Udi's new hamburger and hot dog buns are perfect for summer

Wait, is that a hamburger roll that doesn't crumble? What a treat!

One advantage to a gluten-free diet is skipping the bread; I find I'm not as full otherwise. I often ask for a plain hot dog or hamburger whether I'm at the ball game, a bbq or restaurant. My kids and I have gotten used to it so it's no longer a big deal. However, when I made my own hamburger recently and served it on one of Udi's new hamburger rolls, I realized I did miss it. Whether you are looking for the gluten-free replacement or you just crave a roll once in a while, Udi's is a good option.

I have learned with gluten-free bread to keep it in the freezer if I'm not going to use it right away. The Udi's rolls are attached so if this is your strategy too, cut them before freezing. I find if I leave the roll out for about 10 minutes, it's thawed enough to separate (you can also place it in the microwave for 10 seconds if necessary). To complete the thawing process and crisp it up, I put mine in the toaster oven for 2-3 minutes. This is also another way to melt cheese.

When you make your burger, you don't need to add anything except some seasoning. For a pound of meat, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and a sprinkling of black pepper should be enough. That's personal preference; my husband adds a grill seasoning but it's too spicy for our kids. I only buy natural, grass-fed beef. My personal favorite is a local farm called Markegard Family Grass-Fed which is excellent. Even though there isn't too much fat, the flavor is amazing.

On the day I made the burger to the left, it was just for myself so I made it in a pan versus the outdoor grill. After turning it and letting it cook another few minutes, I added some sharp cheddar and covered it with a pot lid. This finished the cooking and melted the cheese perfectly. To the bun, I added some organic tomato and lettuce. I plopped the burger on top, added my ketchup :-) and went for it. I was making the happy yummy noise while I ate; luckily I was alone! I would recommend trying it, especially if it's something you miss on a gluten-free diet.

As for the hot dog rolls, I like them but they are a bit dense. We ate them another night with some Fearless Flyer hot dogs which we grilled on the bbq. The rolls were hard for my kids to eat but it didn't stop me. The downside was that I felt full so maybe next time I'll just go for a half.

The hot dog to the left is one from a Celiac Awareness Event at AT&T Park this past week. My children split one and it was still a lot of bread. I'm going to try microwaving the rolls next time I serve them to see if that helps it become a bit softer which might make it easier for them.

If you don't see Udi's in your local market, remember to ask. Some times products can be in places you don't expect (like the fridge or freezer). It's also helpful for the store to know you are interested so they are more likely to carry them.

It's almost officially summer so this year, don't deny yourself! Have a burger or hot dog on a roll and enjoy!

Gluten-Free French Toast recipe

Eating gluten-free, I often don't think about bread as much as I used to. Breakfast is usually just something simple like cereal or fruit with yogurt. But every once in a while, I get cravings. This morning, I opened the fridge and saw my loaf of Rudi's cinnamon raisin bread. I want French Toast and I want it now!

Some people may think it's hard to make but really, you can whip something like this up in a few minutes. The recipe below is for 4-5 people but I adjusted it and made enough for two. It was as easy as making toast with eggs. But, if you know me, I don't measure everything precisely, which does save time. I can eye ball 1/4 c milk and 1/4 tsp of vanilla. It also means I have a few less dishes to clean up!

You can use almost any gluten-free bread but I especially like the Rudi's for this recipe. It has great flavor and doesn't fall apart. I also like their philosophy: Made with stuff you can pronounce and ingredients you recognize. As a mom, that is important to me.

Make sure to toast the bread first, though; it will help keep it together.

This recipe isn't fancy but it sure is good (and easy!). I hope you'll give it a try.

Gluten-Free French Toast

8-10 pcs Gluten-Free Bread*
3 eggs
2/3 c milk or milk alternative
1/4 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
pinch or two of salt

1 Tbl vegetable oil like safflower or sunflower
Note: butter is tasty but burns too quickly in your pan; try this instead

*I used Rudi's Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin bread. It was a real winner for this recipe.

1. The bread needs to be dry. You can either toast the slices until just lightly browned or put them on a cookie sheet and place in a low oven (250 degrees) for 5 mins to dry them out. If it's too soft, it will absorb too much batter and be mushy.

2. Mix all other ingredients except oil.

3. Heat pan to medium or grill pan to 400 degrees F.

4. Based on the size of your pan, only batter the slices of bread that will be able to fit; don't let bread sit in egg-milk mix.

5. Place about 1 1/2 tsp of oil on pan and spread. Dip bread into batter. Make sure both sides are well covered. Place in pan. Cook on each side until golden. Repeat with remaining bread. Keep warm in oven until ready to serve, covered with a damp paper or kitchen towel.

