The only slight hiccup was just as I was all set to make some recipes from Carol’s cookbook and blog, the DH went traipsing off on a week long business trip to Florida. He is the major sweet tooth in our household. Granted, my mother has a not-so-secret sweet tooth of her own, but she is perpetually on a diet, so not always helpful at consuming goodies. And Toddler Yum does like sweets but I limit her sugar pretty heavily- this kid loves snap peas and artichokes and I’d like to keep it that way! So I hesitated, and waffled, and thought long and hard about what to make from Carol’s cookbook. Interestingly, while Carol’s main flour blend is a white-flour blend, she has quite a few grain-free recipes in her cookbook, like chestnut flour crepes and nut flour muffins.

I decided to make her almond-flour based apple cinnamon muffins because they sounded so darned good and I could feel good about sharing them with Toddler Yum as they were only sweetened with Agave nectar. The recipe yielded twelve moist, sweet but not overpoweringly sweet muffins. Everyone that tried them, from Toddler Yum to my Mother to the intrepid JM liked them, and I was happy to have tried them.

I also tried her chestnut flour crepes from the cookbook. It was a good way to break into the bags of chestnut flour I’d been hoarding in my cupboard, and it sounded simple and tasty. I didn’t make the filling, though, because I didn’t have whipping cream and so I may have missed out on the full experience. Nevertheless, Toddler Yum nibbled on them happily enough. I had never used chestnut flour before and so I was surprised by the toasted-nut fragrance in the flour. It reminded me of kinako, toasted soy flour that is used in Japanese sweets recipes as a topping, and I wondered if I could use kinako in recipes interchangeably with chestnut flour. Ultimately, I wasn’t sure that the taste of straight chestnut flour was quite my thing, but I appreciated that Carol had a recipe that I could try, and now that the bag has been opened perhaps I can find other recipes that just use it as a complementary flour that would suit our household.

The final recipe I tried from Carol’s cookbook was her famous cinnamon rolls.

This recipe used Carol’s classic white-rice, sweet rice, potato starch and tapioca starch flour blend. I think the DH would heartily approve, as he always liked using a similar white-rice mix from Bette Hagman. I hadn’t baked with white rice or sweet rice flour in a while, so it was good to get out those flours and look forward to recipes using a “normal” white flour blend that would emulate its gluten counterpart. I loved how easy it was to make. You whisk the dry ingredients together and then blend the wet dairy ingredients together in a food processor. Toddler Yum got a huge charge out of pressing the pulse button on my food processor. Next you add the dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse it together. This resulted in more joy from the toddler- a happy perk. The dough that comes out of the food processor is amazingly easy to work with. Carol says that the strength of this recipe is not just in the ingredients, but in the technique, and I have to agree. I love that Carol gives us the chance to knead the dough, and her technique of rolling the dough between two layers of parchment sprayed with oil is just brilliant. Now, her recipe calls for a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. I’m embarrassed to admit that I had to look up springform pan. Sure enough, I didn’t have one. Instead I used an 8 inch cake pan lined with two long strips of parchment set together to form a cross, so that you can easily remove the cinnamon rolls out of the pan. I couldn’t fit one of the cinnamon rolls in the pan and so I baked it separately. As a bonus, this became my first “tester” cinnamon roll that I could gobble up right away hot out of the oven. I did let it cool for about 5 minutes first. Anyway, not only was this dough very easy to work with, but it produced an excellent cinnamon roll.

My Mother was reminded of her childhood, when a visiting great-grandma would mix up a batch of cinnamon rolls for her parents, she and her two sisters at their farm. She said this gluten-free version was delicious, and while it was not quite as fluffy as the gluten-version, the taste was spot on. The dear Toddler Yum gobbled up a bit and asked for more. And as for me, well, I had one for breakfast with my latte and then had another as I was writing this post. This could be addicting! I do feel a bit bad having made this while the DH was away. The last time he was away I made (raw, nut-based) cheesecake. This time I made homemade cinnamon rolls. Cruel? A little bit… I may have to make this recipe again when he is home, since I don’t think we will have any left by the time he gets home…tomorrow.

The next recipe I plan to make from Carol’s book is her Lemon Bar recipe. This is something I always enjoy ordering at gluten-free bakeries, but never make myself. I think it is time to change that! Also, my Mother loves lemon in any form, but lemon bars in particular, so it would be nice to make some to share. But after that, those dairy-free cream puffs are fair game, as soon as I figure out how to adapt Carol’s flour blend to be potato-free so that I can share them with my allergic friend JM.

