Life, Gluten Free

Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free: Pumpkin Round-up!

First off, I want to thank everyone for participating in this month's Go Ahead Honey It's Gluten-Free event! Wow! I have had over 20 submissions and I am really impressed with everyone's ability to cook and create with pumpkin.

Pull up a chair and sip on some tea while you feast your eyes on all of these wonderful submissions, in no particular order: **drum roll**

Note: I am not responsible for any hunger pains that may be caused by looking at the following photos.

Lauren, from Celiac Teen, made Pumpkin Cupcakes! Who doesn't love cupcakes?

Kim, from The Food Allergy Coach, made Curried Pumpkin-Apple Soup:

Friedl at Kitchen Fun made a Pumpkin Pie:

Stephanie, from Gluten Free By Nature, made Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream:

Diane, from The Whole Gang, made Dairy-free and Gluten-free Pumpkin Pudding:

Kelly, from The Spunky Coconut, made some grain-free Pumpkin Pancakes:

Amy, from Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, made some Pumpkin Dog Biscuits (that's right - go check it out!):

Karen from Muffin Fixation made some Pumpkin-Cranberry-Cream Cheese Muffins:

 

Shirley from Gluten-free Easily made two dishes.

Easy Pumpkin Squares:

 

and Crustless Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie:

Linda, from Kitchen Therapy, made some non-dairy Pumpkin Custard:

Patty, from Gluten Free Joy (love the name!) made some Pumpkin Layer Cake:

Naomi, from Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried made some Tiny Stuffed Pumpkins:

Katrina, from Gluten Free Gidget, made some Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream:

Linda, from The Gluten-Free Homemaker, made Pumpkin Pie:

Brian, from Fire and Salt, contributed some Pumpkin Cheesecake:

Rachel, from The Crispy Cook, made some pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, along with some roasted pumpkin seeds:

 

Ellen at I Am Gluten Free made some cute Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini-Bundt Cakes:

 

Jenn from Jenn Cuisine made some Pumpkin Quinoa Pudding with Rum-Soaked Dates & Raisins:

Jes from, Cupcake Punk, made some Maple Pumpkin Polenta:

Chaya at Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog made some Cinnamon Pumpkin Bars:

Meg, from The Gut Gazetta, submitted some Sweet Curry Pumpkin Dressing:

Lauren at Daring to Thrive made some Pumpkin Soup:

Cheryl, from My Realistic Life, made Pumpkin Streusal Bundt Cake:

Iris, from Thet Daily Dietribe, made some Raw Pumpkin Cheese Pie:

 

Ali, from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, made some Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake (vegan):

and I made some Pumpkin Cookies!

So there you have it, a wide diversity of gluten-free pumpkin treats and dishes! I hope you enjoyed the round-up and that you have an inspiration to make one or perhaps all of the recipes that are on this page! A lot of great ideas for Thanksgiving. Thanks again to everyone who participated, it was a lot of fun to see so many different dishes, all made with the wondrous pumpkin :)

I think I organized all of the emails regarding this event properly, but if I missed anyone then please let me know and I'll be sure to add your submission.

And lastly, next month's Go Ahead Honey is hosted by Elana's Pantry. The theme is Grain-free Cakes and Cupcakes.That should be interesting!

Happy Halloween! Go have a spooktacular time!

-heather

Pumpkin Cookies: Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free!

This is my post for the Go Ahead Honey event. I am also hosting this month, so check back soon for my post rounding up all the participants who made a dish out of pumpkin.

In my house, we're huge fans of pumpkins and many different varieties of squash like kabocha, acorn, butternut, red kuri and spaghetti. For the Go Ahead Honey theme this month, I chose pumpkin because October is my favorite month and pumpkins are a must for this time of year. I decorate with pumpkins and I cook with pumpkin as well.

For my recipe this month, I made some pumpkin cookies to serve at my daughter's Halloween party. I took the recipe for my cinnamon crunch cookies and edited it to make the pumpkin cookies. I had to make a couple batches before the party to be sure I created a good recipe. I used canned organic pumpkin because I was afraid fresh pumpkin would be too watery. I also made some pumpkin icing as well and topped the cookies with gluten-free, naturally colored sprinkles.

Pumpkin Cookies (dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, egg-free and soy-free)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 sorghum flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup organic cane sugar (or use just organic cane sugar and no honey.. or coconut sugar!)
1/2 honey
1 cup and 1/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)
1  1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup pumpkin
3/4 to 1 cup coconut milk (unsweetened by So delicious, in a carton)

Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix together well. Cream wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl. Add to dry ingredients and fold in until completely mixed. Be sure there's enough liquid - if not add a bit more. The batter needs to stick together and not be too dry.

