Gluten Free Treats and Eats

Egg rolls/spring rolls

2011-03-12T17:29:00.000-05:00

I recently found a really good recipe for egg rolls/spring rolls. They are easy to adapt to be gluten free, just make sure you use rice wrappers and gluten free soy sauce or tamari sauce

You can adjust the filling to your taste, I usually use chicken as the protein but her recipe calls for pork. They are a bit labor intensive but the results are worth it.

Here is the link:
http://steamykitchen.com/13029-my-mothers-famous-chinese-egg-rolls-2.html

Pancakes!

2011-01-30T12:32:00.000-05:00

There's a song my 4 year old students used to sing last year that went along with a play Finn McCool that another teacher put on for Book Fair night and now I'm doomed to get it stuck in my head and sing it whenever I think of pancakes (much to the annoyance of normal adults around me lol)

I finally perfected my mom's recipe to be gluten free. I had tried to make it before with little success. They either fell flat or ended up a pile of goo (sadness).

Here it is:

Ingredients

2 Cups of Gluten Free Pantry Flour*
2 Tbls Sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk or sour milk**
2 tbls cooking oil

* I found Gluten Free Pantry Flour to make a big difference in anything I make. Definately helped these pancakes (see link to Amazon below).
Optional with these pancakes to make them a little lighter is to do 2 cups Gluten Free Pantry Flour less 1 spoonful of flour. Add one spoonful of cornstarch to complete the cup and add 1 pinch of xanthum gum. This is how I usually make them.

** to make sour milk mix milk with 1 tbls vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes

Directions

1. Mix dry ingredients and set aside

2. Mix oil and eggs, beat together. Add milk.

3. Mix all ingredients together until creamy. Let pancake mixture sit for approximately 5 minutes. This allows time for the flours to blend. You know its ready when the mixture has thickened.

Meanwhile, heat griddle or nonstick pan. You may have to lightly oil or grease the pan. The pan is ready when you flick some water on it and it spatters.

I usually do a test pancake or two to make sure that the pan doesn't need any greasing and that the batter is ready. If your test pancake doesn't turn out, you can let the batter sit for a minute or try adding some xanthum gum.

Spoon batter onto griddle, once bubbles appear and edges start to firm they are ready to flip. Cook until a light golden brown.

Enjoy!

Some Gluten Free Blogs

2010-12-05T20:54:00.000-05:00

I apologize for not adding a post in a while....life has been busy with work and sickness (darn bronchitis....)

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Mine was great, my sister and I made our first gluten free thanksgiving complete with green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, and gluten free stuffing (made with Udi's bread of course)

Thought I'd share a couple of blogs that I've come across that seem to have a lot of really good gluten free recipes here are the links:
www.glutenfreerecipebox.com
http://glutenfreegourmand.blogspot.com/

Both of these have some really good looking recipes, glutenfreerecipebox.com has a recipe for gluten free thin mint cookies (yum), french bread, Mexican, Indian, and Italian dishes, and much more. I haven't had a chance to try a bunch but now I know what I'm going to be cooking for the next month or so (hehe...)

Review of ZPizza

2010-11-11T18:59:00.001-05:00

I recently went to ZPizza, which is a pizza shop located in Rockville, Maryland. It's a bit of a trip for me, but I was in the area and had a craving for pizza from a restaurant. I heard that they had gluten free pizzas, so I decided to give it a try.

It was late, about 7:30 pm, so they weren't very busy. When I walked in, it brought me back to the days when I was a kid and my family used to go to Papa Ginos. It smelled amazing. They had information up about organic foods and about gluten intolerances/Celiacs disease and they also had a product list of gluten free offerings and vegetarian options. They also offer Daiya cheese for those who are vegan or who can't eat dairy.

I was told that I could use the crust and order any pizza on the menu but I went for the original and I ordered a gluten free cheese pizza, it cost about 10 dollars. They only offer a small sized pizza for gluten free eaters. The crusts were frozen, but that probably makes sense considering contamination issues with making gluten pizza and gluten free pizzas in the same restaurant. They did have a gluten free area where they prepared my pizza.

I was going to get a picture of it, but I didn't have my camera on me and I couldn't wait until I got home to eat it. The crust was thin and crisp, reminiscent of the Boston-style pizza that I grew up eating (my favorite). The sauce had a mild sweetness to it, and the cheese was well, cheesy. It had the perfect ratio of cheese to crust, I would of preferred a little more sauce but that is my own personal preference. I detected a slight bitter taste to the crust, but it was barely noticeable with the sauce and cheese. Overall it was delicious I would rate it a 9/10 as far as gluten free pizza goes and probably an 8/10 comparing it to the gluten-filled pizza I used to eat. I was enough food for my sister and I to split a pizza.

