Polenta On The Grill

Creamy polenta, polenta rounds, polenta with seasonings, polenta with vegetables, polenta stuffing, soft, fried, sautéed and yes, even grilled; there are so many ways to prepare and enjoy naturally gluten-free polenta.

Polenta in its varied forms is a great alternative to pasta or rice as a side dish. This is a food that can easily take on the different ethnic flavors of the world by adding a few regional ingredients. Make it Italian by adding garlic, roasted red peppers or tomatoes or give it a Latin flair with jalapeno peppers, garlic, onions and cilantro. Polenta’s flavor possibilities are only limited by one’s imagination.

Now imagine grilled polenta! Grilled polenta can take the place of bread and can be served on the side as an accompaniment or like a slice of ‘toast’ covered with a variety of entrees.

For Basic Grilled Polenta:

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup polenta
• 2 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• Olive oil

Butter a loaf pan and set aside. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Add salt and gradually pour in polenta, stirring constantly until thickened. Reduce heat and continue to cook and stir until mixture holds together and leaves a crust on the sides of the pan. Stir in butter until blended and transfer mixture to the loaf pan, spreading evenly. Let cool, cover and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. Invert loaf pan onto a cutting board, removing polenta. Cut into pieces (squares, triangles or rectangles) and brush with oil. Grill over medium-hot fire until browned on both sides.

Instead of potatoes, try these grilled polenta recipes at your next out door grill;

Grilled Polenta with Gruyere
Grilled Polenta with Tomato Sauce
Grilled Grits with Goat Cheese

Chicken Salad Revisited

Chicken Salad, once an old restaurant standby, has come of age. Flavored from spices and ingredients from around the world, today’s Chicken Salad has been transformed into a nutritious meal fit for an elegant lunch or entrée.

There are many ways to prepare the chicken meat to be used in a salad. Steeping, produces a moist, breast that can then be shredded and flavored. Roasting, is a method that will leave you with the remaining roasted chicken parts that can be eaten as is or used in numerous other recipes. Quick pan frying, is a simple method that results in tender inside meat and a browned and slightly crisp texture outside.

To steep:

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.

Add skinned and boned chicken breasts to the pan; cover and return to a boil. Removed from heat and let stand. Let chicken sit for about 15-20 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Remove chicken from water and let cool before shredding.

To roast:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash and dry a whole chicken inside and out. Salt and pepper inside of cavity and outside of chicken. Place chicken on a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting for 45-60 minutes or until inside temperature reaches 180 degrees F.

To pan fry:

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter with 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Flatten skinless, boneless chicken breasts with a meat mallet until they are uniform in thickness. Salt and pepper chickenbreasts. Place chicken in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown on one side and then turn breasts over and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove cover and test for doneness.

Whatever your method for cooking the chicken, we’re sure you will love these flavorful chicken salads!

Chicken Curry Salad
Chicken and Grapefruit Salad
Chicken Tostada Salad
Chicken Pasta Salad with Tomatoes & Kalamata Olives

The ABC’s of Back to School

Recently I’ve been to several gluten-free conventions and have had the pleasure to either instruct cooking classes or lecture on how to eat well on a gluten-free diet. Inevitably, simply due to the large number of children diagnosed with Celiac disease, the question arises about what to send with our Celiac kids to school. Through my own experience and, it appears to be the same for many other mothers, this tends to be more of an issue for us, mothers (and fathers) than it tends to be for our kids. My son is very forgiving about gf bread and is ecstatic about special treats like gluten-free cookies. In fact, he gets so excited about his food that he wants to share it with all of his friends. That said, he is also quite comfortable with his standard favorites (much like most kids are having boring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 5 days a week!). I’m not sure if my child is just unusually relaxed about this or if this attitude is fairly common. We parents, I think, struggle so hard to have their lives be "normal" and wish their diets could be like every other "average" kid. But let’s face it — our kids are truly special — and I mean that in the most positive way.

If you are discouraged with school lunches, bag lunches and so forth, I’d like you to think about the positives this diet offers your children. Being on the gluten-free diet actually forces your children to eat healthier. All the processed junk food is now on the forbidden list, many fast food, pre-packaged ‘quick’ foods are also eliminated from their diet. Your children now can focus on eating wholesome foods, largely organic, in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables. Think about it — most "average" kids are consuming copious quantities of junk that their bodies simply do not need and could also benefit by eliminating these ‘empty’ foods from their diet.

