A Gluten Free Celebration
A Gluten Free Celebration
By Minnie
Years ago, my mother in law was diagnosed with celiac disease. For those of you who don't know, this is a severe food allergy to wheat/gluten. It sounds simple right? Think again. Gluten is in just about everything. From bread, pasta, and pizza, to spices, snacks and drinks. It is a very limiting disease which requires the strictest of diets in order to heal your body and avoid further damage.
In honor of my mother in law's birthday, I set out to create an entirely gluten free celebration. With some extra time and a little bit of researching, it was a success.
Menu: Gluten Free Lasagna, Salad, Chocolate Cake & Icecream
The lasagna was actually pretty simple after a trip to Whole Foods, where I found gluten free lasagna noodles. I read reviews on different gluten free products and I highly recommend Tinkyada brand. I also called Johnsonville and found out that their mild Italian sausage is gluten free. Almost all of Newman's Own products are gluten free. I used 2 jars of their marinara. Kraft cheese and Sargrento ricotta are also safe. The final touch was McCormicks Italian seasoning (also gluten free). Here is the recipe I used.
Gluten Free Lasagna
Cook the noodles according to package, drain and lay out on wax paper.
Begin layering lasagna in large baking dish. Start by pouring remaining marinara on bottom of dish. Layer noodles on top in a single layer. Next spread a layer of sausage, a layer of ricotta mixture and then sprinkle generously with mozzarella.
Repeat this process, ending with mozzarella. Cover loosely with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Serve with salad and Newman's Own salad dressing for an entirely gluten free meal!
Now it's time for dessert. Making a gluten free cake poses a challenge, since traditionally a cake is composed of flour. So, let's get creative. Now, before I spill the beans about the secret ingredients of this glorious chocolate cake, let me just say........don't be fooled. This cake will rock your socks! :) Drumroll please.....the secret ingredient is......wait for it....wait for it......Garbanzo beans! Bushes beans are gluten free. So are Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips and rumford baking powder. Here is the recipe.
Garbanzo Chocolate Cake
Now here is the easy part. Combine ALL ingredients in a food processer and blend on high until all ingredients are incorporated, smooth, and the consistency of cake batter.
So easy right? Then you'll want to grease two 9 in cake pans with butter and evenly spread the batter between the two pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Frost with the following:
Gluten free Chocolate buttercream frosting
Cream together butter, powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add vanilla and milk until desired consistency is reached. Now it's time to frost that cake!
I served this with Breyers Vanilla icecream which is....you guessed it, gluten free. This cake is rich, moist and absolutely delicious. And as an added bonus, it is full of fiber. :) It was such a joy to be able to create an entire meal that my mother in law could enjoy. Happy birthday Judy!
By Minnie
Years ago, my mother in law was diagnosed with celiac disease. For those of you who don't know, this is a severe food allergy to wheat/gluten. It sounds simple right? Think again. Gluten is in just about everything. From bread, pasta, and pizza, to spices, snacks and drinks. It is a very limiting disease which requires the strictest of diets in order to heal your body and avoid further damage.
In honor of my mother in law's birthday, I set out to create an entirely gluten free celebration. With some extra time and a little bit of researching, it was a success.
Menu: Gluten Free Lasagna, Salad, Chocolate Cake & Icecream
The lasagna was actually pretty simple after a trip to Whole Foods, where I found gluten free lasagna noodles. I read reviews on different gluten free products and I highly recommend Tinkyada brand. I also called Johnsonville and found out that their mild Italian sausage is gluten free. Almost all of Newman's Own products are gluten free. I used 2 jars of their marinara. Kraft cheese and Sargrento ricotta are also safe. The final touch was McCormicks Italian seasoning (also gluten free). Here is the recipe I used.
Gluten Free Lasagna
- 1box Tinkyada Lasagna Noodles
- 2 pounds Johnsonville ground Mild Italian Sausage
- 2 jars Newmans Own marinara sauce
- 30oz Sargento Ricotta Cheese
- 2 eggs (slightly beaten)
- 1 pound mozzarella (shredded)
- 1 C shredded parmesan
- 1 T italian seasoning
Cook the noodles according to package, drain and lay out on wax paper.
Begin layering lasagna in large baking dish. Start by pouring remaining marinara on bottom of dish. Layer noodles on top in a single layer. Next spread a layer of sausage, a layer of ricotta mixture and then sprinkle generously with mozzarella.
Repeat this process, ending with mozzarella. Cover loosely with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Serve with salad and Newman's Own salad dressing for an entirely gluten free meal!
Now it's time for dessert. Making a gluten free cake poses a challenge, since traditionally a cake is composed of flour. So, let's get creative. Now, before I spill the beans about the secret ingredients of this glorious chocolate cake, let me just say........don't be fooled. This cake will rock your socks! :) Drumroll please.....the secret ingredient is......wait for it....wait for it......Garbanzo beans! Bushes beans are gluten free. So are Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips and rumford baking powder. Here is the recipe.
Garbanzo Chocolate Cake
- 2 Cans Garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 C semi sweet chocolate chips (melted)
- 1 ½ C sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 t. baking powder
Now here is the easy part. Combine ALL ingredients in a food processer and blend on high until all ingredients are incorporated, smooth, and the consistency of cake batter.
So easy right? Then you'll want to grease two 9 in cake pans with butter and evenly spread the batter between the two pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Frost with the following:
Gluten free Chocolate buttercream frosting
- 1 C butter (softened)
- 4 ½ C powdered sugar
- 1 ¼ C cocoa powder (Hershey's is gluten free)
- 1 t vanilla extract
- ½ C milk
Cream together butter, powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add vanilla and milk until desired consistency is reached. Now it's time to frost that cake!
I served this with Breyers Vanilla icecream which is....you guessed it, gluten free. This cake is rich, moist and absolutely delicious. And as an added bonus, it is full of fiber. :) It was such a joy to be able to create an entire meal that my mother in law could enjoy. Happy birthday Judy!
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