Gluten Free Casein Free (GFCF) and Not Starving

Ian's Foods

2011-10-26T13:35:00.003-05:00

Ian's is a wonderful company that I have blogged about before. I wanted to let you know about a change at Ian's. They have discontinued their Super Fit Kids program. But don't despair if you have a stack of points laying around that you have cut off boxes - you can turn them in for coupons for free products - and at a much better rate than before.

From their website -

Being a healthy kid, adult, or food brand means making changes and new decisions, and there are some exciting changes going on here at Ian’s that we want to share with you.

You may already have noticed on our packages, email newsletters and our Facebook page that we’ve been focusing more on helping kids with food allergies find safe and healthy things to eat. We have a new mission here at Ian’s –to be the leading provider of high-quality, all-natural, allergy-friendly foods that you can trust.

As we focus on allergy-friendly foods, we’re going to be saying goodbye to the I’m A SuperFit Kid program. We still want to thank you for being a loyal customer, so we will continue offering the Free Ian’s Item coupons, redeemable with either 45 SuperFit Kid points, or 15 UPC codes from any packages of Ian’s products.

To redeem your points or UPC codes for free Ian’s item coupons, please send your name, address, and points or UPCs to:

I’m a SuperFit Kid
c/o Ian’s Natural Foods
190 Fountain Street
Framingham, MA 01843

Have fun and stay healthy!

If you haven't checked out their website, you should. They make it so easy to search for products that fit your allergy needs. My freezer is always stocked with their chicken nuggets and fish sticks. When I search on their website for gluten and casein free, 16 products come up. 16 products that I know are safe for my child. Feels really good.

My only complaint - that my local Super Target has stopped carrying their products again. I complained last time and they got them back after a few months. I'm hoping for a similar response from Target again this time.

What is your favorite Ian's food?

GFCF Apple Muffins

2011-10-04T18:50:00.002-05:00

I have an apple tree in my back yard that is loaded with apples so I have been experimenting with apple recipes lately. I made these muffins today and I assure you they are the best tasting gluten free apple muffins you will ever make.

You can substitute brown sugar in the topping for the regular sugar and molasses.

Yum, yum, yum. Enjoy!

Kathi’s Out of this World GFCF Apple Muffins

1 ½ cups gluten free flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ cup organic raw sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
½ cup vanilla almond milk
¼ cup coconut oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped apples (about 1 large or 2 small)

Topping:
¼ cup organic raw sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 tablespoon gluten free flour
2 tablespoons gfcf margaine (I used Earth Balance sticks)
½ cup gluten free oats (or substitute quinoa or finely chopped nuts)

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

In a small bowl, beat eggs and then add the almond milk and coconut oil and mix well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until just combined (do not over mix).

Gently fold in apples.

Divide mixture up between 12 muffin tins that have been either greased or lined with paper.

Combine topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

It's a good day for Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker!

2011-09-22T14:18:00.002-05:00

GFCF Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 medium carrots, peeled and cut into bite size slices
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
4 tablespoons wheat free soy sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
5 cups of water - for more flavor use beef broth, I usually do.

In a large frying pan, brown the meat in hot oil - make sure to stir and sear all sides of the beef. You could skip this step, but it seals in the juices and gives it a better flavor.

Place the veggies in the slow cooker. Add the meat. Sprinkle with the tapioca, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add bay leaves. Pour water over it all.

Stir, cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

I add in extra root vegetables - whatever I have on hand - it is the only way I can get Andy to eat parsnips! Today I added in 2 parsnips and a few sunchokes.

We love fresh veggies at our house!

2011-09-20T17:30:00.000-05:00

We love fresh veggies at our house. I always serve one cooked veggie (tonight is green beans just picked an hour ago) and a plate of fresh raw veggies. I just love this time of year when everything is fresh. The cucumbers and broccoli on the plate were just picked this afternoon. The mini bell peppers and radish are from my CSA and the carrots are organic but from the grocery store.

In the winter my veggie plates are made up of root veggies - carrots, beauty heart radishes, celeriac and whatever else is available without coming from the other side of the globe.

And remember that all veggies are naturally gluten free!

What's for dinner September 13, 2011

2011-09-13T19:03:00.003-05:00

Need some GFCF dinner ideas? Me too sometimes.

Tonight we had Pizza made with Udi's pizza crust. They are so convenient to keep in the freezer - just add your favorite toppings and bake.

We also had a plate of fresh veggies from my garden - carrots, cucumbers, radishes and tomatoes.

For dessert I made brownies! Yummy!

What did you have for dinner?

It's been way too long since I've posted!

2011-09-09T18:38:00.002-05:00

Hello my GFCF friends.

I am sorry that I haven't posted in so long. I really don't have much new to share - I've really been into eating locally lately - eating from my garden and my CSA - just making meals that are naturally gluten free.

The recipes that I have perfected and shared I continue to use but I haven't come up with any new ones in awhile. If I do, I will be sure to share them with you.

I'm sorry I haven't been around much. My family and I are still GFCF and thriving. I will try and check in more often.

What's on your Thanksgiving Menu?

2010-11-24T19:12:00.003-06:00

I have become quite the slacker on blogging lately. I apologize for that.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year!

My menu this year is simple.

Turkey

Stuffing (made with Udi's gluten free bread this year)

Mashed Potatoes (from scratch)

Gravy (from scratch)

Cranberry Orange Relish (one of my favorites - I grew up in cranberry country and it just isn't Thanksgiving without cranberries!)

Brussells Sprouts (from my garden)

Veggie Tray

Cranberry Fluff (My son Andy's all time favorite)

Raspberry Pie (My husband Dan's favorite - made with frozen raspberries from my garden)

For those of you who aren't familar with Cranberry Fluff, it is so easy to make. Just mix together one can of drained crushed pineapple (the bigger can, not the flat one), one tub of Tru Whip , one package of mini marshmallows (one of the very few times I allow corn syrup in this household is to make this once a year), and cranberry orange relish. Chill well before serving.

What is on your menu this year? Please leave me a comment and let me know what you are eating.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

$10 off - no min. order at allergysuperstore.com

2010-08-07T22:20:00.002-05:00

My friend Sharon alerted me to this deal. I just ordered 2 boxes of Panda Puffs and only paid shipping ($3.99). Great deal.

Go here to start saving.

AllergySuperStore.com is part of drugstore.com.

Just click on the gluten free tab to see what gluten free foods are available. Not a lot to choose from, but $10 off no min. purchase is a really good deal.

Coupon for Udi's bread available!

2010-08-05T07:13:00.002-05:00

If you love Udi's bread like I do, you will be excited to know that they have a printable coupon on their website for $1 off any product! This is a bricks coupon so you will only be allowed to print 2 per computer - but every little bit helps.

Prints are usually limited so hurry and print your coupons now before they run out of prints.

If you are new to printing coupons, do not copy them - they each have a unique number on them and the store will not get reimbursed for copies.

The link to the coupon is HERE.

We are losing one of our GF Bakeries in the Twin Cities

2010-04-19T08:03:00.002-05:00

I know we are still blessed to have Bittersweet Bakery in Eagan and Madwoman Foods in Minneapolis but I am still sad to hear the Cooqi in St. Paul is closing on April 30, 2010.

It is not all bleak news. It sounds like their new products will be more affordable to those of us struggling to afford gluten free foods.

Here is the info from an email that I received from them yesterday:

April 2010 Cooqi News
Dear Friends
I'm sorry to say this is not my usual upbeat email.
We at Cooqi are very sad to announce that Cooqi Gluten-Free Delights will be closing its doors, as of April 30, 2010.
While it has been a joy to provide fresh baked goods to you for the past three-and-a-half years, our retail bakery business model is simply not sustainable, despite our countless loyal customers and the tireless dedication of my employees.
So, heartbreakingly, the bakery is closing.
Yet... the GOOD NEWS is that the Cooqi mission will live on!
Cooqi 2.0 will now be parlaying its most successful products into high quality, whole-grain gluten-free baking mixes that will be available for purchase online and from area groceries and coops within the next couple of months.
Our initial line of mixes - bread, pizza crust, cakes, pancakes, muffins, and baking flour - reflect the most popular items in our bakery. Not only will Cooqi's baking mixes allow you to continue to have the things you love from Cooqi, but you'll be able to make them easily (and more economically) yourself.
I will even show you how to DIY, as I plan to post demonstration videos on our website, taking you through step-by-step how to achieve bakery-quality results. This is all in keeping with my larger vision of providing access for all to delicious, healthy food.
Please watch for our upcoming line of baking mixes, coming in the late-Spring/early-Summer of 2010. I will certainly keep you updated.
In the meantime, stop by the bakery in the next 2 weeks to say goodbye and stock up on your favorite baked goods one last time. We'll try to keep supplies up for this. In addition, I will be sending out an additional email to alert you to last-week liquidation specials.
My deepest thanks for your support and my deepest regrets for any disruption Cooqi's closing may create in your culinary routines. It has been a gratifying and thrilling three-plus years, and we thank everyone who has made Cooqi a part of their life. We are honored to have served the gluten-free community delicious and nutritious fresh baked goods, and to have helped restore the enjoyment of food to people eating gluten-free.
I wish you all good health and good food - and look forward to staying in touch as Cooqi launches anew.
Love and Peace, Judy

Bourbon Chicken ala Kathi

2010-03-23T19:08:00.002-05:00

This dish is a new favorite in our household. I make it at least once a week.

All of the ladies on a bulletin board that I belong to were raving for weeks about Bourbon Chicken so I had to try it also and I'm so glad I did. The original recipe was gfcf except for the soy sauce - which is easy to substitute wheat free soy sauce for - but like every recipe, I tinkered with it and made it my own.

GFCF Bourbon Chicken

20 ounce package of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut in bite size pieces
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic, crushed or finely minced
1 Teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated or finely minced
1/4 cup juice (original recipe called for apple juice, but I just use whatever juice I have in the fridge at the time - I have used apple, grape, orange and raspberry - all worked fine)
1/3 cup Raw Sugar or Rapadura (original recipe called for brown sugar and you could certainly use that if you don't have raw sugar)
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1/2 cup Water
1/3 cup Wheat Free Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
If you want some heat in this, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers to sauce.

Heat oil in large skillet.
Add chicken and cook until lightly browned.
Mix remaining ingredients in a jar or measuring cup - shake or stir to combine.
Pour sauce over chicken. When sauce thickens and boils, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

For extra crunch add 1/2 cup of peanuts or other nuts to sauce right before serving.

Serve over brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli.

Serves 4

Attune Probiotic Chocolate Bars

2010-03-19T07:52:00.005-05:00

Probiotics - I think we all know that they are good for us. Research has shown that probiotics are beneficial and even necessary for good gut health. Just google probiotics and there are tons of articles and studies out showing the importance of them.

But, have you had your probiotics today?

I don't always remember to.

And for those of us with gut issues - which is a big reason that many of us are gluten free - probiotics are more important than ever.

I was recently contacted by Attune Foods and asked if I would review their Probiotic Chocolate Bars. I had never heard of Attune Foods before - so I did some research and asked lots of questions. They also have granola and granola bars in their line - but those are not gluten free. Their only products that are gluten free at this time are the chocolate bars. And the only ones that are casein free as well are the 3 dark chocolate varieties. If you are also soy free - which I know many of my readers are - this product is not for you - all 3 of the bars I tested clearly stated that they contain soy.

They generously sent me a sample of each of their 3 GFCF bars to try.

The 3 GFCF varieties are Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Dark Chocolate, and Coffee Bean Dark Chocolate. Here is a picture of them so you know what they look like when you go looking for them in your store.

Here is the Raspberry Dark Chocolate unwrapped. It is small - just two squares. But there is a ton of nutrition and great taste packed into those 2 tiny squares.

Here is the underside of the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bar - those little bumps are crunchy bits of real raspberries! Yum!

And here is a fuzzy (sorry - I really need a better camera) picture showing the inside of the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bar - those red bits are real raspberries.

The bars are small, but that is good. Like most women my age I am forever trying to lose weight and chocolate is a downfall of mine. This gives me my daily chocolate craving without too many calories (80 in the Dark Chocolate, 90 in the Raspberry and Coffee Bean varieties).

Finding these in the stores isn't the easiest thing to do. They do have a store locator on their website. Whole Foods is the closest store to me that carries them. Once you locate a store with them, you need to know that they are kept refrigerated - with the yogurt. While refrigerating them prolongs the life of the probiotics, once you buy them you can store them at room temperature for up to two weeks so they are much more portable than yogurt. I suggest storing them in the fridge and just taking them out when you want to pack them in your lunch or consume them.

