tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16109761707429715162024-03-13T12:40:46.032-07:00GET OFF GLUTEN!(Gluten Free -- Casein Free) Plus information to change your life, inspire you, and recipes that are gluten free AND healthy.JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-90947003535833252392009-10-04T09:12:00.000-07:002010-05-10T07:41:58.583-07:00Recipe for Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread<div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Whole Grain Gluten-Free Bread Recipe</strong></span></div><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfvc4V1v_wI/AAAAAAAAAPk/JXvB43IxrjM/s1600-h/bread.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 165px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331097444416487170" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfvc4V1v_wI/AAAAAAAAAPk/JXvB43IxrjM/s320/bread.JPG" /></a><br />When our family made the switch to a gluten-free diet, there was one thing we found especially difficult to find: a healthy gluten-free bread that was delicious. Yes there were lots of recipes on the internet, and many box mixes for sale, and even fully baked loaves available at the grocery store -- but very few of them weren't loaded with lots of things that we had already eliminated from our diets as we moved towards eating in a more healthful way. Of the few we found that didn't contain objectionable ingredients, they still consisted in large part of refined starches. What's worse they really didn't even taste that good. That's when we decided we'd rather adjust to a bread-less life, then waste our daily caloric quota on something that not only wasn't really contributing important nutrients, but wasn't even that tasty. After all -- the whole point of going gluten-free was to improve our health. We were used to eating whole grains. What sense did it make to eliminate gluten but then load up on refined starch, sugar and fat?<br /><br />But then I got an idea to try making bread using whole grains and a "sourdough" approach. After much experimentation, I found a way to make a 100% gluten-free whole grain bread. My recipe has no added sugar, no refined starches, and no added oils. It is eggless and dairyless too. There are no scary ingredients, and except for xanthan gum, none that average people in the world might not be familiar with. (For those new to this journey, xanthan gum is sold in natural foods stores, as a dry white powder. It is made from a fermentation process, and helps gluten free products stay together and can also be used as a thickener.) I am so excited about this recipe that I decided to just give it away -- whether you decide to buy my book or not. I figure if you do try it, you might just want more healthy gluten-free recipes to enjoy -- then I figure you'll buy my book.<br /><br />You will not believe how wonderful this tastes! In fact it has gotten rave reviews from my non-GF friends. I realize that the instructions below may sound a little daunting at first, but really once you create a good starter and learn to care for it, the rest is really easy. And trust me -- this bread is sooooo worth it!<br /><br />I am especially proud that I found a way to make a truly whole-grain bread that has NO added oils, NO egg or dairy, and NO refined starches or sugars. But let me warn you, when you pull it steaming out of the oven -- in spite of the fact that it is nearly impossible to slice beautifully until it cools -- it is hard to not stuff hunks of it right into your mouth -- it is THAT good. (I've learned to make two loaves at once in order to have one that I can slice up into neat slices.)<br /><br /><p>For the record, Buckwheat itself does NOT contain gluten. Botanically, the plant is not even related to wheat (in spite of its name). Buckwheat is actually in the rhubarb family. I prefer to grind my own buckwheat flour, from whole raw hulled buckwheat to assure I am getting 100% of the whole grain in a fresh state. There is a possibility of cross contamination when using whole grains – depending upon the facility that packaged them. If you are extremely sensitive to gluten, you may be better off purchasing pre-ground buckwheat flour that has been batch tested and guaranteed gluten-free.<br /></p><p>The first recipe below is for the starter. (A gluten-free/casein free sourdough starter) You will need to store finished starter in the fridge, and “feed it” a tsp of water and tsp of flour (mix it in) every few days. All freshly ground flours should be stored in the freezer. </p><br /><p>NOTES ON WATER: I USE DISTILLED OR RO WATER FOR ALL MY FOOD PREPARATIONS. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IF YOU USE REGULAR TAP WATER IN THIS RECIPE, SOME OF THE CHEMICALS IN THE WATER MAY PREVENT THE SOURDOUGH CULTURE FROM GROWING PROPERLY. I SUGGEST THAT YOU USE PURIFIED WATER.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size:180%;">Making the GF/CF Starter</span><br /><br /><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br /><br />5 large dark red organic grapes. (some people have gotten non-organic grapes to work!)<br />1 cup of buckwheat flour (finely ground – important for starter)<br />1 cup of water<br /><br /><strong>Directions:<br /></strong></p><ol><li>Gently rinse the grapes with water. (Be careful that you don't wash the naturally occurring yeasts off of them.) Then peel the skins and set aside. (You can eat the insides now.) </li><br /><br /><li>Place the flour and water into a small bowl and mix well, breaking up all lumps. </li><br /><br /><li>Add the grape skins to the flour and water mixture and mix a little more.</li><br /><br /><li>Cover the bowl with a wet cloth napkin and set on the counter, out of sun for 2-3days.</li><br /><br /><li>Stir the mixture several times a day. Keep the napkin wet.</li><br /><br /><li>Smell the mixture and check for an increase in volume and bubbly look. Look for the surface to turn slightly mauve colored. When this happens, search for and remove all remnants of grape skin. </li><br /><br /><li>Feed the mixture a teaspoon of buckwheat flour and a teaspoon of water about every 12 hours for 3 more days.<br /><br /><br />Now your starter is ready to use. I find that if I keep it out of the fridge for another week – and keep feeding it every day, (or making bread every day) it seems to work even better.</li></ol><br /><br /><p><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">To Make Sourdough Bread</span>:</strong></p><br /><br /><p>Ingredients:<br /><br />1 cup buckwheat flour<br />1 cup water<br />¼ cup sourdough starter (from above recipe)<br />2 cups buckwheat flour<br />1 cup garbanzo flour<br />½ cup raw shelled sunflower seeds (OPTIONAL -- leave out for lower fat product!)<br />2 & 3/4 cups plus 2 TBS water<br />½ cup ground flax seeds<br />1 ½ tsp salt<br />1 ½ tsp xanthan gum<br />1 tsp baking soda<br /><br /><strong>Directions:<br /></strong></p><ol><li>Mix 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water and add your entire jar of starter (about ¼ cup). Cover bowl with wet cloth. Let sit about 12 hours. </li><br /><br /><li>When bubbly, with rich “sour” smell, remove about ¼ cup of the starter. (refill the same amount back into your starter jar) and put it back into the refrigerator for use next time. The rest of this starter will be used in step 5 below.</li><br /><br /><li>Place the remaining 2 cups of buckwheat flour, garbanzo flour, sunflower seeds and baking soda in a large bowl and mix well with a wire whisk. </li><br /><br /><li>Place 2 ¾ cups plus 2 TBS of water and the flax seeds in blender and blend until thick and creamy. Add the salt and xanthan gum and blend well. </li><br /><br /><li>Pour the wet into the dry, add the starter and mix well. This will be more of a thick batter, then a dough. </li><br /><br /><li>Cut a piece of parchment paper about12 x 14 inches and set it in a loaf pan. Spoon the sourdough into the pan, stand the edges of the parchment paper up straight to support a moist cloth napkin that you place on top of this. </li><br /><br /><li>Set undisturbed for 6- 14 hours (depends on temperature) – until it increases in size, nearly overflowing pan. The time will be less if you can keep temperature at about 100 degrees. Bake it in a preheated oven at 360 degrees for about 60-70 minutes. After it cools, store in the refrigerator. If you want very thin slices – wait until it is completely cool to cut it. </li></ol><br /><p>Additionally we have found after storing it in the refrigerator, it tastes MUCH better if we pop the slices in the toaster oven before serving them. Interestingly -- even when toasting -- the slices don't really brown up much -- but they will got hot and fragrant and really yummy. If you really want to impress people (and fat is not an issue) -- serve it with a nice pesto or garlic --olive oil spread (that recipe is in my book too.)<br /><br /></p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-14484532215079496652009-08-20T10:53:00.005-07:002010-09-25T12:28:26.804-07:00Hearty Miso SoupForget the chicken soup! If you want something to really boost your immune system, go with Miso Soup. Every ingredient in it, has something significant to contribute to healing or infection fighting, and just as important is what it does NOT have in it -- namely dead and decaying flesh, nor large amounts of fat to to muck up your digestive system and divert your body's resources from healing and repair to digestion and removal of additional toxins.<br /><br />This can be made fairly quicly too. If you use fresh shitakes, the soup can be ready to eat in less then thirty minutes.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />9 cups purified water -- reserve two cups for the third step<br />5-6 large shitake mushrooms, (preferably) fresh or dried<br />1/2 cup dried arame (sea vegetable)<br />1/2 cup dried wakame (sea vegetable)<br />3-4 large cloves of garlic finely chopped<br />3 carrots washed and sliced thinly<br />1 bunch (about five cups) of La Cinate Kale (aka dinosaur or black kale)<br />1 piece about the size of a golf ball of fresh giner root<br />6 TBS non-gmo Mellow White Miso<br />1 TBS non-gmo wheat free tamari<br /><br />Directions:<br /><br />1) Rinse shitakes and put them into a large pot with 7 cups of the water, the arame, wakame, and garlic. Bring pot to a boil on high for five minutes. If using dried shitakes turn off the heat and allow pot to sit covered for thirty minutes before adding anything else. If using fresh shitakes, go right on to the next step.<br /><br />2) Turn stove to low and add the carrots and allow them to simmer for five more minutes. Then add the kale, stir well simmering for another minute, then replace lid and turn off the heat.<br /><br />3) Coarsly chop the giner root and put it into the blender with the two cups of reserved water. Remove the shitakes from the pot using a slotted spoon, cut the steps off and add the stems to the blender. Slice the mushroom caps thinly and return the caps to the pot. Turn the blender on high until the stems and ginger are totally blended. Then add the miso and blend again until smooth. Pour the entire contents of the blender into the pot.<br /><br />4) Add the tamari, stir and serve.<br /><br />Garnish with freshly chopped scallions and serve with gamasio for everyone to add at the table.<br /><br />Make sure that you use always use only organic or non-gmo tamari and miso -- otherwise, most soy now is genetically modified. More and more data is coming to light suggesting that genetically modified foods, contain toxins in amounts that our bodies are not accustomed to. For example, animals fed gmo products had livers and kidneys larger then normal and sometimes had more difficulty getting pregnant or carrying preganancys to term.<br /><br />If you would prefer a "soy-free" version of this, omit the tamari, and substitute chickpea miso for the mellow white miso. Also, if you are sick and like or can tolerate more ginger and more garlic, by all means add more then what I have listed here (you can double the amount) -- they are really great for fighting infections.JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-19792235685643322592009-08-20T10:53:00.003-07:002010-04-14T18:37:59.833-07:00Lettuce-Lentil-Pate WrapsI was looking for a new appetizer for use as a party food, when I came up with this one. Everyone who has tried these has absolutely loved them -- plus they aren't too fatty, are soy free, gluten-free, dairy free, egg free. A couple of days ago I made about 20 of these and cut them into thirds and put them on a tray with several dozen of my spinach triangles , and a few dozen spring rolls. I must say it looked quite lovely. I took them to a party and set them on the food table. Literally within 15 minutes the plate was bare. I had a bit of a mixed reaction to this -- on the one hand I was glad that they were so well recieved...on the other hand, it was a bit disturbing to realize that something I had spent most of the afternoon creating was gone so quickly.