A Gluten Free Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Lisa

There has been some Christmas baking going on this house!  I’ve had lots of fun with some gluten free recipes this year.

First I baked the annual Christmas cakes.  I make two each year and last year was the first time I had to do gluten free (had only been diagnosed a few months at that stage) and my cake attempt was edible but not fantastic.  I cooked them a bit long and they dried out.  This year I reduced the cooking time and the temperature a little and was very happy with the results!  This is from my grandma’s recipe with a few modifications ;)

Next item on the list was some darling baby gingerbread houses that were inspired from a photo I found on Pinterest.  They are made to sit on the side of your coffee cup and are just adorable!  Had to give this a go so I made a few for some friends and packaged them up in cellophane.  I found the instructions here but used a gluten free gingerbread cookie recipe found on another site.  Not too convinced about the flavour of these ones so will use a different recipe next time.  The roof is topped with crushed up candy canes.

Then I wanted to make a full size gingerbread house so off I went on a google search to find what I was looking for.  The recipes I used for the gingerbread dough and the icing are on this site and the pattern and instructions for the house construction is here.  For the flour I used White Wings gluten free plain flour and I left out the guar gum.  I also used the full 7 cups of flour, if you don’t you will end up with a very sticky dough.  It says to refrigerate overnight, mine ended up in the fridge for about 48 hours before I could get back to it and was fine.  Its very hard when you get it out but just cut into pieces and work each piece in your hands a bit, knead, then roll straight onto some baking paper, cut the pieces out and slide the baking paper onto a tray for the oven.  This way you don’t disturb the cut pieces too much and helps them keep their shape.

The recipe makes a lot of dough, plenty for the house pieces plus a whole bunch of cookies and gingerbread men.  I made two batches of the icing though as I used quite a lot on the roof to secure my shingles (freckles!).  These are some gingerbread men I made with the leftovers.  They are for the little nephews and niece on Christmas Day.

The gingerbread is delicious.  I was so pleased with both the texture and the flavour.  It can be difficult to find a good balance in gluten free baking but these really hit the spot.

Only two more sleeps till Santa comes :)

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Some New Favourites

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Lisa

This is my new favourite breakfast that I have been making.

It’s called CADA which stands for the four ingredients .. Coconut, Almond, Dates and Apple.  Chop together in your food processor or Thermomix.  Delicious and fresh.

Today I have made lots of bread.  This might sound normal for some people but it’s something I have never actually done before!  I needed to practice a basic white bread today as it is one of the dishes that I need to demonstrate when I am showing the Thermomix at a home demo.  So seeing I have my first demo tomorrow I thought I’d better have a go .. haha.  It was so easy, I can’t believe I haven’t done it before.  Takes under 5 minutes to mix and knead in the Thermomix, sit aside for a little while to rise and then shaped into little roll shapes and cooked for 20 mins in the oven.  They looked and smelt fantastic.  That same process would have taken about 4 hours in a breadmaker.

Unfortunately I couldn’t eat that lot (loaded with gluten!) even though it was tempting after smelling them.  So I looked up a gluten free bread recipe, seeing I was on a bit of a bread roll (pun intended) and put together this loaf which I was very very pleased with.

Beautiful crusty top, nice texture, delicious sliced, topped with some Butter and the Strawberry Jam that Mum and I made a few days ago.

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Two New Restaurants on my List!

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Lisa

I’ve added a couple of restaurants to my restaurant directory this week as I’ve had the pleasure to try them out.  It’s been a lovely week for delicious gluten free food out and about.

Early in the week I shared a late lunch with a girlfriend at Rickys River Bar & Restaurant in Noosa.  Beautiful venue overlooking the river, great friendly staff and a seperate gluten free menu (yay!) just for me.  Fantastic range of dishes and the flavours were delicious.

Spiced Pork Belly, Pear, Pickled Fennel and Baby Herb Salad

Chocolate Cake with Toffee Popcorn and Local Strawberries

Deeeeeeeelicious!  It tasted as good as it looks :D

They don’t mention anything on their website about gluten free dishes which is a shame as I know a lot of people like to do their research beforehand, but they were so helpful and knowledgable, and it really is comforting when a restaurant brings out a seperate gluten free menu.

Now one yummy restaurant wasn’t enough for the week, so I then had the opportunity to try out another great restaurant that caters well for us GFers.  In fact it was a lunch with other Sunshine Coast members of the Queensland Coeliac Society so its important that we eat somewhere that caters well for us.

