Burton's Grill

You might not be able to tell from the picture, but this was a momentous occasion for Sabrina. When we went to Burton's Grill on February 12th, she got to experience eating a hamburger in a bun for the first time. I've made hamburgers at home a lot, but I've never given her a bun because the gluten-free buns I can find are quite large. However, Burton's Grill has smaller gluten-free buns, so Sabrina could have one with her child-size hamburger. She was thrilled with the whole thing and ate every bite.

Needless to say, this restaurant is great about serving people with food allergies and intolerances. Just mention what foods you can't eat, and your waiter and the manager will take great care of you. The manager even let Michael bring his own hamburger bun and ketchup from home, since their buns and ketchup contain corn. So Michael got to enjoy his gluten-free hamburger and French fries just the way he wanted them, something he hasn't been able to do at a restaurant in a long time.

Michael and I liked the restaurant so much that we went back just the two of us for a belated Valentine's Day dinner. I ordered a pasta dish, and since I had told them that I was avoiding dairy products, the waitress said that she would make sure the pasta was tossed with olive oil instead of butter. I was impressed that she was so attentive and careful about our food needs. The cherry on top was that, since we went on a Sunday evening, they were offering bottles of wine for half price. How could we resist? -- the price was right, and neither of us is at all allergic to a bottle of red wine.

Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

I knew I had to post this recipe when Naomi asked for seconds, and then thirds of these oat bars. Naomi is my pickier eater, the one who won't finish even her chocolate cupcake because she's full or not in the mood to eat any more. Yet this afternoon, and after already eating a bowl of applesauce, she liked the bars so much that she wanted thirds.

I found the original recipe here, but I modified it by cutting it in half and making it gluten-free, dairy-free, and peanut-free. If you can eat wheat, yogurt, or peanut butter, check out the original recipe, but remember when substituting that I halved the recipe to make just an 8"x8" pan of bars.

Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Bars
makes 12 bars

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour mix
• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 3/4 cup gluten-free crispy brown rice cereal. I use Erewhon brand.
  
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup ripe mashed banana (about 2 small bananas or 1 1/2 medium)
  
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. almond milk
  
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed meal. I use Bob's Red Mill brand.
  
• 2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
  
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• 1/2 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips. I recommend Ghirardelli, Trader Joe's, or Enjoy Life brand.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8"x8" Pyrex pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil with canola oil.

In a medium bowl sift the flour through a sieve. Add the oats, crispy rice cereal, sea salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and stir to combine. Mash the banana with a fork or using a food chopper. In a small bowl add the mashed banana, honey, almond milk, flax seed meal, sunflower seed butter, and vanilla extract. Stir thoroughly; then pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are brown. Let the bars cool completely, at least 1 hour or more, before cutting them into squares. Once cool they will be much easier to cut and will have nicer edges.

Spicy Bean Dip

For the past several years I have made spicy bean dip for Michael to enjoy while watching the Super Bowl. The dip by no means dairy-free, but it is free of wheat, corn, and soy. So it's a special, fun treat that I make about once a year. If you can believe it, back in that distant time before kids, I used to make it occasionally for Michael and me to eat for dinner with a bag of chips. Dip and chips for dinner: the thought makes me smile. The beans had protein, and the green onions in the dip counted as a vegetable, right? If you can eat dairy products, I highly recommend this dip. It's easy to make, and everyone for whom I've made it has liked it.

I got this recipe from the first cookbook Michael and I bought together after we got married: Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen. This was back when I didn't know how to cook at all, and I found the title very comforting. For a cookbook for beginners, it has some really good recipes.

Spicy Bean Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese. Most all full-fat brands are fine. They all contain guar gum and/or xanthan gum, but Michael does not seem to react to the small amount in the cream cheese. Don't buy low-fat cream cheese, which usually contains corn.
  
• 1 8-ounce container of sour cream. Buy a brand, like Daisy brand, that only contains cream and that does not have any additives. Do not buy low-fat if making the dip for Michael because it will contain corn products.
  
• 1 15-ounce can refried beans. Buy a can that is labeled gluten-free and does not contain any corn products like corn starch or distilled vinegar. The two brands I buy are Beanto's traditional refried beans and Amy's traditional refried beans.
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder. I like McCormick brand because it is guaranteed gluten-free.
  
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 3 to 5 green onions, finely chopped
• about 1 cup (or more) of extra-sharp Cheddar cheese for grating on top of the dip.
• a large bag of potato chips. Look for a brand that is gluten-free and not cooked in corn oil. I recommend Utz ripple cut potato chips and Natural Ruffles potato chips.

Instructions:

Take the block of cream cheese out of the refrigerator, cut it into about 8 pieces, and let it sit on the counter for about an hour to come to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl add the cream cheese and sour cream. Turn the mixer on low to medium-low with the paddle attachment to blend the cream cheese and sour cream. Cut off the roots to the green onions and then finely chop the white parts and the first inch of the green parts. Add the refried beans, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and chopped green onions to the mixer, and blend on low to medium-low until thoroughly combined.

Pour the dip into a 1-quart or 2-quart baking dish. (Michael prefers a 2-quart dish because it means there will be more surface area on the dip for the grated cheese.) Grate the Cheddar cheese and sprinkle it on top of the dip. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and return the dish to the oven for about 10 to 15 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dip is hot in the center of the dish. Serve with potato chips.