<br /><br />Basically to make this recipe, you will need rice paper wrappers, fresh lettuce leaves and the lentil-walnut pate filling (below) You simply dip the rice paper into a pan of warm water, lay it out on the counter until it softens and then becomes sticky, cover the half of the rice paper nearest you with lettuce leaves, then place about two table spoons of the pate in a rectangle in the middle of the lettuce (and spread it out so that it is about 4 inches long and and one inch wide) The fold the left and right sides of the wrapper in towards the middle - but only enough to just start to cover the pate. Then starting with the part of the wrapper nearest you, just roll it up away from you -- as snug as you can. Then set it aside while you make the next one. I actually wet and set out about 8- 10 wrappers at once, then put leaves on them all, then put pate on the leaves and then one by one roll them up -- this seems most efficient.<br /><br /><br />Recipe for the Pate:<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils, picked over to remove any alien objects, washed in a bowl of water and drained in a strainer. (Do this several times. to assure that any possible gluten exposure from storage and transport has been rinsed away.)<br /><br />4 cups water.<br /><br />2 large onions diced<br /><br />1 tsp olive oil<br /><br />1 cup chopped green beans<br /><br />1 cup ground raw walnuts<br /><br />3 TBS chick pea miso<br /><br />1/2 tsp ground black pepper<br /><br />Directions:<br /><br />Place the washed lentils into a saucepan, add the water and bring to a boil and simmer covered until all the water is absorbed. Then turn off heat and remove lid and allow to sit for five minutes.<br /><br />2. Smear the bottom of a skillet with the olive oil, put on high and add the onions, stirring frequently to keep from sticking. After about 5 minutes turn burnder to low and allow to continue cooking for at least half an hour until they are blackened and very soft. Turn off heat.<br /><br />3. Place lentils, onions, walnuts, green beans, miso, and pepper into a food processor fitted with an "S" blade. and process on high until smooth and creamy.JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-58006705256720678652009-08-20T10:53:00.001-07:002010-03-05T15:35:36.497-08:00Oil - Free Banana Bread<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Gluten Free Oil Free Banana Bread</strong></span><br /><br />This gluten-free, vegan banana bread is so moist that you would never guess that it is made without any oils. The little bit of fat that it does contain, comes from ground flax seeds. It is also nearly sugar free as well -- using just a tiny 1/4 cup of maple syrup (make sure you use the REAL stuff -- not maple flavored corn syrup!) to make a very large pan of banana bread. The rest of the sweetness comes from whole dates, whole bananas and stevia extract. The stevia is not an absolute must here -- but it does really improve the taste.<br /><br /><br /><br />This recipe is adapted from the very first cookbook I ever bought -- <em>The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook.</em> In spite of the fact, that the Farm recipes are loaded with oils, white sugar and white wheat flour -- I STILL love this book! It has a fabulous section describing how to make your own tofu, and tempeh, and features so many of the basic comfort food recipes that I sometimes want to make. I learned long ago to use it only as a guide -- and to substitute (in a BIG WAY) for all of the ingredients that I no longer keep in my kitchen. So here is my adaptation of their banana bread -- but WAY healthier and still delicious. Amazingly this recipe does not require xanthan gum in order to stay together -- and by grinding your own millet, you not only save money (organic millet is cheep!) but are assured that you are using a whole grain product. The recipe calls for a "milk" I use fresh raw almond milk or cashew milk (recipes in my book) which I usually have on hand, but you could use any vegan milk here -- all are free of cholesterol -- or even water would probably work fine if you really want to have a minimum fat. I typically do not have jarred applesauce on hand -- instead I just put whole apples (minus the core -- and remove skins if not organic) into the blender and blend until the consistancy of applesauce)<br /><br /><br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br /><br /><br />2 cups millet flour (put whole millet in your blender and blend until powdery then measure)<br /><br />1 cup sorghum flour<br /><br />1 cup ground flax seeds (golden flax has milder taste -- I recommend it)<br /><br />1 tsp Rumford baking powder<br /><br />1 tsp baking soda<br /><br />1/2 tsp salt<br /><br /><br /><br />1 cup of apple sauce or blended apples (put apples in blender until like sauce then measure)<br /><br />3 cups blended bananas (peal and blend -- then measure about{ 4-6 bananas})<br /><br />1/2 cup of ricemilk, soymilk or almond milk -- even water --your choice<br /><br />1 cup chopped dates (remove pits, chop, THEN measure)<br /><br />1/4 maple syrup<br /><br />1 TBS pure vanilla extract. (Costco sells a very economical gluten free vanilla extract!)<br /><br />2 tsp liquid stevia extract (I get the best results with Sweetleaf Stevia Clear)<br /><br /><br /><br />Dirctions:<br /><br /><br /><br />1) Preheat the oven to 3:50 F<br /><br />2) Mix the first six (dry) ingredients together in a large bowl<br /><br />3) Put the remaining 7 ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth<br /><br />4) Line a 9 x 12 baking pan with parchment paper or else use a tiny amount of oil (less then 1 tsp to oil the bottom and 1 inch up the sides.<br /><br />5) Add the wet to the dry and mix just enough to moisten the dry and remove lumps -- DON'T over mix!<br /><br />6) Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven for 50-60 minutes until it just starts to brown.<br /><br /><br /><br />The banana bread is best right out of the oven -- but you must store leftovers in the refridgerator due to it's high water content! We like to pop the chilled banana bread into the toaster oven before eating it.JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-57825646303271903142009-08-20T10:52:00.003-07:002009-11-28T12:13:51.774-08:00Mild White Cheeze-- Amazing!<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Mild White Cheeze -- Amazing! (gfcf and soy free)</strong></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br />I have my brother-in-law to thank for this recipe. He was coming to Thanksgiving dinner, and I needed a cheese to put out with the crackers before dinner that he could eat -- meaning no soy and no yeast. Now that might not seem like a tall order, but when you consider that everything that goes into or comes out of my kitchen is already gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, and that I am ever conscious of trying to reduce or completely omit the oils from my cooking...... well you can start to see that I had a terrifically inspiring challenge.<br /><br />It was late the night before. I was bone tired and about to head to bed, and I suddenly got this idea -- it was sort of a melding of several other recipes that I had seen. The final alchemy came from a conversation I had with my friend Andre a few days prior, in which he shared with me his recent experiences playing in the kitchen with tapiocha flour.<br /><br />I blended some tapiocha flour with water, threw it in a pot on the stove and added a sprinkling of agar flakes to the top. I lit the fire and then turned my attention to the blender, where I put in some raw almonds and cashews and a little bits of other flavorful ingredients. After about five minutes, of boiling, I added the pot of liquid to the blender and put it on high until it was just totally smooth and creamy. Then I poured the contents into a small glass dish, covered it and let it harden in the refridgerator. The resulting "Cheeze" was simply amazing. Everyone at our Thanksgiving (which let me tell you included a very wide range of culinary preferences.) loved the cheeze.<br /><br />Today, I just made the recipe a second time -- increasing the amounts of a few of the flavoring ingredients, and I think it is even better. This cheeze is very quick and easy to make. However it does call for some ingredients that some people may not be familiar with. Umboshi plum paste is found in the macrobiotic section of the natural foods store. It is a beautiful reddish pink paste with a very salty taste. My favorite is made by Eden foods. Another brand that I sometimes use is "Sushi Sonic". Miso, is salty bean paste also used in macrobiotic and traditional asian cooking. It is usually in the refridgerated section. Most miso is made from Soy beans, and some miso even has barley in it and would thus not be gluten free. But South River (<a href="http://www.southrivermiso.com/">http://www.southrivermiso.com/</a>) makes a chick pea miso that is not only soy free and gluten free, but even is packaged in glass jars. It is a fantastic product. It is pricy but you only need two tablespoons of miso to make a block of cheeze that is over two cups in volume. So that comes out to be a dollar's worth of miso to make this recipe. The last "unusal ingredient is also tradtional to asian cooking. It is called Mirin. It is a sweet rice cooking wine. No mirin that I have ever tried is as good as the mirin made my Eden foods. So I encourage you to find it and not sub something else here.<br /><br />Not only is this cheeze slicable, but it is delicious, creamy and satisfying. In additon it is gluten- free, vegan, soy free, peanut-free, casein-free, dairy-free, and even oil free. The only fat here is from a small amount of whole raw nuts, so enjoy<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />2 cups water<br />2 T tapiocha flour<br />2 T Eden Agar flakes<br /><br />1/3 cup raw almonds<br />1/3 cup raw cashews<br />4 tsp umboshi plum paste<br />2 T chickpea miso<br />1 T Eden mirin<br />1 tsp onion powder<br />1/2 tsp garlic powder<br />1/2 tsp yellow mustard (Natural Value is gluten free)<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1/2 tsp paprika<br /><br />Directions:<br /><br /><ol><li>Blend cool or room temp water with tapiocha, put it into a saucepan and sprinkle the agar flakes on top. Then turn on the heat and bring it to boil. Turn down heat and allow to boil slowly for five minutes.</li><li>Place all remaining ingredients into a blender (I use a Vitamix -- but a regular blender would probably work -- but you might just have to blend a little longer.)</li><li>Remove the water/tapiocha/agar mixture from the heat and pour immediately into the blender, put on the lid and blend on high until totally smooth and creamy. If using a regular blender, you will probably need to stop a few times and scrape down the sides and then blend again.</li><li>Pour hot mixture into a glass bowl or other mold, cover and place into the refridgerator. In a few hours it will harden up and then can be sliced or shredded.</li></ol><p>This recipe yeilds one 20 oz block of cheeze.