Gluten free girl and the chef~ A love story

The timing could not have been better. For the last week I have been fighting bacterial pneumonia. I think I have watched every lifetime, AMC, TBS, on demand and our private collection on movies to fill my quota for the next 5 years. My brain is numb.

My husband to the rescue! My copy of Shauna James and Daniel Ahern's book GF Girl and the Chef cookbook came in at the library. I must say that I have been so looking forward to reading this book. I adored her first book! The recipes look divine and the photography is lovely. My heart melted when I saw her dedication to her daughter Lucy thanking her for joining them at the table. :0)

Her style of writing makes it feel as if you have pulled up a stool in her kitchen and she is talking one on one with you.  This is not your typical GF cookbook. She does not dwell on the fact that she is cooking GF, what GF folks cannot eat and nor does she treat the reader as a novice GF cook.
Her recipes range from simple to delish. If you would like a wonderful read that will make your mouth water and your tummy grumble than this is the book for you!

Cake Mix Dr bakes gf

Last night was gf girls night out, a first! The oldest and youngest daughters went with me to my first ever book signing, Cake Mix Dr. Bakes Gluten Free.
First and for most author, Anne Byrn is a wonderful example of a Southern woman! She loves to cook and has been writing about Elvis and food for more than 30 years. She has authored 7 books, with her newest book her first on GF. Her recipes are not casein free. Most can easily be adapted. She does make references in her book of alternative milk substitutes. 

     "Now comes sweet news for people on gluten-free diets. They can bake their cake and eat          it, too. Anne Byrn shows how to transform gluten-free cake mixes into rich, decadent, easy-to-make, impossible-to-resist desserts. Performing the magic that’s made her a best-selling baking author with more than 3.3 million copies of her books in print, she doctors mixes with additions like almond extract, fresh berries, cocoa powder, grated coconut, cinnamon, lime zest, and more – naturally, all gluten-free ingredients. Dessert is back on the menu." Quoted from her website.

peanut butter cookies

At Anne's booking signing, I had the opportunity to sample her peanut butter cookies and lemon bars. The lemon bars were moist, awesome lemon flavor and great texture. The peanut butter cookies were good. I think making them with crunchy peanut butter would knock them out of the park. In general I do not like crunchy peanut butter but occasionally in cookies.

Lemon Squares

I am looking forward to creating some wonderful yummy goodness for my family. Will let you know in a future post some of my favorites.
May you table be bountiful~ blair

Port O' Bella Soup

Rustic Lentil Soup with Kale @ Food Connections.com

For a week now I have been in the mood to make my girl friend April"s Super Easy Vegetable Casserole but I have not had the right ingredients on hand. Today I found Rustic Lentil Soup with Kale at Food Connections. Now I wanted to eat both. 

Hmmm, I think it could have also been because of my failed attempt at mushroom soup last night. Well it really was not a failed attempt. It just did not turn out as I had hoped. I had frozen a gallon of sauted mushrooms. I thawed these slowly adding sea salt, black pepper, parley, basil, oregano, chipotle, and gran marsala. I sauted garlic and onion. Mix the sauted garlic and onion into the mushrooms. I pureed everything together adding a can of chicken stock and a little olive oil. Brought it to a light boil. The problem was it was exceptionally thick, almost like a paste. I served the soup over white rice. Joseph loved it. Anything mushroom and he could eat his weight. :0)

Porta Bella Mushrooms

This afternoon I got to thinking about the porta bella mushrooms I got yesterday and how disappointed I was in last nights soup. Then I stumbled upon Debra's recipe. As I started to lay out items April''s recipe kept coming to mind. So I added a little from April and a little from Debra. Voila!

Look at those beautiful colors!

I LOVE the smell of carrots cooking, yum!

No kale on hand so I used mustard green. Such vibrant color.

