A guide to food buying for the newby Gluten Free Gal or Guy!

My mom and sister are both trying to go gluten free. They have constant headaches and Migraines and were ready to give it a try. My mom is about 1 week gluten free now and she said she is feeling GREAT! My sister is getting into it slowly and I will be making her gluten free meals this weekend to show her it is not tough and it is good! I thought I would put together a list of things that I wish I had when I first went Gluten Free. You will need these for most recipes.

Rice Flour
Brown Rice Flour
Tapioca Flour (Tapioca Starch is the same)
Corn Starch
Potato Starch (Potato Flour is different)
Sweet Rice Flour
Sorghum Flour
Baking Powder
Corn Meal
Millet Flour
Arrowwood Starch
Almond Flour
Xanthan Gum
AppleSauce
Oats

It seems overwhelming at first but once you get it all it is not soo bad. YES it is more expensive than buying normal flour but you will feel soo much better that you will figure a way to keep it in your budget. I get some of my flours (white rice, sweet rice, tapioca, potato) at the asian market for DIRT CHEAP. The rest of the items are either at the supermarket or Amazon.com is great for speciality flours!! I also bought lock n locks from QVC since I wanted my products to stay fresh.

Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan

I wanted to make something with Chicken and after going through the church cookbook I came up with this. I just modified it to work with a Gluten Free Diet. The result was great! Everyone in the house loved it and will remain on our menu.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed)

4 eggs, slightly beaten

3 cups of crushed rice or corn chex cereal

Seasoning of your choice. I use parmesan and garlic salt.

1 Jar spagetti sauce

1 cup shreaded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Dip the chicken in the beaten egg. Roll chicken into the crumbs/seasoning. Place in a greesed 13x9 glass baking dish. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Take out and pour spagetti sauce over chicken. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is done in the middle. Top with cheese the last 5 minutes of cooking.

I served this with corn rotini noodles. It was DELICIOUS!!!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls- Cream Cheese Frosting

I have tried about a half dozen various recipes to make cinnamon rolls and had yet to find one that suited my sons picky tastebuds.... UNTIL TODAY! DELICIOUS!! I will NOT be making these a lot because there are a few steps... I was up at 5:30am making them so that we could have them before church. I did freeze 5 so once I cook them up I will post my pictures of them. WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT for special occations. I plan to make them when I have time one day and cut and freeze them so I can take out one or two when needed.

Dough
2 Tbls butter
1/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup skim milk, warmed
1 Tbls yeast
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup potato starch
3/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup millet flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter
(I have to tell you I just sprinked cinnamon and sugar on the inside... I didn't make this filling but I be they would be even better if I did)

Icing
8 tsp butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powder sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

*Dissolve yeast in large mixing bowl with warmed milk.. let bubble.
*Add sugar, butter, oil, and vanilla to milk/yeast. Stil
*Sift together salt, potato starch, cornstarch, millet flour, baking soda, baking powder, and xanthan gum.
*Slowly add flour mixture to mixing bowl and stir to combine.
*Remove dough from mixing bowl and place in greesed container and put in warm oven (warm to 200 degrees and turn off). The dough is very sticky. Let rise 45minutes
*Roll dough out between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Roll to your desired thickness.
*Remove top sheet of paper from dough and spread on some butter.
*Sprinkle on topping mixture.
*Using bottom sheet of parchment paper as an aid, roll the dough into a log.
*Cut into the sizes you desire. Make sure they are not too thick to cook all the way through.
*Put into a greesed dish and give space to allow for them to expand. You can set aside at this point and let them rise a bit more.
*Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 18-20 minutes until tops are brown. Check by running knife between rolls in center. Dough should not stick.
*While rolls are baking make frosting.
*When rolls are done, top with frosting and ENJOY!!!!

Frosting and rolls freeze well so make what you will eat and freeze the rest.

Gluten Free Granola Bars

I love making these. They are wonderful to have on hand as a "healthier" snack than cookies and I feel better about feeding these to the kids than store bought. I control the ingredients. These show chocolate chips in them but they are from last year. I just made a batch today and omitted the chocolate chips because we gave up candy for lent. In its place I added extra coconut and assorted nuts. They are delicious! Thanks Tonya for the recipe!

1 cup brown sugar. They are sweet so Tonya suggested using 3/4 cup and that is what I do.

1/2 cup honey

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 Cups quick oats

1/2 cups sunflower seeds

1/3 cup wheat germ or ground flax

2 Tbls seasame seeds

1/2 cup coconut

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix first 5 ingredients until smooth. Mix in rest of ingredients and bak in a 9X13 inch pan at 400 for 15 minutes or until done. Cool to room temp before trying to cut. They are delicious!

