Tapioca Apple Pudding

Sorry for my absence over the last week. I've been under the weather, and we had a death in the family. I'm also temporarily working on a new project that takes me away from the office 3 days per week...this likely means that my posts will be fewer over the next couple of months.

This recipe is something I discovered as I continue to search for rotation diet-friendly things to eat. It's warm and comforting and fills the house with a wonderful aroma. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients (makes 2 large servings):

• 1/2 C quick cooking tapioca cooked according to package instructions
• 2 T honey or 4 t agave
• pinch of salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 C milk (whatever kind you can tolerate)
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 2 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

Directions

1. Oil 2 large ramekins and preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix first 6 ingredients together.
3. Arrange sliced apples in each ramekin.
4. Pour tapioca mixture evenly over each.
5. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes. The apples will rise to the top!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays and What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free. Check out these great recipe roundups!

Enjoy!

Corn Bread - Straight Up & As A Stuffing

I'm 9 days into the rotation diet. Up until today, I was managing ok - pretty good actually, with minimal whining. I've been getting creative - making yogurt out of goat milk, making buckwheat pancakes without eggs, enjoying teff chocolate pudding and amaranth banana bread... I've even been out to eat twice without much planning time and managed just fine, to my surprise. ...and my husband has not felt too inconvenienced, which is a bonus.

But today, I don't feel well. Everything I had planned to eat today is making my stomach turn just at the thought. It's one of those things where I don't want to eat, but I'm feeling so weak that I need to have something. So, I resorted to toast - a kind that is off the rotation plan. I'm thinking that I will get right back on the rotation horse as soon as I can. Right now, I just need some plain calories so that I don't faint or puke (sorry!)...

A good day to answer some requests I've had for a gluten free cornbread recipe. In my family, we grew up eating homemade cornbread every Saturday. When four of us discovered we could not tolerate gluten, my mom adapted her recipe for us! This past Saturday, I asked her if she was making a batch and she said "yes!" I ran right over to take a picture (and grab some for my freezer for when it fits into my rotation schedule).

Mom's Saturday Cornbread
Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 C oil
• 1 C milk- whichever you can tolerate
  
• 1/4 honey or sugar, or 2 T agave
  
• 1 C GF flour mix (preferably a kind without bean flour in it)
  
• 1 C yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9X9 baking sheet.
2. Mix together first 4 ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together last 4 dry ingredients.
4. Add the wet into the dry and combine, but not too much.
5. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until it's slightly golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

This goes great with chili! Or make it into a stuffing...

Ingredients

• about 2/3 of the above cornbread recipe, cubed
• 2 C chopped and peeled apples
• 1 C diced carrots
• ¾ C diced onions
• ½ C diced celery
• ½ C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 1/4 C dried cranberries (optional)
  
• ½ t ground nutmeg
• 2 t salt
• 1 t pepper
• ½ C butter or oil
• 1 C GF chicken stock

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Spread cornbread cubes on a cookie sheet and bake 10 – 15 min or until dry.
   
3. In a skillet, place the butter or oil along with the carrots, onions, and celery. Cook until beginning to turn translucent.
4. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Turn off heat.
   
5. In a large bowl, combine the bread, veggies, apples and nuts.
6. Pour mixture into a baking pan and pour chicken stock all over. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.

Teff Chocolate Pudding - wheat, gluten, egg, soy, dairy, corn, refined sugar, peanut, and tree nut free!

It's day 4 of my rotation diet, and I'm not losing my mind! I'm definitely learning a lot, and I'm eating much healthier - lots of veggies! I'm making it into a game, sort-of - like "I know I'm going out to eat Saturday, so how do I 'save up' food groups so that I can eat what I want?" I'm also becoming very aware of foods that I was over-relying on, like onions, peppers, tomatoes, turkey...

Today will be the completion of a full rotation. To start out, foods are rotated on a four day schedule, so tomorrow, I go back to the food groups that I ate on Monday. I can tell that, as I get more comfortable doing this, I will be a bit more "free" with my meal planning - right now, I'm planning my meals mostly based on the rotation that is suggested in the book, but soon I will think about meals I want to have, then assign food groups accordingly. That will work out much better!

