Say YES to Pasta

For those of you that are gluten-free, finding a good pasta is hard. Some brands have no flavor and the others turn into mush. I've found Quinoa Corporation to have the best noodles and taste. Their products come in seven different shapes so you are bound to find exactly what you need, and never have to say no to pasta dishes again! 

Who doesn't like Macaroni and Cheese? It's a standard meal in any college kid's diet. I've been eating it for as long as I can remember and taking it out of my own diet has been a challenge. Well, this week I found a great recipe for homemade mac and cheese and was dying to try it. All I had to do was replace regular pasta with the Quinoa Corporation's Garden Pagodas noodles- so easy! 

Ingredients:

2 cups of your choice of Quinoa Corporation's pasta

2 1/2 cups fat free milk

1 cup loosely packed shredded cheese

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Add milk and pasta to saucepan, bring to a simmer then reduce heat. 

2. Cook for about 20 minutes until the pasta is soft, stir occasionally, ensure milk doesn't boil.

3. Once noodles are soft, add cheese, salt, mustard and pepper.

4. Cover and let sit for a few minutes. Stir again, and enjoy!

*If it's not creamy enough, you can add a little extra milk*

Welcome

I find it a daily challenge to be gluten-free in college. In the midst of our busy schedules, it's easy to grab food to go, or eat whatever your roommates are having. Let's face it, those options are never gluten-free. My family has a long history of intestinal problems, Celiac disease and wheat allergies and going GF was the only thing that has helped the aches and pains. I've been GF for a little over a year now and still find myself eating the wrong things and learning about the GF world every day. It's hard, but doable.

If your newly GF, it seems almost impossible to give up things like pizza, bread, crackers/chips or pancakes, but there are solutions that will allow you to keep eating your favorite foods! With the help of Udi's Gluten Free Foods, I was able to eat sandwiches with bread again, make my own homemade pizza, and have cookies for desert. Now, I've joined with Udi's as one of their college ambassadors to help students learn more about their gluten intolerance and how to live a healthy GF life.

Each week I'll post a recipe for a food that we as college students love to eat, but can't because it contains gluten. You shouldn't have to abstain from your favorite foods-- all you have to do is alter the ingredients!

Today I'm making homemade gluten-free tortilla chips and salsa. Between my two roommates and I, we always have a supply of chips and salsa in the house, but it's hard to find a good GF chip. These ones are simple to make, quick and delicious!

Chips

Ingredients:

24 Mission Yellow Corn Tortillas (You can always count on Mission for GF corn tortillas)

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt (and any other seasonings you'd like)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and using a BBQ brush, brush on olive oil and sprinkle salt. 

2. Cut the tortillas into 4 equal wedge pieces. 

3. Brush the pieces with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. 

4. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until you see the ends curl up. 

5. Let cool for another 5 minutes.

Salsa

Ingredients: 

2 cup diced tomatoes

1/4 cup Cilantro

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1 tsp Pepper

2 Jalapeno peppers boiled

1/4 cup Lime Juice

Directions:

1. Boil 2 jalapeno peppers until they are soft.

2. Blend all ingredients, and any other desired ingredients, in blender on medium speed.