Barrett's Unusual Ice Cream Party

Having children with food intolerances has its challenges for both mom and children. I have watched my children go through some heart-wrenching experiences. There were times where they had to sit apart from the other kids in the church nursery and eat their own little snack so they would not take any from the other children. They have gone to birthday parties where the mother had said they would have something for my kids but then forgot and I took my kids home in tears. In preschool Barrett had to always be the odd one out who got a few Starbursts while everyone else had cookies or cupcakes on the other kids' birthdays. When it was his birthday I was determined that he could be like anyone else and so I made allergen-free cupcakes with little monster trucks on top--only to be told that homemade snacks were not allowed for safety reasons. (Ironically, Barrett cannot eat most store bought snacks for safety reasons). We have gone to wedding receptions where well-meaning people have handed my children cookies which I then had to take away, breaking their little hearts.

One of the worst times was when I had made one of Barrett's favorite meals for the family, and made him his own dairy-free version. We all had a fine dinner and Barrett ate all of his. The disappointment came when I was eating leftovers for lunch the next day and Barrett wanted some too. When I told him his was gone he just burst into tears. I don't know what it was--maybe just the final straw. But we have had so many experiences like that, I wanted to find a book or something to help my children feel better about their situation.

I looked around on the internet for such a book, but could not find anything. I decided to take matters into my own hands and write a book myself, using experiences from my own childrens' lives as well as some children who live near me. This is the result:

BUY IT NOW!

'That will make you sick.'

This is one of the first phrases six-year-old Barrett learns because he has celiac sprue, which means he can't eat cake and bread or even drink milk.

Barrett is embarrassed of how different he is from the other kids in his class...until a new kid who also has unusual allergies comes to school.

At Barrett's Unusual Ice Cream Party, Barrett and his classmates learn that what makes them different makes them special.

It is available from the publisher now, and will be available through Amazon and other large chain stores in mid-April.

For more stories and information visit my author's website and my Facebook page.

Delicious Homemade Rice Milk

I've been experimenting with rice and almond milk recipes because buying rice milk at the store is really expensive, and they add fun things like carrageenan  to the mixture, which more and more people are showing allergies to. Here is the recipe I have had most success with so far. So much success, in fact, that my very inflexible son told me it tastes just like the rice milk in the blue box. I don't think it does (it's better!), but if he thinks so I'll take it!

Ingredients: 
1/4 c raw almonds (you can blanch them first but I don't)
1/4 c shredded coconut
3/4 c cooked jasmine rice (or sweet rice)
6-8 dates
1/4 tsp salt
4-6 cups hot water, depending on how thick you like it. (My kids seem to like it thick--and all the better since I need to stuff them with as many calories as possible!)

Directions: 
Place almonds, coconut, rice, and dates in a high-quality blender with two cups of hot water. (The higher quality your blender is, the thicker and smoother your milk will be and the less you will have to strain out. The milk is probably higher in fiber as well). Blend until the mixture becomes too thick for your blender and slowly add in the rest of the water.

Strain the mixture through cheesecloth. This is the hard part because you have to make sure the cheesecloth doesn't collapse and ruin what you've just strained. I usually use a large piece and make a large dip in it inside the picture so there is lots of room inside. I lean one edge of the cloth-covered pitcher to keep it from falling in and hold the rest with my free hand. Pour a little at a time and then pull the cheesecloth up and squeeze it. (Make sure you wash your hands first!!!) Throw away the excess pulp, rinse your cheesecloth and repeat. I have also heard of someone who uses automobile filters with elastic on the edges to make it easier. I like to strain mine twice.

Add the salt and mix in, then store your milk in the fridge and remember that it has no preservatives so it will not last as long as store-bought products. I like to keep it in a pitcher with those handy pumps on the lid because the milk settles and separates over time. I also prefer to use glass to store my food to avoid plastic leaching into my food.

[ETA 3/16/12]:  I used my tax return to buy a commercial blender. I got an Xtreme blender but you could also get a Vitamix or Blendtec or a similar one. With this blender I do not have to strain the rice milk at all. (Hooray!) I do add a little extra water because it is much thicker. But the bonus is that you are not straining out all the fiber and nutrients from the almonds and coconut.

No Bake Cookies-Dairy/Gluten free

1 3/4 c white sugar
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 c rice milk
1/4 c butter
1/4 c shortening*
1/4 c peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 c gluten-free quick oats**

*I use this only if I am using non-hydrogenated butter, otherwise I use 1/2 c butter or margarine
**I want to try this using quinoa, sweet rice, or some other grain because my kids don't tolerate even gluten-free oats very well. I bet it's really good with sweet rice.