You can also order these directly from their website.

The taste was wonderful. I love raspberries so I tried that bar first and was not disappointed. I had the dark chocolate the second day and it was also good. I am not a coffee lover so I saved the coffee bean for the last day - and I was surprised to find it wasn't bad at all. Personally I wouldn't buy it but if it were the only flavor available I would eat it and it would be okay. If you are a coffee lover you may find you love that flavor. Isn't it nice that we all have different tastes?

These bars are also a great source of fiber - not many candy bars can say that.

These bars are to be savored and enjoyed just once a day for probiotic health.

All of the bars contain the statement that they are manufactured on equipment that also processes milk containing products, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat. I asked Annelies about that. Her response was: Our bars are made of gluten-free ingredients and every batch is tested by an independent lab to verify that our bars meet the standard of testing less than 5 parts per million of gluten. What this comes down to is that once a year one product is made in the factory that is not gluten-free, so there is very little risk of cross contamination. We put the manufacturing equipment statement on our bars as a way to not only be transparent about our practices because we know celiacs often have to hunt down the conditions in which food is manufactured, but also to help them and people with gluten intolerances make an informed choice. We are currently being evaluated for gluten-free certification. All of our chocolate bars are gluten-free. All of the equipment used to make our chocolate bars has been totally washed down. The reason we manufacture our bars on shared equipment is exactly as you stated- we are a small company and cannot afford to have multiple lines. I think that’s a great goal for us in the future though!

I feel pretty safe eating these bars with the disclaimer on them - please make your own decision based on your own health needs.

Here is a link to a coupon that you can print out for $1 off 4 bars.

Click here for Attune Coupon

If you are just looking for a chocolate bar to enjoy, these bars may be too expensive for you. If you are looking for a tasty way to enhance your health, then Attune may be the product for you.

I like that they are made from all natural ingredients.

Try them and let me know what you think.

Here's to good digestive health!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T20:50:00.003-06:00

Andy wanted some mini Valentine's cakes to decorate. He must have seen some on TV cause otherwise I have no idea where he got the idea. So, being the good mother that I am, I made him some.

I kept it simple.

I mixed up two Betty Crocker gluten free yellow cake mixes and baked them in a sheet pan.

I lined the bottom of the cake pan with wax paper so it would be easy to remove from the pan.

After the cake was cool I cut out mini cakes using a heart shaped cookie cutter.

I sliced the cakes in half and filled the centers with strawberry jam.

Then I pour icing over them (I had them on a wire rack with wax paper underneath to catch the drips).

And then I let Andy decorate them.

Next time I think I will make them smaller - and cut them into squares so there is no wasted cake.

I put the cut away cake in the freezer. I think I will make it into cake balls.

Finally a really good gluten free bread!

2010-02-05T13:28:00.002-06:00

This egg salad sandwich is made with a prepackaged gluten free bread. It is soft and untoasted. It was wonderful. I never thought I would ever eat a sandwich with untoasted bread ever again. Now, it has been six years since I had regular bread, but this is most definitely what I remember it being like.

So, what is this wonderful bread? It is Udi's.

I have been hearing talk for some time now about this wonderful bakery in Denver that makes gluten free bread that tastes just like the real thing but it wasn't available here in my area. My local food co-op just started carrying it so I picked up two loaves yesterday. They sell it frozen, but once thawed you store it at room temperature and it is so much like real bread it is nothing short of amazing. They were out of the white sandwich bread so I got the whole grain. I need to go back and get some more because one loaf is almost gone already.

I may never bake bread again. My loaf pans are going to be used a whole lot less for bread now and more for meat loaf and maybe pumpkin bread. And my life is going to be much easier.

My son Andy couldn't wait to try a sandwich - he was so young when we pulled gluten from his diet that he doesn't remember soft bread. He ate the entire sandwich and didn't leave any crusts like he does when he eats toasted bread.

My husband doesn't believe it is gluten free. He is afraid that we will hear that, like the recent scam in North Carolina, that it was all false and the bread really has gluten in it. I don't believe that is the case at all. This bread is baked in a dedicated gluten free bakery that people can actually visit - not like the one in North Carolina where no one actually had an address for the bakery (he delivered only).

If you haven't tried Udi's yet - you really should. Ask your stores to carry it if they don't. You can also order directly off their website. I can't wait to try some of their other products. I have heard that the pizza crust and muffins are equally as good.

Andy Makes his First Pie!

2010-01-29T14:39:00.005-06:00

I just have to share these pictures of my 10 year old son making his first pie!

He keeps bugging me that he wants to actually learn to cook and bake, not just help out. He figures if he is going to survive in a gluten filled world without his mommy, he'd better learn!

Today I asked him if he wanted to make a pie (thinking we'd make something fairly easy like Raspberry) and he very excitedly said yes! But it had to be a lemon meringue pie!

He did a really good job. I had to read the recipe to him and I had to walk him through it - and I took it in and out of the oven - but this pie is 98% all his! I am super proud of him.

Rolling out the dough. I had frozen pie dough in the freezer so that part was pretty easy - no mixing. This is the mix from the gluten free pantry.

Squeezing lemons.

Measuring corn starch

Breaking an egg

Stirring - he was mad that I asked him to turn his head so I could see his face!

Beating the egg whites into meringue.

Putting the meringue on the pie. He really liked that part.

Spreading the meringue all the way to the edges so it doesn't "weep"

And there is my proud baker with his finished pie cooling on the stove top!

I'll post my recipe later - just wanted to share the pictures with you right away!

Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries

2010-01-23T15:45:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, getting breakfast into my child before school is difficult. Really really difficult. He just does not like to eat before 10am and since school starts at 7:45 that is a problem. I found the best way to get him to eat breakfast is to rotate the different foods that I offer him. This is one of his favorite cereals in our rotation.

Erewhon makes several gluten free cereals. Their cereals are also healthier than most and sweetened with things other than high fructose corn syrup. This cereal is sweetened with brown rice syrup and honey. The dried fruits in it (blueberries, raspberries and strawberries) are REAL fruit! And most importantly, it TASTES GREAT!

For more information on Erewhon cereals, visit their webpage. A list of their gluten free cereals can be found here.

If you can't find Erewhon cereals in your local store, glutenfree.com carries them here.

Enjoy Life Crunchy Rice and Crunchy Flax Cereals

2010-01-20T13:30:00.002-06:00

I am a huge fan of Enjoy Life Foods. It is so comforting to be able to see their logo and know that I don’t have to read the ingredients – I know when I see their products without a doubt that there is no hidden gluten or dairy – it just isn’t there. People who don’t deal with food allergies or intolerances have no idea how freeing that is. The one time you don’t read the label may be the one time that the formula was changed and a food previously safe is no more.

So I was quite excited when Enjoy Life contacted me a week or so ago and asked me if I would be willing to try their new cereals. All they asked in return was that I personally try the products and to give my unbiased opinion so that is what you are getting here.

I received the two free boxes of cereal yesterday. One box of Crunchy Flax and one box of Crunchy Rice.

As usual, my son Andy was super excited to be getting something new to try. I thought these cereals might be a little too grown up for him but he wanted to try them. We opened both boxes and sampled a little right out of the box.

Andy immediately asked for a bowl of the Crunchy Rice with vanilla almond milk. I just gave him a small bowl of it since I didn’t want to waste any and I thought he might be expecting it to be lighter – more like a crispy rice cereal instead of so crunchy. He finished it and had a second bowl right away!

I know my boy though and I knew the true test would come this morning. He often times eats something new really well the first time he has it but then decides he doesn’t like it after all. And it is almost impossible to get breakfast down him before school! So, this morning I asked him what he wanted for breakfast and without hesitation he asked for the *new* crunchy rice stuff. He finished the entire bowl and went to school with a full tummy – let me tell you that doesn’t happen very often. I hope this continues! I don’t care how expensive it is if he will eat breakfast every day.

I ate the Crunchy Flax sprinkled over my soy yogurt and it was really really good. I was surprised. Regular readers of my blog know that I am not just into things being gluten and dairy free but also very into health and nutrition. Flax is such a good food for you – but not one that I consume regularly because I simply don’t like the taste. I have tried to like it but it has to be hidden in foods for me to enjoy it. This was great – the crunchy flax bits were just the right size for yogurt – I sometimes have granola (Enjoy Life brand of course) over my yogurt and I find the granola pieces a little too large and a little too soft. The Crunchy Flax was perfect. I’m not sure if the rest of my family will eat the Crunchy Flax but I most certainly will.

Enjoy Life sent me a press release with the products and now that I have shared my personal opinion with you, I’ll share some of what they have to say about their new products.

It appears that these cereals are new to Enjoy Life but they are not new cereals. Perky’s Nutty Flax and Perky’s Nutty Rice have been around for 25 years. They are now transitioning under the Enjoy Life brand, becoming Enjoy Life Crunchy Flax and Enjoy Life Crunchy Rice. Personally I think crunchy is a better name since there is no nuts in either of the cereals.

Both products are made in a dedicated nut-free and certified gluten-free facility ensuring the quality, integrity and purity of the products. All Enjoy Life products are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) and are allergy-friendly. All Enjoy Life products are free of the eight most common allergens (NO: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish or shellfish).

Crunchy Flax is 100% natural, sweetened with fruit juice and honey, and has 50g of whole grain, 425 mg of Omega-3’s and 6g of fiber per serving. WOW! Tasty and nutritious!

Crunchy Rice is 100% natural, sweetened with fruit juice and honey and is low fat and low sodium.

I haven’t had the opportunity yet to check my local stores for these cereals, but I do see that glutenfree.com does have them.

If you want to ask your local stores to carry these – or any Enjoy Life product, Enjoy Life does have a letter on their website that all you have to do is print, sign and give to your local grocer – just as easy as that.

If you are a coupon shopper like me, Enjoy Life also has a printable coupon on their website for 55 cents off any product.

Try these new products yourself and then post a comment and let me know what you think of them.

A successful GFCF Birthday Party

2009-12-21T07:08:00.004-06:00

Andy turned 10 yesterday. How is that possible? It seems like just yesterday we got a call in the middle of the night that he had been born and we rushed to the hospital to hold our newborn.

We had a very successful birthday party - here are some pics!

The party was held at a climbing wall. Here is a group shot of the birthday boy with all of his guests.

Before the party, the day was started out with the birthday boy's favorite breakfast - raspberry pancakes (GFCF of course). I'll post the recipe below.

GFCF Yellow cupcakes - I used the new Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix to make these. Andy does not like chocolate so I made these for him.

And I also made chocolate cupcakes - again they are the new Betty Crocker gluten free mix - the devils food flavor. All of the children ate the cupcakes and no one said anything about them tasting funny so I don't think they could tell they were GFCF.

We only did snacks since the party was from 2 to 4. Andy picked the snack menu. The most popular item was the fruit kebobs.

Andy helped make the snacks. Here he is making Ants on a Log (probably the second popular snack).

We also served deviled eggs and a home made trail mix.

GFCF Raspberry Pancakes

2 eggs
2 cups original flavor Almond Milk (or use any milk sub)
¼ cup coconut oil, melted (or use any shortening or salad oil)
2 cups GF flour blend (I used Bobs Red Mill GF Blend)
2 tablespoons raw sugar (or use brown or regular sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries.

Beat eggs

Add remaining ingredients and mix

Pour batter onto hot greased griddle or frying pan.

Turn pancakes when they are puffed up and full of bubbles.

Makes 20 4-inch pancakes

Individual Breakfast Quiches

2009-12-14T08:01:00.002-06:00

Here is a yummy breakfast that has become a big hit in my household -

Individual Breakfast Quiches

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:
7 eggs
1 cup Almond Milk (or any milk or milk substitute)

Your choice of fillings – I used:
9 ounces Al Fresco Chicken Sausage – Maple and Apple flavor (12 oz package – use 3 of the 4 links to get the right amount) – removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces – I used a knife to cut them up really small.
1 small can mushroom pieces (or use fresh and sauté first)
¼ cup sliced red onion (or use leeks or scallions or whatever you have on hand)
¼ teaspoon pepper

You could also add cheese if you aren’t dairy free (or use a cheese substitute if you have one you like – I think these are great just the way they are) – or bell peppers or really any fillings you would put in an omelet.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees – making sure the rack is positioned in the center of the oven.

Generously coat a regular muffin pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the eggs and milk in a medium bowl.

Cook the sausage over medium heat until nice and brown. Add mushrooms, onions and pepper and cook another minute or two.

Divide the egg whites equally between the muffin cups (about ¼ cup each).

Spoon a heaping spoonful of filling into each muffin cup.

