The GFCF Experience Halloween Candy Guide

I originally posted this list last year, and received a lot of great feedback about new candies and even some confusion about existing candies, so here is an updated GFCF candy list for 2009. This list is primarily taken from http://www.gfcfdiet.com/, and is certainly not exhaustive. I am also sticking to candies that are typically given out on Halloween, so I won't be looking at specialty type candies here.

In light of the comments I received from last year, there are a few disclaimers I need to state before we start:

DISCLAIMER I While the products I list here are GFCF to the best of my knowledge, ingredients can and do change, and there is also the possibility that certain varieties of products are GFCF and others are not. So please read all labels before purchasing.

DISCLAIMER II This list is for GFCF candies. As such, it does not take into account candies that are GF but not casein free (like Three Musketeers, Butterfinger, or Tootsie Rolls). For a list of GF candies, please check out the links found at this site (there are probably a few additional GFCF items here too). Thanks, Bunny, for bringing this to my attention!

DISCLAIMER III Let's call this the Smarties disclaimer. As Lauren at Celiac Teen pointed out to me last year,products with one name in the United States can be vastly different than products with the same name in a different country. As an example, the Smarties I am familiar with are pure flavored sugar in a wafer the size of a Sweet Tart. But, the Smarties Lauren is familiar with in Canada are made by Nestle and, as she puts it, are a lot like M&M's, only better, and definitely NOT GFCF. The bottom line again is to make sure you read all labels carefully!

DISCLAIMER IV There is no......DISCLAIMER IV. At least not yet...

Anyway, on to the list!

• Starburst Fruit Chews - The original fruit chews, others may or may not be GFCF.
  
  
• Skittles - same as above. both Starburst and Skittles have cream varieties that I don't think are CF.
  
  
• Lollipops - DumDums and Charms are GFCF, as are most lollipops that do not have a cream component in them. Tootsie Pops are a definite no no here!!!
  
  
• Sweet Tarts
  
  
• Spree
  
  
• Smarties - Note that the Smarties necklaces reportedly contain gluten.
  
  
• NECCO Wafers
  
  
• Jolly Rancher Hard Candy
  
  
• Gobstoppers
  
  
• Bottle Caps
  
  
• Pixy Sticks
  
  
• Nerds
  
  
• Runts
  
  
• Gum - Double-Bubble, Wrigleys, Trident (NOTE: read labels and watch out for Recaldent, a casein derivative, in some gums)
  
  
• Mike and Ike
  
  
• Haribo Gummy Bears
  
  
• Jelly Beans - Starburst, SOME Jelly Belly, Jolly Rancher, Mars (PLEASE READ LABELS!!)
  
  
• ACT II Popcorn Balls
  
  
• Mary Jane's
  
  
• Candy Corn and Candy Pumpkin - most of these are GFCF, but we have seen some that are not. Again, you need to read the labels to be sure.
  
  
• Farley's Candy and Sather's Candy - Farley's and Sather's sell bags of candies, like gummy worms or candy corn or other hard candy. But on their website, they do not include liGFCF information, citing the fact that ingredients do often change. They offer you the option of filling out an on-line request form, or simply calling them at 1-888-247-9855 to request the GFCF information. AND MAKE SURE YOU READ THE LABELS.
  
  
• Fruit Leathers
  
  
• Yummy Earth Candies make great organic treats that are GFCF with no artificial colors or dyes and no corn syrup. You can find them at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, even Toys R Us. Or you can order them online.
  
  

As I said, this is not an exhaustive list. If you have a favorite GFCF Halloween candy that is not listed here, please leave me a comment and I will add it to the list.

Now unfortunately, all the other families in your neighborhood, where your kids will be trick or treating, don't have this same information. Which, of course, means that your kids will be getting Reeses and Snickers and Three Musketeers and Hershey's and all the rest of those candies that they cannot have. What to do? What to do?