Melt sugar, cocoa, butter, shortening, and peanut butter in a pan. Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Add oats or other grain. Stir for 2-3 minutes while the grain absorbs moisture. Drop with a large spoon on a pan covered with wax paper and cool in refrigerator.

Chinese Sweet Rice Balls--a naturally gluten, milk, and soy-free treat

I recently bought some Chinese red rice to try for a little variety. I didn't find much on that but I stumbled across this recipe for Sweet Rice Balls that intrigued me. I'm always looking for easy recipes for my kids so I decided to try it. Result: BIG SUCCESS! They were a big hit and really easy to make.

Filling:
1/3 c peanut butter (or sesame, almond, or other desired nut butter)
1/4 c powdered sugar
rice, soy, or cow's milk to desired consistency

Stir powdered sugar into peanut butter and if necessary, add a small amount of liquid if it get's too thick and clumpy. You should be able to pick up and shape the peanut butter with your fingers. I used a knife to place pieces onto the balls.


Shells:

1 cup freshly ground sweet rice flour*
4-6 oz water
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
1/8 c fine ground flour of your choice (I used corn, but sorghum might be really good)
(optional) a nice health idea that I haven't tried yet is to add a small amount of ground flax seed


*I don't store flour, I store whole grains so I used a coffee grinder to grind sweet rice kernels (and it's so much cheaper!). You can use any kind of glutinous rice (does not contain actual gluten, it just means it's sticky). The coffee grinder is an easy way to grind a small amount of grain but it makes the flour a little bit coarse. This is why I had to add xanthan gum and another fine ground flour. If you use Mochiko or a store bought flour you can probably just use water and flour with no additional ingredients.

Fill a medium saucepan halfway full of water and begin to heat. Combine rice flour and water until it forms a large sticky ball. I mixed it with my hands. If the mixture is not sticking add the xanthan gum and other flour until it forms a ball. roll out the ball into a long "snake" and cut into 1/2" circles with a knife. Smash the circles flat and place a small amount of peanut butter filling onto the circles. Wrap the dough around the peanut butter and form small balls. When the water is boiling, place the balls into the water. They will float when they are done. It took mine about 5 minutes. These are best if served while warm.

Syrup: 
This is traditionally served with a fermented rice soup or brown sugar and ginger soup poured over the top. I'm trying to pack my kids with calories so I made a brown sugar and ginger syrup to pour over ours.

1/2 c brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground ginger*
1/4 c water

*You can also use a slice or two of fresh ginger instead.

Stir brown sugar and ginger together in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Pour over rice balls and serve.

Book Review: Special Needs Kids Eat Right

This is not a book review I wrote. This is one a friend of mine wrote but I needed to share it. Please read it: http://freelifeglutenfree.blogspot.com/2011/08/special-needs-kids-eat-right-book.html

I took her recommendation and got a copy of this book. It is helpful for any child with bowel problems, not just kids with disabilities. Although I found it even more helpful because I do see some elements of Asperger's in my son, I just have not found it necessary to seek a diagnosis.

The book talks about how nutrition significantly affects the functioning of children and their ability to focus, learn, and grow. She addresses specific issues children with Autism and ADHD face nutritionally and gives steps for restoring nutritional health in children. Proper nutrition can make medications work more effectively, or eliminate the need for medications at all. I highly recommend it.

Gravy and Biscuits with Mashed Potatoes--dairy, soy, gluten free

Biscuits

I just found the most fantastic biscuit recipe. I've never been able to get one to work very well. I got it from this link and made a few adaptations: http://iamglutenfree.blogspot.com/2010/10/most-amazing-biscuits-gluten-free-egg.html


1 1/2c. flour of your choice (I used brown rice and coconut)
1/4 c. potato starch
1/4 c. tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2/3 c. rice milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice (or milk of your choice)
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. oil

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add lemon juice to milk and set aside. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Form a hole in the center of the mixture and add liquid ingredients to the "hole". With a spoon (not a whisk or the batter will get stuck inside) slowly stir dry ingredients into the liquid until fully mixed. Batter will be very thick. With a 1/4 cup measuring cup form biscuits and place them on the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes. For me this recipe made 10 biscuits.

Sausage Gravy:

This can be really fattening, but in our house that is a good thing. My kids do not get enough calories so we are looking for many ways to increase their calorie intake and get them growing again. You can use less grease if this is too much for your taste.

1 lb ground sausage
abt 1 cup milk
abt 1/4 c potato flour
salt
ground pepper
herbs of your choice

Cook 1lb ground sausage in a frying pan. remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside. Using about 3tbsp leftover grease (to desired taste and fat content). Add milk and heat. Slowly add potato flour, stirring constantly until desired thickness. Add about 1/4-1/2 tsp salt and ground pepper to taste. The sausage should add plenty of flavor, but if not add herbs of your own to enhance flavor. Add some of the sausage back in if desired.

