Another thing… You may have noticed how infrequent my posts have become. I’ve wanted to post, honestly, and I feel terrible for letting last month’s adopt-a-gluten-free-blogger event slide (post coming soon), but there have been a few things keeping me busy.

For one thing…

I’m pregnant! We’re expecting our second Baby Yum in August. The first trimester hit me hard, leaving me tired, nauseous, and uninspired by food. Thankfully once I got into the second trimester I’ve felt much more like myself, but I also feel the tick-tock of the clock and the necessity of finishing my dissertation. Basically while Kid Yum is at preschool I work on my dissertation work like crazy, and then when she gets home, I make dinner and we try to spend some quality family time together. We go to bed early, though, and household chores like laundry end up getting done at the end of the day, just when I used to habitually blog.

Actually… laundry is piled on the edge of the bed as I type this.. and I’ll have to fold it before we go to sleep. Ah life is so glamorous here at the House of Yum…

But, I do think of you guys and this blog, and I frequently type in new recipes that I intend to post, and write up recipe notes and take photos, especially of Kid Yum’s bentos. I just need to figure out how to work in blogging, being a mommy, writing a dissertation, and living life all at the same time.

And by the way… we found out late last month…. the new Baby Yum is a boy! We can’t wait to welcome him to our family. Don’t worry, we’ll introduce you guys too. You’ll just have to wait until August, along with us.

I shared this with the fabulous Simply Sugar and Gluten-free Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Wellness Weekend.

Dairy-free Chunky Apple Muffins with walnut topping Bread  Alternative Grains  American

Ingredients Apple Pie Base: 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil 3 or small apples, peeled and sliced 2 tbsp raisins 1/4 tsp dried lemon peel (optional) 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 tsp. vanilla heaped 1/2 tsp or more cinnamon Muffin batter: 3/4 cup sorghum or brown rice flour 1/4 cup almond flour 1 cup tapioca starch 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 large egg or Ener-g foods egg replacer egg 1/2 cup applesauce 1/4 to 1/3 cup honey, maple syrup or agave nectar 1/3 cup coconut cream from canned full fat coconut milk 1/3 cup coconut milk from above canned coconut milk 1/4 cup grapeseed oil Topping: 1/4 cup walnuts light sprinkle of brown sugar, date sugar or coconut sugar Directions Preheat oven to 375f. Place muffin tin liners in a muffin pan. Heat a nonstick pan on medium and add your grapeseed oil. Just as it starts to brown, throw in your apples and raisins and sprinkle them with optional lemon peel. Let them begin to brown, and then turn and add lemon juice and vanilla. As the second side browns, add your cinnamon and turn one more time. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients for your muffin from sorghum flour to the nutmeg. Whisk together to combine. Put your egg or ener-g egg in a small to medium bowl and whisk together. Add applesauce, honey or other liquid sweetener, coconut cream and coconut milk and oil together and whisk until combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour your combined liquid ingredients into the well. Fold in your liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Assemble your muffins by putting a small layer of batter in the muffin tin. Then put a layer of the apple pie filling over the batter. Cover it with a layer of batter. Place a few chopped walnuts on top of the muffins and sprinkle very lightly with brown sugar or other powdered natural sweetener. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until muffins are a nice golden brown and separate easily from the muffin tin. Leave them in the muffin tin for a few minutes or separate muffins from the pan gently with a butter knife. Put on a wire rack to cool. Notes Very delicate muffin until it cools, at which point it becomes less prone to crumbling. Three glutenoids (two not accustomed to gluten-free eating) gobbled them up and pronounced them yummy.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Contents of my brain. Please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1607 Added:  April 2, 2013 Last Modified:  April 2, 2013

Mariposa Bakery
SF Ferry Building address is:
One Ferry Building, Suite 32
San Francisco, CA 94111
SF Bakeshop regular hours:
Monday-Saturday 8-6
Sunday 10-5
tel: 510-595-0955

It had been years since I last went to the Mariposa bakeshop’s outlet at the Ferry Building, but when I was exploring San Francisco this week with the DH, my Dad and Kid Yum, it seemed like a good idea to stop by. I like the Ferry Building anyway, with its gorgeous assortment of gourmet, organic, or healthy specialty shops and restaurants. The Ferry Building reminds me of what a great place San Francisco is for a foodie. I just read that San Francisco was rated one of the top ten happiest cities in the world. Maybe it is because people have access to such great food!

Speaking of great food, I was impressed when I saw that Mariposa had new digs, and had expanded into a real bakery/restaurant site. I just about fell on the floor when I saw the gorgeous gluten-free danish and bear claws on display and I had to buy the two remaining danish. I should have bought a bear claw, but ah well, I guess I’ll try that next time.

