Sunday, August 29, 2010

Gluten Free Zuchini Bread

Posted at: http://www.mygffavorites.blogspot.com/

I love this time of year, the weather starts to cool and garden harvests are abundant. When I was out for a run I picked up a zucchini from a neighbor who had a sign up next to a chair piled with zucchini that said "FREE" and it was a good thing I was pushing the jogging stroller so I didn't have to lug it all the way back under my arm. I couldn't wait to get home and mix up some bread. I think you will enjoy it too!

Zucchini Bread

Cook Time: 50-60 min.
Bake: 350 degrees F
Makes: 2 Loaves

Wet Ingredients Bowl:
3 C Shredded Zucchini (keep the peel on but it its a large zucchini you may want to scoop out the seeds in the center)
1 2/3 C Sugar
2/3 C Oil
2t Vanilla
4 Eggs (crack into separate small bowl so you catch any egg shells before you mix with other ingredients)
1/4 Applesauce

Mix

Dry Ingredients Bowl:
1 1/2 C GF Flour
1 C Brown Rice Flour
1/2 C Cornstarch
2t Baking Soda
1/2 t Baking Powder
1t Xanthan Gum
1t Salt
1t Cinnamon
1/2t Cloves

Mix

Slowly stir dry ingredients into wet. Grease loaf pans with cooking spray and divide mixture evenly. Cook on center rack. 50-60 mins. or till a knife can be removed cleanly from center of loaf.

Storage:
Remove from oven. Use knife around edges and turn onto cooling racks. Once cool enough to handle store in gallon size Ziploc bags. Keeps well out on counter top for a few days. Don't refridgerate. It will cause the bread to dry out. If necessary, store bread longer by slicing and covering with plastic wrap before placing in Ziploc bag and then into the freezer.


Additions:

Chocolate Chips:
Add 1 Cup chocolate chips into batter for some added sweetness! I prefer semi sweet because they stand out more. Milk chocolate can sometimes be too bland to make an impression.

Cream Cheese Spread:
My favorite way to eat zucchini bread is to whip 1 bar of cream cheese with 1/4 C soft butter and a few tablespoons of powdered sugar. It makes a delicious spread to compliment the sweet cinnamon flavor of the bread. Enjoy!!

GF Flour Mixture:
6 C Rice Flour
1 C Tapioca Starch
2 C Potato Starch

Saturday, August 21, 2010

7 Best Basics- Gluten Free Starter Pantry Items


Stock your pantry with these basic items that can transform into a number of dishes. These Best Basics are the best tasting Gluten Free foods to help ease your transition to living Gluten Free.

1- Udi's Bread (White or Whole Grain)-
If you've just recently been diagnosed with Celiac, you don't know how truly lucky you are that there is now great tasting gluten free bread available. Ten to fifteen years ago there were very few options and tough crumbly rice cakes for sandwich bread. This is a must have item and keeps very well in the freezer. Zap it in the microwave for 10 secs then flip and another 10 secs. (For two slices I do 20-25 secs, flip and 20-25 secs more.) It is soft, fluffy, chewy and delicious.

2- Tinkyada Pasta-
This pasta has great texture and flavor. Though it can be cooked longer than corn pasta, it tastes best when you take it off the heat a little more on the al dente side (translation: take it off the heat and strain it when it is still just a bit under cooked.) It cooks up nicely and it is so good even the non-gluten free eaters in my home eat this willingly. It comes in a variety of shapes, including noodles for lasagna3- Health Valley Cream of Chicken Soup-
Many quick and easy meals/casseroles call for Cream of Chicken soup (which contains plenty of gluten) so keep this on hand. Something to consider is that this soup is not as thick as the condensed even the non-condensed Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup so be sure to either add less moisture in the other ingredients or mix in a half bar of cream cheese so give it more fullness.


4- Authentic Foods Gluten Free Flour Mixture-
Unless you are big into cooking from scratch and have lots of space for 5 gal. food storage buckets, this is a great go-to flour mix. It is created from a variety of flours and condtioners to help it react closer to tradional All Purpose flour. Add this in cup for cup for traditional flour for your favorite recipes. Try out the Biscuit recipe and replace this flour for the GF Flour and Cornstarch.

5- Udi's Pizza Crusts-
Keep these pizza crusts in your freezer for those nights your craving pizza. If you are all out of pizza sauce and mozzerella, top with some olive oil or butter, italian seasonings, garlic powder, salt and parmesean cheese, bake for 8-10 mins. and you will have some great bread sticks.
Gluten Free BBQ Chicken Pizza- Use BBQ sauce in place of traditional marinara sauce. Top with chicken (canned or other) and cheese, bake and enjoy.