Gluten-free chicken saltimbocca recipe

Gluten-free Chicken Saltimbocca over GF pasta and a little "fresh" bruschetta

I recently taught a gluten-free cooking class at Whole Foods in Los Altos, CA. Some times, when I create menus, I assume everything will work out; I've been cooking a long time! This dish was inspired by one I learned from the very lovely and talented Wendy Holloway of Flavor of Italy. I had not made a gluten-free version before but I was confident I could replicate it.

The original recipe called for regular flour (of course it did; Italians do not seem to be plagued with the same level of gluten intolerance we Americans are). The challenge for this dish was to keep the flavor intact but make it gluten-free.

Honestly, the only real tricky part was to come up with a flour blend that would imitate the regular flour. I decided to go with a combo of white rice and potato starch which seems like the perfect balance.

The chicken is served on top of my favorite gluten-free pasta brand, Bionaturae. We all agreed it tasted like regular pasta.

I also created a "new" dish; my version of bruschetta: a fresh homemade gluten-free baguette with a smear of pesto and topped with fresh tomato and thinly sliced zucchini. It was like summer in my mouth; yummy!

As always, I hope I inspire you and that you will try this dish.

Gluten-Free Chicken Saltimbocca

Four 6-8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded
Salt and ground pepper
8 large sage leaves
4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
Potato starch and white rice flour, for dusting (about 2 Tbl of each)
1 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbl unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine or sherry
1 cup gluten-free chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbl cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbl cold water

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Top with a slice of prosciutto. Place 2 sage leaves on each breast. Use a toothpick to hold the prosciutto and sage to the chicken.

2. When you are ready to cook the chicken, dust each breast with a combination of potato starch and white rice flour, shaking off the excess. Don’t do this step ahead.

3. Heat a large skillet. Add half of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add 2 of the breasts, prosciutto side up, and cook over medium-heat until nearly cooked through, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook another minute. Chicken should be lightly browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate; repeat with the remaining chicken.

4. Add the wine and deglaze the pan by cooking over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and the broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half, 3 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook another 2 minutes.

5. Return the chicken to the skillet, prosciutto side up, and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes; season with a little more salt. Transfer the chicken to plates, pour the sauce on top and serve.

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary, Leeks and Gruyere recipe

When we visit my husband's family, my mother-in-law does not ask very much of us. She is a wonderful host and we have an on-going joke about her asking if we would like "tea and toast".

This Easter, I wanted to contribute a dish to the meal; typical English fare is a roast with potatoes and veg. I thought I would leave the steamed potatoes for the children and make something a bit more adventurous for us. Thus, this dish was created.


When you look at the ingredients, don't worry if you don't have everything. Just look at them as what they are:

• potatoes: Yukon gold is preferred but red or russett are ok, too
  
• herb: rosemary, thyme or oregano works well
  
• onion: any kind of onion would do, even some garlic
• cheese: if you don't have Gruyere or Swiss, substitute with anything sharp

Here are the (very) easy directions to a delicious side dish. You could always add eggs halfway through and make it into a crustless quiche...oh, must.make.that!

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary, Leeks and Gruyere

Cut medium yellow potatoes (2 or 3 per person) into chunks. I usually cut each potato into 4-6 pieces. Toss with olive oil, 2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs and salt:

• Add 2 Tbl oil; add more if it looks dry.
• Pull the rosemary leaves in opposite direction from the sprig to remove.
• Start with 1/2 tsp salt for 4 servings. You can always add more at the end.

Roast potatoes in a casserole dish for 20 mins @375F.

While roasting, sauté cut leeks or onion in butter with salt until golden. This should take about 10 minutes.

Shred or cut some Gruyere or Swiss cheese. I used about 1/2 c shredded for 4 servings.

After the potatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, add cheese, leeks, and 1/4 c of heavy or light cream (whole milk is an option, too), salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Place it back in oven, covered, for 15 minutes.

Uncover and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Tips for cooking with kids

Thank you to Emily Patterson, Communications Coordinator of Primrose Schools. I felt this article had some great points!

In the picture, you see a 2 year old helping out with the prep (with broccoli of all things!). I personally feel that when kids are young, it's much easier to have them in the kitchen where you can watch them.

Emily has some great tips for how to keep them occupied and engaged.

