Wheatless Foodie

A New Year: 2012

2012-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are finished, it's time to take a breath and give some thought to this new year. It's a time for resolutions, for goal setting, or at least for thinking about making some changes.

I've read many blog posts these past few days about goals for 2012, some lofty and some small. There are some bloggers who are choosing one word that represents their main focus for the new year (I like this idea). One blogger has projects planned already for each month of the year. I find all of this to be extraordinarily impressive!

I love goal setting and planning, but I know myself well enough to realize that making specific plans for my whole year now isn't going to work for me. However, I know that there are some areas of my life that need some help. Meal planning, for example, hasn't been happening regularly for some time.

So this morning, I took a look at the contents of the freezer and began thinking about what we will be eating this week. I found a ham bone saved from a meal in November, and it's now simmering in a pot of water on it's way to flavoring a pot of beans.

Before being mowed down by the holidays, I had developed the habit of checking weekly grocery sales, stocking up, and planning meals around what I had in the freezer and pantry. It's time to get back to that practice.

So today, I'll be taking inventory of supplies on hand, making a menu plan, and posting it over my desk. Next, I'll be organizing my family's favorite recipes and searching for some new recipes to try.

Any suggestions?

Chocolate Brownie Cookies (gluten free)

2011-12-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

I made these gluten free cookies for Fred to take into work this week. The original recipe from McCormick was not a gluten free recipe, and contained cinnamon and chile pepper. I might try them some time with the spices, but I really just wanted some good, rich chocolate cookies, and these were delicious. They're not for everybody, though. They have a rich, dark chocolate flavor and aren't super sweet on their own, so anyone who doesn't like dark chocolate might not like them.

Adding the icing sweetened them up a bit, as did the pretty red sugar.

I didn't keep track of the amount of ingredients I added when making the icing (sorry). I made it with shortening, powdered sugar, almond milk, and clear vanilla flavoring. It probably has about 3/4 cup shortening to each pound of powdered sugar and just enough almond milk (or you could use the milk of your choice) to get the consistency you like. Add vanilla to taste (about 1 - 2 teaspoons per pound of powdered sugar).

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup gluten free flour blend (I used Jule’s)
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
14 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 °F.

Melt chocolate according to package directions.

Combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Add melted chocolate and beat until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 1 ½ inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes 3 ½ dozen cookies.

Printable Version

I hope everyone is having a lovely and delicious holiday season!

Cindy

Blog Hop

2011-12-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

Jennifer at It's an Itchy Little World is hosting a blog hop. Blog hops are a great way to find numerous resources in one convenient location.

Please visit Jenifer's blog hop for more information.

Cindy

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

King Arthur Gluten Free Flour and Baking Mixes

2011-11-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

The King Arthur Flour Company, founded in 1790, has a reputation for producing high quality baking supplies. So when I heard that they were making gluten free flours and mixes, I had high hopes that they would be good. I wasn’t disappointed.

Their Gluten Free Multi-purpose Flour is a good all purpose flour blend for gluten free baking. It does not contain xanthan gum or other gums, which is a benefit for those people who are sensitive to gums. I’ve used it successfully in cookies, cakes and quick breads with the addition of a little xanthan gum (the KA website recommends ½ tsp. gum/cup of flour). King Arthur flour also works well in making a roux for thickening gravy and sauces.

King Arthur also makes gluten free baking mix. I enjoyed a delicious chocolate cake for my birthday this year (thanks Mom and Laura!) made from King Arthur gluten free chocolate cake mix.

My daughter recently found a variety of King Arthur gluten free mixes at a local grocery store and brought home the gluten free brownie mix for us to try. Oh my goodness! Those brownies were so good, a whole pan of chewy, gooey, rich chocolaty goodness. Our regular grocery store only sells the King Arthur gluten free flour, but their mixes are worth making a trip to another store.

Note: I have no relationship with King Arthur Flour. They have never heard of me and are not compensating me in any way for writing this review.

If anyone has tried their other mixes or their bread flour, I would love to hear what you thought of them.

Cindy

Brussels Sprouts

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Brussels sprouts are one of those vegetables that you either love or hate. I really like them. My husband loathes them.

I found fresh brussels sprouts on the stem at the grocery store this week, and I had to get a stem. I just couldn’t help myself.

This recipe adds delicious, salty-sweet richness to the brussels sprouts. With the amount of cashews I used, this dish makes a filling lunch. If you’re serving this as a side dish, I would recommend either reducing or omitting the cashews.

Starting with sprouts still on the stem is a little more work, but they taste better when they’re fresh. Sprouts that have been sitting around for a long time after harvest have a stronger, sharper flavor. If you can’t find really fresh sprouts, frozen brussels sprouts are good, too.

To begin preparing the brussels sprouts, cut the sprouts away from the stem and give them a quick rinse.

Cut each in half and set aside.

Lightly toast the cashews in a pan for just a few minutes, and set aside.

Place the bacon pieces in the pan, and fry until crispy. Set aside. I was using pre-cooked bacon, so there was very little grease left in the pan, but drain excess grease if necessary.

Add oil and butter to pan, and saute brussels sprouts, uncovered, over medium heat until lightly browned and barely cooked, about five minutes. Overcooking brussels sprouts can really bring out the sulfurous flavors that most people find objectionable.

Combine the water, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar, add to the pan with the brussels sprouts.

Stir until all brussels sprouts are coated and the liquid has reduced to a syrup, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately. This recipe serves one as a meal, or serves 2 as a side dish if the cashews are reduced or omitted.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Cashews

9 Brussels sprouts, halved
1 strip bacon, cut or broken into small pieces
¼ cup cashews
1 teaspoon vegetable oil of choice
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

Printable Recipe

If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think. I would appreciate your comments.

Cindy

Please visit the Hearth and Soul Hop at Premeditated Leftovers for additional recipes.

Processing Fresh Pumpkins

2011-11-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

I grew sweet pumpkins in the garden this year. I’ve grown pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns before but have never grown pumpkins to eat. I planned to use them in pies and muffins so they needed to be cooked, pureed and frozen for later use.

To bake the pumpkins, I cut them each in half and scooped out the seeds and stringy middles. I placed them cut-side down on parchment lined baking sheets. They were baked for about 1 ¼ hours.

After the pumpkins were cool, the pumpkin was scooped from the skins and pureed in a food processor until smooth.

I then measured out recipe-size portions into zip-top bags and stored them in the freezer. Each small pumpkin, about 8 inch diameter, made about enough pumpkin puree for one pumpkin pie.

That’s it! Easy peasy.

Cindy

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (gluten free)

2011-11-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (gluten free)

2 ½ cups Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix*

½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup water
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Stir together all ingredients and spoon into greased muffin pan 2/3 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 15 to 18 muffins.

*If you don't have any Pamela's Baking Mix, you can substitute the following:
2 1/3 cups gluten free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt

Printable Version

The muffin recipe on the bag of Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix was the basis for these Pumpkin Pie Muffins. I just used pumpkin puree instead of fruit, added some spices, and threw in some white chocolate chips.

The muffins are amazing! They actually taste very similar to pumpkin pie with the white chocolate chips standing in for the whipped cream. Yum!

Cindy

For more yummy recipes and fun ideas, visit the Hearth and Soul Hop with Premeditated Leftovers 11/08/11 , Gluten-Free Wednesdays 11/09/11 at The Gluten-Free Homemaker, and Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now.

Chia Seeds

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Chia seeds have been made famous for growing “hair” on Chia Pets, as in "♪Ch-ch-ch-chia♫". Until recently, I didn’t know there was any other use for them. If fact, chia seeds are a highly nutritious food. Chia flour is also great for improving the texture of gluten free baked goods.

Chia seeds are a good source of protein, fiber, omaga-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Unlike flax seeds, which are also highly nutritious, chia seeds don’t have to be ground to be utilized by the body.

Chia flour can be used as a thickener in sauces, as an egg replacer, and as a replacement for xanthan gum and guar gum in gluten free baking. Apparently there are a number of people who don’t tolerate the gums in their diets, and some of the gluten free recipes need them to achieve the proper texture. So I’m working with chia and will soon have some recipe recommendations using this high nutrient ingredient.

If they aren’t available to you locally, you can purchase whole chia seeds and milled (ground) chia seeds online from Nutiva.

Cindy

Coconut Oil

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve become interested in the concept of “functional foods”, that is, foods that offer specific health benefits above and beyond providing our bodies with calories, macronutrients and micronutrients. A great deal of research is being done on a great many functional foods. It’s an interesting field of knowledge.

Coconut oil is one of the new foods in my family’s diet. Up until recently, I’ve used mostly canola oil or olive oil, and occasionally butter when preparing meals. Over the past few months I’ve noticed that several of my favorite food bloggers use coconut oil in their recipes. Most of the food bloggers I follow are interested in healthy foods, so I began doing some research on coconut oil.

Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the meat of mature coconuts. There are several means of extracting the coconut oil, and the method used determines the quality of the finished coconut oil.

I’m using organic, extra virgin coconut oil from Nutiva, which is cold pressed and minimally processed so as to retain the coconut’s fatty acids in their natural form. This is important, because it is the type of fats in coconut oil that provide its health benefits.

I did find some conflicting information about coconut oil. Many of the health-related professional organizations in this country recommend limiting the amount of coconut oil in the diet because it is extremely high in saturated fat.

Saturated fat in the form of animal fat has been shown to raise cholesterol levels. Increased cholesterol levels are associated with heart disease. Back in the 1970s, this information resulted in the development of hydrogenated vegetable oil as a substitute for animal fat. It was believed that unsaturated vegetable oils were healthier. Since coconut oil is high in saturated fat, it was considered as unhealthy as animal fats.

Unfortunately, the research done on the effect of coconut oil on health was done with partially hydrogenated coconut oil. We now know that hydrogenating oils results in trans-fats, which are likely worse for our hearts than saturated fats.

I was unable to find any research done with organic extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil that showed adverse health effects. I did find research showing health benefits from coconut oil.

Coconut oil contains about 50% lauric acid, which is a fat rarely found in other foods. Lauric acid is a medium-chain fatty acid that is found in human breast milk. Research is showing that this type of fat has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.

