Ali’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

My co-workers were so kind as to bring back a gluten-free cookie for me try today.  This was one big cookie.  It was about 3 inches wide and about an inch thick.  This cookie was moist and filled with great chocolate chip flavor.  It reminded me of the gluten filled cookies I used to enjoy.  I could certainly taste that this cookie was fresh and it was filled with semi-sweet chocolate goodness.   Upon visiting Ali’s website I noticed that some of her cookies were featured on Rachel Ray.  Not all Ali’s cookies are gluten free, but she does ship one dozen chocolate chip cookies or a 12″ gluten free cookie cake that can serve 12-14 people.

If you get a chance check out her site SHIPACOOKIE.COM.  It will be well worth your time.

 

 

Let’s Go Against the Grain

My Mom recently visited my Aunt out in Colorado and came back with a gift for me.  It was a crusty delicious baguette and get this….it was gluten free!  I had not heard of the company that made this heavenly baguette, but they are called Against The Grain.  These products do not contain wheat, soy, corn yeast or rice.  Against The Grain also has a couple of products that are dairy free too.  They create more than just baguettes.   They have bagels, rolls, pizzas and pizza crusts too.  All of their products come in a variety of flavors and can be found in Whole Foods stores as well as other locations.

I made garlic bread with our package of baguettes and my family couldn’t tell that this product was gluten free.  If you haven’t tried Against The Grain yet I highly recommend checking them out.  You can find a location near you at Against The Grain.

Gluten Free Cupcakes in Roswell, GA

 

When this gluten-free bakery opened several months ago I was thrilled to try one of their cupcake creations.  My Aunt is currently visiting us from out of town and today is her birthday.  She suffers, like many others, from celiac disease so she cannot have anything with gluten in it.  I decided to pay another visit to Gluten Free Cutie and pick up a dozen cupcakes to celebrate her birthday.  I decided on two flavors:  The Devil Went Down to Georgia and Papas Banana Fosters.

The Devil Went Down to Georgia is a chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache center and chocolate frosting.  The Papas Banana Fosters is a vanilla bean rum cake with a carmlized banana center and a vanilla faux buttercream frosting.

This bakery also offers cake pops, round cakes, whoopie pies and some ice box desserts like banana pudding.  Not only is this bakery gluten-free, but they are also peanut, soy, egg and artificial dye free and most items are dairy free and vegan.  For those that have dietary restrictions this bakery gives you lots of yummy options to try. 

They also have a club card so for each $5.00 you spend you get one hole punched and after 10 punches you get two free cake pops or two free cupcakes.

So, what are you waiting for?  Hightail it over to Gluten Free Cutie and grab a cupcake or twelve like I did!

Fish and Chips

I hope you all had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day.  Mine was filled with lots of shamrocks and green appletinis.  I also made sure to make some gluten-free Fish and Chips courtesy of Tyler Florence’s recipe.  They were puffy, crispy and delicious.  I did some research on malt vinegar and found out that it is believed that malt vinegar is gluten-free or contains only trace amounts of gluten because of the process it goes through when they are making it.  I did have a little bit of malt vinegar on my fish, but if you want to be absolutely, positively safe just dunk your fish in some homemade tarter sauce instead.

Ingredients:

2c all-purpose gluten-free flour

1 T baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 large egg lightly beaten

1/2 c white rice flour for dredging

16 oz cod fillets cut into 2-3 inch pieces at an angle

12 oz club soda

canola or vegetable oil for frying

4 russet potatoes scrubbed clean and cut into potato wedges

1/4 c chopped parsley

1 T fresh thyme chopped

1 T fresh rosemary chopped

2 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

For the chips, preheat oven to 400F.  Coat your potatoes in oil and then spinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and parsley.  Spread evenly onto a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes turning over halfway through cooking.

For the fish, heat about 3 inches of oil over medium-high heat.  In a large mixing bowl combine 2 c all-purpose flour, baking powder, egg, 1/4 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of salt.  Pour in club soda and whisk to combine.  Batter should be smooth.  Dust each cod fillet with rice flour and then dip in the batter.  Drain off excess and place fish in hot oil.  Fry for 5 minutes until golden brown.  Drain fish on papertowels and sprinkle lightly with salt.

51 Gluten Free Appetizers

Head over to Amazon to download this cookbook full of yummy gluten-free appetizers by Suzanne Leonard. Recipes included are Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms, Sweet Mustard Chicken Wings, Warm Seafood Dip, and lots more!

This book is currently FREE on kindle so what are you waiting for?

