th of July weekend and it seems to be a hit. Two cans black beans, a lime, maybe some fresh cilantro, although not a requirement, the seasoning packet, and a blender- that's it. Much easier to make then 7 layer dip, and equally as good.

Marie's Ranch Dressing

My favorite type of salad dressing is ranch. I've tried a small selection of gluten free ranch options on the market, and none completely satisfy by themselves, until now. Ranch needs to be thick, creamy, and have the right amount of tang. A co worker of mine, who is also gluten free, kept saying I needed to try Marie's, and I looked for it once or twice but couldn't find it. The secret, it's located in the refrigerator section next to the produce area, and not on the regular condiment aisle.

Seasoning Packets

I have come to accept that not everyone is as creative or exploratory as I am in the kitchen, so I would like to open everyone's eyes to the versatility of seasoning packets. I know there are other gluten free brands out there, but two I've been using lately are Cali Fine Foods and Mayacamas.
Cali Fine Foods packets are produced in a dedicated gluten free facility, and come in 5 flavors. The Garlic Gusto makes a fabulous dip, and the herb medley is nice blended with olive oil and used as a light pizza sauce. They also have a sweet 'n spicy bbq mix that is a great taco seasoning substitute, but I was feeling lazy one night ans used it a seasoning for a pot of chili.


Mayacamas is not a dedicated gluten free company, but they do test their gluten free products. offers both what they call skillet toss mixes, and pasta sauce mixes. I find the skillet tosses to be a little bit more versatile, and love the green olive pesto as a pesto sauce for a veggie pizza. The dried tomato is great mixed with cream cheese and put on a bagel, and the spicy one is awesome mixed in as a marinade with ketchup or bbq sauce. At less than $2 a packet, any of either brand really are a great addition to have on hand in the kitchen cupboard.

Ranch Dressing

There are a few kitchen items that I can't live without, and ranch dressing is one of them. Gluten free and ranch dressing is a combination for many years that seemed limited and disappointing. However, I am happy to find more ranch options that are 1: gluten free, 2: contain dairy, and 3: tasty. It seems ranch dressing that is dairy free is a high demand item, so most options out there are dairy free, and they're ok, but as someone who consumes dairy, my taste buds find dairy free options to be lacking something for me.

I recently received a sample of dressing from Wine Country Kitchens- Parmesan Ranch. This is a nice product with a twist. It's kind of a like a bottle of traditional ranch and a bottle of Caesar got poured into one bottle and then some grated Parmesan cheese got mixed in. It's the taste of a Caesar salad and the creaminess of ranch all in one. Sound good? I sure think so.

Simply Boulder Sauces

I've gotten quite used to making up my own sauces and marinades, but I am happy to see there are more and more gluten free options coming out onto the market. Recently I tried out Nature's Isle, which was focused on tropical flavor blends, and more recently bottles of Simply Boulder sauces came across my porch. Simply Boulder is a company based out of Colorado, and offers products that are certified gluten free through the certification process of the Celiac Sprue Association. The company offers five sauce options, all of which are gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, free of corn syrup, and sweetened with agave nectar (some flavors are also soy free).

Over the past month I've been trying out their sauces on various proteins, in all the ways they suggest using them: "marinades, drizzles or dressings; for pasta, salads or sandwiches; and for grilling, baking or broiling." I didn't find any of their flavors to be overpowering, meaning super strong and needing dilution; on the contrary, I found them mildly pleasant. Offering a product that is both a marinade, which should be super concentrated, and a dressing, or basting sauce, that should be more thin and delicate, can be a difficult task. Here is my assessment of each sauce they have to offer:

Coconut Peanut: This would be a great on top of some wide rice noodles, with bits of peanuts, and some vegetables and/or shrimp added in.

Pineapple Ginger: This was my least favorite out of all the flavors. I love ginger chews, but not a huge fan of ginger mixed in with my proteins.

