Gluten-Free Birthday Recipes

This gorgeous sparkling grapefruit cocktail recipe combines gin, Campari, fresh grapefruit juice and seltzer. The touch of Campari enhances its beautiful red color, but if you prefer a less bitter drink, omit it.

You'll feel like you're on a tropical getaway with this refreshing strawberry-coconut cocktail. To keep it cool in warmer weather, freeze fresh berries for 30 minutes before blending. Variation: For a nonalcoholic version, omit the rum and add 1/2 cup additional strawberries.

Perk up your cheese plate or crudités platter with these crunchy, zesty pickled turnips or try them on a sandwich instead of cucumber pickles.

Intense, earthy and absolutely addictive, New Mexico's cheese enchiladas showcase red chile sauce at its most elemental, thickly blanketing tortillas and melted Cheddar. We've added some extra creaminess and body with locally popular pinto beans, to cut down on the classic's load of saturated fat. Top with shredded lettuce and minced onion.

This ultra-chocolaty, dairy-free Sicilian-style gelato--made without eggs or cream--is relatively lean but still creamy-smooth and flavorful. The coconut milk used for the base gives it a silky, rich mouthfeel and a subtle coconut flavor.

This is a Mexican-inspired take on the Salty Dog (usually made with grapefruit juice, vodka and salt).

A refreshing and low calorie alternative to sugar-laden sodas.

Kids will love dipping bananas in melted chocolate and rolling them in coconut to make this tasty frozen treat.

A homemade vanilla frosting is the perfect addition to any cake. This recipe makes enough to fill and frost a two-layer 8- or 9-inch cake.

This sweet snack takes peanut butter and jelly to new heights and it's perfect for serving at your kids' next play date or party. Miniature sweetened rice cakes are topped with a peanut butter-cream cheese blend, sugar-free fruit preserves, and chocolate chips--the kids will love it!

It may seem a little intimidating to open an oyster, but after a little practice it gets easier. Classically oysters are served raw on the half shell with a little mignonette sauce, which refers in French to “black pepper,” but you can also enjoy them without any sauce at all.

This kid-friendly recipe keeps every element of tacos separate so your child can decide to eat them separately or have fun building their own mini tacos with their favorite toppings. Plus, it's perfect for packing into a bento box for a healthy lunch for school.

Frozen strawberries and raspberries team up in this 1-carb-choice sweet dessert for kids and diabetics.

Serve these bacon-studded chunky mashed potatoes with grilled steak or chicken.

This slightly tart fruity Bellini recipe will zing you awake. It's the prettiest color imaginable and it makes a brunch instantly fun! You can serve the Bellinis in champagne flutes or in simple Mason jars--be creative!

A touch of heavy cream, a few garlic cloves and thyme sprigs round out the flavor of tender braised leeks with chicken in this recipe. The rich, silky sauce is wonderful over whole-wheat egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Leeks grown in the garden and those that you find at the store can be vastly different in size. Garden leeks tend to be smaller, so if you're using leeks from the garden, make sure you pick enough to fill up the pan.

This mouthwatering pork tenderloin is stuffed with chorizo, cheese and spinach. Once you master stuffing a pork tenderloin--you just cut the tenderloin almost in half lengthwise, pound it, fill it and tie it closed with kitchen string--you won't want it any other way. Serve with sautéed red peppers tossed with capers, parsley and sherry vinegar and roasted potatoes. To double this recipe, use 2 skillets or brown the tenderloins one at a time.

Here's a simple recipe for low-fat chocolate ice cream. Our version has all the richness you'll need but about 90 fewer calories than store-bought premium ice cream and a whopping 15 grams less total fat and 10 grams less saturated fat per serving.

Juicy lamb chops take a trip to the Middle East with a quick herb-and-lemon rub and a tangy cucumber-tahini sauce. Serve with couscous or rice pilaf and a green salad.

Chocolate mousse for 115 calories? Yes, please! This healthy dessert recipe is perfect for a special occasion or if you just need a sweet treat. For the fluffiest mousse, make as few gentle strokes with your spatula as possible to fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in Step 5.

This super-refreshing fruit slushie is so easy to make and uses just three ingredients. Try it with strawberries and raspberries, too--these are great for a kids' party, but the adults will love them just as much (especially spiked with a little vodka or gin).

Although most diabetic recipes call for fat-free milk, this tasty pleaser is an exception. It's important to use whole milk so the ice cream will have enough fat for a creamy texture.

This show-stopping dessert is a New Zealand (and Australian) classic reportedly created in honor of the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova when she visited the Southern Hemisphere. Our version delivers a wonderful combination of sweet meringue crunch and velvety tart lemon curd. The meringue is somewhat fragile--expect it to crack and crumble a bit as you slice it into individual servings. For the best results, avoid making the meringue on a humid or rainy day. The extra moisture in the air may prevent it from drying and crisping properly.

This refreshing chilled Key lime mousse is a perfect union of cream and foam, tangy lime and soft sweet custard. The method is simple but a little unusual--you make a custard with fresh Key lime juice rather than milk or cream. Key limes, which are about the size of a Ping-Pong ball, are wonderfully fragrant and more acidic than regular limes. They are available all year at well-stocked supermarkets. If you can't find them, by all means use regular limes.