My younger daughter who does not like mushrooms told me this was one of my best soup's yet. WOW! The youngest daughter said that she was hanging on the fence even though her's did not have lentils as she "cannot stand them" and I had picked out all the mushrooms. Jeff thought it was "very good". I must admit it was really good. I hope that you enjoy this as much as we did. From prep to completion dinner was ready in less than 45 minutes. I will definitely be adding this to the menu rotation.

Sliced oranges were a lovely side dish.

Port O' Bella Soup 

7-8 C of water

6-8 porta bella mushrooms

4 small yams (I used red skin)

4 small red potatoes

4 carrots

1 red pepper

3 Tbsp garlic powder or several cloves of fresh

4 Tbsp dried parsley

1 Tbsp black pepper

1/2 tsp smoked chipotle

1 bag of lentils

1 bunch greens (I used mustard)

1 C of red wine (* See note below)

An hour before you plan to start cooking, rinse and soak lentils. Soak for 1 hour. If you have more time 2 hours works. You can also soak lentils the night before, drain and refrigerate.  Cover with cold water until it's an inch above lentils. Bring lentils to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cooking for 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat.

While lentils are cooking gently scrap black gills from the porta bella mushrooms, removing stems. Chop mushrooms into chunks. Dry pan fry mushrooms (*See note below) and set aside. 

Bring water to boil. Add herbs, chopped potatoes and the greens stems to boiling water. Saute chopped red pepper, carrots, and garlic if using fresh. Adding to the boiling mixture after 15 minutes the mushrooms, red peppers, carrots and garlic.  During the last 5 minutes add greens.

Serve soup over lentils. If added to vegetables it will thicken soup too much. 

Enjoy!


* Please Note: A quick dry-heat cooking method using a pan on a stove top. No oil is used and the pan is uncovered. 


* Note on Wine: Debra recommends adding a 1 C of port to her lentil soup. If I had port on hand, I definitely would have add it!

Brown Betty~ Who does not love apples, cinnamon and brown sugar?!

One of the greatest compliments my children can give me about my cooking is to ask for it again. Brown Betty is one of those dishes. I consider Brown Betty, aka apple crisp, to be one of the go to comfort foods. Just imagining warm apples with brown sugar and cinnamon makes my mouth water.

I was taking stock of my deep freeze this afternoon to make my meal plan for the up coming week, when I found a hidden bag of assorted chopped apples. It was a toss up, make coffee cake, apple muffins or Brown Betty. I set the apples on the kitchen counter and continued with the task at hand. The oldest daughter caught site of the bag of apples. She asked, "Your making a Brown Betty aren't you?!" So a Brown Betty it would be!

My 1st cookbook!

My recipe comes from the Kraft Cookbook my Mother bought me when I was about 18. I wonder if she could ever imagine how many times I would use this cookbook and how much I cherish it. The pages are starting to be ratty and yellowed. I would not trade this cookbook for anything. It was my first grown up cookbook. My first cookbook ever was a Better Homes and Garden Junior Cookbook. I have wonderful memories cooking with my Mom and cooking on my own. I have since past this gem on to my oldest daughter.

The traditional Brown Betty recipe can be found here.

May your table be bountiful~ blair

Well this did not even make it till dinner.
Sometimes you just gotta eat desert first!

Brown Betty 
6-8 apples of your choice
1/2 C brown rice flour
1/2 C oatmeal * see note below
1 C packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 C earth balance softened
2 Tbsp brown flax seed (optional)
2-4 Tbsp water (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place apples in baking dish, No need to grease. If your apples are not golden delish you might want to add 2-4 Tbsp of water.

Combine brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon and earth balance. Mix well. I add flax seed to give a little nutty flavor. Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Serve warm. We always eat this with vanilla soy or coconut ice cream. Just to cut the sweet!

Please note:

  I cannot wait till there is smellvision on the internet!

There is much controversy over consuming oatmeal due to the possibilities of cross contamination with wheat when grown.  My children seem to tolerate oatmeal just fine. If needed, you may omit the 1/2 C oatmeal and use 1 C of brown rice flour instead.
Enjoy!

Oh my golly Udi has done it again!

