Author Archives: Emily

About Emily

Emily is the Ambassador Coordinator here at Udi’s Gluten Free. She has been with the company for over 1 year and adores our gluten free cookies.

Celiac Awareness Events in May

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There are countless things to celebrate this month: graduates, mothers, our nation’s veterans, weddings, horse races, warmer weather… and the list goes on! In the gluten free community, the month of May means one thing – Celiac Awareness Month.  For those of us on the Udi’s Gluten Free outreach team, May is full of in-store demos, fundraiser walks, gluten-free fairs, pre-game gluten-free parties and support group meetings; it is all-hands-on-deck for celiac disease awareness! We absolutely could not do it all without the help of our Udi’s Community Ambassadors. Our Ambassadors can be found all over the country, representing our brand to the fullest and engaging with our fans. Keep an eye out for them in your local community; I know they would love to see you. Here are just a few of the events our Ambassadors will be working in the month of May. Check Facebook often, as we will be posting more events on our page.

  • Saturday, May 12th: Alliance for Lupus Walk with Us to Cure Lupus, Seattle, WA, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM http://walk.lupusresearch.org/site/TR/Events/FLB?fr_id=2880&pg=entry
  • Saturday, May 12th: Making Tracks for Celiacs, Clarence Town Park, Buffalo, NY, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM http://www.celiacwalk.org/
  • Saturday, May 12th: Draeger’s Market Gluten Free Fair, Danville, CA, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Sunday, May 13th: Wegman’s King of Prussia New Store Opening Demo, King of Prussia, PA, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
  • Saturday, May 19th: Smith’s Gluten Free Store Event, 500 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84102, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Sunday, May 20th: Making Tracks for Celiacs, Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, 1100 Lakeshore Road, Grosse Point, MI 48236,  9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • Sunday, May 20th: Earth Fare In-Store Demo, Huntersville, NC, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • Friday, May 25th: Udi’s Gluten Free Pre-Game Party @ Arizona Diamondbacks, Coach and Willies, Phoenix, AZ, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Comment below and tell us if you will be able to make any of these events. We hope to see you soon!

Simple And Healthy Meals For Young Professionals

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Searching for fresh, healthy and simple meals for the busy work week?  As a young professional, I find it a weekly challenge to cook. I am always on the search for new recipes to keep variety and convenience in my daily meals.

QuinoaLately, I’ve been on a quinoa kick. I’ve been making a batch at the beginning of each week and using the ancient grain in a different way each day. Top with salsa, sautéed veggies, beans or nuts and you have a satisfying meal. I’ve also been topping my salad greens with quinoa to add a nutritious punch to carry me through an afternoon at the office and an evening workout.

Not only is quinoa easy to make, but it is also packed full of nutrients. It is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids that are the body’s building blocks for muscle. It also contains magnesium which helps relax your muscles and blood vessels and other minerals, such as manganese, that act as antioxidants to help vend off cancer causing free radicals. Referred to as a “mother grain” and grown in the high Andes, quinoa was considered a sacred grain in the Inca tradition (source: http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/quinoa-march-grain-of-the-month). It has certainly made a comeback in recent years and is used in a wide range of products, from beverages to baked goods.

On top of all these benefits, quinoa is gluten free, making it a great option for those who have Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance.  What I like most about quinoa is its versatility; it can be used in so many recipes! Below are a few ideas to get you started.

Black Quinoa Asian Slaw

INGREDIENTS
For the slaw:

  • Black Quinoa Asian Slaw8 ounces black quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups red cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup snap peas, bias cut
  • 1 cup carrots, shredded
  • 1 cup scallions, bias cut
  • 1 mango, diced small
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • Sesame seeds, toasted, to garnish

For the dressing:

  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Rinse black quinoa under cold water until water runs clear.  Place black quinoa in boiling water and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
  2. In a small bowl combine orange juice, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha sauce.  Slowly whisk in sesame oil to create an emulsion.  Set aside to incorporate flavors in dressing.
  3. In a large bowl combine black quinoa, red cabbage, snap peas, carrots, scallions, mango, and cilantro.
  4. Fold in dressing and let chill in fridge. When ready to serve, garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Quinoa-Spinach Bake