Research on coconut oil has shown that it may aid in weight loss when replacing other fats in the diet. Coconut oil appears to be metabolized a little differently that other fats. If I understand correctly, the fatty acids in coconut oil are more easily used by our bodies as fuel and so less likely to be stored as body fat than the fats and oils we typically consume in this country.

Coconut oil has also been shown to raise HDL, sometimes referred to the "good cholesterol", the one we want to have more of in our blood.

Replacing some of the fat in our meals and snacks is just one of the ways we’re working to stay healthy. We’re growing some of our own food and purchasing much of our produce from local growers. We’re trying to get more exercise, and honestly, I think that this us currently our biggest challenge.

If anyone has any information about coconut oil, I would appreciate hearing it.

Thank you,

Cindy

Apple Coffee Cake (gluten free)

2011-10-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Apples are a sure sign that autumn is underway. We are blessed to have an apple tree in our backyard. The apple variety growing on our tree isn’t very good for eating fresh out of hand, but it’s great for baking.

I began working on this apple cake recipe last year and after several attempts, I still felt that it just wasn’t good enough to share. I’ve made it several more times this fall, and I’m finally happy with it. Recipe development is like that. Sometimes it can take a dozen revisions, as was the case with this recipe for apple cake.

I don’t have the energy I used to, either, so as happened with this recipe, it took over a year to make it enough times to get it right. It makes me miss those days of working in product development when I had a staff of technicians to which I could hand the recipe revisions (and who cleaned up afterwards).

About the topping: I’ve made the cake several times with the topping added to the batter before baking and with the topping added about half way through the baking. I prefer the fluffier texture of the cake with the latter and have written the recipe that way, but the cake is good with the former method too, just a little more dense.

Apple Coffee Cake
(gluten free)

1¼ cup white rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup cornstarch
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup milk of your choice (I use almond milk)
¼ cup canola oil or coconut oil (melted)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups finely chopped apple*

Topping:
½ cup white rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup quick cooking oats (gluten free)
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Topping Instructions
Mix together dry ingredients in a small bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry mixer or by pulsing in the food processor. Set aside.

Cake Instructions
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together well. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, and milk. Stir liquids and apples into dry ingredients. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle topping evenly over top of cake and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick placed in center of cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

*This apple cake can be made with either fresh or frozen apples.

Printable Version

Enjoy!

Cindy

Meatloaf (gluten free)

2011-10-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

My husband loves meatloaf and has developed an especially delicious recipe that we all enjoy. He tried several recipes then chose what he liked most and combined them into one fabulous meatloaf recipe.

He uses quick cooking gluten free oats instead of breadcrumbs. Gluten free breadcrumbs would probably work, but the oats give the meatloaf a nice texture, as well as the nutritional boost of whole grains.

Quick cooking oats are more finely cut than old fashioned oats. If you don't have access to quick cooking gluten free oats, you can pulse old fashioned oats in the food processor.

Fred's Meatloaf (gluten free)

3 lbs ground meat (we use two parts lean ground beef to one part ground turkey)

1 ½ cups Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats
2 cups milk of your choice (we use almond milk)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons canola or olive oil
2 medium onions, preferably sweet, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon rubbed (dry) sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Topping:
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons mustard
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onions and mushrooms in the oil until translucent and almost browned, approximately 15 minutes. Stir in the dry mustard, salt, black pepper, sage, Worcestershire sauce, and Balsamic vinegar, and remove from heat.

Combine the ground meats, oats, eggs and the onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and put into ungreased loaf pans. Spread the topping evenly on top. Bake uncovered at 350°F degrees until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (about 80-90 minutes, always use a thermometer!).

Makes two loaves.

Printable Version

I hope your family enjoys this as much as we do.

Cindy

For more gluten free recipes, visit The Gluten Free Homemaker's Gluten Free Wednesdays.

Imagine Beef Gravy (Review)

2011-10-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

Gravy is easy to make if you have some stock, broth, and/or pan drippings to work with. But if you don’t or just want the convenience of canned gravy, it can be difficult to find ready-to-serve gravy that doesn’t contain gluten.

I’ve found one brand of gluten free ready-to-eat gravy, and my entire family likes it. Imagine Foods’ Savory Beef Flavored Gravy comes in shelf stable cartons, contains no gluten, and it’s delicious.

I buy Imagine gluten free Beef Gravy locally at the Bellingham Food Co-op, but it’s also available directly from Imagine Foods. (I'm not receiving any form of compensation for this blog post. I just really like the product.)

Cindy

Using up Leftovers

2011-10-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

I love having leftovers for dinner, because it means not having to cook that night. Sometimes, however, there are just little bits of several things left in the fridge, not enough of any one thing to make a meal for four out of. That’s what happened this week.

I decided to clean out the refrigerator and make stew in the crock pot today. The stew began this morning with the delicious pot roast that Fred had made for Sunday’s dinner. It went into the crock pot with a large carton of beef broth.

After lunch I added a few scrubbed, sliced carrots and a few scrubbed diced red potatoes (no peeling needed), and some sliced mushrooms. Later this afternoon the leftover cooked vegetables from the refrigerator were added.

As dinner time was nearing, the house smelled so good! The stew looked good, but I decided to thicken the broth into gravy using a roux.

A roux consists of butter and flour, usually in equal portions, that are cooked for a few minutes in a pan over medium heat. The roux can be cooked longer until browned as well.

For this stew, I melted 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet, stirred in 2 tablespoons of gluten free flour (today I used Jule’s gluten free flour, but I’ve also made a roux with sweet rice flour or white rice flour). I cooked it for a few minutes over a medium heat. I began adding some of the broth from the crock pot, a little at a time, while stirring with a wire whisk. When about 1 to 2 cups of the broth had been stirred into the roux until smooth, I heated the roux/broth mixture for a few minutes while stirring. Then it was stirred into the stew in the crock pot and allowed to cook for another half hour.

We enjoyed a lovely, flavorful stew for dinner with my Gluten Free Cheddar Biscuits.

I would love to hear other ideas for using up leftovers.
Cindy

This post linked to Frugal Tuesday Tips at Learning the Frugal Life and Hearth and Soul Hop with Premeditated Leftovers.

Layered Dessert Bars (gluten free)

2011-10-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

The original version of this recipe for layered dessert bars has been in my family for a few decades. They’re quick and easy to make and can be made with any number of substitutions based on what is available in the pantry the day you’ve decided to make them.

I’ve converted the recipe to gluten-free by replacing the graham crackers with crushed gluten free cereal. You could use gluten free graham crackers or cookies as well.

I’ve also reduced the amount of butter by half from the original recipe. Feel free to add back in the extra butter if you feel the need. Also, I’ve tried making it without the egg, but it holds together better with the egg than without.

Gluten Free Layered Dessert Bars
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
2 cups crushed gluten free cereal, gf graham crackers, or gf cookies
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips (make sure the brand you’re using is gluten free)
1 cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened that contains no sulfites, but sweetened is OK, too)
1 egg
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a 9 x 13 inch oven-proof baking dish
Sprinkle 1 cup of the crushed cereal evenly over the butter.
Sprinkle 1 cup of the chocolate chips evenly over the cereal
Sprinkle the butterscotch chips evenly over all.
Sprinkle the remaining crushed cereal evenly over all.
Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over all.
Sprinkle the coconut evenly over all.
In a small bowl, beat egg, and mix in sweetened condensed milk.
Pour milk mixture evenly over all.

Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Allow to cool at room temperature, then cut into pieces to serve. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week, or wrap tightly and store in the freezer for up to three months.

Alternate Recipe: replace the second layer of the chocolate chips with one cup of chopped nuts, gluten free oats, marshmallows, raisins, dried cranberries or other dried fruit.

Printable Version

Enjoy!

Cindy

Gluten Awareness

2011-10-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

Gluten awareness has increased dramatically in the last few years. Food manufacturers are producing more gluten-free products, and there are several food companies that only manufacture gluten-free foods. It’s become trendy to be following a gluten-free diet. While there are those who have been advised by a doctor to give up gluten, there are many people giving up gluten without a doctor’s diagnosis. Why?

Celebrities have helped make gluten-free eating popular. Some claim to have followed a gluten free diet to lose weight, and others are doing it because it makes them feel healthier. And when a celebrity does something, people pay attention.

With all the delicious gluten-free baked goods on the market, changing out all the wheat containing foods in one’s diet to the gluten-free versions will not result in weight loss. However, weight loss can result when giving up high fat, high sugar, and highly refined foods in favor of fruits, vegetables, and lean sources of protein.

Some people believe that a gluten-free diet is healthier. Personally, I think it’s only healthier for people who are sensitive to gluten. That doesn’t mean only people with a doctor’s diagnosis should avoid gluten. Unfortunately, as I experienced, there are many people experiencing the ill effects of Celiec and of gluten sensitivity that have never been tested because it just didn’t occur to their doctors to test them.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, 1 in 133 people have Celiac disease, and 97% of people with this livelong inherited autoimmune condition are undiagnosed. Hopefully, increased awareness of this disease will result in increased testing and more effective, less invasive means of testing for gluten sensitivity.

Cindy

Giveaway at Sidetracked Artist

2011-09-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

I'm currently hosting a giveaway of Shaklee Sports Nutrition products at my other blog, Sidetracked Artist. Please enter there.

Cindy

2 Roasts x 4 People = 3 Family Meals

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here’s how I recently made three different meals for four people from two beef roasts:

Meal #1

Place two beef roasts over onions and potatoes, season as you like, cover and cook for a couple of hours. Uncover and cook for another hour or so. Serve sliced roast beef with potatoes, some vegetables, and a salad.

Meal #2

Place roast beef slices in a crock pot with beef broth and cook all afternoon. Just before serving, remove broth to a saucepan. To thicken the broth: bring broth to a boil. In a separate container, stir some cornstarch (about 1 Tablespoon cornstarch per cup of broth) into a small amount of cold water. While stirring boiling broth with a wire wisk, add cornstarch slurry all at once, and continue stirring for a few minutes until gravy is glossy. Return gravy to meat and serve on gluten free sandwich rolls along with salad and fruit. Optional: saute sliced onions and mushrooms in a skillet to serve on the sandwiches.