Most impressive to me was that they had a hot menu at the expanded facility including individual veggie pizzas, Veggie Empanadas, and even Beet Loaf Burger, not to mention customizable sandwiches. The owner’s taste buds are very similar to my own, I think, and so her veggie offerings are usually exactly what I would pick myself. At the time we had restaurant plans at the Ferry Building so I only bought the danish, but I can’t wait to come back and eat there.

The danish were delicious, by the way.

Want to visit Mariposa’s Flagship location in Oakland, California?
It is located at:
5427 Telegraph Ave, Unit D3
Oakland, CA 94609
tel: 510-595-0955
Monday-Friday 9-6
Saturday 9-5
Sunday 10-5

Other reviews of the new Mariposa setup are here:
GF in SF reviews Mariposa at the Ferry Building
(I actually found this review after I’d visited, but love her blog)
My other reviews of Mariposa offerings and their bakery in Oakland

Some time back I read a review in GF in SF on Hot Spud, a gluten-free friendly potato-themed restaurant near Fisherman’s Warf in San Francisco. I love potatoes and loved the sound of the place, so at the next opportunity I had to try it out for myself.

As we walked up to the restaurant I was most impressed with the sign that greeted me on the window, proclaiming their food philosophy. “Gluten-free friendly” and “Vegetarian friendly” it proclaimed. I was sold.

When I walked in I asked the chefs which toppings were gluten-free. “Everything except a few salad toppings like the wontons,” they told me. Music to my ears. Then I had to decide which delightful potato creation to order from the menu, no small feat. They also offer salads that are no doubt lovely, with an effort to use organic and local ingredients, but I was looking for a potato experience. I decided on the veggie spud, which is topped with sauteed mushrooms, broccoli, peas, corn, olives, and green onions. After consulting with the chef, I decided to have the chipotle sauce on the side and I was very happy with my choice. Next time I do think that I’d customize my own potato and skip the green peas, as they are one of my least favorite vegetables. Besides, I think it would be fun to create my own potato! Potatoes generally all come topped with butter and cheese and then individual sauces, but I believe that they will leave off that base if you request it.
Given that we were near Fisherman’s Wharf, I couldn’t help but approve of the DH’s suggestion that we order the “Wharf” spud for Kid Yum, a generally mild potato topped with crab, a lemon beurre sauce (a light and creamy sauce), corn, and with green onions and red onions on the side. To my delight Kid Yum thoroughly enjoyed her dish, and even experimented with the green onions and red onions. She liked the green onions, but the red onions were too much for her. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to see how much she enjoyed her dish, to the extent that she stole our potatoes for herself- “three potatoes, because I’m three.”

The biggest surprise at Hot Spud was the gluten-free dessert selection. Lauren Valentino had mentioned that they had a tasty Gluten-free Sweet Potato Brownie, and that was true.

But they also had a Gluten-free Sweet Potato Cheesecake made with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free flour blend. Gluten-free cheesecake is not easy to come by, and I am happy to report upon taste testing that this may be the best gluten-free cheesecake I’ve had! The crust was a bit on the sweet side, mind you, but the filling was absolutely perfect and Kid Yum and I lovingly battled each other for the privilege of the last bite. The potato was good and I’d come back any time for another one, but the cheesecake is going to stick in my mind and tempt me to make it soon… So well done to the shop! They advertise on their shop page that they make all of their sauces, which is how they can declare them all gluten-free. Lovely!

Last time around I had a flawless time and was extremely impressed by the professionalism of the Disney “cast members”.

I ate and reviewed our experiences at Redd Rockett Pizza Port,the Tiki Juice Bar, Storyteller Cafe and Blue Bayou on our 6th anniversary trip to Disneyland.

This time I tried a batch of new restaurants and had a variety of experiences, some great and some less great. I would still recommend Disneyland as a gluten-free destination but there were a few tiny little hiccups this time around.

First of all, our first stop was at Town Hall to pick up the much touted dining gluten-free dining guide. I was more than a little surprised when the cast member there told me that they “didn’t have the new one for the new year,” especially since it was half-way through January already. I asked for one from last month and he said that they weren’t allowed to give an outdated one out. He suggested I talk to each chef at each restaurant to figure out what I could eat. So first off there was a bit of a weird feeling to the day. Luckily, but somewhat bizarrely, I was able to find a perfectly current dining guide online using my cell phone at disboards.com that covered Disneyland, California Adventure AND the resorts, so I wasn’t completely in the dark. I would have far preferred getting a sheet of paper to easily refer to. Needless to say, having to blindly search out gluten-free options in the park did not sound like fun.

