French Bread

I've been dabbling in making french bread as of late. Today I tried round 3. The kitchenaid mixer has been my friend.

The first recipe I tried was from Living Without magazine. It was made using their high protein flour blend, which I chose to make with soy flour. We were pretty happy with the results. We made italian beef sandwiches, and they turned out well. Or I should say, good enough. The inside was a tad gummy, but that could have been because I hadn't baked it long enough. I did take the temperature and all, but I thought the inside needed to be lighter.

The second recipe I tried was from Gluten Free Girl on recipezaar. It was even better. The pics here are from that batch. I used quick-rise yeast, which the recipe calls for.

Today I tried again. I was out of fine rice flour, so I looked for another recipe. I came across the French-Italian bread recipe in Annalise Robert's book Gluten-Free Baking Classics ( dang, I really like this cookbook). It calls for millet, sorghum, tapioca flour, so I was good to go. Also, there were no eggs involved, in case you avoid them. The texture was great! I made garlic bread for dinner, so decadent. It had all the qualities I had been looking for. The recipe calls for regular-rise yeast, which I didn't have. I used quick-rise and it turned out fine. Perhaps with a longer rise, it would have been even better.



I should note that I used a double french bread pan from Sur La Table. It was very affordable, and I think it really made the difference.

Yay bread!

Crepes, dude, crepes

There's this great little place over in Bucktown called Cafe de Luca. We haven't been there in a while, definitely not since being GF. I would always get the Banana Granola Crepes, and they were delicious. I hadn't really thought about making them at home, seemed too complicated. But when I saw a recipe in Gluten-Free Living magazine, I thought I'd give it a try.

The article was about cooking with an iron skillet, but it said that a crepe pan works well with skillet & corn bread, as well as crepes. We went to Sur La Table & checked out (and ultimately bought) the recommended DeBuyer crepe pan. It was a steal at $21.95.

I will post the recipe & let Devin talk about making the crepes. I let him have the honors because I knew it would be something he would "geek out" on. I was correct.


Rice Flour Crepes

2 large eggs
pinch fine sea salt
pinch sugar
1 cup milk
1/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons melted butter, plus extra for skillet

In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, salt, sugar, and milk. Process to blend. Add the rice flour and cornstarch, and process until smooth. Pour into a bowl and stir in the butter. The texture should be like thin cream. Stir occasionally while making the crepes, and add a little water if the batter becomes too thick.

Heat an 8 1/2 inch carbon crepe pan over medium heat, and grease lightly with butter. Using a small measuring cup, ladle about 2 tablespoons of the batter into the pan, tilting it by the handle to cover the bottom.

When it's covered in bubbles and lightly browned, 1 minute or less, turn with a plastic spatula and cook for a further 30 seconds. Remove the crepe and place on a plate with the well-browned side down. Then repeat the process until you have used all the batter. (You do not have to re-grease the pan for each one).


To fill, place the desired number of crepes browned side down on a work surface. Cover with thin slices of ham or salami and grated firm cheese, and a few salad leaves. I put vanilla yogurt, bananas & strawberries in mine. Devin used ham & cheese. Roll them up like a cigar, and lay on serving plates seam side down.

I think these will become a staple around here, for breakfast and for dinner. Devin said it was relatively easy after he screwed up the first couple. It made plenty of crepes, and the leftovers I put in a plastic bag and we used for lunch.

No flour peanut butter cookies

I've seen this recipe around and around. I think it might be a Betty Hagman recipe, but I can't be sure. It was mentioned again this month in Living Without magazine. I finally caved and gave it a spin.

Wha wha whYYYYYYYY was I waiting?? I am officially going to rename this recipe 20 Minute Cookies- and by that I mean from start to finish. And by finish I mean out of the oven. Yeah.

Or maybe they should be called Naptime Cookies. They're quiet... shhhh... no mixer so I don't have to haul everything downstairs as to not wake Lil Woogie.

Yummy and fast.

Twenty Minute Naptime Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
From: Betty Hagman??? Living Without???

1 cup regular sugar
1 cup peanut butter (creamy)
1 egg
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix peanut butter, sugar, and egg together. Once combined, add chocolate chips, mix in, and then form into small balls, flatten slightly, and put on greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes (check them after 8 ), cool on a rack. Makes about a dozen and a half small cookies.

Eat all in one sitting.
Repeat.

Lasagna!

We've been using the Tinkyada gluten-free pastas for a while. They are good- no aftertaste and a good consistency. I have been a little wary of using them in baked pasta dishes because there seems to be a small window of cooking time before they get mushy, despite the boxes' claim that they can take a good deal of overcooking.

