Gluten-Free Discoveries!

Gluten free matzah now available in my local supermarket

2011-03-17T18:59:00.002-05:00

For the past few years, I have been baking matzah for our seders, using an almond meal based recipe. The matzah tasted delicious, but couldn't really be used as an ingredient for matzah based recipes, such as matzah brei, matzah stuffing, matzah caramel. Today, my mother discovered that our local supermarket in the Greater Boston area is carrying Yehuda brand "matzah crackers." These look just like regular matzah. We're stocking up!

The Friendly Toast in Cambridge is Friendly Indeed

2010-11-07T21:56:00.002-05:00

We were at The Friendly Toast in Kendall Square (Cambridge) last night and were really happy to see that they offer gluten free pancakes -- all kinds of decadent, gluten free pancakes, including chocolate chips, M and Ms (and blueberry too). You can get breakfast all day here too (including eggs). There are salads on the menu too, and apparently they have corn tortillas, so it is possible to get some sandwich fixings on a tortilla. The ambiance is a lot of fun -- take a look at the menu on their website for a preview.

GF Dougnuts -- October Daring Bakers Challenge

2010-10-27T19:13:00.005-05:00

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

I've rejoined Daring Bakers, and this month's challenge, hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up, was called Lets Go Nuts for Doughnuts. I'd been tempted by a mini doughnut pan a week before, so this was a perfect opportunity to indulge! A number of recipes were suggested, but I ended up a basic cake doughnut recipe from the Wilton Mini Doughnut pan (the recipe was very similar to the Buttermilk Cake Doughnut recipe provided.) I used Better Batter gluten free flour mix instead of the cake flour called for in the recipe, and they turned out great. I kept it simple -- glazed them with chocolate and sprinkled them with colorful sprinkles. Many doughnuts were consumed that night, but I froze the rest -- they defrost easily, but I confess I later discovered that they are quite tasty frozen as well!

Thanks for a fun challenge!

Gluten free on Cape Cod

2010-09-10T09:25:00.002-05:00

We spent a week on the Cape this past summer where there seem to be quite a few gluten free options. Our favorite was the Box Office Cafe in Chatham -- we went there three times! The Box Office Cafe is a very informal cafe and dvd store -- they do have seating, but it is informal. They have a great selection of gluten free pizzas, salads and sandwiches. The sandwiches are made on a panini style bread which is prepared for each order, so it takes about 15 minutes for a sandwich -- still, it is well worth it. They also have a limited late night menu (after 9) which doesn't have the gluten free pizzas or sandwiches. However, the night that we arrived at 9:15, not realizing about the limited late night menu, the staff kindly made us a gluten free Casesar salad and a gluten free mozzarella tomato salad, even though they were not on the official late night menu.

Another great choice in Chatham, particularly if if you want fried food -- clams, fish, french fries, onion rings, etc. -- is Chatham Fish and Lobster -- all of their batter is gluten free. Call for hours, when we were there they weren't open for dinner.

We also tried BZ's Mexican Pizzaria in Dennis -- although we ended up ordering the one gluten free Mexican item, the cheese enchallada, rather than the pizza it is known for.

If you are planning a trip to Cape Cod, make sure you check out the Underground Cape Cod blog, http://www.undergroundcapecod.com/ Sue maintains a Gluten Free on the Cape list of restaurants and stores, which she will e-mail to you.

Gluten Free in Israel

2010-06-11T10:07:00.003-05:00

Emily is going on a five week trip to Israel this summer, so we're gathering information on eating gluten free in Israel. Israel seems to have very good labeling laws and alerts consumers to the presence of all gluten -- not just wheat -- on the ingredient label. Still, it isn't always easy to read a label, especially if Hebrew is not your native language, so we're trying to gather information about specific products that are gluten free -- AND easily available. So far, thanks to some very helpful friends of friends in Israel, we have created the following list (published at this URL -- http://docs.google.com/View?id=dd7mfvqr_15cbxtsrc3 So, if anyone has additional suggestions, please add them to the comments!

Gluten Free Wine Tasting Dinner at Burton's Grill

2010-05-24T18:38:00.002-05:00

I just found out that Burton's Grill in North Andover is hosting a gluten free wine dinner on Monday, June 7, at 6:30 p.m., in conjunction with the celiac support group Healthy Villi. The announcement and menu can be found on the Burton's Grill web site. The meal is a four course dinner -- price, including wine, tax and gratuity is $59.95 (or $39.95 without wine) which seems like an excellent value. We haven't been to the North Andover location, but the Burton's in Fenway (Boston) is one of our favorites for gluten free meals.

Cozumel, Mexico (gluten free)

2010-05-20T18:50:00.002-05:00

We spent five wonderful nights in Cozumel, Mexico this past April. Mexico really does seem to be a fairly easy place to travel gluten free. Once again, we rented a condo with a kitchen, but this time we only ate one dinner at the condo -- the rest of the time we ate out. (We did use our condo blender a lot, however, for whipping up smoothies!)

The restaurants we tried were: Rockin Java (two times), Rolandi, and Especias. (We wanted to go to Casa Mission too, but just never made it). At Especias and Rolandi, my daughter had grilled fish. At Rockin Java, she had "stuffed spuds" one night, and fish tacos (on corn tortillas) another night. We also ate at the Palancar beach club one lunch, and had delicious grilled chicken kabobs and fresh fruit. We went for a day trip on the Tucon (as sailboat), and the crew prepared grilled chicken for her, and brought corn tortillas specially.

The biggest difficulty was finding tortilla chips at restaurants -- at all of the aforementioned restaurants, the chips were fried in the same oil as items containing gluten, so they were off limits. We did have drinks one afternoon at the No Name bar -- it turns out that the bartender at the associated cigar bar has celiac (and speaks perfect English); he told us that the chips at this bar were indeed fried in separate oil, and he eats them (although, in retrospect, I wonder about this and you might want to do some additional probing before ordering chips.) It was no problem, however, finding bagged corn chips in the stores. I also think that the restaurants and bars really would not mind if someone brought their own chips to have with guacamole, salsa, etc.

I was very impressed by how accommodating everyone was. We had a Spanish language restaurant card, and the waitstaff/ managers was generally very knowledgeable about ingredients and were happy to modify meals if needed. You do need to be particularly careful about tortillas, since many dishes are served with wheat tortillas, rather than corn tortillas; however, restaurants were very happy to make the substitution. Also, as in the US, fried items are usually off limits, because of the cross contamination, and a lot of the "bar food" is fried.

There are two enormous grocery stores in Cozumel (both across the street from El Cantil, our condo). These stores don't have gluten free specialty sections the way you might find in the states or England, although I noticed at the Cheudri that they were carrying rice crackers in the international section that were labeled gluten free (they are an Asian cracker). However, we stocked up on food for breakfast and lunch such as eggs, dairy, peanut butter, fruits, ice cream and snacks such as chips. You can also purchase freshly made corn tortillas (in huge stacks). We had brought some items from home -- a bag of tinkyada pasta, which we did in fact have for dinner one night when we couldn't be bothered to go out, a loaf of Udis bread (which held up remarkably well, considering we froze it before traveling, it thawed, we then froze it at the condo, brought most of it home, and then we refroze it at home), some Justin peanut butter pouches to have on hand on airplane travel days, a box of Nut Thins, a brownie mix (which we didn't end up making) and some gluten free protein bars. Basically, it is very hard to find gluten free baked goods (except corn tortillas) but other than that almost everything else can be found in the local shops. I do always feel a bit anxious going through customs with the food, which you do have to declare. However, since everything we brought was packaged -- and is legal to bring into Mexico -- we were waved through without a problem. (You can't bring in fresh food such as fruit, vegetables or meat.)

We did have a pleasant surprise on the plane trip to Mexico. First, they served meals on the plane -- that was a surprise to me in and of itself! Second, the breakfast was cereal and fruit, which I initially passed on automatically -- then I saw that the cereal was single serving bowls of General Mills gluten free Rice Chex!

Cafe Nicholas (Newton, MA)

2010-05-20T18:27:00.003-05:00

Cafe Nicholas is a casual pizza and sandwich shop in Newton (a Boston suburb). It has a new owner -- and the new owner's wife and child have celiac, so they have introduced a number of gluten free options. Choices include gluten free pizza with a variety of toppings (whole pies only, not by the slice), sandwiches on gluten free bread (they use Boars Heads meats), baked goods (prewrapped so there isn't cross contamination, from French Meadow and a local supplier), and he plans to add gluten free pasta dishes soon too. Salads are also available. It was really a pleasure to talk to the owner about the gluten free options -- because he has family members with celiac, he understands how critical it is to avoid cross contamination, and he is very patient with questions! Cafe Nicholas also has a reasonably priced "function" room in the back (I went to a kids birthday party once), and they deliver to surrounding neighborhoods too (although I haven't specifically asked whether they deliver gluten free pizzas). Full disclosure -- I haven't tried the gluten free offerings here yet, although some friends have tried the gluten free pizza and thought it was pretty good. Also, I'm not sure that I would classify this as a "destination" restaurant. However, it is wonderful to have the option for a gluten free lunch or quick meal in Newton Center.