We started our first day with a meal at the Carnation Cafe, a restaurant on the main downtown part of Disneyland in the midst of the shops. The waitress brought out a chef to speak with me and he told me which menu items I could order. I ended up choosing Oscar’s Choice, but then it was a little confusing because the order had to go through the waitress and not the chef, apparently. Anyway, the food was fine when it came out- but when I was almost finished eating I noticed a clump of granola on my food. The menu clearly states that the granola isn’t gluten-free, and no one at our table ordered the dish with granola, so I’m not sure how it got there. I’m glad that I didn’t eat it accidentally! Actually, if you look really closely at the meal you can see the clump of granola. When I finally noticed it on my plate I squinted at it and picked it up with my spoon. You could clearly see the shape of an oat in the middle of the thing. I showed it to the DH and asked, “does that look like granola to you?” It looked like granola to him, too. Also, to be honest, since it didn’t come with gluten-free bread or anything, I thought they were a little stingy with the potato serving. We had a big day ahead and I was hoping to start off with a nice, filling meal. Overall, I was less impressed with the service than at other Disney Venues, and the granola thing freaked me out a bit.

After this inauspicious beginning, things improved.

For lunch time we went to Redd Rocket Pizza and I had the pizza and Planetary Pizza Salad. I was impressed with the pizza base. I think they changed it from the very white crust they used before and now it is much more tasty and has a good texture. As before, they cooked it properly and it was quite appetizing. Actually, it ended up being way too much food, and the salad was enormous. I think the latter was made larger since last time I came. But I was happy to have some veggies with my pizza. When we came in, there was a huge line snaking through the cafeteria. I told a cast member near the door that I needed to order gluten-free, and they had me go to the middle station where the chef was, and I put my order directly in with him. They have really improved wait times since last time! I think it only took about 7 minutes for him to get my order made in the back and bring it out. I was impressed with their improved efficiency.

That night we noshed on leftover goodies from Trader Joe’s including a fresh mozarella salad, Udi’s bagel and cream cheese, fruit and a treat from the divine Babycakes NYC (LA division, of course).

The next morning we decided to take Kid Yum to a character breakfast with Minnie at Plaza Inn. Some years ago when we came for our anniversary, we were tempted to try it but decided to wait until we came with kids. Fast-forward five years later, and we had Kid Yum in tow and the timing seemed perfect, especially after I read all the glowing reviews of their gluten-free training.When I arrived at the buffet I was a little intimidated but the host told me to go ask the omelet chef about gluten-free options. He seemed a little busy, but would have had some food brought for me from the back. Luckily though, someone brought a chef from the back and that chef took great care of me and was really nice and friendly. He asked me what I would like and told me he would get it together in the back and then bring it out to me at our table. Kid Yum and the DH got food and sat to eat it, but before long the chef came out with a huge plate with fresh fruit, hash browns and even the famed mickey mouse waffles. He also brought me a freshly made small omelet and later, a sample of the mexican casserole hot out of the oven.
It was lot of food and my DH laughed at me with my three dishes, but considering the price, I was happy to be so spoiled. I had no cross-contamination concerns at all and felt great. Not to mention that the second Kid Yum lit eyes on Eyore, her eyes lit up and she got a grin on her face that I have never seen before or since. There were tons of characters and they all were very sweet to my daughter and she had a great time. A few of the characters even put up with her trying to play a crazy balloon game with them. I would do it again in a heartbeat not only for the food but for the character experience. Kid Yum didn’t like seeing Captain Hook in the flesh and right and front of her at the breakfast table, despite loving him in the parade the night before. That was the only time she jumped into my arms to hide from a character. She was also deeply suspicious of the fairy godmother, but then moved from that to practically jumping into Tigger’s arms. Silly girl. Anyway, two thumbs up for the Breakfast with Minnie at Plaza Inn.

For lunch I was determined to try the mexican restaurant in frontierland that I had not made it to last time, Rancho Del Zocalo. The outside looked nice, and when you go inside it is a very cafeteria-like atmosphere. However, one of the servers got a chef for me and he was very helpful, although it seemed to confuse him that I was trying to order 2 full meals to share with my daughter (which the DH was also going to share). I ended up ordering the veggie taco meal, resembling a veggie fajita on a corn tortilla, and the veggie enchiladas.

I don’t have a good gluten-free friendly mexican food option in our area (although there is the awesome Oaxacan Kitchen for Oaxacan food) and so the idea of getting safe enchiladas sounded pretty good. In the end, I actually preferred the veggie tacos, because I found the enchiladas a tad bland, but both were nice options.