Here is what we do, with the full understanding of our children. We go out and buy bags of the stuff they can have and hang on to it. Then, after Trick or Treating is done, all the candy is placed into a big bowl. After the kids go to bed, Valerie and I remove all the non-GFCF candies and those we're not sure about and replace them with the GFCF candy we bought. All of the non-GFCF candy either goes to work with me or gets shipped to soldiers overseas or donated to the local food bank. And the kid's candy gets put on top of the refrigerator, and given out sparingly.

I hope this list helps you to have a Happy GFCF Halloween!

The GFCF Recipe Experience: Chicken Lasagna

Things have slowly returned to normal in our household since I last posted. Illnesses have lingered, but not enough to keep kids from school and Dad from work - with the exception of Nicholas, whose flu morphed into pneumonia, keeping him out of school until today. The snow stayed around for a few days before finally succumbing to more normal fall-like conditions. But the need for comfort food was still there, and a sale on chicken breasts prompted a desire to make a great comfort food, lasagna.

More on that in a moment. But first, I wanted to respond to a couple of comments that were left on some of my posts recently, and thank you for those comments!

First, an anonymous commenter on my article about Vegan Gourmet cheese suggested trying Cheezly brand cheeses. They are imported from Great Britan, and can be ordered online from Vegan Essentials. Cheezly comes in five flavors, and is available for $5.99 for a 6.7 oz. block, or $25.95 for a 2 lb. block, plus shipping. I also just discovered that back in June, Alisa at Go Dairy Free published a review of 4 different vegan cheeses, originally published at www.quarrygirl.com. Included in this review were not only Follow Your Heart and Cheezly, but also Sheese (imported from Scotland) and Teese, made by the Chicago Soydairy. Cheezly came out on top, but it is significantly more expensive than Follow Your Heart.

A second comment, also by an anonymous commenter, was left on my recipe for Shepherd's Pie, asking which brands of instant mashed potato flakes are GFCF. We use Idahoan, which are 100% potatoes with some preservatives, but no added potential allergens. In other threads on the internet I have also seen people recommend the Great Value brand (sold at Walmart) and Betty Crocker Potato Buds, though I have not used either. Note that these are just the base instant mashed potato flakes - those that contain additional flavorings may not be GFCF. As always, read the labels carefully and check with the manufacturer if you have any questions.

Now, on to lasagna!

With lasagna, there are two things that can be GFCF nightmares - the pasta and the cheese. The former is quite simple to overcome - GF pasta makers like Tinkayada make rice-based lasagna noodles that can be prepared just like wheat-based noodles. Or, in our case, we used DeBoles rice lasagna noodles, which are nice because you don't have to precook them; just layer them in the pan with the rest of the ingredients and bake!

Then there's the cheese, which is always a challenge. As far as I know, no one makes a CF ricotta cheese substitute commercially. If you surf the web, you will find many people making a "ricotta cheese" using a tofu base. I've also seen some using miso as a base, and I actually tried this one time, but the flavor was just not agreeable in my opinion, or the kids for that matter.

Then the solution - why do you need to use a ricotta-type CF filling? My kids love the Follow Your Heart mozzarella cheese, so why not just use it? Which is just what I did.

This is a really simple recipe - the hardest part is cooking the chicken. And while we just used the basics, there is no reason why other things couldn't be added, like your favorite veggies in a layer (my wife personally thinks a little onion and garlic would be a great addition). And while you don't get the creaminess of ricotta, using the Follow Your Heart cheese gave the dish a sort of rustic look, and a dish that had my kids screaming for seconds. And that's what matters the most.

CHICKEN LASAGNA

Ingredients

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 - 3 breast halves)
8 - 12 oz. GFCF tomato sauce (I used Classico Tomato and Basil)
1/2 - 1 package DeBoles Rice Pasta noodles (no precooking required)
1 8oz. package Follow Your Heart Mozzarella CF Cheese, shredded
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper


Preheat the oven to 350°.