Meal #3

Remove meat from gravy (freeze remaining gravy to use at a later time). Cut meat into small pieces and use for enchilada casserole: layer corn tortillas, meat, drained red or black beans, corn, shredded cheese, and enchilada sauce in an oven-safe baking dish. Top with sliced olives and green onions. Bake in oven until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think to photograph the first two meals, so only the enchilada casserole is pictured here.

Cindy

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake

2011-06-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Janet at The Empty Nest posted a recipe for a Reese's Peanut Butter Fudge Cake that looks delicious.

I made a gluten free version for Father's Day.

I started with two bags of Pamela's gluten free chocolate cake mix, made according to the package directions.

I poured the batter into a 10" x 15" x 2" baking dish (coated with nonstick spray).

I placed the dish into a preheated 350 F oven for about 5 to 10 minutes. That's when I remembered that I forgot to stir the peanut butter cups into the batter.

The original version called for chopping up the little bite-sized individually wrapped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and mixing them into the batter.

I used the Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cup candies that come in the bag so I didn't have to unwrap them or chop them. I can be kind of lazy sometimes.

So, back to the cake batter thats been in the oven for less then 10 minutes. I pulled the baking dish from the oven and sprinkled 2 bags of the mini peanut butter cups over the batter. Since the gluten free cake batter was very thin before placing in the oven, this worked out well. The batter had thickened in the oven just enough to keep the little mini peanut butter cups from sinking to the bottom, so they were well dispersed in the finished cake.

This size cake took 40 minutes to bake.

Chocolate Frosting
Using a stand mixer, I creamed 1/2 cup butter with 1/2 cup shortening. I mixed 1/4 cup cocoa powder with just enough hot water to make a thick paste, then beat it into the shortening/butter mixture. I added 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar and a little almond milk, alternately adding the sugar and milk a little at a time. Sorry, I didn't measure the almond milk (you could use regular milk, too). It was probably less than 1/3 cup; just enough to result in a nice creamy frosting.

After spreading the frosting over the cooled cake, I garnished the top with 1/2 bag chopped Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups.

Happy Father's Day!

Cindy

Linked with the June recipe carnival, Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! hosted by Living Free

Thank you CBS

2011-06-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Betty Crocker Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest and Giveaway

2011-06-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

Have you tried any of the Betty Crocker gluten free baking mixes? I reviewed the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Bisquick here, and I reviewed the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix here. I’m looking forward to trying their other gluten free baking mixes!

Using baking mixes as a starting point for creating delicious baked goods can be quicker and easier than baking “from scratch”. Think about some of your favorite holiday baked goods. How could you make them easier by using Betty Crocker gluten free baking mixes as a starting point?

Gluten Freely is hosting the Betty Crocker Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest with a grand prize of $5000! Also, ten finalists will receive a gift basket containing the Betty Crocker gluten free baking mixes. To enter, submit an original gluten free holiday-themed appetizer, bread or dessert recipe, using any Betty Crocker Gluten Free dessert mix or Bisquick Gluten Free baking mix.

Visit Gluten Freely for the contest details. The deadline for recipe submissions is June 30, 2011, so get to work!

Special Offer: through the end of June, Gluten Freely is offering a 20% discount on Betty Crocker Baking Mixes purchased from their website.

Just so there isn’t any misunderstanding, I have to disclose that the Betty Crocker gluten free baking mixes I received and the prize pack giveaway are from Betty Crocker through MyBlogspark. This giveaway is only available to residents of the continental U.S. and Canada.

GIVEAWAY!

The winner of the giveaway is "Kolpin".

Thank you to everyone for your comments, follows and tweets!

Cindy

Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Review

2011-05-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

Jules Gluten Free makes a really good gluten free all purpose flour. It’s my favorite gluten free all purpose flour and I’ve been substituting it in some of my gluten free recipes with good results. I’ve also tried substituting it for regular (white flour made from wheat) flour in some regular recipes as well.

I substituted Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour in the Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe to make delicious chocolate chip cookies.

They did spread a little more on the parchment lined pan than I remember them spreading with regular flour but they were delicious. Interestingly, the cookie dough that I stored in the freezer baked up better, spreading less.

So next I tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe on the Jules Gluten Free website. Some pans of cookies still spread slightly more than I would have liked, but it seemed to be related to which type of pan they were baked on. The douple layer cookie sheets without sides resulted in cookies that spread more than the jelly roll style pans (with sides). The cookies were delicious with crispy outsides and soft insides.

I used the Jules Gluten Free flour in a basic pie dough recipe to make gluten free pie crust with good results as well. It was blander than a pie crust made with regular flour, but it worked well for the chicken pot pie I was making. (Sorry, no picture of the pie.)

Finally, I made gluten free brownies using the Jules Gluten Free flour with the Hershey’s Best Brownie recipe.

And I added a 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, because that’s how I make brownies.

I haven’t ever made these brownies with regular flour, so I don’t have a good comparison. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I made any brownies without a mix.

{hanging my head in shame}

Observation: this gluten free brownie batter was more fluid than brownie batter from a mix.

The brownies were rich, chocolaty and delicious!

But since I’m a scientist, I’ll have to make brownies again with another recipe for comparison to make sure the results can be duplicated. Because it’s important that results be duplicated – it’s a science thing.

But it’s OK, I’ll make the sacrifice in the name of science.

I don’t know how the Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour compares in price to the cost of mixing my own gluten free flour blend, and this is something I plan on looking into. However, Jules Gluten Free has frequent sales, so it’s easy to reduce the cost of buying their flour by taking advantage of these offers.

What's your favorite gluten free flour blend?

Cindy

Share Our Strength-No Kid Hungry

2011-05-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

Today I’m participating in the Food Blogger Great American Bakesale to support the No Kid Hungry Campaign. You can visit Share Our Strength for more information about the campaign to end childhood hunger.

Rachel at The Fromagette has organized the Bellingham bakesale, which will be in front of Village Books in Historic Fairhaven this morning. Rachel’s culinary creations are amazing! This morning’s shoppers in Fairhaven are in for a treat.

I’ve made Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies for the sale. I used Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and the chocolate chip cookie recipe from the Jules Gluten Free website.

The recipe can be found here.

Cindy

Review of Mi-Del Gluten Free Sandwich Cookies

2011-05-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Fred and I went to Grocery Outlet. Not only are their prices good on most things, you just never know what you'll find there. It's sort of a foodie adventure.

Sometimes I find great deals on gluten-free foods, too.

Like the time they had gluten-free pasta for half what it costs to purchase at any of the other grocery stores in town. So I bought enough to last us for several months.

The person behind me in line commented that I must really like pasta. I explained that it was a really good price, so I was stocking up. I'm not sure she believed me.

Stocking up when I find a good price is how I shop, then I plan meals around what I have in the freezer and in the pantry that was purchased cheap.

Back to last weekend's trip. They had some gluten-free vanilla sandwich cookies for 99 cents per package. That's about 1/5 the cost of the gluten-free sandwich cookies at the co-op. I hadn't tried them before, but I had tried other Mi-Del gluten-free cookies and liked them. So I purchased, um, "a few" bags. OK, more then a few. They'll keep well in the freezer.

These cookies are soooooo good. Nice texture, not grainy, and absolutely delicious! SCORE!

Cindy

The Namaste Gluten Free Giveaway Winner is...

2011-04-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Cheryl F from The Lucky Ladybug!

Thank you to everyone for your comments, tweets, and for following Wheatless Foodie!

Cindy

Namaste Gluten Free Product Reviews and PRIZE GIVEAWAY

2011-03-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Would you like to receive a prize pack from Namaste Foods? If you win, you’ll receive a Namaste Foods reusable grocery tote bag filled with a variety of goodies including some Namaste Gluten Free products!

Please read these product reviews then follow the instructions to enter the giveaway.

Namaste Foods makes gluten-free mixes in a dedicated facility free of: gluten, wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, and casein.

For this product review, I received two products from Namaste Foods to try and review. I am not being paid or otherwise compensated for this review.

Both products were evaluated by my family of four which consists of two gluten-eaters and two of us following a gluten free diet.

First we tried Namaste Gluten Free Pasta Pisavera.

The package included a bag of multi-colored rotini (spiral) shaped gluten-free pasta and a bag of seasoning. The instructions called for the addition of 3 tablespoons of oil.

I cooked the pasta as directed in boiling, salted water. After 8 minutes, I drained the cooked pasta in a colander but did not rinse as per the instructions. I heated the oil in the pan and stirred in the contents of the seasoning packet and the cooked pasta. Very quick and easy!

The pasta itself had a nice texture and was very good. We all felt that the seasoning was good, but there was too much seasoning for the amount of pasta. If I were to make it again, I would start with 2/3 of the seasoning, then taste and add more if necessary.

Overall, it kind of tasted like pizza without cheese. My daughter wants to try it again with less seasoning and the addition of parmesan cheese.

For dessert I prepared the Namaste Gluten Free Spice Cake Mix.

There were baking instructions to make two 9” layers, or one 9” x 13” cake, or cupcakes.

In addition to the spice cake mix, I needed to add 3 eggs, ¾ cup water, and 2/3 cup oil.

After mixing well, I poured the batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and baked according to the directions on the bag.

The finished cake was moist, dense and had a nice texture.

However, it had a bit too much spice for our tastes. There were instructions on the bag for variations including applesauce cake and carrot cake. With the addition of apples and applesauce to thin out the overall spice level, I think this would be a much better cake.

The carrot cake version looked good too. The addition of carrots, raisins and nuts, and a thick cream cheese icing would balance the overall spiciness of this mix and would probably produce a delicious carrot cake.

I topped the spice cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting, which reduced the overall spiciness of the dessert, and everyone enjoyed this delicious treat.

I was impressed by the fact that the Namaste Gluten Free Pasta Pisavera made 4 servings, and the Namaste Gluten Free Spice Cake Mix could make a two-layer cake or a 9 x 13 inch cake. Some gluten free mixes don’t make very much, and I appreciated having mixes that made enough for our family of four.

I received this cost comparison from Namaste:

To enter the Namaste Foods product giveaway, please do any or all of the following:

1. Go to the Namaste Foods website to look at their products, and comment here about a product or products you might like to try. (counts as one entry)

2. Tweet about this giveaway to your Twitter followers referring them to this post. Then leave a comment to let me know. (counts as one entry - up to one per day)

3. “Follow” this blog and comment to let me know you are following. (counts as one entry)

This giveaway will remain open through April 5, 2011. I will then choose the winner using a random number generator. Oh, and one more thing, this prize pack can only be shipped to the United States or Canada.