Bake until they are solid in the middle and the tops are starting to brown – time varies with the type of muffin cup you are using – mine take about 45 minutes to cook – I would start checking after 30 minutes to be safe.

Cool for 5 minutes and then turn quiches out.

These can be made ahead and reheated for a quick weekday breakfast.

Ian's Mac and No Cheese

2009-10-21T07:43:00.004-05:00

I was doing my regular grocery shopping at Super Target this week and I reached into the freezer case to get an Ian's Allergen Free Fish Stick and an Ian's Allergen Free Chicken Nuggets and what did I see right next to them but this mac and no cheese. I forgot to take a picture so I nabbed this pic off their website.

Andy was with me and begged me to buy it. It looks just like the real stuff and was easy to prepare in the microwave. Andy ate it right down - he loved it. I tasted it and it was *okay* but I wasn't buying it for me, I was buying it for him.

I love that Ian's really seems to be adding to their allergen free line of items. While I still prefer making food from scratch, it is so nice to have options.

I also love that my Super Target carries many of them. My primary grocery store is still my local food co-op (Mississippi Market) but Super Target is so much cheaper on some items - Ian's being one of them.

Ian's also seems to be putting out a lot more coupons lately. You can usually find printable ones on the internet. It all helps when raising a gfcf kid.

And if you buy a lot of Ian's foods, don't forget to save the points and let your kids redeem them for fun things. You can also get points for doing all kinds of things - check out their website for more information.

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

2009-10-18T19:12:00.002-05:00

I made the most wonderful soup for dinner tonight. I'm so sorry I didn't take a picture of it - you will just have to believe me that it looked as wonderful as it tasted.

Here is the recipe:

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, cleaned and chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons margarine
2 cups water
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of Marjoram
Dash of Tabasco Sauce

1. Melt margarine in medium sauce pan. Add leeks, cover pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add water, broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. I also added the salt and pepper at this time - about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper was right for me.

3. Use a hand blender to puree (or transfer to a blender).

4. Add the marjoram and tabasco sauce.

Serves 6

GFCF Pasta with Spinach and Sausage

2009-09-04T19:19:00.005-05:00

I made this for dinner tonight and it was really yummy. Next time I make it I am going to add more peppers - otherwise it was perfect.

GFCF Pasta with Spinach and Sausage

6 ounces gf pasta (I used shell shaped, but any shape would work)
1 package Al Fresco Sweet Italian Sausages
1 large onion, cut in half and then into slices
1 bell pepper cut into long slices (I am going to use two or three next time)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup chicken broth
8 ounces fresh spinach
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup vegan parmesan

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions, set aside.
2. Slice sausages in half lengthwise and then again so they are quartered, then slice into 1/4 inch chunks - set aside.
3. In a large skillet, cook onion, peppers, and garlic in olive oil until tender.
4. Add broth and sausages, heat to boiling.
5. Add spinach and basil - cook for a minute or two until spinach is wilted, stirring frequently.
6. Add pasta and parmesan. Toss to coat.

4 servings of yum!

Making Yogurt with Almond Milk

2009-08-21T07:20:00.005-05:00

I am experimenting with making yogurt from almond milk. I just don't like the taste (or price) of the coconut milk yogurt and I am trying to eliminate soy from our diet.

This was my first attempt at making it yesterday. It didn't turn out too bad. It was definitely edible.

The consistency was a little more runny than I wanted. I knew it wouldn't be as firm as a dairy yogurt but I want it a little more firm.

I am going to play with it more before I post a recipe, but I really think this is going to be doable - so for those of you out there who don't do soy either, stay tuned - there will be a recipe soon.

GFCF Lasagne without pasta

2009-08-19T06:18:00.003-05:00

I was craving lasagne but I didn't have any lasagne noodles and didn't feel like driving across town to the one store that carries them. I did, however, have eggplant in the fridge.

So I made my usual lasagne recipe and used eggplant for the noodles. I fried up the eggplant in a little olive oil first.

It turned out really great.

I made two smaller pans instead of one large pan and froze the other for later.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-08-13T20:36:00.002-05:00

Today is my birthday. I'm 51. Funny, I don't feel 51. Anyway, I thought I would share my birthday cake pics and recipe with you. I have posted this recipe before but I keep tweaking it and making it a little healthier every time I make it. You would never know there is zucchini in it - it is my go to recipe for chocolate cake.

I actually wasn't going to do a cake, but Andy insisted. At his age, he just can't fathom someone having a birthday and not having cake!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 1/2 cups gf flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)

1/2 cup cocoa

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup coconut oil

2 cups organic raw sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup milk substitute (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)

Glaze (directions follow)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1 Combine the four, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

2 With a mixer, beat together the coconut oil and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the oil and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla and zucchini.

3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk substitute into the zucchini mixture.

4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.

5 Drizzle glaze over cake.

Glaze: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk substitute, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Cut in thin slices to serve. Makes 10-12 servings.

Sencha Naturals

2009-08-07T15:36:00.002-05:00

Sencha Naturals is running a contest on their blog. You can find all of the answers to the questions by reading about their product on their website.

You really should take the time to check it out - even if you aren't interested in the contest.

Why?

Well, their products are all gfcf for one (the bars do have soy for those of you avoiding soy).

They taste great for another - and let's face it so much of what we have to choose from commercially is not all that great tasting.

They are packed full of nutrition and are all natural and fair traded - all things that are as important to me as GFCF.

I entered the contest because I love to win things and when the chance is to win food, I'm there!

GFCF Items at Boston Market

2009-08-06T06:24:00.002-05:00

I've been sick. So sick that I didn't feel like cooking - or even looking at food.

Back in the day before the term *special diet* ever entered my vocabulary, I wouldn't have worried about it - Dan and Andy would be able to fend for themselves with take out or ordering pizza or something. Unfortunately, that is not reality for many of us these days. So, sick as I was I started thinking about what they could eat.

Then I remembered that I am a Bzz Agent and that I had recently signed up for the Boston Market campaign after looking on their website and seeing they did have some GFCF items - and enough to make a meal.

They do have a pretty hefty disclaimer on their allergen page on their website: This list is compiled based on production information provided by Boston Market approved food manufacturers as of the date published. Boston Market does not guarantee that cross-contact with other gluten-containing products or allergens will not occur. We encourage anyone with food sensitivities, allergies, or special dietary needs to check back on a regular basis for up-to-date information.

Because of this disclaimer I made sure that Dan questioned the manager and staff before ordering - the manager was great - Dan said that he took our food only out of pans that hadn't been touched. It is great to have another option for food now. The boys were able to eat and I was able to get some needed rest.

The items that are both gluten and casein free are: (if you are only gluten free, you have many more choices)
Entrees -
Rotisserie Chicken
USDA Choice Roasted Sirloin
Sides -
Cinnamon Apples
Cranberry Walnut Relish
Fresh Fruit Salad
Fresh Steamed Veggies
Garden Fresh Coleslaw

My guys had the Chicken, coleslaw and apples. They loved it so much, they had the same thing the next night! Andy did not have a reaction at all - we are so pleased.

Here is a link to a $2 off coupon when you spend $10.

GFCF Blueberry Muffins

2009-08-05T19:11:00.003-05:00

These are super tasty and won't last long. I made them from a commercial biscuit mix (arrowhead mills) which I generally don't use but I was using up some items given to me by someone else - and since many of you may prefer mixes I thought I would go ahead and post the recipe.

I think I am going to make another batch tomorrow and use fresh raspberries instead of blueberries.

GFCF Blueberry Muffins

2 cups Gluten Free Biscuit and Baking Mix
½ cup raw sugar
1 egg
1 cup vanilla flavored almond milk
½ tsp vanilla (use 1 tsp if you use plain almond milk)
¼ cup coconut oil
1 cup fresh blueberries

In medium mixing bowl combine baking mix and sugar.
In another bowl, beat egg slightly. Add all of the rest of the ingredients except the blueberries and mix well.
Mix wet ingredients in with dry ingredients just until mixed – do not over mix!
Fold in blueberries.
Fill muffin tins lined with paper liners.
Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Chicken and Bean Soup

2009-07-29T19:24:00.002-05:00

I made this for dinner tonight. It was so tasty - even Andy had seconds! Very healthy too.

Chicken and Bean Soup

½ cup dry garbanzo beans
½ cup dry black beans
1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite size pieces
1 ½ cups fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into ¼ inch slices
2 ½ cups sliced carrots
1 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped or shredded

1. Rinse the beans; place in a saucepan and add enough water to cover the beans by about two inches. Bring to boiling, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for one hour. Drain and rinse beans.
2. Put all ingredients except fresh herbs and spinach in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
3. Add fresh herbs and spinach. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
4 servings

GFCF Fresh Raspberry Pie

2009-07-11T19:57:00.003-05:00

Kathi’s Fresh Raspberry Pie

4 cups fresh raspberries

1 cup raw sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons minute tapioca

4 tablespoons water

2 - 9” pie crusts of your choice (I use the perfect pie crust mix from the gluten free pantry)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Line pie plate with one pie crust
3. Mix all ingredients together and spoon into bottom pie crust
4. Place other pie crust on top, flute and seal edges.
5. Make slits in the top so that steam can escape.
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for 45 minutes

8 servings

Enjoy Life Granola

2009-06-29T07:55:00.003-05:00

Enjoy Life has reformulated their granola and is it ever yummy!

If you are not familiar with Enjoy Life Foods, you should be.

All of their products are free of the 8 most common allergens (wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish or shellfish).

All are certified gluten free.

All are made in a dedicated nut and gluten free bakery - so no chance of cross contamination!

No artificial anything in any of their products.

And they taste great.
The granola comes in 3 flavors - Cranapple Crunch, Very Berry Crunch, and Cinnamon Crunch.

Cranapple Crunch

Very Berry Crunch

Cinnamon Crunch

We did a taste test at our house. All 3 of us tasted all 3 flavors. While all of us enjoyed all 3 flavors, I found it interesting that each of us picked a different one as their favorite. Andy loves the Cranapple Crunch, Dan prefers the Very Berry Crunch and my favorite is the Cinnamon Crunch.

All three flavors are very crunchy and they remain crunchy in milk (non dairy milk of course in our household) with nice plump chewy raisins or craisins. They are also good just by the handful. Fill a baggie and take them with you as a snack. My favorite way to eat them is sprinkled on yogurt (soy) - it really adds a nice crunch. I might try using them in baking as well. I can picture them as a nice crunchy muffin.....

If you are interested in trying them, they do have a printable coupon on their website for 55 cents off any of their products.

Say Cheez by Namaste Foods

2009-06-15T15:42:00.003-05:00

We've been trying a lot of new foods lately. The selection of gluten free foods out there really has expanded since we started this diet 6 years ago. Shortly after we went gfcf 6 years ago, I gave up trying to find anything with cheese. Nothing tasted good. Andy really loved mac and cheese before gfcf and I was disappointed not to find a good substitute for him. Now he doesn't even remember ever eating mac and cheese.

My food co-op had a special last month on Say Cheez by Namaste Foods and I had a coupon so I bought a package. Wow, was it a hit. I have now bought it two more times. Andy devours it like I remember him devouring mac and cheese. Is it the rich and creamy mac and cheese that I used to bake in the oven for hours? No and not even close. But it is not a bad imitation of boxed mac and cheese.

Here is a picture of the product - it is in a brown bag - so you know what to look for in the store.

And here are the contents of the bag.

And here is the finished product.

It went wonderfully with grilled Al Fresco sausages!

And Andy ate all the leftovers today for lunch!

If you are not familar with Namaste Foods, be sure and to check out their website for more information. They specialize in foods that are free of gluten, wheat, potato, soy, corn, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts and casein. So if you have multiple food allergies, this is a great company to be aware of.

Cherrybrook Kitchens

2009-06-13T15:19:00.004-05:00

Dan's birthday was this week. Since I have yet to find a plain cake recipe that I really like (I do have some good killer cake recipes on this blog, but not plain ones that my child will eat), I decided to try a mix from Cherrybrook Kitchen.

This is the mix that I used. It only makes one layer or a dozen cupcakes, so if you plan on making a layer cake you will need to buy two.

It was very easy to mix up and it didn't even need eggs so for those of you who are also egg free, here is a mix for you as well.

Here are the cupcakes as they came out of the oven. They were very dark and rich looking. I think Dan and I could have enjoyed them without frosting, but Andy insisted that we frost them - I guess you can't stick a birthday candle in one without frosting (who knew? good thing I have a 9 year old around to tell me these things!).

And here is one unfrosted closer up.