6- Gluten Freeda Cookie Dough-
This frozen cookie dough is a great go to item. It makes it nice if you are the only GF person in your home, though you might find it disappearing because even Non-GFs will be wanting a bite.
7- Kinnikinnick Pancake&Waffle Mix-
Keep this mix on your shelves and you will not be missing a trip to IHOP. The pancakes come out soft and delicious. There is no worries of dry, crumbly cakes because this mix provides a great texture to both waffles and pancakes.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Gluten Free Frozen Burritos









There are times where life is busy and I wish I could just pop something easy in the microwave and have a meal ready to go. So I was ecstatic when I found out the both Gluten Freeda and Amy's have both recently come out with Gluten Free Burritos in multiple flavors. You can order them online or often times I order them in bulk through my local health food store. The tortilla on the Gluten Freeda is very similar to a corn tortilla but still has good flavor. I haven't been able to get my order in for Amy's burritos yet, but I am crossing my fingers that the tortilla on those burritos is more like the normal flour tortilla I crave. Still I can't complain because a healthy gluten free microwave burrito is wonderful!

Update:
I ordered a whole case of Amy's Burritos and they were delicious. I tried out the bean and cheese. It had great flavor and though their tortillas shell isn't just like a traditional flour tortillas, it is still very good!

Gluten Free Dining Guide

Here is a link for the Gluten Free Dining guide:

http://www.triumphdining.com/glutenfree/gluten-free-restaurants.php

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Chocolate Mint Gluten Free Cookies


If you love Chocolate and Mint you have to try Gluten Freeda's Mint Python cookies. They are a chocolate cookie with bits a chocolatey mint chips. They will cure any craving for Girl Scout Thin Mints.

See the link below to find out ordering information:

http://www.glutenfreedafoods.com/mintypython.html

Blossom Fine Foods - Beverly Hills Cakes (Gluten Free Bakery)

If you live in any where near the Wasatch Front in Utah you have to try Blossom Fine Foods Chocolate Marble Brownies. (Previously Beverly Hill's Bakery)/ They can be found at their bakery at 902 E Logan Avenue in Sugar House (Salt Lake City, UT) or if you are lucky enough you may be able to find them in the specialty frozen section at your nearest grocer.

They are rich, creamy, yummy and just plain delicious with a hint of almond and vanilla. These brownies will delight both Celiacs and non-Celiacs alike.

Click here to find there contact info. and ordering information:
http://www.beverlyhillscakes.com/

The Best Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll

I have spoken of the Island Bakery in Sarasota Florida before, but I failed to mention that they have the best Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll that I have tried to date. The texture is soft and chewy and it comes with a yummy cinnamony frosting that melts over the top of the hot roll. It warms ups nicely in the microwave and makes for a delicious breakfast or filling treat.

You can order them online at:
http://www.islandgfbakery.com/Our_Products.html

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Gluten Free Kids

If you have kids that eat Gluten Free you know that its a challenge; it takes duel effort.

Here is a list of some great Gluten Free Snacks that are tasty & kid friendly:
- Annie's Homegrown Bunny Cookies, Cocoa & Vanilla

- Annie's Homegrown Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks

- EnviroKidz Organic Crispy Rice Bars. They come in Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Berry.

- Kinnikinnick cookies, Montana's Chocolate Chip, Ginger Snaps, Graham crackers, and more..

- Gluti-No Crackers, come in a variety of flavors. Comparable to Ritz but not as buttery and flaky but still good.

The great thing about all these products is that they hold up well, so if they have to survive a couple weeks in a ZipLoc in the Diaper bag its not a problem and they still taste great.

And for those special occasions:
- Charlotte's Bakery Chocolate or Vanilla Cupcakes (they come in either a 3 or 6 pack)
(These are great for birthday parties. They freeze well, so when your child has a party to go to, just pull on out of the freezer and send them on their way.)

Tips for GF Living for Children:
Recently my children caught something nasty from a pool on vacation, but my daughter just couldn't get over it. I know that she is mildly sensitive to gluten, especially foods like shredded wheat and granola, but otherwise she doesn't usually have any difficulties. Since the disease she caught had wreaked havoc on her intestines her doctor suggested temporary Gluten and Lactose sensitive as a possible cause. I have been GF for 9 years so I have a pretty good system for survival for me, but for kids its a different story.

Tricky Food Situations You Might Not Have Thought Of:
- Snacks at friends house, even at relatives houses
- Sleep overs
- School snacks and lunch
- Field Trips
- Birthday Parties
- Fast food lunch (no more chicken nuggets from the drive thru)
- Ice Cream & Cones

Since I wasn't in the habit I didn't think through all the possible road blocks to providing a Gluten Free lifestyle for my daughter. Kids can be more skeptical and picky especially if you make they try something that is not good tasting. After being GF for a week she stayed overnight at a relatives house and even though I had told them, told her, and sent food with her, it was still easy to forget. Its like you need a badge for them to wear for the first few months that says "Feed Me only GF".

Peer Pressure:
Even after 9 years of being GF I still feel that peer pressure to eat something I shouldn't. Strange I know. People have a hard time remembering your food allergies so you need to kindly remind them. If you are going to a dinner party, remind them, or offer to bring something. And never feel obligated to eat something with gluten, even if they slaved away all day to prepare, because its you that has to live with the consequences. This is what I struggled with the most when I began my Gluten Free journey. I used to be the one willing to eat or try anything. You could say I was part of the clean up crew, but I feel so much better when everything is in sync. And your friends will remember better when you stick to your guns and refuse.