Gluten Free Mince Pies

December is the time for mince pies and it's hard to find gluten free ones anywhere. So there was only one choice, and that was to make them.

It is a lot of work and worth making a big batch and freezing them. Pastry can be made in large batches and frozen which saves some time.

The pastry was made from rice, corn and potato flour and it holds together better than most gluten free pastry.

They are filled with Vegetarian mincemeat and topped with icing (confectioners) sugar.

The result was really good, deceptively light and really delicious. Even a wheat eater would enjoy them. The only downside is the slight grittiness of the white rice flour, I'm still trying to source a finer ground flour.

Gluten Free Egg Plant Parmesan

I found a basic technique to make this and then created a recipe. To make this properly it does take some time and patience, but is well worth it!

The result was even better than expected and everyone who tried it loved it. You don't even notice that it's gluten free!

Here is a link to the recipe which I based this on: http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/welcome-to-my-italian-cafe-38.html

Importance of Dedicated Gluten Free Facilities & Equipment

This video sums up the how totally gluten free premises are the only way to guarantee gluten free food. Beware of restaurants and bakeries that offer gluten products alongside gluten free, many should not be claiming they offer gluten free options as in reality the food is contaminated with gluten.

Organic Gluten Free Blackberry & Apple Pie

This is a wonderful, delicious pie. A very summery pie and is perfect served chilled.

It was inspired by leftover pulp from a recent batch of homemade organic jam. The pulp contained pectin and was full of pips but also tasty blackberry pulp. It seemed such a waste to throw it away. So to transform it into an edible pie filling I added pomegranate juice, generous amounts of organic cooking apples, brown sugar and butter. For the pastry I tried my new recipe made with rice flour and corn flour which turned out very light and flaky, perfect with the filling.

Mountain Top Gluten and Wheat Free Bakery, Vancouver

Hidden away in North Vancouver, is a bustling gluten free bakery. It had an amazing selection including; savory pies, cookies, cakes, bread, scones and more. Spoilt for choice I went for the focaccia, cheese scones and some chocolate chip cookies.

Verdict:
My favorites were the cookies, they were the first crunchy cookies I have eaten since cutting out gluten and tasted not unlike regular wheat ones. The focaccia was a little on the dry side on it's own, but went very well with a cheese and onion omlette. The cheese scones were a little on the dry side too but quite tasty when warmed in the oven. I'm looking forward to trying some more on my next visit.

http://www.emountaintop.com/

Gluten Free Cream Tea*

Coming from the south coast of England, the summer is just not the same without a few Cream Teas* on those hot days. So when you know you can't eat gluten anymore all you can do is wistfully remember what is was like. So this recipe was a great discovery..

Scones**
1/2 cup potato starch
3/4 cup white rice flour
1 3/4 tsp xanthum gum
1 tblsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tblsp sugar
1/3 cup cold butter cut into 1/2 cm cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk

Toppings
Devon clotted cream
Organic homemade strawberry jam

Heat oven to 375 F and grease a baking sheet. Mix dry ingredients and then add butter and process until it has the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Add buttermilk and mix until it forms one clump and then carefully and quickly make into 8 scone** shapes and place on the baking sheet, ( it is very sticky and should be handled as little as possible). Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Verdict
Soft, fluffy and delicious. They are very light and although they do taste different to regular wheat scones**, they are still really good, and even wheat eaters will enjoy them.

Dairy Free version
Dairy free cream: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/soy-free-vegan-whipped-cream.html#

To replace the butter use a vegan butter that has been frozen before hand.

To replace the buttermilk add 1 1/2 tblsp lemon juice into 3/4 cup of soya milk and and let it sit for 5 minutes. Or use 1/2 cup of vegan sour cream per cup of butter milk mixed with 1/2 cup per cup of butter milk of water.


* If you've never tried a Cream Tea, here is some info on the history and tradition which goes back 1000 years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_tea

** The North American version of a scone is called a biscuit.

Regaining Health on a Gluten Free Diet

When you find out you have celiac diease, it often opens a can of worms health-wise. You don't always know the effects that eating gluten has had.