In other Newton news, Barry's deli in Waban is now carrying baked goods from the new gluten free bakery cafe in Randolph called All Can Eat.

Rialto (Cambridge, MA)

2010-04-04T21:44:00.003-05:00

Last night, my father in law treated us to a very lovely dinner at Rialto, a restaurant in Cambridge Massachusetts. It is located in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, but it is by no means a "hotel" restaurant. It is a very upscale restaurant, run by chef Jody Adams. It is an Italian restaurant, but as far away from a red sauce joint as you can get. Indeed, there was only one pasta dish -- a ravioli -- on the menu at all. They have an extensive gluten free menu (which, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be online). However, many of their regular menu items are naturally gluten free, and they can modify a number of the other items to be gluten free. The restaurant does offer a prix fixe menu as well (3 courses for $40) and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that there were gluten free options for each course. My daughter (and several others at the table) ordered the Lettuces as a first course, Seared Char with mint and peas for the main course, and Hazelnut Meringue with lemon cream for dessert. Another gluten free entree that was enjoyed by others at the table (although not on the prix free menu) was Wolfe's sirloin steak with Portabello mushrooms, arugula, parmigiano and truffle oil. As befitting an upscale restaurant, the service was very gracious and they were able to accommodate our dietary needs smoothly. Oh -- and the food was delicious as well! It is definitely a place to keep in mind for a special celebration.

Fabulous Gluten Free French Bread

2010-03-18T14:37:00.002-05:00

This recipe for gluten free french bread is on the Gluten Free Homemaker's blog. It is an adaptation of Carol Fenster's recip -- in particular, it uses Fenster's baking directions, which call for putting the dough directly into an oven, then turning it on -- no rising and no preheating. As a result, the bread can be prepared really quickly -- once you mix up the dough, it bakes for only about 35 minutes, with no additional rising time required.

I've been baking the gf french bread following the recipe on GFH's blog -- one slight change. Instead of using fresh egg whites, I use Just Whites (dried egg white powder) by Deb El -- this way, I don't have to feel guilty for not using up the yolks. I add the powdered eggs with the dry ingredients, then add the additional water with the other liquid ingredients.

The recipe makes two loaves -- we usually have one fresh, then freeze the other, sometimes preslicing into small slices, or larger sections for sandwiches.

Needham, Massachusetts -- a gluten free restaurant hotspot!

2010-03-18T14:04:00.002-05:00

Needham, Massachusetts (a suburb fairly close to Boston) seems to have a surprising number of gluten free restaurant options for a town of its size. Options include:

Not Your Average Joes -- salad, chicken, fish
Rice Barn -- Thai restaurant with an extensive gluten free menu (although the menu isn't currently online)
Bertucci's -- part of a chain featuring Italian food -- no gf pizza or pasta, but a variety of other entrees and salads
Stone Hearth Pizza -- gf pizzas, pasta, salad and dessert
Wild Willy's Burgers -- burgers and grilled chicken on gf buns, ice cream and shakes, gf fries, Redbridge beer (gf menu not posted)

There is also the wonderful store A New Leaf in the heart of Needham Center, which has an enormous selection of gluten free food, including a lot of frozen items such as Udi's bread and Joan's Great Bakes bagels. The manager is extremely helpful, and if you are looking for a product that is not in stock, he will often be able to order it for you. Note that A New Leaf has three locations -- I don't know if the other two stores have as extensive a selection of gluten free options as the Needham store.

B. Good has gluten free buns!

2010-02-21T17:48:00.003-05:00

We gave been going to B. Good for some time now -- they are a "healthy" burger restaurant. Although they don't have a specific gluten free menu, they have an allergen book with information about allergens, including gluten, and their burgers and fries do not contain gluten. Now, they are apparently stocking gluten free buns, so you can get a burger on a bun (instead of a lettuce wrap). They definitely have the buns at Legacy Place in Dedham, and in Coolidge Corner in Brookline. I asked the server in Brookline whether this was chain wide -- he thought it was, but you might want to call first if the bun is key! ) (Other locations include Harvard Square in Cambridge, Back Bay Newbury Street). Per the server, the bun is from Gillians bakery.

Editors note: The location in Brookline has closed. :(

Restaurants

2009-11-28T17:12:00.014-05:00

The following are some restaurants in the Greater Boston area that either have gluten free menus, or where we have had luck ordering gluten free.

Burtons Grill (GF menu) -- Kenmore Square, other locations too
Not Your Average Joes (GF menu) -- Watertown, Needham, other locations too
Legal Seafoods (GF menu) -- numerous locations
PF Changs (GF menu) -- downtown Boston, Natick, other locations
The British Beer Company (GF menu) -- Framingham, other locations
Wild Willy's Burgers -- Needham location has a gluten free menu, including burgers, chicken, gf buns, fries and Redbridge beer; Worcester location might also have a gf menu
Woodmans of Essex (Seafood, Clambake) Clam Shack -- Essex (no specific gluten free menu, but per their website their menu items are gluten free except for sandwiches, clamcakes and onion rings)
UBurger -- Kenmore Square (no gf menu, but per the manager, the fries and burger itself are do not contain gluten and the fries are fried separately from onion rings); other Boston locations now open, I haven't changed with them as yet
B. Good -- Harvard Square, Dedham, Newbury Street, several other downtown/ Back Bay locations, Hingham (there is a book which lists allergens; per this book, burger and fries do not contain gluten) (now offering gluten free buns -- this is confirmed at the Dedham and Brookline locations -- call to confirm at the other locations too)
Stone Hearth Pizza (GF menu) -- Needham, Porter Square Cambridge, Belmont
Zaftigs Delicatessen -- Coolidge Corner Brookline (no gf menu, but are willing to accommodate gluten free)
Fire and Ice -- Harvard Square, Newbury Street (no gf menu, but can have items prepared separately, with gf sauce)
Rice Barn (Thai) (GF menu) -- Needham
The Elephant Walk (Cambodian, French) (GF menu) -- Brookline, Watertown
Fresh City (GF menu) -- Newton, Kenmore, other locations
Five Guys Burgers and Fries -- Dedham, other locations (no gf menu, but per company, the fries and burgers themselves do not contain gluten)
Nebo (GF menu) -- North End Boston
Red Lentil Vegetarian Restaraunt (GF items indicated on menu) -- Watertown
Myers+Chang (GF menu) -- South End Boston
Bertucci's (GF menu) -- Newton, other locations
Rialto (GF menu) -- Cambridge (upscale, many dishes are gluten free, kitchen is willing to modify others)
Cafe Nicholas -- Newton -- gluten free pizza, sandwiches, baked goods, gf pasta coming soon
Peace o' Pie -- Allston -- gluten free pizza on Thursdays
Abby Park -- Milton -- modern American, gluten free menu (upscale)
Om Restaurant -- Cambridge -- trendy Asian fusion, gluten free menu
The Friendly Toast -- Cambridge (Kendall Square) -- gluten free pancakes (also eggs, salads)
Pizzapalooza -- Newton, -- gluten free pizza (individual size)
Bill's Pizzeria -- Newton, gluten free pizza (not currently listed on online menu, call to confirm)
The Fireplace -- Brookline, upscale, gluten free menu (see positive reader comment, below)

Favorites

2009-11-26T20:51:00.006-05:00

We've now had a primarily gluten free household for 3 years and have definitely developed some preferences. The following are suggestions about some of our (totally subjective) recommendations for gluten free specialty items (some of which buy in bulk form Amazon, as noted):

Places to buy GF food

A New Leaf -- Needham -- this health food store has a fantastic selection of gluten free food, and the owner is very accommodating and willing to special order items
Whole Foods
Trader Joes
Stop and Shop -- Newton, Watertown -- Stop and Shop seems to have some of the best prices around for the gluten free items that they stock
Amazon -- many gluten free items are available via Amazon, although usually you must order 6 or so packages, so you should make sure you like it first. If you use the Subscribe and Save option, there is an additional discount and the shipping is free
Shaws -- although Shaws does seem to have higher prices on gluten free foods than Stop and Shop and Whole Foods, sometimes they sell items that aren't available in other mainstream supermarkets. For example, the Auburndale Shaws sells Conte brand stuffed gluten free ravioli (frozen)

