Category: Gluten Free Living

January 3, 2013

Cook the Books: GF on a Shoestring Quick & Easy

I buy a bunch of new cookbooks and cooking magazines. I read them, cook from them and let you know if they are worth your purchase or not. Read on for my review of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Quick & Easy (author’s affiliate link).

You probably know the blog, Gluten Free on a Shoestring. And if you don’t I encourage you to go check it out. Blogger Nicole Hunn is funny and accessible with recipes that are photographed at multiple points in the process. She has tackled all the kinds of pastry and baked goods that you could possibly want.

She recently released her second cookbook, Gluten Free on a Shoestring: Quick and Easy Meals (this is a link to the author’s Amazon store). And I have to say, in my book it is a hit. (It is one of my favorites from the past year).

This cookbook is full of easy meal ideas, fancy breakfast treats, yeasty pizza crusts and easy to make home baking mixes. (I know I often talk about how I dislike baking mixes, but I do see the benefit of them.) The recipes include a calculation of about what it will cost to make the recipe plus a comparison of what an equivalent store-bought product would cost and frequently it is quite shocking to see the amount you can save.

My only criticism of the book is that there aren’t enough pictures for me. But I work in a creative field where it is very much all about the looks, so I might be a wee bit biased… The layout is easy to follow and the type is big enough to read from a little distance. Making up for the limited number of pictures is the paper. The paper is the kind you can write on. I might be the only person who does this, but I annotate my cookbooks with substitutions I have tried and notes to myself about recipes. This doesn’t work well in fancier, photo-laden books.

This book has a great variety of meals and treats – and they are all presented in easy to follow language with lots of encouragement from the author.

The interview

Nicole gladly agreed to an interview about the book via email, and here are her responses.

Why did you decide to write this book?

I realized at some point that I hadn’t given enough thought in my first book to how long the recipes took to complete, and just because I was willing and able to put in the time to cook and bake gluten-free, not everyone else was. And the whole point of everything I do, on my blog and in cookbooks, is to make gluten-free food accessible to everyone who needs or wants it. I want to break down barriers to entry, and in a gluten-free world where preparing food is still portrayed by many as way more precious than it needs to be, quick & easy seemed like the way to go next.

Since I don’t yet have tiny humans of my own, what is one piece of advice you can give my readers about feeding a gluten-free child?

Feeding a very young gluten-free child isn’t any different than feeding any very young child. And feeding a very young child, to me, is what I imagine it would be like to feed a churlish dictator. 3 meals, 2 snacks a day, eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full!

What was the hardest part about learning to bake gluten-free?

Oh, the flours. The gluten-free flours! When I started out doing this in the antediluvian days, there weren’t all of the amazing all-purpose blends on the market, so I was stuck with bean flours—and blending my own bean flours even! That is a large part of the reason that all of my recipes begin with a high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour. I cried real tears when I started out. Why should anyone else suffer the same early fate?

What is your favorite recipe from the book?

The yeast-free English muffins, on page 55. They come together so fast, and make a better burger bun than any burger bun I’ve ever had. Don’t tell the other recipes, though. They’re jealous mistresses.

Did you learn anything about gluten-free cooking/baking while writing this book and what was it?

I learned … that it’s possible (even advisable!) to incorporate good quality packaged gluten-free products into your repertoire without sacrificing your whole paycheck and without sacrificing the integrity of your meal.

Are there plans for more cookbooks?

Of course! Mostly because I have nothing better to do. I am writing a gluten-free bread book, slated for December 2013 publication. No bread machine, no special skills required. No sad, weepy mounds of gluten-free bread dough. No joke.

Did you have to put a doughnut on the cover of the cookbook? It is just mean that it is sitting next to me staring me in the face and making me hungry…

I did, because I’m not a very nice person. You heard it here first.

The Rating

Author: Nicole Hunn
Format: soft-cover, full color center photo section
 Stars: 4.5/5*
Buy it or Forget it: Buy it (and keep the tiny humans happy, the adults satified and gluten-lovers fooled)
Must try recipes: Pumpkin Granola Breakfast Cookies, Chocolate Clafoutis, The whole chapter on make your own mixes.