Johnny’s Pizza….Gluten-Free Pizza

Good news!  Apparently Johnny’s New York Style Pizza is now carrying gluten-free 10″ pizzas at a cost of $8.99.  Bad news is this is only happening at “participating” locations.  After talking to one of the restaurant managers I found out it is up to each restaurant owner as to whether they will carry the gluten-free crust or not.

I called a few of the restaurants located near my office and my home and this was the result:

NO, GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA AT

Acworth, Kennesaw/Barrett Pkwy, Sandy Springs

YES, GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA AT

Dallas/East Paulding, Hiram, Kennesaw Cherokee St, Marietta/Dallas Hwy

They do warn on their website that a small amount of cross contamination can occur in a flour rich environment so if a small amount of gluten can be harmful to you they recommend that you avoid this product. 

Has anyone tried this crust yet and if so what was your opinion of the taste/quality and cross contamination?

Top Secret….Southern Squash Dressing

Okay….. I could get in BIG trouble for doing this, but I’m going to share my family’s secret recipe for Squash Dressing.  This recipe has been a family tradition at our Thansgiving feasts for quite some time.  Even my brother who absolutely HATES squash loves this dressing.  It is superb and a great way to sneak veggies into something your kids will actually eat. 

Ingredients:

6 yellow squash washed, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes

3-4 c of gluten-free cornbread crumbled (or equivalent of gluten-free bread or biscuits)

2 cans of gluten-free cream of chicken soup

1 c unsalted butter melted

1 large yellow onion chopped

2 tsp dried sage

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 375F.  Start by cooking your squash in a pot of boiling salted water for 7-10 minutes until fork tender.  Drain squash and then mash it thoroughly.  Mix squash with all other ingredients in a very large bowl and stir to combine.  Pour dressing in a greased 9X12 baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until golden on top.

Serve with some homemade turkey gravy on top.   Mmmm….turkey!!  I cannot wait for my favorite holiday to get here.

Gluten-free cake

My daughter is turning 5 years old in a few days so this Saturday is her birthday party.  She wanted a cake with pink roses and strawberries.  She is very specific and knows what she likes!  Since I am a horrible cake decorator I opted to go with the Publix vanilla cake loaded with gluten. 

I didn’t want my Mom and I to be left out of the birthday sugar experience so I instructed my hubby to pick up one of the gluten-free Betty Crocker cake mixes so I can make some quick cupcakes.  I just simply don’t have time to make a homemade gluten-free cake this time with everything that is going on and it is OKAY in my mind sometimes to take a shortcut if needed.  I’ve tried these cake mixes before and they are good to use in a pinch.

I’m also having my hubby pick up some ready made frosting and then I’ll dust them with some fun candy sprinkles.

Sometimes life is busy……relax, and go with a box when you need to!

 

Soy Sauce

Did you know that many brands of soy sauce contain gluten?  It is amazing how many products contain this stuff  and it can be hard sometimes to find products that are gluten-free.  I’m in the market for a gluten-free soy sauce and found that my favorite brand of regular soy sauce, Kikkoman, makes one that is gluten-free now.

I have not found this product in my local supermarket yet, but I am dying to try it.  Nothing adds that nice salty tang to some dishes like a good bottle of soy sauce.  La Choy soy sauce is naturally gluten-free, but I’ve tried this sauce in the past and wasn’t too fond of the flavor.

Has anyone tried the Kikkoman variety?  Is it any good?  There is also a soy sauce substitute recipe I came across where you combine 8 parts molasses and 3 parts balsamic vinegar……guess if I can’t find the Kikkoman I can try out the substitute and see how that tastes.

Celebrities who are gluten-free

I thought it would be fun to see what celebrities are out there who are also suffering from celiac disease, gluten allergies or intolerance to wheat.  Here are some of the interesting ones I found besides the obvious Elizabeth Hasselback who has chronicled her struggles with celiac disease:

  Ryan Phillippe – He has talked about having difficulty digesting wheat.

 Chelsea Clinton – She has a gluten allergy and had a  a gluten-free wedding cake at her reception.

  Zooey Deschanel – You can see her on the “New Girl” Tuesdays at 9PM EST on Fox, but   Zooey also suffers from a gluten allergy.

 Drew Brees – Who Dat?  Arguable one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, Drew  Brees can tolerate taking hits on the field, but can’t tolerate gluten.

 Rachel Weisz – This British actress also has an intolerance for wheat.

 Novak Djokovic – His nutitionist discovered he had an allergy to  gluten,   but that didn’t stop him from winning 3 of 4 Grand Slams.

So you see we are not alone in our battle with gluten.  Many suffer from some sort of aversion to gluten, but the key is to have a positive attitude and the knowledge to know what to avoid to stay healthy and happy!