Gluten Free Black Bean Soup

I love Black Beans, well, any kind of beans. Black bean soup reminds me of going to Panera Bread in the cities with my BFF Tracy. We used to do that and sit there and eat great soups, munch on delicious bread and enjoy our "talks". I found this recipe and changed it a tad to suit my liking!

2 cans of condensed chicken broth

3 cups of water

4 cans (15oz) black beans, undrained

1 can of diced tomatos with peppers

1/2 tsp cumin (I like more in mine but season to taste)

In a blender puree 2 cans of the black beans until smooth. Pour into soup pot along with water, other two cans of undrained black beans and chicken broth. Stir in tomatos (can use salsa too) and cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with shreaded cheese, green onions and sour cream! YUM! I also used the soup for a topping on my taco salad. I just drained the liquid off.

Gluten Free Chex Mix

Snacking. We tend to do that more in our house than big meals. I love sweet items but also want the good ole fashioned crunchy, munchy superbowl type snacks. I just made this mix a few days ago and really like it. It is a modified version of the "origional" chex mix. Happy Snacking!

4 cups Corn Chex
4 cups Rice Chex
1 cups Kix
1 cup mixed nuts (I did not have any)
1 cup rice crackers (broken into bite size pieces)
5 Tbls butter
2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp season salt
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

In large microwave bowl, mix cereals, nuts and crackers. (could also use any gluten free pretzels but I am too cheap to buy them). Set aside. Melt butter in smaller bowl. Stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture and stir until evenly coated. Microwave entire mixture uncovered on high 5-6 minutes and stir every 2-3 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Oven - Heat oven to 250. In ungreased large roasting pan melt butter in oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually add remaining ingredients until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour stiring every 15 minutes. Cool on paper towels and store in airtight container.

Gluten Free Breakfast Burritos

I love breakfast foods.. LOVE. My sister used to make breakfast burritos for me when I would come over and I have not made them in a long time. Well, thanks to the help of corn tortillas I made them last week and we all loved them! It goes to show you that gluten free doesn't have to be all hard work.

Corn Tortilla - heated in microwave for 15 seconds on each side until warm and pliable.

Grilled Egg. I take eggs and milk.. pour them onto a hot griddle and once cooked on the bottom cut with your spatula and fold over into a rectangular shape. Flip and cook other side.

Grilled Bacon.

Cheese

Put all items on the warmed tortilla and heat for another 10 seconds. Wrap and eat!!!

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

This is the dough when mixing it.
This is the dough on the stone.. I use a lot of white rice flour here to get it so it doesn't stick when I roll it.
Prior to rolling the corners under but after using the rolling pin to roll it out.

After rolling the sides under, letting it rise in oven that was set at 200 degrees and then turned off.
DELICIOUS... that is all I have to say about this!! I went to Disney and had a gluten free pizza there.. I am sorry but they have NOTHING on my GF pizza!! YES.. it is a process just like any GF item that is made. You cannot just open a package and dump in water and cook... but really I do believe (ok.. this is kinda corney) that I put a little love in everything I make for my kids and myself. It is a lot of time and effort but well worth it when you NAIL a recipe like I have this one!

I am not ready to post this recipe yet as I am going to pursue a little idea first!! :)

Valentine Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

These were great!!! I tried another recipe before and was not impressed. I loved doing stuff like this when I was younger and want my kids to have the same opportunities. The picture of Jackson shows exactly why I take the time to research gluten free recipies and rejoice when I make good food.

3/4 cup unsalted butter (I only had salted and it worked)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

Using electric mixer beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix in all dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Roll out dough between two sheets of wax paper and chill in the fridge. Cut into what ever shaped cookies you want and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes on greased cooking sheet. Edges should be slight golden brown. Store cookies for three days at room temp and freeze after that. You can top with what ever frosting, candies or sprinkles you like. I made a frosting out of powder sugar, food coloring and milk.

My Pantry

Welcome to my pantry. I thought it would be helpful for you to see what items are a necessity in my pantry.

Oats for cooking. They are not "certified" gluten free but I don't think I have any problems with the. Honey, MM Fluff was for a dessert that I made. Popcorn. We usually pop popcorn ourselfs buying the popcorn in bulk and popping it in the microwave in a brown paper bag.
Fresh foods. Fruits, eggs, veggies, cheese, applesauce(also great for baking) and yogurt.

Peanut butter... NEED I SAY MORE!!!! This is my mix for making pancakes and behind it is the waffle maker we invested in. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Perfect waffles every time!