INGREDIENTS

  • Olive-oil cooking spray
  • Breadcrumbs, for baking dish (Udi’s Whole Grain Bread)
  • 1 pound spinach leaves, picked and washed
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 tablespoon picked fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked quinoa), made according to package directions
  • 1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with olive-oil spray. Coat with breadcrumbs and set aside.
  2. Fill a large bowl with ice and water, set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add spinach, blanch until bright green for about 10 seconds. Transfer to ice bath. When spinach is cold remove it from ice bath. Squeeze out all water  and finely chop,set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and red-pepper flakes, and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a medium bowl.
  4. Add spinach, quinoa, cottage cheese, pepper, and eggs to the onion mixture and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and place in the oven. Bake until set and edges are brown for 60 to 70 minutes. Slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Quinoa “Oatmeal” Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • Quinoa Cookies6 tablespoons dairy free/ soy free margarine (may substitute with butter)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soft silken tofu (may substitute with 1 egg)
  • 3/4 cup quinoa flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. gluten free vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups Arzu Original Flavor
  • 1/2 cup raisins (may substitute with dried cranberries)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream margarine, brown sugar and tofu (or egg).
  3. Add quinoa flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute on high. Add vanilla and Arzu. Mix well. Add raisins and gently mix in.
  4. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment lined cookie sheet.
  5. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
  6. Cool before storing in air tight container.

Do you have any fabulous quinoa recipes to share? Would you try any of the recipes above?

A Recipe For Gluten Free Pancakes

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Gluten Free PancakesI have a confession: I work for Udi’s Gluten Free  and I’m not gluten free.   However, through my work with Udi’s Ambassador’s Program,  I’ve learned first hand that gluten free is more than just a diet …it’s a lifestyle.

From conversations with mothers who struggle to find products their children will eat, to hugs from enthusiastic Udi’s fans, to learning that gluten free eating can enhance athletic performance, I’ve learned being Gluten Free is more than just eating.  It is a community and I am privileged to be a part of it.

All that said,  in the name of solidarity I decided to take a basic recipe and make it so delicious no one would know it’s gluten free. Since February is National Hot Breakfast Month (every month should be “Hot Breakfast Month,” I love breakfast for any meal), I chose my family’s pancake recipe. My dad is the official pancake-maker in my family,  and it is a treat to have them when I am home visiting. There is a satisfaction that comes with making them from scratch and a comfort in using a family recipe.

Gluten Free FlourAfter looking at the recipe, I realized  I would have to find the right GF flour and make sure my baking soda, baking powder, butter and buttermilk were certified gluten free. The rest of the ingredients were already naturally gluten free. I found Bob’s Red Mill flour worked the best and provided the same consistency as the gluten-filled counterpart. Even my roommate exclaimed, “These are good!”

Here’s my ‘new’ family recipe:

Ingredients:
1 egg
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup buttermilk
½ tsp GF baking soda
½ tsp GF baking powder
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
3 Tbsp melted butter
Yields 12-14 pancakes

Directions:
1.    Beat egg slightly in medium size bowl. Add salt and sugar. Stir in buttermilk.
2.    Combine baking soda, baking powder and flour in small bowl. Add to buttermilk mixture. Stir in butter.
Gluten Free Pancake Batter
3.    Heat griddle to medium high. Grease lightly. Pour 4 inch circles of batter on griddle. When bubbles rise to surface and break, turn and continue cooking until golden brown.
Gluten Free Pancakes Griddle
4. Add anything to this recipe that strikes your fancy:  blueberries, chocolate chips or chopped nuts.

I found it a rewarding experience to modify a recipe, to use unfamiliar ingredients and to closely read product labels. Getting into the details helped me become just a little more aware of the challenges faced by those I work closely with everyday.

I’m looking forward to seeing what else I can make from scratch.
I challenge everyone to try this little experiment…
start with a basic recipe and see if you can make it gluten free.

Care to join me? For the gluten-free veterans out there, what gluten-free recipes have you perfected? Can your family and friends tell the difference?

Favorite Gluten-Free Recipes from Udi’s Employees

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Ever wonder who works behind the scenes at Udi’s Gluten Free?  While not all of us in the office have a dietary need to follow a GF diet, many of us have found the joys of cooking this way! Here is a look into a few Udi’s employees’ favorite GF recipes.

 

Cynthia, Inside Sales Manager
Recipe: Gluten Free Apple Crisp (Dutch Oven)

I actually borrowed this recipe from a friend: He is on a gluten free diet (and loves Udi’s) and when camping in MOAB last year he made the yummiest Gluten Free Apple Crust in a Dutch Oven on the campfire.

Not sure if it was the location (everybody that has been to Moab knows what I mean) or the fact that the cooking took place on an actual campfire in a Dutch oven or that Udi’s granola was used but…. YUMMY! It might have been the best gluten free apple crust ever.

Ingredients

  • Gluten-Free Apple Crisp8 apples, peeled and sliced
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 1/2 cup GF flour
  • 1/2 cup GF rolled oats (we used Udi’s GF Granola Au Naturel)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Cinnamon
  • We actually ate it with fresh ice cream made in one of those funny plastic ice cream maker balls.