Since this is an “Adopt a gluten-free BLOGGER” event and not just an “adopt a gluten-free cookbook author” event I wanted to make sure to make some recipes from Carol’s blog. I had such a good time looking through Carol’s photos of her recipes. I was delighted to find some vegan and vegetarian savory recipes that Carol made for her son and family. I bookmarked Carol’s Recipe for African Vegan Sunbutter Stew and loved reading about her travels in Africa. However, I simply could not resist her recipe for Gluten-free Vegan Spoonbread with a Mess of Greens. She had me at greens… and spoonbread intrigued me as well. As a Yankee… am I a Yankee? No, ok, as a Northwestern native from Seattle, I had never heard of spoonbread. What was it? At first I assumed it was corn bread, but the dough was so liquid I knew that it had to be different. In fact, I was so worried about how liquid the batter was that I sent Carol a message asking if that was normal! Poor Carol. Anyway, I also did a little research on my own and found out that spoonbread is like a cross between “polenta, cornbread and a souffle” and should be soft enough that you can eat it with a spoon. Well, that explains the name! We enjoyed the spoonbread.

Toddler Yum gobbled it up plain like candy, and I covered it with a mess of Carol’s spicy greens. Oh how I do love Southern-style greens… when they are vegetarian! I’d made them before, but I enjoyed Carol’s version so much that I can’t wait to make it again, maybe with a few changes just for fun. I was thinking some seared mushroom bites would be a tasty savory addition to the recipe… or maybe toasted nuts. Yum! I’ve bookmarked another of Carol’s vegan recipes for Creamy Brussel Sprouts and plan on making them in the next day or so.

As always, this adoption was a true pleasure, and I am grateful to have had the chance to review Carol’s wonderful book. It is a wonderful resource, and I know it will come in handy whether I need to make a glutenoid-approved dessert for an event or just a sweet treat for our family. You can watch Carol on youtube and hear more about her fascinating story, and I hope you will check out her blog and cookbook too!

More Reviews of Carol’s book and recipes:
Kim’s review with Black Forest Cupcakes Recipe
Review and recipe for Sticky Mango Rice Cake
Wendy’s experience with Carol’s cupcakes
A general article about Carol’s book

*This post is a day late, because I wanted to make sure that I wrote something that did Carol justice. Apologies… but better late than never!

IF YOU SIGNED UP FOR ADOPT A BLOGGER THIS MONTH, don’t forget Rule #4:
Email me at adoptaglutenfreeblogger[at]gmail[dot]com with your photo of the recipe, the URL of your post, name of the recipe and the URL of the original blogger’s recipe post. PLEASE SIZE PHOTO TO BE A MAXIMUM OF 500 pixels wide.
Thanks!

I was very happy to get permission to share the lime cupcakes with you here. I hope you enjoy them, and enjoy Elana’s cookbooks as much as I do. I’ve been baking gluten-free my entire life, and I’m used to shuffling canisters of gluten-free flours out of the pantry, but baking from her books is like taking a vacation from being gluten-free. Just one (or at most two) flours and basic, whole ingredients, and you have a great tasting, quality recipe. If I hadn’t made her recipes myself, I’m not sure I’d believe it.

You’ll need these ingredients… especially if you win the extra copy of Elana’s book I’ll be giving away on Facebook at the Book of Yum Page!

Want more?
Shirley of Gluten-free Easily made her Marble Cupcakes
Kim of Cook it Allergy-free made many of Elana’s sweet cupcakes, a savory cupcake and also the lime cupcake!
Heidi of Adventures of a Gluten-free Mom also tried Elana’s lime cupcakes! (Great minds think alike, I guess!)

*All photographs from the House of Yum except of course for the cookbook cover.

Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients Makes 10 Sweetness: Medium 1/2 cup coconut flour 1/2 cup blanched almond flour 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 3 large eggs 1/2 cup grapeseed oil 1/2 cup agave nectar 2 tablespoons firmly packed lime zest, plus more to decorate (about 3 limes) Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, almond flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and 2 tablespoons lime zest. Blend the wet ingredients into the coconut flour mixture with a handheld mixer until thoroughly combined. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then frost, sprinkle with the remaining lime zest, and serve. Notes Reprinted with permission from Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour. Copyright © 2011 by Elana Amsterdam, Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Reprinted with permission, see Notes. Recipe ID:  1549 Added:  April 27, 2011 Last Modified:  April 27, 2011

Cream Cheese Lime Frosting Sauces & Condiments  Dairy  American

Ingredients 1 package lowfat cream cheese (for dairy free, you can try Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese) 1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar (*start with 1/4 cup and keep adding to taste) 1/2 tsp. vanilla one half of a small lime, juiced (or less, to taste) 1/2 tsp lime zest Directions Put your cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and microwave briefly until soft enough to stir. Add vanilla and begin adding powdered sugar to taste, whipping together with a standing or hand-held mixer. Add a dash of lime juice and your lime zest to the mixer and combine thoroughly. Taste and add more if needed. It will be too soft and runny for frosting at this point, so put in a freezer safe ziploc bag and chill in refrigerator until it is thick enough to frost with (at least 30 minutes).

Rating:  7 Original Source:  My husband whipped this up to accompany Elana’s Lime Cupcakes. Entirely his own creation; please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1550 Added:  April 27, 2011 Last Modified:  April 27, 2011

Although I am not crazy about the flavor of sorghum in her blend, the dough was extremely easy to work with and I was pleased at how thin I was able to get it and yet still shape it around a hearty apple filling. It also baked up beautifully and kept its shape nicely, although there was some cracking. It was not extremely flaky, but it was an excellent beginning. I filled it with my own version of the apple strudel filling proposed by the Daring Bakers, and didn’t use Carol’s apple filling. The DH pronounced it tasty and enjoyed it. I enjoyed it, but was not sure I would make it again just because the flavor was not exactly what I was hoping for.

My next attempt was based on the Daring Baker recipe, but I used Whole Foods Gluten-free flour (which includes guar gum) and added freshly ground chia seed which acts as a binder much like flax seed. The dough was reasonably easy to work with, but the dark chia seeds and lack of colorant resulted in a pasty dough flecked with chia meal. I made my favorite filling for this pastry dough- a thick, lovely and sweet blueberry filling offset by fresh mint bread crumbs. The filling was a success- and I’d have loved it in a nice gluten-free pastry dough, but the dough was flat and gummy. I wouldn’t make it again, but the blueberry filling will definitely be appearing in pie sometime soon!

My third and final trial was using an old favorite- the gluten-free Chebe mix made from tapioca starch. I thought this would be a good substitute because the tapioca has certain stretchiness that may be slightly similar to gluten. And, it is easy to handle just as the wheat version might be. I have experimented before with Chebe mix as a pastry with excellent results. Unfortunately, for the filling I chose a cherry ricotta-cream cheese filling with black cherry jam which tended to ooze out of the pastry in a highly dramatic fashion. In the second version of this, I found a way to keep the pastry self contained, but I was still dissatisfied with the filling overall (although the fresh cherries were lovely.) The DH loves cherries and seemed very well pleased with the pastry- as I do, he enjoys the slight chewiness of the dough, and the powdered sugar really did compliment the dish. I don’t know if I would call it strudel, exactly- but of all the pastries I tried, I am most likely to make this kind again, with a different filling.

Ultimately, this Daring Baker Challenge was the most disheartening one I’ve participated in yet. I was really forced to acknowledge the limitations of gluten-free flours. Although it is possible to make a perfectly nice pastry, it is very, very hard for the home baker to approximate something like filo dough with gluten-free flour. I’ve heard promising rumors of some european gluten-free puff pastry, produced with amazing equipment no doubt. Unfortunately, such a thing is not available here, yet… so, I’m afraid puff pastry and proper baklava or strudel is out of reach for THIS daring baker, at any rate. I hope my gluten-free peers had more success than I did… and I look forward to seeing their results. Many of the resultant products that I came up with were tasty- I just don’t feel that they were a proper strudel, ultimately…

Curious about how other gluten-free cookbook versions of Strudel stacked up?

