A Good Way to Start Your Day

One thing about moving that's difficult for a specialty eater is finding foods that you are used to, and foods to replace what you're used to eating, in local and new grocery stores.  I think I've done a pretty good job over the past few months playing switch the brand and find your favorites.  It's best when you don't have to do this though, which is why I'm thankful for the nationally popular companies and their products, like Attune Foods' Erewhon Cereals.  Attune Foods' motto is, Simple Ingredients.  Simply Made.  How can you argue with that approach?  I personally like knowing that my food isn't highly processed.  I like knowing that it wasn't on an assembly line starting as something that doesn't resemble what it comes out as.  I enjoy a company that also understands nutrition; then they can deliver me the best product they can.  It's selfish really ;)

Like I said, the offshoot that I enjoy is the Erewhon Cereals because they have 6 great GF varieties I can choose from and one to all of them can be found at most Whole Foods or nutrition groceries across the country.  My favorite is the Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries, which has chunks of freeze dried blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries in every bite.  Sometimes we're lazy in the morning and don't feel like cutting up fruit; now you don't have to!

Attune also was kind enough to send me the Rice Twice (brown rice crisps and puffs), Strawberry Crisp (flakes with freeze dried strawberries), and the Cocoa Crispy (brown rice in a cocoa glaze) to try.  I was surprised how sweet the Rice Twice was, and not in a bad way.  Usually, a plain rice cereal tends to be bland; this wasn't.  It's perfect to use in breakfast parfaits:

Pick 1 cup of your favorite yogurt, 1/4 cup of fruit, and 

1/4-1/2 cup of Rice Twice, and layer in two divisions as above.  Enjoy!

The Strawberry Crisp was also automatically in my favor because it reminded me of the Rice w/ Mixed Berries.  A great use for the Strawberry Crisp (besides breakfast) is to throw the cereal in a processor/blender and make crumbs.  It can add another level to an oven "fried" chicken or a GF mozzarella stick with the presence of fruit.

The Cocoa wasn't my favorite of the cereals, but is a great option for the GF child in the house (or you) who wants to feel like they're eating something "sugary" and "decadent" which in reality isn't so bad for them at all.

Thanks to Attune Foods; they really care for their customers!  In full disclosure, they did provide me with the cereals highlighted gratis.  As always though, I only share my honest opinions of the product. 

Pass the Biscuits Please

One of my least favorite things to make Gluten Free is bread.  Sorry, but it's true.  It's not that making GF bread is particularly difficult or that the results don't often turn out tasty, but working with GF bread dough is messy, sticky, and a pain in the butt.

I have tried all the expert tips, yet, I can't seem to get more bread in the loaf pan than what's stuck on my hands, in the mixer, on the mixing paddle, or in the rising bowl.  Plus, bits of dough usually end up in my hair, on my face and stuck in between my fingers (which I've even needed to use a scrub pad on, in order to get dough off.)

That's why this recipe folks is GOLD.  I wanted to make something quick and easy for an FBLA meeting I was attending.  Since our meetings are usually potlucks at brunchtime, I wanted to make something more brunchy, easy to serve, and portable.  For some reason, I figured that biscuits would really fit the bill.  I wasn't really taking into account the fact that biscuits would be a bread of sorts.  When I was searching for a great recipe, I picked one of the least complicated ones I could find.  Sometimes, I worry when I see an uncomplicated GF bread/quick bread recipe that it won't work.  As you'll find, that is not the case here!

Thank you Google for sending me to a Celiac.com article page highlighting biscuits and rolls.  I found this wonderful recipe which you just know I had to change ever so slightly.  If you stick to the original recipe though, you can make great biscuits entirely allergy free.  That's right, entirely allergy free.  I added some cheese (which of course is dairy) and I used dairy milk but you can add a cheese substitute like Daiya and any milk sub and make a fantastic allergy free and vegan biscuit.

These are not messy, easy to handle, quick cooking and delicious.  I used a greased mini quiche pan to make the biscuits smaller for easy sharing.  You can easily use an english muffin pan to make them a little larger.  If you want, to free form, you can roll a ball of dough with your hands and press down to a circle on some parchment over a cookie sheet.  I didn't cook them free form though, so I don't know if they'll keep their shape.