Kid Yum loved the beans and refried beans, and chomped some of the tortillas too. *Note: I didn’t think to check on the refried beans. Hopefully they were actually fully vegetarian. They were not “meaty” but ask if you are concerned.* As for dessert, it didn’t seem like we had any exciting options. I asked about the flan, but disappointingly the chef said that it was not gluten-free, either due to the ingredients or the preparation environment. Honestly, the meal was so hearty, even with sharing with the DH and Kid Yum that I wouldn’t have had room for dessert anyway. I enjoyed the charming environment in the courtyard once we left the cafeteria-type ordering area, and we had a very pleasant and relaxing lunch.

We completed our gluten-free culinary journey through Disneyland with a chocolate coated mickey ice cream. They contain no gluten-ingredients, and although they are manufactured in a shared facility, it was worth the minor risk to realize my second Mickey food dream. That morning I had enjoyed the famed Mickey Waffles, and in the afternoon Kid Yum and I said cheers (ok Kanpai, the Japanese version) over a mickey ice cream. It had been a memorable and delicious trip, and once again, I wouldn’t hesitate to come back to Disneyland and enjoy the gluten-free feast! (Next time I’d probably skip the Carnation Cafe, though.)

We stayed at a hotel in walking distance from Disneyland, and went on a few emergency Target runs. I was interested to see two restaurants with gluten-free menus across the street from Target, Outback Steakhouse and Red Robin. However, we never made it over there because we ended up spending all of our time at the park and it was just more convenient to eat on the park or in our hotel room. I did find a hotel refrigerator to be very convenient for late night snacks and a snack in the morning.

*Edited to add: I almost forgot, but I was also impressed by the fresh fruit and veggie options at Disneyland. I was especially intrigued by a pack of fresh strawberries with a little chocolate sauce cup that looked naturally gluten-free. If anyone knows where those are sold, let me know and I’ll add that info to the post. I think they MIGHT have been near the treehouse, but I don’t trust my memory.,,

Just for fun, some family pics from Disneyland!

Many gluten-free bloggers have written great reviews of Disneyland restaurants on a Gluten-free diet. Their posts are great resources and help you know what to expect from your gluten-free trip. Please check them out… and enjoy your trip!

Disneyland Dining with Gluten-free Frenzy
A honest rundown of one gluten-free experience at Disneyland
Gluten-free Highlights at Disneyland
disboards forum discussion of Disneyland
Gluten-free, Dairy free on a Disney CRUISE from adventures of a gluten-free mom
Debi shares her experience at Blue Bayou

Here’s how you participate.

1) Pick a gluten-free blogger whose recipes you admire and adopt them by commenting on this post with your name, blog name and their name and blog name.

*Blogger’s recipes must all be gluten-free or have a way to sort and read ONLY gluten-free recipes
*Please pick a different blogger every time you participate
*Please pick a blogger that has not been adopted yet this month!

2) Pick one (or two!) of your gluten-free blogger’s recipes to try.

3) Make the recipe, photograph it and write a post in your blog introducing the blogger and their recipe.

*Follow the recipe as written, as closely as possible. And, please don’t print their recipe on your post- just provide your reader a link to their original recipe.
*Provide a link to this event announcement page

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. Otherwise I will have to resize it manually and after the first one or two I start to cry sad tears of weary despair. You don’t want me crying while I post, do you?

5) Post YOUR POST’s URL in a comment to this post, and if possible please try to visit two other blogger’s posts that are posted here (and comment!).

*The goal is to make this event more interactive and fun!

Deadlines:
Sign up BEFORE February 13(loose deadline; late sign-ups are ok)
Post your Review and Email me by February 28 (firm deadline, no foolin’)

If you don’t have a blog, you are still welcome to adopt a gluten-free blogger. Sign up to adopt a blogger, write a review of one of their recipes, including your name (or pen name), the recipe URL and recipe title. Then take a photo of the completed recipe (if you can) and EMAIL ME the review and photo. I will create a special page just for our non-blogging participants and post it for you.

I already started the adoption by adopting Shirley of Gluten-free Easily. Now it is your turn!

Adoption Sign-Up Sheet:
1) Shirley of Gluten-free Easily (adopted by Sea of the Book of Yum)
2) Elana of Elana’s Pantry (Adopted by Dawn of Cuter than Gluten)- cute name!
3) Brittany of Real Sustenance (Adopted by Jill of Recovery Road)
4) Gabby’s Gluten Free (adopted by Rochelle @ WheatlessRochelle.com)
5) The Allergy Free Test Kitchen (adopted by Liz @ The Good Eatah)
6) You pick!