</p><p>Each ounce contains about</p><p>40 calories and 3 grams of fat</p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-88288137151100591222009-08-20T10:52:00.001-07:002009-10-30T09:12:20.171-07:00Gluten-Free Cranberry Muffins (Oil-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan)<strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Whole Grain Gluten Free/Oil Free Cranberry muffins</span></strong><br />(makes 12 Large muffins)<br /><br />This is a recipe for cranberry lovers! The combination of flavors with a subtle sweetness really lets you taste the cranberries, without overpowering your tastebuds. It has the added advantage of being GFCF (gluten-free, casein -free) and is low enough in fat to be eaten by those following a McDougall, Esselstyn or Pritikin diet. The small amount of fat in these comes from flax seeds and cashews, which provide just enough fat to create a nice "mouth-feel" and allow the finished muffins to be moist and rich. (It comes out to just ONE teaspoon of cashews and ONE teaspoon of flax in each finished muffin)<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />1 cup sorghum flour<br />1/2 cup brown rice flour<br />1/2 cup quinoa flakes<br />1/4 cup tapiocha flour OR arrowroot powder<br />1/4 cup ground flax seeds<br />1 tsp xanthan gum<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp baking soda<br />1/2 tsp salt<br /><br />1 cup frozen (unsweetened) orange juice concentrate<br />2 very ripe bananas<br />3/4 cup water<br />1/4 cup cashews<br />1 cup chopped dates (pit and chop BEFORE measuring)<br />1 tsp real vanilla extract<br />1 tsp real orange extract<br /><br />2 cups fresh cranberries (washed and picked over to remove bad ones)<br /><br />Directions:<br /><ol><li>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners into a muffin tin.</li><li>Measure out the first nine (dry) ingredients into mixing bowl and mix well with a wire wisk.</li><li>Place all the rest of the ingredients (except cranberries) into a Vitamix (A blender should work ok -- it will just take a little longer) and blend on high until dates and cashews are pretty nearly liquified -- allowing them to sit a few minutes and soak first will aid this process.</li><li>Add the wet ingredients to the dry and use a spatula to get every last drop from the blender. Mix just until blended -- DON'T OVER MIX! and add in the cranberries. Transfer to muffin tins.</li><li>Bake 40 minutes or until they start to brown on top. Serve hot -- they are best right from the oven! (Store left overs in a ziplock bag in the refridgerator -- then toast in a toaster oven before serving.)</li></ol><p> </p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-44177396903628594162009-08-20T10:51:00.001-07:002009-10-27T17:52:57.791-07:00Low-Fat Lemon Cake (GFCF and vegan)<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Low-Fat Lemon Cake (Gluten-Free, Oil-Free)</span></strong><br /><br />I stumbled onto this recipe when I had literally one hour to make a cake and head out the door to a party. I was not happy with any gluten-free cake recipe I had ever thus far seen. Either they were just too loaded with fat and other undesirable things, or they just didn't taste very good. To make matters more challenging (or perhaps to help me to this success...) I was out of all oils, and all granulated sweeteners. I Grabbed my dessert bible -- <em>Fran Costigan's Great Good Desserts Naturally</em> (whole foods and vegan -- but not gluten-free) and looked for a recipe that did not call for any granulated sweeteners. Then I started substituting --- getting rid of the wheat flour and the oil and subbing things that I had on hand.<br /><br />Everyone in my family -- plus everyone at the party loved this cake. In fact, it was one of three cakes set out for people to eat, and it was the only one without dairy and gluten -- and it was gone in a flash -- long before the other two cakes were finished.<br /><br />So here is what I came up with:<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />1 cup sorghum flour<br />1/2 cup quinoa flakes -- put in blender on high until made into flour<br />2 TBS ground golden flax seeds<br />1/2 cup tapiocha flour<br />1-1/2 tsp xanthan gum<br />1-1/2 tsp Rumford baking powder<br />1 tsp baking soda<br />1/2 tsp salt<br /><br />3/4 c finely diced and smashed apple or 3/4 cup applesauce<br />8 dates, pits removed and chopped<br />6 TBS lemon juice<br />2 tsp apple cider vinegar<br />3 TBS raw cashew peices<br />3/4 c real maple syrup<br />2 tsp lemon extract<br />1 tsp vanilla extract<br /><br />2 nonstick cake pans<br />parchment paper<br /><br /><br /><ol><li>Preheat oven to 350 F </li><li>Cut two circles from the parchment paper that are exactly the size of the bottom of the cake pans and carefully set them in the bottom of the pans.</li><li>Add the first 8 ingredients together into a bowl and mix well with a wire wisk.</li><li>Place the smashed apple, chopped dates, lemon juice and vinegar into a blender (I use a Vitamix) and blend on high until all is totally liquified and smooth.</li><li>Add the cashew pieces to the blender, and again blend on high until smooth.</li><li>Add the maple syrup and extracts to the blender, blend once more and then add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry. Use a spatula to get every last drop. Mix just until blended -- be careful not to overmix. </li><li>Carefully split the batter between the two pans. It will be very thick. Use spatula to smooth the tops as flat as possible, and bake for 25 minutes.</li></ol><p>This cake is amazingly moist even though there is no added oil. It tastes great on the day it is made -- and unlike other gluten free cakes that I have made, it <em>still</em> tastes good the next day -- no stale flavor.</p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-7288685917094804832009-01-15T17:20:00.000-08:002011-01-18T15:47:54.626-08:00Chocolate Coconut Date BallsThese are so yummy and so easy if you have a Vitamix. If not a food processor or regular blender would work too, but you might want to split this into batches and would probably have to blend longer.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />1 1/2 cups chopped packed pitted dates (pit and chop BEFORE measuring)<br />1 cup dried flaked coconut ("Let's Do Organics" has some with no icky added chemicals!)<br />2/3 cup unsweetended cocoa powder<br />1/2 cup raw, unsalted, cashew peices<br />1/4 cup raw almonds<br />2 tsp vanilla extract<br /><br />Directions:<br /><br />1) Sprinkle some of the cocoa in the blender, add some of the dates, sprinkle more cocoa, then more dates keep doing this until all are added -- Then blend until it's like fine crumbs.<br /><br />2) Add the coconut, blend some more.<br /><br />3) Then add the cashews and almonds and Blend until starting to look smooth. (With a blender or food processor you might need to stop occasionally and scrape down the sides) Then transfer contents to a bowl and mix in the vanilla with your hands. Then form into little round balls -- about the size of large grapes, and freeze them. Serve frozen.<br /><br />Oh -- you can also substitute carob powder for the cocoa in this recipe and it works extremely well -- many people had no idea I wasn't serving them chocolate!JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-31977847490158998402008-12-24T09:35:00.000-08:002010-12-24T11:57:26.529-08:00Exchange City Pictures<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRT2LcP44LI/AAAAAAAAAY4/VL08vHh1vtc/s1600/ec19.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554334916876492978" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRT2LcP44LI/AAAAAAAAAY4/VL08vHh1vtc/s400/ec19.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTz0bGFjUI/AAAAAAAAAYw/6H4iFAGk3WI/s1600/ec8.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554332322406698306" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTz0bGFjUI/AAAAAAAAAYw/6H4iFAGk3WI/s400/ec8.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTyr4eLCAI/AAAAAAAAAYo/UM19FnFQHIU/s1600/ec4.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; 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WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554308341672982146" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTeAj5oNoI/AAAAAAAAAVY/OcxZoLlS4_0/s400/cutribbon.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTdscArZCI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/ozKO7VZ3-Bs/s1600/cop.judge1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554307995957683234" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTdscArZCI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/ozKO7VZ3-Bs/s400/cop.judge1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTdUMOrhUI/AAAAAAAAAVI/wZ2iutppCSc/s1600/adm6.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554307579404584258" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTdUMOrhUI/AAAAAAAAAVI/wZ2iutppCSc/s400/adm6.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTczr-c2JI/AAAAAAAAAVA/kz7LjvLh9sA/s1600/adm5.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554307020990765202" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTczr-c2JI/AAAAAAAAAVA/kz7LjvLh9sA/s400/adm5.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTcVph03uI/AAAAAAAAAU4/KAStjBd2DQE/s1600/adm4.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554306504937758434" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTcVph03uI/AAAAAAAAAU4/KAStjBd2DQE/s400/adm4.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTb9qP5VVI/AAAAAAAAAUw/FKQVz4maGiI/s1600/adm3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554306092814128466" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTb9qP5VVI/AAAAAAAAAUw/FKQVz4maGiI/s400/adm3.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTbn5ULHYI/AAAAAAAAAUo/oDy2a5bAaHE/s1600/adm2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554305718901480834" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/TRTbn5ULHYI/AAAAAAAAAUo/oDy2a5bAaHE/s400/adm2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-12402759282474472542008-12-23T20:15:00.000-08:002010-04-30T21:24:58.724-07:00Gluten Free shopping at Costco<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/S0vmQdOKUHI/AAAAAAAAASU/q3ZJ8BRUGG4/s1600-h/101_2539.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 213px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 154px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425683346494214258" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/S0vmQdOKUHI/AAAAAAAAASU/q3ZJ8BRUGG4/s320/101_2539.JPG" /></a><br /><div align="left"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Gluten Free at Costco</span></strong> </div><div align="left">(Our snow horse to the right has nothing to do with this post -- just thought it was a fun picture to share from this amazing Jan 2010 snow we have been having!)<br /><br />For some time now I have been a Costco member, and since going gluten free have been happy to see Costco carrying more and more items that are labeled, "gluten free".</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Since friends keep asking me, what specifically I am buying at Costco, I thought that I'd just post here all the great, gluten-free bargains I am finding there. FYI -- I will only be listing products that I would be willing to buy for my family, so if it comes from a company that I will not do business with (like White Wave -- whose ethics I find disturbing) then I won't be telling you about it here. Also if the product uses ingredients that have a high probability of being genetically modified and I either don't know or haven't had the time to get confirmation that nothing in it is genetically engineered, I will not be mentioning it either. Ditto for things that contain high fructose corn syrup, artifical colors and flavors, MSG, trans fats, cottonseed oil, potassium sorbate or related compounds, casein, whey, or animal protein, or if it was grown or packaged in China.<br /><br />I like shopping at Costco. They are one of the better "big-box" stores, paying a living wage to employees. In general, the produce they offer is some of the best that I can find -- and there are lots of organic things too. Furthermore, when I have called them with technical questions, they have gone to great lengths to provide me answers, and in one case providing me documentation that I requested. (The case in point was when I wanted to find out if their Kirkland (store brand) marinated artichoke hearts were packaged in canola oil that was NOT genetically engineered. It took a few days for someone to get to back to me with the answer I was hoping for -- but in fact they said the canola oil was sourced from suppliers who assured them that it was non GMO canola. I was still skeptical and asked if the producer of the artichoke hearts could provide me something in writing to this effect and they DID. I was impressed.)