Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Holiday Treats

Puppy Chow

This year I decided that I would make some gluten free treats for everyone. I did some searching online for some new ideas. I was going to make some of my cookies or brownies but really wanted something else. About a month ago I heard that Chex® now has a gluten free option...Rice Chex®! So, I decided to make some Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies®. Who doesn't love these little treats??

Chex® Muddy Buddies®

Ingredients


9 cups Rice Chex® cereal (gluten free)


1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


1/2 cup peanut butter


1/4 cup butter or margarine


1 teaspoon vanilla


1 1/2 cups powdered sugar



Preparation Directions


1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.


2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.


3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.



I made a double batch and ended up with 40 of the bags you see in the photo above...ENJOY!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Bagels

gfbagels

For my birthday my sister Sara got my a subscription to Living Without (a gluten free magazine), which is awesome. Lots of cool tips, recipes and resources. One thing I found was Mariposa Baking Company . This place is awesome...they make bagels, brownies, bread, pizza crusts and biscotti! You can even order gluten free gift baskets from them. I ordered plain and sesame seed bagels on Saturday and got them in the mail today...so of course I had one for dinner tonight. They are pretty darn tasty I must say!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Oats



Bob's Red Mill stopped selling their gluten free oats for a while so I had to make my apple crisp with out them (I used slivered almonds instead). I was just on their website and they are back! So I ordered some...hopefully I'll get them before next Wednesday so I can make myself some apple crisp for Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Apple Crisp




I LOVE the Fall and everything about it: The Weather. The colors of leaves. The smell in the air. Sweaters. Hot apple cider. Hearing the leaves crunch under my feet as I walk. Apple picking. Pumpkins. Soup and lots of it. Most of all is Apple Crisp! I can't live with out that come this time of year. With that said, I was on the hunt for some gluten free oats. I kept hearing that Bob's Red Mill carried them, but they are on hold right now. So I was even more determined to create a new apple crisp recipe with out oats and here it is:

Apple Crisp

7-8 Medium/Large Apples (Macs or any baking apples...I used pippins)

Flour Mixture:
1 Cup Almond Flour
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Slivered Almonds
1 Stick of melted butter

(I double the above flour mixture so I can have a layer in the middle of the apples...see below)

~Butter the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish
~Mix together the dry ingredients
~Mix in butter (stir until well combined)
~Peel and slice/cube apples, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the apples to keep from turning brown
~Pour half of the apples on the bottom of the buttered baking dish.
~Spread half of the flour mixture over the apples.
~Pour the remaining apples over the flour mixture.
~Spread the remaining flour mixture evenly over the apples.
~Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
~Turn the heat to 375 and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until it starts to bubble.
~Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Beer




Ok I don't drink much beer to begin with but there are some days you really would like a nice cold beer (especially during Baseball and Football, I know I'm a tomboy what can I say). Last week we did a girls dinner at P.F. Changs and they had Redbridge Gluten Free Beer on the menu and Martha ordered me one! I know Gluten Free doesn't sound very tasty but let me tell you ...its is. Best part, they sell it at Whole Foods, so of course last night when I was there I picked up a six pack. I kicked back watched some House and enjoyed a nice cold beer last night with some tasty gluten free pizza. Ahhhh it was a good night.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Glass



My shelves were getting a bit messy with all of the new flours and other baking items I've had to buy. Storing them in zip-lock bags wasn't working out too well so I broke down and ordered some glass jars to store everything it. I looked around a bit and ended up getting these from The Container Store.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Mac n Cheese



Growing up my Grandma Lu would always buy Annie's Mac n Cheese for us. Still to this day its my favorite mac n cheese. Now it gets even better...they make Gluten Free Rice Mac n Cheese and its wicked good!!

Monday, September 1, 2008

I Heart Cupcakes!



Today I thought I would attempt to create a recipe and bake cupcakes. Boy was I wrong! I created a recipe and tried it, only for it to be thrown in the trash in the middle of baking. You know when you make cupcakes from a box (Or even from scratch)the batter is all nice and runny? Not this one, it was like dough. This was my first attempt at using coconut flour, which I thought could just be replaced on a 1:1 ration, but after todays experiment I think I need to do more research. The dough smelt good anyway but no luck with turning this disaster into wonderful little cupcakes.

