TASTE-TESTS & FOCACCIA RECIPE

To my delight, I discovered gluten-free chicken nuggets at my local Smith's grocery store!  They are by Applegate Farms and are really delicious.  Not only are they gluten free but they are casein free, humanely raised, and have no nitrites or nitrates added.  While at Whole Foods I picked up a couple different gluten-free products.  First was go raw's Super Cookies in the chocolate and ginger snap flavors.  They each had only 4 ingredients and no added sugar.  The sweetness comes from organic dates. They are bite-sized and perfect to take on trips, camping, or for an on-the-go snack.  The chocolate ones were a bit chewy but had good flavor and the ginger snaps were crisp, crunchy, and by far my favorite.  I'll have to try the other flavors they had as there were a few others.  Lastly, I picked up a box of Chebe's Gluten Free Focccia Mix.  It was easy to prepare and can be altered by substituting in your favorite ingredients.  It had a light crisp crust and soft  center.  Perfect for dipping into a marinara sauce.  Here is the recipe I created to suit my taste:

DAIRY-FREE FOCACCIA with SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS:

1 box of Chebe's Gluten Free Focaccia Mix

2 Tb. olive oil, plus 1 tsp. for later

2 large eggs

1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

1/4 c. water

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  To a large mixing bowl add focaccia mix, 2 Tb. olive oil, eggs and sun-dried tomatoes. Combine with a spatula or your hands.  Add the water and knead with hands until well combined and smooth.  Place dough in the center of an ungreased 9" glass pie dish and press outward until it covers the bottom evenly.  Make indentations with your fingertips all over the dough. Press the garlic slices into some of the indents.  Brush with the reserved 1 tsp. olive oil and sprinkle the Italian seasoning all over.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from the dish and serve with marinara dipping sauce.  ** Optional:  add 1/2 c. shredded cheese to the dough when mixing if you prefer.