Gluten Free Mom

Alexia Foods new Gluten Free Warning and a Recipe for Roasted Potatoes

I have been double-checking the gluten free status of some of the processed food we eat.  

 

This is something I really should do more often - of course, I ALWAYS read the label every time I purchase a processed food item, but labels really can be deceiving.  

 

So I have been emailing the food manufacturers.

 

Alexia Foods makes oven-baked potato products. 

 

When I emailed them, I found out that their products are now going to be manufactured in a facility where products containing wheat are also produced.  Here is the letter:

 

Thank you for your interest in Alexia Foods.

We are pleased to tell you that our potato products are gluten free. However, due to an expansion in our production, we now employ a facility where products containing wheat are also produced. While our products are produced on dedicated lines, our packaging will carry the following advisory:

Produced in a facility that may manufacture other items containing wheat or tree nuts (pine nuts)

Understanding the concerns that many gluten sensitive consumers have with cross-contamination, great precautions are taken to effectively clean the equipment in between production runs in accordance with organic and kosher guidelines. We can not, however, guarantee that there will not be trace cross-contamination.

As products are produced in the new facility the Gluten Free statement on the package will be removed. If you find any packages that have the Gluten Free statement, they were produced at the time the facility was indeed gluten free.

I hope that this information is helpful to you in determining whether or not our products are appropriate for your needs.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions or comments.

Don't want to worry about whether your potatoes have been cross-contaminated with gluten or not, try these roasted potatoes.  

They are part of our normal rotation of dinners.  

Ready in the time it takes to wash and slice some potatoes.  

I got this recipe from my dear friend Christina about 8 years ago.  It has been a family favorite ever since.

Roasted Potatoes

 

• 2-3 pounds potatoes - we love Yukon Golds
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 minced garlic clove
• a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary chopped or 1 teaspoon or so of dried rosemary
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

 At any point during the day, you can wash and chop your potatoes.  I think they taste a little more flavorful after marinating for a while, but  you will not lose much flavor if you skip the marinating time.

 

After you wash and chop the potatoes, add all of the ingredients to a galloon zip lock bag and shake.  

 

When you are ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

 

Pour onto a large baking sheet or shallow baking pan coated with olive oil.  For crisper potatoes use a metal baking sheet, for softer potatoes use a glass baking dish.  

 

Roast for 20 minutes, stir, roast for 20 more minutes or until they reach your desired crunchiness!  

 

Serve with some Marinated Flank Steak for a really special dinner or just grill some Lemon Chicken for a quick and lighter dinner.

DIY - Gluten Free Cheese Sauce

I was reading this article recently about how we (as in those of us currently living in the US) define ourselves.  

At one point in time, we  called ourselves citizens - this was a  post war period when Americans were still deciding what kind of nation they would inhabit and truly forming the government of our new country.

More recently, we have evolved into consumers.  As this article noted, one of the greatest challenges faced by middle-class America became "simply the abundance of choice," from what to watch on TV, what toothpaste to purchase, fabric softener . . ..  We are almost overwhelmed by all of the different consumption choices.

The problem with consumption is that the satisfaction derived from it is fleeting - sure you love your new "whatever"at first, but soon you are looking for the next great new "whatever."

Maybe it is part of the recession, or maybe we are all just fed up with running in the rat race just to consume things, because a new trend has started in which we are becoming creators again.  

Some call it a back to basics lifestyle, a DIY movement, even to some extent it is part of the green/organic movement.  It is the movement behind YouTube and even blogging.

Whatever you call it, we are finding joy once again in making things ourselves.  While the joy in consumption is fleeting, the joy in practices, that is doing something over and over again until you get it right, is continuously rewarding.  For instance, I get very little joy out of buying my family a prepared meal and serving it to them.  Yes, there is some relief when I am too tired to cook, but really not much self-satisfaction.  But on Monday, I let a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup cook all day long and the house smelled great and I got tremendous satisfaction out of serving it to my family.  

 This trend ties in beautifully with the gluten free lifestyle.  

I have said all along that the easiest, cheapest, safest, most fulfilling way to eat gluten free is to DIY - do it yourself!  

You can search the internet for a gluten free condensed soup, or you can take a few minutes to whip one up from scratch.  It really is not that hard, you know exactly what is in it, it is healthier, and it is more satisfying in many ways - not only the taste, but the practice of taking care of yourself.