My doctor told me the results of blood tests soon after being diagnosed with celiac disease and the results were not good. They showed I was anemic, extremely low on minerals and vitamins, most worryingly iron, B12 and D.

So after spending a small fortune on vitamin and mineral supplements did I feel any different? The answer is 'no' as I had been pretty asymtomatic eating gluten and didn't feel the tiredness that my mineral and vitamin levels indicated. Whether I felt tired or not, the fact was that my body needed nutrients.

Intestines damaged after years of eating gluten, take time to heal, and they won't suddenly be okay. In fact they are very sensitive and inflamed and not just as a result of eating gluten. That's when other intolerances and bad eating habits rear their ugly head. Many people with celiac disease also have diabetes, nightshade intolerance, lactose intolerance and so on. Some intolerances may go when the intestines heal, others are ongoing. As if avoiding gluten isn't enough!

Your stomach just may not like all this new gluten free food, mine didn't. The doctors advice? - just to avoid gluten and take vitamin and mineral supplements. There must be something else to help the healing process. What's the point of taking supplements that can't be absorbed?

That's when I stumbled on this article: http://www.celiac.com/articles/21803/1/-Life-in-the-TrenchesRecovering-from-Celiac-Disease/Page1.html

My order of Glutagenics is on it's way and it's not cheap but then when it comes to health it needs to take the priority.

After being malnourished for years and new to a gluten free diet you CRAVE calories, stodge, sweet foods, fat! It just might not be the best thing to eat! You might have detox reactions too, in my case I got teenage skin again and headaches. I also lost weight, not that I was over weight, but there is another myth. People with celiac disease are not always underweight. It makes sense that your metabolism would be slow due to being malnourished. Also the body being starved of nutrients effects the thyroid function. So there is now new connection emerging between celiac disease and obesity - http://www.celiac.com/articles/1033/1/Celiac-Disease-and-ObesityThere-is-a-Connection-by-Melissa-Croda-q/Page1.html

The best mineral supplements to take are high quality liquid forms, as they are most easily absorbed. Good brands will state on the label if they are gluten free.

Whether these supplements will be absorbed will be revealed in the next blood test, in 6 months time. So it will be interesting to see the results, as this will indicate that the healing has begun.

Gluten Free Coconut bread

So for this I found a recipe online, which was basically 6 eggs and coconut flour, coconut oil and salt.

The result - this wins as the worst bread I've made so far, almost had to throw it away. In the end froze it and ate it toasted with lots of butter and jam and it was just about edible.

What I learnt is that coconut flour is VERY dry as it has ALL the oil and moisture taken out of it.. The kind of dryness that saps every drop of moisture from your mouth. So is definitely best used in moderation with other flour.

The taste was egg mostly and very dry coconut and it was really hard to swallow.

I'll try some other recipes and post the results..

Pros - high protein, filling.
Cons - tastes like egg, too dry.

Gluten Free White Bread

It was my first try of Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix. It's easy and makes a good size loaf.

This is great sandwich bread and the consistency is impressive. Very much like a white wheat loaf. It would probably make wonderful garlic bread as well, as it has that doughy texture.

It tastes sweet and you can taste the tapioca flour, but it goes well with savoury or sweet spreads and toppings, and is quite versatile.

It's best frozen after a few days in individual slices to be taken out when needed.

Pros: Easy to make. Great sandwich bread for picnics and packed lunches. Good alternative to wheat white bread.

Cons: It's not organic. It contains sugar. It's low in fibre and protein. It has a tree nut allergy warning.

Gluten Free Sunflower Flax Bread & Bun Mix

This mix was recommended to me at a local health store as being a customer favourite: Kinnikinnick Foods Gluten Free Kinni-kwik Sunflower Flax Bread & Bun Mix

It's very quick and easy to make and the result is a two small sized loaves which have a pretty good bread-like consistency. The flavour is ok, it tastes nothing like wheat bread but is vaguely reminiscent. It's sweet and you can taste the tapioca starch.

It needs to be kept in the fridge and eaten within a few days and is best frozen in individual slices and taken out when needed and toasted.

Pros: It's convenient and quick to make. Good sandwich bread, good for picnics and lunches out. It contains a good amount of fibre and protein and more nutrients than most gluten free breads.

