Gluten Free on the Shoreline

Thank you to all for making the February “Pot Luck” Meeting with Dr. Christopher Illick a success!

The one thing that I have come to expect from this group is that there will never be a shortage of good information and good food at meetings.

Dr.Illick brought us up to date regarding the latest medical research for the treatment of Celiac/Gluten Intolerance.  He made what could have easily been a very dry and confusing topic, exciting and understandable and was able to answer many of the questions of those in attendance. 

Ken Capano Jr., owner of ShopRite in Clinton, New London and Norwich attended and left with a stack of notes in his pocket.  He truly cares and would love to hear your ideas regarding how he can help meet the needs of the gluten free community.  

The threat of snow did not scare away our vendors.  

Pedro Arrobo and Bruce Bassman of Everybody Eats came from NYC.  

http://everybodyeats-inc.com/     (I went home with some of their wonderful bread and rolls.)

Nick and Andrea from the Mad Gourmet of Guilford, Connecticut shared a sampling of their delicious menu.  They have a section entirely devoted to vegan and gluten free cuisine.  In addition to take out, they are also full service caterers.

http://www.themadgourmet.com/

Rachel from Par Dela Bakery wowed us with their deserts. (OMG. I was in sticky bun heaven!) Hopefully we will see their products sometime soon in the freezer section of your local grocer.

http://pardela-pies.com/1.html

Annette Redfield made a delicious Eggplant Parmesian with Aleia’s bread crumbs.

http://www.aleias.com

John DePuma of DePuma’s Gluten Free Pasta graciously donated fresh gluten free lasagna sheets and sauce that I was able to make into the most delicious (and easy) lasagna I have ever made.   

http://www.depumaspasta.com/ 

I made a “practice lasagna” a few days before the meeting which my children promptly devoured.  My youngest asked to have the last piece in her lunch the next day…..cold.   It was easy and fun to put together. 

Several people asked for the recipe so I have included it below.

Cheese, Spinach and Sausage Lasagna

1 package DePuma’s Lasagna sheets (thaw in the refrigerator and open package - no boiling)

1 jar DePuma’s Marinara Sauce

Make Cheese Mixture and set aside.

            1 large container of ricotta cheese

            1 cup grated parmesan cheese  

            1 egg  

            1 TSP garlic powder

1 Pkg frozen spinach thawed and water pressed out in colander

1 Pkg sweet Italian sausage broken up into bits and cooked.

1 – 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese depending on how cheesy you want your topping.

Cooking Instructions:

 

1.  Get your ingredients ready to go.

 

2.  Start layering...thin layer of sauce, lasagna sheets, cheese, meat, spinach and repeat....

3.  Add top layer of pasta, a little more sauce on top, sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for a half hour at 350̊ F.

4.  Pop under the broiler for 2 minutes (optional), let rest for 10 minutes then eat.

Enjoy!