I ended up feeling a bit hungry on day Monday afternoon (rotation day 2), and started to panic a bit - I didn't plan for that! I checked day 2 food groups and saw that I could have teff. I've always wanted to experiment with teff, but just hadn't yet. I looked at the back of the Bob's Red Mill Teff package for some inspiration and saw a recipe for Teff Pudding. It contained few ingredients, all of which I could incorporate on rotation day 2, so I went for it! I'm glad I did - it was so yummy and comforting...definitely something I will eat even when I'm not on rotation! The cooked teff has a texture that lends itself to pudding - almost as if it contains gelatin, but it doesn't.

Before the recipe, a word about teff: Teff is packed with nutrition. It is higher in protein than wheat and has a high concentration of a wide variety of nutrients, including calcium, thiamine and iron. A cup of cooked teff contains 387 mg of calcium which is 40% of the U.S. recommended daily allowance. Teff has twice as much iron as both wheat and barley; the iron from teff is easily absorbed by the body. Since the grains are so small, the bulk of the grain is germ and bran. It is very high in fiber and is thought to benefit people with diabetes as it helps control blood sugar levels. Teff is available as a grain or as a flour. You can read more about the nutritional benefits of teff here.

Teff Pudding (serves 2 - 3) - wheat, gluten, egg, soy, dairy, corn, refined sugar, peanut, and tree nut free!

Ingredients:

• 2 C water
• 1/2 C teff grain
• 3 T cocoa powder
• 2 T maple syrup or honey, or 1 T agave
• 2 t vanilla extract
• pinch of salt (my addition, since it brings out the sweetness!)

Directions

1. In a small pot, bring water and teff grain to a boil, then cover and simmer over very low heat for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temperature.
2. In a blender or food processor, blend cooked teff and remaining ingredients until smooth and light. Add additional water if it's too thick.
3. Pour into serving bowl, chill, and serve.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays.

Honey-Buckwheat Pancakes

Haven't discovered buckwheat yet? I have to say that it was only recently that I have begun to appreciate all buckwheat it has to offer. I loved Nicolette's buckwheat brownies, so I thought I'd see what else it would be good in. Buckwheat pancakes seemed like a natural next move, since I love a good pancake (see coconut flour pancakes and flourless pancakes)! They turned out delicious, if I do say so myself... Buckwheat lends a nuttiness that I think perfectly pairs with honey - it's like they were made for each other.

Ingredients (makes about 5-6 pancakes):

• 1/2 C GF buckwheat flour
• 1 t baking powder (if you cannot tolerate corn, click here for a corn free baking powder recipe)
  
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
  
• 1 T honey
• 1 egg
• 2 T oil
• 1 t vanilla extract
  
• about 1/2 C whichever milk you can tolerate (yogurt would be nice, too)

Directions:

1. Mix together the first 3 ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the honey, egg, oil, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir a little.
4. Start adding in your milk a bit at a time until the desired consistency is met.
5. Cook batter on a preheated pan or griddle that has been greased.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Monday.

Chili with Roasted Peppers

Chili is a cool-weather staple around here. It's one of those great meals that can be adapted many different ways to suit tastes and dietary restrictions. It can also give you a hand cleaning out your pantry! This version is made with roasted hot peppers (not too hot for me - I make extra peppers for my husband to sprinkle on top b/c he likes his mouth to be on fire...). Roasting the peppers takes their flavor to a different depth in such a wonderful way and tempers the heat a bit.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 hot peppers (jalapenos are fine; use more or less depending on your taste)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 lb. ground meat (I use turkey)
• 1 C juicer pulp (optional - it's a good way to use it up!)
  