In light of this, I am going to be sharing more DIY recipes - that is basic easy recipes that we have incorporated into our daily gluten free lifestyles.  

 The first is a basic gluten free cheese sauce.  It is so easy, and can be used for an assortment of recipes.  

Gluten Free Cheese Sauce

•  2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons gluten-free starch.  I generally use corn, but tapioca or potato starch work as well.
• 1 cup milk
• 2 or more cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over med-low heat. Stir in flour until blended.

 Slowly add one cup of milk while stirring.  Stir until sauce thickens.

Stir in cheese until all is melted.

Add more milk until you reach the desired consistency.  This makes a very thick cheese sauce.  I generally add another 1/2 cup of milk to get it to the consistency I like.  

This sauce can be used in many different ways - pour it over baked potatoes, toss it with some cooked macaroni and place in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees for a quick homemade mac n cheese, or serve over steamed broccoli.  

Steamed Broccoli 

•  1 bunch of broccoli

Rinse well and break into large, bite-sized florets.

Cut off the stem and quarter or halve the stem.

Bring 3/4 to 1 inch of water to a boil in a saucepan with a steamer. (If  you don't have a steamer, you can simply put the broccoli directly into an inch of boiling water.)

Add the broccoli to the steamer and cover; reduce heat to medium and let cook for 6-7 minutes.

Do not overcook.  The broccoli is done when you can pierce it with a fork.  Pour over the cheese and serve.  

   

 I made exactly this recipe one night this week and while I was cooking it the Gluten Free Teen insisted that we ate this all of the time when she was little before we went GF.  As I had never made a homemade cheese sauce before going GF, I keep arguing with her that she was just wrong and she must of ate it somewhere else.  I could not for the life of me remember ever making a cheese sauce.

Of course, Dad came home and he reminded me that we used to purchase the microwaveable Jolly Green Giant packets of broccoli and cheese and eat it over pasta!

 The memory came rushing back, but the fact that I had totally forgotten this illustrates the point made earlier  - gratification from purchasing and consuming microwaveable pouch of broccoli and cheese, near zero.  But serving some fresh steamed broccoli with a homemade cheese sauce, now that was satisfying! 

BTW - if you want to read the article it was From Purchases to Practices by Andy Crouch.

Gluten Free Flour and the Difference between Tapioca Flour and Tapioca Starch

The quick answer is, there is no difference.  If a recipe calls for Tapioca Starch or Tapioca Flour it is calling for the same thing!

Tapioca is the starch derived from the root of the cassava, aipim or manioc plant.

The English name tapioca is derived from the South American Tupi name tipi'óka, which is basically the name of the procedure by which cassava starch is rendered edible. 

Once processed, the tapioca starch can be rendered to make a powdered opaque tapioca flour, tapioca pearls and  tapioca flakes.  So the starch is the same, it is just the form that the starch takes that is varied. 

 What brought this up today?  First of all, it is a question I get pretty often.  

Secondly, I am making Gluten Free Flour today!

 

 

 

A little bit of a strange concept, but the kids and I are planning on starting baking soon, and before we can whip up some cookies, we have to whip up some gluten free flour.  

 

 

You can find several pre-made gluten free flours these days - Jules All Purpose Gluten Free Flour works great and I have had great success with the King Arthur Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour.  In general, I would stay away from Gluten Free Mixes that use bean flour.  That is actually pretty "old school" at this point. 

If you want to make it yourself, which is what we are doing, then use the following recipe which seems pretty standard in the gluten free world today:

Brown Rice Flour Mix
2 cups brown rice flour (extra finely ground)	2 parts	2 cups
2/3 cup potato starch	2/3 part	2/3 cup
1/3 cup tapioca flour	1/3 part	1/3 cup

Since we are mixing up this flour to make Christmas treats, I going to forego the healthier benefits of the Brown Rice Flour and go with Bob's Red Mill White Rice Flour.  It will leave your baked goods with a nicer texture.  

If you use Brown Rice Flour, it is very important that you use an extra finely ground brown rice flour, (and not just any grind) or your baked goods will be gritty, heavy and/or crumbly.  

 

Xanthan Gum

Lastly, don't forget the Xanthan Gum.  It is the ingredient in gluten free flour mixes that basically replaces the gluten and holds the recipe together.  To your flour mix, ADD

Bread:   1 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of flour mix

Cakes:  1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of flour mix

Cookies:  1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of flour mix

 

Dump all of the ingredients into a big bowl and mix together with a wire whip.  