Breakfast

Vans frozen waffles
Pamela's Baking Mix (for pancakes) (Amazon)
Trader Joes Gluten Free Granola (also, Bakery on Main)
Homemade muffins (we use Better Batter flour, which subs for regular wheat flour in recipes; we've also had success with Gluten Free Pantry (or Whole Foods brand) muffin mix, or Namaste mix if you are avoiding other allergens too)
Chex cereal

Lunch/Dinner

Tinkyada Pasta
Thai Kitchen rice pastas
Contes gluten free ravioli
Bell and Evans gluten free frozen chicken products (tenders, nuggets, patties)
Against the Grain pizza crust
Amys gf mac and cheese (frozen)
Glutinos gf mac and cheese (frozen)
Annies gf mac and cheese (box) (Amazon)
Lundenberg rissotto mix
Qinoa (instead of couscous)
Kettle Cuisine frozen soups and chiles
Udi's pizza crusts

Breads/ crackers

Pamela amazing wheat free bread mix (Amazon)
Bread mixes by Anna
Udi's sandwich bread
Udi's bagels
Rudi's sandwich bread
Against the Grain frozen rolls and baguettes
Joans Great Bakes Bagels, English Muffins and Italian Bread
French Meadow tortillas
Nut Thins (especially plain almond)
Marys Gone Crackers
Corn Thins
Chebe brand frozen breadsticks, mini rolls and pizza crusts

Baked goods and snacks

Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse pie crusts
French Meadow prepackaged brownies
Homemade cookies and cakes (using Better Batter flour)
Trader Joes brown rice marshmallow treats
Trader Joes (or Namastes) gf brownie Mix
Gluten Free Pantry or Pamela's brownie mix
Betty Crocker Brownie mix (Amazon)
Hains brand mini cheddar rice cakes
Glutino pretzels
Green Mountain tortilla strips

British Beer Company (Boston area)

2009-11-01T20:45:00.002-05:00

We had dinner tonight at the British Beer Company, a small chain of restaurants with locations in Massachusetts, including Framingham (the location we visited). It is a casual, reasonably priced restaurant, with a British "pub"style ambiance; the menu includes American and British favorites, such as burgers, salads, pizzas, fish and chips, bangers and mash, pasties, steaks, fish, etc. Their gluten free menu is quite extensive, and includes pizza (with toppings!), ribs, a number of salads, burgers (no buns, alas), fish, steak and -- most unusually -- gluten free wrap sandwiches. The manager brought out the gluten free dish we had ordered herself, and without prompting offered an explanation of the extra care that they take with the gluten free orders, starting from the time that someone requests the gluten free menu. It made for a very relaxed restaurant experience (and the food was good too!)

New York City Gluten Free

2009-04-25T17:13:00.003-05:00

We just got back from a 5 day stay in New York City -- it truly is a great place to travel if you are eating gluten free. In fact, our "restaruants to visit" list was longer than the number of meals on our trip. (Oh well, I guess we have to go back.) Some of the highlights were as follows:

Friedman's Lunch -- In the Chelsea Market. Their gluten free menu includes sandwiches on gluten free bread, bagels and pancakes on Sundays, hamburgers on gluten free buns, fresh french fries and homemade potato chips (they have a separate fryer for the gluten free food).

Risotteria -- we shared an order of risotto and a gluten free pizza. We ordered a pizza with olive tapenade instead of tomato sauce, topped with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes. Delish. Every meal is prefaced by gluten free breadsticks, the nice soft kind. They also sell wrapped gluten free baked goods to take home, include black and white cookies.

Just Salad -- a salad chain, we went to the one at 30 Rock (Rockefeller Center). The gf salad dressings are clearly labeled. According to the owner, the grilled chicken is gluten free, as are many of the toppings (other than the obvious ones, such as croutons). Ask to have your salad mixed and chopped in a clean bowl on a clean board; the staff were happy to accomodate.

S'mac -- a small restaurant in the East Village, specializing in macaroni and cheese. They have gluten free pasta available, and all the breadcrumbs that are used to top the mac and cheeses are gluten free. You can have traditional American style mac and cheese, or go for a more exotic version, with different kinds of cheeses and mix ins.

Petit Cafe -- this cozy cafe in the West Village was a real find. The owner's mother has celiac, and he has been increasing his gluten free offereings over the past couple of years. Options now include gluten free french toast (served all day), grilled paninis and other sandwiches on gluten free bread, gluten free brownie and gluten free soups. The cafe is small and friendly -- the owner seemed to know many of the customers, and even went to his car in a rainstorm to loan one of his customers his umbrella!

Tuttoriso -- a homey cafe on Staten Island, right next to the ferry stop. This makes a great stopover if you are planning to take the Staten Island ferry (recommended for a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline, and it's free!) Tuttoiso has a full range of gluten free pastas, sandwiches, soups and baked goods.

Cafe 82 -- a typical NYC diner on the upper west side of Manhattan (82d St. and Broadway). They have a gluten free menu, including gf toast for the traditional eggs and hash browns, as well as other diner foods. Very reasonably priced. (no web site)

Whole Foods -- there is now an enormous Whole Foods on East Houston Street. Not surprisingly, this being New York, they have a huge prepared foods section. One night, we didn't feel like eating out, so we picked up take out sushi as well as fresh french fries from the Pommes Frites station within Whole Foods. Pommes Frites is a french frie restaurant in the East Village -- they have an ecclectic selection of sauces (we didn't investigate, just stuck with the ketchup.) This Whole Foods also sells gelato from local gelato makers Il Laboratorio del Gelato, in the Lower East Side.

Another treat was home made buttercrunch chocolate candy from Roni-Sue's Chocolates in the Essex Market (Lower East Side).

What was particularly nice about traveling in New York, is that there were gluten free options in every part of town. The only place that was a bit challenging was Spa Castle -- an incredible Korean spa in the heart of Queesns (you can take the number 7 subway to the last stop, and get a free shuttle bus from there to the spa.) Spa Castle is a five story experience, complete with saunas, and a variety of whirlpools. (I can't really describe it, take a look at the website.) Apparently there is a salad bar there on the weekends, but during the week the main food option is a Korean restaurant. We hadn't brought restaurant cards with us, but in the end were happy to order a couple of bowls of plain white rice (rather cleansing after our other food extravengences). There is also Haagen Daaz and Edy's available, if you want something more decadent!

More gluten free pizza in the Boston area!

2009-01-30T15:17:00.002-05:00

Stone Hearth Pizza has now started serving gluten free pizza and pasta at its three Boston area locations (Needham, Belmont, Somerville/Cambridge). The gluten free items are indicated right on the main menu itself. The pizza is thin crust -- they call it Neapolitan style. In addition to pizza and pasta dishes, they have some nice salads, a few appetizers and gluten free desserts on the menu. We tried the gluten free pizza with fresh mozarella the other week, and really enjoyed it.

Daring Bakers January Challenge -- Tuiles

2009-01-30T15:01:00.003-05:00

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

This months challenge asked us to bake Tuiles. I had never really seen these before. They are cookies that are shaped or rolled. In addition, we were to pair the cookies with a mousse or pudding, or something similar.

I used the basic Tuiles recipe presented, which was taken from a book called “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck. (The recipe actually makes a butter cookie, not a chocolate cookie.) It was easy to convert to gluten free -- I just used Better Batter flour instead of the all purpose flour. I shaped the cookies into little cups, but pressing the warm cookies inside of a muffin tin when they came out of the oven.

For filling, I made a simple white chocolate mousse, using a recipe posted a the Cooking by the Seat of my Pants blog. I substituted a bit of vanilla for the liquer called for by the recipe. It was super simple, and really good. I then filled the cups with the mousse.

Would I make it again? Maybe. Shaping the tuiles was a little too finicky for me. However, the combination of the crispy cookie and the creamy mousse was quite delicious.

Being thankful for family who "get it"

2008-12-01T20:12:00.005-05:00

Our extended families have been incredibly supportive of our gluten free needs. They are happy to go to restaurants with gluten free menus when we go out -- and they have been more than willing to prepare safe, gluten free feasts for family gatherings.

Take this Thanksgiving. My sister and her husband hosted and coordinated, cooked and cleaned, and -- except for one premade pumpkin pie that they bought at a fundraiser -- the meal (for 15 of us) was entirely gluten free. And quite delicious, I might add. We started with olives, humus, cheese and Mary's Gone Crackers. The turkey, of course, was the centerpiece. Roasted vegetables (including baby brussel sprouts, new for me but actually really sweet), squash (made by my mom), a wild and brown rice "dressing", green salad with a nice vinaigrette (provided by my in-laws), mashed potatoes and gluten free cornbread (provided by us). I baked some gluten free Heath Bar brownies and a gluten free apple pie, using an Annalise Roberts recipe and a Whole Foods gluten free pantry pie crust, and we had ice cream as well. Although none of the foods being prepared for the meal contained gluten, it is always more challenging to cook gluten free in a "gluten" kitchen, and I appreaciate the extra efforts my sister and her husband made to keep preparations safe, such as using new cutting boards.