I went online and did a search for cupcake recipes that are made with coconut flour, which I didn't find many at all. I found one on Elana's Pantry so I thought I would give it a try. They turned out great. Sadly I can't take any credit for these cupcakes. I can take credit for the frosting though. The recipe is as follows and please visit her website for more awesome recipes:

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
with Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup coconut flour (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

~In a medium bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda
~In another bowl beat together eggs, grapeseed oil, agave nectar and vanilla
~Mix wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth
~Pour batter in to 12 prepared muffin tins (either well oiled or with cupcake tins)
~Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
~Cool completely
~Top with Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)

Cream Cheese Frosting

4oz butter softened
4oz cream cheese softened
2 cups powder sugar divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~In large bowl beat the butter and cream cheese with electric mixer
~Switch the mixer to low speed and add the powder sugar one cup at a time until smooth and creamy
~Beat in the vanilla extract

Enjoy!

(Please visit Elana's Pantry for more recipes and ideas on Gluten Free Cooking/Baking and Living)

Friday, August 29, 2008

GF Facial Care (Arbonne International)



Gluten isn't just found in food, it's found in a bunch of things like make up, skin care, lotions etc. In the last few months I've been learning a lot about gluten, what it is, where it is and what to look for. I've pretty much got the food aspect covered however I completely forgot about skin care. I found that Arbonne International sells Gluten Free products. Here is a list of their products that are gluten free and for more information on how to purchase them please visit my friend, Trish Spencer's website.

About Face Blusher
About Face Brow Wax
About Face Cream Concealer
About Face Eye Pencil
About Face Eye Shadow
About Face Line Defiance Liquid Foundation SPF 15
About Face Lip Pencil
About Face Mineral Foundation SPF 15
About Face Sheer Shine
About Face Translucent Pressed Powder
About Face Wipe Out
Arbonne Baby Care Body Oil
Arbonne Baby Care Herbal Diaper Rash Cream
Arbonne Clear Advantage Acne Lotion
Arbonne Clear Advantage Acne Wash
Arbonne Clear Advantage Refining Toner
Arbonne Intelligence Body Lotion
Arbonne Intelligence Cleansing Gel
Arbonne Intelligence Daily Balancer
Arbonne Intelligence Daily Eye Cream
Arbonne Intelligence Daily Moisturizing Cream, Day & Night
Arbonne Intelligence Hand Cream
Arbonne Intelligence Skin Conditioning Oil
ASN HYBRIDS - Daily Nutritional Chews for Teens
ASN HYBRIDS - Daily Powder Punch for Kids
Awaken Sea Salt Scrub 16 oz.
Bio-Nutria® Herbal Colon Cleanse
Bio-Nutria® Herbal Muscle Massage Gel
Bio-Nutria® Joint Formula
BodyBetter™ Body Cream
EyeQ™ Cream Eye Shadow
f.y.i. Arbonne™ Secret Crush Color Palette
Figure 8 Vanish™ Pre-Shower Cellulite Scrub
Figure 8 Vanish™ Water Relief Treatment Serum
Figure 8® Daily Detox Tea
Get Well Soon Dietary Supplement
GetEven™ Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15
Go Easy! Protein Shake with INNER G-PLEX - Chocolate
Go Easy! Protein Shake with INNER G-PLEX - Vanilla
Go Easy! Protein Shake with INNER G-PLEX® — Chai Latte
Going, Going, Gone! Dietary Supplement
Heart Formula
Herbal Lip Ointment
Herbal Vapor Rub
Herbal Vapor Soak
ItShines™ Lip Gloss
Leg Vein Formula
Lip Saver, SPF 30
Lip Service Dietary Supplement
No Sun Intended, Bronzing Powder
NRGGO3 Fizzing Beverage Tablet
NutriMenC™ RE9 REsurface Shave Gel
NutriMinC® RE9® REgain Illuminating Enzyme Peel
NutriMinC® RE9® REtaliate Wrinkle Filler
On the Go Weight Loss Chews, Peanut Butter
On the Go! Weight Loss Chews - Berry Burst
On The Go! Weight Loss Chews - Chocolate
On The Go! Weight Loss Chews, Creamy Caramel
PersonalSpace™ Spray Fragrance
SeaSource Detox Spa™ 5-in-1 Essential Massage Oil
SeaSource Detox Spa™ 7-Day Body Cleanse
SeaSource Detox Spa™ Detoxifying Rescue Wash
SeaSource Detox Spa™ Foaming Sea Salt Scrub
SeaSource Detox Spa™ Fortifying Hair Mask
SeaSource Detox Spa™ Purifying Sea Soak
SeaSource Detox Spa™ Re-Mineralizing Body Lotion 24H
SeaSource Detox Spa™ Renewing Body Gelée
SeaSource Detox Spa™ Sea Mud Face & Body Mask
SugarSlush Body Scrub
Translucent Loose Powder
Unwind Bath Salts
Unwind Massage Oil
Virtual Illusion™ Dual Volume Mascara
Virtual Illusion™ Eye Definer
Virtual Illusion™ Lash Enhancer
Virtual Illusion™ Lip Definer
Virtual Illusion™ Makeup Primer