Thank you!

Cindy

UPDATE (4/6/11): Based on the random number generator, Cheryl F. is the winner! Congratulations, Cheryl!

Linked to In Good Cents Take-a-Chance Tuesday and The Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesday. Also posted at The Lucky Ladybug.

Music

2011-02-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
                                                         ~ Berthold Auerbach

Working in the kitchen is tedious sometimes. I haven't always felt like this. I used to love playing with food, trying out new flavor combinations, learning what worked and what didn't.   But after decades of following recipes, developing recipes, or just throwing things together, I'm kind of tired of the whole thing.

OK, I'll admit that being tired most of the time anyway doesn't help, but preparing food frequently feels more like work than the play.

Nevertheless, my family has to eat, and relying on having all our food prepared for us in the form of fast food, restaurant meals, etc. just isn't an option for us.

So, to make the work less tedious, I like to play music while I work.

I enjoy a varitey of music, but today I would like to share a video created by my nephew, Tyler. Tyler Lane is an amazing young man and a stunningly talented musician.

Midnight Conclusions

Tyler Lane and Collective | Myspace Music Videos

Cookie Dough in the Freezer

2011-02-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Some people enjoy baking. I am not one of them.

I do, however, enjoy eating baked goods.

I especially love homemade cookies. To avoid having to make dough from scratch every time I want to bake cookies, I usually freeze part of the cookie dough whenever I make a batch. Then I can take out the frozen dough balls to bake at a later time.

Here’s the method I use for making and storing the frozen cookie dough:

Cut a piece of waxed paper about twice the size of a gallon zipper-seal freezer bag. If the paper isn’t exactly the right size, just fold over one edge to make it work.

Measure out the cookie dough portions on the waxed paper, leaving a little space between them so they don’t stick together. The area covered by the dough balls should be smaller than the size of the zipper-seal bag.

Fold over the remaining waxed paper to cover the dough balls, and slip the entire package into the zipper-seal bag.

Repeat, and layer 2 or 3 “dough packages” into each bag. Label and put in the freezer.

Whenever you want to bake cookies, remove the dough packages from the freezer and place the frozen dough balls on the baking sheet. Allow to thaw slightly while the oven preheats. Since the dough will still be slightly frozen, the cookies will take slightly longer to bake.

Enjoy having fresh homemade cookies anytime!

Cindy

Betty Crocker® Gluten Free Brownie Mix Review

2011-02-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love brownies. Their chocolaty goodness and chewy texture get me every time. I just can’t leave them alone.

Now with all this brownie-love going on, you would expect that I might have tried making gluten free brownies from scratch. There are probably some good recipes out there, but have I tried any of them?

No, I have not.

So until recently, my family has been brownie-deprived.

Fortunately, Betty Crocker® has come out with a line of gluten free baking mixes that includes a brownie mix.

Betty Crocker® Gluten Free Brownie Mix makes absolutely delicious brownies! They are rich, chewy, and chocolaty (is that a real word?). They are good brownies, they’re easy to make, and they are gluten free.

Cindy

Note: I receive a small percentage of purchases made through my Amazon.com link.

Gluten Free Superbowl Party

2011-02-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

My husband and I don't watch football, not even the Superbowl. I have no interest in football. None.

Fred has very little interest in sports, and, weather permitting, will spend the day working in the yard.

However, we do enjoy good food, especially good snacks! Here are some gluten free homemade goodies to share:

Rachel, at The Fromagette, has a recipe for a homemade Caramelized Onion Dip

Linda, The Gluten-Free Homemaker, is sharing some great ideas in her weekly Surfing Saturday post.

Andrea has delicious and healthy foods for the big day here.

These Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies look amazing at Alana's Pantry.

Kate posted these Blueberry-Apricot Oat Bars last summer at Gluten Free Gobsmacked. They look so good I just had to share!

Claire at Gluten Freedom is sharing Double Chocolate Espresso Brownie Cookies.

And from my own blog, this Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread recipe makes wonderful sandwich rolls.

Whether or not you'll be watching football, I hope you'll enjoy some good things to eat.

Cindy

Glutino Sandwich Cookie Review

2011-02-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

Glutino, one of my favorite brands of gluten free foods, produces two kinds of delicious sandwich cookies.

The Glutino Chocolate Vanilla Crème Cookies , which are gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies filled with vanilla cream, resemble Oreo® cookies. These cookies have a slightly gritty mouthfeel, but other than that, they are like eating an Oreo®, but gluten free. Yum!

Their Vanilla Crème Cookies, which are gluten-free vanilla sandwich cookies filled with vanilla cream, are similar to Mother's® English Tea Cookies. These Glutino gluten-free cookies are sooooo good!

Cindy

If you aren't able to find them where you live, you can purchase them over the internet. I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price if you purchase items through my Amazon.com links.

Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Free Baked Goods Review

2010-12-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a box of cake and cookies yesterday from Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Free Bakery. I guess it wasn’t a complete surprise since they had e-mailed me to see if I would like to review their products. But with holiday preparations on my mind, I had forgotten all about it.

Shabtai Gourmet, a.k.a. Cinderella Sweets, Inc., is a family owned bakery based in Woodmere, NY. They specialize in gluten free, lactose free, soy free, casein free, peanut free & dairy free cakes and cookies. Also, Shabtai Gourmet is certified kosher for Passover by the OK Kosher Certification.

My taste-testers included two gluten avoiders and two gluten eaters. We were all very happy with the overall quality of these products.

The Apricot Roll was a jelly-roll style cake with a delicious sweet-tart apricot filling and coconut topping. I’m usually not a big fan of pastries with fruit filling, because I don’t care for the overly sweet fruit glop that is frequently used in baked goods. I liked the Apricot Roll, though. It contained just the right proportion of filling to cake, and the filling wasn’t overly sweet. The apricot flavor came through beautifully. All four taste testers liked it, and we were all impressed by the fact that we wouldn’t have known it was gluten free.

Pecan Sandies cookies are among my favorites, and the Shabtai Gourmet Meltaways were delicious. They have the fine texture and melt-in-you-mouth goodness that I expect of a pecan sandie cookie. They also make you want to keep eating them, which may not be such a good thing!

I'm not really familiar with Florentine Lace cookies. After trying Shabtai Gourmet’s Florentine Lace cookies, I feel like I’ve been missing out. How is it that I don’t know about these? They’ve taken two chewy-crisp, almost candy-like wafers and sandwiched dark chocolate between them. Soooooo good! There was one small problem, though (besided that fact that I couldn't stop eating them). The cookies didn't always stick well to the chocolate, so one cookie was kind of peeling apart from the chocolate.

Their chocolate chip cookies are similar to a basic store bought chocolate chip cookie. They’re a little on the dry, crisp side, and I prefer soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies. But they do have lots of chocolate chips and an overall pleasant flavor.

The Shabtai Gourmet website shows which retailers carry their products, and their products can be ordered online as well.

Now for the disclaimer: I received the cake and cookie samples at no cost to me. I am not receiving payment for reviewing their products.

Thank you to the people at Shabtai Gourmet for the box of delicious gluten free baked goods. We are all enjoying the delicious treats!

Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

My childhood Thanksgivings always included canned jellied cranberry sauce. You know, the kind that you can push out of the can and slice.

There's nothing wrong with canned cranberry sauce, but making cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries is so easy. And I think it tastes better. I like the chunky texture of my homemade cranberry sauce and the not-too-sweet tartness of it.

And best of all, it can be made a couple of days ahead of time.

Cranberry Sauce

1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries (nearly 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove cover, stir, and simmer (uncovered) for 5 to 10 minutes. Mash cranberries with the back of a large spoon. Allow to cool, store in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Printable Version

Thanksgiving Favorites

2010-11-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I was blessed to grow up surrounded by family, and we always gathered at my grandparents’ home for Thanksgiving. Grandma made a delicious traditional feast that was enjoyed by the three generations gathered around the table. I loved getting together with family, grandparents, an aunt, uncles, and cousins.

After I was married and we had our daughter, my husband and I moved to another state. We’ve had a good life, but we always miss our families during the holidays.

We couldn’t travel during the holidays much, because that was the busiest time of year for my husband’s employer. He had Thanksgiving day off, then usually had to work the remaining three days of the “holiday weekend”.

Fortunately, my parents were willing to travel to be with us on Thanksgiving. They have kept up this tradition every year for over twenty years now, and having them here for this holiday makes it that much more special. We are always grateful for their loving presence every Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving, for me, is about gratitude and family. It is also about food. I love traditional Thanksgiving foods.

I especially love stuffing.

So when I stopped eating gluten, I could no longer eat the delicious cornbread stuffing from the Mrs. Cubbison’s box that I had grown up with.

I’ll admit that my gluten free stuffing doesn’t taste like Mrs. Cubbison’s cornbread stuffing, and since I can’t eat the real deal any more, I won’t be working on a closer match. But my cornbread stuffing is pretty good, and my family likes it.

Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing

4 cups chopped, toasted Gluten Free Cornbread (including crumbs)*
1 stick butter
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 ¼ to 1 ¾ cups chicken or turkey broth**

Melt butter in a microwave safe dish.

Stir in onion and celery, cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Combine cornbread, seasoning, and buttered vegetables.

Add broth, stir, and let stand for about 20 minutes to allow broth to be absorbed. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F. for 30 minutes (uncover for last 10 minutes if you like a crispy top).

Makes 6 servings

*The cornbread may be baked a day ahead, chopped or broken apart by hand, then toasted on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
**Use more or less broth depending on the dryness of the toasted cornbread and on whether or not you like a stuffing that is dry or moist.

Note: I’ve also made this stuffing with half gluten free cornbread and half gluten free bread. It was
really good too.

Print Recipe

For more delicious gluten-free recipes and ideas, visit The Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Gluten Free Bisquick Review and Prize Pack Giveaway

2010-10-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

I was recently given the opportunity to sample the new Bisquick Gluten-Free Baking Mix.