Cons: It's not organic. In the ingredients, white rice flour is 1st on the list, potato starch is 3rd and sugar is 5th. It tastes too sweet. It has a tree nut allergy warning.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread

So far this is the only fruit bread mix I've tried - Bob's Mill Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix

The smell is amazing when it's in the oven! - it tastes great too spread with butter when warm. It has a good consistency and it handy for packed lunches and picnics. The mix makes a good large - sized loaf.

It is best sliced a little thinner and buttered generously and it soon dries out. It can be frozen as individual slices and then toasted.

Pros - A great tasting fruit bread, with good consistency. Handy for snacks.

Cons - It's not organic. Can get a bit dry. Contains mostly potato starch.

Gluten Free Wholegrain Bread!

It's not easy on a gluten free diet to find bread that even remotely resembles wholegrain. My days of eating that dark german bread I so loved are over..but recently I made a discovery: Bobs Redmill Hearty Whole Grain Bread Mix.

This mix makes a large and substantial loaf and which is the probably the closest thing to that german rye bread you'll find, and even looks like it. It's a great sandwich bread and goes very well with cheeses and savoury spreads. It actually tastes very much like a wheat bread and so could almost fool wheat eaters!

As with most gluten free breads it is best kept in the fridge and eaten within a few days, or you can freeze slices and take out as needed.

The ingredients list is 23 items long, with everything from cocoa powder to onion powder. It must have taken a while to develop this recipe and it's really not an easy task!

Pros: Great sandwich bread, tastes almost as good as german rye bread, good sized loaf. It's more nutritious than most gluten free breads.

Cons: It's not organic, contains sugar (9th on ingredient list), potato flour and may contain traces of tree nuts.

The Best Gluten Free Brownies!

This won hands down for one of the best Gluten free brownie mixes I've tried so far - 'Namaste Foods Gluten Free Brownie Mix'.

It would be really hard to beat these brownies. The are extremely chocolatey and could fool the pickiest wheat eaters into thinking they were regular wheat ones!

I added a generous amount of Hersheys chocolate chips to these and wow, this makes for something so chocolate-tastic it's dangerous.

They are also free of other common allergens like nuts and potato.

Tip: To keep them fresh freeze them and defrost as required they taste just as good!

Warning: It's hard to stop eating them.

Corn Free Corn-Style Bread Recipe

After some research and trials I created this recipe which is really tasty and buttery, very similar to corn bread and best eaten warm. It goes very well with butter and jam and has a really wonderful flavour and no one will be able to tell it's not wheat! Also this is ideal if you aren't able to eat to eat corn, but miss corn bread!

2 cups (460 grams) Brown Rice flour (white if preferred)
3 1/3 Tblsp (47 grams) butter (room temperature)
3/4 tsp Bicarb of soda
1 1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1 1/5 cup (300ml) buttermilk
1 large egg

Set the oven to 400 F

1. Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

2. Cut up the butter into small cubes and add to flour rub into the flour with finger tips until it becomes the consistency of bread crumbs.

3. Whisk the wet ingredients together

4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients slowly mix together.

5. Tip mixture into a 9" X 5" loaf tin and dust the top with a little white rice flour.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and a test with a skewer or knife and if it comes out clean it's done. Let cool for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack. It can be eaten when still warm and is best eaten within a few days and kept in an air tight container, but can be frozen and eaten later warmed in the oven.

The Best Gluten Free Bread

So here I am still on a quest for the best gluten free bread.

The photo is my first attempt at making gluten free bread from a recipe. Ingredients: brown rice flour, tapioca starch/flour, cornstarch, flaxseed meal, xanthan gum, salt, olive oil, honey, 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, yeast and cider vinegar. It does taste like bread but also has other mildly unpleasant tastes. Tapioca flour is one of those tastes that I'm not really sure about, however it is in the ingredients for a reason, as I found out. Generally the bread has a good texture though and is an improvement on rice cakes! There is a lot you can't do with rice cakes.

Bread basics
Making gluten free bread is very different from making regular gluten bread. It reacts very differently and to create the same taste and texture there are various steps and ingredients that are essential for a risen loaf.