Gluten Free Christmas Cookies

After several years on the gluten free diet, I can face the holiday season without trepidation knowing that our family will be able to join in all of our traditions from the past with the same enthusiasm as before we went gluten free.  

Even the gluten free cookies!

~Gluten Free Cut Out Christmas Cookies~

 

I have been making cut-out Christmas cookies since I was in 8th grade.  It is as much a Christmas tradition as decorating our tree.  

If you want a works-every-time recipe, then use Jules  Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe which calls for Jules Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour.  The expandex in her flour just makes baked items work better.  We have made these for the last couple of years and they really work beautifully.  

Jules Gluten Free Cut Out Cookies

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup granulated cane sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tsp. gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup Jules Gluten Free™ All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbs. water (as needed)
• food coloring (optional)
• colored sugar or frosting (optional )

Cream shortening, sugar and oil several minutes with an electric mixer, until very fluffy.  Add egg yolks, vanilla extract and food coloring.  Mix in the dry ingredients, adding in tablespoons of water only as needed to keep the dough together and avoid dryness (err on the side of this dough being wetter so that after refrigeration, it’s not too dry).  Pat the dough into a disc shape, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough until very cold, at least 3-5 hours (overnight is best).

Preheat oven to 350º F (static) or 325º F (convection).

Lightly flour a clean surface or pastry mat with Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour.  Roll the dough to approximately 1/8 inch thickness and dust cookie cutters with flour before using to cut out shapes.  You may also roll thin coils of dough of different colors and braid into candy cane or other fun shapes.

Place cookies onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and decorate with colored sugar, if desired.  Bake approximately 8-10 minutes, or just until they begin to lightly brown at the edges.  Cool on a wire rack and frost with gluten free flour.  

Yield: approximately 2 dozen cookies (depending on size).

Cut Out Christmas Cookies using Gluten Free Pantry Mix

Before we found Jules flour, we used the following recipe.  It actually works really great as well.  I don't remember ever having a batch that did not turn out.

 

• 2 ½ sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter (or Earth Balance for CF) at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 4 large egg yolks at room temperature
• 1 t grated lemon zest or lemon juice
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 cups The Gluten-Free Pantry Country French Bread Mix (  Order from )

In your electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until creamy. 

Beat in egg yolks, lemon and vanilla.

On slow speed, beat in the flour one cup at a time until just combined.

Divide dough into three equal parts, flatten into disc, wrap separately in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. 

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Flour the work surface and your rolling pin with rice flour and roll out one disk at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. The dough will break up a little bit on the first roll, but then becomes very easy to work with.  On the other end, the dough will be hard to work with after it warms up too much, so keep extras in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. 

Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.

With a metal spatula, transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Depending on the size, makes around 40 cookies.

Bake 10 – 12 minutes, until lightly golden.  Cool on parchment.

Gluten Free Frosting:

• 1 pound box of powdered sugar
• ¼ cup milk (or almond milk for CF)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 stick butter (or Earth Balance for CF)

Beat with an electric mixer until creamy, scraping the bowl often.

Separate into individual cups and add desired food colors.  

~Chocolate Decadence Cookies~

Cut out cookies are fun to make and look great, but for a great tasting cookie try these.  They are some of the best gluten free chocolate cookies I have ever made. 

They are a cross between a chocolate brownie and flour less chocolate cake.

 

• 1/2 cup gluten free flour mix
• 1/4 t xanthan gum
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 16 ounces semisweet chocolate (use Tropical Source or Enjoy Life semisweet chocolate chips for casein free)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (use Earth Balance for casein free)
• 1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a small bowl combine the GF flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Combine chocolate and butter, and heat in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds until melted.  Set aside.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs until thick, about 5 minutes.

Add the chocolate mixture and the vanilla, beat until combined.

Stir in the flour mixture.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the sheets, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.  Note that this is very messy process.  The dough has the consistency of red clay at this point and you will be wondering if the cookies are worth the mess.  Don't stop - they are definitely worth it.  Use some cooking spray on your hands and utensils to make this step go more easily.

Spray the bottom of a class with cooking spray and dip it in powdered sugar.  Gently knock off the excess sugar and flatten the cookie with the sugared glass bottom.  Not too flat - just to a disk-like shape.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes - until the outside has nice crust but the cookies are still soft to the touch.

