Bodacious Broccoli Salad

My mom has been making this salad for years, and we have made many adaptations over the years. It is so easy to substitute to your taste or what you have in the fridge. It is great as a side and wonderful to take to pitch-ins and other functions. I know this has shown up at a lot of swim meets and family holidays!

Bodacious Broccoli Salad

What you need:

• Broccoli, cooked and cut or torn into bite size pieces
• Chicken, roasted/grilled and in bite size pieces (leftover is great!)
  
• Onion, diced
• Bell Pepper, diced
• Bacon, cooked and crumbled (or you can use ready made bacon bits)
• Feta cheese, crumbled (you can use any crumbled or grated cheese)
• Raisins
• Sunflower or pumpkin seeds OR Nuts (pine or pistachio work great!), toasted
• Gluten free Ranch dressing
  

1. Cook or steam the broccoli and drain. Prepare all other ingredients.

2. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients.

3. Enjoy!

Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I got this recipe off of http://www.celiac.com/. These cookies are wonderfully chewy and taste better than any other oatmeal raisin cookie I've ever had! It is my family's new favorite too! The full article is at: http://www.celiac.com/articles/21537/1/Gluten-Free-Oats-YES-Chewy-Yummy-Oatmeal-Raisin-Cookies-Gluten-Free/Page1.html

Enjoy!

Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• ½ cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or butter (I use unsalted stick butter)
  
• ½ cup granulated cane sugar
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• ½ teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 cup All Purpose Nearly Normal Gluten-Free Flour Mix (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups gluten-free oats* (I like Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats)
  
• ½ cup baking raisins**

Cream the sugars and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and thoroughly incorporate into the batter. Stir in the vanilla last.

In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients (except oats), mixing well. Stir into the creamed mixture until integrated. Stir in the oats and raisins. Cover the bowl and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F for static ovens or 325 F for convection.

Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place at least 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until lightly brown. If you can wait, let them cool on a wire rack before removing.

*Note: Not all people with celiac disease can include oats in their diets. For more information on whether they are appropriate for your diet please see our Celiac Disease and Oats section.
**If you do not have baking raisins on hand, gently boil ½ cup of raisins in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Drain, then add to your recipe.