Pettit discovered cooking due to gluten needs

After Nicole Pettit was diagnosed with a gluten-sensitive enteropathy in 2013, an immune reaction to eating gluten, she realized she needed to avoid any foods with gluten. 

“I can’t have gluten,” Pettit said. “I have to avoid things like wheat, rye, barley, and malt. That totally changed my ways of eating out a lot, so I started eating and cooking at home and we don’t go out to eat very much.”

Pettit, owner of Pettit Jewelers, grew up in Flowood and moved to Philadelphia in 2017. She enjoys spending time with her husband Barry, her son Aiden, and two daughters, Jade and Mackie.

“I originally was not fond of cooking, but after getting diagnosed, I ended up getting into the kitchen and cooking very carefully,” Pettit said. “I had to make sure the ingredients I was using didn’t have gluten. I really have to be careful with what I eat and it definitely helps with being healthier and keeping weight off.” 

Pettit said she enjoys doing taco nights on Tuesdays and salmon nights on Sundays with her family. 

“With the tacos I use seasonings without gluten and I use Wagyu beef for them,” Pettit said. “I like to grill the salmon and put a vegetable topping on it like cucumbers.”

She said every now and then during the holidays she’ll make a sweet dish like a blueberry pie with fresh blueberries, a gluten free crust and her own whipped topping.

“The thing I get out of cooking is that my food will be gluten free and safe, and my husband is very supportive with eating the gluten free foods I make,” Pettit said. “It’s helped me be healthier eating at home and knowing what’s going into my body. The biggest challenge is finding the right ingredients in a small town.” 

GLUTEN FREE 

STUFFING

1 (24 oz) loaf Canyon Bakehouse Heritage Style Honey Wheat bread

1/4 cup butter 

1 medium yellow onion, chopped 

4 sticks celery, thinly sliced 

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves 

1/2 teaspoon ground sage 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

2 cups chicken or veggie broth (3 cups for wetter stuffing) 

Let bread slices air dry for one to two hours, and cut into 1-inch pieces. In a dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onion and celery and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. 

Stir in thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add bread cubes and mix until evenly coated. Drizzle broth over the bread mixture and toss until well-mixed.

Bake in a greased 2.5 quart dish at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. If you are stuffing a turkey, leave out the broth and use the juices from the turkey to moisten it. 

YUMMY SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE 

4 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup white sugar 

1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Pecan topping: 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup almond flour, 3 tablespoons butter, softened, and 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Prepare the sweet potatoes and put them in a medium saucepan. Cover with water. Cook over medium-high until tender for 10-15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. 

Mash drained sweet potatoes with a fork. Add eggs, and mix until well combined. Add sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish. 

To make the topping, mix brown sugar and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter unit mixture is coarse. Don’t overmix. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle topping over sweet potatoes. 

Bake in the preheated oven until the topping is browned for around 30 minutes. 

GLUTEN FREE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE WITH FRIED ONIONS 

Vegetable oil for frying 

2 large onions, cut in half and thinly sliced 

1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk

3/4 cup Bisquick Gluten Free mix 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

2 (12 oz) bags frozen cut green beans, cooked 

1 (18oz) Progresso Vegetable Classics creamy mushroom soup 

2 teaspoons gluten-free soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place onions and milk in a medium bowl and let stand. In a deep fryer or 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil (2 inches) to 375 degrees. 

In a resealable plastic food storage bag, mix Bisquick and salt and pepper until well mixed. Drain onion and place them in a bag and shake to coat. Remove onions from the bag while shaking off excess. Gently place half of the onions in oil and fry for 2 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining onions. Let onions stand while preparing bean mixture. 

In an ungreased 3-quart casserole, mix soup, soy sauce, pepper, cooked green beans and 1 1/2 cups of the onions. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly, adding remaining onions during the last 5 minutes of baking.