Gluten-free Gourmand

When I realized that I would have to be on a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life, one of my primary thoughts was: I can still eat steak. In fact, when people try to have pity on me for my dietary restrictions, I tell them that I love my diet: it includes steak, potatoes, and ice cream. You probably don't need instructions on how to cook steak and potatoes. I'm mentioning it for What's for Dinner? Wednesday not because I think people need to know more about steak and potatoes, but because I sometimes like to remind myself to keep it simple. Simple is delicious. For more gluten-free dinner ideas see Linda at the Gluten-free Homemaker. My friend and I bought all the main ingredients for this meal at the Portland Farmer's Market. The herbs were picked form the garden - they miraculously survived the winter. First I cleaned and prepped the potatoes. We put a dry skillet in the oven at 400 degrees to heat up. I mixed some walnut oil, salt, sage, and thyme toget...

1. I don't eat gluten. That means no wheat, barley or rye. People feel sorry for me when they hear of it, but I don't feel sorry for myself because I eat really well. I think that being on this restricted diet has made me a better cook. The only things I really miss are croissants and beer. 2. I have spent a lot of time worrying about "being efficient" and "conserving energy" when it comes to personal projects and work routines. Recently I realized that I was so worried about being efficient that I was often paralyzed with indecision, and I was so concerned with conserving energy that I never started anything. 3. I've spent most of my life sitting down and reading. When I read I become addicted to to a novel like it's crack cocaine. I think about it all the time and don't want to do anything else. If I didn't have a job I would probably never go out except for food while I'm in the middle of a novel. The only remedy is to finish it. 4...

For my What's for Dinner? Wednesday blog carnival post I decided to do a dual product review/easy dinner idea: pasta with tomato sauce. I dressed mine up a bit with some sausage from New Seasons (they don't add any wheat or other fillers to their deli sausage) and some broccoli. However, this is always a go-to meal when I want something fast and satisfying. This has always been a favorite meal. For other GF dinner ideas, visit Linda at the Gluten-Free Homemaker . When I discovered Tinkyada pasta for the first time, I was pretty excited to try a new brand. They have a white rice pasta which I reviewed last month and thoroughly enjoyed. Then I realized that everyone else knew about Tinkyada pasta before I did! It's sold in most of the stores I frequent, including New Season's on NE 33rd and at Food Front on NW Thurman. (It's also widely available on the internet.) I read several blog posts about how good their brown rice pasta was, and I was eager to try it. ...

I'm inspired by the daffodils popping their heads up in my yard suddenly! Next week I'll have blooms. I decided that today was the day to plant a few seeds. I'm not getting too industrious yet: I'll buy some starts in May and get those in my raised-bed garden . Today I just put a few lettuce seeds down in planter pots to see what will happen. I haven't had much luck with lettuce yet in my garden, and I'm hoping it's not already late to plant this cool-weather crop. I also planted a little bit of broccoli to see what would happen. I suspect that the planter pots are not the best place for lettuce, but I was too lazy to actually break ground an fertilize my small patch of soil. It looks like my laziness had a purpose. It suddenly started to hail, and I'm safe inside already! Who else out there is planting a garden? What are your favorite things to grow? Any tips for a lazy gardener like me?

Here is a recipe that is surprisingly simple. It's a good recipe for making dairy-free. Simply substitute all of the milk and cream for coconut milk. I would imagine that a full-fat almond milk would taste lovely in this recipe too, though I haven't tried it yet. This is my own modification of the Joy of Cooking's recipe. The trickiest part of making this recipe is in preparing the caramel sauce. It has few ingredients but it takes some patience and attention. Place in a saucepan, preferably one with a light-colored inside: 3/4 cup sugar Pour over the top: 1/4 cup water Heat the mixture slowly, swirling the liquid occasionally until it clarifies. Increase the heat to high and boil for 2 minutes, covered. Uncover the pan after the two minutes is up and watch it boil until it begins to darken. At this point start swirling the syrup in the pan again to cook it evenly until it turns a dark brown. If you smell burning immediately remove it from the heat: yo...

My original idea was to create a full meal that could be completed in the time it takes to cook the rice. However, between chatting with my cooking partner, julienning, drinking wine, and general dawdling the meal ended up taking about an hour to cook up. In theory I could have done it faster, and perhaps my next attempt will be much speedier. I will write out the recipe as I imagine it should be organized, not how I actually cooked it. For more gluten-free dinner ideas visit The Gluten-Free Homemaker . She hosts our What's for Dinner? Wednesday blog carnival. Julienne: 1-3 vegetables Heat in a pan large enough to snugly accomodate the fish on a very low heat: 1-2 cups white wine (substitute a light broth if you desire) salt 2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs. We used tarragon and chives. 1/4 tsp of your favorite aromatic spice mix. Garam masala or a curry powder would work well. In a small pan, heat on high: rice water salt a few pinches of saffron (Once the water boils, turn the ...