Hot Pipi’s in Mooloolaba does that perfectly!  The owners wife is Coeliac so they know exactly what that means for us and the importance of getting it right.  Their menu is 95% gluten free and is very clearly marked which dishes are either gluten free or can be made in a gluten free format.

Rather than having a big main meal I opted for two tapas dishes so I could try a couple of things.  I was delighted to be able to have some salt and pepper calamari.  It’s a bit of an old favourite and I haven’t had that since before I was diagnosed.  It was so delicious and tender.  They also had gluten free hot chips which we shared.  So nice to have decent chips that you know are totally safe.

Salt ‘n’Pepper Calamari with Fresh Lime and Roasted Garlic Aioli

Coconut Prawns with Mango and Chilli Salsa

The list of wonderful restaurants grows!

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Reviewing some handy iPhone/iPad Apps

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Lisa

After using my iPad for quite a while now and having recently got myself an iPhone I find myself downloading more and more handy apps.

These are several I have come across that have fabulous recipes for either gluten free eating or recipes using the Thermomix.

Thermomix (called Thermomix HD on the iPad)

The Thermomix App features recipes from Vorwerk´s second international cookbook called “My Way of Cooking”.  I found it handy to have both the iPad and iPhone versions as one you use in the supermarket when you’re trying to think what you’re going to cook that night (or is that just me that leaves it to the last minute?) and the other you use once you are in the kitchen cooking.

It also includes some recipe videos, a shopping list function, a weekly menu planner, nutritional information on each recipe, the ability to add your own notes to each recipe and you can email the recipe to friends.

Although you have to pay seperately for the iPad and iPhone versions, its still much cheaper than purchasing the book and you have these recipes at your fingertips wherever you go!

The only improvement I would like to see is an indication of whether a recipe was gluten free or not.  That would save a little time when scrolling through looking for something that doesn’t need to be converted.

Cook It Allergy Free

This is one of my absolute faves with hundreds of gluten free recipes that can be customised to meet other food allergy needs if needed.  They update regularly and add new recipes.  You can share your recipes through email, facebook and twitter.

This app also has a shopping list which you can check off as you shop.  It has a recipe box function where you can save all your favourites in one place and you can also add notes to each recipe.

Allergy Free Entertaining

This lovely app is from the lovely people at Melinda’s Gluten-Free Goodies.  In general I really like this app but not a fan of the interface.  When you first open it, it asks you a series of questions so it can choose recipes for you.  I personally would prefer to just have a list of categories to scroll through.  Other than that its great.

It has recipes that cover all sorts of food allergies, with alternatives listed so you can adjust where necessary, and even has tips on wines that compliment the dishes.  You can change the settings to show recipes in either imperial or metric measurements.

One cool function is a click through on the shopping list area that shows you online stores that carry many gluten free products.

Coeliac Australia – Ingredient List

This list has been invaluable over the last year.  While still learning where all the hidden dangers are, all those sneaky places that gluten hides, this app has helped enormously.  Simply search an ingredient and it will tell you if it contains gluten or not.  This app has saved me many times!

Just this week I was about to eat a cracker that was marked on the packet clearly as gluten free.  I glanced at the ingredients and it said Maltodextrin (Wheat) so I looked it up and sure enough it says not all maltodextrins are gluten free.  So no cracker for me!  Always prefer to be safe than sorry.

Gluten Free Eating Directory

Great little app when you are travelling around Australia and want to find a good place to eat (or shop for gluten free products).  You can type a name of a business, restaurant, etc or choose your suburb and state.  You can even just use the “Near Me” option which pinpoints where you are and brings up establishments nearby.

When you find a restaurant you can click on features to see what they offer e.g. extensive GF choices, dedicated GF fryer, etc.

If you have restaurants that you love that really look after gluten free needs, I suggest that you recommend them to these guys.  I love this resource and would love to see their lists expanded with lots more highly recommended restaurants.

RoboGourmet

Last but not least is this nifty Thermomix recipe app by Software Dojo.  This app has a wonderfully simple interface, easy to navigate, add your favourites to a list, add notes to the recipes if you wish.

It has over 350 recipes and I really like their range.  From basics to more advanced, there’s something in here for everyone.  I can always find something in here that is delicious and simple.

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I’m sure there are more handy apps out there that I haven’t discovered yet.  If you know of any, drop me a line so I can check them out.

