Xanthan Gum

Since I use this in some recipes I thought I would give you some information from Wikipedia as to what this is. It's pretty expensive. I bought a small bag for $10 but it does go a long way and I do use it to make my roti/ traditional indian bread with GF flour. Without this the dough is very hard to handle.

Xanthan gum is also used in gluten-free baking. Since the gluten found in wheat must be omitted, xanthan gum is used to give the dough or batter a "stickiness" that would otherwise be achieved with the gluten. Xanthan gum also helps thicken commercial egg substitutes made from egg whites, to replace the fat and emulsifiers found in yolks. It is also a preferred method of thickening liquids for those with swallowing disorders, since it does not change the color or flavor of foods or beverages.

Brownies

So James wanted to be sweet one day and he baked me brownies. It was a regular recipe, actually Alton Brown's. So here it is with the Gluten free twist.

Ingredients

* PAM, for greasing the pan
* 4 large eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 8 ounces melted butter
* 1 1/4 cups cocoa
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup GF flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.
to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.

Cashew Chicken

The Pressure Cooker Demystified

Two things have increased my love for cooking in the recent years: one is my fiance James for being super duper helpful in the kitchen and raving about my food and the other is the purchase of a pressure cooker. Now I know you have heard the horror stories about pressure cookers blowing up and yes there is much truth behind them but the newer models have safety features and you just need to use a timer and be smart. If you like saving energy then you will love owning a pressure cooker as it quickly cooks food with delicious results. The internal temperature rises above the normal boiling point of water when under pressure, causing roasts, stews, soups and vegetables to cook faster. The shorter cooking time saves energy as well as more of the nutrients and flavors in the food. I bought mine for $20 for Bed, Bath and Beyond and I have had it for two years. They have ones that are much more expensive which, in my opinion are frivolous. I cooked mashed potatoes, lentils, meats such as beef in half an hour. Regular stove top style would take me hours and waste much more energy.

Lentilicious

Being gluten free I have to start looking for alternate sources of fiber and I can find this easily in lentils or dhaal as we call it in India. Lentils/dhaal are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. But this is far from all lentils have to offer. Lentils also provide good to excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein-all with virtually no fat.

And most importantly my kids love them too. Here is a recipe using the pressure cooker to make an amazing Indian lentil dish. I use masoor lentils or dhaal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masoor#Types and it is the orange variety. This dish can be made without meat also.

Masoor Dhaal and Meat

Ingredients
• 1 pound of stew meat
• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup masoor dhaal
• 3 tbsp veg oil
• ¾ tsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1 ½ tsp coriander/cilantro powder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp garlic
• Fresh chopped cilantro

Method
1. In a pressure cooker put 1 cup of lentils,3 cups water and 1 pound of meat
2. Cook on high and when it whistles put on medium for 20 minutes then take off
heat.
3. In a small frying pan put oil on medium heat, add all spices, ginger and
garlic and fry until well blended and a dark color and take off heat
4. Combine oil spice mix with dhaal and meat. If it’s too thick add some
water and put on low heat and cook for 10 minutes
5. Add fresh chopped cilantro as a garnish. Serve with hot roti/naan.

Fogo de Chao - GF heaven

I am going to divert from the usual blogs and give a shout out to Fogo de Chao in Denver. It's a new kid on the block since there are already two other Brazilian steak houses in Denver. I have been to many restaurants since I found out that I have a gluten intolerance and some of the waiters and waitresses have been completely clueless and yes I know it's a lot to ask but with the numerous allergies out there it should be a requirement to have this knowledge since in some cases this could help someone avoid a painful interaction with food.

So Fogo de Chao was amazing since the waiter told me about 80% of the food was gluten free including the bread rolls. Hello??? Bread rolls yipeeeeeeee. I had an amazing time and I loved it and will go there again.

Revisiting a cooked brekkie!