• 2 T chili powder
• 2 T cumin
• dash red pepper flakes
• 1 T salt
• 2 t pepper
• 1/4 C ground flax seeds (optional)
  
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 1 can black beans (or whatever you have on hand - I used kidney this time)
• 1 can corn (optional)
• 4 tomatoes, diced or 2 C canned tomatoes

Directions:

1. Place whole hot peppers on a baking sheet covered in foil. Roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until they get char spots on them and blister, like in the picture above. Once cool, split a part and remove the stem and seeds (unless you like more heat). Dice and set aside.
2. While the peppers are roasting, place heat olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven. Add onions and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add ground meat to the pot. Allow it to begin to brown, using your stirring spoon to separate it. Cook for about 5-7 minutes. If you are using juicer pulp, add it in.
   
4. Add chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, ground flax seed, salt and pepper to the meat and mix around.
5. Add the bell peppers and cook for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add the beans, corn, and tomatoes and stir to combine.
7. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Notes:

• I like to top mine with yogurt - whichever kind I've got. My favorite is Greek or coconut.

I Took the Kale Chip Challenge!

On October 13th, Celiac Chicks issued a throw-down - a Kale Chip Throw-down. I have been reading about these things for a while and just letting the idea of them stew. When I saw this challenge, I had to accept, especially because they expressed their initial hesitancy, thinking "how could these be any good?" ...and that's where I've been at!

I followed their recipe and used the oven this time rather than the dehydrator, which I plan to try in the future. I made just one batch at first because why waste perfectly good kale if I didn't like these chips? But...I loved them! They are light and crispy! My first batch was olive oil and salt, which just pairs nicely with the flavor of the kale. For my 2nd batch, I added cumin...YUM! The pictures show before and after - they are a bit like shrinky-dinks! I actually could see these squashing a chip craving.

In other news...Go Dairy Free reported today that one of my favorite cereals, Perky's Nutty Flax (which actually does not contain nuts), is now being branded as Enjoy Life Crunchy Flax. Click here to read about that transition. The flavor, crunch, and low sugar grams better stay the same, is all I can say!

This post is linked to What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free over at the Gluten Free Homemaker.

Ode to Some Wonderful Bloggers

We had company last night - a few folks that I used to work with. They have all been amazingly supportive of me, so of course I would want to throw them a nice dinner party. We tend to get together about once every 6 weeks or so. We rotate houses and do it potluck style. Last night, I needed to create a main dish, side dish, and an appetizer. Three bloggers were the inspiration:

For the appetizer, I made Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks. For these, I used Shirley's Flourless Pizza Crust recipe posted at Gluten Free Easily. I added garlic powder to the mixture and instead of making it into pizza, I cut it into long rectangles and served them with marinara sauce. They were a big hit!

Knowing that I'd be busy with work and running around all day, I wanted a fairly no-fuss main and side dish. Diane at The Whole Gang pointed me to Ali and Tom's recipe for Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Figs and Onions posted at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. I brined the chicken first to ensure that it would turn out moist, using water, salt, maple syrup, onion, and fresh rosemary. I used onions and figs, but also added turnips, carrots, potatoes, and parsnips from our farmer's market. For my guests, I actually used split chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken so that I didn't have to carve it. The picture shown here is actually the same recipe with whole chicken that I made just for us last week.

We also had a lovely salad to go with it all. My friends rounded out the meal with stuffed grape leaves and roasted artichokes for the appetizers and various sweet treats for dessert. We had a fun evening and they left feeling full and satisfied. Did I mention that they don't have any dietary restrictions??? That's always a great test for "special" recipes.

Thanks again, fellow bloggers!

One more thing - Amazon sent me an email stating that they are running a special - Enjoy Life Foods 15% off.

Millet Banana Bread

Yep, you guessed it! Another recipe from Nicolette Dumke's latest cookbook. I can't help myself. I'm enjoying experimenting...and the results! My husband and I both loved this one...I have to confess, I haven't shared much of it with him. It's just too good!