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Using Quinoa

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Lisa

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds.  It has a very high protein content and unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source, unusual among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

I have tasted it a few times including in this wonderful dish I had recently at Sirocco Restaurant in Noosa.  This lovely piece of salmon was nestled on a delicious bed of quinoa salad which had pomegranate seeds spread through it.  Absolutely delicious!

I’ve been wanting to have a go at cooking Quinoa for quite a while now and have had this Breakfast Quinoa recipe bookmarked over at the Thermomix Recipe Community.  Breakfast has to be the trickiest meal for me since I went gluten free.  I used to have porridge for breakfast almost every morning but oats are now out as they also contain a form of protein which can affect many coeliac sufferers.

So this is my attempt at replacing my brekky porridge.

The verdict .. actually not too bad.  I drizzled golden syrup over it and added a splash of milk.  Quite yummy.  My only objection was the time it took to cook it.  I used to do my porridge in the microwave in a few minutes.  This dish took around half an hour all up.  Good weekend breakfast I think when you have the time to just potter around.

If you have any quinoa recipes to share I’d love to hear from you.

Update:  Thanks for all the lovely comments from people on the different ways they use quinoa.  Lots of new things to try now!

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Some Recent Gluten Free Finds

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Lisa Hayes

Gluten free products seem to be popping up more and more which is wonderful news for us gluten avoiding people!  Here are a few recent finds that put a smile on my face ..

When I was in Hobart recently I ventured down to Kettering one day and was so surprised to spot a sign for Rosies Gluten Free Cafe & Bakery.  What a wonderful treat to be able to order anything in the cafe and know it would be safe, cooked in a kitchen that is uncontaminated.  Pure bliss!!  Their cake counter was a wonderful sight to see :) ))

They also sell a few packaged products like cake mixes and sauces as well as loaves of freshly baked gluten free bread.  Oh how I wish this cafe was close to home.  I would be a regular for sure!

Also while I was in Hobart I visited the Salamanca Market and was pleased to find this crepe van who offered gluten free versions of all the crepes on their menu.  Most impressively, they used a separate crepe hotplate for the gluten free ones, which makes it wonderful for avoiding cross contamination.  Full points for the care they have taken to provide this option.

I also wanted to mention that there is a new stall at the market, C & C Cupcake Factory, who uses all gluten free ingredients.  Their stall is opposite the Fresh Food Market.  They don’t advertise them as being GF but I have it on good authority that they are.

Now to a local find .. and a delicious one at that! Down by the river is a cafe called Elegant Eggplant. Weird name but fabulous food and friendly service :)   They also have a few yummy gluten free options on their menu.  Best one of all though is definitely the individual chocolate muffins.  They have a thick icing on the top which melts over it like lava when they heat it up prior to serving .. oh my goodness, amazing chocolate yumminess!!  I’ll definitely be back.

Lately there have been a few new GF items popping up in the supermarket. One item I found in both Coles (Maroochydore) and IGA (Cooroy) are these Mini Rice Cakes.  There are several toppings and I have tried both the Triple Berry Yoghurt and the Dark Chocolate.  Seems a little contradictory to have chocolate on a rice cake don’t you think?  But I’m not complaining as they were delicious!  I’ll be buying those again ready for the next snack attack.


Well thats all for now.  Please let me know if you find something new, a new product, a new recipe, anything at all and I will review it and put it up here for everyone to read.

Lisa_sig

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Coeliac vaccine on the horizon

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Lisa Hayes

In a recent ABC news article, there was the following information …

Coeliac sufferers may not have to eliminate gluten from their diets after a successful trial of a potential vaccine.  Scientists at Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute say they have tested the vaccine on 34 people.  If future trials are successful, the vaccine could be available by 2017.

Doctor Jason Tye-Din says it could treat around 90 per cent of coeliac patients. “The gluten-free diet is very difficult, it’s costly, it’s complex and unfortunately even people who follow it very well, there’s a large proportion who still don’t get full healing of their bowel,” he said.

“Alternatives to the gluten-free diet are really needed.”  Dr Tye-Din says the aim of the vaccine is to desensitise people to the harmful effects of gluten, in the same way that allergy desensitisation therapies work.

Now, I’m not certain if this is something I would ever want to take.  Sure, its tempting because then you could resume eating all those lovely conventient things that you’ve had to miss out on.  But I don’t believe that taking a drug to mask the problem is the answer.  Also, how do we know what the long term effects of this approach might be?  I think I would rather stick to just eating the nourishing healthy foods that help me stay well.