These nuggets are great for fruit snacks. Better than the traditional fruit snacks since they have more real fruit juice...we love them. ALSO.. it is a SIN to NOT have ice cream in our house. Barry and I enjoy our nightly scoop... or bowl of ice cream. Chocolate... need I say more!

Pizza Sauce for homemade pizza, spag sauce, the gluten free noodles that I use and taco shells.. we usually use corn chips but have these on hand.

Rice, beans, veggies, gf lasagna noodles, and pasta... I LOVE pasta and there are some good brands out there. Trader Joes is great as well as asian markets. Just make sure to RINSE the noodles after they cook and watch them. Don't let them cook too much or they get really mushy!

Breading. I don't know the last time we used it to tell you the truth. We just don't bread or fry things in this house.

My collection of flours.. I buy my flours at the asian market, anoka coop and online. Amazon.com is great but shipping is tough on the budget.

We LOVE these bars. They are zbars for kids and are gluten free. They come in many flavors and they always find my way to the cart at Sam's Club!

My mom bought me these at Anoka Coop.. I usually just don't buy GF cookies cuz of the price but these are great. I love animal crackers and these are pretty darn close. The cinnamon snaps are great when I just want a cookie and don't want to bake any. Raisins.. I buy them in bulk. We love them and put them in everything.

Cereal. ANYONE who knows me KNOWS I LOVE cereal. These are my staples... Kix is not "certified" gluten free but as far as I can tell on the label there is nothing "harmful" in there but rather they are manufactured around wheat products.

Corn chips. ... ingredients.. corn, lime and something else.. can't get much better than that!

Corn tortillas. I HATED them at first but you have to know how to handle them. Heat them for 20 seconds or until they are soft. Then you can do anything with them. We make PBJ tornatos.. it is just PBJ spread on it and rolled up. WE LOVE THEM. I have also put chicken salad on there... melted cheese.. made quesidillas... and use them for anything else you would bread. I will never again go without having them in my house!

So there is a few of the staple products that I have in my home. I am always trying new things and seeing if the store brand gf products are good. My advise... .have them on hand for when you have not planned ahead but homemade products are sooo much better and you eliminate all the extra's that are in the boxed goods.

Gluten Free Lasagna

I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the lasagna when I made it... but sometimes pictures speak louder than words. This lasagna was GONE as fast as I could dish it out. This was the last reheated 2 day old piece... so next time I make it I will get a better picture. Every bit as delicious as regular lasagna.

1 pound of hamburger

1 box of gluten free lasagna noodles

1 2 lb container of cottage cheese

1 egg

Big bag of mozzarella cheese

1 jar of spagetti sauce (watch for flours added to them)

Sliced cheese

Any other items you want to add such as mushrooms, green peppers, etc.

Brown the hamburger and drain the juices. Add the spagetti sauce. Mix the cottage cheese and egg together. Spray the bottomo f the pan and layer as follows.

Hamburger, Uncooked noodles, cottage cheese mixture, cheese. Depending on how many layers you want you need to spread it thin or thick. I usually do two layers and end with the mozzarella cheese.. BUT.. a friend of ours made some lasagna and ended it with sliced american cheese. That was delicious. It added just a little different flavor. It was delicious!!

Cook in the oven at 425 for 1 hour if frozen or 30-45minutes if not frozen. Let it sit for a bit and firm up then enjoy!! If I make 2lbs of spagetti and have a pound leftover I will make lasagna but in a smaller pan. It is wonderful reheated as well!

Gluten Free Banana Bread

We enjoyed a GREAT weekend with friends at a townhome in Alexandria MN. While I did bring my safe foods... I salavated over what the other ladies brought.. Lasagna and Banana Bread...SOOO.. I made a gluten free Lasagna and Banana Bread this morning. The outcome.. Bread.. AMAZING. I am going to make it into a muffin next time. It fell apart a bit but I think that was because we didn't wait for it to cool down.. we HAD to dig right in.

2 small ripe bananas

1 egg

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup potato starch

1/2 cup corn starch

4 tsp baking powder (I used about 4 1/2 to puff it up)

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp coriander (I didn't have but used all spice)

1/4 tsp salt.

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl mash bananas well. Mix in egg, brown sguar, oil, milk and vanilla. Add potato starch, cornstarch, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and coriander and mix well. Batter will be think. Pour into greased loaf pan (or these would make great muffins). Bake approx 40 minutes until knife comes out clean from center of loaf. Allow to cool (critical step I neglected). Refrigerate or freeze extra servings but we don't anticipate any extras.. it is THAT good!! WONDERFUL. I will try substituting some healthier items like egg whites and apple sauce next time but this was a great recipe and one we will be keeping around.

