Friday, October 21, 2016

Trick or Treat - Gluten Free


Schar - Europe’s #1 gluten-free food brand. Over 30 dedicated gluten-free items in the US make Schar your gluten-free solution for bread, pasta, cookies, snacks, crackers & pizza.

Trick or treating is easy gluten-free. There are many main stream candies that are naturally Gluten-Free (see list below). What can be trickier are the parties and gatherings around Halloween. Here are a few suggestions to help make the day filled with fun not worry:

*   Make sure your trick or treat-er has a good meal before setting off. They are bound to be excited and not want to sit down – so tempt them with something fun and nutritious. What about chicken nuggets in the shape of pumpkins, or Gluten-Free spaghetti with meatballs? Their tummies will be full so they won’t be as tempted to fill up on treats while they're out.
*   If they're just too excited to sit down and eat, then on the go type of meals may be the answer. Try cheese and apple slices, carrots and hummus, or deli meat and cheese roll ups. Even a Gluten-Free peanut butter sandwich is a healthy meal for any ghost or goblin that can't wait to trick or treat.
*   Make sure to review the list of safe candies with your trick or treat-er before they leave home.
*   If a Halloween party is on the agenda then call the host ahead of time to find out if a meal or snacks are being served.  Offer to provide part of the meal or snacks – this ensures that there will be Gluten-Free options for your child.
 *   Offer to host the party! This will enable you to provide a completely Gluten-Free party that will be fun, delicious and no one will know the difference.
For classroom parties:
*   The key is to talk to the teacher ahead of time. Make sure she has a list of safe candies and treats. Offer to provide a hypoallergenic snack for all such as popcorn balls, baked apples – or even fresh ones!
*   There are many non-food related Halloween activities that the class can enjoy: Carving or decorating pumpkins, scavenger hunts, Halloween related books and stories create a Halloween play, research how pumpkins became a symbol of fall, investigate native foods and their growing cycle.
*   Encourage the teacher to take on a neighborhood project – collect canned goods for a homeless shelter, collecting monies for UNICEF or other local charities.
*   For treats think outside the candy aisle. There are lots of goodies that are non-food related. The offerings can be adapted to the age of the children. Treats can be; Halloween pencils or pens, stickers, small Halloween pumpkins and figurines, glow sticks, pen flashlights, even coins for UNICEF.
Here is a quick list of safe Gluten-Free candies. It is important to remember Halloween is also about dressing up, carving pumpkins, and getting friends together. Emphasize the nonfood aspects of the day. Please note that the candies listed below are Gluten-Free to the best of our knowledge. We cannot guarantee that they are Gluten-Free nor do we know what measures are taken by the manufacturers to avoid cross contamination.
Chocolates:
M&M's,   Milky Way DARK ONLY,   3 Musketeers,   Baby Ruth,   Butterfinger,   Chunky,   Dove,   Hershey's Kisses,   Hershey's Bar – Plain,   Junior Mints,   Mounds,   Oh Henry,   Payday,   Reese's Peanut Butter Cups,   Snickers
Non Chocolate treats:
Brach's Candy Corn (Autumn Mix, and Pumpkins), Pez,   Pixie Sticks,   Nerds,   Sweet Tarts,   Tic Tacs,   Spree,   Starbursts,   Jolly Ranchers,   Tootsie Rolls and Pops,   Laffy Taffy,   Lifesavers,   Lifesavers Gummies,   Fun Dip,   Peeps Marshmallow Treats (Not Cookie Flavor),   Most Gums,   Haribro Gummy Treats,   Sour Patch Kids,   Ring Pops,   Skittles,   Sugar Babies,   Mary Jane's,   Charleston Chews
HALLOWEEN RECIPES
*   Pumpkin face shortbread cookies
Ingredients:   Schar shortbread cookies, vanilla cake icing, red and yellow food coloring, chocolate chips, green cake decorating icing, any other decorations you and the children may want.

Method:   On a cookie sheet lay out the shortbread cookies. Mix the red and yellow food colors into the vanilla icing until you get a nice pumpkin orange.  Spread about 1-2 tsp of orange icing on each cookie Use the chocolate chips to create the pumpkin face. Use the green cake decorating gel or icing to make the green stem.
*   Spaghetti with Meat Balls
Ingredients:
1 cup Schar Bread Crumbs
2 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup Shredded Parmesan & Romano Cheese
2 tsp minced Garlic
2 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1lb 80% Lean Ground Beef
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
1. Add bread crumbs, eggs, water, cheese, garlic, parsley, seasoning, salt, and pepper to large bowl; stir to combine. Add beef; mix by hand until just combined (overmixing will toughen meatballs).
2. Scoop up about 3 Tbsp meat mixture to form balls; smooth by rolling in cupped hands. Arrange meatballs on baking sheet, about 1 1/2-inches apart.
3. Bake 15-17 min or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees (check by inserting thermometer halfway into thickest part of meatball). Transfer to clean platter.
 *   Pumpkin Shaped Chicken (or fish) Nuggets
Ingredients:
Chicken breast (or flounder cut into pumpkin shape with a cookie cutter)
1 cup Schar gluten free breadcrumbs
1 cup crushed potato chips
½ tsp Pepper
½ tsp Garlic salt
½ tsp Oregano, crushed
1 Egg, beaten

Directions:
Heat oven to 400
Lightly coat the bottom of a baking pan with oil. Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the egg. Cut the chicken or fish into desired size and/or shapes. Dip the chicken or fish into the egg then into the coating mixture. Place the chicken or fish in the pan. Repeat until all chicken is coated.
Bake for 20 – 30 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the pieces.
*   Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup ground walnuts
1 cup crushed Schar shortbread cookies
1/4 cup brown sugar
Use the ground nut and crushed shortbread cookie mixture as if it were graham crackers. Mix with butter, brown sugar and a dash of gluten-free flour. Press into pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cheesecake:
4 packages cream cheese
4 eggs
1 ½ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree
Topping:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
½ tsp vanilla
Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 450.
2. Make crust, bake and set aside to let cool.
3. In mixing bowl cream together the cream cheese, sugar.
4. When sugar mixture is creamed and fluffy add pumpkin.
5. Add eggs one at a time.
6. Add spices.
7. Pour over nut crust.
8. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.
9. Turn oven down to 350 and bake for 55 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes ut clean. 
10. Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla together.
11. Remove cheesecake from oven. Spoon sour cream mixture over top of cheesecake leaving room around the edge, covering any cracks.
12. Return to oven and bake for another 15 minutes at 350.
13. Remove from oven and let cool for one hour, then refrigerate.
14. Best when refrigerated over night.

Carolanne Le Blanc
FaceBook:  http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida
Meeting:  4th Saturday of every month except December
Imperial Palms, East Clubhouse, 101 Imperial Palm Drive, Largo, Florida 33771

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