Gluten free

For me, being happily gluten-free means eating many different kinds of foods—from meats to nuts—rather than just trying to replace bread products. This approach has sent me into the world of legumes, and I eat lots of beans. As a result, I’ve become more interested in the nutritional value of beans. More specifically, I began to wonder why beans are considered an “incomplete” protein.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never really understood the term: incomplete protein. I know we have to “complete” the protein with other food, but what does that mean, and how are we supposed to do it?

Clearly, it was time to do some research, and here is what I learned. Read More »

Guess what I was doing the other day?  Browsing Twitter!  Imagine that?   I was instantly drawn to these Easy Cinnamon Muffins that Jo-Lynne shared.  I knew that Jon would love them, so I pre-heated my oven and got down to work.

Jo-Lynne’s recipe is not gluten-free, so I converted it to be gluten-free using Gluten-Free Bisquick.  Since the GF Bisquick already has leavening & salt in it, I omitted the baking powder & salt in her recipe.  Hindsight says that this may have not been the wisest choice, but the end result was fantastic, so I am not too worried about it.  Adding the Read More »

I don’t know about you but when I smell Belgium waffles at those kiosks, I really wish I could eat gluten. Last year I vowed to find a replacement and I must say, I nailed it. I have made it two ways; with the caramelized sugar and without. Both are still delicious and my children are very appreciative of the effort I have made (read: this is not a quick recipe but worth the wait).

This New Year’s day, I thought it would be fun to make them as a treat. The crowd (both gluten-free and not) agreed it was a winner. Read through the Read More »

Alexandra Grablewski Getty Images

Tacos! Drive thru beef and chicken, crunchy or soft may be our most familiar tacos – staples of a fast food diet. But if you’ve never had a fish taco, I content that you’ve never enjoyed the best taco of all.

From South America, across Arizona and up to Alaska, fish tacos are routinely on restaurant menus, even at airports and most home cooks have their very own favorite versions.

Fish tacos, in all their regional variations are a  culinary sensation.One you shouldn’t miss out on just because you don’t frequent these locales. They are incredibly easy to make at home.

Gluten-free tortillas are easy to find in local groceries.

This makes constructing a perfectly delicious gluten-free fish taco pretty darned easy in under 30 minutes.

The best fish tacos I have eaten are made with Alaskan halibut or mahi-mahi. Spicy coleslaw and fusion mayonnaise (spicy, often citrus flavored mayo)  are the icing on the cake, when it comes to dressing up a fish taco.

Here’s a recipe for my version of gluten-free fish tacos, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Add a side of homemade guacamole and pico de gallo and be prepared to enjoy. Viva tacos de Read More »

Pamela’s Products White Cake Mix

Homemade frosting is a delicious and decadent treat that is easy to make.  Great frosting can enhance a store-bought goodie or finish the finest of your homemade desserts.

Both the lemon and cinnamon versions of this frosting are delicious on carrot or spice cake.  For an easy dessert, make a batch of Namaste Spice Cake and frost with homemade frosting.  The cake mix can be made as a spice cake or a carrot cake and is delicious as cupcakes.  Another easy-to-make and delicious cake mix is from Pamela’s Products.  Pamela’s also has a terrific frosting mix, if you don’t want to make your frosting from scratch.

Gluten Free Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese (or soy cream cheese) Read More »

Whether you have kids out Trick or Treating tonight, or you are going to be cuddling up on the couch watching a scary movie, why not enjoy your Halloween evening with some seasonal caramel corn? This recipe is sure to complete your evening and is easy to make!

Do you ever wonder where you can buy gluten-free grains and flours for a discount? Check out your local ethnic markets for terrific prices and variety.

One of the most frustrating aspects of being on a gluten-free diet is the cost of food.  Whether you are buying a prepared food or a bag of flour, the prices seem to be higher than “regular” food.

Next time you drive past an ethnic market or grocery store, stop in and see what they have to offer. Asian markets offer various rice flours.  Middle Eastern and Indian markets provide a wide variety of bean flours and alternative grains.  Read More »

Fall is here! My favorite time of year. At school we have a Starbucks on each campus I see everyone enjoying the pumpkin muffins, pumpkin coffees etc. and it drives me crazy that I can’t just run in and grab one of those delicious looking muffins with the cream cheese on them… Read More »

Gluten Free Mayonnaise Image. 2013 (c) Teri Gruss

Mayonnaise is a kitchen staple that adds rich flavor and binds ingredients in dishes from tuna salad to crab cakes.

If you’ve ever tasted homemade mayonnaise, you know that the rich flavor and silky texture is nothing like what we buy at the grocery store. There are many good reasons to learn how to make homemade mayonnaise, first and foremost because it’s incredibly easy and calls for ingredients that most of us have on hand every day. Read More »

Photo: Whole Foods, http://wholefoods.com

It can be challenging enough on gluten-free diet, but what if you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet?

It’s well established that there are health benefits to reducing the amount of meat in the diets of most Americans, and the lifestyle has appeal for some people based on ethical and/or environmental reasons.  Fortunately, with extra planning, a well-rounded and delicious gluten-free vegetarian diet is possible.

The good news is that many vegetarian staples, like beans, lentils, tofu, dairy, nuts, seeds and eggs are already naturally gluten-free.  And some of the best sources of vegetarian and vegan protein are gluten-free pseudo-grains, such as quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth. Also, grains, such as millet, teff and sorghum are very nutritious.  In addition to protein and fiber, they all have other vital nutrients, like Read More »