Gluten Free Belgian Waffles.

I LOVE belgian waffles. It was always something I ordered for breakfast at Perkins when I lived in the cities. When I found a recipe for belgian waffles I had to try it. They came out fluffy on the inside yet crispy on the outside. Just like they were supposed to. The smell is to die for. This is the perfect addition to a Sunday Brunch and no one will feel like they are missing out. I would suggest investing in a flip waffle maker because it does cook the waffle evenly. This would also be a great substitute for Strawberry Shortcake for dessert!

1 cup brown or white rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch (same thing)
1 tsp of sugar (can use substitutes)
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
2 eggs or 4 egg whites
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk... (have never tried buttermilk)

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. If it is runny add a bit more flour.. if too thick more milk. I have added mushed up bananas to this and the kids loved it. We have been known to drop a few chocolate chips into the batter :) Sky is the limit!!

Gluten Free Buns

We miss having buns at Thanksgivings, Easter, Christmas.. ok, anytime! Since we love the previous white bread recipe so much I decided to try it as buns. WHALA!! Unfortunatly this picture didn't show how great these can rise since I heated the milk too much. Either way they got eaten very quickly! Follow the same recipe as the White Bread recipe but scoop batter into greesed muffin tins. Let rise until they double in a oven that was preheated to 200 F then turned off. When they are ready, take them out, turn the oven to 350 F and cook until browned which is roughly 20-30 minutes.

Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread

Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread.

I LOVE bread. Really loved when my mom would make homemade bread. I thought I would never get to eat bread again. Not so. After trying no less than a dozen recipes I have gravitated toward this recipe. It is very much like white bread and even my husband steals this when it comes right out of the oven.

1 1/2 cups white or brown rice flour

1 1/2 cups tapioca starch (can substitute 3/4cup cornstarch, 3/4cup arrowroot)

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp xanthan

1 Tbsp dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 Large egg

2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/3 cup very warm milk *

*for milk free us 1 1/3 cup water and 1/4 cup Vance's Dari Free powder to dry ingredients.

Turn oven to 200 degrees. Once reached temp turn off. Combine dry ingredients into large mixer. Mix in egg, oil, vinegar and milk. DO NOT OVERHEAT MILK or it will not allow bread to rise. Beat on high for 3 minutes to increase air volume in dough. Scoop dough into an oil sprayed 8x4 inch loaf pan. Spray plastic wrap with non stick spray and cover bread. Place bread in shut off preheated oven and bread rise until it doubles in size (varies but usually 40 min). Slowly take off wrap. Brush top of bread with oil or butter. (this is necessary so that bread does not get dry on top) Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 50-60 minutes. If this bread is not eaten within 24 hours you can slice it and place it in the freezer. Defrost frozen bread in microwave before toasting.

Gluten Free Sandwiches

Gluten Free Sandwiches!

No, this is not bread but it is a great substitute for my family. This is the pancake recipe that I posted prior to this and I added parmesan cheese to the batter. I had made up the pancakes the night prior and put them in the fridge. Took them out and buttered both sides like you would when you make grilled cheese. Topped them with meat and cheese and grilled. YUM.. You get a slightly crispy "pancake" with the nice warm meat and cheese inside. Another favorite!

Follow the pancake recipe in the prior post.

Use your imagination. Make roll ups. Peanut butter and Jelly. Hamburger buns. Hot Dog Buns. Anything that you would use bread for you can use this for. We tend to eat most items like hamburgers without bread but it is a fun treat to have these made so we can eat hamburgers like everyone else.

Pancakes!

I LOVE these pancakes! They are fluffy and delicious. I use them not only for breakfasts but for sandwich bread! We will add mushed up bananas, chocolate chips and slather them with peanut butter! I also add parmesian cheese to the mix and cook them up for sandwich bread. This is a staple in our house for sure!

1 cup of Gluten Free All Purpose Mix
1 egg (or use 2 egg whites)
3/4-1 cup of milk. Add until you get to a runnier consistancy.

Pour onto skillet. Batter tends to be thick and doesn't spread out on its own so you will need to take a spoon and spread it out. Watch for bubbles, flip when brown on bottom. These cook up just like regular pancakes. Wonderful wonderful wonderful!!!

Gluten Free All Purpose Master Baking Mix

Gluten Free Master Baking Mix

This is similar to Bisquick Mix and can be used in any recipe that calls for Bisquick. It is really something that I have on hand at all times.