"Cooking with Children: A Recipe for Kitchen Safety & Fun

Bubbling pots, sizzling skillets and delicious smells can make the kitchen a fascinating – yet dangerous – place for young children. However, the potential hazards don’t have to keep children out of the kitchen. Dr. Mary Zurn, vice president of education for Primrose Child Care Facilities, says kitchen time can be a great way for families to regain some lost, but valuable, family time.

“The kitchen is often the most popular place in the house for families to gather. It’s a place for learning and sharing, where the family can enjoy quality time. Children can also develop a sense of responsibility by participating in daily tasks,” said Dr. Zurn.

Parents can keep the kitchen safe and fun for children by following this simple recipe:

1. Engage your child meaningfully. Think about what tasks your child can do independently. Completing simple jobs like mixing batter, rolling dough and measuring water can boost a child’s sense of pride and accomplishment. Tearing lettuce, adding sprinkles to sweets and shaking parmesan onto pasta are other safe, satisfying tasks children can easily accomplish. Even very young children can get involved – give them some pots, pans and wooden spoons so they can pretend to cook with you or use them for music-making. The tuneful accompaniment will let you know they’re safely engaged and give them a way to feel like they’re helping too.

2. Set some ground rules. Children need supervision when they’re in the kitchen, so establish a list of basic safety rules and make sure children are always within sight. Teach children to wash their hands before and after handling food to avoid spreading germs. Discuss on a regular basis what’s safe to touch and what’s not. Make sure the handles of pots and pans are turned inward on the stovetop so you and older children don’t accidentally bump them and spill hot liquids or food.

3. Build up skills step-by-step. Children can develop many essential skills in the kitchen, such as following recipes or counting slices of bread. For more advanced skills, start slowly and have your child master easy tasks before attempting harder ones. Teach older children to use a knife by starting them off with cutting soft items like cheese and cooked noodles with a dull spreader. As your child’s coordination develops, they can move on to slicing or sawing vegetables and fruit with a plastic knife.
4. Keep it fun. Cooking can be messy even without children, so don’t stress over the “oops” moments. If the cookie batter ends up on the floor instead of the baking sheet, offer some guidance and let your child try again. You can make cleaning it up fun too!

When your meal is complete, be sure to compliment your sous chef on a job well done. Offer them the first taste of whatever you cooked together and ask them what you should make next time. Bon appétit!"

Thank you Emily, for a great post!

Think your kids won't eat tofu and kale?

My children continue to amaze me with what the eat. Last night, it was sautéed dino kale with Italian white beans (the really big ones), both from Half Moon Bay's Iacopi Farms and strips of tofu (Hodosoy's Yuba) topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. I joked with one friend on Facebook "When did I become so crunchy?!".

If you asked me 7 years ago, when my motherhood career began, I never would have thought any child would have eaten this. After having children, my perspective changed dramatically. It comes down to what I tell my clients, never assume what your children will and won't eat. I feel my role in this equation is to make sure people know how to cook food properly and how to season dishes effectively. This can make all of the difference in the world.

I'm going to break down the recipe in parts for you first:

I soaked the beans in the crock pot. Yes, you can always use canned beans but what a difference. Beans soaked in the crock pot come out really creamy (thanks, Lisa, for that suggestion). If you are cooking in the crock pot, place rinsed beans with about 4-6x more water and cook on High for 2-3 hours. Change the setting to Low for another 2 hours. I had to do this manually but maybe your cooker has the ability to be programmed. Either way, the result was a cooked, tender and creamy bean that was good by itself. You could always soak for 8 hours but it may need to be cooked for another hour on the stove afterwards.
Family Tip: for the picky eater, keep the beans separate from the rest of the dish or serve them mashed with some olive oil and a pinch of salt. They are also really good with pasta.

Sauté chopped onion and ground pepper in a little olive oil but not salt. Cook on a medium heat, stirring only occasionally. Add some butter and cook a few minutes, then add the garlic and salt. Cook for one minute before adding the kale.
Family Tip: By adding the butter, it adds great flavor to the dish. You can always add more olive oil. If your children don't like garlic, remove a portion of the kale for them and then add the garlic to the pan for your dish.

While the onion cooks, cut the kale into strips and place in a bowl of water. I normally take the stem out but I did not do that this time; it was fine. This kale is called dino or dinosaur kale. The other name you might see is Laciniato. It also makes great kale chips. Bake cut strips that have been drizzled with olive oil and sea salt in a 400F oven for 11-15 minutes or until crisp. Ok, another thing I didn't expect my kids to love but they do.
Family Tip: Try serving raw kale with Caesar dressing and shredded carrots; it's delicious. And extremely healthy.