Making frosting is not difficult, but since I had a coupon I decided to try their frosting as well. The frosting was a bit too sweet for me and kind of gummy. It was fine, though, I did eat it - I didn't scrape it off, but I think next time I'll just make my own. Andy, like most kids, loved the frosting and ate the leftovers out of the canister.

I let Andy frost the cupcakes himself. Here is a pic of the finished cupcakes.

And one of the cupcakes up front.

They were very good tasting and nice and moist. I will buy the cake mix again in the future. It was a success.

Be sure and save the bottom flaps off the mixes. You can save them and redeem them for free stuff (I like Free!).

Larabar

2009-06-13T14:51:00.002-05:00

I recently wrote to Larabar telling them how much I loved their product and asking if they had any coupons. As we all know, gluten free is expensive, so I have been writing to my favorite brands asking for coupons - can't hurt to try, right?

They wrote back that they didn't have any coupons at this time, but would send me some samples. Then I got another e-mail that coupons were available. I was very happy with my 4 coupons for 50 cents off - every little bit helps.

So, imagine my surprise when a few days later a package came from them containing 4 full size bars! Happy Day! I never even told them that I write a gluten free blog - so they weren't providing the samples for a write up (although they are getting one) - so that is great customer service!

These are the bars I got free. Andy inhaled the cherry pie one before I could have a taste. We will have to take his word for it that it was great. We also got Apple Pie, Cinnamon Roll and Lemon Bar. All were delicious.

There are many things besides the taste that I like about larabar. First of all, unlike soy bars, they are very moist. All flavors are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non gmo, vegan and kosher. They have no added sweeteners.

Larabars are also a good source of potassium. One thing I have learned while I have been studying nutrition is that we all get way too much sodium and not enough potassium. Sodium and potassium need to be kept in balance in our body. Potassium can help lower high blood pressure. Here is a link to a potassium fact sheet.

If you haven't added larabars to your gluten free casein free diet, I suggest you try them.

New GFCF Chicken Nuggets!

2009-05-20T06:14:00.003-05:00

Coming home and finding boxes on our doorstep is no big deal in our household. UPS brings me packages for work almost daily. But whenever there is one that doesn't have my company's return address on it, Andy gets excited and wants to know right away what is in it. Yesterday we got just such a box and he was right to be excited!

When we opened it, we found treasures inside:
It was from Applegate Farms. Not only did it contain 2 boxes of their new gluten free (and casein free) chicken nuggets, it also had DRY ICE! I really should have taken a picture of Andy playing with the dry ice - that provided over an hour of fun. I should mention that you should never let small children play with dry ice and even with older kids like Andy, you need to supervise them and make sure they know the dangers of dry ice.

We have been struggling to find a great tasting chicken nugget. We used to buy the Wellshire Kids/Garrett County Farms (Wellshire Kids brand is now used only at Whole Foods and Garrett County elsewhere). We used to buy a lot of their products. But ever since the Chicago Tribune exposed that their dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets tested high for gluten, we have crossed them off our list.

We love Ian's products. Andy especially loves their allergen free fish sticks. But he isn't a fan of their chicken nuggets. He reluctantly accepts them in his thermos in his lunch box and eats them, but he doesn't love them like he did the dinosaur ones.

So, I was excited to learn that Applegate Farms had come out with a gluten free chicken nugget. We LOVE Applegate Farm's products. Their chicken hot dogs are what I use to make my wonderful mini corn dogs. Applegate Farms is really a great all around company. I'm not going to bore you with all the details, you can go to their website and read all about it http://www.applegatefarms.com/ (and while you are there, read all about the future of our school lunches).

What I am going to tell you about is how great tasting these new nuggets were. I made one box of them for dinner last night and Andy was begging for more. Even Dan and I enjoyed the taste. They have a wonderful taste and texture. Andy likes that they are soft. Try them. They get two thumbs up from all 3 of us.

Purity Farms Ghee

2009-04-14T19:03:00.004-05:00

I have been using ghee in more and more of my recipes. The lemon curd I made recently tasted so good because I used ghee in it.

Ghee is butter so it tastes wonderful in all of your gfcf recipes - like real butter - because it is. I know what some of you are thinking - but butter isn't casein free. Ah, but ghee is. Ghee is butter with the casein removed.

It is fairly expensive but it tastes so good. To cut down on the expense you can either make your own or you can mix it with a healthy shortening like palm oil or coconut oil. I have been using it 50/50 with coconut oil in a lot of my recipes.

I was a little reluctant to try ghee at first because I didn't understand how it could be casein free. But after using it for a few weeks with no reactions I became hooked.

I recently contacted Purity Farms via their website and complimented them on their product and asked to be put on any mailing list they have for coupons. They responded that they are just a small company with no mailing lists or coupons but they would be glad to send me a free product. A few days later, just as promised, a free jar was in my mailbox along with a handwritten letter, a nice pen and some recipes. How nice is that? Gotta love customer service like that.

So, if you haven't tried ghee yet and you want that buttery taste in your food - try ghee. You won't be disappointed.

GFCF Lemon Bars

2009-03-10T07:37:00.005-05:00

Since I had lots of lemon curd left over from the lemon bites I made recently, I made these bars over the weekend.

They did not last long! They were so yummy.

You could probably add flaked coconut to the topping if you wanted - I don't personally like coconut so I don't add it to any of my recipes, but I could see it going well in this one - if you liked that sort of thing!

GFCF Lemon Bars

1 cup gfcf margarine (I used earth balance buttery spread)

2 cups gf flour blend (I used authentic foods blend which has xanthan gum in it – so if you use a blend without xanthan gum, you may need to add it)

1 cup raw sugar

2 cups lemon curd (recipe follows)

½ cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
In a large mixing bowl cream margarine.
Add flour and sugar. Mix until coarse crumbs form.
Pat 2/3 of mixture in the bottom of an ungreased 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
Cool slightly
Spread lemon curd over baked layer.
Add chopped nuts to remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over the top of the lemon curd.
Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool thoroughly, cut into squares and enjoy!

Lemon Curd

I like this method of making lemon curd because you don’t have to strain it and it always turns out nice and smooth.

6 tablespoons butter substitute (I use ghee)

1 cup sugar (I use organic raw sugar so mine isn’t as refined looking)

2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy
Gradually add eggs and egg yolks (1 at a time)
Beat in lemon juice – mixture will appear curdled.
Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens and reaches a temperature of 170 degrees – do not let it boil.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and press plastic wrap on top so it doesn’t form a skin – cool in fridge.

Store for up to 2 weeks in fridge or 2 months in freezer

GFCF Pizza

2009-03-06T10:58:00.002-06:00

Since the lasagna I made a couple of weeks ago was such a success, I decided to tackle pizza. I made two of these babies for dinner last night and between the 3 of us, there were no leftovers - so I would say it was a success. It is so good to be adding old favorites back into our diet - and for Andy to be able to enjoy things he never has.

GFCF Pizza Recipe

Crust -
3 packets gluten free yeast (I used Red Star)
1 1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. salt
1 packet unflavored gelatin (I used Knox)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 1/3 cup warm water
1 tsp. raw sugar
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix yeast, flours, xanthan gum, salt, gelatin, oregano and basil
In separate bowl mix warm water, sugar, oil and vinegar
Add liquids to dry ingredients and beat with a mixer on high for three minutesSpray two 12" pizza pan with cooking spraySpoon half of dough onto each pan
Grease your fingers with shortening or cooking spray and use them to spread dough out on pans.
Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven.
Then either add toppings or freeze crust for future use.
Bake the topped crust for 20 to 25 more minutes.

Toppings:
15 oz can Muir Glen Tomato Sauce (1/2 of can for each pizza)Jennie-O Turkey Italian Sausage, cooked – half for each pizza¼ cup chopped onions for each pizza¼ cup chopped red bell peppers for each pizza
1 small can pineapple – ½ for each pizza1 small can mushrooms – half for each pizzaFollow your heart mozzarella cheese, shredded – half for each pizza

Lundberg Rice Chips

2009-03-06T10:47:00.003-06:00

If you haven't tried these, you really should. Dan and Andy fight over them when I bring them home. They are super tasty and gluten free.

GFCF Lemon Bites

2009-03-01T18:28:00.005-06:00

I have been craving a shortbread type cookie so I got in the kitchen and tinkered today and came up with this delectable bite size cookie!

GFCF Lemon Bites

¾ cup gfcf margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup sugar (I used raw organic sugar)
1 large egg1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups gfcf flour blend (I used Authentic Foods multi blend flour which has xanthan gum in it – if you use another flour blend, you may need to add xanthan gum)
Lemon curd – maybe ½ cup – recipe follows

Beat margarine and sugars until fluffy.
Beat in egg, lemon juice and vanilla.
Beat in flour and baking powder
Chill 1 hour
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on greased baking sheet – using your finger, make an indent in the middle.
Fill indent with lemon curd
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
If desired, drizzle icing over cookies

Makes 4 to 5 dozen

Lemon Curd

I like this method of making lemon curd because you don’t have to strain it and it always turns out nice and smooth.

6 tablespoons butter substitute (I use ghee)1 cup sugar (I use organic raw sugar so mine isn’t as refined looking)2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy
Gradually add eggs and egg yolks (1 at a time)
Beat in lemon juice – mixture will appear curdled.
Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens and reaches a temperature of 170 degrees – do not let it boil.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and press plastic wrap on top so it doesn’t form a skin – cool in fridge.

Store for up to 2 weeks in fridge or 2 months in freezer

I really outdid myself tonight!

2009-02-20T19:26:00.004-06:00

In the 5 years we have been gluten free I have never attempted to make a GFCF lasagna before. And if I do say so myself, I made a pretty mean lasagna in the past. I think it was the idea of the cheese that intimidated me the most. After all it is hard to find a GFCF cheese that is decent.

So, what led me to try making it today? A friend recently decided that gluten free was not something for her and she gave me a ton of gluten free items that she wasn't going to use and a package of lasagna noodles were included. Well, I'm not one to let anything go to waste and my dear husband was salivating at the idea of lasagna. Andy, has never had lasagna but he sure wanted to try it - after all he knew that Garfield loves it!

And I must say - it turned out wonderful! Really really yummy. It got 3 thumbs up from the three of us! My biggest challenge was figuring out what to replace the ricotta cheese with - I searched the internet (google is my friend) and found several recipes, but none that really seemed to fit what I wanted - most had too much salt or used ingredients I don't have on hand so using them as a guide, I made up my own and I think it turned out wonderful.

Here are the pics of the finished product:

And here is the recipe:

GFCF Lasagna

Step One – make GFCF Ricotta

1 box extra firm tofu (14 oz)
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
¼ cup lemon juice
Mash with potato masher to mix – you want it to have the same texture as ricotta so you don’t want to over mix.

Step Two – Prepare meat sauce

1 lb mild Italian sausage (I used turkey)
1 lb ground meat (I used ground bison – manager’s special at $1.99 – normally I probably would have used turkey)
1 yellow onion, chopped (about ¾ cup)
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 - 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen, one with tomato and basil and one with tomato and onion)
2 – 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
2 Tablespoons sugar (I used rapadura)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon oregano
Cook sausage and ground meat with onion and garlic until meat is done and onion is translucent. Drain off all fat.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about an hour or until the consistency of runny spaghetti sauce – I wanted it runny since I was using no boil lasagna noodles and wanted the extra liquid for the noodles to absorb.

Step Three – Shred fake mozzarella cheese
I used Follow your Heart brand since it actually melts.

Step Four – assemble the lasagna

I used DeBoles’ Rice Lasagna Noodles

Put a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of your dish.
Put a layer of noodles – I used 3 across and then one broken into thirds along the bottom.
Layer 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce
Layer 1/3 of the mozzarella
Layer 1/3 of the ricotta
A second layer of noodles
1/3 of meat sauce
1/3 of the mozzarella
1/3 of the ricotta

Third layer of noodles
1/3 of meat sauce (reserving just a bit for the top)
1/3 of the mozzarella
1/3 of the ricotta
top with reserved sauce – make sure lasagna noodles are totally covered.

Cover pan with foil and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.
Let set for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

And because I like playing with my software, here are the nutrition facts:

Shabtai Gourmet Cookies and Cakes

2009-02-13T09:41:00.003-06:00

I received a large package yesterday from Shabtai Gourmet Cookies and Cakes.

Yum.

All of their products are made in a dedicated facility and are free of gluten, lactose, soy, casein and dairy. They are also are certified Kosher for Passover and Kosher Parve . They do not have a storefront, you can order from their website - http://www.shabtai-gourmet.com/ or by calling 516-652-5671. They do offer free shipping on all orders in the continental United States.