Sprinkle some gluten-free flour on a cutting board and roll out the dough. Sprinkle the roller and the dough with flour as well, so that it rolls without sticking. Use cookie cutters of your choice!

Bake at 350. It takes approximately 30 minutes for these cookies to bake.

Be sure to check them and take them out as the become lightly golden brown.

I find the best results when I set the timer for 5 minute increments and turn the cookie sheet around in the oven when the timer goes off. The cookies bake more evenly (my oven isn't very good, so this may not be a problem for some).

The bake time also depends on how thick the cookies are. I made a few cookies a bit too thick in one of my batches and it required a longer bake time, so keep that in mind!

This batch actually made 42 cookies. It all depends on the thickness and size, so you might not get that exact amount. I made another batch for Sophie's Halloween Party. I used a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, but unfortunately I did not get pictures of those. For that batch, I think it made almost 42 cookies as well (but I didn't count).

I wanted to use coconut sugar to sweeten, but I have not been able to find a source for the sugar. I have some organic cane sugar left but I'm not going to use it anymore once it's gone.

For the pumpkin icing, I made a recipe but I tried to repeat the recipe on the morning of the Halloween party and had a huge flop. I realized later why.. the batch of canned pumpkin. It was slightly overcooked and had a bitter taste. But, here's a loose recipe if you want to try the icing with a good batch of pumpkin.

Pumpkin Icing

1/4 cup pumpkin

1 to 2 tablespoons organic coconut butter (note: not the oil, the coconut butter)

1 tablespoon organic fresh squeezed orange juice

1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey

dash of cinnamon

Mix in a food processor or blender. The mixture should be rather thick. Spread on the cookies and enjoy! I also refrigerated some left over icing and it firmed up even more.

Have a wonderful Halloween! Be sure to check back to see the full round-up. I've had so many participants that I am going to have my hands full putting together the final post! Stay tuned!

-heather

Product Review: Organic Brown Rice Pasta by Lundberg

We found this pasta at Whole Foods for $2.99. It has a great texture and the noodles are thin. I like them for soups, but they are also great with pasta sauce as well. So far, we've only found it at different Whole Foods locations. We are going to request it at the local natural grocers that we shop at so hopefully more stores will start to carry it. This pasta is also made in a gluten-free facility.

The first time we tried it, we served it with some black bean and vegetable stew that we made.

 Check out our video for more information on this gluten-free pasta!

Have you tried this pasta before? If you have, let me know how you liked it!

-heather

Boo-Nannas: A Halloween Treat!

I wish I could say this was my ingenious idea but alas it was not. I scored this recipe from this blog: The happy raw kitchen. I did do something differently though because the coconut was not sticking for me.

I used finely shredded coconut but since it wasn't sticking, I decided to put some in a small blender and grind it further. After that, it stuck very well. I didn't use a ziplock bag. After dousing the banana in orange juice (fresh squeezed), I rolled it in coconut and stuck the raisin eyes in before slipping a popsicle stick in the banana.

I decided to freeze them because I thought kids would like it frozen. I also made it the night before the party, so I wanted to be sure they would keep.

Here is my adapted recipe, mostly the same with a few changes:

Ingredients:

peeled banana, cut in half, each banana makes 2
fresh squeezed orange juice
dried shredded coconut
raisins
popsicle sticks

Preparation:

1. Sprinkle banana with orange juice

2. Roll in coconut *I found it worked best to blend the shredded coconut to a finer shred, because the finer it is the better it will stick!

3. Gently press in the raisin eyes

4. Place on popsicle stick

5. Freeze in individual wax paper bags (or refigerate if you don't want it frozen!)

They are so cute and also very tasty. I had fun making them and displaying them.

They were a hit at the party and really, they look so darn cute. I hope you try them!

Here's a short video clip that I recorded of Sophie enjoying one of the boo-nannas:

Have a wonderfully spooky Halloween!

-heather

If it's not fresh, don't drink it!

An eco-advocate on twitter, Lisa Borden, posted this a link for everyone to take a look at. It was titled "The Shocking Truth About Orange Juice."

I found that title to be intriguing, despite the fact that we don't drink processed orange juice. I took a look, and I was shocked - but not surprised - by the information provided.

I encourage you to watch the video and forward it to friends and family. The point at the end of the video really hit home for us, too. Some children have allergic reactions to processed juices, but not to the actual fruit - fresh - by itself. That's because they are reacting to the chemicals and additives, not to the fruit. Does that seem okay to you? Not to me.

What people don't seem to understand, or even realize, is that it's not natural for most foods to be processed and packaged in that way. In the past, people used to store certain foods (like potatoes) but you can't store orange juice for long periods of time, unless it has some additive.

