Wheatless Foodie

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 ...

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

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 o...

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