Makes about 18 large cookies.  Store in an airtight container.

~Cashew Brittle~

Another favorite Christmas-time treat.  Why do we make so many treats during this season?  

• 1 ½ t baking soda
• 1 t water
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup corn syrup (Karo is GF)
• 3 T butter (Earth Balance for CF)
• 3 cups cashews

Heat oven to 200 degrees F.  Grease two large cookie sheets and place them in the oven to warm them.

Mix baking soda, 1 t water, and vanilla in a small bowl.

In a heavy saucepan, cook the sugar, 1 cup water and corn syrup over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees F(about 25 minutes).

Stir butter (or Earth Balance) and cashews into the saucepan. 

Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the thermometer reaches 300 degrees F(about 11 minutes).  Watch to make sure it does not burn.

Remove from heat and quickly stir in the baking soda mixture until light and foamy.

Remove cookies sheets from the oven and pour half of the brittle on each cookie sheet and spread to ¼ inch thickness.

Cool and then break into pieces.  Store in a covered container.

~Incredibly Delicious Fudge~

Last but not least, is the fudge!

• 3 cups sugar
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter (use Earth Balance for CF)
• 5 ounces Carnation evaporated milk (use 2/3 cup Almond milk for CF)
• 10 ounces semi-sweet gluten free chocolate (since we make ours casein free as well, we use Tropical Source or Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips)
• 1 7 ounce jar Kraft Jet Puffed Marshmallow Crème
• 1 t vanilla
• (1 cup chopped nuts is optional)

Heat sugar, butter and evaporated milk on medium heat in a large heavy saucepan stirring constantly until it reaches a full boil.

Boil on medium heat until the candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F, stirring constantly.  ***If making casein free, boil until the thermometer reaches 240 F degrees.

Remove from heat.

The fun part – Stir in the chocolate chips, marshmallow crème and the vanilla until melted.

Spoon into a 9 x 9 inch pan that has been lined with foil. 

Let cool and set before slicing and serving.  Store in a covered container.

    Lastly, for more fabulous recipes check out  Jules Gluten Free Cookies Swap on Facebook.   Jules has created a Cookie Swap on Facebook that is filling up with tons of cookies recipes.  Add your own, and download some one else's recipes!  

Would love for you to share any of your favorite recipes!

Heartland Gluten Free Pasta and a Recipe for Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

We recently had the opportunity to sample a new Gluten Free Pasta - Heartland Gluten Free Pasta.

Gluten free products seem to get better everyday and this new pasta is no exception.  It has quickly earned a spot near the top of our Favorite Pasta list!  

Why do we love it?

It taste just like pasta!  Simple but very important to us on the GF diet!

It is not as starchy as some other GF pastas - sometimes when I am cooking GF pasta, the water is so starchy I think I could almost turn it into a gravy.  Not this pasta - cooked up clean and beautiful.

Lastly, the company checks to make sure the pasta meets the standards of less than 20 ppm.  

We follow the proposed rule in the Federal Register (72 FR 7295) that tests for gluten at the 20ppm level. While we do not have dedicated equipment for our Gluten Free pasta, we have a very detailed protocol in place to prevent cross contamination to ensure safety for consumption. Before we produce any Gluten Free pasta, a thorough cleaning of all equipment and surfaces occurs. In addition, several swab tests are done of primary surfaces to ensure the cleaning was done properly and safe to produce the Gluten Free pasta. The gluten level of the product is also verified to ensure that it does not exceed 20 ppm

 Serve this with a easy to make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce - 

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

The best, easiest, cheapest, safest way to eat gluten free is to make basic ingredients yourself.

Once you get the hang of it, your pantry will always be stocked with the basic items you need to whip up a sauce or two, you will find you can easily conquer a wonderful homemade spaghetti sauce in 15 minutes or less (same amount of time it takes the noodles to boil) , and you will grow to love the flavor of fresh sauce.

 

• 1 T good olive oil
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 1 ½ t minced garlic
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes or 5 large fresh tomatoes, diced
• ½ t parsley flakes (or 1 T chopped fresh)
• 1 ½ t kosher salt
• ½ t pepper

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 – 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

For a twist, my Gluten Free Teen loves to top the pasta and sauce with Feta Cheese!  

Serve with some homemade rolls or make some rolls with the Betty Crocker Bisquick Pancake and Baking Mix, Gluten-Free.