If you’d like to join in on this Gluten Free Thanksgiving Blog Event, you can submit [...]]]> I am ready to get started on some Thanksgiving cooking! I’m not sure that it’s going to happen, but I thought I would at least start a list of the of good gluten free Thanksgiving recipes, mine and everyone else’s.

If you’d like to join in on this Gluten Free Thanksgiving Blog Event, you can submit a recipe post (just comment below), new or old, and I’ll add it to the list. Please add a link to your blog post directing your readers to this roundup post. For my non-blogging readers, feel free to post your favorite Thanksgiving recipes in the comments. I’ll take them out and add them to a separate “Readers’  Thanksgiving Recipes” post and link to them from here.

We’re planning to share Thanksgiving with John’s family this year. David is very excited to see his grandparents and aunt and uncle. And I know that they are all excited to see David and Grant (who’s already 7 months old and scooting and rolling around).  Baby #3 is due in April and I’m exhausted so who knows how much cooking will actually get done. I’d like to work on my yeast roll recipe some more, but it may have to wait a few years =)

Gluten free Recipes:
Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
Gluten Free Gravy
Gluten Free Stuffing
Gluten Free Cornbread
Lentil/Rice Shepherd’s Pie
Black Bean Stuffed Mushrooms (veg)

Thanksgiving Sides:
Curried Carrot Soup
Dad’s Brown Rice Recipe
Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
Cranberry Glazed Carrots
Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving Desserts:
Gluten Free Pumpkin Souffle with Homemade Caramel Sauce
Gluten Free Pumpkin Custard (vegan)

Thanksgiving Leftovers:
Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry and Arugula

Tutorials:
How to make Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

Related Posts:

• Gluten Free Southern Cornbread
• Gluten Free Bread – 30 Minute Flatbread
• Gluten Free Waffles
• Gluten Free Bread: Submarine Rolls
• Breakfast on a Budget – Cream of Corn Cereal

The recipe is a  conversion of the “Basic Waffles” recipe in Joy of Cooking. The only [...]]]> Our family has found a new favorite weekend breakfast – gluten free waffles! You all know that we’ve been on the gluten free diet for years now, so that first bite of homemade waffles was absolute heaven!  We stuffed ourselves!

The recipe is a  conversion of the “Basic Waffles” recipe in Joy of Cooking. The only change that I made was to swap my gluten free flour mix for the all-purpose flour used in the original recipe. The original recipes lets you adjust the butter from as little a 4 Tbsp for a low-fat waffle to 16 Tbsp for a super yummy, my mouth is in bliss waffle.  We’ve tried 8 and 16 Tbsp and 16 is definitely the way to go.

Gluten Free Waffles

1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten free flour mix
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs
16 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c. milk (soy, cow, rice, etc)

Cooking Directions:
1. Mix first four ingredients together in large mixing bowl.
2. Beat the eggs together until frothy. Add the milk and stir again.
3. Slowly pour the melted butter into the egg/milk mixture. Stir constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking.
4. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until all of the flour is wet. You don’t have to get all of the lumps out.
5. Pour the batter onto a hot waffle iron. Follow the affle iron manufacturer’s directions for cooking. For ours we use 1/2 c. batter and let the waffle’s cook until there is no more steam coming out.

Additional Notes:
1. Let your eggs and milk come to room temperature. If the eggs and milk are cold, then they will resolidify the melted butter when you mix them together.
2. These waffles are not sweet, so you can add sweet or savory toppings to them. You could also 1/4 – 1/2 cup of raisins, cheese, bacon, nuts, sliced bananas, grated coconut to the batter before cooking.

Related Posts:

• Gluten Free Spiced Apple Pancakes
• Breakfast on a Budget – Cream of Corn Cereal
• Gluten Free, Soy Free All Purpose Flour Mix
• Spoonbread Corn Muffins Inspired by Tayst in Nashville
• Gluten Free Bread: Banana Bread

Making a Grocery List: After reading the [...]]]> This is the second post in a series on Starting the Gluten Free Diet. Click here for a list of the other posts in the series. To make sure that you get all of the posts in the series sign up for free email updates in the right sidebar.