*Read more about my cookbook review criteria.

I purchased my own copy of this book prior to reaching out to the author & publisher. The giveaway copy of this cookbook is being furnished by Lifelong Books, and has no bearing on my review.

A giveaway

The publisher has kindly agreed to send a copy of this cookbook to one of my readers in the US or Canada! All you need to do is comment here to win by January 12, 2013 at midnight Central Time. Get up to 3 additional entries for sharing this post on social media (Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter – making sure that you tag FrannyCakes in your post) and then leaving a new comment here for each share. A winner will be chosen via random number generator on January 13, 2013, and the cookbook will be sent directly to you from the publisher. You must be a resident of the United States or Canada to win.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Recipe Type: Cookie

Author: Nicole Hunn

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 24

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups (315 g) high-quality all-purpose gluten-free four
1 teaspoon xantham gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1 teasponn baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients, except the chips, in a large bowl and whisk well, being sure to get out as many of the lumps of brown sugar as possible. Add the chips and mix well. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

3.1.09

GF Chocolate Chip Cookies from Nicole Hunn’s Mix

Author: Nicole Hunn

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 24

Ingredients

1 batch make your own chocolate chip cookie mix
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
Place tge dry cookie mix in a large bowl and whisk well. Add the butter, eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Refrigerate until firm or freeze briefly.
Drop balls of dough about 1 1/4 inches in diameter about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Place the baking sheets in the freezer until the dough is firm, about 10 minutes.
Once the dough has chilled, place the rimmed baking sheets in the preheated oven one at a time and bake until the cookies are just beginning to brown on the underside, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool until firm on the baking sheets.

3.1.09

December 31, 2012

2012 in review

2012 was quite the roller coaster ride. And I want to take a moment to thank you for being on this journey with me.

Some moments: I was on the cover of the Sun Times, I stole a crown from a beauty queen. There was enormous joy in our family. I went to conferences and I hung out with some pretty cool people.

I did so much this year. I met Joy the Baker, Rick Bayless and Jillian Michaels.

But there were ups and downs. Hospital visits and experimental treatments. And a 10 year high school reunion (yes, that is the guy who was my prom date in the picture).

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. To everyone who shared this year with me. You are the bestest.

November 17, 2012

Cook the Books: Gluten Free Baking for the Holidays

I buy a bunch of new cookbooks and cooking magazines. I read them, cook from them and let you know if they are worth your purchase or not. Read on for my review of one of my latest purchases, Gluten-Free Baking for the Holidays: 60 Recipes for Traditional Festive Treats.

Jeanne is one of the long-time members of the gluten-free blogging community, and writes a blog called The Art of Gluten-Free Baking. Basically, she is an expert.

Jeanne and I tweet back and forth on occasion, and I was stoked when I heard she was working on this book. Because the first Christmas that I was gluten-free was the worst. There were mediocre cakes, bad cookies and many traditions that were skipped. I resented my diet. For someone who misses their favorite traditional baked goods, this book is a savior.

The baked goods in this book range from cookies to cakes to savory items. She managed to work in traditional baked goods I have only dreamed about making again. There are cookies from Sweden and Germany (there seem to be more German-heritage recipes than others in the book, but I am ok with that). There are traditional Kwanzaa cookies and a cake for Hanukkah.

This book is a treat, and all 60 recipes sounded like ones I wanted to try. My only criticism? She doesn’t have a recipe for my grandma’s bon bon cookies.

I also pestered her into answering some questions about the book.

The interview

Why did you decide to write this book?

Chronicle Books approached me to write this book. They had seen a series I did on my blog about holiday baking and they thought it would be nice to expand it and turn it into a book. And that’s what happened!
What are the most important keys to success for the gluten-free baker?