Drum roll please..............

                                                  
Cinnamon Raisin Bagels and Bread!  
They are Awesome! In West Virginia we enjoyed Pepperidge Farm cinnamon swirl bread. Golly I miss that bread. The bread was soft and moist. Not too sweet with the perfect amount of cinnamon and brown sugar. Udi's Cinnamon Raisin Bread is the closest thing I have found to PF. Udi's cinnamon raisin bread makes the best french toast ever!


May your table be bountiful~blair

Quinoa, the other breakfast cereal

Little man's favorite 3 bears book!

Our son has been on a porridge kick! It may have something to do with the fact that one of his all time favorite story is Goldilocks and the 3 bears! You think?!

As far as I am concerned porridge (aka oatmeal) is an amazing cereal. It is rib sticking and packed full of good stuff. I had been hesitant to serve him oats but so far it does not seem to bother him. Never the less, I do limit his porridge consumption to once or twice a week.

I’ve wanted to provide an alternative hot breakfast rather than eggs, french toast and pancakes. Little man use to eat Cream of Rice but stopped when he developed sensory issues with food a few years back. At the present time this seems to be subsiding. Yea!! Maybe in another month or two I will be able to reintroduce this to him.

Little man LOVES rice! He could eat it all day. When I serve it for breakfast I add almond milk, honey and cinnamon.

This morning I had some quinoa left over on the stove from last night’s dinner. Little man saw it and asked for it. I thought what the heck, he eats rice for breakfast occasionally why not quinoa?  He loved it so much he had 2 bowls!

Enjoy~ blair

Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1 cup rinsed quinoa

1 dash of cinnamon or nutmeg

1 dash salt

1 squeeze of honey (optional)

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a light boil. Lower heat, cook for about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. If you like add a squeeze of honey.

Sweet potato-tomato soup

Have I ever mentioned what wonderful cooks my daughters are? They are so imaginative and creative! Our girls throws caution to the wind and just "wings it"! I am a little too OCD to do that.  Our youngest created a pomegrante coffee cake over the holidays that was out of this world! If we can recreate it, I promise to share. 

Our family was blessed with a big batch of beautiful tomatoes.  The weather was so blustery that day. I thought about freezing tomatoes but the oldest suggested soup. MMMmm, I could use some warming up, so soup it was! The following is one of our oldest “wing it” soups.  

For those of you who have never blanched tomatoes before click here. It is so easy you may never buy canned again!

May your table be bountiful ~Blair

Sweet Potato-Tomato Soup

8-10 large tomatoes

Select Harvest sweet potato soup

2 tbsp Sea salt 

2 tbsp Black pepper

2 tbsp Cumin (dried)

1 tbsp Gran marsala (dried)

1 tbsp chiplote red pepper (dried)

large handfull basil (dried)

large handfull parsley (dried)

6 cooked baby carrots pureed

1 whole sweet onion

6 cloves of garlic

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Add chopped garlic, carrots and onion to lightly oiled skillet cook till translucent. Blanch tomatoes. Combine tomatoes, garlic, carrots and onion to blender and liquefy. Place mixture into a stock pot bringing it to a slight boil. Add seasonings, adjust accordingly. Add sweet potato soup to mixture. Heat thoroughly. 

Grandma's cookies

 Everyone has their signature dish. My Grandmother's was her "finger cookies". They were so delicate and buttery. The powdered sugar gave it just enough sweetness as they melted in your mouth. I have tried in vain to find another cookie that is similar to no avail until now. This recipe by Gluten-free Gobsmacked is the closest yet.  

Grandma would hand pack cookies to send my mom when she lived in Houston and when I was away at college. Sometimes if she was visiting my mom and found out my boyfriend was coming to visit me, she would whip up a batch so that he could hand deliver them. I would have dorm mates ask if my Grandma would send them cookies too! Good thing my boyfriend did not have a sweet tooth, other wise I would never have any cookies!

