Category Archives: The Gluten Diaries

Gluten-Free “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” Granola Bars

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I made these during my gluten-free stint when I was craving some convenient grab-and-go snack foods. They are definitely not low-cal, but they are delicious, and hold up well in your bag for the day.

I might even suggest storing them in the freezer, as they were such a hit that they barely lasted two days! So much for convenient snack food…

Ingredients

3 cups oats
1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (or regular flour)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp  vanilla

2-3 cups of “stuff”,you can make these your own here. I like everything, so I used everything, but the combinations are really endless. If you want less “stuff” add more oats to round out the bars.

Options
- raisins
- dried cranberries
- shredded coconut
- slivered almonds
- sunflower seeds
- chia seeds
- flax seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- miniature chocolate chips
- peanut butter
- whatever else you can think of (let me know, I love having more options)

Instructions

1. Mix everything together. Really, it is that simple. If you want to you can melt/mix the butter, sugar & honey together in a saucepan, and then mix with the dry ingredients.

2. Then, decide that you haven’t added quite enough ingredients and dump in some chocolate chips, for good measure :)

3. On a greased pan shape the mixture into a brick, you’ll be cutting this into your bars, so you can decide how big you would like it.

4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

5. Let the bars cool for a few minutes, and then slice them very carefully (they tend to be crumbly while they are still warm) BUT you have to slice them while they are warm. Let them cool a bit more before packaging. These are best to eat at room temperature, but as  I’ve learned from experience, might do better in the freezer, only so you don’t eat them all right away!

Switch it Up Ideas

- Roll the mix into ping-pong size balls and bake
- Roll the mix into marble-sized balls, bake, and coat with melted chocolate (dark chocolate is super yummy)
- Drizzle some melted chocolate on top of your bars, sprinkle some coconut on top
- Add a little more oats and some peanut butter, bake the mixture and then crumble it. Makes delicious breakfast granola.

 

Gluten Free: Days 11-14 & 15 (The Dark Day)

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Bacon Frittata

I was doing really good, scouts honor. Salads, frittatas, corn pasta. I was a gluten free role model for goodness sakes.

Then it happened. I cheated on gluten-free, and I liked it.

It all started out with an innocent little chocolate-zucchini muffin that I baked at work. I had to know what it tasted like.

And just like that, I started down the slippery slope that was yesterday’s eating.

Peanut-Butter & Banana Sandwich? Check
Pasta? Check
Cereal? Check

I should have had a beer while I was at it…

 

Chicken and Beet Salad

I could just “get back in the salad-saddle” as they say, but the truth is, I cannot sustain a gluten-free lifestyle.

In all honesty, I didn’t have much of an issue with it.

I usually cook at home & I don’t eat a lot of processed foods.

As an “experiment” in my “controlled environment kitchen” it’s pretty easy to remove something from my diet.

For everyone who deals with gluten-intolerance in a real-life way, don’t worry, I realize it’s not quite that simple.

So, why am I giving up?

 

Five Reasons

1. I wanted to learn how to cook and bake gluten-free so that I could offer something for everyone when (fingers crossed) I open my cafe. The reality is, most of my customers probably wont be eating gluten-free. I still need to bake other things, and I HAVE to be able to taste what I make. Others may say it’s wonderful, but I am my most honest (and often harshest) critic.

2. Gluten-free is not cheap. I paid almost $20 for a small bag of flour from Bulk Barn the other day. And this was the bulk stuff (see, I wasn’t even being hardcore and worrying about contamination). It’s just not sustainable for my lifestyle. I bake everyday! When I have a working oven of course…
I’ve heard that if you are actually diagnosed with a gluten intolerance/allergy you can claim the difference in cost between gluten-free and regular products, but I don’t know for sure, so don’t hold me to that.

3. It’s not doing anything for me. Physically, mentally, emotionally, I feel the same.

4. Fletcher REALLY wants to make challah bread. I won’t let him do it while I’m GF.

5. As I’ve learned more about what gluten-free is really about, I’ve started to question whether it would even be worth it to offer gluten-free products in a cafe that is not entirely gluten-free. Everything would be contaminated, and that kind of defeats the point, doesn’t it?

So there, call it a cop out if you will. I think it was a really great food experiment.

I learned a lot about baking that I had never considered before, and I really feel like I have a better understanding of what each ingredient brings to my recipes now.

There are certain things that I might continue doing anyway, like corn pasta. I like it, and the price is about the same. I think it’s a great staple to have around because it’s friendly for everyone, so no matter who you invite to dinner, you know you can offer something delicious.

There are also some recipes I will definitely use again, whether or not I’m worrying about gluten, like the Pumpkin Cookies, the Berry Crumble and the Granola Bars (still have to post a couple of those recipes!). Oh yes…and I can’t forget the incredible Plum Cake!

I’ll probably still continue experimenting with gluten-free recipes from time to time, especially since I still have to make Arrowroot Cookies!