For those of you who can't eat corn, I have not forgotten you.  I adore the taste of buckwheat, and it is by far my favorite variation on the waffle theme. All of these variations simply change the type of flour used, but not the quantity, which always comes to 2 cups total. Some flours will make the batter thicker than others, but the waffles almost always turn out no matter what the consistency of the batter. Use your favorite GF Pastry Flour for the other cup of flour, and you're set. If you don't have pastry flour on hand, try your All-Purpose GF flour mix and sub out a few tablespoons of potato starch. Mix it up and have a some great waffles! This recipe is particularly good with buttermilk instead of regular milk. If you love both the taste of corn and the taste of buckwheat, try using 1/2 cup corn flour and 1/2 cup buckwheat flour instead. Buckwheat Waffle Recipe: 1 cup buckwheat flour 1 cup Deluxe GF Pastry Flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4...

These savory and sweet cornmeal waffles are one of my favorite breakfast foods. I am not bragging when I say that these are the best waffles I've ever tasted. I'm simply telling the truth. This recipe is essentially the Joy of Cooking Cornmeal Waffles recipe that has been modified to be gluten-free. If you are on a no-dairy diet try almond milk instead of cow's milk and a mild-flavored oil (not olive) instead of butter. I'm afraid there's no helping the eggs - they are essential for making the waffles fluffy. If anyone has an egg-free version I'd love to hear it! Corn Waffle Recipe Mix together in a large bowl: 1 cup  Deluxe Pastry Flour (something with a lot of potato flour is excellent) 1/2 cup corn flour 1/2 cup corn meal 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (if your flour mix doesn't have it already included) 1/4 cup sugar Separate: 2 eggs Beat until stiff in a separ...

I had never made my own tempura before creating this recipe.  However, I wasn't afraid to try it gluten-free.  This tempura recipe didn't come out looking like a typical all-over breading, but instead resulted in an ultra-light batter and a surprisingly tasty vegetable dish.   For a vegan version, see this recipe on I Am Gluten Free, which was my inspiration for creating a tempura recipe of my own. Dipping Sauce Recipe: Tempura is usually served with a simple dipping sauce. Combine: equal parts (GF) soy sauce and water a dash of rice vinegar a dash of mirin (optional) a bit of sugar Gluten-free Tempura Recipe: Cut in to pieces 1/4 inch thick: 4-5 assorted vegetables Pat the vegetables dry. Heat in a large skillet: 3/4 inch to 2 inches oil I used mostly olive oil with some sesame oil. You will know that the oil is the right temperature when a little bit of batter dropped in it only sinks halfway to the bottom, then immediately floa...

I don't exactly think of Carson City, Nevada as a gluten-free mecca. While my relatives there are very supportive of my diet and have made wonderful meals for me, when I travel back to Carson City to visit I always wonder what exactly I'm going to end up eating when I go out on the town. Well, no more! I found out by accident that Carson City has some of the best wheat-free, gluten-free bread I've ever tasted. The City Cafe Bakery at 701 S. Carson Street is the producer of this fine GF product. They make a whole host of gluten-free treats, including sandwiches, scones, and muffins. They bake the bread on-site, and they sell it by the loaf. Loaves come sliced, frozen, and unlabeled. My stepmother Penny helped me vet the bread, and she said that she tasted corn flour. I called to get the list of ingredients, and corn starch is definitely in there. The bread also contains eggs and milk. Penny noted that the bread is much lighter than most GF breads. In fact, I thi...

Last month I wrote a post about basic gluten-free flours : their properties, their uses, their virtues, and their downsides. Here is the promised extension to that original post, which hopes to shed some light on some other more specialized GF grains. Amaranth flour (also known as Inca wheat or quihuicha): This flour behaves quite a bit like sorghum flour, and has a lot of flavor. It is a grain high in protein and very nutritious. A dough made with amaranth is very delicate, wet, and tricky to handle. I only use a small portion of this flour in my all-purpose mixes for the flavor it adds. Buckwheat flour : a close relation to rhubarb, this grain is in no way related to the wheat family. It is a very dark flour with a strong, distinctive and pleasant nutty flavor. The flour has a very fine grit, and can be used in making whole-grain products. It does not behave well on its own, producing very dry and brittle product unless it is mixed with other flours. I usually recommend s...

For participation in my first "What's for Dinner? Wednesday," I am going to just give one basic quick-and-dirty idea for an easy dinner: soup and a sandwich. Throw in a salad, too, if you feel like it! Tonight I had a grilled-cheese sandwich with Manchego cheese (purchased at New Seasons) made with Angeline's Just Right White Rice Bread (see my bread review here ). I always butter the bread and grill the sandwich open-faced on a cast-iron skillet. This bread gets nice and golden brown when cooked this way. I served this lovely yet simple sandwich with Progresso New England Clam Chowder soup. I have read many a soup label at the store, and Progresso is one of the very few brands that thickens its chowder with corn starch rather than wheat flour. The only down side to this soup for me is that it contains MSG. Was this a healthy meal? No. Was it quick and delicious? Yes. Here is an idea for a dairy-free alternative: make a BLT on Ener G Tapioca bread. Serve wi...