Millet Banana Bread (free of the top 8 allergens, gluten, corn, and refined sugar)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C millet flour
• 1 C tapioca starch
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 t baking soda + 1/2 t unbuffered vitamin C powder (or 2 1/2 t baking powder)
• 1 t cinnamon or 1/2 t ground cloves
• 1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 3/4 C mashed ripe bananas (about 3 1/2 bananas)
• 1/4 C oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Oil and flour a loaf pan.
2. Stir together flours, salt, baking soda + vitamin C powder (or baking powder), spice, and nuts (if using) in a large bowl.
3. Combine the mashed bananas and oil and stir them into the dry ingredients until they are completely mixed in, but be careful not to over mix (the batter will be stiff). Put the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the bread is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan to cool completely. Makes one loaf.

Notes:

• I did not have millet flour on hand so I ground my own. Nicolette offers a caution about this - if you are grinding your own, you'll want to adjust the liquid. I added more banana and a bit more oil, but next time I might add a couple T of milk, too. Nicolette also says that she has found that even different brands of the same product can yield different results, so she provides where to find the brands that she uses.
• The cookbook also provides recipes for banana bread using spelt, barley, or amaranth.
• I was sent a free copy of this cookbook by Nicolette to review.
  

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies - free from the top 8 allergens, corn, refined sugar, and gluten!

If you haven't read my interview with allergy author, Nicolette Dumke, you might want to (click here for part 1 and here for part 2). Nicolette is an incredible person who is brilliantly coping with multiple food allergies, and has graciously chronicled all she has learned in her series of books. She sent me a copy of her latest book I Love Dessert but NOT Sugar, Wheat, Milk, Gluten, Corn, Soy, Unhealthy Fat... to review. I have been baking my way through it to see how her allergy-friendly versions of yummy deserts match up. Click here to see Traditional Apple Cobbler with Amaranth Topping.

I was attracted to this recipe for Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies because I know that quinoa is considered somewhat of a super food, especially for those of us on the gluten free diet. Quinoa brings many essential nutrients to the party that might otherwise be lacking in the traditional gluten free diet. Also, I wanted to further experiment with the use of apple juice concentrate as a sweetener in baking.

My husband and I were both pleasantly surprised these cookies. They have a wonderful texture, and the use of concentrated apple juice helps to mask the flavor of the quinoa in a way that really works! The chocolate chips bring it all together. I'm not saying that they taste just like regular chocolate chip cookies - they definitely taste healthier, but in a wonderful way. Otherwise, my husband would not have finished them all on me!

Ingredients (recipe is being reprinted with author's permission)

• 3 C quinoa flour
• 1 C tapioca starch
• 1 1/2 t baking soda + 3/8 t unbuffered vitamin C powder (or just use baking powder)
• 2 C apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 C oil
• 1 1/4 C chocolate or carob chips (optional)

Directions

1. Boil the apple juice down to 1 3/8 C in volume and allow it to coll to room temperature or cooler. If you are in a hurry, put it in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa flour, tapioca starch, baking soda + vitamin C (or baking powder). In a separate bowl or cup, stir together the juice and oil. Immediately stir them into the dry ingredients until they are just mixed in. Fold in the chocolate or carob chips. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten them to about 1/4 inch thickness with your fingers held together. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly browned. Makes about 5 dozen.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays along with lots of other delicious guilt-free recipes. This week, Amy is giving away Le Creuset mini gratin dishes!

Traditional Apple Cobbler w/ Amaranth Topping

This is the first recipe I tried out of Nicolette Dumke's newest book I Love Dessert but NOT Sugar, Wheat, Milk, Gluten, Corn, Soy, Unhealthy Fat... In this book, Nicolette presents many different allergy-friendly, kitchen-tested options for each recipe so that you can pick the ingredients that suit your dietary needs.

I was drawn to the amaranth topping for this recipe because it is not a grain, and I tend to feel better when I'm not eating grains. I chose apples for the filling because we have an abundance of amazing, locally-grown apples now - so many, in fact, that I'm going to have to start getting real creative... I was also drawn to the sweetener used in this filling - apple juice concentrate, which I have not experimented with yet.

My husband and I were both pleasantly surprised! We loved how thick and gooey the filling got, and how cake-like and tasty the topping was! The intense sweetness of the filling was perfectly complimented by the topping. Yep, I did take a scoop before taking a picture...sorry! This is a real winner and will probably make a weekly appearance in our house throughout the Fall months.