Prepare the chicken. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Place in the pan and cook about 4 - 5 minutes on both sides. Remove the chicken and slice into thin (1/8") pieces. If the chicken is not completely cooked through return the slices to the pan for a minute or two until chicken is finished cooking.

Assemble the lasagna. Spray a 13"x9"x2" pan with cooking spray. Place a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of noodles, making sure to seat them in the sauce. Add another layer of tomato sauce on top of the noodles. Next, place half the chicken on to of the sauce, then half the cheese on top of the chicken. Repeat the noodle, sauce, chicken, and cheese layers.

Bake. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for a few minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

The GFCF Recipe Experience: Chicken Stock, Take II

When I last posted we were in the midst of an Indian Summer start to the Fall season. Temperatures were in the low 80s during the day, the humidity was low, and the skies were that deep blue that makes you realize why they call Montana "Big Sky Country". Aside from reinvigoring local wildfires that had been dormant for a couple of months, it was pretty idyllic.

That was almost three weeks ago. Things can change pretty quickly.

It all started a week ago. The weekend had started off as usual for us - a nice warm family breakfast. Except that Olivia, who normally eats enough for two, wouldn't touch hers. By lunch, Julia had lost her appetite as well. As the weekend progressed, Nicholas fell ill as well, then Valerie. By Monday morning, the bug had hit Helena as well. The kids were home from school sick, and I was home from work - mostly to help Valerie with the kids as she was ill, but partly to try and keep from getting sick myself.

It didn't work.

By Tuesday the chills had set in and I began coughing violently. By Wednesday, the doctor had confirmed it was the flu. H1N1? We'll never know, because the doctor said it wasn't worth spending $90 to take a test that's anywhere from 30% to 90% inaccurate. I had the flu, I needed to rest and drink lots of fluids, and I needed to stay home for the rest of the week. The prescription for the codeine-laced cough medicine didn't hurt...

Olivia managed to get back to school on Thursday, but Helena and Nicholas never made it back all week.

As if the flu wasn't enough, Friday came, and we all awoke to this scene:

Amazing how you can go from Indian Summer the the middle of winter in just three weeks!

Suffice to say, with the whole family being sick and record low temperatures in the forecast throughout the weekend, this was the perfect time to make some chicken soup! Which, of course, starts with a good chicken stock.

Back when I first started blogging I posted a chicken stock recipe that was pretty much our mainstay for the past few years. But this time I wanted to try something different, so I went looking through my cookbooks. The recipe I used is based on one found in the cookbook Conscious Cuisine, by Chef Cary Neff. It uses the same basics for the stock - chicken, carrots, onion, and celery, but the addition of garlic and tarragon give it a whole new flavor.

And while this is a recipe for stock, in reality you get a whole lot more, because an additional result is a fall-off-the-bone tender chicken that is perfect for chicken salad. Or, as meat in a great bowl of chicken soup.

CHICKEN STOCK
adapted from a recipe in Conscious Cuisine, a cookbook by Chef Cary Neff

Ingredients

1 3 to 4 pound chicken, whole or cut up
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, with leaves, roughly chopped
2 carrots, scraped and halved
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp black pepper
1 bay leaf


Place all the ingredients in a large dutch oven or stockpot, then fill the pot with water until everything is covered by about 2 inches. Cover and heat over high heat until boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours.

Carefully remove the chicken from the pot. Strain the stock through a colander into a separate pot, discarding the vegetables and spices. Cover the stock and place in the refrigerator at least 12 hours.

Remove the stock from the refrigerator and skim the fat from the surface. Use immediately or transfer into containers for storage. The stock will keep one week covered in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer.

NOTES

Once the chicken cools, remove the meat from the bones and use in your favorite recipes! My kids just love to eat it cold!

For the simple soup pictured above, heat about 2 cups of the chicken, two celery stalks, chopped, two carrots, scraped and chopped, and about 1/2 cup diced onion to approximately 12 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add 1 cup uncooked rice, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste and serve!