Making a Grocery List:
After reading the first post you should have a good idea of what you will be eating for each meal this first week. The next step is to make your grocery list.  If you’ve never done this before, start by grabbing a sheet of paper and listing categories that match the general layout of your grocery store. I usually use PRODUCE, FROZEN, DAIRY, MEAT, CANNED GOODS, DRY GOODS, and HOUSEHOLD.

Now, go through the list of your meals and write down each ingredient that you need to buy. If you’ve followed the instructions in What to Eat on a Gluten Free Diet, then there will be a lot of whole foods listed on your sheet and very few processed foods, if any.

Remember, on this first shopping trip the goal is to read as few labels as possible. If you will be using foods that you already own in this week’s menu, be sure to check to see if they are marked “GLUTEN FREE”. If they are not and they contain any processed products I would strongly recommend that you change your menu to not include these foods. Reading labels is the most depressing and tedious part of a gluten free diet and I’d love for you to be able to avoid that until you’ve had at least a week to adjust and do some reading.

If there are some essentials that you need to replace – like mayo, ketchup, etc., consider shopping at Walmart this week. Walmart’s store brand, Great Value, is very good about clearly  marking all of the gluten free products on the label.

Absolute No-Nos:
Wheat is so ubiquitous in the Standard American Diet that we often forget that we are eating it. Here are a few foods that you may not realize contain wheat.

• all-purpose flour
• self-rising flour
• semolina (the flour used in most pasta)
• couscous
• most soy sauce
• Campbell’s Cream of ______  Soup
• cornbread mix
• most cold cereals (barley malt flavoring)

At the Grocery Store:
The best tips that I can give you for the grocery store are to stick to the outside aisles and whole, unprocessed foods. Follow your grocery list and look forward to feeling better during the coming week. While you’re there ask the service desk if they have a list of gluten free foods that they stock. Also check to see if you they have a special location for gluten free foods, or if they shelve them near their gluten-filled counterparts. This knowledge will help you plan for next week’s shopping trip.

You may feel that my advice to only eat unprocessed foods and foods that are clearly marked “Gluten Free” is overly restrictive. But I really do want you to feel better quickly, and the easiest way to accomplish that is to get ALL of the gluten out of your diet. And it’s only for a week. By next week you’ll have learned more about identifying gluten in foods, what foods are naturally gluten free, and where to buy gluten free foods that your local grocery doesn’t stock.

Related Posts:

• Gluten Free Waffles
• Starting a Gluten Free Diet: Free Menu Plan
• What to Eat on a Gluten Free Diet – Week One
• Getting Started on a Gluten Free Diet
• Gluten Free Sale at Amazon: Pasta, Flour, Pretzels, Cookies

Long-time readers will know that I don’t bake sweets that often (because I have no will power). Given that I have recently polished off Double Chocolate Brownies, a Hershey Pie, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies (the new Betty Crocker mix to be released this summer), you probably won’t be getting any more sweet [...]]]>

Long-time readers will know that I don’t bake sweets that often (because I have no will power). Given that I have recently polished off Double Chocolate Brownies, a Hershey Pie, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies (the new Betty Crocker mix to be released this summer), you probably won’t be getting any more sweet recipes from me for a while. Luckily for you, Jeanne Basye , the Gluten Free Cookie Lady, agreed to write a guest post featuring one of the cookies from her cookbook, “Gluten Free Cookies“. Please welcome Jean in the comments and check out her cookbook.
~Mary Frances

Hello from Arizona!

My name is Jeanne Basye, happily called The Gluten Free Cookie Lady. It’s 100 degrees outside today and my grandkids and I are in the kitchen baking gluten free cookies. Care to join us? We are making one of their favorite cookies, Peanut Butter Lollipops. They like these cookies because they are big, their favorite candy bar is hidden inside and they are fun to eat because the cookie is on a stick! Hey, I love them too and my favorite candy bar is Baby Ruth.