I received a “Prize Pack” from General Mills through MyBlogSpark that included one box of the new Bisquick Gluten-Free Baking Mix, a cute little griddle with silver-dollar sized wells for making mini-pancakes, a pancake batter “pen” to make designs or initials on the pancakes, and a spatula. What fun!

First I made half a batch of pancakes using a non-stick skillet, since this is what I use when making pancakes for my family. I followed the directions on the box, which required adding egg, oil and milk.

The pancakes were evaluated by my family with the conclusion that they were OK. Not great, and not as good as the gluten free pancakes I usually make, but OK. They looked good, but were kind of stiff and didn’t have much flavor. On to the biscuits.

I made a full batch of biscuits with the remaining mix and served them with our evening meal. The biscuits required that I cut in shortening, then mix in eggs and milk. They were deemed OK by my family. These biscuits were kind of crumbly, but overall were better than the pancakes. These would be an OK addition to our meals, not great, but OK.

Would I purchase this product as-is? Probably not.

The main reason I would not buy this product is that, unlike the regular Bisquick, the shortening isn’t already in the mix. For me, this is part of why Bisquick is so convenient. If I’m going to measure and cut in shortening, I might as well just make biscuits from scratch. If the shortening were already in the mix, I probably would buy this mix for the convenience of being able to whip up a quick batch of gluten free biscuits.

I would also prefer that it contained some whole grain flour for increased nutrition and flavor. And a bigger box would be good too. Gluten free flours tend to be more expensive than regular wheat flour, so they might have been targeting a particular “price point” when determining package size, but I’m cooking for a family and that little box doesn’t go very far.

Still, it was worth trying, and I appreciate General Mills adding some gluten-free products to their line of mixes. OK, and the fun gifts in the pack from MyBlogSpark helped make it worth my while.

Would you like to receive a prize pack like mine? If so, please leave a comment here on my blog telling me what you would make with this Bisquick Gluten-Free Baking Mix, or what you like to make with regular Bisquick Baking Mix. For additional chances to win the Prize Pack Giveaway, “Follow” my blog (or add me to your RSS Reader), or follow me on Twitter.

So, there are three ways to enter, and you can have three entries by doing all of them!

1. Leave a comment here.

2. Follow my blog (and tell me that you are following or already follow)

3. Follow me on Twitter @CindyTabacchi (and tell me that you are following or already follow)

That’s it! Easy Peasy.

And if you want to buy some Bisquick Gluten Free Baking Mix at the store, here’s a coupon.

UPDATE: October 23, 2010

Congratulations, Meaghan! You've won the prize pack.

Thank you to everyone for your comments, and for following my blog and following me on Twitter!

Half a Cow

2010-10-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

Habits are hard to change. Food habits are especially hard to change because eating is not just something we do out of necessity. Our food choices may be based on so much more than our nutritional needs.

There are some foods we consider “comfort foods” because they sustain us emotionally as well as physically. Some religious practices require the inclusion or exclusion of particular foods. Many holidays include specific foods as part of the celebration.

Different foods are associated with different cultures. Geographic location, weather, and economics can affect food availability. The food traditions we were raised with may influence our eating habits for the rest of our lives.

My husband and I have been trying to make some changes in our food choices. Beyond trying to eat healthier, we have been considering our food buying habits. We were both impressed with Michael Pollen’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and with the movie Food, Inc.

Fred and I have been growing some of our own vegetables for years. I started gardening when I was a teenager. My grandfather usually had a vegetable garden, and I was always drawn to the idea of being able to grow one’s own food. Fred grew up with a family vegetable garden and with chickens.

Having a vegetable garden can be like having a little farmer’s market in your own backyard. It does take a little more time and effort to maintain a garden...or maybe not. When I think about driving to the weekly farmer’s market, or the produce market, or the grocery store, finding parking, dodging the crowds, waiting to pay, and driving home, the time and effort required to grow vegetables doesn’t seem like such a big deal. And spending time out in my garden is so much nicer.

I’ll admit that I do buy some produce at the grocery store, usually because I didn’t plan well enough when managing our garden or when visiting the weekly farmer’s market. We try to eat what’s in season and grown locally as much as possible, though, to minimize the miles the food has traveled and the gas it took to bring it to us.

We enjoy fresh homegrown eggs from our little backyard flock of chickens. At present, we have three laying hens, which provide all the eggs we need for both eating and baking.

We don’t “free range” our hens because chickens are incredibly messy and destructive to plants, but we do provide them with a run and access to fresh grass. Their hen house has an opening in the floor with a ramp that allows them down into the run area. This small area under the hen house opens to a larger chicken run.

The chicken coop is portable, having been built on wheels so that it can be moved as needed to provide the hens with fresh grass. While this isn’t as good as free ranging for the chickens, it is so much better than the lives of commercial laying hens. And since the nutritional quality of the eggs is determined by what the hens eat, my family enjoys eating very healthy eggs. In addition to the fresh grass and the dandelion greens we pull from the flower beds, “the girls” also get kitchen scraps. They especially like our vegetable peelings and other food waste, and I like that this “waste” is not wasted but is turned into delicious, healthy eggs.

Our backyard has a lot more lawn than we would like, so we’re currently moving the chicken coop around the yard and leaving it on the areas we would like to have the sod removed. Chickens spend their days scratching and pecking and are great at digging up grass. I also plan to have them “till” the vegetable garden this fall so it will be ready (and well fertilized) for planting in the spring.

Meat is another area where we’ve made some changes. The knowledge of the horrible conditions and the daily misery suffered by animals in CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations; i.e., “feed lots”) didn’t change us into vegetarians, but it did change the way we buy meat. We purchased a chest freezer and bought half a cow.

That’s right, HALF A COW!

We bought the meat from a cow raised in a pasture by a local rancher and butchered/packaged by a local meat packer. Not only can we sit down to a steak (roast, hamburger, or stew) dinner with a clear conscious, this grass fed beef is free of growth hormones and antibiotics. And the nutrients in the grass produce meat with healthier fats.

Cows raised on grass tend to be naturally healthier than corn fed (CAFO feed lot) cows because cows don’t digest corn well. They are being fed this grain that they weren’t meant to eat because it’s cheap to do so. They get sick from eating food that causes stomach upset and from living day to day standing in their own waste in a crowded feed lot, and then they need the antibiotics to survive. This is one of the practices that have resulted in the rise in the kinds of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can make us sick.

Beef is “finished” on corn while packed into feed lots because it is supposedly cheaper. The truly remarkable thing, though, is that we’re paying the same price for our meat now as we were when we bought it from the store. And we’re eating a wider variety of cuts, including those cuts that used to be too expensive. The entire half cow is the same price per pound! OK, we did have to buy a freezer, but when factored over the years of its use, the cost of purchasing and running this energy efficient freezer adds only a small cost per pound to the meat.

We still buy the occasional piece of pork or fish at the store. I still like the convenience of buying bagged frozen boneless skinless chicken, but I’ve started buying whole free range chickens from the local food co-op. They are a bit more expensive than the usual grocery store chickens, but they actually do taste better than their CAFO counterparts and come without the guilt associated with the chicken meat I buy at the supermarket.

All of these changes in our eating habits didn’t happen quickly. It’s been a gradual shift that began with the way we think about food, and will likely continue with ongoing changes. And we're far from perfect. We still enjoy the occasional restaurant fast-food meal. But sometimes even small changes can make a difference. It's been estimated that if everyone consumed just one meal prepared from local organic food, we would reduce our national consumption of foreign oil by over one million barrels per week.

Food habits can be changed. Choices matters. For us, for now, this is what works.

Gluten-free Blogroll

2010-05-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Gluten Free Homemaker is putting together a gluten-free blogroll Mr. Linky here. If you blog gluten-free, please add your blog to the list.

Then check back to find links to more gluten-free blogs!

Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread

2010-04-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

“Have you tried Udi’s bread?” is the question going around the gluten free community. Udi’s Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread is unbelievably good. It is not just “good for gluten free bread”. It is good bread. It is also sometimes hard to find.

I appreciate the convenience of being able to buy good gluten free bread and other pre-prepared gluten free foods. However, with both my daughter and myself avoiding gluten, it’s good to be able to prepare gluten free foods at home as well. This is especially true of bread, since we usually eat breakfast and lunch at home and can go through bread quickly.

With the Udi’s Gluten Free bread in mind, I developed a recipe for Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread. It also makes really good sandwich rolls. I wish there was some way to share the delicious fragrance in my house when the bread came out of the oven. The whole house smelled like homemade bread, real bread.

When I worked as a food scientist developing products for the food industry, I always used a scale to measure ingredients. At home, I’ve always used conventional measuring cups and spoons. Shauna at Gluten Free Girl and the Chef has been advocating the use of a scale for baking, and I started to think about how nice it was to develop recipes with a food scale.

So I bought this Cuisinart Food Scale, and I really like working with it.

Consequently, in the interest of accuracy, I’ve listed the weight of each ingredient (in grams) first, then the volumetric measurements (as close as possible) following each ingredient.

This recipe makes either two one-pound loaves, or twelve sandwich rolls. I made one loaf and six sandwich rolls for the photos.

Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread

160 grams (g) warm water (2/3 cup)
40 g granulated sugar (3 ½ tablespoons)
11 g active dry yeast (3 ½ teaspoons)

146 g tapioca starch (1 1/3 cups)
130 g brown rice flour (1 cup)
102 g potato starch (2/3 cup)
29 g teff flour (1/4 cup)
14 g flax seed meal (2 tablespoons)
6 g xanthan gum (2 ¼ teaspoons)
8 g salt (1 ½ teaspoons)
6 g baking powder, double acting (1 ½ teaspoons)

60 g canola oil (1/4 cup)
235 g egg whites (1 cup or about 6 egg whites)
8 g apple cider vinegar (2 teaspoons)

For loaves, spray the ends of loaf pans with non-stick spray and line bottom and long sides with parchment.
For sandwich rolls, line pans with parchment.

Add warm water, sugar and yeast to mixing bowl and let stand about 15 minutes.

Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a bowl, whisking them to blend well. Set aside.

Add the vinegar, oil and egg whites to the yeast, sugar and water in the mixing bowl, and turn on mixer to a low setting.

Add the dry ingredients, about 1/3 at a time while continuing to mix at low speed. Scrape bowl with a spatula, turn up the mixer to medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid stand mixer). Mix for two minutes. The finished “dough” will look like a thick batter.