When the onion is golden brown, remove the kale from the bowl by scooping it up with your hands. You want some water on it to help it cook. Don't tilt the pan to drain the water. If there's any dirt, it might end up in your dish. Place all of the kale on top of the onion, give it a quick stir and then place a cover on top. I use a cover that's slightly smaller than the pan so it sits on top of the kale and presses it down. It cooks in a matter of minutes and does not burn. If it seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan.
Family Tip: You can also serve the kale prepared like this with rice, risotto or pasta. For the pasta, add some milk or cream and some grated cheese.

The company Hodosoy creates this interesting product called Yuba. It is the Japanese word for the tender "skin" that is formed on top of soymilk when it's heated. It doesn't have much of a taste but takes on the taste of the dish. I took the piece and cut strips (chiffonade-style) to create long pieces that almost looked like fettuccine. It's fun and easy to work with.
Family Tip: The possibilities are endless with this product unless of course, you can't have soy. I would give this to any picky eater. It's fun to unroll it and you can dip it in anything!

Local Tip: For those of you in the bay area, make sure to try Iacopi farms for the dino kale and Italian butter beans. They are organic and delicious. You can find them at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market. http://cuesa.org/markets/

Dino Kale with Beans and Yuba Strips (see above for details on how to do each step)

2-3 c cooked large white dry beans or 2 cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp olive oil
Few grinds of freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of dino kale, chopped into strips
8 oz plain yuba, cut into strips
1 tsp good quality extra virgin olive oil for "finishing"
2-3 Tbl grated Parmesan or any hard Italian cheese

1. Heat pan to medium. Add oil, then onions and pepper. Cook for a few minutes only stirring occasionally. Add butter and cook until almost golden.
2. Add salt and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add kale, stir and then place a cover on top of the kale. Cook for 4-6 minutes.
4. Remove cover, add beans and yuba; stir. Cook for 2 minutes or until beans and yuba are warm. Add finishing oil.
5. Place in a bowl and serve with grated cheese.

Quick and easy cioppino recipe

I have lived in Northern California for over a decade and I have never made cioppino until last week. I have no idea why; maybe it seemed intimidating, even to me! After having it at a friend's house over the holidays and seeing how simple it was, I knew it was time for me to tackle it.

The recipe she used was this one from Giada de Laurentiis which was delicious, of course, but one thing she (my friend, not Giada) complained about was the availability (and cost) of the fish stock. Since I often make seafood risotto with chicken stock, I was curious if I could pull it off for cioppino as well.

After making it last weekend for some friends, the results were unanimous; the chicken stock not only made the broth lighter but it was less salty. I decided to use the juice from the canned clams to add some extra flavor. With the exception of the halibut and the crab (it's high season for Dungeness right now), the other fish was frozen (shrimp and scallops) or from a can (chopped clams). I know the recipe usually has fresh clams and mussels but was looking to simplify the recipe as much as possible.

So grab your garlic toast (gluten-free, in my case) and try this recipe!

Quick and Easy Cioppino

What is cioppino? There are many versions but no matter how you slice it, you are cooking fish and seafood in a simmering broth of tomato and wine. If you want straight-forward and easy, this recipe is for you.

2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp unsalted butter
1 large or 2 small onions, cut into thin slices
1 bulb of fennel, cut into thin slices (if you don’t like or don’t have fennel, leave this out)
¼ tsp ground pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper (add more if you like it spicier)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/3 c tomato paste (freeze any leftover in a ziploc bag for another time)
4 cups of fish broth OR 1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth (see note)
2 cups dry white wine
Juice from 1 can of chopped clams (reserve clams for later)
1 bay leaf

1 lb halibut, cut into chunks
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 size)
1 lb sea scallops (cut in half if large)
Clams from chopped clams can
1 Dungeness cooked crab, cleaned and cracked

Note: you can use a light chicken broth in this recipe if you don’t have fish stock on hand. It comes out very well and is less expensive. You could also use a vegetable broth.

1. Sauté onion and fennel in olive oil and butter with the black and crushed red pepper. Cook until softened and golden. Add garlic and salt and cook for 1 minute.

2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, wine, clam juice and bay leaf. Bring this to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or until the onion and fennel are soft and the broth has thickened.

3. About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, bring the broth back up to a boil. Add the thickest fish first. Then add remaining fish or seafood in stages, waiting about two minutes in between. Try to keep the broth at a simmer. Add anything cooked like the clams or the crab at the very end and just heat through. Remove bay leaf. It is very hard to digest so you want to make sure you don't eat it.

4. Before serving, taste the broth to make sure the balance of salt and pepper is right. If it tastes “flat”, add more salt. If you want it spicier, add more crushed red pepper.