I decided to bite the bullet and try the lasagna noodles. I've been craving it lately, and I'm also trying to think of good dishes to make for Ellie's party. I haven't seen these noodles in the regular grocery store. Jewel & Streck & Von Til usually carry a good selection of the other Tinkyada brands. I found these noodles at the Gluten Free Grocery in Westchester, so I thought I'd give them a try.

The package says to cook them for 15-16 minutes, 3 minutes less if baking. I cooked mine for 10 minutes and I thought that was the perfect amount. I laid them out on paper towels after rinsing with cold water. They were easy to work with and most didn't break.

I layered them in the lasagna and they held up great when I spread the sauce and the ricotta mixture. I baked it covered for 25 minutes covered with foil and 20 without the foil to brown the top. Next time I will bake it for 15 covered and 20 uncovered as the noodles were ever so slightly overdone. Leftovers were even pretty good, which is remarkable for gluten free pasta!

Overall:
Pros:
* easy to work with
* good taste without an aftertaste
* not mushy!

Cons:
* can't think of any!

Verdict:
Two thumbs up! Even Geo said he couldn't tell it was gluten free! Score!

Happy Fall & cupcake time

Wow!
We've been a little behind on this blog. Between the kids, work, school and trying to sneak in a little rest here and again, we really haven't been able to keep this blog alive.

I'm going to make a sincere effort. I know how much I rely on other blogs to help me out in the realm of gluten-free baking. I'd love to share what I've learned with others. Gluten-free products are really expensive & it stinks when you have to throw it immediately in the trash because it is disgusting.

I've been doing a lot of baking lately. Hopefully I can get caught up with everything I've been trying lately. Let's start slowly...



I've never really been one for mixes. I never understood why people bought brownie mixes, because brownies are so easy to make from scratch. Also homemade is so much tastier. When Ellie first got diagnosed we received a HUGE basket of food & information from the U of C Celiac Center. I was cleaning the cabinets last week & thought I should get rid of some of the old mixes.

I made the Namaste brand chocolate cake mix. I'd only tried the pizza crust mix before (which is decent), but I had heard good things about the chocolate cake mix. Instead of the cake, I made 24 cupcakes. I had some batter left over, which I discarded. I made a simple vanilla frosting(also from scratch... don't get me started on the store bought frostings...) and I let Ellie decorate them with sprinkles.

Let's break it down:
Pros:
*Easy to make
* Great chocolate taste
* Very moist
* Good consistency/ not crumbly
* Made nice cupcakes
* No weird gluten-free aftertaste
* Compares very well to my Kahlua Cake (scratch)

Cons:
*Very dense- I caution eating one without a glass of milk handy. Not the worst thing in the world. I wouldn't call them light or airy, but then what gluten-free item is?


Verdict:
Thumbs up!!!

More pizza goodness

Ellie had been asking for pizza this weekend, so today I decided to try the Kinnikinnick pizza crusts that were in the freezer. I purchased these a few weeks ago from the Gluten- Free Grocery in Westchester. I found out these are the crusts they use at Aurelio's. After our last outing at the Chicago location, we were worried about cross-contamination issues, so we decided to just make the pizza at home from now on.

They come in a pack of 4 or 5, frozen and ready to bake. I sauteed an orange pepper, cut up some tomatoes and olives and bought a pack of pepperoni and pizza sauce from Trader Joe's for the topping. Ellie had fun topping her pizza with Daddy. We slid two of the crusts onto the preheated pizza stone and baked for 16 minutes.

They were delicious! The crusts were crispy and not soggy at all in the middle, like we had experienced with the Namaste pizza dough mix. It could not have been easier, or tastier. They have a slightly sweet taste, but the consistency is great. I'm in love!

Pizza Redux

So, if you don't have a pile of sausage around to make a pizza crust, what's the alternative? I've already mentioned that Amy's has a fine rice crust pizza, but if you're looking to start from scratch, I suggest the pizza crust by Kinnikinnick Foods. Aurelio's Pizza uses the crust to make their gluten-free pizza and, I have to say, it's pretty damn good.

I will caution Chicagoans that the Aurelio's in Chicago suffers from a dearth of... competence. We want to love it. I hear the Suburban locations are fine, but we invariably end up waiting until the Bean has melted down and is no longer hungry before the food comes. The pizza is good (I think it's the sauce that makes it) and the gluten-free crust is good. It's a little thick, but it's airy and meshes well with the other ingredients. It's just that the wait staff is so bad at getting the food to your table that they may as well be bringing a slab of shoe leather for all the interest our daughter shows in it by the time it shows up.