For loaves, divide batter evenly between two loaf pans.
For sandwich rolls, using a one ounce ice cream scoop, measure out two level scoops of batter for each sandwich roll.

Flatten and spread out the batter a little for the rolls.

The batter will need to be covered while rising to keep from drying out, but the batter is really sticky. For these photos, I sprinkled rice flour on the loaf, then I covered it with plastic wrap. I sprayed non-stick cooking spray on the rolls, but did not cover them.

Both methods worked. This batter/dough doesn’t rise as much as regular bread dough made with wheat, but it will rise about 40 to 50 percent, and the rise time (also called proofing) helps to develop the flavor. This is what they looked like before rising:

And this is what they looked like after rising:

Allow to rise in a warm place for an hour, then bake in a preheated 375° F oven.

Rolls: bake 18 to 20 minutes
Loaves: bake 35 – 40 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then finish cooling on cooling racks. Enjoy!

Update (January 3, 2012): Someone asked how much it costs to make this bread. Ingredient costs can vary a great deal, so I can't say exactly what it will cost you to make it. That said, about $2.50 per loaf (this batch size makes two small loaves). I'll be doing a post soon on ways to reduce the cost of eating gluten free!

Printable Recipe

For more gluten-free recipes, visit the Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wedneaday. Also linked to 4 Moms' Bread Making Linkup

Frugal Gluten Free Dinner #3

2010-04-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is part of a series of gluten free menus for dinners costing under $4 per person.

I hate throwing away food, so I’m practicing leftovers management. About twice weekly, I actually look in the refrigerator (I know, what a concept) to see what leftovers are still there. Then I move them into the freezer.

And no, my freezer is not overflowing with leftovers!

I keep a container in the freezer labeled “Chili Fixin’s”, and most leftovers go into the bag. Well, not everything, of course, but most things. Also, small amounts of leftovers that wouldn’t ordinarily be saved, like a few bites of this or that, go into the freezer container.

About once per month, I make chili with all the leftovers. It is NOT yucky! It is surprisingly good.

I start by defrosting the container of leftovers, either in the microwave if I’m in a hurry, or in a sink full of COLD water. Don’t use hot water to defrost frozen food – it isn’t good food safety.

I usually buy canned beans when they’re on sale for 50 cents per can. I like pinto beans, kidney beans, and sometimes black beans in chili. Drain and rinse the beans.

I used to make chili with dry beans, which are very economical and easy to cook. This, however, requires me to remember to soak the beans the night before, then remember to keep an eye on them while they’re cooking, and my memory just isn’t that great anymore.

Leftovers Chili, which I usually make in the Crock Pot, may contain: taco meat, corn, roast beef, refried beans, baked beans, chicken, spaghetti sauce, stew meat, lunch meat, mushrooms, roast pork, onions, peppers, salsa, and/or fresh diced tomatoes.

Add beans, chili powder, and whatever else you like in chili.

I usually serve it with gluten-free cornbread.

What do you like in your chili?

GLUTEN FREE CORNBREAD

2 ½ cups cornmeal

1 cup rice flour (either brown or white if fine)

½ cup sorghum flour

½ cup cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons xanthan gum

2 teaspoons salt

4 eggs

2 cups milk

2/3 cup canola oil
1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Wisk together all dry ingredients

In a separate container, lightly beat eggs and mix with milk and oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in drained corn (if using).

Spread into greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until center is done.

Printable Recipe

A link to this recipe/post also appears at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.

Frugal Dinner #2

2010-03-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is part of a series of gluten free menus for dinners costing under $4 per person.

I’ve been buying pork top sirloin roasts from Costco for $1.99/lb. The roasts come four to a pack, each roast individually vacuum packed. This makes them really easy to defrost in a sink full of cold water when I forget to defrost them in the refrigerator (which is most of the time).

For this dinner, I cooked two roasts so we would have leftovers for lunches. Whatever is left after a couple of days will go into the container labeled “chili fixin’s” in my freezer. I placed the pork roasts in a Dutch oven with plenty of seasoning and a little water then baked at 350F for 3 hours. We had pulled pork sandwiches, oven "fried" potato wedges, and a sort of cole slaw.

I wanted to serve fresh vegetables with the sandwiches and fries, but I’m kind of over due for a trip to the market. So I made the slaw with what I had, which was a wedge of cabbage, a carrot, and some kale. For the dressing, I mixed up a dollop of mayonnaise, a dash of spicy brown mustard, and a drizzle of honey.

I like to mix the dressing in the same bowl I’ll be mixing the cole slaw in to minimize cleanup.

After mixing the dressing, add the shredded vegetables and toss. Chill until serving time.

It was delicious!

Our local farmer’s market opens this Saturday. I hope they have fresh cabbage, carrots and kale so I can make this again soon. I’m sure it will taste even better with fresh locally grown vegetables.

I made these sandwich rolls using Gluten Free Pantry’s White Sandwich Bread mix. I probably should have baked them a little longer - they’re kind of anemic looking! But they're really good for sandwiches and hamburgers, and they keep well in the freezer.

Nurturing Connections

2010-03-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to grow up with grandparents. Their loving care and nurturing guidance continue to influence me even now.

My grandparents grew up on farms, he in Nebraska, and she in Kansas. Being unable to support their family of four on the farm, Grandpa took a job as a mechanic at Lockheed in Southern California during World War II. Grandma soon followed with their two daughters (my mother and aunt). They never returned to the farm.

The farm, however, would always be a part of them. Some of my earliest memories are of Grandpa’s vegetable garden. Even in the smallest suburban backyards, Grandpa always found a spot to grow some vegetables, at least some salad greens and a few tomatoes if nothing else.

Yesterday was the first day of Spring. Here in northwest Washington, it was a beautiful day to work outside. It was almost warm, nearly 60 degrees, and not raining. My long suffering husband of a farm girl wannabe spent part of the day digging up the vegetable garden so I could start this year’s garden.

I set out transplants of Chinese cabbage, red leaf lettuce, and green leaf lettuce. I also direct seeded some leaf lettuce, spinach, and sugar snap peas. In a few weeks, I’ll direct seed more salad greens and peas. In about seven weeks, I’ll plant tomatoes and zucchini, and maybe some peppers. My garden here is small, so there won’t be room for much more than that.

Fortunately, the Bellingham Farmers’ Market begins in April. I’ll be able to purchase the many fresh offerings available there throughout the season. Working my tiny piece of land makes me really appreciate the work that goes into bringing these fresh foods to the market.

Grandpa passed away just a few years ago. I think of him when I’m planting and tending food crops, and I remember watching him tend his garden when I was a little girl. Caring for his garden was one of the ways he cared for his family.

Tending my garden is one of the ways I nurture my family and myself. Growing vegetables connects me to my grandfather, bringing him close for a little while. Bringing healthy, nutritious food to my family’s table allows me to share this connection with those I love.

How do you connect with your past and nurture those around you?

Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies

2010-03-11T09:38:00.000-08:00

Oats used to be prohibited in gluten free diets. Eventually, studies showed that pure oats were safe for most people with gluten intolerance. Unfortunately, most of the oats available for sale are not necessarily pure oats.

Most oats are grown, stored, milled, and transported so as to allow contamination from wheat, rye, and/or barley. The amount of cross contamination is small, but it is sometimes enough to trigger a reaction in people who are sensitive to gluten.

Fortunately, there are certified gluten-free oats available. Bob's Red Mill is certified gluten free.

Making gluten free cookies isn’t too different from making regular cookies. The same method is used for both: cream the butter and sugars, beat in the eggs and vanilla, mix in the dry ingredients, etc.

The biggest difference, I think, is that the finished gluten free cookies will probably fall apart easier than their wheat-containing counterparts. . I’ve added extra egg whites to this recipe to add some strength, and making the cookies smaller seems to help too.

Plus, you get to have more cookies when they’re smaller.

These thick, chewy cookies were a big hit with my family. I hope you enjoy them.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies with Butterscotch and Chocolate Chips

½ lb. butter (2 sticks)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs + 2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup rice flour (either brown or white)
½ cup oat flour (make sure it’s certified gluten free)
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats (certifies gluten-free)
1 cup gluten free butterscotch chips*
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Set aside the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Cream together butter, brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar. Mix in vanilla, eggs and egg whites one at a time..

In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Adding a little at a time, mix into wet ingredients. Stir in butterscotch and chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and flatten with a fork dipped into the reserved sugar. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Printable Recipe

*Some brands of butterscotch chips are gluten free. Avoid any that contain barley protein (barley contains gluten).

Frugal Gluten Free Dinner #1

2010-02-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

This post is the beginning of a series of "under $5 per person" gluten free meals.
Some days I don’t feel like cooking. I mean I reeeeeealy do not have the slightest inclination to prepare food at all. But we have to eat, and besides, I enjoy the time spent with the family around the table at the end of the day.

I’m not the only one here capable of cooking a meal, but I am Chief Cook and Bottle Washer in this household and the one who usually at least organizes what we’ll be having for dinner.

Today is one of those days that I have no intention of cooking. We enjoy eating out (who doesn’t?), but budgetary constraints require eating at home more often. In order to avoid breaking the bank, or in this case the budget, I keep the freezer stocked with a few meals that can simply be popped into the oven on days like this.

Some of my freezer stash comes from home cooked meals that were prepared in double or triple batches with the extra batches going into the freezer. Add a salad and some fruit, and dinner’s done. I also stock the freezer and pantry with processed food from the grocery store.

Finding good gluten free pre-made frozen food can be both challenging and expensive, but not impossible. I recently found some good gf bargains at Grocery Outlet, including Van’s Wheat Free Waffles, Glutino "Oreo"-like sandwich cookies, and some frozen enchiladas that were made without wheat or any other gluten-containing ingredients.

Some people might be afraid to eat food from an outlet store or dollar store. There’s this feeling that there might be something wrong with the food. Why else would it be so cheap? Is there something wrong with it? Yes, and no.

Food ends up being sold at outlet stores for a variety of reasons, none of which involve food safety. One reason is seasonality. That is, foods prepared and/or packaged with a particular holiday in mind. After the holiday, stores want to clear the shelves and move on to the next thing.