My only area of concern is that I'm not sure if they used a designated pizza cutter to cut my pizza. I decided not to stress over it, but more sensitive gluten free eaters may find it worthwhile to ask them about.

Udi's!

2010-11-11T18:48:00.000-05:00

I recently made a trip to to Giant in Maryland and saw that they had Udi's bread and bagels in their naturals freezer section!!!

Glad to see their expanding their offerings, and that means I don't always have to make a special trip to get more bread.

Gluten Free Cheesy Breadsticks

2010-11-07T19:44:00.000-05:00

As a breadlover, there is nothing like breadsticks. These are delicious served with sauce, or eaten with Pasta Broccoli Soup

You will need:
Your favorite gluten free pizza crust, store bought or homemade (I use Gillians Gluten Free Pizza crust, it's awesome)
1/2 cup olive oil
Additional olive oil to grease pan
Minced garlic
Italian Seasoning
Cornmeal
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 (or what is required by your pizza dough)
Brush pizza pan with olive oil and a dusting of cornmeal

In frying pan, saute olive oil and garlic for several minutes
Roll out pizza dough on pan, nice and thin. Brush with sauteed olive oil and garlic, top generously with mozzarella cheese and parmesan if desired. Sprinkle with italian seasoning.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until crust is done and cheese is melted. Slice into strips and serve immediately

Pasta Broccoli Soup

2010-11-07T19:35:00.000-05:00

This is a classic family recipe that my mom used to make for me as a kid. I used to inhale it. It's a great winter recipe, and kid friendly and a good source of veggies and fiber.

It's not really an exact recipe, I provided approximate measurements and you can adjust according to your taste

approx. 8 ounces of gluten free pasta
16 ounces of gf chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups of water
1 bag of broccoli
1/4 cup minced onion
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of italian seasoning
1 teaspoon of dried or fresh basil
approx 1 cup of gf pasta sauce

In one pan, heat chicken broth, minced garlic and onion, and water on a low boil
In another pan, cook your favorite gluten free pasta (I used Bionature GF pasta, it can stand quite a bit of overcooking). When I make this recipe, I slightly undercook the pasta and then add it to the soup to finish cooking.

If using microwave broccoli, cook in microwave cut up very small. Otherwise cook broccoli on stove, then cut up small. Add to pot with chicken broth mixure

Add pasta and sauce to pan with chicken broth mixure. Simmer on low to medium heat for about 15 minutes.

You can serve soup with some shredded mozzarella or parmesan.

Delicious served with Glutino's Table Crackers (taste like a saltine!) or with homemade cheesy breadsticks

You can also experiment with adding other elements to this soup (celery, kale or spinach, etc)

Enjoy!

Mrs. Leepers Beef Stroganoff

2010-11-06T19:44:00.000-04:00

I recently came across Mrs Leepers in the grocery store and I decided to give it a try. They had the beef stroganoff. I cooked it with half the meat and used a little less of the sauce mix than what was called for.

Overall it was good! Comparable to Annie's or Hamburger Helper meals. They are a high in sodium and fat so not the healthiest but alright for a once in a while quick meal.

Gluten Free "cheez its" or "Goldfish"

2010-11-02T20:02:00.000-04:00

I found this woman's blog who has really good recipes/ideas for moms including a gluten free cheez it/goldfish cracker. I made them and they were really good!

On my first batch I had some trouble getting the crackers crunchy plus they were a bit too salty for my taste. So for the second batch I didn't add any salt and baked them for six minutes then broiled them for about 1 minute to help get them crunchy.

Visit her blog with the recipe here: http://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/2009/08/gluten-free-goldfish-crackers/

Supposedly the recipe is by Roben Ryberg, and she has several varieties of her recipes involving different flours for those who may be corn or rice intolerant as well as gluten intolerant. I've never heard of her before, I might have to look into her cookbooks. Here is the cookbook where it is from:

Gluten Free Candy

2010-11-02T05:39:00.001-04:00

I realize it's a bit late since Halloween is over, but I found a gluten free list of candy that someone did. They obviously did a lot of research and invited people to share so here it is:

http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-candy-list

Soft, Moist Cupcakes

2010-10-31T19:14:00.000-04:00

This is a guest post from my sister Alicia.

So it’s the holidays. Friends and family are having parties where they are all sitting around eating gluten-laden treats. Scrumptious cookies, voluptuous tender cupcakes... and you’re sitting there in agony eating your pathetic little rice cake with a smile plastered onto your face and all you want to scream is:

ALL I WANT IS A FRICKIN CUPCAKE!

