^[1] Recently a dear friend of mine turned thirty, and in honor of the occasion we had a surprise wine tasting birthday party for her. We bought wine and covered the labels with tuscan themed scrapbooking paper, labeling each with a number for identification purposes. But, being us, we had to have the perfect menu to go with the wine. ^[2]What to serve? We decided on a menu of gourmet cheeses (including sheep’s cheese and goat gouda) and organic apple slices, a fresh vegetable platter and grilled artichokes with an accompanying dip that is out of this world (see recipe below), homemade french bread from Bette Hagman (see her cookbook, More from the Gluten-free Gourmet: Delicious Dining Without Wheat ^[3]for her wonderful rapid rise recipe), fresh basil and italian seasoned olive oil, grilled tofu ^[4] made with Organic Toofu, assorted olives from Whole Foods, brined grilled shrimp, and mixed wild greens for a salad. Of course, no birthday party is complete without a cake, so DH also rolled up his sleeves and made his yummy carrot cake. (Although it was good, we let the cake sit out overnight to cool and it resulted in a rather crumbly cake- we’ll tweak the recipe before posting it.) The best part was of course the cream cheese frosting. ^[5] Mmmmm… The entire meal was gluten free, and our 11 odd guests didn’t seem to mind or even particularly notice. The bread especially drew raves, but the tofu was also surprisingly popular, even with a non vegetarian crowd. Just goes to show, you don’t need gluten to have a celebratory meal that your guests can enjoy… And personally, I was loving the leftovers the next day. Lunch box with french bread, organic sweet peas and grilled artichokes with dip, and grilled tofu for lunch, anyone?

Oh- I was so busy being a hostess I forgot to take photos until halfway through the party. Oops…

Grilled Artichokes Side Dish [6]  Vegetables [7]  American [8]

Ingredients 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup rice wine, white wine, or apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup dry white wine (Chardonney)- or more if you like 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1/2 -1 onion (chopped) 3/4 cup water 8 artichokes, quartered and choke removed, soaked in a large bowl of water salt & pepper Dipping Sauce: 1 and 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Best foods light or vegan) 1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard (grey poupon for more kick) 3 tbsp. Minced capers 3 tbsp minced shallots 4 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs (chives, thyme, basil etc)- or more to taste! Lemon juice (to taste) Salt (to taste) Cayenne pepper (optional, for a kick) Directions Directions: Place Olive oil, vinegar, wine, garlic, onion, and water in a large sauté or soup pan and place on burner, bringing it to a simmer. Drain artichokes and discard water. Add the artichokes, cut side down in a single layer in the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and cover the pan. Cook until the artichokes are barely tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the artichokes from the pan, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and grill for 4-5 minutes until nicely browned. OR For a faster recipe, steam artichokes until slightly underdone. Then baste with a little olive oil and grill. Accompanying Dipping Sauce: (Inspired by Cooking Live) Throw in food processor and blend until you get a lovely creamy dip. Serve with grilled artichokes. Yum! There will be lots left over, so you can enjoy it with other dishes or cut recipe in half…. Notes *note: recipe may be halved if you like: 4 artichokes work well

Rating:  9 Original Source:   Recipe ID:  1073 Added:  May 8, 2007 Last Modified:  June 8, 2008