Alright, let's get southern up in here-

Savory Biscuits

with Cheddar, Garlic, and Thyme

as adapted from Liz Wolf's Southern Biscuit recipe posted on Celiac.com

Ingredients:

2 cups GF flour mix (I used my rice mix w/ guar gum.  I tend to use rice mixes for non-GF ppl)

1/3 cup + 1 tbs Earth Balance Soy Free Spread

2 1/2 tsp baking powder (I use corn-free)

1 tsp Ener-G egg replacer

1 tsp salt

1/2-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or non-dairy sub)

4 gloves sauted garlic or crushed garlic equivalent

1 tbs thyme or thyme to taste

3/4 cup milk (I use lactose and fat free; you can use a milk sub)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the milk in a mixer with paddle attachment or food processor and blend until mixture looks like the spread is cut up into pebbles giving the same sand effect as when you make pie crust.

Add milk and mix until it looks like a dough.

Form biscuits however you choose by hand, in pan, drop, or cut.

Bake for 10 minutes.

That's it.  Trust me you'll love these.  For the girl who hates to make GF bread and quick breads, this may just have made me a believer!

National Pancake Week! Or is it...?

So I've been hearing rumblings and reading postings all about National Pancake Week, a holiday indeed that should be celebrated by all.  Funny thing is, when I googled this auspicious holiday, I got at least 3 separate weeks designated as National Pancake Week: 2/14, 2/21, and the week of 3/1.  The conclusion?  You better eat pancakes for the next three weeks folks, because the internet wants you to.  And hey, there are worse things you could have to do.

You may be thinking, Hey Suz, aren't you Gluten Free?  Why yes I am, dear reader, but as you know, that doesn't stop me from making anything, especially not fluffy, moist, delicious pancakes.  Pancakes!  Sorry, but I just get so excited thinking about them ;)

Also different about my pancake habits, other than being GF,  is that my favorite time of day to eat pancakes is at night.  I am a huge fan of breakfast for dinner, and yes, even dinner for breakfast and I don't care who thinks it's weird.  Breakfast just tastes better at night; it clearly has something to do with the lunar placement and the tides.  But I digress...

There are many tricks and tips to good pancakes, but the number one thing you must remember is that if you want fluffy pancakes you absolutely CANNOT smush them with your spatula after you flip them.  It's not meat- you're not trying to put a sear on it folks.  When you push the plump pancake further down onto the griddle or pan, you are essentially squeezing out all the air.  Air = fluff, and you now have a flat pancake, bringing you back to the painful memories of pre-pubescent times.  Grow some, erm, pancakes and don't squish them.  Be proud and let your fluff puff up.

Now for a personal pancake preference, I don't like to make big pancakes.  I'm a petite pancake kind of girl.  I find that they have more fluff, they're easier to flip, and you can have a couple more than if you're eating Uber Pancake, the distant and lesser known cousin of Sasquatch.

The below recipe is adapted from here and can easily be made dairy-free or even vegan with a couple of small substitutes (coconut milk would probably taste awesome in pancakes!)

Gluten-Free 

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

 

Ingredients:

1 cup GF sorghum mix (or any GF all purpose mix)

1 tbs evaporated cane sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg (or egg replacer)

3/4 cup milk (or milk sub)

1/4 cup Earth Balance Soy Free, melted

Allergy-Free Chocolate Chips to taste (yay Enjoy Life!)

Directions:

Mix together all dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry slowly, and mix well (do not overmix!)

Fold in chocolate chips by hand.

Scoop desired size batter onto a greased hot griddle or pan.

When pancakes start to bubble on the edges, then all over, flip 'em.

Cook until slightly mushy or golden brown (whichever you prefer) and then put them on some plates or...
To package and freeze pancakes, let cool.  

Arrange a large piece of foil and place a small rectangular cut of parchment down the middle.  

Place as many pancakes as fit on parchment, layer with another piece of parchment and continue until all pancakes are gone.  Close the foil around them and freeze.  

The parchment keeps the pancakes from sticking to each other so you're not stuck trying to pull them apart in the morning before you dash out the door.  Simply reheat in the oven, microwave or toaster oven and they're still delicious.

So whether it's National Pancake Week or not, do you really need an excuse to make these?  I think not.  Your turn now :)

Pumpkin Muffins Trial 2: Success!!

I tried these a couple of weeks after the disaster that was the first PM trial.  The texture is still a little spongy but I have a feeling that's because there's no actual sugar or oil in these bad boys. I know that a muffin without many traditional muffin ingredients can seem boring or gross, but I'm used to the whole eating without traditional ingredients thing at this point.  And really, it's not that bad.  I kind of even like them!

Very important: these muffins should never be served cold.  You can store them in the fridge or freezer and they keep well, but without heating them up in the microwave or oven it's not a good idea.   They're hard as rocks when they settle. Again, these aren't sounding like the most appetizing of treats but they're a good substitute when trying to eliminate certain ingredients. Here's what I tried this time around:

Nearly Free From Everything (including awesome texture)

Pumpkin Muffins, Trial #2

Adapted from 1Steve at Recipezaar:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup GF rice flour blend

1/3 cup + 2 tbs agave

2 tsp baking powder

3 tsp spice blend

1 egg

1/2 cup milk (I use lactose free skim milk)

3/4 cup pumpkin

1/4 cup apple puree

Directions:

Preheat oven to 35o degrees F.

