Eating Gluten Free click here for gluten free posts
GF blogs, resources and products
When I found out I had to eat gluten-free I didn’t know how I would cope or even what I could eat.
As I started searching gluten-free on the internet I found so many people willing to share their stories along with recipes. I want to share them with you too.
Resources:
Gluten-free Girl by Shauna James Ahern –read this you’ll feel much better. You’ll soon find out you’ve been given a choice to moan and groan or to enjoy the adventure of learning a new way to eat. And yes the food is good. Her book is more about living gluten-free than recipes, though there are some in here. She’s writing a cookbook that should be out soon. I’ll be getting it since the recipes on her blog are delicious.
The Gluten-Free Almond Flour cookbook by Elana Amsterdam-everything is yummy in this book.
Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking by Kelli Bronksi and Peter Bronski
Real food, good food and easy to make. They use their own flour blend which they tell you how to make.
Communities: Glutenfreefaces.com
A good community to find answers about where and what to eat , recipes
Products I like: Against the Grain baguettes and bagels oh my are they good!
I know wordless Wednesday and I’ve been wordless but this I have to explain. I did buy the book 1000 Gifts and since I’ve been reading it I’ve been seeing the small gifts God has just for me. I’ve had the door that offered this beauty for several years and I’ve never seen this design. If you want to read the post about the book it’s here. For other wordless Wednesday photos go here.
I helped my daughter-in-law, Sara host a shower for my daughter-in-law- to-be, Bianna this weekend. Since I only have sons this was a huge pleasure! We picked a theme which we had to eliminate because we couldn’t find games to go with the movie, The Princess Bride. We’d already picked up several princess items and decided we’d just continue with pink and princess!
Thankfully, Sara volunteered to host the shower at her house because parking at mine means pulling into the side yard!
We tried to get Ben and Josh, the groom-to-be to help, they said, “No.”
A last minute call to Ed for balloons to mark the house. He didn’t hesitate to go for them. We’re not sure of his knot tying skills though since by the end of the shower they were gone. Or did some one take them?
Even the water bottles were treated to an upgrade.
Except for some last minute cookies just in case there wasn’t enough food everything was gluten free! Sara made almond cheese cake and I twisted the Martha Stewart Boston Cream Cupcke and made them raspberry cream cupcakes using Mixes from the Heartland’s raspberry pound cake. Yummy! I also made their strawberry dip. Oh my so good!
They recieved a lot of nice gifts from family and friends. The quilt I made for them. Sara made the banner behind them with her cricket. It says Bride to Be!
Yesterday evening Ed and I were trying to decide what to do about dinner. Eating out is something he loves to do and with my gluten issues it’s not as easy to find an off the wall place to try. Funny how that works, our boys are men, no longer living with us and we are free to eat somewhere that doesn’t serve food from behind a counter or through a window. AND now it’s a challenge to find a place where I can eat.
Last night after hearing about Maggiano’s Restaurant from others on my gluten free list I wanted to try it. The word on the loop was great food and they serve WARM GLUTEN FREE ROLLS! Now that is exciting. Ed liked the idea because they serve lasagna–one of his favorite foods.
We didn’t make reservations–mistake.
We sat at small table waiting for our pager to vibrate. We were told 20-30 minutes wait time. Those minutes went by so slowly we were starving. Ed checked to see where we were on the list. “Only two more in front of us!”
We sat some more, two couples went in, then a family of 4, then a group of 10, then two more, two more and soon an hour had passed.
Ed went back to the host. Turns out we were paged, except our pager didn’t work!
Here’s where the mistake got good.
We were ushered immediately to the best table in the house. The one where Lou Brock sits when he comes there do dine. There was a chandelier over the table. And while we couldn’t figure it out, we’re pretty sure there was someone famous sitting in the booth across from us. I wanted to snap a photo and see if any one could figure out who it was, instead I let him enjoy his dinner with his daughter.
Okay, back to the food. Excellent! Even better they gave us an extra serving to take home with us. I also caved and had their brownie. Yummy. Go there if you can. They have several locations in the country.
Sorry no photos of this amazing place, I didn’t want people to wonder why a person siting at Lou Brock’s table would be taking photos of their food. It was more fun letting others wonder if they’d seen us somewhere before.
I was skeptical when I bought this box of cookie mix made by King Arthur Flour.