<br /><br />For those of you not familiar with Costco, be forewarned -- while there are some things that they tend to carry regularly, (I think if it carries their "Kirkland" label you can depend upon it being in stock) there is much that they get one time -- have available for several months until it runs out and then never have it again. So my advice, if you see something there that you like, that is non-perishable, at a good price -- stock up! </div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Here is what I found at Costco on Thursday April 30, 2010:</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Pink Lady Apples -- these come 12 wrapped in hard plastic for 6.99. (this comes to about 1.27 per pound) These apples are delicious! They also had some other varieties for around this price, (Galas were 7.99) but I think these are by far the tastiest. They are not organic, so we peel them before eating them. Save the plastic containers -- they are great for starting seedlings indoors in them, and I am still trying to figure out how to use the plastic to build some sort of large structure to insulate garden beds in the cooler weather.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Pink Grapefruits. A ten pound bag is 6.49. Grown in the USA. Very sweet.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Broccoli florrets. a 3 pound bag ready to stirfry or steam is just 4.29. They store great in the fridge for a week too. </div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Organic carrots. This is a ten pound bag by Earthbound Farms for 5.99. Stores forever in the fridge. VERY sweet, make great juice, can be grated into salads, or cooked into soup, stir frys, roasted with other veggies or just snacked on raw.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Organic Baby spinach by Earthbound Farms. Spinach is one of the foods that you should only get the organic, because it tends to have so much pesticide on it. (Which I totally don't understand -- in my garden it is virtually untouched by insects.) a one pound box is 3.99, and just the amount you will need to make my cheezy <a href="http://getoffgluten.blogspot.com/search/label/Spinach%20Triangles">spinach triangles</a>.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Organic spring mix (baby salad greens) by Taylor Fresh, comes in a 1 pound plastic box and and sells for 4.29. Save the plastic boxes these come in too -- they are sooooo handy. I can put them over garden transplants to protect them for the first few days or from a light frost, they are great for bringing food like cookies and other baked goods to friends, my daughter can sort and store legos and other toys into them and they also hold a dozen or more small plant pots during the days that they have to be moved in and out of the house -- and watered inside without getting my floor wet.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Sugar Snap peas -- two pound bag of these raw is 5.49</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Clementines -- grown in the USA , a five pound bag is 6.99.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left">California Naval oranges come in a 13 pound bag for 8.99 (.69 per pound)</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Avocados -- Costco always has the best ones I can find anywhere! They come 5 to a bag -- fairly large too, for 4.99.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left">Sweet onions from Texas, come in a ten pound bag and sell for 6.99. </div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left">A three pound bag of garlic, grown in the USA is 5.49.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left">Beefstake (greenhouse grown) tomatoes by Clifford are a great bargain at 5 pounds for 6.49. They are from... get this CANADA!!, so you don't have to worry that your tomatoe purchase is hurting exploited mexican workers.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left">The tomatoes I just bought however were the Romas at a slightly higher price (but they taste a little better and work well on salads. A 2 pound box is 3.99 They say "grown in the USA" and "pesticide free"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Vocanic Lemon Juice -- Organic, from Italy and comes in glass bottles. 1 liter size is 3.89 each. It makes great lemonaide -- I sweeten it with liquid stevia extract (use Stevia Clear by Wisdom Herbs -- it tastes better then any others I've tried) for a sugar free and low calorie and delicious drink. Once opened the bottles keep well in the fridge for over a month.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Kirkland Vanilla Extact, the real thing -- unfortunately it is packaged in plastic and does have sugar in it...but because such small amounts are generally used and this is a such a good price, I do buy this. It comes in a pint size and sells for 6.39.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Kirkland (supposedly) raw almonds (Thanks to the California Almond Board, almonds are now pasturized but can still be labled raw....) These come in a 3 pound bag, taste great and sell for 9.39, They make great almond milk (easy recipe in my book).</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Kirkland Raw Walnuts also in a 3 pound bag and sell for 11.97. These make a terrific oil-free pesto, and are also a key ingredient in my new recipe in my <a href="http://getoffgluten.blogspot.com/2009/08/temp6.html">lettuce lentil pate wraps.</a></div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Although not organic, I don't think that is such a big deal with olive oil -- it is important to only get extra virgin though -- which means it is the first pressing, and has not been chemically extracted. It comes in a 1 liter bottle. tastes great and sells for 11.99.</div><div align="left">,</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Wholesome Organic Blue Agave nectar. Although I have been hearing some things lately that are making me not use agave so much any more (turns out most Agaves are highly processed) I do still use this in a few recipes. It comes two 23.5 oz bottles for 7.69.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left">Dried mushrooms from Manitou Trading Compnay (via Woodland Farms) come in a 5 oz container (about half gallon size) and are labeled "gourmet mushroom blend" They are grown in the USA, and sell for 14.99. Make a great mushroom gravy.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left">Japanese Green Tea, in these lovely little fabric-like tea bags. 100 bags for 12.99</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Maple Syrup. Kirkland brand. Now this is the sweetener I use most -- along with whole dates and stevia. This is a better price then I have found anywhere else. 32 oz for 12.99. (in plastic unfortunately though) But it does taste great in Chocolate Chip flax cookies. (A must try recipe in my book -- half the mass in these cookies is from ground flax seeds -- and everyone just loves them!</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Kirkland Brand Organic Strawberry spread. In a 42 oz GLASS jar. for 6.49. Made in the USA. A great deal. It tastes great. Too good in fact for me to buy it very often. My family inhales the stuff and it is sweetened with organic sugar. But it does taste great on my sourdough bread. (Not like I need to encourage them to eat more of that either.)</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Earthly Delights had some sort of pomegranite juice (with other fruits mixed in) on sale that they were sampling. I didn't buy it -- mainly because it was in plastic and I have noticed a plastic taste in juices before, but it did have a great ingredient list -- no added sugar, sweetened with stevia, It came 4/32 oz bottles for 7.99.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Classico Tomato and Basil Sauce, labled gluten free, in glass jars was selling for 6.89 for THREE 32 oz jars. We love this stuff -- so much that we were actually grabbing spoonfuls to eat while cooking pasta. This will store in the pantry for a long time and can be used to make my mini pizzas (in my book) in less then ten minutes time.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Contadina Tomato Products in very large cans. These are the industrial sized cans -- which I love more then those dinky little cans, because I can use them in my garden (remove both ends and put them around tender plants, small trees -- or cover one end with screen to keep the caterpillers off your broccoli) Ok but that's not the only reason I buy them -- they are cheep and tasty too. And except for Eden Foods canned products, all cans are lined with a plastic coating that contains the nasty stuff -- Bisphenol A . (which acts like estrogen in our bodies) A real concern, but I can't resist the price on these. Diced tomatos 102 oz is 2.82, Tomato sauce in 105 oz is 2.24. and crushed tomatoes come 106 oz for 2.69. I prefer the diced and use them in everything (when my own tomatoes are out of season.) I simply store the remainder that I don't use in the fridge -- and use it up during the next few days in my lentil soup, layered eggplant and zucchini bake, to make marinara sauce, with chili....</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Kirkland Marinated artichoke hearts. I do wish they would leave off the oil -- I'd much prefer these in water. But no point putting all that oil in my body (which Costco has assured me is from NON-GMO canola). I pour off the oil/vinegar mix, soak the hearts in more water and rinse them very well. Then I collect all the oil and water and freeze it -- the non-oil parts freeze solid and I scrape off the oil and save it. I now have several gallons saved in the garage -- makes great oil candles (just add a wick) These come 65 oz in a glass jar for 8.49.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Organicville vinaigrettes. These come 2/24 oz bottles for 7.79. (one is olive oil and balsamic the other is sundried tomato and garlic.) They are labled gluten free. They are in plastic, and although not low fat by any means, we do sometimes keep these on hand for times when my home made dressings run out. (But we all prefer the wonderful salad dressing recipes in my book -- which are also lower in fat too.)</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Lundberg Organic short Grain Brown rice. This is a great bargain. These are 12 pound bags -- and labeled gluten free. They are 13.79 per bag. I use this for grinding into rice flour, making sushi, risotto, breakfast rice (in my book) or just boiling to serve with a stirfry.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Kirkland Balsamic Vinegar. 33.8 bottle for 10.99.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Pilaros pitted Kalamata olives. Jar says "No gluten added" Drained weight is 53 oz and it sells for 6.79.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Tassos Pitted Kalamata olives jar says, "Gluten free" drained weight is 53 oz and it sells for 7.79.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Sadly -- I just realized that the tasty Mrs Mays snack bars and snack bags are MADE IN CHINA!! Boo hoo. They were labeled gluten free, vegan and NON-GMO -- I guess we won't be buying any more of them. (probably a good thing though -- they were very sweet and sticky -hell for the teeth I am sure.)</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">In the frozen section you will find Lisa's Organic Frozen Green Beans. These are a great product. I use them in my Lentil Pate Wraps, shepherd's pie or even when we just need fast food -- I throw a few handfuls in the steamer and we have a warm satisfying snack in minutes. They come 6 pounds for 5.99 and are grown in Canada.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Bybee Oranic White Corn (frozen) is grown in the USA, is very tasty and sells for 5.39 for a five pound bag -- what a deal! another freezer staple at my house.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Bybee organic frozen mixed veggies, (corn, carrots, green beans) come in a 5 pound bag, and sell for 5.79</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">And here is our "can't live without" item, Wyman's frozen wild blueberries. Now these aren't quite as big, nor as sweet as most blueberries -- but because these are wild, they actually have more of the life saving antioxidants that you keep hearing are critical for your eyes, and to reduce your cancer risk, and at 7.99 for a four pound bag -- this one is worth stocking up on as many as your freezer will hold. We use these almost daily in our breakfast smoothies, or our evening icecream (made from almonds, bananas and stevia -- so not too decadent but really delicious) And they also are great in my blueberry muffins or buckwheat pancakes.