If you are like me, making cookies with my grandkids (ages 2 ½ -11 years) are fun and so rewarding. Teaching them how to crack eggs, measure ingredients, mix properly, and make uniform-size dough balls are baking lessons for a lifetime. Fun in the kitchen is our goal as are the kitchen cleanup chores! However, the best lesson cookie baking offers in our home is how to share with others. We make cookies, decorate boxes to hold them and give them away.

As we deliver our cookie boxes, there is always a smile and big thank you on the receiving end. Baking cookies is a lifetime skill that can make so many people happy. Plus we educate people about celiac disease through our cookies. How fun is that!

Are you ready to bake? As I tell the grandkids… first wash your hands. Be sure to read the recipe and set out all the ingredients. Select your favorite snack-size candy bar. Almond Joys, Snickers, Mars, 3 Musketeers, Oh Henry, Payday and Baby Ruths are ready to be prepared in our kitchen.

We are recycling the wooden sticks from the popsicle/ice cream bars we ate yesterday and using them for these cookies. You can also purchase Kraft Caramels and use the wooden sticks in the package. If you don’t have sticks, just wrap the snack-size candy bar (about a 2-inch length) around the dough and bake as directed.

As the anticipation builds in our kitchen waiting for the cookies to bake and cool, each one selects their favorite color ribbon to tie on the cookie sticks. Decorating small plastic bags to wrap the big lollipops is next.

Finally the cookies are ready to taste. We pour a big glass of milk and take a big bite! “Outstanding, says my 5 year old grandson, I love these cookies!”

We hope you enjoy Peanut Butter Lollipops as much as we do. Let us know if you like them too.

Peanut Butter Lollipops
(Makes 9-10 (4-inch) cookies on a stick)

1 ¼ cups of favorite GF flour blend
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ cup creamy peanut butter (I like Jif)

10 (.65-oz.) snack-size GF candy bars (each bar measures 2-inches)
10 (4 ½ x ¼-inch) wooden ice cream sticks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Gently insert wooden stick ¾ of the way into each candy bar. Place inside freezer until ready to use. (Freezing the candy bar/stick minimizes candy oozing out of the cookie as it bakes.)

3. Sift flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder and salt in bowl; stir. Set aside.

4.  Beat  butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl on medium speed until creamy, about 4 minutes. Scrape bowl as needed.   Beat in egg and peanut butter.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.

5. Wrap ¼-1/3 cup dough around each prepared candy bar. Be sure dough covers candy bar completely. Reshape uneven edges of dough with hands for a more uniform appearance. Place 4-inches apart on prepared sheets. Cookies spread! Keep dough refrigerated until ready to bake. (I bake one cookie sheet at a time on the middle rack.)

6. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheet then carefully transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Use a wide spatula to remove cookies from sheet.)

7. Store in airtight container up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months.

Permission granted by: Jeanne Basye, The Gluten Free Cookie Lady

Basye, Jeanne. Gluten Free Cookies. Phoenix, AZ: What No Wheat Enterprises, 2008, page 116. www.glutenfreecookielady.com

Related Posts:

• Rolling in Dough: The Last of the Sugar Cookie Series
• Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
• To Cream or Not: Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Trials

The hardest part of the gluten free [...]]]> This article is the first in a series  on how to get started on a gluten free diet. To make sure that you get all of the posts in the series, as well as a free menu plan, sign up for free email updates in the right sidebar.

The hardest part of the gluten free diet is probably when you realize that wheat is in almost every processed food imaginable. So don’t think about that now! Give yourself a week to mourn the fact that you can’t buy normal bread and pasta, and that Campbell’s soup can no longer dwell in  your pantry. Mourn the obvious losses – we’ll deal with the rest later. For the first week, just focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods.

So, what are whole, unprocessed foods?

• Fruits and vegetables that do not come in a package.
• Meats that the butcher has processed in the store and that have not been puffed full of saline solution and seasonings.
• Grains that only have one ingredient listed on the packaging, e.g,. “Rice” and do not say “Contains Wheat” or “is processed in a facility that also processes wheat”.
• And since you always have to break the rules you create, any processed food that is CLEARLY marked as gluten free.

