Ufta! Sorry I haven’t made a post in a couple of days, yesterday was nuts because I had our carpets cleaned and in the excitement of that, I decided to rearrange my pantry… which led to me painting the pantry… which led to me painting the boys bathroom! Ahhh, I love ADHD at times, I can get quite a bit accomplished, or at least I can get quite a few projects started, then beg my husband to finish them for me 🙂
Anyhoo, Since the holiday season is fast approaching and I have found what I believe to be a very close and easy replica for condensed soups, I thought I would give the Green Bean Casserole one last go of it. I say one last go because Green Bean Casserole has been public enemy #1 for me over the past 5 years, and I have all but decided to move on to a new side dish.
I don’t know about you, but Green Bean casserole was a staple at our Thanksgiving table when I was growing up. It was great, pop open 4 cans, add some milk, stir it all up and pop it in the oven… it was the easiest part of the meal! Fast forward many years and a celiac diagnosis then all of a sudden, GB casserole has become an “angry” obsession. I can envision it, like in an old western movie, standing in the middle of a dirt road, staring down my enemies (condensed soup and french fried onions), slyly reaching down to my holster to grab my whisk and as I cock my eyebrow and give the menacing look… POW! I am down and out, another year, another bust!
Not this year though, I have slain the dragon and boy does it feel gooooooooood…
First, we need Gluten-Free Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
Next Up:
The french fried onions that I have tried in the past have been good but had room improvement. I adapted the following recipe from Gluten Free Mommy.
Ingredients
- 2 Large Onions, peeled and sliced in rings
- Enough Milk for soaking onions (dairy or dairy-free)
- 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/8 tsp. White Pepper
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend (I used 1/2 cup Expandex Modified Tapioca Starch, 1/2 cup Sweet Rice Flour, 1/2 cup Soy or Garbanzo Bean Flour)
- Oil for Frying
Directions
- Measure out your flours, salt and pepper in a bowl, use a whisk to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
- Meanwhile, put the sliced onion rings in a bowl and cover in milk, let soak while you prepare everything else.
- I put about an inch or so of oil in a dutch oven and allowed it to get hot. You will know if the oil is ready by flicking a few drops of water into the oil and if it sizzles, it's ready.
- I put a few of the pre-soaked onion rings (allow excess milk to drain off) into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir to coat.
- Place onions in the hot oil, a few at a time and allow to cook for a couple of minutes.
- Remove, drain and add extra salt if you want.
- Repeat until all of the onions have been cooked.
Once you have your condensed mushroom soup and french fried onions in hand, just follow the directions for Green Bean Casserole! 😀
And welcome to my blog!
Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
Wow, does this sound good. I never thought that I would ever eat green bean casserole again. You have now given me some hope.
Yummy, I'm more excited about the friend onions then the green beans, sad, I know. I also want to try your condensed soup, I used to make a mean tuna fish casserole, looking to use your base for that too. But I'm sure my family will be happy to have the green bean casserole this Thanksgiving as well. Thanks for taking time to photograph and post everything.
I normally waouldn't have stopped, since my kids are young and I don't even know if they'd eat GB casserole, but you opened with "Ufta!" So I had to! My husband's mom and family are from Havre, MT, so I hear that saying a lot! And the recipe looks too easy peasy to not try!
ROFL! My dad is from Minnesota and it's common up there too.
I haven't made green bean casserole since I originally posted this recipe. After all the work to make each of the components, my young kids were less than impressed, they wanted "plain" green beans instead – so I ran with it. Less work for me, LOL! 😀
I love your onion rings recipe, Heidi…but now I can't stand it — I have to ask: what does "ufta" mean?
Pat,
You are the second person this week to ask me that, LOL!
Ufta (or Uff da) is something I picked up from my dad and his family (who hail from Minnesota and are of Scandinavian descent). They usually say it to express feelings of relief or astonishment. They also say it when they're overwhelmed. It's actually in Wikipedia, believe it or not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uff_da:
Just had to quickly comment here: I was born and raised in Norway, and I’ve never heard the expression “uff da” used in Norway in any other way than to express a negative surprise (however small) or dismay. That’s not to say it’s never used differently, but I believe that would be rare. The expression may have changed its meaning in the U.S. at this point, as words sometimes do, especially when so far removed from the source of its origin, I don’t know. But when in Norway, we use it to say “oh no!”, “that’s too bad”, “oh dear…” etc. It can be as simple as dropping your fork on the floor, or something much more serious. Just thought I’d chime in… Carry on! :0)