I don't think that anyone came away from the meal saying "that was a great gluten free meal" -- I think they came away saying "that was a great meal". Because it was. Not only did the food itself taste great -- but because it is simply nicer and warmer when everyone at the table can fully partake of a meal , and not worry about whether something is safe to eat.

So, thanks!

2008-11-29T13:10:00.005-05:00

Bakers Challenge for November -- Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

- Name of the Cookbook - Shuna Fish Lyndon's recipe - (http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006 … he-recipe/)
- Name of the Author - Shuna Fish Lyndon
- Hosts for the month - Dolores the host (http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/) with Co-hosts Alex (Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie duo: http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com/), Jenny of Foray into Food (http://forayintofood.blogspot.com/). Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go (http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/) assisted with the gluten free info.

This was my second attempt at a Daring Bakers Challenge. I see from the other Daring Bakers posts that some folks are really creative -- at this point, I'm just trying to get the basic recipe made! I used Better Batter flour for the gluten free flour, and upped the baking powder to 1 teaspoon. I used a 9 inch springform for the baking pan. The cake didn't rise very much (either that, or it rose than sank) so it was a fairly "short' cake -- more like a torte. However, it was really moist and quite tasty. Definitely on the sweet side, but not too sweet for my taste.

I had read reports that the frosting was WAY sweet, especially in conjunction with a sweet cake, so I halved the recipe, and reduced the sugar even further. In the end, I used about 6 tbls. butter, 1 an 3/4 cups confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 3 tbls. heavy cream and 3 tbls. caramel syrup. I also added a little sea salt. The frosting was nice and light and fluffy; I didn't think it was too sweet. The half recipe did cover the top and sides of my not very high cake.

If I was making the recipe again, I'd make sure to halve the caramel syrup -- it made far more than was needed, even if you were making a full batch of frosting. Now I need to figure out what to do with the leftover syprup -- maybe combine with heavy cream to make caramel for ice cream?

The assembled cake (frosting and cake) was delicious. I drizzled some of the caramel syrup on top for decoration. I would definitely make it again.

Thin, pliable, gluten free wrap bread

2008-10-25T13:30:00.003-05:00

There has been a lot of interest in the gluten free blogging and message board community in developing gluten free wrap recipes. Gluten Free Gobsmacked has a whole series of useful posts with a number of variations, including some that were based on a thread originally posted on the Delphi Forum. I was particularly intrigued by her latest post in the series, for Mock Lavash, which called for a combination of whole grain gluten free flours and buttermilk powder. It occurred to me that Pamela's Baking mix already included a combination of whole grain type flours as well as buttermilk, so I decided to try making the recipe using Pamela's mix as the base. I also added Expandex (modified tapioca powder) which results in a very pliable mix. I also eliminated the yeast, since I didn't want the bread to rise. So, here is my latest variation (with thanks to Kate and all the others who have been working on refining this recipe!):

1 cup Pamela's Gluten Free Baking mix
2 tablespoons Expandex
3/4 cup warm water (note, probably doesn't need to be warm anymore since no yeast is used, but I haven't tried it without warming it yet)
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to the ingredients, mix on slow to combine ingredients, then mix on high for about 2 minutes.
5. While dough is mixing, line a jelly roll sized pan with parchment paper. Don't skip the parchment paper -- the dough is very wet and sticky.
6. Pour the dough onto the parchment paper lined pan. Use a wet spatuala to smooth it out. The dough is very thin and wet and should spread fairly easily.
7. Bake for 13 to 16 minutes until edges are brown (if you have a hot oven, start checking earlier).
8. After the pan has cooled, peel the parchment paper off of the wrap bread. I usually got it in thirds. You can store it in an airtight ziplock for a day or so.

A good and easy dinner

2008-10-11T14:12:00.002-05:00

Last night we had a fast and easy, but still mighty tasty, gluten free dinner, courtesy of Receipezaar. Baked tilapia with tomatoes and olives, baked swiss chard with olive oil and parmesan, and quinoa (toasted, then cooked like rice). The meal preparation only took about 30 minutes total.

Also, for those of you in the Greater Boston area, check out Sorry I Can't Eat That's posting about A New Leaf, a terrific health food store in Needham Massachusetts with a huge selection of gluten free food.

Daring Bakers September Challenge -- Lavash and Dip

2008-09-27T11:37:00.003-05:00

This is my first Daring Bakers challenge. The challenge this month was to bake Lavash crackers and a vegan/gluten free dip to accompany it. We received the recipe for the Lavash (both wheat and gluten free versions) but could do anything with the dip, so long as it was vegan and gluten free.

I made the gluten free version of the Lavash, using Better Batter flour for the flour mix. I think that I didn't roll it quite thin enough -- also, the dough didn't rise at all!

My results were a bit mixed, to be honest. I think that the crackers were too chewy -- I don't know if this is because of the rising problem, or because the crackers weren't rolled thin enough.

For the dip, I made a quick Olive Tapenede. This is a really easy condiment that we make regularly in our "Magic Bullet," although I imagine you could use a food processor as well. Combine olives, capers and a bit of olive oil, and process. The rough proportions that I used are 1 part capers to 3 parts olives, with enough olive oil to liquify. If that is too salty for you, use fewer capers. (The tapenede is a great sauce for grilled fish as well).

Thanks to Shel from Musing From the Fishbowl and Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, for hosting this month.

Garden at the Cellar, Boston area restaurant

2008-08-08T15:59:00.002-05:00

Hi -- I may have found another potential restaurant for a nice gluten free meal in the Boston area. A couple of weeks ago, we ate at the Garden at the Cellar, a small restaurant near Harvard Square in Cambridge MA. It focuses on preparing food made with local ingredients. There were four in our party, none of whom are gluten free and we had a delicious meal. However, the restaurant clearly knew what was in its food, and it is a restaurant with a small kitchen with a personal touch, so I asked our waitress if the restaurant could accommodate gluten free. She said absolutely -- in fact, she herself had celiac! She said that in addition to herself, the other staff could also help someone with celiac order a safe meal. Eating out is risky, but I think that a restaurant like this one, which prepares meals to order and has an emphasis on seeking out excellent local ingredients, is a good possibility. (And our waitress said the french fries were gluten free.)

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-07-04T16:43:00.004-05:00

Today, I tried baking gluten free chocolate chip cookies using the classic Nestles Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (off the back of the chocolate chip cookie bag). I used Better Batter flour instead of wheat flour, and used 2 teaspoons of vanilla instead of 1. (Better Batter is a premixed gluten free flour, that also includes the xanthum gum). They came out perfectly! I'm planning to bring them to a 4th of July picnic tonight, where there are no gluten free eaters at all, that's how good they are.

I've been using Better Batter flour for baking cakes, cookies and muffins for some time now, and find that it is a great substitute for all purpose wheat flour in these types of recipes. Check out their website for a lot of good recipes as well, including a very versatile recipe for the "World's Easiest Crescent Rolls." I've used this dough (with cottage cheese) to make rolls, chocolate rolls (using Nutella), pizza crusts, pot pie crusts, and cheese "hot pockets" -- yum. I have no financial or personal connection with the site -- I'm just glad to spread the word about a gf mix that really simplifies baking. (By the way, it is currently on sale at Amazon -- the shipping rates go down as you buy more product.)

Gluten free in Mexico

2008-04-27T18:02:00.004-05:00

We just returned from a one week trip to Mexico. We went to Akumal -- a beautiful, laid back beach village about an hour and a half south of Cancun, but a world away in style and ambiance. This was our first international trip since Emily's diagnosis but Mexico turns out to be a pretty reasonable place to eat gluten free. The following were some of our strategies:

1. We stayed at a condo with a kitchen: we had previously been to an all inclusive, and I have read that many people have success eating gluten free at all inclusives, with advance warning to the chef. However, even aside from food issues, we prefer the space and amenities that you get with a condo. Ours had a fantastic location, right on the beach, with a balcony overlooking the sea -- we ate breakfast and lunch on the balcony just about every day. (We rented ours through vrbo.com.) We ate 3 dinners in, and went out 3 nights plus a lunch -- however, had the dining out not worked out, it was comforting to know that we could eat all our meals in if necessary.