Mashed Potatoes: 


I don't like using rice milk in my potatoes so I usually pull some potatoes out after they have been boiled for my dairy-intolerant kids and use cow's or goat's milk for the rest of us.

Boil potatoes until tender (at least 1 potato per person). Drain. For dairy-intolerant kids add rice milk and dairy-free butter substitute and mash until creamy. For dairy-eaters add sour cream and milk to taste. You could also use plain yogurt. Serve with gravy and biscuits. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free All Purpose Flatbread--by Mary Brown

I recently sent in a children's book manuscript modeled after my son Barrett with his experiences living gluten-free around other children. My book (currently titled That Will Make You Sick but that will probably change), was accepted by Tate Publishing and given a production date. After having a discussion with my publisher they informed me they had just published a Gluten-Free cook book and sent me a free copy:

Going Gluten-Free: Breads and Baked Goods with Mary Brown

I have only tried this flatbread recipe, but it is just perfect for making sandwiches, bread sticks, cinnamon bread, pizza, and much more! I have made a few adaptations, as usual, but the original is very good too.

dry:

1 1/2c brown rice flour

3/4 c gluten-free oat flour (or white rice flour)

3/4 c tapioca starch

3 tbsp potato starch

3 tsp sorghum flour

3 tsp cornstarch

3 1/2 Tbsp sugar

3 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/8 tsp unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 tsp yeast

liquid:

1 1/2 c water with 3 tsp sugar dissolved

3 egg whites

1 1/2 tsp egg yolk

3/8 cup corn oil

1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Take the yeast and eggs out of the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature. (You can warm the eggs faster if you place them in a bowl of warm water).

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Grease pan (I use a jelly roll pan).

Mix yeast and sugar water in your mixing bowl and let sit until it foams.

Separate the eggs from the whites. (Google it if you don't know how, there are lots of ways to do this).

After the yeast is foaming add the required amount of eggs, oil, and vinegar and mix. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix. (I use the bread arm on my Bosch but I bet a paddle attachment on any mixer would also work well). Beat for 10 minutes.

Spread dough (looks like a really thick batter) in the pan and let rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour. (I have cheated and done it for less--the bread is just flatter and more dense).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

When bread is risen bake for 20-24 minutes. (The instructions say to release immediately and cool upside down on cooling racks, but I have never done this).

Cut the pieces to whatever size you want. Use right away or freeze for later use.

Best Brownies Ever!

This recipe is adapted from my friend's Blondie recipe, which is also fabulous.

1 cup packed brown sugar*

1 cup white sugar

2/3 cup dairy-free margarine

1/2 cup cocoa

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups gf flour blend (I used 1/4 cup tapioca starch, 1/8 c potato starch, 1/2 +1/8 c sweet rice flour, 1 c GF oat flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

optional add-ins: 1-1 1/4 cups of total of dairy-free chocolate chips, walnut pieces, coconut, etc.

*The brown sugar seems to be the key to what makes these so good. It helps cover up the rice flour taste and makes the brownies more moist.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13x9x2 pan, set aside. Melt sugar, butter, and cocoa. In a separate bowl mix together flour blend, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add cocoa mixture, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in any additional add-ins you desire.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan. Cut into bars while warm. Makes 24 bars.

Tom Kha Gai--Chicken, Coconut, Galangal Soup

This is one of my favorite gluten/dairy-free dishes. I make it soy free as well by leaving out the soy sauce. (I'm not sure if fish sauce has soy or not, but the thought of it makes my stomach turn so I don't use that either).

Adapted from From Our House to Yours: Comfort Food to Give and Share

‎1-2 lbs cubed chicken
1 19oz can of coconut milk (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups chicken broth
4 fresh lemon grass stalks, sliced into 4 or 5 pieces and bruised
20 quarter-sized slices of galangal
12 kaffir lime leaves

2 cups water
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
fresh cilantro to taste

Toss all but the green onions, lime juice, and cilantro in a pot and boil it until the chicken is cooked. Stir in onions, lime juice, and cilantro. Remove the lemon grass, galangal, and lime leaves before serving.

Product Review: King Arthur Brownie Mix

I had a brownie craving the other day and found a Brownie Mix by King Arthur at the grocery store. (Give me a break, I'm 8 months pregnant!) I have been really pleased with the King Arthur chocolate cake mix so I decided to try the brownies. I had some guests over for dinner who were not gluten intolerant when I made this mix.