As always, please let me know if there is a food issue that you would like me to experiment with. I recently made some wonderful Chocolate-Free Chocolate Brownies for a friend with a chocolate allergy, and quite possibly changed the minds of some carob naysayers in the process.

Happy Baking!

 

Gluten Free Bakery in Paris

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Helmut Newcake Facebook

Going gluten-free in your home is one thing.

Going gluten free in Paris is another.

Croissants, pastries, tarts & cakes? I’m almost certain I couldn’t give up on the idea of sitting at a cafe with an espresso and a pastry.

Well, it turns out, I don’t have to, and if you happen to be going gluten-free in Paris, neither do you!

Check out the Helmut Newcake Bakery

36, rue Bichat (10th)
Tél: 09 82 59 00 39
(Open Tue-Sat noon to 9pm, Sun 10am-6pm)

 

 

Yeah, I could hang out here.

 

For a full review of the bakery, check out this post from David Lebovitz (living the sweet life in Paris, no I’m not jealous at all).

 

Gluten-Free Pizza

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One of my gluten-free challenges was to create a delicious pizza. While this pizza is certainly not deep-dish, is does the trick, and will absolutely satisfy your pizza cravings.

Ingredients

1 tbsp ground flaxseed or ground chia seeds
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2-1cup warm water

Instructions

* works best with a stand mixer *

1. This recipe uses a “slurry” of chia or flax instead of xanthun or guar gum. To make the slurry mix the seeds with 2 tbsp boiling (I used the hottest the tap would give) water to make a paste. Set aside and let cool.

2. Activate the yeast by mixing 1/2 cup of the warm water with the yeast and olive oil in a small bowl. Stir and let sit for a minute.

3. Add flour and salt to mixing bowl.

4. Add slurry and mix for a minute.

5. Add the yeast mixture. Mix until the dough comes together in a ball around the hook. You may need to use the other half cup of water, you might not. It depends what kind of flour mixture you are using, temperature, elevation, etc. Slowly add more of the water as needed.

Who cares about gluten when your pizza looks like this?

6. When the dough has formed a ball, set aside in a warm place to rise for about an hour. We were impatient and only waited half and hour and it worked out just fine.

7. Preheat the oven to 450.

8. Place the dough in between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Use your hands to flatten it and then use the roller to roll it out. We found that once the dough is relatively flat you can remove the top layer of paper and just roll normally. Roll to your desired thickness.

9. Transfer your dough to your pizza pan and brush the top with olive oil. We really like garlic around here, so we mixed some garlic into the oil.

10. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the crust starts to brown.

11. Add your toppings and bake until your cheese is melted (or if you have no cheese, until you think it’s ready!) ours took about 5 more minutes in the oven.

Toppings

My favorite sous-chef. Also, we love olives!

Usually I would say put whatever you want on, but this is an exception because these toppings were THE BEST EVER. Literally.

- sauce of crushed tomatoes mixed with garlic sauce
- chicken breast with bbq sauce
- bacon
- onions and mushrooms (sauteed with the bacon)
- green olives
- blue cheese and fresh parmesan (you really don’t need much)

Garnish with fresh dill.

Be careful with your sauces, you never know where that sneaky gluten might be lurking ;)

Amazing.
Happy cooking!

 

* Dough recipe from GlutenFreeGirl, check out their site for more gluten-free recipes*

 

Gluten Free: Days 8,9&10

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I tortured myself by making brownies. FULL OF GLUTEN. All for a worthwhile cause. Click photo to learn more!

Is it cheating to put three days together? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

I could write them separately, but it would get pretty repetitive. My meals for the past three days have been pretty standard. I guess that’s a sign that I’m settling into this gluten-free business.

Lazy night, chili for dinner. Fortunately it was homemade (by me) and gluten-free

We got invited out for sushi the other night, and I got really excited. Fish + Rice = gluten free right? Then I remembered the soy sauce….a crucial ingredient. Is there gluten-free soy sauce? I could just bring my own! And then there’s the tempura. I’m not sure what it’s made of…but it sure seems like something that would involve wheat (Wikipedia confirms my suspicions).

Fortunately I was busy, and couldn’t make it, but it got me thinking. Is sushi safe for people with gluten intolerance? If you avoided the soy sauce and the tempura would the possibility for contamination still make it too dangerous?

This is what you end up with when you are babysitting and spaghetti is for dinner.

Note: As I am writing this the TV is on in the background and they are playing House Hunters International, moving to Japan and eating lots of sushi!

If you have experience with this dilemma please let me know.

It could be time to find my bamboo mat and practice my sushi making skills. I can’t live without sushi forever!

Today I will get back on the bread bandwagon. I’ve purchased a HUGE bag of gluten-free all-purpose flour and some brand new yeast. Fletcher has also requested that I try to make pizza, so we are going to experiement for dinner tonight.

I am also going to try making granola bars, so look forward to some exciting new recipes coming soon :)

 

The Breakfast Montage