2. We brought some gluten free food with us: Pamela's mix (for pancakes); a gf brownie mix and a gf muffin mix (w/ chocolate chips), as well as disposable foil pans to bake them in; a couple of boxes of nut thins; a couple of bags of corn thins; a jar of peanut butter; small size disposable containers of peanut butter that we were able to carry on to the plane; small packets of salad dressing, ketchup and mayo; some freeze dried fruit packets; a couple of bags of Tinkyada pasta; small packets of lemonade mix; small bags of Ian's gf chocolate chip cookies; Zone bars. We also brought along some basic cooking gear -- we've found that it is hard to predict what condition pots and pans will be in at a rental condo. Sometimes they are stainless that you can clean and use with comfort, other times they might be scratched Teflon. For this trip, we hit upon the perfect set to bring with us-- a nice sized camping set of pots and pans, that all fit into each other and didn't take up that much room in the suitcase. We also have a collapsible colander that folds flat, and also bring a large spoon and spatula. Next time, I'm going to add a set of silicon muffin "tins" and a one cup measuring cup. We did bring most of the gluten free food in our hand luggage -- last time we traveled, the one bag that was lost was the bag with the gluten free food in it, and we didn't want to replay that experience! Although you do need to declare "food" at customs in Mexico, we didn't have any problem bringing the food in; it was all in its original packaging.

Of course, we had to buy additional food in Mexico. We stopped at an enormous, well stocked supermarket in Playa del Carmen, which was very similar to an American supermarket. We bought eggs, butter, yogurt, oil, cheese, milk, some chopped meat, rice, fruit and vegetables, 100% juice and a few other staples, including a couple of bags of corn tortilla chips. Mexico stocks a lot of the same brands and products that you find in the US -- in fact, some of the products are directly imported (you can tell because there is a big sticker listing ingredients in Spanish added to the product.) Although I was not able to verify this 100%, it is my understanding that Mexico does require labeling of major allergens, and we certainly saw allergy statements on many products. However, we tried to be cautious and stuck primarily to brands we were familiar with (such as General Mills and Kraft) and products that were not particularly processed with lots of strange ingredients. Finally, on one of our excursions to the Akumal "pueblo", we bought a big packet of homemade corn tortillas -- there must have been 50! -- for about a dollar. (Note that we did not call manufacturers to verify the gluten free status of the few "processed" items that we bought (jam, tomato sauce, potato chips) -- we felt comfortable with the combination of reading the labels to ensure that ingredients were "safe"and wheat, rye, barley, oats weren't listed, in conjunction with the products being from manufacturers who fully disclosed gluten in the U.S. or who maintained gluten free lists (such as Sabritas, which is the name that Lays products are sold under in Mexico.) If you don't feel comfortable with this, you should bring all processed food with you.)

3. We used a Triumph restaurant card for eating out: we ate at 2 restaurants in Akumal, each of them twice. La Cueva del Pescador is primarily a fish restaurant, although you can also get chicken a steak there. We used the restaurant card there, and the waiter really seemed to get it. One night, Emily had fish; the other night chicken. Both times, her meal was prepared separately, with just lime and salt for seasoning. According to the waiter, the homemade tortilla chips were fried separately from items containing gluten (and this made sense, because the restaurant didn't have any items such as onion rings or chicken nuggets). We also ate at Turtle Bay Cafe -- Emily had the chicken caesar salad (with our own dressing) both times. The owners of the cafe are American and are often on site, so I was able to verify with them that the chicken was not grilled in the same area as items containing gluten. Again, we used the restaurant card with the waitstaff, and sure enough the salad arrived without croutons or dressing, as requested. We also went to Lucys for homemade ice cream (not from a mix) -- I speak some Spanish so I was able to verify what the ingredients were with the person serving. Several times we went out for drinks in the afternoons, and brought our own tortilla chips with, because many times the chips served are fried in the same oil as gluten items such as chicken nuggets.

Do you have strategies for international gluten free travel? Is so, add them to the comments!

Easy gluten free cheese straws

2008-01-13T13:59:00.000-05:00

We've decided to try adding photos to the blog, but are having a few technical difficulties. Anyway if you crane your neck, you can see a photo of some gf cheese straws that we made today. These were incredibly easy -- a combination of gf flour, Parmesan cheese, baking powder, black pepper, water and olive oil. The recipe is from the September 2007 issue of Cooking Light magazine, and is called Pecorino-Black Pepper Breadsticks. To me, they seem more like cheese straws than breadsticks. I followed the recipe ingredients and instructions pretty much as written, although I substituted gluten free flour for the regular flour called for in the recipe (remember to add xanthum gum as well, if your flour mix doesn't include it already) and used Parmesan instead of Romano. I couldn't quite get the breadsticks to roll out, so instead I shaped an 8inch long rectangle on my cutting board, and sliced thin strips with a knife. I moved each strip to a parchment covered baking pan and baked. That's it!

Gluten Free Chocolate Lava Cakes

2007-11-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

We made excellent gluten free chocolate lava cakes last night. These are small chocolate cakes with oozing chocolate insides. We used a Ghiradelli recipe as a starting point. Instead of using the regular flour called for by the recipe, I used a gluten free flour mix (brown rice, potato starch, tapioca starch) and added 1/8 teaspoon of xanthum gum. The recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of flour, so I suspect that pretty much any gluten free flour mix would work. We've made lava cakes before that don't really ooze -- the secret of this recipe is that you make up a mixture of chocolate and cream first, and chill it. You then shape it into balls, and insert it into the batter right before baking. This allows the cakes to bake to the right consistency, while the warm chocolate melts. I sprinkled a little confectioners sugar on top -- the sweetness was a nice complement to the bittersweet chocolate called for by the recipe. I think that next time we might use white chocolate centers.

Yom Kippur Break Fast, Gluten Free Style

2007-09-23T19:41:00.000-05:00

We hosted a Yom Kippur "break fast" for about 22 people last night. Yom Kippur is a Jewish holiday calling for a 25 hour fast, from sundown one day until one hour after sundown the next. It is traditionally marked by a "break fast" -- a festive meal -- at the close of the holiday. We served the following -- these foods would also work well at a brunch:

1. Jocelyn's Kugel -- this is a somewhat sweet, very rich noodle pudding.
1 pound of noodles (kugels traditionally use egg noodles. I used Tinkyada rotini, which worked well)
1 pint sour cream (save about 1/3 of this amount for the topping)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten
1 pound cream cheese

Boil and drain the pasta. Mix the other ingredients together, then add the drained pasta and mix. Pour into a 9 by 13 inch pan, and spread the remaining sour cream on top. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes.

Add additional topping:
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons gluten free flour
3/4 cup ground walnut (can be omitted)
2 tablespoon buter

Mix these ingredients together, and sprinkle over the kugel. Put back in the oven, and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

2. "Bagel and lox" pizza
This is based on a recipe from Fast and Festive Recipes for the Jewish Holidays, by Marlene Sorusky. It is an alternative to serving bagels and smoked salmon.

1 recipe of gluten free wrap bread, baked in a 14 inch pizza plan
I got this recipe from some terrific cooks at the Delphi Forum. See this link for Cindy's Wraps as adapted from 125 GF Recipes by Washburn. Or, see Gluten Free Gobsmacked experiments with the recipe. I make a few changes when I use it, based on GFG's experiments as well as ideas from others on the Delphi Forum -- I use sorghum instead of rice flour, only 1 tsp of yeast, I substitute one tablespoon of Expandex for 1 tablespoon of regular tapioca flour, and I don't let it rise.

Once the crust is baked, let it cool. Then, spread it all over with cream cheese, and top with thin slices of English cucumber, small pieces of smoked salmon, and capers -- the same way that you would top a pizza. You can also add red onion slices and dill. Slice it as you would a pizza.

3. Gluten free quiche I made one with asparagus, and one with broccoli

4. Cheese and crackers. For crackers, I used Glutano "ritz" like crackers, and Blue Diamond almond nut thins.

5. Egg salad and tuna salad, with Real Food corn thins. (Corn thins are a bit like rice thins, but less crumbly. They are larger than crackers, and a good bread alternative.)

6. A friend brought a platter of hummus, carrots and stuffed grape leaves (Trader Joes says that their grape leaves are gluten free.)

7. Another friend made a spinach salad.

For dessert, we had the following:

1. A friend brought fruit salad.

2. Chocolate chip cookies from Gluten Free Baking Classics, by Annalise Roberts. I made the dough a few days before and froze it in logs. You can slice the dough even when it is frozen, and bake it without needing to defrost it.

3. Lemon squares, again from Gluten Free Baking Classics.

4. Trader Joe's meringue cookies.

5. Foods By George gluten free brownies.

Sadly, we forgot to take photos.

Gluten Free Quiche

2007-08-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

We made quiche this past week, using the Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse pie crusts. These crusts were really tasty -- in fact, two times I went back to the freezer to double check the bag to make sure that they were really gluten free and that I hadn't picked up regular crusts by mistake! We used the following recipe, which is modified from the quiche recipe in the original Moosewood Cookbook -- ingredient amounts are somewhat approximate.