We haven't had time yet to sample all of the goodies, but what we have sampled are very yummy. If you are looking for a gluten free product to replace things like hostess cupcake type products - these fit the bill.

The inside of a Ring Ting showing the cream filling.

The Ring Ting's as packaged on the tray. These were my husband's favorite! They are moist chocolate with a cream filling and then a coating.

Raspberry Roll. Very moist and delcious with a coconut topping. Roll cakes like this are very difficult to make with wheat flour - how he manages to produce these without a crumbly texture, I do not know.

My son holding a Rainbow Cookie Square before it disappeared into his mouth. These were very colorful and delicious - like a layer cake with a chocolate coating. These do contain red 40 - which I prefer my child not consume, but for an occasional treat, these are super yummy.

The Rainbow Cookie Squares as they come packaged on the tray.

The entire shipment. As you can see, everything is packaged very well with very little breakage - only the chocolate chip cookies appear to have some broken ones.

Watch for more reviews as we try the rest of the goodies.

If you do not have access locally to a gluten free bakery and do not have the desire to bake yourself, I recommend trying Shabtai. The taste and quality are exceptional.

I've updated my links

2009-02-06T19:18:00.002-06:00

I've added some sites and fixed links that weren't working.

All of the links I have listed in the sidebar are worth reading - so check some or all of them out.

Lend 4 Health

2009-02-05T19:16:00.002-06:00

I was asked quite some time ago to write about this website by more than one person. My lack of writing about it does not have anything to do with not thinking it is a fantastic idea, rather it is just an indication of just how busy I have been.

From their website: Lend4Health facilitates community-based, interest-free "micro-loans" as a creative funding option for individuals seeking optimal health. Currently, Lend4Health is facilitating loans for the "biomedical" treatment of children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. Other health issues may be included on Lend4Health in the future.

Check it out - look at the pictures of the children on there and consider loaning one of them a small amount. If you are in need yourself - this is the place - autism is expensive - this website can help.

http://lend4health.blogspot.com/

GFCF Pear Streusel Coffee Cake

2009-01-28T15:12:00.003-06:00

Pear Streusel Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
2 medium pears, peeled and cored, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice or fruit fresh powder
Streusel
1 cup gluten free flour blend
1/2 cup rapadura ¼ gfcf margarine
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)
Cake
2 cups gluten free flour blend
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 cup rapadura
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk substitute (I used soy milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup margarine, melted
1. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350° (325° if using a glass pan like I did)
2. Toss chopped pears with lemon juice or fruit fresh powder in a bowl; set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine streusel ingredients, except nuts, cutting in margarine with a pastry cutter or two knives until crumbly. Stir in nuts.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, rapadura, baking powder and salt; stir to blend.
5. Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl until blended; stir in milk substitute, vanilla, and margarine. Add to flour mixture and fold with a wooden spoon or spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened.
6. Spoon half of the batter into prepared loaf pan; spread out to cover the bottom. Sprinkle batter with half of the pears and half of the streusel. Spoon remaining batter evenly over streusel, spreading carefully to cover. Sprinkle with half of the remaining streusel, the remaining chopped pears and then the remaining streusel.
7. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife carefully around sides; invert the cake onto plate. Turn the cake, streusel side up, onto a rack and let cool on a rack completely. Or just keep in the pan like I did.

Sloppy Joes

2009-01-12T08:52:00.009-06:00

Andy has been watching commercials on TV for manwich and thinking they looked pretty darn good. He asked me to check and see if they were gluten free.

So I picked up a can the next time I was in the grocery store to read the label and these are the ingredients I found: Tomato Puree , Water , Tomato Paste , High Fructose Corn Syrup , Corn Syrup , Salt - Less than 2% , Sugar - Less than 2% , Dehydrated Onions - Less than 2% , Dehydrated Red and Green Bell Peppers - Less than 2% , Chile Pepper - Less than 2% , Tomato Fiber - Less than 2% , Spices - Less than 2% , Guar Gum - Less than 2% , Xanthan Gum - Less than 2% , Dehydrated Garlic - Less than 2% , Carob Bean Gum - Less than 2% , Natural Flavors - Less than 2%.

I don't really see anything there that screams gluten to me, but it could be hiding in the natural flavors. More concerning to me was the high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. We have now totally cut the high fructose corn syrup from our diet and I really don't see any reason to buy this product. I do remember loving sloppy joes as a kid though so I thought I would see if I could create a dish as good but without the yucky ingredients.

Here is my creation in the skillet - it smelled so good!

And here it is sandwiched between two pieces of gluten free toast.

And here is Andy with a clean plate and a satisfied look on his face after eating them.

It really didn't take much longer to make than opening a can and it was so yummy!

Here is the recipe:

Sloppy Joes
1.25 lbs ground turkey (I used 83% lean)
1 medium onion, chopped (about ¾ cup)
1 bell pepper, chopped (about ½ cup)
¾ cup catsup (I use organic with no high fructose corn syrup)
3 teaspoons raw sugar
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1. Cook ground turkey over medium heat until done.
2. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until onion is translucent.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Serve over bread.

Here are the nutrition facts for it - for a serving size I put 4 servings - which was about 2 sandwiches each.

And for comparison, here is the nutriton facts for manwich made with the same amount of ground turkey - 1 can of manwich and also 4 servings.

These nutrition facts do not include the bread. Mine does contain 20 more calories per serving, and less iron, but it has more vitamin C which is so important this time of the year. Otherwise it is pretty comparable.

GFCF Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

2008-11-21T15:56:00.001-06:00

GFCF Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups raisins
4 ¾ cups GF all-purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Mix)
3 cups raw sugar (I’m sure you could use regular)
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves
6 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup applesauce
½ cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

Directions:
Soak Raisins in hot water for 10 minutes to plump, then drain.
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs slightly, then add pumpkin and applesauce.
Mix wet ingredients in with dry ingredients.
Add raisins and nuts
Spoon batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners or well greased.
Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes 3 dozen

Veggie Tray for Thanksgiving

2008-11-21T05:48:00.001-06:00

Doesn't this look yummy for Thanksgiving?

I got it in a newsletter from Miss Roben's. Sorry, I didn't get proper credit. I had saved this to my hard drive to make later and didn't keep the whole newsletter. By the time I posted it here I remembered that I got it from Miss Roben's but not that they had gotten it elsewhere. My apologies - this idea actually comes from Eating With Food Allergies. You can see their original post by clicking HERE.

Turkey Veggie Tray

Ingredients
Romaine or leaf lettuce
1 cucumber, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 bags baby carrots
2 black beansToothpicks
1/3 celery stalk

Directions

1) Slice the bell peppers crosswise & then cut each circle in half. Cut one 1/2" piece off of one of the red pepper slices & set aside (this will be used for the face). Set aside the bottom part of the peppers for the turkey's body.

2) For the feathers: Cover a platter (a round one works well) with the leaves of lettuce. To make the turkey's feathers, start with forming a circle with the cucumber slices towards the bottom of the platter. Above the cucumbers, form a semi-circle with the red peppers, then the yellow peppers, then the green peppers. Place the baby carrots vertically above the last row of peppers.

3) To make the turkey's body & face: Break two toothpicks in half. Put two of the toothpicks where the eyes will go. Push the black beans onto the toothpick making sure that the toothpick doesn't go all the way through. Cut a triangle out of the leftover bottom from the yellow pepper. Attach with a toothpick below the eyes. Attach the reserved red pepper piece to the left of the yellow pepper "beak".

4) For the legs: Cut the piece of celery in half lengthwise. On each piece, carefully slice lengthwise from the end of the celery piece to almost the center. Do this twice on each piece. Place the celery in ice water & place in the refrigerator until the ends curl. When curled, nestle the un-curled end under the cucumbers.

If anyone attempts this, please take a pic and send it to me - I'll post all of the pics. I think this would be awesome if I were having guests for Thanksgiving. I may do it for just us - I'm not sure yet.

Grocery Shopping Highs and Lows

2008-11-20T13:28:00.000-06:00

Isn't it funny the things that excite us and irritate us when we are grocery shopping? I find that is even more so now that we are GFCF than ever before.

Needless to say, I went grocery shopping today.

I was irritated last week when I saw the price of the Silk Soy Yogurt had almost doubled at the store where it is usually the lowest price - 69 cents to $1.16. So today I was at a different grocery store and I see the price has gone up there as well - from 99 cents to $1.15. Ugh. I guess all of those conterfeit coupons for Silk Soy Milk that keep circulating on ebay are costing the company money that they have to pass onto us. So unfair.

But then I went to Super Target and found that they are now carrying Ian's allergen free fish sticks - yes, SCORE! Now I don't have to travel way across the cities for them and stock up on them at $4.99 each. Super Target had them for $4.29 and I had dollar off coupons - $3.29 is still so much more than regular fish sticks cost but I was happy.

GFCF Meals delivered to your door!

2008-11-03T06:05:00.000-06:00

Look at this site - the owner of it just found my blog and e-mailed me the link.

What could be easier? Click on the link and check out the pics - the food looks wonderful!

http://www.gfmeals.com/?Click=1310

When you get your order, be sure and come back and leave a comment so others know how much you like it. We need some reviews of a wonderful service like this.

A New Dairy Free Yogurt

2008-09-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are looking for a soy free non dairy yogurt - here is another alternative - cultured coconut milk by So Delicious. At $1.99 a cup - it is pricey but if you can't find the rice yogurt and don't want to do soy..............

More school lunches

2008-09-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

Thermos contains baked beans with cut up hotdogs. We also have rice chips, grapes, carrot sticks and a juice box.

Thermos contains homemade mini corn dogs. We also have ketchup, rice chips, edamame, apple slices and a juice box.

I don't intend to be sending juice every day - but I have a bunch of juice boxes I want to use up.

School lunch day 2

2008-09-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

The thermos has chicken nuggets and the jar on top of the thermos has catsup. Also included are rice chips, cucumber slices and grapes. And I see there is no beverage so I guess I am heading down to the school right now to slip one in before lunch! For snack today he took a nectarine.

Back to School

2008-09-02T09:25:00.000-05:00

Today was Andy's first day back at school - hard to believe he is in the 3rd grade already!
Here is what he took in his lunch box today - juice, carrot sticks, a turkey sandwich, rice chips and a nectarine. Now I know he probably won't have time to eat all of that, but I want him to have it available in case he is really hungry and does have time. For snack time he took a rice bar from EnviroKidz.

GFCF Zucchini Muffins

2008-08-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

I made these last night and they are so yummy!

GFCF Zucchini Muffins

1 ½ cups GF Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Blend)
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup finely shredded zucchini – peel and all
1 egg
¼ cup coconut oil
Zest of one lemon
1 cup chocolate chips (optional – you could also add nuts if desired)

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the first seven ingredients and set aside.
In another medium mixing bowl beat together sugar, zucchini and egg.
Add oil and lemon zest; mix well.
Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into muffin cups that are lined with paper liners or well greased.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

Yum Yum GFCF Pie

2008-08-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

It is so yummy. It is half blueberry and half currants. We got blueberries this week from our CSA and Dan immediately wanted pie - but there wasn't enough so I picked a few currants and added them.

I used a pie crust mix from the gluten free pantry this time.

I used 4 cups of berries.
Mix together 1 cup sugar (use less if using all blueberries), 1/4 instant tapioca and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix with berries and put in unbaked pie shell. Cover with another pie crust. Bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees.

Gluten Free Beer

2008-07-16T16:27:00.000-05:00

I have finally found a gluten free beer to enjoy. I don't drink beer all that often, but when I come in from working in my garden all hot and sweaty I like a good cold one. While I'm not celiac like Andy I definitely do much better when I don't consume gluten.

Redbridge is made by Anheuser Busch and should be available most everywhere. It is made from sorghum and tastes pretty darn good.

I won't be letting my son have one for many many years but it is nice to know that when he grows up if he wants to have a beer with his friends he will be able to.

What a cool website

2008-07-06T11:50:00.001-05:00

I just stumbled across this website and thought it was worth sharing with everyone.

It's called Wish Upon a Hero.

From their website: No wish too large. No hero too small.Wish Upon A Hero was first conceived by founder Dave Girgenti shortly after the September 11th attacks on New York City. From his home in NJ, Girgenti watched as thousands of people posted pictures of missing loved ones throughout the city. He thought there had to be a faster, more organized way to connect people in need. That was the moment in which the idea was born.

Cast a wish
Wish Upon A Hero is completely free to its users, allowing everyone who registers the opportunity to cast up to three wishes at a time. Because Wish Upon A Hero is designed to help everyone, wishes can be big or small, elaborate or simple, based on financial need or just asking for a simple favor.