The good:

• tasted really good--especially with ice cream on top!
• very fast and easy to make
• King Arthur produces their products in a facility free of the top 8 allergens--that means no soy or dairy so my son can eat them!
• our guests never gave an inkling that they suspected I was feeding them gluten-free food. The subject would never have even come up if they hadn't asked about my son's milk allergy.

The not-so-good:

• They totally fell apart. They might work better if you let them cool completely, but then you lose the sensation of warm, fresh-baked brownies.
• They were really good, but not quite as good as the "gluten" brownies I used to crave.
• The mix only makes an 8x8 pan--hardly enough for a pregnant woman and her dinner guests. :)
• It's over $4 for one box

I think the brownies would be improved by the addition of chocolate chips. Especially if you like a sweeter flavor, adding milk chocolate chips would sweeten them up a little.

Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free Orange Rolls

I tried to make orange syrup to put on my pancakes the other day. It didn't really work at all. But I couldn't let it go to waste so I decided to make it into a glaze and put it on some orange rolls. I found a recipe that looked promising at Lauraleacooks.com. I tried it and it tasted really good. I'll post what I did below. BUT WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE BREAD RISE?!? I always end up with dense lumps instead of bread or rolls.

Despite the density though, these do taste pretty darn good.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice milk

1/2 cup oil

1/2 c granulated sugar

2 1/2 c GF flour (I used 1 cup oat, 1 cup brown rice, and 1/2 cup sweet rice flour)

3/4 c potato starch

3/4 c tapioca starch

4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp yeast

grated rind of 1 orange (I would actually recommend using 2 oranges because 1 didn't seem like enough to me)

3 eggs, room temperature

Glaze:

1/4 c orange juice

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tbsp softened soy/dairy free margarine or butter

1 1/2 c confectioners sugar

grated orange rind (optional)

Directions for dough:

Set eggs out in a bowl of warm water until they are room temperature. Scald the milk (heat until just before boiling point), then remove from heat and add oil. Let cool until it is lukewarm.

Mix sugar, flour, starches, xanthan gum, and salt, in a bowl. (I use a Bosch mixer with a bread arm, but you can also mix and knead by hand if you don't have a Bosch or Kitchen-Aid type contraption). Pour yeast evenly on top of flour mixture. When milk is lukewarm, pour it over the yeast. Crack the eggs over the top of the whole mixture and sprinkle in orange rind. Mix with the bread arm for 10 minutes or until flour is fully mixed in (or knead until flour is mixed in).

Put oil on your hands and seperate the dough into two balls. Rub outside with bowl or pour oil in the bottom of your bowl and roll the balls in the oil until it is completely covered. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise.

The original recipe said to let it rise until double, but mine had not doubled after two hours so I gave up and moved on to the next step:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x12 pans and separate and roll out dough into about 24 balls and lay them in the pans. Let rolls rise until they have doubled again. (Mine did rise more, but not double and I was starving so I just cooked them after about 30-40 minutes). Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Directions for glaze:

Mix softened margarine with almond extract and orange rind and slowly blend in orange juice. Slowly blend in the sugar until the desired consistency is reached. If you want a stronger orange flavor you can use a more concentrated orange juice. When rolls are cooled, drizzle glaze over the top of all of them.

*You can also include something like dried cranberries or blueberries in the bread dough, or fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries in the glaze.

Gluten/Soy/Milk Free Gingerbread House

I used to love making graham cracker houses with my family when I was a kid. I made my husband and foreign exchange student make them a few years ago even though none of us were kids because I love doing it so much. I was sad when I realized that I couldn't do that anymore.

But this year I learned that I actually had two choices. I could uses Kinikinnik Smoreables to build houses with, or I could try to make my own gingerbread. Since it would take a whole lot of Smoreables to build a house I opted to try to make my own gingerbread for the first time ever! I searched the internet and found this recipe and was going to try it because the almond meal sounded good. However, a friend of mine posted a different recipe and I had both up at the same time. I accidentally started following my friend's recipe instead so I just went with that one, with a few adaptations. I'll try the other one next year. ;) The recipe as I used it is posted below.

For candy we used various gluten-free cereals, cashews, Glutino pretzels (they contain soy lecithin but my son never reacts to the lecithin so we still use them), spice drops, Nerds, Skittles, M&M's (for my dairy-eating daughter), and gummy bears.

I'm not sure why Blogger keeps inserting this picture upside down but I'm tired of trying to fix it so you'll just have to use your imagination.

Recipe:

2/3 c sweet rice flour*

2/3 + 1/4 c gluten free oat flour (I use a grinder to grind up Bob's GF oats)

2/3 + 1/4 c almond meal

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca starch

*If you grind your own flour you may want to add just a touch of extra liquid to the recipe and let the dough sit for a little while to soak up the moisture.