Grandma's Finger Cookies 

(AKA GF Russian Tea Cookies or Mexican Wedding Cookies)
Recipe makes 4 dozen 1-inch cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted + 1 cup more for tossing
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/3 cup whipped cream cheese
2 teaspoons GF vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons sorghum flour, sifted (with the tapioca)
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour, sifted (with the sorghum)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Directions:

1. Toast the pecan halves over low heat until fragrant.
2. Sift one cup of the powdered sugar.
3. Process the toasted pecans and the 1 cup of powdered sugar in the bowl of your food processor until even and fine.
4. Cream together the butter and cream cheese with the powdered sugar/pecan mixture.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Sift together the sorghum and tapioca flours.
7. Add the xanthan gum to the sifted flours.
8. Mix the dry ingredients in to the creamed/wet ingredients until it comes together as cookie dough (2-3 minutes on medium).
9. Roll into 1″ balls and place the balls on a large plate.
10. Refrigerate the 1″ balls for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (*NOTE: If you need to refrigerate them longer, please cover them with plastic wrap. You can freeze the balls at this point too, if desired.)
11. Preheat the oven to 350F.
12. Lay out the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat about 1 1/2″ apart.
13. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes (Mine bake for 13 minutes) and remove from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool 2-3 minutes before attempting to move them.
14. Dredge the warm cookies carefully in powdered sugar. (I usually put a cup of powdered sugar into a baggie and then toss 4 or so cookies about in the sugar until well coated.)
15. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a cookie rack. (See photo above.)
16. Toss in powdered sugar again, if desired, before serving or packing in an airtight container.

Tis the season....gluten free beer

 When attending parties this holiday season those that are GF can celebrate! There are excellent GF beers available today. Although I felt it was my personal duty to sample any beers mentioned here my diabetes would not allow me. :0(

The following is a an excellent article that looks at the different beers on the market. Bella Online article The demands of beer-lovers with Celiac Disease are finally gaining the attention of craft brewers throughout the world. Most of these brewers have been researching the chemical and physical properties of Celiac Disease, and have formulated their products with 100% gluten-free ingredients and processes that ensure purity of product. They point out that some filtering processes used by brewing companies render gluten undetectable in “low-gluten” beer; however, unless a beer is totally gluten-free, there is no assurance that it is safe for Celiacs. 

The most common substitutions for gluten-rich grains are: buckwheat and sorghum; rice, maize, corn, and sunflower; amaranth, flax, millet, quinoa, teff, wild rice, soybean, ragi, and rape. Sorghum and buckwheat are the most common ones used in Western gluten-free beer.

Sorghum is native to Northeast Africa, and followed the trade routes through India and China on its way to America. It is a vigorous grass that tolerates dry weather, and is commonly used as one of the ingredients in African beer. Buckwheat is an herb of the Buckwheat family Polygonaceae, and has origins in central and western China. Its small beechnuts are milled, which separates the edible groats from their hulls. These groats are then roasted and used as a grain product. Buckwheat blossoms have a high nectar content, and are often found in conjunction with beekeeping farms.
Guide to Gluten-Free Beers

Bard’s Tale Beer –USA brewers with current distribution in 42 states, including Iowa, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Vermont. The owners are Celiacs and beer lovers themselves who are dedicated to keeping the beer experience alive for those who are committed to a gluten-free lifestyle.

Bard's The Original Sorghum Malt Beer (formerly Dragon's Gold) – Bard’s Tale Beer, USA – Golden amber with light white head, with the aroma and taste characteristics of a satisfying, finely crafted wheat beer. This beer is crafted with pure water, premium sorghum, hops and yeast, combined with buckwheat, natural honey, corn and rice. This is Real Beer for Real People.

Ramapo Valley Brewery - Located in beautiful Rockland County in New York, these folks travel to various conferences throughout the year, and offer their Gluten-free beer year-round.

