Delay in posting.

It has been very interesting here with the weather, and loss of the internet for a bit. Will resume posting as soon as possible. Thanks for understanding.

Feel free to ask

I have a few people that have asked about substitutions for recipes, and a thought popped into my head. What are YOU wanting to make that is Gluten Free/Dairy Free and maybe even some other allergen free. Give me an idea and I'll see if I can convert or find an awesome recipe for it. I also have no issue with making something again with other allergens eliminated. It may not be right away, but I will try to get to it within the week. Leave a comment if you have an idea.

It is spelled Doughnuts.

After the record setting single day snowfall in the Northeast, I bet you would love nothing better than to sit back and enjoy your morning with a delicious breakfast and a hot cup of coffee. How about Doughnuts? No, not those stale and flavorless Donuts you had last week. I mean some nice fresh and hot doughnuts straight out of your kitchens deep fryer or skillet. Trust me. It's time to break out the deep fryer and listen to Homer. "mmmmmmmm... Doughnuts!"

DoughnutsGF/DF

Ingredients:

2 Large Eggs

2 Cups Plain Silk Live Soy Yogurt

1/4 Cup Melted Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks

1 3/4 Cups White Rice Flour

1 3/4 Cups Brown Rice Flour

1 Cup Potato Starch

1/2 Cup Tapioca Starch

1 Cup Sugar

1 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Xanthan Gum

Directions:

1) Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl making making sure it is well mixed.

2) In a Large Mixing bowl, beat the Eggs, Soygurt, and melted Buttery Sticks.

3)Using a spatula, slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. When mostly combined, use your hands to kneed the dough to make sure it is properly mixed. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.

4)Heat deep fryer or deep dish pan with 2 to 3 inches of Canola Oil to 375 degrees

5)Sprinkle Rice Flour on your work surface and roll out dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. If dough sticks too much, work in more flour.

6) Cut out your doughnuts with a cutter approximately 3 inches in diameter and the center holes at 1 inch diameter.

7)If using deep fryer, place basket into oil. Drop a few doughnuts in oil slowly being careful not to splash hot oil on yourself. Cook time may vary. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove with slotted spoon, or fryer basket. Let dry on a cooling wrack.

8) For extra delicious flavor, you can roll the doughnuts in more sugar while they are still hot. Serve them hot and fresh.

GF Tip of the week.

Have you made sure that the medication you take does not have wheat flour in it. Some medications may have wheat in the coating, or possibly as an ingredient.  Also, remember that pills may often be made the same way candy is. Check the list of inactive ingredients and be sure to check the label carefully. When in doubt call the manufacturer.

The bread has a will to live on.

I was experimenting this week trying to make the bread Nightshade allergy friendly. To my surprise, The Everything bread has become even more adaptable. By adding some corn products, yes another allergen, instead of potato starch and brown rice flour we get a much lighter and flexible pizza dough or hamburger bun.
While trying to do this experiment however (while the bread was in the oven) I was informed that I was ridiculous. Our friends with the Nightshade allergy have no Gluten intolerance, and could just go out and buy regular old bread. On the plus side, I did find a new way to make the flavor slightly different on the bread even if I did exclude more of our friends who have an allergy to Corn. This makes me remember a very important lesson. The old "you can't please all the people..." quote comes to mind and I am reminded how I always insist that others not try to cater to my allergies as they are hard enough for me to fully understand. Do I appreciate when others make me foods I can eat? YES I DO! But I always hope they have not had a hard time in doing so.

These are the adjustments I have made to the bread recipe.
5 tsp baking powder instead of 6 tsp
3/4 cup corn starch instead of Potato Starch
3/4 cup corn flour instead of Brown rice flour

It is not a huge change in the flavor, although I think it is an improvement, but it does reduce the Nightshade allergen. If you need to make the bread Egg free, use powdered egg replacer. Remember that the egg replacers will make it more MOIST and should be accounted for in the cooking.

A Rose by any other name... is a lie! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all. I hope it brings you good fortune and tasty food. I would like to apologize for the long break, but the holidays brought me to my knees with all the extra things life threw at me. For starters, I had to rebuild my Subaru's engine. Ick! Now that the drama llama has left for the new year (I HOPE!) it's back to business on keeping the second class citizens of the restaurant world, ie: Celiacs, well fed and maybe dare I say FAT!

I pick on the restaurants because:

a) a car company cannot claim their car to be the highest MPG because they left out an engine.

b) a movie cannot have the rating dropped from R for violence to PG by telling you to close your eyes.

c) a restaurant cannot claim to be gluten free by telling you to order your meal without the bread, sauce, or spices. Sorry Outback. You been called out!

d) ALL OF THE ABOVE

Here is how my strange little mind works. If I went to your house with the promise of a GF meal, and you served me a slab of unspiced and unflavored meat and nothing else I would think, "At least they are trying. Gluten is sneaky. Almost Ninja.", but if you then handed me a bill for $20 I would be saying such unkind things to you that you would not only have to take the GF off your description, but probably the family friendly as well. Please remember that we (GF people) have to read the back of every label before purchasing. The words on those labels are longer than those on my child's junior home chemistry set. The creative ways that companies repackage the names of crap (CORN SUGAR? ARE YOU SERIOUS?) or label it with the safety net "MAY contain...", or even lie about it. Even if we weren't highly intelligent to begin with, this raises our awareness to a level above your bait and switch "Gluten Free*" menu.

Here are a couple of  places that I have great respect for as far as their choices for an actual gluten free menu.

Burtons Grill

P.F. Changs (not the West Hartford, CT location. Have had questions about cross contamination)

As much as it pains me... Our local Burger King does say order without bun and that Fries are cooked separately as to be GF. I give them credit because there is only so much you can do with fast food. After all, it is what you eat when you forgot to pack healthy or just do not care.

Just remember. "Fool me once..." as well as a hospital visit, is a lot easier to avoid if you are cooking for yourself. This week I will be working on adjusting a couple recipes to be even further limited in allergens, but I promise I will get back to trying and posting the new stuff by the end of the week.