GF Broccoli quiche

1. Defrost pie crust (it can continue defrosting while you make the innards) -- we used Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse crusts.
2. Preheat the oven to 375.
3. Saute vegetable of your choice in butter or oil (can saute with onion too if you like it) -- I used broccoli this time, although I also make this with asparagus. I think that I used about half or 3/4 of a cup of vege this time -- you want the total amount to cover the bottom of the pie crust nicely. Add salt, pepper and whatever other seasonings you like.
4. For the custard, whisk 4 eggs, 1.5 cups milk, 3 tbls gf flour, and salt together. (Note -- if you are using more vegetables or a smaller pie crust, use one less egg and only a little more than 1 cup of milk or there will be too much custard. This time, I originally started with the 3 eggs mixture, but there wasn't enough custard so I added the extra egg and milk at the end. Also, the particular gf flour blend that you use doesn't matter much in this recipe, because there isn't that much of it -- I use the Annalise Roberts brown rice flour/ tapioca starch/ potato starch, but use whatever you have on hand)
5. I put the pie crust into a round Corning pie dish before filling and baking -- I find that otherwise the filling can spill out during the baking process and make a mess of the oven. You could also put the pie crust on a cookie sheet if you have a strong one that doesn't "bend" during the baking process.
6. Sprinkle about 1.5 cups of grated cheese on the bottom of the defrosted pie crust -- I used cheddar this time. Place the sauteed vegetables on top of the cheese. Pour the filling on top of the vegetables and cheese.
7. Bake at 375 for 40 -45 minutes, until the middle is set.

Enjoy!

Mini product roundup

2007-07-29T14:23:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been a ridiculously long time since we have posted -- here are a few of the ready made products that we have discovered in the meantime.

Gluten free cheese ravioli -- This was a great find for us. Dietary Specialties makes plain, gluten free cheese ravioli -- no spinach or other green stuff involved. Our local health food store stocks it or you can order on line.

Chebe pizza crust -- We are fans of Chebe bread, and have used the mixes to make calzones and pizza. We also like the frozen roll and breadstick dough. Now, you can also get frozen dough rolled out in rectangles for making pizza. We like the chewy consistency of this dough as a base for pizza. The crusts come two to a package, and are rectangular. The package says that it serves 4 (assuming a half crust per person), but we find that one each is more realistic. These crusts do contain cheese, but for some reason I don't find them to taste as "cheesy" as the rolls -- so even if you haven't liked the Chebe rolls, it might be worth trying the pizza crusts.

KIND bars -- If you like dried fruit and nuts, you have to try these KIND bars -- I am addicted to the apricot/ macadamia nut flavor. There is one flavor that isn't gluten free (it has oat bran), but the others do say "gluten free" on the label. Available in health food stores, some Whole Foods and Amazon!

Amazon -- Amazon is a great resource for gluten free shopping. Many items are available for a significant discount and shipping is free once you spend $25. The catch is that many of the items are only available by the case. So, once you know that you like a product -- see if Amazon carries it. Amazon carries products from Gluten Free Pantry, Annies, Glutino, Pamela's, Bobs Red Mill, Bakery on Main Granola just to name a few. Try searching for "gluten free" in the grocery section.

Trip to Arizona and Grand Canyon

2007-04-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

I've already posted about the backpacking portion of our trip -- we also spent a couple of days in transit in Arizona, as well as a day in Las Vegas. We're finding that traveling gluten free isn't as difficult as we had anticipated, although it does take some planning.

Before our trips, I've tried to research food options at our destinations. I usually check the website of the celiac support group, and use the invaluable posting resources at Delphi and Celiac.com. I look at the sites of fellow bloggers. I also print out the latest gf menu options from chains in the area, including chains that I don't plan to go to like Wendy's, but might need to turn to in a pinch. We have a list of gluten free candy and drinks that we take with us. We also take a list of companies that disclose gluten (e.g., Kraft, ConAgra). When we grocery shop on these trips, we have always been able to find what we need through one of these companies.

It turns out that Las Vegas is a mecca for gluten free options. There are lots of grocery store options, including Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Trader Joes. There are also a lot of restaurant options. A number of the national chains wih gluten free menus have sites in Las Vegas. We had dinner one night at PF Changs, which has a gluten free menu. We had a great lunch atMagiannos (Italian) in the Fashion Strip Mall. They don't have a gf menu per se; instead, a chef came ou and spoke with us, and asked us what Emily wanted to eat. They have gluten free pasta, and he made a sauce for her from scratch. He was very aware of cross contamination issues, and was proactive about reassuring us that he would be careful. I had made a list of lots of potential options, but of course there was one night when the timing wasn't going to allow us to get to any of them. We ended up having dinner at the Studio Cafe at the MGM Grand Hotel, where we were staying. Coincidentally, our server had celiac. Emily was able to order a fresh mozzarella/ tomato salad.

Options between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon were somewhat less abundent. We were happy to eat at In and Out burger twice (once in Las Vegas, and once in Kingman Arizona). I wish they had this chain in the East Coast! You can get burgers "protein style" (wrapped in a lettuce leaf) and the fries are fried in a desiganated fryer. They also have gluten free ice cream shakes. In both locations, I let the person taking our order know that the protein burger was for someone with a "wheat allergy" and both times they went to the area where the burger was prepared to alert the person making the burger to take special care. (Although I know that celiac is not an allergy, and that some people frown upon it being described that way, I have found that sometimes this is a good shorthand for getting the point across that the restaurant needs to be really, really careful not to let our food come in contact with forbidden foods.) We also stopped at a Dairy Queen in Kingman Arizona.

I had heard that La Tovar at the Grand Canyon could accomodate gluten free. Unfortunately, when I looked at the menu on line, I realized that the food served was going to be more sophisticated than our kids really wanted. We ended up at the Bright Angel restaurant. I had looked at the menu online, then spoken with the manager by phone a week earlier. There weren't too many options, but it turned out that they could make a chicken ceasar salad, and could broil the chicken separately instead of grilling it. We brought our own dressing in packets -- I have found that dressings in restuarants tend to be one of the more unpredictable items.

Another nice meal was at Rod's Steakhouse in Williams, Arizona. Someone on a message board had posted that they had had a good gluten free meal there. Again, I called this restaurant about a week earlier to see what options were possible. There were many -- just about all of the steaks and prime ribs were fine -- they didn't have sauces and were grilled on their own grill. Emily had a steak with an uncut baked potato.

I also checked out in advance what brands of dairy products were generally available. For example, in Arizona many places rely on Shamrock Farms dairy; here in the East we use Hood. I was able to get a gluten free list from Shamrock, and could confirm that items such as chocolate milk and ice cream were gluten free. Dreyers was another ice cream brand that was readily available, and I printed their gf ice cream list as well.

Several of the motels we stayed in served breakfast. It turns out that they served Yoplait yogurt and fruit, so Emily could have actually eaten from the breakfast. We brought a batch of muffins with us, along with packets of instant breakfast, some hard boiled eggs, and individual serving mayonaise packets (to make egg salad) just to be sure.

We are still at the stage where we bring way too much food with us, especially for plane trips. I'm always a little worried that we will be stuck on a plane or in an airport for an excessive period of time, with little access to other food, so we overpack. I usually bring crackers (in the plastic cracker containers, so they don't get crushed) or corn thins, some cheese sticks, some hard boiled eggs, some fruit leathers, Instant Breakfast packets, energy bars such as Bumble Bars or Zone bars, and muffins in a hard sided container. I don't worry about bringing drinks or candy, as these are readily available at airport shops. I bring some packets of mayonaise, ketchup, salt, and salad dressing (due to carry on restrictions, these packets now have to be checked rather than carried on). We also bring meals for the plane -- either sandwiches or pasta in a disposable container.

What are your travel tips?

Backpacking

2007-04-25T22:26:00.000-05:00

We just returned from a wonderful 3 day, 2 night, backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. This was our first camping trip gluten free. We decided to have all of our food be gluten free for the trip, including snacks for the gluten eaters in the group (e.g, no power bars), because of the extra challenges dishwashing in the wild -- it worked out surprisingly well!

We treated ourselves to a new set of lightweight camping cookware. This set will also be handy when we travel and stay in condos, because one can never predict in advance whether the cookware will be nice, clean stainless steel -- or grotty, scratched frying pans!

Lunches -- I baked a loaf of Pamela's Amazing Wheat Free Bread at home the Sat morning before our plane left. I sliced it, stored it in a plastic zip lock, then put the bag and bread in a half-gallon plastic container (the kind used to store ice cream). I was able to transport the bread in our hand luggage and it stayed relatively uncrushed and fresh. [I also brought a batch of muffins with us, for motel breakfasts, which again held up surprisingly well.] We used it for sandwiches on the trail on both Monday and Tuesday. We also brought corn thins to use for the last lunch -- they are thinner than rice cakes, seem to crumble less, and are bigger than crackers. (Corn tortillas was another option, but we aren't a big fan of those.) We brought peanut butter and jelly (stored in light plastic containers) and cheese for the innards of the sandwhiches.