* This post is liked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

Nicolette Dumke's Apple Cobbler with Amaranth Topping
reprinted with the author's permission
Ingredients for the filling:

• 4 to 5 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced to make 3 1/2 to 4 C of slices (or 1 20-ounce can of sliced apples canned in water such as Mussleman's brand, drained)
• 1/2 C apple juice concentrate, thawed
• 5 t arrowroot or tapioca starch or 2 T quick-cooking (minute) tapioca
• 1/2 t cinnamon

For the topping:

• 3/4 C amaranth flour
• 1/4 C arrowroot
• for a corn-free version, use 3/4 t baking soda + 1/8 t unbuffered vitamin C powder (I used baking powder instead)
  
• 3/8 C apple or pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
• 1/8 C oil
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain the canned apples if you are using them, or peel, core and slice fresh apples.
   
3. In a saucepan, stir together the apple juice concentrate, starch or tapioca, and cinnamon. If you are using tapioca, allow it to stand in the liquid for at least 5 minutes.
4. Add the apples to the pan and stir.
5. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it thickens and comes to a boil. You do not need to stir it constantly while it is coming to a boil and can begin preparing the topping during this time.
6. As it begins to steam and nears the boiling point, stir it constantly. When it comes to a boil, boil it for 1 minute.
   
7. Put the fruit into a 2 1/2 - 3 qt casserole dish.
   
8. Prepare the topping: Combine the amaranth, arrowroot, and baking soda/vitamin C powder or baking powder. Stir together the juice and oil in a cup. Add the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until they are just mixed.
   
9. Drop by spoonfuls onto the fruit in the casserole dish.
10. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the topping begins to brown. Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy!

Indian Pudding

This month's edition of Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free is being hosted by Katrina at Gluten Free Gidget. She came up with such a creative theme: Dinner with Disney! Be sure to check out her blog at the end of the month for a recipe round up of gluten free treats inspired by Disney movies. My entry is Indian Pudding, inspired by the movie Pocahontas, the story of the meeting of the English settlers in Jamestown with the local tribe of Powhatan Indians. Pocahontas wasn't always sure which direction her life should take, though she ended up finding her path. She also had a deep appreciation and respect for the world around her. These two themes have been very present in my life lately.

It's also getting to be Fall - small hints, like the cool nights we've been experiencing, are noticeable. I start thinking about Thanksgiving, my second favorite holiday (Christmas is #1 in my book). It's a great time to take the chill out of the house by making something low and slow. The aroma of cinnamon and ginger will fill the air!

Authentic recipes for Indian Pudding are gluten free which I didn't realize until not too long ago. My version does not contain any refined sugar or molasses, resulting in a lighter colored pudding that is still sweet, delicious, and comforting!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (or dark molasses)
  
• 1/4 cup honey (or white sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Butter a 1 quart baking dish.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook milk until bubbles form at edges. Slowly stir cornmeal and maple syrup into milk. Continue to cook and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in honey, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Pour into prepared dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven about 2 hours or until set. Serve hot or cold.

It's Wednesday, so don't forget to check out great GF recipe ideas at The Gluten Free Homemaker. Enjoy!

Sausage & Apple Cabbage

Today is Monday, which means that Amy at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free is collecting a round up of Slightly Indulgent recipes and ideas. Definitely worth checking out!

We hit the farmer's market on Saturday mornings religiously each weekend it's open from May to October. We come home with an abundance of local, organic foods...eggplant, sweet peppers, potatoes, onions, corn, carrots, cabbage, eggs, pork, chicken, sausage, apples are starting to appear - this list goes on and on. Here is one of our favorite market inspired easy dinners (this is a picture of the leftovers packed up for Brian's lunch!):

Sausage & Apple Cabbage

Ingredients (serves 4)

• about 1 1/4 lb of sausage (we like hot Italian to balance the sweetness of the apple and honey) cut into 1 inch bites
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 C white wine (you can also use stock or water)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T honey (or maple syrup or 2 t agave)
  