Jill Elise tried Rebecca Reilly’s strudel recipe at Hey that Tastes Good
and
Mary tried the CIA gluten-free strudel at Beans and Caviar

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Carol Fenster Strudel Recipe Breakfast  Alternative Grains  European

Ingredients 1 cup Carol’s Sorghum Blend 3/4 cup tapioca starch flour 1/2 cup sweet rice flour 1/4 sugar, divided 1 teaspoon xanthan gum 1 teaspoon guar gum (*or more xanthan gum) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast 1/2 cup shortening (*I used Earth balance, but you could also use spectrum) 1/3 cup 1% milk (non dairy is fine) 1 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice 1 egg, beaten to a foam, for brushing/ OR butter or margarine, melted Directions *1) Make the dough. Place the dry ingredients and shortening in your food processor and blend. Add milk and vinegar and blend again, letting the dough form a dough. If it doesn’t form a ball, add a little extra liquid until it does. Form into two 1-inch-thick disks, wrap tightly in plastic wrap,and chill 1 hour. 2) Warm one disk in your hand and put on a 15-inch sheet of *wax paper. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and roll it to a 1/8 inch thin rectangle about 10*12 inches. 3) Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. 4) Make filling of your choice. *MY MODIFICATIONS sprinkle middle of rectangle with seasoned bread crumbs. Then add filling of choice. Turn in ends, and start rolling up into a long cylinder. Carefully lift and roll onto a piece of parchment paper* Transfer the strudel to a 15*10 baking sheet. 6)Bake 30 minutes on the middle rack or until the crust starts to brown. Baste with egg mixture or meltedmargarine and sprinklewith sugar,and return to oven to bake 10 minutes more or until the strudel is completely browned. Cool the strudels on the pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Cut each strudel into 6 slices.Serve warm or at room temperature. Notes *abbreviated from the cookbook instructions, but essence remains*

Rating:  6 Original Source:  Printed with permission from Carol Fenster’s 1,000 gluten free recipes. Please do not reprint without permission from Fenster’s publishers. Recipe ID:  1419 Added:  May 26, 2009 Last Modified:  May 26, 2009

Apple Cardamom Streudel Filling Sauces & Condiments  European

Ingredients juice from 1/2 lemon 4 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced 1 1/2 tbsp butter or dairy-free margarine (Earth balance etc.) freshly ground cardamom to taste (1/8 tsp or so) freshly grated nutmeg (1/8 tsp or less) 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 2 capfuls of vanilla essence (2 scant tsp) 2 tbsp. vanilla sugar (sugar with vanilla bean stored in it) 1 tbsp. butter or margarine 1/4 cup pecans 1 tbsp. organic sugar sprinkle of salt 1 1/2 tbsp. butter or margarine 2 slices gluten-free bread (from large homemade loaves, probably 1 1/2 to 2 cups bread crumbs) cinnamon 1 tbsp. vanilla sugar Directions Spritz sliced apples with lemon juice in a bowl. Heat 1 tbsp. butter or margarine in pan and add your apples. Season and sprinkle with sugar as they turn brown, turning as needed. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in pan and add pecans. Mix together with apples then add last bit of sugar and salt. Remove from pan and reserve. Melt butter or margarine in pan on medium, add bread crumbs and let brown. Season with cinnamon and vanilla sugar. After 3 or more minutes when bread crumbs are browned, remove from pan and let chill. Use as filling for gluten-free strudel recipe.

Rating:  6 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permisison. Recipe ID:  1416 Added:  May 25, 2009 Last Modified:  May 26, 2009

Blueberry Mint Strudel Filling Recipe Sauces & Condiments  European

Ingredients 4 cups frozen blueberries 2/3 scant cup vanilla sugar 1 tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 1 tbsp. of water 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup almond slices 2 tbsp. butter or margarine 2 large slices gluten-free bread, crumbled (about 2 cups) 1 tsp. vanilla 2-3 tbsp. fresh minced mint Directions Bring blueberries and sugar to boil in a pan. Then add vanilla and almond slices. Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small dish. Add a little of the blueberry juice from the hot pan into the cornstarch slurry and whisk. Next,add slurry to blueberry mixture in pan and combine thoroughly. Lower heat and let simmer, thickening. If it doesn’t seem thick enough you can add more cornstarch mixed with water or blueberry juice. Meanwhile, in a cast iron pan melt 1 1/2 tbsp. butter or margarine on medium heat. Add your gluten-free bread crumbs and sautee for 2 minutes or so, then drizzling the vanilla on the bread crumbs and mixing together. Make space in the center of the pan and melt the remaining 1/2 tbsp. butter or margarine, adding the mint to the butter. Let the herb wilts lightly and fold into the bread crumbs. Remove from heat. Use in gluten-free strudel recipe.