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c molasses

1 1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 c palm oil shortening

1 egg, beaten (I haven't tried it with egg replacer but I might next time because it turns out that my son is still having problems with egg).

Directions:

In a saucepan, mix sugar, molasses, ginger, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, mix flour mixture together in a mixing bowl. Once sugar mixture is boiling, remove it from heat and stir in soda (it will foam up). Melt in shortening. Slowly stir in flour mixture. Knead dough until fully mixed.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lay out plastic wrap or parchment paper on rolling surface. (Some recommend to use a floured surface but for me it worked better to just use plastic wrap.) Divid the dough into two equal portions. Set one aside with a wet towel over it to keep it from drying up. Smash the other flat and lay it on rolling surface. Place plastic wrap over the top and roll it until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

Create pattern pieces using wax paper (don't use mailing envelopes like I tried, because you won't be able to peel the paper off the dough). You can draw your own or look one up on the internet. Place the pattern over your dough, cut it out, and move it to a greased cookie sheet. They shift a bit when you move them so you may have to trim them later.

Bake for about 12 minutes. Let them cool for just a minute and then move them to a cooling rack. (Don't wait too long or you will regret it, they harden pretty fast and it is difficult to get them off without breaking them).

For me, this recipe made two houses with pieces about 4x6 inches, and four gingerbread men. Except that I was short one piece on one of my houses so it probably would not have made any gingerbread men if I had remembered the last piece.

Next you need to make frosting to put the house together. I used Royal Frosting this time, but it's not going to cut it next year because like I said earlier, I found out my son still doesn't handle eggs well. The egg-white in the frosting was just too much for him. But for you...here it is:

2 egg whites

2 tsp lemon juice

3 c powdered sugar

Put egg whites and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Beat until the mixture is frothy.

Add the powdered sugar and beat in. Once the sugar is mixed in well enough that it doesn't fly all over the place, beat on high until the frosting is shiny and it peaks.


Spoon it into a frosting bag and cover what you do not use with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out.

Now you are ready to put your house together. Do this the day before you plan to decorate it so it has time to dry up and gather strength.

I had a really hard time putting mine together because I didn't trim the pieces and they weren't stable enough to stay up. Finally I gave up and trimmed all the edges straight with a serrated knife. I had my son hold up one wall while I attached others to it for stability. I made the base and left the roof for later because I didn't want to take any chances.

In the picture at the top you will also notice that one roof is different from the other. That is because I forgot to make one piece and so I used Kinikinnik Smoreables to finish it off. I thought they made a pretty cute roof so maybe next year I will make the house out of gingerbread and use crackers for the top. That way there will be enough dough leftover to make a few more gingerbread men.

Also, after I discovered my son got sick off of royal frosting, I made a new kind to attach the candy with. It didn't really work all that well but it was enough to get a 4 and 2 year old through the process. I just mixed powdered sugar with rice milk and made it really thick. I left out the shortening/butter because those don't really dry out. I also added blue food coloring so my son could tell the difference between "safe" and "not safe" frosting.

I found a recipe that supposedly worked really well but I didn't try it. It called for glycerine and I was hesitant to put something that is commonly used in soaps and lotions in my frosting. Maybe next year though. ;)

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie 2010 (soy/milk free version)

Last year I posted egg-free recipes, but my kids tolerate eggs now--at least in baking--so this year I am going with the Libby's world-famous pumpkin pie recipe from the back of the can of Libby's pumpkin. The recipe is on the back of the can but I'll type it up here so you will have it handy. You can use any pumpkin you want, but I have to say that I have never been satisfied with any other brand (or even fresh pumpkin) other than Libby's.

This recipe makes two pies. All I had to do to make it soy/dairy free is to substitute the evaporated milk with evaporated rice milk. The instructions below are how to make a soy/dairy/gluten free pie:

Step 1: evaporated milk

Pour about 64oz plain rice milk(2 boxes) or SoDelicious Coconut Milk into a large pan (at least twice as high as your liquid so your milk doesn't boil over). Simmer on med-high heat, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan. Boil it down until it reaches 12 oz--less than half of what you started with. This will take at least as long as it takes to prepare everything else.

(You can also do this with soy milk, but you will probably not need as much because soy milk is typically thicker than rice milk).

Step 2: pie crust

recipe adapted from the Gluten-Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman

1/2 c tapioca starch

1/2 c corn starch

1/4 c potato starch

1 rounded tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c soy-free margarine

1/2 c palm oil shortening

1/4 tsp imitation butter flavoring (optional)

1 egg, cold

1 tbsp GF vinegar

4 tbsp ice water (if you use only 3 tbsp you don't need to chill the dough)

sweet rice flour for rolling

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in margarine and shortening until the mixture pieces are about the size of lima beans. With a fork, beat the egg, vinegar, and ice water together and stir into the batter. It will slowly get thicker as you stir. form it into a ball (or as close as you can get) and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Refrigerate for at least 30 min, while you prepare the rest of the pies.