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Kirkland (Radar Farms) mixed berries ( Raspberry, blueberry and Marionberry) sell for 9.59 for 4 pounds, Not near the bargain (in terms of money or antioxidants as the wild blueberries) but still great for frozen snacking in the heat of summer. And really yummy as a dessert (let them thaw) and then top them with my cashew cream -- for an elegant dessert you can whip up in minutes.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">There are also several choices for organic corn chips at Costco -- but none that I will purchase -- one is packaged on equipment that also handles wheat, (which might not be a problem if they clean it well between runs --but I don't know if they do) and the other lists non-organic soybean oil as an ingredient -- due to my concerns about genetically modified soy -- I won't buy this. I am amazed that a company would be so stupid to make a tortilla chip from organic corn, but then use conventional soybean oil in it.</div><div align="left">.<br />On previous trips to Costco I also found these items:</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"><br /><strong>Organic fresh raspberries</strong> -- They have them from time to time -- much less expensive then anywhere else I've seen them --- but still pricey -- hey they are raspberries -- so fragile -- it's best to grow your own. </div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"><strong>Organic Quinoa by Earthly Delights</strong> -- A four pound bag was 10.99. It is labeled, "Gluten Free" and under allergen information, says it is produced on equipment shared with peanut and tree nut products. It is grown in Bolivia and packed in the USA.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"><strong></strong></div>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-39461417673614094742008-05-05T09:08:00.000-07:002009-08-23T20:46:02.236-07:00Fat-Free Dolmas<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Fat-Free Dolma Recipe</span></strong></div><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><p><br /><br /></p><p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2d67LvYrI/AAAAAAAAARE/jTIYG8Hl5os/s1600-h/dolmafin11.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372123566167777970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 236px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2d67LvYrI/AAAAAAAAARE/jTIYG8Hl5os/s400/dolmafin11.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><em>(See the not quite fat free variation at the end of this post too!</em></p><p align="center"><em>It is EXTRAORDINARY!!!!)</em> </p><p align="left"><br />I know that the name, "Fat Free Dolmas", must seem like an oxymoron. If you happen to love eating things dripping in olive oil, then my adaptation of this traditional Mediteranean finger food probably won't be very satisfying for you. But I have always found the excessive fat in dolmas a turn off. So I was thrilled to discover that I could make these myself and have them be almost entirely fat-free. As I type this, it is August and the only leafy green growing in abundance in my garden is swiss chard. I've been looking at it, wishing that I had some really wonderful recipe to use all those chard leaves in -- and now I do. That's the other major change I've made to this recipe -- I use chard leaves instead of grape leaves. They are (for me anyway) free and abundant, and the taste ( in this recipe) is not noticably different. Plus, they aren't nearly as stringy as some grape leaves are! There is one more major change -- I've left out using any nuts -- again to cut the fat, and I have replaced them instead with capers. Now I should mention, that every time in the past I have tried capers, I thought they were awful. The smell always reminded me of those formaldehyded speciman jars from biology lab. But recently I found a brand of capers (at Costco in fact and only 6 dollars for about a quart sized jar) <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2wE3m3AxI/AAAAAAAAAR8/qbSwnFfUbe8/s1600-h/dolmacapers1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372143528215773970" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 116px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2wE3m3AxI/AAAAAAAAAR8/qbSwnFfUbe8/s200/dolmacapers1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"Paesana," capers, which other then being extremely salty, are a wonderful addition to this recipe and do not smell like formaldehyde! ----><br /><br />You can leave them out entirely if you are avoiding sodium, but they really do add a lot to how good these taste. The 3 TBS that I have in this recipe adds a total of about 800 mg of sodium -- and then that is divided over about 50 dolmas -- so that only adds about 16 mg of sodium to each dolma -- for most people that's not excessive. Of course the half a cube of boulion adds another 500 mg -- so the total sodium in each dolma is going to be about 25 mg -- depending upon its size. (They will vary depending upon the size of the chard leaf used.) So here it is:<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br /><br />2 medium or larger onions<br />1/2 cup water<br />1/2 cube of Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with sea salt and herbs<br />about 60 swiss chard leaves<br />4 cups cooked long grain brown rice<br />1/3 cup finely chopped mint leaves (measure AFTER chopping)<br />2/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives (measure AFTER chopping)<br />2 TBS fresh lime juice split in half<br />3 TBS capers (make sure they are GOOD tasting ones!!)<br />1/2 tsp of olive oil<br /><br /><br /></p><ol><li>Finely dice the onions and put them, the half cup of water and the half a bouillon cube into a large cast iron skillet. Turn it on high and allow to saute (uncovered) until all the water is absorbed and the onions are just starting to stick. Stir them frequently while cooking, then turn off and let sit when cooked.<br /></li><li>While the onions are cooking, wash the chard leaves and carefully steam them until they wilt. Set aside.<br /></li><li>Now add the cooked rice, mint, chives, and capers to the cast iron skillet of onions and mix well. Then add ONE tablespoon of the lime juice (lemon would work too -- lime is just what I had on hand.)</li><br /><li>Now set out one chard leaf on your work space, with the vein side up and the stem to your left or right. Place about a heaping teaspoon (or more depending upon the size of the leaf) of the rice mixture on the leaf -- BELOW the vein like this:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2gkhbO0zI/AAAAAAAAARU/w-L8Kv7wi-Y/s1600-h/dolmainroll11.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372126479831192370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 151px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2gkhbO0zI/AAAAAAAAARU/w-L8Kv7wi-Y/s200/dolmainroll11.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Then fold the two sides in like this:<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2qU0yuB-I/AAAAAAAAARc/6u96klJUPbg/s1600-h/dolmainroll21.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372137205268350946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2qU0yuB-I/AAAAAAAAARc/6u96klJUPbg/s200/dolmainroll21.JPG" border="0" /></a> and then roll it up tightly (away from you) and finally it looks like this<br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2qvKLUffI/AAAAAAAAARk/2IoMoLqTz_c/s1600-h/dolmainroll31.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372137657685278194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 198px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2qvKLUffI/AAAAAAAAARk/2IoMoLqTz_c/s200/dolmainroll31.JPG" border="0" /></a></li><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2xd6sIWKI/AAAAAAAAASE/dvtb_bxVpzg/s1600-h/dolmainpan1.JPG"></a></li><br /></ol><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p>5. Take double broiler/steamer pan set................</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2uXMjeBUI/AAAAAAAAARs/5VLeTrtAfMk/s1600-h/dolmapot1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372141644053087554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2uXMjeBUI/AAAAAAAAARs/5VLeTrtAfMk/s200/dolmapot1.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2xd6sIWKI/AAAAAAAAASE/dvtb_bxVpzg/s1600-h/dolmainpan1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372145058051545250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2xd6sIWKI/AAAAAAAAASE/dvtb_bxVpzg/s200/dolmainpan1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><p>and smear the inside of the upper part (that has steamer holes ) with the half teaspoon of olive oil. Gently place the rolled up dolmas tightly into this pan. (seam side down to keep from unrolling) When you have a layer filled, place a few chard leaves on top (to separate layers) and create a second layer of dolmas (and a third if necessary). Place about 2 inches of water in the pan that sits below the pot with dolmas. Stack the pans up, Drizzle the last TBS of lime juice over the top layer of dolmas, put the lid on and bring to a boil. Allow to steam for an hour. Allow to cool before serving.</p><p><br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372145724939014498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 272px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/So2yEvCfkWI/AAAAAAAAASM/feTcW0qHekI/s320/dolmafullpan1.JPG" border="0" /> After posting all that you just read -- I made another batch of dolmas -- but this time decided to worry less about making something "traditional" and instead just follow my instincts and put what I felt inspired to in the rice. The results were FANTASTIC, although there are a few nuts in this variation, so it is not really fat free -- but still pretty low fat. Basically here is what I did differently:</p><ol><li>I left out the mint, chives and lime juice and instead used about two cups of loosely packed fresh basil, plus about a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves, and a teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning.</li><li>To the onions I added 2 small slender eggplants diced finely and 4 large cloves of garlic.</li><li>I may have used a few less of the capers then my recipe above called for...</li><li>After adding the rice to the vegetables, I added about 1/3 cup of a 50/50 mixture of ground raw almonds and nutritional yeast flakes. (put 1/2 cup almonds and a 1/2 cup of yeast in blender and pulverize until a homogenous powder (store extra in the fridge and use like parmesan). Also -- do not confuse <strong>nutritonal yeast</strong> with either <strong>brewer's</strong> yeast or <strong>baking</strong> yeast -- it is very different!)</li></ol><p>Otherwise I followed the instructions above exactly the same. I made over 60 dolmas -- and in about fifteen minutes time, a group of five people had devoured the plate. We LOVE this new recipe more then twice as much as the original one posted above. If fat is not an issue, I encourage you to just skip my first variation and try this second one right away! It is so much better!!</p><p> </p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-46717536132768186012008-05-04T15:30:00.005-07:002009-01-27T18:55:08.003-08:00Cheezy Sauce GF/CF AND SOY FREE!This recipe uses three ingredients that you may not be familiar with. But it is so easy to make. Go to your local natural foods store and ask for these special ingredients -- and I promise you will not be sorry! The first is <strong><em>Nutritional Yeast flakes. </em></strong>This adds a "cheezy flavor" to dishes. Be sure to ask for Red Star Brand, "vegetarian support formula" as it provides a great taste and is also fortified with vitamin B-12. I prefer the flakes to the powder -- which don't get up my nose and make me cough! Keep in mind, nutritional yeast is NOT the same as brewer's yeast. It is also quite different from the yeast you use in making bread rise. Make sure that you get the right stuff! The second unusual ingredient is called <strong><em>Chick Pea Miso</em></strong>. Miso is a paste usually fermented from soy beans and commonly used in Japanese cooking. Chick Pea Miso is made entirely soy free. I prefer the miso from The South River Miso Company because it comes in glass jars and according to UNFI's website is gluten free. The third special ingredient you will need is called <strong><em>Mirin</em></strong>. This is a sweet rice cooking wine. I prefer the Eden Brand Mirin its taste is quite different then other mirins and I always get good results from it. I keep all of the ingredients below on hand all the time and then I can whip up this cheezy sauce in just over five minutes whenever I need something cheezy for pasta, broccoli, baked potatoes, burritos or even chip dipping. It is wonderful, and lower in fat then traditional cheeze with zero cholesterol and zero inflammation causing animal protein.