Honey Dijon: This product pretty much tasted just like the honey mustard salad dressing I make from scratch. I marinaded chicken tenders in the sauce, and had previously learned that with the product alone the chicken stuck to the grill, so I added in an extra drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley, just to spice it up a little, and away we went. The sauce gave the chicken a very creamy, but mild flavor, somewhat sweet, somewhat tart. Perfect for slicing up and adding into a salad.

Lemon Pesto: You could easily toss a green salad with this sauce, or use it as a dressing for pasta salad. I like a little bit of a thicker coat for pasta salad, so I mixed the lemon pesto with a little bit of mayo: delicious! A little tangy tart, a little sweet. I absolutely love this flavor!

Truly Teriyaki: I poured about half the 12 oz bottle into a Ziploc of 6 large drumsticks and marinaded them for about 12 hours with no added spices. The sauce gave the skin a great crispy texture and slightly sweet and tangy taste. The marinade only slightly permeated the meat with the flavor of teriyaki. The flavor I did taste was very palatable. On a different cut of meat, or a longer marinading time I'm sure you would get a stronger flavor.

Overall, I rate the products from this company a 3.75 out of 5.

Frontera Kitchen: Mexican with gluten free flare.

Frontera Kitchen makes a large selection of sauces and salsas with some serious Mexican flare. As someone who has made her fare share of salsa, my taste-buds only like the purest of ingredients when it comes to tortilla chip's dipping companion. I was planning on making enchiladas, with a green sauce, so I decided it would be a good time to try out a product from their line. My first experience of their products was their tomatillo salsa, which I used as a base for my enchilada sauce, (my enchilada recipe to be posted soon).

Their packaging really attracts the eye, and the flavor tantalizes the taste buds. The product is a little thin for me; I prefer no risk of dripping. It's listed as having a medium heat, and for me it's on the warm end of medium, on the way to hot. I want to keep eating it, because it is delicious, but my tongue can't take as much of this salsa as it can from other medium heat options. I certainly look forward to trying out other products from Rick Bayless, the chef/creator of Frontera Kitchen.

Specialty Popcorn

Lately I've noticed a variety of places offering specialty popcorn, like Popcornopolis (all flavor options are gluten free), 479 Degrees Popcorn, and Kukuruza, to name a few. And popcorn is pretty much a staple in our house; a movie is not watched without a bowl of popcorn, but it's nice to mix it up a little, and I found a company that offers those specialty flavors (gluten free) without such a high price tag: Kernel Seasoning.

You may have come across Kernel Seasonings next to the popcorn in your mainstream grocery store, but typically they only sell butter, nacho cheese, white cheddar, and if you're lucky caramel. You may have also seen little containers of those same basic flavors at the concession stand at your local movie theater. However, what most people might not realize is the company offers other awesome flavor combinations. For instance, ranch, and parmesan & garlic. But wait, there's more. My current flavor option from Popcornopolis is sour cream & onion, which Kernel Seasoning also offers, but I have yet to have a chance to try. Other flavor options that greatly intrigue me are chocolate marshmallow and chili lime.

On the bottles the seasoning doesn't directly say that it is gluten free, and it does list natural flavoring, however I've called the company a few times, and they assure me their products are gluten free, and was told they do plan to do a label change in the future. They also were recently at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco featuring themselves as offering a gluten free product. If you've tried this product and like it, please contact them to encourage a label change to include "Gluten Free" on it, and if you haven't tried these seasonings because you didn't know if they were safe, give them a try. And besides for using it on popcorn, they're great for shaking a little onto veggies, for making a simple dip, and even on meats, depending on the flavor, of course.

Individual Gluten Free Soy Sauce Packets

The days of needing to carry an 8 oz bottle of soy sauce in your purse when you go out to eat is over! No more weight, no more worries of the cap getting lose in your bag, or the Tupperware lid not being secure. Did you know that every time you take a full-size bottle of salad dressing or soy sauce out to dinner with you, and then put it back in the fridge, you're allowing bacteria to grow, and by the fifth time you take that bottle out with you, you really should be throwing it away?