It takes just one person to speak up and say, let's do something different. Many parents have made a HUGE difference in their community, schools, churches, etc by simply say "I'm not going to feed that to my kid, do you think you should feed it for yours?" By bringing awareness, they make people start to think... maybe I don't want my kid eating something heavily processed like that.

After all, it's not about convenience. It's about the health and well-being of our children - isn't it?...

I think so!

-Heather

Breaded Polenta

Guest poster: My husband! The recipe was written and crafted by him. He originally created this recipe over a year ago.

Breading

1 cup Corn Meal (finely ground) or corn flour may work as well

4 tablespoon Tapioca Flour

2 tablespoon Potato Starch

1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

4 tablespoon Coconut Milk (So Delicious Unsweetened)

1 rounded teaspoon Egg Replacer

1 teaspoon Rice Vinegar

1/2 cup Water – this is approximate – add enough water to turn this into a batter

I sifted the flour mix (corn meal, tapioca flour, potato starch and xanthan gum) before mixing the liquids in. I then put the egg replacer and rice vinegar in a small bowl and mixed them together with about a tablespoon of warm water. Mix this and the water together. This batter needs to be thick enough to stay on the polenta, but not so thick that it makes the polenta crumble when you try to coat it.

Polenta

I cooked 3 cups to produce extra.

There really is no secret to this, just be sure the grits are thick so that it will set rather than stay mushy. Keeping the water to dry grits ratio at 2:1 should work well. Add more water if you have to but as I said before, don't overdo it.

Add lots of butter, Earth Balance, coconut oil, or olive oil. I used coconut oil. If the grits are thick enough, you can add lots of oil/butter. Generally, the more the better and richer the polenta will be. Also, you can sauté and brown onions, scallions, leeks etc and add the basic Italian spices. You really need to add lots of flavoring to get that flavoring to come through in the final product. Luckily, you can add everything to taste since the polenta is already cooked and you can test it as you add the herbs.

Once the polenta is ready, put it in a large pan to spread out the polenta. I usually spread it to about 1” but you can spread it as thick or thin as you want. Next, put it in a refrigerator until it cools or you can just leave it out to cool. Once the polenta sets and hardens up you can cut it up, coat it in the breading, and fry it in coconut oil (or oil of choice) in a wok.

Balsamic Reduction & Avocado

For the avocado, we simply cubed avocado for garnish. We also made an avocado sauce by mashing avocado in a bowl and then adding salt , herbs and onion. You can also add tomato, sort of like guacamole. Get creative and flavor it how you prefer!

Put balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan. Place on medium heat and let simmer until it reduces to a thick syrup.

We hope you try it!

- Heather & Matt

What a Celiac Dreams About

What does a celiac dream about while they are sleeping?

Well I can't tell you in general, but I can tell you what this celiac dreams about.

These dreams have happened on several occasions, leaving me distraught and feeling just a little bit silly.

I've had a dream that I was eating a piece a cake or a muffin and then while chewing, I would somehow realize or be told that it was wheat! I would spit it out and then worry about what reaction I might have. Then I would wake up and think "well that was weird......"

So, that's never actually happened to me - ever - nor do I see how it would since we only eat things at home (we don't eat out or eat packaged prepared foods).

Am I the only one who dreams about this? Probably.

But, at least I have a husband who appreciates my kookyness and a daughter that only sometimes rolls her eyes when I break out into opera singing.

Yeah, I'm a lucky gal... tormented by dreams of gluten.

The upside is that I've seemed to have stopped having dreams about forgetting an exam and not showing up or somehow forgetting that I registered for a class and then finding out at the end of the semester. Again, none of those things ever happened.. but that's just a piece of my crazy subconsciousness! 

I started having those dreams long after I graduated from college too. What does that mean?

Probably that I have an obsessive compulsive disorder about worrying.

Okay, I actually do... but I'm working on it.

Am I really the only one who has dreamed about accidentally eating something that I'm not supposed to? Share!

-heather

Potato Stuffed Pasta Shells with Tomato Sauce

Every now and then, we're all in need of a bit of fun. Call me crazy, but I find a lot of excitement in culinary adventure. We started using these large rice pasta shells a while ago. I've stuffed them with a rice pilaf, which was excellent. I should make it again and post a recipe. But this time, I stuffed them with mashed potatoes. It came out excellent too, I hope you try it!

I used this recipe for the lemon and dill mashed potatoes with avocado. I stuffed the grand shells with that mixture and topped with a tomato sauce. I made the tomato sauce myself and included capers. You can create a sauce or use a pre-prepared sauce. When I make tomato sauce, I use pureed tomatoes and tomato paste. My favorite brand of tomatoes to use is bionaturae.

I saute onions and then I add the tomato sauce and paste. I also add herbs like basil and oregano. I can't even remember the last time that I had a store bought sauce. I started making my own tomato sauce when I was a kid and became addicted ever since :) It just tastes so much better!