After the dough is chilled, reform it into a "brick" and divide it into how many pieces you need. (It makes three thin crusts or two thick ones). Lay out two pieces of saran wrap (connected at the edge to give you a large rolling surface) on your table or counter top and sprinkle rice flour or tapioca starch on top to prevent dough from sticking. Spread out dough as much as you can with your hands and lay it on the saran wrap. (You can also use parchment or wax paper but saran wrap is the easiest for getting the crust into the pan). Place another piece of saran wrap over the crust and roll until the size of your pie tin. Slowly peel off the saran wrap and lay a thinly greased pie tin upside-down over the crust. Carefully place your hand underneath and flip the pan and crust right-side-up. Peel off saran wrap and shape crust onto pan. With a fork, poke holes all over the crust to prevent it from bubbling up.

Step 3: pie filling

1 1/2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

4 large eggs

1 29 oz can pumpkin puree

24 oz evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix powder ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Beat eggs into pumpkin a little at a time. Slowly beat in the powder mixture. Set aside until your evaporated rice milk has finished boiling and has cooled a little bit. Once milk is ready, slowly mix into the pumpkin mixture and then pour into pie crust.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40-50 more minutes (I usually have to do it 55-60 minutes--not sure if that's because of the rice milk or the high altitude where I live) or until a knife comes out clean.

Gluten-Free Fruit Cobbler

I combined two different recipes for this cobbler. The filling comes from about.com and the breading comes from celiac.com.

Filling:

4 cups chopped fruit
1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cup water or juice from canned fruit

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Topping:

1 cup GF flour (I used 1/2 cup GF oat, 1/4 c rice, 1/4 c potato starch)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 c rice/soy/cow milk or buttermilk

Abt 2 tbsp butter, margarine, or soy/dairy-free buttery spread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x9 baking pan and place the fruit in the bottom of the pan. In a saucepan, sift sugar, corn starch and cinnamon. Add lemon juice and water or juice from can and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil at medium-hi heat until thick and bubbly. Pour over or mix with the fruit in the baking pan. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Slowly mix in milk with a whisk. Pour over fruit/filling mixture and dollop with butter or butter substitute. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. (Only insert the toothpick as far as the batter goes. Do not push it all the way down to the fruit).

Scallop Squash

I grew this in my garden just for fun and I have finally figured out what to do with it. This recipe turned out really good--and it is wide open for variation! I didn't actually measure any of it, so my ingredient list is a ball-park guess. Really you just put in what you like, and how much you like of it.

4 white bush squash (you could probably use butternut or acorn squash as well)

8 slices of bacon (or 10 if you peel off the fat).

1/2 onion, diced

1 c bread crumbs or crushed cereal or chips(I used rice and corn Chex)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp marjoram or rosemary

1 egg (optional, or you could use two eggs if you want the filling to be more firm)

1/2 c Parmesan cheese (optional)

10 cherry tomatoes cut in half (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut open the top of the squash and scrape out the innards like you would when carving a pumpkin and set aside. (If you want to speed up cooking you can cook them for a few minutes in the microwave while you prepare the filling). Cook the bacon and chop it up (I used pre-cooked). Add onions, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and marjoram or rosemary and mix together. Mix in egg and cheese. Stir in tomatoes if desired. Scoop into squash and place the lid back on top. Fill a baking dish or pan with a small amount of water on bottom and place squash in the pan. Bake for 45 min to an hour, until the inside of the squash is tender.

Variations: try mixing in cottage cheese or softened cream cheese. Experiment with different herbs such as lemon and dill, Italian herbs etc. Use rice or quinoa instead of bread crumbs. The possibilities are endless!

Tips for Testing the Diet Change

If you suspect you or your child has gluten-intolerance here are a few tips:

• The gluten protein is very similar to casein in milk and soy protein. It is often wise to avoid those as well too--at least at first.
• You can try a few approaches, depending on what sounds most overwhelming to you:
• 1. Eliminate just gluten, and if there is still a problem eliminate other potential irritants one at a time. This can take a long time and patience, but for some people gradual is easier.
• 2. Eliminate one or more of the main potential irritants and gradually reintroduce them, watching for reactions. (i.e., milk and gluten; milk, soy and gluten; etc). Don't introduce new foods for at least a month--three months is better. It can be overwhelming to try to figure out how to feed you or your child like this, but it is a more certain approach than #1.
• 3. Go to a very basic diet of rice, rice milk, fruits and vegetables, and basic meats with no add-ins (like avoid sausage and watch out for tuna because it sometimes has soybean oil). Introduce foods one at a time and watch for reactions. Don't introduce new foods for at least a month--three months is better. This can also be overwhelming for the same reasons as #2. But then there is no question as to what caused the reaction.
• Be very careful of cross-contamination. Gluten is sticky and even the smallest trace can cause a reaction in some people.
• It might get better before it gets worse. There may be withdrawal symptoms, similar to that of a drug. The body will not be used to it. (That never happened to us but I have seen it happen to others).
• Don't give up! Once you get a system down and get your house stocked with "strange" ingredients it will be relatively easy to make substitutions and get by.
• Keep a food/symptom journal to make sure you get accurate information. It can help a doctor with diagnosis as well.
• Just because medical tests come up negative doesn't mean there isn't a gluten problem. If you feel better--that's a pretty good indication that the diet is working, regardless of the diagnosis. Gluten-intolerance is hard to pick up by tests.

My New Favorite GF Pizza Recipe

The pepperoni-only portion of this pizza has soy-free rice cheese on it. Apparently my son does not like the rice cheese baked so I would recommend leaving it off and just putting sauce and other toppings.

I have been very unimpressed with most GF pizza recipes I have tried. Last night I searched for a new one and found one that I really liked. It actually would have made a fabulous dessert pizza (with cinnamon and glaze...mmmm!) as well. (If you want this one less sweet then leave out the sugar and use the original recommendation of millet and rice flour instead of oat and sorghum like I used).

I adapted this recipe from GlutenFreeMommy.

2 Tablespoons almond meal
2 eggs (I used 1 egg and 1 egg's worth of egg replacer because I ran out of eggs)
2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Honey

1/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup oat flour (I actually used 1/2 c oat and 1/2 cub Bob's all purpose flour, just to get rid of the extra Bob's I had)
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon sugar for proofing yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water

1/2 cup warm water

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix liquid ingredients together and set aside until room temperature. Do not mix it in with dry ingredients cold.
3. Combine all the dry ingredients and sift together in a bowl.
4. In a separate small bowl, place your yeast and the teaspoon of sugar. Mix with about 1/4 cup of the heated water, stir, and let it sit for a few minutes. Once you know the yeast is active, proceed with the recipe. At this point, you want to double check and make sure all your ingredients have come to room temperature.
5. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.
6. Add the yeast mixture.
7. You want the dough to look like stiff cake batter. The dough should hold the swirls of the mixer, but it should be shiny and not dull. Add the rest of the water slowly until the right consistency is achieved.
8. Grease pan or grease parchment paper and place on a pan. With a cake scraper, slowly spread the pizza dough batter in a 12-13 inch circle. You want the batter to be evenly distributed. Cover your hands in olive oil and shape the edges like you want them. If you find your hands getting too sticky get a little more olive oil on your hands. You don’t want your dough to be too wet, so be careful.
9. You can either let the dough rise and then cook it, or bake the crust as is. I baked mine at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
10. Then add toppings and place back in the oven until toppings are heated and/or melted

Gluten-Free Bread Experiments

For a long time I had given up on the bread idea altogether. I couldn't find anything that tasted good enough to make me want to spend the money on it. I couldn't really use any of it for sandwiches because it wouldn't stay together, and never tasted very good after the first day it was opened/made. But I have been CRAVING bread lately (probably because I am pregnant now :) ). A friend of mine told me she found a recipe that made delicious, chewy bread that stays together. I was skeptical but desperate so I tried it.

She was RIGHT! I smelled good, tasted good for multiple days, and stayed together!

I will credit the author of the book the recipe came from just as soon as I can find out. I'm hoping to buy a copy and try some other recipes from it as well.

Stir together:
¾ C brown rice flour (I used GF oat flour, my friend uses a mix of rice and oat).
2/3 C potato starch
2/3 C tapioca flour
2 tsp potato flour
2 ½ xanthan gum
2 tsp egg replacer
1 tsp salt
2 tsp (1 pck) unflavored gelatin
1/3 C almond meal (or grind up some almonds)
1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp yeast
Put yeast on top of powder mixture

Stir together in separate bowl:
1 ¼ C warm water
1 tsp vinegar
1 ½ tsp olive oil

Pour on top of yeast and let it sit for three minutes.
Mix everything together on low speed.

Add two egg whites
Mix until combined and beat on high speed for five minutes.

Grease a loaf pan
Spoon into pan and let rise for 20 min. (texture is really sticky, thick)
Smooth it out with wet fingers or greased spatula
As bread is rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees
Bake for about an hour, covering with aluminum foil after first 10 minutes.*

*I didn't have very good success with the foil thing. Next time I am going to cook it uncovered and put foil on for the last 10 minutes. If you don't do it right the crust is way too hard and the middle is doughy. (Still tastes good though).