Most people are not used to cooking with whole, unprocessed foods or for looking for gluten in their foods, so don’t freak out if you still can’t figure out what to eat. I’m going to give you some ideas for breakfast and lunch and a menu plan (with shopping list) for your suppers.

Breakfast:

If you usually eat cold cereal for breakfast, then this week try Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cinnamon Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex,  or Strawberry Chex. These Chex cereals are the only mainstream gluten free cereals. If you live near an urban center, you may find that your grocery store carries other gluten free specialty cereals, and if they do then feel free to try them. The advantage of starting with Chex is that it’s widely available, less expensive than other gluten free cereals, and familiar (Please note that most of these Chex cereals have only recently become available as “gluten free”, so be sure to look for that marking on the box. Some stores may still have boxes on the shelf that contain barley malt flavoring)

If you usually eat a breakfast bar for breakfast, first check to see if your usual bar is marked gluten free. If not, then I’d suggest switching to cereal or fresh fruit for a week. You’ll be tempted to read the labels on all of the breakfast bars in the grocery store, but that’s just going to depress you. Save that for next week. Unless your store carries Larabars – those are all gluten free.

If you usually eat a hot breakfast, then see how many eggs recipes that you can come up with. A few that I can think of off the top of my head are: scrambled, fried, poached, omelette with veggies, and frittatas. Bacon, saussage, and hot cereals are all processed and should be avoided this week unless they are marked gluten free.

Lunch:

If you have access to a microwave at lunch, then the easiest option is to eat leftovers from last night’s meal for lunch. Add a salad or fresh fruit if you need to round out the meal. Lunch is easily the most bread-centric meal of the day, so don’t freak out when everyone around you is having sandwiches. You will be able to eat good bread again.

If you don’t have access to a microwave, then pack a large salad and some fresh fruit. I like to add chickpeas to my salad as the protein – that way I don’t have to worry if I forget to take my lunch to the refrigerator. A lot of salad dressings contain gluten; an easy solution is to make your own vinaigrette at home and take that with you to dress your salad. Check out these recipes from Michael Ruhlman’s new book, Ratio, if you need some guidance.

If you have to go out for lunch, please try to get the lunch moved to a restaurant that has a gluten free menu or has a chef that is very familiar with the diet. You are new to gluten free foods and you are very likely to slip up if you try to identfy the gluten foods on your own.

Call the restaurant before hand and talk to the manager or the chef and explain to them that you have to eat gluten free, but that you’re going to need their help since you are new to the diet. They should be able to tell you which items from their menu are gluten free, or can be prepared gluten free. The manager at a good restaurant should also be willing to oversee the preparation of your food to make sure no one slips up. And, if you call ahead, hopefuly all of this can take place discreetly in the background, especially if it’s a business meeting.

Supper: To make supper easy for you, I think you’ve basically got two options. The first option is to prepare simple meals of a meat (seasoned with salt, pepper, and/or other herbs),  a side of fresh vegetables, and a side of rice and potatoes. The second option is to print off the free menu plan that I’ll be publishing later this week, and follow it. It will have recipes for 6 meals, a cookie recipe, and a shopping list.

The point of these options is to keep you from having to search for recipes and then make sure that all of the ingredients in the recipes are gluten free. That would be way too frustrating for the first week of the diet. Option one will probably work best for those people that are accustomed to cooking without a recipe and feel comfortable dealing with unprocessed foods. Option two, the menu plan, should work for everyone else.

Homework: Make a list of what you want to eat for each day of next week. Here’s an example:

Monday: Rice Chex and banana for breakfast, green salad (with chickpeas) and balsamic vinaigrette dressing for lunch; cheddar cheese slices and an apple for snack; baked chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies for supper

That’s enough of  a brain dump for now. Please feel free to ask questions and share your experiences in the comments. You’re also welcome to answer the questions of others because I definitely do not have all the answers =)

Related Posts:

• Gluten Free Waffles
• Starting a Gluten Free Diet: Free Menu Plan
• Grocery Shopping for Your Gluten Free Diet – Week One
• Getting Started on a Gluten Free Diet
• Gluten Free Sale at Amazon: Pasta, Flour, Pretzels, Cookies