Gluten Free Mom

Our Favorite Gluten and Casein Free Snack Bars

Hi!  Sorry I have not posted in so long.  In the normal course of events, I took the summer off but this fall I "went back to school" so have been too busy to post very often.  I am on winter break now and have so much to share so I hope to pass along a lot of information before I resume classes late January.

To start with, here is a recipe for our New Favorite Gluten Free Snack bar.  This recipe started one morning when I was staring at a box of Perky's Crunchy Flax cereal wondering what in the heck to do with it. 

We do not eat much cereal anymore but I am too frugal to waste anything!

After a quick search on the internet, I found this recipe and it has become a family favorite. 

 I make it once or twice a month. 

The kids love it as an after school snack and it works ok in a lunch box.  The bars hold together much better if they are cold so they will fall apart if left in a lunch bag for too long!

It is far better than any bars you can buy and really pretty healthy.

The original recipe was posted on the Enjoy Life's Blog.  I changed it to suit our taste and family as follows.  Most notably I doubled the recipe!  They hardly last a week as it is!

 

Our Favorite Gluten Free Snack Bars

 

6 Tablespoons Honey

4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil

1 Cup Peanut Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Generous Pinch or Two of Salt (omit if using salted nut or seed butter)

3 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed Meal (I use Bob's Redmill)

2 Cup Certified Gluten Free Quick or Rolled Oats  (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain, Rolled Oats, 32-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4) and I actually do order this by the case from Amazon.com.  We love it for breakfast, these bars, oatmeal cookies . . ..)

1 Cup Enjoy Life Foods Cereal Perkys Crunchy Flax  z OR Perky's Rice Cereal

1 Cup Gluten Free Mini Chocolate Chips - Use Dairy Free Chips for a GF and Casein Free treat such as Enjoy Life Foods Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips Gluten Free 10 OZ)  (BTW - I do not order these by the case from Amazon because I would eat all of them!)

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the two sweeteners and the oil, and gently warm over low heat while stirring until the sugar crystals have dissolved. This should just take a couple of minutes.

Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the flaxseed, followed by the oats and cereal.

Let the mixture cool for few more minutes (so the chocolate chips will not melt) and then stir in the chocolate chips.

The mixture will be crumbly, but that is okay. Press it firmly into an 9 x 12 pan (put your had in a sandwich bag with a little oil on it to press it in). Make sure it is packed in there nicely, and then place the bars into the regrigerator to chill for 30 minutes to an hour.

Cut into bars. They will be very hard when they first come out of the refrigerator but loosen up as they get warm. Store them in the refrigerator to keep from getting too soft. 

Email me any new recipes that you have to share at jamie@glutenfreemom.com! 

Recipes for Broccoli Salad and Organic Fertilizer

 Are you wondering what these two have in common?  They are two recipes I want to share for Mother's Day.

First, is the recipe for broccoli salad - this is such a Midwest standby that if you have ever been to a potluck, funeral or BBQ in the Midwest you have probably eaten this salad.  

I got this recipe from my Grandma Edna - My Grandma was a strong lady raising three kids and running a farm by herself for years after my Grandfather died.  She crocheted strawberry potholders, had nine grandchildren, and was very proud of her family. 

 

 

This is yours truly circa 1978 or so (don't you love the big glasses), with my Mom, my Grandma Edna and my Baby Sister.  

In honor of Grandma Edna, we will be eating this on Mother's Day, probably with a baked ham. 

GRANDMA EDNA'S BROCCOLI SALAD

Salad:

• 3 bunches of broccoli
• ¼ cup sliced red onion
• 1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled
• ½ cup yellow raisins
• ½ cup sunflower seeds (optional)

Dressing:

• ½ cup mayonnaise (use less for a lower fat version.  I generally only use 1/4 cup)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 T. cider vinegar 

Combine dressing ingredients.  

Cut broccoli into small florets.  

Combine with remaining ingredients.  

Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. 

I still remember the day she gave me this recipe - we were at her house for a family gathering and she made it.  My Younger Sister and I loved it and thankfully got the recipe that day.  

Now for the second recipe - Organic Fertilizer.

For the last eight years our tradition has been to plant Mom's Garden on Mother's Day.  Gardening is a tradition that I have brought with me from the Midwest and that I love to share with my kids.  Even though my life borders on chaos, I cherish the thought of  "leading a quiet life, . . . and to work with your hands."  I remember my Grandma's strawberry garden and hope someday the kids will remember my garden. 

Blackbird Bakery on Bainbridge Island Gluten Free options and a Recipe for Gluten Free Rolls

I woke up this morning from the most unusual dream.  In my dream I was working at a food counter – preparing salads and clearing dishes.  It was rather vague but I remember that the food counter was very, very busy and I was having a hard time keeping up. All of a sudden, my Grandparents showed up at the counter – I am pretty sure they ate something, and then my Grandfather asked me to follow him because he wanted to show me something.  Like dreams are, we magically left the chaos of the busy food counter and were walking down this paved road surrounded by dry canyons.  I could tell it was getting late in the day as the canyon walls were reflecting that golden color of twilight.  I momentarily lost my Grandfather in the smallish and quiet docile crowd of other people gathered around to see whatever it was my Grandfather had brought me to see.  It was somewhat like the scene out of the original Race to Witch Mountain when all the people are gathered on the road looking for the aliens.

Anyway, I found him sitting on a small incline and he told me this was his favorite spot.   He invited me to sit down and watch the sunset with him.  Realizing that he had brought me here to view the beauty of the sunset, I told him I’d be right back, that I wanted to get my husband and kids so they could see the sunset too.

I ran to get them, but by the time we returned the sunset had already gone down and my Grandfather was gone.  I was looking around for my Grandfather and my family was asking why I had brought them here, as they were turned looking toward the east when, as we know, the sun sets in the west.

I woke up from this dream Sunday morning on our boat, Sound Waves, at Winslow, WA on Bainbridge Island.  

 

 

I love Bainbridge and once upon a time we dreamed the dream of moving here, opening a small coffee shop where we would have live music on the weekends and I could sell my art, and living more of an Island life.  

 

 

That dream appears to be gone, as we are most likely too engrossed in our current lifestyle to leave it all behind.  Oh, I would love to have the bravery to just check it all in and go live a more self-serving life.  But my kids love their school and, thankfully, my husband has a good job that he loves. 

So, In the meantime, I try to bring as much of the quiet and peacefulness of an island life as I can to my current life.  The goal is to live in this world but not of the worldly demands/idols.  In keeping up with and taking care of the demands of my family, I can remember to stop, chat with my Grandparents and take a look at the sunset.  

What does this have to do with eating gluten free?

While we were on Bainbridge, we had to stop in at the very well known and incredibly busy on a sunny but brisk Saturday afternoon, Blackbird Bakery.

 

I had heard that the bakery offered up gluten free treats so we decided to check it out for lunch.  As I said, they were extremely busy but I got a server to stop for a few minutes and talk to me about their gluten free options.  Their soup is usually gluten free.  They also serve gluten free bread and a few desserts.  On Saturday it was a decadent looking chocolate tart and an apricot cake.   They also had the most tempting looking gluten free rolls. 

 

 

She assured me that they keep the gluten free flour separate from the wheat flour and the GF bread was placed on the top of the cooling rack above the wheat bread.  She also said that “celiacs eat here and do not have any reaction.”  

While all of this sounded great, I can’t imagine some cross-contamination not happening in that place.  The GF bread was directly next to the wheat bread in the display case with absolutely nothing separating them but an inch or so of air.  Same for the desserts.  Moreover, she admitted they were about “400 miles away” from being a dedicated GF bakery.

We had the soup which seemed safe.  If you are following the diet of less than 20 ppm, which all celiacs should do, then I would not eat here.  Just too risky.  