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1417 Added:  May 25, 2009 Last Modified:  May 26, 2009

Chebe Strudel Pastry Recipe Dessert  Alternative Grains  European

Ingredients 1 7.5-ounce package Chebe All-Purpose Gluten-Free Bread Mix 2 large eggs 2 tbsp butter or margarine 5 tbsp milk, liquid milk substitute, or water 1 tbsp.sugar Extra butter for basting dough Directions Combine ingredients from mix through sugar in medium mixing bowl. Stir until ingredients come together, and then knead to form a smooth ball. Refrigerate for one hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 375. Separate dough into two parts. Put one half in a gallon ziploc bag, preferably freezer quality. Sprinkle with sweet rice flour as needed and use rolling pin on TOP of bag to roll dough out inside the bag. When dough is rolled out into one thin sheet, cut out sides and top of bag (where zip portion is). Baste dough with butter and fill as you would any small strudel. Roll into strudel cylinder onto a sheet of parchment paper. Remove to pan and bake for 30 minutes. Turn and bake in increments of ten minutes until dough is browned and crispy and filling is done to taste. Remove from oven, let cool and then cut individual servings, sprinkling with powdered sugar. Notes Not a traditional dough, but easy to work with and has good flavor.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without permission. Recipe ID:  1420 Added:  May 26, 2009 Last Modified:  May 26, 2009

This week’s gluten-free, soy-free challenge is the CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE. One unexpected problem arises when you try to do soy-free and dairy-free baking, especially cookie recipes. Many cookies call for either butter or margarine. Butter contains dairy (although it is low in lactose), and most, if not all margarines contain soy. What to do? You can try to replace the fat with a combination of applesauce and olive or canola oil, but I’ve had mixed success with cooking oil substitutions. Vegetable oil or blends often contain soy ingredients, complicating the issue. However, Alton Brown showed us that shortening makes a perfectly delicious puffy cookie. Why?

“Shortening melts at a higher temperature than butter so it remains solid longer giving the batter time to rise and set before it spreads. Hah. Increasing the ratio of brown to white sugar also creates a more tender cookie.” (Transcript of Alton’s Cookie episode)

When I had to make an allergen-free cookie, I started looking for a good gluten-free cookie recipe using shortening. I like Spectrum Natural’s Organic Shortening without any trans fats and no soy oil. I recently bought Annalise Roberts’ book Gluten-Free Baking Classicsand found her recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies using shortening. This recipe was also published in Gourmet magazine, so you can see it too! I used Ener-g Foods egg replacer for the eggs to make it egg free. For those who are severely allergic to soy and can’t even have soy lecithin, Enjoy Life chocolate chips is the perfect (if rather pricey) solution that always wins raves. I shared my GF SF (and EF,DF) cookies with my Celiac SF Bay support group (many of whom have multiple allergies) and they were very popular. My non-GF DH also enjoyed them, although he prefers those made with butter or margarine. I froze the dough in logs at least one day before baking them because I find that the texture improves and they spread out less, although this isn’t so much of a problem with a cookie made with shortening. I then cut them into rounds, toss them in the oven, and have some delicious cookies. This is a good way to prevent an attack of the cookie monster… I have a pretty unlimited hunger for cookies and DH and I WILL eat way more than is good for us if they’re baked and looking all enticing on the counter. One other plus? An egg-free cookie dough tastes darned good even uncooked, and can be used for a homemade gluten-free cookie-dough ice cream. Mmmmm… Just sub in an alternative milk if dairy is an issue. :)

Looking for a pre-made frozen GF cookie dough or GF cookie tips? Read this post!

Here’s a list of my favorite gluten-free, soy-free BAKING INGREDIENTS:

Spectrum Organic Shortening is relatively easy to find in health food stores, and is trans fat free as well as dairy and soy free. It’s an excellent ingredient for baking and has a pleasant, if rather bland flavor. Make sure to boost flavor elements of your recipe, and you may also find it helpful to add high protein ingredients (almond meal, bean flour, or yogurt if not dairy-free) to your recipe to improve texture of final product.

