"Glu-au" – Summer of Cooking Fun

Celiac.com 05/14/2021 - Lazy days of summer can turn into quality time in the kitchen for you and your children.  Cooking together helps children understand and take ownership of their special dietary needs, and it can be lots of fun to cook together. Plus it helps them to understand issues such as cross-contamination, what does and doesn’t contain gluten, how to read labels, and how to adapt recipes to be gluten-free. 

Culminate a summer of cooking practice, with a Hawaiian-theme, gluten-free Luau called a “Glu-au” (pronounced like Luau with a G, and inspired by my friend Sue Durfee).  Start with practicing the main dish in June, and the salads and dessert in July. Plan the party games and favors; send out the invitations, decorate and have the party in August. Consider inviting other gluten-free children from your community too.  This article lays out the Summer of Cooking Fun – cooking, party planning and how to make new gluten-free friends. 

The Gluten-Free Menu

• Greeting Beverage
• Tropical Pineapple Smoothie

Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
Appetizers:

• Dried Pineapple and Banana Chips
• Macadamia Nuts 
• Terra Potpourri Potato Chips

Entrée:

• Grilled Kabobs
• Potato/Carrot Latkes
• Roasted Sunflower Seed Coleslaw
• Mango Madness Salad
• Fresh Greens with Carrot Glaze

Dessert:

• Pineapple and Banana Sundaes

Cooking practice for June:  Grilled Gluten-Free Kabobs with Potato/Carrot Latkes

These are fun and the technique is the same no matter what you skewer.  You’ll need 24” long steel skewers, a variety of protein such as beef, chicken, fish, shrimp or tofu and lots of vegetables.  Start by making a simple marinade with the following: 

Marinade:

• 4 TBS olive oil
• 2 TBS tamari
• 2 TBS mirin wine
• 1 TBS brown rice vinegar
• 1 tsp fresh ground ginger

Directions:
Mirin wine is made of rice and is used extensively in Japanese cooking.  It adds a lovely taste to the marinade. Make a separate batch for each type of protein you are planning to serve and marinate separately.  (You may need to double or triple the recipe, depending on how many Kabobs you are planning to make and how many different selections you offer.) Place meat, fish, shrimp, or tofu chunks in marinade, cover and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.   

To prepare the vegetables, clean, cut and microwave the firmer vegetables for 1 minute or until about half-done.  Alternatively, blanch the firmer vegetables in boiling water for 1 minute.  Firmer vegetables cook slower than meat, so micro waving or blanching them in advance helps everything to cook evenly on the grill.  Firm vegetables include green peppers, onion wedges, 2” thick corn-on-the-cob, broccoli, or cauliflower florets and zucchini.  Cherry tomatoes and mushrooms do not need to be micro waved or blanched prior to being skewered.  Younger children can be in charge of washing vegetables, and older children can cut them into uniform sizes.

Skewer the proteins and vegetables on the kebob and place on a medium grill.  Cook with the lid closed, rotating the kebobs every 2-3 minutes for 10-15 minutes.  

Potato Latkes are a nice compliment to Kabobs.  These combine shredded potatoes and carrots with a binder and are pan-fried like a pancake.  The recipe makes eight.

Gluten-Free Latkes

In a mixing bowl, whisk together:

• 3 egg whites
• 3 TBS potato starch
• 1 tsp garlic salt (or regular salt)

Directions:
Shred 2 potatoes and 1 cup of carrots and add to the bowl.  Form patties and place in a hot, oiled (1 TBS olive oil) skillet.  Cook on medium heat until brown on one side. Flip, cover, and slowly cook until brown on the other side.  

For the July cooking adventure, practice making the side dishes and dessert.  The side dishes for the “Glu-au” feature Coleslaw with toasted sunflower seeds, pineapple, carrots, and two colors of cabbage and Mango Madness Salad.  We’ll also make a carrot glaze for the ‘fresh greens’ garnish.

Gluten-Free Roasted Sunflower Seed Coleslaw

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 8 oz can of pineapple chunks (unsweetened, drained)
• 16 oz package coleslaw mix (with shredded carrots, purple and green cabbage)

To toast the sunflower seeds, place them in a hot dry skillet.  Keep them moving around the hot skillet until they toast. Add to coleslaw mix and pineapple chunks.

Gluten-Free Coleslaw Dressing

Ingredients:
7 oz. silken soft tofu 
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 TBS olive oil
2 tbs Agave nectar (Note: Agave Nectar is a sweetener made from the Agave cactus and available in most grocery stores.)

Directions:
Steam the tofu for 10 minutes. Place tofu and all other ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  Mix with coleslaw and sunflower seeds.  Salt to taste.  

Another tropical salad to delight your taste buds with is the Mango Madness Salad.  This salad features mangos and diced green and red peppers with an avocado and honey dressing.  