Snacks -- a huge batch of gorp (peanuts, raisins, M & Ms), Stretch Island fruit leathers, dried apricots, dried strawberries, chocolate bars, Zone perfect bars (several of their flavors do not have ingredients containing gluten), Bumble bars, some fresh fruit.

Dinners -- Individual packets of Thai kitchen rice noodle soups were an excellent replacement for the Ramen we used to bring, along with tuna from a packet and beef jerky. We also brought fresh string beans for the first night. We never use the entire flavor packet from the noodles -- we should have saved it to spice the second night's meal which was rice (actually boil in bag rice, very easy clean up for camping) along with tuna and beef jerky.

Breakfast -- Chocolate chip pancakes -- I premeasured the ingredients -- Pamela's brand mix, chocolate chips and Simply Egg Whites (instead of fresh eggs) -- and transported it in a zip lock. We also brought a small container of oil for frying. The second morning we had Bobs Red Mill hot cereal -- we brought a small amount of brown sugar, and some dried milk powder, to add to the hot cereal.

Drinks -- Capri Sun has small packets of electrolyte powder that you can add to water -- this was very refreshing on the trail. And, of course, hot chocolate.

So, as you can see, we weren't gourmets, but we ate well and we certainly weren't hungry. We brought some of the food from home, and purchased most of the rest in Las Vegas because we weren't sure how extensive the grocery store in the Grand Canyon would be. Las Vegas (especially suburban LV where we spent the first night), however, seems to have every store imaginable!

The Canyon was awesome, although I am amazed that anyone hikes there in the dead of summer. And I am certainly glad that we took a pass on the mule trip. Happy trails!

Delicious bread

2007-03-05T20:20:00.000-05:00

We've had a few successes with bread recently. This weekend, we made a loaf of sandwich bread using Pamela's Amazing Wheat-Free Bread mix in our breadmaker. The bread really lived up to its name -- it bakes up as a golden colored, pliable loaf, that is reminiscent in taste of packaged wheat sandwich bread. It was less crumbly than other breads we have tried. As with many breads (with and without gluten) it was at its peak the first day and the day after. On the first day, we were able to fold over a slice to make a peanut butter sandwich -- this doesn't sound like an accomplishment unless you have spent time with gluten-free bread. It remained fresh sitting out on our counter in a zip lock bag from at least Saturday until Monday -- as of Monday, it was gone because the gluten eaters in our home were using it too. Right now, you can order the mix from Amazon at a great price, 6 for about $20.

Tonight we tried "artisanal style" gluten-free bread. Some time ago, there was an article in the NY Times food section about a new way of baking bread which requires a long rise time. Home bakers in the gluten-free community started experimenting with this as well -- check out the posts on the Delphi forum, for different variations. What most recipes have in common is that you let the bread rise for a long time, 12 hours or more, and you bake it in the oven at a high temperature, using a pre-heated Dutch oven or covered pyrex dish. The result if a nice, crusty loaf -- usually. My first effort (which was not based on a Delphi forum recipe) was an unmitigated disaster -- dry and acrid. My family made polite noises of appreciation, but when I tasted it myself I let everyone off the hook and chucked it all out. Tonight's effort was much better. I modified Misha's recipe from the Delphi forum, http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac/messages?msg=57977.4, with some additional modifications.

"Artisanal Style GLuten-Free Bread"

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups Annalise Roberts brown rice flour mix (1 cup finely ground brown rice flour, 1/3 cup potato starch, 1/6 cup tapioca flour)
1 1/4 tsp. xanthum gum
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup lukewarm water

Mix flours and dry ingredients in a mixer (or by hand). Combine water (I had microwaved it for about 30 seconds) and olive oil, and add to the dry ingredients. Mix for about 3 minutes. Dough should look like thick cake batter. Smooth dough together with a spatula to form a loose shaped ball. Spray top with oil, cover with plastic wrap and a towel, and let rise. I let it rise for about 9 hours (it can be longer than that too).

Approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes before you want to serve the bread, put a covered pyrex dish (I used 2.5 quart) or cast iron dutch oven in the oven, and set the oven to 450 degrees. Allow the pan to heat for about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven very carefully -- it's really hot. Transfer the dough to the pan (I didn't grease the pan tonight, although I will probably try that next time because it stuck.) Bake covered for 20 minutes, and uncovered for about 20 minutes, although start checking earlier to prevent the bread from browning too much.

This makes a fairly small, crusty loaf but it can be doubled. Feel free to experiment with different combinations of flours. Also, the rising time isn't precise -- you can bake it earlier or later. I mixed up the dough before leaving for work, so we could bake it for dinner; some people mix it up that night before they want to bake it, and allow the bread to rise for close to 16 hours.

(Note -- we just made the artisanal style bread again tonight, Thurs., and it was delicious once again. I used a somewhat different flour mixture, based on Annalise Roberts bread mix suggestion -- 1/2 cup millet flour, 1/2 cup sorghum flour, 1/3 cup cornstarch, 1/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour. The batter seemed a bit gloppier, but it still rose. I sprayed the pan with olive oil before putting the bread in, and it didn't stick. Yeah!)

Pizza

2007-02-20T20:28:00.000-05:00

A good gluten-free pizza is hard to find. It is especially hard for me to find because I don't like tomato sauce very much. When traveling and I need something portable, I will eat the Pizza by George (with tomato sauce) which is premade and individually wrapped, but when I am making a pizza, I much prefer having no sauce. Recently, I found two pizzas that I liked. One was a homemade pizza crust using Chebe mix, and one was a brown rice pizza crust by Natures' Hilights. I had them both without sauce which worked well. I also really like olives, so I put olives on top along with cheese. My mom found the Chebe recipe from the Delphi forum. (Note from my mom -- the recipe was posted by Bobbie, who has also posted some other great recipes, including the tortilla recipe we like -- thanks Bobbie!) The recipe is also at the recipe tab at this link http://www.connceliac.com/ The good thing about this crust is that you can hold it like a regular piece of pizza ( folded in you hands) without crumbling. One problem about the pizza was that it took a lot of rolling of the dough. The Nature Hilights pizza crust was premade and you just had to heat it up and put toppings on it. This crust was crunchy with a good flavor. One tip when making bot of these pizzas is to heat the crust then brush oil on the crust before adding toppings.

Traveling gluten-free

2007-02-03T23:25:00.000-05:00

Our family has always loved to travel. Our kids each got their first passports when they were younger than a year old, and we've used them, culminating with a 5 month trip around the world a couple of years ago. So we are bound and determined not to let being gluten-free stop us from having adventures.
Our first trip post diagnosis was a week in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, skiing. We had booked this trip before we knew about Emily's diagnosis -- fortunately, it was a condo with a full kitchen. Thanks to the internet, I found out that there was a well stocked health food store right in the town that carried a wide range of gluten-free food, so we were able to buy bread and some frozen meals there. Even so, we packed almost a suitcase full of supplies and provisions as well - just in case - including gf crackers, a couple of bags of Tinkyada bags pasta, muffin and brownie mix, peanut butter, some packets of Carnation instant breakfast, Break bars and Bumble bars, a colander and a frying pan. (We packed the pans because we didn't know whether the frying pan in the condo would be teflon, and possibly scratched -- as it turns out, all the pots were teflon so we ended up buying a saucepan as well.) We also brought lists of companies such as Kraft, which label for gluten, to make food shopping in the supermarkets easier. We knew that it wasn't going to be a time to experiment with new products, and we were able to buy all of the mainstream products that we usually use at the regular grocery store. We brought lunch to the mountain in a cooler, which we would have done anyway even without dietary restrictions -- we ate better, and certainly more economically that way. We cooked simple meals at the condo just about every other night -- again, we would have done this most nights anyway even if we weren't concerned about gluten.
The other challenge was the plane ride itself -- we knew that we couldn't count on getting food at the airport. We were traveling around Christmas time, right after people had gotten stuck for days in the Denver airport due to storms, so we wanted to have enough with us to tide us over if necessary. We packed a pasta dish for dinner, and took hard boiled eggs, wrapped cheese sticks, crackers, Bumble bars, fruit leather and fruit in hand luggage. Actually, these days a lot of people are packing their own meals for airplane travel, so we didn't stand out at all.
We spent the first and last evenings in Denver, at an Embassy suite which had a microwave and small fridge in each room. The hotel also provided breakfast, and although there were some gf options such as yogurt, in the end she opted to eat what we had brought. Still, it was useful to have access to some basics such as milk and little packets of condiments such as butter.
We ate at restaurants twice, once at a steak house in Steamboat (Ore House at the Pine Grove), and once at Abruscis in Denver. The steak house was our first restaurant meal since learning that Emily had celiac, so we were all a little nervous. I had been told that steak houses could often accomodate a gf patron, and this turned out to be the case. Emily had a plain steak, with no sauce, and a plain baked potato. I had called in advance to make sure that the restaurant could make a gluten free meal, and we reminded the person seating us when we came in. It turned out that her mother had celiac and ate at the restaurant, so that was a good sign. She talked to the chef for us, but at our request he also came out and spoke with us personally and put our minds at ease about how the steak and potato would be prepared. The restaurant also served Hagaan Daaz ice cream, which would have been fine, but we were too full for dessert.
Abuscis is a gluten free dining mecca in Denver. http://www.abruscis.com It is a family run Italian restaurant with an EXTENSIVE gluten free menu, including pasta, pizza and bread. It was really a pleasure to be able to order off the menu -- and many people around us seemed to be doing the same -- and all of the food (gf and non gf) was really good as well. It is definitely worth going out of your way to eat here if you are ever in Denver.
All in all, this was a good first vacation for us -- it wasn't the type of trip where food or exotic dining was ever going to be the focus, so we didn't feel that it was limiting not to eat out frequently. I do feel that our research before hand paid off -- I had checked the listings of the celiac support groups in Denver to get some restaurant suggestions, which is how we found Abruscis, and knowing that we could purchase gluten free staples in Steamboat itself was reassuring.