Be a hero
Wish Upon A Hero is a unique venue for any individual, organization, or company looking to make a difference in someone’s life, or the lives of countless people. Heroes come in all ages and from all walks of life. All of us, from our nation’s most powerful corporations to individual philanthropists, and those with limited financial means, can be someone’s hero:
A man who buys uniforms for his town’s little league team.
A plastic surgeon brings his skill to the aid of an uninsured breast cancer survivor.
A national appliance retailer that donates a refrigerator to a single mom with a newborn.
A groundskeeper at Yankee stadium who helps a woman fulfill her father’s lifelong dream of throwing a single pitch across home plate.
A group of 8th graders that rally behind a fellow student whose home was lost in a fire.
A woman who writes to a man in Seattle to say, “I think I’m the sister you’ve been looking for since we were separated 21 years ago.”
A female soldier stationed in Iraq who says, “yes, I will.”
Once a wish is granted, the hero can choose to remain anonymous, or be formally recognized on the Wish Upon A Hero website

So - if there is something you need - go and post a wish. Or, grant a wish and be someone's hero. What a great concept!

GFCF Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2008-07-01T11:58:00.000-05:00

I made a GFCF Strawberry Rhubarb Pie twice recently. It got eaten before I could get a pic of it - it was that good!

It was one of those funny kitchen times - you know the kind - where it is funny and you laugh because if you actually think about it you will cry.

I had just picked strawberries from the garden and there wasn't quite enough for a pie by themselves so I had the inspiration to make a strawberry rhubarb one. So I go out and get the rhubarb and have everything washed up and sliced up and then I start to make the crust.

I was using my last GF Pie Crust Mix from Miss Robens. I was cutting in the margarine using my pastry cutter and it broke (the pastry cutter) - not only did it break but as it broke apart it caused the bowl to propel itself across the kitchen and landed upside down on the kitchen floor. I just stared at the mess in disbelief. I wanted a pie damn it! And that was my last mix. While I make most things from scratch, my pie crusts just haven't turned out well without a mix.

Frantically I tore the pantry apart hoping beyond reason that I was wrong and there was another pie crust mix in there but no dice. But I came across a Graham Cracker Mix from Miss Robens. Hmmmm - graham cracker crust with strawberry rhubarb......why not? So I made the pie using a graham cracker crust instead and it turned out super yummy.

So - use the crust of your liking and here is the rest of the recipe.

GFCF Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
2 cups sliced rhubarb
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 1/4 cups organic raw sugar (I'm sure you could probably use plain white sugar - but I'm on this health kick you know)
1/4 Minute tapioca
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix the ingredients all together in a large bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes before pouring into crust. I mix it up first and then make the crust. Fill the crust as desired and bake at 425 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the juices bubble up.

GFCF Rhubarb Cake

2008-06-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

Andy asked me yesterday if I could make a rhubarb cake. What a wonderful idea. Rhubarb is in season right now. I've never made a rhubarb cake before so I started tinkering and it came out so delicious!

GFCF Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients:
½ cup Margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
1 ½ cups Organic Raw Sugar (you could use brown sugar)
1 Egg, Beaten1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt1 cup milk substitute (I used Dari Free)
2 cups GF Flour Blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3 cups Rhubarb
½ cup Organic Raw Sugar
½ teaspoon Cinnamon

Procedure:
Slice the rhubarb into 1/4" slices. Cream the margarine and 1 ½ cups sugar; add the egg, vanilla and salt; mix well. Add the milk substitute, flour, xanthan gum and soda; mix well. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour the batter into a well-greased "9x13" cake pan. Mix together ½ cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; distribute this mixture evenly over the unbaked cake batter. Bake for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Madwoman Foods

2008-06-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

Andy has a pizza party on Wednesday for his last full day of school. The only gfcf pizza that he will eat is made by Madwoman Foods.

We had previously bought the pizzas at Fresh and Natural in Shoreview, but decided to go straight to the source today and visit their bakery in Minneapolis. When we got there we discovered that this was a smart decision since the gentleman that waited on us (who identified himself as the owner) informed us that they have stopped selling wholesale to the stores. The retailers were marking up the products so much and they didn't want to become known for such expensive products.

The bakery was very easy to find - it is located at 4747 Nicollet Avenue South in South Minneapolis. If you are not local, you can still enjoy their wonderful products by ordering off of their website. All of their products are gluten free. Most are also casein free and most are low on the glycemic index (GI).

After we got the frozen pizzas, we let Andy pick a snack from the bakery case and he had a real hard time deciding. All of their baked goods looked so scrumptious. Andy finally settled on a piece of lemon cake and I got myself a chocolate muffin with vanilla frosting. Andy's lemon cake was really, really, really good - I would never have known it was GFCF - it was moist and delcious. My cupcake was very good also - just not as outstanding as the cake.

Madwoman Foods gets three thumbs up from us!

We are so fortunate here in the Twin Cities to have three gluten free bakeries and since I have now been to all 3 - I can tell you that all 3 are outstanding.

We got our first box from the CSA this week!

2008-05-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

Look at all of those great veggies! We eat a lot of veggies around here and I am really hoping that between the garden and the CSA we won't have to buy any veggies from the store this summer. That will help the grocery bill!

GFCF Animal Crackers

2008-04-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

We recently tried these Kinni Kritters from kinnikinnick foods. They were really good - it is nice to have an animal cracker that looks like regular ones. The box says Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy/Casein Free, Egg Free and Trans Fat Free.

Rice Chex is now Gluten Free!

2008-04-22T05:21:00.000-05:00

Hooray for General Mills for making another mainstream cereal gluten free.

From their website: Without changing the crunchy, oven-toasted flavor of Rice Chex, General Mills has replaced barley malt with molasses resulting in a Gluten Free Cereal. General Mills has taken the requisite steps to prevent cross contamination and has tested the formula based on the proposed FDA standards. Questions & comments are welcome at 1-800-328-1144.

Here is a link to their website with some gluten free recipes and more information.

http://www.chex.com/Recipes/CategoryView.aspx?CategoryId=447&t=5

A chocolate lover's cookie!

2008-04-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

Warning these cookies are only for true chocolate lovers. They are wonderful. Andy thought they look like Moon Rocks so that is what I have named them. For anyone not GFCF, you could certainly use regular flour instead of the GF Flour and then you wouldn't need the xanthan gum.

GFCF Chocolate Moon Rock Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chunks (or chips), divided
1 ½ cups GF Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup raw sugar
6 tablespoons GFCF Margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
½ cup powdered sugar

1. Melt 1 cup of the chocolate chunks (I prefer to use a small double boiler and not the microwave, but if you use a microwave – start at 1 min and then 10 second intervals – chocolate burns easily). Stir until smooth and let cool to room temperature.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt in small bowl and set aside.
3. Beat sugar, margarine and vanilla in large mixer bowl until crumbly.
4. Beat in melted chocolate.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Beat in flour mixture.
7. Stir in remaining chocolate chunks.
8. Chill until firm.
9. Shape dough into small balls between one and two inches in diameter and roll balls in powdered sugar.
10. Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 to 13 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still slightly soft.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen depending on the size of the balls you make.

GFCF Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

2008-04-04T15:48:00.000-05:00

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup CF margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
2 cups turbinado sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 16 oz. jar all natural peanut butter (the kind that the oil separates out)
2 cups GF flour blend
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream margarine and sugar
Add eggs, vanilla and peanut butter.
Add dry ingredients.
Shape by tablespoonful into balls. Flatten slightly.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on ungreased baking sheets.

Makes 5 dozen

Spring is time for fresh salads!

2008-03-31T19:55:00.000-05:00

Here are some recipes to make your own salad dressings to enjoy the fresh lettuce that is starting to show up in the stores. Remember that while making dressing from scratch is a great way to avoid high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors as well as gluten and casein, they also will not have any preservatives and won't last as long.

Here are my three favorite recipes -

Thousand Island Salad Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise (I use Spectrum Canola Mayo)
1/3 cup ketchup (I use organic)
2 tablespoons vinegar (I use Bragg’s apple cider vinegar)
4 teaspoons organic raw sugar (optional)
¼ cup sweet pickle relish (I use my own home canned)
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 hard cooked egg, chopped into very small pieces
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Mix all ingredients together. Chill well.
Makes 2 cups

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
¾ cup organic raw sugar
¾ cup salad oil (I use olive oil)
¾ cup vinegar (I use Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar)
1 to 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Combine all ingredients together in a glass jar. Shake well. Refrigerate. Makes 1 ½ to 2 cups dressing.

GFCF Ranch Salad Dressing or Dip
1 cup firm silken tofu
¼ cup mayonnaise (I use Spectrum Canola Mayo)
2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil)
4 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon dried or 1 teaspoon fresh dill weed
¼ teaspoon saltpinch of garlic powder
Blend in a blender until smooth and creamy. Chill.
Made as directed it is thick enough for a dip – if you prefer thinner for a salad dressing, thin with non dairy milk.

We joined a co-op today

2008-03-19T18:07:00.000-05:00

Our income tax refund is being put to good use. First we bought a new washer and dryer (my old washer doesn't even have a dial on it any more - it was you turn what used to be a knob and pray you get a wash cycle and not a rinse one.....), then we joined a CSA and now the last of it went for a membership at our local food co-op. Joining a co-op has such great benefits for those of us on special diets and trying to eat healthier.

If you are local and curious, we joined the Mississippi Market. The reason - it's the co-op that is closest to us. I do shop sometimes at a couple of other co-ops, but I shop at Mississippi Market the most and it is the closest to our home.

The costs and benefits vary by co-op. Our cost was $90.00 and that is a one time payment - not a yearly payment. They even offer that you can make payments - 4 payments of $25.00 if you can't afford the whole amount up front - and you can take up to 18 months to pay! For the $90.00, we get 10% off a single grocery purchase up to $100.00 ($10.00 off max) every other month ($60.00 a year - so your membership cost is already down to $30.00 for the first year), 10% off special orders (I can order a case of say Ian's allergen free fish sticks and get 10% off the cost), member only specials every month and a share of the profits in profitable years. On top of all of that, we got a coupon book in our new member packet with 14 coupons in it for free products - most of them products that we already use.

Natural food co-ops tend to carry more of our GFCF products - so if you are already shopping at one and not a member, you really should look into joining. If you aren't shopping at a co-op and wonder if there is one near you - here is a website to check out - http://www.mwnaturalfoods.coop/index.php

Now is the time to join a CSA for 2008

2008-03-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

Joining a CSA is a great way to eat organically and keep costs down. CSA stands for community supported agriculture. What you do is buy a share of the harvest - and then you get a weekly box of veggies from the farm. Here are some links to find out more information and to find a CSA in your area - http://www.localharvest.org/csa/; http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml; and if you live locally here in the Twin Cities, here is a link to a list of the CSA's in our area - http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html.

There are many different options to consider when joining a CSA. Last year we joined late and were limited by who still had openings - many CSA's sell out early. We had an alright experience last year but we are switching CSA's this year. This is the one we are going with this year - http://www.harmonyvalleyfarm.com/. The reasons that Harmony Farm appeals to us are it has a longer season - 30 weeks instead of 17, (since we eat 52 weeks out of the year, I'd like to find a CSA to provide fresh organic veggies as many of those 52 weeks as possible) the list of the veggies that they grow are mostly ones that my family enjoys eating (while it was fun trying some new veggies last year - it would have been nice to have more old favorites) and they offer a monthly payment plan - where the money can be taken right out of your checking account every month.

A new name for a familar product

2008-03-06T08:54:00.000-06:00

Wellshire Farms and Wellshire Kids products are now Garrett County at all stores except Whole Foods. Whole Foods is continuing to use the Wellshire name.

Here are what the chicken bites look like now in the new packaging. The product is the same, the name is all that has changed.

Struggling to help my child learn to make smart food choices

2008-02-08T07:11:00.000-06:00

Life was so much easier when Andy was smaller. I just sent all of his food to daycare and he was watched like a hawk and never touched food that wasn't sent from home.

I still send all of his food from home, but trading parts of lunches is a big part of the social structure of second grade. I love that he has friends to trade foods with. I just want him to make the best food choices he can. After all, I want him to grow into an adult that can do just that.

Yesterday there was a false alarm at school. He had a tummy ache in the afternoon so after he used the bathroom he went to the school nurse and told her he thought it might be something he ate. He has yet to understand that sometimes we just get tummy aches and they have nothing to do with "special diets" - but when you have celiac, it is a good place to start.

