Saturday, October 14, 2006

Turkey stuffed avocados

A fabulous way to add some delicious, raw food to those turkey leftovers. Beats another bowl of the same old turkey soup !
3 avocados, cut in half lengthwise & remove pit ( using a spoon makes this easy)
1 1/2 cups chopped , leftover, turkey
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup real mayo ( not miracle whip)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dill
1 small tomato, chopped
1-3 TBSP. chopped green onion ( optional )
1-3 TBSP. chopped black olive ( optional)
1-3 TBSP. finely chopped celery ( optional)
salt & pepper if desired
mix all ingredients except avocados, then stuff into the center of the avocados. Eat right away for a wonderful lunch !

Monday, June 19, 2006

Red Cabbage Salad

Low carb, easy to throw together & a great alternative to making another coleslaw !

3 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice or 1 squeezed lemon.
1/3 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt & pepper to taste
1/2 - 3/4 of a small head of red cabbage, finely chopped
1/3 c. toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds
1/2 - 2/3 c feta, crumbled
1/2 c. chopped fresh dill
1/8 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c chopped onion or green onion
Mix first 4 ingr. together in a large bowl. add the rest & mix well. Serve right awy if possible, or refridgerate & serve same day. ( Will keep for a day or two in fridge)

Monday, May 15, 2006

Tea biscuits

These tasty biscuits are great to dip in soup, or take on a picnic.
1 1/4 c. rice flour
1/2 tsp xanthan or guar gum ( at your local health food store)
5 TBSP. butter
1 c. potato starch ( not flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 c. unsweetened plain yogurt

preheat to 425.
Measure all dry ingr. into large bowl
Cut in the butter. Blen in yogurt until just moistened. knead a few times then pat out to about 1/2 " thick. cut into circles & place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake @ 425 for 10 - 15 mins.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

GF lemon sheet cake

A fast, easy & yummy recipe stolen from my aunts house !

4 eggs
2 TBSP. lemon juice
1 c. sugar ( or low carb sweetener such as swerve )
3/4 c. GF flour mix ( use 3/4 c almond flour minus 2 tbsp, plus 2 tbsp coconut flour, for lower carbs )
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2tsp. xanthan gum
1/4c. veg.oil
1 TBSP. grated lemon peel

Beat eggs & sugar at high speed for 5 mins.
Add remainder of ingr. Beat until smooth.
Pour into greased & dusted ( with GF flour) 7 X 11 pan
Bake @ 375 for 25-35 mins.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Trail Mix



Trail mix is great road trip food, as well as for hiking, picnics etc. it can be varied according to individual taste and made either sweet or more savory. Be creative. Gather your faves , mix in a large bowl and store in zip lock bags. (Freeze for longer storage ) To be sure your ingredients are gluten free , purchase organic products, labeled gluten free whenever possible. Some great things to mix in are :
dried cranberries, raisins, almonds, peanuts ( plain ) or any unsalted nuts you enjoy. dried apples, banana chips, coconut flakes, dried unsulphured pinapple rings or papaya chunks, unsalted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and even gluten free cereal if you like.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Brown sugar & spice Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup honey ( or 1/4 cup fiber syrup for low carb )
1/2 cup brown sugar or 1/4 cup low carb sweetener of choice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp GF vanilla ( real)
4 eggs
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Gf baking powder (magic brand)
3/4 cup milk ( or 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1/4 cup water, for lower carb )
1 cup Gf flour mix ( 3/4 cup almond flour plus 2 tbsp coconut flour for low carb )
1 tsp. xanthan gum ( add to flour)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup grated carrot ( 1/4 cup to reduce carbs )
Cream first 3 ingr. add next 5 and mix well. add remaining ingredients alternately and beat until smooth. bake in well greased 9" pan @ 375 for aprox 30 mins. Test with toothpick.

Choosing Gluten Free Flours

There are so many GF flours out there it's a wonder we limit ourselves to plain old wheat anyway ! Many recipes call for rice flour but I find it has a very grainy texture so I used to substitute garbanzo bean flour ( chick pea flour ) or use a flour mix such as Pamela's or Bob's Red Mill flour mix, if I cooked for just celiacs... Now I prefer lower carb foods, which don't raise blood sugar as much, and keep a person feeling full for much longer.... My main flours of choice are almond flour and coconut flour, which both take some getting used to as almond flour burns quickly compared to other flours, and coconut flour absorbs liquids rapidly, while almond doesn't. A mix of the two is great. For even lower carbs I like to use a bit of oat FIBER in the mix. This is NOT the same as oat bran or oat flour !!! It is not usually found in stores , but is easily found on line.
There are many others too. you can find them in all sorts of places. ... most health food stores carry a good variety.


Sunday, January 22, 2006

How to cook gluten free

Some celiacs are hypersensitive to gluten so in order to avoid cross contamination, gluten free foods should be prepared seperately from regular foods. That means scrub every surface before you begin. Use separate pots, pans utensils ( clean ) and do not bake gluten free foods in the oven , while also baking regular foods at the same time ( not even in separate containers)
The other thing to remember is when you are making regular foods, if for example you use the measuring cup in the bag of wheat flour, then use the same measuring cup to get some sugar, without washing it first you have just contaminated the whole bag of sugar so it can't be used for a celiac !
The same goes for things like butter, jam , mayo etc . It is advisable to have separate containers of condiments for the gluten free person in your house .
It gets easier as you get used to it.
The other trick is to be sure the brand you are using is gluten free to begin with. some brands of baking ingredients are gluten free ( GF) while others have gluten hidden in them under other names, like HVP, or modified food starch. Read labels carefully ! It is like a science experiment at first but it does get more automatic, the more you work at it , just like anything else, practice makes perfect.