<br /><br />For a real treat -- we like to saute onions and lots of broccoli in two teaspoons of olive oil and sprinkle with wheat free tamari (like soy sauce -- but gluten free) and then place these on top of a freshly baked potatoe -- then drizzle cheezy sauce over the whole thing.<br /><br /><br />Ingredients.<br /><br />2 cups water<br />1/2 cup raw cashew pieces<br />2 TBS arrowroot powder<br />1/4 cup roasted red pepper peices (drained)<br />1/4 cup Chickpea Miso<br />3/4 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes<br />3 TBS Mirin<br />2 tsp lemon juice<br />1/2 tsp garlic powder<br /><br />Instructions:<br /><br /><ol><li>Place the water and cashews into a blender, cover tightly and blend on highest setting possible until all is totally liquified.</li><li>Add the rest of the ingredients and again blend completely.</li><li>Transfer contents of the blender to a medium saucepan and bring to boil, stirring nearly constantly (so it doesn't stick to the bottom) until it thickens -- about 3-4 minutes. Then turn off heat.</li></ol><p></p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-42740606552118798362008-05-04T15:30:00.001-07:002009-10-16T16:47:56.315-07:00The (Almost) Fat Free Chocolate Pie (GF/CF)With Thanksgiving approaching and my elderly father needing to eat extremely low fat, (not to mention that all of us would benefit from reducing our fat intake) I was newly inspired to figure out how to cut the fat on this much loved desert. My first challenge was to come up with a pie crust that did not use any shortening nor oil. This was a tall order! Although what I have created probably will not impress any diehard pie crust lovers -- my family finds this crust enjoyable, and lets face it -- a decent pie filling can overcome about any crust!<br /><br />This crust can also be used to make the pumpkin pie recipe in my book -- the only difference is that for pumpkin pie -- you will add the filling BEFORE cooking the crust. (and you should also oil the pie pan with about 1 tsp of canola or olive oil)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Fat Free Pie Crust:</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">(update-- I have found that when I DON'T use the entire amount of apple date fat substitute called for in this recipe -- but only use the bare minimum to make the flour mixture sort of crumbly and barely able to stay together when mushed, that I get a MUCH better pie crust. It is more crumbly and less stiff. However this will make it harder to create a nice lip, and pricking holes will be nearly impossible -- but then not necessary)<br /></span><br />Ingredients:<br /><br /><br /><ul><li>1 1/4 cups sorghum flour</li><li>1/4 cup brown rice flour</li><li>2 TBS finely ground golden flax seeds</li><li>1/2 tsp salt</li><li>1 tsp xanthan gum (this is optional-helps crust stay together better)</li><li>3/4 cup apple-date fat substitute (see recipe below)</li></ul><br />Directions:<br /><br /><br /><ol><li>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.</li><li>Combine the first five ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well with a wire wisk.</li><li>Add the apple-date fat substitute and use a fork to mash and mix it into the flours, until the mixture is mostly very small little lumps.</li><li>Transfer the mixture to a glass pie pan and using a piece of parchment paper about 4" x 5" between your fingers and the pie dough, press the dough into the pan. Keep moving the paper around to allow you to press whereever needed and not have the dough stick to your fingers. Make a nice slightly thicker edge at the top and give it a nice flat lip.</li><li>Use a fork to prick little holes (hundreds) over the entire surface of the crust -- bottoms and sides. Then place the crust into the oven. Bake for 11 minutes -- remove it before it turns brown and it will not stick to the pan -- even though no oil was used. </li><li>Allow it to cool before adding the chocolate filling. </li></ol><p></p><p>If you are making this crust to use with Pumpkin pie -- which must cook for an hour -- then you should oil the pan with 1 tsp of canola oil BEFORE adding the dough or carefully cut and lay in pieces of parchment paper before adding the dough.)</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Apple-Date Fat Substitute</span></strong></p><p>Ingredients:</p><ul><li>5 medium sized apples washed and core removed (peel if not organic)</li><li>10 whole dates, pits and hard end piece removed.</li><li>1 tsp vanilla extract1/4 tsp liquid stevia extract</li></ul><p>Directions:</p><ol><li>Place all ingredients into blender or food processor and process until TOTALLY smooth and creamy. (Scrape down sides if necessary and blend again.) </li><li>Store extra in glass jar in refrigerator -- keeps at least one week.</li></ol><p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Chocolate Pie Filling</span></strong></p><p>Ingredients:</p><ul><li>1/4 cup water</li><li>4 tsp Eden agar flakes</li><li>two 12.3 oz boxes of Mori Nu Firm "Lite" Silken Tofu</li><li>3/4 cup Rapunzel organic/fair trade 100% Cocoa Powder</li><li>1/2 cup organic/fair trade sugar</li><li>1/4 cup maple syrup</li><li>10 oz jar blackberry fruit preserves</li><li>5 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract</li><li>1/8 tsp gluten-free hazelnut extract</li><li>1/4 tsp salt</li></ul><p>Directions:</p><ol><li>Place the water into a small sauce pan and sprinkle the agar flakes over the top. Alow the flakes to just sit there while you do the next step.</li><li>Place all the remaining ingredients into a large blender (Vitamix) or food processor. (It must be able to hold just over 5 cups.) Process very well -- until very smooth and creamy.</li><li>Bring the water and agar mixture to a boil over a medium heat -- stir frequently and watch it closely. It will get kind of jelly-like. After about 3-5 minutes when it is good and thick, add it to the rest of the pie filling and quickly blend it all together on high one last time -- then immediately transfer the filling to the cooled pie shell. Allow the pie to chill for several hours or overnight before serving.</li></ol><p></p><p>Serves 12. (This pie is VERY rich and filling. Servings should be small.) Each serving has about 200 calories and less then 1.5 grams of fat.</p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-62037120007071547392008-05-04T15:29:00.004-07:002009-06-04T19:10:42.457-07:00Spinach Triangles<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz4OW7IkQI/AAAAAAAAAPs/ATvVcc_CCj8/s1600-h/spin+close+up31.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331408984455287042" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 248px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz4OW7IkQI/AAAAAAAAAPs/ATvVcc_CCj8/s320/spin+close+up31.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Spinach Triangles (Recipe)</span></strong></div><br />These gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free appetizers are not only incredible tasting, they are low in fat, and have been enthusiastically devoured at every event I have taken them to. Plus they look so elegant.<br /><br />The cheezy taste comes from a blending of raw almonds, chickpea miso, mirin, roasted red peppers, and nutritional yeast. Although they look like something that is made from phyllo dough -- I use rice paper wrappers, cut in half -- and the end result is not only appealing -- but gluten free!<br /><br />You can buy rice paper wrappers at any Asian grocery store. Make sure that you get the ones that have only these three ingredients: Rice, water, salt. (I find that the ones that contain tapioca don't work nearly as well.) Be sure to use organic spinach -- since conventionally grown spinach is one of the more heavily pesticided crops.<br /><br /><strong>Ingredients:<br /></strong><br />1 pound organic baby spinach washed<br />water for cooking the spinach<br />1 tsp extra virgin olive oil<br />1 large onion --diced<br /><br />1/2 cup raw almonds -- ground to a coarse flour<br />3/4 cup water<br />1/4 cup Eden Mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)<br />1 tsp lemon juice<br />3 TBS roasted red pepper pieces (I like Mediteranean Organics)<br />3 TBS South River Chickpea Miso (this makes them soy free)<br />1 tsp umboshi plumb paste<br />1/4 cup nutritional Yeast flakes (Do NOT confuse with bakers yeast NOR brewer's yeast-- also this is optional -- they still taste pretty cheezy without this ingredient)<br />1 tsp onion powder<br />1 TBS dried basil<br />1/4 tsp lemon pepper<br />1 clove of garlic<br />1 tsp Eden Agar Flakes<br />1 TBS arrowroot powder<br /><br />1 package rice paper wrappers<br />olive oil vegetable spray<br /><br /><strong>Directions:</strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz49DNAAoI/AAAAAAAAAP0/SmdWKcfQM9U/s1600-h/spin+press1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331409786615366274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 166px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz49DNAAoI/AAAAAAAAAP0/SmdWKcfQM9U/s200/spin+press1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />1.Wash the spinach and place it into a large covered pot with about 1/4 inch of water in the botton and heat it on medium until the spinach completely shrinks. Then, place the spinach into a large strainer and press and squeeze it over the sink until you remove every drop of liquid that you can, then place it on a cutting board and chop it with a knife in all directions about 30 times. Set aside.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331410358370829442" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz5eVKIBII/AAAAAAAAAP8/A-ZdkhAsn-w/s200/spin+chop1.JPG" border="0" />2) Place the tsp of olive oil into a cast iron skillet, turn on high, when hot add the onion, stir frequently until it starts to brown. Then add the chopped spinach and cook for about 2 minutes more --to further remove moisture. Stir frequently. Turn off heat and let set.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz6epDcRLI/AAAAAAAAAQE/AQRXhbqndDs/s1600-h/spin+mix1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331411463223133362" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz6epDcRLI/AAAAAAAAAQE/AQRXhbqndDs/s200/spin+mix1.JPG" border="0" /></a>3) Place the almonds into a blender (I use a Vitamix for this) and add the water and blend until totally smooth, then add all the rest of the ingredients -- except for the rice paper and the olive oil spray, blend until completely smooth and yellow orange colored. Then transfer the contents of the blender to the skillet with the onions. Use a spatula to get every drop that you can from the blender. blend everything in the skillet well.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz70Nm1q_I/AAAAAAAAAQM/RfaWZojt048/s1600-h/spin+row1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331412933324155890" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 148px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz70Nm1q_I/AAAAAAAAAQM/RfaWZojt048/s200/spin+row1.JPG" border="0" /></a> 4) Take a large pot (or other container large enough to dunk a rice paper wrapper into) and put about an inch of water into the bottom and warm it on the stove. Warm water softens the rice wrappers more quickly -- but don't make it so hot that you can't quickly dip your fingers into it, without burning yourself. Clear a large workspace on your counter or table. Get a large cookie tray (I use airbake pans and get great results) and rub olive oil on it and set it nearby. Open the package of rice papers and set them out and place the pan with the spinach near these. Take one of the rice papers and dunk it in the water for about 2 seconds, pull it out and fold it in half. Time this right and the paper should neatly break in two. Set each half down on the counter so that each half circle is orientated with it's arch to the left or right. Repeat this with as many more circles as you have room for on your counter. Then scoop up about 1 rounded teaspoonful of the spinach filling and place it on the rice wrapper in the corner nearest you, do this for each half circle. By this time, the first half circle of rice paper should be starting to get sticky. Fold a small triangle of wrapper over the filling (away from you) and continue folding small triangles until the whole thing is securely and tightly folded<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sf0Eaqy_r3I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/S3RRc5O2q8w/s1600-h/spin+roll31.