So ladies and gentlemen, put your rice cakes away and break out your oven mitts. Here you are:

De-Glutenized Chocolate Thunder Cake

Cook in sauce pan (or microwave):

1 cup cocoa

1 cup of milk

2 tbls butter

Stir well.

In a bowl sift:

2 cups of flour substitute (I use Gluten Free Pantry’s)*

2 tsp baking soda

2 scant tsp salt

*If you use Gluten Free Pantry's mix, there is no need to add xanthum or guar gum. Otherwise, add a teaspoon or so. May take some experimentation.
So far we've both had good luck with this mix, relatively inexpensive and can buy it in bulk from Amazon (see link below)

Combine in mixing bowl with:

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

Add chocolate mixture and 2 tsp of vanilla last. Stir until smooth.

Put into cupcake pan (yields approx. 24), two 8’ inch cake pans, or one 9 by 12. Bake on 350 for approximately 12-15 minutes (or until done).

Once out of the oven, let sit for 5 minutes before inhaling-in-a-fit-of-deprived-glory. Just like with all gluten free cooking, letting them set allows the flavors to blend.

Top with confectioners sugar or your choice of icing – or eat them plain. Enjoy!

Best if stored in the refrigerator (if there’s any leftovers, that is).

Gluten Free Pasta

2010-10-31T14:48:00.000-04:00

I've tried several gluten free pastas over the past few months. Most were ok or too mushy for my taste. Growing up my family used to tease me saying that I was actually adopted and in reality I was Italian--that's how much I liked my pasta.

I tried Bionature Gluten Free Pasta a few months ago, and I really liked it. I omit the salt while cooking and rinse it after. It's really good, comparable to gluten-filled pasta. It's a bit pricey, but if you shop around or buy it in bulk you can get a decent price (about 3.50 a bag compared to 4 dollars or more at other grocery stores). I like their spaghetti and fusilli the best. I've made garlic/parmesan pasta, pasta salad, pasta and sauce, a pasta bake and all of come out really good.

Now for my next quest...a good homemade gluten free ravioli or tortillini....

Recipes

2010-10-31T13:51:00.000-04:00

Over the past few months I've been working on some gluten free recipes to help replace the loss of old favorites and comfort food. So I'll be including those recipes for you to try and enjoy (and feel free to post comments!).

Here is the recipe for breadcrumbs. I used Udi's wholegrain bread but you can use either or both. This is a great way to use up the heels of the bread so that they don't go to waste. I used these breadcrumbs to make homemade meatballs and as a topping for homemade mac and cheese (yum!).

Step 1: Butter the bread and broil in toaster oven or oven

Step 2: Slice into cubes and put into food processor. Blend on high until fine

Step 3: Add italian seasoning, oregano, basil, parsley to taste (with a half a loaf of bread I did about about a quarter teaspoon of each)

Voila! Homemade breadcrumbs! You can change it to your tastebuds.

Udi's Bread and other products

2010-10-31T13:36:00.000-04:00

One of the most exciting gluten free finds over the past few months was Udi's bread. I had all but given up on finding a good bread with countless dollars (aka loaves of gluten free 'bread') being thrown in the trash. Being a teacher, I didn't exactly have the funds to keep wasting money on trying loaves of bread that was both tasteless and had the horrifying ability to be hard like a hockey puck and crumbly like sawdust at the same time.

There was some days where I wanted to cheat just to have the sensation and taste of real bread on a sandwich. Growing up eating gluten my dad had the nickname 'breadhead' for me that's how much I loved my bread and missed it so.

Then I heard about Udi's bread. I was tentative at first. I got it at Whole Foods out of the freezer section. When I got home I let it thaw and made it into a much-missed classic--grilled cheese.

I'm pretty sure my whole apartment building heard the hallelujah chorus that erupted from my tastebuds. Real bread! Delectable grilled cheese! I immediately ate bread for the next few weeks with every missed bread delicacy. Toast with peanut butter, toast with butter, toast with jelly, toast with cinnamon, french toast, peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese sandwiches!! To say the least I was in heaven (and maybe a little chunkier around the middle). I had to double check the bag to be sure I didn't grab a gluten filled bread instead.

I immediately tried their other products and everyone has been amazing. I'm officially addicted to their soft blueberry muffins and their bagels. And their pizza crust is good as a pizza and amazing as a flatbread sandwich.

Some exciting news--they have new products coming out in January! I believe whole wheat bagels, cinnamon raisin bagels and bread. And from what I hear hot dog buns are in the works. I can't wait!

For those interested...here is their website http://www.udisglutenfree.com/

Gluten Free-ness!!!

2010-10-31T13:14:00.000-04:00

I started eating gluten free about 7 months ago. I decided to start a blog with the successes (and maybe some failures) of my gluten free adventures. Take a look around, try some of my recipes, and enjoy!