Adopt a Gluten-free Blogger

I'm really excited to participate in Adopt a Gluten-free Blogger, by Sea at the Book of Yum.  I chose a holiday recipe from Jeena at Jeenas Kitchen. Jeena calls it Christmas Cake. I only had to make two small changes to the recipe. I used 8 chopped dry prunes since I don't think we have canned prunes in the US (at least not that I know of) and I omitted the white powdered sugar, since I don't use it. 

This cake reminded me a lot of fruit cake due to all of the dried fruit, only I liked it more than most fruit cakes I've tried. It also reminded me a lot of pie because it was so moist and chewy, as you can tell by the last two pictures. I am going to try her Onion Bhaji and Mango & Coconut Cake next. 

Cheers, Kelly

A little update on this recipe: My 4 and 6 year olds had it for breakfast, as did I, and it was even better after sitting in the fridge over night! We all loved it! Yum! 

Go Ahead Honey! Food From Your Childhood

Nooshin, of For the Love of Food, is kind enough to host the November roundup of Naomi's Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free! Her theme for November is Food From Your Childhood. With Thanksgiving in November, I didn't even have have to think. I instantly knew what food from my childhood I wanted to create - gluten-free and casein-free: Green Bean Cassarole.

I'm going to take a wild guess here, and say I believe this popular American classic was created by Campbell's Soup. Please correct me if I'm wrong (as I haven't done any research :-)). We had this dish at pretty much every holiday in my house growing up, and at no other time of the year. It was always my favorite, my stand-by. If all else failed to be edible, there would always be Green Bean Casserole.

Now that I'm an adult with children of my own, I not only want to serve up this tradition in my own home, but make it healthier. Basically everything in the original is from a can: the green beans, the cream of mushroom soup, the fried onions. Talk about a cheap date.

This side dish was unhealthy, cheap and calling it easy to make would be an understatement. It was practically instant. My own version, which rocks my world by the way, has none of these attributes. The amount of processed ingredients in my gluten-free, casein-free version is minimal, and mine contains organic green beans and onions, and home-made cashew milk sauce. Though it takes a while to prepare, it's well worth the effort, I promise you. I will be making it at every holiday, like my Mom did. Just thinking about my healthy, gluten-free, casein-free version of green bean casserole makes my mouth water!

Green Bean Casserole:

Steam 8 cups of fresh chopped green beans for 10 minutes. (then I put them in the fridge to insure they stop cooking, until I'm ready for them)

Lightly saute 16 oz of fresh sliced mushrooms.

Caramelize 3 onions in coconut oil or ghee. (make sure there is plenty of fat so they don't burn)

Add the above ingredients to a bowl.

Make a roux:

Add 4 tbs of brown rice flour to 4 tbs of coconut oil or ghee in a pre-heated pot. Stir.

Whisk in 2 and 1/2 cups of room temperature cashew milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, allowing it to thicken in between.

Break two eggs into a large glass measuring cup, and temper them with the rue:

Add a splash of the hot sauce to the eggs while beating them, to bring them up to temperature without scrambling them. Slowly continue adding the sauce to the eggs while beating.

Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp Herbamare seasoning, and a few cranks of ground pepper to the sauce.

Combine sauce and veggies.

Pour into baking dish.

Toast 4 Brown Rice Tortillas in the oven.

Add the toasted tortillas to the food processor in pieces, as well as 2 tbs coconut oil or ghee, and 1/2 tsp salt. Puree.

Top the casserole with the crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Thanksgiving! Outside the Breadbox Pie

Before I became a health-nut or knew I was celiac, I used to love to eat pastries at breakfast. Turnovers, scones, croissant, danish, doughnuts, you name it, I ate it every day, just about. Since those days have long been replaced with smoothies mostly (and you know I love my smoothies!), I sometimes long for my old ways, even just once in a while.

When Ashley and I went to the local health food store for Thanksgiving supplies, I was stopped, literally, by a table near the doors, featuring these pies. I think I had them once before, maybe from Berry Best Smoothies, but I had totally forgotten about them. They are from a gluten-free bakery in Colorado Springs, called Outside the Breadbox. 

I have become so accustomed to making almost everything myself, that I hesitated to "cheat" and buy a store-bought dessert. Can you believe that? I quickly snapped myself out of it though, and got one of each flavor - cherry, blackberry and apple. I'm so glad I did because, thrill of all thrills, we had pastries for breakfast on Thanksgiving! 

After breakfast we watched the not-so-live Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on tv. I got a kick out of seeing the James Taylor, The Rockettes, and the Hello Kitty float.

When we started getting hungry again, we made almond stuffed, bacon wrapped dates. If you eat meat, and you've never tried these, please do! They are beyond amazing! Simply remove the pits, stuff with whole almonds, wrap with a third slice of bacon, pin with a tooth pick, and bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Product Spotlight - Vitol Egg Protein Powder

As I posted last week, Heather is having a Gluten-free Products Spotlight Holiday Edition from now through December 22. She is inviting all of us to join her in featuring gluten-free and allergy-free products every Monday. This week I think you may be a little surprised by my favorite gluten-free product, Vitol Egg Protein Powder.

This is the best protein powder I have ever tried, even before I had food restrictions. It is absolutely delicious. My friend, Kris, and I were talking about it last week at a park day, which inspired me to nominate it for this week's spotlight. It tastes fantastic in any kind of shake, smoothie, or ice cream. Such a great alternative to dairy or soy protein. I can't say enough good things about it.