Now with a new addendum! Whenever I go to a grocery store in another town, I always try to peruse their gluten-free options to see if they have any products I haven't seen in Portland. Last weekend I was excited to find a gluten-free pasta I hadn't seen before called Tinkyada White Rice Pasta. I have been looking for a white rice pasta since I went to Italy last spring. They have excellent gluten-free pastas there, and all of them are made from white rice flour. I haven't been able to find one like the Italian version in Portland. Imagine my surprise when I found a white rice pasta in Carson City, Nevada! The Raley's supermarket there has an excellent health food section. The ingredients listed on the pasta are: stone ground white rice and water. The cooking instructions should be taken with a grain of salt: the package tells you to cook it for 16-17 minutes! I know GF pasta takes a bit longer to cook, but I didn't boil it for nearly that long and it came ou...

Now what you have all been waiting for: the recipe for the polenta that I served with the braised rabbit in my previous post. Unlike rabbit, polenta is completely vegan. At its simplest, it's made from just corn meal and water. This recipe uses vegetable stock and onions to give it a savory, hearty flavor. This dish can be served as a main course and topped with a tomato sauce, a white sauce, or cheese. Here I have it as a side dish, and it is tasty enough to be served plain. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan heat: 3 cups vegetable stock In a large skillet, heat on medium low: 2-4 Tbsp olive oil Chop into small pieces, then add to the heated oil: 1/2 onion Sautee the onions for about five minutes, then add the vegetable stock to the skillet. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together until smooth: 2 cups warm water 1 1/2 cup yellow corn meal Slowly add the corn mixture to the stock-and-onion liquid on the stove, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer for 10 minut...

A friend of mine who is a dedicated gourmand recently commented that it seems like I truly enjoy being gluten-free. It's true; I look upon it as a culinary challenge, and my restriction has brought me to many a recipe that I would not have found if I could just eat a sandwich every night. I actually feel like my options have expanded and that I've become a better cook since I've started this diet. That I am capable of easily digesting everything I now cook helps to reinforce my gluten-free ways. My aforementioned friend has introduced me to some new recipes and techniques for making dishes that are traditionally gluten-free. The project we worked on most recently was braised rabbit - an animal that I had only eaten once and had never cooked. Rabbit is not readily available in most butcher shops, but you should ask about special orders at a specialty butcher shop. Or, substitute chicken, lamb, or another meat. Braising is a technique that produces a very tender meat. ...

How many people can say they are on a diet that allows guacamole, fried potatoes, and ice cream? Those are three foods that I love that I didn't have to give up when I went gluten-free. Today a friend of mine told me that she has been tested for food sensitivities and will have to go on a gluten-free, vegan, sugarcane-free diet. She was struggling to comprehend exactly what she would be eating. I can sympathize with her plight because I have tried all of those diets myself and found it difficult to manage - and I didn't even try them all at the same time. I assured her that if she started to feel better she would be more than happy to keep the diet up. When I realized I would be on the gluten-free diet permanently I found the most helpful thing to do was to think of all the different things that I love that I can still eat and that are naturally gluten-free. Here I am dedicating to my friend a list of 30 foods that are traditionally gluten-free and vegan, and contain no...

Among my friends, family, and co-workers I am famous for my scones. I get frequent requests for the recipe.   People are usually surprised to hear that it's wheat-free and gluten-free, it tastes so much like "regular."  Well here it is! The Best Gluten-free Scone Recipe Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together in a large bowl: 2 cups Gluten-free Pastry Flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 Tbsp baking powder (make sure it's GF) 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt plus a pinch 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (if it's not included in your GF flour mix) Cut into pieces and drop in: 6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knives, coating the pieces with flour as you go, until the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized. Keep this mixture cold, chilling it in the refrigerator if the butter starts to soften. Stir in: 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) and/or 1/2 cup dried fruit (optional) Whisk together in a separate bowl: 3/4 cup ...

I wanted to write a quick note on how I have found a few store-bought breads that I like. I have a method that I employ in selecting a good loaf, and for avoiding the hard, virtually inedible bread that some well-meaning companies try to pass off as nutritious. Some of these tips can even be used for gluten-free and wheat-based breads alike! Here is a step-by step procedure on how to select the best loaf for you. 1) Pick up the bread. Note its weight. If it seems unusually heavy, it is probably a very dense bread. This can sometimes be a bad sign for gluten-free products, as it indicates that the dough hasn't risen much, a problem typical with GF products. In itself, heaviness is not always a deal-breaker. 2) Squeeze the loaf. It should be a little resilient. If the loaf is both very heavy and un-squeezable, you may have a coarse, hard bread on your hands. 3) Look at the ingredients. If there is only one type of grain in the bread, then it is probably fairly tasteless, an...