Pam’s for Grilling seems to be the only non-stick cooking spray without that ol’ popular soy lecithin. Make sure to check the label before you buy as the formula could change at any time. I like to use nonstick cooking spray for grilling (especially this variety) and also for bread pans. I usually spray the pan and then dust it with flour or cornmeal before adding the dough and letting the bread rise. DO NOT use this kind of spray on nonstick cooking surfaces like fry pans, as it will ruin your finish. Trusts me on this one.

Mother’s Margarine is actually dairy AND soy-free. The catch? It seems to only be available during Passover. Doh. I suppose you could order it in bulk and then stock up in season… Here’s a detailed article on this margarine. Apparently there was a Passover Margarine Shortage in 2008, and there are rumors that Mother’s Margarine may have discontinued their product. Please share any links you have if you have more information on this…

Coconut oil is another interesting dairy-free, soy-free oil for baking. I haven’t been entirely satisfied with my experiments so far, but I think that this oil is promising and I know many gluten-free bakers who use it successfully. Here’s an intriguing recipe for gluten-free, soy free brownies using coconut oil.

These dairy, soy, and gluten-free chocolate chips have become legendary at our Celiac support group meetings. Turns out soy doesn’t really add anything in terms of FLAVOR to chocolate chips, and these little chocolate chips are delicious for snacking as well as in chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately they are a little pricey. Sigh. I usually buy them at Whole Foods, but you can also buy them online at Allergy Grocery. If you find the price of these chips prohibitive, you can also find chocolate chips for Passover that are both dairy and soy-free.

When I made my recent gluten-free, soy-free eclairs for a friend, I was having trouble getting a nice glaze from the Enjoy Life chocolate chips, so I added some Bakers Unsweetened Baking Chocolate which is ONLY chocolate and contains no soy (or dairy, for that matter). It did help the recipe. This isn’t a good snacking chocolate, but it can be used for chocolate sauces.

Breads from Anna are popular gluten-free, soy-free (DF, EF etc) bread mixes that I haven’t had a chance to try yet…

Namaste Foods is another popular gluten-free mix company with products that are also free of soy, corn, potato, dairy, and nuts. Once you pick your favorites, you can get a good price online through Amazon (below).

Share any GF cookie baking tips OR your favorite soy-free products in the comments!

Coming Soon Gluten-Free, Soy-Free Living Challenge #2 Chinese Stir Fries without SOY SAUCE but with LOTS OF FLAVOR!

For now, check out Soy-free recipes at the Book of Yum
Cool gluten-free, soy-free (and other allergen-free ) recipes at Elanas Pantry
Soy-free recipes at Gluten-Free Goodness
and
Recipes at the Gluten-Free Soy-Free Vegan
Soy-Free Gluten-Free recipes at Cindalous Kitchen Blues*note margarine, and substitute accordingly

Have any other favorite gluten-free, soy-free blogs? Tell me and I’ll add them to the list!

*Don’t forget to Adopt-a-gluten-free-blogger! Deadline: Sep 8!

Over the next two weeks from August 20th to September 3rd bake something from one of Bette Hagman’s cookbooks, and take a really beautiful photo of the baked good that you produce. I would like to think of each photo as a flower bouquet honoring Bette Hagman, and so include at least one beautiful flower (and possibly a flower bouquet) in the background of your photo or placed on the baked good like the photo I posted here. Post your photo on your blog along with a short (one or two line) note on the impact Bette Hagman had on your life and comment here with the link or email it to me at mehere.jpg. Please download the “Baked in Honor” tag and post it along with your post. If you feel comfortable doing so, include a wallet sized photograph of yourself in the post or email. If you don’t have a blog, that’s ok, just send me the photo(s) and your message. Please size your photo to be about the same size as the photo posted here.

I will be posting a round up of all the entries no later than Friday, September 7th, and posting a report about the final card/product that is created with all our entries.

For now, here’s my submission, a photo of Bette Hagman’s Buttermilk Garbanzo Bread with a bouquet I bought at the weekly farmer’s market, taken on my balcony. The bread was delicious, as always- and I enjoyed it with margarine, tomato jam, and even in a egg sandwich with mayo and tomato jam… Sounds weird but it was just what I wanted. The bread also won high marks with my non-celiac DH… Thank you, Bette- for showing me that gluten free bread can be a delicious, special treat even for those who don’t have to eat gluten free!