Well now you don't have to worry about it. Kari-Out Company makes individual, gluten free soy sauce packets, that also happen to be low sodium. These babies are great for anyone on the go, and were a great stocking stuffer option I found at Gluten Free Specialty this holiday season. Happily, they will be stocking these panda packets regularly, as well as Drew's individual salad dressing packets.

Artichoke Dip

Only recently have I discovered the wonderful world of artichokes. A couple of years ago I recall being out at a restaurant and someone ordered some sort of artichoke appetizer and I thought it was gross, but then Mike taught me how to cook and eat them, and now I'm making artichoke dip. Sure there are are plenty of recipes out there, but I whipped this up for a party and it seemed to be a hit.










Ingredients
1 can (14 ounce) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. Combine the artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and garlic.
3. Spread mixture in a oven-proof baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.
4. Serve with crackers, bread sticks, & cucumber slices.

Norlander’s Mesquite Sauce – Episode 34

We're all for barbecue sauce and the like, but this brand is one we were not impressed by. We're just two people, and others might feel differently, but check out the show to see what we thought.

Fabulous Pesto Recipe

There are tons of different ways to make pesto, but here is a gluten free, nut free version from 2 of my favorite cookbook authors. It's a great one for when broccoli is in season. Sometimes I end up adding in extra olive oil and a little cooked spinach, but the basic recipe is as follows:










Ingredients:
4 cups broccoli
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1 Steam Broccoli until tender.
2. Using a food processor combine all ingredients until it reached your desired smoothness.
3. Toss with hot pasta or store in air tight container for up to 48 hours.

From The Best Gluten Free Family Cookbook by Donna Washburn & Heather Butt

Sesame Shrimp with Citrus Dipping Sauce

I love shrimp; in fact no holiday really seems complete without shrimp cocktail. For dinner last night I tried something a little different. We had sesame breaded shrimp with a spicy citrus dipping sauce. The original recipe called for several other ingredients and was meant to make enough shrimp for a banquet party, so I had some fun switching up some things to make it work for my needs. We had this as a entree, but you could certainly make this into a fancy salad, lettuce boat style for an appetizer.

Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
1 tangerine, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons light corn syrup (or honey, or agave, or cornstarch mixed with water. Basically anything that will thicken it up)
2 tablespoons sugar
dash hot sauce (or Oli's Sweet 'n Spicy Sauce)

Shrimp
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp cornstarch or potato starch
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I ground up some glutino crackers)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. For glaze: Bring all ingredients to boil in medium saucepan. Boil until slightly syrupy and reduces, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using.)
2. For shrimp: Whisk first 7 ingredients in medium bowl until well blended. Add shrimp; toss. Mix bread crumbs and sesame seeds in shallow dish. Dip shrimp into breading, coating both sides.
3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of shrimp; sauté until golden outside and opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining shrimp.


Tweaked from Bon Appetit Magazine Dec 2000

Looking for Gluten Free Dip?

Dippy Chick is a dip company out of New Hampshire; pretty much the farthest you can get from me while staying within the boundaries of the continental United States. The company was started by a stay-at-home-mom, which explained the playful packaging and names of all the dips. In addition to being gluten free, all of their dips are advertised as being free of fillers, artificial colors and flavors, trans fats, sugars, and either low or no salt. I had previously ordered a couple dips to try out, and overall I liked them.

Mike and I recently reviewed them on GFree TV, and thanks to Dippy Chick I have a new great salad dressing in my fridge. I think that this is a great product line overall, because there doesn't seem to be a lot of gluten free dry dip mixes out there, for 1, and 2, it's basically a seasoning pack, so you can use it to season meat, potatoes, make salad dressings, or a sandwich spread.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Ranch Dessing

I have previously written a positive review of Organicville Brand BBQ Sauce, so when I saw the Ranch dressing by them on the shelf I was excited. See, BGF (before gluten free) the only dressing I ever used was ranch. No need to give me any other option; it was ranch and ranch alone. However when I went gluten free the few ranch dressings I tried, well...tasted like sour, non-creamy, white liquid, so I got creative and started making my own dressing: honey mustard, dill, avocado, etc.