I think it is important to read and follow the directions at first–before you start altering recipes. And it’s important to make sure you use gluten-free ingredients. Gluten hides in odd things like grain-sweetened chocolate chips. And it’s important to have fun. Baking is supposed to be enjoyable!

What was the hardest part about learning to bake gluten-free?

When I was diagnosed, in 2000, there was very little information out about gluten-free baking. Those of us who were doing it were kind of making it up as we went along. So, it was like re-learning to bake all over again. Luckily, I discovered some good guides, like the books of Bettte Hagman (The Gluten-Free Gourmet) that really helped me in my learning process. Also, ingredients like gluten-free flours were much harder to find–I did a lot of online ordering to get the ingredients I needed. They are so much more available nowadays.

What is your favorite recipe from the book?

This is always a tough one for me to answer. I love all of them! I think my two favorite recipes right now are the Rugelach and the Gingerbread (the cookies and the house)–because they are so good and they are fun to make. But, really, I love it all. Also, I’ve made the Buche de Noel several times this fall for events and it is a hit every single time–so that one is near and dear to my heart right now.

Did you learn anything about gluten-free baking while writing your book and what was it?

I did a lot more research into the science of baking as I wrote my book. I really wanted to be sure I was giving out good information about how and why things work or don’t work. So, I learned a lot about the “hows” of wheat baking and then translated those into the “hows” of gluten-free baking.

Are there plans for more cookbooks?

Oh, yes! I hope to write more. I really enjoyed this process and I hope to do it again. I am working on a proposal for another one, but I can’t share what it’s on right now!

The Rating

Author: Jeanne Sauvage
Format: Hard-cover, full color cookbook
 Stars: 5/5
Buy it or Forget it: Buy it (and be the talk of the cookie swap this year)
Must try recipes: Specuulas & Orange Scented Olive Oil Bundt Cake

November 7, 2012

Cookmore: Holiday Recipes with a Twist from Eden Grinshpan

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to go to a launch for the new Kenmore Cookmore website.

And let me tell you, the launch party was pretty swanky. Mostly because of the Mojitos. (I couldn’t eat any of the appetizers that were passed before the demo or any of the desserts after, so I indulged in a cocktail or two…).

Ok, it wasn’t the mojitos. Kenmore knows a thing or two about the kitchen. And they want to share their passion for what happens in yours, so they are launching a website called CookMore. Users can upload recipes, share adaptations and personal “twists” to existing recipes and create their own digital cookbooks.

Sounds like my kind of website, and I encourage you to go check it out. Especially if you think either of the dishes above look delicious, because they were.

[box type=”info”]As part of the Cookmore launch, Kenmore is donating $1 for each recipe uploaded to their site to Heros at Home[/box]

Eden Grinshpan of Cooking Channel’s Eden’s Eats took the stage and prepared 3 traditional dishes with a twist. As a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in London (where she studied both cooking and pastry), she brought some serious culinary know how. And she employed my favorite cooking technique – the dump and mix.

She was full of positive energy and inspiration for how to take a classic and make it your own.

But really, it was a pretty awesome evening. Mostly because of the Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chimmichurri and the Curried Lentil Soup. Two dishes that are gluten free without any changes. That is my kind of savory cooking.

So, go, add recipes & twists. And have fun cooking!

I attended the event as a memeber of the Chicago Blogger Network.

October 30, 2012

Wednesday Wisdom: Appearances

This is a post about appearances. And how incredibly deceiving they are.

On my good days, I will walk until my legs stop working. Doing the chase corporate challenge happened on a day with minimal pain.

This is some real talk. Talk about something that is very, very real in my day to day. It relates back to my deep, dark secret. At the end of this post, I am going to ask you for a favor.

Most of us work incredibly hard to keep up appearances. We putty the cracks, smooth the wrinkles. Put a little paint on to freshen things up.

Even I take awkward self portraits when I buy new lipstick…

We assume the identity that we want the world to see.

Some days, I like to pretend that makes me like a comic book super hero. With awesome tights and a great butt.