So the nurse called me and we discussed everything he had eaten that had not come from home. Grace gave him her fruit cocktail and Sylvester shared a few potato chips. The potato chips were suspect - Andy had gotten some Pringles (not gfcf) from the same boy a month ago. So we questioned him and he had made sure they were not the "red can" kind and they were plain so he made some good choices in deciding whether they were safe - since most plain chips (except Pringles) are okay. A quick call to Sylvester's grandma confirmed that they were indeed okay (they were Lay's).

So, I think we are doing okay in this. I don't want to tell him not to trade foods - I want him to be able to enjoy lunch. Luckily we are not dealing with a severe food allergy that can kill him immediately. I know the gluten can still cause a lot of harm and I would rather he never make a bad food choice and get glutenized (is that a word?) but truthfully a tummy ache or two may make him learn to manage his food choices wisely.

Now, I just need to convince him that while we still want to investigate all tummy aches - that if we don't find a clear cause, it is okay to just let it go - it may have been nothing.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Cashew Cream

2008-01-19T20:01:00.001-06:00

This is another recipe from Rebecca Katz, author, One Bite at a Time, (Celestial Arts, 2004)

I made it exactly as she wrote it out except that I used a hand blender and did the blending right in the pot instead of transferring to a blender. It was so yummy. We are big carrot eaters in our house so I was pretty sure it would be a hit with all of us and it was.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Cashew Cream

Yields 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

3 pounds carrots (about 16) wash, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 to 2 ½ quarts cold water
1 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon coriander
1 small pinch of red chili pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon maple syrup

Cashew Cream Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of nutmeg

Soup Procedure

In a 6 to 8 quart pot add carrots and water. Cover and bring to boil over medium high heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, decrease heat to medium low. Cook until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserve cooking liquid and carrots in two bowls.

In the same pot heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions with a pinch of salt, sauté until they are golden. Add in ginger, curry, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, coriander, and red chili pepper flakes, stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with one cup of carrot cooking liquid. Return carrots to pan, mix well to coat with onions and spices.

In a blender, puree mixture in batches adding cooking liquid first and then the carrots, blend until very smooth. Remember not to fill the blender more than 2/3 full! Add additional liquid to reach desired thickness. Return to pot, add maple syrup, and reheat slowly.

Think FASS and taste. Does it need a squeeze of lemon or a pinch or two of salt or a drizzle of maple syrup to round out the flavor?

Cashew Cream

Grind cashews in a mini food processor or nut grinder first. Some blenders are not powerful enough to turn nuts into cream so we give it a head start. If you have a Vita-mix skip this step.

Put water in the blender; add ground cashews, lemon juice, salt and nutmeg. Blend until very very smooth, about 3 minutes. Drizzle a teaspoon of cashew cream on top of each bowl before serving.

Copy write Rebecca Katz, 2004.

GFCF Mexican Soup with Dried Tomatoes

2008-01-03T14:09:00.000-06:00

I made this wonderful soup the other night - it was so tasty and a great way to use things I had canned and dried from my garden this year. It was a little too spicy for Andy so the kiddos may not like it - but it's a great soup for the adults. Next time I might add a little less cumin and see if Andy likes it then. If you aren't dairy free - this would be really good with some shredded cheese in it.

Mexican Soup with Dried Tomatoes
6 cups broth (I used turkey broth I had made with the turkey bones after Thanksgiving, but chicken or veggie broth would work just fine)
1 cup salsa (I used my home canned but I am sure store bought would work fine)
3/4 cup dried tomatoes, sliced in long strips
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups corn (frozen, canned or fresh will all work)
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Andy's Birthday

2008-01-03T14:04:00.000-06:00

Sorry - I've been a little behind and I never updated you with the final result of Andy's birthday cake. I did go with the Chocolate Zuchinni Cake and the kids all ate it really good. If you don't tell them there there is veggies in it, they'll never know!

As you can see, it turned out great. And yes, that is me over on the right.

15% Discount at Miss Roben's

2007-12-21T16:14:00.000-06:00

I just got this in an e-mail from Miss Roben's:

Greetings!

Our advanced apologies for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas -the stock photography available to decorate these emails is lacking religious and ethnic diversity.

We know you are busy getting ready for the end of year holidays and if nothing else, having the kids home from school, so I will keep this email brief.

Most importantly, we are offering 15% off any order over $75 before shipping placed between 12-23-07 to 12-27-07. Enter Code: M9h38W

Some Updates:
12 days of cookies emails: For those of you wondering what happened to the 12 days of cookies newsletters-I kept meaning to get them out but was overwhelmed with other responsibilities and then got the flu. Sorry!

Frozen products: ALMOST done. Yes, finally. Without boring you with the details, there are many aspects that need to occur for a customer to place both fresh/frozen and shelf stable to their cart and successfully check out.

Loyalty Rewards: Another coding issue we are trying to correct. In the interim you can still redeem points, and accrue points without interruption. It is just more labor intensive then we want it to be and hope to have an answer in the near future.
Happy Holidays!Allergy Grocer

Great finds at the Dollar Store

2007-12-15T19:33:00.000-06:00

Look what I found at the Big Dollar Store yesterday. Andy loves the Imagine Tomato Soup. I have never tried the Crispy Chicken Coating Mix - but guess what? For a dollar I will! For those of you local - they have tons of both of these products at the Big Dollar Store on Robert Street (not Dollar Tree - also on Robert). This is not the first time I have found organic and/or gluten free products at this dollar store.

I hope you are all enjoying my failed attempts

2007-12-13T07:51:00.000-06:00

It's not that I have that much trouble making cupcakes. It's that many of my recipes that I post here go through several revisions before they end up here looking perfect.

So many people say to me - I can't do what you do - I try and it doesn't turn out - well, guess what? Not all of mine turns out either. And it is costly to experiment - but it is also expensive to buy mixes and ready made products - and I've tried plenty of them I didn't like either.

Yesterday I made these from the recipe in Special Diets for Special Kids II (Lisa Ackerman's recipe). They are moist and wonderful and I am gobbling them up without frosting. But they will not do for a kid's birthday party - way too messy!

So I have convinced Andy that a cake is better than cupcakes and we are going with the Chocolate Zuchinni Cake that I posted a few months ago. He loved that and it was great. So no more experimenting for now.

Another attempt at cupcakes for Andy's birthday party

2007-12-10T13:53:00.000-06:00

Thanks everyone for your comments and e-mails. Part of what I was trying to do was fine a great yellow or white cake. Andy doesn't really care for chocolate and I know I could make some kick ass carrot ones but Andy doesn't like them either and it is his birthday. But he will tolerate chocolate so I think the next attempt is going to be chocolate. Chocolate always seems to turn out better.

As I was searching for recipes I found that several of them used mayonnaise instead of margarine or shortening and I thought I would try that - they were certainly moister, but the texture is still not what I would like and the taste is just okay. My family did eat them all up just like the first batch so none of this is going to waste - just not good enough to fool those on regular diets - especially children.

Here is this batch coming out of the oven - they have a nice golden color.

And here they are frosted.

This is the recipe I came up with:

GFCF Yellow Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups raw sugar
2/3 cup mayonaise (I used Spectrum canola mayo)
1 cup milk sub (I used Silk Soy Milk, vanilla flavor)
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
3. Mix the eggs, sugar and mayo until fluffy. Add the flour mixture, milk and vanilla and mix well. Batter will be runny. Pour into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely before frosting.

A new shape for Glutino Pretzels

2007-12-10T13:51:00.000-06:00

Glutino Pretzels now come in sticks as well as the traditional pretzel shape. Same great taste and the same price. These could be used for some food crafts - like making log cabins or something....... Andy and I just like the taste.

Found a new gfcf cracker

2007-12-10T13:49:00.000-06:00

Glutino Gluten Free Crackers. Like all gfcf products, they are expensive - but these really taste good.

Practicing making cupcakes for Andy's birthday

2007-12-01T16:46:00.000-06:00

Andy's birthday party is two weeks from tomorrow. I would just as soon not have the expense and buy cupcakes - so I am practicing now. I made these today. They look great, but they just taste okay. We will eat them so they won't go to waste, but they just don't have the Wow factor that I want for his birthday party. I'm afraid they won't taste that good to the kids at the party who are not GFCF. So I will make another batch next weekend and try again.

Here they are coming out of the oven.

And here they are with icing.

GFCF Yellow Cupcakes
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk substitute, at room temperature (I used Silk Soy Milk, Vanilla flavor)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sifted GF flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
1 1/2 cups sugar (I used sugar in the raw)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup gfcf margarine, softened, each stick cut into 8 pieces (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin pans (24 cupcakes total) with paper liners.

2. Beat eggs, milk substitute, and vanilla with fork in small bowl. Measure out 1 cup of this mixture and set aside. Combine dry ingredients in bowl of mixer. Mix on lowest speed to blend, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running, add margarine one piece at a time; mix until margarine and flour begin to clump together and look sandy and pebbly, with pieces about the size of peas. This takes about 30 or 40 seconds after all the margarine is added. Add reserved 1 cup of egg mixture and mix at lowest speed, until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high (setting 6 on Kitchen Aid) and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add remaining egg mixture in slow steady stream. Stop mixer and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat on medium- high until thoroughly combined and batter looks slightly curdled - about 15 seconds longer.

3. Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, cupcakes should be golden. Allow to cool completely before icing.

GFCF Beef Stew

2007-11-29T07:51:00.000-06:00

I love beef stew this time of year - and it is a great way to stretch your meat. You can change the amounts of each ingredient to suit your own tastes - I like lots of veggies in mine!

GFCF Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 medium carrots, peeled and cut into bite size slices
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
4 tablespoons wheat free soy sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
5 cups of water

In a large frying pan, brown the meat in hot oil - make sure to stir and sear all sides of the beef. You could skip this step, but it seals in the juices and gives it a better flavor.

Place the veggies in the slow cooker. Add the meat. Sprinkle with the tapioca, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add bay leaves. Pour water over it all.

Stir, cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

This is really good with corn bread!

Mock Goldfish Cracker Mix

2007-11-24T21:03:00.000-06:00

Miss Robens used to offer a Mock Goldfish Cracker Mix. It was really good - very close to tasting like the real thing. I made it a few times but it was too much work for me (I was still working full-time at the time) and my child wasn't one of those really attatched to Goldfish crackers. I've had a lot of people asking if I knew of a gfcf goldfish cracker and I was amazed that it appeared to be gone from their website.

But, I have it on very good authority, that you can special order it from them. Because it is special order - you have to order by the case (12 mixes which are shelf stable for 1 year). A case costs $70.80 plus a special order fee. The order number is 1190, but it is not available through their website. You must call them to order. Their phone number is (800) 891-0083 or 240-329-2717 if outside the USA.

I hope that helps someone who has a child that must have his goldfish crackers.

Free Soy Milk

2007-11-24T16:32:00.000-06:00

For those of you who use soy - here is a link to a coupon for $2.25 off a quart of silk soy milk: http://www.silkoffer.com/.

You should be able to print two. It tracks your IP address, but if you have more than one computer - each should have it's own IP address and you could print two from each computer.

Not all grocery stores will take internet coupons, but my Super Target does and they carry Silk.
Hope that helps someone!

Countdown to Thanksgiving cont.

2007-11-21T11:50:00.000-06:00

Today is the day before Thanksgiving. I accomplished all that I wanted to yesterday.

Today I plan on:

Making an apple pie and baking a pie shell for a lemon meringe pie. I don't like to make lemon meringe ahead of time as it doesn't hold as well.

Peeling and cutting up potatoes and storing them in the fridge in water until I cook them tomorrow.

Cut up bread cubes for the stuffing (the recipe I use is in the archives - just click on thanksgiving and then choose the one that says and all the fixins).

Make cranberry relish - and maybe cranberry bread or muffins.

Spend time with my family since Dan is off work today and Andy doesn't have school.

Countdown To Thanksgiving

2007-11-20T08:29:00.000-06:00

Planning ahead takes the stress out of a GFCF Thanksgiving.

I usually start pre-cooking for Thanksgiving several days in advance so I can relax and enjoy the day stress free. Since we are not having any guests, I haven't done as much in advance as I would if we were having guests - but I still want the day to be perfect and stress free.

Here is what I have already done -

Sunday -

I went to the health food store to pick up items that I will not be able to get at my regular grocery store. The closer it gets to Thanksgiving, the more crowded the grocery stores get so it is good to plan ahead and not be there on Wednesday. Also - if they are out of something and you have to go somewhere else to find it, you have time to do that.

I baked pumpkin cookies and froze half of them so there will be some on Thursday!