I wanted chocolate chip cookies and the box is a basic mix so you can make a variety of different types of cookies. I thought I’d insure their goodness by using really good chocolate chips.
Amazing! They even look like the real thing when it’s mixed. And even better–please do not leave me comments about eating raw cookie dough. I don’t care! It tasted like Christmas!
These cookie were worthy of stacking on my grandmother’s plate. Yummy! I will make these again.
They made more than the box indicated which was fine by me.
It’s been a long time since I baked with anyone. My friend came to stay for a few days and we decided to try out Martha Stewarts Boston Cream Cupcakes in a chocolate gluten free version! All you need is a gluten free cake mix. We used Pamela’s cake mix today.
K. agreed to be the model for my blog.
First step: measure!
We used the new silicone muffin wraps I found at Michaels. They come in the multi-color packages and even have the ridges molded into them so when you peel them, the cupcakes look like they were baked in the paper wraps.
K. couldn’t wait the three hours it was going to take before we could add the filling, so she ate on
Next we made the pastry filling. We were both amazed at how it went from liquid to ‘pudding’ so fast!
K. did a great job with piping the pastry cream between the layers. Unfortunately, I missed the shot of her also filling herself when she finished with the cupcakes. ( I did tell her it was okay to do that.)
Here’s the finished product with the chocolate ganache on top. We forgot to take a photo of that too! That was fun watching the cream and chocolate swirl together into a bowl of yum!
I know! How good do these look? To many garden post for my readers I’m sure, but look at them! Aren’t they beautiful?
The basil is from my garden too. Not the cheese though, no cow or goat in they yard–so says Ed. Guess I’ll listen to him since we don’t have a fence and I’m sure the neighbors might not be happy about livestock in their yards.
I made these for a quick dinner and my son and daughter-in-law’s house this weekend. They needed a tiny bit of help from Ed to get it set up so they invited us for dinner. Since these tiny Roma grape tomatoes were ready I fancied them up just a bit. It was easy, slice and dig out the guts (how do you like that for a cookbook description?) of the tomatoes, drain them upside down for 5-10 minutes. In a small bowl chop up some mozzarella cheese, make some ribbon basil, add salt and pepper and a few glugs of olive oil. Put that in the fridge about 15 min. then stuff the tomatoes. Whew, I’m tuckered out after writing all of that. Maybe we’ll go out for dinner tonight.
I’m reaping the joys of having my own tiny garden. I picked my first tomato to eat. The first one some creepy crawly thing ate before I picked it. 🙁
Of course if you’re going to have a BLT you need lettuce too, right? Got that out of the garden as well as some basil. Every try basil on a BLT? It’s really good. Although I couldn’t get Mr. Traditional to try it that way.
A few more shots of my lovely sandwich.
Made with Udi’s Bread of course! See I can eat a sandwich as long as there is gluten free bread!
This was my birthday surprise from my husband. He took the day off from doing what he does, to make this–not much of a day off for him since he builds walls and patios! I’m excited to grow fresh herbs and peppers. I have lots planted in there, of course it’s too soon to see the tiny plants. I was eager to fill the bed with plants, but my friend encouraged me to wait because the bed will be too crowded if I add more. Doesn’t look crowded to me yet, but she does garden and knows her seeds from weeds so I’ll listen.
While I’m waiting for my yummy veggies to grow I’ll be preparing some things from Mixes from the Heartland. They are a gluten-free company and that’s all they do, so no cross-contamination! Recently Terri, sent me some packages of her wonderful food to try.
Everything I have made has exceed my expectations! The impossible coconut pie, the Mexican bake, the soups, the fruit dips are all delectable. And these mixes make a lot, more than enough to feed a family of 4 or even 5. The food is so good even my non-gf husband will eat them. Now here’s the fun thing! Terri from Mixes from the Heartland is offering a chance to one person to win a bountiful box of 6 products.
Please leave a comment on my blog or facebook note after visiting Mixes from the Heartland and tell me what you think you’d like to try from Mixes from the Heartland. *Please make sure you leave me your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you’re a winner!
And if you don’t want to wait to see if you’ve won, she’s offering a 10% off coupon code! Use this code until May 30, GFMFTH
DRAWING ENDS MAY 2, 2010 AT MIDNIGHT CST! The winner is Jamie! Congratulations!
Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips Yes, It’s gluten free!