The sauce I made with this dish did not include onions because Sophie is allergic to them. I either make her a sauce on the side without onions or just make a sauce without them for everyone, which I did this time. So, if you are allergic to onions or don't like them, you can definitely leave them out!

The grand shells by tinkyada are really fun to use and we like to experiment with creating things to stuff them with. Next, I'm thinking some type of squash. There will be more recipes to come that include these shells - yum!

And if your house is like mine, then topping with olives is a must :)

-heather

October is Celiac Disease Awareness Month

Since 1987, October has been the month to spread the word about Celiac Disease. It's also to honor and celebrate those who have been diagnosed. It can seem a burden at first, but it's a true accomplishment and an amazing achievement to begin to eat the foods that your body thrives on and avoid the harmful ones.

I also want to honor those who are eating gluten-free for other reasons. Whether you are eating gluten-free because of autism, allergies, intolerances or other auto-immune diseases, celebrate your achievement and make your favorite gluten-free dish this month! There are also support groups and other organizations across the country that get together to celebrate in October. Here's a link to get you started if you want to find one in your area.

So you have celiac disease.....

Yep, that means that I can't eat anything with gluten in it. The grains that have gluten are wheat, barley and rye. Spelt and kamut contain gluten as well. If a celiac consumes gluten, damage to the small intestines result. Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune condition that has to be managed by avoiding the consumption of gluten.

Some symptoms of celiac disease include..

- Irritible bowel syndrome (common misdiagnosis)

- Headaches

- Digestive disturbances

- Fatigue

- Joint pain

- Canker sores in mouth

It's important to note that the symptoms of celiac disease range so much that there is no definitive symptom. Some of those with celiac disease have no digestive symptoms at all.

Testing for celiac disease..

I always recommend testing through Entero Lab. It's easy and it's accurate. Most main stream doctors will recommend a blood test and biopsy. Unfortunately, blood tests for celiac disease give a false negative 65% of the time. Entero Lab also tests for gluten intolerance, which requires a gluten-free diet too.

Some facts...

New studies show that 1 in 7 people have gluten intolerance. The rates for celiac disease aren't quite as high, but are continuously rising. It's estimated that 97% of those with celiac disease are undiagnosed. 

Spread the word about celiac disease and gluten intolerance at every chance you get. It may just save someone's life. Celiac disease, if undiagnosed, can eventually lead to more severe and life-threatening conditions.

For all of us that have received our diagnosis, I consider us blessed. We are no longer eating foods that are harmful to our bodies and for that, I am thankful.

I want to thank Entero Lab for being a great way to get tested. I also want to thank my husband for his continuous support and companionship. I want to thank my mom too, for her help and support. And as always, I am very thankful for my beautiful and thriving daughter. We've learned a lot because of her allergies. We are enjoying our journey through eating gluten-free and allergy-free.

Consider trying some of these relatively easy and simple recipes:

Carrot Potato Soup

Lemon and Dill Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Coconut Ice Cream

Sophie's Sweet Sunday Morning Biscuit

Cinnamon Crunch Cookies

If you're a gluten-free blogger or love creating recipes, please join me in this month's Go Ahead Honey It's Gluten free. The theme is Pumpkin Treats.

Enjoy the month of October! :)

-heather

Go Ahead Honey It's Gluten Free: Pumpkin Treats

For the month of October, I am hosting the Go Ahead Honey It's Gluten Free event. This wonderful event was originally created by the lovely Naomi at Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried. Last month was hosted by Katrina of Gluten Free Gidget. Her theme was Dinner with Disney. You can visit her blog to see all the lovely submissions!

Now, for this months theme: Pumpkin Treats! As some of you know, my favorite season is Autumn. As the colorful leaves start to fall and the chilly weather rolls in, I become quite euphoric. I'm in my element, somehow. I also love pumpkin, not only the taste, but the appearance. I decorate my house - inside and out - with different types of pumpkins. I appreciate them all: plump, skinny with warts and oddly shaped mishaps.

Please join me this month in honoring this lovely season by making some type of treat with pumpkin. You don't have to use fresh pumpkin, so you won't be limited there. You can use canned or fresh pumpkin. Just make it gluten-free, post pictures and share it with the world! The deadline is October 29th. Get your thinking cap on and make your house smell like pumpkin goodness!

Please submit a photo of your treat along with the link to your post to my email address: lifeglutenfree (@) gmail (dot) com

Don't have a blog? No problem! You can still submit a recipe. You can either e-mail me your recipe and I'll post it for you, or use the free and simple google docs (or some other service) and e-mail me the link.

Here's a recap.

Deadline: Thursday, October 29th

Theme: Pumpkin Treats

Have fun! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

-heather