• 2 carrots, grated *
  
• 1 large head of cabbage, grated *
  
• 1 large apple cut into bite size pieces
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat a deep pot or dutch oven over med-high heat. Put sausage in pot and brown on all sides for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add onions to the pot. Cook until they get some color. Both the sausage and onions may stick to the pot at this point but that's ok - all that browned stuff on the bottom is flavor!
3. When the onions are nicely golden browned, add 1/4 C wine to deglaze the pan, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom.
4. Add 1 T olive oil, 1 T honey, the carrots and cabbage. Stir and cook until the veggies begin to wilt.
5. Add the apple, salt and pepper. I like to just heat the apple through, but you might want to cook it longer so that it "melts" into the dish.
   
6. Check to make sure your sausage is cooked thoroughly. If it's not and the cooking liquid has been absorbed, add 2 T of water and keep it over the heat until the sausage is done.

* You can purchase the veggies already grated for you, or use a food processor to make it fast and easy.

Enjoy!

Little Bay Baking Co.'s Doughuts

When Helen Sanders, owner of the dedicated gluten free Little Bay Baking Co. in Dover, NH told me that her Waffle & Donut Hole mix is sugar free, in addition to gluten, wheat, soy, casein, and dairy free, I knew I had to try it. The day finally came...I took out my mix, decided to make the donut hole recipe, and got ready for what I thought was going to be quite a production. Frying always is, in my opinion. But I was wrong! The directions were so easy - I made the doughnuts in less than 15 minutes!

I followed the directions on the back of the mix, save one little change for my sugar issue: "Mix together 1 C of the mix, 1 egg, 2 T oil, 3 T sugar (here's my change - I used honey), 1/4 C milk (whichever you can tolerate), and 1/4 t nutmeg (optional - I used cinnamon) until blended. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 3-4 inches of oil pre-heated to 375 degrees. Cook until golden brown..."

The result? They were AMAZING! So delicious! A bit crispy on the outside and nice and fluffy on the inside. It was so fun to eat a munchkin - after all, it has been over 9 years since I've had one! The temptation is to make them bigger than you really need to - I found that they puffed up a bit once in the frying oil. Next time, I will remember to drop them by smaller spoonfuls! Oh right - keep in mind that I did not roll mine in cinnamon & sugar or powdered sugar as suggested - I bet they would look and taste even better with a yummy coating!

Helen's goal is to make treats that "taste like you remember" and she certainly hit the nail on the head with this one! You can use the store locator to find Little Bay products near you, or order from the website.

Watermelon Gazpacho

I cannot believe that it is September already and the whole summer went by without me making Watermelon Gazpacho! This is a recipe that I cannot take credit for - it is from The Food Network's cutest chef, Tyler Florence. My husband and I are big Food Network fans (we are very excited for Amy from Simply Gluten and Sugar Free to be a part of the Build A Better Burger Contest!). I have my favorite chef eye candy (Tyler) and he has his (Giada - who can blame him?).

I have made Tyler's Gazpacho for company to rave reviews. It is very easy, totally raw if you omit the optional feta cheese, and delicious! It hits all the right notes - slightly spicy, a little sweet, a bit salty, totally refreshing with a slight crunch from all the veggies, but smooth at the same time. I made a double batch today to make up for missing out the whole summer...

Tyler's Watermelon Gazpacho (with just a few changes of my own)

Ingredients

• 1 large tomato, cut into chunks
• 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
  
• 2 cups cubed fresh watermelon
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut into 1 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (basil, sage, or dill work well)
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
  

Directions

1. In a blender, puree the tomatoes, jalapeno, and the watermelon.
2. Pour in the red wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse.
3. Add the onion, cucumber and dill and season with salt and pepper. Puree until mostly smooth.
4. Pour into chilled bowls and sprinkle with feta, if desired.

It's Wednesday, so if you are in need of some meal ideas, be sure to check out What Can I Eat That is Gluten Free? over at the Gluten Free Homemaker. Even if you are not gluten free, there are some delicious recipes being shared!