So let’s talk about lunch and what your child can easily take to school and enjoy with pride. Here are some great tips for your child’s next ‘sack’ lunch:

Purchase small hot/cold containers that will hold a single portion. This way you can cook an extra serving or two for dinner and pack a hot lunch serving in your child’s lunch.

For some unknown reason, children who usually turn up their noses to hard-boiled eggs will eat a hard-boiled egg if it is any other color than white or brown. Color a dozen eggs and slip one into your child’s lunch as a colorful and nutritious surprise.

Cut up fresh vegetables and include a small sealable container of dip.

Make extra popcorn for an evening snack and mix some with nuts for a snack for lunch.

Print this calendar out and stick it on your fridge for great lunch ideas. Quick and easy meals your kids will enjoy every day of the week.

Week 1:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Gf Macaroni & Cheese Apple Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies	Celery Sticks w/Peanut Butter Colored Hard-boiled Egg Orange Popcorn w/Nuts	Boar’s Head lunch meat wrapped around cheese sticks and pinned together with colorful toothpicks Carrot Sticks Grapes Strawberry Bread	Hormel Mini Salami or Pepperoni Cheese Slices Blue Diamond Nut thin Crackers Banana Strawberry Bread	Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich (made with the Gluten Free Pantry’s Favorite Sandwich Bread mix) Gf Corn Chips Apple Decadent Brownies

Week 2:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
GF Spaghetti w/ Meatballs Carrot Sticks Grapes Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies	Polenta Pizzas Applesauce Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies	Chili & Hot Dogs Gf Corn Chips Orange Lemon Blueberry Squares	Colored Hard-boiled Egg Cheese Sticks Carrot Sticks Apple Popcorn	Gf fruit flavored yogurt (transfer to a thermos to keep cold) mixed with fresh fruit Corn Chips Grapes Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Week 3:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Apple Waffle Sandwiches with Peanut Butter & Jelly Red Grapes Chocolate Chip Cookies	Beef & Noodles Cherry tomatoes Popcorn w/Nuts	Chicken Nuggets Gf Chips Grapes Chocolate Chip Cookies	Chili Mac Cheese Slices Blue Diamond Nut thin Crackers Banana Carrot Spice Muffins	Taquitos Gf Corn Chips Apple Decadent Brownies

Week 4:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
GF Pasta with Herb Cheese Carrot Sticks Grapes Orange Polenta Cookies	Polenta Pizzas Applesauce Snickerdoodle Cookies	Gf Chili Gf Corn Chips Orange Snickerdoodle Cookies	Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich (made with the Gluten Free Pantry’s Favorite Sandwich Bread mix) Apple Popcorn	Pizza Macaroni Corn Chips Grapes Orange Polenta Cookies

These menu ideas are just that…’ideas’. Don’t break your back trying to make each and every thing on this calendar. But instead use the calendar as a idea place to vary your kid’s lunches and keep them excited about their food!

We hope you and your kids have a great school year!!!

Flavored Butters

Flavored butters are as versatile in ingredients as they are in their uses. Flavored butters are a great finish to grilled or broiled steak, fish, on gf bread, vegetables, chicken and too many things to mention them all! Flavored butters are a wonderful way to add a splash of flavor to grilled or broiled meats and fish without changing or adding any more steps. Flavored butters can change a plain meal to a meal with layers of flavor, simply and quickly. Make a few different flavored butters and store them in your refrigerator or freezer for future use. They are a great way to create a delicious meal when you’re out of time and need to pull an Ace out of your pocket. To serve, simply place a slice of the flavored butter on the cooked food and heat to just melting with a kitchen torch or briefly in the broiler.

Try our recipes this month featuring flavored butters, Grilled Steak with Chipotle or Halibut with Parmesan Parsley Butter.

Choose your favorite fish, meat, vegetables or bread and try these delicious flavored butters:

Maitre d’Hotel Butter

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 Tablespoon parsley, minced
• 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt & pepper to taste

Garlic Butter

• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 cloves roasted garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Honey Butter

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 Tablespoon buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons honey

Pecan Butter

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 Tablespoons pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions: Butter should be at room temperature. Combine all ingredients and place on wax paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a tube shape and store in the refrigerator until needed. When ready to use, cut into slices.