Honey Beer (formerly Honey Passover Beer) - Ramapo Valley Brewery, USA - Bright golden in color, with a delicate honey and hops nose.  Crafted with honey, molasses, Kosher yeast hops and pure, sparkling water, this gluten-free wonder has 5.2% ABV, a lighter taste and is dry at the finish. Kosher Certified for Passover

New France Beers– Canadian brewers with a commitment to ALL of their customers, they have dedicated three years to research and development of gluten-free beer centered on purity and taste.

La Messagère – New France Beers, Canada – A crystalline pale ale with light effervescence and froth of lacing that lightly webs the surface. The aroma and flavor of golden honey, kissed with citrus and wisps of hops. Brewed from rice and buckwheat. 4.7% ABV

Green’s – United Kingdom Company dedicated to serving the growing community of people being diagnosed with Celiac Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. New gluten-free products are being developed daily to serve this segment of the beer loving community. 

Discovery Amber Ale – Green’s, United Kingdom – Hazy amber beer, like a glowing sunrise over the ocean, brewed in the European tradition with light, refreshing apple and hop bitterness. 6% ABV

Pioneer Lager – Green’s, United Kingdom – Golden amber lights with gentle cloudiness, flavors of dried apple and apricot, with an acidic finish. 5% ABV

Endeavour Double Dark Beer – Green’s, United Kingdom – Walnut brown, full-bodied, with flavors of roasted grain and dark fruit, akin to a cold fruit soup. Replaced Explorer Stout. 6% ABV

Trailblazer Lager - Green's, United Kingdom - 4.7% ABV in a low-carb, refreshing, crisp lager.

Herald Ale - Green's, United Kingdom - A traditional ale , a bit cidery and touched with tartness common in sorghum style beers. 4% ABV.

Pilgrim Cherry Beer - Green's, United Kingdom - Winter Seasonal available in early November, this 4.7% ale boasts a spicy cherry aroma and flavor, that awakens the zest in holiday fare.

Mission Amber Beer - refermentad in the bottle with flavos of sweet malt and apples. 6% ABV

Pathfinder Dubbel Dark - refermented in the bottle with aromas of dark fruit. On the palate, earthy, malty and fruity. 7% ABV

Quest Tripel Blonde - refermented in the bottle, this assertive lady has flavors of pear, melonand citrus that hide the high alcohol. 8.5% ABV

NOTE: Green's has three Gluten Free Belgian Beers distributed in the USA market through Merchant du Vin. The beers are: Discovery Amber Ale; Endeavour Dubbel Ale; and Quest Tripel.

For information about getting Green's Beers in the USA, contact Merchant du Vin at: http://www.merchantduvin.com

Mongozo Exotic Beers - Exotic Beers brewed in Belgium. Caution: Only one of the portfolio is made with Gluten Free ingredients, but may not be truly gluten free due to cross contamination.

Several Mongozo Beers were previously on the list of Gluten Free Beers, but have been removed due to confirmed information that they are not gluten free. These are: Mongozo Coconut, Mongozo Banana, Mongozo Mango, and Mongozo Palmnut.

Mongozo Quinua - Mongozo Beers, Netherlands - CAUTION! Although made with quinua, a bitter grain of Bolivia characteristically used to brew beers made in Africa and South America, there may be cross contamination due to processing. No testing of gluten levels is available.

The Alchemist Pub & Brewery - Only available on tap at the pub in Waterbury, Vermont, USA. As Award-winning gluten free brewers, The Alchemist has won Gold medals in both 2009 and 2010 at the Great American Beer Festival, along with a a bronze in 2009. 

Celia Framboise - The Alchemist Pub & Brewery, Waterbury, Vermont, USA - Flavors of raspberry and pomegranate, delightfully immersed in Brett and a 7.1% ABV. Gold medal winner at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival in the Gluten Free beer category.

Celia IPA - The Alchemist Pub & Brewery, Waterbury, Vermont, USA - Bronze medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival 2009, in the Gluten Free Beer category. Glistening and golden body with grapefruity nose and full flavor.