Directions

  • To prepare the crisp, begin by peeling your apples. Once peeled, slice the apples roughly 1/4 inch thick—ending up with pieces no bigger than 1 1/2 inches in any dimension. Make sure your camp Dutch oven starts shiny (coated with oil). Toss your sliced apples into it.
  • Add 1/2 cup of sugar, the juice squeezed from a fresh lemon, and a dash or two of cinnamon. Stir things around to combine.
  • Slice up 1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons) into manageable pats, and add these to the apples. Stir around to combine/spread out the butter.
  • Separately, combine the flour, oats, the rest of the sugar (roughly 1/4 cup), another dash or two of cinnamon, and salt to taste
  • Sprinkle this flour/oat mixture on top of apples, and then add the remaining stick of butter (sliced / 8 tablespoons) on top of the crisp.
  • Place the Dutch oven on the cleared spot in the campfire, and then pile glowing coals on top of the lid about 3 inches high.
  • The crisp should now bake for 45 minutes to an hour.  Keep checking it every 5-10 minutes (depending on how quickly it seems to be cooking), and always be on the lookout for burning. It can happen quickly. Keep rotating base and lid every time you check, and replace lid coals as needed to keep the top heat strong.

And the kids on camp got the scrape out the last pieces till it was all gone…..
And to be totally fair I should include the link to my friend’s blog about this one.

http://www.derekoncastiron.com/2010/06/recipe-camp-dutch-oven-apple-crisp.html

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Susannah, University Outreach Coordinator
Recipe: Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

As a kid with wheat and dairy allergy, my Mom had to be crafty with her cooking and baking. She developed these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to conceal the “gluten free” taste of the cookies. Nowadays, these cookies are so much better because of the amazing improvements in the allergen free market. I make them every Thanksgiving and it always reminds me of eating them with such joy as a kid!

Ingredients

  • Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies1 cup canned organic pumpkin
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 2/3 cup sorghum flour
  • 1/3 cup potato starch
  • 1 tsp. xanthan gum
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp. vanilla
  • 2 tsp. almond milk
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 bag of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Combine pumpkin, sugar, applesauce, egg, almond milk, and vanilla.
  3. Combine brown rice flour, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a separate bowl.
  4. Slowly add the flour mix to the pumpkin mix.
  5. Mix in chocolate chips.
  6. Grease cookie sheet and spoon dough onto sheet.
  7. Bake for 12-14 minutes until they no longer look wet.
  8. Let sit for 5 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.
  9. Enjoy!

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Regan, Outreach Manager
Recipe: Grape and Quinoa Salad

I like this recipe very much. I used this recipe for my cooking class a few years ago. It’s simple and fresh, but fast.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of cooked quinoa
  • 1 1/2 cups of green and red grapes, quartered
  • 1/2 cup dry roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup Canola Oil
  • 2 TBSP Fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp     Light Agave
  • 1/4 tsp Salt

Directions
Mix quinoa, grapes, hazelnuts, and green onion in large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, agave, and salt. Add to quinoa mix and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

BASIC QUINOA RECIPE

  • 1 cup Quinoa
  • 1 1/2 cups Cold Water
  • 1/2 tsp Salt (optional)

Soak the quinoa for 15 minutes in water. Stir the quinoa with your hand and carefully pour out the water using a fine mesh strainer. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and salt (if desired) to rinsed quinoa. Bring to boil, cover with lid and turn heat down to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and sit for 5 minutes with the lid on. Fluff quinoa with fork and serve.

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Natasha, Sales Manager
Recipe: Grain Free, Dairy Free Waffles

This is one of my favorite (grain-free, dairy free) recipes. I have adapted it from http://www.nourishingdays.com. Below you will see my adjustments and some instructions for waffles. Enjoy – not hard, I promise you.

I adjust the temperature of my waffle iron higher than the usual setting for flour based waffles, I find it makes them crisper and “waffle” like. Note: you have to know your iron, it took me a few tries to “dial in” the proper temp. Waffle enthusiasts will get this ;)

Ingredients

  • Gluten-Free Waffles4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup milk (I use coconut milk out of the can, but any non-dairy or dairy milk will do)
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon honey or a pinch of Stevia (I use about 5-7 drops of liquid Stevia extract)
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • Coconut oil or butter for frying
  • For waffles: 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions

  1. Froth eggs (very important the froth makes the cakes fluffy).
  2. Add all other liquid ingredients, mixing constantly.
  3. Slowly add coconut flour, mixing as you go.
  4. If batter looks to runny be sure to only add 1 tablespoon of coconut flour at a time (it is very absorbent).
  5. *I have also added hemp protein to give these a little more of a health kick. Same rule: 1 Tablespoon at a time.

What are some of your all time favorite GF recipes? Do any of our employees’ favorites strike your fancy?