Happy Gluten-free Awareness Month! New recipe: Tomato-Fennel Soup

In honor of Celiac/Gluten-free Awareness Month and Pamela's and GIG's Gluten-free Challenge, I'll be posting some new recipes throughout the month of May. First up is a chunky tomato-fennel soup that is delicious hot or cold and can be served alone or paired with a GFCF grilled cheese, GF fennel crackers, or a nice dark green salad.

I based this recipe on the one recently shared via email by VegNews Magazine (see the original here.) I get a lot of inquiries about how to cook for just one or two people, so I modified the recipe to serve 2 (or one, with a day's leftovers). I also adapted it to be guaranteed gluten-free by substituting water for vegetable broth (which works fine unless you make your own broth at home, in which case that would add natural flavor to the soup).

Changing the portion size means a lot of fennel left over. Try cutting it in wedges and roasting it with olive oil on about 375-425 (lower if you want soft fennel, higher if you like yours a little brown and crispier). You can add a little salt if you desire, or spoon soup on top of the wedges to make an even richer variation. Save your extra greens and add them to your salad throughout the week.

Happy eating!


GF Tomato-Fennel Soup
(gluten-free, casein/dairy-free, soy-free, vegan)
Serves 2
Prep time: appx 30 minutes

Ingredients

organic extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-large fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and chopped (reserve the fronds for garnish and salad)
1 or 2 small-medium shallots, chopped
1/2 a small organic carrot, or about 4 organic baby carrots
1 (14 oz.) can crushed organic tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted crushed tomatoes)
1/2 tsp organic cane sugar
1/4 filtered water
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbs fennel leaves, reserved, for garnish

Seasonings (to taste)

liberal fresh cracked pepper and/or ground black pepper
dash of Creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, and/or red pepper flakes
dash of Herbamare (herb salt) or table salt (optional)

Directions

Prepare your fennel, shallots, and carrots first. Heat the oil (about a tablespoon) in a medium stockpot and cook the fennel, shallots, and carrots until they are soft but not (too) browned. Add the can of tomatoes with liquid and all remaining ingredients and seasonings (except the fennel leaves, which should be used as a garnish just before serving).

Heat to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until all the ingredients are hot and soft, and the flavors are well blended. (You can puree the soup at this point if you have a hand blender or food processor, or just leave it thick and chunky like I did.)

Serve hot with your favorite GF sandwich, Glutino Multigrain crackers (which have fennel as the main ingredient), or your favorite crisp green salad (try spinach or kale). (Don't forget your extra roasted fennel!)

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and served reheated or chilled.

Pamela's & GIG's Gluten-free challenge

Take the challenge! Learn how to "go gluten-free" for a weekend (May 22-23) in support of a friend or loved one who has to live gluten-free. There's no fee to participate, and you can get free tips and recipes, plus product giveaways, and a certificate of completion at the end.

The full challenge is to eat one gluten-free item per day in the month of May, and completely gluten-free on the culminating weekend, May 22-23. The challenge is intended to raise awareness of Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance during Gluten-free Awareness Month.

Read more at http://www.gogfchallenge.com/ .

ps - Take a look at my archived posts for some great gluten-free meal ideas. Check back for more recipes in the month of May!

Haitian recipes available for fundraisers

I've just adapted two Haitian recipes to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free and am offering them to groups sponsoring events to help raise money for Haiti relief.

The new recipes are for Haitian cake (or cupcakes) and Pen Patat, a bread made with fresh white sweet potatoes. I made the cupcakes for the ImagineHaitian art benefit yesterday and I think it is the best-tasting cake I have ever made, gluten or otherwise!

The cupcakes and various sizes of loaves will also be available for special orders this Spring, so if you would like to feature them at your event or private party, please send a message to bloomington4haiti@gmail.com.

Kat's Kitchen on hiatus... returning soon!

Kat's Kitchen has been on a temporary break the last couple of months. At first it was just for the holidays. But then the earthquake happened, so more recently I've been involved in a lot of wonderful events and planning for relief efforts for Haiti.

I just wanted to encourage you to get involved to help at whatever level you can, whether that's through cash donations or volunteering your time with a fundraising or awareness event.

Kat's will be back in the spring with new products, including delicious Jewish Un-Rye Bread (completely GF!) and some Haitian-inspired goodies (like Haitian Cake and Pen Patat).

Find out what's going on to help Haiti in our community at these links:

http://bloomington4haiti.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/bton4haiti

http://www.indiana.edu/~haiti

http://bloomington.in.gov/haitirelief

Holiday Market a success!

Just wanted to say a special thank you to everyone who came out to the Holiday Market last weekend. I met a lot of wonderful people with gluten, dairy, and/or soy sensitivities (and some without), and all were very supportive of my efforts to increase our locally-made, allergen-free/allergen-aware food options.

The Ginger-Sorghum cookies, Maple Hazelnut Sunflower bars and Orange Cranberry loaves were a big hit, so thank you!

Now's the time to place orders for GFCF baked goods or gift baskets for the holidays. Order now through December 12 for pickup/delivery by December 20. (Email me for order forms.)

If you have any questions about ingredients, products, special or combo orders, etc, I'll be happy to send you more information or a price quote.

Be sure to subscribe by email or RSS feed to receive future updates, or send me an email to be friended on Facebook or Myspace.

Thanks again for your support!

be well,
Kat

Holiday Market this Saturday!

Once your Thanksgiving food coma has worn off, come on out on Saturday to the Bloomington Holiday Market for some great gluten-free sweets and treats.

Where: Showers Plaza, near 8th and Morton
When: 10am-3pm, Saturday November 28

Look for my "Gluten-Free!" sign at the Bloomington Kitchen Incubator booth. Expect to find Orange Cranberry Bread, sorghum cookies, rich chocolate brownies, and apple muffins. (And maybe some surprises!) Full product and price list to be posted here before the event.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Celiac supplement in today's USA Today!

Media Planet and the Celiac Disease Foundation put out an excellent 12-page supplement on Celiac Disease signs, diagnosis, treatment, nutrition, and dining in today's USA Today. Check out this "Gluten Free Optimist" post, which contains a link to a pdf version available for download.

Gluten Free Optimist: USA Today Celiac Disease Supplement

(Just in case, here's the direct link to the pdf on the CDF website: "Celiac Disease, Your Guide to Living Gluten-Free")

*Remember, you could have Celiac Disease and not know it - not everyone has obvious (GI) signs. If you do suspect any kind of gluten sensitivity, please get tested for CD before removing gluten from your diet, to avoid incorrect diagnoses in the future.