Celia Saison - Farmhouse Ale crafted with sorghum, orange peel, coriander and Amarillo hops. 5.4% ABV

Sprecher Brewing - Originally brewed for Milwaukee's African World Festival, Sprecher has now entered the Gluten Free Beer market.

Shakparo Ale - Sprecher Brewing, USA - Unfiltered and brewed of  sorghum and millet, it is lightly refreshing with a fruity apple profile.

Mbege - Sprecher Brewing, USA - Brewed with sorghum and millet, bananas are added in this traditional Ale with roots in Eastern Africa.

Anheuser-Busch – Brewed at the Merrimack, New Hampshire facility, Redbridge is now available throughout the USA

Redbridge - Redbridge pours a deep honey gold, with a creamy, eggshell head that settles like a gauzy veil over the surface. Effervescent bubbles rise through the glass in a constant stream. Initial aromas are of light malt and a tempered, gentle nuttiness. Some florals rise in the nose. The tongue interprets flavors that echo as a softened pale ale, without the characteristic grassy, earthy flavors of more intense cultivars of sorghum. Cascade hops are not initially prominent in the foreground, but provide a lingering, bitter presence at the back end,

O’Brien Brewing – Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia – Brewer John O’Brien was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 1998. A beer lover himself, he was soon to discover the absence of beer available for those with gluten intolerance. Not to be discouraged, he founded O’Brien Brewing, producer of the first gluten-free beer in Australia.

O’Brien Premium Lager – O’Brien Brewing, Australia – Sparkling Topaz amber, with white head and light lacing, touched with a distinct fruit aroma, smooth malty flavor and clean bitterness. 4.5% ABV

Under Development:
O’Brien Premium Light
O’Brien Brown Ale
O’Brien Pale Ale

Bi-Aglut – Brewed with pure water, buckwheat, hops, corn syrup and vitamin B1 by an Italian food products conglomerate.

Birra 76 Bi-Aglut – Italy – Golden color, foamy head, and fresh taste, totally lacking in gluten.

The production of Gluten Free Beers is constantly evolving, and many breweries craft this style, particularly on an occasional or seasonal basis. Dock Street Brewery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA crafts Sudan Grass Sorghum Beer; Schlafly Beer in St. Louis, Missouri, USA made a Gluten Free Beer in 2006-2007 from sorghum and corn (demand was low, so they only make it on an occasionl basis); C.B. & Potts in Broomfield, Colorado brews Don't Be a Gluten.Seek them out. Billabong Brewing of Perth, Western Australia has a strong portfolio of year-round Gluten Free Beers.

Your alternative to searching out these great gluten-free beers is to try your own hand at homebrewing. You will discover a hobby that is greatly fulfilling, while attracting lots of interest from your fellow beer-loving friends. The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian is a comprehensive guide that will walk you through the process, whether you are a novice brewer, or a seasoned master. 

Contact information for Gluten-Free Beer:
O'Brien Brewing http://www.gfbeer.com.au
Bard's Tale Beer http://www.bardsbeer.com
Ramapo Valley Brewery http://www.rvbrewery.com/
New France Beer http://www.lesbieresnouvellefrance.com/index.php?lg=en
Green's http://www.glutenfreebeers.co.uk/
BiAglut http://www.biaglut.com/ITA/Prodotti/Birra/default.htm
Nick Stafford's Hambleton Ales http://www.hambletonales.co.uk/
Fine Ale Club http://www.ale4home.co.uk/fine_ale_club.htm
Heron Foods - Beer not available online. Available in Sainsburys Supermarkets in the Beer Section, not the "Free From" Section, and in Co-op Shops.
Anheuser-Busch http://www.anheuser-busch.com/
Mongozo Beers - Note: Mongozo Quinua is made with gluten free ingredients, but may have cross contamination. Use caution.http://www.mongozo.org/engels/main.php
The Alchemist Pub & Brewery http://www.alchemistbeer.com/
Lakefront Brewery http://www.newgrist.com/
Sprecher Brewery http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/index.php
Silly Yaks http://www.sillyyak.com.au/beer/faq.html
Schlafly http://www.schlafly.com/
Dock Street Beer http://www.dockstreetbeer.com/
Billabong Brewing http://www.billabongbrewing.com.au/

Cheers!