Place parchment paper liners in a 12 muffin pan.  Do not grease; it's parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift all dry ingredients together.

Add all wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well, careful to not over-mix.

Drop sticky batter into 12 liners and bake, watching carefully until muffins brown (about 6-12 minutes in the crazy oven I'm using.)

Remove and cool.

Since this trial, I've also tried replacing the pumpkin with 1 1/2 cups mushed banana.  Those were quite yummy as well with nice, big chunks of squished banana.  Even the saddest of muffins can sometimes make an allergic girl quite happy.  Plus they're honestly easy, quick, and cheap to produce.  Who doesn't like that?

The Muffins That Ate...It

I wanted some really great title for this post.  Like Killer Muffins Attack Tokyo or something. For one, my muffins weren't poisonous.  Two, they have nothing to do with Tokyo.  And three, don't killer anythings attack other places?

Alright, it's Monday morning and clearly that's taking a toll on the sane center of my brain, but that does not change the fact that I did make muffins yesterday.  And they did eat it.  However, I'll still eat them.

I think there are many reasons that these muffins did not turn out, and I plan on sharing them with you so you can either help me solve my issue for trial #2 coming up next weekend or not repeat my mistakes in this experiment.  

Major Problem #1: Substitution Extravaganza

I started with a recipe that wasn't my own and wasn't originally gluten free.  I then substituted so many of the ingredients that I think the chemistry was off. The biggest problem was in the consistency of batter.  In the original post, the chef remarked that the batter would be lumpy. But mine was more of a dough and less of a batter.  It was dry yet incredibly sticky.  You see, when you substitute agave for sugar in recipes, you are supposed to lessen the liquid. Normally, this works; however, this time, the batter just seemed too dry and dense.  I think the next trial will include the full amount of milk AND 1/4 cup more pumpkin.  

Original Recipe from 1Steve at Recipezaar.com:

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup raisins

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/4 cup vegetable oil

What I did:

1 1/2 cup GF rice flour blend

1/3 cup agave

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp spice blend

1 egg

1/4 cup + 4 tbs milk (I use lactose and fat free)

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/4 cup apple puree

1/2 cup low sugar, soy free mini chocolate chips

Major Problem #2:  Evil Oven

I'm convinced that the oven in my rental flat may be possessed by the devil. First it wouldn't turn on.  Then it wouldn't heat up for ages.  Then it heated up so quickly it started to cook things fast; we're talking supersonic cooking times folks.  The best was when it decided to randomly shut off when I was making dinner last night and not turn back on.  That was awesome.

In the original recipe, the muffins are supposed to cook for 20 (okay?) 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.  I had my muffins at the Celsius equivalent for 6 minutes when they started to burn a bit on top.  That's right folks.  My muffins went straight from raw to almost burning in 6 minutes out of a 20 minute suggested cook time.  I'd say that's light speed.  It's also another reason why the muffins were a bit spongier and more rubbery than desired.  As well as lightly charred in places.  Lightly charred pumpkin.  Yum, yum.

I'll post the recipe below anyways.  They're not the best muffins in the universe, but if you're on a low everything diet, they're a fairly decent snack choice with a low GI (minus the chips), no gluten and if you add fruit instead of chips or don't add anything, they're nearly fat free and super low cholesterol.  

Nearly Free From Everything (Including Awesome Flavor) 

Pumpkin Muffins aka PM Trial #1

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup GF rice flour blend of choice

1/2 cup agave nectar

2 tsp GF baking powder

2 tsp spice blend or pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

1/4 cup + 4 tbs milk (I used lactose and fat free)

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/4 cup apple puree or apple sauce (which will add more liquid than the puree)

1/2 cup low sugar, soy free mini chocolate chips (or addition of your choice)

Directions (according to how my oven cooked it, adjust accordingly):

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place parchment paper liners in a 12 muffin pan.  Do not grease; it's parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift all dry ingredients together.  

Add all wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well, careful to not over-mix.

Drop sticky batter into 12 liners and bake, watching carefully until muffins brown (this trial, it took about 5 minutes but I have a feeling it takes more time in less demonic ovens)

Remove and cool.

Remember, this was only the first trial.  Check back next week for the second trial which I have a feeling might be pretty successful.  The suspense is just killing you, isn't it?  Better the suspense kills you than the muffins kill you.