We've actually gone and bought a stack of Kinninnick crusts and will try making the pizza at home. We got them from the Gluten-Free Store in Westchester, IL. We'll let you know how they turn out.

Risotto

Yeah I know. This isn't the "real" way to make risotto. That takes time and yes, it is worth it. If I make a risotto from scratch, though, it will usually be the main dish of a meal.

Lundberg Farms
makes a risotto that works well as a side dish for a weeknight meal. They are, of course, gluten-free and delicious. I would take the suggestion on the box not to overcook, & they also don't make great leftovers (which risottos do?). Other than that, there's not much else you can ask for. The two year old loves it.

We've tried the Cheddar Broccoli and the Tuscan. It does have a strong flavor, but it's really pretty good.

Hells yeah

I'm always looking for quick and easy side dishes for dinner. Unfortunately, most of the pre-made rices and other convenience foods are either full of gluteny goodness or full of garbage.

Here is quite a find, the TastyBite Thai Lime Pilaf rice. Not only is it gluten free, it's also vegan and MSG free. Also the ingredient list is sans any crazy processed crap. And the best part is it's done in 5 minutes!

I served it with grilled Thai chicken and a cabbage salad.

- Chicken Marinade-
1 Tablespoon Light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Curry powder
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 Cup Soy sauce (San-J gluten free)
1/2 Cup Freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Garlic cloves -- minced
Crushed dried chile peppers

I didn't have dried chile peppers on hand so I used crushed red pepper flakes. I think I marinaded the chicken only about 45 minutes yet it had a lot of flavor. I love grilling.

Delicious!

Bumble Bars

I was excited to try these Bumble Bars when I saw them at Whole Foods last week. I must admit that I've been missing the whole granola bar thing, as that was one of my snack staples pre-gluten free days.

Yes they are a bit pricey; they don't come in a box like your Quaker chewy or Kashi bar. You have to buy them individually and they're about $1.69 or some such nonsense. But really, most GF food is expensive anyhow so I took the plunge.

First off, I must say the texture is pretty good. It holds together well and is somewhat chewy- what you might expect and want from a granola bar. The only caveat- the taste.

A pretty big caveat in my humble opinion.

I tried the Chai flavor. I love Chai (she thinks naively). This will be great! Let's just say that if you like the taste of incense and birdseed, this bar is for you!

Blech!

Gluten free cornbread

I've been putting off the inevitable- gluten free baking. Not because I don't like baking; I actually love to bake. I just have been feeling overwhelmed with the whole gluten free cooking, and baking takes a lot more skill and research than I could muster right now. Between getting the house ready for sale and the baby, I rarely have time to cook dinner, let alone bake. I thought that my first foray into the realm of gf baking should be a relatively easy recipe.

It actually turned out fine. I merely substituted the all-purpose flour in the recipe and added xantham gum.

Enjoy!

Buttery cornbread ( I never said it was healthy...)
adapted from an Epicurious recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups coarse stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
3/4 t xanthan gum
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend

Preparation

Butter 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan. Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and coarse salt in large bowl. Add buttermilk, melted butter, and beaten eggs. Stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Let mixture stand 30 minutes to absorb liquid. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake bread until browned around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let bread rest in pan 5 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack and cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.

The Best Wheat Substitute

I don't think it would surprise anyone to know that the type of food most impacted by a gluten-free restriction is bread. In a nutshell, gluten-free bread sucks. It's actually hard to find gluten-free bread thats not frozen. Even full metal bread sucks after it's been frozen. Second, GF bread has this... too dense, too mealy, too crumbly quality to it...

There are a few notable exceptions... First - if you toast the bread, it sucks far less. Second - if you get it directly from a wheat-free bakery (like Rose's Wheat-Free Bakery), the results can be surprisingly good. Roses has a burger with beef from a ranch owned by Bill Curtis (yes, that Bill Curtis) served on Rose's sandwich rolls. The first bite is unsettling, because we have built up expectations about the kind of bread upon which burgers should be served. By the second bite, you notice how well the flavors and textures work together. By the last, you're anticipating the next time you can order one.

We've tried a number of GF frozen pizza options with varying degrees of success. The best of these has been the Amy's Rice Crust Pizza. Lou Malnati's, however, takes a completely different approach to gluten-free...