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331422390087823218" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 149px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sf0Eaqy_r3I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/S3RRc5O2q8w/s200/spin+roll31.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331414192678709570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz89hEXKUI/AAAAAAAAAQU/unqQR3jxDyY/s200/spin+roll11.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sfz-ibamXrI/AAAAAAAAAQc/useY4uOQxHA/s1600-h/spin+roll21.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />up. Place the triangle on the tray. Repeat this process until you have used up all the filling. Do NOT allow any of the triangle to touch! When the tray is filled, lightly spray the triangles with olive oil spray and broil them in a preheated oven on high --about 5 inches from the heating element. Watch them closely. As soon as they start to brown, remove the tray from the oven, turn the triangles over and brown the other side.<br /><br />You can serve these fresh and hot -- or later on after they have cooled. Great for lunch boxes too! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331420505663453010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 205px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/Sf0Cs-xNt1I/AAAAAAAAAQs/d4LTK4k5COY/s400/spin+tray1.JPG" border="0" />JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-23710580506938823952008-05-04T15:29:00.003-07:002009-06-07T07:39:48.174-07:00Chocolate Walnut Cookies<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Chocolate Walnut Cookies (Recipe)</strong></span><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/SiqtnJlO7SI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/aQetJk0f3d8/s1600-h/choccookies1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344274795927104802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 186px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VxDfyczHikM/SiqtnJlO7SI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/aQetJk0f3d8/s200/choccookies1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />These are a delicious and elegant cookie -- gluten free, dairy free, egg free, peanut free, soy free and vegan. The walnuts can be left off for those with nut allergies or to make an almost fat free cookie as well. In fact, the only other fat is this recipe is from a small amount of ground flax seeds! This recipe makes about 5 dozen, thin, 2 inch cookies Enjoy!<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />1 1/2 cups sorghum flour<br />1/4 ground flax seeds<br />3/4 cup unsweetened fair trade cocoa powder (I use Rapunzel)<br />1/2 cup succanat<br />1/2 tsp Rumford baking powder<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum<br /><br />1 TBS organic or non-GMO canola oil<br />1/2 cup plus 2 TBS real maple syrup<br />1 med apple, peeled, cut in quarters, stem and seeds removed<br />6 dates, pits removed and chopped<br />1 tsp vanilla<br /><br />About 2 cups raw walnut halves<br />parchment paper to line cookie sheets<br /><br />Directions:<br /><ol><br /><li>Place first seven (dry) ingredients into a large bowl and mix well with a wire wisk</li><br /><li>Measure the oil and pour it into a half cup measure -- roll it around until the whole measuring cup is covered, then drain the cup into a blender.</li><br /><li>Use the same measuring cup and measuring spoon, to measure the maple syrup and add it to the blender.</li><br /><li>Add the apple, dates and vanilla to the blender and blend on high, stopping occaisionally to scrape down the sides until it is very thoroughly blended and smooth.</li><br /><li>Add the contents of the blender to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well.</li><br /><li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</li><br /><li>Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop teaspoon sized globs of dough about 2 inches apart on the sheet.</li><br /><li>Get a small bowl of water and dip your fingers into the water and then gently tap each cookie about dozen times to flatten them out less then 1/4 inch thick.</li><br /><li>Place a walnut half in the center of each cookie and press it down into the cookie very well.</li></ol><br /><br /><p>Bake for 25 minutes. If you would prefer a crispier cookie -- then carefully flip them over on the tray, and bake for another five minutes.</p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-55592217602019268072008-05-04T15:29:00.001-07:002009-01-27T18:58:39.817-08:00Gluten Free Dairy Free Oil Free Pot PieRight before creating this recipe, I had the opportunity to hear Caldwell Esselstyn speak. Dr Esselstyn, formerly a surgeon with the Cleveland Clinic, who has since published the landmark book, <em>Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,</em> makes a very compelling case for avoiding the use of oils in food preparation. He describes something called the Brachiel Artery Tourniquet Test (BART) which clearly demonstrates that eating for up to six hours after eating a meal containing meat, dairy or fat, the endothelium (lining of arteries) is damaged and won't dilate properly. The implications being that the risk of an adverse cardiac event is immediately and directly increased by eating the wrong foods -- even so called heart-healthy olive oil!<br /><br />So I dedicate this recipe to you Dr Esselstyn! (click the title to visit his website)<br /><br />Makes Four Servings<br /><br />Cooks notes: 1) I keep tofu frozen in my freezer -- it keeps for many months. Freezing tofu changes the texture profoundly and makes it work well in this recipe. I can thaw it quickly for any use by simply popping a pound into a pot of boiling water. 2) Because potatoes, corn and soy are now widely genetically modified -- I only use these from organic sources. 3) You can alter this recipe to also be soy-free by substituting a half teaspoon of salt plus a TBS apple cider vinegar, and leave out the tofu and instead add a can of your favorite beans.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Crust:</span></strong><br /><br />1/2 cup water<br />1/4 cup ground flax seeds<br />1 tsp xanthan gum<br />1 tsp Ener- G Egg Replacer<br />1 small apple cut into slices, core removed<br />3/4 cup sorghum flour<br />3/4 cup ground flax seeds<br />1/2 cup rice flour<br />1 tsp baking soda<br /><ol><li>Place the water and 1/4 cup of flax seed into a blender and blend on high until smooth. </li><li>Add the apple and egg replacer and blend another minute.</li><li>Add the xanthan gum to the blender and blend until very thick</li><li>Place the flours, 3/4 cup of flax seeds and baking soda into a bowl and mix well with a wire wisk.</li><li>Add the contents of the blender to the flour mixture and mix until moisture is evenly distributed with a spatula or spoon, then use your hands to knead it until it is like play-dough. Divide the dough into two peices of 1/3 and 2/3 the original mass.</li><li>Using a two large peices of parchment paper, place the larger peice of dough in between sheets and using a combination of pressing with your hands and rolling with a rolling pin press the ball into a large flat circle about 14 inches in diameter. Sprinkle each side with rice flour occaisionally to keep it from sticking to the parchment paper.</li><li>Carefull lay the bottom sheet of the paper into a 1.5 quart casserole dish with slanted (not verticle) sides. Use your fingers to press the dough (leaving the paper in place between the dough and the dish -- it will be cooked this way) into the dish. Check carefully to see that no dough is caught in folds of paper -- the paper can still have folds -- just make sure they are behind the dough. Leave a little lip of dough sticking out around the edges.</li><li>Now take the smaller piece of the dough and roll it out into a circle about 12 inches in diameter using the same technique. Leave it sitting on a peice of parchment --- but not covered by parchment.</li><li>Fill the casserole dish with the filling (see below) -- it should be slightly overfull.</li><li>Carefully flip the 12 inch dough circle onto the top of the casserole and remove the parchment it was on. Use your fingers to pinch the edges of the top crusts to the bottom crust and form a nice rim. Poke the top a few times with a fork to allow steam to escape when it cooks. Trim any parchment that sticks out too far from the dish (see photo on the right)</li><li>Place the pot pie into a preheated oven and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot.</li></ol><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Filling:</strong></span><br /><br />1/2 cup water<br />1 cube Rapunzel Bouillon<br />1 medium onion diced<br />2 cup sliced carrots<br />2 cups diced organic potatoes<br />1 lb organic water packed tofu frozen and then thawed<br />1/4 cup balsamic vinegar<br />1 TBS organic wheat free tamari (San J is a good choice)<br />1 cup fresh or frozen green beens (cut into 1 inch pieces)<br />1 cup fresh or frozen peas<br />1 cup fresh or frozen organic corn<br />1 tsp dried sage<br />1 tsp dried thyme<br />1/4 tsp black pepper<br />2 tsp garlic powder<br />3 TBS nutritional yeast flakes<br />1 TBS arrowroot powder<br />1/3 cup plain unsweetened soymilk<br /><br /><ol><li>Place the water into a cast iron skillet and break up the bouillon cube into the water and bring it to a boil on high. Use a fork to mash the bouillion up until it is well distributed in the water.</li><li>Add the onions and allow to boil for five minutes</li><li>Add the carrots and potatoes.</li><li>Tear the thawed tofu into chunks about the size of large marbles and add to the skillet.</li><li>Add the vinegar and tamari and boil skillet until vegetables become soft. Stir often.</li><li>Add all the remaining ingredients and while stirring often, bring to a boil then remove from heat.</li></ol>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-48832408729398888392008-05-04T15:28:00.000-07:002009-01-27T19:11:26.243-08:00From the Back of the Book...................If you haven’t heard the bad news about gluten – it’s only a matter of time. <strong><em>What you don’t know</em></strong> about this protein found in wheat, barley, rye oats and spelt <strong><em>may be hurting you</em></strong>.<br /><br />A growing body of research now shows that most Americans are genetically predisposed to develop an autoimmune reaction when they eat gluten. Furthermore, many of these people have no obvious symptoms, or any number of non-specific symptoms. Yet their chances of developing colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, thyroid disease, lupus, Sjogren’s, neurological disorders, and other serious diseases, increase significantly with each passing year that they continue to be exposed to gluten.<br /><br />Gluten may be the reason some people actually report feeling better on low carb diets – even though these diets are dangerously unhealthy.<br /><br />One of the main organs affected by gluten is the brain. Many doctors are reporting improvement in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, autism, ADD and even depression when they go 100% gluten (and dairy) free. Improvement may be apparent after a week, but it can take several months to a year.<br /><br />Get off Gluten! Open this book and learn how.<br /><br />JoAnn Farb is a microbiologist,<br />educator, author and mother.JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-19425382032200806262008-05-02T22:43:00.000-07:002009-01-27T18:59:24.095-08:00Lemon Chive Salad Dressing<em><span style="font-size:130%;">Low-fat and No vinegar!</span></em><br /><br />After my manuscript went to the printer, I happened to come up with a new and very different salad dressing. This one is especially great on a bowl of organic mixed baby greens topped with chunks of fresh tomato and sliced artichoke hearts.