Of course, seeing those yummy GF drop rolls made me want to come home and make my own.  Here is the recipe.

Mulit-Grain Gluten Free Drop Roll

 
1/2 cup White rice flour (I am sure Brown would work fine)
1/2 cup Sorghum flour
1/4 cup Millet flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 TB flaxseed meal
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 package active dry yeast 
1 tsp salt
2 eggs at room temperature
2 additional egg whites at room temperature
1 cup warm water 
2 TB vegetable oil or canola oil
2 TB honey
2 TB apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 200 F.  Turn the oven off as soon as it reaches 200 F.

Combine flours and all other dry ingredients together in a medium bowl with a wire whisk.  Whisk in flax meal.  

Combine the wet ingredients in a separate large bowl using a hand mixer on low or medium speed.  The mixture will get slightly frothy.  

When fully combined, slowly add dry ingredients mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl.   Miix until fully blended, with no lumps.

I used a large spoon covered with olive oil to drop the dough on a cookie sheet which has been lined with parchment paper.  

Cover with a piece of saran wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Turn off the oven and immediately place the cookie sheet in it. Allow the dough to rise for 90 minutes.  No peeking!

Remove the saran wrap, sprinkle with cheddar cheese and increase heat to 350 degrees.   

Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is a golden-brown.  For great dipping, try it with tomato soup.

One more photo from Bainbridge.  As we were eating our dinner, we looked over and saw this sea otter enjoying his on the dock:

 

Le Creuset Giveaway and one of our favorite dishes - Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese!

Did I promise another giveaway? 

Thanks to the most generous sponsors at csn stores for offering this opportunity to gift one of my readers with a product from one of their many online companies. csn stores is a website that has over 200 stores to shop at it including really cute kids bedding, modern furnishings and cookware! 

Since most gluten free moms spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this Le Creuset 9 inch baking dish is a perfect giveaway. 

The Le Creuset 9 inch Square Dish is truly an all-in-one dish that you can use for baking, slicing, serving, and storage. Poterie Stoneware can be used in the oven, broiler, or microwave and will not absorb odors or flavors.

 

Features:

Bonus 5" Baking Dish

Bold Caribbean color

Does not absorb odors and flavors

Oven and microwave safe

Durable, non-porous enamel resists chipping, scratching, staining

Convenient grip handles

Refrigerator and freezer safe

I absolutely love my Le Creuset cookware.  It conducts heat wonderfully to give you an evenly cooked dish.  This cookware is so hardy that your great-grandchildren will still be cooking casseroles in it!  This is not inexpensive cookware so this is a wonderful opportunity to own your own Le Creuset dish. 

One of our favorite meals to cook in our Le Creuset dish is Homemade Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese.  This recipe was easily adapted from a recipe that my Mom makes and gave to me.  I don't know the name of the recipe book (Mom, maybe you can leave it in the comment section), I just remember that it is old and well-used.

This was a family favorite before going gluten free so I was happy that I could still make it once we started our gluten free diet. 

There is nothing like homemade macaroni and cheese.

GLUTEN FREE MACARONI AND CHEESE

 

· 2 cups GF macaroni (elbow works best)

· 3 T butter 

· 2 T GF flour

· ½ t salt

· Dash of pepper

· 2 cups milk

· ¼ cup finely chopped onion (optional)

· 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cubed (makes 2 cups cubed)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 1-½ quart casserole.

Cook GF macaroni in salted water according to package directions.

In a saucepan, melt 3 T butter. On medium heat, blend in 2 T GF flour, salt and pepper.

Stirring constantly, slowly add 2 cups milk (I have noticed that GF flour seems to blend better at a higher temperature, so I add the flour and milk at a temperature that is a little higher than I’d use for traditional wheat flour).

Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.

Add the onions (optional) and cubed cheddar cheese. Stir until just melted.

