Nana's Forgotten Cookies (aka chocolate chip meringues)

My Nana always had tricks up her sleeve to make us smile, and she continues to do so even though she is no longer physically here. My mom and I stumbled across this easy, sweet gluten-free recipe the night before Thanksgiving and had to make a batch. MAKE THESE OVERNIGHT. This is key for Nana's version of the meringue. What you need:

• 2 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 6 oz. package of chocolate chips
• a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the salt and egg whites until stiff. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until VERY stiff. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop the batter in small amounts onto wax paper lined cookie sheets. Put the sheets in the oven, close the door, and slowly count to 30 (yes, really. This was pretty funny, Patty and I standing in front of the oven: "oooonnnnneee....tttwwwwoooooo...."), then TURN OFF THE OVEN. Leave the cookies in there overnight and do not even think about opening the oven door (Nana's actual words are "DO NOT OPEN DOOR UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE." This is serious, under no circumstance may you open that oven door!). Don't forget about your treats in the oven the next morning!! You can do a lot with this recipe - add fruity flavors, add food dye to make little kids (or big kids, for that matter) excited....Go crazy!

Enjoy. Thanks Nana-a-lan.

:) The Celiac Seal

Spinach, Butternut Squash & Ricotta Risotto

Finally, risotto. This is a versatile staple of my gluten-free diet. There's nothing like a nice large pot of hot risotto to cure a case of the winter blues. This is a version of the basic Risotto alla Ricotta recipe in my FANTASTIC risotto book by Judith Barrett and Norma Wasserman (thanks mom). What you need:

• about 5 cups of chicken broth
• a significant amount of white wine
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1.5 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup washed and finely chopped spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup cooked butternut squash
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring the broth to a simmer in a saucepan. In another large saucepan, heat the butter and oil. When melted, saute the onion for a few minutes until it is soft (NOT brown). Add the rice and coat in the oil/butter/onion mixture. Add about 1/2 cup of white wine and stir until completely absorbed. Continue to add the chicken broth and wine in 1/2 cup increments until the rice is soft (about 40 minutes or so). It's up to you to decide how much wine vs. chicken broth to use. When I made this batch I was drinking the wine while cooking, so I ended up putting quite a bit into the risotto (it was deeeelicious!). Anyways, while your hand is about to fall off from all of the stirring, boil the butternut squash until it is soft (10 minutes or so), then cut it up a bit so it is ready to go into the risotto. When the rice is tender (finally) add the ricotta, spinach, squash and parmesan. Stir to combine. Bellissimo!
:) The Celiac Seal

Annie's GF Mac and Cheese

This is an easy GF meal to whip up when you're feeling lazy. Yummy organic Mac&Cheese by Annie's. Another good boxed Mac&Cheese option is the Trader Joe's brand - same idea, rice pasta with the powdered cheddar cheese sauce of childhood.
Happy Eating!
:) The Celiac Seal

GF Cornbread

I am posting this extraordinarily late, considering Thanksgiving is obviously The Cornbread Holiday and it happened over a week ago. I think it's safe to say that cornbread is delicious throughout the seasons, so here it is! I used The Cravings Place's mix, which I got from The Gluten Free Mall . I made the sweet version with organic honey. The consistency is decent, although it is a little bit grainy (I almost got away with convincing my 14 year old sister it was in fact not gluten-free, but she called my bluff. The other gluten-full members of my family didn't have any complaints, though). Go break some (corn)bread!
:) The Celiac Seal