1. Yeast - As with regular bread to make a rising loaf yeast is used. Gluten free bread won't ever rise twice, but only once and can double in size.

2. Some flour essentials. Sorgham flour is a good wheat flour replacer but tends to be dry, however in combination with the other ingredients it works well. Tapioca flour helps to bind the mixture and create a good final consistency. If you replace the Tapioca flour with rice for example, the end result will be less 'springy' and more on the dry and crumbly side.

3. Xanthum Gum is a fermented corn sugar which acts as a gluten replacement, so is almost always required. The amount will vary depending on whether it's required for bread, pastry, cookies or cakes.

4. Eggs are essential in gluten free bread and for those not eating eggs, there is egg replacer. The eggs help to give the bread the right consistency, hold it together and and help it to rise.

5. Temperature is key, the warmer the better for the liquid ingredients (around 100 degrees) and room temperature for the eggs and flour.

The good news is once you have all the flour and ingredients it is quite straightforward to make. The benefits of baking are it tastes better, is fresher and is more economical.

New to the Gluten Free Diet

It is not easy when even a trace of gluten will affect your health seriously and this is the case with celiac disease.

Even when the ingredients do not show any gluten and seem gluten free, the factory that processes them may also process gluten products. Not all products have allergy warnings, despite the seriousness of celiac disease. So it comes down to being your own detective and in most cases if the information is out dated online, calling or emailing the company. Products that were gluten free can then contain gluten so regular checks are needed.

So it takes constant vigilance. It's been a mine field to navigate through. I'm nervously checking labels, emailing companies and keeping the kitchen as clean as possible. Separate chopping board, toaster and food cupboards. But when a trace of gluten is a problem, then having gluten in the kitchen is a real issue. Suddenly taking up a dinner invite is a problem, do they know, should I take my own food? People may not have heard of celiac disease or if they have, they probably won't understand what it is.

I guess with time it will get easier, I'll adjust and learn the best ways to deal with all this. The test will be to have another blood test and see if my immune system is still reacting, then I'll know whether the measures I've been taking are good enough.

Then there are the digestive issues, as celiac disease means that your intestines are damaged and so you're not digesting or absorbing nutrients properly, but this should all soon heal on a gluten free diet. At first I felt better, less bloated most noticeably, but then with all the gluten free baking I've done I didn't feel that great. All the recipes are laden with butter, oil and eggs and I'm just not used to that, plus maybe I don't get on with some of the numerous ingredients needed for gluten free cooking which aren't particularly natural. So gradually I'm navigating through all this. I want to be healthier not unhealthier with this diet and of course avoiding gluten is the first step but now how to make healthy, nutritious gluten free food..bread, snacks, crackers. There are recipes out there but so far I'm not convinced by them.

On a gluten free diet it's important to make sure you're getting the nutrition you need. That's because regular bread and flours are fortified but gluten free bread and flours aren't. So it's down to us to find the most nutritious foods we can.

I'm beginning to work on some recipes so keep an eye on this blog..

On a search for organic, nutritious gluten free flour

When I first had to start this gluten free diet I just bought everything gluten free that I could. In retrospect I wish I'd been a bit more discerning but really there wasn't much choice. Looking at all the flour I bought I saw it wasn't organic, and I always try and eat organic and not only that, it didn't contain much nutrition. After a few weeks of eating rice cakes I just had to try baking some gluten free bread, I could barely face another day eating them!

So after some research I discovered these flours that are not only gluten free but also nutritious and a good source of protein from which once sourcing I'll be coming up with some recipes:

Teff flour - this is one of the smallest grains and is grown in Ethiopia. It is rich in protein and nutrients and good for flat bread, cookies and pancakes.

Quinoa flour - good for complete protein and healthy oils and minerals and is good generally in baking when combined with other flours.

Coconut flour - high protein, nutritious and good fibre source. It has a similar consistancy to wheat and is really versatile.

Almond flour - another versatile flour for use in baking, high protein and nutritious. It's expensive although a cheaper way is to make it by blending blanched almonds carefully as too much blending will turn them into a nut butter.