Quality may be a factor, but not in a way that would prohibit making the food edible. Food processing companies like to put their label on foods that meet their standards of consistency. They want their products to look and taste the same from one batch to the next, from one month to the next, etc. Sometimes this doesn’t happen. An ingredient may have been inadvertently left out of a batch, or maybe one ingredient had to be substituted due to supply problems, or whatever. So the product is fine, just not exactly the way it is supposed to be, and it gets shipped out to an outlet store for sale.

New product development can result in numerous trial batches before the product is ready to be launched. So, there isn’t anything really wrong with the food. It’s generally as safe as any food purchased at any grocery store.
We enjoyed the enchiladas from Grocery Outlet, which came on a bed of rice. I made the following simple side dish to go with them:

Beans and Corn

1 tablespoon canola oil
½ onion, chopped
2 tablespoons bell pepper, chopped
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
Dash of black pepper

Saute onion and bell pepper until soft. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through. Serves 6.
Printable Recipe
I purchase extra canned beans and canned corn when they’re on sale, usually for 50 cents per can. The remaining half onion went into the freezer, to be used in another meal. The bell pepper came from the freezer, having been purchased on sale, chopped and stored in the freezer. So, this side dish cost about 25 cents per serving.

There ended up being about ¼ cup left over, which was put in my “Freezer Chili” container. About every few weeks, the leftover odds and ends from this freezer container will be added to a batch of chili for dinner.

With some cabbage-carrot slaw (shredded cabbage and carrots tossed with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar) to round out the meal, here’s the final per serving tally for this dinner:

Enchiladas and rice $2.33
Bean and Corn side dish .25
Cabbage-carrot slaw .35
--------
Total, per serving $2.93

Gluten Free Gnocchi

2010-02-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

Making homemade gnocchi takes a good part of the day, as does its slow simmered sauce. Making Gnocchi and Sugo (sauce) is truly a labor of love. It is especially so for my husband and I. Fred’s late nonna (grandmother), an Italian immigrant and a wonderful cook, taught us how to make gnocchi and sugo. She didn’t teach us both how to make the entire dish but taught a part to each of us.

Fred learned how to make the meaty red sauce, and I learned how to make the gnocchi, or potato dumplings. So we must come together to make this family favorite, and that is what we did this year for Valentine’s Day. We made gnocchi and sugo for dinner.

I’ve never tried to make gnocchi without wheat, so I made half the batch the usual way and half gluten free. The gnocchi begin with cooked potatoes. When they are well drained and have cooled, mix in an egg for every 3 or 4 potatoes and enough flour to form a soft dough.

For the gluten free gnocchi, I added an egg white with the whole egg to add some strength to the dough. For flour, I used a blend of white rice flour, tapioca flour and little xanthan gum. I don’t have exact measurements here (I’ll try to remember to measure next time). The dough should be soft, but firm enough to shape the gnocchi.

Working on a floured surface (I used rice flour for the gluten free batch), take a handful of dough and roll it out into about a one inch thick rope of dough. Cut into about one inch pieces and lightly roll the pieces in the flour on the work surface.

I’m not sure how to explain how to shape the gnocchi. Maybe I’ll remember to take pictures next time. They are shaped, one at a time, by rolling each piece of dough over one’s right index finger while pressing the dough lightly into the palm of the left hand, or against a wooden butter paddle to create a nice ribbed surface. This thins them out a bit so that they cook more evenly. The finished shape is sort of cross between cavatelli and radiatori.

After the finished gnocchi have set out for awhile, an hour or so, cook them in small batches in salted boiling water. When they float, they’re done. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a serving dish and top with sauce. We usually work in layers: a single layer of gnocchi, top with sauce, top with another layer of gnocchi, then a layer of sauce, etc. Serve immediately.

I can’t tell you how to make the sauce, since I never actually learned to make it. I’ve tried a few times, but it never comes out exactly right. It’s sort of an Italian “Sunday Gravy”, containing a lot of meat, some tomatoes, red wine, onions, garlic and seasoning, and simmered all day until it is sort of caramelized. Really delicious.

The gluten free gnocchi were good, but a little softer than the regular version. I think the potatoes had too much water left in them. I might try baking the potatoes next time instead of boiling them.

Life Interrupted

2010-01-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

I’ve been neglecting my blog for awhile now. It’s been a difficult, stressful, and amazing year for my family. Something I saw this week on our local news started me thinking about it all, sort of made me sit up and take stock of where we are and where we’ve been. The TV news segment was about the United Way of King County Hunger Action Week’s Hunger Challenge.

The challenge was to spend only $7 per day on food, which is the food stamp assistance provided to needy families in the state of Washington. Hard as this would be for someone who could eat anything, I began thinking about the special challenges faced by those with dietary restrictions. And I started thinking about this past year.

In January of 2009, my husband’s employer eliminated over 100 positions. Fred’s was one of the jobs eliminated. To say we were devastated doesn’t begin to describe what it feels like to live through this kind of situation. Suddenly, we were among the many Americans trying to figure out how to survive without enough money for basic living expenses.

We began our new life by looking at our resources, which included a recently renovated house that was now worth less than the mortgage, a savings account that previously had seemed adequate, a full freezer and pantry, a lot of stuff (how did we end up with so much stuff?), and a loving extended family willing and able to help. We were really very fortunate and began to look at all we had in our lives with new eyes.

As there were no jobs to be had in Medford, we quickly expanded our search to other areas. Within a few months, Fred had accepted an offer from a good company for a job in Bellingham, Washington. I’ll admit we weren’t too happy to be relocating further north when our families live further south, but a job’s a job. As it turns out, we like living in Bellingham. After living in Medford for 19 years, we’re still kind of homesick and miss our friends there, but we’re enjoying Bellingham.

We did not participate in this year’s hunger challenge, but I was reminded of living the challenge a year ago for several weeks. I remember it being especially challenging to eat gluten free while limiting the purchase of some expensive gluten free foods that I enjoy. With my daughter and I both avoiding wheat now, a significant part of our food expenditure comes from gluten free flours, gf baking mixes, gf pasta, and other prepared foods.

So, over the next several months, I would like to work on developing meal plans that rely less on the special (and expensive) gluten free foods and more on less expensive alternatives. Gluten free pasta at nearly $4/pound will be replaced more often with potatoes or rice. We’ll rely more on seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, locally grown when possible. Meal plans will be based on what’s on sale instead of on what sounds good at the time.

I suspect that keeping track of the cost of meals will probable be my biggest challenge. I’m really terrible at record keeping in general and accounting in particular. We’ll see how this goes.

Gluten Free Dining in Bellingham

2009-05-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

Eating out while following a gluten free diet can be challenging. Items that you wouldn’t expect to contain gluten are sometimes made with wheat. Some restaurants coat their cut potatoes in flour before frying to get a crispier exterior. Seasoning blends sometimes use flour as a carrier, and sauces are extremely risky. Evaluating menu items can feel like navigating a mine field. Asking how things are prepared can be helpful in determining what is safe to eat, but the gluten free menu options can be limited.

Within two months of moving to Bellingham, Washington, I have found three places that I can get delicious gluten free foods. Well, technically I didn’t find them on my own. A coworker of my husband who follows a wheat free diet passed along her knowledge of where it’s safe to eat. It is so nice to be able to eat at restaurants without having to make any special requests or inquiries about how things are prepared. These gluten free offerings are available as part of these restaurants’ regular menus.

For freshly baked gluten free bread that I can take home, I go to Avenue Bread in the Sunnyland area of Bellingham. They also serve a variety of sandwiches that they will make on gluten free bread or gluten free English Muffins when requested. They have plenty of seating, so going there for a weekday lunch date with my husband is a special treat.

For the best gluten free pizza I have ever eaten, I go to Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar. I can have dinner with my family and enjoy delicious freshly made gluten free pizza with my choice of toppings. Boston’s has a full menu featuring a variety of items, not just pizza, so everyone can find something they like. There are some fairly good frozen pizzas on the market that can be baked at home, but they don’t compare to the gluten free pizza at Boston’s.

Bellingham’s Community Food Coop is a wonderful cooperative grocer carrying a variety of natural and organic foods. Their in-store bakery/deli has numerous gluten free items, and they are all clearly marked as being gluten free. They have some unbelievable gluten free desserts, as well as salads, rolls, enchiladas, frittata and soups. There is a dining area within the store making this a great place either to stop in for a delicious gluten free lunch, or to pick up items to take home for dinner.

Bellingham is a great place to dine gluten free.

Another Staple from the Store

2009-02-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix is one of my favorite gluten-free products.

It makes delicious pancakes, muffins, and cookies. I like to buy it in the large bag, when I can find it, and I store it in the freezer to keep it fresh longer.

If you can't find it locally, you can purchase it here.

Traveling Gluten-free

2008-10-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

I just returned from spending some time visiting family in California. I enjoy spending time with loved ones, but I sometimes worry about being able to stay gluten free while away from home. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone, but I need to avoid gluten to be well. I really had nothing to worry about.

My husband and I spent the weekend in Santa Barbara with his family. I am blessed with wonderful in-laws, and getting to spend time in beautiful Santa Barbara is a bonus. They served us delicious home-cooked meals, and always made sure that I would be able to eat safely. We had delicious French Onion Soup for dinner, pancakes for breakfast (my sister-in-law made special gf pancakes just for me), and finished with a big BBQ in honor of my husband’s late grandfather. Nonno immigrated from Italy to Santa Barbara as a young man and would have been 100 years old this year. We enjoyed a loving reunion of family and friends as we shared BBQ with all the fixin’s. For dessert, my sister-in-law was making a trifle, and she actually made a second gf version so that I would have dessert too (thanks, Julie!). I am a fortunate person.

Next we went to Northridge to spend some time with my family. Now, my mother is very health-conscience and generally only keeps healthy foods in the house. There is always plenty of fresh fruit in the fridge, but she also stocked her kitchen with some of my favorite gf junk-foods to make sure I would have foods that I liked and could eat safely. Thanks Mom! At my sister and brother-in-law’s house, one of their friends cooked a delicious gf meal for all of us. It was so nice to be able to enjoy everyone’s company and delicious food without having to think much about staying gluten free.