Could Corn be wrecking your GF diet?

The folks of at Gluten Free Society thinks so! For awhile now I have been thinking that this is the next thing to remove from our daughters diet. I watch like a hawk everything that goes in her mouth but she is still having issues with stomach pain.

The list of corn products is quite daunting actually. When I read this list I started feeling a bit anxious. As if we were going gf again for the 1st time! Here is the link to the list by Gluten Free Society. There are also links to 4 studies looking at corn V gf.

If you have found that corn has been wrecking havoc on your gf diet please share your story.

Our first Gluten Free, Casein Free Thanksgiving Dinner

As a child I must admit, that I LOVED the Salisbury Dinner and chicken pot pie. It was a big deal when my mom would stock these in our freezer.

 I cannot even begin to imagine heating these puppies up and passing them off for dinner. Things have changed~ for the better. :0)

2010 was our first Thanksgiving dinner that was gluten-free and casein-free. I got to tell ya, it was a piece of cake. I found it no different than any other meal we usually prepare just more dishes than I usually serve for one meal. We are at the end of our 6 months of eating GFCF. I was so surprised how easy it was to convert our favorite recipes. I must confess that I did make a gluten stuffing for my husband and myself.

As we prepared dinner we learned a few things along the way. My oldest is great at baking. She taught her self how to make pie crust and pumpkin pie from scratch. Jeff made GFCF turkey gravy and found out he liked it. :0)

The Thanksgiving bounty for our family table must have been good or ye Indians were starving! (See ad to the left.) Maybe a little of both, who knows.

Uchiki kuri

Readers hold onto your spoons! 
In October the children visited several grocery stores in search of the "Great Pumpkin". Much to their dismay none were to be found. There was a shortage of pumpkins due to the large amount of rain we had over the summer. SO, the children brought home a selection of gourds and squashes. In hopes that we could create something acceptable for our lack of pumpkins. In the end, I ended up using electrical pumpkins to decorate the outside. It would have looked spookier with real pumpkin but it still looked good.




One of the squash was called a Uchiki Kuri, Orange Hokkaido also known as Japanese squash. It's season runs from September to December. The outer skin is tougher than pumpkin. The flesh is a beautiful orange with huge seeds. The seeds have an outer coating that has been refereed to "a likeness to dragons skin"! To me it looked like a cross between a pumpkin seed and corn pops cereal. The flesh tastes sweet and nutty raw. The oldest said that it is the most unusual squash she had ever tasted raw, and it is good.

I baked the squash at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. The skin was brownish in spots, soft and easy to peel. I then mashed the squash, added 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance, and 4 tablespoons of brown sugar. Oh my golly, Oh my golly was it good. I could so see using this instead of pumpkin for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!

 According to my research, the taste of the squash is very similar to chestnuts. I have never tasted chestnuts but if this is anything near it then I definitely would love to roast some over an open fire and find out! Very easy to cook, very versatile and even the pickiest eater loved it!
Enjoy~blair

World's EASIEST Carrot Soup

 Yesterday our family was blessed with a little "sunshine", 3 lbs of organic carrots! I could envision these lovely carrots being made into muffins, and possibly a carrot cake for Thanksgiving. As the day grew colder my taste buds were craving soup.

 I have never made or tasted carrot soup. But the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of a lovely carrot soup with ginger and brown sugar.

My oldest suggested a savory rather than sweet soup. It would compliment the apple slices, cheese (daiya cheese CF and Tillamook medium cheddar cheese for those not CF) and cornbread. This turned out to be the EASIEST soup I have ever made!

My mind has been a blur thinking of other ways to serve this dish. It is like a blank canvas. To make it hardier pairing the carrots with sweet, white or red potatoes,  coconut milk, ginger and a hint of brown sugar for a garnish, southwestern with chipotle, corn and red peppers, or serving it in the summer as a chilled soup with lime or mint.