Iced Double Dirty Soy Chai. Baristas do roll their eyes at this, but it is my favorite.

Except that I am not. When I become not me, I become that normal, average person. A klutz who spills her double dirty soy chai on the train. An irritated commuter who just wants the tourists to step aside so I can make my train. I am the girl that would very much like for cupcakes to have nutritional value. The girl who gets kinda (yes, kinda) giddy when the guy she has been seeing calls. The very same girl who would gladly come over and make you chicken soup when you are sick. The girl who is almost always up to do something fun.

And in normal life, this is a very good thing. It means that my friends don’t see something that they would pity me for. It means that I can go out without someone wondering if I can handle it. There aren’t pity stares or unending questions about what I can and cannot do. I am normal.

I look normal. Well, as normal as the next ~~nerd~~ girl.

Unless I point it out, you would never notice the battery. And unless I tell you, you would never know that for 2-6 hours a week, I lay completely still so that my battery will charge.

It just works for me.

Until I need help.

You see, I’ve never been good at asking for it. It was a cause of many fights in my last serious relationship. My sister would just show up at my old apartment to make sure that I got to the grocery store and that the laundry made it to and from the laundry room. if I bother to ask, it means I really need it.

I am independent. I was raised to think and act for myself. It suits me.

But I have lost some of that independence. Sometimes, I do have to ask.

Some days that means asking someone sitting in the handicapped seats on the train to not take all 4 seats for them & a laptop. Some days that means asking for priority boarding for the Amtrak or a plane. It might mean that I ask for a ride through the airport and a jump to the end of the security line. Or maybe it is as simple as me asking for a minute so I can go somewhere private and adjust the electrical current that runs through my spine and my leg so that I can more comfortably do what ever it is we are doing. Or I’ll ask that we take a cab instead of a walk.

So, I ask you this.

Please, if someone asks you for your seat on the train or bus, give it to them. When you see someone who appears able bodied get out of a car in a handicapped parking space, do not be so quick to judge. (The number of times this has happened to me, you think I wouldn’t even notice it any more). If you work in a customer service job and someone asks for accommodations for a disability, do what you can to help. It was probably already hard enough for someone who looks able bodied to ask because we have to endure the silent judgement of those around us who think we are lazy.

(This is not so different from the eye rolls and sighs that people with food allergies and celiac receive from restaurant staffs)

Be kind. Give someone the benefit of the doubt. You never know what it is they are struggling with.

Thank you.

September 25, 2012

Wednesday Wisdom: Meal Planning

Meal planning is no easy task, especially when trying to accommodate a variety of diets. In our family, I have Celiac Disease so I always cook gluten-free, and my daughter is a vegetarian. To make sure that all of our dietary needs are being met, and to help me save time and money at the market, a weekly plan is a lifesaver.

Each weekend I ask for input on the menu and we go over our schedule as a family. Depending on what evening activities we have during the week (it’s always crazy), I will plan to have a few super quick meals (think gourmet gluten-free grilled cheese sandwiches) and a few more complicated ones. I have a running list of produce available from our CSA basket as well, to make sure we use up all of our veggies. I usually do all the grocery shopping on Monday, and then I write the menu choices on a large chalkboard in the kitchen.

I like a lot of flexibility, so I don’t assign a meal to a particular day–rather, I wait and see how the afternoon is turning out (and how much energy I have). Because I have the ingredients already, I have the freedom to choose from those 4-5 meals we have planned out. Finally, we’ve begun a new tradition in our family that we fondly call Wacky Wednesdays, where the kids take turns planning for, and preparing dinner. Since we’ve started doing this, the kids have a lot more appreciation for the work I do in the kitchen, and do a lot less complaining during the rest of the week.

September 19, 2012

Wednesday Wisdom: A better gluten-free chocolate cake

Here’s a tip to make your fabulous GF chocolate cake even better. When you are greasing and flouring the pan to prevent your cake from sticking, substitute cocoa powder for your GF flour. The cocoa will add a little more chocolate-y flavor, and the color will blend right in with your dark cake. You won’t end up with little clumps of white or tan flour on top of your cake. You can even take it one step further by dusting your finished cake with powdered sugar mixed with cocoa powder. It’s an easy, but elegant, way to finish off a cake instead of using frosting.