For a long time I thought the reason I didn't like a cooked breakfast was because I was raised on cereal. We would go to IHOP and nicer places and I would always come home dissatisfied and now I know why! I was in PAIN people. I had become inadvertently accustomed to the upset feeling I got after eating pancakes etc. I didn't realize the gluten in them was causing my tummy to ache and making me hate anything other than cereal. I have since learnt that certain gluten laden items hurt me worse than others. Cereal was nowhere near as bad as pancakes. James who is such a sweetheart wanted to remedy this so after a couple of attempts he has mastered the art of making gluten free pancakes. Here is the recipe:

1 ½ cup Gluten Free Flour

3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 ¼ cups milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melter



1 In large bowl sift together all dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add egg, melted butter, and milk. Mix together till smooth.

2 Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over med high heat. Pour or scoop batter onto cooking surface, using approx ¼ cup.

3 When bubbles form on surface and pancake forms flip over.

4 Cook other side and put on plate.

Tuna noodle cass

By request I am going to start sharing some of the recipes I have found work well when I substitute ingredients with gluten free ones. Hopefully this will reassure you all on what works and which GF brands I had success with. I will try to always include a pic so you can see proof of the end result.

James was craving my tuna noodle casserole so off to Sprouts we went to find some GF pasta. After talking to friends they suggested I try Tinkyada. This brand is rice based as opposed to corn and since my system is healing I didn't really want to start eating corn. Being Indian rice is staple and my body can process it well so I knew I would be safe there.

Here is the recipe and it tasted amazing:

Tuna Casserole

Ingredients

8oz (half a bag) of Tinkyada brown rice shells
2 - 3oz cans of tuna
1 cup frozen or tinned corn
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 cups of milk
4 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup gluten free breadcrumbs

Method

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Boil noodles until al dente or to your liking while you prep cheese sauce

Cheese Sauce

• In a medium saucepan melt butter on medium heat
• Add cornstarch to butter and mix well to create a paste
• Add 4 cups of milk to paste and mix well
• Keep stirring every now and then and bring to boil
• Turn heat to low and add parmesan cheese and mix until all cheese is melted
• Season with salt and pepper
• Add a handful of cheddar cheese and mix well and take off heat.

• Put drained tuna, corn and pasta and mix well in a lasagna/casserole dish
• Add cheese sauce and mix everything together
• You may add more cheddar cheese at this point (another handful) and mix
• Sprinkle GF breadcrumbs on top (I make my own GF breadcrumbs in a grinder
using two slices of GF bread)
• Bake in oven for 30 minutes
• Cool for 15 minutes and serve

Yummy Bread

James calls me one day realizing that we were having soup for dinner. "Babe I am gonna make you bread in the bread machine." What he really meant to say I have already started the process and the bread machine is a bakin'. I exclaimed nooooooo.... that flour we bought for baking is not meant for bread and so I came home to a big lump of half cooked dough. I give him a lot of credit for trying. Thanks hun! So we were at Sprouts last week and I picked up a pack of Pamela's bread machine mix. I have an awesome Panasonic Bread maker which I love and haven't used since I discovered my gluten intolerance. James and I were still skeptical but we thought here goes. After a few hours the house started smelling like a bakery, but this can be very deceptive since you can't actually see what the bread looks like. Finally we heard the BEEP and we looked at each other and dashed into the kitchen. James opened up the machine and he looked sad. What it turned out bad??? Then he broke out into a smirk and then a smile. Yay success. He pulled out the pan and the bread looked amazing. Here is the pic so you can see for yourself!

Sweet Success

So my fiance James and I are having lots of fun and issues experimenting with this new lifestyle. My gluten free banana choc muffins turned out awesome. So awesome that we ate them super quick. You know if you have made a a good GF product when your kids can't tell it is GF. I am trying to remember to take a picture of all the good things we conjure so that way we have photographic proof that it can be done. So here attached is a pic of my muffins :)

So recently I found out that I have a gluten intolerance. My mom was diagnosed much later in life with full blown celiac disease. I am not willing to take a chance so I am avoiding gluten as much as I can. I have felt much discomfort over recent years after consuming food and after keeping a mental food diary I have figured gluten to be the culprit. Thankfully I love cooking and experimenting so now I have to modify many recipes so I can enjoy the foods I love. I found a wonderful flour processing place who sold me a bulk container of flour so now I have to start figuring out how to work with it. Its not as easy as working with regular wheat flour so it is going to take a lot of trial and errors. Let's see how i do!