Enjoy!

Lentil Salad

In my quest to try to take more of my dietary cues from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I've been using less chic peas, quinoa, millet, and rice (it gives me a headache anyway)...which brought me to discovering the varied uses for lentils. I've been reading up on them to discover that lentils

• are a member of the legume family
• are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal.
• provide good to excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein-all with virtually no fat.
• have just 230 calories per 1 cup of cooked lentils
• cook quicker than other legumes
• are cheap - I paid $1.39 for a pound
• are versatile and can take the place of rice in many dishes. They are especially yummy when added to soups or as a salad...

Lentil Salad (serves a crowd)

Ingredients

• 1 lb lentils prepared according the the package instructions
• 2 C of chopped veggies (I used sweet onion, red onion, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, tomato, and yellow pepper)
• 3/4 - 1 C of your favorite salad dressing (Italian works well) or mix together 1/2 olive oil, 1/4 vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Combine lentils and veggies.
2. Pour dressing all over and combine.
3. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Flourless Pancakes!

I've been feeling uninspired in the kitchen lately. Perhaps it's been due to 95 degree weather with high humidity and no AC in our kitchen? Yep, bet that's it! Last Thursday, we got a break from the heatwave. For a late breakfast, I wanted my coconut berry pancakes. While reaching for the ingredients in my fridge, I spotted my sunflower seed butter and wanted some of that. I got the idea to try to adapt the tried and true flourless peanut butter cookie recipe (1 C peanut butter + 1 C sugar + 1 egg. Mix all together. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes) into a pancake recipe. After a few tries, I think I got it right!

Flourless Pancakes (makes about 5-6 pancakes)

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/4 C sunflower seed butter (unsalted, unsweetened)
• 2 t agave
• 1 T milk (whichever milk you can tolerate)
  
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t baking powder

Directions

1. Whisk the egg.
2. Add the seed butter (room temp works best), agave, and milk and whisk to combine.
3. Add the salt and baking powder and whisk until smooth.
4. If the consistency is too thick for pancakes, add a bit more milk - a little goes a long way. If it's too runny, add a little more seed butter.
5. Make them as you would any other pancakes.

Please note that if you are using a seed or nut butter that contains salt, you will probably want to omit the salt. Same goes if it's sweetened - you'll likely want to decrease or omit the agave. Honey would also work well.
Light, fluffy, and so tasty! I find that sunflower seed butter, when cooked/heated tastes very peanuty...

Enjoy!

This post is linked to What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free posted at The Gluten Free Homemaker.

Frittata!

We had my parents, my sister, her husband, and their three adorable kids over for brunch yesterday. I love not being the only one with dietary restrictions - like me, my sister and nephew both have celiac disease, in addition to multiple food sensitivities. We had a lovely meal with two kinds of sausage, a beautiful bowl of fresh fruit, my coconut flour pancakes, waffles courtesy of The Cravings Place (they are unsweetened!), and this yummy frittata:

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 5 strips of bacon
• 2 C of veggies (in this one, we used onion, eggplant, zucchini, and yellow peppers)
  
• 3/4 C diced cooked potato
• Salt & pepper
  
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 C sharp cheddar cheese shredded or cubed (optional)
  

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon over med-high heat. Remove bacon and drain off most of the fat.
2. Saute veggies until somewhat soft (I always do onions first, then peppers, then softer veggies).
3. Add cooked potato and add crumbled bacon back in.
   
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour beaten eggs all over.
6. Sprinkle cheese on top.
7. When eggs begin to set around the edges, transfer to 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese has melted.

As always, a few notes:

• Frittatas are very versatile - you can substitute any veggies, take the bacon out, and/or omit the cheese. Spinach goes very well!
• It was hot yesterday, so we did the whole thing on our grill and just covered the top with foil to get the eggs to set in step 7.
• Add some fresh herbs on top in step 6.
  
• This is a great, cheap dinner alternative! We have them a few times per month for dinner, and just do 4 or 5 eggs, less filling, and use a small omelet pan.

Enjoy!