This would be a wonderful addition to any Thanksgiving dinner.
Enjoy~Blair

Carrot Soup


Ingredients 
3 lbs of carrots
Cold Water or vegetable stock
Sea Salt
Milk Substitute (optional)
Seasonings (optional)

Directions

Scrub carrots, slice and place in soup pot. Do Not peel carrots. Add just enough cold water to cover carrots. Add sea salt. Cook carrot for 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Do not drain. If you have an immersion blender blend until smooth. Other wise place in blender and puree.

At this point if you would like to serve creamy now would be the time to add your milk substitute, slowly until soup reaches the consistency of your choice.

I used cumin, a touch more sea salt and black pepper. I sauteed a sweet onion and garlic to add but decided it wasn't necessary. Don't worry they did not go to waste, the kids ate them on the side!

**If you have opted for a thicker soup, you can place a 1/4 tsp tsp of milk substitute to the top. Drag a tooth pick through the milk to create a cool design.

Cooking for Isaiah~ Book review

I have been hoarding a library book. I love it and I do not want to return it! I hold it right up there with Bette Hagman's books. A lot of the cookbooks I have read are so complicated. You first must use "their flour" blend before you start the recipe. I want something I can use of my own and follow along. Cooking with Isaiah's recipes are simple and delish! I love her breakfast recipes and Isaiah's hot cocoa. There are so many of her dishes that I have added to my recipe list.

You can find more recipes on Sylvia's blog Dish Towel diaries. My next recipe to try is Mini-Mac and Cheese Cake. http://www.dishtoweldiaries.com/2010/10/gluten-free-mini-mac-and-cheese-cakes-with-corn-chex-crust/ What a great idea for school lunches and keeping in the freezer for a quick meal. I am always amazed when someone comes up with a simply genius idea. :0)

No doubt this will be on my Christmas Wish list. If I had to rate it certainly would be in top 5 list.

A month with-out Monsanto

     I do not usually post other articles but I felt this one warranted the share. I have mentioned one of the grocery stores I frequently shop is PCC. I received My month without Monsanto: My GM Free Experiment from their blog.

     The Monsanto article was very eye opening to say the least. I found it thought provoking, informative, and down right scary. I had no idea that to have my family GM Free I would need to make extremely drastic changes. I thought I was doing really well by making sure there were no processed foods served at our table. I try to buy organic and local as much as I can. But when I read that Monsanto pretty much has their fingers in the entire AG business seed packet I was appalled. How did this happen? Who let it happen?

          "70 to 80 percent of American non-organic processed foods contain genetically engineered ingredients, according to the Grocery Manufacturers of America. A large percentage of the cotton in our clothes and homes begins in Monsanto’s labs." WOW! 

     April Dávila, states that "By day two of my attempt to remove Monsanto from my life, I realized I was in way over my head. For the past 10 years Monsanto has bought up seed companies around the globe. It now owns a majority of the seed lines in America, including a large percentage of organic seeds."

     But it does not stop there. Now I need to think about our clothing. I have been close minded about buying organic cottons. I always thought that was taking things a little bit too extreme. Please accept my apology if this offends anyone. Not my intention, just being truthful of my close mindedness. Now I completely understand and congratulate them for being so forethought on GM in our clothing. 

     I applaud Ms. Dávila in her attempt to keep Monsanto at bay. No wonder 1 out 133 people have celiac disease, being diagnosed at unprecedented rates of autism, and allergy diagnoses continues to rise at alarming rates.

     "Eat and buy local. Know where your food is coming from and who is growing it. Eat more vegetarian meals. Limit your amount of meat. Wear organic clothes." Good advice Ms. Davila, very good advice.

    

 PLEASE TAKE NOTE: This post is not singling Monsanto out as the cause for everything. I am not slandering Monsanto. Just perplexed at how tightly closed my eyes have been.