Cheers, Kelly

Ingredients:
Natural Pure Egg White Albumin (with a P.E.Rof 3.9) 100%, Natural Bee Pollen, Natural Papaya Enzymes (papain), Natural Pineapple Enzymes (bromelain), Natural Vanilla Flavoring

Homemade Potpourri vs. Scented Paraffin Candles

One of my favorite things to do in the late fall and winter is make homemade potpourri. And since avoiding toxins is vitally important to me for my family's health, it's a great alternative to scented paraffin candles. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), candles made of paraffin wax contain petroleum, a by-product of the oil industry, and emit inhalable toxins into the air which damage your lungs. These toxins can be carcinogenic and neurotoxic as well.

Homemade potpourri can be made without the use of toxins, pesticide, harsh chemicals like bleach, and artificial fragrances. It's especially important that the oranges be organic for this, since the peel is where pesticide is concentrated. You don't want to put pesticide into the air you breathe by simmering a peel like that. 

There is an another benefit to making your own potpourri as well: adding moisture to dry winter air inside your house. I keep this mixture over low heat and continue adding water as needed, creating a fantastic smell and moisture too. 

Above is Ashley spotting me taking pictures of our oranges, picking one up, and smelling it sweetly. Oranges are one of her favorite fruits. When I make this potpourri she eats the orange for me :-)

Add to pot:

2 organic orange peels

4 whole cloves

1 whole nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick

About 3 inches of water

Simmer

Other alternatives to paraffin candles include beeswax and soy:
100 % Soy Candles

Quinoa Flakes Cereal

My girlfriend, Heather, is having a Gluten-free Products Spotlight Holiday Edition from now through December 22. She is inviting all of us to join her in featuring gluten-free and allergy-free products every Monday. It's going to be really fun seeing everyone's favorite gluten-free and allergy-free products! I can't wait to find out about something new!

My favorite gluten-free product for this Monday is Quinoa Flakes. Quinoa is actually the seed of a plant which grows in the Andes Mountains of South America, though it is often mistaken for a grain. It supplies all the essential amino acids in a balanced pattern, making it a complete protein, unlike wheat, corn, or rice. You can buy quinoa whole and use it as a substitute for grains, or you can buy it as flakes, which I use for muffins and hot cereal. 

There are so many ways to make this yummy hot cereal, but here's how I like to do it:

For two adults, or one adult and two little girls :-)

Bring to boil:

2 cups purified water

1 cup of hemp or cashew milk

Add:

1 cup of dry quinoa flakes

Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly

Let the quinoa cool for about 5 minutes and it will continue to thicken. 

Stir in:

1 tbs xylitol 

1 tbs coconut oil

a pinch of sea salt

Top with Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. 

Variations: Top with dried fruit or nuts, cinnamon or a drizzle of honey.

Sweet Escape Pastries & The Rib House

I can not even begin to tell you all how excited I am right now! But first let me back up and explain how things came to be. We took Andrew's parents to The Rib House, where they have amazing gluten-free barbeque, and the owner told me that starting a week ago, he is now carrying Sweet Escape's gluten-free buns for his sandwiches. We ordered one, of course, and it was so good. After going to the website, we planned a trip to visit the bakery. Did I mention it's here in my hometown of Longmont? How excited am I? 

Anyway, back to the story. So this evening when Andrew finished work for the day, we bundled the kids up in their coats (it's really cold here after sunset) and drove over to the bakery. The chef and owner, a celiac herself, let us in, and as the door opened the smell of fresh baked bread wafted through the air. The kids played in the childrens play area, while Andrew and I asked for one pizza crust, 6 english muffins, and one french baguette. That's right french baguette my people!

We got in the car with our goodies, and start heading home, when we were stopped in town by the train passing through. Andrew took the opportunity to break open the french baguette, which was fresh from the oven, having only just been put in the freezer minutes before we arrived. He tore off a piece for each of the girls and handed one to me. As I began to eat, the first words out of my mouth were disbelief. "Is there wheat in this?" I asked. The answer was no. I proceeded to eat furiously while making other exclamations like, "Am I dreaming?" and "Can you believe this?" 

I have not had bread like this in years! Not since I ate wheat! I can't begin to tell you how good it is. Please try this bread and pass the message on to others. You wont believe it!

Cheers, Kelly

The Rib House

Sweet Escape Pastries

Pretzels

The last time I was at the airport I walked past one of those pretzel places. You know the ones that waft the smell of fresh hot baked wheat pretzels into the air? Ahhhh... I remembered how I used to get those in the mall years ago. I haven't had a hot fresh pretzel since. Until tonight. It wasn't even a conscious decision. I went food shopping this morning with my shopping partner, Ashley, and I grabbed a bag of Gillian's frozen pizza dough without really thinking. Then after dinner tonight Zoe said she was still hungry, as kids who don't like to eat much usually are. Looking into the fridge and seeing the thawed dough it just hit me - this stuff would make excellent pretzels! And it did. It rolled out so easily, and Zoe got a huge kick out of making her own pretzel. She even recalled a time when she went to a pre-school and the kids got to make pretzels, but she wasn't able to eat hers. She ate it tonight though :-) And dipped it in olive oil like her Mommy. Dipping it in olive oil, it also reminded me of the hot rolls that we used to get at Bertucci's ages ago. See for yourself, and let us know if you agree!

I baked them on unbleached parchment paper at 400 for about 15 minutes.