Pizza Bases - A Journey

My thinking about food and health has evolved quite a bit from when I was first diagnosed with celiac disease about 9 years ago...and I keep learning each and every day. I'm a pizza-lover, so one of my main searches during this time has been for yummy pizza bases and crusts. My journey to find a pizza crust based on current thinking about health and what I needed to avoid for a period of time has lead me to have a variety of ideas on the subject. I thought it would be fun to share my favorites with you...

Post Diagnosis Desperation, 2002:Bette Hagman's Seasoned Pizza Crust.
I stumbled upon this recipe in my blind search for all things GF that taste like the original. By far, this is the tastiest homemade pizza crust I have ever had. It produces a thicker crust that crisps on the outside but remains soft on the inside. The flavor and texture are incredible! Non-GFers in my circle have enjoyed this immensely. The downside: it takes a good amount of time, a lot of ingredients, and it contains yeast and rice flour - two things I'm trying not to have too much of these days...which explains why I haven't made it in, oh, probably 2 years. Looking over the recipe now makes me yearn for it, though - it is sooooo yummy!

Wanting a Quick Version, 2003: Foods By George English Muffins.
Not often having time to devote to making Bette's recipe, I reached for a quick version. Foods By George makes a wonderful english muffin. It is light, tasty, and has a nice pillowy texture. I would toast them up, then top them with my favorite stuff, and broil until the cheese melted. A quick, satisfying pizza fix!

Going Raw, Summer '06: Alissa Cohen
Starting to realize that just substituting GF foods for our old non-GF favorites isn't exactly the healthiest thing to do, my sister got trained as a raw foods teacher by Alissa Cohen, so she got me to try it out. I'll never forget it - it was the summer that my condo got taken over by mold following what we New Englanders call "The Mother's Day Storm." I had to move in with my parents for several weeks. It was unsettling, and I decided to try out raw foods in an effort to give me something to focus on and to eat more simply. I still take a lot of my diet cues from the raw foods revolution - you can't ignore the benefit of eating foods in their natural state with maximum potential enzymes for absorption. Alissa has three versions of raw pizza bases (all dairy, egg, soy, and nut free) - gourmet, easy, and easier. The gourmet version calls for sprouted barley (I substituted buckwheat) and spouted wild rice. The easy one uses buckwheat and flax seeds, and the easiest uses mostly flax seeds. To make them truly raw, a dehydrator is recommended. All of these are very yummy and very good for you!

Learning to Incorporate More Veggies, 2007: Portobello Mushrooms.
So I wasn't going to drag out the dehydrator on a weekly basis (hey, I said I love pizza!). My solution to incorporating more veggies was to use a grilled portobello mushroom cap as a pizza base. Top with your favorite things. You can also cut eggplant into 1 inch thick pieces and grill on both sides for another pizza base option.

Trying Out Improved Store-Bought Options, 2008: Against the Grain.
Having opted out of the GF substitution game for quite some time, I hadn't tried any store bought options. Against the Grain's pizza crust was recommended to me, so I picked one up. It's made in a dedicated GF facility by some folks in Vermont that have celiac disease and want to make some convenient options that taste like their non-GF counterparts. The products also do not contain yeast, corn, soy, rice, or sugar, but they do contain dairy and eggs. I have to say, the crust was quite tasty, though it is a thinner type, which tends not to be my favorite. I really enjoyed it.

Today, Reducing Grains: Shirley's Flourless Pizza.
After embarking on another elimination diet for the past several months and discovering that I can tolerate some dairy (cheese and yogurt), but overall feel much better when I stay away from rice, potatoes, and other starches on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet's no-no list, I had basically resigned myself to the fact that it would be only mushroom or eggplant pizza bases for me...that is, until I became acquainted with Shirley at Gluten Free Easily through the "Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free" recipe roundup. While perusing her blog, I happened upon her flourless pizza crust recipe. I promptly ran out and got what I needed to give it a try...and oh my goodness! I loved it! Very satisfying and very close to the real thing! You've got to try it for yourself!

Pizza is back, baby!