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sweet Curry Chicken



Sweet Curry Chicken

2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon red curry paste (Thai Kitchen)
1/4 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless)

~Mix together to make a paste
~Rub on to chicken breast
~Grill until no longer pink inside (a few minutes on each side)

Nothing like a quick, easy but tasty meal!

To Eat or Not to Eat



I found this posted on the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website and found this very useful and informative. I'm not going to post the whole thing but feel free to check it out at the link above.

The only treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet for life. It has been shown that as little as 1/8th teaspoon of flour will cause changes in the intestinal mucosa (Semrad 2004). Maintaining a gluten-free diet means constant vigilance.

Follow the golden rule: When in doubt, leave it out!

Safe Starches:
• Corn,
• Rice,
• Potato and tubers,
• Buckwheat,
• Amaranth,
• Quinoa,
• Tapioca,
• Teff,
• Oats*, Oats are considered safe but they are often time processed in a facility where there is the possibility of cross contamination.
• Arrowroot,
• Sourghum,
• Montina,
• Millet

In addition to the standard grains, bean flours offer gluten-free and nutritious alternatives to wheat flour.
• Chickpea
• Lentil
• Soy

Un-Safe Starches:
• Wheat: including Kamut, spelt, semolina, triticale,
• Rye
• Barley (including malt)

Beyond the foods that we eat, we need to be aware that gluten is contained in many other products. Wheat is commonly used as a thickener, a stabilizer and a texture enhancer, It is also added to many non-food products. Products may contain gluten as a filler, binder or texture enhancer and therefore they need to be eliminated from your gluten-free lifestyle.

Gluten Sources That You Might Not Think ABout:
• Chapstick, Lipstick
• Dairy Substitutes
• Licorice
• Malt or malt flavoring
• Modified food starch
• Playdough
• Brewers Yeast
• Prepared cake frosting
• Soy Sauce
• Medications (esp. in tablet form: Over the counter, prescription, and herbal supplements)
• Toothpaste
• Salad Dressing, Soups, Gravy (Malt Vinegar /wheat)
• Seasonings
• Malted Beverages
• Communion Wafers
• Vitamins

If the ingredient list does not contain gluten, it does not mean the product is gluten-free. Cross-contamination may occur in the processing of food, for example, dusting a conveyor belt with flour. Ask the manufacturer about the product’s process and contamination possibilities. Many boxes are labeled with information about the production process, for example, that the factory also mills wheat products. You will need to make a decision about whether to risk eating the product.

Safe Additives and Ingredients:
• Artificial color and flavor
• Baking powder
• Baking Soda
• Carmel color
• Citric Acid
• Maltodextrin
• Mono and diglycerides
• Monosodium glutamate
• Natural color and flavor (Most are fine)
• Soy
• Vanilla
• Vinegar (except malt)


What to look for on labels:
• Always read ingredient labels
• For example, a number of Tea’s may contain barley
• If the food contains any of the ingredients on the hidden sources list, then you need to contact the manufacturer and ask them if the product is 100% gluten free:
o Modified Food Starch (In North America, most are GF)
o Natural Flavors (Most are Gluten Free)
o Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HPV)
o Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP)
o Dextrin
o Seasonings

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

BREAD




I don't have any of my own pictures to post yet but this weekend I made my first loaf of gluten free bread. And the best part...its not as bad as it sounds, actually its really tasty.

I bought a bag of bread mix from Bob's Red Mill and thought I would give it a try and I'm happy I did. I just ordered some of their other products and can't wait to give them a try!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Thai Chicken Soup




Thai Chicken Soup
(Adapted from Elana’s Pantry – Thank you!!)