While other efforts replace the wheat with rice or corn, the Malnati's crew seems to have thought, "That's too hard." They went ahead and replaced the wheat with... wait for it... Sausage! That's right: When you order a Malnati's Gluten-Free Pizza, you get a big disk of sausage with sauce, cheese, and toppings on it. We actually got Pepperoni on a disk of cheesy, saucy, sausage... It ruled.

While this may be the nutritional equivalent of Hawaii trading a rat problem for a mongoose problem, I am looking forward to Malnati's serving me a hot dog on a bun made of sausage. Or, perhaps, a salad served in a sausage bowl... The possibilities are endless.

Meat nuggets

We bought these Garrett county "Chicken Bites" dinosaur shaped nuggets in an effort to introduce more meat into Ellie's diet. I thought the nugget would be the "gateway" meat- enticing her to eat some grilled chicken perhaps someday.

Our past attempts had been met with resistance- she told us in no uncertain terms that she likes chickens and that she had no interest in eating them. When you think about it, that makes sense. We don't call ham "pigs" or ground beef "ground pigs". So we thought we'd trick her into eating chicken by calling them meat nuggets. Plus they are dinosaur shaped! What fun, right?

No go. Although she enjoyed dipping them in ketchup, she didn't actually want to then eat the dipped nugget. She may have taken a bite, but then spit it out.

They actually were pretty tasty. Not greasy like a McNugget, it has a drier coating on it. I could snack on these with some barbeque sauce and be pretty happy. The downside is that there is 18g of fat per serving (4 nuggets), which I thought was a lot. All in all I would recommend.

Cheezy crackers

I think Ellie is going to turn into one of these. She would eat the entire box in one sitting if I let her.

They are pretty tasty, I'll give her that. They are very, very crunchy, like a rice cracker usually is. They don't have the strong aftertaste you sometimes encounter with a rice cracker. Perhaps that's due to the fact that they are also made from almonds? I don't know.

We've only tried the cheddar cheese flavor, although there are several other flavors. The cheddar cheese dust does stick to your hands and face, a la cheetos style. This makes them not the ideal treat for the car or stroller.
The box says they are manufactured in the same facility as wheat is, yet the box claims to be gluten-free. I'm assuming this means they are separated from the wheat products and they are extremely careful with cross-contamination. It's good that they put this disclaimer there anyhow.

At $2.99 a box, they're not a bad value. There's not that much in the box, however, but they were actually on sale at Whole Foods. I didn't think they had sales there.

A New Beginning

Hey there.

There's been a lot going on in our lives the last few months. Around Christmastime, or shortly thereafter, Ellie started being a little fussy with her eating. We didn't think much of it because she'd just turned 2, and everyone told us that 2 year olds may not eat as much because their growth slows down.

Fast forward a month and enter the New Guy. Now Ellie really isn't eating much,but she is still eating a good breakfast and some lunch and dinner. Everyone, including doctors, chalk it up to her adjusting to the baby.

Leap ahead another month and we're getting really concerned. Not only is she not eating well, she's not playing anymore. She doesn't want to read books. She doesn't want to dance. She doesn't want to walk. She won't get off the couch. She wants to be carried everywhere. She says her legs hurt. When she stops going to the bathroom, we take her to the doctor. He thinks this is all due to constipation, so we try to treat that. An x-ray shows she is seriously backed up in that department. Five days later when we are giving her a bath, she looks like a child from a third world country- bloated belly and skin and bones.

We rush her to the emergency room. They too think this is due to constipation, that she's holding it in because she's upset about the baby. "But she loves the baby," I say. They decide to give her a tap water enema. They come in with an IV bag and a large hose. Five minutes later it's coming out of both ends... she's throwing up too.

I look at my sickly, pale daughter with sunken eyes, unable to walk and with no personality left and think, "This is due to constipation?!!!" It just didn't make sense to me.

They tested for a lot of scary stuff. We were going to go for the cystic fibrosis test when our doctor called. The celiac disease blood panel came back. "She sure does have it." he said.

I know having your daughter diagnosed with a disease shouldn't be a good thing, but let me tell you, it was a relief. Compared to the other conditions, this is a treatable situation. Looking back, it really makes sense. She had every symptom on the list.

It's been an adjustment, to say the least. No more cheerios, in fact, a lot of the snacks she was used to are out. Cooking has been fine, just a little more expensive for the gluten-free products at Whole Foods. Baking is something I'd like to tackle someday, just not yet.

I'm starting this blog to chronicle the different products and meals we are trying, to keep track of it all. If it's helpful to someone else, great. I know I've been relying on a lot of other blogs to help me.

Wish us luck!