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />1 cup water<br />2 TBS organic canola oil<br />5 TBS lemon juice<br />2 TBS diced onion<br />2 cloves garlic<br />15 drops liquid stevia extract<br />1 tsp salt<br />1/2 tsp xanthan gum<br />1/2 tsp mustard powder<br />1/8 tsp black pepper<br />1/4 cup of chopped chives<br /><br />Directions:<br /><br />Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until very well blended. Store's well in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for at least two weeks.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">My book has other great salad dressings in it too -- like Goddess, Adobe, Raspberry-Orange, French, Great Garlic, and Caesar. And the tofu topping for the Mushroom meadow can also be used as a salad dressing -- it's like a dairy-free blue cheese!</span></em>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-44931314616265389512008-05-02T22:03:00.000-07:002009-01-27T19:12:57.930-08:00Why GF Alone Isn't EnoughBy now, you probably realize that being diagnosed with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Celiac</span> Disease or gluten sensitivity, means that you are at increased risk for a variety of other diseases. You probably also know that by strictly adhering to a gluten-free diet, you can somewhat mitigate this additional disease risk. But what if by simply eliminating a few more foods, you could significantly reduce your risk of many types of cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and a variety of autoimmune diseases? What if this new way of eating had a side effect of also reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease? (which is what 50% of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Americans</span> die from -- and it's not always a sudden death -- sometimes it is preceded by years of suffering and gradually increasing disability.) What if the new diet also gave you more energy and made it easier to maintain a healthy weight? What if it also reduced your carbon footprint? (In fact just eliminating a few more problematic foods will reduce your contribution to greenhouse gasses more then trading in an SUV for hybrid, AND also requires drastically less water for production.)<br /><br />While there are many different studies about nutrition that seem to contradict each other, there is one study that stands out head and shoulder's above the rest. It is the longest, largest, most comprehensive study ever, looking at diet and lifestyle factors and linking them with diseases. It is called the Cornell-Oxford-Beijing-CHINA STUDY. The primary author of this study, is professor T Colin Campbell, and he has written a superb book, about his work that also provides a fascinating glimpse into the politics of food and nutrition policy. If you really want a good framework for understanding nutrition, and for protecting your own health, then you must read his book, The China Study. The bottom line from Campbell's work: There is one food that study after study shows increases the risk of many types of cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and kidney disease, and that one food is Animal Protein -- in all of it's many forms. Milk protein, fish protein, beef protein, egg protein, chicken protein. In terms of how these can turn on cancer, increase inflammation, stress the kidneys, and cause our bodies to lose calcium, <strong><em>all </em></strong>animal protein is problematic.<br /><br />The good news however is that you can learn to live without meat and dairy and eggs just as easily as you can learn to live without gluten, and my book, <em>Get Off Gluten</em>, will show you how.<br /><br />Keep in mind that studies have shown that it is just as challenging to make major dietary changes as it is to make minor ones -- so you might as well make one huge diet overhaul right up front. Eliminate all the health-destroying foods at once, take a few weeks to learn the new ways of preparing food, and after you surmount the learning curve it really does get easy. Best of all, you will get dramatically more benefits than if you only do the minimum, and eliminate gluten.JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-7643199119210132772008-03-17T17:05:00.001-07:002009-01-27T19:00:20.018-08:00Low Fat GF Goddess Dressing<p></p><p>Here is another version of my goddess dressing that I created since my book was published. This one is MUCH more like Annie's Brand Goddess Dressing (in taste) but actually much lower in fat then either the real Annie's, or the one in my book. Oh and of course the real Annies is NOT gluten free -- but mine is. (Too bad for Annies. My daughter wrote to them when we first became GF and begged them to offer a GF version. All they had to do was change the soy sauce to tamari -- but we got a form letter back, basically indicating they were too busy to consider our recommendation. We were so disappointed then -- but now I am glad, because it forced me to figure out how to make it myself and my recipe is lower in fat and much less expensive. </p><p>The only disadvantage of this one over the version published in my book, is that since this one uses prepared tahini -- instead of raw <strong><em>unhulled</em></strong> sesame seeds -- it will have less then one tenth the amount of calcium as the one in my book. But truthfully -- this one does taste better!</p><p>This recipe will yeild two and three quarters cups of finished dressing, which may sound like a lot -- until you make yourself a nice big bowl of salad (aim for one pound of raw leafy greens each day!) Trust me your box of greens will go FAST when you have this dressing on hand -- and I just love seeing my children gobble up the boxes of mixed baby greens that I bring home.</p><p>Put into blender:</p><ul><li>1 1/2 cups of water</li><li>1/2 cup tahini</li><li>2 cloves of garlic (coarsely chopped)</li><li>3 TBS wheat-free tamari (San J makes a great one)</li><li>3 TBS lemon juice</li><li>1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (use the real stuff -- not some flavored junk)</li><li>1 TBS onion powder</li><li>1/2 tsp xanthan gum (this is a must -- to make it thick without oil)</li></ul><p>Now blend on high until smooth. It will store for weeks in the refrigerator. If it thickens too much after sitting in the fridge -- add a few teaspons of water to thin it.</p><p></p><p>Ok so guess how much fat is in this? </p><p>Per TBS 1.5 gm fat</p><p>But no one eats that little amount, (or else your salads are just WAY TOO SMALL) so multiply that times 4 and here is how much fat there is in each quarter cup:</p><p>just 6 gms of fat!</p><p>Enjoy.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610976170742971516.post-25929987402768650752008-03-16T15:58:00.000-07:002009-01-27T19:13:42.720-08:00Why Get Off Gluten?Long before our family went gluten free, we knew our youngest had some sort of GI issues. Looking back, I now think she probably was reacting to gluten (initially via my diet and her nursing) from the day she was born. Of course with exclusive breast feeding and lots of holding/comforting her obvious discomfort was kept to a minimum and her frequent crying could be managed. (Boy how I wish I knew then about gluten and how I could have simply avoided it myself to keep her from getting it.) By the time she was verbal, she was reporting tummy aches many times each week -- but they were never severe enough to slow her down, and our family doctor kept assuring me that tummy aches are very common in little ones and usually related to how they are handling emotional issues.<br /><br />It wasn't until they got much worse (when she was about 8) that I started to seriously doubt my doctor's reassurances. By then I thought I might be noticing a correlation between bread-eating and her pain. What threw me off the track however, was the fact, that even when we completely avoided wheat, she still had them, but they usually weren't as bad.<br /><br />I was completely clueless about gluten, and had no idea that she was also still being exposed to gluten when I made things with rye, barley, or oats. Failing to see clear improvement from a wheat-free diet, we went back and forth on letting her have it. I remember my mother's reaction too when I told her my daughter might have a problem with wheat. She said something about hoping it wasn't Celiac Disease, and although I didn't really know what that was, the way my mother said it made me feel like it must be a diagnosis like leprosy, so I made a mental note that whatever it was, that would not be what we were dealing with.<br /><br />Then a friend tried to explain to me about gluten and what it was and what all it might be in, I clearly remember telling her, "Oh forget that -- we are NOT going there!" I was absolutely certain at that time that by force of will (keeping our heads in the sand) we could avoid exposing ourselves to something as disruptive as eliminating gluten from our daughter's diet.<br /><br />Of course you can guess the rest of this story, eventually we had to come to terms with reality, and now that we have, it's really not hard at all -- especially since after becoming more educated on this topic, our whole family went gluten-free, and with our kitchen being entirely GF, food prep is as simple as it ever was.<br /><br />So what was it that persuaded us all to go gluten free? Upon doing more research, we learned for example that most people carry the gene that allows them, (for reasons not well understood at the present time) to become gluten sensitive as a result of environmental triggers (also not well understood -- but viruses, pregnancy, stress are some of the suspected triggers). We also learned that once one's body starts having an immunological reaction to gluten, it appears to be for life -- if and when they are exposed to gluten. (And trust me I looked long and hard in the medical journals trying to find some research that suggested otherwise -- that perhaps given time it would go away, or with certain nutrients, homeopathy acupuncture or treatment, but never was able to find this!)<br /><br />Then I discovered even more damning things about gluten. Like the fact that as long as the immune system is reacting to gluten (and this may be happening in many people without them even having any obvious symptoms) they are at increased risk for all sorts of cancers, and autoimmune diseases, even the development of allergies later in life.<br /><br />Most recently there has been a flurry of reports linking gluten consumption with a variety of mental/emotional difficulties and illnesses. Autism, ADD, Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder -- many people with these are reporting a lessening of symptoms when they get off gluten. (And some doctors are concurring with this too.)<br /><br />I thought that I had no symptoms of gluten intolerance. I initially went gluten-free mainly to support my daughter and to model for her that going GF was not that hard. I had been GF for over a year, when I stumbled upon some study that said that people who went GF showed improvement in psychological well being a year later when pre and post tested.<br /><br />I remember thinking at that time, "Where was my benefit?!" I was not feeling any improvement in my well being. But then I stopped and reflected. During this same period, we had moved homes twice, went through the sickness, loss and grieving of two members of our extended family, had another family crisis, and our daughter was attacked by a dog. Given that I have struggled with mild depression many times in my life, the fact that I made it through this period without feeling "the cloud" hanging over my head, and actually functioning quite well, I realized THAT was my benefit.<br /><br />Not too long ago I decided to test all this, I wondered if now, after being GF for close to two years, what would happen if I ate some gluten. Would I notice anything obvious? While I was out-of-town at a fun event I ate a sandwich on whole wheat bread, that contained one of those gluten-based faux meats. About one hour later, this profound cloud descended upon me. I suddenly felt like I was extremely sleep deprived, and my thinking wasn't as clear. It lasted for about 24 hours before it gradually lifted.JoAnn Farbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03652485741290354904noreply@blogger.com