Of course, it’s not all about the food. Since this blog is mostly about food, that’s what I write about most often, but life is about so much more. And my trip was about so much more: spending time with my husband, seeing family, including my 94-year-old grandmother, enjoying my niece and nephews, visiting with my parents, touring my sister’s business, and generally catching up with what everyone has been doing.

I truly am a fortunate person.

Not More Zucchini!

2008-09-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

Summer’s officially over, but the zucchini keep coming. If you’ve ever grown zucchini, you know how they can get out of hand. Some of my family members are definitely giving them the “fish eye”. This recipe is a favorite even with my beloved zucchini haters.

CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI BREAD

Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Wet Ingredients
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded zucchini

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Combine dry ingredients in medium-sized bowl.
In separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients, and stir in chocolate chips.
Pour into greased 9”x 9” baking dish.
Bake until done in center and slightly browned on top, about 30 minutes.

Printable Recipe

Summer Bounty

2008-09-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

I never met a summer squash I didn’t like, or a tomato either for that matter. The summer garden that my family helped me plant this year is overflowing with squash and tomatoes. Beans too, but that’s a story for another day.

I got the idea from Mike Eberhart’s gluten free blog to make “bases” that can then be used in other recipes. The idea is to start with a set of ingredients, cook them, then use the resulting “base” as an ingredient, or a sort of sauce, in other dishes.

Using what I had, which were onions from the grower’s market and lots of tomatoes and summer squashes from my garden, I made this “base”:

Tomato Zucchini Base Sauce

2 onions, chopped and sautéed in a little olive oil.
8 cups diced, peeled and seeded tomatoes
8 cups diced summer squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck and patty pan)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine and simmer until all veggies are cooked. Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days, or store in freezer.

Here’s how I’ve used it so far:

Eaten as-is – sort of as a thick soup
Mixed with leftover pot roast and peas to make a delicious stew
Thinned with chicken broth and added to leftover grilled chicken and peppers (from fajitas) plus a dash of cayenne pepper for Chicken Fajita Soup
Combined with cooked red beans and served over rice for a quick vegetarian meal.

Gluten Free Cheddar Biscuits

2008-08-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

We recently ate at a seafood restaurant that has really good garlic cheese biscuits, and my daughter told me that she likes my cheese biscuits better! I hadn’t made them for a long time, so after receiving her compliment (smart girl, my daughter), I felt compelled to make a batch. I’ll admit, they’re not really as good as biscuits made with wheat, but there’re not bad. They certainly disappeared fast.

Gluten Free Cheddar Biscuits
¾ cup white rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup cornstarch
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 Tbls. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
¼ cup shortening
¾ cup milk
1 egg white
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all dry ingredients.
Cut in shortening.
Combine milk and slightly beaten egg white. Mix into dry ingredients and cheese.
Drop onto greased baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes.
Makes one dozen biscuits.

Printable Recipe

Staple from the Store

2008-07-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

I’ve been working on some gluten free recipes, but they’re not quite right yet. I’ll share them when I’m satisfied that they are really good. Anyway, it’s been too hot to do much cooking lately, so I’ve been relying on my old standbys. These are products that I can purchase to hold me over between baking sessions.

The product I rely on most often is the Van’s Wheat Free Gluten Free Toaster Waffles from the freezer section at the store. Of all the pre-prepared gf products on the market, I feel that these waffles are the closest to their regular made-with-wheat counterparts.

They are delicious. I like to slightly over toast them, which I think produces the best finished texture: crispy on the outside; soft and fluffy on the inside. I eat them in place of toast, either plain or with butter. They are also good topped with peanut butter and sliced banana, or topped with cream cheese and strawberry preserves. Toast two and you can make a great fried egg sandwich. I’ve even used them in place of bread to make a turkey, cheese, lettuce and mustard sandwich for lunch. I know, that last one sounds kind of weird, but when you can’t have regular bread, and don’t have any gf bread in the freezer, you learn to make do.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard it said that on St. Patrick’s Day we’re all a wee bit Irish. We all certainly like to join in the fun. Since my husband works 12 hour days on Mondays, we honored our man’s day yesterday. Not that we celebrated all day, of course, because there was yard work to do, and it was a beautiful sunny day.

So as not to be speaking the blarney, I must confess that my husband actually did all the work. I’m still not feeling great, so I rested in the sunshine and enjoyed watching our four silly chickens scratch and peck their way around the yard.

Our daughter and her boyfriend made soda bread and got the corned beef, potatoes and carrots into the oven. So all I had to do was saute the cabbage in a little butter and top with a quick grind of salt and pepper just before we were ready to eat, which left me with enough energy to make some gluten free soda bread.

I didn’t seem to have all the ingredients for any of the gf soda bread recipes I found, and if I made a trip to the store, I would probably have been too tired to make the bread. So I combined and modified recipes based on what I had on hand and what felt right. Apparently the luck of the Irish was with me, because it turned out really well. It was also good this morning after being heated in the pan alongside a fresh free-range egg from one of our hens.

I feel so blessed to enjoy these simple pleasures - time spent with loved ones and delicious food to share.

In honor of the day, I’ll end this post with an Irish saying: “Life is like a cup of tea, it’s all in how you make it.”

Slainte!

Irish Soda Bread

(photo by my daughter, Laura Tabacchi)

1 ½ cups white rice flour
¾ cup sorghum flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup raisins
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup regular milk + one teaspoon vinegar)
3 egg whites, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a round cake pan.

Wisk all dry ingredients together. Add raisins. Combine butter, milk and egg whites. Stir into dry ingredients until well mixed.

Place the dough into the pan and bake until cooked through to the center, about 50 minutes.

Printable Recipe

Lupus Lethargy

2008-03-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

I had such grand plans for this blog when I started it a couple of months ago. I intended to add a post and a new recipe at least once a week. But as sometimes happens, life intervened.

I have Lupus. The systemic inflammation has been flaring for the past few months, and I am just too dang tired and achy to do all the things I want to do.

Or even to do very much at all, some days.

And while I do have some yummy gluten-free recipes to share, I’m terrible at measuring when I cook, so I don’t have much in writing. Before I share recipes, I really should measure the ingredients properly and document what I’m doing.

For now, though, here are a couple of really quick and easy meals for those too-tired-to-cook nights. The first is a pasta bake that I make with store bought convenience foods, like marinara sauce from a jar and pre-made meatballs.

But be careful of those pre-made meatballs. Many contain breadcrumbs. I use the aidells brand meatballs found in the refrigerated case at the market.

Pasta Bake

½ lb. uncooked brown rice pasta spirals
1 ½ cups water
1 cup marinara sauce
½ of a 12 oz package aidells sun-dried tomato meatballs

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
Pour first three ingredients into dish, and stir lightly.
Add meatballs on top, cover and bake for 1 hour.
Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Makes two servings.

The other meal I especially liked this week was an open-faced ham and cheese on cornbread sandwich. It’s a great way to use up that 2 day old stale cornbread when you didn’t get around to putting it in the freezer.

Open-faced Ham & Cheese on Cornbread
GF Cornbread, sliced about ¾ inch thick
Butter, or trans-fat free margarine
sliced ham
sliced cheddar, or your favorite cheese
Mustard, your favorite kind
Honey

Butter one side of each slice of cornbread
Place slices in medium-hot pan, buttered side up, for a few minutes.
Place ham slices in pan to heat.
Turn cornbread over, and drizzle a little mustard and honey on each slice.
Top with grilled ham and a slice of cheese.
Cover and cook a couple of minutes to melt cheese.

Little Oranges

2008-02-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Try this experiment: don’t think about oranges. Do not think about oranges at all. Now, what are you thinking about ? Oranges.

I think that looking for foods that don’t contain wheat can be like that. You just can’t stop thinking about what you can’t have instead of focusing your thoughts on all of the delicious foods you can have.

Last month while in Santa Barbara, I was offered some of those little California Clementine oranges. Never one to pass up food, I took them but wondered to myself if they were any good. I’ve noticed the small boxes of these little oranges in the grocery store every winter and wanted to try them, but I didn’t want to buy a whole box of them just in case they tasted like the citrus fruit of my childhood. They did kind of look like the seed-filled tangerines my mom bought at the store back in the day that I avoided eating. I hate dealing with seeds in my food.

During my teens we lived in an area of southern California that had once been orange orchards. As the population grew in the San Fernando Valley, the orchards were divided for development, but many of the orange trees were left growing. Our half-acre lot still had seventeen orange trees. We tried cultivating them, but never really got the hang of it. Our oranges were always kind of sour. And they had seeds. To stretch our family’s grocery budget, we didn’t buy much citrus fruit (except those tangerines), so if we wanted to eat oranges or drink orange juice, we headed to the back yard. Needless to say, our sour seedy oranges didn’t endear me to the fruit.

I was so surprised to find that those little oranges in Santa Barbara were very sweet, delicious, and they were seedless! I’ve been obsessed with little oranges ever since. So this first recipe for my blog was based on oranges.

Orange, Turkey, and Hazelnut Salad

1 cup romaine lettuce
2 oz. sliced turkey
1 California Clementine orange, or ½ navel orange
1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Marmalade Dressing 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
pinch of salt and black pepper

Place lettuce, turkey, orange and hazelnuts on plate. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Serves one.

Printable Recipe

shared meals

2008-01-15T11:37:00.001-08:00

For someone with Celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, meals can be difficult when one has to avoid favorite foods being eaten by everyone else at the table. Following a wheat-free diet in our wheat-based society can feel like navigating a minefield. It’s not that there aren’t plenty of foods that we can eat, it’s just that there are so many that have to be avoided. Most regular convenience foods are out of the question. Buying special gluten-free convenience foods frequently requires a trip to the health food store, and can be a real budget-buster. Preparing special foods for one person in addition to other foods for the rest of the family takes more time than we have, or want to spend, in the kitchen.

Family meal time is when we can come together to connect with loved ones. Sharing food, stories and laughter provides nourishment for our spirits as well as our bodies. And the communal experience of sharing the same foods is part of the joy of sharing a meal. Toward this end, I am working on developing gluten-free recipes that the wheatless among us can enjoy, and that wheat eaters will devour without noticing that anything is missing.

With my family’s willingness to help me taste-test my kitchen experiments, I hope to share some delicious gluten free recipes with you. Some of these recipes have already become special-request-family-favorites at my house. I hope that you and your family will enjoy them as well.