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
8 sprigs cilantro, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
28 ounces coconut milk
1 tablespoon agave
½ pound crimini mushrooms
1 head broccoli
1 can of baby corn (strained and cut in half lengthwise)
1 pound chicken breasts skinless-boneless, halved lengthwise, sliced on bias, cut into 18 inch thick pieces
2 Serrano chilies
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
3 tablespoons fish sauce

Garnish (Optional)
Minced cilantro
Scallions
Lime wedges

~ Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
~ Add shallots, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, cilantro, stirring frequently until softened (about 2-5 minutes)
~ Stir in stock, coconut mil and agave and bring to a simmer
~ Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids (shallots, cilantro and red pepper flakes)
~ Return broth to saucepan
~ Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms and broccoli and cook until tender (2 to 3 minutes)
~ Add Serrano Chilies
~ Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink (1 to 3 minutes)
~ Combine lime juice, curry paste and fish sauce in a small bowl then stir into soup
~ Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, scallions and a lime wedge

(Elana, Thank you for letting me add this to my blog with my own adaptation of your Thai Chicken Soup. )

Quinoa Muffins



Quinoa Muffins
(Makes 12 Muffins)

1 cup quinoa rinsed
¼ cup vegetable oil, such as safflower, plus more for pan
1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten free flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for the pan
½ cup almond flour
¾ teaspoon of xanthan gum
¾ cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ crasins
½ chopped nuts
¾ cup whole milk (I use soy milk)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

~ Preheat oven to 350°
~ In medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 10 minutes.
~ Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
~In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, crasins, nuts and 2 cups cooked quinoa (reserve any leftover quinoa for another use)
~In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined; divide batter amount prepared muffin cups.
~Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.
~Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
~Store in an airtight container up to 5 days


Adapted from Martha Stewart: Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2008 pg. 142

Monday, June 30, 2008

Brownies




Ok I'm not a huge brownie person. Usually its just way to much chocolate for me, so unless there is nuts or peanut butter in there, I'll pass. So yesterday when making the chocolate chip cookies again, I decided to try making brownies, and I must say they are pretty darn tasty...

Gluten Free Brownies

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 cup chopped nuts

~ Preheat oven to 400°
~ Grease an 8-inch square baking pan
~ Chop the chocolate into small slivers
~ Cup up butter into small chunks
~ Combine the two flours together
~ Put the chocolate and butter into a glass bowl and melt them together in the microwave (30 seconds at a time and stir until completely melted)
~ In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, whisking vigorously until they are creamed together, with a silky consistency
~ Add the vanilla extract and salt and stir well
~ Mix in the flours and stir
~ Pour in the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir,with a rubber spatula, until the mixture has become smooth
~ Pour the mixture into the greased pan
~ Smooth the top with the rubber spatula
~ Cook for 20-25 minutes
~ Cool and enjoy!

Flour-less Cake




Saturday night was girls night (well Victoria, Martha and myself). Victoria made a great meal (Turmeric Chicken which will be posted up here at some point) with some strawberry-lemonade Martini's and for desert was flour-less chocolate cake with home made whipped cream.

Flour-Less Chocolate Cake

4oz Chocolate
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

~ Butter a 9inch cake pan and set aside
~ Set oven to 375°
~ Melt chocolate with butter either over a pan of simmering hot water or in the microwave (I vote for the second option)
~ Beat in sugar and add eggs
~ Whisk well
~ When mixture is well mixed, sift in cocoa powder
~ Whisk well
~ Pour mixture into buttered cake pan and bake for 25 minutes (check at 20)
~ Let cool and enjoy!

Thanks Victoria!!!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Chocolate Chip Cookies



Yay! Chocolate Chip Cookies...Gluten Free
I had a sweet tooth really badly the other day, and thought I would try some gluten free baking. Well the cookies didn't turn out very well, they were pretty much like hockey pucks. So last night I was determined to make them better, and they were. It was a success, to the point I did a happy dance in my kitchen.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (stick) margarine or butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
2 cups chocolate chips

~ Heat oven to 375°
~ Mix sugars, butter, egg and vanilla in bowl. Stir in flours, Xanthan Gum, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
~ Place rounded spoonfuls of dough about two inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
~ Bake cookies 8-10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft).
~ Cool and transfer from cookie sheet to wire rack.