First Celiac Support Group Meeting

Last night my friend Lisa and I went to our first meeting of the Glens Falls Regional Celiac Support Group. The meeting was very informative and there were lots of free samples from various gluten-free food companies. The meeting featured a guest speaker, Elizabeth Barbone, who is a CIA-educated chef and author of "Easy Gluten-Free Baking". I bought Elizabeth's book and will blog about her delightful presentation and recipes after I do some cooking.

One of the group members, Shirley, is apparently the volunteer caterer for these bimonthly meetings, which is very generous of her. She brought two wonderful dishes to sample, kasha varniskes (buckwheat groats with apple and onion, the most popular item and one for which I only got to sample a few groats-worth) and a delicious lentil salad. Shirley gave me the recipe for the salad, which was a big hit with Dan when I brought it home late at night and I am delighted to share it:

Lentil Salad a la Shirley

1-1/2 cups dried lentils
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups water
1 cup finely chopped red and green peppers
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped red onions
1 cup plain yogurt (or 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup yogurt)
3 Tbsp. mango chutney
1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. finely minced red onions
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper

In a saucepan, combine lentils, onions, garlic and water. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the lentils are tender but not mushy.

Combine peppers, celery and 1 cup red onion in nonreactive bowl. When the lentils are cooked, drain and add them, while hot, to the bowl. Stir and set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Stir dressing into the lentils and serve. If you'll be serving the lentil salad later, store in refrigerator and return to room temperature before serving.

Delicious!