Mix with the cooked macaroni and turn into the casserole dish. If you have some handy, you can top it with some GF bread crumbs or a handful of crumbled Lays plain potato chips.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes (my family likes it extra crunchy).

Now to the giveaway, I was a little overwhelmed with emails last time, so this time around please leave a comment on this post instead of email. There are 3 ways to enter this contest:

1) Comment on this post and you're entered once.

2) Post on YOUR blog about my giveaway including a link to this post, then come back here and leave me a comment that you've done so including a link to your post and you're entered again!

3)  Tell your friends on Facebook about my giveaway in your "status" including a link to my site. Again, just come back here and leave me a comment that you've done so! (Honor system on this one, okay, because I know I'm not FB friends with all of you!)

Please be sure to leave contact info in your comments so I can notify the winner. I will use Random.org to pick a winning comment the morning of March 21st.  This contest is open to anyone living in the Continental US and Canada. Good luck everyone!

Gluten Free Teen Turns 14 - Review of Orgran Vanilla Cake Mix, A New Awesome Cake Frosting Recipe

The Gluten Free Teen just turned 14!  Diet aside, she is 110% all teen - she loves God first, then her iphone and her friends.  She likes, although she may call it love, this new guy she keeps texting and clothes.  Hopefully I fit in somewhere!

  

 

Joking aside - anyone who has had a sick kid knows what a blessing it is to have a healthy, happy child. 

Of course, a birthday means a gluten free birthday party.  For her party, we took her and her three "besties," aka best friends, to spend a night at the Westin in Bellevue.  If you do the same, book on line for a great deal which includes a gift card to Bellevue Square.  We all went to dinner at PF Chang's where all of her friends ordered gluten free so they could share their dinner.  The singing of "Happy Birthday to you . . ." was accompanied by a chocolate dome for dessert.  Then it was off to the mall for shopping . . . until it closed at 9:30.  Back at the hotel we stayed at the pool until 11:00 and then went back to the room to watch a movie.  Finally at 2:00 am I told them they had to quiet down or I would have to call security!  Okay, I was a little tired at this point.

She actually woke up at the hotel on her birthday.  As a special treat, we had room service for breakfast.  The Gluten Free Teen ordered an omelet and the staff seemed very aware of the issues involving gluten.

After a little more shopping, we returned home for our family celebration.  I made a cake using the Orgran Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix.  I was not planning on using this mix, but it was the only GF white cake mix I could find at Whole Foods in Redmond.  The cake mix gets a "mixed" review from us.  It gets a thumbs up for easiness and appearance.  I used two boxes but ended up with a really nice thick double layered cake.  I think this was actually one of the thickest (as in nice and tall and sturdy) cakes I have made.

  

 

The mixed review comes with the taste.  The non-celiacs in the family actually loved it, but the Gluten Free Teen and I both thought it lacked a little in taste and texture.  It could of been sweeter and was a little dry.  But in a bind, it served it's purpose well.

I whipped up a new frosting mixture that was so good.  Creamy, but not too over the top rich.  It definitely received two thumbs up.

Creamy Birthday Cake Frosting

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter (I used Earth Balance for CF)

1 1/2 T vanilla extract

1/8 t salt

2 pounds confectioners sugar

2 - 4 T of milk (use rice, soy or almond for CF) to reach desired texture

In a heavy mixer, combine the shortening, butter, salt and vanilla. Add half the amount of sugar and 2 T of milk.  Continue to alternate small amounts of sugar with milk until desired consistency is reached.  Mix at the highest speed for 5 - 10 minutes.  ** For some extra flavor I added 1 t of lemon extract.

 

 

I remember when we were first diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I mourned for what I thought was our loss of  a "normal" life.  I worried about things like birthday cakes and eating out, how would she ever go to college?  on a date?  have a wedding?   I have to say that I have calmed down considerably and that in all honesty the Gluten Free Teen had a pretty "normal" birthday.