2 1/2 Cups of Brown Rice Flour
1 1/2 Cups of Certified Gluten Free Oats or Millet Flour (I prefer Millet Flour)
1 1/2 Cups of Tapioca Flour
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Xanthan Gum
2 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 Cups Powdered Milk
1/2 Cup Shortening (Butter or regular)

In large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients together well. Cut in shortening small bits at a time. Use a fork, potato masheror anything else you can find until the pieces are small and look like tiny peas or specks of shortening. Keep in air tight container in the fridge for months if it lasts you that long!

Starting New

It has been a long time since I posted to my other site and the reason for the new site is I forgot my old sign on information... Oops.. so here's to a new year... a new dedication to gluten free living and lots of good recipes! I am going to try and post everything on here from recipes to daily meal logs and my thoughts and findings. I want to help others who are finding out that they need to eliminate this thing called "gluten" from their lives how to continue to live, eat and be happy. When I was diagnosed it was after going to numerous doctors, specialists and pushing for more answers.

My Story
I delivered my son via c-section in November 2003 after numerous pregnancy complications and a long time being on bed rest. After having my son I was not feeling like myself nor did I look healthy. I was told I had a touch of the flu and to follow the braty diet. Banana's Applesauce Rice Toast and Yogurt. SO, I ate toast... lots of toast, yet I kept getting sicker. After my husband found me lying on the floor of our kitchen and rushing me to the hospital we decided that we were not taking the flu as an answer anymore. I saw a "specialist" in Fargo who told me it was Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. They could do a risky surgery on me but the risks were crazy like 10% fatality rates. SURE.. sign me up!! So now I was really sick, told I had this rare thing and they wanted to do a risky surgery on me and I was trying to care for a newborn (who was quite colicky I may add). I asked for a referral to the UofM. After getting an appt there and spending one whole day of getting every test I could imagine I went home to wait for the results. The day I received a call saying that they "found a few items" they wanted to discuss with me was terrifying. My brain started thinking the worst. They would not discuss it over the phone yet wanted me there the next day. HOLY SMOKES... I did not sleep that entire night thinking of what my results would show. I met my mom and step dad in the cities and they drove me to the U where we met with a GREAT doctor who spent a lot of time discussing the results. As he was showing us the "normal" results I kept thinking... when is he going to tell me about the Cancer? Then he asks me the question that would forever change my life. "Do you find you have a problem when eating wheat products". Um, no. I eat them all the time. Cereal for breakfast, bagels or toast for lunch, noodles and meat with supper. Animal crackers, crackers, saltines, etc. Nope.. no problem... Why? Well, you have a positive test for Celiac Sprue. To me that sounded like some parasite. He went on to explain that it essentially means I am allergic to wheat. From that point on I don't remember a whole lot since I kept thinking.. this is it. No Cancer. WOW! So what did I do after that. Went to Chipotle and got a bean burrito wrapped in a flour tortilla. Yep, pretty clueless. I think I may have researched it a bit but didn't take it seriously. I did cut out some items and was ok with that but slowly went back to eating "normal" for me. Then when my son had his tonsils out they did some testing to see if he had any allergies. What did they find. An intolerance to wheat. THAT is when I really started taking this seriously. Now this was in 2005 and Celiac and Gluten Free Living was still very new to me and there was not much out on the market. I bought some gluten free products and tried them with my son. Lets just say we were less than thrilled. I sought out the help of a local chiropractor that I met at a Business Event. She got me on a two month cleansing plan. During that time I researched gluten free foods, recipes and what it meant to be gluten free. That is when I started buying gluten free flours, talking with others with the same challenges and putting in some serious time in the kitchen. My hubby has had to taste test quite a few creations and to tell you the truth has spit out more than he has eaten. My son and I have found our staple recipes and products and even created a few things ourselves. The internet is a invaluable resource for me and finding new items. My son will say, I really want some blueberry muffins so off I go to surf the web. Usually it takes me 3 tries on an item until I find just the right combination. Being gluten free takes patience, planning and persistence. If you don't plan you will become frustrated and want to give up. DON'T. It is a lifestyle change but you will learn to navigate this gluten free living and be healthier and feel better because of it. I want to be there for you. I want to be that resource. Recipes, support, questions. Lets do it together. I still fall victim to the wheat trap at times and eat things that I think are gluten free that turn out to have wheat hiding in it under some other name (barley malt). I am finding that we can tolerate oats that are not certified gluten free.... but some cannot. You will know when you have ingested something that has wheat in it and doesn't work with your body.

I am not going to tell you what to eat.. not to eat... what is going to work with you. I am not going to explain the various flours, products and reasons why they are in each recipe. I am just going to share my favorite recipes with you, my daily meals and hopefully you will find it easier to navigate this new gluten free lifestyle.