Gluten-Free Mango Madness Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 mangos
• 2 TBS diced green peppers
• 2 TBS diced red peppers

Dressing:

• 1/2 avocado
• 1 Cup pineapple juice
• 2 TBS honey

Directions:
In a mini-processor, process avocado, lemon juice and honey.  Pour over diced mangos and peppers.  Mix and serve. 

Mixed greens add a nice garnish to the plate and the food’s color is enhanced with a pretty glaze.  

Gluten-Free Carrot Glaze

Ingredients:

• 1 cup carrot juice
• 2 TBS corn starch
• 1 tsp Agave nectar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Directions:
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Whisk on high heat until it comes to a boil, and then lower heat to medium and whisk until mixture thickens.  Place in a squirt bottle and refrigerate.  Drizzle over plates to decorate before serving.  

The “Glu-au” dessert features wonderful, tropical pineapple and banana sundaes. If you are inviting children with multiple allergies, it might be good to have some non-dairy ice cream alternatives on hand such as Rice Dream or Tofutti. 

Gluten-Free Sugared Pineapples and Bananas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Sucanat
• 1/4 cup walnut oil
• 1 cup pure pineapple juice
• 2 sliced ripe bananas
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine the sucanat, walnut oil and pineapple juice.  (Sucanat is natural cane sugar.)  Stir together until the mixture is at soft-ball stage (235 to 240 degrees). It will be the consistency of syrup. (This part can be made in advance.) Let it cool, add fruit, and serve over ice cream.  

In August, put it all together at an end-of-summer party.

Invite ROCK or Cel Kids to the party so your children can meet others with similar dietary requirements.  For information on a ROCK group (Raising Our Celiac Kids).

To get ready for the party, consider activities for your guests.  How about hula-hoop instruction, a limbo competition, tee shirt decorating and lei stringing?  To prepare for these activities, think about hiring a teen in your neighborhood to demonstrate how to do the hula-hoop.  For the limbo competition, you’ll need a long bamboo pole and two people to hold it on either end.  You could play the Chubby Checker’s “Limbo Rock” song while guests exhibit their limberness.  People at the tee-shirt station could paint their shirts using Hawaiian stencils, glitter and fabric paint.  For lei stringing, you’ll need to purchase needles (large, dulled carpet needles would work fine), waxed thread, orchids or other flowers from your local florist.  Lei kits and flowers are also available by mail order from Hawaii.  

Develop the guest list and send the invitations 3-4 weeks before the party. Ask for an RSVP one week before so you’ll know how many guests to plan for.  Include a start and a stop time, so drivers will know when to retrieve your company.  Ask guests to wear tropical attire such as a Hawaiian shirt or grass skirt to the party. 

Assign party management tasks to all hosts.  Tasks include:

Pre-party tasks:

• Shopping 
• Food Preparation
• Party Area Preparation
• Activity Station Preparation

Party Tasks:

• Activity Station Monitors (one per activity)
• Kebob Cooker
• Plate Assembly
• Sundae Assembly

A week before: Purchase the party favors, activity materials, and decorations.

Two days before: Develop the shopping list, purchase the foods, and start decorating the party room.  One day before: make the ice cream topping (without adding the fruit) the salads, and the carrot glaze.  Finish decorating the party room and set the table.  The day of the party: cut the vegetables; marinate the proteins; chop fruit for the dessert to add to the warm sauce when you are ready to serve it; make a centerpiece with the top of the pineapple and some flowers in an arrangement and put out little bowls of dried, sugared pineapple, banana chips, Terra Potpourri potato chips and Mauna Loa macadamia nuts. 

Get ready to have some fun!

Greet your guests with a shell necklace and ask them if they would like a Tropical Pineapple Smoothie. 

Gluten-Free Tropical Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh pineapple
• 1 cup fresh pineapple juice
• 2 cups ice

Directions:
Place contents in a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve with a pineapple garnish and a straw.  

Escort visitors to the party location and have them string leis and drink smoothies while waiting for the other guests to arrive.  When all of the guests come, divide them into three groups and assign them to one of three activity stations:  Hula Hoop instruction; Limbo Competition; or Tee shirt decorating. After 15 minutes, rotate guests to the next activity station.  Before the last rotation, guests can take part in skewering their own kebobs at a separate station (depending on how old they are, and with adult supervision).  Consider asking guests to mark their kebob with something distinctive (a unique skewer, or two veggies in a row) so they’ll be able to find theirs when cooked.  While the kebobs are cooking, guests can participate in the last activity in their rotation.  

The table can be set with the centerpiece and a party favor menu with the recipes. Dining music can include ukulele and Don Ho selections. Salads, latkes and greens garnish can be placed on plates and served to each guest.  The kebobs can be served on a platter in the center of the table.  Heat the ice cream topping and add the fruit and make sundaes to serve for dessert and serve, or set up a sundae station and let guests build their own. 

Whew!  This has been a summer filled with cooking, planning, entertaining and meeting new gluten-free friends.  What could be more fun?