Break Bars

2007-01-24T20:41:00.000-05:00

Like all kids, I like candy and chocolate. There are lots of regular candies that are gluten free, but one thing that I didn't think I would be able to have again was a Kit Kat bar. But then I discovered (well, really my mom discovered) Break Bars!!!! These are gluten-free "chocolate covered four finger wafer bars" that look and taste just like Kit Kat bars. http://www.glutano.de/en/g-range/product.php?product=BreakBar They are made by a company called Glutano which also makes a lot of other gluten-free products. We buy them in our local health food store, A New Leaf; some supermarkets also sell them. You can also find them on-line (google Glutano Break Bar to find some on-line stores). So, if you are missing Kit Kats, I suggest that you try Break Bars.

gluten-free at school

2007-01-19T17:47:00.000-05:00

In seventh grade this year, there have been many food projects. So far this year, there has already been one in Science, English, Social Studies, and Spanish. Most of the time my teachers tell me in advance when we will be having food. For English, Science, and Spanish, each person brought in a food and shared it with everyone. A few times there has been wrapped candy which I recognize that I can have. For example there has been tootsie rolls and starburst that I have had from other people. In Spanish we had a week long project where everyone brought in a different food and shared it. It was a little annoying for me because I could only eat something on one of those days(the day that I brought in my food, meringues). There was one other person in the class who kept kosher, so she couldn't eat anything either. Although I wish that we both could have eaten the food, I was glad that someone was in a similar situation as me.

Calzones!

2007-01-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight we tried something new -- making calzones using Chebe pizza mix. Chebe is a company from Vermont, with the tag line "Slightly unusual. Unusually good." They have a line of frozen dough products, including little rolls and breadsticks, that were among the first gluten-free products that we tried, and we still bake them regularly. We like the flavor and texture -- the rolls and breadsticks are slightly chewy.

Chebe also make dry mixes, including a "pizza" mix -- the basic manioc (tapioca) flour mix, with Italian spices incorporated into the mix. Tonight, we made calzones using the basic recipe from the back of the packet. It was quite straightforward -- combine the mix with eggs, cheese, water, and mix/ knead until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into four portions, roll each out into a thin circle, and spoon some filling on one half of each round (we used a combination of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, olives, and tomato sauce for the filling). Fold the other half of the dough over the filling, seal the edges, brush with oil and bake. It was a pretty easy recipe, except for the tedium of rolling the dough out.

The Chebe web site (www.chebe.com) lists a lot of other ways to use the dough, including a recipe for "pigs in the blanket" (little hot dogs wrapped in dough) -- this one is near the top of Emily's "we should try that" list. I've even heard of people using Chebe dough to make ravioli -- an easy to prepare gluten-free substitute for frozen ravioli or tortellini is still something that we are on the lookout for! If anyone finds one, please let us know.

Gluten-free Baking Classics

2007-01-16T19:29:00.000-05:00

The Chocolate Ricotta Muffin recipe is from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts. This was one of the first gluten-free cookbooks that we bought, and we love it. We needed to host a brunch for 50 shortly after Emily was diagnosed. We didn't want gluten crumbs scattered all over the house, so we decided to make it all gluten-free, including the baked goods. All of the recipes came from this cookbook and were an unqualified success -- cranberry walnut loaves, orange bread (with and without chocolate chips), chocolate ricotta muffins. All of these recipes freeze well, so we were able to bake them in advance and defrost them for the brunch. We have also tried the chocolate chip cookies, lemon squares, and apple pie. We like to make up a batch of the chocolate chip cookie dough, shape it into logs, then freeze the dough. When you want to make cookies, defrost the dough, slice and bake. If you want to sample some of Annalise's other recipes, check her website The Food Philosopher. (We don't have a financial interest in her book -- honest -- we just love her recipes!)

Muffins

2007-01-16T18:37:00.000-05:00

I was very surprised that gluten-free muffins, cakes, and cookies taste just as good as gluten baked goods. The other day, a friend who isn't gluten-free and I baked a batch of gluten-free chocolate ricotta muffins. When my friend tried one, she thought that they tasted just as good as any muffin, and I do too. This is a recipe that I use a lot, for dessert or for breakfast. On school days, I have barely any time to eat so I either have a muffin or a carnation instant breakfast to take with me to the bus stop.

Chocolate Ricotta Muffins
(from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts)
(posted with permission from Annalise Roberts)

Makes 10 muffins.

1 1/4 cups Brown Rice Flour Mix
(To make 3 cups of this mixture, combine 2 cups brown rice flour (extra finely ground, she suggests Authentic Foods brand), 2/3 cup potato starch, and 1/3 cup tapioca flour)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 large egg
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (part skim)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position rack in center of oven. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cup liners.
2. Whisk flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. In another medium mixing bowl whisk egg, ricotta, milk, oil, and vanilla together until well blended.
4. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine until well blended. Do not over beat.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and place in center of oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from pan and serve immediately or cool on a rack.

Muffins can be stored in a tightly sealed plastic container in refrigerator or covered with plastic wrap and then with foil and stored in freezer for up to three weeks. Best when eaten within four days of baking. Rewarm briefly in microwave.

Gluten-free tortillas

2007-01-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

One of the foods that I missed most was tortillas. I tried the corn tortillas that we bought in the store, but I didn't like them very much. My mom found this recipe on the Delphi Forums Celiac site. The person who posted it on Delphi found the recipe from a support group in Texas. Thanks for the great recipe! I always look forward to having the tortillas!

Tastes just like wheat tortillas! ( They are very flexible)

1/4 cup each cornstarch, tapioca flour, potato starch, white rice flour and brown rice flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 generous tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup water, more if needed

Mix dry ingredients and add water. Let rest 10 minutes. Divide into balls, roll into tortillas, and cook on a hot oiled skillet until it starts to bubble. Flip and cook on the other side. Makes 4 - 6 largish tortillas.

Some tips we learned from the people on Delphi and from making this recipe a lot:

-- You can roll the tortillas out using a rolling pin. It helps a lot to put the dough between parchment paper because it is very sticky. We bought a tortilla press, so we now put a ball of dough in the press between two pieces of parchment paper, then roll it out some more to get the tortillas really thin.

-- If the dough is a little sticky when you roll it out, dust it with white rice flour.

-- As each tortilla is finished, put it into a zip lock plastic bag while you are cooking the rest. It keeps them moist and flexible.

-- I like to have a wrap for lunch in school, but it takes too much time to make the dough in the morning. We've made the dough and rolled it out the day before and stored it in the refrigerator in between damp paper towels in a plastic bag. It only takes a couple of minutes in the morning to fry the tortilla and make a wrap. (I wrap the whole wrap in aluminum foil so it doesn't fall apart.)

-- If you like the recipe, you can mix up several batches of the dry ingredients and store in plastic bags. Then, when you want to make the tortillas, just add the oil and water and you are ready to go.

Our New Blog

2007-01-15T20:53:00.001-05:00

My mom Rochelle and I decided to start this blog to share some of our great gluten-free discoveries. I am 12 years old and just got diagnosed with celiac in September 2006. We've learned a lot in the past few months, found some great recipes and products, and we want to share them with you! We're especially interested in hearing from other teens living the gluten-free life. Emily