September 12, 2012

Wednesday Wisdom: Making use of every crumb

Whether you make them yourself at home or buy a pre-made loaf at the supermarket, let’s face it: gluten-free bread can be expensive. You don’t want to let any go to waste. Follow these tips to put every last crumb to good use:

Lightly toast slices to make delicious sandwiches. (Plus, don’t forget alternatives such as grilled cheese, hot open-faced sandwiches, French toast, and gluten-free paninis!)
Tear or cut up slices and use to make a French toast casserole or bread pudding.
Cube slices, lightly drizzle with olive oil, and season with a touch of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then pop into the toaster oven or oven until golden brown to make easy croutons for salad.
Pulse stale bread, heels, or lightly toasted slices in the food processor to make easy breadcrumbs. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, and dried oregano to make Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs.

Enjoy!

September 5, 2012

Wednesday Wisdom: Making Your Own Gluten-Free Flours

One thing is true about living gluten-free, it can get expensive. Especially if you’re a baker. You can easily pick up a store bought cake mix or whip up some cookies out of a box (which will set you back $5 per package, at least), but sometimes it’s fun to play, to experiment, to create from scratch.

But gluten-free, specialty flours are also costly. Luckily, with one, cheap little kitchen appliance, you can whip up your own gluten-free flours in no time. All you need is a (clean) coffee grinder.

It’s true that some flours are best store bought (or milled using a grain mill for a finer texture – think brown rice, sorghum, coconut), but for others, you can simply grind them up in a coffee grinder and bam, you’ve got flour. My favorite homemade flours are: quinoa, millet and amaranth.

The process is simple. Add these grains (or seeds in quinoa’s case), either raw or toasted (which I highly recommend for quinoa to remove its bitter taste) to your coffee grinder, grinding until you have a fine, flour like powder. Now, depending on your grinder, you may need to sift the flour to remove the coarse grains, but the result will be an effortlessly, light, homemade gluten-free flour. Easy-peasy and budget friendly!

Alyssa is the quinoa-obsessed girl behind the gluten-free blog, Queen of Quinoa. Check her out at: www.queenofquinoa.me or connect with her on: Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest

August 28, 2012

Wednesday Wisdom: Nutrition Deficiencies on a Gluten-Free Diet

Once you’ve started on your gluten-free diet and have it under control, it’s important to be aware of deficiencies you are at risk for by eliminating gluten from your diet. Any time you remove a whole food group from your diet, it can leave you at risk for missing out on proper nutrients typically obtained from that food. Items that contain gluten (wheat, barley, and rye) are important for their fiber and other nutrients.

Getting adequate fiber in the diet is essential for multiple of reasons, including maintaining regular bowel movements, prevention of colon cancers, sustaining low cholesterol levels, managing your weight, and supporting a diverse and thriving community of good bacteria in your gut. These beneficial bacteria manufacture vitamins, help protect you from foodborne illness, and stimulate the production of immune cells that boost your resistance to other infections.

Many gluten-rich foods are fortified with other nutrients such as folic acid, iron, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and other B vitamins. These nutrients are essential for energy production, nervous system function, proper growth of a fetus during pregnancy, red blood cell production and oxygenation of blood cells, bone strength, metabolic support, and immune function.

Your physician can monitor your levels of these nutrients with blood work and supplements can help when needed. Just remember to eat a variety of items especially your fruits, vegetables, nuts (almonds are awesome), and lean meats to make up for losses from fortified gluten-rich foods. To replace the gluten items, use fiber-rich foods that are naturally gluten-free such as sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, certified gluten-free oats, beans, and fun items like popcorn! You can even add seeds such as chia, pumpkin, flax and sunflower to add fiber, flavor and some healthy omegas.