They say in the article that eating gluten free can be expensive but that is only if you partake in all the processed/packaged foods that are available to us.  If I just stick to good old natural meat, veges, fruit, herbs, spices, etc then the costs can sometimes be less than what I used to pay before I was diagnosed.  I have found plenty of great recipes now and the repertoire has expanded enormously with lovely fresh dishes made with natural ingredients.

Would love to hear your thoughts on a potential vaccine.

If you’re on facebook, please go and join my facebook group.  Would love to get to know some of my readers and chat about a few things.

Lisa_sig

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Malay Curry Prawn Noodles – Gluten Free

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Lisa Hayes

Just wanted to share with you a recipe I’ve been making quite a bit of late.  I’m always on the hunt for fast but tasty recipes for one, so then I’m not tempted to splurge on takeaway meals when I’m home alone.  When I was at the farmers market a few weeks ago, I bought a bag of frozen prawns from the local seafood stall.  They are shelled and ready to go which is perfect me if I am just cooking for myself, I just grab a handful out of the freezer to use in my dish.

I discovered some gluten free rice noodles (vermicelli style) recently at my local fruit market and have been experimenting with them with different flavourings.  Here is my favourite dish that I have come up with so far using a Malay spice mix that I love.

Malay Curry Prawn Noodles

6 large peeled green prawns
1 to 2 cups of vegetabless (I used capsicum, onion, cauliflower, carrot)
1 tbspn Malay Curry Paste or Powder
1/4 cup coconut milk
60g rice noodles (vermicelli style)

Finely chop vegetables.  Use whatever you have in your fridge.  I have used all sorts of different things.  Make sure you chop them finely as they will cook quicker and we are after a “fast” food replacement that we can whip up in a jiffy!

The packet of noodles I buy is 250g weight but is split into 4 seperate servings so its easy to just grab out enough for one person.  Put the noodles into a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

I use the Malay curry blend pictured below which is available from Mudgeeraba Spices .. you can order this and many other gluten free spice mixes and pastes from their website.  I discovered them last year at the Gluten Free Expo in Brisbane which is put on by the Coeliac Society.

Take the curry mix and put it into a hot frypan.  Add a couple of tablespoons of the coconut milk to the frypan and mix to a smooth paste.

Add the vegetables, mix and then cook for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped prawns and the remaining coconut milk and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Drain your noodles and add to the frypan.  Stir thoroughly.

Serve up this steaming, spicy noodle dish and enjoy!


Lisa_sig

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Gluten Free Entertaining

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Lisa Hayes

Today I had the pleasure of participating in another cooking class with Gail from Life’s a Feast.  The class was all about Gluten Free Entertaining and the menu was superb!

Cream of Roast Capsicum Soup

Braised Duck with Orange
Truffle Oil Mash
Mixed Leaf and Hazelnut Salad

Rosewater & Cardamom Pudding

Lovely to sit down to an amazing 3-course lunch afterwards and enjoy all these wonderful flavours.

It was such fun learning how to make these dishes and adding some new delicious recipes to the repertoire!  I feel confident that I could hold a lovely dinner party and the gluten eaters wouldn’t know the difference!

Lisa_sig

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A lovely gluten free lunch with friends

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Lisa Hayes

Today I had a wonderful lunch out with some girlfriends and we tried somewhere new, a place that had been highly recommended, called Pitchfork Restaurant at Peregian Beach.  We were all so impressed by our meals, the food was just amazing.  Beautiful flavours and presentation.

What impressed me even more was the fact that they had a separate gluten free menu!!  They almost had the same range of dishes, just with a few minor modifications.  Even the dessert menu was fabulous which is something a lot of restaurants don’t address in the GF range.  It was so brilliant to see them go to so much trouble as to have a separate menu.  I will definitely be going back there again.

Here are some photos of some of the dishes we had today.

Crispy pork belly, rocket, fig, labna, salad, pomegranate dressing.

Cured ocean trout, beetroot, seared scallops, avocado, wakame, salad.

Caramelised orange cake, vanilla bean ice cream, orange crisps (this was the most delicious moist orange cake I have ever tasted!).

Passionfruit roulade,Turkish delight ice cream, Persian fairy floss.

Prices were very reasonable too for the quality dishes we were served.  I will definitely be going back to this restaurant and have added them into my restaurant directory you can see up on the menu bar.

 

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