I’ll be adopting

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
If you sign up and cannot complete this event by February 28th for any reason, please email me immediately at adoptaglutenfreeblogger[at]gmail[dot]com and let me know. Please ONLY use this email account for Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger relevant emails.

Can’t find a blogger to adopt or looking to meet some new gluten-free friends?
Visit my Gluten-Free Blogroll
Example of an Adoption Post

Here’s a sample bento using this rice-quinoa mixture for “onigiri” with lettuce tops designed to look like strawberries to match the strawberry bento box. I included raw cauliflower and Kid Yum’s favorite tamagoyaki recipe. (I cut the recipe in half and use two eggs.)

Looking for more Book of Yum onigiri or quinoa sushi recipes? Try these!
Quinoa-only Vegetarian Sushi Recipe
Avocado Onigiri Rice Ball Recipe
Sesame Spinach Onigiri Rice Ball Recipe

Alternative Inspirations
Vegetarian Quinoa-only Sushi with Mango and Avocado
Grain-free Cauliflower “Rice” Sushi
Gluten Free Spicy Crab Roll (non-veg, pesc)
Hand Roll Sushi Recipes for a Sushi Party (non-veg, pesc)
Vegan Sushi Roll Recipe

*Sign up for Adopt a Gluten-free Blogger on February 1st here! Watch for Post on that date.*

Rice-Quinoa blended Veggie Sushi Main Course  Alternative Grains  Rice  American  Japanese

Ingredients 2 1/2 RICE COOKER cups white sushi rice 1/2 RICE COOKER cups quinoa (I used red but regular is fine too) 4 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tbsp mirin or MORE rice vinegar (will make less sweet) 3 tbsp sugar 2 tsp salt Nori sheets Avocado, cut into thick strips cucumber, cut into thin strips Black sesame (or brown if you prefer) Directions Put your white sushi rice and quinoa in a rice strainer and rinse multiple times until the water is no longer cloudy. Put in your rice cooker and add water up to the 3 cup mark. Start rice cooker. Next, combine your rice vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove, whisking. When all the powder has dissolved, remove off stove and let cool. When rice-quinoa blend is done cooking and on the warm setting, remove it and put it in a large glass bowl. Drizzle and fold in your rice vinegar mixture while fluffing the rice to cool it. You can fan the rice if you are really excited about cooling it off. Do not put in freezer or refrigerator as this will harden the rice, but let it come to temperature naturally. Prepare a bamboo rolling sheet and place one sheet of nori on it with the shiny side facing down. Cover 4/5 of the surface with your cooled rice leaving the top 1/2 inch bare. Place a strip of avocado in a horizontal line in the middle of your rice surface and roll up your sushi. Use a dab of water to seal the rolled edge together. Let it sit on the seam for a minute and then slice into rolls with a serrated or very sharp knife. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you desire and serve with a gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos (for soy allergy). Enjoy!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without permission. Recipe ID:  1604 Added:  January 29, 2013 Last Modified:  January 29, 2013

Recipes:
Vegan Pumpkin Sunbutter Soup
Gluten-free Vegan chocolate chip blondies

Cheryl of Gluten-free Goodness adopted Kate of Eat, Recycle, Repeat and made her Sweet Potato Spread that makes me hungry just looking at the picture. Apparently Cheryl had her heart set on making sweet potato truffles and then swore off chocolate. She said “I looked through the recipes, a few others caught my eyes … And then I saw it…Sweet potato puddin spread. With chestnuts! And I adore chestnuts… I made it with Macadamia cream rather than coconut milk because that’s what I had on hand. It was delicious!” I’m sold.

Recipe:
Sweet Potato Spread

Shannon L. Brown adopted Shirley of Gluten-free Easily and made her big and rich brownies! She said, “For the adoption, I made her Big and Rich Brownies. They’ve been on my must-try list for a long time… I made the recipe with Better Batter and the result is a dense, chocolatey brownie which received husband approval.” She also mentions that when you spend time reading Shirley’s blog “you feel like you’ve found a friend.” I’ve met Shirley several times and I can attest that she gives you the same feeling in person. Shirley’s a great blogger and a great lady.

Recipe:
Big and Rich gluten-free Brownies

This month hit our family very hard with illness, and I’m sorry to say it delayed my own adoption post and my roundup. But I’m determined to keep our little event going and I hope you will hang in there with me for the next edition next month. Signups will open on the first. Hope to see you there!