I am so enamoured with Bette Hagman’s book, The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread: More than 200 Wheat-Free Recipes, that I haven’t made many bread recipes from her other cookbooks in quite a while. But, the other day I was flipping through “The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy” and came across this recipe for her gluten free Sesame Bean Bread. I first made this recipe when I was living in Colorado, a place famed for its high elevation. As I recall it practically burst out of the top of the machine and dough dripped down into the heating elements. Oops. This bread has some SERIOUS rising power. I was able to tweak the recipe for high elevation baking and tried again, with amazing success. I liked the bread with its faint sesame flavor and bean flour sponginess so much I actually re-named it “Happiness Bread” and wrote that next to the title. When I stumbled across it again recently the title made me think nostalgically of my life in Colorado, where I first began experimenting with a bread machine. I made the bread in my Zojurishi gluten free bread machine and was thrilled with how much it rose (without overflowing!). I started the bread pretty late at night, so I ended up leaving the bread to cool on a wire rack overnight. (I never leave my bread in the machine on the warm setting, as it deflates. I also never cut the bread before it cools, as that also has an adverse effect on the height of the bread.) Because I left it out overnight, it was a little drier than it would have otherwise been the first day I cut into it- but it was still just as delicious as I remember, and it made absolutely perfect heirloom tomato/avocado/hummus sandwiches. I also developed a special Vegan Gluten Free recipe using high quality olive oil, seasonings, balsamic vinegar, avocado, fresh heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil, both grown on my balcony. I garnished it with Hawaiian black salt and was in heaven. I later did a variation of the recipe on Kinnikinnick bagels- and both ways, it was absolutely delicious. I would give Bette Hagman’s recipe for Gluten Free Sesame Bean Bread an 8, but recommend not leaving it out all night for optimal shelf life. Why not try the recipe, and see if it is gluten free “Happiness” bread for you as well? (And if baking isn’t your thing, try my vegan bruschetta topping on some packaged gluten free bread like Whole Foods Sundried Tomato Gluten Free Bread- toast the bread really well for a contrast between the creamy, faintly sweet and salty topping and the crunchy bread.)

Basil Olive Oil Gluten Free Bruschetta Recipe Side Dish  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients Spice Hunter or Trader Joe’s Pasta Spice mix (or any spice mix you like) High Quality (local if possible) olive oil Balsamic Vinegar 3 fresh basil leaves, julienned 1 really yummy small organic summer tomato, sliced thinly 1/4 an avocado Black Hawaiian Salt (or some other coarse ground salt you like, kosher etc.) Freshly ground pepper Sprouts (if you have them- for garnish) 1 thick slice of Gluten free Bread or 1/2 a Kinnikinnick tapioca rice flour bagel Directions Take small rice bowl and shake at least a teaspoon of Pasta spice mix into the bowl. Put your julienned basil leaves in the bowl. Add a generous glug of your high quality olive oil and mix, crushing the basil leaves a bit and making sure the spices have mixed evenly with the oil. Let sit. Slice your tomatoes thinly, and slice your avocados into strips. OR dice your tomatoes and avocados (this works well on a square piece of bread.) Toast your bagel or bread until crunchy and golden. Return to your olive oil, basil mixture in the small bowl. Add a small amount of balsamic vinegar and whisk to emulsify. If you like a more tart flavor or want to use less olive oil, you can add more vinegar and use less olive oil. Add more spice mix to taste, and add a little of your gourmet salt and pepper. Assemble your bruschetta by lightly basting the bread with the basil vinaigrette, using the julienned basil to spread the vinaigrette OR dribbling delicately with a spoon. (The basil method makes it easier to be sparing with the vinaigrette.) Be very generous with the basil. Next, carefully lay your tomato slices on top of the basil and vinaigrette. Top with your avocado slices. (If you used the diced method, sprinkle them interspersed with each other on the surface of your well toasted bread.) Sprinkle with more Black Hawaiian salt or whatever salt you have. Dribble a little vinaigrette on top of the avocado slices, adding any leftover basil to the top. Garnish with sprouts, if you like. (Optional) Enjoy this summery, light vegan meal. (Note: Kinnikinnick bagels are dairy free but not egg free, so if you use them this recipe won’t be vegan. It would be CF though! Yay!)

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contenst of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1115 Added:  August 7, 2007 Last Modified:  August 7, 2007