Recipes

Hello to everyone! I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you what I’ve learned about baking gluten-free quick breads, such as Pumpkin Cornbread Squares, after 10 challenging months of adapting wheat flour recipes and experimenting with gluten-free flours, starches, and gums.  Here are some of the questions I asked myself and the answers that I found.

Q: Why would I bake gluten-free when I can now buy a variety of gluten-free products at a grocery store?

A: You may enjoy baking and want to continue.  Or you may want to save money and not buy packaged foods.  Perhaps, you’re not happy with the quality or taste of what’s available.

Or perhaps you’re like me.  I’m not only gluten-sensitive (recently diagnosed), but also lactose-intolerant and on a forever diet to keep Type 2 diabetes at bay. The result is that Read More »

Gluten-free tacos with avocado. © 2010 Teri Lee Gruss

Packaged taco seasonings and taco shells can be a source of added gluten. This gluten-free taco recipe uses a homemade taco seasoning mix and organic gluten-free taco shells. Shredded baby spinach, red onions and avocado add vitamins, minerals, healthy fatty acids add vibrant color to this healthy version of a classic favorite.

Ingredients:
•6 gluten-free hard taco shells (See tip)
•1 pound lean ground beef
•1 tablespoon olive oil Read More »

Here’s how the construction of this pie took place… Read More »

Yes you read right – I made a pizza with an unconventional main crust ingredient – cauliflower. I wanted to try this recipe as gluten free pizza crusts are so expensive to buy and they are often loaded with sugar. I also love a challenge and to try new and different things.

I never thought I would have this problem but I actually don’t have a microwave – the recipe I used for this crust has an alternative though, to steam the cauliflower. However I don’t have a steamer either (or anything that I can use as a steamer as my colander is plastic). Still desperately wanting to make this pizza I decided to use raw cauliflower. And guess what – it worked! So the crust stayed together and looked good, and the pizza tasted awesome!

I would love to say that I was clever enough to come up with this recipe by myself but I actually got it from Recipe Girl.

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• Salt & pepper
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1tsp dried herbs
• Tomato paste or pizza sauce
• Topping ingredients of your choice (I used onion, red pepper, mushroom, olives, sliced ham and more cheeese; mozarella and parmesan)

Method

1. Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles (either using a grater or food processor).
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and oil a tray very well (my pizza stuck to the bottom of my tray).
3. In a bowl mix the cauliflower crumbles with the eggs, mozzarella, salt & pepper, minced garlic and dried herbs.
4. Pat the “crust” onto the prepared tray and bake for 15 minutes (or until golden). Remove the crust from the oven and turn the oven to grill/broil.
5. Spread some tomato paste or pizza sauce onto your crust and then layer with your chosen topping ingredients (I fried onion, green pepper and mushrooms and placed on the pizza with sliced ham, olives and grated Parmesan and mozzarella cheese)
6. Place under the grill until cheese is melted and lightly browned

What unconventional meal have you recently cooked?

Read More »

If you have ever enjoyed the experience of eating “pot stickers” before going gluten-free, you know how delicious and fun these savory Asian pan-fried dumplings are. They’re fun to make too!

Traditionally pot sticker wrappers – similar to wonton wrappers, are made with wheat flour. While I’ve thought about attempting to make a gluten-free wonton for some time, it wasn’t until I bought Laura B. Russell’s cookbook, The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen that I actually went for it.

Our gluten-free pot stickers will stick to the pan, just like wheat-made pot stickers, so read the instructions carefully and then have fun making this recipe. Read More »

When you go to Hawaii, more specifically Maui, it seems like there’s a checklist of what most people do or see like snorkeling, going to Haleakala, seeing a rainbow (maybe even a double!), attending a luau, and driving the road to Hana which includes consuming the famous banana bread from any one of a number of roadside stands.

On our way to Hana, we never made it to one of the roadside banana bread stands, mostly because they all had gluten in them. I did allow myself to taste one local batch from a grocery store in Ka’anapali because I was curious. The family also agreed it was delicious.

When I returned home, I was determined to recreate the same flavor but in a gluten-free variety. After doing some cross referencing, I decided to use Read More »

2011 © Teri Lee Gruss

Gluten-free pancakes with blueberries feature one of nature’s richest sources of antioxidants, blueberries, a healthy and delicious way to start your gluten-free day.

Hope you like it!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 panckaes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups gluten-free all purpose flour blend  NOTE: I used 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Gluten-Free Pantry All Purpose Flour Mix – a blend of white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch and guar gum) PLUS 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour. If you use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend with added xanthan gum or guar gum don’t add more gum to this recipe. If you are using a GF flour blend without added gum, add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum to this recipe.
• 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil OR your favorite neutral vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk OR your favorite dairy-free substitute
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (If using frozen blueberries, thaw first)
• PLUS, extra vegetable oil for frying pancakes

Read More »

Gluten-free diets don’t have to be low fiber diets but if you’re eating a lot of packaged gluten-free foods, especially snack foods made with refined gluten-free ingredients like white rice flour and corn starch, you may not be getting close to the daily recommendations for fiber.

So what kind of fiber is best and how much fiber do we really need to eat every day to support good health?

Types of Dietary Fiber and Health Benefits

Three kinds of dietary fiber have been identified — soluble fiber, insoluble fiber and one you may not have heard about before called resistant starch. Each type of fiber has unique chemical properties and Read More »

I saw an advertisement on TV for Hellmann’s Mayonnaise with this recipe.

Whilst it sounded, let’s say interesting, I was intrigued and had to try it.

The first time I tried this recipe I bought some gluten free rice crumbs but I found them too crunchy with an almost sand type texture.

The next time I cooked this recipe I therefore made my own breadcrumbs by blending a piece of frozen gluten free bread.

It turned out really well, the chicken was very tender and it tasted awesome served with cornmeal mash (cornmeal mixed with milk and cheese) and stir fried vegetables.

Read More »