I’ve been wanting to play in my kitchen for weeks and when I saw Rachel Hauck’s facebook status asking for banana bread recipes for her newest book coming out I had to ask…are you including a gluten free recipe? She replied, “Send me one and maybe I can put it in the book.” So I went to the kitchen and started playing. I came up with my version and it is so good! I’m going to have to work out for hours now.
Rachel’s book is called Dining with Joy and comes out in October. Here’s the book blurb. Joy Ballard has a secret: she’s a cooking show host who can’t really cook. When her South Carolina-based cooking show, Dining With Joy, is picked up by a major network, Joy Ballard’s world heats up like a lowcountry boil. Joy needs help. Then she meets chef Luke Davis who moved to Beaufort after losing his Manhattan restaurant. A cook at the Frogmore Cafe, he’s paying debts and longing to regain his reputation in the elite foodie world. Luke and Joy mix like oil and water…until Joy is exposed on national television. With her career and his reputation both under fire, they’ll have to work together to fix the mess. Is it possible that they can learn to feast on God’s love and dine with joy?
Doesn’t that sound like a great book! I can’t wait to read it!
All of Rachel’s books are fun to read, great dialogue, and fun plots. Check out her website for more information. Rachel Hauck.
Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips preheat oven to 350 4 ripe bananas 2eggs 1/3 cup sugar 4 tablespoons of melted butter or grapeseed oil 1/2 teaspoon gluten free almond extract 1/2 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I used Jules Gluten-free flour mix) 1/2 cup coconut flour 1 teaspoon xanthan gum 1 1/2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or use the stuff in the bottle) 1 cup gluten free chocolate chips
grease a loaf pan
Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl until they are almost creamy, but leave some lumps. Mix in the eggs, sugar, melted butter (or grapeseed oil), vanilla and almond extracts. Add in the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg. Mix until incorporated. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour mixture into greased loaf pan and bake 30-35 minutes, or until the bead is brown on the edges and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry.
Let it cool and slice. YUM! Even my non-gf guy liked it.
April seems to be the month for me to review books and sometimes there is a bonus for you wonderful blog readers. Earlier this week I posted a review of Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinz and there was a give-a-way. Jane, I’ll be emailing you for your address you won! Today Angela Breindenbach is offering a free copy of her book to one reader who posts and leaves a comment either here or on my facebook note. PLEASE note just clicking the like button doesn’t get you entered you have to post a comment with your email address so you can be contacted.
Okay, now onto the fun stuff. Creative Cooking for Colitis has 25 tips to help you eat without fear. Breindenbach also includes a ‘difficult foods’ list to help you avoid a flare-up.
The recipes look delicious and look simple enough for the most fatigued person to make. I didn’t get to make a real recipe yet, but I discovered an amazing way to make potatoes easier to peel. My household will be much happier to have real potatoes again instead of the box kind. I did make the Hydration Shake, super easy and hey who doesn’t want to drink a shake and with a name like Hydration Shake it screams, “good for you!”
I must eat gluten free meals and most of these recipes are easy to adapt or already gluten free.
Did you know you can eat Nachos and Mexican Lasagna? You can if you have this cookbook. Briendbach shows you how! Suffering from colitis herself she understands the desire to eat good food. Her hope is that this cookbook will help bring others dinner time enjoyment.
Angela is a kind person who cares about many, she’s even donating a $1.00 from the sale of every book to the Jadyn Fred Foundation—Children 0-18 receive funds insurance won’t provide for real needs associated with cancer, severe illness, and on-going medical care.
Don’t forget to leave a comment to win this book! Drawing ends April 19, 2010 at 12:00 a.m. The winner was KarenK!
Angela Breidenbach is Mrs. Montana International 2009, author of Creative Cooking for Colitis, works with Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministries, the American Heart Association, and the Jadyn Fred Foundation. Angela also teaches online classes and coaches one-on-one in courageous confidence, personal growth, and powerful living. She’s certified in mentor/peer counseling as a Stephen Minister and Assisting Minister. She serves as the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Publicity Officer and is a multi-award winning inspirational speaker and author. Not only did she walk the hard line of deciding to donate her mom’s brain, but she is also on the brain donation list at the Brain Bank-Harvard McLean Hospital. She is married, has a combined family of six grown children, one grandson.
You can interact or learn more about Angela Breidenbach online: