EAT IT, FRENCH'S.

AKA HAPPY GLUTEN FREE THANKSGIVING to all.

I had been dreading the holidays even more than usual.  And even more than my birthday, which must be a record of some kind. 

I wasn't particularly concerned about Thanksgiving, though.  I don't really like stuffing. Give me my mashed taters and I'm a happy woman.  Italians must eat pasta before the meal on every holiday, naturally, which ups the ante on the dread, but Mom will make me some GF on the side. And then I realized that  OMGGREENBEANCASSEROLE is in no way, shape or form gluten free.  Not okay.  As I learned the hard way when attempting to make tuna casserole, gluten free, cream based soups pretty much don't exist. And French's fried onions aren't either. BOO.

I did see an awesome recipe for green bean casserole on General Mills' Live Gluten Freely newsletter that pointed readers in the direction of a gluten free creamy mushroom soup from Progresso (Thanks Progresso!).

But it lacked the fried onions.  What the hell is the point without fried onions? And then I thought to myself - "Hey dumbass, you have a food blog.  It's about time you learned how to fry."

Yes, that's right.  I have never fried anything.  My mom is a dietitian after all.

So, with some fat free half and half and Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour Mix, I went to town.  I tossed the shallots in the half and half and then put them in a bag, added 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of the flour mix and shook it like a polaroid picture.

We have the below, pre baking:

Not bad for a first attempt at frying.  Recipe below!

1 can (18 oz) Progresso® Vegetable Classics creamy mushroom soup

1 teaspoon gluten free soy sauce

Dash ground black pepper (or, if you're me - a small handful)

24oz frozen cut green beans, thawed

1.   Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole, mix soup, soy sauce, pepper and green beans.
2.   Bake about 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

     shallots, sliced as thinly as possible and broken up
     ~ 1/2 cup half and half/milk
    ~  1/2 - 3/4 cup GF flour mix

1. Pour milk into bowl. Toss thinly diced shallots (I used three) well in liquid, letting them sit for 1 minute.
2. Shake extra milk off shallots, adding them to a gallon sized ziploc bag.
3. Add flour and shake it until shallots are coated well.

Add to about 1/2 cup of oil and fry in batches, being sure not to overcrowd.