King Arthur's Bread Mix--Product Review





This tasted pretty good, but it was not as "normal" as the bread recipe above. It almost has the texture of angel food cake, but it stays together better than most GF bread mixes. It also stayed soft after several days. I know mine doesn't look very professional, but that's because I wasn't very careful about smoothing it out in the pan. It made decent toast. It still probably wouldn't work very well for sandwitches because it is still pretty dense and falls apart under pressure. I didn't try doing it though so I could be wrong.

Superb Sweet and Sour Chicken: gluten-free

Sweet 'n' Sour chicken from the Chinese restaurants is one of the things I missed the most after going gluten-free. I've spent a lot of time, with the help of my wonderful husband, trying to perfect this recipe. I admit it is not a replica of what's in the restaurants, but in my opinion it tastes much better--and I know it's good for me!

Breading

3/4 c rice flour

3/4 c potato flour

1/4 c paprika

2 tbsp garlic salt

1 tsp white pepper

2 tbsp dried oregano

Shake ingredients together in a plastic bag until well mixed. Pour about 1/3 of the mix on a clean plate and leave the rest in the bag.

Egg Mixture--Standard

3 eggs

1/3 c milk

Egg Mixture--Dairy Free

3 eggs

1/3 c water

Egg/Dairy-free Version

4 tbsp milled flax seed

4tbsp water (or according to directions with your seed for replacement of 4 eggs)

water*

Add water until it has the consistency of slightly watered down eggs. The flax doesn't work quite as well as real eggs but I've had pretty good success with it.

Chicken Cots

2 chicken breasts or the equivalent of meat

breading mix

egg/flax mixture

1/2 inch oil heated in a wok or pan*

Clean plate lined with clean paper towels.

Rinse chicken and cut into bite size pieces and pat dry. I usually put the pieces on a plate lined with paper towels as I cut so excess water gets absorbed quickly. Once pieces have excess water removed, put them in the bag of breading mix. Seal the bag tight and shake it vigorously until all the chicken pieces are coated. Dip chicken pieces in egg/flax mixture and set on plate with flour mixture. (You can dump the rest of the mixture from the bag onto the plate. Make sure cots are completely covered with flour mixture and drop into heated oil. Cook until breading is golden brown and the meat on top starts to turn white. Flip the pieces over and repeat until chicken is cooked all the way through. (Make sure the oil does not get too hot or you will get burnt breading with raw chicken in the middle. Always cut a piece or two in half to make sure they are cooked all the way through). Place cooked cots on the paper towel-lined plate.

*oil is ready for cooking when you toss a pinch of flour in the pan and the oil sizzles vigorously.

Sweet 'N' Sour Sauce

1/2 c white vinegar

1/3 c white sugar

1/3 c brown sugar

1 20 oz can pineapple chunks with juice

1/3 c ketchup

1 tsp ginger

2 tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp cold water

1 large bell pepper

1 garlic clove

1 onion

Chop onion and pepper into bite size pieces and sauté in leftover oil from chicken with pressed garlic clove. Cook until tender. Meanwhile. Put ketchup and ginger in sauce pan and slowly stir in vinegar. Heat with sugar and pineapple until it gently boils. Mix corn starch and water in a cup and when sauce is hot, slowly pour into sauce pan. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Add peppers and onions. Serve with rice and chicken cots.

DON'T FORGET TO COOK RICE TO GO WITH YOUR MEAL! I prefer Jasmine rice.

Almond Milk Recipe

A friend of mine gave me this recipe saying it was far better than any store bought milk you can buy. He was absolutely right! I adapted the recipe to have more calories for my calorie-deprived son.

Original:

1 cup unsalted, uncooked almonds

6-8 dates

6 cups water

Instructions:

Blend almonds and 3 cups water. Add remaining ingredients. Then add three more cups water. Strain through cheesecloth.

And it's that simple! One small problem is that most blenders can't handle these proportions. I usually cut the recipe in half and do it twice to get the requisite amount of almondmilk.

My adaptation:

1 cup unsalted, uncooked almonds

6-8 dates

5 cups water

1/4 c sugar

Next time I think I will add 1/2 tsp vanilla and perhaps a tough of oil to increase the calories.

Instructions:

Blend almonds and 1 cups water. Add dates and 1/2 cup water. Blend. Add dates, sugar, and vanilla and add liquid a little at a time. Strain through a fine strainer or cheesecloth. The milk is very foamy so I actually poured it into one of those gravy separators first:

That helped keep the foam from blocking the strainer completely.