Monday -

I didn't do a lot on Monday because I had to work and then had a conference at Andy's school in the evening. I did take the turkey out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw. If you haven't already started your turkey thawing - do it now! The larger the bird the longer it takes to thaw - I usually start thawing on Sunday but we are having a smaller bird this year.

Today is Tuesday and the last day I have free time - Andy is off school tomorrow.

Today I plan to:
Bake bread so I have plenty for making stuffing.
Go to Super Target and do my regular grocery shopping.
Cut up onions and celery and store in the fridge for making stuffing on Thursday.
Make pie crust dough - so the dough is super chilled when I want to roll it out and make the pie tomorrow.
If I have time I may also peel potatoes and store in the fridge covered in water to be ready to rinse and boil on Thursday.

I hope hearing about my preparations ahead of time help some of you plan your time and alleviate some stress for you.

GFCF Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

2007-11-18T17:08:00.000-06:00

GFCF Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose gf flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Blend)
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, softened
1/2 cup raw sugar (you could substitute granulated sugar)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (12-ounce package) GFCF chocolate chips
2/3 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional – I did not use)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.
Grease baking sheets.

COMBINE flour, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda in small bowl. Beat margarine and both sugars in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until blended.

Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips and nuts.

DROP by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets; flatten slightly with back of spoon or greased bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.

BAKE for 11 to 14 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Tips for a Successful GFCF Holiday Season

2007-11-18T15:48:00.000-06:00

Tips for a successful GFCF Holiday Season

The holidays are upon us – it’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Chanukah, Christmas and New Years are not far behind. If this is your first holiday season GFCF or if previous holiday seasons were a disaster you might be looking for some tips to make this year better. Here are some of my best tips. Feel free to leave comments with your own tips – together we will all survive this stressful time of year.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. Set priorities and keep in mind what is truly important – and that may not be the same for all of us. My number one goal is to keep Andy GFCF – while eating organic, and totally eliminating high fructose corn syrup along with artificial flavors and colors is something I try and do every day – sometimes something has to give. If treats are brought into school that are GFCF but have HFCS in them or have red 40 in them, I will go ahead and let Andy have them. Sometimes it is equally important to allow Andy to have normal social experiences.

Give yourself permission to change traditions. My home used to be the place to be on Thanksgiving – everyone knew there would be lots of wonderful homemade food. I never asked anyone to bring anything because I love to cook and this was my chance to show off – but if they showed up with something we put it on the table. Our first year GFCF was a disaster – I asked everyone to please not bring anything as I did not want any food in the house that Andy couldn’t eat. Some people just don’t like to show up empty handed – and I felt bad turning away their food so I let them bring food in – and when my back was turned – Andy was fed a piece of regular pumpkin pie. The next two years we went away on Thanksgiving. I just didn’t want to deal with it and keeping Andy safe was more important that hurting other’s feelings. So we rented a luxury condo at a water park and went and had fun. I still made a turkey since we had a full kitchen – but while it was cooking I kicked back in the hot tub in front of the fireplace on the four seasons porch with a glass of champagne while Dan took Andy down to the water park. It was heaven! Last year we stayed home and just didn’t invite anyone – since we took a couple of years off and everyone found somewhere else to go we were now off the hook for entertaining. So do what you have to do – to keep your family safe.

Ask for help using reverse psychology. If there is a gathering that you just must host or attend, pick out the person that you are most worried about not respecting your boundaries and ask them to help you. If it’s your mother in law that thinks that a little bit won’t hurt – ask her to help you. People can’t resist helping. Pull her aside and tell her how you are so glad she is going to be here because you really need help. Explain to her that not everyone is as conscientious as she is and you are really worried about your child getting into something not on their diet and getting sick. Can she imagine how terrible it would be if you ended up having to run Johnny to the ER in the middle of the party? Can she help you watch out for him? She will be so busy watching others and trying to catch them that she won’t have time to try and feed him something herself.

Try and keep routines as normal as possible. If you usually eat lunch at 11:30 and dinner at 5:30 – try and keep to that schedule. If you really can’t because it is at Grandma’s house and she always does Thanksgiving at 1:30 and she’s not budging – then bring food along and feed your kids on their normal schedule. They can eat again at 1:30, but just give them small portions and don’t expect them to finish. If your children are young and still napping – make sure they get their naps. There is nothing worse than a toddler that needs a nap at a family gathering. Make sure you take care of yourself and get adequate rest yourself so you can keep up.

Plan ahead. Regardless of if you are cooking or traveling – try to anticipate what you will need and don’t catch yourself short. If you don’t know what is on the menu that is GFCF and you don’t know what will be available to buy locally, bring some of your child’s favorite foods with you. If you are cooking, do as much prep work ahead of time as you can. I cut up onions and celery and things like that all during the week prior to Thanksgiving so on Thanksgiving morning I can get that turkey stuffed and in the oven early. Check and make sure you have all ingredients ahead of time – you don’t want to find yourself without a key ingredient when it’s a holiday and the stores are all closed.

Don’t experiment on important days. Thanksgiving Day is not the day to experiment and see if digestive enzymes will work in place of the diet. If you want to see if your child can cheat occasionally ad use enzymes in place of the diet – experiment ahead of time. Trust me – I’ve been there and done that – not on Thanksgiving – but it was disastrous just the same. We were traveling to visit family and I thought it would be easiest to use enzymes. Andy, being celiac, needs to be gluten free – the enzymes did nothing for him. A very short time after arriving he got terrible diarrhea and I was left scrambling to find GFCF foods in an unfamiliar town – and poor Andy spent 3 days in the bathroom and covered with terrible rashes. The time to experiment is at home in a familiar environment.

Keep in mind that the holidays are stressful no matter what. Most everyone experiences some stress during the holiday season. Sometimes just realizing that helps. Do everything you can to keep yourself stress free and just try and relax and enjoy this busy time of year.

I do have lots of great recipes posted here from last Thanksgiving – be sure and search my blog for recipes that will work for you. I am always glad to help if I can.

Florida's Natural Brand Au'some Fruit Stiks

2007-11-16T07:44:00.000-06:00

I just love it when products are labeled gluten free - it means that I only have to search the ingredients for dairy. I also love it that my son has learned how to read "gluten free". I took him shopping with me this past week, which I rarely do, and as we were passing the fruit snack section he pointed these out to me - saying "Look, Mom! Gluten Free" - well since my kid is so far behind in reading I just had to reward that and buy them. And they contain no artificial colors or flavors and none of that evil high fructose corn syrup that I try so hard to avoid.

Kick Ass Chicken Wings

2007-11-12T17:42:00.000-06:00

I made these for dinner tonight and they were so good there are no left overs. Sorry - I forgot to take a picture, but trust me they were great.

Here is how I made them:

Kick Ass Chicken Wings

5 lbs Chicken Wings
½ cup Wheat Free Soy Sauce
¼ cup Lemon Juice
¼ cup Water
½ cup Rapadura (you could substitute brown sugar or honey for this)
2 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 Tablespoon Ginger Root, finely minced

Cut Wings into 3 parts and discard the tips. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Place chicken wings in baking pan and pour the sauce over them. Stir until well coated. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to coat evenly with sauce.
I was going to sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving, but I forgot.

There were no left overs last night!

2007-10-19T08:41:00.000-05:00

I seriously am so happy to discover that Mrs. Dash is GFCF and all natural. Here is what I made last night and Andy was pretty upset that Dan had seconds and there are no leftovers for his lunch today.
I cut two chicken breasts into bite size pieces and cooked them in just a little bit of olive oil. I sprinkled Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb on them as they were cooking. I also cooked up a half of a box of corn macaroni. When the chicken was done cooking I added 4 small tomatoes from my garden cut up along with the pasta. I sprinkled a little more Mrs. Dash on top. It was so simple and yet so tasty.

Roasted Squash and Apple Soup

2007-10-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

Cut up one squash, 2 yellow onions, 5 cloves garlic and 2 apples. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast in a 425 degree F oven for 45 minutes.

Bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil.

Add roasted veggies and 1/2 teaspoon curry powder.

Puree using a hand held mixer.

Add more water or broth until it is the consistency you desire.

Here's the complete recipe:

Roasted Squash and Apple Soup

1 winter squash – peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (I used an acorn squash)
2 yellow onions – peeled and cut into chunks
2 apples - peeled, cored and cut into chunks (I used Cortland)
5 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Pepper
2 to 3 cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon curry powder

Place squash, onions and apples in a roasting pan – drizzle with olive oil – I probably used 2 to 3 tablespoons. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir. Roast in a 425 degree F oven about 45 minutes.

Heat the chicken broth to boiling. Add the roasted ingredients and curry powder. Using a hand held blender, puree. Add more chicken broth or water to get to the thickness you desire. Adjust seasonings.

GFCF Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-10-15T05:28:00.000-05:00

These cookies are so yummy! Making them healthier has not hurt the taste one bit!

GFCF Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) GFCF Margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1 ½ cups Rapadura (trying to go healthier on the sugar – you could use sugar in the raw or a combination of white and brown sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 ¼ cups GF Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag GFCF (2 cups) chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease your cookie sheets.
Beat margarine, rapadura (sugar) and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour, Xanthan Gum, baking soda, and salt.
Stir in chocolate chips
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.

Makes between 4 and 5 dozen

Mrs. Dash Seasonings and Marinades

2007-10-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

Gluten free does not have to be bland. I'm so excited to discover that Mrs. Dash is gluten free. I have been wary of spices and spice blends because I know that many times they contain hidden gluten. When Bzz Agent offered me a campaign for Mrs. Dash I did what I always do when it is a food product - I sent an e-mail to the manufacturer to check on it's gfcf status.

Here was the response I received:

Dear Ms. Fischbach,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Alberto Culver regarding your interest in Mrs. Dash. It is always a pleasure to hear from our consumers and we are happy to respond.Mrs. Dash products do not contain gluten or dairy. However, they are not manufactured in a gluten free and dairy free facility.

Thank you again for contacting Alberto Culver.
Sincerely,
Jessie West
Consumer Relations Manager

I don't worry too much about it not being in a dedicated facility - if we get a reaction then I worry - but for now I will try it.

I used to use the marinades and loved them - so I will be trying them again.

Bzz Agent has provided me with some packets that contain recipes a couple of small samples and a coupon - if you want one, e-mail me with your mailing address and I'll be glad to put one in the mail for you.

Mrs. Dash is also salt and msg free so it is better for you. Check out the Mrs. Dash website for lots of great recipes.

GFCF Raspberry Swirl Muffins

2007-10-12T18:45:00.000-05:00

Andy and I made muffins tonight.

Here's Andy whisking the dry ingredients together

And here he is spooning the jam in the middle. This is homemade jam that I just made yesterday and I put it through a food mill before making it so it is almost seedless - but any commercial jam should do fine in these.

This is what they looked like going into the oven

And here they are coming out.

The recipe -

GFCF Raspberry Swirl Muffins

2 cups GF Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
1 ½ teaspoons Xanthan Gum
¼ cup sugar (I used Rapadura – trying to go more natural)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk substitute (I used Dari Free)
¼ cup cf margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks), melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Grated zest of 1 small orange (make sure it’s organic or you’ll be adding a lot of icky chemicals)
Raspberry Jam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin pan with muffin papers.

Thoroughly mix flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

In small bowl, whisk eggs, milk substitute, margarine, vanilla and orange zest until blended.

Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and fold in until just combined – do not over mix muffins ever!!!!

Fill muffin cups with a little less than ½ full with batter. Add about a teaspoon or so of jam (Andy did this part so I think we got a little more than that in ours). Top with the remaining batter. Using a knife, swirl the jam into the muffin.

I sprinkled a little sugar (rapadura) on top of each muffin before baking.

Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before eating. Makes 12 muffins (we made 16 because I like to make smaller ones that Andy can finish – but if you like your muffins to raise up above the pan, then it will make 12.

Hansen's Organic Juice Slam

2007-10-10T14:55:00.000-05:00

I try to limit the amount of juice we drink - but these are nice for the lunch box. They come in several flavors and are all organic and 100% juice - and they don't look too different from what the other kids are drinking.

Barbara's Brown Rice Crisps

2007-10-10T14:54:00.000-05:00

A substitute for Rice Krispies. They are very tasty.

Dari Free

2007-10-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

Dari Free has changed their packaging. It comes in this nice canister now - much easier to use.

Vegan Cheese Slices

2007-10-10T14:50:00.000-05:00

I couldn't find the Tofutti brand that we usually buy, so I bought these. No one would eat them - so the dog gets them. What a waste. They totally do not taste like cheese!

Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

2007-10-10T14:48:00.000-05:00

This is the margarine that I am using these days. I like the taste so much better than what I was using.