I opened up the bottle tonight, while prepping salads for lunch tomorrow, and had a taste. I give this product 1 1/2 (our of 2 of course) thumbs up! For being both gluten and dairy free I was impressed. It's tangy, but not too tangy, and has the general flavor of what a ranch should taste like. My husband, who's not gluten free says "It's not ranch, but it will do," meaning he'll eat it without much resistance. We both agreed our only qualm with it is we just wished it was a little thicker and more creamy.

Get your Green on with Avocado Dressing

While cleaning out the refrigerator this afternoon I decided to whip up some avocado dressing with some produce I had lying around. Break out of your standard salad dressing bottle of Ranch or Thousand Italian and try something new.

Ingredients:
1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
1 medium cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup mayo
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp parsley
salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste
1 tsp sugar, optional

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a blender and pulse until everything is well blended.
2. Store in a squeezy bottle in the refrigerator.

It's Barbeque Time

With relatives in town, who have more food allergies than me, I had to be even more of a food label detective. I decided to try out the Organicville Original BBQ Sauce, as it is not only gluten free, but dairy free, corn free, and vegan.

Words family used to describe Organicville Original BBQ Sauce:

Soft Smoky Flavor
Zingy
Smooth
Molasses Richness
Satisfying
Palatable
Tangy

I usually like to make my own BBQ sauce, but would definitely buy another jar of this when I'm in a pinch. I picked up my bottle at Gluten Free Specialty in downtown Sacramento, but the company has a list of retailers on their website.

Getting Piggy Widdit

A while back I stumbled upon a company called DippyChick, founded by a stay-at-home mom in New Hampshire. The company offers a wide variety of gluten free dip mixes, as well as others that are sodium-, sugar-, and dairy-free. And if you are one of those people who really like to research a product before purchasing, they have a great "special diets" page that talks about all their ingredients.

They also seem to pride themselves on customer service, a rarity these days. I ordered a sample back around Christmas and, at the time, the east coast was having a horrible snow storm. The woman emailed me from Starbucks since the majority of people were out of power for a week, and let me know that my order had be received and that I would still receive it in time for Christmas.

They offer a buy 7, get the 8th free deal, or they are $3.95 each. Perhaps a little pricey, but it is a small company and it is a cutesy, yet practical product. All the mixes have super cute names like Ya Gotta Jump, Chive, and Wail, Twisted Tornado Tomato, and Getting Piggy Widdit, just to name a few. In addition to being great for dips, the seasoning packages are great for spicing up some chicken or steak real quick, as well as vegetables or mashed potatoes. We eat a lot of chicken in my house and I was looking for something different, so I decided to drizzle some olive oil and rub the Getting Piggy Widdit seasoning on. We grilled the chicken up and it was delicious, and the leftovers were great in salad.

This is definitely a great gift for your favorite Celiac friend or family member. I hope I'll see them in a store near me soon.

Seven Layer Taco Dip

For our Christmas gathering in addition to making a sweet, my favorite category of food, I tried out a new dip recipe, and it was a big hit! For your next party why not try this one out.


1 oz package taco seasoning mix
16 oz can refried beans, (Amy's brand is GF)
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
16 oz container sour cream
16 oz jar salsa
1large tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans.
2 Spread the mixture onto a large serving bowl.
3 Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl.
4 Spread over the refried beans.
5 Top the layers with salsa.
6 Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, red onions and lettuce over the salsa.
7 Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
8 Put in refrigerator to firm up layers a few hours before serving.

Takes about 45 minutes of preparation and will easily serve 15-20 people, but for a smaller crowd it's fairly easily to cut it in half.

from allrecipes.com